A World of Difference

Lori Adams-Brown
  • 4.7 (38)
  • Business
  • Updated Weekly

A World of Difference is a leadership podcast for executives and organizational leaders navigating change across cultures, industries, and continents. Hosted by Lori Adams-Brown, a strategic transformation executive with over 20 years of C-suite advisory experience, the show explores organizational effectiveness, executive development, and leadership development through real conversations with leaders who have built and led across borders. Each episode features leadership stories from places and travel destinations spanning six continents, bringing listeners cross-cultural communication insights drawn from lived experience, not theory. Lori's own background, including over 15 years as an expat in Indonesia and Singapore, shapes every conversation with a global mindset rarely found in mainstream leadership media. Topics covered include human intelligence in AI transformation and change management, global leadership and cultural intelligence, executive coaching and talent development, organizational behavior and behavioral science, C-suite advisory and board governance, workplace culture and employee engagement, human capital strategy, and international business leadership. Through leadership interviews across the world, listeners gain practical frameworks for leading through disruption, building trust across cultures, and aligning fast-moving technology adoption with the human systems that make it stick. With more than 300 episodes, 153,000+ downloads, and listeners in 100+ countries, A World of Difference ranks in the top 3% of podcasts globally. It is essential listening for world leaders, HR executives, CHROs, CPOs, organizational development leaders, management consultants, and anyone building or leading global teams across industries and across the globe.

  1. 17h ago

    Stop Managing Performance, Start Enabling It: Dr. Edie Goldberg on the New Talent Management Paradigm

    What if everything you've been taught about managing performance was built for a workplace that no longer exists? Dr. Edie Goldberg returns to A World of Difference to unpack the research behind her new book, revealing why the system most companies use to drive performance is quietly working against them. Topics Covered Why “coercive control” — carrots, sticks, and fear-based motivation — is the hidden operating system behind most performance management, and why the research says it doesn't work The shift from measuring performance to enabling it: transparency, trust, autonomy, and connecting work to purpose Why only 4% of employees revisit their goals mid-year, and how to make goal-setting actually motivating What a real “performance feedback culture” looks like, and the four conditions that predict it How AI can genuinely support performance enablement (goal clarity, personalized development, reduced bias) — and where it can quietly go wrong The bias built into hiring and performance systems, and what a well-designed AI process can do differently Guest Bio Dr. Edie Goldberg is founder and president of E. L. Goldberg and Associates, a globally recognized expert in talent management and the future of work, and a Fellow of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. She is co-author of Performance Enablement: A Model for Driving Organizational Performance and The Inside Gig: How Sharing Talent Across Boundaries Unleashes Organizational Capacity. Timestamps 00:00 – Cold open 01:13 – Why Edie wrote this book now 05:34 – Coercive control as a management strategy 09:13 – The new paradigm: enabling control 14:27 – The elephant in the room: managers spend 90% of their time doing the work 21:44 – Why goal-setting fails (the 4% problem) 28:11 – AI's real impact on performance management 37:14 – Bias in AI hiring and performance systems 44:11 – Where to find Edie and her book 48:00 – Passport Stamp: New Zealand (a shout out to the Kiwis who listen from Aotearoa, the Maori word for New Zealand) Watch the exclusive, bonus episode on Patreon here. Find Dr. Edie Goldberg At elgoldberg.com  |  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/edie-goldberg-phd  |  Book: Performance Enablement Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode. Watch this episode on Youtube. Visit aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources. Thinking about a life abroad? I use and recommend Expatsi to help navigate the move . As an affiliate, I may earn a small commission. Brava Curious what Brava Global Advisory could do for your team or your own leadership? Head to https://www.bravaglobaladvisory.com/voice to see how we work together and where to start. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  2. 3d ago

