12 Geniuses Podcast

What if human flourishing was the measure by which we evaluate organizations? In this episode of 12 Geniuses entrepreneur and bestselling author Eric Ries discusses his groundbreaking book, Incorruptible, and why the future belongs to organizations designed not merely to generate wealth, but to help people flourish.Eric argues that too many businesses eventually succumb to what he calls "financial gravity” - the relentless pressure to prioritize short-term profits over purpose, people, and long-term value. Even companies founded with noble intentions can slowly drift away from their mission unless they intentionally build governance systems that protect what matters most.Eric explains what it means to create an incorruptible organization. He says these are organizations that resist unhealthy incentives, earn enduring trust, and empower employees, customers, investors, and communities to thrive together.Whether you're launching your first startup, leading a fast-growing company, or reimagining an established organization, this conversation offers a compelling vision for a new generation of leadership and a better way to do business.In this episode, you’ll discover: What makes an organization truly incorruptibleHow "financial gravity" quietly pulls organizations away from their founding purposeWhy ongoing governance is essential for protecting mission and cultureHow trust becomes one of an organization's greatest competitive advantagesPractical ways to build organizations where people flourish while creating profitsWhy human flourishing may become the defining metric of successful companies in the decades aheadHow entrepreneurs can create businesses that endure without sacrificing their valuesThe most admired organizations won't simply maximize shareholder returns. This is an optimistic conversations with a visionary who sees a future where companies maximize trust, purpose, innovation, resilience, and human potential.

Getting people to voluntarily share their best information and act in the best interest of their team are two of the biggest challenges leaders face. In an insecure economy, it can be more difficult to get people on a team to demonstrate prosocial behavior, however, Dr. Vanessa Druskat’s research proves that emotionally intelligent teams that are supportive of each other - by listening deeply, offering help, and celebrating the successes of others - will offer superior results. In this interview, Dr. Druskat shares how leaders can build collaborative groups that outperform the competition. She says that healthy teams emerge when norms are created that allow everyone on the team to be heard and to contribute in their roles. She goes on to discuss how to create a sense of belonging when so many people revile DEI, how AI is going to influence the desire to work collaboratively, and how her research on team effectiveness can be applied to create more unified communities. Dr. Vanessa Druskat is an Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior at the University of New Hampshire. She is an internationally recognized leadership and team performance expert who advises leaders and teams in some of the world's most respected Fortune 500 and Fortune Global 500 organizations. Her thirty-year research career examining differences between team cultures (i.e., social norms and routines) in high-performing and average-performing work teams led her to pioneer the concept of team emotional intelligence. She has published award-winning research articles in her field's top academic and practitioner journals and serves on the executive board of the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations. Her popular Harvard Business Review article (with S. Wolff) on emotionally intelligent teams has been reprinted four times in collections of HBR’s most valued articles. Her book “The Emotionally Intelligent Team: Building Collaborative Groups that Outperform the Rest” was released in July of 2025.

There is a theory that humanity is on the precipice of abundance. But what exactly is abundance? Speaker and author Chad Sanschagrin says that abundance is often confused with things or money. He describes abundance as “more than enough” - love, health, faith, and contribution. In the full interview, Chad shares his definition of abundance and the most common barriers that prevent people from experiencing abundance. He goes on to talk about how the power of choice is much stronger than an individual’s circumstances. Chad says that the key to creating an abundance mindset is shifting the stories people tell about themselves. Chad shares his definition of “success” and how he recommends people structure success. Using his experience as a distant runner and triathlete, Chad provides guidance around how to build resilience, he gives advice for creating trust, and he shares his thoughts on the mistakes people are making today that the people of 2075 will look back at in disbelief. Chad Sanschagrin is a nationally recognized speaker, author, and performance coach dedicated to helping individuals and organizations unlock their full potential. As the founder of Cannonball Moments, Chad delivers keynotes and workshops focused on leadership, mindset, and personal growth. Drawing from his own experiences of transformation in business and life, Chad equips audiences with actionable strategies to improve performance and create lasting impact. Chad’s mission is simple: help people live and lead with greater purpose, clarity, and confidence. Chad’s book “Keep Telling Yourself: Shift Your Story and Create a Life of Abundance” was released in December 2024.

Achieving peak performance is something athletes strive to attain and getting that peak performance to coalesce is the goal for coaches, managers, and trainers leading teams in pursuit of victory. As sports psychologist Simon Hartley says, getting elite athletes to perform up to their potential is more about the mind than it is the body. In this conversation, Simon Hartley - author of “Master Mental Toughness” and “Stronger Together” - discusses the factors that lead to peak athletic performance, the habits and routines of world-class athletes, and how these lessons can be applied in a business setting that doesn’t involve sports. Simon goes on to talk about developing a winning culture, how to turn a dysfunctional culture around without firing leadership, and how to create an environment of pro social behavior where people sacrifice individual achievement for the good of the team. Simon closes the conversation by sharing advice and tips for selecting talent. Simon Hartley is the CEO and founder of the Be World Class Group. He is a ten-time author, keynote speaker and co-host of The Podium Podcast and The Demon Charmers Podcast. Through his background in sport psychology, Simon has spent much of his career working with elite athletes and sports teams, helping them to get their mental game and their mindset right. Simon’s real passion is working with and studying the very best in the world, figuring out what makes them great, and then helping others adopt those principles.

