COVID pulled supply chains out of the background and into daily life. What used to feel abstract suddenly determined whether shelves were stocked, prices stayed stable, or businesses survived at all. In this conversation, Kerim Kfuri breaks down how global supply chains actually work, why the old “lowest cost at all costs” logic is outdated, and how disruption has reshaped manufacturing, trade, and strategy worldwide.

We explore the shift from just-in-time efficiency to just-in-case resilience, challenge the idea that globalization is primarily exploitation, and explain why visibility, redundancy, and optionality now matter more than unit price. We also dive into tariffs, debt, leverage, inflation, and the uncomfortable truth: every attempt to “fix” supply chains shows up in consumers’ wallets.

This isn’t about ideology or slogans. It’s about fundamentals—survivability, relevance, and designing systems that can absorb shocks without breaking.

TL;DR

* Supply chains aren’t boring—they’re the infrastructure of modern life.

* Cost is no longer king; resilience, visibility, and flexibility are.

* “Just in time” failed under real stress; “just in case” is the new survival model.

* Globalization today is about capability, not exploitation.

* Tariffs and inflation are hidden taxes consumers always end up paying.

* Long-term business success depends on survivability, not quarterly optics.

Memorable lines

* “Supply chains used to be invisible—until they broke.”

* “Cost is the last variable now, not the first.”

* “Relevance is what makes supply chains sexy.”

* “You don’t notice the wiring in the wall until the power goes out.”

Guest

Kerim Kfuri — President & CEO, Atlas NetworkGlobal supply chain strategist focused on resilience, efficiency, and disruption-ready systems.

Why this matters

If you want businesses—and economies—that last, stop optimizing for perfect conditions and start designing for disruption. Supply chains aren’t about speed alone anymore. They’re about survival.

Call to Action

If this conversation lit something up for you, don’t just let it fade. Come join me inside the Second Life Leader community on Skool. That’s where I share the frameworks, field reports, and real stories of reinvention that don’t make it into the podcast. You’ll connect with other professionals who are actively rebuilding and leading with clarity. The link is in the show notes—step inside and start building your Second Life today.

https://secondlifeleader.com

For decades, leadership meant position: titles, layers, authority flowing downward. That model survived generations of management theory—but AI is dismantling it faster than most organizations realize. As automation absorbs middle management functions and teams flatten, leadership no longer comes from the org chart. It emerges from trust, psychological safety, and the ability to guide without control.

Cedric and I explore how leadership is shifting from ladder to lattice, why younger generations demand clarity without micromanagement, and how learning, unlearning, and relearning have become survival skills—not growth perks. We dig into why performance without empathy burns people out, why transparency matters more than trust alone, and how leaders who can regulate themselves create teams that move faster, experiment more, and fail forward without fear.

The takeaway isn’t that leadership disappears—it evolves. From command-and-control to influence-without-authority. From perfection to iteration. From managing people to creating environments where people lead themselves.

No nostalgia. No AI panic. Just a grounded roadmap for leaders navigating the post-AI reality.

TL;DR

* Hierarchy is eroding: AI collapses management layers—leadership becomes informal and horizontal.

* Position ≠ influence: Future leaders are followed by choice, not title.

* Ladder → lattice: Careers move sideways before up; growth isn’t linear anymore.

* Empathy scales performance: Psychological safety drives speed, creativity, and retention.

* Learn–unlearn–relearn: AI shortens the cycle; leaders must evolve faster than systems.

* Clarity creates confidence: Context + expectations beat control every time.

* Transparency > trust: Explaining the why builds deeper alignment than directives.

* Failure is data: Teams grow when mistakes don’t equal punishment.

Memorable lines

* “Leadership doesn’t disappear when hierarchy fades—it becomes visible.”

* “AI removes managers, not the need for leadership.”

* “Clarity builds confidence; confusion builds fear.”

* “Trust tells people what—transparency tells them why.”

* “You can’t automate empathy—but you can scale it through culture.”

Guest

Cedric B. Howard — Founder & CEO of Howard Executive Consulting; former higher-education administrator; leadership educator specializing in empathy, strategy, and organizational resilience.

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-cedric-b-howard/

Why it matters

As AI reshapes how work gets done, the biggest leadership risk isn’t technology—it’s clinging to authority models that no longer function. Organizations that fail to adapt will lose talent, trust, and speed. Leaders who evolve will unlock discretionary effort, loyalty, and innovation at scale.

This episode is for founders, executives, and operators who sense the old leadership playbook isn’t working—but haven’t yet seen what replaces it. If you want teams that think, adapt, and lead without being told—this conversation shows you how to build them.

Call to Action

If this conversation lit something up for you, don’t just let it fade. Come join me inside the Second Life Leader community on Skool. That’s where I share the frameworks, field reports, and real stories of reinvention that don’t make it into the podcast. You’ll connect with other professionals who are actively rebuilding and leading with clarity. The link is in the show notes—step inside and start building your Second Life today.

https://secondlifeleader.com

After an 18-year rise through corporate HR—from recruiter to group president across Canada and the U.S.—Dom walked away from a “safe” executive career to build something on his own terms. In this conversation, we unpack why large organizations quietly trade momentum for bureaucracy, how technology and automation empower lean founders, and why “stability” often comes at the cost of creativity, speed, and meaning.

We explore intrapreneurship vs. entrepreneurship, the hidden traps of bloated systems, and how founders can use data, automation, and open APIs to move faster without burning capital. The throughline isn’t rebellion—it’s agency. Building work that’s fun, aligned, and alive again.

No anti-corporate rant. Just lived experience, hard trade-offs, and a clear-eyed look at what it really takes to step off the stable path—and thrive.

TL;DR

* Stability is conditional: Corporate safety disappears the moment priorities shift.

* Intrapreneur vs. founder: Big-company success doesn’t equal personal leverage.

* Tech as leverage: Automation and BI (not hype AI) unlock speed for lean teams.

* Systems can trap you: CRMs and ERPs either enable growth—or become prisons.

* Innovation dies slowly: Bureaucracy rewards optics over outcomes.

* Work-life blend > balance: Fun, purpose-driven work creates sustainability.

* Momentum matters: Small teams with clarity outperform slow giants.

Memorable lines

* “Stability often costs more than risk—you just don’t see the bill right away.”

* “Big systems don’t fail fast. They fail quietly.”

* “AI isn’t magic—it’s leverage if you know what problem you’re solving.”

* “Careers don’t collapse overnight; they stall one approval layer at a time.”

* “Fun isn’t a perk—it’s fuel.”

Guest

Dominic Levesque — HR executive turned founder; CEO of NextWave; author and advisor on leadership, technology, and organizational transformation.

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominiclevesquecria/🌐 Website: https://nextwav.com

Why it matters

Most people chase stability without realizing it’s borrowed—not owned. This episode is for founders, operators, and executives who feel boxed in by success and sense there’s another way to work, build, and live.

If you’re questioning whether the “safe path” is actually costing you momentum, creativity, and agency—this conversation gives you the framework to rethink what security really means, and how to design a career that doesn’t slowly drain the life out of you.

Call to Action

If this conversation lit something up for you, don’t just let it fade. Come join me inside the Second Life Leader community on Skool. That’s where I share the frameworks, field reports, and real stories of reinvention that don’t make it into the podcast. You’ll connect with other professionals who are actively rebuilding and leading with clarity. The link is in the show notes—step inside and start building your Second Life today.

https://secondlifeleader.com