Leadovation

Dean Newlund, Mission Facilitators International
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Transform leadership success with 'LEADOVATION: Reimagine. Facilitate. Flourish.' This podcast, ideal for executives and HR professionals, offers a unique blend of innovative leadership strategies and practical insights. Dive into a world where reimagining traditional approaches, facilitating effective solutions, and flourishing in a dynamic business environment are key. Each episode is packed with real-world examples and actionable advice, addressing challenges like employee engagement, workload management, and rapid organizational growth. Whether you're advancing your career or driving company success, 'LEADOVATION' is your guide to sustainable leadership excellence.

  1. Rasmus Holst: From Human Resources to Human Success: How HR Is Being Rewritten in the Age of AI

    2 DAYS AGO

    Rasmus Holst: From Human Resources to Human Success: How HR Is Being Rewritten in the Age of AI

    About Rasmus Holst: Rasmus Holst is the CEO of Zensai (formerly LMS365), where he built a learning management business from $0–30M ARR, bootstrapped, completed three acquisitions, and pioneered the “Human Success” category as a replacement for Human Resources. He has been part of management teams delivering exits just shy of $1bn, raised +$50m for companies like Wire and Huddle, and worked across PE-backed (Carlyle, Warburg Pincus) and VC-funded (General Atlantic, Index, Vertex, Morpheus, Iconical) environments. His experience spans scaling start-ups from zero revenue, operating +$300M Lines of Business at Syniverse, and leading branding and B2B storytelling efforts, including Zensai’s Red Dot Award and Great Place to Work recognition. Rasmus has managed global teams across 14 countries, traveled to +100 nations, and lived in Denmark, Luxembourg, and San Francisco, making him a leader with a uniquely international view on culture, growth, and balance.   In this episode, Dean Newlund and Rasmus Holst discuss: Turning HR into Human Success and redefining what organizations measureLinking performance, learning, and engagement into one real-time scoreFeedback rituals and kudos culture as engines of team identityMeasuring soft skills through sentiment and peer behaviorAI as a teammate that amplifies human contribution instead of replacing it  Key Takeaways: Replace annual HR lag metrics with weekly human success check-ins tied to learning, performance, and engagement.Institutionalize positive feedback (e.g., weekly kudos) to normalize critique, build confidence, and surface soft-skill leaders.Track soft skills through peer sentiment and recognition patterns rather than relying solely on manager evaluations.Use generationally agnostic baselines (showing up as a good human and delivering success) to align multicultural/global teams.  "There’s a high correlation between people who get a lot of kudos and those who are really good at a lot of soft skills.” — Rasmus Holst   Connect with Rasmus Holst:   Website: https://zensai.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rasmusholst/       See Dean’s TedTalk “Why Business Needs Intuition” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEq9IYvgV7I   Connect with Dean: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgqRK8GC8jBIFYPmECUCMkw Website: https://www.mfileadership.com/ The Mission Statement E-Newsletter: https://www.mfileadership.com/blog/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deannewlund/ X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/deannewlund Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MissionFacilitators/ Email: dean.newlund@mfileadership.com Phone: 1-800-926-7370   Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

    47 min
  2. Dr. Mary Donohue: The Dopamine Trap: How Tech Is Hijacking Human Focus and What to Do About It

    20 JAN

    Dr. Mary Donohue: The Dopamine Trap: How Tech Is Hijacking Human Focus and What to Do About It

