Corporate Unplugged

In this episode, Vesna is joined by Lars Strannegård, President of the Stockholm School of Economics, for a profound conversation on education, leadership, and the critical role of art and empathy in shaping the future of business and society. Lars shares his formative experiences living abroad, highlighting how cultural exposure and the lack of it shaped his perspective on inclusion and the importance of creative expression. He discusses the vision for SSE, emphasizing the need for students to leave with a broad, reflective mindset, ready to serve society and make a positive impact. In an era where artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the landscape, Lars argues that the development of human intelligence—skills like empathy, self-awareness, and critical thinking—becomes more vital than ever. He introduces the FREE framework guiding SSE: Fact-based, Reflective, Empathetic, and Entrepreneurial mindsets, which together foster responsible leadership. The conversation explores the transformative power o

In this episode, Vesna welcomes Dr. Peter Senge, renowned MIT Sloan lecturer and pioneer of systems thinking, to the Corporate Unplugged Podcast. Peter explores why true change requires a shift in how we see interdependence, not just in business but in society at large. Drawing from decades of work with organizations and indigenous communities, he explains how deep, sustainable transformation starts with cultural and institutional shifts—far beyond quick fixes or policy tweaks.Peter shares practical ways leaders can catalyze systemic change, emphasizing the power of authentic partnerships and “pre-competitive collaboration”—even among rivals. He highlights the importance of leadership as a developmental journey rooted in purpose, service, and the ability to create generative social fields where trust and innovation can flourish. Peter also reflects on the wisdom of indigenous cultures and the critical need for hope and honest dialogue in times of uncertainty.On today’s podcast:Why systems thinking is essentia

Robert Edward Grant, a modern polymath, inventor, author, and visionary entrepreneur, joins Vesna on Corporate Unplugged to explore the profound intersections of love, leadership, and multidimensional thinking. With over 80 patents and contributions spanning fields like cryptography, geometry, and healthcare, Robert shares his unique journey of bridging science, spirituality, and innovation.In this episode, Robert reflects on how love drives his purpose and how self-awareness and judgment-free living are essential for personal and societal transformation. He discusses the importance of polymathy in addressing complex challenges and why humanity is on the cusp of a collective awakening. From sacred geometry to the power of synchronicity, Robert offers a thought-provoking lens for leaders seeking to create meaningful impact.In this episode:Why love is the ultimate driver of purposeThe role of polymathy in solving global challengesHow judgment creates suffering and self-love heals itHumanity’s awakening and inte

In this episode of Corporate Unplugged, Vesna Lucca speaks with Thierry Malleret, economist, author, and founder of Summit of Minds. Thierry shares his unique perspective on leadership, sustainability, and the urgent need for businesses to embrace stakeholder capitalism. Drawing from his diverse career—including years at the World Economic Forum—Thierry reflects on the challenges and opportunities shaping our world today. “Without nature, there is no economy,” Thierry emphasizes, underscoring the critical role of natural capital in sustaining our future. Through his Summit of Minds initiative, he immerses leaders in nature-based experiences to inspire action: “When you see glaciers retreating almost visibly, it compels you to act.” Thierry also reveals his creative side as a novelist. His latest geopolitical thriller, Deaths at Davos, explores themes of power, greenwashing, and global influence. “Fiction allows me to ask bold questions about our world without the constraints of n

In this episode of Corporate Unplugged, Vesna explores new worlds with Jesh de Rox, cultural anthropologist and founder of hOURS. They explore the transformative potential of AI in enhancing human connection and creativity. Jesh shares his journey from being a renowned photographer to a visionary leader in social technology, emphasizing the importance of nurturing environments that foster human growth.Jesh discusses his shift from seeing himself as a healer to a gardener, focusing on creating conditions for people to thrive. This metaphor underpins his work at hOURS, where he aims to build scalable systems that promote epiphanies and personal development. He envisions a future where technology supports collective intelligence, drawing from the deep well of human creativity and emotion.The conversation also touches on the limitations of current AI systems, which often lack depth and fail to capture the richness of human experience. Jesh advocates for a new approach that respects individual data ownership and i

