In this episode, we talk with Dr. Russell Robinson about why the transition into college mirrors what new hires experience in high-pressure environments like healthcare.

We explore how emotional intelligence shapes performance under stress, and how AI coaching can help people build self-awareness, manage pressure, and show up better in real moments.

• first-year transition as a proving ground for emotional intelligence
• a simple framework: results, belonging, and personal wellness
• why leader emotional intelligence drives engagement and culture
• in an AI world, human connection becomes the differentiator
• coaching, trust, and psychological safety as the future of leadership
• AI as a neutral partner to close the self-awareness gap
• real examples of in-the-moment support through prioritization and reflection
• how hiring and onboarding may shift toward emotional intelligence
• leading with curiosity, listening, and meeting people where they are

Connect with Dr. Russell Robinson on LinkedIn [ HERE ]

In this episode, we unpack how trust, purpose, and people-first leadership power real culture change, and how AI can scale feedback, belonging, and performance without losing the human edge.

Gena Pirtle, founder of The People Equation and former global HR leader at Cisco, shares practical insights on redesigning HR, strengthening retention, and building cross-sector talent ecosystems for the future of work.

In this conversation, we explore:

• redefining strategic HR as a true business engine
• culture as lived behavior, not policy
• trust as the foundation for transformation
• AI’s role in continuous performance and feedback
• why human skills rise in value alongside automation
• scaling personalization with tools like Belonging Intelligence
• retention through safe experimentation and ERG-led pilots
• veteran talent pipelines and workforce ecosystems
• what leaders get wrong about culture and how to fix it
• current initiatives with Great Place to Work and 4Block

Connect with Gena Pirtle on LinkedIn or visit PeopleEquationConsulting.com to learn more.

Most leadership breakdowns are not failures of intelligence or strategy. They are emotional failures.

In this episode of the Leadership AI Podcast, Maggie Sass, Ph.D., Executive Vice President of Product, Research, and Professional Services at TalentSmart EQ, explores how emotional intelligence functions as the operating system beneath strategy, coaching, and decision-making.

Together, we unpack what it really means to treat leadership as daily emotional behavior, especially in high-pressure environments like healthcare.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• why leadership is fundamentally emotional, not just technical
• how limbic “hijacks” happen under pressure and how to recover
• the four core EQ skills and how they build on each other
• delivering feedback that creates learning, not defensiveness
• building habits through tiny experiments and simple cues
• scaling EQ through assessments, onboarding, and certifications
• navigating generational differences around emotions at work
• a simple five-minute morning and evening practice to strengthen EQ

If you care about leadership performance that holds under pressure, this episode is for you.

Be sure to follow Maggie Sass, Ph.D. on LinkedIn for practical insights on emotional intelligence and organizational performance.