Is Anything Real?

Is Anything Real? is a podcast about questioning the things we've collectively decided are true. Each week, executive coach and author Adam W. Barney sits down with founders, executives, authors, creators and other interesting humans to get underneath the assumptions, conventional wisdom and occasionally ridiculous rules we use to make sense of work, leadership, success and our lives. The conversations are prepared but unscripted. No rehearsed talking points. No pretending there's a neat answer when there isn't one. Just curiosity, honest disagreement, lived experience and the occasional detour that turns out to be more interesting than the question Adam planned to ask. Because sometimes the most useful question is the simplest one: Is any of this actually real? New episodes every Wednesday.

Is Anything Real?September 23, 202600:27:01

Who’s Building the Human Future? AI, Design, and Belonging | Ep. 80 w/ Mike Brown

Everyone's talking about the intelligent future. Faster models. Smarter systems. Better automation. More synthetic output. But this week's guest poses a deeper question: If everyone is building the in...

Is Anything Real?September 16, 202600:26:23

Trust Gets You Found: The Boring Business Growth Strategy That Works | Ep. 79 w/ John de Jong (Alley Kat Signs & Marketing)

What happens when a leader shows you exactly who you never want to become? John de Jong almost died from a burst appendix. Two days later, his boss called...not to check on him, but to ask when he’d b...

Is Anything Real?September 09, 202600:28:23

Good Vibes Don’t Execute: Why Culture Breaks Under Pressure | Ep. 78 w/ Dr. Al Philip-Neri

Great culture is not built on inspiration and good vibes. That might look good on a poster, but it is a terrible operating system. In this episode of Is Anything Real? , Adam W. Barney sits down with ...

Is Anything Real?September 02, 202600:28:29

Stop Waiting To Be Picked: Build Your Own Fate | Ep. 77 w/ Alex Fredericks (ToneWell)

Most talented people aren't stuck because they lack ability. They're stuck because they are waiting for someone else to choose them. A record label. An investor. A promotion. A gatekeeper. A permissio...