Podcast
Disruption Lab
Hosted by Patrick Leddin PhD · EN
Disruption isn’t coming—it’s already here. Whether you’re leading a team, raising a family, or chasing a dream, curveballs are part of life. Disruption Lab helps you turn them into breakthroughs.
Hosted by Patrick Leddin and inspired by his book Disrupt Everything and Win (with James Patterson), each episode brings bold ideas and real stories to help you thrive in a fast-changing world.
Disruption is powerful—but so are you.
28episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Disrupting Belief with Psychologist and Author Owen Fitzpatrick
4d ago00:45:52Tap to summarizeContent Warning: Discussion of depression and suicide ideationOwen Fitzpatrick has studied propaganda where it does its worst work. North Korea. Afghanistan. Rwanda. Iran. More than 100 countries in all. And after all of it, he landed on an uncomfortable conclusion: the most effective propagandist in your life isn't a government, a company, or an algorithm. It's the voice in your own head.But this episode of The Disruption Lab isn't really about propaganda. It's about why intelligent people hold onto things that aren't true, and why handing someone better facts almost never changes their mind. If good information were enough, every strategy you've ever rolled out would have landed on the first try. So what actually moves a belief?Owen, psychologist, speaker, and author of Inner Propaganda: Leading Hearts and Minds Through Turbulent Times, joins me to unpack the three forces that make a belief stick: Feels Right, Fits In, and Makes Sense. We get into belief leadership during disruption, what a leader does when people don't trust the strategy or the person delivering it, and the thin line between shaping beliefs and manipulating people. Whether you lead an organization, sit on a team, or you're simply tired of arguing with someone who won't budge, there's something here for you.It also gets personal. Owen shares the story he was telling himself at fourteen and the single question that interrupted it. That moment reframes everything that follows.You'll leave able to spot the narrative that's quietly keeping you stuck, and with one question worth asking the next time disruption knocks you sideways. The war is in your head. Go win it.____________________________________________________Learn more about Owen atWebsite - owenfitzpatrick.com Latest book - https://innerpropaganda.com/ Patrick Leddin PhDWebsite - https://patrickleddin.com Speaking - https://patrickleddin.com/speaking/ Newsletter - https://patrickleddin.kit.com/disrupt Socials: https://linktr.ee/disruptiveinsightsllc
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Disrupting Gaming with Ethan Zoubek, President of Atari
2w ago00:43:06Tap to summarizeIn 1972, a company called Atari did something almost no one does: it created an industry from nothing. Pong, the 2600, the joystick in your hand — Atari didn't just join the video game business, it invented the culture around it. But this episode of The Disruption Lab isn't really about video games. It's about what happens after you win. How do you keep a legendary brand relevant across five decades of technology, rival empires, booms, busts, and a world that looks nothing like the one you were born into?Ethan Zoubek, President of Atari, joins me to talk about leading one of the most recognizable names on the planet as it approaches 55 years in business — and quietly reinvents itself again. It's a conversation about legacy without nostalgia-worship, about the discipline of disrupting yourself before someone else does it for you, and about the difference between protecting a brand and trapping it. Whether you run a company, build a team, or just wonder how anything lasts this long, there's something here for you.And yes, we have fun with it. I let slip my favorite game from when I was a kid — see if you can guess it before Ethan does. You'll leave a little nostalgic, a little smarter about reinvention, and probably wanting to dig your old console out of the closet.You don't have to love video games to love this one. Press start.Learn more about Atari at https://atari.com/Learn more about Patrick Leddin PhDhttps://patrickleddin.comBestsellers - https://patrickleddin.com/bestsellers/Speaking - https://patrickleddin.com/speaking/Newsletter - https://patrickleddin.kit.com/disruptLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickleddin
Transcribe →That's a Wrap on Season Two
Jun 3000:02:22Tap to summarizeThank you for your support! We will see you next month for season three of Disruption Lab.
