Show Notes
The deepest lessons in leadership may come from people who never asked to be called leaders. Through stories of mothers whose sacrifice changed the lives of their children, Dr. Mark explores what empathy looks like when it becomes action: standing by someone, creating possibility from scarcity, offering forgiveness, and choosing human connection over fear. From a Department of Energy leader transformed after publicly honoring his mother, to a South African mother working extra houses so her son could travel to Florence, to a museum guard whose simple invitation brought strangers together, these stories reveal leadership as an expression of love, connection, empathy, and forgiveness. The Choreography Of A Connection: The Leadership Story We Carry – A reluctant leader discovers that acknowledging the sacrifice behind his own life can open the door to an entirely different way of leading. From Scarcity to Abundance – Public recognition and human connection help one executive confront the fear that had quietly shaped his decisions and relationships. The Unsung Sacrifice of Mothers – Stories across cultures reveal how devotion expressed without titles or recognition can alter the trajectory of another person's life. Forgiveness as Leadership – Moving forward becomes possible when leaders are willing to forgive themselves, seek forgiveness from others, and release the identities built around past mistakes. Love as a Daily Practice – Empathy becomes tangible through simple questions, acknowledgment, kindness, and the willingness to understand what another person genuinely needs.
Ready to strengthen the human side of leadership? Explore the Berkeley Institute for Human Connection and discover programs designed to help leaders build trust, communicate authentically, navigate difficult conversations, and create stronger teams. Learn more at https://bihc.org/ About the Host: Dr. Mark Rittenberg is a Distinguished Teaching Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley Haas School of Business, specializing in leadership communication and interpersonal dynamics. He is known for helping individuals and organizations develop authentic leadership presence through human connection and dialogue. With over three decades of global experience, he has worked with Fortune 100 companies, government institutions, and international organizations. He is also the founder of the Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute, where he trains leaders and executive coaches from around the world. At the heart of his work is a simple but powerful belief: leadership is rooted in love, expressed through presence, dialogue, and the courage to remain in human connection. https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-rittenberg-bb90214/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app. Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you are enjoying the show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. Mentioned in this episode: This show was brought to you in part by the Magic Thread Media Network. To learn more visit: https://magicthreadmedia.com/
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What happens to your communication when someone pushes exactly the right button? Strategy can disappear quickly when the nervous system feels threatened. We become defensive, rush to prove our point, or get pulled into the emotional energy of the person across from us. The conversation may still be happening, but we are no longer fully present inside it. Amy and trial lawyer Jennifer Gardner explore what it takes to remain grounded when the stakes are high. Drawing from decades inside intense courtroom situations, Jennifer shares why self-regulation is not separate from effective communication. It is what makes clear thinking, presence, and persuasion possible in the first place. Their conversation moves from grounding through the body to the deeper work of humanizing the person on the other side. Jennifer also examines the line between ethical persuasion and manipulation, including how likability, empathy, and emotional connection can be used either in service of understanding or as tools for control. The goal is not to become impossible to trigger. It is to recognize the moment you are losing yourself, return to what matters, and choose how you want to respond before fear, ego, or defensiveness chooses for you. Moments That Create Momentum: Don’t Take the Bait – Explore why regulating yourself first can keep conflict from deciding how you communicate. Come Back to the Body – Learn how grounding and breath can help restore clarity when the pressure around you begins to escalate. Humanize Before You Persuade – Discover why understanding another person’s reality can make communication more compelling without abandoning your own position. Notice the Shadow of Persuasion – Recognize how likability and emotional connection can create influence, and when those same tools begin to feel manipulative. Hard Truths Still Need to Be Spoken – See how difficult conversations can create greater inner peace when your actions remain aligned with what you believe.
Where do Harry Potter and childhood trauma meet? For author Barbara Latinka, the connection is deeply personal. Growing up with Harry Potter, she saw more than a magical adventure. She saw a neglected, mistreated child discover that he had power—and that his beginnings did not have to determine his future. Years later, while working through her own childhood trauma in therapy, Barbara found a way to bring that possibility into her own storytelling. Her three-book series, Spells for Surviving a Haunted Childhood, tells her life story through magical realism. Darkness becomes a shape-shifting monster. Generational trauma becomes a curse she is determined to break. And each chapter ends with a “spell”—meditation, grounding, and mindfulness practices recast as invitations to discover a little magic within ourselves. In this moving conversation, Cari and Barbara explore how imagination can help us approach experiences we struggle to name—and how stories can offer more than escape. Sometimes, seeing ourselves in a character helps us feel less alone and imagine possibilities for our own lives. Barbara shares her journey through a childhood marked by addiction, neglect, and abuse, the enduring love of her grandfather, and the importance of finding a therapist who could truly understand her experience. Together, they explore what it means to be seen, to make room for difficult feelings, and to interrupt the patterns handed down through a family. Trauma can move through generations. But so can love. And sometimes the magic begins when we discover that the story we inherited is not the only story we can tell. The Treasures in the Trash: Stories can help us discover our own power – For Barbara, Harry Potter offered an image of a mistreated child whose future held belonging, courage, and possibility. Her books invite readers to imagine possibilities for themselves. Healing can have a language of its own – Shape-shifting monsters, generational curses, and grounding “spells” give Barbara a creative way to express experiences that once felt impossible to name. Trauma can be inherited, but so can love – Her grandfather’s love remained an inner source of support long after his death. The care we receive can become part of what we carry forward. Being seen matters—and finding the right support can take time – Barbara describes how a trusted friendship and a therapist who understood her childhood trauma helped her feel heard and supported. Difficult feelings deserve space without having to run the show – Barbara’s writing began with permission to feel anger and grief. Giving those emotions a place in her story helped her begin imagining what could come next.
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What if play belongs in your day before the work is done? Mia Sundstrom, CEO of the National Institute for Play, joins Amy Lynn Durham, founder of Magic Thread Media, to explore why we’re wired to play and what happens when we keep pushing that impulse aside. Carrying forward the work of her grandfather, pioneering play researcher Dr. Stuart Brown, Mia brings a fresh perspective to productivity guilt, childhood curiosity, and the pressure to be good at everything we enjoy. Ahead of her TEDxClovis Play talk, Mia explores the connections between play, creativity, empathy, and human connection. She also raises a curious question for an AI-driven world: if we give machines room to experiment and learn through games, why are we leaving less room for people to do the same? From singing while getting ready to sharing a laugh at work, this conversation invites us to make a little space for play, even when there’s no score to keep or outcome to chase. Your Play Preview: A closer look at the science behind our instinct to play. A fresh perspective on the guilt that creeps in when we make time for fun. The surprising connection between play and how we relate to one another. An invitation to rethink what counts as play in a world full of screens. A curious parallel between how AI learns and the space we give ourselves to experiment.
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