Leading Minds Revealed

Michael Apollo
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Management
  • Weekly

Leading Minds Revealed explores how today’s leaders navigate change, make better decisions, build stronger teams, and turn strategy into action. Hosted by Michael Apollo — 3x founder, executive advisor, and former University of Toronto mindfulness program director — the show features candid conversations with executives, entrepreneurs, researchers, and changemakers shaping the future of work. Episodes explore leadership under pressure, organizational transformation, AI and the workforce, team effectiveness, trust, resilience, decision-making, and the human dynamics that determine whether change succeeds. Expect practical ideas, real-world experience, and perspectives you can apply to how you lead and work. Subscribe for full conversations, leadership insights, and short clips from Leading Minds Revealed.

  1. 4d ago

    How Humility Builds Trust Under Pressure | Marie Price | E143

    In this episode, Michael Apollo speaks with Marie Price, Director of Learning and Development at Idaho Forest Group, about why humility is an essential leadership capability in times of rapid change and uncertainty. Drawing on more than 20 years of experience in workforce development, manufacturing, and education, Marie shares how listening before acting, staying grounded in values, and taking ownership of mistakes can strengthen trust, credibility, and organizational culture.  We explore how leaders can move beyond the pressure to have all the answers, involve employees in shaping strategy, and build lasting relationships that support business performance and workforce development.  Through personal stories and practical examples, this conversation offers leaders actionable ways to slow down, make more informed decisions, and create environments where people feel respected, supported, and empowered to contribute. Leading Minds Revealed with Michael Apollo LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelapollo/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelapolloofficial/ Website: https://www.mindfulinstitute.org/leading-minds-revealed-podcast Newsletter: https://www.mindfulinstitute.org/leading-minds-revealed-podcast#section-1751049894114 Marie Price Director of Learning and Development, Idaho Forest Group LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marie-price-a5a15718/ Website: https://www.ifg.com/ Timestamps 00:00 – Introduction: Why Humility Matters in Leadership 03:00 – Humility as a Practical Leadership Discipline 06:00 – Letting Go of the Need to Prove Yourself 09:00 – Building a Culture of Trust and Community 11:45 – Why Relationships Matter for Long-Term Success 14:30 – Using Values as a North Star During Change 15:45 – Defining Personal Values That Guide Decisions 19:30 – Why Effective Leaders Listen Before Acting 21:45 – Listening With Your Eyes, Ears, and Heart 23:45 – Building Trust When Leading a New Team 28:45 – Taking Ownership of Mistakes and Rebuilding Trust 33:45 – Leading Without Having All the Answers 38:00 – Slowing Down So No One Gets Left Behind 41:30 – Practicing Humility Through Service 45:30 – Three Practical Ways to Lead With More Humility 47:15 – Final Reflections and Leadership Takeaways #LeadingMindsRevealed #LeadershipDevelopment #HumbleLeadership #ExecutiveLeadership #BuildingTrust

