Gratitude Through Hard Times

Chris Schembra

Chris Schembra is a dinner host, question asker, and facilitator. He's a columnist at Rolling Stone magazine, USA Today calls him their "Gratitude Guru" and he's spent the last nine years traveling around the world helping people connect in meaningful ways. As the offshoot of his #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling book, Gratitude Through Hard Times, he uses this podcast to blend ancient stoic philosophy and modern day science to teach how the principles of gratitude can be used to help people get through their hard times. By finding the positive benefits from negative situations, and giving gratitude to them, listeners can develop the resilience and optimism needed to get through further trying times. Having used these principles to spark over 500,000 relationships through his workshops and his experiences, this podcast now aims to educate listeners across the world.

  1. Nick Schleckaway: Convenience vs. Connection

    4D AGO

    Nick Schleckaway: Convenience vs. Connection

    "Culture is defined by how we treat each other when nobody’s watching." This philosophy, forged in the fires of firefighting and high-stakes football, has driven the growth of one of the Pacific Northwest’s most successful independent luxury real estate firms. In this episode of Gratitude Through Hard Times, Chris Schembra sits down with Nick Schleckaway, the CEO and founder of Amherst Madison. While Nick is a titan of the real estate industry, this isn't a conversation about market trends or interest rates. This is a visceral exploration of "Earned Connection"—the intentional effort required to build a sense of belonging in a world that has traded physical presence for digital convenience. Nick shares a vulnerable look at his own "hard week," discussing the weight of leadership when key team members move on and how he leans on the "lifeboat" of his family to stay afloat. Together, Chris and Nick dismantle the myth of hybrid culture, arguing that true innovation isn't found in a Zoom call, but in the friction of being together. 10 Memorable Quotes: "Culture is how we treat each other when nobody's watching.""My family is my lifeboat; when the professional waters get choppy, they keep me from sinking.""Hybrid is not where you work. It’s how you work.""Convenience is the enemy of connection.""Culture doesn't happen in a recorded town hall; it happens in the unscripted moments.""You can’t lead a 1099 workforce with a W2 mindset.""The office isn't just a place to work; it’s where trust is traded.""Leadership is defined by what you are willing to put up with.""We are trading meaningful friction for frictionless isolation.""If you want to scale belonging, you have to shrink the room."10 Key Takeaways: The 1099 Culture Challenge: Building culture for independent contractors is fundamentally different from employees; it requires creating an environment people choose to enter rather than one they are paid to stay in.The Performance Gap: There is a direct correlation between physical office presence and professional success; agents who show up in person consistently outperform those who stay remote.Convenience vs. Connection: Companies often mistake "easy" interactions (like virtual happy hours) for real culture. True belonging requires "earned connection," which often involves the effort of physical proximity.The "Lifeboat" Strategy: During professional trials, leaders must identify their personal anchors—for Nick, it is his wife Megan and children Charlotte and Beau—to maintain perspective.The Myth of Hybrid: Hybrid work should not be viewed as a location, but as a methodology. Without intentionality, hybrid often defaults to total disengagement.Friction as a Tool: Meaningful relationships require "friction"—the effort of travel, the risk of face-to-face conversation, and the lack of a "mute" button—to develop depth.Scaling via Intimacy: To impact a large organization, leaders should focus on frequent, intimate, small-group gatherings rather than infrequent, massive corporate events.Trust as Currency: In high-stakes industries like real estate, trust is the primary currency. That trust is built faster through non-verbal cues and "hallway talk" than through digital screens.Leading by Example: A leader's primary job in culture-building is modeling the behavior they want to see, especially when it comes to showing up and being present.Human-Centric Real Estate: Despite the rise of AI and digital platforms, real estate remains a deeply human, referral-based business that relies on local community ties.About our Guest: Nick Schleckaway Founder & CEO, Amherst Madison Nick Schleckaway is an entrepreneur, executive coach, and the visionary leader behind Amherst Madison, Idaho’s top luxury real estate brokerage. A former firefighter and captain of the Boise State University football team, Nick brings a unique blend of "grit and grace" to the corporate world. Under his leadership, Amherst Madison has become one of the fastest-growing independent firms in the United States, known for its high standards and unique culture. Nick’s perspective on resilience is shaped by his background in emergency services and his upcoming book on company culture. He is a devoted father and husband, residing in Boise, Idaho, where he continues to advocate for the power of physical presence and authentic human connection in the modern workplace.

