PODCAST · business
Beneath the Transaction
by Chris & Kenzie Pineda
We live in a world driven by transactions—performance, productivity, outcomes, expectations. But beneath every transaction… something deeper is being formed. Your identity. Your relationships. Your culture. Your purpose. Beneath the Transaction is a podcast about that deeper work. Hosted by Chris Pineda, PhD and his wife and co-founder of Groundwork, Kenzie Pineda, this podcast brings to life the ideas from Chris’s book, Beneath the Transaction—a framework for understanding what truly drives transformation in our lives and leadership. Together, Chris and Kenzie explore what it means to build a life that isn’t just productive—but purposeful. Drawing from leadership, org
Episodes
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How Do You Stay True to Your Values Under Pressure?
For years, Joslyn Beaver has worked at the intersection of philanthropy, healthcare, and leadership—helping organizations secure transformational gifts while building cultures rooted in trust, stewardship, and human connection. But this conversation isn't really about fundraising. It's about what...
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What Keeps You Grounded When Life Falls Apart? | Finding Your Anchor
What keeps you grounded when life starts to fall apart? When the pressure builds… when you feel overwhelmed… when things feel off and you can’t quite explain why… What actually holds you? In this episode of Beneath the Transaction, we sit down with Dominic Kolleh, a trauma-informed life coach and...
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Can You Be Grateful for Suffering? | Why Gratitude Isn’t What You Think
Can you be grateful for suffering? Not just the good moments. Not just when things are going well. But for the hardest parts of your life? In this episode of Beneath the Transaction, we sit down with Kathleen Patrick—former Pediatric ICU nurse turned philanthropy executive—to explore a deeper…
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What Built Her Wasn’t Success | From $300 to a $610M Exit
What does it take to build something successful… and still stay grounded in who you are? In this episode of Beneath the Transaction, we sit down with Melissa Solis, CEO of Inbenta and a seasoned technology executive with over 30 years of leadership experience across insurance, fintech, fraud...
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Have the Conversation Anyway: Trust, Vulnerability & Culture Change
Welcome back to Beneath the Transaction. This week we sit down with Alix Prassas — an organizational effectiveness leader with more than two decades of experience in People & Culture, global organizational development, DEI, and change management. But this conversation isn’t about frameworks. It’s...
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Stop Leaving Yourself at the Door: Why Authentic Leadership Wins
What if the version of yourself you bring to work… isn’t the real you? In this episode of Beneath the Transaction, I sit down with Kendra Davenport, President and CEO of Easterseals, to talk about what it really means to lead beyond the surface. Kendra leads an organization that impacts over 1.5...
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When Profit Replaces Purpose
When profit becomes the focus, something deeper starts to break. In this episode of Beneath the Transaction, I sit down with Brian Belliveau, Chief Growth Officer at Columbia Southern University, to talk about what leaders often miss when they’re trying to grow an organization. Brian brings over…
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What Does Tattooing Have to do With Purpose?
What does tattooing have to do with purpose? More than we think. In a lot of indigenous cultures, tattoos weren’t just something you chose—they reflected how you lived. Your identity. Your story. Your responsibility. In this episode, I sit down with Kiko San Diego, a traditional Filipino tattoo...
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Ancient Wisdom for Modern Leadership | What indigenous culture can teach us today
In this episode of Beneath the Transaction, Chris sits down with Arthur Soriano, a researcher exploring the Philippine and Austronesian past, present, and future. Together, they explore what modern leadership can learn from indigenous culture—long before systems, titles, and metrics defined how…
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From Transactional Giving to Purposeful Living
In this episode of Beneath the Transaction, Chris sits down with Ben Fielder, Vice President at NCF Michigan, to explore how giving can move from transactional to transformational. Ben has spent his career walking alongside individuals and families, helping them steward what they’ve been…
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Moving Beneath the Transaction in Philanthropy
In this episode of Beneath the Transaction, Chris sits down with Vanessa Plant, Executive Director of the Alku Foundation and an experienced leader in Boston’s nonprofit and philanthropic space. Vanessa has spent her career helping organizations move beyond traditional, transactional approaches…
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Purpose Is the Mortar of Transformation
In this episode of Beneath the Transaction, Chris and Kenzie explore the role purpose plays in real transformation—both in our leadership and in our lives. Too often we focus on achievement and external success, but lasting transformation begins when we slow down long enough to ask deeper…
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The Leadership Work of Creating Psychological Safety
In this episode of Beneath the Transaction, Chris sits down with Olivia Hickerson, founder of EmpowerTactics, to explore the often unseen work of creating psychologically safe organizations. Olivia has spent her career helping mission-driven organizations strengthen the systems behind their…
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Transformation is Caught, not Taught
In this episode of Beneath the Transaction, we sit down with Kate Westerman, Senior Director of Operations Learning & Development at UNFI, to explore what truly shapes growth inside organizations. Kate has built enterprise-wide training systems across complex operational environments — but what...
