A World of Difference

Hosted by Lori Adams-Brown

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Episodes

303

Latest episode

Oct 2026

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EN-US

About the show

A World of Difference is a leadership podcast for executives and organizational leaders navigating change across cultures, industries, and continents. Hosted by Lori Adams-Brown, a strategic transformation executive with over 20 years of C-suite advisory experience, the show explores organizational effectiveness, executive development, and leadership development through real conversations with leaders who have built and led across borders. Each episode features leadership stories from places and travel destinations spanning six continents, bringing listeners cross-cultural communication insights drawn from lived experience, not theory. Lori's own background, including over 15 years as an expat in Indonesia and Singapore, shapes every conversation with a global mindset rarely found in mainstream leadership media. Topics covered include human intelligence in AI transformation and change management, global leadership and cultural intelligence, executive coaching and talent development, organizational behavior and behavioral science, C-suite advisory and board governance, workplace culture and employee engagement, human capital strategy, and international business leadership. Through leadership interviews across the world, listeners gain practical frameworks for leading through disruption, building trust across cultures, and aligning fast-moving technology adoption with the human systems that make it stick. With more than 300 episodes, 153,000+ downloads, and listeners in 100+ countries, A World of Difference ranks in the top 3% of podcasts globally. It is essential listening for world leaders, HR executives, CHROs, CPOs, organizational development leaders, management consultants, and anyone building or leading global teams across industries and across the globe.

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60 recent

October 14, 202654 min

Lead with Courage: Why Workplace Culture Is a Design Choice with Dr. Lauran Star

Workplace culture isn't broken. According to Dr. Lauran Star, it's working exactly as it was designed, and that should make every leader stop and look closely. Organizational psychologist and forensic cultural behaviorist Dr. Lauran Star joins Lori for a candid, funny, and unflinching conversation about the high-stakes environments most consultants won't touch: where leadership is misaligned, accountability is blurred, and everyone can feel something is wrong, but no one will say it out loud. In this episode: - Why courageous leadership starts with the mirror, and the one question every leader should ask themselves - The culture infinity loop: how what happens in society shows up at work, and how work shapes society in return - What engagement scores miss, and the real signals of a struggling culture: sick time, early turnover, and the comments nobody reads - Leading across national cultures without forcing everyone to assimilate, plus Lauran's "cafeteria test" for inclusion - Why leadership, not technology, decides how AI shows up in your organization About Dr. Lauran Star: Dr. Lauran Star is an organizational psychologist, forensic cultural behaviorist, author, and executive advisor who helps leaders see what their organizations have learned to accept. A military veteran and former trauma medic, she is the creator of The Normalization Effect™ and The Rethink Project™ and the author of See Dick Throw a Hissy Fit: The Rise and Predictable Fall of U.S. Culture. Timestamps: 00:00 Hook 00:22 Introduction 02:17 How the world's cultures shaped Lauran's leadership 04:36 Why real leaders question everything 07:25 A million followers is not a credential 09:34 Dysfunction at the top, and the fear of challenging it 13:02 The culture infinity loop: society and the workplace mirror each other 15:58 Where leaders should look first: the mirror and courageous leadership 25:26 "I asked for it": a salary negotiation lesson 32:04 Leading across national cultures 35:56 Assimilation and the beauty we are losing 38:57 The cafeteria test 41:27 Leadership drives AI, not the other way around 44:15 The first honest question: is your culture real? 46:52 Why new CHROs get sidelined, and what it costs 48:26 Values need behaviors: dysfunction lasts three to five years 52:17 Where to find Lauran and her new book 53:15 Closing reflections and Passport Stamp: India A note on the research mentioned in the opening: for context, Spencer Stuart's 2025 S&P 1500 CEO Transitions report found that 84% of newly appointed S&P 1500 CEOs in 2025 were in their first CEO role: https://www.spencerstuart.com/research-and-insight/2025-sp-1500-ceo-transitions-behind-the-ceo-moment Find Dr. Lauran Star at: https://www.lauranstar.com | https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauranstar | https://substack.com/@drlauranstar Get her book, See Dick Throw a Hissy Fit Is your workplace safe? Explore my SAFE Ground Framework™, a tool for leaders and targets to spot workplace bullying before it spreads. Curious what Brava Global Advisory could do for you? Take the VOICE assessment Leading or working across borders, or thinking about building a life in another country? Expatsi helps you compare countries and plan the move. As an affiliate, I may earn a small commission. Connect with Lori: https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com | https://www.linkedin.com/in/loriadamsbrown | https://loriadamsbrown.substack.com If this episode gave you something, you can give a little back with a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/loriadamsbr Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode. Visit https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

