The Marcel Podcast

Episode recap 
 
If you are a champion of human-centered leadership and want to see your people flourish, Marcel would love to speak with you to explore partnership opportunities. Book a call here: https://calendly.com/marcelschwantes/discovery-call?month=2026-02  
 
What happens when the success you’ve been chasing no longer feels meaningful? In this season finale, Marcel sits down with six-time book award-winning author Justin Jones-Fosu to discuss his new book, Stop Chasing, Start Creating. Using a fresh take on the Tortoise and the Hare, Justin explores the tension between external achievement and internal fulfillment—and what it takes to stop living by comparison and start living in alignment with your values. 
 
Bio:
 
Justin Jones-Fosu is a 6x book award-winning author, 2x TEDx speaker, and CEO of Work. Meaningful, and Chairperson of the Work Meaningful Foundation. He helps leaders and high-achievers navigate information fatigue and shift from chasing external success to creating meaningful work and life. His latest book, Stop Chasing, Start Creating, is a powerful fable that reimagines success through the untold story of the tortoise. 
 
Timestamp:
00:00 Stop Chasing, Start Creating 04:18 Justin’s Story 06:36 The Tortoise and the Hare Reimagined 10:14 What Makes Life Meaningful? 13:13 Three Ways to Find Personal Alignment 18:16 Ambition, Values, and the Right Direction 21:14 Rethinking Success at Any Age 23:39 Breaking the Social Media Validation Cycle 25:37 The Meaning Journey Model 28:33 Building Meaningful Habits 31:07 Being a Tortoise in the Modern Workplace 35:14 Choosing Values Over External Success 38:42 One Step to Start Creating Meaning 41:30 Meaning, Burnout, and Peace 42:35 How Leaders Help People Flourish 45:22 Where to Find Justin and His Book
 
About the Show: 
The Marcel Podcast (formerly the Love in Action podcast) ranks in the top 2% of all podcasts globally and is distributed in 160 countries. The show features deep conversations with the world's top leadership experts, authors, scientists, and thought leaders about what it means to flourish as leaders and human beings. Episodes are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you get your podcasts. If you like what you hear, follow us and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. 
 
Now Accepting Podcast Sponsors:   If interested in sponsoring an episode, contact Marcel here: https://www.marcelschwantes.com/contact/
 
 
Connect with Justin Jones-Fosu: 
 
Website: https://workmeaningful.com/  
Book: https://stopchasingstartcreating.com/  
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iworkmeaningful  
Values Assessment  
 
 
Connect with Marcel Schwantes: 
 
Substack: https://marcelschwantes.substack.com/  
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/marcelschwantes/    
X: https://x.com/MarcelSchwantes  
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@MarcelSchwantes1  
Instagram: https://instagram.com/marcel.schwantes/
 

Episode recap 
 
If you are a champion of human-centered leadership and want to see your people flourish, Marcel would love to speak with you to explore partnership opportunities. Book a call here: https://calendly.com/marcelschwantes/discovery-call?month=2026-02
 
Bio:
 
Dr. Gleb Tsipursky, PhD, is CEO of Disaster Avoidance Experts and a behavioral scientist who helps leaders adopt AI without overpaying or alienating their people. Author of seven books, his work appears in Harvard Business Review, Fortune, and Forbes. He lives in Columbus, Ohio. 
 
Timestamp:
 
00:00 The AI Adoption Gap 04:33 Dr. Gleb Tsipursky’s Story 06:31 What Disaster Avoidance Experts Do 07:03 Why AI Adoption Fails 11:27 Three Psychological Blockers 18:09 Addressing Fear of Job Loss 21:50 What Is Shadow AI? 23:50 Making AI Use More Open 26:30 Psychological Safety and Experimentation 27:43 Measuring AI Success 30:51 AI and the Future of Work 32:48 The Human Side of AI Adoption 33:49 Where to Find Dr. Gleb Tsipursky
 
About the Show: 
The Marcel Podcast (formerly the Love in Action podcast) ranks in the top 2% of all podcasts globally and is distributed in 160 countries. The show features deep conversations with the world's top leadership experts, authors, scientists, and thought leaders about what it means to flourish as leaders and human beings. Episodes are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you get your podcasts. If you like what you hear, be sure to follow us and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. 
 
