The Marcel Podcast

Episode recap 

 

If you are a champion of human-centered leadership and want to see your people flourish, Marcel would love to speak with you to explore partnership opportunities. Book a call here: https://calendly.com/marcelschwantes/discovery-call?month=2026-02  

 

What happens when the success you’ve been chasing no longer feels meaningful? In this season finale, Marcel sits down with six-time book award-winning author Justin Jones-Fosu to discuss his new book, Stop Chasing, Start Creating. Using a fresh take on the Tortoise and the Hare, Justin explores the tension between external achievement and internal fulfillment—and what it takes to stop living by comparison and start living in alignment with your values. 

 

Bio:

 

Justin Jones-Fosu is a 6x book award-winning author, 2x TEDx speaker, and CEO of Work. Meaningful, and Chairperson of the Work Meaningful Foundation. He helps leaders and high-achievers navigate information fatigue and shift from chasing external success to creating meaningful work and life. His latest book, Stop Chasing, Start Creating, is a powerful fable that reimagines success through the untold story of the tortoise. 

 

Timestamp:

00:00 Stop Chasing, Start Creating
04:18 Justin’s Story
06:36 The Tortoise and the Hare Reimagined
10:14 What Makes Life Meaningful?
13:13 Three Ways to Find Personal Alignment
18:16 Ambition, Values, and the Right Direction
21:14 Rethinking Success at Any Age
23:39 Breaking the Social Media Validation Cycle
25:37 The Meaning Journey Model
28:33 Building Meaningful Habits
31:07 Being a Tortoise in the Modern Workplace
35:14 Choosing Values Over External Success
38:42 One Step to Start Creating Meaning
41:30 Meaning, Burnout, and Peace
42:35 How Leaders Help People Flourish
45:22 Where to Find Justin and His Book

 

About the Show: 

The Marcel Podcast (formerly the Love in Action podcast) ranks in the top 2% of all podcasts globally and is distributed in 160 countries. The show features deep conversations with the world's top leadership experts, authors, scientists, and thought leaders about what it means to flourish as leaders and human beings. Episodes are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you get your podcasts. If you like what you hear, follow us and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. 

 

Now Accepting Podcast Sponsors:   If interested in sponsoring an episode, contact Marcel here: https://www.marcelschwantes.com/contact/

 

 

Connect with Justin Jones-Fosu: 

 

Website: https://workmeaningful.com/  

Book: https://stopchasingstartcreating.com/  

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iworkmeaningful  

Values Assessment  

 

 

Connect with Marcel Schwantes: 

 

Substack: https://marcelschwantes.substack.com/  

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/marcelschwantes/    

X: https://x.com/MarcelSchwantes  

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@MarcelSchwantes1  

Instagram: https://instagram.com/marcel.schwantes/

Episode recap 

 

If you are a champion of human-centered leadership and want to see your people flourish, Marcel would love to speak with you to explore partnership opportunities. Book a call here: https://calendly.com/marcelschwantes/discovery-call?month=2026-02  

 

What happens when the success you’ve been chasing no longer feels meaningful? In this season finale, Marcel sits down with six-time book award-winning author Justin Jones-Fosu to discuss his new book, Stop Chasing, Start Creating. Using a fresh take on the Tortoise and the Hare, Justin explores the tension between external achievement and internal fulfillment—and what it takes to stop living by comparison and start living in alignment with your values. 

 

Bio:

 

Justin Jones-Fosu is a 6x book award-winning author, 2x TEDx speaker, and CEO of Work. Meaningful, and Chairperson of the Work Meaningful Foundation. He helps leaders and high-achievers navigate information fatigue and shift from chasing external success to creating meaningful work and life. His latest book, Stop Chasing, Start Creating, is a powerful fable that reimagines success through the untold story of the tortoise. 

 

Timestamp:

00:00 Stop Chasing, Start Creating
04:18 Justin’s Story
06:36 The Tortoise and the Hare Reimagined
10:14 What Makes Life Meaningful?
13:13 Three Ways to Find Personal Alignment
18:16 Ambition, Values, and the Right Direction
21:14 Rethinking Success at Any Age
23:39 Breaking the Social Media Validation Cycle
25:37 The Meaning Journey Model
28:33 Building Meaningful Habits
31:07 Being a Tortoise in the Modern Workplace
35:14 Choosing Values Over External Success
38:42 One Step to Start Creating Meaning
41:30 Meaning, Burnout, and Peace
42:35 How Leaders Help People Flourish
45:22 Where to Find Justin and His Book

 

About the Show: 

The Marcel Podcast (formerly the Love in Action podcast) ranks in the top 2% of all podcasts globally and is distributed in 160 countries. The show features deep conversations with the world's top leadership experts, authors, scientists, and thought leaders about what it means to flourish as leaders and human beings. Episodes are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you get your podcasts. If you like what you hear, follow us and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. 

