Behind the Brilliance

Behind the Brilliance is a long-form interview podcast for the intellectually curious and relentlessly ambitious. Host Lisa Nicole Bell curates conversations with bestselling authors, acclaimed creators, and industry leaders to weave together the frameworks behind their success and the personal stories that shaped them. Each conversation reveals practical wisdom on creativity, success, human behavior, and living purposefully.

254 Harvard Psychologist Tal Ben-Shahar's Guide to Being Happy with an Imperfect Life 07/17/2025

254 Harvard Psychologist Tal Ben-Shahar's Guide to Being Happy with an Imperfect Life THE SHOW Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar, Harvard-trained psychologist and author of multiple bestsellers including Happier, joins Lisa to explore the psychology and habits that lead to happiness in modern times. He uncovers the myths that keep successful people miserable and why our pursuit of the next achievement isn’t the answer. He shares his personal journey from academic achievement to profound unhappiness, breaks down the difference between experiencing emotions and being consumed by them, and offers a counterintuitive approach to emotional health through passive observation. The conversation covers everything from the achievement trap and social media's impact on happiness to practical parenting strategies and the future of leadership in a post-pandemic world. Behind his brilliance: Curiosity and passionate effort Visit BehindtheBrilliance.com for the show notes TOPICS COVERED Why successful people often feel secretly empty The myth of constant happiness and toxic positivity culture Passive observation: witnessing emotions without being consumed by them The psychology of "enough" and escaping achievement addiction Why fighting your feelings makes them persist The role of curiosity in emotional wellbeing and personal growth Social media's impact on perfectionism and life satisfaction How to create space between stimulus and response during overwhelming moments The difference between hard work and effort in personal development Turning emotional dissatisfaction into positive life changes Modern loneliness epidemic and the paradox of digital connection Building authentic relationships based on values rather than demographics The symbiotic relationship between leadership and management Why power and control are ineffective leadership tools Parenting strategies for raising emotionally intelligent children The importance of modeling emotional regulation for kids How to develop discipline without relying on motivation or willpower Why retirement isn't the answer to work dissatisfaction The value of experimentation and changing periods to question marks in life /episode/index/show/behindthebrilliance/id/37430035

253 Anne-Laure Le Cunff on Using Brain Science to Design a Better Career 07/10/2025

252 Kajabi CEO Ahad Khan on Work-Life Integration, Values-Driven Leadership, and the Future of the Creator Economy 07/03/2025

252 Kajabi CEO Ahad Khan on Work-Life Integration, Values-Driven Leadership, and the Future of the Creator Economy THE SHOW Ahad Khan, CEO of Kajabi, shares how his Midwestern roots shaped his approach to building software for "regular people," his experiences navigating investment banking, startup acquisitions, and the creator economy. Ahad reveals his philosophy on people-first decision making, the power of work-life integration over balance, and why choosing character over compensation has been the thread connecting every major career move. The conversation explores the evolution of the creator economy, the challenges of remote leadership, and practical strategies for staying present as both a CEO and father of three. Behind His Brilliance: Immigrant parents who modeled hard work, presence, and the courage to build a life around what matters most Get the show notes . TOPICS COVERED · Why pivoting early (or late) is worth it · Growing up in Northeast Ohio and the "regular people" advantage in tech · Why his father said "you can be any kind of engineer you want" · Investment banking culture in Chicago vs. New York stereotypes · The power of choosing people over compensation in career decisions · Early startup lessons and the importance of founder character · MileIQ: solving real problems for people who drive for work · Navigating Microsoft's acquisition and cultural transformation under Satya Nadella · The bootstrap advantage: how 9 years without funding built Kajabi differently · Creator economy vs. entertainment: building sustainable businesses · The $6 billion paid out to Kajabi creators and the subscription vs. take-rate model · Transitioning from CFO to CEO and the weight of leadership · Work-life integration: taking kids to school as non-negotiable priority · Remote leadership strategies and building a documentation culture · Why human customer support beats automation every time · The hardest part of being CEO: communicating the "why" behind decisions · Redefining success: involved parent, good husband, teammates who like you Behind Your Brilliance: What's one decision you could make this week to better align your work life with your core values? /episode/index/show/behindthebrilliance/id/37264230

