What’s Possible w. Ilene Schaffer

Silicon Valley Change
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Behind every powerhouse communicator, relationship builder, and resilient leader is a strategic thinker who leads with curiosity and honors wellbeing. Say goodbye to disengagement and team fatigue as we bring you science-backed strategies that will transform not just your leadership style but also your team’s and organization's success. Join Ilene Schaffer and industry leaders as they share tried-and-true methods, empowering insights, and a mission to elevate your leadership game.

  1. 2d ago

    In the Moment: Finding Your Leadership Style

    How do you find your own style? For an artist, it might show up in a brushstroke, a color palette, or the way someone recognizes your work from across the street. For a leader, it shows up in how you communicate, make decisions, build trust, and stay aligned with your values. In this What’s Possible in the Moment mini episode, Ilene Schaffer sits down with her brother, artist Bradford Brenner, to explore what the creative process can teach us about finding our authentic leadership style. You’ll hear about: Why your unique style may emerge when you stop trying so hard to define itHow comparison can pull you away from your own voiceWhat leaders can learn from artists, musicians, and creative experimentationWhy “failure” is often just information that helps your style evolveHow role models can inspire you without becoming people you imitateWhy authenticity means staying true to your values while still allowing yourself to growIf you are a leader, coach, creative, or anyone trying to understand what makes your voice uniquely yours, this conversation is a reminder that style is not about perfection, it's about becoming more fully yourself. - - - - - - - Learn more about Silicon Valley Change Website | LinkedIn | YouTube Connect with Ilene Schaffer Website | Instagram | LinkedIn  This show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.

  2. Sep 24

    AI Is Amplifying What’s Already Broken: Lisa Duerre on Leadership Alignment

    AI may be changing how work gets done, but many of the leadership challenges it exposes are not new. In this episode of What’s Possible, Ilene Schaffer sits down with RLD Group CEO Lisa Duerre to unpack applied research based on interviews with 25 executives across functions including product, engineering, HR, IT, legal, marketing, and sales. The research revealed three root drivers of organizational fragmentation: silos, a lack of explorer mindset, and underdesigned conversations and collaboration. Lisa explains why AI is amplifying each of them. Which is increasing the need for shared clarity, stronger cross-functional coordination, and leaders who are willing to stay curious as the landscape continues to change. Ilene and Lisa also explore the pressure leaders feel to move faster, why “there’s no time to slow down” can become a costly mindset, and how nervous system regulation, intentional conversations, and even one generative question can help leaders move out of protect mode and back toward innovation. Along the way, Lisa introduces RLD Group’s I|WE|US leadership lens and offers a practical way for leaders to examine how they, their teams, and their larger organizations are working with AI. This conversation is for leaders who want to move faster without sacrificing thoughtful decision-making, collaboration, well-being, or the human systems required for sustainable performance. Learn more: Lisa Duerre https://www.lisaduerre.com/ RLD Group https://rldgroupllc.com AI Leadership Alignment https://rldgroupllc.com/ai-leadership-alignment CONVERSATIONS WORTH HAVING® https://rldgroupllc.com/ai-conversations-guide - - - - - - - Learn more about Silicon Valley Change Website | LinkedIn | YouTube Connect with Ilene Schaffer Website | Instagram | LinkedIn  This show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.

  3. Sep 17

    In the Moment: Nancy Ancowitz on Showing Up with Confidence on Camera

    In this In the Moment episode of What's Possible, Ilene Schaffer talks with author and presentation expert Nancy Ancowitz about how to show up with more confidence, presence, and authenticity on Zoom and other video platforms. Drawing from her book Zoom to Success: Present Like a Pro, Nancy shares practical tips for making virtual communication feel more natural. Nancy encourages listeners to reframe fear as excitement and remember that presenting is not about being judged, it is about offering something of value. Whether you are leading a meeting, giving a presentation, interviewing for a job, or simply trying to feel more comfortable on camera, this short conversation offers practical ways to trust yourself, make every word count, and bring more of yourself into the room. - - - - - - - Learn more about Silicon Valley Change Website | LinkedIn | YouTube Connect with Ilene Schaffer Website | Instagram | LinkedIn  This show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.

  4. Sep 10

    How to Build Deeper Connection at Work and in Life with Shannon Polly

    In this episode of What’s Possible, Ilene Schaffer sits down with executive coach, facilitator, speaker, author, and founder of Lead Well Work Well, Shannon Polly, for a warm and practical conversation about human connection. Shannon, one of the first graduates of the University of Pennsylvania’s Master of Applied Positive Psychology program, brings her background in coaching, facilitation, performance, and positive psychology to explore what connection really looks like. From small moments with strangers to deeper relationships with colleagues, friends, and family. Ilene and Shannon discuss why connection is essential for well-being, leadership, resilience, and belonging. They explore micro-moments of connection, loneliness, vulnerability, asking for help, active constructive responding, open-ended questions, and the ways perfectionism can quietly block deeper relationships. This conversation is especially relevant for leaders, coaches, teams, and anyone who wants to feel more connected in a world where many of us are moving quickly, working behind screens, and trying to do too much alone. - - - - - - - Learn more about Silicon Valley Change Website | LinkedIn | YouTube Connect with Ilene Schaffer Website | Instagram | LinkedIn  This show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.

