In this episode, Caroline interviews Jana Werner, an executive in residence at Amazon Web Services. Throughout her career, Jana led transformations across financial services, tech startups, and global logistics to help Fortune 500 leadership teams build more adaptive, customer-focused organizations. She gathers what she's learned in her latest book, The Octopus Organization, co-authored with fellow AWS executive Phil Le-Brun. The book makes the case that most organizations are fundamentally stuck — trapped by bureaucracy, risk-averse systems, and costly top-down transformation efforts that ultimately make things worse. Drawing on the octopus as a model — intelligent, adaptable, and able to act both collectively and independently — the book offers a compelling new blueprint for how organizations can become more fluid and resilient.

More from Jana Werner:

Learn more about Jana's work and order the book from www.theoctopusorganization.com.

More from Caroline Dowd-Higgins:

Head to carolinedowdhiggins.com to book Caroline as your next keynote speaker, check out her books or get in touch.

Music in this episode: The Soft Approach by P C III. Free Music Archive, CC BY.

Emily Tedards is a Harvard researcher and senior consultant whose work examines how businesses, governments, and civil society organizations collaborate to tackle complex challenges — from climate change to economic development.

Her new book, Genius at Scale: How Great Leaders Drive Innovation, co-authored with leadership scholar Linda Hill and former Microsoft executive Jason Wild, argues that in today's era of constant disruption, successful innovation doesn't just happen — it has to be deliberately led. To make this happen, the authors identify three essential leadership roles — the Architect, who builds a culture capable of innovation; the Bridger, who forges partnerships across teams and organizations; and the Catalyst, who activates broader movements across entire ecosystems.

More from Emily Tedards:

Learn more about Emily's work and her new book at linkedin.com/in/emily-tedards

More from Caroline Dowd-Higgins:

Head to carolinedowdhiggins.com to book Caroline as your next keynote speaker, check out her books or get in touch.

Music in this episode: The Soft Approach by P C III. Free Music Archive, CC BY.

Dr. Sheila Gujrathi is a biotech entrepreneur and physician who has spent 25 years developing medicines for serious diseases, building biotech companies, and championing women and underrepresented groups in leadership. Her new book, The Mirror Effect: A Transformative Approach To Growth For The Next Generation Of Female Leaders, Dr. Gujrathi offers a roadmap for women and underrepresented professionals to break through the barriers — both internal and external — that hold them back in the workplace. The book is built around the concept of the "Mirror Effect," which describes the transformative power of surrounding yourself with people who reflect your authentic strengths back to you.

More from Sheila Gujrathi:

Learn more about Sheila's work and order her book at sheilagujrathimd.com

More from Caroline Dowd-Higgins:

Head to carolinedowdhiggins.com to book Caroline as your next keynote speaker, check out her books or get in touch.

Music in this episode: Hurt by Unheard Music Concepts, Free Music Archive, CC BY

Kenji Yoshino is the Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Constitutional Law at NYU School of Law and co-founder of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging — the nation's only DEI center based at a law school. In his new book, How Equality Wins: A New Vision for an Inclusive America, co-authored with David Glasgow, Yoshino tackles the urgent question of how institutions can advance equality in the wake of affirmative action's dismantling and relentless attacks on DEI. Drawing on their frontline advisory work following the Supreme Court's 2023 decision ending race-conscious admissions, Yoshino and Glasgow offer research-backed strategies for reimagining DEI — from reclaiming the concept of merit to fostering free speech and welcoming groups that felt overlooked by traditional DEI efforts.

More from Kenji Yoshino:

Order the book and learn more about Kenji's work at kenjiyoshino.com

More from Caroline Dowd-Higgins:

Head to carolinedowdhiggins.com to book Caroline as your next keynote speaker, check out her books or get in touch.

Music in this episode: Week Thirteen by Ben von Wildenhaus( Free Music Archive)(CC BY)

Dr. Karen Lisko is a persuasion expert with more than 30 years of experience helping professional women amplify their influence in the workplace. Her new book, Kind Dynamite: Six Ways Women Can Use Our Uniquely Explosive Power to Persuade in Meetings, is a game-changer for any woman who wants to show up with confidence and credibility. Dr. Karen makes the case that women don't have to choose between being kind and being direct — in fact, our unique combination of warmth and dynamism is a superpower.

More from Karen Lisko:

Get Karen's book and learn more about her work at karenlisko.com

More from Caroline Dowd-Higgins:

Head to carolinedowdhiggins.com to book Caroline as your next keynote speaker, check out her books or get in touch.

Krista White is a co-founder of Culture Design Lab, where she combines research, in-depth interviews, and storytelling to craft powerful narratives around intentional culture design, inclusion, and racial justice. Caroline talks to Krista about her latest book Culture Design: How to Build a High-Performing, Resilient Organization with Purpose, which offers an invaluable multigenerational perspective and accessible roadmap for creating authentic workplace culture that resonates with teams—especially critical as organizations navigate AI adoption, political turmoil, and evolving work arrangements.

More from Krista White:

Learn more about Krista's book and other work at thekristawhite.com.

More from Caroline Dowd-Higgins:

Head to carolinedowdhiggins.com to book Caroline as your next keynote speaker, check out her books or get in touch.

Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic is challenging the focus on authenticity in his latest book, Don't Be Yourself: Why Authenticity Is Overrated and What to Do Instead. Caroline interviews Chamorro-Premuzic about our collective obsession with authenticity, exposing a deep disconnect between popular beliefs and what science actually reveals about success and fulfillment. Drawing on three decades of research, he argues that common authenticity principles—like "always be honest," "follow your heart," and "bring your whole self to work"—are enticing traps that derail personal and professional goals, and instead advocates for cultivating the best version of ourselves by being mindful of our reputations, accommodating differing values, and focusing on others rather than rigid self-expression.

More from Tomas:

You can follow along with Tomas' work on his LinkedIn.

More from Caroline Dowd-Higgins:

Head to carolinedowdhiggins.com to book Caroline as your next keynote speaker, check out her books or get in touch.

Caroline interviews Samantha Gadd, author of the book Employee Experience Design: How to Co-Create Work Where People and Organizations Thrive. Samantha presents a proven, step-by-step methodology for implementing Employee Experience Design (EXD)—an approach that designs with employees rather than for them, leading to more engaged teams and superior organizational performance. Drawing on decades of HR and leadership experience, the book introduces essential tools including the PREP Framework, which breaks employee experience into Purpose, Relationship, Enabling, and Performance categories, and the Double Diamond design process used by companies like Apple and Microsoft.

More from Samantha:

Check out more of Samantha's work at samanthagadd.com.

More from Caroline Dowd-Higgins:

Head to carolinedowdhiggins.com to book Caroline as your next keynote speaker, check out her books or get in touch.