The Experimental Leader
Are you a business owner, executive, leader, team leader, aspiring future leader, leadership junkie, a scientist, a design thinker, or simply the leader of your own life? If you are, then you are a leader, and as such, you should be experimenting! Welcome to The Experimental Leader, a podcast where we tackle the ways leaders are experimenting in their own work. Hosted by Melanie Parish and Dr. Mel Rutherford, we dive into the most interesting questions about leaders and get into real-life conversations about how people might be experimenting with their leadership. What they are trying? How they are leading and managing their flow of work and throughput? How are they managing bottlenecks, mission, vision, strategic, operational, and tactical intents? How do they organize experiments? How do they succeed? How do they fail? How do they collect data? The loneliness of leadership can be overwhelming, especially when a leader gets promoted and doesn’t have a roadmap for how to lead. They might feel like they are supposed to have the answers, and yet they have to figure out what that really means. The hardest part can be not having anyone to talk to about their leadership journey. Fear not. Let Melanie Parish and Mel Rutherford be your guide to becoming the leader you were meant to be – an experimental leader! A public speaker, consultant, workshop leader, author, and Master Certified Coach through the International Coach Federation, from whom she received the Prism Award, Melanie is an expert in problem-solving, constraints management, operations, strategic hiring, and brand development. She has consulted and coached organizations ranging from a Fortune 50 company to IT start-ups receiving their first round of funding. Her individual clients include those in FAANG and other top global IT companies. Melanie is a Certified Professional Coactive Coach and, Organization and Relationship Systems Certified Coach, and a Theory of Constraints Certified Jonah. As an author, educator, and creator of The Experimental Leader program, Melanie shows people new ways of thinking about their leadership, informed by her understanding of the fast-paced ride of technology innovation. A professor in the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, and Canada Research Chair in Social Perception. Dr. Mel Rutherford graduated from Yale University and earned a Ph.D. in Psychology with an emphasis in Human Development from the University of California at Santa Barbara. A Fulbright Fellowship allowed Dr. Rutherford to study and collaborate with the well-known Simon Baron-Cohen in Cambridge, England. Dr. Rutherford also worked with Bruce Pennington and Sally Rogers at the University of Denver as a postdoctoral fellow. He now heads a dynamic research laboratory at McMaster University. Dr. Rutherford is well-known for research in the field of psychology and has been interviewed and quoted in The Globe and Mail, The London Times, The Chicago Times, CBC Radio, Quirks and Quarks, and The Discovery Channel, as well as many AP newspapers around the world. Get rid of the fear and doubt, and shift your leadership into something that works better. Every week, learn from top leaders about how they’re experimenting, how they’re leading, and how they’re doing the things that they do. Join us here on The Experimental Leader and step into leadership with confidence and the knowledge to start leading the experiment today!
Episodes
Unclear expectations can quietly undermine even the strongest teams. Miscommunication, frustration, reduced accountability, and stalled growth often stem from one overlooked leadership challenge: a lack of clarity.
In this episode of The Experimental Leader Podcast, Melanie Parish, MCC, and Dr. Mel Rutherford, PCC, welcome Georgia Thomas, former corporate lawyer, entrepreneur, and multi-business founder, to explore how leaders can b...
What if your biggest leadership challenge becomes your greatest opportunity?
In this episode of The Experimental Leader Podcast, Melanie Parish and Mel Rutherford explore how unexpected setbacks can become "lucky disasters" when leaders approach them with curiosity, resilience, and a willingness to adapt. Through personal stories—including an ice storm that sent a tree crashing into a swimming pool and a cross-country camping ...
In this episode of The Experimental Leader Podcast, Melanie Parish speaks with Dr. Mel Rutherford about leading through crisis, identity, and organizational transformation, drawing from his book The Glass Cliff: One Trans Man’s Leadership Odyssey.
The conversation explores the “glass cliff” phenomenon, where leaders from marginalized groups are often placed into high-risk leadership roles during periods of instabil...
In this episode of Traps and Tricks, Melanie Parish and Mel Rutherford explore two leadership challenges that often go hand in hand: criticism and emotions.
Why do leaders become defensive when receiving feedback? What happens when emotions are ignored in the workplace? And how can leaders respond with empathy while still maintaining accountability?
Melanie and Mel discuss how criticism can be valuable information, the impact of emot...
Welcome to Skill Up, the newest segment of The Experimental Leader Podcast, where Melanie Parish and Mel Rutherford break down practical leadership skills that help leaders grow, develop teams, and create lasting impact.
In this episode, Skill Up: Developing People, Melanie and Mel explore why employee development is one of the most powerful tools in leadership today. They discuss how strong leaders create opportunities for growth, ...
In this episode of The Experimental Leader Podcast, Melanie Parish and Mel Rutherford are joined by Jacob Chase, CEO of Infin, for a strategic exploration of leadership, accountability, and the future of human performance.