    58 min
  2. Jay Kiew: Stories That Stir Souls

    FEB 15

    Jay Kiew: Stories That Stir Souls

    Stats drive scores, but stories stir souls." This philosophy, born in the radio booths of Singapore and driven by a transition from comfort to total disruption, has delivered over $2 billion in transformational impact for global executives. In this episode of Gratitude Through Hard Times, Chris Shambra sits down with Jay Kiew, a world-renowned keynote speaker, author, and change strategist who has navigated the halls of power at firms like Deloitte and TELUS. But this isn't a conversation about corporate efficiency or digital roadmaps. This is a deep dive into "Change Fluency"—the adaptive capacity to translate life’s most difficult disruptions into our greatest opportunities. Jay shares his raw and inspiring journey as a half-blind cancer survivor who "lost it all" before finding his true calling. We explore how change isn't something that happens to you, but something that can happen through you when you move from a mindset of survival to one of co-creation and possibility 10 Memorable Quotes:"Stats drive scores, but stories stir souls.""Change fluency is the individual's adaptive capacity to translate challenges into opportunities.""Our greatest innovation isn't what we create, but how we create together.""If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." "The goal isn't to control change but to sit in it with fluidity.""Transformation doesn't have to be scary or happen to you, but instead it can happen through you.""The language of change is the only language that will matter in an era of AI.""He held space for me when I couldn't hold space for myself.""Shift your focus from what is present to what is possible.""The world is going through a hard time, but you can write the playbook to get through it." 10 Key Takeaways:Defining Change Fluency: It is the "language of change" required as we head into the space of artificial intelligence.The Four Change Mindsets: Your reaction to disruption depends on whether you view change as a threat or opportunity, and whether you are proactive or stuck.Active Presence: True leadership requires leaning in to observe non-verbal cues and naming emotions rather than just being a passive observer.The Power of Co-Creation: Based on the concept of Ubuntu, the episode explores why working together yields superior, more sustainable results despite the time and emotional complexity involved.Strategic Foresight: To discover what is possible, leaders must combine scenario planning with "futurist thinking" to see threats and opportunities from different vantage points.Strategy as Sacrifice: Design thinking requires the courage to say "no" and cut off current business units or emotional attachments to focus on one North Star.The "What If?" Framework: Innovation begins with the ability to ask hypothetical questions that challenge current constraints, a skill Jay learned from his father during difficult times.Relational Gratitude: Jay highlights the importance of individuals like Brian Chang, who provide empathetic space during "dark moments" without being deflective.Sitting in the Tension: Change Fluency isn't about control, but the capacity to sit in complexity and uncertainty with fluidity.Human-Centric Innovation: Digital disruption is a people opportunity; leaders must bridge the gap by helping team members find personal attachment to their mission.About our Guest: Jay KiewFounder & CEO, Change Fluent Jay Kiew is a multifaceted entrepreneur, keynote speaker, author, and expert in organizational and behavioral change. With 15 years of experience in organizational transformation and innovation strategy, he has driven over $2 billion in transformational impact across hundreds of organizations and top executives. He is the author of Change Fluency: Nine Principles to Navigate Uncertainty and Drive Innovation, which serves as the framework for his global consulting and keynote engagements. Jay’s perspective on resilience and change is deeply rooted in his personal journey as a half-blind cancer survivor; diagnosed with retinoblastoma as an infant, he underwent the removal of his left eye. After immigrating to Canada from Asia and growing up in Vancouver, he became the world's youngest Distinguished Toastmaster at the age of 19. Today, he is a father of two daughters and lives in Brooklyn with his Shiba Inu, Brooklyn. Jay is renowned for his ability to help leaders move from a mindset of certainty to one of curiosity, teaching them to "speak the language of change" in an increasingly complex and uncertain world.