    About Dr. Mary Donohue: Dr. Mary Donohue is the CEO of the Digital Wellness Center, a three-time entrepreneur, Columbia Business School Lang Center Innovation Fellow, and Fortune Top 100 Businesswoman to Watch. She is the creator of Clean Mental Health™, a science-backed system that delivers instant relief from digital stress—through email, games, and tools that work faster than meditation—and a pioneer in the neuroscience of trust and digital behavior who has helped global brands like Microsoft and Casino.NL build emotionally intelligent platforms that protect users. Called a “modern McLuhan” for her work in media and meaning, her book Message Received is often referred to as the digital communication bible. She has taught burnout recovery to thousands, designed mood-regulating tools for Gen Z, and is currently working with Simon Sinek’s team on a new leadership course for the hybrid era.   In this episode, Dean Newlund and Dr. Mary Donohue discuss: Digital overload and dopamine-driven behaviorsResetting the brain with playful emotional regulationGenerational differences in processing technologyDesigning proactive mental health tools for real environmentsPreventing addiction via behavior modification and breaks  Key Takeaways: Introduce micro brain-breaks (short, no-signup playful exercises) to reduce stress and improve decision-making while keeping people on their devices.Tailor messaging and leadership communication to each generation’s preferred medium and processing style to increase engagement and psychological safety.Measure mood shifts before and after interventions to track changes in stress, focus, and emotional regulation using short self-report mood metrics.Deploy proactive mental-health micro-interventions in high-stress environments (airports, casinos, transportation, retail) and track uptake rates and mood impact.  "My goal is to move them to happy in less than three minutes, because then we know research tells us you're making better decisions.” — Dr. Mary Donohue   Connect with Dr. Mary Donohue:   Website: https://thedigitalwellnesscenter.com/ Book: Message Received: https://www.amazon.com/Message-Received-Steps-Communication-Barriers/dp/1260456358 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmarydonohue/ & https://www.linkedin.com/company/72360974/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedigitalwellnesscenter/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thedigitalwellnesscenter       See Dean’s TedTalk “Why Business Needs Intuition” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEq9IYvgV7I   Connect with Dean: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgqRK8GC8jBIFYPmECUCMkw Website: https://www.mfileadership.com/ The Mission Statement E-Newsletter: https://www.mfileadership.com/blog/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deannewlund/ X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/deannewlund Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MissionFacilitators/ Email: dean.newlund@mfileadership.com Phone: 1-800-926-7370   Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

    38 min
  3. Donna Dupont: How Future-Ready Leaders Think: Turning Weak Signals into Strategy Before Disruption Hits

    13 JAN

    Donna Dupont: How Future-Ready Leaders Think: Turning Weak Signals into Strategy Before Disruption Hits

    About Donna Dupont: Donna Dupont, Founder and Chief Strategist of Purple Compass, is an award-winning designer and futurist with over 25 years of experience collaborating with leaders. She helps organizations build future literacy, navigate uncertainty, and drive impactful change. Combining systems thinking with strategic foresight, she empowers leaders to mitigate risks, enhance preparedness, and seize opportunities for innovation, transformation, and resilience. Recognized with seven government awards, Donna’s work spans critical areas like climate change, health security, and emergency management, with her futures research earning accolades from the Canadian Defence and Security Network and the Association of Professional Futurists.   In this episode, Dean Newlund and Donna Dupont discuss: Short-term problem solving versus long-term foresightWeak signals and emerging issues before disruption hitsAmbidextrous leadership balancing now and nextUsing disruption as fuel for innovationMental models shaping how leaders respond to uncertainty  Key Takeaways: Schedule recurring leadership conversations that explore five- to ten-year future scenarios alongside quarterly planning.Actively identify weak signals by asking teams what new patterns they are seeing that they have never seen before.Create ambidextrous structures that protect business as usual while allowing innovation to be tested safely.Build psychological safety so teams feel comfortable sharing unconventional ideas and intuitive hunches.  "When you are working with a future-oriented mindset, you're usually starting not from a management mindset, but more of an innovator or visionary.” — Donna Dupont   Connect with Donna Dupont:   Website: https://www.purplecompass.ca/ Email: donna@purplecompass.ca LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/donna-dupont FutureMinds Coaching Collective (free/monthly) - https://www.purplecompass.ca/coaching/     See Dean’s TedTalk “Why Business Needs Intuition” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEq9IYvgV7I   Connect with Dean: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgqRK8GC8jBIFYPmECUCMkw Website: https://www.mfileadership.com/ The Mission Statement E-Newsletter: https://www.mfileadership.com/blog/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deannewlund/ X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/deannewlund Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MissionFacilitators/ Email: dean.newlund@mfileadership.com Phone: 1-800-926-7370   Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

    44 min
  4. John Dwyer: From Seinfeld to $15 Billion: How Direct Response Marketing Beats Branding

    6 JAN

    John Dwyer: From Seinfeld to $15 Billion: How Direct Response Marketing Beats Branding