October 7, 20261 hr 4 min

Stop Doing Change to People: Human-Centered Leadership in the AI Era with CEO Karen Zeigler

What if people do not resist change at all, and what they resist is change that is done to them? Karen Zeigler, CEO of Human Score, joins Lori to explain why so many change and AI efforts stall, and what leaders can do differently this week. This conversation was recorded live on LinkedIn, with comments and questions from the community along the way. In this conversation, Lori and Karen explore: Why leaders misread their own workforce, and how fear shows up as projection What Karen means by "AI is us," and why using AI in a human-centered way takes conscious intent The business case for designing work so that people and AI each contribute what they do best Why people resist change that is thrust upon them, and how transparency, agency, and removing even one obstacle build trust How a Nutri-Score label on a frozen pizza in the Netherlands inspired a score for how healthy an organization is for its people About Karen: Karen Zeigler is the CEO of Human Score, a diagnostic that shows leaders the conditions inside their organization across work design, organizational structure, culture, decision making, and fairness. She spent more than a decade in financial services leading teams through mergers, and she brings a human-centered design lens to change and AI adoption. Disclosure: Lori is a consultant with Human Score and the Human Score Collective. Timestamps: 00:00 Welcome and introduction 02:34 Where leaders misread their own workforce 05:30 Fear, ego, and "us versus them" 08:04 What Human Score measures 12:04 "AI is us": using AI in a human-centered way 14:04 The business case for investing in people 19:48 A lesson from the 2008 financial crisis 22:08 Do people really resist change? 27:04 Why listening tours erode trust 28:30 Constant change and human limits 32:48 Comments from the live audience 35:39 Risk reduction and value creation 37:22 What Karen unlearned about leading high performers 42:24 Empathy, and why the obstacle is the way 45:02 How the Human Score works 51:13 Using AI to free people's gifts and talents 54:24 The frozen pizza behind the name 56:52 Lori's three takeaways and Passport Stamp: the Netherlands Find Karen Zeigler at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-zeigler/ Human Score: https://humanscore.info Human Score on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-human-score Curious what Brava Global Advisory could do for your team or your own leadership? Head to https://www.bravaglobaladvisory.com to see how we work together and where to start. Thinking about a life abroad? I use and recommend Expatsi to help navigate the move. As an affiliate, I may earn a small commission. Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode. Visit https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

September 30, 202656 min

Feel Less Overwhelmed at Work: Understanding Work Intensification with Melissa Swift

Have you ever felt that the moment you catch your breath, three new demands are already waiting? Organizational consultant Melissa Swift gives that feeling a name, work intensification, and explains what helps. In this conversation, Lori and Melissa explore: How three years working in London showed Melissa that a shared language does not mean a shared culture What work intensification is: too many tasks in too little time, too many people involved in every decision, and too much emotion at work How AI can quietly erode trust at work, and why peer learning and thoughtful change management matter How to stand out in an AI-saturated job market by naming what you are genuinely good at in simple terms What high-stakes professions teach us about clear communication, and why the people who care most are often the ones who burn out About Melissa: Melissa Swift is the founder and CEO of Anthrome Insight, an advisory firm helping organizations and individuals work more effectively in a fast-changing, technology-driven world. She has held consulting leadership roles at Capgemini, Mercer, Korn Ferry, and Deloitte, and is the author of Effective: How to Do Great Work in a Fast-Changing World (Wiley, 2026). Timestamps: 00:00 Welcome and introduction 01:27 What living in London taught Melissa about culture 03:50 Direct and indirect communication across cultures 06:42 More communication, less clarity 10:02 What work intensification is 12:49 Emotional regulation and leadership 17:45 AI and the erosion of trust 21:49 Learning AI with your peers 27:43 Change agility and staying power 32:09 Standing out in an AI resume era 38:17 Lessons from high-stakes work 43:37 Younger workers and the "unboiled frogs" 46:14 Burnout, boundaries, and agency 49:06 Where to find Melissa Find Melissa Swift at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/swiftmelissa Website: https://www.anthromeinsight.com Book: https://www.anthromeinsight.com/books Join us for an exclusive bonus with Melissa on Patreon. Want to see how your leadership shows up under pressure? Explore the VOICE diagnostic from Brava Global Advisory: https://www.bravaglobaladvisory.com/voice Considering a move abroad for work like Melissa's years in London? Expatsi can help you plan the practical side. As an affiliate, I may earn a small commission. Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode. Visit https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

