I met Kevin Kruse through his annual top 100 leadership speakers in Inc., which included 15 or 20 guests of my podcast, podcasters who have hosted me, and people who have been over for dinner. Kevin is also from Philadelphia so we got to know each other and today, I appear on his podcast. Listen to the conversation. Listen to the conversation. From the notes: Joshua Spodek is an Adjunct[…] Keep reading →

I’ll soon post my podcast interview with Jordan Harbinger, one of the world’s top podcasters. First I’m sharing this example of Jordan and how to learn to communicate authentically and genuinely—through practice and rehearsal. Think genuineness and authenticity matter in business? How about marriage? This recording features Jordan’s wife talking about how Jordan came off, when she knew he practiced, rehearsed, and taught others to. Practice and rehearsal work because[…] Keep reading →

Tricia Brouk is an incredible director, TEDx Executive Producer, actress, choreographer, and more. She’s worked with names like Richard Gere, James Gandolfini, Kate Winslet, Susan Sarandon, John Torturo, Eddie Izzard, Christopher Walken, Steve Buscemi, and Bobby Canavale. Wow! As host of the Big Talk podcast, she posted our conversation, “Put Yourself in the Background.” From the liner notes: Put Yourself in the Background – Joshua Spodek Summary What is the[…] Keep reading →

Sasha Laghonh invited me back to her wonderful Moving Mountains podcast, which just posted. I shared a few upcoming projects I haven’t shared yet. Curious to try open-mic stand-up? She asked me about my recently performing open-mic on a New York comedy stage (which I recommend). We also talked about the origins of my Leadership and the Environment podcast and the sports and acting stories that helped start me on[…] Keep reading →

People seem unable to understand groups they disagree with these days. If you disagree with someone enough to argue with them, you probably want to influence them to stop acting in ways you disagree with—that is, you want to lead them. To lead someone you don’t have authority over, you have to understand them and, ideally, make them feel understood. If you behave and communicate in ways that people feel[…] Keep reading →

Dan Kuschell and I met last year and became friends over our similar passions for leadership—servant leadership in particular. Read his bio and watch his videos below to see his story. Scheduling appearing on his podcast took forever, but it finally happened. Today I bring you our conversation on his show, Growth to Freedom. Knowing someone so long makes the conversation more friendly, open, and vulnerable. We approached common issues[…] Keep reading →

Today I’m going to ask some more personal questions. If you aren’t interested in examining your values and your behavior, this might not be the right episode for you. I’m not going to have you answer to other people but I’m going to ask some questions that I think will make some people feel uncomfortable but that’s in the short term. In the long term, I think this will get[…] Keep reading →

“It was inevitable. The scent of bitter almonds always reminded Dr. Juvenal Urbino of the fate of unrequited love.” Have you paid attention to the opening lines of Love in the Time of Cholera, the novel by Nobel laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez? I hadn’t for decades and missed richness, complexity, and depth, paralleling a richness, complexity, and depth I missed in nature, my relationships with others, and my relationship with[…] Keep reading →

I’ve wanted to meet top influencer Leonard Kim for years, having seen his online presence everywhere. I appeared on his Voice of America show today, speaking on leading people without relying on authority. He led the interview to get to the heart of my practice. I enjoyed the conversation and got to share what counts. Listen to the conversation. Listen to the conversation.