What&#8217;s Next! with Tiffani Bova

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Digital Impact: The Human Element of AI-Driven Transformation

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2025 Listener Favorite: A Fresh Approach to Strategy with Seth Godin Dec 18, 2025

Show notes

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova.

This week, I'm excited to highlight an episode with Seth Godin.

Seth is a dear friend who I met in 2001 through his book Purple Cow, which is one of my all-time favorite books. Along the way, Seth has always been a great supporter of me and my career. Today, I'm eager to discuss Seth's latest book, This Is Strategy: Make Better Plans.

THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR…anyone who wants a fresh perspective on leadership and strategy.

TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE…strategy isn't a lofty document or annual exercise. It's a compass guiding every decision you make. Seth challenges the conventional idea of strategy as static and instead frames it as a dynamic, iterative process of becoming. He shares nuggets of wisdom from his new book, which he says is a love letter for the people he cares about.

KEY TAKEAWAYS… - Fear is often the thing that holds people back from making bold decisions. - False proxies, like easy-to-measure but irrelevant metrics, can misguide your focus. - The best leaders inspire action by focusing on the "why" behind their strategies.

WHAT I LOVE MOST…Seth's thoughts on practical empathy. He says it's easy to become attached to something because you've worked hard on it. Practical empathy is understanding your audience and imagining what they need, even if that means reinventing your offerings. It's a call to lead with both courage and care.

Running Time: 29:45

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The Corporate Startup

Building Magnetic Communication Skills with Lynn Smith Dec 11, 2025

Show notes

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova.

I'm excited to welcome Lynn Smith to the show this week. She is a media and communications expert who helps high-level leaders turn pressure into presence. A former anchor for NBC News, MSNBC, and CNN Headline News, she now coaches Fortune 500 executives, thought leaders, and entrepreneurs to become magnetic communicators.

THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR…anyone who wants to communicate with more confidence. If you've ever felt held back by self-doubt, overthinking, or fear of saying the wrong thing, this episode will give you the tools to move forward.

TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE…most people think communication is about what you say, but it's really about how you show up. In this conversation, Lynn breaks down the biggest barrier standing between leaders and effective communication: fear. Fear of being judged, misunderstood, or getting it wrong. Lynn shares how to manage that internal narrative, build a magnetic presence, and communicate with clarity in high-pressure environments.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Your presence speaks before you do.
Communication isn't about words, it's the package the words come in.
Clarity is a leader's superpower. Before any big communication moment, ask: What do I want my audience to think and feel after hearing me?
You are a walking billboard for your brand. Every meeting, Zoom call, or hallway interaction signals who you are and how you lead.

WHAT I LOVE MOST…Lynn's reminder that fear is universal, even for people at the very top. She works with wildly successful CEOs and executives, and yet the biggest hurdle she sees isn't capability or content, it's the internal voice telling them they're not ready, not good enough, or one mistake away from failing. It's an empowering reframing: fear isn't a flaw, it's something you can work with and ultimately turn into an advantage.

Running Time: 35:24

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Just Keep Going

RELOAD: Disrupting the Old, Building the New with Mitch Lowe Dec 04, 2025

Show notes

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova.

This week I am excited to share a replay of a conversation I had with Mitch Lowe. Mitch was one of the early pioneers in the movie rental industry opening video rental stores in the early 1980's. In the late 90's Mitch joined Marc Randolph and Reed Hastings at Netflix as the video industry expert and led many of the partnerships that drove new subscribers to join Netflix. Mitch left Netflix in 2003 after a very successful IPO and joined the business development team at McDonalds Ventures to build a DVD evening machine business called Redbox. Mitch served as its COO and President for 8 years, growing the company from $36k in first-year revenue to over $1.5B in revenue 8 years later. Today Mitch invests in startups and gives inspirational speeches around the world to corporations, conferences, and students.

THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… executives, managers, founders of small and large organizations – anyone looking to hear from someone who has been part of one of the biggest disruption stories in the new digital age.

TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE… Mitch shares his proven experience and tips on how to become more innovative and disruptive in your own organization. What should you do and when? Mitch shares how you can identify a need on the frontlines of your customer base and use that data to create a company that truly addresses that need.

WHAT I LOVE MOST… I get to chat with an innovator whose work I covered in my own book, and I love the concept of the order and sequence in which you do things! Mitch gives you actionable items you can implement Monday Morning to start making that progress.

Running time: 32:48

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Culture as a Competitive Advantage with Richard Fain Nov 20, 2025

Show notes

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova.

I'm excited to welcome Richard Fain to the show this week. He served as Royal Caribbean Group CEO for over three decades, leading its transformation from a small Norwegian company with three ships that held just over 700 passengers each into one of the world's largest and most profitable cruise lines with over 60 ships, including Icon of the Seas, the world's largest that carries 7,600 passengers and costs $2 billion to build. He is here to talk about his amazing book, Delivering the Wow: Culture as Catalyst for Lasting Success.

THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR…anyone leading teams or organizations who wants to understand how culture drives lasting success.

TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE…culture isn't about slogans on the wall, it's about the daily choices that shape how people feel about their work. In this episode, Richard Fain shares how he built a company culture that transformed cruising into an unforgettable experience for both guests and employees. From connecting employee bonuses to engagement metrics to turning feedback into a continuous improvement engine, Richard's insights show how culture can truly become your greatest competitive advantage.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

You don't inherit a great culture; you create it by reinforcing the right behaviors every day.
When people care about their work, they perform better—and that passion becomes contagious.
Real-time insights from customers and employees turn good companies into great ones.

WHAT I LOVE MOST…Richard's reminder that culture is self-sustaining when people genuinely care. You can't mandate engagement. It grows naturally when individuals see their impact, feel heard, and take pride in creating "wow" moments for others.

Running Time: 31:30

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Richard's Book: Delivering the Wow: Culture as Catalyst for Lasting Success

How to Spark Irresistible Change with Phil Gilbert Nov 13, 2025

Show notes

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova.

I'm thrilled to welcome Phil Gilbert to the show today. He is IBM's former General Manager of Design, where he helped transform one of the most traditional companies in the world into a global design thinking powerhouse. In his new book, Irresistible Change, he pulls back the curtain on how he did it.

THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR…leaders and innovators who want to spark meaningful change in their organizations. If you're trying to turn great ideas into action and scale creativity across teams, this episode will challenge how you think about transformation.

TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE…change is inevitable but how you lead it determines whether your organization thrives or stalls. Phil shares how he helped one of the most traditional companies in the world reinvent itself from the inside out. In this conversation, Phil explains how to build a culture that listens instead of dictates, why mandates fail, and how "every day is a prototype" when you're leading transformation.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Transformation succeeds when it's treated like a product, not a mandate.
Sustainable change starts with small, willing teams that create momentum.
Design thinking isn't about becoming a designer, it's about empathy and experimentation.
Culture drives outcomes more than any single tool or technology.
Every day and every idea is a prototype for what's next.

WHAT I LOVE MOST…Phil's reminder that meaningful change doesn't come from top-down directives. It comes from people who are empowered to experiment, collaborate, and learn.

Running Time: 28:23

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Irresistible Change: A Blueprint for Earning Buy-In and Breakout Success

Phil's Book:

RELOAD: GenY As The Next Generation of Leadership with Adam Kingl Nov 06, 2025

Show notes

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova.

This week, I'm looking back on a conversation I shared with Adam Kingl. Adam is an author and keynote speaker who educates future leaders on culture, purpose, team dynamics, the future of work, creativity, strategic innovation, management innovation, and the generational paradigms of work and leadership. He is Adjunct Faculty at Ashridge – Hult International Business School. He was the Regional Managing Director, Europe, for Duke Corporate Education and the Executive Director of Thought Leadership and Learning Solutions for London Business School.

THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR…managers, leaders, CEOs, entrepreneurs, and anyone recruiting and/or managing young professionals!

TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE…for the first time in history, there are five generations of workers in the workforce. How you recruit, manage, enable, and retain new generations of workers is critical to the success of your organization. Without happy employees, you won't have happy customers. Adam helps us navigate this most critical frontier, focusing on Gen Y.

WHAT I LOVE MOST…hearing what Gen Y thinks, thinking about how we invest in talent moving forward, and even how we handle losing and rehiring talent in the future!

Running time: 33:38

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Next Generation Leadership

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How Introverts Build Powerful Brands with Goldie Chan Oct 30, 2025

Show notes

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova.

This week, I'm joined by Goldie Chan, who has been called the Oprah of LinkedIn. When LinkedIn first launched its native video, Goldie began posting daily short videos and has built one of the platform's longest-running video series. Goldie's videos feature a mix of personal branding and storytelling, thoughtful advice and generous spotlights on others. She's a storyteller, strategist, and a generous voice in the creator community. And now she's helping a whole new audience with her latest book, Personal Branding for Introverts, which comes out in October 2025. We're diving into how you can build influence quietly, confidently, on your own terms.

THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR…anyone looking to grow their influence or build a personal brand, especially if you identify as an introvert or ambivert.

TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE…you don't have to be the loudest voice in the room to have influence. Goldie Chan built a thriving community and career by showing that consistency, curiosity, and authenticity can be more powerful than volume. In this conversation, she shares how introverts can thrive in spaces that often reward extroversion.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

The real secret to personal branding isn't noise, it's consistency and credibility.
Influence doesn't require extroversion, but it does require self-awareness and clarity.
Strategic silence can be a leader's superpower in meetings and creative discussions.
Confidence often starts with physical presence. Goldie shares some practical tips.

WHAT I LOVE MOST…Goldie's reminder that credibility doesn't come from being everywhere. It comes from being yourself consistently. Her story demonstrates that authenticity and quiet confidence can be just as powerful as a bold approach.

Running Time: 27:53

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