Shows
Dropping your armourDr Steve Graef on creating your own terms of lifeIn this episode, Neha speaks to Steve Graef, a counseling psychologist with specific expertise in sport and performance psychology. Neha digs into Steve’s background, how he came to found Mindurance, and how he continues to use his guiding principle – LEGS – in his life and work. Their conversation considers both the theoretical and practical aspects of choosing to “dance” on your own terms. A thoroughly engaging, “excellently average” episode, we hope you find it insightful and enjoyable! Steve and Neha reference Tim Ferriss’ The 4-Hour Workweek a couple of times during their conversation Details of that book are Ferris...2025-03-0650 min
Dropping your armourSpotlight on Talent Selection with Dr. Richard HossiepIn this spotlight episode, Tolga shines a light on talent selection with Dr. Richard Hossiep. Richard is the co-founder and managing director of Applysia, a company that supports clients across industries with their unique assessment software. As an organizational psychologist with a diverse set of experiences including academia, consulting, and being a business leader, Richard has developed his keen interest in talent selection. Listen in as Tolga and Richard discuss the importance and impact of doing talent selection well. As always please send your feedback to droppingyourarmour@atrain.com Enjoy this episode!2024-11-1949 minDropping your armourHannah Teutscher - Movement Innovator and Fitness RebelThis episode is a conversation between Neha and former dancer/current movement teacher Hannah Teutscher. Both Hannah and Neha reflect on the impact of dance and movement in their lives and how movement helps connect our minds to our bodies and unlock new ways of thinking and feeling about ourselves and the world around us. We hope this episode inspires you to think about how movement, in line with your own needs and abilities, can help you tear down your own “armours” and connect to your own authentic self. Additional Resources Al-Fawakhiri, N., Kaya...2024-07-2446 min
Dropping your armourSpotlight on Leadership Development Journeys (LDJ) with Yang ZhangIn this spotlight episode, Tolga shines a light on leadership development journeys with Yang Zhang, a leadership and development coach and facilitator. What are leadership development journeys? What are the different parts of leadership development journeys? What are the key ingredients that set successful leadership development journeys apart? Listen in to all this and more as Tolga and Yang share their expertise, insights, and some of their personal stories as leadership development journey facilitators.Mentioned sources:Eurich, T. (4 January 2018). What self-awareness really is (and how to cultivate it). Harvard Business Review.Eurich, T. (19 October 2018). Working...2024-06-1140 minDropping your armourPrakruti Nanda on the neuroscience of traumaIn this episode, Neha talks to long-time friend Prakruti Nanda, a neuroscientist with a particular interest in trauma and its impact on our brains (as well as the rest of our body). Starting from what was the collective trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic, Prakruti and Neha examine their personal experiences during that time and the underlying processes in our brains that encode trauma. They finish with reflections on how similar processes are used formally in therapy and informally by as all to create positivity in a neurological system seemingly wired for surviving threats more than finding joy. A...2023-12-141h 06Dropping your armourDinesh Saparamadu on Entrepreneurship for societal goodIn this episode, host Tolga catches up with Dinesh Saparamadu, founder of the hSenid Group of Companies, whom Tolga worked with during the 2008 global financial crisis. Dinesh has built multiple companies over the years, and he and Tolga discuss how despite business successes and failures, Dinesh never lost his focus on the greater purpose of helping others develop their full potential through positive societal change. Book mentioned during the episode: Kim, W. C.; Mauborgne, R. (2015). Blue ocean strategy: How to create uncontested market space and make the competition irrelevant (Expanded Edition). Boston: Harvard Business Review Pr...2023-11-2152 minDropping your armourSpotlight on Friendship & Business with Joachim Stempfle & Chad LuxenburgNo organization evolves faster than its leaders. In today’s spotlight episode, new host Tolga Mahlke talks to two leaders, Joachim (Joe) Stempfle and Chad Luxenburg, the founders of atrain-scitrain. Their “wild ride” of meeting as teenagers, forming a life-long friendship, and building atrain-scitrain was not without challenges. They share how their deep trust and shared values has been the foundation for meeting those challenges and reflect on how they have evolved as leaders and will continue to evolve to meet the challenges of the future. Publications mentioned in the podcast Sen, A. (1999). Development as freedom...2023-08-3049 minDropping your armourNeha introduces the new host TolgaWe are happy to announce that we have a new member of the Dropping your armour team: Tolga Mahlke. He will be sharing the host duties with Neha from now on. If you want to know a little more about who is Tolga, we created a short introduction for you. Enjoy and welcome Tolga!As always please send your feedback to droppingyourarmour@atrain.com Enjoy this episode!2023-08-3003 min
