With Special Guest: Michael Neece, President of Our Future Is Kind and Co-Founder of the Human Summit

In a marketplace driven by quarterly results, relentless urgency, and constant disruption, kindness rarely makes the shortlist of competitive strategies. But what if it should?

In this episode of Ask for Change, Meridith sits down with international bestselling author and kindness researcher Michael Neece to challenge the assumption that soft skills are secondary skills. Michael makes a compelling, data-backed case that kindness is not niceness - it's the foundation of psychological safety, the driver of team performance, and a measurable bottom-line differentiator.

They unpack Google's Project Aristotle research on high-performing teams, dig into the real cost of unkind workplace cultures (hint: your best people leave first), and discuss why ego management and focus management are essential components of genuine kindness. Meridith and Michael also address one of the hardest questions leaders face right now: how do you stay kind when uncertainty is fueling fear, anger, and unkindness all around you? The answer will challenge how you think about your daily choices as a leader. If you've been looking for a competitive edge you haven't tried yet, this episode will make you rethink everything.

Connect with Michael Neese:

Linkedin Primary

https://www.linkedin.com/in/yournextkeynotespeaker/

Linkedin Our Future is Kind

https://www.linkedin.com/company/our-future-is-kind

FB

https://www.facebook.com/meteormike/

IG

https://www.instagram.com/michaelgneece/

Youtube

www.youtube.com/@YourNextKeynoteSpeaker

With Special Guest: Ken Hartley, Certified Speaking Professional and Author of Calling the Presidents

History doesn't repeat itself - but it does offer a playbook. In this episode of Ask for Change, Meridith welcomes speaker and author Ken Hartley, whose new book Calling the Presidents goes where most business books don't: straight into the leadership crucibles of every U.S. president to extract timeless lessons on navigating uncertainty, change, and crisis.

What made Washington lay down power when no one in history had done it before? What can Harry Truman's first days in office - inheriting a world war he knew nothing about - teach today's executives about leading blind? And what separated the presidents history remembers from the ones who became trivia questions?

Ken's answer is both simple and unsparing: the leaders who endure are the ones who serve the needs of their people at the moment that matters most, own their mistakes without flinching, and embrace change instead of retreating from it. This episode is a compelling reminder that uncertainty is not a new problem - and that the strategies to turn it into advantage are already written. Meridith and Ken close with a challenge every leader needs to hear: everything you've ever wanted as a leader is waiting on the other side of the fear and uncertainty you've been avoiding.

Ken Hartley:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ken-hartley/

https://www.facebook.com/kenhartley777

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

www.kenhartley.com

With Special Guest: Justin Jones-Fosu, Speaker, Author, and Founder of the Work Meaningful Foundation

Most leaders are chasing meaningful work. Justin Jones-Fosu argues they've got it backwards - meaningful work isn't something you find, it's something you create. In this deeply personal and strategically powerful episode of Ask for Change, Meridith sits down with speaker, author, and accidental foundation-starter Justin Jones-Fosu to explore what it actually takes to thrive - not just survive - in a world of relentless uncertainty and change. Justin's journey is anything but linear: from nearly getting fired while working in HR, to forgiving an absent father, to building schools in Ghana, he's a living case study in the power of choice, ownership, and intentional meaning-making. He introduces listeners to the research-backed framework of Job Crafting and his own "Choose, Commit, Cultivate" model - practical tools senior leaders can use to stop letting uncertainty happen to them and start creating outcomes with intention. This episode hits differently for leaders who feel the weight of what's happening in the world right now and are searching for a way to move forward with clarity and purpose. If you're tired of chasing and ready to start creating, this conversation is your next step.

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/iworkmeaningful/ (Justin Jones-Fosu)

With Special Guest: Elke Rubach

Episode Description
Uncertainty has a way of paralyzing financial decisions, and doing nothing is often the most expensive choice. In this episode, Meridith Elliott Powell is joined by wealth strategist Elke Rubach to discuss how individuals and families can regain control of their financial future, even in volatile times.

Elke shares why clarity, ownership, and planning matter more than ever, and why wealth management is about far more than investments. From cash flow and risk protection to legacy planning and financial literacy, this conversation breaks down how to move from fear to confidence.

If uncertainty around money is keeping you awake at night, this episode delivers a grounded and empowering roadmap forward.

https://www.elkerubach.com/

With Special Guest: Dr. Mary Kelly

Technology is advancing faster than most organizations are prepared for, and it is creating a dangerous and often invisible risk. In this episode, Meridith Elliott Powell sits down with economist and leadership expert Dr. Mary Kelly to uncover the growing information and knowledge gap inside today's workforce.

As companies rush to cut costs and adopt AI, they are unintentionally losing critical experience, institutional knowledge, and leadership continuity. Dr. Kelly explains why this is not a recession problem but a succession problem, and why short-term thinking is putting long-term sustainability at risk.

This conversation delivers practical insight on how leaders can protect their organizations, retain top talent, and intentionally close the knowledge gap before it becomes a competitive liability.

https://productiveleaders.com/

Special Guest: Anna Liotta

Episode Description
Stress is no longer occasional. It is constant. And if leaders are honest, many are running on empty while trying to inspire confidence in everyone else. In this powerful episode, Meridith Elliott Powell sits down with Hall of Fame speaker and generational expert Anna Liotta to unpack what is really happening inside our bodies when uncertainty accelerates.

Anna introduces the concept of the vagus nerve and explains why nervous system regulation may be the most overlooked leadership skill in today's marketplace. When change is moving at record speed, when expectations are rising across generations, and when leaders feel pressure from every direction, the ability to calm your internal response becomes a strategic advantage.

This conversation is practical and eye-opening. From micro resets you can use in the middle of a meeting to understanding the difference between being triggered and living in a triggered state, Anna provides tools that immediately reduce reactivity and increase clarity.

If you are feeling tired, wired, burned out, or simply stretched too thin, this episode will remind you that leadership begins with regulating yourself. When you create calm, you create capacity. And when you build capacity, you build competitive advantage.

https://annaliotta.com/

With Special Guest: Colleen Stanley

Episode Description
In a marketplace defined by disruption and disengagement, mentorship is no longer optional. It is a strategic advantage. In this episode, Meridith Elliott Powell welcomes emotional intelligence expert and bestselling author Colleen Stanley to explore why mentorship is one of the most underutilized leadership tools today.

Together, they challenge the outdated belief that mentorship must be formal, time-consuming, or hierarchical. Instead, Colleen reframes mentorship as something that can happen in moments, conversations, and daily interactions.

This episode shows leaders how emotionally intelligent mentorship builds trust, closes skill gaps, strengthens culture, and drives performance, even in the middle of uncertainty.

https://www.salesleadershipdevelopment.com/

With Special Guest: Jake Stahl

Episode Description
Influence is not about persuasion tactics. It is about understanding how people actually make decisions. In this episode, Meridith Elliott Powell is joined by sales neurostrategist Jake Stahl to unpack the psychology behind influence, communication, and behavior change.

Jake explains why most people speak to the wrong version of their audience and how leaders and sales professionals can learn to communicate at the brain level. From nonverbal signals to reframing conversations, this episode offers a deeper look at what it really means to own the room.

If you want to be heard, trusted, and remembered in today's crowded marketplace, this conversation delivers the tools to do exactly that.

https://thejakestahl.com/