Are you finding out how the people around you really think and feel?
Being able to do so will enable deeper relationships both at work and home.
In this episode I am joined by Topaz Adizes, the creator of The Skin Deep, a powerful platform of curated conversations between partners, friends, relatives and strangers.
We explore what it takes to create space for vulnerability in relationships. Topaz explains that to achieve this you need to express your intention clearly and ask questions that stimulate reactions. He also shares how to sit with the discomfort of your feelings when you’re in these vulnerable moments.
This is a masterclass in connecting with the humanity between us and I do hope you enjoy it.
You’ll hear about:
- Creating conditions for deeper conversations
- Setting the scene for conversation
- The barriers to better conversations
- What do fantastic questions look like?
- How to follow through to deep listening
- Moving on from great discomfort
- The biggest shift Topaz has made
- The impact Topaz wants to have on the world
- What does Topaz’s best day look like?
More about Topaz
Topaz Adizes is an Emmy award-winning writer, director, and experience design architect. He is an Edmund Hillary fellow and Sundance/Skoll stories of change fellow. His works have been selected to Cannes, Sundance, IDFA, and SXSW; featured in New Yorker magazine, Vanity Fair, and The New York Times; and have garnered an Emmy for new approaches to documentary and two World Press photo awards for immersive storytelling and interactive documentary.
Topaz is currently the founder and executive director of the experience design studio The Skin Deep. Topaz studied philosophy at UC Berkeley and Oxford University. He speaks four languages, and currently lives in Uruguay with his wife and two children.
“If we’re all going to stick in the mind, we’re going to lose.”
Topaz Adizes — writer, director, and experience design architect
VIEW RUNNING ORDER
03.26 | Creating conditions for deeper conversations. |
08.27 | Setting the scene for conversation. |
11.21 | The barriers to better conversations. |
15.41 | What do fantastic questions look like? |
25.13 | How to follow through to deep listening. |
31.29 | Moving on from great discomfort. |
34.37 | The biggest shift Topaz has made. |
36.30 | The impact Topaz wants to have on the world. |
39.10 | What does Topaz’s best day look like? |

Topaz Adizes: Building deeper relationships

Dina Denham Smith: Leading with your emotions

Tobias Sturesson: Making culture a habit

Karthik Ramanna: Leading in outrage

Luis Velasquez: Nurturing resilience

David De Cremer: Leading with AI

Scott D. Anthony: Leading disruptive change

Alison Balsom: Performing at the frontier
