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A World of Difference

A World of Difference

By: Lori Adams-Brown
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 A World of Difference: Leadership, Culture & Travel Podcast Welcome to A World of Difference, a top 3% global podcast where authentic leadership meets cross-cultural wisdom. Host Lori Adams-Brown, a strategic transformation executive and multilingual global leader, brings you real conversations with bestselling authors, nonprofit changemakers, C-suite executives, and thought leaders who are redefining what it means to lead with purpose. This isn't surface-level leadership content. We dive deep into psychological safety in leadership, organizational culture transformation, differentiation strategies, global leadership development, and how cross-cultural communication shapes the future of work. Whether you're a CEO navigating organizational change, an HR leader building inclusive cultures, or a manager seeking authentic leadership skills, these conversations will challenge how you think and lead. From travel as cultural education to ethics in business to emotional intelligence for executives, each episode offers actionable insights for leaders who believe our differences make us stronger. If you're tired of cookie-cutter business podcasts and want meaningful conversations that bridge culture, society, and leadership, you're home. Pull up a seat at the table with us.© 2023 Lori Adams-Brown Art Economics Literary History & Criticism Social Sciences Travel Writing & Commentary
Episodes
  • Ancient Queens & AI: What Egypt's Golden Era Teaches Us About Change Leadership Today with Christine Mikhail

    Ancient Queens & AI: What Egypt's Golden Era Teaches Us About Change Leadership Today with Christine Mikhail
    Apr 8 2026
    What if the blueprint for thriving in the AI era has been buried for centuries, inside the civilization that built the pyramids? Organizational psychologist Christine Mikhail joins Lori Adams-Brown live from the Transform Conference in Las Vegas to unpack one of the most urgent (and under-discussed) challenges in the modern workplace: we're racing to implement AI, but we're forgetting the humans doing the work. In this episode, you'll discover: Why Christine coined "compounded change" and why your workforce is carrying more layers of transformation than anyone is acknowledging The ancient Egyptian precedent: when women held positions of finance, governance, and pharaonic leadership and what modern society lost when that changed The critical AI adoption gap: organizations are deploying new technology without addressing the psychological and emotional responses of their people How change resilience workshops create unexpected catharsis and build communities people didn't know they needed How to frame AI as a tool that elevates human capability, and why that framing is the difference between adoption success and workforce anxiety Christine Mikhail is a master's-level industrial-organizational psychologist and founder of Mikhail Consulting Group, a consultancy specializing in work design and change management. With roots tracing to ancient Egypt, she brings a uniquely global lens to how humans navigate transformation at work. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 – Welcome from the Transform Conference, Las Vegas 02:17 – Egypt, cultural identity, and a heartbreaking lesson in gender inequality 05:00 – Ancient Egypt's golden era: when women were pharaohs, financiers, and leaders 08:59 – What excites Christine about the future of work and the human-AI relationship 10:59 – The overlooked gap in AI adoption: where is the human change strategy? 13:24 – Upskilling in the AI era: we promise humans will be needed — but for what? 15:49 – "Compounded change" — why this moment feels like a tsunami, earthquake, and ripple at once 18:09 – How change resilience workshops are building community and catharsis 20:27 – AI adoption success: framing technology as "for" people, not a replacement 22:40 – Where to find Christine and Mikhail Consulting Group Find Christine Mikhail at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-mikhail-odconsultant | Mikhail Consulting Group on LinkedIn Subscribe, leave a review at https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com/reviews/new/, and share this episode with five people who need to hear it. Visit https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources on intercultural leadership and global impact. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    26 mins
  • Stop Before You Get Stopped: The Case for Subtraction as Strategy with Nell Derick Debevoise Dewey

