//podcastplus.net/feed/transformational-leadership-conversations-with-winnie-da-silva~30a061f1 Listen in on transformative conversations where leaders share their journeys as they overcome and thrive through adversity and change. Fri, 10 Apr 2026 08:16:41 +0000 https://media.blubrry.com/tlc_with_winnie_da_silva/content.blubrry.com/tlc_with_winnie_da_silva/TLC068_Elliot_Felix_AUDIO.mp3 “If you’re not listening to your customers, to your students, to your users, then you run the risk of using generic best practices that work in situation X, but might totally face plant in situation Y." - Elliot Felix Is the future of higher education about piling on more programs, services, and systems, or about focusing on what truly helps students succeed? And how often do colleges and universities leap to solutions before asking what students actually need? In this episode of Transformative Leadership Conversations, I sit down with Elliot Felix, author of The Connected College, to explore what higher ed leaders - and really, leaders everywhere - can learn about breaking silos, designing better student experiences, and leading through complexity and change. Elliot brings stories from campuses across the country, along with practical tools and a fresh way of thinking about leadership. You’ll hear us discuss: Why “less with more” helps institutions focus resources on what makes t... Wed, 24 Sep 2025 07:00:00 +0000 https://media.blubrry.com/tlc_with_winnie_da_silva/content.blubrry.com/tlc_with_winnie_da_silva/TLC068_Elliot_Felix_AUDIO.mp3 https://media.blubrry.com/tlc_with_winnie_da_silva/content.blubrry.com/tlc_with_winnie_da_silva/TLC067_Gwendolyn_Freed_AUDIO.mp3 “For leaders today, the question isn’t just how to sustain our institutions, but how to create reasons for hope in the field.” - Gwendolyn Freed What does it really take to step into the presidency of a college during one of the most complex and challenging times for higher education and the arts? And how do you lead with both strength and hope when the pressures - political, cultural, and financial - are constantly shifting? In this episode of Transformative Leadership Conversations, I sit down with Dr. Gwendolyn Freed, the new president of the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD). Gwen brings a remarkable mix of experiences across higher education, nonprofit leadership, journalism, and the art. You’ll hear us discuss: The surprising shift that happens when people see “your presidency walk into the room” rather than just you How Gwen thinks about balancing MCAD’s long history with its future identity and growth What it really means to listen to and serve such a wid... Wed, 17 Sep 2025 07:00:00 +0000 https://media.blubrry.com/tlc_with_winnie_da_silva/content.blubrry.com/tlc_with_winnie_da_silva/TLC067_Gwendolyn_Freed_AUDIO.mp3 https://media.blubrry.com/tlc_with_winnie_da_silva/content.blubrry.com/tlc_with_winnie_da_silva/TLC066_Solo.mp3 “In higher education, success can’t always be measured in numbers. Leaders are shaping something far more enduring: global citizens who will contribute to the world.” - Winnie da Silva What happens when the very institutions built to shape future leaders are suddenly shaken to the core? Higher education is facing pressures unlike anything we’ve seen before - political battles, the rise of generative AI, ongoing questions of safety, and cultural divides that threaten its very purpose. The truth is, these challenges don’t just affect universities; they mirror the pressures leaders everywhere are up against. So what can we learn from the people leading in higher ed right now? You’ll hear me discuss: Why higher education has become such a critical and contested space in our country’s future How generative AI is raising new questions about the very purpose of learning The impact of campus safety concerns and the rise of school violence on students’ sense of belonging The erosion ... Wed, 10 Sep 2025 07:00:00 +0000 https://media.blubrry.com/tlc_with_winnie_da_silva/content.blubrry.com/tlc_with_winnie_da_silva/TLC066_Solo.mp3 https://media.blubrry.com/tlc_with_winnie_da_silva/content.blubrry.com/tlc_with_winnie_da_silva/TLC065_Amy_Shilliday_AUDIO.mp3 “People with ADHD aren’t asking for sympathy. They’re saying: here are my pain points and here’s what I need in order to be successful.” - Amy