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Go Relational First: Building Trust Beneath the Transaction
Welcome back to Beneath the Transaction. This week we’re joined by Sean MacMillan, VP of HR for Captain D’s and a leader deeply rooted in applied organizational and behavioral science. Sean has spent years helping executive teams build leadership pipelines, strengthen employee experience, and...
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Beneath The Transaction: A New Beginning
Welcome to Beneath the Transaction. This episode marks a new beginning—not just for the podcast, but for how we want to show up in these conversations moving forward. We start by naming something we’ve both been feeling for a while: how quickly life moves, and how easy it is to slip into a way of...
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From Crisis to Connection: The Power of Relationships in Education with Ryan Marshall
Thank you for listening to The Rooted Leadership Podcast! Today, we are honored to have Ryan Marshall with us, an experienced school counselor and dedicated advocate for student well-being. With a deep commitment to supporting students and educators through the challenges they face, Ryan has been...
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The Transformative Power of Philanthropy
In this conversation, Chris and Jason discuss the importance of philanthropy and the impact it can have on individuals and communities. Jason shares personal stories of how he was influenced by his parents and early experiences to care about doing good and helping others. They explore the…
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The Power of a Common Language in Conflict
Thanks for watching! Please help us share our message by sharing this episode with a friend. Exciting News! Our TEDx Talk on Transformational Leadership Drops This Month – Stay Tuned! The Rooted Leadership Podcast explores topics of leadership, culture, and conflict. The host, Chris, and guest,...
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Unlocking Cultural Differences: The Secret to Flourishing Communities
Join us for a captivating episode featuring Chad Ford, esteemed global mediator and bestselling author of "Dangerous Love." With unparalleled experience in resolving conflicts across the globe. We also have two new guests on the show: Jessica Otjen and Hassan Hassan who are alumni of Groundwork...
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Ron Artis II Forged His Own Path in the Music Industry
Join us on a captivating exploration of Groundwork Leadership with the incredibly talented Ron Artis II. In this inspiring episode, we delve into the unique and extraordinary journey of this rising star in the music industry. Ron Artis II is on a quest to carve his own path, and his story is a...
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Unveiling Authentic Leadership: A Journey of Vision-Driven Growth
Join us for an inspiring episode featuring Brian Moore and Justin Allen as they share their journey towards authentic leadership and their commitment to vision-driven growth within their company. Discover how they utilized the Groundwork Leadership Organizational Assessment to propel their...
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Dream First, Details Later: How to Overcome Fear and Take Action Towards Your Dreams
Ellen Bennett sits down and chats with Chris Pineda about what it means to be an entrepreneur, inspirational leader, and follow your dreams. Ellen's exciting energy is exactly what you need to start your fire and chase after your dreams TODAY! Her story is motivating and full of passion. Listen…
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Followership and Team Leadership
Tamra Goettsch; Director of Marion County Community Services Department, Rhonda Rhodes; CTEC Principal in the Salem Keizer School District, and Anthony Mitchell; Director of Solera Holdings, join Chris Pineda on the Rooted Leadership podcast. As Groundwork alumni, they discuss what it's like to…
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Groundwork’s Transformational Retreat
Evann Remington; CEO of Fresh n' Local Foods; Anthony Mitchell; Director of Solera Holdings, and Kanoe Barth; Assistant Director of Center 50+, join Chris Pineda on the Rooted Leadership podcast. They discuss what it's like to attend Groundwork's annual retreat and why it can be so...
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Happier Hour with Cassie Holmes: Do You Have Time Poverty?
