Creating a Vibrant Culture with Lori Michele Leavitt

“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson

This is a quote I adore and the vibe I get when speaking with Lori on this week’s podcast episode. Lori Michele Leavitt is “The Pivot Catalyst” who has coached, consulted, and trained hundreds of leaders around the world to achieve their objectives and generate extraordinary momentum.

Joey Price is one of my favorite HR influencers, I’ve been following him longer than he knows, and am so excited to have him on the show today. He has spent over 15 years in the HR Industry, starting as a Human Resources Assistant, who now runs Jumpstart: HR, an HR consulting for small businesses and startups.

Joey wants people more excited for Monday than they are for Friday. The ideal experience is that employees can go to a job that they enjoy and can feel happy and productive.

Building Better Workplaces Through World-class Learning with Johnny Campbell

Some call them “soft skills.” I call them “hard AF skills,” because they transcend all roles and should be the center of all our talent development efforts. That’s why I got excited to hear my guest today call them “core skills,” which brings so much light to the importance of our work.

Emmanuel is a social entrepreneur from Kampala, Uganda with a passion for upskilling the next generation of talent in preparation for jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities in Africa. In this episode we dive deep into his story and the personal struggles he endured to make it out of the slums in Uganda and eventually lead era92, a youth creative agency training and employing Uganda's young adults in design, art, and technology.

Neuroscience of the Workplace with Jordan Zezza

The topic of psychological safety in the workplace cannot be emphasized enough. If we fail as businesses to create psychologically safe environments, all of our other design efforts will fail. The strength of a good leader can be measured by their ability to create a safe space for employees. That’s why we are tapping into the neuroscience behind workplace psychology on today’s episode.

Making a Positive Impact on the Economy with Don Golden

At Call For Culture, we offer a fresh take on workplace culture consulting. If you’ve ever heard me speak, you know our mission is to foster workplace culture partnerships and communities built on meaningful connection, sustainable change, and regenerative outcomes.

The impact of leadership and culture on an organization’s success has already been well documented, and yet some companies are still struggling to implement even the basic culture initiatives for employees. Next level leaders empower their people. With me to discuss is strategy facilitator, board director, and speaker, Alex Brueckmann.

Generational Wellness with Raymond Achille

According to the Surgeon General’s workplace wellbeing report, 76% of U.S. workers reported at least one symptom of a mental health condition, 84% of respondents said their workplace conditions had contributed to at least one mental health challenge, and 81% of workers reported that they will be looking for workplaces that support mental health in the future.

As we gear up to celebrate Black History Month, it’s essential to reflect on how far our DEI efforts have come in the workplace, and while it’s true that we’ve made some great progress that deserves to be celebrated, we still have a long way to go.

That is why we are kick starting the month of February with a powerful and influential figure who has dedicated his life to the movement. Reggie Butler is a highly recognized corporate consultant and public speaker with over 28 years experience in human capital performance management within the private and corporate sectors. As an educator, trainer and inclusion champion he has become a highly sought after speaker through his high energy and impactful delivery style.

Systems Change at Work with Dr. Jacqueline Kerr

Today we’re going to be talking about how systems change happens and how it’s actually just a culmination of micro progressions and behavioral shifts over time.

Dr. Jacqueline Kerr is a behavior change scientist.TEDx and keynote speaker, and podcast host. Our work intersects when organizations are looking for culture change and we teased out some important tenets when it comes to doing this effectively.

Providing Equitable Experiences at Work with Erica Spitale

I have always been fascinated by the human psyche, especially at work. Have you ever noticed that people might behave differently in the workplace than they do in other environments? It’s called “code switching” and it’s something that two I/O Psych enthusiasts like Erica and I explore often.

Web3. The Metaverse. Decentralization. You might have heard these terms thrown around by big tech companies like Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook or your 17 year old “crypto bro” nephew, but what does this new tech mean for the future of work? Is it a viable solution for some of the HR problems we are grappling with today? With me to discuss the challenges and opportunities that these technologies bring is my good friend Josh Drean.

