Lead The People is your guide to unlocking your true potential as an authentic leader. Hosted by Dr. Matt Poepsel—The Godfather of Talent Optimization—this podcast dives deep into the art and science of what it takes to lead at the next level. With insightful conversations and practical strategies, each episode equips executives, strategic HR pros, and aspiring leaders with the tools it takes to boost performance, inspire teams, and drive meaningful impact. Whether exploring the latest workp ...
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#121: How to Identify, Prevent, and Recover from Workplace Burnout with Rachel Boehm
32:36
32:36
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32:36Rachel Boehm is a leading authority on burnout prevention, workplace stress and sustainable high performance. She empowers decision-makers to protect themselves and their teams against the costs of burnout which can be in the tens of thousands per employee. Her services include leadership coaching, team training, and culture change initiatives, ult…
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#120: Humanizing the Offboarding Process with Angel Cruzado
23:18
23:18
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23:18Angel Cruzado is the Founder & CEO of Respiris, a company on a mission to reinspire how we approach offboarding. Angel has spent his career in HR with startups, venture-backed companies, and publicly traded Fortune 500 companies. He understands transitions on a personal level, too, having built his own career from the ground up after being laid off…
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#119: Untangling Your Brand: High-Impact Brand Advancement with Lyn Wineman
26:55
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26:55As KidGlov’s founder, president, and chief strategist, Lyn leads their diverse team of talented professionals to drive growth through strategic branding and marketing communications. She has been instrumental in promoting regional and national organizations such as Immanuel, Lincoln Community Foundation, HopeSpoke, St. Monica’s, Regency Shopping Ce…
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#118: Reimagining the Modern Workplace with Stela Lupushor
29:27
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29:27Stela Lupushor is on a mission to humanize the workplace. She works with the Conference Board’s Fortune 500 corporations-members on rethinking their workplace strategies; leads Reframe.Work Inc. and consults on how to create inclusive workplaces through the use of technology, human-centered design, people analytics, and future-thinking; and founded…
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#117: How Purpose-Driven Business Drives Growth with Marshall Lockton
27:26
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27:26Marshall is a Partner and majority owner of Knight Agency, a marketing firm that builds from inside out. They use storytelling to help companies connect people and strategy, driving performance. He acquired Knight through Meraki Investments, which he founded to invest in companies making a difference. He is also a shareholder of Lockton, the larges…
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#116: Transform Your Company by Building a Culture of Hiring with Daniel Chait
26:33
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26:33Daniel Chait is CEO and Co-founder of Greenhouse. As a technology entrepreneur in New York for over 22 years, Dan is a frequent speaker on the topics of recruiting and entrepreneurship. He has presented at numerous venues, including the General Assembly, the University of Michigan Center for Entrepreneurship, Launch Scale, DEMO Traction and the Wha…
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#115: How Conscious Leadership Transforms Business with Aileda Lindal
30:11
30:11
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30:11Aileda Lindal, widely recognized as "The Business Alchemist," is a conscious leader with over three decades of experience driving innovation and resilience across industries. From leading crisis management for New York City’s medical sector during the COVID-19 pandemic to consulting in aerospace, retail, and banking, her career showcases her strate…
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#114: Balancing Tradition and Innovation: Dr. David Goodman's First 100 Days as Dean of Woods College of Advancing Studies
31:56
31:56
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31:56David Goodman is Dean of the Woods College of Advancing Studies and Executive Director of the Center for Psychological Humanities and Ethics at Boston College. He also serves on the faculty of three departments: Formative Education, Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology, and Philosophy. Dr. Goodman currently serves as the Series Edi…
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#113: Meaningful Work: How Leaders Can Build Purpose and Connection with Tamara Myles
29:31
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29:31Tamara Myles is an accomplished consultant, author, and international speaker with over two decades of experience helping leaders improve business performance. She is the author of The Secret to Peak Productivity, which introduced her proprietary Peak Productivity Pyramid framework. Tamara’s insights have been featured in leading publications such …
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#112: Scale Your Business Without Leaving Your People Behind with Amber Bardon
27:22
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27:22Amber Bardon is the Founder & powerhouse CEO of Parasol Alliance, a full-service managed technology provider that dominates the senior living industry. Under her leadership, Parasol Alliance has become a game-changer, consistently ranked among the Top 501 Managed IT Service Providers in the World for six consecutive years including an incredible #4…
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#111: How Compassionate Leadership Breaks Down Silos for Better Patient Outcomes with Geoffrey Smith
26:28
26:28
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26:28Geoffrey leverages a diverse 25+ year career in Human Capital Management, specializing in employee engagement, leadership development, and culture change initiatives in the workplace. His journey has ranged from working for the corporate industry leader, to building his own entrepreneurial start-up from the ground up. Currently he supports innovati…
