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The Talent Forge: Shaping Workforce Behaviors with Jay Johnson
Welcome to The Talent Forge: Shaping Workforce Behavior with Jay Johnson — the podcast where behavioral science meets the day-to-day challenges of leadership and talent development.
Each week, Jay Johnson, behavioral architect, two-time TEDx speaker, and corporate trainer, brings you bold conversations and tactical insights to help organizations develop better managers, improve communication, and shape workplace behavior that drives results.
Whether you're an emerging leader, a C-suite executive, an operations manager, or an individual seeking growth, this show delivers behavior-based strategies that stick. Jay and experts in the field come together to share a behind-the-scenes look at the tools that build high-performing teams, reduce burnout, and foster cultures of accountability and trust.
From leadership development and management coaching to behavioral intelligence and culture transformation, you'll walk away with actionable tools to improve your people, processes, and performance.
This isn’t theory. This is real-world behavior, transformed. Welcome to the Forge.
Episodes
68 episodes
How To Lead When You Don’t Know: Innovation, Engagement, & Psychological Safety with Alan Gregerman
What if admitting “I don’t know” is the most powerful leadership move you can make? We sit down with innovation consultant and author Alan Gregerman to unpack the “wisdom of ignorance” and why certainty can quietly sink companies while curiosit...
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Season 1
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Episode 66
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45:20
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Stop Playing Corporate Telephone: Turn Top-Down Plans into Daily Behaviors with Kim Crowder
Strategy dies in the “telephone game.” We sat down with leadership expert Kim Crowder to unpack how to turn top‑down plans into daily behaviors people can actually do, coach, and scale. The core idea is deceptively simple: bring voices in early...
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Season 1
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Episode 65
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43:47
Behavior is a Choice and Choices Build Culture: A Conversation with Our Host Jay Johnson
A single question from a colleague—“Can you look at this?”—set off a chain of events that reshaped our host Jay Johnson's career. In this episode, he walks through the moment misaligned expectations between faculty and international...
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Season 1
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Episode 64
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22:08
From Martial Arts to Trauma-Informed Leadership: Laura Armstrong on Safety, Boundaries, and Real De-escalation
Safety isn’t a side project—it’s the system your team runs on. We sit down with martial arts champion and corporate coach Laura Armstrong to unpack trauma-informed training that actually works in the workplace.Laura breaks down the windo...
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Season 1
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Episode 63
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35:37
Design Roles, Not Tasks: AI’s Edge in HR and L&D with Scott Morris
Jobs don’t fail because people don’t work hard; they fail because the work isn’t designed to move the numbers that matter. That’s the uncomfortable truth we dig into with Scott Morris—longtime Chief People Officer, HR transformer, and founder o...
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Season 1
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Episode 62
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39:30
Martial Arts Wisdom for Leadership and Learning with Jim Bouchard
The future of work hinges on our ability to keep it human—a powerful message from Jim Bouchard, who joins The Talent Forge to share his extraordinary journey from drug addiction to martial arts mastery and leadership coaching.Jim's tran...
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Season 1
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Episode 61
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43:36
Press Start to Learn: Gaming's Secret Sauce for Training Success with with Dr. Natalie Makulski
What if the secret to creating training that people actually want to complete has nothing to do with points, badges, or leaderboards? In this eye-opening episode of The Talent Forge, Dr. Natalie Makulski of Coeus Creative Group reveals how her ...
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Season 1
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Episode 60
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35:17
Leadership Beyond Limits: Owning Your 1% in Every Situation with Juan Alvarado
What happens when military discipline meets empathetic leadership? Juan Alvarado's extraordinary journey from military sergeant to leadership coach reveals powerful insights for anyone developing talent.After nearly a decade in military...
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Season 1
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Episode 59
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38:09
Mindset: The Filter to Your Reality with Jim Huntzicker
What if your entire reality was being filtered through beliefs you formed as a five-year-old? According to mindset expert Jim Huntzicker, neuroscience reveals we only perceive about 12% of reality—the rest gets filtered out by subconscious beli...
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Season 1
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Episode 58
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50:50
Never Outmatched: How Military Thinking Transforms Corporate Culture with Lee Pepper
What happens when military wisdom meets modern marketing challenges? In this eye-opening conversation with Lee Pepper, former Army officer turned marketing strategist, we explore the surprising intersection of battlefield tactics and business s...
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Season 1
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Episode 57
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39:05
Finding Your Divine Purpose: Conversations on Authenticity and Alignment with Christian F. Johnson
What does it mean to bring your authentic self to work, especially when spirituality is central to who you are? Christian F. Johnson tackles this question head-on as he shares his powerful RINSE method for maintaining focus and purpose in leade...
