Moon Snacks
Podcast Description
Moon Snacks is the podcast where extraordinary leaders pack their bags for an extraordinary journey.Each week, Dr. Ed Hoffman—former NASA Chief Knowledge Officer—and author Jessica Fox sit down with a visionary from the worlds of management, technology, and the arts who's about to embark on the ultimate business trip: a one-way ticket to the moon.With strict weight restrictions (and the need for radiation-proof DVDs), our guests can only take three films for the journey. Through these carefully chosen movies, we discover what drives the most innovative minds in their fields—uncovering the stories, lessons, and leadership insights that have shaped their remarkable careers.Plus, they get to choose one movie snack for the endless supply and one book to keep them company among the stars.It's part career masterclass, part film club, part space odyssey. Welcome aboard.New episodes every Moonsnacks Monday starting July 2025 - your weekly dose of leadership lessons, served with popcorn.================================HOSTSDr. Ed Hoffman spent 33 years at NASA, including serving as the agency's first Chief Knowledge Officer. He founded NASA's Academy of Program/Project and Engineering Leadership—the world's top-rated Project Management Academy—and helped establish new governance systems after the Columbia Shuttle accident. Now a lecturer at Columbia University and CEO of Knowledge Strategies LLC, Ed knows what it takes to lead teams through the impossible. He also knows that the best leaders never stop learning—whether they're launching rockets or just trying to get to Moonsnacks Monday.Jessica Fox is an author, screenwriter, and co-creator of The Open Book—the world's first bookshop holiday Airbnb. Her memoir "Three Things You Need to Know About Rockets" was Waterstones book of the month, and as a former NASA storyteller, she's spent her career proving that the best science happens when you can tell its story. She currently writes for film and TV, and believes that whether you're writing a screenplay or running a company, it all comes down to character development.================================Produced by Light Dark LightEdited, produced and original sound design by Ben PleaseIn Partnership with Highlands and Islands Enterprise<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="h...
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast focuses on leadership insights, personal stories, and the influence of cinema on innovative thinking. Episodes feature discussions on topics such as resilience in telecommunications with guests like Walda Roseman, exploring the lessons drawn from their selected movies like It's a Wonderful Life and Arrival, and insights into managing creativity in tech and arts industries.
Moon Snacks is the podcast where extraordinary leaders pack their bags for an extraordinary journey.
Each week, Dr. Ed Hoffman—former NASA Chief Knowledge Officer—and author Jessica Fox sit down with a visionary from the worlds of management, technology, and the arts who’s about to embark on the ultimate business trip: a one-way ticket to the moon.
With strict weight restrictions (and the need for radiation-proof DVDs), our guests can only take three films for the journey. Through these carefully chosen movies, we discover what drives the most innovative minds in their fields—uncovering the stories, lessons, and leadership insights that have shaped their remarkable careers.
Plus, they get to choose one movie snack for the endless supply and one book to keep them company among the stars.
It’s part career masterclass, part film club, part space odyssey. Welcome aboard.
New episodes every Moonsnacks Monday starting July 2025 – your weekly dose of leadership lessons, served with popcorn.
================================
HOSTS
Dr. Ed Hoffman spent 33 years at NASA, including serving as the agency’s first Chief Knowledge Officer. He founded NASA’s Academy of Program/Project and Engineering Leadership—the world’s top-rated Project Management Academy—and helped establish new governance systems after the Columbia Shuttle accident. Now a lecturer at Columbia University and CEO of Knowledge Strategies LLC, Ed knows what it takes to lead teams through the impossible. He also knows that the best leaders never stop learning—whether they’re launching rockets or just trying to get to Moonsnacks Monday.
Jessica Fox is an author, screenwriter, and co-creator of The Open Book—the world’s first bookshop holiday Airbnb. Her memoir “Three Things You Need to Know About Rockets” was Waterstones book of the month, and as a former NASA storyteller, she’s spent her career proving that the best science happens when you can tell its story. She currently writes for film and TV, and believes that whether you’re writing a screenplay or running a company, it all comes down to character development.
================================
Produced by Light Dark Light
Edited, produced and original sound design by Ben Please
In Partnership with Highlands and Islands Enterprise
When strategy meets storytelling, magic happens. Professor Donald MacLean, a former physicist turned strategist from the Scottish Highlands, brings a unique perspective on how ancient oral traditions can revolutionise modern leadership. As we prepare to send this insatiably curious academic to the moon, he reveals why organisations fail when they rely on PowerPoint instead of poetry.
MacLean’s lunar cinema selection spans from the sublime to the surprising: John Huston’s haunting final film “The Dead” – a James Joyce adaptation that moves him to tears every time; Tolkien’s epic “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, which shaped his childhood and his understanding of humble leadership; and the visually stunning thriller “Bad Times at the El Royale,” where multiple storylines weave together in ways that mirror organisational complexity.
Through these films, Ed and Jessica explore MacLean’s fascinating journey from optoelectronics research to strategy consulting, his belief in “emergent strategy” over rigid planning, and why he thinks the climate crisis isn’t really about climate at all. With plain crisps as his moon snack and Rilke’s mystical poetry as his reading companion, MacLean offers profound insights into the power of voice, choice, and the stories that truly move us to action.
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