    52 min
  3. Sandy Hogan: Graceful Disruption

    FEB 3

    Sandy Hogan: Graceful Disruption

    "You’re going to be okay." These five simple words from a 98-year-old grandmother became the cornerstone of a leadership philosophy that has driven over $20 billion in revenue influence. In this episode of Gratitude Through Hard Times, Chris Shambra sits down with Sandy Hogan—a powerhouse revenue leader who has held the helm at tech giants like Cisco, Rackspace, VMware, and LivePerson. But this isn't a conversation about go-to-market strategies or revenue multiples. This is a deep dive into the "Graceful Disruption" of the self. Sandy shares her incredibly raw journey from a childhood as the daughter of Yugoslavian immigrants to a mid-career health crisis that forced her to "bet on herself." We explore how resilience isn't just a buzzword, but a protective layer formed in the fires of hard work and immigrant sacrifice. 10 Memorable Quotes:"It’s a protective layer, not a punitive layer that’s unfolding." "You can get through anything your heart and mind determines you truly can." "Progress is the touchdown." "Work ethic and your attitude. Everything falls into place, never perfectly, but those two are everything." "I didn't control the circumstances around me, but I choose every day what I do about it." "Trust is a little overused and undervalued. It has to be earned." "Mindset leads, always—as a leader, as a human." "I need you [Younger Sandy] as a partner to walk with me on the rest of my journey." "What this world needs are... more emotionally regulated adults that aren't running around like little babies." "I can be in pain physically or emotionally... but boy, I get back up very, very quickly." 10 Key Takeaways:Reframing the Past: What we often label as "childhood wounds" can be reframed as a "protective layer" that builds the resilience needed for future leadership. The "Elder" Gap: The modern world lacks "maternal/paternal" figures who provide emotional regulation. We need leaders who can say, "You're going to be okay," to calm the collective chaos. Immigrant Work Ethic: Success isn't just about the title; it’s about bringing your best self and knowing you aren't taking shortcuts. Self-Gratitude: We often thank our mentors and families, but rarely think to thank our "younger selves" for the grit they showed during hard times. Moving from Sacrifice to Self: There comes a moment where you must stop working solely to honor the sacrifices of others and start working in honor of yourself. Mindset Over Reactivity: "Graceful Disruption" is the shift from letting change happen to you, to having an intentional impact on the change. Trust via Friction: Meaningful trust isn't built on convenience; it is earned through "inconvenient" moments of friction and accountability. The Power of Intent: In an era of instant gratification, the most powerful tool a leader has is the ability to pause and ask, "Why the heck am I doing this?" Radical Agency: While we cannot control external turbulence (like health crises or market shifts), we have absolute power over our choice of response. Momentum Through Movement: Perfection is the enemy of progress. The goal is "momentum through movement," not waiting for the perfect conditions. About our Guest: Sandy HoganFounder & CEO, BozQ Sandy Hogan is a passionate, seasoned transformation architect and award-winning executive, renowned for orchestrating strategic go-to-market transformations, delivering more than $20 billion in revenue influence. With more than two decades at the helm of industry powerhouses like Cisco, VMware, Rackspace, and LivePerson, plus agile engagements with high-growth startups, Sandy has earned a reputation for turning hype into measurable results; building Customer for Life revenue engines that deliver tangible, lasting outcomes. Her track record is underscored by multiple industry recognitions, including CRN’s “Top 100 Executives” and “Power 100 Women of the Channel,” as well as accolades for channel leadership and ecosystem innovation. She is known for pioneering frameworks such as the Customer-for-Life GTM model, the Digital Outcomes Approach, and orchestrating multi-billion-dollar ecosystems—initiatives that have been adopted as benchmarks by both Fortune 100s and ambitious startups alike. Sandy’s philosophy centers on "Graceful Disruption," blending operational rigor with empathy to confront hard truths and drive transformation that sticks. Whether leading high-stakes 100-day turnarounds under private equity pressure or steering multi-year industry pivots that redefine entire market landscapes, she brings authentic honesty about the political, emotional, and organizational realities beneath large-scale change. Teams and audiences praise Sandy for her combination of strategic clarity, pragmatic real-world perspective, and the ability to demystify the complexities of transformation through stories that inspire meaningful change. Her workshop sessions are ideal for conferences and forums seeking candid insights into navigating market disruption, cultivating high-impact partner ecosystems, and scaling sustainable Customer-for-Live growth systems that deliver lasting impact. Sandy inspires leaders to tackle transformation with courage, clarity, and the operational discipline to move from vision to execution—and she does it with a grace that makes even the most uncomfortable change possible.