September 23, 202657 min

What Actually Motivates People at Work: The Enneagram Guide to Understanding Your Team with Joey Schewee

Have you ever worked with someone who just didn't get you, not because they were difficult, but because you were wired completely differently? In this episode, Lori sits down with Enneagram expert Joey Schewee to unpack why understanding motivation, not just behavior, is what actually transforms how teams work together. Joey has spent decades helping thousands of employees and hundreds of teams understand each other through the Enneagram, and her new book, When Working Together Doesn't Work, distills that experience into a practical workplace guide. She and Lori dig into why so many people mistype themselves at work, why "culture fit" hiring can quietly push out your most brilliant thinkers, and how managers can stop putting people in boxes and start understanding what actually drives them. In this episode: Why the Enneagram explains the why behind behavior, not just the what, and why that matters more in stress and change The three "stances" at work (independent, dependent, withdrawing) and what each one needs to perform at its best: consistency, affirmation, or latitude Why fives and eights often get labeled "not a culture fit," and what that costs organizations How mistyping happens at work, and why so many people test as eights, ones, or threes simply because they're "doing" at the time Practical language for managers to use type-awareness without putting anyone in a box About Joey Schewee: Joey Stabile Schewee is a management consultant, executive coach, and author of When Working Together Doesn't Work: An Enneagram Guide to Productive Relationships with Coworkers. She's spent 17+ years consulting with corporate teams, drawing on a lifetime immersed in Enneagram wisdom. Timestamps: 00:00 – Introduction and why motivation matters more than behavior 04:00 – How the Enneagram functions in teams and organizations 09:00 – Mistyping at work and the "boxes" myth 17:00 – A real-world example: culture in family-owned companies 25:00 – Where leaders get alignment wrong 31:00 – Coaching managers to engage direct reports by type 37:00 – New concepts: stances, reference points, and what each needs to thrive 46:00 – Where to find Joey and her book Find Joey Schewee at: wesolutions.life | linkedin.com/in/joeyschewee | Instagram: @enneagramparents | Book: When Working Together Doesn't Work Join us for an exclusive where Joey gets personal about her own career journey and Enneagram discovery on Patreon. Curious what Brava Global Advisory could do for you? Take the VOICE assessment: https://www.bravaglobaladvisory.com/voice Thinking about a life abroad? I use and recommend Expatsi to help navigate the move. As an affiliate, I may earn a small commission. Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode. Visit https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

September 16, 202650 min

Escape the Access Tax: How Lolita Taub Built a Career From Scratch as a Latina Venture Capitalist

Most people enter venture capital as a founder, an angel, an LP, a GP, or an ecosystem builder, usually without a roadmap. Lolita Taub has been all five. She calls the hidden cost of building without inherited networks the "access tax," and she says it shows up everywhere: in every country, for founders and investors and leaders alike, and most people never even name it. In this conversation, Lolita and Lori dig into: The three elements of the access tax: time, equity, and the emotional cost of learning unwritten rules nobody wrote down Why code-switching becomes dangerous the moment you start believing it is you, and how to honor a culture without losing your identity What "community as capital" really means, and why every leadership role is an ecosystem-building role whether or not it says so on the org chart How to answer biased pitch and interview questions ("how will you avoid failing?") by redirecting to the numbers and the value you bring The case for investing in Latin America and Latino-founded companies, including the economic scale most investors overlook What growing up in South Central LA and building a venture fund taught her about resilience, and why she wrote the book she wished she'd had Lolita Taub is General Partner and Founder of Ganas Ventures, a pre-seed and seed fund backing community-driven startups across the US and Latin America. In nearly 20 years across tech and venture capital she has made more than 100 investments and built a community of over 100,000 underestimated founders, funders, and friends. Timestamps (placeholder — pending final edit) 00:00 – Cold open 01:00 – Welcome and introduction 02:00 – A non-linear career: from big tech to startups to venture 04:00 – What is the "access tax"? 08:00 – Code-switching and corporate America 13:00 – Community as capital, ecosystem building as leadership 21:00 – Data centers, AI, and the people behind the numbers 22:30 – The five seats of venture: founder, angel, LP, GP, ecosystem builder 27:00 – Answering biased pitch and interview questions 33:00 – The case for investing in Latin America 38:00 – What Venezuela and resilience taught Lori 40:00 – Where to find Lolita and her book Find Lolita Taub at: LinkedIn | X/Twitter | Instagram | Ganas Ventures | Book: lolitataub.co/book Join us on Patreon for the bonus, exclusive episode with Lolita, just for patrons. (You can start off with a free trial.) Subscribe, leave a review at https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com/reviews/new/, and share this episode. Visit https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources. Curious what Brava Global Advisory could do for your distributed team or your own leadership globally? Head to https://www.bravaglobaladvisory.com to see how we work together and where to start. Thinking about a life abroad? I use and recommend Expatsi to help navigate the move https://www.expatsi.com/?ref=2kJ926HZ. As an affiliate, I may earn a small commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

