Podcast
What’s Possible w. Ilene Schaffer
Hosted by Silicon Valley Change · EN
Behind every powerhouse communicator, relationship builder, and resilient leader is a strategic thinker who leads with curiosity and honors wellbeing. Say goodbye to disengagement and team fatigue as we bring you science-backed strategies that will transform not just your leadership style but also your team’s and organization's success. Join Ilene Schaffer and industry leaders as they share tried-and-true methods, empowering insights, and a mission to elevate your leadership game.
37episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
In the Moment: Kamila Sip on the Hidden Cost of Indecision
1w ago00:13:22Tap to summarizeIn this episode of What’s Possible: In the Moment, Ilene Schaffer sits down with Kamila Sip to explore why indecision is not a neutral act, especially for leaders.Kami explains how stalled decisions at the top can create cognitive, emotional, and performance costs across an entire team. When leaders delay, teams are often left to operate in ambiguity, make fragmented assumptions, and carry the stress of uncertainty. Ilene and Kami unpack why this matters so much for leaders stepping into bigger roles, where quick, data-informed decisions are often expected.This short conversation introduces three common blocks that get in the way of effective decision-making: data anxiety, loss aversion, and accountability avoidance. It offers a practical reminder that understanding why we hesitate is often the first step toward making clearer, faster, and more confident decisions.- - - - - - - Learn more about Silicon Valley Change Website | LinkedIn | YouTubeConnect with Ilene Schaffer Website | Instagram | LinkedIn This show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.
Transcribe →5 Communication Blunders That Can Stall Your Career and How to Avoid Them with Dr. Laura Sicola
2w ago00:39:41Tap to summarizeWhat are the communication mistakes that quietly hold leaders back? In this episode of What’s Possible, Ilene Schaffer sits down with executive communication coach, TEDx speaker, and author Dr. Laura Sicola to unpack five common communication blunders that can quietly stall a career, and what leaders can do instead.Drawing on more than two decades of experience coaching Fortune 500 executives, nonprofit leaders, and government agencies, Laura explains how even highly capable professionals can lose influence when they get stuck in the expert’s curse, stay silent in meetings, let their nervous system take over, confuse authenticity with rigidity, or listen only to respond instead of listening to lead.Ilene and Laura explore what it really takes to build authentic authority, executive presence, and stronger communication in high-stakes conversations. This episode is especially relevant for leaders, managers, and ambitious professionals who want to communicate with more clarity, confidence, and impact in a world moving faster than ever.Learn more about how to elevate your leadership here: sicola.info- - - - - - - Learn more about Silicon Valley Change Website | LinkedIn | YouTubeConnect with Ilene Schaffer Website | Instagram | LinkedIn This show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.
Transcribe →In the Moment: What Working in Prison Taught Jeff Jacobs About Diversity and Belonging
3w ago00:14:43Tap to summarizeIn this episode of What’s Possible: In the Moment, Ilene Schaffer continues her conversation with Jeff Jacobs, exploring what his work in prisons revealed about diversity, belonging, and leadership.Jeff reflects on a striking moment of racial separation among inmates and the unexpected insight that followed: people often gravitate toward what feels familiar, not always out of hostility, but out of habit and comfort. From there, he and Ilene dig into what that means for the workplace, where diverse teams often outperform homogeneous ones, but require more intentionality, vulnerability, and trust to truly thrive.This short conversation is a thoughtful look at how leaders can build safer, more honest environments where people feel able to share feedback, challenge assumptions, and belong without creating exclusion.- - - - - - - Learn more about Silicon Valley Change Website | LinkedIn | YouTubeConnect with Ilene Schaffer Website | Instagram | LinkedIn This show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.
Transcribe →Marcus Buckingham on Why Love Is the Missing Ingredient in Leadership and Business
4w ago00:54:20Tap to summarizeIn this episode of What’s Possible, Ilene Schaffer sits down with renowned researcher, entrepreneur, and bestselling author Marcus Buckingham for a bold and deeply human conversation about leadership, work, and why love may be the most overlooked driver of performance in business today.Drawing from his research, his years at Gallup, and his own experience building and selling a company, Marcus makes the case that love is not soft fluff layered on top of business. It is a real force that drives trust, loyalty, energy, creativity, and results.Marcus and Ilene explore why extreme positive experiences matter more than “pretty good” ones, how leaders can intentionally create more life-giving moments at work, and why small practices like weekly check-ins can have an outsized impact on team performance and human flourishing.This episode is especially relevant for leaders navigating uncertainty, AI, burnout, and fast change, and looking for a more human, evidence-based way forward.- - - - - - - Learn more about Silicon Valley Change Website | LinkedIn | YouTubeConnect with Ilene Schaffer Website | Instagram | LinkedIn This show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.
Transcribe →In the Moment: What Working in Prison Taught Jeff Jacobs About Trust and Empathy
May 2800:12:40Tap to summarizeIn this episode of What’s Possible: In the Moment, Ilene Schaffer sits down with Jeff Jacobs to explore the powerful leadership lessons he learned while working in maximum-security prisons.Jeff talks about how his time with incarcerated individuals challenged his assumptions, deepened his empathy, and taught him the importance of psychological safety, trust, and genuine human connection. He learned the value of showing up with curiosity, asking thoughtful questions, and respecting the lived experiences of others.This short conversation offers a deeply human reminder that trust begins when people feel seen, heard, and valued, whether inside an organization, in a moment of transition, or in the most unexpected places.- - - - - - - Learn more about Silicon Valley Change Website | LinkedIn | YouTubeConnect with Ilene Schaffer Website | Instagram | LinkedIn This show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.