    55 min
  4. Chris Schembra: The Wisdom Era

    FEB 2

    Chris Schembra: The Wisdom Era

    In a special role-reversal episode, host Chris Schembra steps into the hot seat as the interviewee, with award-winning strategist and Culture Changers host Allison Hare leading the conversation. Reflecting on a decade of building human connection, Chris explores why we are entering a new cultural chapter—shifting from the Knowledge Era to the Wisdom Era. The conversation explores the internal shifts required to lead in a world being reshaped by AI. Chris discusses the transition from maternal energy—focused on empathy and nurturing—to a paternal energy that emphasizes resilience, agility, and the strength to face uncertainty. This episode is a deep dive into the friction of human connection, revealing why presence and intimacy are the most valuable currencies we have in an automated world. Chris also shares his personal journey with Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), offering a raw look at how behavioral skills can help us “go first” into vulnerability. It is a powerful reminder that while technology can provide answers, only human wisdom can provide meaning. Explore more: This conversation builds on three prior Culture Changers episodes where Allison Hare interviewed Chris Schembra on Gratitude, Intimacy & Trust (BDSM and the Boardroom), and Therapeutic Healing (Ketamine Therapy). 10 Key TakeawaysThe Shift to the Wisdom Era As AI takes over the Knowledge Economy, human value will be defined by wisdom—the ability to make sense of lived experiences and apply them to future outcomes. Earned Connection Real connection isn’t a given; it is earned through the three pillars of Presence, Coherence, and Intimacy. The Power of “Going First” Presence is inconvenient and often creates friction. Leadership requires the willingness to be the first to step into vulnerability. Maternal vs. Paternal Energy While maternal energy provides comfort, paternal energy provides the resilience and backbone needed to navigate high-stakes uncertainty. DBT as a Leadership Tool Dialectical Behavioral Therapy isn’t just for crisis; its skills in distress tolerance and interpersonal effectiveness are essential for modern leadership. The Friction of Intimacy We often avoid deep connection because it is inconvenient. Overcoming this internal resistance is the key to psychological safety. Moving Beyond the Cult of Trauma Constant focus on past injustice can weaken our willpower muscle. Growth requires agility and forward motion. Coherence in Contradiction Success in the new era demands a both/and mindset—the ability to hold opposing truths at once. Social Health as a Priority In an era of isolation, prioritizing human connection is a necessary act of cultural and organizational healing. The Value of Inconvenience The most human acts—showing up, listening deeply, being present—don’t scale, and that’s exactly why they matter. 10 Key Quotes“The knowledge economy is dying… what human beings need next is the Wisdom Era.”“Wisdom is the ability to make sense of things and apply experience to future outcomes.”“Presence is inconvenient. It is the friction of the human experience.”“We’ve focused so much on empathy that we’ve lost our agility.”“Intimacy is the opposite of isolation, but it requires courage.”“DBT taught me how to make things go right, not just analyze what went wrong.”“Your answer matters less than your presence.”“You can’t automate wisdom.”“Social health is the great healing opportunity of our time.”“Tomorrow can be better than yesterday if you do it the right way.”

