Top Voice Podcast with Michael J. López
Each week, I sit down with leading voices in business, leadership, and transformation to unpack the issues that matter most. Together, we explore fresh insights, bold ideas, and real-world stories from the people shaping how we think about change, culture, and what's possible.
As a LinkedIn Top Voice myself and an expert in change and transformation, I bring a unique lens to every conversation—connecting each episode to powerful, science-backed strategies that help individuals, teams, and organizations navigate change with confidence.
Whether you're leading a company, driving culture shifts, or simply looking to level up in your career or life, these episodes are designed to challenge your thinking and expand your perspective.
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Episodes
86 episodes
From Forbes to YouTube: Rebuilding a Career After the Layoffs with Natalie Campisi
Michael welcomes journalist and creator Natalie Campisi to the Top Voice Podcast to discuss reinventing yourself mid-career after repeated industry upheavals. Natalie traces her path from traditional newsrooms and the Associated Press through a...
Mark Cuban – The Open Source Disruptor: Healthcare, Transparency, and Why Change Comes from the Edges
Michael interviews Mark Cuban about disrupting U.S. healthcare through transparency and direct contracting. Cuban explains how CostPlusDrugs.com sells thousands of medications with disclosed costs and a 15% markup, and how CostPlusWellness.com ...
Why Higher Education's Biggest Threat Isn't AI — It's Culture with Patrick Cates
Michael interviews Patrick Cates, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs at USC, Marshall School of Business, about the turbulent “new normal” facing higher education amid political pressures, international student compliance shifts, financi...
The Hidden Cost of Competence: Leadership, Growth, and Getting Out of the Way with Naphtali Bryant
Michael welcomes Naphtali Bryant, managing principal consultant at RAC Leadership and former US Marine and chief people officer, to discuss the “curse of competence” and how leaders become bottlenecks by continuing to solve, edit, and rescue in...
From ER to Entrepreneur: How a Physician Is Fixing Healthcare's Tech Problem with Aditi Joshi
Michael hosts Aditi Joshi, an emergency medicine physician turned digital health leader, to discuss the evolution and adoption challenges of telemedicine and broader healthcare technology. Aditi recounts entering telemedicine in 2013, scaling p...
What 35 Years at Clorox Taught Me About Transforming Organizations From the Inside with Doug Milliken
Michael interviews Doug Milliken, former Clorox VP of Marketing and now partner at Kremer & Milliken, a consultancy focused on helping large companies understand and evolve organizational culture to improve performance. Milliken argues cult...
From Unsure to Unshakeable: Confidence as a Business Performance Strategy with Simone Knego
Michael interviews keynote speaker and USA Today bestselling author Simone Knego about her new book, Real Confidence, and why confidence is built like a skill rather than something you’re born with. Simone shares her journey as a mom of six, be...
The Human Success Playbook: The New Operating Model for the Age of AI with Zensai
Michael hosts a special panel episode of the Top Voice Podcast with Zensai leaders Nina Carøe (Chief Human Success Officer), Robin Daniels (Chief Business Officer, repeat guest), and CEO Rasmus Holst to discuss their book The Human Success Play...
The Real Reason AI Pilots Stall and Where Leaders Go Wrong with Sania Khana
Michael talks with labor economist Sania Khan about interim findings from their joint research on AI pilots and why many are stalling. Sania shares her background from the White House, Capitol Hill, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics to serving...
Stop Forcing Generosity: What Nonprofits Get Wrong About the Brain with Cherian Koshy
Michael talks with Cherian Koshy about his book Neurogiving and how neuroscience and behavioral science explain generosity and decision-making. Koshy, a longtime nonprofit professional, says the goal isn’t to manufacture generosity but to creat...
Charlene Li – Winning with AI: The 12-Week FrameworkThat Actually Works
Michael interviews keynote speaker and seven-time author Charlene Li about her new book and 12-week program focused on leading AI through leadership and strategy rather than technology explanations. Li and co-author Katia Welsh outline a playbo...