    How Humility Builds Trust Under Pressure | Marie Price | E143

  2. Oct 14

    How to Scale Without Bottlenecking Decisions | Sam Tabbara | E142

    In this episode, Michael Apollo speaks with Sam Tabbara, CEO and Co-Founder of Paradise Mobile and an experienced telecommunications and technology leader, about what it takes to lead through hypergrowth, disruption, and rapid transformation. We discuss why traditional hierarchies can become bottlenecks to execution, how leaders can unlock the collective intelligence of their organizations, and why transparency, decision autonomy, and humility become increasingly important as complexity grows. Sam shares practical examples from building Paradise Mobile, including empowering employees closest to the customer to solve problems, using AI to make organizational information more accessible, creating a culture where people are expected to challenge existing processes, and measuring his own leadership by how willing people are to tell him he is wrong. This conversation explores how leaders can move from controlling decisions to creating the conditions for faster learning, stronger trust, greater ownership, and more adaptive organizations. Leading Minds Revealed with Michael Apollo LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelapollo/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelapolloofficial/ Website: https://www.mindfulinstitute.org/leading-minds-revealed-podcast Newsletter: https://www.mindfulinstitute.org/leading-minds-revealed-podcast#section-1751049894114 Sam Tabbara CEO & Co-Founder, Paradise Mobile Website: http://www.paradisemobile.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/paradise-mobile/ Timestamps 00:00 — Leading through hypergrowth, disruption, and transformation 02:43 — Why organizations fail to use their collective intelligence 03:20 — How industrial-era management still shapes organizations 05:14 — Why speed and adaptability now matter more than efficiency alone 06:28 — Is the organizational pyramid becoming a liability? 08:48 — Leadership is a behaviour, not a title 09:33 — Moving from one-to-one hierarchy to fluid leadership 12:18 — Why AI transformation exposes organizational bottlenecks 13:35 — The two foundations of organizational transformation 14:09 — What leaders can learn from decentralized military decision-making 15:37 — The beliefs about people that keep leaders from letting go 17:03 — Managing for customer outcomes instead of employee activity 18:34 — Leadership based on value rather than status 20:21 — Designing Paradise Mobile for hypergrowth 21:32 — Why leaders should build more leaders 22:17 — Hiring for adaptability rather than credentials 24:14 — How a frontline employee built an AI solution 25:49 — Why traditional organizations turn simple ideas into long projects 27:08 — Building autonomy, candour, and faster execution 28:48 — A simple test for whether employees are truly empowered 29:36 — Why trust is so difficult to build and easy to lose 32:18 — Why information transparency creates trust 33:02 — Using AI to democratize organizational information 34:42 — What happens when organizations develop an “inner circle” 36:13 — An experiment in radical transparency 37:14 — When an employee heard leaders debating whether to hire him 38:17 — “I don’t need to agree with you to trust you” 39:26 — Why transparency requires vulnerability from leaders 41:21 — AI, information access, and the future of organizational structure 43:17 — Leadership as an ongoing practice of awareness 44:04 — Sam’s leadership feedback loop: who is willing to tell him he’s wrong? 45:14 — What leaders can actually control during uncertainty 46:01 — Why leaders must keep learning 48:33 — Creating space between reaction and response 49:10 — Paradise Mobile’s culture manifesto 50:08 — Three behaviours that can get someone fired at Paradise Mobile 51:02 — Why blindly following a process can become a performance problem 52:18 — Seeing yourself seeing the world 54:24 — How Sam’s upbringing shaped his approach to leadership 55:19 — Growing up through scarcity, conflict, and displacement 58:00 — Starting over as refugees in Canada 59:02 — What Sam learned from his parents about resilience 1:00:34 — Sam’s first job in telecommunications 1:02:13 — What happened when a junior engineer challenged the system 1:04:22 — “Ignorance on fire is better than intelligence on ice” 1:05:05 — Creating a culture where young employees are trusted to figure things out 1:06:21 — How life experience shapes leadership under uncertainty 1:07:20 — Why open systems require strength, humility, and emotional intelligence 1:08:16 — Final reflections on leadership and continuous learning #LeadingMindsRevealed #Leadership #OrganizationalCulture #Hypergrowth #FutureOfWork

