Ask It Like You Mean It, with Aaron Barlin

Aaron Barlin closes out Season 1

That's a wrap on Season 1! Many thanks to our wonderful guests this season: together, they offer a robust range of different and in-depth expertise. We asked them hard questions like we meant it -- and they all answered like they meant it, too! Presented by Elynndí [http://elynndi.com], and hosted by Aaron Barlin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-barlin/]. See elynndi.com to learn how we "think like a teacher" to create the show.

Sarah Kagan helps us rediscover ourselves through grief

Sarah Kagan [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-kagan], grief coach and consultant at Keriah Grief Coaching & Consulting [https://www.keriahcoaching.com/], helps people and organizations rebuild the capacity to grieve together—openly, skillfully, and with ritual. Sarah examines what our loss of common grief practice reveals about community and emotional life today. Sarah shares insights on: * How her lived experienced called upon her to become a grief coach * What distinguishes grief coaching from therapy * How to design grief-literate teams and organizations—and avoid delaying the work we know is healthy but uncomfortable * When grief fuses with identity and how to transition toward “building a life that fits who you’ve become” Presented by Elynndí [http://elynndi.com], and hosted by Aaron Barlin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-barlin/]. See elynndi.com to learn how we "think like a teacher" to create the show.

Maria Morukian explains what it means to lead lovingly

Maria Morukian [https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-morukian], founder and CEO of MSM Global Consulting [https://msmglobalconsulting.com/about/about-maria-morukian/], has spent over 18 years guiding leaders and organizations through culture change, intercultural competence, and leadership development. Maria reframes leadership not as a position of power but as an act of loving stewardship—setting the tone for what organizations and people can become when they work alongside each other, rather than "for" their respective superiors. Maria shares insights on: * What motivates her to challenge traditional organizational norms and leadership approaches she sees repeatedly across cultures and industries * The underlying cultural and structural mechanisms that perpetuate the same old leadership models over and over * Pitfalls that even well-intentioned leaders stumble into when trying to evolve their practices toward more inclusive, belonging-oriented leadership * What it looks like when belonging truly sits at the heart of organizational achievement—and the real-world examples that show it in action Presented by Elynndí [https://elynndi.com/], and hosted by Aaron Barlin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-barlin/]. See elynndi.com to learn how we “think like a teacher” to create the show.

Wallis Mills helps us stay modern in our own way, instead of following the herd

Wallis Mills [https://www.linkedin.com/in/wallismills]—Founder & Principal Advisor at Modern Enterprise [https://modernenterprise.ai/]—helps C-suites separate real modernity from trend-chasing. Drawing on executive roles at AMD and NVIDIA, she advises on AI readiness, go-to-market, and narrative strategy that builds durable advantage instead of “shiny object syndrome." Wallis shares insights on: * Why she left her previous roles to build an independent strategic studio * Lessons from big-chip playbooks (AMD, NVIDIA): strategies worth emulating, as well as common missteps to avoid * How and why she identifies an organization's identity and direction before strategies and tactics * Differentiating helpful collective wisdom from unhelpful groupthink when it comes to the "new shiny thing" like AI Presented by Elynndí [https://elynndi.com/], and hosted by Aaron Barlin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-barlin/]. See elynndi.com to learn how we "think like a teacher" to create the show.

Ellen Raim helps Gen Z and Gen X finally understand each other

Ellen Raim [https://www.linkedin.com/in/raimprofile], founder of People Matter LLC [https://peoplematterllc.com/], is a "generational interpreter" in the workplace, helping companies and young professionals bridge the divide between Gen Z, Gen X, and all in-between. In this episode, Ellen invites us to rethink how age-based differences in the workplace are about more than just our years of life: they’re about how we handle change and difference in general, as well as how we play—or not play—by "rules of the game" that organizations often leave unwritten. Ellen Raim shares insights on: * What sparked her shift from employment attorney and HR leader to "organizational whisperer" who decodes how young professionals adapt to established cultures * Why thinking of generational divides as “speaking different languages” or “playing by different rules” can help older and younger colleagues interpret each other more effectively * The subtle (and not so subtle) behaviors in workplaces that say “people don’t matter”—and how those behaviors cut across generations * How our resistance to change and our comfort with familiar patterns keep old generation gaps alive, even when the workforce is evolving Presented by Elynndí, and hosted by Aaron Barlin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-barlin/]. See elynndi.com [https://elynndi.com/] to learn how we “think like a teacher” to create the show.