The Compound Cost of the Conversations You’re Not Having — with Gustavo Razzetti
2026-06-04 | 26 mins.
What if the conversations your team isn’t having are costing you more than the ones it is?
In this episode of the Balancing Act podcast, Andy speaks with Gustavo Razzetti — culture change instigator, CEO of Fearless Culture, and bestselling author of Remote, Not Distant, Stretch for Change, and his new book Forward Talk: The Bold New Method For Getting Teams Unstuck.
Gustavo introduces the concept of conversational debt — the compound cost of the conversations teams avoid — and unpacks the three destructive patterns that keep teams trapped: avoidance, blame, and groupthink. He explains why the corporate obsession with psychological safety has become a bandage for deeper issues, and why getting unstuck isn’t about better meetings — it’s about better conversations.
Tune in to episode 248 to hear Gustavo’s rocket-booster moment about a CEO who chose to trust his team before taking the client’s side, two mentorship moments — one for the CHRO investing in change capabilities, one for the CEO who just wants his teams to "get along" — and his closing reflection on the pointlessness paradox that quietly drains team performance.
Incorruptible: Protecting Your Corporate Ethos After Achieving Success with Eric Ries
2026-05-28 | 41 mins.
What if the corruption of great companies isn’t an ethics problem at all — but a design problem?
In this episode of the Balancing Act podcast, Andy speaks with Eric Ries — creator of the Lean Startup methodology, and New York Times bestselling author of The Lean Startup and The Startup Way. His new book, Incorruptible: Why Good Companies Go Bad and How Great Companies Stay Great, argues that corporate corruption is not primarily ethical — it is structural — and offers a practical blueprint for organizations that can grow, prosper, and endure without losing their soul.
Eric revisits the Lean Startup methodology fifteen years after its publication — what’s changed, what’s been distorted, and how he thinks about the MVP, the pivot, and the build-measure-learn loop today.
Tune in to episode 247 to hear Eric’s rocket-booster moment, his mentorship moment for the chief product officer trying to adopt Lean Startup at scale, and his closing reflection on equanimity as one of the most underrated attributes of the entrepreneurial journey.
AndrewTemte.com
Resilience Isn't Powering Through: Jay Abbasi on Adaptability
2026-05-21 | 32 mins.
What if everything you've been told about resilience is wrong?
In this episode of the Balancing Act podcast, host Andy speaks with Jay Abbasi — CEO and founder of The Conscious Professional, former Tesla leader, and international keynote speaker who has coached leaders at Google, Amazon, and Wells Fargo. After his father’s sudden passing in 2014 woke him up to the costs of living on autopilot, Jay rebuilt his life around one question: how do leaders perform at a high level without burning out?
Andy and Jay unpack the Three Rs framework — recharge, reframe, reconnect — the myth that resilience means powering through, why the most burnt-out leaders are the ones who built their entire identity on a single pillar, and the research connecting negative thinking to physical illness. It’s a conversation about adaptability, multi-dimensionalism, and what changes when leaders stop being self-absorbed long enough to actually engage with their work.
Tune in episode 246 to hear Jay's story and learn how to recharge before you hit zero.
AndrewTemte.com
Why Your Team Is Burned Out (and It’s Not the Workload) with Dr. Liane Davey
2026-05-14 | 37 mins.
Thoughtload — not workload — is what’s breaking your team. In this conversation, Dr. Liane Davey explains why, and what leaders can actually do about it.
Dr. Liane Davey is an organizational psychologist, New York Times bestselling author, and co-founder of 3COze Inc., where she advises executive teams at companies like Amazon, Walmart, TD Bank, and Sony PlayStation. Known as the Teamwork Doctor, she has spent 25 years helping cross-functional teams — from Boston to Bangkok — move from dysfunction to high performance. She’s a regular contributor to the Harvard Business Review and the author of The Good Fight, You First, and Thoughtload: Manage the Madness and Free Your Team to Do Great Work (Page Two Books, May 2026).
