Episodes

“Curiosity is a cure for stagnation.” Tune in to meet mover and shaker Tina Wells, an author, entrepreneur, and trend spotter, as she shares her insights on what it takes to design a life and career you love across multiple chapters. Her incredible journey from teen founder to agency leader, product designer, and bestselling writer reflects her approach to embracing curiosity in all its manifestations. Tina discusses how a “happy accident” at 16 grew into a powerful youth insights company, why s...

What does it mean to lead with values when the political landscape makes inclusion harder, not easier? In this episode of The Leadership Dance, host Alissa Hsu Lynch sits down with Liana Guzmán, CEO of FOLX Health, to explore what real leadership looks like when rhetoric, risk, and responsibility collide. Liana shares her personal journey growing up in Puerto Rico and the mainland U.S., her nonlinear career across marketing, fintech, and healthcare, and why she’s committed to building a future o...

A little over a year ago, I launched The Leadership Dance podcast to shine a light on amazing people who don't fit the conventional mold - people who are choreographing their own leadership dances. Over the past year, this podcast has grown into a global community through honest conversations with trailblazers across business and the arts. As we head into the next year, I’m excited to continue exploring the art of leadership, creativity, career reinvention, and what it means to choreograph your ...

Former Emmy award-winning SNL producer Lindsay Shookus shares the trust-building strategies, people skills, and leadership lessons that carried her from two decades at Saturday Night Live into a powerful next act as a speaker and executive coach. In this candid conversation, she opens up about resilience, reinvention, and the transformational relationships that shaped her career, and how you can apply the same tools in your own leadership journey. Drawing on stories from booking A-list guests an...

What does it really take to build a culture where people thrive - especially in a world transformed by technology, generational change, and new expectations? In this energizing episode, host Alissa Hsu Lynch sits down with James D. White, renowned board leader and former Jamba CEO, and his daughter Krista White, rising workplace culture strategist and writer. Together, they share how their experience as a father-daughter team powered their new best-selling book, Culture Design, and reveal why tr...

After 25 years with American Ballet Theatre, iconic ballerina Misty Copeland took her final bow in a historic gala performance – but her work is far from over.

Renowned ballerina Stella Abrera joins host Alissa Hsu Lynch on The Leadership Dance to reflect on her extraordinary career with American Ballet Theatre and her journey from the stage to shaping the next generation of dancers as the Artistic Director of the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School.

Harvard leadership instructor and author Margaret Andrews joins Alissa Hsu Lynch to trace her unconventional journey from accounting to academia, sharing how a series of “lucky accidents” and bold choices propelled her to the forefront of executive education. This episode is chock-full of practical advice for leaders at any stage of their careers. Margaret, who leads Harvard’s most popular professional development program, reflects on how kissing a few career “frogs” and embracing improvisati...

New York City Ballet star Mira Nadon joins host Alissa Hsu Lynch to reflect on her journey from California rehearsal studios to becoming the first Asian American principal dancer at the company. Hailed by the New York Times as “a once-in-a-generation dancer,” she opens up about growing up in an academic household, the “aha moment” of her promotion, and why she didn’t always see herself as a role model - until the world began to watch. Mira recounts joyful milestones and daunting setbacks, from p...

Visionary artist Janet Echelman joins Alissa Hsu Lynch to pull back the curtain on her creative journey - one that’s anything but conventional. Oprah ranked her work #1 on her list of 50 Things That Make You Say Wow, and it’s easy to see why: Janet’s monumental, wind-borne sculptures transform skylines across continents, inviting viewers into immersive, contemplative experiences. In this episode, Janet shares the story behind her new book, Radical Softness, and the decades of experimentation, se...

Get a peek inside the commercial dance world from Angela Elgani, a renowned dancer, choreographer, and mentor whose two-decade career has taken her from world tours with Britney Spears, NSYNC, and the Backstreet Boys to blockbuster films like You Got Served and Step Up Revolution. Angela shares her remarkable journey from a determined young girl in St. Louis to performing on some of the biggest stages in the world and later pivoting toward teaching, coaching, and empowering the next generation o...