    About John Dwyer: John is a marketing enigma, a “direct response customer attraction expert” who thinks way outside the box, and his marketing consultancy business is called The Institute Of Wow, with John’s mantra being that one’s marketing needs to “wow” prospects. He’s also the guy who shocked the marketing world some years back when he convinced Jerry Seinfeld to come out of retirement to be the spokesman for an Australian banking institution, The Greater Building Society, heading up a “free vacation campaign” which broke home loan lending records and remains folklore in the global banking industry. This was probably one of the most successful “incentive-promotions” in the world, resulting in many billions of dollars in extra home loans.  John helps business owners understand how to exploit platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn by implementing “incentive-based marketing offers” that can be targeted specifically to certain audiences. His client list reads like a Who’s Who of business and includes the likes of Rupert Murdoch’s News Ltd, 7-Eleven, Westfield Shopping Centres, Walt Disney, KFC, and BP, because they acknowledge he is “the master of creating incentives that work.”   In this episode, Dean Newlund and John Dwyer discuss: Why most marketing efforts fail to prove real ROIHow direct response marketing builds brands and drives sales simultaneouslyThe role of incentives and sampling in moving customers off the fenceUsing data and statistics to earn credibility with executivesTranslating creative ideas into measurable business outcomes  Key Takeaways: Track cost per lead and conversion rates daily so you can identify ad fatigue early and change creative before performance drops.Design marketing offers that distract attention from price by using incentives, sampling, or bonuses instead of discounts.Present marketing results to executives using statistics and ROI metrics rather than ideas, branding language, or vanity metrics.Turn your expertise into a high-converting offer by giving value first, then inviting prospects to engage deeper instead of selling immediately.  "Give, give, give, give before you ask.” — John Dwyer   Connect with John Dwyer:   Website: https://theinstituteofwow.com Email: john@theinstituteofwow.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/instituteofwow/ See how incentive-based vacations can drive instant leads: https://vacationsincentive.com/ Discover how Facebook contests can generate qualified leads fast: https://fbcontestleads.com/     See Dean’s TedTalk “Why Business Needs Intuition” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEq9IYvgV7I   Connect with Dean: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgqRK8GC8jBIFYPmECUCMkw Website: https://www.mfileadership.com/ The Mission Statement E-Newsletter: https://www.mfileadership.com/blog/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deannewlund/ X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/deannewlund Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MissionFacilitators/ Email: dean.newlund@mfileadership.com Phone: 1-800-926-7370   Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

    40 min
  5. Luis Garcia: How AI Is Transforming Employee Training for Small and Mid-Sized Businesses

    30/12/2025

    Luis Garcia: How AI Is Transforming Employee Training for Small and Mid-Sized Businesses

    About Luis Garcia: Luis Garcia is a seasoned international executive with over 25 years of experience in technology, digital media, and education, specializing in driving new ventures and products to rapid growth by building effective teams that harness innovation, technology, and creativity. He is the president of PETE, an Orlando-based tech startup that enables organizations to deliver personalized workforce learning at scale using AI. Before joining PETE, Luis spent nearly twenty years at Full Sail University, where, as VP of Full Sail Online and VP of Emerging Technologies, he helped establish the institution as a pioneer in online education. Earlier in his career, he served as Vice President of Product Development at quepasa.com and holds an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.   In this episode, Dean Newlund and Luis Garcia discuss: Scalable training challenges in small and mid-sized organizationsInstructional design versus training delivery rolesAI-powered learning and simulation technologyTeaching soft skills through self-paced educationBalancing technology and human interaction at work  Key Takeaways: Replace shadowing-based onboarding with self-paced courses that can stand alone without relying on expert trainers.Separate instructional design from subject matter expertise to create training that scales without pulling leaders away from their jobs.Use AI-driven simulations to allow employees to practice real conversations like de-escalation and customer objections before facing them in real life.Design training around clear learning outcomes so employees can demonstrate applied behavior, not just memorized information.  "AI is an enabler to supercharge the human, and not to replace it.” — Luis Garcia   Connect with Luis Garcia:   Website: https://www.pete.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luisegarcia/     See Dean’s TedTalk “Why Business Needs Intuition” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEq9IYvgV7I   Connect with Dean: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgqRK8GC8jBIFYPmECUCMkw Website: https://www.mfileadership.com/ The Mission Statement E-Newsletter: https://www.mfileadership.com/blog/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deannewlund/ X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/deannewlund Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MissionFacilitators/ Email: dean.newlund@mfileadership.com Phone: 1-800-926-7370   Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