Shilliday What if the very traits we often label as “challenges” are actually hidden superpowers? And what would it look like if leaders truly understood how to support neurodivergent employees - not just to cope, but to thrive? In this episode of Transformative Leadership Conversations, I sit down with Amy Shilliday, a learning experience designer, neurodiversity advocate, and founder of Shilliday Vaughan Consulting. With over 25 years in corporate learning and development, Amy has seen firsthand how small shifts in the way we design learning and lead teams can completely change the game - not just for those with ADHD or other neurodivergent profiles, but for everyone. You’ll hear us discuss: Why ADHD and other neurodivergent traits are less about deficits and more about different operating systems How “universal design for learnin... Wed, 27 Aug 2025 07:00:00 +0000 https://media.blubrry.com/tlc_with_winnie_da_silva/content.blubrry.com/tlc_with_winnie_da_silva/TLC065_Amy_Shilliday_AUDIO.mp3 https://media.blubrry.com/tlc_with_winnie_da_silva/content.blubrry.com/tlc_with_winnie_da_silva/TLC064_Stephanie_Scheller_AUDIO.mp3 "ADHD isn't a weakness or a superpower. It's just an operating system. And when you learn how to work inside your own operating system, you can actually become a power user." – Stephanie Scheller What if the quirks of your brain weren’t obstacles to overcome but the foundation of how you build teams, businesses, and even your own self-confidence? What if the very things you thought were holding you back in leadership were actually the key to leading better? That’s exactly the kind of reframing my guest, Stephanie Scheller, has done. Stephanie is an entrepreneur, violinist, author, and the founder of Grow Disrupt. She’s also a leader who discovered later in life that ADHD had shaped everything about how she worked, led, and built her company. Instead of fighting it, she’s learned to design her business and leadership style around the way her brain works - and she’s sharing what that looks like in real life. You’ll hear us discuss: Why ADHD isn’t a weakness or a superpower, but ... Wed, 20 Aug 2025 07:00:00 +0000 https://media.blubrry.com/tlc_with_winnie_da_silva/content.blubrry.com/tlc_with_winnie_da_silva/TLC064_Stephanie_Scheller_AUDIO.mp3 https://media.blubrry.com/tlc_with_winnie_da_silva/content.blubrry.com/tlc_with_winnie_da_silva/TLC063_Solo.mp3 "When we understand how our minds work—and honor the minds of others—we lead better." - Winnie da Silva What if everything you’ve been told about ADHD only told half the story? What if the very traits that make it hard for you to stay on task could also be the ones that make you an incredible leader? In this opening episode of my ADHD and leadership series, I’m diving into what ADHD really is, how it shows up in the workplace, and why understanding it matters for every leader - whether you have ADHD yourself, work with someone who does, or just want to create a team culture where different kinds of brains can thrive. I’ll also share a fictional but very real-to-life story of “Martina,” a leader whose career shifted the moment she stopped forcing herself to work against her brain and learned how to work with it. You’ll hear me discuss: What ADHD actually is (and isn’t), including how it affects brain chemistry and structure Why ADHD looks different in adults - especially in wom... Wed, 13 Aug 2025 07:00:00 +0000 https://media.blubrry.com/tlc_with_winnie_da_silva/content.blubrry.com/tlc_with_winnie_da_silva/TLC063_Solo.mp3 https://media.blubrry.com/tlc_with_winnie_da_silva/content.blubrry.com/tlc_with_winnie_da_silva/TLC062_Neri_Karra_Sillaman_AUDIO.mp3 "Immigrant entrepreneurs are powerful at reframing. Reframing rejection. Reframing failure. Reframing their past." - Dr. Neri Karra Sillaman What if the hardest chapter of your life - the one where you lost everything - turned out to be the thing that shaped you into the leader you were always meant to be? In this episode, I talk with Dr. Neri Karra Sillaman, whose journey from child refugee to Oxford professor and global entrepreneur is nothing short of incredible. Her work has appeared in BBC, Forbes, Financial Times, Harvard Business Review, CNBC and others. She's also the author of Pioneers: Eight Principles of Business Longevity from Immigrant Entrepreneurs, a