251 Dr. Ellen Hendriksen on the Science-Backed Way to End Perfectionism Without Lowering Your Standards 06/26/2025

250 - Defying the Odds - Season 14 Recap 12/15/2023

249 Kevin Kelly on Living and Working at the Intersection of Passion, Purpose, and Profitability 12/08/2023

249 Kevin Kelly on Living and Working at the Intersection of Passion, Purpose, and Profitability THE SHOW Kevin Kelly is a modern creative pioneer. He was a polymath before it was cool. His career as a writer, founder, photographer, and editor extends across industries and continents. A world traveler and lifelong learner, Kevin’s ideas such as 1000 True Fans have inspired a generation of builders and artists to exercise full agency over their creative pursuits. Kevin was on a short list of dream guests I’ve long held for Behind the Brilliance, and our conversation did not disappoint. He was candid and thoughtful as we covered a wide range of topics including career and life design, religion, decision making, unpopular opinions, and much more. This is an excellent listen for the dreamers, doers, and builders who want to hear the embodiment of integrating passion, purpose, and profit with thoughtful optimism. Behind His Brilliance: Luck + Not caring what others think Say hi to Kevin on X (Twitter): THE GUEST KEVIN KELLY | AUTHOR + CO-FOUNDER, WIRED Kevin Kelly is Senior Maverick at Wired magazine. He co-founded Wired in 1993, and served as its Executive Editor for its first seven years. His newest book is , a book of 450 modern proverbs for good living. He is co-chair of , a membership organization that champions long-term thinking and acting as a good ancestor to future generations. And he is founder of the popular website, which has been reviewing tools daily for 20 years. From 1984-1990 Kelly was publisher and editor of the Whole Earth Review, a subscriber-supported journal of unorthodox conceptual news. He co-founded the ongoing Hackers’ Conference, and was involved with the launch of the WELL, a pioneering online service started in 1985. Other books by Kelly include 1) , a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller, 2) , his 1994 classic book on decentralized emergent systems, 3) , a graphic novel about robots and angels, 4) , a robust theory of technology, and 5) Vanishing Asia, his 50-year project to photograph the disappearing cultures of Asia. He is best known for his radical optimism about the future. TOPICS COVERED -the decision making framework Kevin developed over 5 decades of his career -the inception and growth of WIRED -why pursuing a range of interests can be more valuable than specializations (with important caveats) -Kevin’s religious conversion and how it changed his life -important reflections on leveraging and time management -how a trip to Asia changed Kevin’s life And much more! /episode/index/show/behindthebrilliance/id/28984133