    How to Scale Without Bottlenecking Decisions | Sam Tabbara | E142

  3. Sep 30

    Lead Through Uncertainty: Make Trust a Business Metric | Dylan Piatti | E141

    In this episode, Michael Apollo speaks with Dylan Piatti, Managing Director at Advantage Group International, about how leaders can navigate rapid technological, geopolitical, and organizational change without losing strategic focus or the human relationships that drive performance. We discuss iterative scenario planning, vulnerability and reverse mentorship, how leaders can distinguish meaningful strategic shifts from noise, and why trust, collaboration, communication, and partnership should increasingly be treated as measurable business metrics. Drawing on his work with organizations and senior executives across global markets, Dylan explores how proactive, transparent communication can preserve trust even when execution falls short, and how regular feedback loops can help leaders adapt without constantly resetting strategy. This conversation offers practical ways leaders and organizations can stay future-focused, challenge their assumptions, reduce reactivity, and build resilient, human-centered organizations as AI continues to reshape the nature of work. Leading Minds Revealed with Michael Apollo LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelapollo/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelapolloofficial/ Website: https://www.mindfulinstitute.org/leading-minds-revealed-podcast Newsletter: https://www.mindfulinstitute.org/leading-minds-revealed-podcast#section-1751049894114 Dylan Piatti Managing Director, Advantage Group International LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylanpiatti/ Website: https://www.advantagegroup.com/ Timestamps 00:00 — Leading with clarity, humanity and trust 02:30 — The leadership mindset needed for uncertainty 03:30 — Why leaders need ongoing scenario planning 06:40 — Managing context switching and competing priorities 09:00 — Vulnerability, reverse mentorship and continuous learning 14:00 — Thinking beyond the most obvious future 18:20 — The hidden pressure and loneliness of senior leadership 27:55 — How often should leaders revisit strategy? 30:00 — Learning to say no and protecting what creates value 33:00 — Turning trust and collaboration into hard metrics 38:50 — Listening, bias and challenging your assumptions 42:00 — Why trust is a measurable business advantage 51:20 — How organizational change can erode trust 54:00 — Why transparent communication matters during disruption 57:45 — How AI may change the nature of trust 59:45 — What a humanoid robot revealed about being human 1:02:00 — Why leadership becomes more human as technology advances #LeadingMindsRevealed #Leadership #StrategicLeadership #Trust #FutureOfWork

    Lead Through Uncertainty: Make Trust a Business Metric | Dylan Piatti | E141

  4. Sep 23

    Build Adaptability Into How Your Organization Works | Sahana Mukherjee | EP 140

    In this episode, Michael Apollo speaks with Sahana Mukherjee, Chief Strategy Officer at Providentia Advisors LLC and former Global Head of HR at Citi, about leading when uncertainty is a constant part of work. They discuss how digital transformation and AI are changing the pace of decision-making, why clarity matters more than a detailed plan, and how design thinking and systems thinking can help leaders identify friction across teams. Sahana shares practical ways to build trust, involve people in change, and make adoption part of everyday workflows. For leaders shaping the future of work, the conversation offers a way to connect cross-functional leadership with the decisions, processes, and human support an AI-enabled workforce needs. Leading Minds Revealed with Michael Apollo LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelapollo/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelapolloofficial/ Website: https://www.mindfulinstitute.org/leading-minds-revealed-podcast Newsletter: https://www.mindfulinstitute.org/leading-minds-revealed-podcast#section-1751049894114 Sahana Mukherjee Chief Strategy Officer, Providentia Advisors LLC Former Global Head of HR, Citi Website: https://sahanamukherjee.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sahanamukherjee/ Founder, Unveiled: Bridging the Gap Timestamps 00:00 — Why uncertainty calls for a different approach to leadership 03:00 — How the pace and reach of change have shifted 06:00 — Choosing clarity over certainty 09:00 — Connecting the technical roadmap to the human experience 12:00 — Design thinking for people; systems thinking for scale 16:00 — Finding friction across the workflow 20:00 — Rethinking operating models for AI transformation 25:00 — Building trust and bringing people into change 31:00 — Decision frameworks and priorities that reduce overwhelm 36:00 — Connecting strategy, execution, and measurable impact 41:00 — Why Sahana moved from engineering toward human behaviour 45:00 — Designing systems that can adapt 49:00 — Unveiled and equitable access to career opportunities #LeadingMindsRevealed #DigitalTransformation #ChangeLeadership #FutureOfWork #AIWorkforce

