The Change Agent Podcast

The Change Agent Podcast

The Change Agent Podcast exists for one reason: to explore the kind of leadership that actually has consequences. In a world saturated with leadership content, most of it stays safe — sanitized frameworks, feel-good advice, and theory that sounds great until you're standing in front of a failing project, a fractured team, or a decision that can't be undone. The Change Agent Podcast is built for something different. It's built for the leaders who operate where the margin for error is thin, the stakes are real, and the pressure is constant. This show is anchored in the niche of high-stakes project management — the kind found in defense, government, and mission-critical environments where poor planning, weak leadership, and bad decisions aren't just expensive, they're consequential. Every episode is a deliberate effort to close the gap between textbook project management and what leadership actually demands in the field. Hosted by Eric, a leader and consultant with decades of complex leadership experience across globally dispersed teams and high-pressure environments, The Change Agent Podcast brings honest, unfiltered conversation to the topics that matter most: executing under fire, navigating toxic management, building and sustaining high-performing teams, applying PM frameworks like PMBOK 7 to real-world complexity, and leading people through the phases of a project when everything is working against you. This isn't a show about leadership in theory. It's a show about leadership in practice — the decisions made under pressure, the teams held together by discipline and trust, and the projects delivered against the odds. It's about what separates the leaders who rise to the moment from those who are consumed by it. f you manage complex programs, lead dispersed teams, work in high-stakes environments, or simply refuse to settle for mediocre management — The Change Agent Podcast is your show. Subscribe and start leading with purpose. https://www.thechangeagent.studio

  1. Stay Curious, Lead Better - Trench Leadership with Simon Kardynal

    6D AGO

    Stay Curious, Lead Better - Trench Leadership with Simon Kardynal

    Leadership in the military is changing — and so is authority. In this episode of The Change Agent, Warrant Officer Simon Kardynal (Royal Canadian Air Force) discusses modern military leadership, generational shifts, empathy in structured systems, and what real accountability looks like at the senior NCO level. With nearly three decades of service — from infantry to Aircraft Maintenance Superintendent to Chief Warrant Officer — Simon explains: How emerging leaders misunderstand authority Where empathy fits inside a rigid command structure Why failure is essential to leadership growth How to balance assertiveness with trust The danger of assumptions in command environments Leading Gen Z inside hierarchical institutions Self-awareness as a leadership weapon Simon also shares practical tools: rehearsing hard conversations, preparing for discipline decisions, managing physiological reactions under stress, and developing guiding leadership principles. This is a candid conversation about leadership maturity, emotional intelligence, command responsibility, and the cost of authority. Topics Covered: Military leadership Royal Canadian Air Force Senior NCO leadership Empathy in leadership Generational leadership gaps Leadership mistakes and recovery Authentic leadership Command presence Failure and accountability 00:00 Introduction and Background 02:44 Military Experience and Transition to Leadership 06:05 Empathy in Leadership 11:00 Generational Differences in Leadership 17:06 Balancing Assertiveness and Trust 21:53 Handling Difficult Conversations 23:34 Trusting Yourself in Leadership 28:06 Learning from Failure 33:39 The Importance of Curiosity 38:39 Navigating Assumptions in Leadership 41:00 Generational Leadership and Communication The Trench Leadership Podcast - Hosted by Simon Kardynal - https://www.trenchleadership.ca #Leadership #MilitaryLeadership #EmotionalIntelligence #Command #SelfLeadership #rcaf Music: Neon Beach - What Actually Happened - via Soundstripe ContentID: VCXLCFZIIDZADT25

    44 min
  2. Truth Under Threat - Nobel Laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk

    MAR 2

    Truth Under Threat - Nobel Laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk

    Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk, Chairwoman of Ukraine's Center for Civil Liberties, joins Eric on The Change Agent Podcast to examine international justice, accountability, and civilian protection amid Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine. Ukraine is now a full State Party to the ICC. Arrest warrants have been issued for Vladimir Putin and senior Russian officials. Yet enforcement depends on state cooperation — and the crimes against Ukrainian civilians continue. What does international justice actually achieve in wartime? Do arrest warrants matter without enforcement power? Matviichuk discusses the ICC's jurisdictional limits, the push for a Special Tribunal on the crime of aggression, systemic civilian detention under Russian occupation, frozen asset reparations, and the psychological toll of documenting atrocities at scale. She also addresses justice as a parallel track to peace — and what accountability means when impunity has global consequences. This is a conversation about truth, power, and the difficult path toward justice. -------------- ⁠ Ukraine's Center for Civil Liberties⁠⁠ Oleksandra Matviichuk LinkedIn⁠  Visit Our Website⁠ Apple Podcasts⁠⁠ Spotify⁠  ----------------- CREDITS -----------------  Music: The Surge by Cody Martin - Soundstripe  ContentID: SVONXLZ13HJQWTT4  ---------------  Production Lead: Tonya Bulgakova (Ukraine) - ---------------  Graphics and Video Introduction: Voice: ElevenLabs (Intro Voice); Graphics and Video created by Andrii Horkavyi (Ukraine)  Find ⁠Andrii's Work Here⁠  Video Clips: ⁠Video⁠ by Dmytro Glazunov and Support Our Show On Apple Podcasts! Support Us On YouTube by Subscribing! Support Our Show On Spotify! Learn More On Our Website! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Support the show to help us continue! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2449509/support

