Brain Hacking & Trauma-Informed Leadership: Creating space for human ingenuity to flourish with Christina Goldschmidt
Wed Jan 28 2026
What if the only way to unlock ingenuity in our organizations is by showing up as authentic leaders who first and foremost know how to “hack their brain” and lead themselves?
In this episode, Ben sits down with Christina Goldschmidt, VP of Product Design at Warner Music Group and adjunct professor at NYU Stern. With her deep understanding of neuroscience and trauma-informed leadership, Christina brings a radically different perspective on how to unlock human potential in the age of AI, and why the future of business leadership requires us to embrace our most human qualities. Christina’s vision for management is about understanding our unique cognitive patterns and building organizations where everyone can access their ingenuity.
Key Ideas:
Procrastination as brain chemistry: learning to induce creative pressure without the downsidesThree modes of problem-solving: dialogue, liminal spaces (showers!), and unconscious processingWhy trauma-informed leadership creates better outcomes for everyoneAuthenticity as permission: when leaders show up as themselves, teams can tooThe apprenticeship crisis: how automation is eliminating the grunt work that teaches skillsVision as the essential AI-age skill: knowing what you want before you can prompt for itCuriosity as the antidote to fear in times of rapid changeResources & References
Dopamine Nation by Dr. Anna Lemke
Notes on Being a Man by Scott Galloway
Connect with Christina Goldschmidt
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinagoldschmidt/
Website: https://www.cgoldschmidt.com/
Send us a text
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poetsandthinkerspodcast/
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/poets-thinkers/id1799627484
Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4N4jnNEJraemvlHIyUZdww?si=2195345fa6d249fd
Send your ideas, feedback and guest recommendations to ben@poetsandthinkers.co
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What if the only way to unlock ingenuity in our organizations is by showing up as authentic leaders who first and foremost know how to “hack their brain” and lead themselves? In this episode, Ben sits down with Christina Goldschmidt, VP of Product Design at Warner Music Group and adjunct professor at NYU Stern. With her deep understanding of neuroscience and trauma-informed leadership, Christina brings a radically different perspective on how to unlock human potential in the age of AI, and why the future of business leadership requires us to embrace our most human qualities. Christina’s vision for management is about understanding our unique cognitive patterns and building organizations where everyone can access their ingenuity. Key Ideas: Procrastination as brain chemistry: learning to induce creative pressure without the downsidesThree modes of problem-solving: dialogue, liminal spaces (showers!), and unconscious processingWhy trauma-informed leadership creates better outcomes for everyoneAuthenticity as permission: when leaders show up as themselves, teams can tooThe apprenticeship crisis: how automation is eliminating the grunt work that teaches skillsVision as the essential AI-age skill: knowing what you want before you can prompt for itCuriosity as the antidote to fear in times of rapid changeResources & References Dopamine Nation by Dr. Anna Lemke Notes on Being a Man by Scott Galloway Connect with Christina Goldschmidt Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinagoldschmidt/ Website: https://www.cgoldschmidt.com/ Send us a text Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poetsandthinkerspodcast/ Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/poets-thinkers/id1799627484 Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4N4jnNEJraemvlHIyUZdww?si=2195345fa6d249fd Send your ideas, feedback and guest recommendations to ben@poetsandthinkers.co