In this episode of The Innovation Show, Aidan McCullen welcomes back Manu Kapur, author of Productive Failure, to explore the science of learning through failure.

We uncover the Basic Knowledge Fallacy, debate Direct Instruction vs. Discovery Learning, and introduce the Four A’s of Learning (Activation, Awareness, Affect, Assembly). Manu also explains why variability, struggle, and pretesting drive deeper learning, adaptability, and long-term success.

Whether you’re an educator, business leader, coach, or lifelong learner, this conversation will transform the way you think about learning and growth.

00:00 – Introduction and Sponsor Message

00:33 – Welcoming the Guest: Manu Kapur

01:01 – Understanding the Basic Knowledge Fallacy

05:07 – Direct Instruction vs. Discovery Learning

08:08 – The Science Behind Productive Failure

14:01 – The Importance of Variability in Learning

21:14 – Pretesting and the Role of Struggle in Learning

26:43 – Final Thoughts and Cognitive Reflection Test

• Why the path to learning is as important as the knowledge itself

• The strengths and limits of direct instruction and discovery learning

• How the Four A’s of Productive Failure create lasting understanding

• Why variability and desirable difficulties improve adaptability

• How struggle, pretesting, and impasses unlock deeper insights

📺 Watch more episodes of The Innovation Show: The Innovation Show on YouTube

🌐 Learn more about Manu Kapur: www.manukapur.com

📘 Get Manu’s book Productive Failure: https://amzn.to/3KrdV1Q

What if failure wasn’t the end, but the beginning of real growth? In this episode, Aidan McCullen sits down with Manu Kapur, author of Productive Failure, to explore how struggle, setbacks, and mistakes can actually unlock deep learning, creativity, and adaptability.

🔑 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why productive failure is the secret to lifelong learning

• How to turn mistakes into powerful growth mindset strategies

• Why even “good lectures” don’t always create deep understanding

• How leaders and innovators can use failure to adapt in a changing world

• The psychology of resilience, success, and transformation

Find Manu Kapur: https://www.manukapur.com

From a soccer career cut short by injury to becoming a global thought leader in education innovation, Manu shares stories and research that challenge how we think about failure. Whether you’re a teacher, leader, parent, or entrepreneur, this conversation will help you embrace failure as a pathway to success.

What can bees teach us about leadership, teamwork, and innovation? 🐝

In this episode, Philip Atkinson — organizational coach, beekeeper, and author of Bee Wise: 12 Leadership Lessons from a Busy Beehive — shares powerful insights from the hive that apply directly to modern workplaces.

We explore:

• Why the queen bee is not really the leader of the hive

• How the waggle dance is a perfect metaphor for communication

• Why bees switch jobs throughout their lives and what that means for career growth

• How swarms make better decisions by consensus

• The importance of diversity, innovation, and collaboration in thriving organizations

📖 Learn more about Philip’s work and book: beewisebook.com

🌐 Company site: hive-logic.com

📲 Socials: Facebook, Instagram & LinkedIn → @BeeWiseBook

👤 Connect with Philip on LinkedIn: PhilipAtkinsonHiveLogic

✨ All proceeds from Bee Wise support Bees for Development, a charity helping families worldwide build sustainable livelihoods through beekeeping.

What happens when startups like Figma outpace industry giants like Adobe? In this episode of The Innovation Show, Aidan McCullen sits down with bestselling author Sangeet Paul Choudary (Platform Revolution, Reshuffle) to explore how AI, cloud technology, and mindset shifts are reshaping the future of work, design, and competition.

Discover why incumbents often fail—not from lack of innovation, but from failing to unlearn old architectures. Using the case of Figma vs. Adobe, we unpack how element-based design, governance-led workflows, and AI-first thinkingare redefining industries from design to law to construction.

Key takeaways:

• Why adapting mindsets matters more than adopting tools

• How AI is unbundling knowledge work and rewriting career paths

• The importance of governance in enterprise-wide collaboration

• Why the forgetting curve is as critical as the learning curve

Perfect for innovators, leaders, and professionals navigating the knowledge economy, this episode is a roadmap for thriving in a world of structural uncertainty where AI and cloud-native startups are rewriting the rules.

