Leaders often assume resistance means people do not care, do not understand, or simply do not want to change.

In this episode, Sondra Kiss speaks with Travis D Hahler, Senior Director of Global Strategy and Transformation at Salesforce, founder of The Neurological Nomad, and author of the upcoming book Rethink Resistance: Embracing Neuroscience to Lead Transformational Change.

Travis shares how neuroscience helps explain why change is so hard for people, even when the strategy is sound and the case for change is clear. Drawing on years of work guiding transformation across more than 100 organizations, he explains what is happening in the brain when people face disrupted habits, perceived threat, and uncertainty, and what leaders can do to support people more effectively through those moments.

• Why resistance is often a neurological response, not a leadership rejection

• How disrupted habits create one of the strongest barriers to change

• Why changing behavior can take much longer than leaders expect

• How threat responses show up in modern organizations, even when no physical danger exists

• Why uncertainty heightens stress and slows adoption

• What leaders can do to create stability during times of change

• Why frequent communication matters even when there is “nothing new” to say

• How transparency builds trust without requiring leaders to share everything

• Why leaders should separate ego from change and focus on support, not applause

• How to shift from announcing change to actually helping people move through it