    Change Makers EPS 61: Allan Wind on the Andes, USAID and Peace Corps

    Allan J. "Alonzo" Wind is a retired Senior Foreign Service Officer from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), having worked off and on with the Agency primarily overseas on diplomatic assignments from 1990 to 2019 in the Peru, Nicaragua, Angola, Nigeria, Iraq, Afghanistan and South Africa and the Southern Africa Regional Missions. In these roles he provided oversight to U.S. government foreign aid development and humanitarian assistance and supported U.S. Ambassadors as their senior development officer on multiple U.S. Embassy Country Teams. In South Africa he helped establish the Southern Africa Regional Leadership Center as part of President Obama’s Young African Leadership Initiative, and contributed to other youth development efforts and business incubators. He previously worked as the Global Programme Coordinator for the International Save the Children Alliance Secretariat and as a Country Director and Health Sector Coordinator for different nonprofit private voluntary organizations including CARE and PLAN International in a range of countries including Ecuador, Bolivia, the Dominican Republic and the United Kingdom. Mr. Wind began his career as a Rural Public Health U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in Ecuador from 1980-1982, where he was widely known as “Doctor Alonzo.” The Alonzo nickname stuck throughout life in many countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia. He graduated from the University of Chicago. He is originally a New Yorker, and as a high schooler he was a “subway rat” attending the famous Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan. There he studied creative writing for two years with his teacher, the famous Irish American writer Frank McCourt. He has always been an avid science fiction fan and sometime writer, and notes that writing science fiction and creative writing under Frank was invaluable for future U.S. government work. He and his wife currently reside in Fairfax County Virginia, while their adult daughter is in Africa on her own adventures. Mr. Wind serves on the Boards of Directors of different non-governmental organizations, including Hunger Relief International, supporting the efforts to help the neediest in Guatemala and Haiti, any way he can. His memoir is Andean Adventures Website: https://enableennoble.net ANDEAN ADVENTURES:  https://tinyurl.com/AndeanAdv AVENTURAS ANDINAS: https://tinyurl.com/AventurasAndinas The A World of Difference Podcast is brought to you in partnership with Missio Alliance. Stay In Touch: Connect on Facebook and Instagram with thoughts, questions, and feedback. Rate, review and share this podcast with anyone that would love to listen.  On Clubhouse . Find Us Online: on Instagram and on Facebook on Twitter at or Interested in one-on-one or group coaching on how to live a life that makes a difference? Check out: https://www.loriadamsbrown.com/coaching If you are facing some big decisions, here is advice . Mentioned in this episode: Do you want to go deeper? Join us in Difference Makers, a community where we watch and discuss exclusive content that truly makes a difference. Give us $5 a month (the price of a latte), and join in on the conversation with our host Lori and others who want to make a difference. We'd love to have you join us! Patreon Join Difference Makers Join us in our membership community for exclusive content for only $5/month at https://www.patreon.com/aworldofdifference. We go deeper with each guest, and it makes such a difference. Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Change Makers EPS 61: Allan Wind on the Andes, USAID and Peace Corps

  3. Sep 2

    Why Your AI Transformation Is Failing (Hint: It's Not the Technology) with Shaara Roman

    What if your AI transformation isn't stalling because of the technology, but because of the culture, trust, and leadership behaviors you've built (or failed to build) around it? Shaara Roman has spent years inside global enterprises watching AI initiatives launch with fanfare and quietly fall apart, not because the software failed, but because the people strategy was missing. In this episode: Why AI should be treated as a team member, not just a tool The six pillars of AI change management: strategy, org design, culture, workforce capability, motivation/metrics, and ethical guardrails Why most AI adoptions fail — and why the human side, not the tech, is the real bottleneck Surprising diagnostic findings: middle managers are consistently the least ready for AI adoption Three telltale signs an organization isn't ready for AI How Shaara's third culture kid upbringing across India, Nigeria, and England shaped her adaptive leadership approach Guest bio: Shaara Roman is the founder and CEO of the Silvering Group, where she advises CEOs and executive teams on leading through AI transformation. A former senior HR executive at Visa, Fannie Mae, and CGI, she is the author of The Conscious Workplace and creator of the SPARC AIQ Diagnostic. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 02:00 Shaara's TCK journey across India, Nigeria, England 04:30 AI as a team member, not just a tool 08:00 Where leaders get AI adoption wrong 12:00 Why hiring systems aren't built for adaptive leadership 18:40 The six pillars of AI change management 26:40 Three signs an organization isn't ready for AI 32:50 Inside the SPARC AIQ Diagnostic 38:30 Where to find Shaara and her work Find Shaara Roman at: LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/shaara) | Website (silveringroup.com) Join us for an exclusive bonus episode with Shaara on Patreon. Subscribe, leave a review at https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com/reviews/new/, and share this episode. Visit https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources. Thinking about a life abroad? I use and recommend Expatsi to help navigate the move — https://www.expatsi.com/?ref=2kJ926HZ. As an affiliate, I may earn a small commission. Curious what your own leadership identity is built on? Take the VOICE assessment: https://www.bravaglobaladvisory.com/voice Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  4. Aug 26

    From Cameroon to Berkeley: Marie-Ange Eyoum Tagne on Failing, Faith, and Finding Purpose in Silicon Valley