248 Jamila Souffrant on Redefining and Achieving Financial Freedom 12/01/2023

248 Jamila Souffrant on Redefining and Achieving Financial Freedom THE SHOW Jamila Souffrant’s expertise in personal finance is informed by her own experience turning financial uncertainty into financial freedom. She and her husband saved $169,000 in 2 years and redefined their future with smart money decisions. Now she’s guiding people from diverse backgrounds to more fulfilled lives through her personal finance podcast, Journey to Launch, and her new book, Your Journey to Financial Freedom. Jamila’s work has been featured in Money Magazine, CNBC, and more. The Journey To Launch Podcast was listed by the NYTimes as a podcast to help you get better with your money. We covered a wide range of topics at the intersection of lifestyle and personal finance including creating financial independence, decoupling time and money, how to approaching spending vs saving vs earning, the specific mindset work that’s critical to the personal finance journey and much more. We touched on FIRE which stands for Financial Independence Retire Early which is a movement that targets building a nest egg and retiring to do what you’d prefer to do with your time whether that’s work that earns less, more time with family, or something else. This episode is penultimate installment of our season long discussions around integrating work and life. Money is obviously a hufge part of that so this conversation helps to frame up our motivations for how much we work, what we work on, and what we do with our earnings. THE GUEST JAMILA SOUFFRANT | PERSONAL FINANCE EXPERT + AUTHOR Jamila Souffrant is the author of Your Journey To Financial Freedom: A Step-by-Step Guide to Achieving Wealth and Happiness ((Hanover Square Press December 5, 2023) shares and the host of the Journey To Launch podcast. She is a go-to thought leader in the personal finance field and her work has been featured in BuzzFeed, ESSENCE, Refinery 29, Money Magazine, CNBC, CBS, Business Insider and more. The Journey To Launch Podcast has over 4+ million total downloads and was listed by the NYTimes as a podcast to help you get better with your money. Jamila and her husband saved $169,000 in two years. They live in Brooklyn, NY with their three children. TOPICS COVERED -the difference between financial independence and financial freedom and why it matters -redefining luxury in non-monetary terms -the necessity of simplicity on the journey to financial freedom -age, regret, and keeping the journey in context -how to create an effective spending plan -Jamila’s hardest money lesson learned -finding the balance between productivity and punishment And much more! /episode/index/show/behindthebrilliance/id/28879243

247 Andrew Barnes on why (and how) a 4 Day Work Week is the secret to success at work 11/23/2023

247 Andrew Barnes on why (and how) a 4 Day Work Week is the secret to success at work A dynamic and growing group of companies and organizations are moving to a 4 day work week. Andrew Barnes is the pioneer behind this movement. It all started with an experiment to see what would happen if his team worked 4 days instead of 5. The results were so breathtaking that he never looked back. Now there's an entire organization - including research, a book, and tools - dedicated to making the work world more efficient. Through his company – New Zealand's largest corporate trustee company, Perpetual Guardian – Andrew announced a 4 day week trial, with staff receiving an extra day off work, on full pay, each week. The trial was an undeniable success, sparking widespread international interest and winning a number of global awards. Today, Barnes is considered the pioneer and architect of the global 4 day week movement. As co-founder of 4 Day Week Global with his partner, , they are conducting the largest ever trials, currently taking place across the UK, US, Canada, South Africa, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. More than 250 companies around the world with over 100,000 staff are taking part in the trials to change their workplaces combined with a global research programme involving academics from leading universities. Continuing our season long thread on creating work/life integration, this conversation is an excellent primer for both employers and employees on creating a 4 Day Work Week. Andrew is the literal pioneer of this movement so I invited him to BTB to discuss how it was born, the concerns many leaders have, why the movement has picked up steam, and how you – whether you’re a leader or a team member – can use these ideas to create a more sustainable and effective approach to work. We spent a lot of time at the top of this conversation exploring Andrew’s background because I think that context is important once he starts discussing the 4 Day Work Week. That said, if you want to skip to the topical portion, it begins around minute 25. Behind His Brilliance: Finding opportunity anywhere Say hi to Andrew on X/Twitter TOPICS COVERED -how Andrew built a career as an international entrepreneur -Andrew’s reflections on betting on himself (and why you should too) -the keys to navigating organizational change -how and why the 4 Day Work Week became a thing -the art and science of designing down time -the counterintuitive ways less work powers more efficiency -how to save your company from meeting culture -how to trial a 4 day week in your organization -addressing employee concerns about the 4 day week -the 4 day week’s impact on wage expectations (spoiler: workers value their time!) -the legislative activity around a 4 day work week And much more! /episode/index/show/behindthebrilliance/id/28774358

246 Thomas Wedell-Wedellsbord on the Science of Effective Problem Solving 11/17/2023

245 Simone Stolzoff on the better ways to integrate work, life, and identity for more success and satisfaction 11/10/2023

