Fault Lines

In this episode, Richard Roman examines one of the defining questions of the AI era: when does technology actually serve people, and when does it quietly extract from them? Using the example of AI-powered leadership coaching, Richard expands the conversation into a broader framework for understanding trust in organizations, higher education, and public institutions.
At the center of the discussion is a powerful distinction between “design service” and “design extraction.”
Richard explains how the same AI system can either strengthen trust or erode it depending on who owns the data, who benefits from the analysis, and whether the person being observed has real agency.
From manager feedback and student proctoring to government decision-making, the episode shows how design choices shape trust outcomes in every domain.
Richard also explores why trust in institutions is contracting, why employees and students are increasingly wary of surveillance disguised as support, and what it would take to rebuild confidence in AI systems. He closes with a practical lens for evaluating any AI tool: does it serve the person first, or someone else?
If you care about AI ethics, leadership development, higher education technology, public trust, or the future of work, this episode offers a timely and thought-provoking framework for navigating the next decade.
Keywords: AI trust, leadership coaching, institutional trust, AI ethics, higher education, student surveillance, government AI, workplace AI, data privacy, organizational leadership

Richard Roman speaks with Ben Perreau about how AI and cognitive science are reshaping leadership development, manager feedback, and employee engagement in the modern workplace. They explore why frontline managers are often the real lever for organizational change, how real-time feedback can improve self-awareness, and why trust and psychological safety must remain at the center of workplace technology.
Ben shares the story behind Parafoil, an AI-powered leadership tool designed to help managers improve through day-to-day behavioral insights rather than slow, outdated performance reviews.
The conversation also dives into the challenges of building ethical AI, the importance of human empathy in leadership, and why self-awareness is becoming a critical skill for leaders in 2025 and beyond.
If you’re interested in AI for leadership, manager development, workplace culture, or the future of work, this episode offers practical insights and a thoughtful look at how better feedback can help people lead with more clarity, confidence, and humanity.
Listen to learn:
Why frontline managers are key to organizational change
How AI can support, not replace, human leadership
The role of self-awareness in effective management
How trust is built through small, consistent interactions
Why ethical design matters in AI-powered workplace tools
Join the conversation on the future of leadership, and discover how better feedback can help create stronger teams and healthier organizations.

In this follow-up to the conversation with Andrew McNeill of LX Leaders, Richard Roman explores what happens when awareness, trust, and accountability break down at every level, from the nervous system of a leader to the culture of an organization.
Using recent news around Purdue Pharma, the UAE’s exit from OPEC, and Google’s classified AI contract, he shows how the gap between what institutions say and what they do erodes trust, weakens teams, and makes real accountability harder to achieve.
Richard then connects those examples to the science of mindfulness and leadership, explaining how stress response, psychological safety, and vulnerability shape decision-making, communication, and team performance.
Drawing on research from neuroscience, Harvard, Google’s Project Aristotle, and organizational studies, he makes the case that well-being is not a side project; it is infrastructure.
He also offers practical steps listeners can apply right away:
Start a mindfulness practice;
Create a short reset before meetings;
Notice who isn’t speaking;
Revisit your team charter;
Assess whether your organization is investing in lasting development or temporary energy.
If you care about leadership, team culture, and building organizations people can actually trust, this conversation offers a powerful, research-backed roadmap.

Most leaders are missing the secret ingredient that transforms stress into success. Andrew McNeil reveals how a simple mindfulness shift helped him thrive amidst the chaos of government crises, and how you can do the same.
After hitting burnout at the pinnacle of his career, Andrew turned to mindfulness and discovered it did more than reduce stress; instead, he found it dramatically improved his leadership, team collaboration, and resilience under pressure.
Now, he’s on a mission to embed practical mindfulness techniques into organizations, helping leaders build trust, foster psychological safety, and unlock their team’s full potential without sacrificing performance or authenticity.
You'll discover the scientifically-backed strategies Andrew used to create a grounded, resilient mindset, including his favorite morning rituals and how to respond (rather than react) in high-stakes moments.
We break down how mindfulness can boost retention, improve team collaboration in crisis environments, and turn workplace tension into genuine connection. Andrew shares a powerful, step-by-step approach to cultivating trust through vulnerability and authentic leadership, especially in challenging team dynamics or during trust breakdowns.
This episode is perfect for leaders seeking sustainable ways to lead with presence, manage stress, and foster a culture of kindness and high performance.
If you’ve ever wondered how top-tier executives stay centered and how mindfulness can be a game-changer for your organization, this conversation will give you clear, accessible tools to start today.
Andrew McNeil is a senior leadership coach and founder of LX Leaders, known for translating mindfulness into practical, organizational success. His work has helped government leaders, Fortune 500 teams, and entrepreneurs unlock resilience and trust, proving that emotional intelligence and compassion are the foundation of true leadership success.
Don’t miss this episode if you’re ready to lead with purpose, build trust faster, and harness the power of mindfulness in your workplace. The future of leadership is mindful, and it starts here.