    What does it actually take to walk into rooms where no one looks like you and not just survive them, but change them? Dr. Marie-Ange Eyoum Tagne's story begins in Cameroon and leads all the way to the highest levels of Silicon Valley tech leadership, and the lessons she's learned along the way will change how you think about your own journey. Topics covered: Growing up in Cameroon, community, and the moment an aunt told her "girls don't go to the moon" Working full-time at minimum wage while carrying a 26-unit course load to graduate as valedictorian Failing her PhD prelim at UC Berkeley, imposter syndrome, and the mentor who told her "I believe in you" Becoming the first African-born woman to earn a PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from UC Berkeley Her PURPOSE framework and the biblical story of Esther behind her memoir's title Balancing rapid AI innovation with empathy, ethics, and inclusion of global voices in tech Guest bio: Dr. Marie-Ange Eyoum Tagne is a global technology executive, product strategist, and award-winning author whose 15+ year career spans Meta, Amazon, Yahoo, Roku, McAfee, and Intel. Her memoir, For Such a Time as This, chronicles her journey from Cameroon to Silicon Valley leadership. Timestamps: 00:00 — Cold open 00:47 — Welcome and guest introduction 01:02 — Redefining success: growing up in Cameroon 04:46 — Coming to the US with $15,000 and a dream 10:11 — Barriers at UC Berkeley and imposter syndrome 15:38 — Failing the prelim, and the professor who changed everything 17:25 — Becoming the first African woman to earn this PhD 20:19 — The courage to write a memoir 21:41 — The story of Esther and "for such a time as this" 29:43 — AI, speed, and the ethics gap in Silicon Valley 39:26 — Where to find Marie-Ange and her book Join the exclusive bonus episode with Marie-Ange on Patreon. Find Marie-Ange Eyoum Tagne at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marie-ange-eyoum-tagne/ Book, For Such a Time as This: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FDJDBGQG Website: https://www.forsuchatimebook.com/ Thinking about a life abroad? I use and recommend Expatsi to help navigate the move — https://www.expatsi.com/?ref=2kJ926HZ. As an affiliate, I may earn a small commission. Curious what Brava Global Advisory could do for your own leadership? Take the VOICE assessment to find your starting point: https://www.bravaglobaladvisory.com/voice Subscribe, leave a review at https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com/reviews/new/, and share this episode. Visit https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  5. Aug 19

    Governance Isn't Control, It's Trust: Cynthia Lai on Cross-Cultural Leadership and Resilience in Hong Kong

    What does it cost to keep climbing when you're not sure the ladder is leaning against the right wall? Cynthia Lai spent two decades in multinational banking before a health warning sign forced her to ask that question, and to walk away from a role that looked successful from the outside. In this conversation, Cynthia, a governance advisor, leadership educator, and ICF certified executive coach, joins Lori to talk about: Why high achievers so often ignore the warning signs their bodies are sending them Reframing governance from a system of control into a way of building trust across cultures What it actually takes to navigate an identity shift after leaving a role that defined you How assumptions get in the way of cross-cultural communication, and what to do instead Why resilience means more than "bouncing back," and how mindfulness practices like journaling support it Cynthia Lai is a governance advisor, leadership educator, and ICF certified executive coach with two decades of experience across OCBC, HSBC, and Bank of China. She now helps boards, founders, and senior leaders navigate complexity through clearer governance and more human decision-making, while co-leading MetaOptics, a privacy-preserving AI startup. Timestamps Time Topic 0:00 Welcome and introduction to Cynthia Lai 0:48 The signs high achievers ignore, and what finally wakes them up 2:56 Shifting governance from a system of control to a way of building trust 6:41 Her bold transition from global banking to coaching and advisory 9:56 Listening and leading across cultures, and where assumptions get in the way 13:26 Building resilience that goes deeper than "bouncing back" 17:11 Mindfulness, journaling, and what we lose when we outsource pen to paper 24:39 Staying anchored to your values when everyone else has an agenda for you 28:57 How different cultures approach risk, governance, and accountability 33:39 A blind spot for business travelers in Hong Kong, and the food worth trying 38:26 Join us on Patreon for an exclusive bonus episode with Cynthia here. Where to find Cynthia and connect Find Cynthia Lai at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthiakylai/ Brought to you by Brava Global Advisory Wondering where your own leadership might be running on autopilot? Take the free VOICE diagnostic to find out where to start: https://www.bravaglobaladvisory.com/voice Standing disclosures Thinking about a life abroad? I use and recommend Expatsi to help navigate the move and for a free test on which country is your best fit. As an affiliate, I may earn a small commission. Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode. Visit https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  6. Aug 12

    The Hidden Cost of a Broken Mental Health System: Janelle Miller Moravek on Workforce, Trust, and Access

