Centaur Stage

Cosmic Centaurs
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Centaur Stage is a podcast by Cosmic Centaurs exploring bold ideas about the future of work and learning. In each episode, podcast host, CEO & Founder of Cosmic Centaurs Marilyn Zakhour is joined by incredible guests to share insights, opinions, and perspectives about the future of how we work and learn.

  1. What Leaders Learn When They Measure Psychological Safety

    29 JAN

    What Leaders Learn When They Measure Psychological Safety

    What really happens when leaders pause long enough to measure psychological safety—and then dare to talk about what they find? In this episode of Psychological Safety in Focus, we sit down with Mazuba Hainama, independent consultant with over 15 years of experience working across tech, government, corporates, and civil society, to explore what measuring psychological safety looks like in practice. Together, we unpack why Mazuba chose to run a psychological safety scan with her team, what the data revealed beneath the surface, and how the conversations that followed reshaped trust, leadership behaviors, and team dynamics. From navigating vulnerability as a leader, to balancing compassion with execution, to creating shared accountability within a team, this conversation goes far beyond scores and surveys. This episode is a candid, reflective look at: Why psychological safety doesn’t require something to be “broken” to be valuableHow data can unlock conversations teams struggle to have otherwiseThe role of leadership intention, predictability, and consistencyWhat leaders often miss—and what changes when they truly listenHow teams can turn insight into rituals, commitments, and long-term impactIf you’re a leader curious about psychological safety, unsure where to start, or wondering what happens after the measurement, this episode offers a grounded, human perspective on what it takes to build teams where people feel safe to speak up, learn, and perform, together.

    57 min
  2. Key Insights from Psych Safety Day 2025

    4 JAN

    Key Insights from Psych Safety Day 2025

    As part of our Psych Safety in Focus webinar series, this is a special follow-up session to unpack the biggest insights, themes, and breakthroughs from the global event. Marilyn Zakhour, CEO of Cosmic Centaurs, and Marie Nakhle, Psychological Safety Lead shared what they took from Psych Safety Day  🔹What Cosmic Centuars learned from the world’s leading researchers and facilitators 🔹Practical tools shared on curiosity, failure, belonging, and high-performing teams 🔹Their reflections and takeaways from a full day of experiential sessions and keynotes 🔹A readout of the findings from the annual global research on psychological safety Here is The Contribution Method Cheat Sheet that was co-created during CHAD LITTLEFIELD session that Marie mentioned in the webinar: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1clqQQdYv4l6iomLmI6-zFquVRWEnBWwZ4dOBaMLWdXM/ Cosmic Centaurs is the exclusive MENA partner of The Fearless Organization. We bring globally recognized tools to help you create a psychologically safe work environment. In diverse, multicultural teams across GCC companies, building trust, respect, and open communication is essential to reduce fear at work and empower employees to contribute. ​

    49 min
  3. Psychological Safety in the MENA Region

    4 JAN

    Psychological Safety in the MENA Region

    This is the first of our Cosmic Centaurs Psychological Safety webinar series with a deep dive into the insights uncovered during our recent roundtable in Dubai, held in partnership with Sander Hoeken, Co-founder of The Fearless Organization Scan, where 18 HR leaders came together to discuss how psychological safety is understood and practiced across the MENA region. The session will be facilitated by Marie Nakhle, Psychological Safety Lead at Cosmic Centaurs, in conversation with Marilyn Zakhour, CEO and Founder of Cosmic Centaurs and Hadeel Kabosh, Senior Consultant at Cosmic Centaurs.  In this webinar, Marie and Marilyn unpack the most important findings: what shapes leadership priorities, how multicultural teams navigate feedback and hierarchy, why psychological safety is often misunderstood, and how sector-specific contexts, from oil & gas to client-facing industries, require tailored language and approaches to make the concept meaningful and actionable. Download the report here: https://www.cosmiccentaurs.com/rd-11-psych-safety-roundtable-key-learnings

    47 min
  4. How AI is Redefining the Future of Workforce Learning with Russell John Cailey

    11/12/2025

    How AI is Redefining the Future of Workforce Learning with Russell John Cailey

    A conversation with Russell John Cailey, CEO and Founder of Elham Studio and Almach AI, and Tala Odeh, Capability Development Lead at Cosmic Centaurs. As AI accelerates, collapses time, and democratizes knowledge, the world of work is undergoing a transformation unlike anything we have seen before. The question is no longer whether AI will replace some jobs. The real question is: What human capabilities become more valuable than ever In this session, Russell and Tala explore: • How AI is reshaping how we learn, grow, and work • Why traditional learning systems lag behind and how to reimagine them • The uniquely human skills we must double down on • Firefly Sprints and the Collapse of Time from Russell’s book, The Firefly Effect • Six month transformation cycles and why they work • What leaders must do to build adaptive, future ready organizations • What employees can practice to stay relevant and resilient in an AI driven world Drawing on decades of global learning innovation, from THINK Global School to advisory work with educators, foundations, and companies, Russell brings a rare systems level perspective. His book The Firefly Effect challenges outdated assumptions about time, capability, and human potential, offering practical ways to design learning that is continuous, contextual, and deeply human. Tala brings Cosmic Centaurs’ perspective on systems thinking, leadership development, and organizational capability building, exploring how companies can move away from annual cycles and surface level AI adoption and toward real, meaningful transformation. About the Speakers Russell John Cailey CEO and Founder, Elham Studio and Almach AI Amazon Bestselling Author of The Firefly Effect Global Leader in Transformative Education and Learning Innovation Tala Odeh Capability Development Lead, Cosmic Centaurs Topics Covered: AI and learning, capability development, systems thinking, organizational transformation, Firefly Effect, Firefly Sprints, collapse of time, leadership in uncertainty, six month transformation cycles, future skills, emotional intelligence, discernment, storytelling, strategic learning, L and D innovation. Resources: The Firefly Effect by Russell John Cailey: https://www.thefireflyeffectbook.com/bookhome Cosmic Centaurs: https://www.cosmiccentaurs.com If you enjoyed this session, share your reflections in the comments and subscribe for more conversations on leadership, learning, and the future of work.