245 Simone Stolzoff on the better ways to integrate work, life, and identity for more success and satisfaction THE SHOW Simone Stolzoff is a designer, and workplace expert who is the former design lead at the global innovation firm IDEO. His work has been featured in The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, and many other publications. He’s the author of The Good Enough Job: Reclaiming Life from Work. This conversation is, in my opinion, among the most important in the history of the show. It’s not particularly dramatic, but it’s hard for me to overstate the importance of the ideas and practical applications we discussed around life design, work, the relationship between to work and identity, and why carefully curating these things instead of letting them happen is an absolute must if you want to create more meaning and satisfaction at the intersection of your work and life. We covered a wide range of things including the Western tendency toward work as a status symbol, how to make a career pivot, questions to consider when reflecting on the context of your career in your life, how to recover from an achievement hangover, the joys and perils of being self-employed, and much more. No matter what your career or employment status is, there’s something for you in this conversation. It’s especially timely as we all start thinking about a new year and what we might want to change where our careers are concerned. Behind His Brilliance: Amazing people who share their stories Say hi to Simone on X/Twitter THE GUEST SIMONE STOLZOFF | AUTHOR, THE GOOD ENOUGH JOB Simone Stolzoff is a designer, and workplace expert who is the former design lead at the global innovation firm IDEO. His work has been featured in The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, and many other publications. He’s the author of The Good Enough Job: Reclaiming Life from Work. TOPICS COVERED The problem with tying personal identity to work How to diversify your identity outside of work How to stop chasing status at work (and what to do instead) Rethinking designing life around work How to avoid achievement hangovers Simone’s advice on pivoting and taking risks The gift and challenge of being self-employed How to create structural protection against overwork And much more! /episode/index/show/behindthebrilliance/id/28575328

244 Dr. Valerie Daniels Carter on how she turned a vision into reality with 100+ franchise locations 11/03/2023

244 Dr. Valerie Daniels Carter on how she turned a vision into reality with 100+ franchise locations THE SHOW Dr. Valerie Daniels-Carter is founder and president of V&J Holdings, the largest female-owned franchise organization in the United States. As one of the best known fast-food operators in the United States with more than 130 units across multiple brands, Valerie has partnered with influential leaders like NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal to expand her operations. She sits on the board of the Green Bay Packers and is a minority owner of the Milwaukee Bucks. As a seasoned leader, Valerie has learned what it takes to create and sustain success when you don’t have a head start. Valerie was candid about her challenges and how she persisted to create a life and career that aligns with her values. We covered a wide range of topics from how she landed her first franchise location to how she identifies great partners along with more personal topics like grief and her reflections on the role of family and faith in her life. Behind Her Brilliance: Faith, Family, Friends, Passion THE GUEST VALERIE DANIELS-CARTER | PRESIDENT, V&J HOLDING COMPANIES Dr. Valerie Daniels-Carter is one of the most preeminent business owners in the United States. In addition to auspiciously commandeering several restaurants branded operations in the United States, she has been widely recognized for her adroit business ingenuity. She is the President and CEO of V&J Foods, Holding Companies, Inc. (V&J Holdings), a multi-brand/multi-state operation. It is recognized as the largest female owned franchise organization in the country. Dr. Daniels-Carter’s quick-service restaurant empire operations are comprised of Auntie Anne’s Soft Pretzels, Burger King, Coffee Beanery, Nino’s Southern Sides, MyYoMy Frozen Yogurt, Pizza Hut and Captain D’s Seafood along with numerous Real Estate ventures. Prior to establishing V&J Holding Companies, Inc., she worked in banking and finance. TOPICS COVERED How Valerie landed her first franchise location Valerie’s secret to scaling to 100+ locations How Valerie creates partnerships with other leaders The role of faith in Valerie’s life and business Valerie’s work in sports and philanthropy Valerie’s reflections on grief and hard lessons How Valerie thinks about work/life integration And much more! /episode/index/show/behindthebrilliance/id/28504145

243 Executive and author Jim Fielding on the secrets to building world class teams in high stakes environments and how to build a values-aligned career 10/26/2023