 

Now Accepting Podcast Sponsors:   If interested in sponsoring an episode, contact Marcel here: https://www.marcelschwantes.com/contact/

 

 

Connect with Justin Jones-Fosu: 

 

Website: https://workmeaningful.com/  

Book: https://stopchasingstartcreating.com/  

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iworkmeaningful  

Values Assessment  

 

 

Connect with Marcel Schwantes: 

 

Substack: https://marcelschwantes.substack.com/  

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/marcelschwantes/    

X: https://x.com/MarcelSchwantes  

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@MarcelSchwantes1  

Instagram: https://instagram.com/marcel.schwantes/

Episode recap 

 

If you are a champion of human-centered leadership and want to see your people flourish, Marcel would love to speak with you to explore partnership opportunities. Book a call here: https://calendly.com/marcelschwantes/discovery-call?month=2026-02

 

Bio:

 

Dr. Gleb Tsipursky, PhD, is CEO of Disaster Avoidance Experts and a behavioral scientist who helps leaders adopt AI without overpaying or alienating their people. Author of seven books, his work appears in Harvard Business Review, Fortune, and Forbes. He lives in Columbus, Ohio. 

 

Timestamp:

 

00:00 The AI Adoption Gap
04:33 Dr. Gleb Tsipursky’s Story
06:31 What Disaster Avoidance Experts Do
07:03 Why AI Adoption Fails
11:27 Three Psychological Blockers
18:09 Addressing Fear of Job Loss
21:50 What Is Shadow AI?
23:50 Making AI Use More Open
26:30 Psychological Safety and Experimentation
27:43 Measuring AI Success
30:51 AI and the Future of Work
32:48 The Human Side of AI Adoption
33:49 Where to Find Dr. Gleb Tsipursky

 

About the Show: 

The Marcel Podcast (formerly the Love in Action podcast) ranks in the top 2% of all podcasts globally and is distributed in 160 countries. The show features deep conversations with the world's top leadership experts, authors, scientists, and thought leaders about what it means to flourish as leaders and human beings. Episodes are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you get your podcasts. If you like what you hear, be sure to follow us and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. 

 

Now Accepting Podcast Sponsors:   If interested in sponsoring an episode, contact Marcel here: https://www.marcelschwantes.com/contact/

 

Connect with Dr. Gleb Tsipursky: 

 

Website: https://disasteravoidanceexperts.com/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-gleb-tsipursky/  

 

Connect with Marcel Schwantes: 

 

Substack: https://marcelschwantes.substack.com/  

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/marcelschwantes/    

X: https://x.com/MarcelSchwantes  

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@MarcelSchwantes1  

Instagram: https://instagram.com/marcel.schwantes/

If you are a champion of human-centered leadership and want to see your managers and people flourish, there are two ways to do it: 

Join my growing Substack community for $8.00/month. 

          https://marcelschwantes.substack.com/subscribe 

Book a call with me to explore partnership opportunities. https://calendly.com/marcelschwantes/discovery-call?month=2026-02 

 

Episode recap  

Marcel explores relational presence—the ability to make people feel seen, heard, and valued through focused attention. He explains that strong leaders listen before acting, ask clarifying questions, and stay emotionally available rather than rushing to fix problems. As AI and digital communication grow, these human relational skills will become even more important for building connection, trust, and healthy workplaces. Do you have relational intelligence? Find out by listening to this short solo episode with a globally respected leadership authority.

 

Bio:

Marcel Schwantes is a leadership coach, speaker, author, and advocate for more humane workplaces. Marcel’s work includes: 

Leadership coaching

Leadership development courses

Keynote speaking, workshops, and offsite retreats

Executive roundtables and culture strategy sessions 

Marcel is the author of Humane Leadership: Lead with Radical Love, Be a Kick-Ass Boss. Whether coaching a CEO or training a leadership team, Marcel’s #1 goal is the same: To help leaders and the people they lead flourish as human beings.