September 9, 202651 min

Stop Managing Performance, Start Enabling It: Dr. Edie Goldberg on the New Talent Management Paradigm

What if everything you've been taught about managing performance was built for a workplace that no longer exists? Dr. Edie Goldberg returns to A World of Difference to unpack the research behind her new book, revealing why the system most companies use to drive performance is quietly working against them. Topics Covered Why “coercive control” — carrots, sticks, and fear-based motivation — is the hidden operating system behind most performance management, and why the research says it doesn't work The shift from measuring performance to enabling it: transparency, trust, autonomy, and connecting work to purpose Why only 4% of employees revisit their goals mid-year, and how to make goal-setting actually motivating What a real “performance feedback culture” looks like, and the four conditions that predict it How AI can genuinely support performance enablement (goal clarity, personalized development, reduced bias) — and where it can quietly go wrong The bias built into hiring and performance systems, and what a well-designed AI process can do differently Guest Bio Dr. Edie Goldberg is founder and president of E. L. Goldberg and Associates, a globally recognized expert in talent management and the future of work, and a Fellow of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. She is co-author of Performance Enablement: A Model for Driving Organizational Performance and The Inside Gig: How Sharing Talent Across Boundaries Unleashes Organizational Capacity. Timestamps 00:00 – Cold open 01:13 – Why Edie wrote this book now 05:34 – Coercive control as a management strategy 09:13 – The new paradigm: enabling control 14:27 – The elephant in the room: managers spend 90% of their time doing the work 21:44 – Why goal-setting fails (the 4% problem) 28:11 – AI's real impact on performance management 37:14 – Bias in AI hiring and performance systems 44:11 – Where to find Edie and her book 48:00 – Passport Stamp: New Zealand (a shout out to the Kiwis who listen from Aotearoa, the Maori word for New Zealand) Watch the exclusive, bonus episode on Patreon here. Find Dr. Edie Goldberg At elgoldberg.com  |  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/edie-goldberg-phd  |  Book: Performance Enablement Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode. Watch this episode on Youtube. Visit aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources. Thinking about a life abroad? I use and recommend Expatsi to help navigate the move . As an affiliate, I may earn a small commission. Brava Curious what Brava Global Advisory could do for your team or your own leadership? Head to https://www.bravaglobaladvisory.com/voice to see how we work together and where to start. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