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Season 1
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Episode 56
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38:24
Wiring the Brain for Leadership Excellence with Dr. Conor Hogan
Dr. Conor Hogan takes us on a fascinating journey through the neural pathways of effective leadership in this mind-expanding conversation. Drawing from his unique background—from coaching sports as a teenager to working with special needs child...
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Season 1
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Episode 55
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41:50
Humanizing HR: Leadership for Everyone with Mandee Bowsmith
Leadership doesn't require a fancy title, an MBA, or a corner office. What it does demand is authenticity, communication, and genuine care for the people you work with. This transformative perspective forms the heart of my conversation with Man...
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Season 1
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Episode 54
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41:22
Rewire Your Mind: Overcoming Self-Defeating Behaviors with Dr. Albert Bramante
Ever wonder why some people consistently sabotage their own success? In this eye-opening conversation with psychologist Dr. Albert Bramante, author of "Rise Above the Script," we dive deep into the hidden mental patterns that keep talented peop...
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Season 1
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Episode 53
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41:12
From Broadway to Boardroom: Finding Your Authentic Voice with Jay Harris
What happens when a Broadway performer turns his theatrical training toward helping professionals find their authentic voice? In this captivating conversation with Jay Harris, we explore the powerful intersection of performing arts and professi...
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Season 1
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Episode 52
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45:44
Leading Through Uncertainty with Peter Willis and Gareth Morgan
What separates a true crisis from everyday challenges, and how can leaders effectively navigate through unprecedented disruption? In this eye-opening conversation, Peter Willis and Gareth Morgan—authors of "Becoming Good at Crises: A Field Guid...
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Season 1
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Episode 51
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1:01:07
Beyond the Self: Creating Waves of Positivity in Work and Life with Jon Sabes
Take a deep dive into the philosophy that transforms daily habits into lifelong success with serial entrepreneur Jon Sabes. This conversation uncovers the power of "small, consistent efforts made upstream that lead to significant downstream eff...
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Season 1
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Episode 50
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41:13
Independence in Learning - Fourth of July Special
What makes a training program truly effective? The answer might be simpler than we think: independence. When learners feel ownership over their development journey, engagement and results skyrocket.In this special Fourth of July solo epi...
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Season 1
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Episode 49
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10:25
The Power of We: Building Connection in Corporate Culture with Kyle McDowell
Have you ever achieved success but felt empty inside? Kyle McDowell's journey from corporate executive to leadership visionary offers a roadmap for anyone feeling disconnected in their professional life.After spending decades climbing t...
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Season 1
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Episode 48
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51:57
Transforming Learning Through AI-Powered Job Shadows with Frank Fusco
Ever watched someone masterfully perform a task and thought, "I wish I could understand exactly what they're doing and why"? In today's episode of The Talent Forge, we explore the revolutionary approach Silicon Society is taking to transform wo...
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Season 1
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Episode 47
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43:56
Clarity, Communication, and Co-Pilots: The New Skills for an AI-Powered Workplace with Fahed Bizzari
The AI revolution is reshaping how we work, learn, and create—yet 81% of professionals feel anxious about this transformation. Why? Many have been avoiding the inevitable, creating what Fahed Bizzari calls "heads in the sand" that are now being...
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Season 1
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Episode 46
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52:27
Beyond Training: The Art of Speaking Leadership's Language with Traci Austin
Why does executive leadership often fail to see the value in talent development initiatives? Traci Austin of Elevated Talent Consulting reveals the critical disconnect between HR professionals and the C-suite that's creating frustration on both...
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Season 1
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Episode 45
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41:32
Leading Through Change: Succession Planning at Scale with Ernesto Gómez
What happens when nearly 150 leadership positions need to be filled simultaneously due to a wave of retirements? For Ernesto Gómez, former VP of Human Capital at Grupo Alpha and CHRO at Sigma Alimentos, this wasn't a hypothetical scenario—it wa...
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Season 1
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Episode 44
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50:18
Unleashing Your Inner Champion: How Mindset Drives Success with Nicky Billou
Nikky Billou takes us on an extraordinary journey from post-revolution Iran to becoming a champion for freedom and human potential. As a Christian immigrant fleeing religious persecution, Nikky's early experiences shaped his profound understand...
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Season 1
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Episode 43
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28:49
The Psychology of Presence: How to Connect and Influence Through Body Language with Richard Reid
Richard Reid takes us on a fascinating journey from his classics degree and IT consulting days to his current role as a psychologist working with executives and organizations. The discussion opens with a counterintuitive insight: b...
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Season 1
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Episode 42
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41:55