What if the very system we trust to build our future is the reason we feel so lost today?
What if the next revolution in business isn't about growth or profit, but instead about remembering what it means to be human?
What if marketing could save capitalism?
Welcome to episode 107 of TIE Unearthed, where I sit down with the extraordinary Elsie Maio; Wall Street veteran, McKinsey alum, and creator of the SoulBranding℠ System.
For decades, Elsie has helped top executives navigate billion-dollar decisions with one eye on the market and the other on humanity.
But this episode is about much more than business.
It’s about myths. Those we’ve inherited and the ones we urgently need to write.
It’s about the soul of leadership, the power of asking beautiful questions, and the deep systems work required to shift from ego-driven capitalism to inclusive wellbeing.
In our conversation, we cover:
🔸 Elsie's journey, from reading Greek mythology at age 9 to counseling Fortune 50 boardrooms in the ‘80s
🔸 Her time at McKinsey, where she first saw how power really works, and who gets to wield it
🔸 The rise of corporate identity and purpose before it was cool
🔸 What it meant to be one of the few women senior executives in corporate America back then, and how it shaped her
🔸 The cracks in our institutions and the myth of the American Dream
We also confront what’s at stake if we keep feeding the beast of “casino capitalism”, especially with AI now behind the wheel.
Elsie brings in the two faced Roman god Janus - looking both backward and forward - as a powerful metaphor for this pivotal moment in history.
And she leaves us with a question. One that just might be the most important question we can ask ourselves today.
Because, as Elsie says, beautiful questions lead to beautiful minds. And when those minds are activated inside the right systems - systems that honour our shared humanity - they have the power to change everything.
👉 Don’t forget to share your thoughts on the episode, leave a review, and subscribe!
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If you would like to order my international bestselling book Return on Humanity: Leadership lessons from all corners of the earth, you can do that [here].
🌐 Learn more about Elsie and the SoulBranding℠ System: https://www.soulbranding.com
Check out beautiful questions create beautiful minds by John O’Donohue, Irish poet and philosopher here: https://www.johnodonohue.com/
