DECODING AQ - Adaptability For The Future Of Work With Ross Thornley

Ross Thornley + Special Guests
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DEVELOPING A NEW PLATFORM FOR CHANGE IN AN EXPONENTIAL WORLD.   Conversations with special guests on their stories of adaptability. From resilience, grit and motivation, to stress, mindset and support from those around us. We explore the science and real-life experiences of adaption. Helping HR leaders, coaches and consultants learn the tools, mindsets, and actions to thrive in an ever-changing world.  **New Episode Every Second Tuesday**

  1. 6D AGO

    Decoding AQ with Ross Thornley Feat. Anthony Kenneth Spark - Serial Entrepreneur, Money Coach, Philanthropist, Author, and Personal Development Specialist

    Anthony Kenneth Spark is a life and business strategist known for helping people break financial ceilings, rewrite limiting beliefs, and build a life aligned with their God-given purpose.  With nearly two decades of coaching individuals and families toward financial independence and personal transformation, he blends values, discipline, and proven earning strategies to create real, lasting change. Ross and Anthony talk about working young, working long hours, chance meetings, entrepreneurship, retiring young, finding what's important, coaching, overcoming limiting beliefs, evolving, ethics, being authentic, honesty, integrity,  fighting for people, prisoners of lifestyle, financial prisoners and positions of strength. The pair also talk about flexibility, identity, off-boarding, nothing to gain, limiting beliefs, relationship with money, vision, accountability, family first, priorities, mechanisms for timekeeping, being selective, efficiency, Book - The Middle Passage, purpose, relentless intentionality, Tony Robins, Joe Polish, Building environments for optimal performance, compassion, no limitations, challenging yourself, mindset, fear and singular focus.  Book mentioned in podcast: James Hollis - The Middle Passage: From Misery to Meaning in Midlife Timecodes: 00:15 Intro to Anthony01:47 Anthony's shift to finding purpose07:07 Compassionate capitalism13:12 Testing ethics and difficult circumstances24:12 What is Anthony passionate about27:47 Day to day and managing schedules35:32 The last time Anthony did something for the first time Connect with Ross: WebsiteLinkedInMoonshot Innovation Connect with Anthony: LinkedInSpark a Change CoachingTel - 6313272241

    45 min

  2. 12/23/2025

    Decoding AQ with Ross Thornley Feat. Hannah Louise Shelton - Global Commercial Engagement & Knowledge Lead - dentsu

    Hannah Shelton is a global people operations and learning-development leader, expert at turning disengagement into driving force. With deep experience shaping talent strategy, employee experience, and organizational learning for multinational firms, she influences how companies design workforces that learn, adapt, and thrive. Ross and Hannah talk about thirst for curiosity, negotiating, everyday approaches, thinking differently, approaching things differently, personal transformation, The Strengths Profile, better appreciation, leadership, curiosity, doubt, potential, judgment, value, change management, elevating, personalised knowledge scaling, coaching, supporting the community, building trust, learning from other people, new phases, self service, learning, adaptability, the future of work, variety, engagement, redundancy, advocacy, DIY and Chat GPT. Timecodes: 00:17 Intro to Hannah 01:05 Chris Voss03:30 Learning and self development06:26 Triggers to evolving and leadership10:43 How Hannah designs and adapts programmes14:39 What's exciting Hannah at the moment with dentsu19:38 Transformation and developing in real time 22:33 Next years plan for Hannah25:16 Supporting agents with AI and evolution29:18 Coaching when data is uncertain34:20 Challenging people and management37:57 Upcoming challenges42:01 Sustainability44:21 The last time Hannah did something for the first timeConnect with Ross: WebsiteLinkedInMoonshot Innovation  Connect with Hannah LinkedIn

    48 min

  3. 11/25/2025

    Decoding AQ with Ross Thornley Feat. Louise Shipway - Founder & CEO, of CareerMovers

