How to get over rejection
I just read an interview in the New York Times about what it’s like to be a sociopath. The subject of the interview, Patric Gagne, is preparing to publish a book called Sociopath: A Memoir. The article highlighted that I am not a sociopath because I care deeply — often too deeply — what other people think of […]
How to sell without a network or connections
In 2016, I was given an amazing opportunity to take ownership of a global community called Responsive.org. After running my first ever business event early in the year, I decided to create my first business conference, Responsive Conference, 9 months later. I’m a circus performer. I had never attended a business conference, not to mention produced one, […]
The importance of feedback
During the years that I danced classical ballet, I was always surprised that video recording was discouraged – or even outright forbidden. When I studied Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which is at the cutting edge of functional martial arts, we were encouraged to film during class. Unsurprisingly, Brazilian jiu-jitsu continues to evolve faster than almost any other sport. […]
How to Create an Ideal Environment for Learning
In the fall of 2003 I broke my neck on a trampoline. (That sounds dramatic, I know, but isn’t uncommon in gymnastics). To heal, I began to study with a woman who specialized in working with kids with autism. While her work focused on helping parents help their special needs children, I found it also […]
What Should You Study Next?
When I am asked today about my movement practice, typically while I’m doing handstands in the park, I just say “circus acrobat.” The truth, though, is more complex – ever since I dropped out of cross country in high school, I have practiced a wide range of physical disciplines ranging from surfing to swing dance, Brazilian […]
The Unexpected Benefits of Celebration
Special Announcement! My book Responsive: What It Takes To Create a Thriving Organization is free today on Amazon! Responsive chronicles the stories of organizations from around the world that are designed to thrive amidst chaos. Today only, Responsive is free on Amazon. Get it here! — August 2016 was a wild time for me. Three […]
Behavior Change – Zander Media Strategy…
A few weeks ago in NYC, I led a strategy workshop for an exclusive group of CEOs and founders who are building companies designed to thrive in the Future of Work. Every organization is tasked with issues that seem insurmountable. Often, the process to accomplishing a huge goal can be so overwhelming that we never […]
How to Ask Better Questions with…
In this episode, my friend, Daniel Stillman, interviews me for his podcast, The Conversation Factory. We discuss how to ask better questions, the value of loving, non- judgmental questions, and my story. I hope you enjoy today’s podcast as Daniel flips the script and interviews me on the art of asking questions. Line Notes 1:15 […]
The Biggest Regret From Selling My…
A few weeks ago, I sold Robin’s Cafe. I sold my cafe after spending almost 3 years building it up from nothing. When I began Robin’s Cafe, there was a parking lot across the street. Today, that parking lot is literally a park and a playground. I was able to grow the cafe because of a […]
Have You Always Wanted To Own a Cafe? (Hint: Don’t)
It has been almost 3 years since I began Robin’s Cafe, as a service to the attendees of the conference I was running onsite. I wanted coffee and sandwiches for our conference attendees, saw an opportunity to serve the neighborhood, and on 3 weeks notice, opened a cafe. Now, 3 year later, I have learned […]
Larissa Conte on Ritual and Transformation
Larissa Conte is a systems coach, ceremony designer, and rites of passage guide through her business, Wayfinding. She also works with The Ready doing organization transformation to fuel the future of work. Larissa specializes in facilitating transformation and alignment across scales to foster power that serves. With deep experience in the energetics and mechanics of […]
Chris Fussell & Rachel Mendelowitz of…
I hope you enjoy this talk from Responsive Conference 2016 with former Navy SEAL and New York Times best-selling author Chris Fussell (@fussellchris) alongside Rachel Mendelowitz (@rachelowitz) as they discuss “Team of Teams” and new ways of organizing companies of the future. Alongside General Stan McChrystal, Chris runs the McChrystal Group – an organizational design consultancy […]
Responsive Audiobook: Chapter 2, The Future…
I’m very pleased to share, exclusively for this podcast, a chapter of my book, Responsive: What It Takes to Create a Thriving Organization. The full audiobook version of Responsive comes out in late September 2018, but in the meantime, I am excited to share it out in podcast form. Here’s an excerpt. Subscribe and […]
Responsive: What It Takes To Create…
I’m very pleased to share, exclusively for this podcast, the first chapter of my book, Responsive: What It Takes to Create a Thriving Organization. The full audiobook version of Responsive comes out in late September 2018, but in the meantime, I am excited to share it out in podcast form. Here’s an excerpt. Subscribe and […]
“Empathy, Compromise, and Courage” – Adam…
This video was recorded live at the 1st Annual Responsive Conference in 2016. Come see Adam Pisoni live again this year at the 3rd Annual Responsive Conference on September 24 and 25, 2018 in Queens, New York. Building Yammer Adam Pisoni (@adampisoni) co-founded Yammer (which sold to Microsoft for 1.2 billion dollars). He recounts […]
Jennifer Dennard at Responsive Conference 2016…