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Disrupt Invisible Rules with Former World #1 Female Poker Player and Author Cate Hall
Jun 2300:40:44Tap to summarizeWho decided the rules you live by are actually the rules?Patrick sits down with Cate Hall, author of the forthcoming book You Can Just Do Things: How High-Agency People Get What They Want Out of Life, for a conversation about agency, reinvention, resilience, and challenging invisible limits.Cate’s story is anything but conventional. She went from attorney to world-class poker player to battling addiction and rebuilding her life from the ground up. Along the way, she became a leader in the world of pandemic medicine and now serves as CEO of one of the world’s largest private foundations.Together, they explore what separates people who wait from people who act, why so many limitations are self-imposed, and how individuals can reclaim ownership over their future in a rapidly changing world.This episode is a powerful reminder that disruption often begins the moment you realize you are allowed to do things differently.Take the quiz mentioned in today's episode at https://www.catehall.com/cringe-minefield-quiz
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Disrupt Your Life by Design with Craig Ballantyne
Jun 1600:41:01Tap to summarizeWhat if the life you want isn't built through hustle, but through intentional design?In this episode of Disrupt Everything, Patrick sits down with entrepreneur, bestselling author, and performance coach Craig Ballantyne to explore why discipline isn't about restriction. It's about freedom. Known by many as "The World's Most Disciplined Man," Craig has helped hundreds of business leaders and entrepreneurs grow successful businesses while reclaiming their time, protecting their priorities, and building lives they actually want to live.Together, they unpack the principles behind Craig's Perfect Day and Perfect Week frameworks, the surprising power of subtraction, and why so many high achievers become trapped by the very success they worked so hard to create.If you've ever felt overwhelmed, overcommitted, or stuck reacting to everyone else's agenda, this conversation offers a different path forward. Because the goal isn't simply to be more productive. The goal is to build a life of meaning, impact, and freedom—on purpose.It's time to disrupt the default and start living by design.
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Disrupt Your Big Idea with Innovator Tommy Pennington
Jun 900:35:34Tap to summarizeWhat would happen if you stopped waiting for permission and simply started tackling big problems?Patrick talks with Tommy Pennington, a Vanderbilt graduate and rising innovator, about what it means to think boldly at any age. Tommy has explored everything from fusion-powered technology to traffic flow systems to helping nonprofits gain access to large-scale donated goods through his work at SIMPLI.What makes Tommy stand out is not just the size of the problems he takes on. It’s his willingness to move toward complexity instead of away from it.This conversation explores curiosity, initiative, innovation, and the mindset required to pursue ideas that most people would never even attempt.
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Disrupt the Spotlight with Opera Singer and Leader Keri Alkema
Jun 200:33:59Tap to summarizeWhat happens when you step away from the spotlight and choose to lead in an entirely new way?Patrick sits down with internationally acclaimed opera performer Keri Alkema to discuss reinvention, leadership, creativity, and the future of the arts. After a celebrated career performing on some of the world’s biggest stages, Keri is stepping into a new role as the future director of the Nashville Opera.Together, they explore the transition from performer to leader, what it means to carry forward an art form while challenging the status quo, and how disruption often requires the courage to leave behind an identity that once defined you.Keri brings energy, honesty, and vision to a conversation about purpose, leadership, and building something bigger than yourself.
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Disrupt the Stories We Tell with Fox Business Reporter Lydia Hu
May 2600:35:59Tap to summarizeHow do you find your voice and stay steady when the world feels chaotic?Patrick sits down with Lydia Hu, attorney turned journalist and familiar face on Fox Business, for a conversation about career pivots, high-pressure moments, and navigating disruption in real time. The two first connected while appearing together on Varney & Company during the height of Patrick and James Patterson’s media tour.Lydia shares her journey from practicing law to becoming a nationally recognized business reporter covering some of the most disruptive moments in recent history, including COVID, financial uncertainty, and rapidly changing economic conditions.This episode explores communication, reinvention, and the importance of stepping into uncomfortable opportunities before you feel fully ready.
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Disrupt the Way You See Problems with DonCo’s President David Mendelson
May 1900:35:04Tap to summarizeMost people see waste, excess, or leftover materials as a problem. David Mendelson sees opportunity.Patrick talks with David Mendelson, leader of multi-generation family-owned company DONCO, about creativity, problem solving, and operating in a world where every phone call brings a new challenge. David and his team help organizations rethink industrial byproducts, excess inventory, and unused materials by finding innovative ways to put them back into use.Featured in Disrupt Everything and Win, David exemplifies what positive disruptors do best: seeing what others miss and thinking differently when faced with uncertainty.This conversation is about mindset, ingenuity, adaptability, and why some people are able to find possibilities where others only see obstacles.
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Disrupt Career Reinvention with Forbes Contributor Kathy Caprino
May 1200:41:39Tap to summarizeWhat does it take to reinvent yourself in a world shaped by layoffs, AI, uncertainty, and constant change?In this episode, Patrick sits down with career and leadership expert Kathy Caprino, Forbes columnist, executive coach, educator, and host of the Finding Brave podcast. The two first met at the World Business Forum in New York City, where Kathy’s thoughtful questions and genuine care for people immediately stood out.Together, they explore career reinvention, leadership visibility, personal growth, and what it really means to navigate disruption well. Kathy shares insights from years of helping professionals find clarity, courage, and direction in moments when the future feels uncertain.Whether you’re considering a career pivot, trying to lead through change, or simply wondering what’s next, this conversation will help you think differently about your path forward.
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