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A World of Difference

A World of Difference

By: Lori Adams-Brown
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 A World of Difference: Leadership, Culture & Travel Podcast Welcome to A World of Difference, a top 3% global podcast where authentic leadership meets cross-cultural wisdom. Host Lori Adams-Brown, a strategic transformation executive and multilingual global leader, brings you real conversations with bestselling authors, nonprofit changemakers, C-suite executives, and thought leaders who are redefining what it means to lead with purpose. This isn't surface-level leadership content. We dive deep into psychological safety in leadership, organizational culture transformation, differentiation strategies, global leadership development, and how cross-cultural communication shapes the future of work. Whether you're a CEO navigating organizational change, an HR leader building inclusive cultures, or a manager seeking authentic leadership skills, these conversations will challenge how you think and lead. From travel as cultural education to ethics in business to emotional intelligence for executives, each episode offers actionable insights for leaders who believe our differences make us stronger. If you're tired of cookie-cutter business podcasts and want meaningful conversations that bridge culture, society, and leadership, you're home. Pull up a seat at the table with us.© 2023 Lori Adams-Brown Art Economics Literary History & Criticism Social Sciences Travel Writing & Commentary
Episodes
  • Stop Before You Get Stopped: The Case for Subtraction as Strategy with Nell Derick Debevoise Dewey

    Stop Before You Get Stopped: The Case for Subtraction as Strategy with Nell Derick Debevoise Dewey
    Apr 1 2026
    What if the reason you're exhausted isn't because you're doing it wrong — but because you're doing too much? Nell Derick Debevoise Dewey (Nell3D) is here to challenge the most dangerous assumption in modern leadership: that progress always comes from piling more on. In this episode, we unpack: Why high-capacity, values-driven leaders are drowning in ambition — not lack of it The Leading in 3D Framework: aligning Me, We, and World as a stable, sustainable triad — not a trade-off What Nell learned the hard way — from frontline work in the West Bank to a head-on collision with a 10-ton truck — about the cost of doing too much The three-step subtraction process: Stop (gather real data), Drop (minimum effort for desired results), Roll (connect to the system) What horses can teach corporate leaders about energy conservation, minimal communication, and detecting inauthenticity Nell Derick Debevoise Dewey, known as Nell3D, is a Harvard-trained subtraction strategist, author, and speaker. Based in Montana, she blends systems thinking, equine wisdom, and two decades of global leadership development to help difference-makers lead with more impact, not more effort. TIMESTAMPS [00:00] Introduction — why exhausted leaders are struggling with too much, not too little [01:26] Interview begins [00:49] From the West Bank of Palestine to Manhattan: making a difference in different contexts [04:42] The upstream metaphor — who's throwing babies in the river? [07:45] The Leading in 3D Framework: aligning Me, We, and World [11:19] Personal sacrifice, loss, and what Nell learned the hard way [13:05] A head-on collision and the birth of systematic subtraction [16:34] Subtraction is not minimalism — it's a systems approach [21:41] Step 1 — Stop: the most important step most leaders skip [25:35] For difference-makers: why helpers are the worst at helping themselves [28:24] What horses teach us about leadership, energy, and inauthenticity [33:53] Predator-prey dynamics in corporate environments [36:08] Navigating bullies: energy conservation in practice [40:25] How to find Nell and access her Substack Join us for an exclusive episode with Nell here on Patreon. Find Nell at: nell3d.com | Free Mini Course + 90-Day Guest Pass: nell3d.kit.com/stopdroproll Subscribe, leave a review at aworldofdifferencepodcast.com/reviews/new, and share this episode. Visit aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources, including our Patreon exclusive with Nell. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    48 mins
  • Live at Transform 2026: The Science of Connection — How Optimistic Thinking Fights Burnout at Work with Daria Maneche

