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
What does it take to lead people through impossible circumstances? Dr. Larry Prusak, the legendary knowledge management pioneer from Brooklyn, brings decades of wisdom about leadership, learning, and the power of story to his lunar mission. As we send this “expert’s expert” to establish the moon’s first knowledge center, his film choices reveal profound truths about practical wisdom in action.
Prusak’s carefully curated cinema collection showcases leadership at its finest: the stirring survival epic “Shackleton,” where a captain’s selfless devotion saves his entire crew from Antarctic disaster; “Invictus,” Nelson Mandela’s masterful use of rugby to heal a divided nation; and Spielberg’s “Lincoln,” a portrait of epistemic humility and the art of listening to rivals. Through these films, Ed and Jessica explore how great leaders eat last, forgive first, and understand that knowledge is profoundly social.
From Brooklyn street corners where storytelling meant survival, to boardrooms at IBM and McKinsey where he revolutionized how organizations think about knowledge, Prusak demonstrates why narrative trumps PowerPoint every time. With potato knishes as his comfort food and Shakespeare’s complete works as his reading companion, this is a conversation about wisdom, practical leadership, and why the best leaders are often the best storytellers.
A Note from Ed Hoffman and Jessica Fox to Introduce This Week’s Episode
In today’s episode, we’re sharing a replay of an earlier conversation with Larry Prusak — a pioneer in the field of knowledge management and a dear friend to so many in our community.
Larry’s ideas helped define how organisations understand and value knowledge — not as static information, but as lived experience, shared meaning, and collective wisdom.
Originally recorded in August 2023, a short time after this conversation, Larry sadly passed away. This episode is therefore both a revisit of his insights and a tribute to a remarkable man — someone who brought warmth, wit, and deep humanity to every conversation.
As you listen, you’ll hear Larry in his element: reflecting on the nature of knowledge, storytelling, and the ties that bind people together in their work and lives.
We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we treasured having it.
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