Innovation Storytellers
Did you ever wonder how an innovation got to its finish line? How innovators saw the future, made a product, and created change – in our world and in their companies? I did. Innovation Storytellers invites changemakers to describe how they created their innovation and just as important – THE STORIES – that made us fall in love with them. Come learn how great innovations need great stories to make them move around the world and how to become a better storyteller in the process. I’m Susan Lindner, the Innovation Storyteller. But I wasn’t always. I’ve been a wannabe revolutionary, an epidemiologist at the CDC and an AIDS educator in the brothels of Thailand helping to turn former sex workers into entrepreneurs. Trained as an anthropologist and the Founder of Emerging Media, I’ve spent the last twenty years working with innovators from 60+ countries. Ranging from cutting edge startups to Fortune 100 companies like GE, Corning, Citi, Olayan, and nine foreign governments, helping their leaders to tell their stories and teaching them how to become incredible advocates for their innovations. Great innovation stories make change possible. They let us step into a future we can’t see yet. I started this podcast to shine a light on our generation of great innovators, to learn how they brought their innovation to life and the stories they told to bring them to the world.
Episodes
What will it take to move beyond the traditional recycling conversation and into a future where circularity is a business imperative, not just a sustainability slogan?
In this episode of Nordic Visionaries, I speak with Tove Andersen, President and CEO of TOMRA, a company founded in Norway that has been working on circular economy solutions for over 50 years. With operations in over 100 countries, TOMRA's ...
What if the key to creating a more sustainable future lies not in reinventing capitalism entirely, but in looking at how it already works elsewhere?
In this episode of Nordic Visionaries, a special series inside the Innovation Storytellers Show, we welcome Dr. Robert Strand, Executive Director of the Nordic Center at UC Berkeley and Associate Professor at the Copenhagen Business School. With one foot firml...
This week I was delighted to sit down with Ann Molin, CEO & Secretary General of Hack for Earth, for an in-depth conversation on how citizen-led innovation can tackle global challenges. Ann, a psychologist by training, first fell in love with hackathons while working on the Swedish Government’s Hack for Sweden initiative, where she realized that bringing people together to solve open-data challenges could spark powerfu...
In this opening installment of Nordic Visionaries, I introduce a fresh series spotlighting entrepreneurs, creators, and advocates at the crossroads of innovation and sustainability throughout the Nordic countries.
My first guest, Mathias Wikström, sheds light on how cultural values shape our approach to protecting nature and why weaving sustainability into financial services is a long-term strategy. Toget...
Have you ever considered the role that discipline, trust, and storytelling play in shaping truly innovative leaders?
In this episode of the Innovation Storytellers Show, I'm honored to welcome Miles Garrett, a veteran leader, author, and former Executive Officer of the nuclear-powered submarine USS Cheyenne. Drawing from his extensive 25-year career spanning both the United States Marine Corps and the Navy...
Can innovation truly succeed without trust, integrity, and the right team behind it? In this episode of the Innovation Storytellers Show I welcome Tracy Nolan, Senior Vice President of MarketPoint at Humana, for an insightful discussion on what it really takes to lead big ideas and bold changes.
Tracy shares how her journey began in an unexpected place—retail—where an inventive approach led to record-break...
What happens when AI meets automotive repair? Can technology bridge the growing knowledge gap between seasoned mechanics and the next generation of technicians? And how will the “Right to Repair” movement reshape how vehicles are maintained in the future?
In this episode of Innovation Storytellers Show, I sit down with Eric West, Chief Growth Officer at Convertible AI, to explore the intersection of AI, wo...
What if the songs artists love the least become the ones fans can’t live without?
In this episode of the Innovation Storytellers Show, I sit down with Amani Roberts, DJ, professor, author, and creative powerhouse, to explore where real innovation happens in the music industry—beyond technology, beyond distribution, and deep into the creative process itself.
Amani takes us behind the scenes of ...
What happens when big data meets healthcare innovation? In this episode of the Innovation Storyteller Show, Susan Lindner talks with Tina Posey, CEO of HealthcarePoint, about how data is transforming clinical trials and reshaping healthcare on a global scale.
