12 Geniuses Podcast

What if one of the most powerful drivers of longevity isn’t a drug, diet, or medical breakthrough? Instead, it’s healthy social connection with friends, family, people in our workplace, and others in our communities.
In this episode of 12 Geniuses, Ken Stern, author of Healthy to 100, explores one of the most overlooked factors in living a long, healthy life. Ken acknowledges diet, exercise, stress management, and sleep are important, but too many people neglect how vital vibrant social connection can be to healthy aging.
Ken explains why strong relationships, community, and meaningful social engagement are critical not just to longevity, but to healthspan - the number of years we live in good health. He also looks beyond individual behavior to examine how communities and countries can intentionally create environments that help people stay connected throughout their lives.
Drawing on examples from Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Italy, and Spain, Ken explores how different countries and communities are strengthening social connections and what these efforts can teach the rest of the world. As populations live longer and demographics shift, how we work, where we live, how communities are designed, and how organizations create purpose and belonging will all be transformed.
For anyone interested in longevity, healthy aging, or the future of society, this conversation offers a compelling insight. Living longer may depend on how well we stay connected to one another.
About Ken Stern
Ken Stern is the Founder and Chair of the Longevity Project, which fosters public conversation and research on the impact on longer lives on civil society, and engages a global audience through events, research and newsletters. He is also the host of the award-winning podcast Century Lives, from the Stanford Center on Longevity.
Ken is the author of the recently released book Healthy to 100: How Strong Social Ties Lead To Long Lives. Ken was previously the CEO of National Public Radio.

What if human flourishing was the measure by which we evaluate organizations?
In this episode of 12 Geniuses entrepreneur and bestselling author Eric Ries discusses his groundbreaking book, Incorruptible, and why the future belongs to organizations designed not merely to generate wealth, but to help people flourish.
Eric argues that too many businesses eventually succumb to what he calls "financial gravity” - the relentless pressure to prioritize short-term profits over purpose, people, and long-term value. Even companies founded with noble intentions can slowly drift away from their mission unless they intentionally build governance systems that protect what matters most.
Eric explains what it means to create an incorruptible organization. He says these are organizations that resist unhealthy incentives, earn enduring trust, and empower employees, customers, investors, and communities to thrive together.
Whether you're launching your first startup, leading a fast-growing company, or reimagining an established organization, this conversation offers a compelling vision for a new generation of leadership and a better way to do business.
In this episode, you’ll discover:
What makes an organization truly incorruptible
How "financial gravity" quietly pulls organizations away from their founding purpose
Why ongoing governance is essential for protecting mission and culture
How trust becomes one of an organization's greatest competitive advantages
Practical ways to build organizations where people flourish while creating profits
Why human flourishing may become the defining metric of successful companies in the decades ahead
How entrepreneurs can create businesses that endure without sacrificing their values
The most admired organizations won't simply maximize shareholder returns. This is an optimistic conversations with a visionary who sees a future where companies maximize trust, purpose, innovation, resilience, and human potential.

Change is no longer an event. It's the environment. The leaders who thrive won't be the ones who resist it, but those who embrace it, learn to navigate it with confidence and purpose, and understand that change brings opportunity.
In this episode of 12 Geniuses, host Don MacPherson welcomes Dr. Gilles Benoit and Dr. Mitch Kusy, co-authors of The Playbook for Leading Change, for a practical conversation about leading through the social, political, technological, and organizational changes reshaping our world.
Drawing from decades of research and executive coaching, Gilles and Mitch share proven strategies for helping individuals, teams, and organizations embrace change rather than fear it. They explain why perfectionism often prevents growth, how accountability partners can dramatically improve personal transformation, and why today's leaders must become intentional architects of change instead of passive observers.
The conversation also explores the role of artificial intelligence as a powerful tool for navigating uncertainty, along with practical frameworks for determining when change is truly necessary.
Whether you're leading an organization, managing a team, or managing personal growth, this episode offers actionable insights to help you adapt, lead, and thrive.
In this episode you'll discover:
Why leading change is becoming a defining leadership competency
Practical frameworks for deciding when change is necessary
How to overcome perfectionism and make meaningful progress
Why accountability partners accelerate personal and professional growth
How AI can become a valuable partner in navigating change
Strategies for leading teams through uncertainty with confidence
How to build organizations that remain resilient in an era of constant disruption
If you want to prepare yourself and your team for the future, this conversation is your playbook.

When it comes to pushing through and achieving the unimaginable, our minds will give out well before our bodies. The question is: can you control the mind and overcome the doubts that it produces?
After losing his leg in a motorcycle accident, Sam Maddaus made a decision few people would consider and even fewer would attempt: he set out alone to ride a bicycle 16,000 miles from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to Ushuaia, Argentina using a prosthetic leg.
Over the course of 21 months, Sam crossed continents, endured physical pain, navigated uncertainty, confronted isolation, and repeatedly faced moments that could have ended the journey. Instead, he kept moving.
In this episode of 12 Geniuses, we explore not only the expedition—but the operating system behind Sam’s extraordinary endurance.
Sam shares how he prepared physically, mentally, and emotionally for an audacious goal with no guarantees. He reflects on the confidence required to begin, the role of identity after loss, and whether prior achievements mattered when facing a challenge of this scale.
The conversation then turns to lessons every leader, founder, executive, and decision-maker can apply:
How resilience is built
The power and limits of self-talk
What doubt sounds like in real time
How to continue when quitting feels rational
Distinguishing between discomfort and pain
Reinvention after disruption
What extreme adversity reveals about character, capability, and purpose
How small wins build on each other to create character, confidence, and exceptional resilience
This is a conversation about endurance, adaptation, and discovering that your perceived limits may not be where you think they are.
For global business leaders navigating volatility, change, and high-stakes decisions, Sam’s story offers a rare look at what sustained resilience actually requires.

In a world of constant disruption, resilience is a superpower. In a world of convenience, ease, and growing abundance, building resilience is becoming increasingly difficult - especially among children. Grit, determination, tenacity, and resolve are valued traits, but too few parents know how to build these characteristics in their children through the “ordinary magic” of childhood.
Brandon Webb is a former U.S. Navy SEAL sniper instructor and author of the book “Puddle Jumpers.” In this interview, Brandon shares how true mental toughness is built through calm consistency, emotional safety, and the everyday words our kids hear: “You’ve got this.” “Try again—I believe in you.” Brandon discusses how parents can set high expectations while giving high support—so kids feel safe enough to take risks, make mistakes, and bounce back stronger.
Brandon goes on to discuss the difficult conversations - about sex, drugs, social media, and gun violence - many parents are uncomfortable having and when the appropriate timing is to introduce children to these real-world subjects. Brandon concludes with his advice for parents who want to prepare their children for the future.
After leaving home at sixteen, Brandon Webb went on to become a decorated Navy SEAL sniper turned entrepreneur—but his most meaningful title is still Dad to three young adults who somehow all keep finding their way back home to raid the fridge and leave with clean laundry. As a U.S. Navy Chief, he led the Navy SEAL Sniper School, training some of America’s most legendary marksmen. He’s also a multiple New York Times bestselling author—though his kids like to remind him, “You’re still just Dad.”