Rachel Hanson is a Builder with Built to Lead, a band of personal and leadership coaches helping individuals and teams awaken and transform. Prior to joining BTL, Rachel spent 12 years as a Division I Women's Softball head coach at Stanford and Dartmouth. Mentioned on the Show Learn more about Build to Lead: https://builttolead.com/ Rachel’s profil…

Gretchen McMahon has had a wide and varied career as a horse show announcer, needlepoint belt maker, and sports photographer, all while raising her three boys full-time (one of whom happens to host this podcast). For our 200th episode, please welcome O'Brien's mom to the show. In this conversation, Gretchen shares how she has repeatedly adapted her…

Mag Retelewski is the driving force behind Clarteza, an innovation consultancy dedicated to amplifying growth through deep consumer understanding rooted in psychology and neuroscience. With 20 years of experience as an innovation strategist, she has advised Fortune 500 and mid-sized companies, including brands like Nestlé, Gallo, S.C. Johnson, Hone…

Brad Englert is the author of Spheres of Influence: How to Create and Nurture Authentic Business Relationships, a practical guide to help emerging and established leaders develop and perfect the critical hard skill of building effective and lasting professional relationships. Brad has over 40 years of experience in the private and public sectors, i…

Carrie O'Neill is the owner of Possibilities Farm where she leads Equine Education Experiences for individuals and corporate teams. Carrie is a dynamic speaker and author who uses horse wisdom to help clients shift perspectives and reveal new possibilities. Her diverse leadership experiences as a healthcare regulatory attorney, hospital association…

Cheryl Fields Tyler is the founder and CEO of Blue Beyond Consulting. Cheryl’s focus for over 30 years has been building organizations where both the business and the people thrive. Blue Beyond recently released an updated study analyzing what different generations look for in their work. Mentioned on the Show Blue Beyond Consulting: https://www.bl…

Charles Feltman has spent 25 years as an executive and leadership coach helping individuals, teams, and entire organizations become exceptional at building and maintaining strong trust. Charles is the author of The Thin Book of Trust: An Essential Primer for Building Trust at Work, now in its 3rd edition. Mentioned on the Show The Thin Book of Trus…

John Block is the CEO and Co-Founder of Unity Partners, a principles-based private equity firm that partners investors and operators to build better together. John serves in multiple senior leadership roles across the firm and is responsible for helping drive Unity’s Partner & Propel investment strategy while working with the firm’s investment team…

Wayne Turmel has been writing about how to develop communication and leadership skills for almost 30 years. He has taught and consulted at Fortune 500 companies and startups around the world. For the last 18 years, he’s focused on the growing need to communicate effectively in remote and virtual environments. Mentioned on the Show Wayne Turmel's we…

Elizabeth Lotardo returns to the podcast to discuss her new book, Leading Yourself. Elizabeth is a consultant, writer, and online instructor who helps organizations drive emotional engagement. Leading Yourself has been called a "refreshingly candid playbook that helps you create a work experience worth loving, right now". Mentioned on the Show Eliz…

Julian Posada is the founder and President of LiftUp Enterprises, a for-profit holding company that focuses on low-income individuals' economic and social outcomes. Prior he was COO of The Resurrection Project. Julian has served on numerous non-profit boards over his career. Currently, he sits on the boards of the Chicago Public Media (WBEZ/SunTime…

Justin Holland is the CEO and Co-Founder of HealthJoy where he's revolutionizing the healthcare experience by seamlessly blending cutting-edge technology with exceptional service. A serial entrepreneur with a proven track record, Justin has founded and successfully exited multiple VC-backed technology ventures. A sought-after thought leader, he fre…

Fred Rutler is a Managing Director at Creative Planning Retirement Services where he helps companies create and manage various employee retirement programs. Mentioned on the Show Connect with Fred Rutler on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frutler Timestamps (2:10) - Welcoming Fred. (3:18) - What are the different vehicles companies are using …

Jason Anthoine is an executive advisor focused on employee engagement, internal communications, and culture change. A frequent conference keynoter and presenter, webinar leader and podcast guest, Jason has shared his internal comms and corporate culture insights earned over his 35-year career with thousands of like-minded communication and HR leade…

Rusty Komori is a motivational speaker, leadership consultant, and tennis professional based in Honolulu, Hawai’i. From 1994 through 2015, he was the head tennis coach at Punahou School, where his boys’ varsity teams won an unprecedented 22 consecutive state championships, a national record in all sports that still stands. Mentioned on the Show Lea…

Yosi Amram is a licensed clinical psychologist, a CEO leadership coach, and an award-winning author. With engineering degrees from MIT, an MBA from Harvard, and a Ph.D. in Psychology from Sofia University, he is a pioneering researcher in the field of Spiritual Intelligence. As the author of Spiritually Intelligent Leadership: How to Inspire by Bei…