Now Accepting Podcast Sponsors:   If interested in sponsoring an episode, contact Marcel here: https://www.marcelschwantes.com/contact/
 
Connect with Dr. Gleb Tsipursky: 
 
Website: https://disasteravoidanceexperts.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-gleb-tsipursky/  
 
Connect with Marcel Schwantes: 
 
Substack: https://marcelschwantes.substack.com/  
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/marcelschwantes/    
X: https://x.com/MarcelSchwantes  
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@MarcelSchwantes1  
Instagram: https://instagram.com/marcel.schwantes/ 

If you are a champion of human-centered leadership and want to see your managers and people flourish, there are two ways to do it: 
Join my growing Substack community for $8.00/month. 
          https://marcelschwantes.substack.com/subscribe 
Book a call with me to explore partnership opportunities. https://calendly.com/marcelschwantes/discovery-call?month=2026-02 
 
Episode recap  
Marcel explores relational presence—the ability to make people feel seen, heard, and valued through focused attention. He explains that strong leaders listen before acting, ask clarifying questions, and stay emotionally available rather than rushing to fix problems. As AI and digital communication grow, these human relational skills will become even more important for building connection, trust, and healthy workplaces. Do you have relational intelligence? Find out by listening to this short solo episode with a globally respected leadership authority.
 
Bio:
Marcel Schwantes is a leadership coach, speaker, author, and advocate for more humane workplaces. Marcel’s work includes: 
Leadership coaching
Leadership development courses
Keynote speaking, workshops, and offsite retreats
Executive roundtables and culture strategy sessions 
Marcel is the author of Humane Leadership: Lead with Radical Love, Be a Kick-Ass Boss. Whether coaching a CEO or training a leadership team, Marcel’s #1 goal is the same: To help leaders and the people they lead flourish as human beings.
 
Timeline:
00:00 The Communication Paradox at Work 01:01 What Relational Presence Actually Means 02:36 Why Available Doesn't Equal Present 03:27 The Sally One-on-One 04:50 Principle One: Attention Before Action 06:00 Principle Two: Emotional Availability 07:44 What Business Schools Get Wrong 08:20 Relational Intelligence in the Age of AI 09:00 The One-Conversation Challenge 09:37 Human Flourishing and Full Attention 11:04 Substack and Closing
 
About the Show: 
 
The Marcel Podcast (formerly the Love in Action podcast) ranks in the top 2% of all podcasts globally and is distributed in 160 countries. The show features deep conversations with the world's top leadership experts, authors, scientists, and thought leaders about what it means to flourish as leaders and human beings. Episodes are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you get your podcasts. If you like what you hear, be sure to follow us and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.  Now Accepting Podcast Sponsors:   If interested in sponsoring an episode, contact Marcel here: https://www.marcelschwantes.com/contact/
 
Connect/follow Marcel on: 
 
Substack: https://marcelschwantes.substack.com/  
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/marcelschwantes/    
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@MarcelSchwantes1  
Instagram: https://instagram.com/marcel.schwantes/  
 
 

Episode recap 
 
If you are a champion of human-centered leadership and want to see your people flourish, Marcel would love to speak with you to explore partnership opportunities. Book a call here: https://calendly.com/marcelschwantes/discovery-call?month=2026-02  
 
In my latest conversation on The Marcel Podcast, I sat down with author, keynote speaker, and executive coach Bruce Mayhew to explore what it really means to become an inspired leader. Bruce’s own journey—from a quiet, introverted kid who often felt unnoticed to a trusted leadership advisor—shaped much of our conversation. We explored some very practical leadership questions: 
How do you balance care and accountability? 
What does it take to build trust and transparency on a team? 
How can leaders create a strong microculture, even when the larger organizational culture isn’t ideal? 
How can leaders better understand the goals and aspirations of the people they lead? 
One message stood out: Leaders don’t have to wait for the organization to create a great culture. They can begin creating one within their own team.
 
