Episode 11: Barry Svigals
Brent's Podcast
Barry Svigals, FAIA, is an architect, artist, educator, and national speaker. As Founder and Partner Emeritus of Svigals+Partners, he has led award-winning projects for clients including Yale University, Boston College, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. His firm is especially known for designing learning environments and the nationally recognized Sandy Hook Elementary School. A Yale College and Yale School of Architecture graduate, Barry also studied sculpture in Paris and taught at Yale for over 30 years. In 2019, he was a Fellow at Stanford’s d.school, reimagining school safety through...
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Episode 10: Rache Brand
Brent's Podcast
Rache Brand is a visionary founder, operator, and growth expert dedicated to systemic change and innovation. She has led mission-driven ventures tackling global health and sustainability challenges, from launching a multinational ESOP-backed service business to spearheading a research initiative that reached 1 million children, influencing national policy. Her experience spans scaling consumer brands to $1B, working in VC, and transitioning to economic development and private credit to address misaligned capital systems. Now CEO of Superstruct, a growth advisory firm for future-focused...
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Episode 9: Dr. Jay Morris
Brent's Podcast
Jay Morris is the retired VP and Chief Learning Officer of Yale New Haven Health, with over 35 years of leadership experience at organizations including Merck, Allstate, Trinity Health, and Ernst & Young. He specializes in executive coaching, leadership development, and organizational culture. He helps leaders build trust and alignment through a concept he calls Intuitive Agility. Jay is the author of Masterpiece – Our Journey to Spiritual Transformation (2023), and mentors professionals on spiritual growth. His work bridges corporate strategy and soulful leadership to inspire...
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Episode 8: Rebecca Desjardins
Brent's Podcast
Rebecca Desjardins is a community organizer, wedding coordinator, and facilitator of meaningful conversations. Listening plays a vital role in her work from helping couples plan their dream weddings to supporting her mother through health care challenges. Rebecca pays special attention to the small, yet habitual acts of listening – rather than one-off grandiose ones. An offer to listen is also an invitation to your conversational partner to take a moment to process life. She points to data that shows the top attribute of a meaningful and fulfilling life is depth of connection with another...
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Episode 7: Noah Ullman
Brent's Podcast
Noah Ullman is a founding partner of and a dynamic force who has changed from identifying as futurist to technologist to humanist. Noah explores the ancient Greek concept of the six types of love and how he has applied these distinctions to his own life and relationships. Noah and Brent discuss the critical role of asking the right questions in the era of AI, emphasizing that while machines can provide data-driven answers, only humans can engage in the kind of novel inquiry that leads to deeper understanding and innovation. This episode invites listeners to consider their own listening...
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Episode 6: Dr. Kryn McClain
Brent's Podcast
Virtual reality can be far more than recreational. After years working as a therapist, Dr. Kryn McClain has now sought out to answer the question: how can therapists provide a safer space to expose people to triggers that we couldn't actually do in an office? The answer? Virtual reality. She’s worked to develop a platform of virtual reality modules to allow people who have PTSD, panic attacks, or phobias to be in a safe space and practice skills in a way that in one-to-one therapy, we couldn't really accomplish before. Being built by a therapist, the technology is clinically sound and...
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Episode 5: Rod Miller
Brent's Podcast
Rod Miller is a renowned coach, spiritual guide and a pastor, helping leaders unlock their full potential by cultivating heart, mind, body, and soul connections. In this episode, Rod shares a powerful story about navigating a challenging, potentially threatening conversation most would run from. Rod bridges the gap between the multiple spheres he has traveled and worked in, from religious institutions to corporate ones. He doesn’t just build the bridge, he crosses it too. Brent and Rod explore the gift and service of listening, and the impact of sticking through difficult conversations...
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Episode 4: Stefani Calvano Schwartz
Brent's Podcast
Stefani Calvano Schwartz is an implementer at . A mother of five, she reflects on how her journey through listening helped her break free from limiting beliefs and step into a more fulfilling life. Brent and Stefani explore the transformative power of listening—especially listening to oneself. She encourages her children to listen deeply to themselves and their bodies – teaching them that their whole being is an antenna receiving valuable information. She shares how the practice of asking the right questions and listening from a place of love and acceptance has changed not only her...
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Episode 3: Paul Hitchcock
Brent's Podcast
Paul Hitchcock, founder of , has cherished the “gift of gab” his entire life. Paul describes his family as “world champion talkers”, and he attributes his communication skills to the value his family placed on listening and storytelling. Paul and Brent differentiate between listening with an agenda and listening to understand and support. Throughout the episode, Brent and Paul explore the theme of treating listening as a precious resource that requires careful attention and cultivation. True generative listening leads to conversations that energize and leave participants with a deeper...
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Episode 2: Ellen Palmer
Brent's Podcast
Ellen is a holistic health coach and speaker, working with people to pair the data of her client’s test results with intentional conversations on the direction of their lives – a duo she calls the art and science of being human. Ellen talks about practicing the identities we want to claim, rather than blindly believing the stories we’ve been telling ourselves about the types of people we are. She believes strongly in the power of listening to open up more authentic and curious relationships, and doing so with a calm nervous system that allows for full presence to preside. Listen to...
info_outlineBarry Svigals, FAIA, is an architect, artist, educator, and national speaker. As Founder and Partner Emeritus of Svigals+Partners, he has led award-winning projects for clients including Yale University, Boston College, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
His firm is especially known for designing learning environments and the nationally recognized Sandy Hook Elementary School. A Yale College and Yale School of Architecture graduate, Barry also studied sculpture in Paris and taught at Yale for over 30 years. In 2019, he was a Fellow at Stanford’s d.school, reimagining school safety through design.
His work blends architecture, art, and deep social purpose.