Liane’s rocket-booster moment came twice: once when she failed first-year calculus and stumbled into organizational psychology, and again when she made the deliberate decision — six years into her first firm — to “repot” herself at a smaller, more strategy-focused practice. That repotting set the trajectory for everything that followed.
Whether you’re a senior leader watching your team burn out, a manager trying to make sense of context-switching chaos, or a knowledge worker who can feel the weight of 20 mental tabs open at once, this episode offers a new vocabulary for what’s actually wrong — and a practical path toward lighter, more focused work.
AndrewTemte.com
How the Brain Learns at Work, with Dr. Tessa Forshaw
2026-05-07 | 36 mins.
What does cognitive science actually tell us about how adults learn at work — and why are most corporate learning programs still built on myths?
In this episode of the Balancing Act podcast, Andy speaks with Dr. Tessa Forshaw — cognitive scientist, co-founder of the Next Level Lab at Harvard University, and co-author of Innovation-ish: How Anyone Can Create Breakthrough Solutions to Real Problems in the Real World (Wiley, 2025).
Tessa and Andy explore why learning takes effort (and why frictionless tools often don’t teach), what “innovation hesitation” is and how leaders can disarm it, why the apprenticeship model still matters, and what’s coming out of Harvard’s new Workforce Learning and Innovation Initiative.
Tune in to episode 244 to hear Tessa’s story and learn how to design learning that actually changes the brain — and how to lower the bar to innovation so your team can actually take the first step.
Dr. Forshaw is offering a discount for our listeners to Harvard Graduate School of Education's The Future of Workforce Learning and Innovation Certificate Program. Here's the discount code: BAP5 (5% off). The link is here: https://www.gse.harvard.edu/unbound/future-workplace-learning1600
About The Balancing Act with Andrew Temte, PhD, CFA
About The Balancing Act with Andrew Temte, PhD, CFA
About The Balancing Act with Andrew Temte, PhD, CFA
Elevate Your Leadership Journey Through Authentic Conversations with Business Leaders
In business, balancing acts are everywhere. Join Dr. Andrew Temte for The Balancing Act Podcast—an award-winning leadership development podcast featuring authentic, in-depth conversations with accomplished business leaders, senior executives, entrepreneurs, and industry experts who share the real stories behind their professional success.
What You'll Discover:
Each episode explores the critical skills and balancing acts that define exceptional leadership through engaging conversations covering:
Leadership development and executive management strategies
Organizational health, trust, and workplace accountability
Employee engagement and team performance optimization
Communication skills and business transformation
Financial acumen and business decision-making
Career acceleration strategies and professional growth
Continuous improvement and lifelong learning principles
Diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace
Emerging trends in AI, technology, and workforce development
The Balancing Act Format:
Every episode features four powerful segments:
Origin Stories - Discover how today's leaders began their professional journeys
Rocket Booster Moments - Learn about the pivotal events that accelerated their careers
Deep Dive Conversations - Explore timely business topics with actionable insights you can apply immediately
Lightning Round Questions - Quick-fire questions that reveal your guests' perspectives on leadership, success, and life
With over 200 episodes, The Balancing Act examines business challenges from multiple perspectives, giving you comprehensive insights into the skills that drive workplace success.
Your Host:
Dr. Andrew Temte is the former CEO of Kaplan Professional and bestselling author of "Balancing Act: Teach, Coach, Mentor, Inspire" and "The Balanced Business: Building Organizational Trust and Accountability through Smooth Workflows." As a thought leader on leadership development, organizational health, and corporate learning, Andy brings deep expertise in professional education and business management to every conversation. He holds a PhD in finance from the University of Iowa and the CFA designation, with over 15 years of university teaching experience.
Who Should Listen:
Perfect for aspiring leaders, mid-level managers seeking executive roles, C-suite executives refining their approach, entrepreneurs building their businesses, and anyone committed to continuous improvement and professional growth.
New episodes weekly. Subscribe today and elevate your leadership journey.
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