John Fisher is a constructivist psychologist. He has spent the last 25 years working in change management, personal development, and team and individual coaching. He has a unique blend of experiences across a range of sectors and companies from SMEs to Multinationals. John used his experiences counseling people to develop the "Fisher Change Curve" …

Achyuta Adhvaryu is a Professor of Economics and the Director of the 21st Century India Center at the School of Global Policy and Strategy at UC San Diego. He is also the co-founder of Good Business Lab, a global nonprofit focused on rigorous research and action at the intersection of worker well-being and business interests. His research focuses o…

Brian Emerson is the founder of Andiron where he helps organizations and leaders harness the power of polarities. Brian also teaches about paradox in leadership and organizations at Notre Dame, the University of Maryland, and Georgetown's Institute for Transformational Leadership. He is the co-author of Navigating Polarities: Using Both/And Thinkin…

Erin Huizenga is a learning experience designer with over 20 years dedicated to empowering people and organizations to grow through human-centered learning strategies and design innovation. As founder and CEO of Desklight, Erin partners with organizations such as The Smithsonian, McGraw Hill, and Techstars to research insights, prototype ideas, and…

Kona Shen co-founded My90 in 2016 to help the public and police communicate using accessible, data-driven technology. Kona joined Axon in 2021 when they acquired the company. Prior to co-founding My90, Kona founded GOALS Haiti, an award-winning non-profit that uses sport as a tool to spark long-term community development. She holds a B.A. in Develo…

Laura Knights is an executive coach, speaker, and facilitator with 19+ years of experience creating personal and professional development programs that have touched leaders all over the world. Her expertise and background in business, human resources, adult education, and social work uniquely equip her to teach others how to deal with both the "hea…

Danielle Krischik is the Chief Communication Officer at Knight Agency, an internal branding agency that helps companies connect to and tell their unique stories to help attract and retain talent. In this conversation, she explains how to surface your unique stories, connect them to your mission, and create an environment that speaks to people. Ment…

Dr. Steven Stein is a clinical psychologist and the founder and executive chair of Multi-Health Systems (MHS), a leading assessment and behavior analytics company. He is a former chair of the Psychology Foundation of Canada, former President of the Psychology Foundation of Canada, and has helped lead several other prominent organizations. He teache…

With a PhD in Behavioral Economics and a Master's in Sociology, Myriam Hadnes combines academic knowledge with practical experience in group collaboration and facilitation. She is the host of the "workshops work" podcast, where she engages in weekly conversations with global facilitation experts. She has also built NeverDoneBefore (NDB), a global o…

Paul Falcone is a bestselling author and top-rated presenter and storyteller specializing in workplace leadership development, communication, and talent management, including effective hiring, performance achievement, employee accountability, and workplace ethics. Drawing from his years of experience as head of HR for Nickelodeon, head of internati…

Lori Becker is the Chief Executive Officer of the Starkloff Disability Institute (SDI). In her role, Lori oversees the organization’s efforts to advance inclusion, access, and equity for people with disabilities in all aspects of society, and especially the workforce. As a leader with a disability herself, Lori is passionate about diversity and inc…

Brad Karsh, founder of JB Training Solutions, returns for a short bonus discussion about developing training programs for companies. Mentioned on the Show: Brad's First Episode: https://peoplebusinesspodcast.com/bradkarsh/ JB Training Solutions: https://jbtrainingsolutions.com/ Connect with Brad on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradkarsh/ M…

With a career spanning leadership roles in the world's largest company, influential positions in education teaching personal branding and marketing, and a deep understanding of the professional services industry and HR, Dr. Anna Stumpf brings a unique perspective to coaching professionals and organizations through transformative growth. She joins t…

Pinky is the Chief Financial Officer of Ideal Industries, a ~$400M manufacturing company with a global footprint. She leads several enterprise-wise transformation initiatives, enabling the company’s business model to adapt to changing market conditions and disruptive market forces. In her prior role as the CFO & COO at U.S. Soccer, Pinky led the or…

Mike White and Ken DeBauche are Co-Founders of Secchi, an employee relationship management tool for manufacturing, healthcare, and other shift work environments. In this conversation, they share how the lessons they learned working in these environments influence how they are now trying to make work better for both leaders and employees. Mentioned …

Brent Kedzierski is a sought-after keynote speaker and a leader of connected-worker ecosystems at Hexagon, an international data company working in industries from oil and gas to AI and manufacturing. He is focused on improving the human condition at work and creating a seamless collaboration between humans and machines. Brent has been involved in …

Patti Temple Rocks is the author of I’m Not Done: It’s Time to Talk About Ageism in the Workplace, which was ranked as one of the 9 books Every Professional Should Read in 2019 by INC Magazine. Kirkus Reviews said, “Rocks writes succinctly but convincingly about the proliferation of age bias and its damaging, insidious, and demoralizing effects on …