book that captures both her lived experience and her research into what really helps immigrant-led businesses thrive - not just survive. You'll hear us talk about: What it was like being forced to flee Bulgaria as a child, and how that shaped her identity and worldview How growing up under a regime that tried to erase her culture mad... Wed, 30 Jul 2025 07:00:00 +0000 https://media.blubrry.com/tlc_with_winnie_da_silva/content.blubrry.com/tlc_with_winnie_da_silva/TLC062_Neri_Karra_Sillaman_AUDIO.mp3 https://media.blubrry.com/tlc_with_winnie_da_silva/content.blubrry.com/tlc_with_winnie_da_silva/TLC061_Arjitha_Sethi.mp3 "An unconventional entrepreneur has been hustling before the idea even came. It's their way of life." - Arjita Sethi What if the thing that makes you feel like an outsider is actually the reason you're built to lead? In this episode, I talk to Arjita Sethi - an immigrant entrepreneur, educator, and founder of New Founders School. From growing up in Delhi and helping run a school with her mom at 16, to building a startup in Silicon Valley while navigating the U.S. immigration system, Arjita’s story is a powerful mix of hustle, heart, and hard-earned wisdom. We get into what it really takes to build something when you don’t come from privilege, and how being an immigrant gives you a different kind of edge - one that’s rooted in adaptability, resourcefulness, and the ability to keep going no matter what. You'll hear us discuss: How growing up as an immigrant shaped the way Arjita leads, takes risks, and thinks like a founder Why some of the best entrepreneurs out there don’t look or sound ... Wed, 23 Jul 2025 07:00:00 +0000 https://media.blubrry.com/tlc_with_winnie_da_silva/content.blubrry.com/tlc_with_winnie_da_silva/TLC061_Arjitha_Sethi.mp3 https://media.blubrry.com/tlc_with_winnie_da_silva/content.blubrry.com/tlc_with_winnie_da_silva/TLC061_Arjitha_Sethi.mp3 "An unconventional entrepreneur has been hustling before the idea even came. It's their way of life." - Arjita Sethi What if the thing that makes you feel like an outsider is actually the reason you're built to lead? In this episode, I talk to Arjita Sethi - an immigrant entrepreneur, educator, and founder of New Founders School. From growing up in Delhi and helping run a school with her mom at 16, to building a startup in Silicon Valley while navigating the U.S. immigration system, Arjita’s story is a powerful mix of hustle, heart, and hard-earned wisdom. We get into what it really takes to build something when you don’t come from privilege, and how being an immigrant gives you a different kind of edge - one that’s rooted in adaptability, resourcefulness, and the ability to keep going no matter what. You'll hear us discuss: How growing up as an immigrant shaped the way Arjita leads, takes risks, and thinks like a founder Why some of the best entrepreneurs out there don’t look or sound ... Wed, 23 Jul 2025 07:00:00 +0000 https://media.blubrry.com/tlc_with_winnie_da_silva/content.blubrry.com/tlc_with_winnie_da_silva/TLC061_Arjitha_Sethi.mp3 https://media.blubrry.com/tlc_with_winnie_da_silva/content.blubrry.com/tlc_with_winnie_da_silva/TLC060_Anna_Gudmundson_AUDIO.mp3 “There is a knowing in me that beneath that cultural layer, we’re the same. It sounds so obvious, but it has made me show up in different ways.”  - Anna Gudmundson What does it really take to lead with purpose when you’re building a life - and a business - in a country that’s not your own? In this episode, I sit down with Anna Gudmundson, CEO of Sensate and a global tech entrepreneur whose story spans six countries and countless transformative lessons. We explore what it means to lead as an immigrant, how to build a business without losing yourself, and why cultivating nervous system resilience might be the most overlooked leadership strategy today. Anna’s clarity, humility, and global lens make this conversation both grounding and expansive. You'll hear us discuss: How Anna's early childhood in rural Africa shaped her core belief that "beneath that cultural layer, we're the same" Her journey from Sweden to France, Spain, London, and eventually Los Angeles - and how each cultur... Wed, 16 Jul 2025 07:00:00 +0000 https://media.blubrry.com/tlc_with_winnie_da_silva/content.blubrry.com/tlc_with_winnie_da_silva/TLC060_Anna_Gudmundson_AUDIO.mp3