    Build Adaptability Into How Your Organization Works | Sahana Mukherjee | EP 140

  5. Sep 9

    How Leaders Make Hard Decisions Under Pressure | Filomena Tassi | EP 139

    In this episode, Michael Apollo speaks with The Honourable Filomena Tassi, P.C., Senior Advisor at Barrack Hill Public Affairs and a former federal Cabinet Minister and Member of Parliament, about how leaders can make difficult decisions with integrity, clarity, and compassion when the stakes are high. We discuss how she stayed grounded through the pace and pressure of public office, why thorough briefings and trusted counsel are essential to sound judgment, and how deep listening builds trust—even when a final decision cannot satisfy everyone. Drawing on her experience navigating the Port of Montreal strike during COVID-19 and bringing mindfulness into the House of Commons, Filomena offers practical ways leaders can hear competing perspectives, take difficult meetings, communicate honestly, and choose the most responsible path when no option is perfect. This conversation explores how presence, humility, and respect without agreement can help executives, teams, and organizations make better decisions, sustain trust, and lead without losing sight of who they are. Leading Minds Revealed with Michael Apollo LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelapollo/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelapolloofficial/ Website: https://www.mindfulinstitute.org/leading-minds-revealed-podcast Newsletter: https://www.mindfulinstitute.org/leading-minds-revealed-podcast#section-1751049894114 The Honourable Filomena Tassi, P.C. Senior Advisor, Barrack Hill Public Affairs Website: http://www.barrack-hill.ca LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/filomenatassi Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/Dbop3lTv88N/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FilomenaTassi/ Timestamps: 00:00 Leading with integrity when decisions have consequences 02:00 From law and chaplaincy to federal politics 07:00 Staying grounded in a high-pressure leadership role 12:00 Mindfulness, reflection, and physical exercise 15:00 A framework for making well-informed decisions 21:00 Carrying the weight of leadership responsibility 23:00 Giving your best and taking the leap 27:00 The Port of Montreal strike: when no choice is easy 30:00 Why leaders must take difficult meetings 34:00 Mindfulness as preparation for deep listening 37:00 How listening builds trust 40:00 Listening without judgment or an agenda 45:00 Bringing mindful moments to Parliament 47:00 Jon Kabat-Zinn, protesters, and the power of presence 50:00 Why respect does not require agreement 52:00 Closing reflections and connecting with Filomena #LeadingMindsRevealed #ExecutiveLeadership #LeadershipUnderPressure #DecisionMaking #DeepListening

    How Leaders Make Hard Decisions Under Pressure | Filomena Tassi | EP 139

  6. Aug 19

    How to Lead Through AI Without Losing the Human Edge | Scott Morgan | EP 138

    In this episode, Michael Apollo speaks with Scott Morgan, General Manager at Thomson Reuters, an accomplished operating executive with 25 years of experience helping technology companies create value, accelerate growth, and scale through strategic transformation.  We discuss how leaders can navigate AI adoption and workforce change without losing the human core of leadership, including the pressure to improve efficiency, the importance of change management and employee enablement, and why judgment, creativity, empathy, trust, and psychological safety become even more important as technology reshapes work. Scott shares practical perspectives on introducing AI incrementally, redesigning roles rather than simply eliminating them, communicating openly during periods of uncertainty, and building high-performing teams that can adapt while carrying culture.  This conversation offers executives, senior leaders, and organizational decision-makers a grounded approach to treating AI as a partner while maintaining the human capabilities and relationships required for sustained performance. Leading Minds Revealed with Michael Apollo LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelapollo/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelapolloofficial/ Website: https://www.mindfulinstitute.org/leading-minds-revealed-podcast Newsletter: https://www.mindfulinstitute.org/leading-minds-revealed-podcast#section-1751049894114 Scott Morgan General Manager, Thomson Reuters Website: http://tr.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottemorgan/ Timestamps 00:00 — Why leadership must remain human in an AI-enabled world 02:00 — What leaders are misunderstanding about AI 04:00 — Avoiding the dehumanization of the workplace 05:00 — AI adoption, workforce fear and organizational pressure 07:00 — Why change management matters in AI transformation 08:00 — Scott’s 30% approach to introducing AI into work 10:00 — The risks of prioritizing efficiency over humanity 11:00 — AI as a partner, not a replacement 13:00 — Why human skills become more valuable as work changes 15:00 — Balancing executive pressure with bottom-up adoption 16:00 — Redesigning roles instead of simply eliminating them 18:00 — Communication, trust and high-performing teams 19:00 — Using bottom-up experimentation to drive AI adoption 20:00 — Why great leadership starts with “How are you doing?” 22:00 — Psychological safety and the human factors of performance 23:00 — How Scott thinks about selecting and building teams 25:00 — Why organizations shouldn’t overlook their “B players” 28:00 — Developing people during periods of rapid change 29:00 — How service, stewardship and accountability shaped Scott’s leadership 31:00 — Scott’s most important principle for leaders today 32:00 — Psychological safety, relatability and leading through uncertainty 34:00 — Closing reflections and where to connect with Scott #LeadingMindsRevealed #Leadership #ExecutiveLeadership #AILeadership #FutureOfWork #HumanCenteredLeadership #ChangeLeadership #PsychologicalSafety #OrganizationalChange #ArtificialIntelligence