243 Executive and author Jim Fielding on the secrets to building world class teams in high stakes environments and how to build a values-aligned career THE SHOW Jim Fielding is casting the kind of light we all need to free us from the anxiety of being enough and doing enough. Throughout his illustrious career as an executive as the world’s most recognizable companies, he found that authenticity and kindness were the secrets to achieving the kind of success he most craved. But these realizations didn’t come easy. After struggling with coming out, building international teams, and climbing corporate ladders, Jim left it all behind to lean into a new chapter where he brings his whole self to his work. This conversation is a must listen for anyone who wants to design a more meaningful professional life that delivers fulfillment and stability without sacrificing authenticity. Behind His Brilliance: Family Say hi to Jim on Instagram THE GUEST JIM FIELDING | EXECUTIVE + AUTHOR, ALL PRIDE, NO EGO Jim Fielding is a partner at Archer Gray, and president of its Co-Lab Division. A retail and media industry veteran, Jim served as president of Disney Stores Worldwide, and led global consumer experiences at DreamWorks and Twentieth Century Fox. His early career experience included top global brands, from The Gap to Lands' End. Jim later served as CEO of Claire's Stores, Inc. He is author of ALL PRIDE, NO EGO: A Queer Executive's Journey to Living and Leading Authentically (Wiley, August 15, 2023). Jim's expertise combines storytelling, product innovation, merchandising, and consumer experiences. He is an active community leader and philanthropist, a founder of the Queer Philanthropy Circle, and serves on the board of directors for the Indiana University Foundation. Jim has served as an executive-in-residence for IU's Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and a board member for GLSEN, Make-A-Wish International, and American Red Cross. He is based in Atlanta, GA and Northport, MI. TOPICS COVERED Jim's path into retail and how he found success How authenticity accelerated Jim’s elevation as an executive How Jim navigates high pressure situations Jim’s advice on designing effective teams and collaborative cultures Jim’s advice to professionals weighing their options A fresh perspective on failure – and how to fail up Why Jim stopped chasing the next promotion and title The ah ha moment that healed years of trauma And much more! /episode/index/show/behindthebrilliance/id/28433351

242 Tyler Denk on the Serendipity of Startup Success 10/20/2023

241 Cin Fabré on How She Conquered Wall Street 10/12/2023

240 Dr. Andrew Newberg on The Science Behind Spirituality 09/29/2023

240 Dr. Andrew Newberg on The Science Behind Spirituality Dr. Andrew Newberg is the world’s leading thinker on neurotheology. His work has been published in over 250 peer reviewed articles and chapters on brain function and the study of religious and mystical experiences. He has published 14 books including How God Changes Your Brain and Neurotheology: How Science Can Enlighten Us About Spirituality. In this broad conversation, Lisa and Dr. Newberg explore the connections between spirituality and the brain. Dr. Newberg offers enlightening perspective on modern spirituality and its role in living well. THE GUEST DR. ANDREW NEWBERG | Neurotheologist + Author Dr. Andrew Newberg is the director of research at the and a physician at Jefferson University Hospital. He is board certified in internal medicine and nuclear medicine. Dr. Newberg is a neuroscientist who studies the relationship between brain function and various mental states. He is a pioneer in the neurological study of religious and spiritual experiences, a field known as “neurotheology.” His research includes taking brain scans of people in prayer, meditation, rituals, and trance states, in an attempt to better understand the nature of religious and spiritual practices and attitudes. He has published over 250 peer reviewed articles and chapters on brain function, brain imaging, and the study of religious and mystical experiences. He has published 14 books, which have been translated into 17 different languages. His work has been featured in Newsweek, Time, National Geographic, New York Times, Forbes, and many more. TOPICS COVERED Religion vs Spirituality and why the distinction matters The connection between psychedelics and spiritual experiences The science of great spiritual retreats and how to choose one for yourself The spiritual value of communal gathering outside of traditionally religious settings Designing an optimal morning routine Best practices for meditation Grief and spirituality And much more! See the Show Notes at BehindtheBrilliance.com /episode/index/show/behindthebrilliance/id/28174955