Connect with Dan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danberger/
Connect with his speaking and book: https://www.danjberger.com/ & https://www.belongingquest.com/
Visit Assemble: https://assembleboise.com/
Take the Belonging Quiz: https://www.belongingquest.com/quiz

In this episode of Accessible Disruption, the Strategy Table team sits down with Dan Berger, the former founder of Social Tables and current CEO of Assemble Hospitality Group. The conversation spans Dan's prolific career, focusing on his transition from the high-velocity world of tech startups to his current ventures in "hardware," physical businesses ranging from home automation to high-end corporate retreat venues. Berger opens up about the personal evolution that informed his new direction, including his recent mental health journey and how it reshaped his understanding of leadership and human connection.

The central theme of the discussion is the science and psychology of "belonging," a topic Berger explores deeply in his book, The Quest. He breaks down the five-step process of fostering a sense of belonging within a team, starting with hospitality and safety, and argues that true belonging must first be established in one's personal life before it can be effectively cultivated in a professional environment. The group also dives into the logistics of meaningful collaboration, questioning whether traditional office environments or poorly planned corporate receptions are still relevant in a world increasingly dominated by remote work and a shift toward transactional employment.

Berger also presents several "counter-cultural" stances on workplace culture, most notably his argument that alcohol has no place in professional gatherings or off-sites because it can hinder productivity and lead to poor decision-making. He emphasizes the importance of data-driven leadership, sharing how he used AI to aggregate his own personality assessments into an "owner's manual" for his team. The episode concludes with practical advice for leaders on using Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) such as revenue and employee retention to measure belonging, and a call to action for listeners to explore their own "belonging archetypes."

In this episode of Accessible Disruption, the hosts are joined by Yush Sztalkoper, founder of NeuroSpark+, to tackle the overlooked "human capacity risk" inherent in today's rapid AI-driven transformations. Yush argues that while companies rigorously assess technical and financial risks, they often fail to evaluate if their workforce has the biological bandwidth to absorb change. She introduces her strategic approach, "stabilize first," positing that human nervous systems must be regulated and secure before they can effectively adopt new technologies; otherwise, organizations risk stalled adoption and widespread burnout.

The conversation dives deep into the intersection of neurodiversity and leadership, with Yush sharing how her journey raising a twice-exceptional son revealed that standard corporate systems often force individuals to "mask" their struggles until they reach a breaking point. She outlines her framework of five human domains, wiring, regulation, energy, processing, and belonging, and advocates for "universal design" in the workplace. By designing systems that support the "edges" (neurodivergent needs), leaders actually create better, more sustainable conditions for the entire workforce, preventing the "chronic override" that leads to exhaustion.

Finally, the group explores the practical application of AI as a "maximizer" rather than just a replacement, discussing how tools like large language models can act as accommodations that bridge executive function gaps for neurodivergent and neurotypical brains alike. The episode concludes with a call for leaders to move beyond rigid standard operating procedures and develop the empathy to recognize when their teams have hit their limits. To learn more about human readiness advisory, visit NeuroSpark+ or connect with Yush directly on LinkedIn.

In this episode of "Accessible Disruption," hosts Anthony Vade and Tahira Endean speak with Jenny Sauer-Klein about her career in making change accessible and appealing. Jenny shares how she first disrupted the traditional yoga world with AcroYoga, a practice she co-founded that combines yoga, acrobatics, and Thai massage. She contrasts the somber, individualistic nature of traditional yoga conferences with AcroYoga's exuberant, playful, and community-based approach. The practice was designed to reward strength as well as flexibility and emphasize that "we can do more together than we can alone".

Jenny explains that pioneering AcroYoga required overcoming participants' initial fears and limiting beliefs. The key was building trust and confidence through gradual, incremental steps and creating psychological safety. She used playful, non-acrobatic icebreakers to build rapport, enabling strangers to feel safe enough to try more risky physical movements together. Jenny later applied these values of trust, connection, and playfulness to the corporate world through "The Culture Conference". She also discusses the difficult decision to leave AcroYoga, which taught her the importance of letting go of projects and following what is "most alive".

The conversation focuses on Jenny's latest project, the "conference for conferences," which aims to disrupt boring, disembodied corporate events. She criticizes the standard "flat line" conference model, keynotes, breakout workshops, fireside chats, and panels, as a passive "sit and listen" experience. Instead, she advocates for minimizing information dissemination and maximizing the collaborative, interactive potential of in-person gatherings. She details her "Primary Shift" framework, which involves identifying where an audience is starting "from" and where the event needs to take them "to". Jenny encourages event organizers to be transparent with audiences when experimenting and to create "brave spaces" where both presenters and attendees can take risks together.