Most workplace burnout isn’t just fatigue; instead, it’s a trust crisis that erodes your confidence, curiosity, and connection with yourself and others. When chronic stress fractures your relationship with yourself, it creates a cycle of doubt, isolation, and diminishing performance.
But here’s the truth: rebuilding that trust is not only possible, it’s essential to regain control over your well-being and your career.
In this eye-opening episode, Richard Roman explores the hidden fault line beneath rising burnout rates, revealing how chronic stress damages your brain’s decision-making capacity and your capacity for curiosity.
You’ll discover that burnout isn’t just an individual issue; it’s a systemic trust failure at multiple levels. Jeremy Hannah, a talent development leader with nearly 20 years helping Fortune 500s, shares his personal journey from burnout to rebuilding curiosity and confidence, and how you can do the same.
We break down:
The neuroscience behind burnout and how it rewires your decision-making and risk assessment
The critical role of self-trust as the foundation for all other relationships at work
The five stages of repairing burnout, including practical strategies like Microwinds and external feedback loops
Proven frameworks to reignite curiosity and rebuild neural pathways, step-by-step
How organizational trust failures compound personal burnout and what leaders can do to restore psychological safety
This isn’t just another talk about work-life balance. It’s a blueprint for urgent, systemic change because when trust erodes, so does your ability to thrive professionally and personally.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, or questioning your own competence, this episode offers tangible hope and practical tools for reclaiming your mental resilience.
Perfect for leaders, HR professionals, and anyone feeling the stress of modern work because healing starts with trust. Stop accepting burnout as inevitable and learn how to rebuild your inner confidence, one small step at a time.
If you’re ready to turn the tide on burnout, tune in now. Jeremy Hannah’s story of transformation and this dive into trust and stress might just change how you see your work and yourself forever.

What does it take to rebuild your career, your health, and your sense of purpose when burnout pushes you to the edge?
In this episode, we sit down with Jeremy Hannah, co-founder of Viante Talent Solutions, to explore how a career break, a global reset, and a commitment to self-trust helped him transform exhaustion into clarity.
Jeremy shares the slow burn that led to severe burnout, the moment he knew something had to change, and how stepping away from work for a sabbatical helped him reconnect with his values, his health, and his long-term vision.
From reversing type 2 diabetes and losing 60 pounds to traveling the world with his wife and launching a coaching and consulting business, Jeremy’s story is a powerful reminder that sometimes the bravest move is to pause.We also dive into the “art and science” of coaching, the psychology behind career transitions, and why confidence, intention, and psychological safety are essential for real growth.
Jeremy explains his Forward Methodology and how helping people find the path in front of them can lead to lasting change, especially when they feel stuck, discouraged, or ready for something more meaningful.
If you’ve ever questioned your career direction, felt trapped by complacency, or wondered whether a sabbatical could change your life, this conversation will leave you inspired to rethink what’s next.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why burnout is often a slow build, not a sudden event
How a sabbatical can create real healing and clarity
The difference between being comfortable and being complacent
Why confidence is a key factor in career transitions
How coaching can help people reconnect with purpose and take action
Tune in for an honest, thoughtful conversation about leadership, transformation, and the courage to choose a different path.
Keywords: burnout recovery, career break, sabbatical, career transition, coaching, leadership development, self-trust, purpose, organizational psychology, confidence, personal growth, Viante Talent Solutions
 