    Stop Before You Get Stopped: The Case for Subtraction as Strategy with Nell Derick Debevoise Dewey
    Apr 1 2026
    What if the reason you're exhausted isn't because you're doing it wrong — but because you're doing too much? Nell Derick Debevoise Dewey (Nell3D) is here to challenge the most dangerous assumption in modern leadership: that progress always comes from piling more on. In this episode, we unpack: Why high-capacity, values-driven leaders are drowning in ambition — not lack of it The Leading in 3D Framework: aligning Me, We, and World as a stable, sustainable triad — not a trade-off What Nell learned the hard way — from frontline work in the West Bank to a head-on collision with a 10-ton truck — about the cost of doing too much The three-step subtraction process: Stop (gather real data), Drop (minimum effort for desired results), Roll (connect to the system) What horses can teach corporate leaders about energy conservation, minimal communication, and detecting inauthenticity Nell Derick Debevoise Dewey, known as Nell3D, is a Harvard-trained subtraction strategist, author, and speaker. Based in Montana, she blends systems thinking, equine wisdom, and two decades of global leadership development to help difference-makers lead with more impact, not more effort. TIMESTAMPS [00:00] Introduction — why exhausted leaders are struggling with too much, not too little [01:26] Interview begins [00:49] From the West Bank of Palestine to Manhattan: making a difference in different contexts [04:42] The upstream metaphor — who's throwing babies in the river? [07:45] The Leading in 3D Framework: aligning Me, We, and World [11:19] Personal sacrifice, loss, and what Nell learned the hard way [13:05] A head-on collision and the birth of systematic subtraction [16:34] Subtraction is not minimalism — it's a systems approach [21:41] Step 1 — Stop: the most important step most leaders skip [25:35] For difference-makers: why helpers are the worst at helping themselves [28:24] What horses teach us about leadership, energy, and inauthenticity [33:53] Predator-prey dynamics in corporate environments [36:08] Navigating bullies: energy conservation in practice [40:25] How to find Nell and access her Substack Join us for an exclusive episode with Nell here on Patreon. Find Nell at: nell3d.com | Free Mini Course + 90-Day Guest Pass: nell3d.kit.com/stopdroproll Subscribe, leave a review at aworldofdifferencepodcast.com/reviews/new, and share this episode. Visit aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources, including our Patreon exclusive with Nell. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    48 mins
  • Live at Transform 2026: The Science of Connection — How Optimistic Thinking Fights Burnout at Work with Daria Maneche

    Live at Transform 2026: The Science of Connection — How Optimistic Thinking Fights Burnout at Work with Daria Maneche
    Mar 25 2026
    Live from the Transform 2026 conference floor in Las Vegas, Lori sat down with Daria Maneche, founder of The Working Optimist, for a candid, neuroscience-backed conversation about what it actually takes to build human connection at work, and why the stakes for getting this right have never been higher. Daria brings a deeply personal why to her work: after years of her own struggles and many forms of support that fell short, it was understanding the neuroscience of the brain that finally changed how she walks through the world. That shift became the foundation of the Working Optimist Mindset Method, and now she is bringing it to teams and leaders across the globe. In this episode, you will hear: Why high-quality connections (HQC) at work are not a "nice to have" but a core performance and retention strategy How a raging amygdala physically blocks access to the prefrontal cortex, and why this matters for every decision your team makes under pressure The hidden burnout accelerator: working in a remote or hybrid environment without intentional space for human connection Why globalizing a workforce without cultural consideration is a recipe for disconnection and disengagement What the Working Optimist Mindset Method is, and how metacognition can help individuals and teams change the way they think about thinking Guest Bio Daria Maneche is the founder of The Working Optimist, where she brings neuroscience-backed tools rooted in positive psychology into workplace settings to help individuals and teams connect, think more clearly, and perform with greater resilience. She is also an executive and transformational coach. Timestamps [00:00] — Welcome from Transform 2026, Las Vegas [01:30] — Daria introduces the Working Optimist Mindset Method [03:00] — What leaders can be optimistic about: EQ, connection, and the age of digital transformation [05:30] — The HQC gap: what we are not investing in and why it matters [07:30] — Burnout is accelerating, and disengagement is part of it [08:30] — The amygdala, the prefrontal cortex, and why stress blocks problem-solving [10:00] — Daria's personal why: how neuroscience changed everything for her [12:00] — Where to find Daria and The Working Optimist Find Daria Maneche at: workingoptimist.com | and linkedin.com/in/daria-maneche-87331418 Subscribe, leave a review at https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com/reviews/new/, and share this episode. Visit https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    16 mins
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