Former United Nations peacekeeper, leadership coach, mountaineer, and author Urs Koenig has spent his career in environments where leadership is tested under pressure.

From conflict zones in the Balkans and the Middle East to executive coaching and keynote stages, his experiences led him to a simple but often misunderstood idea: humility is not weakness. In this conversation, we explore the philosophy behind his book Radical Humility, why the strongest leaders build trust before crises arrive, and how self-awareness, relationships, and curiosity create more resilient teams.

Urs' path has been anything but conventional. Born in Switzerland, he studied geography before moving to Australia to pursue a PhD, eventually transitioning into management consulting, executive coaching, and leadership development. At age fifty, inspired by his late father and a desire to do meaningful international service, he returned to military service after more than two decades away. His deployments with NATO and the United Nations exposed him to the realities of peacekeeping, where diplomacy, uncertainty, and everyday humility often mattered far more than command and authority. Those experiences became the foundation for the leadership philosophy he teaches today.

Throughout our conversation, Urs challenges the common belief that humble leaders lack confidence, arguing instead that genuine humility requires deep self-awareness, emotional security, and the willingness to ask difficult questions. We discuss psychological safety, the importance of meaningful relationships before a crisis occurs, and why listening has become one of the rarest leadership skills in today's distracted environment. Drawing on stories from military deployments, Urs illustrates how trust built long before an emergency often determines how effectively leaders respond when the stakes are highest.

Brandy Thompson never set out to become the CEO of a fast-growing health benefits technology company. As CEO of benefitbay, she now leads a platform helping employers and employees rethink how healthcare benefits are delivered, however her path to leadership was anything but traditional.

In this conversation, we explore what happens when someone with an operator’s mindset and a passion for solving real-world problems decides to challenge one of the most complicated systems people interact with every day: healthcare.

Brandy’s career began in accounting and operations, where she developed a reputation for helping organizations improve performance, solve complex problems, and scale sustainably. She joined benefitbay on day one as Vice President of Operations, and just a year later, when the company faced an unexpected leadership transition, she was asked to step into the CEO role.

Our conversation explores the future of healthcare benefits and why Brandy believes employees should have greater control over the healthcare decisions that affect their families. We discuss the rise of ICHRA, a model that shifts decision-making power from employers to individuals, and why she sees it as a transformation similar to the shift from pensions to 401(k)s.

Sabrina Parsons grew up watching entrepreneurship happen in real time inside a cramped Palo Alto home where her father built Palo Alto Software from a tiny bedroom office while introducing his family to bleeding-edge technology long before computers were mainstream. Years later, Sabrina would inherit the company and face a defining choice: evolve or disappear.

In this episode of More Elephant, Sabrina shares her journey from Princeton history major and public school teacher to CEO of Palo Alto Software and creator of LivePlan, a platform helping entrepreneurs build smarter, living business plans. She opens up about leading through massive technology shifts, from the rise of the internet to today’s AI revolution, and why she believed the company had to completely reinvent itself to survive.

Sabrina breaks down the dangerous myth that business planning is only for investors and explains why ongoing forecasting and cash flow management are critical for small business survival. She shares how LivePlan combines decades of planning expertise with AI-powered tools designed to help entrepreneurs think critically, not just generate shortcuts.

In this episode of the More Elephant podcast, we sit down with Don Graves, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce and founder of Highland Creek Advisors, to talk about leadership, economic policy, and what it takes to create real impact at scale.

Don’s path into public service was shaped by a deep-rooted commitment to community, influenced by generations of educators and mentors who challenged him to think critically and stay open to new perspectives. From early experiences in law school and civil rights work to advising two U.S. presidents, his career reflects a consistent focus on expanding opportunity and removing barriers.

We explore his role in helping stabilize Detroit during one of its most challenging periods, where listening to communities became the foundation for meaningful change. Don shares how real impact happens when policy aligns with the lived experiences of the people it’s meant to support, and why empowering teams at every level of government is key to execution.

In this episode of More Elephant, we sit down with Andrew Watterson, founder of Blue CSR Strategies, an ESG consulting firm dedicated to helping businesses, governments, and nonprofits accelerate their impact on their environmental and sustainability strategies.

Andrew’s journey began with early inspiration from his grandmother and sixth-grade science teacher, both passionate about environmental stewardship and social justice. From there, he led sustainability efforts at KeyBank and GOJO Industries, navigating the unique challenges of driving change within large organizations.

We explore the real-world impact of ESG in business, from the importance of shifting mindsets to the critical role of producer responsibility in tackling plastic waste. Andrew shares insights on how companies can reduce, reuse, and recycle with a closed-loop approach, and how sustainability can drive innovation, attract talent, and strengthen brands.