The Science of Human Performance with Melissa Painter
Release Date: 11/20/2025
Incorruptible: How Great Companies Stay Great featuring Eric Ries
Snafu w/ Robin Zander
In this episode, I’m joined by Eric Ries – entrepreneur, founder of the Lean Startup movement, and author of The Lean Startup and Incorruptible – for a conversation about what it actually takes to build companies that last. Eric’s work has shaped how startups and large organizations approach innovation, but this conversation goes deeper than experimentation. It’s about what happens after you succeed and why so many good companies slowly lose their way. At the center is a concept he calls financial gravity: the invisible force that pushes organizations toward short-term decisions,...
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How Cults Work with Ellen Huet
Snafu w/ Robin Zander
In this episode, I’m joined by Ellen Huet – journalist at Bloomberg and author of Empire of Orgasm – for a conversation about power, belonging, and the sometimes blurry line between influence and manipulation. Ellen has spent over a decade covering Silicon Valley – from AI startups to the personalities shaping the industry. Empire of Orgasm explores OneTaste, the sexual wellness company and alleged sex cult. Throughout the book, Ellen also explores the broader question of how high-demand groups actually work. At the center of this book is the uncomfortable idea that cults aren’t a...
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Building Community that Drives Business with Joshua Zerkel
Snafu w/ Robin Zander
In this episode, I’m joined by Joshua Zerkel – community strategist, former Evernote ambassador turned community leader, and author of The Community Code – for a conversation about what it really takes to build community that drives business outcomes. Joshua’s path is anything but typical. He started as a power user and advocate, writing productivity books about Evernote before eventually joining the company and helping scale its community as it grew from 100M to 200M users. From there, he went on to build and lead community at Asana, turning it into a global program spanning forums,...
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How to Move People with Lindsey Caplan
Snafu w/ Robin Zander
.In this episode, I’m joined by Lindsey Caplan — organizational psychologist, former Hollywood screenwriter, and upcoming author — for a conversation about creativity, communication, and how people and groups are actually moved. Lindsey’s path is anything but linear. She started her career on TV and film sets in Los Angeles, working on shows like Malcolm in the Middle, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and The Amazing Race. From there, she transitioned into learning and development at companies like DreamWorks Animation, Zendesk, and Credit Karma, eventually stepping fully into organizational...
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Founder-Led Sales with Gagan Biyani - Snafu Conference 2026
Snafu w/ Robin Zander
This conversation between Robin Zander and Gagan Biyani, founder of Maven and early contributor to Udemy, Lyft, and Spread, explores the intersection of growth, education, and entrepreneurship. The session begins with a brief mindfulness exercise for the audience before diving into Biyani’s career and his perspective on growth. He distinguishes growth from traditional marketing by emphasizing that growth is a systematic approach that integrates product, analytics, and user behavior to drive scalable results, rather than solely focusing on branding or messaging. Biyani also addresses the...
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How to Sell Yourself – A Workshop
Snafu w/ Robin Zander
Robin Zander hosted a Snafu webinar for the Sidebar community on non-sales selling—think self-promotion for career transitions, freelancers, entrepreneurs, and product people. The goal: learn to “sell yourself” without the ick factor. Participants shared fears: follow-ups feel intimidating, sales feels slimy, and success seems like a numbers game. Robin reframed it: selling is really about enrollment—being a chief evangelist for your work, not begging for attention. Drawing on stories from his childhood pumpkin patch, his time as a personal trainer (where desperation lost...
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Your Best Meeting Ever with Rebecca Hinds, PhD
Snafu w/ Robin Zander
In this episode, I’m joined by Rebecca Hinds — organizational behavior expert and founder of the Work AI Institute at Glean — for a practical conversation about why meetings deteriorate over time and how to redesign them. Rebecca argues that bad meetings aren’t a people problem — they’re a systems problem. Without intentional design, meetings default to ego, status signaling, conflict avoidance, and performative participation. Over time, low-value meetings become normalized instead of fixed. Drawing on her research at Stanford University and her leadership of the Work Innovation...
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Corporating: Navigating Career and Life with Mandy Mooney
Snafu w/ Robin Zander
In this episode, I’m joined by Mandy Mooney — author, corporate communicator, and performer — for a wide-ranging conversation about mentorship, career growth, and how to show up authentically in both work and life. We talk about her path from performing arts to corporate communications, and how those early experiences shaped the way she approaches relationships, leadership, and personal authenticity. That foundation carries through to her current role as VP of Internal Communications, where she focuses on building connections and fostering resilience across teams. We...
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Why the Best Leaders are Better Storytellers with Robin P. Zander
Snafu w/ Robin Zander
Welcome back to Snafu with Robin P. Zander. In this episode, I’m doing something a little different: I step into the guest seat for a conversation with one of my good friends, Andrew Bartlow, recorded for the People Leader Accelerator podcast alongside Jessica Yuen. We dive into storytelling, identity, and leadership — exploring how personal experiences shape professional influence. The conversation begins with a reflection on family and culture, from the Moroccan textiles behind me, made by my mother, to the influence of my father’s environmental consulting work. These threads of...
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Investing In People, AI, and the Future of Work with Virginie Raphael
Snafu w/ Robin Zander
In this episode, I’m joined by Virginie Raphael — investor, entrepreneur, and philosopher of work — for a wide-ranging conversation about incentives, technology, and how we build systems that scale without losing their humanity. We talk about her background growing up around her family’s flower business, and how those early experiences shaped the way she thinks about labor, value, and operating in the real economy. That foundation carries through to her work as an investor, where she brings an operator’s lens to evaluating businesses and ideas. We explore how incentives quietly shape...
info_outlineWelcome back to Snafu with Robin Zander.
In this episode, I’m joined by Melissa Painter, founder of Breakthru – a platform bringing movement, mindfulness, and behavior change into workplaces around the world.
We talk about how Melissa uses movement as a tool to improve focus, resilience, and well-being, and how her background in dance and creative movement informs her approach to human performance. We explore the science and art of helping people move more, think better, and feel more connected to their work and each other.
Melissa shares how she designs short, immersive experiences for employees, what it takes to change workplace culture, and why small, intentional shifts in movement can unlock big changes in thinking and performance.
We also dive into the intersection of creativity, neuroscience, and technology, and how thoughtful, human-centered design can make work feel more alive and meaningful.
If you’re curious about how movement, mindfulness, and behavior change can transform your work and life, this episode is for you. And for more conversations like this, stay tuned for Responsive Conference 2026, where we’ll be continuing the dialogue on human connection, creativity, and thriving in the modern workplace.
I’m so glad and honored to have Melissa joining us in this talk. If you’re interested in her work, take a look at Breakthru – you can try it and share it with your team here: Take your first Breakthru! https://breakthru.me/