    30 min
  6. Ingrid Dahl: The Rebellious Leader: How Boldness, Vulnerability, and Connection Transform Teams

    23/12/2025

    Ingrid Dahl: The Rebellious Leader: How Boldness, Vulnerability, and Connection Transform Teams

    About Ingrid Dahl: Ingrid Hu Dahl is an author, speaker, and leadership coach, and the founder of her own coaching and consulting business dedicated to empowering the next generation of leaders. With over two decades of experience in learning and development, she specializes in leadership, inclusion, and belonging across corporate, media, nonprofit, and social justice sectors. A TEDx speaker and founding member of the Willie Mae Rock Camp in Brooklyn, Ingrid has a lifelong passion for amplifying underrepresented voices and has written, filmed, and directed two short films exploring identity, representation, and the mixed-race experience. She is certified by the International Coaching Federation and the Center for Creative Leadership and lives in California with her wife, Courtney, and their dog, Palo Santo.   In this episode, Dean Newlund and Ingrid Dahl discuss: Blind spots that influence how leaders show upThe ego’s role in shaping team dynamicsEmotional patterns that affect leadership presenceChallenges of connection in virtual environmentsRebelliousness as a form of authentic leadership  Key Takeaways: Create a practice of noticing ego-driven behaviors—in real time—and redirecting your focus back to purpose, connection, and the team’s shared outcome.Reduce trigger-based conflict by acknowledging your emotional reactions, identifying the belief underneath them, and choosing a different behavioral response that aligns with your values.Make virtual meetings more engaging by defining a clear purpose, rotating leadership, and setting explicit expectations for camera-on participation and shared contribution.Strengthen psychological safety by proactively asking team members about their fears, hopes, and needs, and modeling vulnerability without letting emotions dominate the environment.  "The mundane allows the opportunity to disengage.” — Ingrid Dahl   Connect with Ingrid Dahl:   Website: https://www.ingridhudahl.com/ Book: Sun Shining on Morning Snow: https://www.sunshiningonmorningsnow.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ingridhudahl Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ingridhudahl/       See Dean’s TedTalk “Why Business Needs Intuition” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEq9IYvgV7I   Connect with Dean: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgqRK8GC8jBIFYPmECUCMkw Website: https://www.mfileadership.com/ The Mission Statement E-Newsletter: https://www.mfileadership.com/blog/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deannewlund/ X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/deannewlund Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MissionFacilitators/ Email: dean.newlund@mfileadership.com Phone: 1-800-926-7370   Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

    35 min
  7. Jason Hreha: Stop Forcing Change: What Behavioral Science Really Says About Leadership Growth

    16/12/2025

    Jason Hreha: Stop Forcing Change: What Behavioral Science Really Says About Leadership Growth

    About Jason Hreha: Jason Hreha is a behavioral scientist and entrepreneur specializing in applying behavioral science to solve business challenges. After studying neuroscience at Stanford and conducting research in BJ Fogg's Persuasive Technology Lab, Jason has spent 15 years developing Behavioral Strategy, a methodical approach for turning research into actionable business solutions. As Global Head of Behavioral Science at Walmart, he established and led the company's first behavioral science team, and he also founded Dopamine and co-founded Kite.io, later acquired by Quixey. As CEO of Persona, Jason transforms talent assessment through research-backed psychometric tools that predict employee performance and fit, and his book Real Change challenges conventional approaches to habits through science-based frameworks. Jason's work has been cited in Atomic Habits and featured in Inc.com, Knowledge at Wharton, and BigThink, and he continues to advise organizations on applying behavioral science for innovation and growth.   In this episode, Dean Newlund and Jason Hreha discuss: Understanding how core personality traits drive leadership effectivenessExploring why emotional stability underpins real emotional intelligenceExamining the limits of adult personality change and what that means for teamsRecognizing how interpersonal friction often comes from mismatched stylesConsidering how AI models express measurable personalities that shape user behavior  Key Takeaways: Identify your own trait profile using a validated Big Five assessment so you can play the leadership “hand” you actually have instead of chasing traits you do not possess.Reduce conflict by assuming others cannot easily change their styles and instead adapt your expectations so collaboration becomes easier and less personal.Strengthen your culture by clarifying norms, incentives, and strategic consistency so the environment aligns behavior without needing personality change.Use AI tools more effectively by understanding their default personality traits and adjusting your prompts or model choice to complement—not mirror—your own tendencies.  "It’s hard to be emotionally intelligent if you’re angry or upset or annoyed or freaked out.” — Jason Hreha   Connect with Jason Hreha:   Website: https://www.personatalent.com/ Blog: https://www.thebehavioralscientist.com/ Book: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0CVCZ2VR9 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thebehavioralscientist LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hreha/ & https://www.linkedin.com/company/personatalent/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/jhreha & https://x.com/PersonaTalent Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/choosepersona/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/the.behavioral.scientist     See Dean’s TedTalk “Why Business Needs Intuition” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEq9IYvgV7I   Connect with Dean: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgqRK8GC8jBIFYPmECUCMkw Website: https://www.mfileadership.com/ The Mission Statement E-Newsletter: https://www.mfileadership.com/blog/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deannewlund/ X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/deannewlund Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MissionFacilitators/ Email: dean.newlund@mfileadership.com Phone: 1-800-926-7370   Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