    Louise has two and a half decades of experience across the HR, coaching, consulting and training space. A deeply passionate person, Louise loves helping global leaders navigate career transitions, role reinvention, and agile workforce mobility. In her happy place when empowering professionals to imagine, align, believe and create next-chapter careers. Her skills involve Confidence | Empathy | Adaptability | Active Listening | Authenticity | Audience Research | Storytelling Ross and Louise talk about HR, training, career transitions, playing in a orchestra, great experiences, music, choirs, change, executive change, strong foundations, hiring, brand new roles, creating new teams, positive change, good people practices, new programmes, growth, economy, helping people individually, AI layoffs, jobs no longer existing, big shifts, letting go and acceptance. The pair also discuss helping people career change, severance pay, offboarding, upskilling, reskilling,  taking our own responsibility, contracts, values, standards,  complete change in career, transformations, human elements, putting people first, making people feel better, imagination economy, identity change, collaborations, identity crisis, having value, youth unemployment, gamifying change, unlearning and hope. Timecodes:  00:18 Intro to Louise01:21 Being a backing violinist for Lisa Stansfield04:37 Louise's typical clients06:24 Support Louise received during her own company transitions10:57 Significant moments during emigrating15:21 How Louise adapts and navigates  17:08 Tips for employers laying off people due to AI19:46 The worst way organisations lay people of and how to avoid23:04 Help for people who have be sacked27:34 The main problem Louise is trying to solve in companies32:43 Louie's phrase and framework - Imagine, Align, Believe Create38:14 A picture of Louise's best year going forward to 202642:11 Ideal candidates to collaborate with Louise43:44 Volunteering48:40 The last time Louise did something for the first timeConnect with Ross: WebsiteLinkedInMoonshot Innovation Connect with Louise: LinkedinCareerMoversEmail -  louis.shipway@careermovers.ca

    54 min

  4. 09/16/2025

    Decoding AQ with Ross Thornley Feat. Shelley Winner - Restorative Justice

    International Keynote | Restorative-Justice, D&I Speaker | TEDx Storyteller | Ex-Microsoft Shelley Winner’s life is proof that second chances create world-class talent. Today she leads Winner’s Circle, a movement equipping justice-impacted people with the skills, mindset, and job placements they need to build thriving careers—while convincing employers that fair-chance hiring is a competitive advantage. Her mission is threefold: Empower with career-focused training and mindset coachingBridge the gap between talent and companies willing to invest in second chancesShift the narrative around fair chance hiring and drive systemic policy changeDuring her eight-year tenure at Microsoft, Shelley excelled in B2B sales, earning top honours  in performance and demonstrating what’s possible when companies bet on potential over the past. Shelley’s powerful message has resonated with audiences across sectors, challenging leaders to move beyond token opportunities and build truly inclusive workplaces. Her work continues to inspire change, helping employers transform hiring mindsets and justice-impacted individuals transform their futures. Ross and Shelley talk about prison, incarceration, rehab, interviews, mastering sales, rewiring, rethinking, success, sales reps, teaching, mindset, turning your life around, prison programmes, fear, forgiveness, outside comfort zone, turning life around, mistakes, digital programmes, personal development, the law off attraction and attracting opportunities. The pair also discuss operating at a higher frequency, energy changing, getting into tech, job readiness programmes, criminal records, proof of rehabilitation, hitting walls, sense of hopelessness, shame, society, trust, new laws, hard interviews, fair chance employment, gratitude, work ethic, loyalty, company policies, scaling, manifesting, doing important work and improv classes improving confidence. Timecodes: 00:16 Intro to Shelley01:19 Shelley's 'Winner's Circle' Rehabilitation 04:40 Becoming 'categorically whole'10:17 How rare is recovery and rehab from prison12:27 Differences in prisons and some being unique14:58 From prison to Microsoft19:36 Background checks26:11 Having job offers rescinded27:05 Fighting back discrimination & battling Microsoft35:02 Winning a case and manifestation39:15 How can companies unlock their potential45:36 Legacy mindset46:46 Ways to get involved with 'Winners Circle'50:12 What would make it Shelley's best year ever54:50 The last time Shelley did something for the first timeConnect with Ross: WebsiteLinkedInMoonshot Innovation Connect with Shelley: LinkedInWebsiteWebsite 2Email - info@winnerscircleus.comFacebookInstagram

    58 min

  5. 09/09/2025

    Decoding AQ with Ross Thornley & Mike Raven Feat. Jason Desentz - Chief Human Resource Officer