    1h 20m
  5. Adam Famularo: Leading With Heart

    JAN 21

    Adam Famularo: Leading With Heart

    Chris sits down with Adam Famularo, CEO of WorkFusion, in a rainy New York City as the holiday season begins. Adam shares his unconventional path from elite Spartan racer to technology executive, and how endurance, resilience, and gratitude shaped his approach to leadership. His journey is a reminder that meaningful careers are rarely linear—and that growth often comes from overcoming challenges rather than avoiding them. The conversation centers on human-centric leadership in an AI-driven world. Adam explains why technology should exist to elevate people, not replace them, and how a “giver” mindset, genuine curiosity, and gratitude have guided his success. Rather than chasing outcomes, he focuses on helping others thrive—trusting that success follows naturally. Chris and Adam also explore what leadership looks like during times of crisis, including the responsibility to prioritize people over business when it matters most. Adam reflects on using gratitude as a tool for resilience and the importance of acknowledging the support systems—at work and at home—that make high-level leadership possible. This episode is a powerful reminder that everyone matters. From mentors and teammates to the people we encounter every day, Adam reinforces that real impact comes from empathy, appreciation, and leading with humanity—no matter how advanced the technology becomes. 10 Key TakeawaysPrioritize People Over Technology: While technology budgets often dwarf human-centric spending, the true value of automation is to empower humans to do more meaningful work.The Power of a "Giver" Mindset: Success often comes as a byproduct of helping others achieve their goals rather than pursuing success directly.Lead with Genuine Curiosity: To build strong relationships and align with others, one must be curious about what drives and motivates people.Gratitude for Support Systems: High-level success, such as running a company and serving on multiple boards, is only possible with a strong support system at home.Gratitude is a Tool for Resilience: Giving and expressing thanks can be used to improve a situation, rather than waiting for circumstances to improve before being grateful.Embrace Obstacles: Career and life paths are rarely straight lines; the ability to overcome challenges and objections is a primary thread of a meaningful life.The Importance of Human-Centric AI: Successful AI adoption involves giving technology human-like traits, such as names and personas, to help employees feel like it is part of the team.Caring for People in Crisis: Leadership means putting business on hold to ensure the safety and wellbeing of employees and their families during global conflicts.Acknowledge Mentors: Success is a journey where influential people—from coaches to business leaders—play critical roles in shaping an individual's path.Value Every Role: Every person, regardless of their job title—from a security guard to a CEO—plays an interesting role in your life and deserves appreciation.10 Key Quotes"Smart people can smell BS a mile away.""Getting human every now and then is a good thing for us.""We talk too much about technology and not enough about the human.""Technology was always about automation... and enabling people to use their minds and doing things that really matter to them.""If you help enough people in this world get what they want, you will ultimately get what you want without of course looking for it.""Everybody is a person at the end of the day. They're all driven by something.""It's very easy to do good by others, even if it's just smiling and saying hi and thank you.""You don't have to wait for things to be good to give. You can use giving as a way of making things good.""Luck is when hard work meets opportunity.""There is no easy path, there's no easy buttoning... [it's] about overcoming major obstacles in career and life."About the Guest: Adam FamularoAdam Famularo is a veteran technology leader and entrepreneur with over 28 years of experience. Current Role: CEO of WorkFusion, a company focused on "ending boring work" by deploying AI digital workers to fight financial crime and money laundering.Previous Experience: Formerly the CEO of Erwin Inc. (acquired by Quest Software) and held executive roles at Verizon and CA Technologies.Background: A former elite Spartan racer who applies an endurance mindset to the boardroom. He is also a dedicated father, son, and friend who prioritizes people above all else