    38 min
  3. Beyond The Comfort Zone with Tony Gunn

    FEB 23

    Beyond The Comfort Zone with Tony Gunn

    Most leadership doesn’t fail because of a lack of intelligence, strategy, or ambition. It fails because of ego, comfort, and the refusal to listen. In this episode of The Change Agent Podcast, Eric Adams sits down with Tony Gunn—CEO of TGM Global Services and longtime manufacturing advocate—to unpack what leadership actually looks like when it’s forged through failure, discomfort, and lived experience. Tony’s story doesn’t follow a polished leadership playbook. He grew up with very little, chased professional sport, fell accidentally into manufacturing, and spent years learning leadership not through theory—but through bad bosses, good mentors, global travel, and repeated failure. That journey shaped a leadership philosophy rooted in service, humility, and human awareness rather than power or control. Throughout this conversation, Tony and Eric explore: -Why ego is the most corrosive force in leadership -How comfort zones quietly limit growth, perspective, and resilience -The difference between confidence and ego—and why leaders confuse the two -Why seeing the world changes how you lead people at home -How fear-based leadership erodes trust and long-term performance -Why the best leaders measure success by who they lift up, not who they outperform This is not a motivational talk. It’s a grounded, honest discussion about leadership as it is actually practiced—messy, uncomfortable, and deeply human. If you lead a team, a business, a household, or yourself—and you’re willing to question how you lead—this episode will challenge your assumptions and sharpen your perspective. Chapters: 0:00 Introduction to Tony Gunn 2:50 Tony's Beginnings 7:14 Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone 11:26 Cultural Experiences and Leadership 16:06 Traveling and What You Can Learn 21:05 Leadership Failure and Impacts on Organizations 23:30 True Leadership Characteristics Make sure you check out Tony and his work below: Website YouTube Channel Amazon: (Book Link) --------------------------------- Support Our Show Find us on Apple Podcasts Find us on Spotify Check Out Our Website --------- Music:  Neon Beach: What Actually Happened ContentID: VCXLCFZIIDZADT25 Soundstripe Send us a message and let’s connect! Support the show Support Our Show On Apple Podcasts! Support Us On YouTube by Subscribing! Support Our Show On Spotify! Learn More On Our Website! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Support the show to help us continue! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2449509/support

    26 min
  4. Navigate What You Cannot Control | Leadership, Crisis & Complexity with Thomas Jepson-Lay

    FEB 8

    Navigate What You Cannot Control | Leadership, Crisis & Complexity with Thomas Jepson-Lay

    Leadership is often judged by confidence and certainty. But in reality, the most defining moments of leadership occur when clarity disappears. In this episode of The Change Agent, Eric Adams is joined by Thomas Jepson-Lay, executive coach and former senior humanitarian leader, to explore what leadership actually demands when control is impossible. Drawing on nearly two decades leading emergency responses across conflict zones and disaster environments, Thomas unpacks: why vulnerability can stabilise teams under pressurehow leaders unknowingly default to past behaviours in moments of fearwhat it means to move from intention-based leadership to consequence-aware leadershipwhy complex and “wicked” problems cannot be solved with linear thinkinghow trust, nervous-system awareness, and perspective-sharing shape better decisionsThis is not a conversation about tools or techniques. It is a conversation about responsibility, judgement, and who leaders become when certainty is no longer available. If you lead people, teams, or systems in high-stakes environments — this episode will challenge how you think about control, authority, and decision-making. Learn more about Thomas Jepson-Lay and his mission: https://www.thomasjepsonlay.com/ Check out his podcast - The Sector Debrief Send us a message and let’s connect! Support the show Support Our Show On Apple Podcasts! Support Us On YouTube by Subscribing! Support Our Show On Spotify! Learn More On Our Website! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Support the show to help us continue! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2449509/support