In this episode Vesna sits down with Dr. Renée Lertzman, a renowned psychologist and strategist, to explore the intricacies of creating genuine engagement within organizations. Renée shares her insights on leveraging psychology to drive transformative change and how leaders can foster resilience in the face of volatility.She emphasizes the importance of intrinsic motivation, highlighting key drivers like mastery, purpose, autonomy, connection, and belonging. This challenges traditional approaches to change management, advocating for a shift from pushing and persuading to guiding and partnering with teams.The conversation delves into the psychological aspects of courage and how organizations can create environments that enable individuals to access their inner strength. Dr. Lertzman also discusses the significance of integrating experiences into daily practice, ensuring that transformative moments lead to sustainable change.Join us as we uncover strategies for unlocking potential and driving meaningful change

Thomas Davin is  the Global Innovation Director at UNICEF. With over two decades of experience in international development and humanitarian work, in this episode of Corporate Unplugged Thomas shares his insights on leveraging innovation to address global challenges affecting children.He emphasizes the critical role of young people as active contributors to climate innovation and highlights UNICEF's efforts to empower youth through initiatives like climate accelerators, which support young innovators in developing impactful solutions. UNICEF's strategic approach to identifying and scaling innovative solutions has stretched to cover 160 countries. Thomas explains how his team identifies key problems affecting children, such as the learning crisis where a significant percentage of children cannot comprehend texts they read. By vetting and adopting successful solutions from various regions, UNICEF aims to address these challenges effectively.Thomas discusses the importance of building future leaders th

"Everything vibrates. So every cell of your body right now is vibrating and has its own frequency." In this episode of the Corporate Unplugged podcast, Vesna ventures into sound with renowned multi-instrumentalist, and multimedia producer Laura Inserra. Laura shares her personal insights as a ‘Sound Alchemist’ on the vibrational essence of the universe and the profound healing power of music.Laura explains how music can entrain the body's natural frequencies, releasing stagnant energies and emotions. She describes her personal journey of discovering her musical gifts, and the transformative mentors and experiences that have shaped her work, culminating in her immersive ‘Chambers of Awe’ experiences that combine ancient instruments with cutting-edge technology to guide participants on journeys of expanded consciousness.Looking towards the future, she emphasizes the importance of flexible, caring leadership that empowers people's unique talents and contributions.In this podcast:●    &nb

Phoebe Tickell is a renegade scientist, systems thinker, and social entrepreneur that sums her work up as an ‘‘imagination activist’. In this episode, Vesna and Phoebe discuss the critical role of creativity and perception in shaping the world around us. We delve into the challenges of fostering imagination and creativity within organizations, highlighting the need for psychological safety, non-hierarchical work environments, and interventions that integrate art and creativity into leadership and decision-making. Phoebe shares her personal journey from the world of science and technology to the realm of moral imagination, driven by a desire to address societal issues at a deeper level.She envisions a future where living on Earth is safe, free, and abundant, with restored ecosystems and a life-centric economy. This important discussion explores the potential for organizations to become instruments of change, prioritizing people's well-being and the planet's health over traditional metrics of success.

New Zealand born business philosopher and entrepreneur, Christopher Evatt, was raised with the understanding that we should leave everybody and everything better than when we found it, and we should work for the good of the whole. But the problem is, we humans have been labouring under an illusion of separation, both individually and collectively. We’re all connected, says Christopher, our society, companies, organisations, the planet; we’re all one living system.In this episode of Corporate Unplugged, Christopher discusses our need to evolve and grow, to raise our consciousness and understanding of our interconnectedness, both within individuals and organisations. But more importantly, we need to learn to clear our own energy system, to embrace the power of thought, intention, and beliefs to make wise choices and grow in wisdom.To learn more, download and listen to this episode today.  On today’s podcast:●     Personal growth, collective dysfunction, and planetary transform