    Jason Desentz - Chief Human Resources Officer @ Toshiba | Human Capital Advisor | Keynote Speaker Jason has honed his craft turning under-dog divisions into high-performance powerhouses. From towing-tech at Horizon Global to private-equity turnarounds at Glacier Advisory Partners. Today, as CHRO of Toshiba’s North-American operations, he’s steering a century-old brand through AI-driven transformation while championing people-first growth. An analytical coach at heart, Jason brings board-level rigor and shop-floor empathy to every culture he rebuilds. Ross, Mike and Jason talk about guidance, not being alone, everyone is figuring things out, challenges with tech, de-centralisation, auditing, compliance, consultancy, influencing people, building trust, understanding, asking key questions, buying in, pulling solutions from people, un-programming, taking care of employees, leading by example, practice what you preach, employment loyalty changing, pivoting core values, shifting values, building strong connections, incentive programmes, creating value and building purpose. The pair also discuss how we are perceived, support, enabling mistakes, rewards, jobs being offset, shifting  learning, readying mindset, dealing with ambiguity, project management skill sets, agility, AI capabilities, curriculum building, learning environments, success, never stop moving forward, pro active teams, safe spaces to work, building trust, influencing people, curiosity, supporting youngsters and don't sweat the small stuff. Timecodes: 00:22 Introducing Jason01:08 Intro to Mike01:40 The upcoming Oasis concert03:18 UNLEASH (HR leaders) conference05:58 Things which have startled Jason this year07:35 Jason's 'Listen, Learn & Lead'13:03 Jason's thoughts on Unlearning16:34 Unlearning against your values and challenges20:02 How Jason is preparing the new generation23:32 Mentoring and coaching27:46 Humanoid robots and replacement31:25 Jason's Toshiba University's impact and human skills34:10 Getting access to Jason's university37:38 What would make this Jason's best year ever41:46 Jason's top three fixes (reaffirming values)44:57 Challenges with buying in and ROI's47:31 The last time Jason did something for the first time49:08 Mike's closing thoughts50:14 Jason's final adviceConnect with Jason: LinkedInConnect with Ross: WebsiteLinkedInMoonshot Innovation Connect with Mike: LinkedIn

    53 min

  6. 09/02/2025

    Decoding AQ with Ross Thornley Feat. Alim A. Dhanji - Chief Human Resources Officer

    From the mailroom boy who kept replacing himself with machines, who was the ex-president of adidas Canada, and terms leading roles at scotiabank, and learning the art of diplomacy with 4 years at KPMG. Alim Dhanji is a globally recognized HR leader with over 25 years of experience driving transformation across Fortune 100 companies. Now Alim finds himself as the CHRO at TD SYNNEX, an IT ecosystem powerhouse with 24,000 team members. He shapes high-performance, and inclusive cultures that fuel innovation and growth.  A Harvard Business School alum and board advisor, Alim brings a strategic, people-first lens to global business leadership. Ross and Alim talk about optimism, investments compared to cost, purpose, scaling up, preference shifts, accelerating talent, future of work, crisis, rejuvenation, CHRO's, human resources, human inability to adapt, HR becoming CEO's, leadership, transformation, risk tolerance and upskilling. The pair also discuss sacrifice, psychological safety, being vulnerable, confidence, being open, Imposter syndrome, diplomacy, influencing people to support you, servient leadership, custodian's, redesign of work, AI disrupting jobs, learning to learn, AI inspiring people, curiosity, embracing fear and growth.  Timecodes: 00:15 Into to Alim01:26 Surprises from recent leadership event02:50 Investing in people and the pay off04:57 Balancing whitespace with over planning07:01 Key themes Alim is focusing on for leadership08:36 Leadership challenges10:30 Practical ways to help leadership initiatives14:38 Blending IT and people through tech education16:19 Evolution drivers18:49 Pressure bringing opportunites21:59 Diverse networks, adaptability skills and role diversity23:18 AQai's Model - Ability, Character and Environment24:48 Unpresidented role changes28:32 What would make 2025 the best year ever32:03 Preparation for exhaustion34:44:12 Investing in learning and growth mindset36:36 Earn, Learn and Serve37:41 When Alim interviews for jobs41:27 The last time Alim did something from the first time45:02 Final thoughtsConnect with Alim: LinkedInConnect with Ross: WebsiteLinkedInMoonshot Innovation