    How to Lead Through AI Without Losing the Human Edge | Scott Morgan | EP 138

  7. Aug 5

    Lead Others by First Leading Yourself | Rudy Newbury | EP 137

    In this episode, Michael Apollo speaks with Rudy Newbury, Chief Programs Officer at Taproot , about why effective leadership begins with a healthy relationship with oneself. Drawing on his experience in government, non-profits, Indigenous relations, children and family services, executive coaching, and organizational transformation, Rudy explores how self-awareness, healing, emotional regulation, and authentic relationships shape the way leaders show up. We discuss practical approaches to cultivating presence, developing mid-level leaders through coaching, navigating conflict without becoming defensive, leading people through organizational change, and introducing AI in ways that protect human connection, confidentiality, and organizational values. This conversation offers leaders practical ways to become more grounded, listen more deeply, create developmental relationships, and build cultures where people feel seen, heard, and understood. Leading Minds Revealed with Michael Apollo LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelapollo/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelapolloofficial/ Website: https://www.mindfulinstitute.org/leading-minds-revealed-podcast Newsletter: https://www.mindfulinstitute.org/leading-minds-revealed-podcast#section-1751049894114 Rudy Newbury Chief Programs Officer, Taproot Website: https://taproot.ca/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rudy-newbury-91716b77/ Timestamps 00:00 – Why healing and self-relationship matter in leadership 02:15 – Leadership as a practice of healthy relationships 03:00 – What it means to have a healthy relationship with yourself 04:15 – Practical first steps: journaling, reflection, and grounding 05:45 – How presence helps leaders move through overwhelm 07:40 – The impact of putting down distractions and becoming present 08:50 – Why leaders cannot take people somewhere they have not been 10:30 – Building genuine relationships across distributed teams 11:00 – Developing mid-level managers through a coaching culture 12:05 – Helping people feel seen, heard, and understood 13:00 – What prevents leaders from being fully present 14:15 – Using breathing and intentional pauses to begin meetings 15:35 – Leading organizational transformation alongside employees 17:30 – Creating developmental relationships at work 18:10 – Using AI to reduce administrative demands 19:15 – Addressing employee apprehension about AI 21:00 – Practices that strengthen grounded leadership 22:00 – Why silence is an essential leadership skill 23:30 – The importance of community, mentors, and wise advisors 24:30 – Lessons from Indigenous ceremony and healing practices 26:00 – Recognizing that wisdom exists throughout an organization 27:00 – Why leadership sometimes means knowing whom to follow 29:50 – Responding to conflict with curiosity instead of defensiveness 32:20 – How self-awareness changes behaviour in difficult moments 33:30 – Building a balanced and developmental relationship with AI 35:00 – Why human connection must remain the priority 37:15 – Where to begin with healing-centred leadership 38:25 – Setting clear intentions for coaching conversations 39:20 – Learning more about Taproot and Rudy’s work 40:30 – Leadership as deeply human work #LeadingMindsRevealed #LeadershipDevelopment #ExecutiveLeadership #SelfAwareness #OrganizationalCulture

