The Change Agent Podcast

The Change Agent Podcast
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THE CHANGE AGENT PODCAST Most leadership content is built around the assumption that you have time to reflect, space to course-correct, and a margin for error. This show is for when you don't. The Change Agent is a podcast about leadership in consequential environments where the decisions are hard, the resources are never enough, and getting it wrong means something. Guests aren't theorists. They're operators: people who have actually led through the mess; through failed projects, fractured teams, missed windows, and moments where the only path forward ran straight through the thing they were most afraid to do. Every episode is a real conversation about the real work. Not what the textbook says. Not what the keynote sounds like. What it actually took to hold the line, move the team, and deliver on something that mattered. You'll hear from people who've commanded units under fire and people who've rebuilt cultures from near collapse. From project managers who turned around initiatives written off as lost causes, to executives who've had to make calls that couldn't be undone. What they share isn't a framework. It's the thing they learned after the framework stopped working. The conversation is practical and intentionlly though provoking. We talk about how leaders make decisions when information is incomplete, how you maintain credibility when things are falling apart around you, and what good communication looks like in an environment where trust is thin and stakes are high. How you hold a team together when the mission feels impossible and what you take away from it when you get to the other side. If you've ever led something that genuinely mattered and felt the weight of that, this podcast will feel like a conversation you didn't know you needed. If you're still building toward that kind of leadership this is the map that doesn't get handed out in class. The Change Agent Podcast is hosted by Eric Adams, an experienced leader with more than 26 years in combat, commercial, and senior level leadership experience. His work has been centered in high-pressure, mission-critical environments spanning complex operations, geospatial intelligence programs, and organizational change. He holds the PMP and SAFe Agile certifications. New episodes drop regularly. Subscribe wherever you listen, and if an episode hits, share it with someone in the thick of it. The work continues so stay tuned and make sure you subscribe! Our Website: https://www.thechangeagent.studio Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/thechangeagentpodcast/posts YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheChangeAgentPodcast Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-change-agent-podcast/id1794550342 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4LoAakYrrg60ld766wKqto?si=OjaQfNF9RbiRH1GCzxOtsw

  1. Ukraine's Hidden Resistance - Amber French Griette and The Change Agent Podcast

    4d ago

    Ukraine's Hidden Resistance - Amber French Griette and The Change Agent Podcast

    Amber French-Griette leads the Organization for Nonviolent Movements in France and has spent more than a decade studying how ordinary people defend freedom without weapons. In this episode she breaks down the discipline behind that work, what over 420 documented nonviolent tactics look like in practice, and why Ukraine's civilian resistance is not a footnote to its military campaign but a second channel of power operating alongside it. She talks through the inaugural issue of the journal Across Fault Lines, published in partnership with Columbia University Press, which makes the case that Europe is leaving real power on the table by not understanding what Ukraine's civic shield is actually doing. The conversation also goes into what leadership feels like eight months into building an organization at the edge of a conflict, working across defense circles where these ideas are still far from mainstream. Hit play if you want a different frame for understanding what is happening in Ukraine. 00:00 Introduction 00:55 How the war in Ukraine reshaped ONM's work 02:34 Defining strategic nonviolent conflict and unarmed civilian defense 05:21 Ukraine's civilian resistance beyond the battlefield 10:16 The 420 documented tactics and how they function 17:25 Preserving Ukrainian cultural heritage as frontline defense 21:14 Across Fault Lines: the inaugural journal and its arguments 28:23 Oleksandra Matviichuk and the human dimension of the war 33:23 Partnering with the countering violent extremism world 47:01 Leading an early-stage organization with a large mission 54:52 How ONM measures impact and what success looks like Amber French-Griette LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amber-french-griette Amber French-Griette at ICNC: https://www.nonviolent-conflict.org/contributor/amber-french/ Organization for Nonviolent Movements: https://nonviolent-movements.org/ Our Stuff Our website: https://www.thechangeagent.studio Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheChangeAgentPodcast Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-change-agent-podcast/id1794550342 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4LoAakYrrg60ld766wKqto?si=OjaQfNF9RbiRH1GCzxOtsw Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thechangeagentpodcast?igsh=OXRoZmp5Z2FhdjJm Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1WtowvBVkr/?mibextid=wwXIfr Music licensed via Soundstripe Song: Healed Artist: Cody Martin ContentID: OGHSFOKWVFH214LU

