Getting Under The Skin

The Skin Deep

Welcome to Getting Under The Skin (GUTS)! Where the stories of our lives can be medicine for each other. Where reflection and curiosity opens up paths of conversation for us to explore together. Join us for an exploration through conversation. This is an expedition, a journey in search of the stuff that makes us feel most human, the stuff that stirs your soul and reminds you of what really matters. These conversations are not performative interviews, book release tours or productivity hacks. They are an antidote to superficial small talk or marketing in disguise. We explore how people are formed by the lives they’ve lived, and celebrate the wisdom gained along the way. Hosted by Topaz Adizes, Emmy Award-winning writer, director, and experience design architect exploring the transformative power of human connection. He is the founder and executive director of THE SKIN DEEP, creator of {THE AND} and author of 12QFL. If you're ready to Get Under The Skin — we’ll meet you here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. How Great Leaders Think About Talent and Ego with Yoseph Ayele

    3D AGO

    How Great Leaders Think About Talent and Ego with Yoseph Ayele

    What does leadership look like when certainty falls away? In this episode of GUTS, host Topaz Adizes sits down with Yoseph Ayele, Ethiopian-born entrepreneur and founder of LAVA, for a wide-ranging conversation about talent, ego, purpose, and the courage to not know. From growing up in Ethiopia to building across borders, Yoseph reflects on what happens when control loosens and attention shifts toward listening, humility, and service. Moving between leadership, inequality, and self-awareness, this conversation explores talent as energy, not status, contradiction as a source of truth, and why learning to let go may be one of the most important leadership practices of our time. In this episode, we explore: • What talent really is and how it develops • Ego, humility, and self-awareness in leadership • Inequality, access, and reframing prosperity • Letting go of control and certainty • Purpose as service rather than achievement • Parenting, legacy, and what we pass forward _____________________________________________________________________ Listen GUTS: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1GSiahH3NYTiFKZ4mIGQnJ?si=fce013635cfa4947 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/getting-under-the-skin/id1821276933 Follow GUTS: Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/guts.podcast/ LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/topazadizes/ Subscribe for updates: topazadizes.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 16m
  2. The Value Is In The Question: Presence with Andy Tudhope

    JAN 26

    The Value Is In The Question: Presence with Andy Tudhope

    What if progress isn't about moving faster, but about remembering what's sacred in what we build? In this episode of GUTS, host Topaz Adizes sits down with Andy Tudhope, a technologist, writer, and builder, for a wide ranging conversation about code, consciousness, and community. Andy reflects on formative experiences with violence, near death, and ego dissolution, and how those moments shaped his relationship with love, presence, and meaning. From Zen and Sufism to poetry, programming, and rethinking money as a communal habit rather than a fixed truth, this conversation explores sincerity, humility, and what it means to live inside the question rather than rush toward answers. In this episode, we explore: • Progress beyond speed and scale • Death, presence, and love as practice • Language, silence, and meaning • Code, money, and trust • Why better questions matter more than certainty _____________________________________________________________________ Listen GUTS: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1GSiahH3NYTiFKZ4mIGQnJ?si=fce013635cfa4947 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/getting-under-the-skin/id1821276933 Follow GUTS: Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/guts.podcast/ LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/topazadizes/ Subscribe for updates: topazadizes.com #GUTSPodcast #ConsciousTechnology #Philosophy #MeaningAndPurpose #RethinkingProgress Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 16m
  3. #010 The Heart of an Entrepreneur with Don MacPherson

    09/19/2025

    #010 The Heart of an Entrepreneur with Don MacPherson

    What if the real measure of a life was not success but the love and trust we leave behind? In this episode of Getting Under the Skin, Topaz sits down with entrepreneur and mentor Don MacPherson (he/him) to talk about family, resilience, risk and the lessons that shaped him. Don shares: • The gifts each of his four parents passed on to him • How loss and change shaped his view of life and relationships • The summer adventure that set him on a new path • Why he put off surgery for years and what it taught him when he finally said yes • How trust, curiosity and love guide the way he leads and lives This is a conversation about facing hardship, choosing gratitude and discovering the power of love in leadership and in life. What has life designed you for? These conversations are not performative interviews, book release tours or productivity hacks. Genuine curiosity is the compass for these honest, human-to-human exchanges of stories. We explore how people are formed by the lives they’ve lived and celebrate the wisdom gained along the way. Welcome to Getting Under The Skin 🔗 Learn more about our guest https://www.linkedin.com/in/donmacpherson/ ______________________________________________________________________________ 🎧 Watch the full season of GUTS on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4epHaaofIRu1qr0AK7PnwrYJDp2O_FTZ or listen wherever you get your favorite podcasts. 🌐 Subscribe for updates https://topazadizes.com 👉 Follow us on social media: Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/guts.podcast/ TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@guts.podcast LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/topazadizes/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 57m
  4. #009 How Great Leaders Combine Skills Into a Superpower with David Lancefield