    What if the systems built to help people are quietly deciding who gets to heal and who feels safe enough to even ask? Janelle Miller Moravek has spent 26 years inside that system, and she's not just naming the problem. She's rebuilding it from the ground up. Topic bullets: Why the U.S. behavioral health workforce doesn't reflect the communities it serves, and how decades of low reimbursement rates created the gap The difference between being fluent and being bilingual in therapy, and why cultural nuance can be the line between trust and harm What it actually costs (financially and personally) to become a therapist, and why that pipeline shuts out the people most needed in it How politics, Medicaid policy, and philanthropy collide to determine who gets care Why "hire for curiosity" may matter more than credentials, and how YFC built a staff that reflects its clients (46% Latinx, 81% low-income) Guest bio: Janelle Miller Moravek is the Executive Director of Youth and Family Counseling (YFC), a nonprofit community mental health center near Chicago. Over 26 years, she's built a behavioral health workforce designed to reflect the communities it serves. Timestamps: 00:00 — Intro 01:30 — How the behavioral health workforce shortage happened 05:30 — Why representation in therapy matters 09:00 — The Google Translate story: when "helpful" isn't accurate 14:00 — Money, policy, and the structural barriers to change 21:00 — Politics, privilege, and mental health as a shared issue 25:00 — What YFC has actually built: recruitment, retention, and trust 34:00 — What still needs to change at a systems level 39:00 — Where to find Janelle and YFC's new Behavioral Health Atlas Join us on Patreon for an exclusive bonus episode with Janelle "Power, Purpose, and Payroll: Janelle Miller Moravek's Honest Answer on What Keeps Her Going." Find Janelle at: LinkedIn: Janelle Miller-Moorevec | Website: counselingforall.org Standing disclosures: Thinking about a life abroad? I use and recommend Expatsi to help navigate the move — https://www.expatsi.com/?ref=2kJ926HZ. As an affiliate, I may earn a small commission. Curious what Brava Global Advisory could do for your team or your own leadership? Head to https://www.bravaglobaladvisory.com/voice to see how we work together and where to start. Subscribe, leave a review and share this episode. Visit https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  7. Aug 4

    Slow Down to Win: What the AI Rat Race Is Costing Your Organization with Lori Adams-Brown

    What if the fastest way through AI transformation is actually to slow down? On this sixth anniversary episode, Lori Adams-Brown unpacks the hidden cost of speed-first AI adoption, and why the leaders who listen before they build are the ones whose people actually stay. EPISODE DESCRIPTION Six years ago I started this podcast because I believed the world needed more curious, human-centered leaders. Today, on our sixth anniversary, I am bringing you one of the most important solo episodes I have ever recorded. The AI race is real. The pressure is real. And the cost most organizations are not measuring is also real. In this episode I introduce the Speed Tax: the cumulative cost an organization pays, in trust, adoption, performance, and retention, when it deploys AI at speed without the culture architecture to support it. I share the story of a small nocturnal animal in the forests of Sumatra, the data from a landmark Harvard Business Review study, a proof point from a Fortune 100 AI hardware company, and a framework that HR and people strategy leaders can use starting Monday. If you lead people through change, this one is for you. Topic bullets: The story of Kopi Luwak coffee and the Asian palm civet, and what its slow, deliberate selection process teaches us about AI deployment The Speed Tax: the cumulative cost organizations pay in trust, adoption, and retention when AI moves faster than the culture that supports it New research from Harvard Business Review, Boston Consulting Group, and the Henderson Institute on "AI brain fry," including sharply higher rates of poor decision-making and quit intent among overloaded workers The Four Pillars of Culture Architecture for AI Transformation: voice before velocity, designing for transfer, building trust architecture, and measuring what actually matters A real case study from a Fortune 100 AI hardware company, including a 15% ROI improvement from an AI coaching agent built by listening first Timestamps: 00:00 Welcome and the coffee-in-hand grounding ritual 01:44 Why this is a solo episode 03:07 Speed, quality, cost: the leadership triangle 04:49 The Honda Prologue and values-driven decisions 07:02 Kopi Luwak, the civet, and what slow selection teaches us 11:39 Introducing the Speed Tax 12:59 Symptoms: low adoption, eroding trust, transformation fatigue 14:44 The HBR/BCG "AI brain fry" study 17:25 Case study: a Fortune 100 AI hardware company 18:21 Building an AI coaching agent by listening first 20:35 The Four Pillars of Culture Architecture for AI Transformation 22:44 Two closing images: the Waymo and the Redwoods 27:15 The Speed Tax Diagnostic and the Slow Down to Win workshop LINKS AND RESOURCES The Speed Tax Diagnostic (free) Take it online, download the PDF, or use it with your team, a free three-question self-assessment to see where your organization is paying the cost of speed right now: www.bravaglobaladvisory.com/speedtax The Slow Down to Win Workshop Half-day intensive for HR and people strategy leaders. Culture Architecture framework, diagnostic debrief, 90-day action plan: www.bravaglobaladvisory.com/speedtax Research cited in this episode: Bedard, Kropp, Hsu, Karaman, Hawes, and Rosen Kellerman. "When Using AI Leads to Brain Fry." Harvard Business Review / BCG Henderson Institute. March 2026. (N=1,488 workers) Read the full Substack essay:loriadamsbrown.substack.com Connect with Lori: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/loriadamsbrown Brava Global Advisory: www.bravaglobaladvisory.com Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode. Visit https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources, and join us on Patreon for an exclusive bonus episode for this special 6th anniversary episode where Lori reflects on the 6 years and why coming together to listen and make a difference still matters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Slow Down to Win: What the AI Rat Race Is Costing Your Organization with Lori Adams-Brown