Dropping your armourSpotlight on Wellness at Work with Holly PederzolliWelcome to a spotlight episode on wellness in the workplace. Neha and Holly Pederzolli, a licensed clinical therapist, talk about their own struggles and successes with managing distractions, disconnecting, and dealing with stress so they can work at their best. They also consider how the modern, post-pandemic workplace can both contribute to burnout and offer solutions to burnout. We hope this spotlight episode helps you self-reflect on the boundaries and flexibility you might need to keep in a “healthy space” in your own life. For some further reading on topics mentioned in the podcast How burnou...2023-06-1246 minDropping your armourPatrick Andrews on being a "barefoot" lawyer rethinking corporate structuresIn this episode, Neha talks with Patrick Andrews, a lawyer, facilitator, and entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience in advising businesses and not-for-profits on their corporate structures and governance. Patrick goes by the description of “barefoot” lawyer, which to him means someone who makes law accessible, meets people where they are, and is connected to the earth. You know that quote from Joseph Campbell that goes “there is perhaps nothing worse than reaching the top of the ladder and discovering that you’re on the wrong wall”? Well, that’s what Patrick discovered in the course of his career and this con...2023-02-141h 00Dropping your armourBrian Stoll on what it means to drop your armourWelcome to our special end-of-year episode, where Neha talks with past colleague and current professional peer Brian Stoll. Together they reflect on what it means to them to drop your armor – at work, at home, and with friends. As part of this conversation, they also dig into sharing on social media, “emotionally unloading” to our friends and loved ones, perfectionism, psychological safety, and how all these different things can support, block, and degrade true vulnerability. Useful resources for this episode Bruk, A. (1 November 2021) Other people don’t think you’re a mess. Scientific American. 2022-12-1557 minDropping your armourSpotlight on Buddhism with Maurice Jonquet van BrunschotIn connection to the episode on creating a compassionate world (link), where we briefly touched on the philosophy of Buddhism, this spotlight episode explores this topic further. Today our guest host Joachim Stempfle is talking with Maurice Jonquet, a practicing Mahayana Buddhist. Together they discuss how we can apply the spiritual teachings in connection with neuropsychological aspects in our modern world and how it can help us on our journey to a more compassionate leadership. As always please send your feedback to droppingyourarmour@atrain.com Enjoy this episode!NehaAs always p...2022-10-1747 minDropping your armourDr. Paul Gilbert on creating a compassionate worldGuest host Joachim Stempfle speaks with Compassion Focused Therapy founder Paul Gilbert. Paul shares how his early training and experiences helped him appreciate the importance of compassion and explains how Compassion Focused Therapy is linked to both scientific realities and spiritual philosophies. Joachim and Paul also discuss how compassion is not just a therapeutic tool, but something that is essential to thriving schools and workplaces. Paul’s warmth is infectious, and we hope it provides you with some positive, uplifting “emotional textures” to take away. To learn more about Paul’s work and Compassion Focused Therapy, visit the Compa...2022-06-0159 min
Dropping your armourSpotlight on Emotional Agility with Andreia LungulescuThis is a Spotlight episode, where the goal is to shine a light on certain topics together with an expert and explore it through different lenses. In this episode, we discuss emotional agility: What it is, why it’s important, and how to develop it as a skill. We speak with Andreia Lungulescu, who is a hands-on people and organizational development consultant and coach with a passion for nurturing and championing human potential. She has a background in clinical psychology and cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy, with specializations in schema therapy, co-active coaching, and compassion-focused therapy. Her knowledge about human emotions and be...2022-04-0348 minDropping your armourMaysoun Ramadan on the importance of healthNeha has a moving conversation with Maysoun Ramadan, who has forged a long career in the healthcare industry. In this conversation, Maysoun describes how her values have informed and motivated her life and her work and helped her address her own personal experiences with illness and grief. Additional resources and reading related to this episode: There are many charitable organizations worldwide which provide bereavement