Bio:
Bruce Mayhew is a corporate trainer, keynote speaker, executive coach, and author of The Path of an Inspired Leader. His leadership combines emotional intelligence with strategic vision, blending human-centered and forward-thinking approaches. Featured on major Canadian media, his insights appear in Fast Company, HuffPost, and The Globe & Mail. He lives in Ontario, Canada.
 
Timestamp:
[00:00:03] – Welcome and Introduction to Inspired Leadership
[00:02:22] – Bruce’s Canadian Roots and Warming Up the Conversation
[00:02:48] – From Quiet Introvert to Finding a Voice
[00:05:09] – Discovering Human Skills at McDonald’s
[00:08:26] – Curiosity, Growth Mindset, and Loving New Ideas
[00:10:57] – Why Bruce Wrote The Path of an Inspired Leader
[00:14:09] – What Is an Inspired Leader?
[00:19:42] – Accountability as a Two‑Way Street
[00:20:35] – Microculture: Culture at the Ground Level
[00:24:48] – Transforming a Broken Team Culture
[00:30:28] – Knowing People’s Stories and Career Goals
[00:35:41] – Time‑Machine Advice to His Younger Self
[00:36:43] – Book Recommendations for Leaders
 
 
About the Show: 
The Marcel Podcast (formerly the Love in Action podcast) ranks in the top 2% of all podcasts globally and is distributed in 160 countries. The show features deep conversations with the world's top leadership experts, authors, scientists, and thought leaders about what it means to flourish as leaders and human beings. Episodes are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you get your podcasts. If you like what you hear, be sure to follow us and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. 
 
Now Accepting Podcast Sponsors:   If interested in sponsoring an episode, contact Marcel here: https://www.marcelschwantes.com/contact/
 
Connect with Bruce Mayhew: 
 
Website - https://brucemayhewconsulting.com/  
Book: https://brucemayhewconsulting.com/book  
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brucemayhewconsulting/  
 
Connect with Marcel Schwantes: 
 
Substack: https://marcelschwantes.substack.com/  
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/marcelschwantes/    
X: https://x.com/MarcelSchwantes  
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@MarcelSchwantes1  
Instagram: https://instagram.com/marcel.schwantes/
 

Episode recap 
 
If you are a champion of human-centered leadership and want to see your people flourish, Marcel would love to speak with you to explore partnership opportunities. Book a call here: https://calendly.com/marcelschwantes/discovery-call?month=2026-02 
 
In this episode, Marcel talks with Jay Abbasi about resilience, conscious leadership, and navigating pressure. Jay shares lessons from Tesla, introduces his resilience formula of energy, space, and choice, and explains how leaders can handle conflict, empower others, and focus on what they can control.
 
Bio:
 
Jay Abbasi is a sought-after speaker, trainer, and coach specializing in mindfulness, resilience, and leadership development. He has worked with Fortune 500 companies and coached leaders from Google, Amazon, and Wells Fargo, combining corporate experience with deep psychological insights. His practical strategies help individuals and teams thrive under pressure.
 
Timestamp:
 
[00:00:04] – Reintroducing the Marcel Podcast and Guest Jay Abbasi 
[00:02:02] – From Burnout in Finance to a Wake-Up Call 
[00:03:49] – SolarCity, Tesla, and Learning Adaptability Under Pressure 
[00:06:00] – Inside Tesla: Chaos, Change, and Emotional Leadership Stories 
[00:09:09] – The Roller Coaster of Entrepreneurship and Trusting Intuition 
[00:16:48] – The Resilience Formula: Energy + Space + Choice 
[00:19:14] – EPAs: Energy-Producing Activities for Body, Mind, and Connection 
[00:22:23] – Creating Space: Boundaries, Mindfulness, and “Mind FREENESS” 
[00:30:00] – What Is Conscious Leadership? 
[00:32:17] – Be the Captain, Not the Hero 
[00:34:04] – How AI Fits into Human-Centered Leadership 
[00:36:31] – Navigating Conflict with Curiosity and Psychological Safety 
[00:45:37] – Letting Go of Control and Owning Your Power of Choice 
 