  5. Aug 27

    How to Know When It's Time to Leave: Jen Feri on Work, Life, and Alignment

    In this episode of What’s Possible, Ilene Schaffer sits down with HR executive Jen Feri for an honest and deeply reflective conversation about work, grief, alignment, and what it means to honor yourself. Jen shares the story of being in a role that looked like a dream job on paper, while privately realizing that the culture and environment were no longer a fit. When her father entered hospice, the stillness of those final days became a catalyst for clarity. Jen began asking what it would really mean to honor him by honoring herself. Together, Ilene and Jen explore why so many high-achieving professionals stay too long in roles that leave them exhausted, misaligned, or disconnected from their values. They talk about non-negotiables, belonging, overwork, recovery, and how creating space to pause can help us hear what our mind, body, and spirit may already be trying to tell us. This episode is especially relevant for leaders, HR professionals, and anyone wondering whether the work they are doing still fits the life they want to live. - - - - - - - Learn more about Silicon Valley Change Website | LinkedIn | YouTube Connect with Ilene Schaffer Website | Instagram | LinkedIn  This show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.

  6. Aug 20

    In the Moment: Navigate Change with Ilene Schaffer's STAR Inventory

    In this In the Moment episode, Ilene Schaffer continues the short series on navigating change by introducing her own STAR Model: a practical framework for staying grounded through uncertainty, transition, and change. From protecting sleep, movement, hydration, and nourishment, to noticing and fact-checking our thoughts, to accepting what we cannot control and leaning on supportive relationships, this model offers a simple but powerful way to move through change with more resilience and intention. This short episode is a reminder that navigating change is not only about strategy. It is also about how we care for ourselves, manage our mindset, stay flexible, and stay connected to the people who help us keep going. - - - - - - - Learn more about Silicon Valley Change Website | LinkedIn | YouTube Connect with Ilene Schaffer Website | Instagram | LinkedIn  This show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.

  7. Aug 13

    Jonathan Stutz on Inclusive Leadership, Daily Practices, and Building Legacy Teams

    In this episode of What’s Possible, Ilene Schaffer sits down with Jonathan Stutz, co-author with Eddie Pate of Daily Practices of Inclusive Leaders, for a timely and practical conversation about what inclusive leadership really looks like inside organizations. Jonathan shares how his early experiences with discrimination, his commitment to repairing the world, and his corporate diversity work at companies like Microsoft and Amazon shaped his path into inclusion and leadership. Ilene and Jonathan explore why diversity, equity, and inclusion cannot be treated as a one-time program or check-the-box training. Instead, inclusion has to be woven into the culture and practiced through everyday leadership behaviors. They discuss practical ways leaders can create belonging across the employee experience, from recruiting and hiring, to one-on-one meetings, employee resource groups, executive listening sessions, allyship, and using data to uncover inequities. Jonathan also shares one simple but powerful practice anyone can use right away: hitting the pause button when something happens that interrupts trust, dignity, or inclusion in the room. This episode is especially relevant for leaders, coaches, HR professionals, and anyone who wants to build teams where people feel valued, supported, connected, and able to do their best work. - - - - - - - Learn more about Silicon Valley Change Website | LinkedIn | YouTube Connect with Ilene Schaffer Website | Instagram | LinkedIn  This show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.

  8. Aug 6

    In the Moment: Navigate Change with Prochaska's Stages of Change Model

    How do leaders navigate change at work? This "In the Moment" episode of What's Possible kicks off a short series on just that. Up first, Ilene Schaffer introduces Prochaska’s Stages of Change Model, and explaining why it can be such a helpful tool for leaders guiding teams through uncertainty. Originally developed to understand behavior change, Ilene applies the model to today’s workplace, where leaders are often rolling out new strategies, systems, and decisions in the middle of unfamiliar territory and rapid change. Leaders may already be in action mode because they have had time to think, plan, and prepare behind the scenes. But their teams may still be at the very beginning of the change cycle, just starting to understand what is happening and what it means for them. This short episode gives leaders a practical framework for meeting people where they are, slowing down with empathy, and helping teams move through change with more awareness, clarity, and trust. - - - - - - - Learn more about Silicon Valley Change Website | LinkedIn | YouTube Connect with Ilene Schaffer Website | Instagram | LinkedIn  This show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.

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Behind every powerhouse communicator, relationship builder, and resilient leader is a strategic thinker who leads with curiosity and honors wellbeing. Say goodbye to disengagement and team fatigue as we bring you science-backed strategies that will transform not just your leadership style but also your team’s and organization's success. Join Ilene Schaffer and industry leaders as they share tried-and-true methods, empowering insights, and a mission to elevate your leadership game.

Information

  • Creator
    Silicon Valley Change
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    161
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 What’s Possible w. Ilene Schaffer
  • Show Website
    What’s Possible w. Ilene Schaffer