    36 min
  5. The Science of Leadership - Dr. Valentina Schneider

    JAN 26

    The Science of Leadership - Dr. Valentina Schneider

    Leadership advice is everywhere—but leadership that actually works is rare. In this episode of The Change Agent, Eric sits down with Dr. Valentina Schneider, a leadership advisor and organizational behavior researcher, to unpack what most leaders misunderstand about empathy, assertiveness, and effectiveness. Drawing from years of academic research and real-world advisory work, Dr. Schneider challenges the false binary that leaders must choose between being nice or being effective. Through evidence-based insight, she explains why that belief is not only wrong—but actively damaging to teams, performance, and careers. Together, they explore: Why conflict is still mostly destructive—and how leaders can make it productiveThe critical difference between cognitive empathy and emotional contagionHow over-assertiveness quietly erodes trust, safety, and performanceWhy leadership effectiveness lives in a narrow “middle ground” most leaders missHow gender norms rig the leadership game—and what leaders can do about itWhy data, when misused, reinforces bias instead of truthHow cross-functional teams fail without emotional intelligence at the centreThis is not a conversation about soft skills. It’s about leadership under pressure, where decisions carry consequences and behaviour sets the emotional temperature of entire organisations. If you lead people, manage conflict, or operate in high-stakes environments where clarity is rare and responsibility is heavy—this episode will change how you think about leadership. 🎧 Listen closely. The science is clear—but the work is yours. Send us a message and let’s connect! Support the show Support Our Show On Apple Podcasts! Support Us On YouTube by Subscribing! Support Our Show On Spotify! Learn More On Our Website! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Support the show to help us continue! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2449509/support

    1h 1m
  6. Strategy Hits Reality - With Mr. Mike Jones

    JAN 19

    Strategy Hits Reality - With Mr. Mike Jones

    Most organisations don’t fail because they lack strategy. They fail because reality changes faster than their plans. In this episode of The Change Agent, Eric sits down with Mike Jones, Founder and Director of LBI Consulting, to unpack what leadership and strategy actually look like when certainty disappears and complexity takes over. Drawing on his experience as a former British Army officer and leadership instructor at Sandhurst, as well as his work advising organisations across rail, healthcare, infrastructure, and large-scale enterprises, Mike challenges one of the most deeply held assumptions in modern leadership: that more clarity is always better. Instead, he introduces a more uncomfortable — and more effective — idea: strategic ambiguity. This conversation explores why over-specified strategies create fragility, how leaders can set clear intent without strangling execution, and why trust, decentralised decision-making, and freedom of action are essential in complex environments. Together, Eric and Mike discuss: Why strategy should be treated as a practice, not a static planHow mission command enables adaptability without chaosWhen clarity helps leaders — and when it quietly makes things worseThe role of trust and mistake-making in high-performing teamsHow organisational structure drives behaviour, not slogans or culture decksWhy psychometrics and cognitive diversity matter more than personality labelsHow leaders can re-orient in uncertainty instead of clinging to controlWhat to do when leadership climate above you is misaligned or corrosiveThis is not a conversation about frameworks, buzzwords, or leadership theatre. It’s about how strategy actually gets executed by real people under pressure. If you’re a senior leader, programme manager, executive, or anyone navigating complexity where the stakes are real and the answers are incomplete, this episode will challenge how you think about leadership, control, and responsibility. 🎙️ Listen now — and learn why the ability to hold intent firmly, plans loosely, and ego lightly may be the most important leadership capability of our time. Learn More About: LBI Consulting Mike Jones on LinkedIn Mike's podcast - "Strategy Meets Reality" Send us a message and let’s connect! Support the show Support Our Show On Apple Podcasts! Support Us On YouTube by Subscribing! Support Our Show On Spotify! Learn More On Our Website! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Support the show to help us continue! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2449509/support

    53 min

About

The Change Agent Podcast exists for one reason: to explore the kind of leadership that actually has consequences. In a world saturated with leadership content, most of it stays safe — sanitized frameworks, feel-good advice, and theory that sounds great until you're standing in front of a failing project, a fractured team, or a decision that can't be undone. The Change Agent Podcast is built for something different. It's built for the leaders who operate where the margin for error is thin, the stakes are real, and the pressure is constant. This show is anchored in the niche of high-stakes project management — the kind found in defense, government, and mission-critical environments where poor planning, weak leadership, and bad decisions aren't just expensive, they're consequential. Every episode is a deliberate effort to close the gap between textbook project management and what leadership actually demands in the field. Hosted by Eric, a leader and consultant with decades of complex leadership experience across globally dispersed teams and high-pressure environments, The Change Agent Podcast brings honest, unfiltered conversation to the topics that matter most: executing under fire, navigating toxic management, building and sustaining high-performing teams, applying PM frameworks like PMBOK 7 to real-world complexity, and leading people through the phases of a project when everything is working against you. This isn't a show about leadership in theory. It's a show about leadership in practice — the decisions made under pressure, the teams held together by discipline and trust, and the projects delivered against the odds. It's about what separates the leaders who rise to the moment from those who are consumed by it. f you manage complex programs, lead dispersed teams, work in high-stakes environments, or simply refuse to settle for mediocre management — The Change Agent Podcast is your show. Subscribe and start leading with purpose. https://www.thechangeagent.studio