About the Show: 
The Marcel Podcast (formerly the Love in Action podcast) ranks in the top 2% of all podcasts globally and is distributed in 160 countries. The show features deep conversations with the world's top leadership experts, authors, scientists, and thought leaders about what it means to flourish as leaders and human beings. Episodes are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you get your podcasts. If you like what you hear, be sure to follow us and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. 
Now Accepting Podcast Sponsors:   If interested in sponsoring an episode, contact Marcel here: https://www.marcelschwantes.com/contact/
 
Connect with Jay Abbasi:
Website - https://jayabbasi.me/
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayabbasi/
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@jayabbasipodcast
 
Follow Marcel:
Substack: https://marcelschwantes.substack.com/  
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/marcelschwantes/    
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@MarcelSchwantes1  
Instagram: https://instagram.com/marcel.schwantes/

Episode recap:
 
On August 26, at 12:00 noon Eastern Time, I’m teaching a live Leadership Trust Workshop. Registration is open now. Go to the link below and reserve your place. Seats are limited. Register here: 
https://www.frombosstoleader.co/trusted-leader-workshop 
 
In this solo episode of The Marcel Podcast, Marcel challenges leaders to rethink workplaces built primarily for output and efficiency—especially in the age of AI—and instead design environments where people can genuinely flourish. Marcel closes with an invitation to his upcoming Leadership Trust Workshop for leaders who want stronger relationships, greater ownership, and healthier teams. Register here: 
https://www.frombosstoleader.co/trusted-leader-workshop 
 
Bio:
 
Marcel Schwantes is a leadership coach, speaker, author, and advocate for more humane workplaces. Marcel’s work includes: 
Leadership coaching 
Leadership development courses 
Keynote speaking, workshops, and offsite retreats 
Executive roundtables and culture strategy sessions 
 
Marcel is the author of Humane Leadership: Lead with Radical Love, Be a Kick-Ass Boss. Whether coaching a CEO or training a leadership team, Marcel’s #1 goal is the same: To help leaders and the people they lead flourish as human beings.
 
Timestamp:
0:00 – Welcome back, summer in Chattanooga, and invitation to connect on LinkedIn, X, and Substack
0:40 – Calling out the cliché “people are our greatest asset” vs. what the data really shows
1:10 – The real problem: workplaces optimized for output, not human flourishing (especially with AI)
1:45 – Are your people just surviving work or actually growing as human beings because of it?
2:10 – The fear-based belief that focusing on people will hurt performance
2:40 – Human-centered leaders: why putting people first drives better business outcomes
3:10 – The future winners: companies where people feel valued and challenged to become better humans
3:40 – Designing work differently: respect, dignity, and empowerment vs. transactional environments
4:10 – Human-centered conviction: every person matters, even when they’re not in the room
4:30 – Practical Step 1: Three questions to ask in your next leadership meeting
5:00 – Practical Step 2: Replacing control with trust plus clear expectations and accountability
5:35 – Showing up as a leader: intention, authenticity, and telling the truth (good, bad, and ugly)
6:00 – Practical Step 3: Defining what “great work” and “a good job” actually mean for your people
6:35 – Bigger vision: workplaces where people grow, heal, and become better versions of themselves
7:05 – The beauty of trust and why Marcel is committed to building flourishing workplaces
7:30 – Invitation: Live Leadership Trust Workshop – August 26, 12:00 p.m. Eastern on Zoom
8:05 – What you’ll get: diagnose breakdowns, learn trust-building behaviors, and leave with a 30‑day action plan 
 
 
About the Show: 
 
The Marcel Podcast (formerly the Love in Action podcast) ranks in the top 2% of all podcasts globally and is distributed in 160 countries. The show features deep conversations with the world's top leadership experts, authors, scientists, and thought leaders about what it means to flourish as leaders and human beings. Episodes are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you get your podcasts. If you like what you hear, be sure to follow us and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. 
 
