What if the key to innovation isn’t thinking bigger — but slowing down?

In this episode of What is Innovation?, Jared Simmons is joined by Cynthia Kane, founder of the Kane Intentional Communication Institute and author of The Pause Principle. Cynthia brings a deeply personal and practical perspective to innovation, drawing from her experience teaching over 70,000 people how to communicate with clarity, compassion, and calm.

The conversation explores how communication—with ourselves and others—is a practice that shapes not only our relationships but also our ability to navigate change, uncertainty, and complexity. Cynthia shares her journey from loss to discovery, illustrating how curiosity, mindfulness, and self-awareness can transform the way we lead, build, and collaborate.

Whether you’re leading a company or navigating a tough conversation, this episode offers a grounding approach to innovation that begins within.

Guest Bio:
Cynthia Kane is the founder of the Kane Intentional Communication Institute and the author of four books, including The Pause Principle: How to Keep Your Cool in Tough Situations. A certified meditation and mindfulness instructor and breathing coach, Cynthia has helped over 70,000 people improve the way they communicate through her bestselling courses and training programs. Her work blends principles of Right Speech, mindfulness, and intentional action to create sustainable change in communication and leadership.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why innovation isn’t always about doing something new — but doing it differently

• How communication becomes a practice of clarity, curiosity, and connection

• The link between mindfulness and effective leadership

• How to speak to yourself with kindness (and why it matters for innovation)

• Why responding is more powerful than reacting in high-stakes situations

• The difference between making things easy and making them simple

Highlighted Insight:
“Innovation is a flowing river, not a series of hurdles. It moves. It breathes. It responds.”

Quote to Remember:
“Go where it’s easy. Innovation doesn’t have to be hard. It just has to be yours.”

Resources & Links:

• CynthiaKane.com

• The Pause Principle (Book)

• Cynthia on Instagram @cykane1

• Free 30-Day Pause Challenge available on her website

About the Host:
Jared Simmons is the Founder and Principal of OUTLAST Consulting, a boutique firm helping organizations unlock innovation through intentional action. With leadership experience at Procter & Gamble, McKinsey & Company, and Coca-Cola, Jared blends corporate strategy with entrepreneurial thinking to help clients innovate on their own terms.

What if the true barrier to innovation isn't a lack of ideas, but how we manage them?

In this episode of What is Innovation?, Jared Simmons sits down with Steve Hinch — award-winning author, high-tech executive, and innovation consultant — to uncover the overlooked mechanics of corporate and startup innovation. Drawing on decades of leadership experience at Hewlett Packard, Agilent Technologies, and startup ventures, Steve breaks down innovation into four clear categories, reframes failure as a learning opportunity, and explains why managing innovation demands a radically different mindset.

Whether you’re in a Fortune 500 boardroom or an early-stage startup, this conversation delivers insight on how to build repeatable innovation processes, manage risk with purpose, and make sure your great ideas don’t die at the delivery stage.

Guest Bio:
Steve Hinch is the author of Winning Through Innovation: Lessons from the Front Lines of Business, winner of the Benjamin Franklin Award. With a long career spanning senior R&D, marketing, and general management roles at Hewlett-Packard and Agilent Technologies, Steve has also served as CEO of TeamLogic IT. He now consults with senior leaders across industries to design innovation strategies and processes that work, from product launches to corporate transformations.

What You’ll Learn:

• A simple 4-part framework for classifying innovation: product/process + incremental/disruptive

• Why innovation in large corporations fails — and how to fix it

• How to manage innovation differently from traditional projects

• Why failure is critical to innovation (and how venture capitalists accept it)

• How to protect innovation from corporate reporting cycles and quarterly pressure

• What support really looks like in a thriving corporate innovation culture

Highlighted Insight:
“Innovation is not just about seeing opportunity — it’s about delivering it profitably. Without delivery, even the best idea is useless.”

Quote to Remember:
“In the startup world, 80% of ventures fail. But that 20% that succeed? That’s where the real return is — and failure is part of the learning.”

Resources & Links:

• Winning Through Innovation – Book by Steve Hinch

• Steve Hinch on LinkedIn

About the Host:
Jared Simmons is the Founder and Principal of OUTLAST Consulting, a boutique firm helping organizations unlock innovation through intentional action. With leadership experience at Procter & Gamble, McKinsey & Company, and Coca-Cola, Jared blends corporate strategy with entrepreneurial thinking to help clients innovate on their own terms.

What does it mean to build something enduring in a world obsessed with fast growth and quick exits?

In this episode of What is Innovation?, Jared Simmons sits down with Shawn Nelson, CEO and founder of Lovesac, to explore the deeper layers of innovation in business, leadership, and life. From making beanbags in his parents’ basement to running a public company approaching a billion in revenue, Shawn shares how clarity of purpose and long-term thinking can turn small product decisions into disruptive innovation.

The conversation dives into how leaders can define their own innovation “domain,” why originality isn’t a requirement for progress, and how the tension between ambition and patience can shape entire organizations. Shawn also unpacks the real cost of growth — from taking outside capital to making tough calls on talent and timing.

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the pressure to “do something new,” this episode offers a grounding and practical lens for building, inventing, and innovating — one step (and one season) at a time.

Guest Bio:
Shawn Nelson is the founder and CEO of Lovesac, a public company known for its patented, high-performance modular furniture. A product designer, entrepreneur, and TV personality, Shawn holds a master’s in Strategic Design and Management and teaches at Parsons, The New School for Design. His recent book and podcast, Let Me Save You 25 Years, distills lessons from his two-decade journey scaling Lovesac from startup to publicly traded brand.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why innovation can be organizationally specific — and why that matters

• How to balance quarterly demands with long-term vision as a public company

• Why originality is overrated, and domain clarity is crucial

• What “patient ambition” looks like in real leadership

• How to use purpose to attract talent and guide product innovation

Highlighted Insight:“Innovation doesn’t have to be original. It just has to be new to you, your team, or your company. And it has to move you forward.”

Quote to Remember:“Maintain top ambition with infinite patience. That’s the hardest part and the secret to building something real.”

Resources & Links:

• Let Me Save You 25 Years (book + podcast)

• Lovesac – Modular furniture with a mission

About the Host:
Jared Simmons is the Founder and Principal of OUTLAST Consulting, a boutique firm helping organizations unlock innovation through intentional action. With leadership experience at Procter & Gamble, McKinsey & Company, and Coca-Cola, Jared blends corporate strategy with entrepreneurial thinking to help clients innovate on their own terms.