Change Unscripted

Colin Walsh
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Business
  • Semiweekly

Change Unscripted explores the messy, funny, and fascinating parts of being human. Hosted by change management leader, dad of three, and lifelong overthinker Colin Walsh, each episode brings together interesting people and fresh perspectives to unpack how we work, communicate, lead, grow, and navigate life's curveballs. Through honest conversations, storytelling, and a little humor, we explore the things we all experience at work, at home, and everywhere in between. Because work would be easy… if it weren't for humans. And life would be boring if we always followed the script.

Episodes

  1. 6d ago

    Running on Empty: When Ambition Becomes Burnout

    Spooky Launch to Season 2 talking about the most terrifying subject in corporate America and maybe in your own home! What happens when ambition turns into exhaustion, and “just one more thing” becomes your entire personality? In this episode of Change Unscripted, I'm joined by my good friend Kristi Britto, Co-Founder & COO of SORCE, to talk burnout, perfectionism, leadership, and the pressure to keep pushing...even when we're running on empty. We explore what it means to do meaningful work without losing yourself in the process, why “just push through it” isn't always the answer, and how we can rethink success without sacrificing our well-being. Because being great at your job shouldn't require being completely depleted by it. No tricks, no treats, just some uncomfortable truths about work and being human.

    Running on Empty: When Ambition Becomes Burnout

  2. Sep 15

    The DEI You Didn't Know You Needed

    What if the problem isn’t always the person? What if sometimes… it’s the design? In Part Two of our DEI series, I get personal. After years of joking about having ADHD, a more recent journey that started with my son’s struggles in school eventually led me to my seeking a formal diagnosis, which led to a very different way of thinking about how we work. We’ll explore neurodiversity, parents and caregivers, workplace flexibility, invisible expectations, management, and the idea of the “normal employee.” Because maybe inclusion isn’t just about who gets through the door. Maybe it’s about whether different kinds of people can actually succeed once they’re there.

  3. Sep 2

    Why does DEI Exist? (Part 1 of 2)

    Why does DEI exist in the first place? In Episode 9 of Change Unscripted, we go back to the origins of diversity, equity, and inclusion, explore how DEI evolved from anti-discrimination efforts into a broader business strategy, and examine why organizations are now rethinking or dismantling those programs. We’ll look at the psychology behind the backlash, what happens when organizations undo changes they spent years implementing, and the bigger change-management question: What problem were we trying to solve and have we actually solved it? This is Part One of a two-part series. Part Two explores a broader question: what happens when we stop designing the workplace around the idea of a “normal” employee?

  4. Aug 18

    Future of Work: Who Decided We Need to Be Here?

    The future of work isn’t simply remote vs. office. In this episode, we unpack what changed, why organizations are pushing for a return to the office, what employees gained from flexibility, and what we may have lost by being apart. From productivity and parenting to collaboration, culture, and management, we ask a bigger question: What if we stopped designing work around where people sit and started designing it around what the work actually requires?

  5. Aug 11

    Change Management has a PR problem

    Change management has a PR problem. Some people think it means communications. Others think it means training. And occasionally, someone thinks it means making a really good PowerPoint and hoping everyone magically changes. But change management is about something much bigger: helping people actually move from where an organization is today to where it needs to go. In this episode, Colin explores why change management is so often misunderstood, why resistance isn't necessarily the enemy, and what happens when organizations spend millions building a solution but forget to think about whether anyone will actually use it. From the playground to Adobe's massive business-model transformation, this episode breaks down what change management really does and why maybe we should stop calling it "change management" altogether. Because if your strategy requires people to do something differently...you probably have a people problem. And that's not a bad thing. It's a human one.

  6. Aug 4

    The Change Muscle: Turning Change from a Crisis to a Capability

    Why do some organizations treat every change like a crisis, while others seem to adapt almost effortlessly? In this episode of Change Unscripted, Colin explores why resilience isn't about asking people to "just deal with it", it's about building an organization that is capable of change before the next disruption arrives. Through stories from home, insights from behavioral psychology, real consulting experience, and the business lessons behind companies like Netflix, you'll discover why change isn't an event to survive...it's a muscle to strengthen. Along the way, two very special guest appearances from Colin's daughters provide a reminder that one of the greatest lessons about navigating uncertainty may come from the simplest question: "Daddy...what are we doing tomorrow?" Whether you're leading a transformation, managing a team, or simply trying to navigate constant change yourself, this episode offers practical ideas for turning change from a crisis into a capability.

  7. Jul 10

    Nobody Promoted Me for This: The Surprising Similarities Between Becoming a Parent and Becoming a Manager

    Nobody promotes you to parent. Nobody promotes you to manager. Yet somehow, you’re expected to figure it out. In this episode of Change Unscripted, I explore the surprising similarities between becoming a first-time manager and becoming a parent. From learning to lead people with different needs to realizing that growth requires letting go, this episode explores how the biggest changes in our lives often come without a playbook. Featuring two conversations: One with one of my first team members as a manager and the other the person who has watched me navigate the biggest change of all, becoming a dad, my wife. Because leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about helping others find theirs.

