339: How Human Skills Unleash the Real Power of Generative AI with Anthony Salcito
Release Date: 04/05/2026
366: Get Clear on Q4 Prioritization with Dr. Jolander Headley
Allyship in Action
By the time the fourth quarter rolls around, most of us in leadership are running on coffee, sheer willpower, and a quiet prayer that our calendars don't spontaneously combust. We rush to cross off every single goal set in January, regardless of whether our teams actually have the bandwidth left to carry it. In my latest chat with the incredible Dr. Jolander Headley, we unpacked why this year-end frenzy is a recipe for disaster and how we can lead with a lot more intention and a lot less chaotic exhaustion. We laughed about our own high-octane DISC profiles, because it turns out two driven,...
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365: Challenging the Career Fantasy of Having It All with Corinne Low
Allyship in Action
Every now and then, a book comes along that completely stops me in my tracks. My conversation with Dr. Corinne Low—Wharton professor, economist, and author of Having It All—was one of those instances where data validated everything so many of us feel daily. I loved blending storytelling with hard research as we unpacked why so many high-achieving working parents feel so exhausted. As a working mom myself, hearing the data prove that working mothers today spend more time with their children than stay-at-home mothers did a generation ago was a massive aha moment. We realized the progress...
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364: Purpose at Work with Scott Curran
Allyship in Action
Scott Curran is a social impact lawyer, advisor, and educator who spent ten years in the All-Star game of global philanthropy at the Clinton Foundation . When I sit back and look at the wacky headlines and persistent headwinds in our world right now, it can be really easy to throw up our hands . But Scott brings us right back to the science: human beings are naturally wired for good, and our brain chemistry practically throws a party of dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins whenever we do something kind or even just watch someone else do it ! Scott candidly shares how a...
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363: How to Lead with Optimism and Resilience in the Workplace with Michelle Gielan
Allyship in Action
Positive psychology researcher and author Michelle Gielan joins us to dive into two qualities I think about a lot: optimism and resilience. Early in my career, I used to think being optimistic meant slapping a smile on my face, grabbing a venti iced coffee, and pretending everything was fine, even when a project was burning down around me. (Spoiler alert: it doesn't work!) Real optimism isn’t about ignoring the mess. As Michelle reminded me, it’s about taking a realistic assessment of the present while holding onto the belief that our actions matter. We laughed about closet optimists,...
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362: Why Your Next Big Career Move Starts with Ten Minutes a Day with Jess Ekstrom
Allyship in Action
Finding balance in leadership and in life often feels like trying to do a high-wire act while juggling toddlers and a full-time career. That is why I was thrilled to catch up with Jess Ekstrom, founder of Mic Drop Workshop and author of Making It Without Losing It. Jess is a powerful storyteller who has built two million dollar businesses. She brings this incredible blend of real-world hustle and laugh-out-loud relatable humor. We got into what happens when we stop chasing everyone else’s definition of success and start listening to what actually fuels us. Between tales of toddlers...
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361: Escaping the Reward Trap with Özgür Bolat
Allyship in Action
Have you ever tried dangling a carrot to get a desired behavior out of someone—whether it's offering points to your kids for clearing the dishwasher or dangling a bonus in front of your sales team—only to feel like you've created a transactional nightmare? You’re definitely not alone! In this episode of Allyship in Action, I sat down with education scientist and author Dr. Özgür Bolat to unpack why our obsession with extrinsic rewards so often backfires. Drawing from his insightful book, The Reward Trap, Özgür helps us realize that while carrots might get temporary...
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360: Unlocking Neurodivergent Potential in the Workplace with Alex Partridge
Allyship in Action
This week, I had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with the incredible Alex Partridge—founder of UNILAD and Lad Bible, host of the ADHD Chatter podcast, and author of Why Does Everybody Hate Me?. We dove deep into a topic that so many managers want to get right, but often feel totally lost navigating: supporting neurodiversity in the workplace, specifically when it comes to ADHD. The first time I managed someone with ADHD, I felt lost. I wanted to be an ally and build an inclusive space, but I didn’t know what real, everyday support looked like. As Alex and I chatted, it hit me again...
