In this episode, I speak with Michael Brasseur. Michael is a man of the seas, who’s made a living sailing the oceans for the US Navy and grappled with some of the most fascinating naval and security challenges of our time. Michael shares his leadership lessons from decades of building winning teams, summed up as having a vision, clear values and a strong culture. He talks about his journey of injecting imagination and creativity in NATO to incorporate robotics and AI as a resource multiplier in the Persian Gulf in record time: this is the story of Task Force 59.

Recorded on 26 July 2024.

Instagram: @at.the.coalface

Connect with Michael on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/michael-d-brasseur-53b23645/.

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In this episode, I speak with Professor Diana Chigas. Diana is one of the foremost experts in international negotiation and conflict resolution. She has worked in El Salvador, South Africa, Ecuador and Peru and in the Georgia/South Ossetia peace process, facilitated inter-ethnic dialogue in Cyprus and in Central and East Africa. She co-directs the Corruption, Justice and Legitimacy Project that aims to improve the effectiveness of anti-corruption programming in fragile and conflict-affected contexts. In our conversation, we reflect on the evolution of the field of negotiation to encompass social factors such as identity and narratives, and the importance of systems thinking, with corruption as a key barrier to unlocking durable development.

Recorded on 22 July 2024.

Instagram: @at.the.coalface

Connect with Diana on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/diana-chigas-732b283/. The organisation she co-leads has a fascinating blog accessible at corruptionjusticeandlegitimacy.org/blog.

And don’t forget to subscribe to At the Coalface for new episodes every two weeks.

Help us produce more episodes by becoming a supporter. Your subscription will go towards paying our hosting and production costs. Supporters get the opportunity to join behind the scenes during recordings, updates about the podcast, and my deep gratitude!

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In this episode, I catch up with Steve Viola. We last spoke on this podcast about 2 1/2 years ago when he shared his fascinating career in the Navy and as special warfare operator. Since that last conversation, I had been following Steve’s work advocating for opening up new treatment protocols for veterans suffering from trauma. We speak about the healing power of plants with psychotropic properties, Steve’s own journey with these modalities, and his work today helping veterans with the hard part - integration. We wrap up by discussing entry pathways for people seeking to improve their mental wellbeing. I hope you’ll join us with an open mind as we explore this potentially life-saving and fascinating ancient technology.

Recorded on 22 May 2024.

Instagram: @at.the.coalface

Connect with Steve on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/stevenviola1/. The organisation he supports as Executive Director is The Mission Within (missionwithin.org). His moving testimony at the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission is available here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CzJwjenrkEf.

And don’t forget to subscribe to At the Coalface for new episodes every two weeks.

Help us produce more episodes by becoming a supporter. Your subscription will go towards paying our hosting and production costs. Supporters get the opportunity to join behind the scenes during recordings, updates about the podcast, and my deep gratitude!

Support the Show.