September 6, 202652 min

Change Makers EPS 61: Allan Wind on the Andes, USAID and Peace Corps

Allan J. "Alonzo" Wind is a retired Senior Foreign Service Officer from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), having worked off and on with the Agency primarily overseas on diplomatic assignments from 1990 to 2019 in the Peru, Nicaragua, Angola, Nigeria, Iraq, Afghanistan and South Africa and the Southern Africa Regional Missions. In these roles he provided oversight to U.S. government foreign aid development and humanitarian assistance and supported U.S. Ambassadors as their senior development officer on multiple U.S. Embassy Country Teams. In South Africa he helped establish the Southern Africa Regional Leadership Center as part of President Obama’s Young African Leadership Initiative, and contributed to other youth development efforts and business incubators. He previously worked as the Global Programme Coordinator for the International Save the Children Alliance Secretariat and as a Country Director and Health Sector Coordinator for different nonprofit private voluntary organizations including CARE and PLAN International in a range of countries including Ecuador, Bolivia, the Dominican Republic and the United Kingdom. Mr. Wind began his career as a Rural Public Health U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in Ecuador from 1980-1982, where he was widely known as “Doctor Alonzo.” The Alonzo nickname stuck throughout life in many countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia. He graduated from the University of Chicago. He is originally a New Yorker, and as a high schooler he was a “subway rat” attending the famous Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan. There he studied creative writing for two years with his teacher, the famous Irish American writer Frank McCourt. He has always been an avid science fiction fan and sometime writer, and notes that writing science fiction and creative writing under Frank was invaluable for future U.S. government work. He and his wife currently reside in Fairfax County Virginia, while their adult daughter is in Africa on her own adventures. Mr. Wind serves on the Boards of Directors of different non-governmental organizations, including Hunger Relief International, supporting the efforts to help the neediest in Guatemala and Haiti, any way he can. His memoir is Andean Adventures Website: https://enableennoble.net ANDEAN ADVENTURES:  https://tinyurl.com/AndeanAdv AVENTURAS ANDINAS: https://tinyurl.com/AventurasAndinas The A World of Difference Podcast is brought to you in partnership with Missio Alliance. Stay In Touch: Connect on Facebook and Instagram with thoughts, questions, and feedback. Rate, review and share this podcast with anyone that would love to listen.  On Clubhouse . Find Us Online: on Instagram and on Facebook on Twitter at or Interested in one-on-one or group coaching on how to live a life that makes a difference? Check out: https://www.loriadamsbrown.com/coaching If you are facing some big decisions, here is advice . Mentioned in this episode: Do you want to go deeper? Join us in Difference Makers, a community where we watch and discuss exclusive content that truly makes a difference. Give us $5 a month (the price of a latte), and join in on the conversation with our host Lori and others who want to make a difference. We'd love to have you join us! Patreon Join Difference Makers Join us in our membership community for exclusive content for only $5/month at https://www.patreon.com/aworldofdifference. We go deeper with each guest, and it makes such a difference. Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

September 2, 202646 min

Why Your AI Transformation Is Failing (Hint: It's Not the Technology) with Shaara Roman

What if your AI transformation isn't stalling because of the technology, but because of the culture, trust, and leadership behaviors you've built (or failed to build) around it? Shaara Roman has spent years inside global enterprises watching AI initiatives launch with fanfare and quietly fall apart, not because the software failed, but because the people strategy was missing. In this episode: Why AI should be treated as a team member, not just a tool The six pillars of AI change management: strategy, org design, culture, workforce capability, motivation/metrics, and ethical guardrails Why most AI adoptions fail — and why the human side, not the tech, is the real bottleneck Surprising diagnostic findings: middle managers are consistently the least ready for AI adoption Three telltale signs an organization isn't ready for AI How Shaara's third culture kid upbringing across India, Nigeria, and England shaped her adaptive leadership approach Guest bio: Shaara Roman is the founder and CEO of the Silvering Group, where she advises CEOs and executive teams on leading through AI transformation. A former senior HR executive at Visa, Fannie Mae, and CGI, she is the author of The Conscious Workplace and creator of the SPARC AIQ Diagnostic. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 02:00 Shaara's TCK journey across India, Nigeria, England 04:30 AI as a team member, not just a tool 08:00 Where leaders get AI adoption wrong 12:00 Why hiring systems aren't built for adaptive leadership 18:40 The six pillars of AI change management 26:40 Three signs an organization isn't ready for AI 32:50 Inside the SPARC AIQ Diagnostic 38:30 Where to find Shaara and her work Find Shaara Roman at: LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/shaara) | Website (silveringroup.com) Join us for an exclusive bonus episode with Shaara on Patreon. Subscribe, leave a review at https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com/reviews/new/, and share this episode. Visit https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources. Thinking about a life abroad? I use and recommend Expatsi to help navigate the move — https://www.expatsi.com/?ref=2kJ926HZ. As an affiliate, I may earn a small commission. Curious what your own leadership identity is built on? Take the VOICE assessment: https://www.bravaglobaladvisory.com/voice Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

August 26, 202648 min

From Cameroon to Berkeley: Marie-Ange Eyoum Tagne on Failing, Faith, and Finding Purpose in Silicon Valley