    1h 9m
  2. Mothers Still Waiting - Ukraine - Mariam Lambert and The Emile Foundation - The Change Agent Podcast

    May 22

    Mothers Still Waiting - Ukraine - Mariam Lambert and The Emile Foundation - The Change Agent Podcast

    The Emile Foundation works two cases: 48 infants from the Kherson orphanage and children with disabilities from the Oleshky boarding school, all with living relatives waiting, in many cases without a word, for years. Finding one child can take two months or several years. The Russians are the only ones who can authorise a release. Every country, every institution failed these children. One recent peace proposal offered armistice with no accountability for war crimes. Treating oil access as a higher priority than stolen children is not diplomacy. Childhood has an expiry date. That lands differently once you have heard a mother describe finding a single memory, a ballet lesson her daughter half-remembered, to convince a child she was her mother. 00:00 Introduction 05:10 From volunteer to full-time: the moment Mariam chose this life 10:00 What it costs to walk away from security for a cause 15:30 The scale of Russia's child deportation operation 20:45 How the crime extended to teachers, nurses, and businesses 25:00 The Emile Foundation's two pilot cases and the return process 30:00 What families go through while they wait 36:00 The international community: an honest assessment 42:30 Peace deals, accountability, and why armistice without justice fails victims 48:30 The Seven Women Seven Lives campaign and the mothers still waiting 54:30 Why return and justice must run in parallel 57:00 How Mariam stays in it Mariam Lambert LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariam-lambert-43527a3a/ Emile Foundation Website: https://emilefoundation.org/ Our Stuff Our website: https://www.thechangeagent.studio Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheChangeAgentPodcast Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-change-agent-podcast/id1794550342 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4LoAakYrrg60ld766wKqto?si=OjaQfNF9RbiRH1GCzxOtsw Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thechangeagentpodcast?igsh=OXRoZmp5Z2FhdjJm Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1WtowvBVkr/?mibextid=wwXIfr Music licensed via Soundstripe Song: Winds of Change Artist: Four Trees ContentID: RKQSKSJCG9XNSTHB

    1h 8m
  3. The Blueprint for Change - Wani Iris Manly

    May 19

    The Blueprint for Change - Wani Iris Manly

    Wani Iris Manly is an attorney, keynote speaker, and strategic advisor who left a successful law career in Miami to start over in Paris with no contacts, no plan, and no certainty about what came next. In this episode, she explains why most organizations misread resistance as a process problem when it is actually a fear of identity loss, and what leaders should do about it. She walks through her six-part Change Blueprint framework, shares the self-destructive pattern she sees most often in high achievers, and argues that change is a skillset to be built rather than an event to manage. Her closing message is one she developed on the streets of Paris when she had nothing but the decision she had made: success is inevitable, but only if you stop making failure an option. If you are leading people through uncertainty right now, this one is worth your time. Wani Iris Manly Strategic Advisory: https://wanimanly.com/strategic-advisory/ Wani Iris Manly LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wani-iris-manly-esq-44510a5a/ Our Stuff Our website: https://www.thechangeagent.studio Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheChangeAgentPodcast Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-change-agent-podcast/id1794550342 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4LoAakYrrg60ld766wKqto?si=OjaQfNF9RbiRH1GCzxOtsw Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thechangeagentpodcast?igsh=OXRoZmp5Z2FhdjJm Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1WtowvBVkr/?mibextid=wwXIfr Music licensed via Soundstripe Song: Studied Abroad Artist: Neon Beach ContentID: TMU3DXXJUIZOODH2