Transcribe →Leading Change from the Middle: Adriano Pianesi on Progress, Power, and Participation
May 2100:38:10Tap to summarizeWhat does it really take to navigate organizational change, especially when you’re leading from the middle? In this episode of What’s Possible, Ilene Schaffer sits down with executive coach and professor Adriano Pianesi, who has worked with more than 2,500 leaders across sectors. Adriano shares why change so often feels exhausting, political, and stuck, and why middle managers are far more essential to successful change than they are often given credit for. Together, he and Ilene talk about a practical framework built around Preparation, Power, Participation, and Progress, offering leaders a more strategic and human-centered way to move change forward.This conversation is especially relevant for managers, founders, and professionals who are carrying the pressure of implementation without always having full authority. If you’ve ever felt caught between leadership vision and frontline reality, or blamed for change that isn’t taking root, this episode offers both validation and a concrete path forward.- - - - - - - Learn more about Silicon Valley Change Website | LinkedIn | YouTubeConnect with Ilene Schaffer Website | Instagram | LinkedIn This show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.
Transcribe →In the Moment: How to Lead Teams When Everything Is Changing with Eric Wong
May 1400:33:37Tap to summarizeIn this episode of What’s Possible: In the Moment, Ilene Schaffer is joined by Eric Wong of Adobe for a conversation about what leadership requires when the ground is shifting fast.They talk about how leaders can guide high-performance teams through uncertainty, rapid change, and pressure without defaulting to rigidity or control.Eric shares why adaptability, storytelling, transparency, and co-creation matter more than ever. And you'll learn why modern leaders need to be “imperfectionists” who stay open, curious, and willing to learn in real time.This episode is especially relevant for leaders navigating fast-paced environments, startup-like pressure, or organizational transformation. And at the end, there’s a short bonus segment with Eric on a topic they realized they couldn’t leave out: trust.- - - - - - - Learn more about Silicon Valley Change Website | LinkedIn | YouTubeConnect with Ilene Schaffer Website | Instagram | LinkedIn This show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.
Transcribe →Keith Ferrazzi on Teamship, Co-Elevation, and Thriving in the Age of AI
May 700:35:19Tap to summarizeIn this episode of What’s Possible, Ilene Schaffer sits down with Keith Ferrazzi for a deeply personal and forward-looking conversation about leadership, teamship, relationships, and the future of work in the age of AI.Keith shares candidly about his family’s experience navigating his son’s recovery, the self-care and curiosity practices that keep him grounded, and why he believes the future belongs not to individual stars, but to high-performing, co-elevating teams.Together, Ilene and Keith explore how AI is changing the workplace. Rather than a set of tools, Keith sees AI platforms as collaborative partners that will reshape roles, workflows, and leadership itself. They unpack what it means to move from traditional leadership to teamship, how to stay relevant in an AI era, and why uniquely human strengths like connection, courage, and accountability matter more than ever.This conversation is especially relevant for leaders, coaches, founders, and ambitious professionals who want to navigate rapid change without losing themselves or each other in the process.Learn more about Keith's work:beyondconnection.comconnectedsuccess.com- - - - - - - Learn more about Silicon Valley Change Website | LinkedIn | YouTubeConnect with Ilene Schaffer Website | Instagram | LinkedIn This show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.
Transcribe →In the Moment: The Patterns Running Your Leadership with Jen Ostrich
Apr 3000:15:21Tap to summarizeWhat patterns are shaping the way you lead, without you even realizing it? In this In the Moment episode of What’s Possible, host Ilene Schaffer sits down with Jen Ostrich to explore the hidden patterns that shape how we lead, react, and relate to others.You'll learn how many of our behaviors were formed early in life as protective strategies and why those same patterns can become limiting as adults, especially in leadership. Jen shares how these patterns live in both the mind and body, and what leaders can do to begin noticing them with more compassion and intention.This conversation is full of practical insight for anyone who wants to better understand their automatic reactions, shift old narratives, and lead with greater clarity and choice.- - - - - - - Learn more about Silicon Valley Change Website | LinkedIn | YouTubeConnect with Ilene Schaffer Website | Instagram | LinkedIn This show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.
Transcribe →The Minimum Viable Manager: A Practical Leadership Framework for First-Time Managers with Matt Gjertsen
Apr 2300:37:24Tap to summarizeIn this episode of What’s Possible, Ilene Schaffer sits down with leadership expert Matt Gjertsen, founder of Better Every Day Studios and author of the upcoming book Minimum Viable Manager, to explore what new managers actually need in order to lead well.Drawing from his experience in the Air Force, at SpaceX, and now in leadership development, Matt offers a simple but powerful framework for first-time managers and technical leaders: build trust, set expectations, and ask for better feedback. Together, he and Ilene explore why management is fundamentally about people and why even small actions can have a big impact on team connection, psychological safety, and performance.This conversation is especially relevant for founders, high-performing individual contributors, and new managers who are brilliant at their craft but need a clear, practical way to grow into leadership. If you’re looking for a roadmap to build stronger teams without overcomplicating management, this episode is for you.- - - - - - - Learn more about Silicon Valley Change Website | LinkedIn | YouTubeConnect with Ilene Schaffer Website | Instagram | LinkedIn This show is produced and edited by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.
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