What does it actually take to walk into rooms where no one looks like you and not just survive them, but change them? Dr. Marie-Ange Eyoum Tagne's story begins in Cameroon and leads all the way to the highest levels of Silicon Valley tech leadership, and the lessons she's learned along the way will change how you think about your own journey. Topics covered: Growing up in Cameroon, community, and the moment an aunt told her "girls don't go to the moon" Working full-time at minimum wage while carrying a 26-unit course load to graduate as valedictorian Failing her PhD prelim at UC Berkeley, imposter syndrome, and the mentor who told her "I believe in you" Becoming the first African-born woman to earn a PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from UC Berkeley Her PURPOSE framework and the biblical story of Esther behind her memoir's title Balancing rapid AI innovation with empathy, ethics, and inclusion of global voices in tech Guest bio: Dr. Marie-Ange Eyoum Tagne is a global technology executive, product strategist, and award-winning author whose 15+ year career spans Meta, Amazon, Yahoo, Roku, McAfee, and Intel. Her memoir, For Such a Time as This, chronicles her journey from Cameroon to Silicon Valley leadership. Timestamps: 00:00 — Cold open 00:47 — Welcome and guest introduction 01:02 — Redefining success: growing up in Cameroon 04:46 — Coming to the US with $15,000 and a dream 10:11 — Barriers at UC Berkeley and imposter syndrome 15:38 — Failing the prelim, and the professor who changed everything 17:25 — Becoming the first African woman to earn this PhD 20:19 — The courage to write a memoir 21:41 — The story of Esther and "for such a time as this" 29:43 — AI, speed, and the ethics gap in Silicon Valley 39:26 — Where to find Marie-Ange and her book Join the exclusive bonus episode with Marie-Ange on Patreon. Find Marie-Ange Eyoum Tagne at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marie-ange-eyoum-tagne/ Book, For Such a Time as This: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FDJDBGQG Website: https://www.forsuchatimebook.com/ Thinking about a life abroad? I use and recommend Expatsi to help navigate the move — https://www.expatsi.com/?ref=2kJ926HZ. As an affiliate, I may earn a small commission. Curious what Brava Global Advisory could do for your own leadership? Take the VOICE assessment to find your starting point: https://www.bravaglobaladvisory.com/voice Subscribe, leave a review at https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com/reviews/new/, and share this episode. Visit https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

August 19, 202646 min

Governance Isn't Control, It's Trust: Cynthia Lai on Cross-Cultural Leadership and Resilience in Hong Kong

What does it cost to keep climbing when you're not sure the ladder is leaning against the right wall? Cynthia Lai spent two decades in multinational banking before a health warning sign forced her to ask that question, and to walk away from a role that looked successful from the outside. In this conversation, Cynthia, a governance advisor, leadership educator, and ICF certified executive coach, joins Lori to talk about: Why high achievers so often ignore the warning signs their bodies are sending them Reframing governance from a system of control into a way of building trust across cultures What it actually takes to navigate an identity shift after leaving a role that defined you How assumptions get in the way of cross-cultural communication, and what to do instead Why resilience means more than "bouncing back," and how mindfulness practices like journaling support it Cynthia Lai is a governance advisor, leadership educator, and ICF certified executive coach with two decades of experience across OCBC, HSBC, and Bank of China. She now helps boards, founders, and senior leaders navigate complexity through clearer governance and more human decision-making, while co-leading MetaOptics, a privacy-preserving AI startup. Timestamps Time Topic 0:00 Welcome and introduction to Cynthia Lai 0:48 The signs high achievers ignore, and what finally wakes them up 2:56 Shifting governance from a system of control to a way of building trust 6:41 Her bold transition from global banking to coaching and advisory 9:56 Listening and leading across cultures, and where assumptions get in the way 13:26 Building resilience that goes deeper than "bouncing back" 17:11 Mindfulness, journaling, and what we lose when we outsource pen to paper 24:39 Staying anchored to your values when everyone else has an agenda for you 28:57 How different cultures approach risk, governance, and accountability 33:39 A blind spot for business travelers in Hong Kong, and the food worth trying 38:26 Join us on Patreon for an exclusive bonus episode with Cynthia here. Where to find Cynthia and connect Find Cynthia Lai at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthiakylai/ Brought to you by Brava Global Advisory Wondering where your own leadership might be running on autopilot? Take the free VOICE diagnostic to find out where to start: https://www.bravaglobaladvisory.com/voice Standing disclosures Thinking about a life abroad? I use and recommend Expatsi to help navigate the move and for a free test on which country is your best fit. As an affiliate, I may earn a small commission. Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode. Visit https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices