In this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C-Suite strategist, business founder and best-selling author, sits down with Caroline Stokes, author of AfterShock to 2030: A CEO’s Guide to Reinvention in the Age of AI, Climate, and Societal Collapse, and member of the Thinkers50 Radar Class of 2026.
0:00 — Cold Open: The Trust Crisis in CEO Leadership
0:26 — Welcome to Thought Sparks & Introducing Caroline Stokes
2:10 — The Brian Thompson Assassination: Why It Opens the Book
6:21 — Why the Book Is Digital-Only & CEO Reading Habits
8:10 — The Trust Gap: Organizations Making People Sick
12:20 — LSE Research: Doughnut Economics & Post-Growth Practices
15:15 — Why "Aftershock": Polyvagal Theory & CEO Behaviors
19:11 — Carlota Perez: Turning Points in Capitalism
22:03 — NVIDIA's Fluid, Mission-First Organization Model
25:55 — Mea Culpa & Tabula Rasa: Reinventing Yourself as a Leader
31:07 — Radical Listening: The Human-to-Human Approach
34:39 — The PlayStation Backward Compatibility Story
36:30 — AI-Enabled Radical Listening & the DOGE Example
38:21 — NVIDIA's Top Five Things & Stochastic Sampling
41:01 — Getting Started: Finding Your Mission & Purpose
45:43 — Corruption, Shareholder Theory & the Need for a Reset
48:12 — Caroline's Personal Shocks & Living Abroad
49:53 — Advice for Younger People
54:26 — Where to Find the Book & Closing Remarks
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