    43 min
  4. Dr. Kevin Mays - Upgrade Your Leadership

    Apr 28

    Dr. Kevin Mays - Upgrade Your Leadership

    Dr. Kevin Mays returns to The Change Agent Podcast for a third conversation, and this one gets uncomfortably honest. The episode explores why capable leaders crack under pressure, why authority becomes a trap, and what the inner work of real leadership actually demands. Dr. Mays draws on his new book, Upgrade Your Leadership, to explain the neuroscience behind reactive behavior and the practices that can change it. If this conversation makes you think differently about how you show up as a leader, subscribing and leaving a review helps the show reach more people who need it. The conversation opens with a question Dr. Mays keeps encountering: why do high performers fail the moment they have to lead people? Their identity is built around being right. That attachment blocks curiosity, breeds reactivity, and creates a blind spot no framework fixes. He introduces the robot brain and the caveman brain to explain how neural programming formed in early childhood gets reactivated under pressure decades later, producing the anger and defensiveness that leaders mistake for strength. Disengagement in an organization is a mirror. If people are checked out and the person at the top is pointing fingers, they are looking in the wrong direction. The fear that building capable, independent people makes you redundant is just the old scripting running the show again. The episode closes with the one discipline everything else depends on: presence. Two minutes of focused breathing, done consistently, rewires the circuitry. That is where the upgrade begins 00:00 Introduction and context 05:30 Self-awareness as the prerequisite for leadership 10:07 The genius brain and the caveman brain explained 17:44 Pressure exposes what frameworks cannot fix 22:13 Emotional regulation as a daily practice, not a moment skill 29:00 Why authority produces diminishing returns 33:15 The fear behind failing to develop other leaders 38:00 Executive presence and the practice of presence 46:07 Control masquerading as responsibility 52:00 Planting seeds and the inside job of leadership Dr. Kevin Mays Website: https://www.upgradeyourleadership.com Dr. Kevin Mays Website: https://maysleadership.com/ Dr. Kevin Mays LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-kevin-mays Our Stuff Our website: https://www.thechangeagent.studio Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheChangeAgentPodcast Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-change-agent-podcast/id1794550342 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4LoAakYrrg60ld766wKqto?si=OjaQfNF9RbiRH1GCzxOtsw Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thechangeagentpodcast?igsh=OXRoZmp5Z2FhdjJm Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1WtowvBVkr/?mibextid=wwXIfr Music licensed via Soundstripe Song: Studied Abroad Artist: Neon Beach ContentID: NEKHIFV6MKWF7OVE

    52 min
  5. Dr. Valentina Schneider - Know Your Empathy

    Apr 20

    Dr. Valentina Schneider - Know Your Empathy

    Dr. Valentina Schneider returns to The Change Agent for a second conversation, and this one gets into the research that most leadership advice skips. Valentina recently moved from her PhD work at London Business School into applied leadership advisory, and she brings both the data and the real-world context to bear on a single, uncomfortable question: what if the empathy leaders are praised for is actually making them less effective? The episode centers on the difference between cognitive and affective empathy, two distinct processes that science has long separated but leadership training still treats as one. Valentina walks through what each type looks like in practice, why one produces better outcomes across nearly every leadership scenario her research examined, and what happens neurologically when a leader absorbs the emotional state of the room rather than reading it. The conversation also covers narcissism, vulnerability, anger management, and the specific pressures female leaders face. If you lead people or work alongside leaders, this episode is worth your time. 00:00 Introduction and Valentina's transition to industry 05:00 Why empathy became a top leadership demand after COVID 08:00 Cognitive vs affective empathy explained 12:00 How each type of empathy plays out when letting someone go 16:00 Emotional contagion and why it makes leaders change course 20:00 The bias problem inside affective empathy 27:00 Cognitive empathy as the leadership superpower 33:00 Empathy, gender labels, and the authority double standard 38:00 Using empathy to defuse anger in the room 43:00 Vulnerability at work and when it backfires 48:00 One thing every leader should take away Dr. Valentina Schneider LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valentina-sara-schneider-phd/ Our Stuff Our website: https://www.thechangeagent.studio Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheChangeAgentPodcast Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-change-agent-podcast/id1794550342 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4LoAakYrrg60ld766wKqto?si=OjaQfNF9RbiRH1GCzxOtsw Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thechangeagentpodcast?igsh=OXRoZmp5Z2FhdjJm Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1WtowvBVkr/?mibextid=wwXIfr Music licensed via Soundstripe Song: Studied Abroad Artist: Neon Beach ContentID: LQIWHSG1OOG3LI3I