    1h 11m
  6. Jessica Weiss: Happiness Works

    JAN 20

    Jessica Weiss: Happiness Works

    Episode Summary In this episode, Chris Schembra sits down with Jessica Weiss to unpack a radical but practical idea: happiness at work isn’t something you wait for in a distant future, it’s something you actively create, even in imperfect conditions. Drawing from Jessica’s book Happiness Works, the conversation reframes happiness not as a fleeting mood or a vague “choice,” but as a set of tangible, science-backed tools anyone can use right now. They explore why the single most powerful first step toward happiness is simply finding a friend at work, how resilience is a muscle built through small, confidence-building decisions, and why “good enough” choices often lead to more satisfaction than endless optimization. Together, they dismantle common myths about happiness, connect gratitude and joy to long-term resilience, and show how depersonalizing failure and using feedback as data can transform setbacks into progress. The episode culminates in Jessica’s five-part framework—connection, resilience, optimism, trust, and progress—offered not as a rigid sequence, but as a buffet of tools listeners can draw from as needed. At a moment defined by burnout, uncertainty, and rapid change, this conversation makes a compelling case that happiness isn’t fluffy or naïve; it’s a strategic advantage for individuals, teams, and organizations alike. 10 Quotes “Happiness isn’t something you wait for in the future; it’s something you build, even in imperfect conditions.”  “The fastest way to improve your happiness at work is shockingly simple: find a friend.”  “Happiness is not the absence of unhappiness; it’s having tools you can rely on when things get hard.”  “Resilience isn’t a personality trait. It’s a muscle, and you build it through small decisions.”  “Good enough decisions often create more happiness than perfect ones that take forever.”  “Happiness isn’t a choice. It’s strategies, tactics, and habits you practice every day.”  “Failure is inevitable. The real skill is learning how to depersonalize it and extract the lesson.”  “Trust is the foundation of feedback—if you don’t trust the source, the message won’t land.”  “Gratitude and joy aren’t just reflections; they’re mindset-shifting tools that build resilience.”  “You don’t need to change your entire life to be happier—small, consistent actions change the trajectory.”  10 Takeways Happiness is actionable. It’s not a vague feeling or personality trait—it’s built through repeatable tools and behaviors.  Connection comes first. Having even one genuine friend at work dramatically improves engagement, wellbeing, and performance.  Resilience is built in micro-moments. Small, quick decisions create confidence and momentum over time.  Perfection kills happiness. “Maximizers” suffer more than “satisficers.” Aim for progress, not perfection.  Tools beat willpower. Relying on “choosing happiness” isn’t sustainable. Systems and habits are.  Gratitude trains the brain. Practices like joy journaling rewire attention toward presence, meaning, and resilience.  Depersonalizing failure is a superpower. Treat setbacks as data, not identity, to grow faster and suffer less.  Trust enables honest feedback. Without psychological safety and trust, feedback becomes noise or threat.  Progress fuels motivation. Ending the day knowing you moved something forward is essential to long-term happiness.  Happiness scales across life stages. From basic security to meaning and purpose, happiness tools apply at every level of Maslow’s hierarchy.

    38 min
  7. Brent Kenneway: Meaningful Work

    JAN 12

    Brent Kenneway: Meaningful Work

    Episode OverviewIn this episode of Gratitude Through Hard Times, Chris Schembra sits down with Brent Kenneway, National Group VP of Sales at UKG, for a conversation about the kind of relationships that aren’t transactional, the kind that actually nourish the soul.  Brent opens with the gratitude question and doesn’t hesitate: he gives credit to his wife, Jenny, the person he says made his life and career possible by “holding down the fort” while he built his leadership path. From there, the conversation expands into parenting, identity, and leadership, especially Brent’s lived experience of managing “multiple personalities” at home with four kids and at work with diverse teams. The thread that ties it together is intentionality: Brent wants to be more present when he comes home, more human at work, and more consistent about building culture one interaction at a time. Chris and Brent then go deep on a core leadership shift: moving from blame to radical accountability, and from problem-obsession to solution-finding. They talk about debriefing as a life skill (“What went well? What could have gone better? What will we do differently next time?”), and they challenge the cultural reflex to fix what’s wrong without first helping what’s already right go more right. Brent adds a key leadership balance: culture without systems breaks, and systems without culture underperform, you need both. Finally, they tackle the future: AI, change, and uncertainty. Brent argues for People-First AI—AI as augmentation, not replacement, using the story of the handheld calculator as a reminder that tools can free humans to do more meaningful work. The takeaway is clear: the companies (and families) that win won’t be the ones that move fastest alone; they’ll be the ones who pair speed with depth—building trust, presence, and gratitude at scale. 10 key takeawaysGratitude isn’t a “soft” thing—it’s a performance tool for leadership, retention, and resilience in hard moments.  Give credit to the people behind your success—Brent names Jenny as the foundation of his career and family stability.  Parenting and leadership are the same craft: multiple personalities, different motivations, one mission—learn what makes each person tick.  Presence is a transition skill: coming home from “business mode” requires intentional switching into family mode.  Radical accountability beats blame: the real shift isn’t “what did I do wrong?” but “how can I be better next time?”  Debriefs create growth without shame: “What went well / better / differently” builds learning loops that scale.  Culture + systems = results: positivity without structure fails; structure without humanity underperforms.  Leaders don’t hand answers—they develop thinkers: Brent mentors by asking, “What do you think we should do?”  Standardize first, operationalize second: clarity reduces confusion; consistent process multiplies performance.  People-First AI is the way forward: AI should remove the mundane and return time to relationships, creativity, and real human connection.10 Quotes“We’re here to talk about relationships and gratitude—but not the transactional type. The soul needs nourished.”  “I’m not at the position I am in my life without [Jenny’s] backing, her support, her guidance.”  “All four kids—completely different personalities. That’s the joy of parenting… and leadership.”  “If you’re present and recognizing the situation, it’s a lot easier to have that inward focus.”  “People are distracted… and that makes it harder to stay solution-oriented.”  “Culture without systems breaks—and systems without culture underperform.”  “I never give the answers. I ask: ‘What do you think you should do?’”  “We’re spending more time at work than we are with our families—so you might as well make it fun and human.”  “People-first AI… it’s augmentation. It speeds up the mundane so you can spend more time with people.”  “You can never connect the dots forward—only backwards.”