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#110: Five Ways to Thrive in 2025 with Liz Corcoran
32:54
32:54
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32:54Liz Corcoran leads Impact Performance Group’s research and design team, providing custom leadership, sales, and service solutions that enable organizations to deepen client relationships and ignite employee engagement. Liz significantly impacts employee well-being and performance by applying expertise in emotional intelligence, appreciative inquiry…
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#109: Navigating Big Company Culture with Anissa Zabriskie
29:22
29:22
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29:22Transformational Life Coach Anissa Zabriskie is an Amazon International Bestselling author, speaker, and certified career and business Coach. Anissa uses her experience working in Fortune 50 companies as a Human Resources Executive to bring encouragement, education and love to empower others to reinvent themselves and define their ultimate mission …
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#108: Building an Authentic Company Culture with Amy Bayer
36:35
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36:35Amy Bayer is the Global Director of DE&I, Engagement, and Culture at Duck Creek Technologies. In this role, she leads strategic efforts to foster a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace while promoting a culture of belonging. Amy’s experience spans nearly 20 years across multiple industries, including technology, publishing, manufacturing, an…
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#107: A Cheerleader's Guide to Modern Leadership with Stefanie Adams
31:31
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31:31Stefanie Adams is a keynote speaker, training facilitator, adjunct university instructor, former elected official, wife, and mother; for those who know her best, she is "Cheerleader Stef", which personifies her personality and leadership style. She has over 20 years experience leading and training in corporate, non-profit, and government settings. …
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#106: From Complaints to Solutions: How to Develop Accountability with Traci Austin
28:10
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28:10Traci Austin, is a certified coach and HR professional with over two decades of experience bridging the gap between the C-suite and HR leaders in aligning the business strategy to the business results. She is focused on partnering with leaders at all levels to create fulfilling work. This is done by focusing on 4 levers of engagement: Fit to role, …
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#105: Finding Meaning and Purpose in Stakeholder Capitalism with Dr. Alise Cortez
37:01
37:01
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37:01Dr. Alise Cortez is the Chief Ignition Officer at Gusto, Now!, a human and organizational transformation consultancy specializing in unleashing business results by igniting and growing high-performance teams passionate about delivering on the organizational mission. The resulting rewards? Higher engagement, performance, innovation, retention, custo…
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#104: Recognition Done Right with Debra Squyres
29:44
29:44
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29:44As Bonusly's Chief Customer Officer, Debra combines her passion for an exceptional customer experience with her drive to empower companies to connect, motivate, and engage their employees to build winning workplaces. Prior to Bonusly, Debra was the VP of CS at Beamery and the Chief Client Officer at Namely, to name a few. She has over 25 years of e…
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#103: Social Impact through Startup Success with Civic Champs’ with Geng Wang
28:08
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28:08As CEO, Geng leads a team of passionate change leaders to deliver software for nonprofit organizations that empowers them and their volunteers to more easily serve their communities. Prior to Civic Champs, Geng co-founded and sold two companies which were both based in Pittsburgh! The first, RentJungle.com was an apartment search engine and the sec…
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#102: Delegate Like a True Leader with Tom Riggs
35:20
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35:20Tom Riggs is passionate about helping organizations unlock the power of people, leaders, and teams. With over 25 years of experience spanning HR, Operations, and Marketing, Tom’s unconventional career path from SVP of HR to COO and entrepreneurial CEO has given him a unique perspective on driving performance. Now, as CEO of MindWire, an Elite Predi…
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#101: How to Be Happier at Work with Aoife O'Brien
31:56
31:56
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31:56Aoife O’Brien is the founder of Happier at Work, with the mission to solve the problem that 85% of employees are disengaged at work. Using her research-based Happier at Work framework, she partners with leaders to focus on: workplace culture; cultivating balance; and empowering leaders. Her work supports employees to thrive and to reach their full …
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#100: Radical Leadership Techniques with Kim Scott
39:20
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39:20Kim Scott is the author of Radical Respect and Radical Candor and co-host of the Radical Candor Podcast. Kim was a CEO coach at Dropbox, Qualtrics, Twitter, and other tech companies. She was a faculty member at Apple University and before that led AdSense, YouTube, and DoubleClick teams at Google. In 2017, she co-founded Radical Candor, the company…
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#BONUS: Finding Strength through Leadership Challenges with Dr. Douglas Scherer
31:53
31:53
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31:53Douglas Scherer is a dedicated father, speaker, author, professor, and researcher. His personal journey through the challenges of overcoming chronic pain from surgery complications and managing a global outage team led him to discover the transformative power of combining mindfulness with strategic decision-making. He speaks to leaders on ways to i…
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#99: How to Lead from the Middle with Jeff Sigel
34:02