Now Accepting Podcast Sponsors:  
 
If interested in sponsoring an episode, contact Marcel here: https://www.marcelschwantes.com/contact/
 
Follow Marcel:
 
Substack: https://marcelschwantes.substack.com/  
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/marcelschwantes/    
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@MarcelSchwantes1  
Instagram: https://instagram.com/marcel.schwantes/
 
 

Join Marcel for a live Leadership Trust Workshop on August 26 at 12:00 noon Eastern. Register here: https://www.frombosstoleader.co/trusted-leader-workshop
 
Episode recap:
Many leaders believe trust must be earned. But if you’re the leader, waiting for your people to go first may be exactly what’s weakening your culture. 
In this solo episode, Marcel Schwantes explains why trust begins when leaders take the first step. Drawing from his book, Humane Leadership, and the research, he explores three foundations of leadership trust—credibility, empathy, and consistency—and shares practical ways to strengthen each one.  
 
Bio:
Marcel Schwantes is a leadership coach, speaker, author, and advocate for more humane workplaces. Marcel’s work includes: 
Leadership coaching 
Leadership development courses 
Keynote speaking and workshops 
Executive roundtables and culture strategy sessions 
 
Marcel is the author of Humane Leadership: Lead with Radical Love, Be a Kick-Ass Boss. Whether coaching a CEO or training a leadership team, Marcel’s #1 goal is the same: To help leaders become the kind of people others want to follow
 
Timeline:
 
00:00 – Welcome & why trust is the foundation of effective leadership  
00:40 – Blunt truth: If your people don’t trust you, nothing else will stick  
01:25 – Compliance vs. commitment: why “doing what they’re told” isn’t real trust  
02:05 – Do your people feel safe telling you the truth and making honest mistakes?  
02:55 – Disrupting the belief that “trust must be earned”: why leaders go first  
03:40 – How mistrust acts as a hidden tax on speed, innovation, and collaboration  
04:35 – Making trust operational: how it changes ownership, decision-making, and purpose  
05:26 – Pillar 1: Credibility – telling the truth about reality, not pretending to know it all  
06:05 – Why small, broken commitments (not big betrayals) quietly erode trust  
07:00 – Humility as a credibility builder: “I got that wrong” as a strength  
07:40 – A weekly question: What commitment have I made that someone is still waiting for me to keep?  
08:25 – Pillar 2: Empathy – assuming positive intent and leading with curiosity, not suspicion  
09:10 – Shifting from judgment to curiosity: “Help me understand what happened from your point of view”  
10:00 – Listening beneath the words: pressures, needs, and the human impact of decisions  
10:35 – Story: A VP takes responsibility for lack of support and transforms the room  
10:58 – Pillar 3: Consistency – being “predictably human” so people feel safe around you  
11:30 – How mood‑driven leadership makes teams manage your emotions instead of their work  
12:05 – Values under pressure: respect, honesty, and accountability when things get hard  
12:45 – How patterns of kept promises and honest conversations compound into culture  
13:30 – The 3‑part self‑check for any 1:1, team meeting, or tough conversation  
13:50 – Question 1: What would credibility require from me here?  
14:20 – Question 2: What would empathy require from me here?  
14:45 – Question 3: What would consistency require from me here?  
15:15 – You don’t need a new personality—just a repeatable practice around trust  
16:00 – Invitation: Live Leadership Trust Workshop – August 26, 12:00 p.m. Eastern  
16:40 – What you’ll get: deeper dive into the three pillars + 30‑day action plan  
17:10 – Closing: When better humans lead, teams, organizations, and communities flourish
 
 
About the Show: 
 
The Marcel Podcast (formerly the Love in Action podcast) ranks in the top 2% of all podcasts globally and is distributed in 160 countries. The show features deep conversations with the world's top leadership experts, authors, scientists, and thought leaders about what it means to flourish as leaders and human beings. Episodes are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you get your podcasts. If you like what you hear, be sure to follow us and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. 
 
