Episode 546 - The Road to Hell and Bad Marketing: Interview with Nick Asbury
The Soul of Enterprise: Business in the Transformation Economy by THRESHOLD
Release Date: 06/27/2025
Episode 555 - On Trump's AI Action Plan: Second interview with Adam Thierer
The Soul of Enterprise: Business in the Transformation Economy by THRESHOLD
In this episode, we sit down with Adam Thierer, Resident Senior Fellow at the R Street Institute, to unpack his recent analysis—AI Policy in Congress Mid‑2025: Where Are We Headed Next? We explore shifting congressional priorities, from the AI–China strategic race to the rising friction with state-level AI regulations. Adam also shares how policymakers are evolving from a fear-driven stance to one increasingly open to AI’s broader benefits. Dive in for thoughtful insight on the road ahead in federal AI governance. Biography Adam Thierer is a Resident Senior Fellow on the...
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Episode 554 - Kimberlee Josephson (Part VI): Superman, Snacks & the Invisible Order
The Soul of Enterprise: Business in the Transformation Economy by THRESHOLD
Ron and Ed are thrilled to welcome back Kimberlee Josephson for the sixth time, diving into her fascinating latest piece: “”. In it, Kimberlee reflects on how seemingly small acts—like sneaking snacks into a film screening—reveal the spontaneous, emergent structures that bind society�—drawing on themes of personal norms, subtle coordination, and the texture of social order. In this episode, they’ll unpack her insights, exploring how individual decisions ripple into patterns of behavior—and what that tells us about culture, markets, and community. As always, the...
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Episode 553 - The Soul of Strategy: From Answers to Imagination
The Soul of Enterprise: Business in the Transformation Economy by THRESHOLD
We throw the word strategy around so much that it risks becoming meaningless. Is it a plan? A budget? A list of goals? In this episode of The Soul of Enterprise, Ron and Ed revisit the meaning of strategy through the lens of John Hillen’s book . Strategy, Hillen argues, is not chosen — it’s designed. It’s not about squeezing more juice from today’s orange but positioning for tomorrow’s orchard. From Netflix’s reinvention to Hilti’s leap into tool leasing, from LEGO’s brand extensions to Cirque du Soleil’s circus transformation, we’ll explore how strategy creates...
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Episode 552 - Gross Output (GO) vs. Gross Domestic Product (GDP): The Top Line of the Economy
The Soul of Enterprise: Business in the Transformation Economy by THRESHOLD
For years, GDP has been treated as the ultimate scorecard of economic performance. But GDP only measures final goods and services. It’s like judging a business by gross margin while ignoring sales. Economist Mark Skousen’s innovation, Gross Output (GO), fixes that. GO is the “Top Line” of the economy—capturing total sales and revenues at every stage of production, from raw materials to finished goods. GDP, in contrast, is the “Bottom Line,” measuring only what reaches final use. Together, they tell the full story, just as accountants need both revenue and profit to...
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Episode 551 - Catchall Chaos
The Soul of Enterprise: Business in the Transformation Economy by THRESHOLD
Sometimes the best conversations come from the stories that don’t neatly fit into a single theme—but are too good to ignore. In this week’s episode of The Soul of Enterprise, Ron and Ed bring you a lively grab bag of pricing and business news, insights, and oddities they’ve collected from around the world. From surprising trends in how companies set prices, to cautionary tales in leadership, to the occasional “you-can’t-make-this-up” moment from the marketplace, no topic is off limits. Tune in for sharp commentary, unexpected connections, and a little controlled chaos.
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Episode 550 - THRESHOLD and The Revelation
The Soul of Enterprise: Business in the Transformation Economy by THRESHOLD
On their first independent episode, Ron and Ed will share some thoughts on the new format, the transformation economy, their new entity (), and their Jerry Maguire mission statement to the professions entitled The . From the Preamble We affirm that the raison d’être of business is not profit, but human flourishing. Profit is the echo of value well delivered, the index of one's contribution to the health, wealth, wisdom, purpose, and meaning of others. It is a signal of trust earned and lives elevated. But profit is not the aim. It is the applause, not the performance. It is evidence,...
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A New Beginning - Teaser Episode
The Soul of Enterprise: Business in the Transformation Economy by THRESHOLD
Ron and Ed (well, just Ed, really) announced their transition from VoiceAmerica to their own platform. The show will continue streaming on Fridays at 3 PM Eastern/Noon PT, with the streams available at or . In addition to a few announcements, Ed shares the audio version of the Preamble to the REVELATION - a mission statement outlining their vision for the Transformation Economy focused on human flourishing. We are also seeking new sponsors and invite emails at .
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Episode 549 - The Experience Dividend: Why Money is Time
The Soul of Enterprise: Business in the Transformation Economy by THRESHOLD
Despite Ben Franklin’s witticism, time is not money. In economic reality, money is time. That’s because we buy things with money, but we pay for them with time. In this episode of The Soul of Enterprise, Ed and Ron explore how consumers, firms, and even the Federal Reserve are starting to measure value not in dollars, but in time well spent. Drawing on a May 2025 article in the , and the 1997 Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas report , the conversation covers: Why experience-based businesses have been flourishing since Joe Pine and James Gilmore identified the Experience...
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Episode 548 - Memorable Mentors: Fred Smith, Founder of Federal Express
The Soul of Enterprise: Business in the Transformation Economy by THRESHOLD
Ron and Ed explore the legacy and leadership lessons of Fred Smith, the visionary founder of Federal Express. From a bold undergraduate paper (legend has it that he only got a C+) to building one of the world’s most transformative logistics companies, Smith’s journey is a case study in perseverance, innovation, and strategic execution. We’ll unpack what made him not just a successful entrepreneur but a memorable mentor, both to his team and to an entire generation of business leaders. Tune in to discover the values, decisions, and mindset that helped shape the global...
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Episode 547 - Recapping Scaling New Heights 2025 - Ninth interview with Joe Woodard
The Soul of Enterprise: Business in the Transformation Economy by THRESHOLD
In his unprecedented ninth appearance with Ron and Ed, Joe Woodard will share his thoughts on the learning from the Woodard Group's Scaling New Heights 2025 event and also give a small sneak peek at next year! As always, the conversation will be fast, furious, and wide-ranging. More specifically, with hundreds of billions being invested in agentic AI, the next six months might see more change than the last six years!
info_outlineRon and Ed welcome Nick Asbury to a conversation about his book, The Road to Hell: How purposeful business leads to bad marketing and a worse world And how human creativity is the way out.
From the book jacket
The road to hell is paved with good intentions, says the proverb. Never has that been truer than in the case of corporate purpose, the movement that took over the business and advertising world following the financial crisis of 2008.
Guided by the mantra ‘do well by doing good’, businesses embraced a social purpose agenda that sought to align doing good for society with doing well in the marketplace. The result, according to author Nick Asbury, has been a wave of humourless and hubristic advertising, and a spiral of worse social outcomes, as businesses wade into issues beyond their remit, while neglecting their real ethical responsibilities.
Diving into examples including Bud Light, Patagonia, Cadbury and Unilever, Nick Asbury builds a compelling case against purpose – covering what it is, where it came from, how it leads to worse marketing, and how it leads to worse social outcomes. As a positive alternative, he makes the case for creativity, cognitive empathy and valuing the human over the corporate.
Amid the fierce and topical debate about purpose and corporate politics, The Road to Hell is a sharp and entertaining intervention, shedding light on how we got here – and where we go next.