    52 min
  6. Behind It All - with Eric Adams

    Apr 18 ·  Bonus

    Behind It All - with Eric Adams

    Eric Adams started The Change Agent Podcast in February 2025 with a conviction that leadership had a personal side most shows were ignoring. In this episode, the camera turns around. Producer Tonya sits down with Eric to ask the questions he normally asks everyone else: why he built this, what it costs, and where he intends to take it. The podcast began as an audio-only experiment in basic management principles. But somewhere in that first year, Eric noticed he kept gravitating toward something harder to teach: what actually makes a person worth following. The episodes shifted. Empathetic leadership. Leading under conflict. The structural content gave way to the personal, and the show found its footing. The move to video in early 2026 was not just a format change. Eric describes it as a shift in the relationship with the listener. Video demands your eyes. That demand, they found, matched the weight of the conversations they were starting to have. Tonya pulls back the curtain on what one episode actually takes: roughly 40 hours of work before a single frame records. Guest research. Question development. One-sheets. Pre-conversations. The workflow that holds it together. Eric talks about what keeps that effort going across more than a year, and the answer has two parts. The first is mission. The second is competitive: he wants this to be the best podcast out there, and he means it. The conversation lands on what Eric believes every guest on the show has shared, regardless of their field or their stakes. He names Valentina Schneider, Oleksandra Matviichuk, Olga Rudnieva as examples. Not one of them, he says, led with process. Every single one led with care. That thread, running through every episode, is what the show is really about. What Eric wants in two years is not a follower count. He wants the Change Agent Podcast to be the name that comes to mind when someone hears about consequential leadership and asks where they can learn more. If you have never listened before, this is the episode that shows you exactly what you would be signing up for. 00:00 Introduction and why this episode is different 02:25 From audio only to video and what changed 04:20 The hardest part of hosting: research and tonal switching 06:18 What every great guest has had in common 08:13 How the show filters and sometimes turns away guests 11:45 Where the show is headed in two years 13:27 Why this podcast matters to Eric personally 15:16 What keeps the work going after more than a year 18:17 Every episode is a different canvas. Our Stuff Our website: https://www.thechangeagent.studio Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheChangeAgentPodcast Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-change-agent-podcast/id1794550342 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4LoAakYrrg60ld766wKqto?si=OjaQfNF9RbiRH1GCzxOtsw Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thechangeagentpodcast?igsh=OXRoZmp5Z2FhdjJm Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1WtowvBVkr/?mibextid=wwXIfr Music: Studied Abroad - by Neon Beach ContentID (Soundstripe): ARAFPVTBKIQCY9ZD

    24 min
  7. The Art of Neuro-Focused Leadership - with Gillian Nycum

    Apr 13

    The Art of Neuro-Focused Leadership - with Gillian Nycum

    Gillian Nycum works at the intersection of neuroscience, neurodiversity, and systems thinking. In this episode, she argues that effective leadership starts with understanding how the nervous system shapes behavior under pressure, not just in theory but in the moments when it matters most. If this conversation is useful to you, subscribing and leaving a review helps The Change Agent Podcast reach more people doing this kind of work. She opens with the distinction between neurodiversity and neuropluralism, and the cost of organizations built around a single dominant neurotype. Neurodivergent employees spend their energy conforming rather than contributing what makes them distinctive. From there she walks through what happens when fear activates in a leader who knows they should act, her framework of practice, skill, and humility for closing that gap, and why shared vision consistently outperforms command and control when complexity increases. The closing argument is about presence. Leaders running on chronic urgency gradually lose the ability to sense what is actually happening around them. Staying regulated is not a wellness add-on. It is what makes effective leadership possible. 00:00 Introduction 05:04 Neuropluralism and the cost of conformity 10:33 Practice, skill, and humility framework 15:08 Where traditional leadership models break down 19:46 Trauma-informed leadership in practice 25:00 Internal Family Systems and reactive patterns 29:40 Systems thinking and what leadership training misses 37:20 Identity transitions and imposter syndrome 41:19 Presence as a structural leadership strategy 45:22 What neuropluralist organizations look like Gillian's Links: Gillian Nycum LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gillian-nycum/ Gillian Nycum Website: https://www.gilliannycum.com Gillian Nycum Substack: https://gillianaltanycum.substack.com/ Gillian Nycum Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gillian_nycum/ Our Stuff Our website: https://www.thechangeagent.studio Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheChangeAgentPodcast Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-change-agent-podcast/id1794550342 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4LoAakYrrg60ld766wKqto?si=OjaQfNF9RbiRH1GCzxOtsw Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thechangeagentpodcast?igsh=OXRoZmp5Z2FhdjJm Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1WtowvBVkr/?mibextid=wwXIfr Music licensed via Soundstripe Song: Lost in Paradise Artist: In This World ContentID: IXOLUDW3OSR6ZVZM