    Live at Transform 2026: The Science of Connection — How Optimistic Thinking Fights Burnout at Work with Daria Maneche
    Mar 25 2026
    Live from the Transform 2026 conference floor in Las Vegas, Lori sat down with Daria Maneche, founder of The Working Optimist, for a candid, neuroscience-backed conversation about what it actually takes to build human connection at work, and why the stakes for getting this right have never been higher. Daria brings a deeply personal why to her work: after years of her own struggles and many forms of support that fell short, it was understanding the neuroscience of the brain that finally changed how she walks through the world. That shift became the foundation of the Working Optimist Mindset Method, and now she is bringing it to teams and leaders across the globe. In this episode, you will hear: Why high-quality connections (HQC) at work are not a "nice to have" but a core performance and retention strategy How a raging amygdala physically blocks access to the prefrontal cortex, and why this matters for every decision your team makes under pressure The hidden burnout accelerator: working in a remote or hybrid environment without intentional space for human connection Why globalizing a workforce without cultural consideration is a recipe for disconnection and disengagement What the Working Optimist Mindset Method is, and how metacognition can help individuals and teams change the way they think about thinking Guest Bio Daria Maneche is the founder of The Working Optimist, where she brings neuroscience-backed tools rooted in positive psychology into workplace settings to help individuals and teams connect, think more clearly, and perform with greater resilience. She is also an executive and transformational coach. Timestamps [00:00] — Welcome from Transform 2026, Las Vegas [01:30] — Daria introduces the Working Optimist Mindset Method [03:00] — What leaders can be optimistic about: EQ, connection, and the age of digital transformation [05:30] — The HQC gap: what we are not investing in and why it matters [07:30] — Burnout is accelerating, and disengagement is part of it [08:30] — The amygdala, the prefrontal cortex, and why stress blocks problem-solving [10:00] — Daria's personal why: how neuroscience changed everything for her [12:00] — Where to find Daria and The Working Optimist Find Daria Maneche at: workingoptimist.com | and linkedin.com/in/daria-maneche-87331418 Subscribe, leave a review at https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com/reviews/new/, and share this episode. Visit https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    16 mins
  • How to Launch a Business While Navigating Career Transition (And Why I Named Mine After an Opera Word) with Lori Adams-Brown

    How to Launch a Business While Navigating Career Transition (And Why I Named Mine After an Opera Word) with Lori Adams-Brown
    Mar 18 2026
    What do you do when the title is gone, but the work isn't finished? In this solo episode, Lori Adams-Brown pulls back the curtain on the past six months: the beach day that changed everything, the blank bio she couldn't write, and the Italian word that finally gave shape to what she was building. This is the origin story of Brava Global Advisory, and a masterclass in the kind of self-leadership most leaders never talk about out loud. What you'll hear in this episode: The moment at Santa Cruz that turned a word into a mission Why applying the Ikigai framework to yourself is completely different from applying it to others What it actually looks like to run an executive search and launch a consulting practice simultaneously How Lori's personal board of directors keeps her accountable (and why yes-people are leadership liabilities) Why the bravest work in today's world of work is being willing to see yourself clearly Lori Adams-Brown is a strategic transformation executive, intercultural leadership practitioner, and founder of Brava Global Advisory. With 20+ years advising senior leaders across six continents and six languagess, from Jakarta to San Jose, she brings a rare combination of global range and personal depth to every conversation. She hosts A World of Difference, a podcast with 153,000+ downloads across 100+ countries. Timestamps: [00:00] — The word brava, and what it means to earn it [04:30] — The blank bio: who are you outside the title? [09:00] — The beach, the reset, and the origin of Brava [14:00] — Applying Ikigai to yourself (it's harder than it sounds) [19:00] — Running a search and building a business at the same time [24:00] — Self-leadership, personal boards, and anti-yes-people [28:00] — What Brava is for — and what this show has always been for Subscribe, leave a review at https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com/reviews/new/, and share this episode. Visit https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    15 mins
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