    Lead Others by First Leading Yourself | Rudy Newbury | EP 137

  8. Jul 1

    Leading Through Urgency Without Panic | Jordan Redshaw | EP 136

    In this episode, Michael Apollo speaks with Jordan Redshaw, Vice President, Strategy and Corporate Communications at NATIONAL Public Relations, about how leaders can navigate crisis, urgency, and rapid change without creating unnecessary panic.  We discuss how to distinguish between a true crisis and an urgent issue, why a clear North Star helps teams stay focused under pressure, and how trust, empathy, decentralized leadership, and clear communication support stronger decision-making.  Drawing on Jordan’s experience in crisis response, stakeholder relations, high-pressure client advisory, and the Fort McMurray wildfire response and recovery, this conversation offers practical insight for leaders, executives, teams, and organizations seeking to lead with greater clarity, calm, and confidence during uncertain times. Leading Minds Revealed with Michael Apollo LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelapollo/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelapolloofficial/ Website: https://www.mindfulinstitute.org/leading-minds-revealed-podcast Newsletter: https://www.mindfulinstitute.org/leading-minds-revealed-podcast#section-1751049894114 Guest Jordan Redshaw Vice President, Strategy and Corporate Communications NATIONAL Public Relations Email: jredshaw@national.ca Website: https://www.national.ca/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanredshaw/ Timestamps 00:00 Introduction: Leading Through Crisis, Urgency, and Change 02:00 Why Leadership Feels Harder in an Age of Urgency 03:00 The Importance of Clear Outcomes and Simple Communication 04:30 Why Organizations Lose Their North Star 06:00 Calm, Confidence, and Clarity from Senior Leaders 08:30 How a Clear Mission Enables Decentralized Leadership 10:30 What Happens When Teams Lack Direction 12:30 Crisis vs. Urgent Issue: How Leaders Can Tell the Difference 14:00 Why Long-Term Trust Matters More Than Short-Term Reputation Management 16:00 Preventing Reactivity and Emotional Contagion in Leadership Teams 17:00 Building Trust Before Problems Escalate 18:30 Giving Teams Visibility Into What’s Ahead 20:00 Listening to Loud and Quiet Voices in the Room 23:30 AI, Change, and the Need for Humble Leadership 24:30 Supporting the Next Generation of Talent 26:00 Why Attitude Matters in Hiring and Development 29:30 How NATIONAL Builds Leadership Skills Through Training and Exposure 32:00 Breaking Down Silos and Aligning Communications Around Business Outcomes 35:00 Lessons from the Fort McMurray Wildfire Response 36:00 Leading with Empathy Under Extreme Stress 38:00 Selflessness, Service, and Human Behaviour in Crisis 39:30 The Power of a Clear Mission During Emergency Response 41:00 How Listening to Frontline Insight Shaped Recovery Support 44:00 What High-Performing Teams Have in Common 45:00 Empowerment, Trust, and Fast Decision-Making 48:30 Jordan’s Closing Advice for Leaders Facing Pressure 49:00 Look Inward First: What Environment Are You Creating? 49:30 Prioritization, Control, and Influence 50:30 Helping People Grow Through Leadership 52:30 How to Connect with Jordan Redshaw 53:00 Closing Reflections #LeadingMindsRevealed #Leadership

    Leading Through Urgency Without Panic | Jordan Redshaw | EP 136
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About

Leading Minds Revealed explores how today’s leaders navigate change, make better decisions, build stronger teams, and turn strategy into action. Hosted by Michael Apollo — 3x founder, executive advisor, and former University of Toronto mindfulness program director — the show features candid conversations with executives, entrepreneurs, researchers, and changemakers shaping the future of work. Episodes explore leadership under pressure, organizational transformation, AI and the workforce, team effectiveness, trust, resilience, decision-making, and the human dynamics that determine whether change succeeds. Expect practical ideas, real-world experience, and perspectives you can apply to how you lead and work. Subscribe for full conversations, leadership insights, and short clips from Leading Minds Revealed.

Information

  • Creator
    Michael Apollo
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    44
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 | All Rights Reserved
  • Show Website
    Leading Minds Revealed