From Homeless to Founder: How Crisis Becomes Your Competitive Advantage with Shawn Gregoire
On the Top Voice podcast Shawn Gregoire shares his journey from homelessness in Houston after dropping out of Rutgers to finding stability through 14.5 years in the Air Force, teaching himself coding in 2021, and later completing an executive M...
What 400+ CEO Interviews Reveal About Sustainable High Performance with Ehsan Etezad
Michael interviews Ehsan Ehtesad, organizational psychologist and co-founder/CEO of Mia Science, about building healthy, high-performance teams by focusing on recharging rather than constant intensity. Drawing on nearly 400 interviews with CEOs...
From Getting Found to Getting Represented: The New Rules of Executive Visibility with Dennis Yu
Michael interviews Dennis Yu, joined by AI builder engineer Leo Pohlmann, about Google’s recent move to AI results first instead of the traditional “10 blue links,” a shift Dennis says is the biggest in 25 years and has caused many SEO experts ...
The Not So Hidden Costs of Undertrained Leaders with Jennifer Dulski
Michael speaks with Jennifer Dulski, founder and CEO of Rising Team, about the hidden costs of untrained teams and how leadership development can be improved. Dulski shares her background across nonprofit work, teaching, and leadership roles at...
Why Drug Pricing Transparency Is Finally Disrupting Big Pharma's Stranglehold with Erin Albert
Michael welcomes Erin Albert, Chief of Pharmacy Relations, Network and Professional Affairs at Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drugs, to explain why U.S. drug pricing is so opaque and how transparency can lower costs. Albert shares how she joined the co...
Leadership and The Future of Work in the Age of AI with Brian Elliott
Michael interviews Brian Elliott, CEO of Work Forward and former Google and Slack executive, about AI and the future of work through a human-centered lens. Elliott explains how his Future Forum research on workplace flexibility evolved into AI-...
How Generational Healing Changes What We Pass Down with Jasmine Escalera
Michael interviews Dr. Jasmine Escalera, founder of the nonprofit Institute for Generational Healing, about recognizing and breaking inherited survival patterns passed through families. Escalera explains generational healing, how cycles can pro...
Why Most Executives Don't Know They Have a LinkedIn Problem with Leslie Hughes.
Michael welcomes LinkedIn Top Voice, trainer, and author Leslie Hughes to discuss how LinkedIn has evolved from a job-search site into a networking and thought leadership platform, and why many executives underestimate their need for an active ...
The Creator Economy is Dead. Long Live the IP Economy with Bia Granja
Michael talks with creator-economy builder Bia Granja about her hot take that the creator economy isn’t dead, but the attention economy that fueled it is ending as reach becomes commoditized and organic reach declines. Bia argues creators must ...
How AI Is Reshaping Education Beyond the Classroom in 2026 with Christophe Zoghbi
Michael interviews Christophe “Chris” Zoghbi, founder and CEO of Zaka, about how AI is reshaping education and workplace learning, with a focus on the Middle East. Zoghbi shares his path from software engineering and early machine-learning work...
Lessons from Three Decades in the NFL with Tom Melvin, TE Coach Kansas City Chiefs
Michael welcomes longtime friend and former coach Tom Melvin, current Kansas City Chiefs tight ends coach and three-time Super Bowl champion, to discuss Melvin’s coaching journey from small college football to 14 seasons with Andy Reid in Phila...
The New Blueprint for Going Global with Your Personal Brand with Sandra Long
Michael interviews LinkedIn expert Sandra Long about building a global personal brand. Long shares how she moved from B2B sales to helping individuals and organizations leverage LinkedIn, and explains why global reach is easier post-2020 but re...
Overcoming the PMO and Project Manager Stereotype with Fola Alabi
Michael welcomes project and strategy leader Fola Alabi to discuss stereotypes about project managers and PMOs and why many are seen as process-heavy status reporters rather than value creators. Fola shares her 20+ year career across government...
Why Bias is a Luxury the Economy Can’t Afford with Katica Roy
Michael welcomes economist, data scientist, and Pipeline CEO Katica Roy to discuss why bias and inequity “sub-optimize” the economy, citing women earning nearly 60% of degrees while being promoted 21% slower and the large GDP and fiscal impacts...