    08/15/2025

    #009 How Great Leaders Combine Skills Into a Superpower with David Lancefield

    What if leadership wasn’t about having the answers - but holding the right space for the right questions? In this episode of Getting Under the Skin, Topaz sits down with strategist, leadership coach, and catalyst for change David Lancefield (he/him), whose work helps leaders expand their thinking, embrace discomfort, and step into deeper impact without losing themselves in the process. David shares: - Why presence matters more than perfection in leadership - How to balance ambition with genuine connection - The hidden cost of avoiding difficult conversations - Why curiosity is the ultimate leadership superpower - How to create environments where people -and ideas- can thrive This is a conversation about leading from the inside out. About slowing down to see more clearly, and realizing that growth is less about adding and more about uncovering. What has life designed you for? These conversations are not performative interviews, book release tours or productivity hacks. Genuine curiosity is the compass for these honest, human-to-human exchanges of stories. We explore how people are formed by the lives they’ve lived and celebrate the wisdom gained along the way. Welcome to Getting Under The Skin 🔗 Learn more about our guest https://davidlancefield.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidclancefield/ ______________________________________________________________________________ 🎧 Watch the full season of GUTS on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4epHaaofIRu1qr0AK7PnwrYJDp2O_FTZ or listen wherever you get your favorite podcasts. 🌐 Subscribe for updates https://topazadizes.com 👉 Follow us on social media: Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/guts.podcast/ TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@guts.podcast LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/topazadizes/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 30m
  5. #008 How Baseball, Dreams & Fatherhood Shaped a Leader with Joe Ferraro

    08/01/2025

    #008 How Baseball, Dreams & Fatherhood Shaped a Leader with Joe Ferraro

    What if the true measure of a life isn't success – but rather how you show up for others? In this episode of Getting Under the Skin, Topaz talks with educator, coach, podcast host, and father Joe Ferraro (he/him). Joe's journey has been shaped by baseball, family, and an unwavering pursuit of self-awareness. From Sunday dinners to national championships, his story reflects discipline, vulnerability, and deep reflection. Joe shares: - The quiet legacy of his dad and how food became their love language - What a recurring dream about losing his glove taught him about purpose - How becoming a coach at 21 compelled him to grow before he felt ready - The fears he still holds about being "too soft" with his students - Why learning to lead by voice, not just by example, is both a gift and a responsibility This conversation explores the gifts we inherit and those we discover, the tension between being a public voice and a private seeker, and the courage it takes to listen to what life is trying to offer us, even when it's unexpected. These conversations are not performative interviews, book release tours or productivity hacks. Genuine curiosity is the compass for these honest, human-to-human exchanges of stories. We explore how people are formed by the lives they’ve lived and celebrate the wisdom gained along the way. Welcome to Getting Under The Skin. 🔗 Learn more about our guest https://www.linkedin.com/in/jferraro1/ https://www.onepercentbetterproject.com/ https://www.damngoodconversations.com/joe-ferraro ______________________________________________________________________________ 🎧 Watch the full season of GUTS on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4epHaaofIRu1qr0AK7PnwrYJDp2O_FTZ or listen wherever you get your favorite podcasts. 🌐 Subscribe for updates https://topazadizes.com 👉 Follow us on social media: Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/guts.podcast/ TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@guts.podcast LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/topazadizes/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 43m

Ratings & Reviews

About

Welcome to Getting Under The Skin (GUTS)! Where the stories of our lives can be medicine for each other. Where reflection and curiosity opens up paths of conversation for us to explore together. Join us for an exploration through conversation. This is an expedition, a journey in search of the stuff that makes us feel most human, the stuff that stirs your soul and reminds you of what really matters. These conversations are not performative interviews, book release tours or productivity hacks. They are an antidote to superficial small talk or marketing in disguise. We explore how people are formed by the lives they’ve lived, and celebrate the wisdom gained along the way. Hosted by Topaz Adizes, Emmy Award-winning writer, director, and experience design architect exploring the transformative power of human connection. He is the founder and executive director of THE SKIN DEEP, creator of {THE AND} and author of 12QFL. If you're ready to Get Under The Skin — we’ll meet you here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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