The Trusted Leadership Podcast

Farhan Quasem believes the best learning happens in the flow of work, right when someone needs it, not in a course nobody opens.With 14 years in learning and development, Farhan has worked with startups, large companies, and everything in between. He now runs Commudemy, a workforce development consultancy based in Boston, building partnerships with companies in the US, Latin America, and the Middle East. His focus is making learning a continuous part of company culture instead of a checkbox. He holds an Ed.M. from Harvard, splits his time between Boston, Istanbul, and Mexico City, and is a new dad.What sets him apart is a practical, point-of-need approach to enablement. He shows how to surface knowledge inside the tools people already use, why content alone is no longer king, and how to use AI to digest existing SOPs and customer feedback instead of generating training from scratch. He also explains how cohort learning grows naturally once leaders make learning part of how the company runs.In this conversation, Farhan and Shaun explore how leaders can stay ahead of AI-driven change by talking directly to their people, learning from peers, and backing the AI enthusiasts on their own teams.To reach Farhan: https://www.commudemy.com/Connect on LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/farhanquasemListen to Farhan's podcast, where he talks with leaders building learning communities: https://www.commudemy.com/podcast

Dr. Donna Hicks is an Associate at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University and the former Deputy Director of the Program on International Conflict Analysis and Resolution (PICAR). She facilitated dialogues in numerous unofficial diplomatic efforts in the Middle East, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Colombia, Cuba, Libya and Syria. She was a consultant to the BBC in Northern Ireland, where she co-facilitated a television series, Facing the Truth, with Archbishop Desmond Tutu. She has taught courses in conflict resolution at Harvard and Columbia Universities and conducts seminars in the US and abroad on dignity leadership training and on the role dignity plays in resolving conflict. She consults to corporations, governments, schools, churches, and non-governmental organizations. Her book, Dignity: It’s Essential Role in Resolving Conflict, was published by Yale University Press in 2011. Her second book, Leading with Dignity: How to Create a Culture That Brings Out the Best in People, was published by Yale University Press in August 2018.

Victoria Pelletier believes transformation fails without trust, clarity, and a compelling story — and she builds all three. Forged by early adversity, she became one of the youngest Chief Operating Officers in Canada at 24 and has since held President and CEO roles across multiple industries, leading organizations through 40+ M&A transactions and re-engineering operating models, technology, and culture to drive growth and unlock multi-million-dollar synergies. What sets her apart is storytelling — translating complexity into clarity in the boardroom, on stage, and with employees and investors, using narrative to align strategy and make change stick. Her leadership has been recognized by INvolve, CIOLook, Insight Magazine, and the South Florida Business Journal, among others. She is a sought-after keynote speaker on resilience, Whole Human Leadership, and leading through transformation. To reach Victoria: https://victoria-pelletier.com/ LINK TO The Leadership Transition Guide: Whole Human Leadership in Your First 90 Days

Steve Gund, third-generation CEO of The Gund Company, shares his leadership journey shaped by family legacy, humility, and a deep commitment to people-centric culture. With a focus on servant leadership, Steve highlights how trust, intentionality, and developmental systems drive remarkable business outcomes. He speaks candidly about coaching with compassion, transforming company culture through acquisitions, and aligning leadership with human flourishing. Everybody Matters: The Extraordinary Power of Caring for Your People Like Family By Bob Chapman Start with Why 15th Anniversary Edition: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action By Simon Sinek

Josh Block is a Michigan native, husband, father of two, company president, leadership advocate, and author of People Matter @ Work, a new book that reimagines how workplaces can become the most transformative communities in our lives. As President of Block Imaging, a global medical imaging company, and founder of Cube Mobile Imaging, Josh leads with a simple but radical conviction: when people matter at work, everything changes — businesses grow, families thrive, and lives are transformed. His message is shaped not by theory, but by three decades of rolling up his sleeves across every level of work, from flipping burgers and selling strawberries door-to-door to leading a company through seasons of change and growth from $30M to $215M in revenue. Josh's Book: People Matter at Work: Fostering a Culture Where Team Members Thrive and Everyone Wins AMAZON LINK https://peoplematteratwork.com/