In a world where technology is doing more work for humans, the connections we create with other people will become more important than ever. But for many people, phones and screens are the main ways they see the world and communicate with others. The question is how can we cultivate relationships - through a screen or in real life - that are fulfilling and will help us reach our goals.In this interview, Topaz Adizes discusses his book 12 Questions for Love: A Guide to Intimate Conversations and Deeper Relationships. Topaz is working to help people create deeper human connection not only in marriages and romantic relationships, but between friends, extended families, and at work. Topaz says that the key to better relationships - both personal and professional - is asking better questions. He shares some of the “12 Questions for Love” and provides guidance for how to construct questions that will strengthen relationships. He also discusses secrets to cultivating trust, advice for how to raise healthy children who are not addicted to their devices, and what it means to be successful.Topaz Adizes is an Emmy award-winning writer, director, and experience design architect. He is an Edmund Hillary fellow and Sundance/Skoll stories of change fellow. His works have been selected to Cannes, Sundance, IDFA, and SXSW; featured in New Yorker magazine, Vanity Fair, and the New York Times; and have garnered an Emmy for new approaches to documentary and Two World Press photo awards for immersive storytelling and interactive documentary. He is currently the founder and executive director of the experience design studio The Skin Deep. Topaz studied philosophy at UC Berkeley and Oxford University. He speaks four languages, and currently lives in Uruguay with his wife and two children.

The United States is deeply divided politically and it’s not the only country experiencing this challenge. Too many people are focused on what makes us different rather than taking the time to understand what we have in common. In this interview, Doug Lennick, CEO of Think2Perform, discusses what he has learned from Think2Perform’s global study on personal values. Hundreds of thousands of people from over 140 countries have participated in the study. Not surprisingly, people everywhere - regardless of their religion, political affiliation, country, or age - value their families, health, and happiness. In short, what unites us far outweighs what divides us. Doug believes that values-based decision making has the ability to change the world and the future of humanity. Doug goes on to talk about how living in alignment with personal values can be used to overcome emotional responses that often derail people. He talks about how our judgment is often clouded by beliefs that are confused with what people “know.” Doug finishes by defining leadership, talking about the importance of the leader as a “resource broker,” and how leaders can navigate through times of fear. Doug Lennick is CEO and co-founder of think2perform. He is legendary for his innovative approaches to developing high performance in individuals and organizations and is an expert at developing practical applications of the art and science of human behavior, financial and otherwise. Doug is an author or co-author of seven titles including most recently “Don’t Wait for Someone Else to Fix It.”

Magical technologies surround humans in the developed world. It’s taken for granted that on-demand electricity, stocked grocery stores with food from around the world, communication that enables anyone with a smart phone to broadcast their lives globally, and various modes of safe, cheap transportation are the norm. Someone living just a century earlier would find today’s world unrecognizable. Yet, these changes are minor compared to the possible changes to come. Artificial intelligence is in its infancy and already its transformative powers are easy to feel. Space exploration, space mining, and space tourism will go from novel to ordinary in the coming decades. Fusion energy and quantum computing will likely go from theoretical to practical in a couple generations. Medical research will extend life like never before and potentially suspend the aging process while robots and other technologies will do the work that has often filled people with meaning. In short, the changes that humanity has experienced are nothing compared to the changes that are to come. As these changes arrive, people are bound to gravitate toward the things they know in order to cope. Relationships and faith will become more important than they are now. Real leadership that offers solutions and helps people navigate rapid change will grow in importance and so will individual and organizational resilience. In an AI world where unprecedented longevity is possible, finding one’s purpose becomes of paramount importance. In this interview, Chaplain (Colonel) Karen Meeker joins the show to discuss all these topics. She talks about the importance of finding one’s purpose and how to go about finding it. She describes her work helping military leadership navigate the challenges in the aftermath of battle and she gives her perspective on the differences between resilience and perseverance. Chaplain Meeker goes on to share her insight on what the future of faith might look like, suggesting that the next pope could come from the continent of Africa and saying missionaries might one day originate from Africa and be sent to developed countries. She ends the conversation by discussing the mistakes humans are making today that the people of 2075 will look back at in disbelief. Chaplain (Colonel) Karen Meeker is a US Army Colonel and the Command Chaplain of US Africa Command. Raised in rural Pennsylvania, she received calls to serve God and the US military when she was growing up. Chaplain Meeker holds a Master Parachutist badge and was named Pathfinder School and Officer Honor Graduate at Basic Airborne School in Fort Benning, GA. She is also the first woman chaplain to serve in Special Operations and the first woman chaplain jumpmaster. Chaplain Meeker enjoys serving Soldiers and their Families through worship, preaching, discipleship, outreach, and also enjoys competing in an occasional endurance event. In 2020, Chaplain Meeker was inducted into the US Army Women’s Foundation Hall of Fame.