    42 min
  8. Jenn Cohen: Don’t Poo-Poo the Woo-Woo: How to Lead and Live Through Intuition

    09/12/2025

    Jenn Cohen: Don’t Poo-Poo the Woo-Woo: How to Lead and Live Through Intuition

    About Jenn Cohen: Jenn Cohen has always been captivated by the power of intuition. After a life-changing experience in her 20s, she explored how intuition could shape her life and career. During her 27 years in the entertainment industry, Jenn found that intuitive decisions often led to success. Now an intuitive consultant, she helps individuals and organizations unlock potential, gain clarity, and achieve their goals through practical, intuition-based strategies. Jenn’s work fosters growth, creativity, and purpose in both personal and professional realms.   In this episode, Dean Newlund and Jenn Cohen discuss: How intuition functions as our original sense before logic takes overWhy does fear appear when intuition guides major life decisionsWhat it means to balance the left and right brain in leadershipHow spiritual practices help reconnect us to intuitive awarenessHow intuition can operate inside corporate and creative environments  Key Takeaways: Build daily awareness by noticing your emotional cues in real time and using them as signals to pause rather than react.Strengthen intuitive decision-making by pairing logical analysis with moments of quiet presence where insight can surface.Use the I.A.M. method—Identify, Ask, Mend—to interrupt mental spirals and bring your nervous system back into balance.Practice meditation, nature immersion, or automatic writing consistently to keep your intuitive “channel” clear and accessible.  "When we are able to connect with our intuition, with that spiritual side, what it does is allow us the opportunity to appreciate what is around us on this journey here on this physical Earth; it's not separate.” — Jenn Cohen   Connect with Jenn Cohen:   Website: https://www.jenncohenintuitive.com/ Email: jenn@jenncohenintuitive.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenn-cohen-intuitive-consultant/       See Dean’s TedTalk “Why Business Needs Intuition” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEq9IYvgV7I   Connect with Dean: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgqRK8GC8jBIFYPmECUCMkw Website: https://www.mfileadership.com/ The Mission Statement E-Newsletter: https://www.mfileadership.com/blog/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deannewlund/ X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/deannewlund Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MissionFacilitators/ Email: dean.newlund@mfileadership.com Phone: 1-800-926-7370   Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

    39 min
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About

Transform leadership success with 'LEADOVATION: Reimagine. Facilitate. Flourish.' This podcast, ideal for executives and HR professionals, offers a unique blend of innovative leadership strategies and practical insights. Dive into a world where reimagining traditional approaches, facilitating effective solutions, and flourishing in a dynamic business environment are key. Each episode is packed with real-world examples and actionable advice, addressing challenges like employee engagement, workload management, and rapid organizational growth. Whether you're advancing your career or driving company success, 'LEADOVATION' is your guide to sustainable leadership excellence.

Information

  • Creator
    Dean Newlund, Mission Facilitators International
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    300
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2020-2024 Leadovation Podcast
  • Show Website
    Leadovation