Episode 25: The Chief Reinvention Officer Handbook: How to Thrive in Chaos in Mountain Money Podcast

Reinvention Isn’t Optional - It’s Your Greatest Advantage

In this episode, Dr. Nadya Zhexembayeva joins Mountain Money to share how companies—from small businesses to global giants—can turn chaos into clarity, disruption into growth, and reinvention into a repeatable skill.

Drawing from stories like Blockbuster, Lush Shampoo, and Philips, Dr. Nadya makes a compelling case: thriving in today’s world isn’t about avoiding change—it’s about mastering it.

What You’ll Learn

You’ll learn how to spot disruption before it hits, what companies like Titanic got wrong (and how to avoid their fate), and why businesses today must reinvent every 3–6 years just to survive. Dr. Nadya explains the difference between innovation and reinvention - and why the latter is a literacy skill every leader needs. Whether you run a team of 10 or a company of 10,000, this episode breaks down how to embed reinvention into your culture without blowing up what already works.

Who This Is For

• Founders & executives overwhelmed by constant change
• Team leaders who want to make adaptability a strength
• Consultants helping businesses navigate disruption
• Anyone still using 20th-century strategy to survive a 21st-century economy

3 Key Takeaways from This Episode

1. Change Isn’t Coming. It’s Already Here

The average business lifespan has dropped from 75 to just 6 years. Reinvention isn’t a one-time event—it’s a permanent skill.

2. Reinvention > Innovation

Only 2.5% of people are true innovators. But everyone can learn to reinvent. That’s how companies pivot faster and smarter.

3. Small Businesses Have a Superpower

While large corporations drown in bureaucracy, small businesses can use agility as a competitive advantage - if they systematize reinvention.

Resources Mentioned

• The Chief Reinvention Officer Handbook by Dr. Nadya Zhexembayeva
• Law of Diffusion of Innovation (Wikipedia)
• Case studies on Lush solid shampoo
• Reinvention Research (via learn2reinvent.com), available in the book