We welcomed Dr. Cassie Holmes on our show and to our leadership institute. Cassie joined us in Salem as the keynote speaker at our end-of-the-year leadership banquet. Cassie is an incredible thinker and contributor to her field, she has recently written a book called“Happier Hour”, which is...
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Years Of Getting To Know Your Purpose with Kevin Cameron
The two most important days of our lives are the day we were born and the day we find out why—understanding our 'why", or our purpose, Is an essential part of living. One could ask if we are even living without knowing it, or are we just passively passing through life? To have a purpose is...
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A Discussion About Our Leadership Program With Evann Remington
Each year we welcome a new cohort of leaders to go through our 12-month leadership program. In this episode, we share a discussion with one of our soon-to-be Groundwork Leaders regarding what they are looking forward to next year. Evann Remington is a local business owner in the Salem area. Over…
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Learning From A Social Media Influencer About Building Community, Leadership, and Influence
Those who are familiar with building a following on social media know how difficult it can be to get a few thousand followers, let alone tens of thousands. Cam Browne, a local influencer joined our show. Cam has built an online community with over 40k followers on various platforms. Cam is a...
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Why Study Leadership?
Aaron Ng'ambi has spent the past several years learning from various leaders in his country of Zambia. He has met with political leaders, sometimes in their homes, and asked questions and listened. He has wanted to understand what makes great leaders, and what they have in common. Aaron hopes to...
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Run The Experiment, with Richard Sheridan
Menlo Innovations is a software development company that has been around for 21 years. As the CEO and Co-Founder, Richard Sheridan travels the world telling people about what his company does. They are not an ordinary tech company, their mission is to bring joy to the tech world and end suffering...
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The Sky Is Not The Limit, Space Is: Think Bigger and Deeper To Solve Problems
For the second time our show welcomes entrepreneur Chris Udall on the show. Last time (episode 45) we discussed his non profit "Rebuilding For Peace" that has done some amazing work to find and create elicit entrepreneurs. This time, Chris is setting out a venture capitalist to address the food...
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Learning About Leadership From a Former NFL Player and 3X Superbowl Champ
Ryan Allen spent nearly a decade in the NFL and in that time had the opportunity to play with some of the best, including Tom Brady, he also was able to learn from great leaders/coaches like Bill Belichick. However, Ryan has been learning from leaders around him for his entire life, from his...
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Conscious Leadership
The great resignation has been making headlines as a hot topic for some time now. There are many theories as to why it is happening, as well as many prescriptions offered. Some good, and some bad. We decided to take this topic on with a guest who has been thinking about it a lot in her work as a...
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The Power of Storytelling: How We Can Change First In the Stories We Tell
Julio Rincon, Lead Storyteller at the Arbinger Institute, joins our show to discuss the power of stories. Julio has incredible experience producing film and videos that tell amazing stories. He has been able to travel the world to capture stories, interview people, hear others share their…
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Standing One’s Ground Does Not Lead To Peace
Chad Ford, author of Dangerous Love and global mediator/peacebuilder, joins our show for the third time. In this conversation, we explore the idea that standing your ground in conflict, even for something you know is true, does not lead to peace. We live in a world where people are divided and...
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Servant Leadership: The Pathway to Leadership is Through Service
A Samoan proverb was recently shared with us: "o le ala i le pule o le tautua." It translates as, "The pathway to leadership is through service." On this episode, we're joined by Matt Hawkins, Administrative Services Director of Polk County. With colleague Kasha Coombs, we dive into the concept…
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Unlocking The Potential In Others (and Ourselves) with Fellow Podcaster, Jacob Espinoza
Our friend and fellow podcaster just down the road from us, Jacob Espinoza, joins us in studio. Jacob and Chris have both learned a great deal from podcasting--particularly the amazing potential every human being has to unlock their potential through their ideas, what they are capable of, what…
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Owning Your Organizational Culture With Seamus Fitzgerald
Culture is a word that can have several meanings and is often misinterpreted in the organizational world. We talk of culture, we espouse culture, and we create culture; but do we "own" our culture in the workplace? Our guest and old friend in this episode, Seamus Fitzgerald, has made a life out…
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Learning About Leadership From High Schoolers
We had two amazing high school students join us to discuss their journey of leadership. In the short span of just a couple years, these two students, Brody and Delaney, have learned lessons about leadership that take a lifetime for most. When you hear two 17-year-olds say that they want every kid...