The discussion examines how organizations can evolve beyond traditional performance management systems and succession planning models that often fail to capture the full scope of individual and team contribution. ...
What makes people truly engaged at work? In this episode of The Experimental Leader, Dr. Roz Cohen joins the conversation to explore the power of connection, belonging, and human-centred leadership in today’s workplace.
As an inclusion strategist and founder of Socius Strategies, Dr. Roz shares insights from her work helping organizations build cultures rooted in trust, psychological safety, and meaningful relationships. Toget...
Burnout is not the cost of leadership. It is a signal.
In this episode of The Experimental Leader, we explore a more sustainable way to lead by moving beyond either or thinking and learning how to manage competing priorities more effectively.
This conversation focuses on balancing results and relationships, performance and well being, and leadership and personal life through a concept known as Polarity Intelligence.
Instead of chasing...
In this episode of The Experimental Leader, the show explores a trauma-sensitive perspective on leadership, examining how early relational experiences shape executive behaviour, emotional triggers, and decision-making patterns. The conversation highlights how fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses show up in the workplace—and what leaders can do to manage them effectively.
Start 2026 with a fresh take on leadership.
In this episode of The Experimental Leader, Mel Rutherford and Melanie Parish are joined by designer and community builder Paulo Gregory to explore leading through collective wisdom. They discuss the power of soft skills, non-hierarchical leadership, and collaboration, and how experimentation and trust can unlock innovation and shared ownership in teams.
A must-listen for leaders ready to r...
This episode dives into how leaders can use experimentation to navigate the intensity of the December season with more clarity, efficiency, and humanity. The conversation explores practical strategies for running purposeful meetings, setting clear expectations, and respecting time during a high-pressure month.
You’ll also hear fresh perspectives on blending personal and professional traditions, fostering cultural inclusivity, ...
In this episode, Dr. Torben Noerby—CEO of People & Performance, author of The Contextual Leader, and creator of the Contextual Leadership AI Bot (CLAI)—explores how leaders can adapt to their organizational context to drive performance, accountability, and collaboration.
Discover how contextual leadership helps shape culture and strengthen inclusivity, and learn how AI can become a powerful ally in navigating modern ...
In this month’s episode of The Experimental Leader Podcast, we explore what it takes to build leadership that lasts. The conversation covers the essentials of self-leadership, aligning words with actions, and the role of diversity in shaping stronger, more authentic leaders. You’ll hear insights on managing reputation, balancing transparency with credibility, and why empathy and quick apologies are vital when mistakes h...
In this episode of The Experimental Leader podcast, hosts Melanie Parrish and Mel Rutherford speak with Col. Bree Fram, one of the highest-ranking out transgender officers in the U.S. Space Force. Together, they explore the complexities of leading with authenticity, the unique strengths queer leaders bring to their work, and the emotional toll of being visible in challenging political times.
From the superpowers of queer leadership ...
In this episode of The Experimental Leader Podcast, hosts Melanie Parish and Mel Rutherford are joined by executive coach and ADHD expert Frankie Berkoben to explore how executive functioning and systems thinking can elevate leadership performance.
Frankie shares her unique approach to coaching high-performing leaders in tech—drawing from design thinking, behavioral psychology, and neurodiversity-informed practices. Together, ...
In this Pride Month episode of The Experimental Leader Podcast, hosts Mel Rutherford and Melanie Parish are joined by Dr. Liz Cavallaro, executive coach and author of Forging Queer Leaders.
Together, they explore how LGBTQ+ leaders leverage resilience, authenticity, and inclusivity to drive impactful leadership.
Packed with actionable insights on allyship, vulnerability, and embracing diverse perspectives, this episode is a powerful...
Celebrate International Coaching Week 2025 with this insightful episode exploring coaching’s evolving role in leadership. From AI advancements to maintaining a pure coaching mindset, this conversation offers practical tips, powerful questions, and valuable insights into how coaching fosters transformation, innovation, and shared leadership. Whether you're a coach, leader, or lifelong learner, this episode delivers inspiration...
Celebrate a remarkable milestone with The Experimental Leader Podcast as we mark five years of exploring leadership through innovation, curiosity, and authenticity. In this special anniversary episode, podcast founder Melanie Parish reflects on the journey that started during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Melanie shares candid insights into the challenges of hosting authentic conversations, the importance of curiosity and...
This episode of The Experimental Leader explores leadership challenges, the power of experimentation, and ethical influence.
Discover principles like bravery, reciprocity, and consistency, along with actionable insights to foster purpose-driven leadership and a values-aligned culture.
This episode explores the power of connection in leadership, emphasizing the importance of civility, respect, and understanding impact. Through real-life stories and practical strategies, it highlights how a coaching approach can simplify leadership by focusing on outcomes and relationships rather than conflict details.
Discover how fostering curiosity, navigating workplace dynamics, and experimenting with personal growth can transf...
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