NDSL Issue 185: Pop Culture’s Contributions to Leadership Development with Dr. Kat Callahan and Dr. Sean Connable

In this episode of The Leadership Educator Podcast, Lauren and Dan talk with Dr. Kat Callahan and Dr. Sean Connable about New Directions for Student Leadership Issue 185, Pop Culture’s Contributions to Leadership Development. The conversation explores how leadership educators can use pop culture as more than an attention-getter and instead treat it as a serious tool for examining storytelling, cultural values, identity, and leadership development. Listeners will hear examples from podcasts, sports, comic books, television, and other cultural spaces, along with practical ideas for helping students critically examine the stories that shape how society defines leadership.

Resources and works mentioned in this episode include:

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• Devies, B., Bullock, L., Jenkins, D. M., Allen, S. J., & Stanberry, J. (2025). Sound Leadership: Harnessing the Power of Podcasts in Leadership Development. New Directions for Student Leadership, 185.
• Leaders Assemble! Leadership and Mentorship in the Marvel Comic Universe with Drs. Gordon Schmidt and Sy Islam — prior TLE episode referenced in conversation
• The Power of Storytelling in Leadership Education with Dr. Shannon Cleverley-Thompson — prior TLE episode referenced in conversation
• Department of Leadership and American Studies, Christopher Newport University
• StarPower® Simulation — Simulation Training Systems; discussed in the context of ethics, power, and experiential learning
• Scholar Tea Podcast — hosted by Shawna Patterson-Stephens and Cameron Beatty; referenced by Kat as a source that led to a research article in the issue
• Kegan, R., & Lahey, L. L. (2009). Immunity to Change: How to Overcome It and Unlock the Potential in Yourself and Your Organization. Harvard Business Review Press. — referenced in the context of emotive and transformative learning experiences
• Walter Fisher's Narrative Paradigm — discussed by Sean in connection with his article on comic books and the cultural power of storytelling
• Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed — referenced in the context of liberatory pedagogy and the creative acts of marginalized communities