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How The Term Innovation Gets Highjacked and Robs Us of Transformation
A current leader in Groundwork, Jasmine White, shares key realizations she has made over the past two months participating in the program. Innovation emerged as a focal point of our conversation--especially the contribution it has in creating conditions for transformational change. Jasmine is the...
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The Merlin Advantage Part 2: Leadership On a Continuum
With us again is Seth Elliott, author of The Merlin Advantage. Seth joined our show last year through a mutual connection for one of our listeners' favorite episodes (#33), to discuss ideas from his book. He was in town to speak at one of our monthly leadership sessions recently, so we had to get...
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The Difference Between Transformation and Change: A Conversation With Jim Ferrell
Jim Ferrell, bestselling author and Founder of Withiii Leadership Center, visited Groundwork to speak at our end-of-year banquet. We had to get him in studio for the second time to discuss concepts that are pertinent to what we teach within our institute. Jim has a vision for bridging divides and...
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Organizational Change and Leadership Transitions
The average school superintendent serves for about 5 years at a time, which makes education a breeding ground for organizational change and leadership transitions. Mary Paulson has served as the Chief of Staff for many superintendents; she has seen the reality of change up close. Change is...
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Understanding Your Community is Part of Understanding Your Leadership
The CEO of our local Chamber of Commerce, Tom Hoffert, joins us in studio. Together we discussed the interplay between what we know and what we learn. We talked about our community and what leadership means within a community; the principles of leading at the community level apply at all levels....
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Growing People vs Problem Solving
Too many of us, especially leaders, get caught up in problem-solving, day in and day out. This is not necessarily bad--problems need to be solved, after all. The question we should be asking is, who should be solving them? As a leader, getting caught up in continuous problem solving can lead to...
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Going into the Storm: Leadership Stabilization Techniques
An experienced community leader, Tim Sinatra, joined us in the studio to discuss what he has learned from leading turnaround efforts inside of organizations. Tim has a breadth of knowledge valuable to anyone. This is a must-listen episode with a guest that we have wanted on our show for a long...
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Building Your Leadership Brand Part 2: What Do People Say About You When You Leave The Room?
Special guest and consultant Kay Hazen spoke at our leadership institute and we were lucky enough to steal a few additional moments of her time for the show. We pick up the conversation right where we left off when she last joined us, focusing on leadership brands. It doesn't matter if we hold…
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Revisiting The Rooted Framework
Over the past couple years, we have made a consistent effort to learn, grow, and improve our Rooted curriculum. In this episode, Chris and Tk Ford discuss several of the theoretical underpinnings of the framework. If you are curious about the Rooted curriculum or want some inspiration for the…
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Rebuilding for Peace: A Paradoxical Approach to Sustainable Change
Good friend and CEO/Founder of NGO Rebuild for Peace, Christopher Udall, joins our show. We have been wanting to get Chris as a guest for a while now and we finally found a mutual time to connect. Chris has already had what seems to be a lifetime of experiences across the globe, engaging in...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
We live in a world driven by transactions—performance, productivity, outcomes, expectations.
But beneath every transaction… something deeper is being formed. Your identity. Your relationships. Your culture.
Your purpose. Beneath the Transaction is a podcast about that deeper work. Hosted by Chris Pineda, PhD and his wife and co-founder of Groundwork, Kenzie Pineda, this podcast brings to life the ideas from Chris’s book, Beneath the Transaction—a framework for understanding what truly drives transformation in our lives and leadership.
Together, Chris and Kenzie explore what it means to build a life that isn’t just productive—but purposeful. Drawing from leadership, org
HOSTED BY
Chris & Kenzie Pineda
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Beneath the Transaction have?
Beneath the Transaction currently has 94 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Beneath the Transaction about?
We live in a world driven by transactions—performance, productivity, outcomes, expectations. But beneath every transaction… something deeper is being formed. Your identity. Your relationships. Your culture. Your purpose. Beneath the Transaction is a podcast about that deeper work. Hosted by Chris...
How often does Beneath the Transaction release new episodes?
Beneath the Transaction has 94 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Beneath the Transaction?
You can listen to Beneath the Transaction on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Beneath the Transaction?
Beneath the Transaction is created and hosted by Chris & Kenzie Pineda.
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