Some people take the straight road to the corporate world. Melissa Dinwiddie did not.

Her journey zig-zagged through science, arts, creativity, and what most companies politely call “that messy innovation thing we keep trying to do but somehow never quite pull off.”

Now she helps leaders make innovation stick, which, as executives know, is about as easy as nailing Jell-O to a whiteboard.

Hosts Rona Lewis and Jeffrey Hansler sit down with Melissa to unpack the real mechanics of innovation by getting people energized, experimenting, and (brace yourself) actually changing how they work.

Melissa blends science, humor, and a healthy disrespect for boring corporate thinking to help organizations escape the innovation hamster wheel; where everyone talks about creativity, attends a workshop, and then goes right back to doing things the same old way.

Her approach? Make innovation playful, practical, and psychologically sticky so teams don’t just nod politely in the meeting, they actually try something new on Monday morning.

And judging by the reception of her newly released book, which is currently selling like water to travelers in the Gobi Desert, people are clearly thirsty for it.

Rona and Jeffrey do what they do best: ask sharp questions, poke a little fun at corporate buzzwords, and prove once again that business insight lands better when it comes with humor.

If your organization says it wants innovation, and only creates more meetings, this episode might be exactly the shake-up your thinking needs. Because sometimes the smartest strategy is simply giving people permission to think differently.

Related Biz-Souls episodes you will enjoy:

Episode 211 – Greg Schirmer: From Badge to Boardroom – The Art of De-Escalation

https://open.spotify.com/show/6pQ5KpK6l0BizSouls

https://www.youtube.com/@BizSoulsPodcast

Episode 210 – Leadership, Change, and the Occasional Verbal Boxing Match

https://open.spotify.com/show/6pQ5KpK6l0BizSouls

https://www.youtube.com/@BizSoulsPodcast

Episode 208 – Dr. Laura Janusik: Listening – The Most Misunderstood Leadership Skill

https://open.spotify.com/show/6pQ5KpK6l0BizSouls

https://www.youtube.com/@BizSoulsPodcast

And Like, Share, Follow, and Subscribe so you catch every episode of Biz-Souls.

Are you being manipulated right now?

Relax… the answer is probably yes, and the scary part is you might even be enjoying it.

Did you know a worm can turn a cricket into a suicidal zombie swimmer and we’re not even exaggerating.

In this wildly entertaining episode of Biz-Souls, hosts Rona Lewis and Jeffrey Hansler dive into the strange, fascinating, and hilarious world of manipulation and cover everything from parasites hijacking rat and cricket brains (yes, zombie crickets) to everyday psychological tricks used in business, sales, leadership, and even parenting.

They unpack how manipulation isn’t always evil—it can be the secret sauce behind great leadership, positive culture, and persuasive communication. Along the way, you’ll discover:

• How a parasite convinces a rat that cat pee smells irresistible

• Why a worm can turn a cricket into a suicidal swimmer

• Why people automatically trust uniforms, titles, and big offices

• How asking questions can make someone believe your idea was actually theirs

• Tricks used by salespeople, leaders, con artists, and politicians

Rona and Jeffrey also explore:

• Machiavelli’s surprisingly brutal leadership lessons

• Samurai shadow-mirroring techniques for calming classrooms

• How smiling, handshaking, and body language are ancient survival signals

And yes… there’s discussion about guilt, Jewish mothers, and Jeffrey’s hair, because every good conversation about manipulation needs a little humor.

By the end, you’ll see that the real question isn’t whether manipulation happens, it’s who benefits from it.

If you’re going to be manipulated… it might as well be marvelous.

Related Biz-Souls Episodes:

Episode 125: How to Retrain Your Brain

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6Sl8zVZB6Jx5DMHg8lN9aH

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA4P9HvbKVI

Episode 127: Tickled About Piccles! A Unique Way of Connecting Communities

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1m0lrAjU0EoA0YpWqq9n9K

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQNREqXwV8k

Episode 139: Play for Better Living! Why Play Makes Every Life Better

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5EOyx44QYvEkrzE6Fg6fA8

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdUd8cU1JXg

Episode 137: Just Say No! Maybe…

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5O9pVnMLtrVRHfSrkE3dZn

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0ffpbkA2n8

Episode 136: Mature Gnome with Ego

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4SrTBRzWZ9MbhycJw5Nkwv

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sl6sKzNUWTo

Subscribe & Join the Conversation

• Like the episode

• Subscribe to the channel

If you enjoy Biz-Souls Episode 212, you may also like:

• Simon Sinek on leadership and influence

• Adam Grant on workplace psychology

• Daniel Pink on motivation and persuasion

• Malcolm Gladwell on human behavior and decision-making

• Robert Cialdini on influence and persuasion

• Big Think conversations on psychology and neuroscience

Biz-Souls covers these same ideas with more humor, storytelling, and friendly banter between Rona and Jeffrey.

Rona Lewis and Jeffrey Hansler sit down with retired Long Beach Police Commander Greg Schirmer, also known as ‘Fab’ by Jeffrey and his other Orange County Bucks rugby mates.

Yes. They’ve literally tackled leadership together.

Greg’s path isn’t linear - it’s cinematic. Arts student. Business thinker. Then, just before turning 30, he makes the dramatic life pivot and joins the Long Beach Police Department, fulfilling a childhood dream inspired by his father and a mentor. He builds a career navigating high-conflict rooms where emotions run hotter than Southern California asphalt in August.

And when he retired? No rocking chair. No nostalgia tour. He pivots again — into consulting, bringing real-world de-escalation, negotiation, and leadership training into boardrooms and the teams he coaches. While there are no sirens, there’s still plenty of healthy human tension to manage.

Greg teaches something most leaders desperately need: emotional fitness. Not fluffy empathy. Not buzzword “strategic” empathy. The real kind. The kind that regulates a room because you’ve regulated yourself first.

Because here’s the truth bomb from this episode:

People don’t always want to win. They want to feel heard. They want to be seen.

Whether it’s a volatile public encounter or a volatile earnings call, the principle is the same — if you’re not steady, no one around you will be either. Command presence isn’t volume. It’s regulation.

And yes, they talk rugby. Because nothing says “de-escalation expert” like 80 minutes of structured collision followed by a handshake. Rugby, like leadership, is intensity without hatred. Hit hard. Respect harder.

Greg also unpacks the shift from public service to private sector — different metrics, different language, same fundamental driver: human behavior determines outcomes. The skills that kept him safe and effective as an officer are the same ones helping executives navigate conflict without lighting metaphorical squad cars on fire.

If you care about leadership under pressure, negotiation without ego, emotional intelligence that actually works, or how to pivot careers without losing your identity, this one’s worth the click.

No sirens. No platitudes. Just hard-earned insight with a little rugby grit. And we love your grit so share, subscribe, like, and follow.

If this episode sparks something in you, here are others that continue the leadership conversation:

Episode 206: The Missing Link Between What You Mean and Deliver is Congruency

• https://open.spotify.com/show/7kQz…

• https://www.youtube.com/@BizSoulsPodcast

Episode 207: Hypocrisy Hunted Hilariously

• https://open.spotify.com/show/7kQz…

• https://www.youtube.com/@BizSoulsPodcast

Episode 208: Listen in with Dr. Laura – Or Don’t

• https://open.spotify.com/show/7kQz…

• https://www.youtube.com/@BizSoulsPodcast

Episode 204: The Great Exhaustion

• https://open.spotify.com/show/7kQz…

• https://www.youtube.com/@BizSoulsPodcast