Now Accepting Podcast Sponsors:  
 
If interested in sponsoring an episode, contact Marcel here: https://www.marcelschwantes.com/contact/
 
Follow Marcel:
 
Substack: https://marcelschwantes.substack.com/  
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/marcelschwantes/    
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@MarcelSchwantes1  
Instagram: https://instagram.com/marcel.schwantes/
 
 
 
 

Episode recap:
 
If you are a champion of human-centered leadership and want to see your people flourish, Marcel would love to speak with you to explore partnership opportunities. Book a call here: https://calendly.com/marcelschwantes/discovery-call?month=2026-02
 
Bio:
 
Mark Abbott is the Founder and CEO of Ninety, which helps leadership teams build extraordinarily productive, humane, and resilient companies. He is a serial entrepreneur, investor, coach, and author who is widely regarded as a pioneering voice in modern company-building.
 
Timeline:
 
00:00 – Welcome and introduction to Mark Abbott and Ninety  
02:00 – Mark’s personal story and competitive drive  
03:20 – “I help founders build great leaders”  
05:00 – From banking and private equity to building Ninety  
07:10 – Why culture really matters (beyond perks)  
08:35 – Three types of culture: relationship, agreements, principles  
12:30 – Matching culture to pace and ambiguity of your market  
14:10 – What it means to build a “humane” culture  
15:35 – Ideal employee profile vs. ideal customer profile  
17:00 – The five elements at the soul of a company  
18:00 – The global leadership deficit and self‑serving leaders  
21:00 – How Ninety and AI support culture and leadership habits  
23:00 – Quarterly conversations, feedback, and agreements  
25:20 – When high‑growth companies “lose their way” culturally  
27:00 – High care vs. high performance: getting the balance wrong  
30:30 – The real job of every leader: helping the company win  
31:50 – Complexity of leadership: leading, managing, coaching, mentoring  
35:00 – Thinking in stages of development as you scale  
38:00 – Advice for first‑ and second‑time founders  
40:00 – Ego development and the inner journey of a leader  
42:00 – One thing leaders must do to truly flourish today  
42:56 – Where to find Mark and learn more about Ninety  
 
About the Show: 
 
The Marcel Podcast (previously the Love in Action podcast) is ranked in the top 2% of all podcasts globally and is distributed to 160 countries. The show features deep conversations with the world's top leadership experts, authors, scientists, and thought leaders about what it means to flourish as leaders and human beings. Episodes are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you get your podcasts. If you like what you hear, be sure to follow us and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. 
 
Free tool:  
 
Discover how much employee turnover may be truly costing your organization. Get your free employee turnover cost calculator here: https://marcel-schwantes-zvbpnt.subscribepage.io/  
  
Now Accepting Podcast Sponsors:  
 
If interested in sponsoring an episode, contact Marcel here: https://www.marcelschwantes.com/contact/
 

If you are a champion of human-centered leadership and want to see your people flourish, Marcel would love to speak with you to explore partnership opportunities. Book a call here: https://calendly.com/marcelschwantes/discovery-call?month=2026-02  
 
Today’s guest is award-winning social psychologist Dr. Ron Friedman, author of Superteams. After surveying thousands of teams, Friedman found that the most successful teams aren’t the ones that collaborate most, get along best, or put in the longest hours. What really sets them apart is the way they manage their energy and attention, bring out the best in one another, and keep improving over time. 
 
Bio:
 
Ron Friedman, PhD, is an award-winning psychologist who helps leaders build high-performing teams. He is the bestselling author of The Best Place to Work and Decoding Greatness. His new book, Superteams, reveals what the best teams do differently. Ron delivers keynotes, workshops, and executive advisory to senior leaders around the world.
 