 

Timeline:

00:00 The Communication Paradox at Work
01:01 What Relational Presence Actually Means
02:36 Why Available Doesn't Equal Present
03:27 The Sally One-on-One
04:50 Principle One: Attention Before Action
06:00 Principle Two: Emotional Availability
07:44 What Business Schools Get Wrong
08:20 Relational Intelligence in the Age of AI
09:00 The One-Conversation Challenge
09:37 Human Flourishing and Full Attention
11:04 Substack and Closing

 

About the Show: 

 

The Marcel Podcast (formerly the Love in Action podcast) ranks in the top 2% of all podcasts globally and is distributed in 160 countries. The show features deep conversations with the world's top leadership experts, authors, scientists, and thought leaders about what it means to flourish as leaders and human beings. Episodes are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you get your podcasts. If you like what you hear, be sure to follow us and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.  Now Accepting Podcast Sponsors:   If interested in sponsoring an episode, contact Marcel here: https://www.marcelschwantes.com/contact/

 

Connect/follow Marcel on: 

 

Substack: https://marcelschwantes.substack.com/  

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/marcelschwantes/    

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@MarcelSchwantes1  

Instagram: https://instagram.com/marcel.schwantes/

Episode recap 

 

If you are a champion of human-centered leadership and want to see your people flourish, Marcel would love to speak with you to explore partnership opportunities. Book a call here: https://calendly.com/marcelschwantes/discovery-call?month=2026-02  

 

In my latest conversation on The Marcel Podcast, I sat down with author, keynote speaker, and executive coach Bruce Mayhew to explore what it really means to become an inspired leader. Bruce’s own journey—from a quiet, introverted kid who often felt unnoticed to a trusted leadership advisor—shaped much of our conversation. We explored some very practical leadership questions: 

How do you balance care and accountability? 

What does it take to build trust and transparency on a team? 

How can leaders create a strong microculture, even when the larger organizational culture isn’t ideal? 

How can leaders better understand the goals and aspirations of the people they lead? 

One message stood out: Leaders don’t have to wait for the organization to create a great culture. They can begin creating one within their own team.

 

Bio:

Bruce Mayhew is a corporate trainer, keynote speaker, executive coach, and author of The Path of an Inspired Leader. His leadership combines emotional intelligence with strategic vision, blending human-centered and forward-thinking approaches. Featured on major Canadian media, his insights appear in Fast Company, HuffPost, and The Globe & Mail. He lives in Ontario, Canada.

 

Timestamp:

[00:00:03] – Welcome and Introduction to Inspired Leadership

[00:02:22] – Bruce’s Canadian Roots and Warming Up the Conversation

[00:02:48] – From Quiet Introvert to Finding a Voice

[00:05:09] – Discovering Human Skills at McDonald’s

[00:08:26] – Curiosity, Growth Mindset, and Loving New Ideas

[00:10:57] – Why Bruce Wrote The Path of an Inspired Leader

[00:14:09] – What Is an Inspired Leader?

[00:19:42] – Accountability as a Two‑Way Street

[00:20:35] – Microculture: Culture at the Ground Level

[00:24:48] – Transforming a Broken Team Culture

[00:30:28] – Knowing People’s Stories and Career Goals

[00:35:41] – Time‑Machine Advice to His Younger Self

[00:36:43] – Book Recommendations for Leaders

 

 

About the Show: 

The Marcel Podcast (formerly the Love in Action podcast) ranks in the top 2% of all podcasts globally and is distributed in 160 countries. The show features deep conversations with the world's top leadership experts, authors, scientists, and thought leaders about what it means to flourish as leaders and human beings. Episodes are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you get your podcasts. If you like what you hear, be sure to follow us and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. 

 

Now Accepting Podcast Sponsors:   If interested in sponsoring an episode, contact Marcel here: https://www.marcelschwantes.com/contact/

 

Connect with Bruce Mayhew: 

 

Website - https://brucemayhewconsulting.com/  

Book: https://brucemayhewconsulting.com/book  

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brucemayhewconsulting/  

 

Connect with Marcel Schwantes: 

 

Substack: https://marcelschwantes.substack.com/  

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/marcelschwantes/    

X: https://x.com/MarcelSchwantes  

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@MarcelSchwantes1  

Instagram: https://instagram.com/marcel.schwantes/