Category Archives: Podcast

749: Sven Gierlinger, part 1: Transforming the Culture of a New York Hospital Chain as a Chief Experience Officer

on March 14, 2024 in Podcast

I heard about Sven through the articles below about the cultural change at Northwell, a chain of hospitals around New York City. I recommend reading the Post article before listening to this episode. It may read overly positive about the food, but Sven and I ate just after recording at the hospital the regular food they serve patients. It was incredible. I would never have dreamed food at a hospital[…] Keep reading →

748: Stephen Broyles, part 2: A Calming, Life Change From One Small Commitment

on March 12, 2024 in Podcast

About fifteen minutes into this conversation, it hit me how powerfully Stephen’s commitment affected him. (Sorry I took so long to catch on, Stephen!) All he had to do was volunteer around a body of water. His experience shows the impact of intrinsic motivation. Maybe observing and spending time by the water means as much to you as to Stephen. Maybe it doesn’t mean that much to you. It means[…] Keep reading →

747: Go Alan Go!, part 1: The drummer rocking Washington Square Park

on February 17, 2024 in Podcast

Regular listeners and blog readers know I talk about litter and how much we wreck nature, especially my neighborhood’s back yard, Washington Square Park. Click the links below to see some of the worst litter you’ve seen, in a supposedly nice part of town. Today the opposite: someone who brings joy, fun, creativity, music, and dancing to the park. Alan began playing drums in the park three years ago and[…] Keep reading →

746: Martin Doblmeier, part 1: What We Can Learn from Dietrich Bonhoeffer

on February 14, 2024 in Podcast

I’m searching for role models including people who changed cultures and undid dominance hierarchies, particularly people who came from status. I can think of many who came from subjugated classes, but not many who could have declined to engage, but did instead. Dietrich Bonhoeffer is one. I could share more about him, but my guest today, Martin Doblmeier, made a wonderful documentary about him available online free. It’s worth it[…] Keep reading →

745: Mattan Griffel, part 2: Is our dependence on polluting behavior “addiction”?

on February 3, 2024 in Podcast

I have spoken and written at length how I see our relationship with polluting behavior as qualifying as addiction, a view that I think helps frame the challenge of sustainability. Overcoming addiction is harder than creating new technologies or taxing things. It takes powerful internal social and emotional skills. Just acknowledging one is addicted and harming others is a big hurdle, let alone acting on it. Not seeing the huge[…] Keep reading →

744: Stephen Broyles, part 1: What Is Social Work and How Does It Relate to Leadership and Action?

on January 24, 2024 in Podcast

Regular listeners and readers of my blog will know my sustainability leadership workshops and one of the participants of the first, Evelyn (she’s in the video on that link). After being the teaching assistant for a couple cohorts, she is leading this winter’s session. Often when I talked to her about leadership, she would comment, “We do that in social work too, but we call it” . . . and[…] Keep reading →

743: Benjamin Hett: The Death of Democracy: Hitler’s Rise to Power and the Downfall of the Weimar Republic

on January 22, 2024 in Podcast

Regular listeners know how I look for role models in similar situations to ours regarding the environment. We know our polluting and depleting are bringing us toward collapse, but instead of acting, we procrastinate on acting. We rationalize and justify our inaction. We abdicate our responsibility, capitulate, and resign to complacency and complicity. Humans behaved this way in the face of slavery, especially during and after the Atlantic Slave Trade,[…] Keep reading →

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