Sue Bethanis welcomes Ashley Herd, former Chief People Officer and General Counsel, leadership speaker, and podcast host who has trained over 250,000 managers through LinkedIn Learning and live corporate trainings. Ashley built Manager Method after leading HR and legal teams at McKinsey, Yum! Brands, and Modern Luxury. She is a top LinkedIn Learning instructor and co-host of the HR Besties podcast, a top 10 business podcast. Her book, The Manager Method: A Practical Framework to Lead, Support, and Get Results, was released February 10, 2026.

Sue and Ashley discuss several topics relevant to managers and senior leaders:

• Why managers feel unprepared to lead, even after years in the workforce
• The "Pause-Consider-Act" framework for making decisions under pressure
• Performance feedback as the number one challenge managers face
• AI adoption as a change management issue and how to support teams through uncertainty
• The shift from "defending your team" to advocating for the organization as leaders advance
• Building cross-functional relationships and understanding organizational context
• How strategic thinking requires pausing to consider impact and outcomes

The conversation provides practical guidance on leadership fundamentals that are often missing from management training. Ashley shares examples from her career, including how one leader used the Pause-Consider-Act framework to handle a difficult situation with team members who were criticizing him in private messages. Key takeaways include the importance of specific, progress-based feedback, the need for clear communication about AI expectations and guardrails, and the value of understanding how your work impacts others across the organization.

RESOURCES:

• Book: The Manager Method: A Practical Framework to Lead, Support, and Get Results
• Website: managermethod.com
• LinkedIn: Ashley Herd
  
  

Sue Bethanis hosts Merry-Carole Powers, a recognized expert in diversity, equity, and inclusion with over two decades of experience shaping global brands and corporate cultures. As the former Creative Director for Sustainability, Purpose, and DEI at Deloitte and founder of Unicorn Kreative, Powers brings a unique perspective on transcending societal labels to unlock human potential in business.

Topics of Discussion:

• The evolution from traditional DEI approaches to individuality-based human development
• How to leverage personal “zones of genius” to create effective human-AI partnerships
• Practical strategies for leading without labels in organizational settings
• The difference between identity (surface-level categories) and individuality (deeper human traits)
• Essential skills for thriving in an AI-driven workplace: strategy, empathy, and discernment
• Breaking down divisive departmental labels (MQLs vs SQLs) that create organizational silos
• Addressing AI anxiety by helping employees discover and amplify their uniquely human strengths

The conversation reveals practical approaches for organizations to move beyond checkbox diversity toward developing each person’s unique talents, passions, and capabilities. Powers emphasizes that while AI excels at replication, human originality, strategic thinking, and authentic empathy remain irreplaceable assets that become more valuable as automation advances.

RESOURCES

• Book: The Great Human Rebrand: How to Step Out of the Labels That Divide Us and Into the Humanity That Unites Us
• Website: greathumanrebrand.com
• Company: unicornkreative.com
• Connect: Find Merry-Carole Powers on LinkedIn

Sue Bethanis hosts Dr. Joel Salinas, a Harvard-trained behavioral neurologist and Founder and Chief Medical Officer of Isaac Health, a telehealth platform focused on brain health and dementia care. Dr. Salinas serves as Clinical Associate Professor of Neurology at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine and previously held faculty positions at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. He is a nationally recognized expert in brain health with over 40 academic publications and contributions to eight books in neurology.

Sue and Joel discuss his latest book Conflict Resilience: Negotiating Disagreement Without Giving Up or Giving In, co-authored with Robert Bordone. Key topics include:

• The neuroscience behind conflict and our brain’s default threat response patterns
• The three-step framework for developing conflict resilience: Name, Explore, and Commit
• How to build “conflict tolerance” through recognition and holding capacity
• Practical strategies for workplace conflicts, including handling difficult colleagues and power dynamics
• The role of synesthesia and mirror-touch experiences in understanding empathy and human connection
• Building organizational cultures that embrace healthy disagreement

Sue Bethanis hosts Matt Kohut, founding partner of KNP Communications, who has prepared CEOs, elected officials, entrepreneurs, ambassadors, scientists, and best-selling authors for events ranging from television appearances to board meetings to TED Talks. He is the author of Speaking Out: New Rules for Business Leadership Communication and co-author of The Smart Mission: NASA's Lessons for Managing Knowledge, People, and Projects and Compelling People: The Hidden Qualities that Make Us Influential.

Sue Bethanis hosts Matthew Dixon, a Founding Partner of DCM Insights and leading expert in business development and client experience. Matt is the co-author of the groundbreaking book The Activator Advantage: What Today's Rainmakers Do Differently, which reveals why traditional business development approaches are failing in professional services.

Sue and Matt explore:

• The dramatic shift in client loyalty within professional services
• The five distinct business development profiles Matt's research identified among nearly 3,000 partners: Experts, Confidants, Debaters, Realists, and Activators
• The three pillars of the Activator approach and why this approach fosters longer-lasting, more engaged professional relationships, and shields them from unpredictable client-buying behaviors

Sue Bethanis hosts Kathleen deLaski, Founder and Board Chair at the Education Design Lab, and author of the new book, Who Needs College Anymore? Imagining a Future Where Degrees Won’t Matter.

Drawing from her groundbreaking research with 125+ colleges and major employers, Kathleen outlines ten design principles to build a new system for getting people the skills they need for the jobs they want. From white-collar internships, hybrid high-school/college degrees, and boot camps to industry credentialing programs and even self-starters learning from YouTube, the future of work exists outside of traditional higher ed, and it’s time to scale up and out.

Sue and Kathleen discuss:

• The historical context of college degrees and how their perceived value is changing in
  today’s economy.
• How we center the needs of New-Majority Learners—the low- and moderate-income individuals, people of color, first-generation college students, veterans, and others who are underserved by traditional higher ed.
• Ten design principles to redefine college as a place where workforce training, corporate education, and traditional college paths merge and make a flexible and inclusive system for today’s learners.

Sue Bethanis hosts Alan Stein, Founder, CEO & Chief Accelerator of Kadima Careers.

Alan has dedicated himself to helping professionals, particularly those from underrepresented groups, build powerful networks and land transformative roles at the world's leading tech companies.

Sue and Alan discuss:

• The power of networking and building your circle of influence
• Strategies for maintaining authentic connections during career transitions
• How to leverage your network during industry shifts
• How to build influence in an increasingly digital world

Sue Bethanis hosts Andrew C. M. Cooper, influential executive leader and author of the book The Ethical Imperative: Leading with Conscience to Shape the Future of Business.

Andrew lays out a new, practical path for corporations to rethink harmful, outdated models and integrate themselves with the communities that they inevitably affect.

Sue and Andrew discuss:

• Why Millennials and Gen Z are increasingly critical of corporations.
• How a conscientious executive can balance the demands of profitability with the need for ethical leadership.
• Ways the recent election will affect how business executives and managers approach leading with conscience.
• Five practical steps executives can take to “level up” their leadership skills.