I hope you enjoy this talk with Jennifer Dennard from Responsive Conference 2016. Jennifer is the co-founder of Range Labs and the former Head of People and Culture at Medium, focusing on organization design, people operations, and diversity & inclusion. Jennifer is passionate about helping teams work together better. In this talk, Jennifer talks about human resources […]
Charles Best at Responsive Conference 2017…
I’m pleased to share this talk at Responsive Conference 2017 with Charles Best (@CharlesBest), founder and CEO of DonorsChoose.org. Charles Best is an American philanthropist and entrepreneur. He is the founder and CEO of DonorsChoose.org, a crowdfunding platform for K-12 teachers serving in US schools. Charles launched the organization out of a Bronx public high school […]
Steve Hopkins at Responsive Conference 2017…
I’m pleased to share this talk at Responsive Conference 2017 with Steve Hopkins (@stevehopkins), Director of Customer Success at Culture Amp and a founding member of the Responsive Org movement. Steve is passionate about helping clients develop a responsive operating culture that they can be proud of. At Culture Amp, Steve does this by guiding […]
Meg Poe at Responsive Conference 2017…
I’m pleased to share this talk at Responsive Conference 2017 with Meg Poe, professor at New York University. Megan Poe is a psychiatrist and interpersonal psychoanalyst who teaches one of New York University’s most popular and fastest-growing classes. Her topic? Love! At this year’s Responsive Conference, she’ll explore with us what it takes to live, love, […]
Aaron Dignan at Responsive Conference 2017…
I’m pleased to share this keynote address by my friend Aaron Dignan (@aarondignan), founder of The Ready, at Responsive Conference 2017. Aaron Dignan sees the same phenomenon everywhere he looks. Our most trusted and important institutions – in business, healthcare, government, philanthropy, and beyond – are struggling. They’re confronted with the fact that the scale […]
Revolutionizing Education with Anthony Kim and…
I am so excited for today’s interview with two guests. Today we are speaking with Anthony Kim (@Anthonx), the founder and CEO of Education Elements, as well as Alexis Gonzales-Black (@Gonzalesblack), a former guest on the podcast and speaker at Responsive Conference. We are here today to talk about their new book, The New School […]
Sunny Bates: How To Build A…
I first got to know today’s guest through my work at Socos, alongside Vivienne Ming. Over the last several years, I’ve heard a name mentioned in a variety of unlikely contexts – by Chris Anderson, the CEO of TED, Perry Chen, the Co-Founder of Kickstarter, and Beth Comstock, the Vice Chair at GE. My guest […]
How I Conduct A Personal Annual Review – and Highlights from 2017
Every year, for nearly the last decade, I’ve conducted an annual review. When writing a personal annual review, my process looks like this: Going on the week by week view of my 2017 calendar and listing out every single thing that I spent my time doing. Given that most days I usually have 10-20 things […]
Adam Pisoni and Robin Zander –…
This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at Robin’s Cafe with Adam Pisoni, co-founder and former CTO at Yammer, co-founder of the Responsive Org movement, and founder and CEO at Abl Schools. If you missed it, I recommend starting with our first podcast episode back in 2016! In conversation from stage and […]
Beyond Violence – Fighting, Aggression and My Study of Muay Thai
I took up Thai Kickboxing towards the beginning of 2016, after several years dedicated to the study of ballet. I had wanted more Muay Thai (the formal Thai name for the sport) ever since having tried the form for a few intense weeks in 2013. Early 2016 was a transitional time for me. I had just quit my […]
I’m 29 and gave up everything to study ballet alongside high school students
I walk into the ballet studio at 3pm on a sunny Tuesday afternoon in San Francisco’s Castro District. I’m 29 and have been dancing ballet 6 or 7 days each week for more than a year. At this time of day, most of peers who work in technology in San Francisco, in science at University […]
Pam Slim on Capoeira, Building a…
My guest today is the award-winning author, speaker and small business strategist Pamela Slim (@pamslim). I first began following Pam’s work with the publication of her first book, Escape from Cubicle Nation, and have watched with enthusiasm as she has transitioned over her career across several very different industries and classes of business. Her […]
Megan Poe Teaches the Most Popular…
Megan Poe is a psychiatrist and interpersonal psychoanalyst who teaches one of New York University’s most popular and fastest-growing classes. Her topic? Love! At this year’s Responsive Conference, she’ll explore with us what it takes to live, love, and work well. In addition to her professorship at NYU, Meg has a private practice in New […]
Physical Culture with Cody Fielding
D. Cody Fielding is a professional coach who has worked in the fields of fitness, wellness, and performance enhancement for more than 20 years. I met Cody in 2008, shortly after moving to San Francisco, just as I began my own career as a personal trainer, and he had a profound impact on my own […]
The Life of a Circus Artist and the Art of Hand Balancing with Cory Tabino
Much of what I know about hand balancing I learned from today’s guest – professional acrobat Cory Tabino. To celebrate I’ve re-released my book How To Do A Handstand and just this week I am giving it away for free. Visit fearlesshandstands.com for your own free copy. Now, onwards with the Show! I’m thrilled to share today’s […]