The Way Forward

Podcasts @ Schulich

In The Way Forward Podcast, Professor Stephen Friedman shares concrete leadership, career and management ideas that go beyond tired, trite, buzzwords and concepts. The Way Forward is supported by Canada’s number one business school, The Schulich School of Business. Where some leadership podcasts focus on “what”, The Way Forward focuses on “how” by hearing from business leaders, big thinkers, and awesome organizational doers that do different and think different

Episodes

  1. Dr. Joti Samra – Keeping it Together When Everything Seems Not Totally Fine: Leadership and Mental Health in Uncertainty

    2025-10-16

    Dr. Joti Samra – Keeping it Together When Everything Seems Not Totally Fine: Leadership and Mental Health in Uncertainty

    In this episode of The Way Forward Podcast, Professor Stephen Friedman chats with Dr. Joti Samra, a national expert on psychological health, wellness, and resilience. Their discussion moves through the evolution of mental health in the workplace, to integrating mental well-being into health and safety standards, and then to learning about the effects of cumulative stress on employees. Dr. Samra highlights the role of interpersonal relationships and systemic changes to create a supportive, psychologically safe work environment. Tune in to learn practical approaches for promoting mental well-being and understand the shared responsibilities of organizations, leaders, and employees.

    43 min
  2. Are Workplaces Facing a Job-Stealing-Robot-Invasion?!

    2025-08-20

    Are Workplaces Facing a Job-Stealing-Robot-Invasion?!

    In this episode of The Way Forward Podcast, Stephen sits down with Schulich’s own Martin Waxman, a digital marketing and AI expert, to ask the big question: are the robots coming for our jobs, or just the boring parts? We dive into the hype and the hope of generative AI—how it can knock off the mundane tasks while leaving space for the stuff only humans can do: creativity, empathy, and good judgment. We also get into the tricky business of trust, social skills, and what happens when bots join the team meeting. Finally, Martin makes the case for staying curious, learning continuously, and using AI as a tool to work smarter (not to become a robot yourself).

    41 min
  3. Remote Work Polices: A Solution Without a Problem

    2025-05-26

    Remote Work Polices: A Solution Without a Problem

    In this episode of The Way Forward Podcast, Professor Stephen Friedman and renowned HR expert, Naomi Titleman, push for a common-sense way to think about flexible work. Naomi gets at sides of work flexibility debates and addresses remote work – and not remote work - challenges. She illustrates a new way to think about this tenuous discussion, as well as the need for leadership that is grounded in intentionality – not just policy and rules.

    39 min
  4. You Be Amazing. You Work Hard. You Choose Trust.

    2025-04-16

    You Be Amazing. You Work Hard. You Choose Trust.

    In this thought-bending episode of The Way Forward Podcast, host Professor Stephen Friedman welcomes Dr. Tatiana Astray, an expert in negotiations and leadership development. Tatiana shares her insights on the science of trust, and the impact of psychological blocks in creating it in business and IRL. Together, Stephen and Tatiana shatter assumptions about this key negotiation skill to reveal how it is for leadership and for all our relationships.

    44 min
  5. Why Winning an Argument is a Terrible Idea and Other Persuasion Gems for Leaders | Ben Wise

    2025-03-11

    Why Winning an Argument is a Terrible Idea and Other Persuasion Gems for Leaders | Ben Wise

    In the inaugural episode of The Schulich School of Business’ The Way Forward Podcast, host Professor Stephen Friedman sits down with Ben Wise, a 15-year industry veteran currently heading programmatic media at Google, and co-founder of Captivate. Ben shares insights into why persuasion is a terrible idea, and the mission of Captivate. He discusses emotional vs. logical decision-making, and practical tips for persuasion. Ben and Stephen also discuss advice for young professionals and the impact of staying open to “not knowing stuff”.

    32 min
  • 5 Episodes

About

In The Way Forward Podcast, Professor Stephen Friedman shares concrete leadership, career and management ideas that go beyond tired, trite, buzzwords and concepts. The Way Forward is supported by Canada’s number one business school, The Schulich School of Business. Where some leadership podcasts focus on “what”, The Way Forward focuses on “how” by hearing from business leaders, big thinkers, and awesome organizational doers that do different and think different

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