Malissa Clark is an Associate Professor of Industrial-Organizational Psychology at the University of Georgia and Director of the Healthy Work Lab. She is the author of Never Not Working: Why the Always-On Culture Is Bad for Business—and How to Fix It. Mentioned on the Show: Never Not Working (book): https://a.co/d/3xGh9q0 Malissa’s website: https:/…

A serial entrepreneur who entered the United States as a refugee from Ukraine at the age of 8, Diana had launched and sold millions of dollars worth of products and services by her early thirties. Today, she is an innovation consultant, leadership development keynote speaker, and New York Times bestselling author whose books have been taught in ove…

In this special episode, O'Brien and past guest Jason Lauritsen announce a unique in-person event for People Business listeners who lead HR. Designing Work for Humans: A People Business Summit will take place in Chicago on June 3rd and 4th, teaching HR leaders design skills they can use in their organizations to solve pressing business problems whi…

Julie Dirksen is the author of the books Design For How People Learn and Talk to the Elephant: Design Learning for Behavior Change. She is a learning strategy consultant with a focus on incorporating behavioral science into learning interventions. She’s been an adjunct faculty member at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and is a Learning Gu…

Erin Diehl is a Business Improv Edutainer, Failfluencer, and Professional Zoombie. Through a series of unrelated dares, Erin created improve it!, a unique professional development company that pushes others to laugh, learn, play, and grow. Her new book, I See You: A Leader's Guide to Energizing Your Team Through Radical Empathy, has paired her eigh…

Jon McGraw co-founded Vision Pursue (VP) after it’s principles radically shifted his mindset, performance, and overall life experience. He’s since guided and assisted in the successful application of these principles inside hundreds of corporate teams and sports franchises. He’s a sought after keynote speaker, workshop facilitator, and Performance …

Brad is the Founder and CEO of JB Training Solutions. An accomplished public speaker and executive coach, Brad has been featured on CNN, CNBC, and Dr. Phil, and has been quoted in: The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Fortune, and USA Today among many others. Brad is also the author of three business books including the critically acclaimed…

Shannon is the Practice Leader of Lockton's Global People Solutions team in the United States where she works with multinational companies, helping them organize and manage their global benefits programs. Mentioned on the Show: Lockton People Solutions: https://global.lockton.com/us/en/products-services/people-solutions Connect with Shannon Boyle o…

Laura Kriska is an expert on cross-cultural relations with more than thirty years of experience bridging gaps in diverse workplaces. She has worked with Fortune 500 companies on four continents, helping thousands of professionals build trust across Us vs. Them differences based on nationality, ethnicity, race, religion, age, or any factor of identi…

Kendra Brodin is the Founder and CEO of EsquireWell, a lawyer well-being and professional development company providing consulting, training, and the EsquireWell Academy, a cutting-edge online learning community, to help lawyers be happier, healthier, and more successful. Before founding her company, Kendra was Chief Attorney Development Officer at…

Paul A. LaLonde, SHRM-CP, CCAP is a deliberate HR pro, who believes philosophy is a difference-making pursuit in business and life. Paul serves as the VP of People & Culture for CEDA of Cook County in Chicago. CEDA is one of the largest Community Action Agencies in the Country. Paul has won numerous awards including the HR Today MVP Award for his b…

Casey Jacox is the founder of Winning The Relationship, LLC, a consulting firm providing executive sales leadership and coaching. He is also the author of a book by the same name and host of The Quarterback DadCast, a podcast that offers stories, advice, and wisdom for fathers looking to improve their leadership skills and emotional intelligence. I…

Dan Michelson is the CEO of InCommon and author of Holy Shift! Moving Your Company Forward to the Future of Work. In addition to his work at InCommon, he is an Adjunct Professor at the Quinlan School of Business at Loyola University. In this conversation, Dan talks about historical shifts that have rocked the workplace and how what we are going thr…

Cece Sykes, LCSW, ACSW, is a consultant and senior trainer with the Internal Family Systems Institute where she specializes in trauma and addiction and educates therapists internationally on how to apply the IFS therapy model to addictive processes. In this episode, she shares ways concerned bosses, colleagues, and friends can broach the subject of…

Pamela Meyer is a leading Agile Innovation expert who works with leaders, teams, and organizations that need to be more agile and innovative to compete in a rapidly changing world. She is the author of five books on agility, innovation, and learning, including her newest book, Staying in the Game: Leading and Learning with Agility for a Dynamic Fut…

Megan Lally is the CEO at Highdive, an award-winning advertising firm working with clients like Jeep, Rocket Mortgage, State Farm, Lay's, Beam Suntory. She was recognized in AdAge’s “40 Under 40” list. In this conversation, she shares how Highdive creates better work by focusing on the relationships employees have with each other and with their cli…

Meisha-ann Martin is the Senior Director, People Analytics & Research at Workhuman. She has a PhD in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and has spent almost twenty years as a researcher and practitioner on topics like recognition, wellness, inclusion and psychological safety. In this episode, we talk about employee recognition programs and adjust…