• The Power of Purpose-Driven Leadership with Sandi Fenwick
    Feb 20 2026
    Leadership that transforms organizations and communities is both visionary and deeply human — and Sandi Fenwick exemplifies it. As the first female CEO of Boston Children’s Hospital, Sandi led a $2.8B global healthcare and research enterprise through growth, innovation, and unprecedented challenges, including the pandemic. In this episode of Better Understanding, Sandi shares the lessons that guided her journey: the power of preparation, courage, and character; how to cultivate teams that thrive; and the importance of leading from your best self. She reflects on building cultures of dignity and connection, investing in relationships that matter, and navigating high-stakes decisions with clarity and care. Listeners will come away inspired to: Lead with passion, courage, and morality in complex organizations Create environments where teams feel valued, empowered, and connected Approach leadership as a journey of significance, balancing impact with personal growth. Sandi’s story is a masterclass in purposeful leadership, showing how intentional, human-centered decision-making elevates both people and performance.
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    32 mins
  • Less Is the New More: Leading with Clarity in an Overloaded World
    Feb 9 2026
    In this episode of The Better Understanding, leadership expert Juliet Funt shares a simple but powerful idea: doing less can help you achieve more. Today’s leaders are ambitious and hardworking, but constant busyness can drain energy, creativity, and focus. Juliet explains why the “always-on” mindset - made even more intense by AI and nonstop communication - keeps many leaders stuck in reactive mode. She offers practical ways to reclaim your time and headspace, including: Building white space wedges—small pauses between meetings to reflect, process, and plan. Cutting out tasks, meetings, and obligations that aren’t adding value. Simple strategies for managing email, meetings, and endless to-dos. Tips for leaders at every stage—from those just starting out to senior executives under heavy pressure. Juliet shows how giving yourself even a few minutes of margin each day can boost clarity, creativity, and influence. This episode is packed with actionable insights for any leader who wants to work smarter, not just harder.
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    30 mins
  • Breaking Barriers at the Top of the Game: A Conversation with Kim Davis
    Feb 3 2026
    In this episode of the Better Understanding Podcast, host Susan MacKenty Brady sits down with Kim Davis, Senior Executive Vice President of the National Hockey League and the 2026 Helen G. Drinan Visionary Leader Award recipient. Kim reflects on a career shaped by disruption—from navigating mergers early in financial services to leading large-scale cultural change in professional sports. She shares how learning to operate amid ambiguity prepared her to balance results and humanity, accountability and connection. Throughout the conversation, Kim offers practical leadership wisdom, including her “Three P’s” framework—Preparation, Passion, and Purpose, her distinction between mentors and sponsors, and her conviction that inclusion is not charitable—it is a growth strategy. She speaks candidly about patience, resilience, and protecting personal energy, as well as what it means to lead authentically as a woman of color in traditionally homogeneous executive spaces. This episode is a masterclass in values-based leadership—illustrating how trust is built through vulnerability, how influence compounds over time, and why connection is not a soft skill, but a core leadership capability tied directly to performance.
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    33 mins
  • Beyond Good Intentions: How Men Can Be True Allies for Women at Work
    Sep 2 2025

    Too often, men want to support women in the workplace—but don’t know how. In this episode, Brad Johnson and David Smith break down the myths, fears, and missed opportunities that hold men back from being effective allies. They share data-driven insights and real stories about what women say makes the difference, and how mentorship and sponsorship can open doors that change careers—and cultures.

    3 Takeaways You’ll Learn:

    • Why allyship isn’t just good for women—it makes organizations stronger.
    • How to move past fear and hesitation to take meaningful action.
    • Simple, powerful practices of listening, humility, and courage that all leaders can adopt.

    This conversation is a call to action for leaders everywhere: to listen with humility, lead with courage, and actively create workplaces where women can thrive.

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    38 mins
  • Breaking Barriers, Building Leaders: A Conversation with JoAnne Bass
    Aug 22 2025

    As the 19th Chief Master Sergeant of the U.S. Air Force, JoAnne Bass made history as the first woman and the first person of Asian American descent to serve as the highest-ranking noncommissioned officer in any U.S. military branch. In this powerful conversation, she shares the lessons that helped her rise to the top — from embracing every season as preparation for the next, to leading with humility and character, to building teams that thrive on trust and accountability.

    You’ll walk away inspired to:

    • Lead from your best self by aligning strengths with purpose
    • Invest in mentorship and strategic relationships that expand your impact
    • Recognize the power of mindset in navigating change and career transitions
    • Remember that true legacy is about how you make people feel

    Whether you’re charting your next leadership move or simply looking for the motivation to keep going, JoAnne’s story offers both wisdom and encouragement for every modern leader.

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    26 mins
  • S3, Ep 9: Making Strategy Stick: Why Talent and Teams Matter Most
    Jun 6 2025
    In this candid conversation, Susan MacKenty Brady sits down with Mark Servodidio—CEO, cofounder of PGP Solutions, and former global CHRO and Fortune 300 President—to explore how real transformation happens when leaders double down on people. From building community through teams to creating cultures of trust and accountability, Mark shares powerful lessons from his leadership journey—where humility meets high performance and purpose drives results.
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    29 mins
  • S3, Ep. 8 From Purpose to Power: Leading Authentically in Uncertain Times
    May 23 2025
    What does it really take to lead with impact in a world full of change? In this episode, Tamla Oates-Forney—change-maker, people-centered executive, and advocate for inclusive leadership—joins Susan MacKenty Brady for a candid conversation about leading from your Best Self, even in uncertain times. Tamla shares how a personal health scare transformed her outlook, deepening her commitment to joy, purpose, and people. She opens up about how leaders can rediscover themselves, show up more authentically, and build workplaces rooted in empathy, trust, and belonging.
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    24 mins
  • Leading with Calm: Finding Your Best Self in Chaos
    May 6 2025
    In this episode of the Better Understanding podcast, change maker Lori Spicer Robertson invites us to live in our vision, not our circumstances. She shares how returning to your Best Self—especially during times of uncertainty—is a daily practice rooted in calmness, curiosity, and joy. From redefining emotional expression in leadership to building intentional work tribes and setting personal boundaries, Lori offers practical wisdom on how to lead with authenticity, create inclusive environments, and source joy even in the toughest moments.
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    31 mins