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34:02Jeff Sigel is an author, coach, and consultant who is passionate about creating better work environments and more fulfilling careers for middle managers everywhere. After over 20 years of corporate experience at Nabisco, The Hershey Company, grocery retailer Ahold, and the restaurant company Cracker Barrel, Jeff has shifted his focus to coaching mi…
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#98: Peering Into the Future with Jason Cochran
27:09
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27:09Jason Cochran brings a unique blend of business savvy and psychological insight to his work as a business consultant and organizational psychologist with humanworks8. Ranked among the top 10 global thought leaders in HR, culture, and the future of work by Thinkers360, Jason draws on his diverse background and experiences as a psychologist, speaker,…
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#97: How to Practice Imperfectionism with Oliver Burkeman
31:59
31:59
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31:59Oliver Burkeman is the author of the New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller Four Thousand Weeks, about embracing limitation and finally getting round to what counts, along with The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking and Help! How to Become Slightly Happier and Get a Bit More Done. For many years he wrote a popular …
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#96: HR Horror Stories (and How to Avoid Them) with Jackie Dube
33:50
33:50
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33:50Jackie Dube has over two decades of human resources and talent optimization experience. She has dedicated her career to the belief that the heart of any successful business lies in its people. Currently serving as the Chief People Officer at the Predictive Index, she applies a mix of analytical rigor and human centric strategy to build high-impact,…
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#95: Building Your Best Team Ever with David Burkus
32:55
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32:55One of the world’s leading business thinkers, David’s forward-thinking ideas and bestselling books are changing how companies approach leadership, teamwork, and collaboration. A skilled researcher and inspiring communicator, Dr. David Burkus is the best-selling author of five books about business and leadership. His books have won multiple awards a…
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#94: The 5 C's of Leadership Capital with Archie L. Jones, Jr.
27:05
27:05
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27:05Archie L. Jones, Jr. is an accomplished author, educator, speaker, advisor and investor. As the founder and CEO of NxGen COACH Network™ , he draws from his own leadership journey to empower and coach the next generation of global leaders through speaking engagements, workshops, his podcast, and new book, The Treasure You Seek: A Guide to Developing…
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#93: The Essence of Agency and Impact with Mandolen Mull
32:02
32:02
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32:02Dr. Mandolen Mull is the Founder of MullMentum Consulting, a bespoke leadership development firm. Having held leadership roles in healthcare, property preservation, logistical distribution, and higher education prior to founding her consulting firm and authoring several books, Mandolen brings her hybridised background to personalised leadership dev…
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#BONUS: Empowering Excellence and Maximizing Potential with Genelle Taylor Kumpe
24:22
24:22
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24:22Genelle Taylor Kumpe has devoted her career to issues that transform our community, empower others and advocate for women and children. Her background in education, entrepreneurship and community service makes her uniquely qualified to serve as CEO of the San Joaquin Valley Manufacturing Alliance (SJVMA) and the CEO of the Fresno Business Council (…
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#92: How to Foster a Strategic HR Relationship with Alex Seiler
31:26
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31:26Alex has 15+ years of global experience in the People/HR space. He has spent time working in different industries and for companies like Citi, NBCUniversal and WeWork, amongst others. His specific expertise has centered on creating, transforming and building out systems that foster an equitable, innovative and inclusive workplace culture. He has be…
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#91: Doing Good and Being Good with Tammy Day
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34:20For the past twenty years, Tammy Day has helped businesses, organizations, and individuals do more good by connecting people, ideas, and community assets. As an owner of Daycos, Inc., one of a handful of Nebraska B Corps, she knows how to balance profit with purpose and use business as a force for good. A published author in Reclaiming WE: Twenty E…
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#90: How to Build an Emotionally Intelligent World with Mark Baker and Theran Knighton-Fitt
40:19
40:19
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40:19Mark is the CEO and Co-Founder of Mygrow. He is an Organisational Psychologist specialising in the development of Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and organisational culture. His work in neuroscience, leadership and behavioural change have made him a sought-after facilitator, coach and speaker and his methods and teachings are being used around the worl…
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#89: What it Takes to Land Top Talent with Bonnie Dilber
33:25
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33:25Bonnie manages the business recruiting team at Zapier, a SaaS company in the automation space. She is also a content creator with over 500k followers across LinkedIn, TikTok and Instagram, and writes two newsletters sharing insights for jobseekers, as well as people in the HR and talent space. She enjoys travel, great food (eating more than cooking…
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#88: How to Make Hybrid Work Productive and Engaging for All with Jenny Moebius