  8. Jul 29

    From Peru to the Netherlands to Silicon Valley: Building Leaders Who Actually Get Culture with Maria Angela Calmet (Encore)

    Picture two fish swimming in a bowl. One asks the other, how's the water? The second fish replies, what's water? That's culture, says Maria Angela Calmet, and it's exactly why so many leaders never notice the assumptions shaping how their teams communicate, decide, and trust one another. In this episode Why cultural competence is now ranked among the World Economic Forum's top future-of-work skills The tree analogy: why cultural conflict happens at the roots, not the visible leaves and flowers A moment in Egypt that reframed how Maria thinks about trust across cultures Why unconscious bias isn't about being a bad person, it's assuming everyone shares your values What unique cultural dynamics women leaders face across Latin America, and what's changing About Maria Angela Calmet Maria Angela Calmet is the founder of Allopoli, where she helps global teams build cultural competence and identify unconscious bias to reduce conflict and maximize performance. Having lived across Peru, the Netherlands, and the United States, she is also the author of Lideresa, a leadership framework for women across Latin America. Timestamps Time Topic 00:00 Welcome, and the cultures that formed Maria 03:37 What led her to create Allopoli 05:03 Why she wrote Lideresa, and what she shares about her own mistakes 08:55 The two fish and the water metaphor 09:26 Why cultural competence is a top future-of-work skill 09:33 The tree analogy: roots, not leaves 12:55 Egalitarian vs. hierarchical decision-making across cultures 14:04 The moment in Egypt that changed how she thinks about trust 19:15 Four key leadership competencies beyond cultural dimensions 24:25 Unique dynamics facing women leaders in Latin America 32:17 A moment in the Netherlands that reframed directness as kindness 36:23 Closing thoughts: the roots, not just the leaves Find Maria Angela Calmet at Website: https://www.allopoli.com  |  Book: Lideresa, available on Amazon worldwide Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode. Visit https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources. Every leader I talk to on this show is navigating change of some kind. If you want to know where your own alignment gaps are, take the VOICE Framework assessment at https://www.bravaglobaladvisory.com/voice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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4.7
out of 5
38 Ratings

About

A World of Difference is a leadership podcast for executives and organizational leaders navigating change across cultures, industries, and continents. Hosted by Lori Adams-Brown, a strategic transformation executive with over 20 years of C-suite advisory experience, the show explores organizational effectiveness, executive development, and leadership development through real conversations with leaders who have built and led across borders. Each episode features leadership stories from places and travel destinations spanning six continents, bringing listeners cross-cultural communication insights drawn from lived experience, not theory. Lori's own background, including over 15 years as an expat in Indonesia and Singapore, shapes every conversation with a global mindset rarely found in mainstream leadership media. Topics covered include human intelligence in AI transformation and change management, global leadership and cultural intelligence, executive coaching and talent development, organizational behavior and behavioral science, C-suite advisory and board governance, workplace culture and employee engagement, human capital strategy, and international business leadership. Through leadership interviews across the world, listeners gain practical frameworks for leading through disruption, building trust across cultures, and aligning fast-moving technology adoption with the human systems that make it stick. With more than 300 episodes, 153,000+ downloads, and listeners in 100+ countries, A World of Difference ranks in the top 3% of podcasts globally. It is essential listening for world leaders, HR executives, CHROs, CPOs, organizational development leaders, management consultants, and anyone building or leading global teams across industries and across the globe.

Information

  • Creator
    Lori Adams-Brown
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    299
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2023 Lori Adams-Brown
  • Show Website
    A World of Difference

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