The Leadership Multiverse
The Leadership Multiverse dives deep into the galaxies of sci-fi, superhero, and fantasy cinema and television to explore what it really means to lead. In each episode, we dissect the decisions, styles, and values of iconic characters like Tony Stark, Princess Leia, Ned Stark, Captain Kirk, and beyond, unpacking their triumphs, tribulations and everything in between. Whether you’re a leadership aficionado, a pop culture junkie, or just wondering if Darth Vader could delegate effectively, this is the podcast where fandom meets the front lines of leadership.
Episodes
20 episodes
Daenerys Targaryen: The Mother of Dragons
This week Andrew and Ellen enter Westeros to examine Daenerys Targaryen: liberator, revolutionary, symbol-maker, and ultimately a deeply dangerous leader.They explore her journey from vulnerable exile to Mother of Dragons, asking when mo...
Steve Rogers: Captain America
In this episode of Leadership Multiverse, Andrew and Ellen take on Steve Rogers, better known as Captain America, and ask whether he really deserves his reputation as one of popular culture’s clearest examples of values-based leadershi...
Captain Christopher Pike
This week, The Leadership Multiverse heads back to Starfleet to explore the leadership of Captain Christopher Pike.We look at Pike as a servant leader: calm, values-led, emotionally intelligent and deeply trusted by his cre...
Professor X
This week, we turn to Professor X: calm, principled and often held up as the model of thoughtful leadership.We explore how his style shifts over time, from coach and mentor to something more controlling, and question whether his belief i...
Optimus Prime
What can a giant transforming robot teach us about leadership? Quite a lot, it turns out. In this episode, we take on Optimus Prime as a leadership case study, exploring moral conviction, burdened leadership, executive isolation, succession bli...
The Mandalorian
Season two opens with a return to the Leadership Multiverse after a winter hiatus, and a shift straight into the outer rim. This week we explore the leadership qualities of The Mandalorian, a character who challenges conventional ideas...
Wonder Woman
This week we explore why Diana Prince stands out as one of the multiverse’s most emotionally intelligent leaders. From Wonder Woman to Justice League, we look at how she navigates conflict, unites clashing personalities, and l...
Darth Vader
In this follow-up to last week’s deep dive on Anakin Skywalker, Andrew and Ellen step into the shadow of the Empire to explore leadership lessons from Darth Vader. Ruthless yet composed, feared yet strangely effective, Vader represents the ulti...
Anakin Skywalker
In this first of a two-part exploration, Andrew and Ellen delve into the rise, and rapid unraveling of Anakin Skywalker. Once the galaxy’s most promising Jedi, Anakin’s story is a masterclass in unfulfilled potential and emotional volatility. F...
Natasha Romanoff: Black Widow
Ellen and Andrew step into the shadows with Natasha Romanoff, aka. Black Widow, the spy, the assassin, the Avenger, and, perhaps, the most emotionally intelligent leader in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.From her Red Room origins to her q...
Artificial Instinct: What Sci-Fi Teaches Us About Leading with AI
In this special one-off episode of The Leadership Multiverse, Ellen is joined by Major Sam McEvoy, Royal Corps of Signals, to explore how artificial intelligence is resh...
Ghostbusters
This Halloween we dive into the supernatural world of leadership with everyone’s favourite team of chaotic academics turned entrepreneurs, the Ghostbusters! 👻 🚫 Ellen and Andrew explore how Ray, Egon, Peter, and Winston built a sp...
The Boys
This week we dive headfirst into the chaotic world of The Boys, the anti-Avengers of the superhero genre. Far from shiny suits and noble ideals, this guerrilla crew of misfits are bonded by trauma, revenge, and a shared hatred of the “...
Ned Stark
In this episode, we leave the stars behind and travel north to Winterfell to explore the leadership of Eddard Stark, the man who tried to do the right thing in a world that punished him for it. Was Ned’s unbending honour a virtue or a fatal fla...
Captain James T. Kirk
This week Andrew and Ellen boldly go where no podcast has gone before, deep into the command style of Captain James T. Kirk. Maverick? Visionary? HR’s worst nightmare? We chart the life and leadership of Starfleet’s most decorated captain, expl...
Batman
We turn our attention to Gotham’s brooding vigilante: Batman. From his trauma-fuelled drive to his obsessive need for control, Ellen and Andrew explore whether Bruce Wayne is a leader, or simply a micromanager in a cape. Is Batman’s servant-lea...
The Avengers
This week we turn our attention from individual heroes to one of the most iconic teams of all time: The Avengers. But are Earth’s Mightiest Heroes actually a great team, or just a collection of super-powered egos bound together by circum...
Princess Leia
This week we travel to a galaxy far, far away to explore the leadership of Princess Leia Organa. Rebel, senator, general, and enduring symbol of hope, Leia embodies a rare blend of resilience, compassion, and decisiveness. But is she the ultima...
Captain Jean-Luc Picard
This week we step onto the bridge of the USS Enterprise to explore the leadership of Captain Jean-Luc Picard. From his formative experiences at Starfleet Academy and early failures in command to his role as moral compass and mentor aboard the E...