📚 Resources & Links

• Reshuffle: Who Wins When AI Reshapes the Knowledge Economy

→ https://amzn.to/3HWwj1I

• Platform Revolution

→ https://amzn.to/4mBq2aQ

• Sangeet’s Substack

→ https://substack.com/@platforms/posts

• Aidan’s show notes

→ https://thethursdaythought.substack.com

🎙️ Listen now to learn how to reshuffle your thinking, your organization, and your career for the AI-driven future.

What if everything you knew about strategy was wrong?

In this profound and candid episode, legendary Harvard Business School professors Joseph Bower and Clark Gilbertdismantle the myths of top-down strategy and reveal what actually drives innovation inside organizations — resource allocation.

Hosted by Aidan McCullen, this conversation connects over 50 years of organizational research with real-world disruption—from Clay Christensen’s disruptive innovation, to Intel’s strategic shifts, to why academic institutions resist change.

🔥 You’ll learn:

• Why strategy emerges from internal decisions—not just executive planning

• The role of middle management and customer capture in strategic failure

• How organizations can manage dual transformation

• The secret behind Harvard’s innovation blind spots

• Advice for innovators, executives, and scholars navigating complex systems

This is not your typical leadership podcast. It’s a masterclass in innovation thinking, organizational change, and deep system insights — directly from the architects of the field.

00:00 Introduction and Sponsor Message

00:21 Introducing the Guests: Clark Gilbert and Joe Bower

01:02 Clark Takes Over as Host

01:33 The Connection Between Resource Allocation and Strategy

05:26 Challenges in Strategy Implementation

09:03 Case Studies and Real-World Examples

11:11 Issues in Academic Research

19:48 The Harvard Business School Case

28:10 The Teradyne Case Study

32:41 Elon Musk's Unique Management Style

35:21 The Power of Structural Context in Education

37:50 The Concept of Undermining in Business

39:23 Managing Cognitive Framing in a Changing World

44:06 The Importance of Deep Industry Knowledge

49:16 Advice for Future Scholars

55:56 Final Reflections and Gratitude

📚 Resources and People Mentioned:

• Book: From Resource Allocation to Strategy – by Bower, Gilbert & others
• Dual Transformation – by Clark Gilbert & Scott D. Anthony
• The Innovator’s Dilemma – by Clayton Christensen
• Case Studies: Intel, Teradyne, Kodak, Harvard Business School

💡 Featured Thinkers Mentioned:

• Clayton Christensen – Disruptive innovation pioneer, HBS
• Tom Eisenmann – Strategy & entrepreneurship expert, HBS
• Donald Sull – Former HBS faculty, expert on execution and volatility
• Yves Doz – INSEAD professor, known for multinational innovation research
• Howard Yu – IMD professor; explored tech disruption in Asia
• Tomo Noda – Japanese academic and innovator in business education reform
• Robert Burgelman - MIT professor and prolific author

We delve into Elise Loehnan's acclaimed book 'On Our Best Behaviour,' exploring the societal and cultural forces shaping women's behaviors and the concept of the 'seven deadly sins.' Elise discusses the ingrained cultural pressures that lead women to self-denial and the impact of patriarchal norms. We explore topics such as envy, pride, sloth, and the importance of embracing both masculine and feminine energies for a balanced life. Join us for an eye-opening conversation with insights on redefining cultural narratives and reclaiming full selves.

00:00 Introduction and Sponsor Message

00:35 The Cultural Conditioning of Women

01:39 Guest Introduction: Elise London

02:01 Personal Struggles and Panic Attacks

03:48 The Pressure of Perfection

07:53 The Concept of Goodness in Women

13:45 Historical Myths and Gender Roles

19:17 The Origins of the Seven Deadly Sins

28:47 The Witch Trials and Cultural Trauma

37:08 Balancing Roles and Responsibilities

47:09 Embracing Discomfort and Presence

48:10 Understanding Envy as a Directional Signal

48:29 The Gateway to Other Sins: Envy

49:45 Women and Envy: A Cultural Examination

50:33 The Role of Envy in Personal Desires

53:21 Reframing Envy and Scarcity

54:28 The Impact of Cultural Narratives on Women

01:09:07 Pride and Gender Bias in the Workplace

01:17:13 The Importance of Sadness and Emotional Expression

01:28:23 Final Thoughts and Call to Action

Find Elise:

https://www.eliseloehnen.com

Podcast:

https://eliseloehnen.substack.com/p/the-podcast

Substack:

https://eliseloehnen.substack.com

New Book:

https://amzn.to/47pK7Mw

On Our Best Behaviour Book:

https://amzn.to/4owiQOH

Unveiling the Gut-Brain Connection: Dr. Steven Gundry on Leaky Gut, Microbiome, and Health

