#386 Lisa Bodell: Stop Drowning in Complexity—How Simplicity Fuels Innovation — Part Two

What if the biggest barrier to innovation isn’t a lack of ideas—but a mountain of pointless work? In Part Two of this series, Lisa Bodell, CEO of FutureThink and one of the world’s top speakers on simplification, walks us through her strategy to make work—and life—less overwhelming and more meaningful. She shares how organizations like Pfizer and Google cut clutter to free up creativity, and how we can do the same in our personal lives. Lisa also gets personal about parenting, mental health, and why she believes simplicity is a survival skill in the age of AI. From ditching unnecessary meetings to raising future-ready kids, this episode is a manual for letting go of the noise and doubling down on what matters. Key Highlights of Our Interview: Why Simplicity Is a Leadership Strategy “Simplification isn’t organizing. It’s deletion. If you removed just 10% of your clutter—mental or physical—your life would transform.” Kill a Stupid Rule (Redux) “Pfizer didn’t need more innovation. They needed fewer barriers. Killing one pointless process saved them thousands of hours.” Busy ≠ Valuable “We’ve rewarded ‘more’ instead of ‘meaningful.’ Hustle culture thrives on this lie—and it’s breaking people.” Personal Simplicity Starts with Self-Audit “Write down everything you do in a month. Circle what’s meaningful. Now ask: what can you delete, delegate, or decline?” How to Say No Without Burning Bridges “Try saying: ‘Yes, if…’ instead of ‘Yes, and…’ Boundaries are the gateway to better work.” AI vs. Human Intelligence “AI gives you answers. But it can’t ask the right questions. That’s where human intelligence still leads.” What Schools Get Wrong About the Future “We’re training kids to be future employees, not future humans. That’s got to change.” Redefining Learning with Power Skills “Forget soft skills—they’re power skills now. Curiosity, resilience, empathy: these will matter more than any degree.” Raising Future-Ready Humans “My daughter trained with the FBI. My son wants to be an entrepreneur. I bring them to my talks so they see work in action.” Why Simplicity Is a Mental Health Imperative “It’s not about doing less—it’s about doing more of what matters. Simplicity doesn’t just help work. It heals people.” ______________________ Connect with us: Host: Vince Chan | Guests: Lisa Bodell   --Chief Change Officer-- Change Ambitiously. Outgrow Yourself. Open a World of Expansive Human Intelligence for Transformation Gurus, Black Sheep, Unsung Visionaries & Bold Hearts. EdTech Leadership Awards 2025 Finalist. 20 Million+ All-Time Downloads. 80+ Countries Reached Daily. Global Top 1% Podcast. Top 5 US Business. Top 1 US Careers. >>>180,000+ are outgrowing. Act Today.<<< See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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What’s Stopping You from Outgrowing Yourself? Change Ambitiously. Outgrow Yourself. Chief Change Officer isn’t just another podcast. It ranks in the Top 3% globally, hit #1 in Careers (US), and cracked the Top 10 in Business (US)—because it offers what others don’t: expansive human intelligence, shared by the world’s most extraordinary thinkers and doers. This is the space for transformation gurus, bold hearts, black sheep, and unsung visionaries. We go beyond digitized tips and AI-smooth talk. Here, you get real, time-tested, experience-driven wisdom—the kind that blends logic and love, art and science, hindsight and foresight. For me, this show marks career transition #18. Across 17 transitions, I’ve been mentored by global changemakers who helped me emerge stronger and freer. Now, I’m passing that power forward—through raw, unfiltered conversations with extraordinary people across cultures, industries, and identities. If you’re a growth progressive, a black horse, a visionary underdog, or someone boldly rewriting the rules—you’re already one of us. Because you are the Chief Change Officer. Our mission? To help you become wiser in action, clearer in thought, and more ambitious in motion—so you can outgrow yourself and unlock outcomes beyond imagination or calculation. A better you is already unfolding. 130,000+ followers are outgrowing. Join them on LinkedIn, Apple, Spotify, and YouTube @chiefchangeofficer.