The Change Agent

The Change Agent
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The Change Agent, hosted by Eric, is a practical leadership and project management podcast for people who lead in the real world—not textbooks. Each episode explores the challenges of building, coaching, and sustaining high-performing teams across both in-person and remote environments. Through thoughtful conversations and grounded insights, the show tackles motivation, collaboration, and the realities of modern management. You’ll hear honest discussions on what works, what fails, and how empathetic, disciplined leadership drives results—especially under pressure. Whether you’re an experienced project manager, a people leader, or stepping into leadership for the first time, The Change Agent delivers actionable ideas you can apply immediately. If you believe leadership is about people first—and results that last—subscribe and start leading with purpose.

  1. Beyond The Comfort Zone with Tony Gunn

    1D AGO

    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
  2. The Cost of Constant Pace - with Erin Treacy

    FEB 15

    The Cost of Constant Pace - with Erin Treacy

    Leadership rarely breaks in a single moment—it wears down through sustained pressure, blurred boundaries, and leaders carrying too much for too long. In this episode of The Change Agent, leadership coach Erin Treacy joins the conversation to explore burnout, emotional intelligence, and what sustainable leadership actually looks like in practice. Drawing on nearly three decades across hospitality, marketing, and communications—as well as her experience as a former competitive alpine skier—Erin reframes leadership away from endurance and toward rhythm, recovery, and clarity. This is a grounded discussion for leaders who are still performing, but at a cost—and want to lead well without losing themselves in the process. Erin's Website 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

    37 min
  3. 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
  4. The Courage to Realign with Myrna King

    FEB 2

    The Courage to Realign with Myrna King

    What happens when the life you worked hard to build no longer fits? In this episode of The Change Agent, Eric sits down with Myrna King—business and life coach, former tech consultant, and founder of A Life Aligned—to explore what it really means to make YOURSELF the priority. Myrna shares how high-performing professionals often reach the goals they fought for, only to discover burnout, misalignment, or a quiet loss of purpose. Together, they unpack why accountability feels threatening, how courage shows up in personal leadership, and why alignment isn’t about doing more—but doing what actually restores you. This conversation bridges practical leadership execution with inner work, showing how tools like structured project thinking, Socratic questioning, and emotional release practices help leaders move from feeling stuck to living deliberately. If you’ve ever felt successful on paper but unfulfilled in reality, this episode will help you rethink progress, redefine leadership, and take your next step with clarity. 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

    43 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
  7. Chaos in Leadership - with Dr. Kevin Mays

    JAN 12

    Chaos in Leadership - with Dr. Kevin Mays

    In this episode of The Change Agent, Eric sits down once again with Dr. Kevin Mays to explore one of the most uncomfortable—and defining—realities of leadership: chaos. When certainty collapses, plans fail, and people look to you for answers you don’t yet have, how you show up matters more than what you know. Together, Eric and Dr. Mays unpack why our obsession with clarity can actually undermine leadership, how expertise can quietly become a liability, and why the most effective leaders learn to stand calmly in uncertainty rather than rush to control it. This conversation dives deep into: Why leaders must learn to be okay with not knowingHow emotional reactivity spreads through teams—and how calm does the sameThe hidden ways identity and ego block growth and innovationWhy leadership is less about answers and more about presenceHow great leaders create other leaders, not followersDrawing on real-world leadership experience—from military command to executive coaching—this episode challenges the idea that leadership is about certainty, authority, or control. Instead, it reframes leadership as an internal discipline: leading yourself first, so others can follow with confidence. If you lead people in complex, high-pressure environments—or if you aspire to—this episode offers practical insight into navigating chaos without losing yourself or your team. 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

    56 min
  8. Olga Rudnieva - Leadership, War, and Human Resilience

    JAN 5

    Olga Rudnieva - Leadership, War, and Human Resilience

    In this powerful episode of The Change Agent, Eric sits down with Olga Rudnieva, CEO of the Superhumans Center, to explore what leadership looks like when everything familiar has been taken away. Against the backdrop of war in Ukraine, Olga shares her lived experience leading a national effort to restore dignity, purpose, and hope to those who have sacrificed the most. This is not a conversation about titles or theory — it is about responsibility, courage, and humanity under pressure. Together, we examine how leadership emerges in crisis, how moral clarity is forged through adversity, and why rebuilding lives is as important as rebuilding nations. This episode is a reminder that real change is driven by people who act when comfort disappears. 🎧 A conversation about resilience, purpose, and leadership when it matters most. Support The Superhumans Center in Ukraine!  Follow Olga and her work on Facebook! Follow Olga on Instagram! Support Our Show On Apple Podcasts! Support Us On YouTube by Subscribing!  Support Our Show On Spotify! Support Our Show via Donations below :)  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

    55 min
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About

The Change Agent, hosted by Eric, is a practical leadership and project management podcast for people who lead in the real world—not textbooks. Each episode explores the challenges of building, coaching, and sustaining high-performing teams across both in-person and remote environments. Through thoughtful conversations and grounded insights, the show tackles motivation, collaboration, and the realities of modern management. You’ll hear honest discussions on what works, what fails, and how empathetic, disciplined leadership drives results—especially under pressure. Whether you’re an experienced project manager, a people leader, or stepping into leadership for the first time, The Change Agent delivers actionable ideas you can apply immediately. If you believe leadership is about people first—and results that last—subscribe and start leading with purpose.

Information

  • Creator
    The Change Agent
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    39
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Change Agent Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Change Agent