support. In Europe, your can find a list of potential organizations in your country here. Boccalandro, B. (21 January 2021). Why your values belong at work. Harvard Business Review. Clea...2022-03-0746 minDropping your armourMarie-Louise Howett on the myth of "having it all"A conversation with Marie-Louise Howett, the Chief Human Resources Officer at Cint. With more than 20 years of experience, Marie-Louise reflects on her career and the choices she made that stretched her out of her comfort zone and have brought her into her current dream job. The dual realities of those choices - the sacrifices, but also the joy - is an important lesson on the myth of "having it all."Further Readings:During the conversation, Neha and Marie-Louise discuss stretch assignments and getting out of one's comfort zone as a necessary part of...2022-02-0850 minDropping your armourAsma Ahmed on neuro diversityIn this episode, you'll hear the story of Asma Ahmed. She's a clinical psychologist based in Karachi, Pakistan who's an active member of the Autism Spectrum Disorder Welfare Trust. Asma works intensely with children and people with autism and their families. She's extremely passionate about creating inclusive environments at school, in the workplace, and in society. Against this backdrop, we dive into the topic of neurodiversity, including understanding what neurodiversity means, and ways to create more support structures, reduce stigma, and accommodate people to improve lives. This includes challenging our own assumptions about what's normal, what's necessary, and what's...2022-01-1126 min
Dropping your armourSpotlight on Transformation with Joachim Stempfle (Part 1)Our spotlight episodes aim to provide a deep, comprehensive view of key topics. For our first spotlight episode, Neha talks with Joachim Stempfle about transformation. Bringing together ideas from philosophy, psychology, and business across two episodes, Neha and Joachim give us a lively and enlightening look at the concept of "organizational transformation" and how a human-centric approach enables both the inner transformation of people in the organization (part one) and the outer transformation of the organizational operating system (part two).For further reading on concepts, authors, and primary sources mentioned in this spotlight, we suggest:...2021-12-0937 min
Dropping your armourSpotlight on Transformation with Joachim Stempfle (Part 2)Our spotlight episodes aim to provide a deep, comprehensive view of key topics. For our first spotlight episode, Neha talks with Joachim Stempfle about transformation. Bringing together ideas from philosophy, psychology, and business across two episodes, Neha and Joachim give us a lively and enlightening look at the concept of "organizational transformation" and how a human-centric approach enables both the inner transformation of people in the organization (part one) and the outer transformation of the organizational operating system (part two).For further reading on concepts, authors, and primary sources mentioned in this spotlight, we suggest:...2021-12-0926 minDropping your armourJochen Goeser on agile transformationIn this episode, we hear from Jochen Goeser. With a background in economics, Jochen worked in consulting for many years, where his curiosity for people helped him develop powerful change management solutions. Today, he brings this knowledge and passion to his role as the Global Project Lead for Agile Transformation at Bosch Power Tools. We talk in-depth about transformations, specifically about how to orchestrate holistic, human-centric, people-led change that radically transforms the DNA of organizations. It takes quite a lot to begin a transformation journey and much more to sustain it. In this conversation, Jochen shares his stories on...2021-11-2542 minDropping your armourJulio Maria Muhorro on integrityIn this episode our guest Julio Maria Muhorro, a young entrepreneur from Mozambique and founder of "Sharing Knowledge International" dives together with Neha into the topic "integrity".Following this energizing conversation, you can learn more about different aspects of integrity on not only societal and organisational levels, but also on a very personal level. After this thought-provoking discussion, we asked ourselves: What does integrity mean to me and how can I leverage it?We hope you enjoy this episode and these further reading suggestions to join the discourse on integrity.Julio' concept of...2021-11-0949 minDropping your armourMansi Jasuja on a conscious societyIn this episode, Neha talks to Mansi Jasuja, a phenomenal person who brings love, joy, humor, and color to everything she does. She is a coach, a mother, an activist, and she brings all of that to her work at Conscious Business, a company in the Netherlands dedicated to supporting businesses to adopt a more conscious approach that creates true prosperity and harmony for people, communities, and nature. This conversation is both insightful and uplifting. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did.Further links and reading on people, publications, organizations, a...2021-10-0548 min