The Neuroleadership Institute Podcast

In organizations around the world, leaders face urgent issues: a crisis in employee engagement, the need to make workforces more diverse, and the challenge of making workplaces feel human in an era of increasing dependence on technology. At the NeuroLeadership Institute, we believe brain science can help provide solutions.


Jamil Zaki, Stanford Professor of Psychology and the author of “The War for Kindness: Building Empathy in a Fractured World” joins NLI’s Head of Consulting and Practices, Khalil Smith. Jamil shares some of his biggest findings from studying empathy, and offers fascinating insights that anybody can use to build the muscle of empathy in their personal and professional relationships and create a better, kinder world.

Lindsay-Rae McIntyre, Chief Diversity Officer at Microsoft, sits down with with NLI CEO and Co-Founder Dr. David Rock and NLI Head of Research and Consulting, Khalil Smith, for a discussion on allyship. Learn how Microsoft has been working for the past two years to develop a culture of allyship and how leaders can develop tools to make allyship come alive in their organizations.

Chris Boruff, Director of Operations at the financial services firm Morningstar, sits down with NLI Co-Founder and CEO Dr. David Rock and NLI’s Director of Industry Research, Andrea Derler, to discuss growth mindset—what it is, how it works, and and how Morningstar has made the most of the COVID-19 crisis to transform the entire organization’s approach to learning, feedback, and growth.

Suzanne, together with NLI’s Khali Smith and Dr. David Rock, explore the many ways Splunk has designed and deployed a diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy. The conversation also delves into Splunk’s thoughtful response to the ongoing human rights movement and calls for racial justice.

At a time when the noise of the world seems to drown out any sense of clarity, Lynne Oldham, Chief People Officer at Zoom, and Tracey Grabowski, CHRO at Procter & Gamble remind us how to follow what’s essential—not just in the services they offer, but in how they’ve cultivated a calming, yet innovative, spirit through intense disruption, and in so doing, set an example for other leaders to follow.

A panel of NLI experts, including CEO and Co-Founder Dr. David Rock, VP of Consulting and Research Khalil Smith, and Head of D&I Ester Neznanova, walk us through the science and importance of listening deeply, uniting widely, and acting boldly. Along the way they address challenges leaders have been facing and offer science-based solutions to keep teams feeling heard, included, and empowered to effect change.

1 15 18