    47 min

  7. 08/26/2025

    Decoding AQ with Ross Thornley Feat. David H. Rosmarin - Thriving with Anxiety

    David H. Rosmarin is a Clinical Psychologist, Harvard Medical School Associate Professor, Founder of Center for Anxiety, Author & Keynote Speaker. His mission is to shift the paradigm around anxiety from something to be feared or avoided, to a trait that can be leveraged for resilience, purpose, and performance. His groundbreaking work has helped individuals and organizations unlock a healthier, more empowered relationship with anxiety. His most recent book, Thriving with Anxiety: 9 Tools to Make Your Anxiety Work for You, draws from over two decades of clinical experience and research. And with over half a million views, on his TEDx talk “How to make anxiety your friend” he really is helping change lives for the better.  David's 4 steps. Identify. Share. Embrace. Let GO. Ross and David talk about new conversations, anxiety, building relationships, being nervous, leveraging anxiety, emotions, depression, sadness, increasing awareness, anxiety being helpful, healthy anxiety, thriving, harnessing anxiety, embracing anxiety and emotional resilience. The pair also discuss struggle, internal growth, psychological safety, coaching, not acknowledging anxiety, embracing AI, leadership, feelings,  getting things off your chest, embracing anxiety, Dan Sullivan - The impact Theory, taking a Ted X talk and sharing. Timecodes: 00:16 Intro to David 01:34 Surprises from David's book 02:35 What is anxiety? 04:38 The Anxiety Scale 07:28 Performing with anxiety and phyisiology 08:43 Commonality in anxiety and different peoples levels 11:55 David's perfect year goals 14:16 Challenges and struggles 15:40 People who should embrace and engage with David 17:52 Improving over fixing 21:01 The human side of dealing with tech impact  24:25 Tips for effective ways of  sharing 29:25  Leader setting the tone and going first 32:04 Make anxetixety work for us and teams over self 35:12 Failure causing anxiety 39:46 Simulation training 42:39 The last time David  did something for the first time 47:15 Davids Masterclass Connect with David: LinkedInWebsiteMasterclassConnect with Ross: WebsiteLinkedInMoonshot Innovation

    49 min

  8. 08/19/2025

    Decoding AQ with Ross Thornley Feat. Kyle M.K. - Talent Strategy Advisor

    Kyle M.K. is a best-selling author, executive strategy advisor, and keynote speaker helping organizations become more emotionally intelligent and people-centered. Based in Austin, Texas, Kyle currently serves as Talent Strategy Advisor at Indeed, where he guides employers through the complexities of the future of work. He is the author of The Economics of Emotion: How to Build a Business Everyone Will Love, a book that explores how emotional intelligence can become a core business advantage. His career spans more than a decade of work across startups and enterprises, including Apple and multiple entrepreneurial ventures such as The Heart Company and Human Planet. Kyle’s strategic approach focuses on brand loyalty, leadership development, and transforming customer and employee experiences. His work has been recognized by organizations like the Disney Institute, which invited him to speak about customer experience, leadership, and emotional engagement. Known for blending heart and strategy, Kyle empowers leaders to design businesses that thrive by putting people at the centre. Ross and Kyle talk about cult brands, Apple, hiring, showing interest, Indeed, business around human emotion, work wellbeing, performance, advice for employers, prediction to preparation, optimising data,  mindset shifts, skills we've always had, helping people, unlocking human potential, adapting and changing jobs. The pair also discuss company growth, identifying change, empowering environments, reutilising talent, loving work, wellbeing, how people feel, business performance, AQ Index, skills first hiring, emotional intelligence, humancentric, matching jobseekers with employers, long term relationships, matching people, mentors, storytelling, enriching lives, being fulfilled, emotional nutrition and embracing negative emotions.   Timecodes: 00:19 Intro to Kyle 01:33 Surprises from Kyles book 02:41 Events leading to Kyles success 05:34 The role of a Talent Strategy Advisor 09:28 Future Kyle's perfect year 12:14 Work moving towards humanity 17:09 De-humanising, robotics and AI in a humane world 21:15 Helping businesses transition 26:52  Internal conflict and overcoming barriers with budgets 32:43 Advice for scaling up projects, hiring and talent strategy   36:52 Current exciting initiatives 42:19 The last time Kyle did something for the first time   46:47 Quantifying feelings  Connect with Kyle: LinkedInBookConnect with Ross: WebsiteLinkedInMoonshot Innovation

    52 min
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DEVELOPING A NEW PLATFORM FOR CHANGE IN AN EXPONENTIAL WORLD.   Conversations with special guests on their stories of adaptability. From resilience, grit and motivation, to stress, mindset and support from those around us. We explore the science and real-life experiences of adaption. Helping HR leaders, coaches and consultants learn the tools, mindsets, and actions to thrive in an ever-changing world.  **New Episode Every Second Tuesday**

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