TruthWorks

n this episode of Truth Works, Jessica Neal sits down with Alex Pentland, MIT professor and one of the world’s leading data scientists, to explore how human networks really function.

Alex Pentland, often called one of the “most powerful data scientists in the world” — has spent decades decoding how information, collaboration, and social trust flow inside organizations. From his pioneering work at the MIT Media Lab to advising global...

This week on the Truth Works podcast, Jessica Neal sits down with Bob Sutton, Michael Arena, and Beth Steinberg to unpack one of the most debated topics in organizational design — flat vs hierarchical structures.

Drawing on lessons from companies like GM, Nvidia, and Netflix, they explore how culture, leadership, and network dynamics drive innovation and accountability. From Michael Arena’s experience at General Motors to Beth Stein...

This week on Truth Works, Jessica Neal sits down with Patrick Leddin — former U.S. Army Ranger, Fortune 500 consultant, professor, and bestselling author of Disrupt Everything and Win (co-written with James Patterson). Patrick shares how he’s led through constant change — from the military to corporate boardrooms to academia — and what it truly takes to navigate disruption without burning out.

In this episode, Patrick breaks down hi...

Mark Thompson and Byron Loflin have been inside more boardrooms than most people could ever imagine — advising Fortune 500 CEOs, coaching global founders, and helping shape the leadership culture of the world’s most powerful companies.

In this rare, unfiltered conversation, they break down the real psychology of leadership — what happens when power, purpose, and pressure collide. They reveal the patterns they’ve seen across hundreds...

Robert Glazer built one of the world’s leading performance marketing agencies — scaling Acceleration Partners into a global firm serving top brands around the world.
But somewhere along the way, growth stopped feeling good.

In this episode, Robert opens up about the moment he realized that achievement without alignment can quietly hollow you out. He talks about how values shape every decision, why drive without purpose leads to ...

Anne-Laure Le Cunff has spent years decoding how our minds actually work — and why modern life keeps breaking them.
A former Google strategist turned founder of Ness Labs, she left one of the world’s most intense environments to study neuroscience and re-imagine productivity through self-awareness and mental clarity.

In this conversation, we go beyond the buzzwords. We talk about why burnout is not a failure of willpower, how ou...

What does it take to drive real, lasting change inside organizations? In this episode of Truth Works, Jessica Neal sits down with Rosabeth Moss Kanter — Harvard Business School professor, trailblazing author, and one of the world’s most influential thinkers on leadership and strategy.

Rosabeth has spent decades studying how companies rise, adapt, and lead through transformation. From pioneering research on innovation and change mana...

In this episode of Truth Works, Jessica Neal sits down with William Vanderbloemen, founder and CEO of the Vanderbloemen Search Group, pastor-turned-entrepreneur, and author of Next: Pastoral Succession That Works.

 William’s career is a rare intersection of ministry, business, and leadership. From serving as a pastor to building one of the most respected executive search firms for churches, nonprofits, and faith-based organizations,...

In this episode of the Truth Works Podcast, host Jessica Neal welcomes Richard Ezekiel — a seasoned executive, strategist, and thought leader in the world of partnerships.

Richard’s career spans venture-backed startups, Fortune 500 companies, and the broader innovation ecosystem. He has built and led transformative partnerships that drive growth, create customer value, and bring together organizations that otherwise might have remai...

On this solo episode of Truth Works, host Jessica Neal sits down with Eduardo Briceño, author of The Performance Paradox: Turning the Power of Mindset into Action and one of the world’s leading voices on growth mindset. 

From Caracas to Silicon Valley, VC to education, Eduardo unpacks how living in constant performance mode stalls progress—and how deliberately switching into the learning zone unlocks long-term excellence.

We get tact...

In this episode, Kweilin Ellingrud—Director at the McKinsey Global Institute and Senior Partner at McKinsey,

breaks down the gender pay gap as a solvable, data-driven problem. We trace where inequity actually begins (the “broken rung” at first promotion), how it compounds through performance reviews and caregiving penalties, and why “it’s just choices” doesn’t hold up once you control for role and tenure. 

Kweilin shares the fixes le...

In this episode of Truth Works, we sit down with Beth Steinberg, an organizational development and leadership expert with over 25 years of experience guiding companies through hypergrowth, IPOs, and acquisitions. As founder of Mensch Ventures and former People leader at Facebook, Sunrun, and BrightRoll, Beth has helped scale both startups and global enterprises by blending leadership coaching with people strategy and culture design...

In this episode of Truth Works, we welcome James Turk, author of The Giving Game. James is dedicated to helping organizations cultivate leaders who understand that generosity is not just a personal virtue, but a strategic advantage.

He explains how effective leadership is built on trust, collaboration, and the ability to give more than you take. Drawing on his research and experiences, James shows how “the giving mindset” transforms...

In this re-run episode of Truth Works, Nirav Tolia - co-founder and CEO of Nextdoor - shares an unfiltered look at the rollercoaster of startup leadership. From his early internet days at Yahoo to co-founding Nextdoor, Nirav reflects on the thrill of building something people love, the sting of being asked to step down, and the personal growth that came from failure. Now back at the helm, he discusses how he’s leading differently, ...

In this episode of Truth Works, hosts Jessica Neal and Bob Sutton sit down with Laszlo Bock, a trailblazer in the world of people analytics, and the former head of HR at Google. 

Laszlo shares his remarkable journey, including his time at Google and his transition into entrepreneurship. The conversation dives deep into the evolution of corporate culture, how data is transforming the way we hire, and the importance of challenging the...

In this thought-provoking episode of Truth Works, organizational visionary Michele Zanini joins Jessica Neal and Bob Sutton to unpack the tyranny of bureaucracy and the bold promise of humanocracy. Co-author of the updated book Humanocracy, Michele explains why traditional management systems fail to inspire innovation, agility, or meaning—and how companies like Netflix, Roche, and even the U.S. Army are rewriting the rules.

Together...

Why do we instinctively add when the better answer might be less?

In this episode of the Truth Works Podcast, we sit down with Leidy Klotz—behavioral scientist, engineer, and author of Subtract—to explore why subtraction is one of the most underused tools in problem-solving, design, and even life itself. From ancient architecture to modern innovation, Leidy unpacks the hidden bias that keeps us adding complexity instead of removing ...

This week on Truth Works, we’re joined by guest Alison Fragale, award-winning professor and author of Likeable Badass.

She brings sharp insight into leadership, power, and how women can thrive in high-stakes environments.

Welcome to Truth Works.

This month’s cohost is the brilliant Robert Sutton, back with fresh takes on workplace dynamics!

Chapters in this podcast

1. Introduction to Casual Conversations  
2. Explorin...

In this episode of Truth Works, Jessica Neal and Patty McCord break down the power, pitfalls, and practices of candid feedback—from Netflix boardrooms to personal moments that stick for life. Discover how feedback (both good and bad) becomes the engine of trust, growth, and culture.

This episode is a rerun but an important topic for us to keep in mind.

Topics & Timestamps:

• [00:00] Opening story: a small act of appreciatio...