Don’t stress about where you are in life, says Eda Çarmıklı, a proud utopian and firm believer, that it’s never too late to become what you might have been. You're going to get to where you need to be, or perhaps you’re already there. Just open your eyes and trust that life will bring you the right people, the right communities, and the right collaborations, when you’re ready. Eda’s the co-founder of the global collaborative platform, Joint Idea; lifelong laboratory growth program Life Works Labs; and social tribe, Love Mafia. She’s also a second generation shareholder in Nurol Holding, an industrial conglomerate in Turkey operating in construction, infrastructure, machinery, energy, investment, banking and tourism. In this episode of Corporate Unplugged, Eda talks about the hurdles life presents us so that we can become what we were meant to be. “Just flow and see where life takes you. Don’t force things, don’t try to wear jackets that don’t fit you, just let it go and enjoy life as it is; jus

We all depend on Planet Earth for life and yet as a species, our collective actions are having devastating impacts such as a loss of biodiversity and climate change, among other things. It’s literally the definition of insanity, says Lisen Schultz, Associate Professor in Sustainability Science, Deputy Director for the Stockholm Resilience Center, University of Stockholm, Director of Education, and the Programme Director for the center's executive programme in resilience thinking. We humans aren’t evil, our problem is we don’t see what we’re doing as damaging, nor can we see how we could do it differently. Our world is built around a formula of growth, rather than meaningful growth.  In this episode of Corporate Unplugged, Lisen discusses the urgency of the climate change challenge, but also the potential opportunities it presents for us individually, as well as for companies, but, in a way that doesn’t create a whole new set of problems.  To find out more, download and listen to this

There is a real pressure to solve the climate crisis and the myriad other environmental and social issues by breaking them down into their constituent parts, to solve them individually. But, says Nora Bateson, award-winning filmmaker, writer and educator, and President of the International Bateson Institute, this approach is the biggest challenge we need to overcome. We live in a complex, interdependent world, and to find new solutions we need to relearn how we think, feel and navigate, we need to adopt a different mindset. In this episode of Corporate Unplugged, Vesna and Nora discuss the need for a more diverse ecology of knowing; how do we know things? What is our ability to zoom in and study the details? And how can we zoom out and see the context?To find out more, download and listen to this latest episode. On today’s podcast:The perception habits we need to ditchWe have to learn to do things togetherWhat is this warm data stuff?The future Nora wants to see Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/p

Right now, says Nipun Mehta, founder of Service Space, an incubator of gift economy projects that inspire people to be the change they wish to see, the world needs a little more kindness. And yes, with so many challenges happening globally, it might feel like such an insignificant act isn’t going to affect anything but says Nipun, that’s how history changes. 25 years ago, in Silicon Valley, Nipun started Service Space as an experiment with friends. Today it’s a global ecosystem with around 1.5 million members. And they've not only delivered millions of dollars in service for free, but they're also regenerating a gift culture. In this incredibly insightful conversation, Vesna and Nipun discuss how small acts of kindness can change the world. To find out more, download and listen to this episode. On today’s podcast:What we can learn from the gratitude economyThe future potential of AIAligning AI with heart intelligenceThe 1,000 km journey to himselfThe long term solution for businessLinks:https:/

Sometimes a physical ailment isn't physical, says Neha Sangwan, MD and CEO and founder of Intuitive Intelligence. In fact, stress causes or exacerbates more than 80% of illnesses, so rather than simply treating the physical injuries, we need to be asking people what's at the root of their stress. In this episode of Corporate Unplugged, Neha explains why her passion is teaching people how to communicate with themselves, and with each other, to navigate their emotions, manage their energy, to learn how to keep themselves well so that collectively, as humans, we can all rise together now, and in the future.  “What I have learned is, self-care is not selfish, it's self-full. It's how I can, over time, be able to serve in the world in a way that comes from a replenished full, energized place, full of vitality and energy, versus a depleted exhausted place.” To find out more, download and listen to this latest episode. On today’s podcast:Why self-care isn’t selfishWhat is burnout?The three p