Tina shares her journey into healthcare innovation, sparked by the events of 2020, and how HealthcarePoint’s platform is revolutionizing the clinical...
The way we power the world hasn’t fundamentally changed in decades—until now. In this episode of the Innovation Storyteller Show, I speak with Dr. Moshiel Biton, CEO and co-founder of Addionics, a company reshaping the battery industry with 3D current collector technology.
Dr. Biton shares his unconventional path into the battery space, reflecting on how the EV revolution has transformed the perception of ...
Why do so many groundbreaking ideas stall before they even get started? In this episode of the Innovation Storytellers Podcast, Dr. Stefan Dietrich, Senior Advisor in Innovation and Digital Transformation, exposes the real obstacles that prevent innovation from thriving inside organizations.
Dr. Dietrich shares his experiences leading digital transformation at Siemens, AXA, and within startups, revealing t...
How do you keep pushing forward when faced with constant setbacks, resistance, or uncertainty? For innovators and leaders, resilience isn't just a nice-to-have—it's essential. But resilience isn't simply enduring; it's about having a plan to navigate challenges and become stronger.
In this episode of Innovation Storytellers Show, I sit down with Dr. Marie-Hélène Pelletier, an expert in leadership psycholog...
Innovation is often seen as a function of big ideas and long-term investments, but in today’s fast-changing world, organizations must rethink how they approach problem-solving and experimentation. In this episode, I sit down with Shellery Ebron and Annice Kim from RTI International to discuss how one of the world’s most respected research organizations is embedding innovation into its culture and operations.
Read more
What if risk management wasn’t just about avoiding failure but enabling innovation?
In this episode of Innovation Storytellers Show, I sit down with Rose Hall, Former SVP, Head of Innovation, Americas at AXA, to explore the critical role of risk management in pushing innovation forward. While most people see risk and innovation as opposing forces, Rose makes a compelling case for why they need to work toge...
In this episode of the Innovation Storytellers Show, I sit down with Charlie Chappell, Vice President of Innovation, Research & Development at The Hershey Company, to explore what it takes to innovate in one of the world’s most beloved brands. Charlie’s journey is nothing short of fascinating, from his start in R&D at Kimberly-Clark, earning patents for his work, to shaping iconic brands like Pantene and Old Spice duri...
What does it take to build a seamless connection between the agile world of startups and the structured environments of corporate innovators? In this episode of Innovation Storytellers, I had the pleasure of speaking with Trena Blair, Founder & CEO of FD Global Connections, who brought her extensive expertise to the table in exploring how to bridge these two worlds.
Trena shared insights from her book, Dec...
Over the holidays, I am reflecting on one of my most downloaded episode of 2024 with my innovation guide and intellectual beacon, Peter Temes.
In this episode, Peter and I journeyed through the intricacies of turning strategies from mere visions into tangible realities. We dissect the critical elements that transform a company’s strategy into a compelling narrative driven by morals and values, emphasizing the importance of collect...
I reflect on my most downloaded episode of 2024 with Louise Agersnap, the Head of WHO Innovation Hub, part of the Digital Health and Innovation Department. We enjoyed a thought-provoking discussion on the transformative initiatives happening at the World Health Organization. With over 20 years of experience in global health dev...
What does it take to thrive in a world where AI is redefining customer experience and business innovation? On this episode of the Innovation Storytellers Show, I had an incredible conversation with Jim Harris, bestselling author and globally renowned speaker on disruptive innovation, to explore how businesses can adapt to a rapidly evolving future.
Jim shared his unique journey, from teaching Stephen Covey...
What role do trust, cultural understanding, and collaboration play in global innovation?
In this episode of the Innovation Storytellers Show, I sit down with Gökhan Doran, Division VP and General Manager at Corning International, to uncover the keys to navigating the complexities of international manufacturing and partnerships.
From Brazil to Nigeria, Japan to India, Gökhan shares his journey...
Popular Podcasts
Daniel Jeremiah of Move the Sticks and Gregg Rosenthal of NFL Daily join forces to break down every team's needs this offseason.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.