    56 min
  5. Understanding Neuroinclusion in the Workplace with Dr. Molly Taylore

    11/12/2025

    Understanding Neuroinclusion in the Workplace with Dr. Molly Taylore

    Workplaces are at their best when every individual’s strengths are recognized and supported. Together, Dr Molly Taylor & Tala Odeh will explore what neurodivergence truly means, the strengths it brings, and the misconceptions that limit progress.  Together, we’ll look at the everyday realities of neurodivergent employees and the steps leaders can take to design systems, cultures, and learning experiences where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. This session provides leaders, people & culture professionals, and L&D executives who want to build environments where neurodivergent employees can thrive.

    1h 4m
  6. Conference Closing Is the System the Strategy?

    04/11/2025

    Conference Closing Is the System the Strategy?

    After seven weeks of exploring systems thinking through the lens of leadership, culture, and transformation, the 2025 Cosmic Conference comes full circle with a powerful closing conversation. Professor José Santos, Affiliated Professor of Practice in Global Management at INSEAD, joins Marilyn Zakhour to challenge and deepen the conference’s central idea: Is the system really the strategy? Together, they explore how leaders can move from managing parts to understanding the whole and why seeing organizations as living, interconnected systems may be the most strategic mindset of all. They discuss:  🔹 Why most leaders struggle to see systems and how to learn to see them  🔹 The difference between simple, complicated, and complex systems  🔹 How emergence and interaction shape performance over time  🔹 Why resilience comes from managing relationships, not parts  🔹 How imagination, observation, and time help leaders design better systems This closing session is a reflection on the essence of systems thinking, a bridge between theory and practice, between how we lead and how we live.

    1h 37m
  7. Building Systems to Bring Culture to Life with Tala Odeh & Marilyn Zakhour

    03/11/2025

    Building Systems to Bring Culture to Life with Tala Odeh & Marilyn Zakhour

    Culture isn’t the soft stuff, it’s the system that makes everything else work. In this lively conversation, Marilyn Zakhour and Tala Ode from Cosmic Centaurs unpack how culture shows up not in slogans or posters, but in the invisible systems that shape how organizations operate: how decisions are made, how meetings run, how feedback flows, and how people feel when they show up to work. Using the Omnichannel Organization™ framework, they explore how leaders can design culture through structure, process, people, and controls, so that it’s not an HR initiative, but a way of working that delivers results. Together, they discuss:  🔹 Why culture isn’t a “project” but the operating system of an organization  🔹 How strategy and culture reinforce (or destroy) each other  🔹 The signals your org structure and workspace send about your values  🔹 How to measure and reward cultural behaviors, not just performance  🔹 What startups and fast-growing companies must know about scaling culture This episode redefines culture as something built, measured, and lived. A system that connects purpose to practice.

    1h 3m
  8. Building Systems to Reclaim Your Time with Dhiren Bhatia

    29/10/2025

    Building Systems to Reclaim Your Time with Dhiren Bhatia

    Time is the one system every leader struggles to manage — and the one that reveals how well all the others work. In this energizing conversation, Diren Bhatia, entrepreneur, coach, and founder of Cloudscape Technologies, joins Tala Ode to explore how leaders and founders can redesign their relationship with time. From his own journey of moving from a 14-hour-day founder to a “part-time CEO,” Diren shares how systems, rituals, and mindset shifts can help leaders free themselves from firefighting and refocus on what really matters. Together, they explore:  🔹 Why working harder isn’t the answer — designing smarter systems is  🔹 How to move from founder to CEO and build teams that thrive without you  🔹 The art (and unlearning) of delegation and trust  🔹 Simple rituals and rhythms that reclaim focus, energy, and white space  🔹 Why every effective system must be agile, imperfect, and human This conversation is a powerful reminder that time freedom isn’t about doing less — it’s about doing what matters most, by design.

    1h 2m
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About

Centaur Stage is a podcast by Cosmic Centaurs exploring bold ideas about the future of work and learning. In each episode, podcast host, CEO & Founder of Cosmic Centaurs Marilyn Zakhour is joined by incredible guests to share insights, opinions, and perspectives about the future of how we work and learn.

Information

  • Creator
    Cosmic Centaurs
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    92
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Centaur Stage
  • Show Website
    Centaur Stage