    49 min
  8. Beyond the Comfort Zone - Jo Tarnawsky

    Apr 5

    Beyond the Comfort Zone - Jo Tarnawsky

    Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheChangeAgentPodcast Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheChangeAgentPodcast Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-change-agent-podcast/id1794550342 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4LoAakYrrg60ld766wKqto?si=OjaQfNF9RbiRH1GCzxOtsw What does leadership look like when power, pressure, and personal integrity collide? In this episode of The Change Agent, Eric sits down with former senior government leader Jo Tarnawsky to examine what really happens inside high-stakes leadership environments—from diplomacy and politics to challenging organizational environments. Drawing on her experience at the highest levels of public service, Jo shares what most people never see: the informal power dynamics, the hidden negotiations, and the difficult leadership decisions that happen far from public view.  This conversation explores the realities of institutional leadership, why high-performing ethical leaders are often targeted in unhealthy cultures, and what courage actually requires when silence feels safer than action. Jo also discusses her personal experience navigating adversity after challenging powerful systems, and how leaders can protect their identity and purpose when titles and positions change. This is a discussion about consequential leadership—what it demands, what it costs, and why integrity often requires difficult choices. Topics discussed include:How power actually works behind the scenes in government and institutionsWhy leadership success often depends on unseen influence and negotiationEarly warning signs of toxic organizational culturesWhy high-performing leaders can become targets in unhealthy systemsThe real meaning of courage in leadership environmentsThe professional and personal risks of speaking truth to powerLeadership identity beyond titles and positionsHow small acts of courage shape culture over timeTimestamps:00:00 Introduction 01:05 What leadership inside government really looks like 12:08 How power and influence actually shape decisions 15:12 Recognizing toxic cultures early 20:01 Courage and the risks of speaking up 35:18 Leadership identity after adversity 40:42 Purpose-driven leadership after crisis 41:40 The long-term cost of leadership silence 43:58 Final leadership lessons on courage About Jo Tarnawsky:Jo Tarnawsky is a former senior government leader and advisor who has worked at the highest levels of diplomacy, politics, and public administration. Today she focuses on leadership advocacy, speaking, and advising organizations on power dynamics, workplace culture, and ethical leadership. Connect with Jo Tarnawsky:Jo's Tarnawsky's Website: https://www.jotarnawsky.com/Jo's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jo-t-94568417a/ Jo's Substack: https://substack.com/@jotarnawsky

    46 min
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About

THE CHANGE AGENT PODCAST Most leadership content is built around the assumption that you have time to reflect, space to course-correct, and a margin for error. This show is for when you don't. The Change Agent is a podcast about leadership in consequential environments where the decisions are hard, the resources are never enough, and getting it wrong means something. Guests aren't theorists. They're operators: people who have actually led through the mess; through failed projects, fractured teams, missed windows, and moments where the only path forward ran straight through the thing they were most afraid to do. Every episode is a real conversation about the real work. Not what the textbook says. Not what the keynote sounds like. What it actually took to hold the line, move the team, and deliver on something that mattered. You'll hear from people who've commanded units under fire and people who've rebuilt cultures from near collapse. From project managers who turned around initiatives written off as lost causes, to executives who've had to make calls that couldn't be undone. What they share isn't a framework. It's the thing they learned after the framework stopped working. The conversation is practical and intentionlly though provoking. We talk about how leaders make decisions when information is incomplete, how you maintain credibility when things are falling apart around you, and what good communication looks like in an environment where trust is thin and stakes are high. How you hold a team together when the mission feels impossible and what you take away from it when you get to the other side. If you've ever led something that genuinely mattered and felt the weight of that, this podcast will feel like a conversation you didn't know you needed. If you're still building toward that kind of leadership this is the map that doesn't get handed out in class. The Change Agent Podcast is hosted by Eric Adams, an experienced leader with more than 26 years in combat, commercial, and senior level leadership experience. His work has been centered in high-pressure, mission-critical environments spanning complex operations, geospatial intelligence programs, and organizational change. He holds the PMP and SAFe Agile certifications. New episodes drop regularly. Subscribe wherever you listen, and if an episode hits, share it with someone in the thick of it. The work continues so stay tuned and make sure you subscribe! Our Website: https://www.thechangeagent.studio Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/thechangeagentpodcast/posts YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheChangeAgentPodcast Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-change-agent-podcast/id1794550342 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4LoAakYrrg60ld766wKqto?si=OjaQfNF9RbiRH1GCzxOtsw

Information

  • Creator
    The Change Agent Podcast
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    53
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Change Agent Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Change Agent Podcast