Explore a comprehensive 54-minute interview with Erin Lewellen, CEO of Tilting Futures, as she reveals how immersive global learning experiences are transforming leadership development for the 21st century. Discover why self-awareness functions as a trainable muscle rather than an innate trait, and learn the "look in the mirror" rule that forms the foundation of effective leadership. Examine Tilting Futures' innovative approach to developing young leaders from over 100 countries through global immersion programs that target the critical 17-22 age range for maximum impact. Understand how travel serves as a powerful tool for building leadership skills and adaptability, while exploring real-world examples including transformative experiences in Cape Town that demonstrate the importance of context and humility in leadership development. Master techniques for leading meetings with curiosity and strategic silence, and learn what measurable changes occur in student mindsets after just four months of immersive leadership training. Analyze research findings showing reduced bias, increased agency, and stronger leadership capabilities among program participants. Delve into systems thinking and asset-based problem-solving approaches that shift perspectives and reduce prejudice through diverse global cohorts. Gain insights into building internal organizational culture based on the principle "there is no 'they', only 'we'" and discover interview strategies for identifying candidates with curiosity and growth mindsets. Learn why soft skills represent the most challenging yet critical competencies to develop, and explore methods for encouraging productive disagreement to generate optimal solutions. Practice emotional honesty in professional settings while eliminating counterproductive "meetings after the meeting" dynamics. Understand how to align staff and student values to create unified organizational culture, and discover techniques for keeping core values active in every interaction. Examine how current generations of students differ from previous cohorts, illustrated through inspiring case studies including a Zimbabwean biomedical engineer who redefined her mission through the program. Access information about scholarships, program access, and opportunities for involvement in this transformative approach to leadership development.

Syllabus

00:00 – Can you teach self-awareness—or is it innate?
01:45 – “Look in the mirror”: Erin’s foundational leadership habit
03:30 – What Tilting Futures is and how it works
05:35 – Why ages 17–22 are the sweet spot for impact
07:10 – Teaching empathy through global immersion and collaboration
08:50 – Travel as a tool for leadership and adaptability
11:30 – Erin’s Cape Town story: Context, humility, and lifelong change
14:45 – Leading meetings with curiosity and silence
15:55 – What changes in student mindset after 4 months
18:00 – The research: Reduced bias, more agency, stronger leadership
20:40 – How global cohorts shift perspective and prejudice
22:45 – Systems thinking and asset-based problem solving
25:30 – Behind the scenes: Building Tilting Futures’ internal culture
28:00 – “There is no ‘they’, only ‘we’”: One of their core principles
30:30 – How Erin interviews for curiosity and growth mindset
34:15 – Why soft skills are the hardest—and most critical—to teach
35:45 – Encouraging disagreement to find the best idea
38:00 – Practicing emotional honesty in meetings
40:30 – Ditching “the meeting after the meeting”
42:00 – Aligning staff and student values: One unified culture
44:25 – Keeping values alive in every meeting
46:45 – How this generation of students is different
49:30 – The Zimbabwean biomedical engineer who redefined her mission
52:00 – Erin’s why: Helping young leaders unlock their impact
54:00 – Scholarships, access, and how to get involved