Host Richard Roman explores a powerful idea from leadership consultant Marcy Levy Schankman: the “knowing-doing gap” isn’t really a knowledge problem; instead, it’s a trust problem.
Drawing on research in psychological safety, organizational development, and emotionally intelligent leadership, Richard breaks down why leaders often know what to do but still fail to act, and why fear, hierarchy, and low-trust cultures keep change from sticking.
Through real-world examples and current research, this episode examines how psychological safety supports experimentation, why authority is not the same as leadership, and how organizational systems can quietly punish the very behaviors they claim to value.
Richard also offers four practical principles for practitioners who want to close the gap between insight and action:
Diagnose the culture;
Reframe failure as data;
Align systems with values;
Earn relational trust before expecting behavioral change.
If you lead teams, advise organizations, or care about building healthier workplace cultures, this conversation will challenge how you think about trust, leadership, and sustainable change.
Listen in for a sharp, thoughtful look at why so many leadership programs fall short, and what it really takes to help people act on what they already know.
Keywords: knowing-doing gap, trust problem, psychological safety, leadership development, organizational culture, emotional intelligence, change management, workplace trust, leadership training, team leadership, employee engagement.

Host Richard Roman returns for a new season. He sits down with leadership expert Dr. Marcy Levy Shankman for a wide-ranging conversation that explores what trust really means in organizations, why it can take years to build and moments to break, and how emotionally intelligent leadership helps teams navigate complexity, uncertainty, and change.
Marcy shares insights from decades of experience across higher education, K–12, and consulting, revealing why authority is not the same as leadership and why sustainable change only happens with people, not through them.
They also dig into the “knowing-doing gap,” the role of vulnerability in building trust, and how leaders can create cultures where people feel safe to experiment, learn, and collaborate.
If you’re interested in leadership, workplace culture, emotional intelligence, and the real mechanics of trust, this episode offers a thoughtful and practical conversation you won’t want to miss!

In this season two finale, host Richard Roman reflects on the biggest themes that emerged across ten powerful conversations about trust, systems, healing, leadership, and change.
From higher education and poverty to entrepreneurship, branding, yoga, and ecological crisis, this episode connects the dots between different stories and reveals a shared question: what do we do when the systems meant to help are actually causing harm?
Drawing from conversations with guests including Anne Kim, Kevin McClure, Michelle Thielen, Shannon Lucas, Sonia Baschez, Reem Barrow, and others, Richard explores how harmful systems are often designed to function exactly as intended, why the people driving change are so often the first to burn out, and how self-trust becomes the foundation for transformation.
Along the way, he shares practical insights on attention, relational action, identity, and the importance of finding your people (your “odd-kin”)in a fractured world.
This finale doesn’t offer a tidy answer. Instead, it invites listeners to stay with the trouble, hold complexity with honesty, and take small but meaningful steps toward trust, care, and collective change.
If you’re interested in systems thinking, personal growth, burnout, leadership, social impact, or rebuilding trust in uncertain times, this conversation offers a thoughtful and grounded close to the season.
Tune in for a reflective, honest, and inspiring episode that brings together the heart of the season and leaves you with questions worth sitting with.

In this episode, we sit down with the co-founders of Firestarter Collective to explore how branding, identity, and trust shape business growth in the B2B world. Dr. Chris Endersby and Mickey Wilson share how their different career paths (from social work, academia, leadership, coaching, entrepreneurship, and agency life) came together to build a bold partnership grounded in strategy, creativity, and relationship-building.
We dig into what makes a brand truly trustworthy, why differentiation matters more than ever, and how authentic messaging can help founders earn confidence before they ever get in the room.  
The conversation also covers the role of coaching in uncovering deeper identity, the tension between creativity and commercial structure, and why self-trust is one of the biggest challenges entrepreneurs face.
You’ll also hear how Firestarter’s DARE formula (differentiation, authenticity, resonance, and expression) helps businesses build brands that are not only memorable, but meaningful. 
If you’re a founder, marketer, or B2B leader looking to sharpen your positioning and build stronger trust with your audience, this episode is packed with practical insight and inspiration.