Timestamps:
 
[00:00] High Performing Teams And Introducing Dr Ron Friedman [02:45] Ron’s Background From Professor To Corporate Pollster [04:00] What Sparked The Research Behind Super Teams [05:15] How The Study Worked And Three Strengths Of Super Teams [08:26] Do We Work Best In The Office Remote Or Hybrid [10:21] The One Workplace Perk That Predicts High Performance [13:03] Why Leaders Overlook Quiet Focus And Single Tasking [14:49] How Personal Productivity Hacks Hurt Team Performance [16:09] Useless Meetings And How Super Teams Avoid Them [18:33] Look Forward Look Backward Stay Present For Better Days [21:41] How Super Teams Structure Their Time Proactively [22:03] The Three Ingredients Of Trust At Work [24:52] Beating Burnout By Cutting Meaningless Work And Using Off Hours Well [26:55] Why Most Feedback Fails And How To Focus On The Future [29:56] Conflict Disagreement And Using Pre Mortems To Improve Decisions [32:47] Turning A Struggling Leadership Group Into A True Team [35:53] The Biggest Misconception About High Performance And Long Hours [39:03] How Super Teams Use AI Without Fear And Share Prompts [40:55] Where To Find Ron And How To Bring Super Teams Practices To Your Organization 
 
About the Show: 
 
The Marcel Podcast (previously the Love in Action podcast) is ranked in the top 2% of all podcasts globally and is distributed to 160 countries. The show features deep conversations with the world's top leadership experts, authors, scientists, and thought leaders about what it means to flourish as leaders and human beings. Episodes are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you get your podcasts. If you like what you hear, be sure to follow us and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. 
 
Free tool:  
 
Discover how much employee turnover may be truly costing your organization. Get your free employee turnover cost calculator here: https://marcel-schwantes-zvbpnt.subscribepage.io/  
  
Now Accepting Podcast Sponsors:  
 
If interested in sponsoring an episode, contact Marcel here: https://www.marcelschwantes.com/contact/

If you are a champion of human-centered leadership and want to see your people flourish, Marcel would love to speak with you to explore partnership opportunities. Book a call here: https://calendly.com/marcelschwantes/discovery-call?month=2026-02
 
In this episode of The Marcel Podcast, Marcel talks with Dusty Holcomb, founder and CEO of The Arcqus Group, about leadership in the age of AI. Dusty shares why leaders must not let AI distract them from the fundamentals: clear outcomes, self-leadership, accountability, and communication that keeps people connected to the work that matters.
 
Bio:
Dusty Holcomb is CEO of Arcqus Group, a keynote speaker, an executive advisor, and a catalyst for growth-focused executives.
 
Timestamps:
0:00 – Welcome back & podcast rebrand 
02:05 – Meet Dusty Holcomb & The Arcqus Group 
04:57 – Dusty's leadership journey and early influences 
08:26 – The leadership lesson that changed everything 
10:41 – Leaving corporate to launch Arcqus 
12:30 – Leading in the age of AI 
14:05 – Advice for first-time CEOs 
15:49 – Why reflection is a leadership superpower 
16:37 – Blind Spot #1: Lack of clarity 
20:31 – Blind Spot #2: Chasing AI tools instead of outcomes 
22:10 – Five questions every team member should answer 
23:58 – From mercenaries to missionaries 
25:03 – Why self-leadership comes first 
29:56 – Two simple self-leadership practices 
32:51 – Redefining accountability 
36:10 – Why great leaders repeat themselves 
40:31 – Living your organization's values 
40:57 – A leadership habit that builds trust 
43:40 – Leadership fundamentals in the AI era 
45:46 – Give yourself grace and space to think 
47:20 – Dusty's free leadership resource 
48:21 – Where to connect with Dusty 
49:22 – Final thoughts & closing 
 
 
About the Show: 
 
The Marcel Podcast (previously the Love in Action podcast) is ranked in the top 2% of all podcasts globally and is distributed to 160 countries. The show features deep conversations with the world's top leadership experts, authors, scientists, and thought leaders about what it means to flourish as leaders and human beings. Episodes are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you get your podcasts. If you like what you hear, be sure to follow us and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. 
 
Free tool:  
 
Discover how much employee turnover may be truly costing your organization. Get your free employee turnover cost calculator here: https://marcel-schwantes-zvbpnt.subscribepage.io/  
  
Now Accepting Podcast Sponsors:  
 
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