  8. Jun 30

    Organizational Gaslighting

    "We value honest feedback." Most organizations say it. The real question is...what happens when they actually get it? In this episode of Change Unscripted, Colin dives into one of the most frustrating (and surprisingly common) experiences in the workplace: when organizations ask employees to speak up, only to explain away, ignore, or quietly discourage the very honesty they requested. Through stories from his own consulting career, a lesson from The Emperor's New Clothes, the rise and fall of Nokia, Toyota's culture of continuous improvement, and a little behavioral psychology, Colin explores why speaking up at work feels so risky and why leaders often underestimate the courage it takes for someone to tell them the truth. This isn't an episode about blaming leaders. It's about understanding why good intentions sometimes create unintended consequences, why silence isn't the same as agreement, and why the greatest sign of a healthy culture isn't that employees have nothing to say... It's that they still believe it's worth saying. Whether you're leading change, leading a team, or simply wondering if anyone actually reads those employee surveys, this episode will challenge the way you think about trust, feedback, and the cultures we create. Because feedback isn't proof something is broken. It's proof people still believe it can be better!

  9. Jun 16

    The Robots Aren't Taking Your Job (Probably)

    AI is everywhere! It's writing emails, summarizing meetings, building presentations, generating ideas, and inspiring equal amounts of excitement and existential dread. But beneath all the headlines and hype, the real story isn't about technology. It's about people. In this episode of Change Unscripted, Colin explores how AI is changing the way we work, learn, and think about our own value. From the Industrial Revolution and the Luddites to bedtime stories starring Pokémon and stuffed animals, he examines why every generation experiences technological change differently and why today's AI conversation feels so familiar. Then, for the first guest interview on the podcast, Colin sits down with Chris Varites of Paychex to discuss what leaders are actually seeing in the workplace, where AI is creating value, what concerns still remain, and how organizations can embrace innovation without losing the human skills that matter most. Along the way, you'll hear stories from consulting, lessons from history, a few questionable parenting moments, and a healthy dose of sarcasm. Because AI may be changing the tools we use. But the most interesting part of the story is still how humans respond to change.

  10. Jun 9

    Running Meetings That Don’t Destroy Souls

    Most people don't hate meetings. They hate bad meetings. The kind that should have been emails.The kind that end without decisions.The kind where someone says "Let's circle back" and somehow everyone's day gets worse. In this episode of Change Unscripted, Colin explores why meetings drain us, why they so often fail to accomplish their purpose, and why deciding where to go for dinner with your spouse might actually be the perfect metaphor for organizational dysfunction. Along the way, you'll meet some familiar workplace characters, learn the four types of meetings every leader should know, hear the surprising story behind Ford's turnaround, and walk away with practical ways to run meetings that people don't immediately regret accepting. Because meetings aren't the problem. Bad meetings are. And nothing destroys momentum faster than twelve people agreeing to talk about it again next week.

  11. Jun 2

    Why Humans Hate Change (Even When It's Good)

    Humans say they want change. Until the software changes.The process changes.The organizational chart changes.Or someone moves a button they've been clicking since 2018.In the debut episode of Change Unscripted, Colin Walsh explores one of the biggest misconceptions in business: people don't actually resist change—they resist uncertainty. Drawing from psychology, evolutionary history, organizational transformation, and real consulting experience, Colin breaks down why even positive change can trigger fear, hesitation, and resistance. Whether you're leading a transformation, navigating change yourself, or simply wondering why humans can simultaneously crave change and avoid it, this episode is for you. Because change isn't just a strategy problem. It's a human one. In this episode: Why people don't actually resist changeThe evolutionary psychology behind uncertaintyThe hidden role of status, competence, and identityA real-world transformation story from the consulting trenchesWhat Kodak teaches us about adapting to changeWhy leadership during change is more like theatreFollow @change_unscripted for behind-the-scenes content, episode updates, and your own stories of navigating change.

  12. Trailer

    Change Unscripted Trailer

    Organizations love talking about change. Humans? Slightly more complicated. Change Unscripted is a podcast about organizational change, leadership, workplace psychology, and the very human reactions that show up whenever people are asked to adapt, evolve, transform, “reimagine,” or attend another meeting that could’ve been an email. Hosted by Colin Walsh — consultant, former theatre kid, husband, dad of three, and longtime observer of corporate absurdity — the show blends psychology, history, real transformation stories, leadership insights, humor, and real-life parallels to explore why change is so difficult… even when it’s good.

  • 1 Trailer
    11 Episodes

Trailer

About

Change Unscripted explores the messy, funny, and fascinating parts of being human. Hosted by change management leader, dad of three, and lifelong overthinker Colin Walsh, each episode brings together interesting people and fresh perspectives to unpack how we work, communicate, lead, grow, and navigate life's curveballs. Through honest conversations, storytelling, and a little humor, we explore the things we all experience at work, at home, and everywhere in between. Because work would be easy… if it weren't for humans. And life would be boring if we always followed the script.

Information

  • Creator
    Colin Walsh
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    12
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Colin Walsh
  • Show Website
    Change Unscripted