In today's episode, we dive deep into the fascinating world of the gut-brain connection with Dr. Steven Gundry, a prolific author and expert on the subject. Starting with a brief introduction about our sponsor, Kyndryl, we explore the historical context of medical insights from figures like Hippocrates and Ignaz Semmelweis. Dr. Gundry shares compelling stories from his practice, including miraculous patient turnarounds attributed to gut health. We discuss the latest in microbiome research, the concept of leaky gut, and how our gut's terrain influences overall health. Learn about the critical role of bacteria in our body's ecosystem, the intelligence of microorganisms, and their impact on our well-being. Join us as we unlock the secrets of a balanced inner terrain and its implications for a healthier life.

00:00 Introduction and Sponsor Message

00:30 Dedications and Historical Insights

02:06 Guest Introduction: Stephen Gundry

03:04 Remarkable Patient Stories

07:19 The Gut-Brain Connection

12:52 Historical Debate: Pasteur vs. Bechamp

16:58 Microbiome Discoveries and Implications

19:08 Bacterial Intelligence and Communication

26:29 Elephant Communication and Eavesdropping

27:04 Understanding Leaky Gut

27:52 Aging Research and Sea Elegans

29:45 The Role of Tight Junctions in Gut Health

32:46 Impact of Diet and Antibiotics on Gut Health

36:44 Environmental Toxins and Autoimmune Diseases

37:40 Lipopolysaccharides and Immune Response

42:03 The Rise of Food Sensitivities and Allergies

47:05 Gut Microbiome and Food Cravings

48:10 Conclusion and Resources

Find Steven: https://drgundry.com

In this episode of the Innovation Show we delve into the myths and realities of business failures with Greg Satell and Paul Nunes.

Join us as we explore classic case studies of companies like Blockbuster, Kodak, and Xerox, and uncover the untold stories behind their perceived failures.

We discuss the complexities of decision-making, the importance of controlling the narrative, and the crucial lessons business leaders can learn from past mistakes.

00:00 Welcome to the Innovation Show

01:55 The Innovator's Dilemma: A Classic Quote

02:05 Introducing the Guests: Greg Satel and Paul Nula

02:43 The Myth of Learning from Failures

03:07 Greg's Experience with Misaligned Case Studies

05:07 Paul's Perspective on Research and Interviews

05:17 The Complexity of Decision-Making in Organizations

15:30 The Blockbuster vs. Netflix Case Study

21:44 The Role of Leadership and Context in Business Decisions

43:45 Milking the Cash Cow: Challenges and Strategies

45:21 Blockbuster's Rapid DVD by Mail Transition

46:30 Adobe's Cloud Shift and Kodak's Digital Dilemma

48:42 Kodak's Struggle with Digital Photography

54:43 Fuji's Diversification Success

58:29 Intel's Missed Opportunities and Target Fixation

01:06:40 Xerox's Innovation and the Birth of the Laser Printer

01:20:44 Lessons from Xerox and Pixar's Origins

01:24:26 Empowering Emerging Leaders and Final Thoughts

Perfect for business leaders, strategists, and innovation professionals who want to move beyond the clichés and understand what truly drives long-term success—or failure.

Find Greg: https://gregsatell.com

Find Paul: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-nunes-5351773/

🔗 Listen on your favorite podcast platform or visit: https://theinnovationshow.io

🧠 Featuring:

• Greg Satell – Author of Mapping Innovation

• Paul Nunes – Global Managing Director of Thought Leadership, Accenture Research

• Host: Aidan McCullen – Author of Undisruptable