    54 min
  8. Julie Peck: Reclaim Your Humanity

    JAN 7

    Julie Peck: Reclaim Your Humanity

    Podcast Show OverviewIn this episode of Gratitude Through Hard Times, Chris Schembra welcomes back Julie Peck—a seasoned tech and growth executive and current CEO of Talent Neuron, a global leader in workforce intelligence. Returning after a powerful first conversation (“The Gift of the Curvy Path”), Julie brings both lived experience and a front-row seat to how AI is reshaping work, leadership, and the talent market. The conversation opens with the show’s signature gratitude thread: Julie re-centers her enduring gratitude for her mother—an “anchor” figure defined by generosity, steadiness, and wisdom. From there, the episode expands into a bigger thesis: we’re moving from a knowledge economy (being paid to “know”) to a wisdom economy (being valued for discernment, context, ethics, and humanity), right as AI accelerates technical capability faster than society’s ability to govern it wisely. Julie explains what she’s seeing in real time—from the lightning-fast evolution of “prompt engineering” (job → skill → everywhere) to the rise of AI agents, “managers of agents,” and even early signals around digital twins / digital clones. The discussion is both exciting and sobering: the future isn’t just humans using tools—it’s organizations learning to coordinate human employees + virtual workers while wrestling with ownership, ethics, and identity. They land the plane with an antidote: in a world speeding up, the advantage is learning to reclaim your humanity—through presence, boundaries, real conversation, and the ancient technology of the dinner table. Chris frames it as “slow food and fast cars” (Emilia-Romagna) and the “AND, not OR” mindset: use AI to amplify impact and protect what makes life meaningful.   Key TakeawaysWe’re shifting from “knowing” to “discerning.” AI can produce answers; humans are needed for wisdom, ethics, and context.  The pace is the story. Roles like “prompt engineer” moved from nonexistent → hot → embedded in everything in about a year.  Soft skills are becoming the real differentiator. Adaptability, learning agility, collaboration, and communication are what survive a fluid world.  Digital cloning raises ownership questions. If your work footprint trains a “you,” who owns it—you or your employer/platform?  Reclaim humanity through designed friction. Put the phone down, limit your digital exhaust, and build anchor points (like dinners) where real presence returns.  Memorable QuotesJulie Peck: “I call that reclaiming your humanity.”  Chris Schembra: “The dinner table is truly the last thing that AI can get to.”  Julie Peck: “The technical capabilities of AI are evolving far faster than the world’s ability to be wise about how we build it and interact with it.”  Julie Peck: “Put the phone down and talk to each other and actually look each other in the eyes.”  Julie Peck: “If you’re standing at Lake Geneva and you’re looking at the Alps, don’t try and take a picture of it. Just look at it.”  Chris Schembra: “We’re living through the collapse of the knowledge economy… What if we’ve been playing the wrong game all along?”  Julie Peck: “We don’t understand the rules of the game… and we’re unprepared for it.”

    1h 3m

Trailer

4.8
out of 5
20 Ratings

About

Chris Schembra is a dinner host, question asker, and facilitator. He's a columnist at Rolling Stone magazine, USA Today calls him their "Gratitude Guru" and he's spent the last nine years traveling around the world helping people connect in meaningful ways. As the offshoot of his #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling book, Gratitude Through Hard Times, he uses this podcast to blend ancient stoic philosophy and modern day science to teach how the principles of gratitude can be used to help people get through their hard times. By finding the positive benefits from negative situations, and giving gratitude to them, listeners can develop the resilience and optimism needed to get through further trying times. Having used these principles to spark over 500,000 relationships through his workshops and his experiences, this podcast now aims to educate listeners across the world.