Josh is a web3 advisor at the Harvard Innovation Labs and Co-founder of DreanMedia, a web3 media agency. Josh is an HR Transformation and Metaverse expert who marries web3 technologies with workplace strategies. He hosts webinars in both the HR tech and web3 space and speaks internationally to bring market insights to digital-first leaders.

Today we’re talking about a crucial topic and experience that is often overlooked in the workplace and within the context of broader well-being and mental health conversations - perinatal mental health.  

My guest today is a special one. Kendra Vargas, LCPC, PMH-C, is owner and founder of Authentically You Psychotherapy, PLLC. She is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and a Certified Perinatal Mental Health Professional  in the state of Illinois. Kendra is also a childhood friend of mine (our dads were besties), and the fact that we both have an opportunity to bring our work and experience together for this conversation gives me so much joy!

Well that’s a wrap! It’s been an amazing year working with some of the most talented HR, DEI, and Wellbeing professionals on the planet.

We conclude 2022 with my favorite annual tradition by bringing in two top minds from Qualtrics to discuss employment trends for 2023. I'm so excited to welcome Haley Kuschman and Frank Laterza to the show.

We go deep on the research Qualtrics has produced in its Employee Experience Trends report to help you kick start the new year with vigor and employee-centric focus.

Diverse Teams Win! with LinkedIn’s Rosanna Durruthy

The Impact of Remote Work on LinkedIn’s Workforce with Rosanna Durruthy

I couldn’t be more excited for this special episode with Rosanna Durruthy, Vice President of Global Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at LinkedIn.

Urban Equity Planning with André Darmanin

I grew up in a multiracial home in the diverse neighborhood of Roger’s Park, Chicago. It wasn’t until I entered corporate America and grad school that I realized that I was different. I realized I was disadvantaged because I was putting a lot of energy trying to be someone I am not. We need to do better for the next generation to enable them to be their authentic and real selves at work.

That’s why I am so eager to chat with my guest today, André Darmanin. André is an inclusive leader, people manager and systems thinker with two decades of diverse international experience in matrixed environments. He is a disruptor and relationship builder focused on equitable and strategic organizational solutions.

The Conscious Communicator with Kim Clark

It seems like we are faced with current and global events that impact us on a weekly basis, which can shake our confidence in our systems. Some employees trust their employer more than they trust their government, so we have an important role to capture those communications. As conscious communicators we have to respond and be that source of truth.

That’s why I am excited to welcome Kim Clark to the podcast today. Kim is Co-author of the Amazon #1 bestseller, "The Conscious Communicator: The Fine Art of Not Saying Stupid Sh*t," She is a Speaker, DEI Strategist, and “Perpetual Learner”

You might remember Jim Young from a few episodes ago. I was invited to his EI EI EI Oh! Newsletter where I got to share some insights around diversity and inclusion.

“Creating equity requires us to get to know and understand other people and to come from a sense of humility, that we’re not always right.“

Fear. It holds us back. It makes us doubt ourselves. It keeps us from advancing in our careers. So how can we overcome such an omnipresent obstacle that stands in the way of our success? Joining me today is none other than Dr. Benjamin Ritter to help us navigate this topic.

Dr. Benjamin Ritter is the founder of Live for Yourself Consulting, a leadership coach and podcaster who’s passionate about guiding leaders to be the leader of their own career and create a career they love.

“Leadership isn’t easy. It can be challenging and scary, but you have it within you to overcome your fears and accomplish great things for the people and organization you lead”

“There’s got to be more than this.”

That’s the big question employees are starting to ask themselves, as, in recent years, their employers have shown their true colors behind all this “purpose” talk. Employees have come to value life outside of the office more and have awoken from their stupor that chasing a career isn’t all that it’s made up to seem. That’s why instilling and living a true purpose at work is the best way to bring meaning to the individuals doing the work.

Brandon Peele is Co-Founder of Unity Lab, which empowers organizations to solve their retention, engagement, inclusion and mental health challenges. They create cultures of purpose, empathy, and trust and empower each employee to feel a sense of belonging no matter where they work.