Capitalism has served us well in many ways, says Manish Bhardwaj, CEO and founder of Innovators in Health, but it has also exacerbated injustice and inequality worldwide. So, how can we address the problems at the heart of this? How can we design more just systems? By having moral clarity. In this episode of Corporate Unplugged, Manish explains we first need to understand why there is injustice in the world, before we can find a solution. A lot of our failures today, says Manish, are failures of imagination. We’re really good instrumentalists, we know how to crunch data, what we lack is a fluency in the language of morality. To find out more about cultivating moral clarity, download and listen to this episode today. On today’s podcast:Why we’re all such good instrumentalistsWe aren’t trained to navigate difficult issues morallyMoral clarity and justice requires accompanimentLeaders should rely on moral authority Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A lot of people believe the problems we're facing on a global scale are related to tech, says Nichol Bradford, pioneer, innovator, investor and thought leader at the intersection of technology and human transformation. But the truth is, much of what we’re struggling with just boils down to a lack of belonging. “We craft these visions of the future where people can't see themselves in it, they can't see that they belong to it.”In this episode of Corporate Unplugged, Nichol discusses the future of human intelligence and why there can be no digital transformation without a human transformation, and explains why change needs to come from the top.“Culture eats strategy for breakfast. Culture is a collection of people, and how they show up with each other every day, and how one shows up with other people has everything to do with how you show up with yourself. It starts with you. It always starts with you.”To find out more, download and listen to this latest episode. On today’s podcast:The future of human

Do you bring your whole self to work? Are you encouraged to bring your authentic self to work? Or do you feel you need to leave parts of you at the door? If you’re a leader, do your followers bring their whole selves to work? Because, says Gianpiero Petriglieri, Professor of Organisational Behaviour at INSEAD, and one of the 50 most influential management thinkers in the world, if we’re not bringing our whole selves into the workplace, we’re absent from the very place where so many of us spend such a significant portion of our time. In this episode of Corporate Unplugged, Gianpiero shares his thoughts on the need to humanise leadership and learning, and how he encourages his students to look at leadership as a kind of love. Then, using this framework, he explores the difference between good leadership and bad leadership. “Good leadership is the one in which there is an element of seduction, but then there has to be something more. There has to be care. There has to be a promise. But there has to be

Do you really trust your people? Do your people trust you as a leader? Is your company a trustworthy stakeholder for society and the planet as a whole? And if not, why not? The answer, says Stefan Beiten, Founder and Managing Partner of Argo Ventures, always lies with your people, you need to learn to connect with them.Stefan is an out-of-the-box thinker and serial entrepreneur, investor, company builder, and opportunity finder from Berlin. Best known for producing the global phenomena, Earth, the most successful nature documentary ever produced, on this episode of Corporate Unplugged, Stefan discusses how to empower purposeful leaders to solve real-world problems. To find out more, download and listen to this truly insightful episode.  On today’s podcast:Bringing trust and purpose to the worldBe terrified about missing conversations Businesses as instruments of purposeThe potential dilemma of AILinks:Earth - A Venture of Argo Ventures  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for

How often are you moved to tears in a day? How often do you experience things that make you really feel deeply? This is what drives Richard Hsu, as he tirelessly redesigns systems and connects dots, as he develops humanistic balanced projects and places.The world has had a collective awakening. People are fast realising life is too short to waste on dirty, profit making projects. They want purpose, they want good reasons to invest their time in something. Which is why now is a really good time to have a conversation about what kind of society we should develop, what kind of companies we want to build, and how we want to be for the people around us. In this episode of Corporate Unplugged, Richard explains why collaboration and curation are key to change, why leaders need to create on the edge, and why China is leading the way, creating cities of the future, with an open mind and a desire to disrupt.On today’s podcast:How to design humanistic, balanced projects and placesWhy China provides a second life fo