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359: Designing Inclusion from the Inside Out with Nani Vishwanath
Allyship in Action
Welcome back to Allyship in Action! If you’ve been working in the diversity and inclusion space over the past few years, you know the corporate pendulum hasn’t just swung—it’s done full-on gymnastics. We’ve gone from the hyper-reactive commitments of 2020 to the nervous retreats of recent years, leaving many leaders wondering where to anchor themselves. I had the absolute joy of catching up with the brilliant Nani Vishwanath—a strategic leader at The Current Collective—who reminded me that when the external noise gets deafening, the answer isn't to duck and cover; it's to look...
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358: The Surprising Key to Longevity with Ezekiel Emanuel
Allyship in Action
Today we have Dr. Zeke Emanuel, whose new book Eat Your Ice Cream takes a refreshingly sensible look at longevity and what it actually takes to build a happy, healthy life. As an oncologist and world-renowned expert in bioethics and health policy, Dr. Emanuel has spent decades navigating complex medical landscapes—so when he talks about living better, I listen! What I love most about his approach is that he bypasses the extreme health trends and cuts straight to sustainable, real-world habits. We had such a fun conversation, diving into everything from the real math behind everyday risks to...
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357: Why We Avoid the Very Thing That Makes Us Happy at Work with Nick Epley
Allyship in Action
As an author and allyship advocate, I constantly find myself researching the power of human connection, yet I still fall into the same social traps as everyone else! We all intellectually know that relationships are vital to our health and happiness, yet we consistently talk ourselves out of simple, daily opportunities to connect. In this episode, I had the absolute pleasure of chatting with Nicholas Epley, behavioral science professor and author of A Little More Social. Nick's research translates complex social cognition into real, actionable insights that completely reframed how I...
info_outlineIt is such a wild time to be in the world of training and development, isn’t it? I’ve had this persistent hunch—call it a "zag" when everyone else is "zigging"—that as much as we’re obsessing over AI, the real secret sauce is still our human intuition .
I recently sat down with Anthony Salcito from Coursera, and it turns out my hypothesis wasn't just wishful thinking. We’ve all seen those robotic AI outputs that sound like they’ve never actually lived a day in their lives, and while I’ve certainly fumbled through my share of prompt engineering, the data shows that our soft skills are more critical than ever .
We’re navigating a world where we have more data than we know what to do with, and the magic happens when we decide how to use that information to lead with empathy and culture .
Key Conversation Themes
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The Symbiotic Rise of AI and Human Agency. While technical enrollments are skyrocketing, they are being matched by a demand for leadership and critical thinking to ensure these tools are used ethically and effectively .
"Humanity will always become more valuable when the technology is more pervasive or used in a sort of a paradigm-shifting way, like what's happening with AI."
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The Critical Need for Discerning Truth In an era of deepfakes and advanced data models, a core human talent is the ability to separate reality from generated content and prioritize what truly matters for an organization .
"Discerning reality from what is created by Gen AI is certainly a core talent... that's really where that human is super critical."
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Cultivating an Entrepreneurial Mindset Internally. Organizations are looking for intrapreneurs—people who use AI tools to think bigger and pivot quickly without being constrained by historical technological limits .
"You want an entrepreneurial mindset to exist inside of learners in an organization that think differently about using these tools."
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AI as a Safe Space for Human Growth. One of the most exciting applications is using AI for role-playing, allowing employees to practice difficult conversations and gain confidence without the fear of being judged by a peer .
"It's hard to roleplay with a human, because you're worried about being judged... I can see it being much safer to do with a robot."
Actionable Takeaway
Audit your AI prompts for Human Activation. The next time you use a generative tool, don't just accept the first output. Apply your unique lived experience to pivot the prompt, asking the tool to provide a multi-perspective view or a specific organizational culture lens to ensure the result has the humanity required to drive real business change .
Follow Anthony's work at Coursera at https://www.coursera.org/.