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28:45Jenny Smith Moebius is the SVP and Head of Marketing at Skedda, a global workplace management platform committed to powering great hybrid workplace experiences, where she's also the host of the Heroes of Hybrid Work podcast. Jenny is a top Go-To-Market (GTM) leader in the Greater Boston area, where she has a track record of building powerful brands…
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#87: Driving Business Results Through DEI and Belonging with Andrew Adeniyi
33:25
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33:25Andrew is a first-generation Nigerian American from South Bend, Indiana, and the CEO & Founder of AAA Solutions; a consulting firm that provides workplace culture and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) consulting and training services. Andrew obtained his bachelor's degree in Entrepreneurship and Corporate Innovation from the Kelley School of Busi…
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#86: An Authentic Approach to Connecting, Serving and Selling with Sara Murray
34:39
34:39
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34:39Sara Murray is an advisor, consultant, and speaker working with leaders and sales teams to unlock the untapped potential in their prospecting and business development efforts. With a focus on hospitality, construction, real estate, design, and technology industries, Sara empowers professionals via her virtual and in-person workshops to enhance thei…
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#85: Bringing Humanity Back to Business with Drew Fortin
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30:20Drew Fortin is a people-first, values-driven leader with nearly 20 years of growth strategy and team-building experience across retail, marketing technology, local media, and HR tech. He spent eight years at The Predictive Index, where he was Chief Growth Officer responsible for the company's strategy to build the world's first talent optimization …
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#84: Walking the Path of Purpose with Lyn Wineman
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28:09Few can match Lyn Wineman's passion for marketing or for helping change-makers do more good in the world. As the founder, president, and chief strategist of the full-service advertising agency KidGlov, she has created a space where both of these passions flourish. Lyn’s talented team is known for putting the megaphone in front of those leading posi…
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#83: Moving People Forward with Intention with Nikki Lewallen Gregory
29:04
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29:04Nikki Lewallen Gregory is the Founder and Chief Meaningful Work Officer at PeopleForward Network, a pioneering consultancy dedicated to transforming workplaces through purpose-driven strategies. With a deep-rooted belief in the power of meaningful work, Nikki has cultivated a career centered on aligning organizational goals with individual fulfillm…
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#82: How to Talk About Mental Health at Work with Melissa Doman
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33:33Melissa Doman, MA is an Organizational Psychologist, Former Clinical Mental Health Therapist, & Author of Yes, You Can Talk About Mental Health at Work (Here’s Why And How To Do It Really Well). Melissa works with companies across industries around the globe – including clients like Google, Dow Jones, the Orlando City Soccer Club, Microsoft, Salesf…
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#81: Coach Yourself to Coach Others with Lisa Kleinhofer
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31:42Lisa is a global leader of executive development, organizational change, and strategic planning. She leads visionary work as an executive in Fortune 100 companies as well as in education, nonprofit, and startups for over 20 years. She is also the founder of Take the Risk Leadership Group, a leadership consulting firm that focuses on helping individ…
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#80: Learning How to Lead with Relationship with Jason Lauritsen
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33:49A dynamic keynote speaker, Jason Lauritsen is a true thought leader in the world of work and employee engagement who is dedicated to revolutionizing the way we Lead With Relationship™. He fearlessly challenges traditional norms to reshape the employee experience by consistently placing authentic human connection at the heart of leadership. Jason is…
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#79: Why Talent Optimization is a Team Sport with Kristie Pappal and Jodie Cunningham
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31:50About Kristie Pappal Kristie Pappal serves as the Vice President of Human Resources with the Philadelphia Eagles where she provides comprehensive human resources leadership including developing and leading HR strategy and policy, cultivating a positive and productive work environment, engagement and inclusion, internal communications, talent acquis…
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#78: Getting Unstuck with Erica Anderson Rooney
30:52
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30:52Erica is an author, speaker, gender equality crusader, and a C-level leader. With over 15 years of experience in Human Resources, Erica's mission is to bring more women into positions of power and KEEP them there. She is a wife, a mom to two small kids, and a fitness fanatic! She’s also the host of the Glass Ceilings and Sticky Floors podcast and a…
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#77: Meeting Our Motives at Work with Kelly Mackin
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31:08Kelly Mackin is the author of Work Life Well-Lived: The Motives Met Pathway to No-B.S. Well-Being at Work and cofounder and CEO of the Motives Met Platform and Human Needs Assessment which empowers people to create their best work life and workplace. Kellys journey from ill-being to well-being at work ignited her passion and dedication for helping …
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#76: Leadership Development at Every Level with Jackie Insinger
31:09
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31:09Jackie Insinger is a Bestselling Author, Keynote Speaker, and a sought-after Leadership and Team Dynamics Consultant. Jackie combines the science of positive psychology and neuroscience with current global data to simplify the messiness of leadership in today’s complex climate. Always results-focused, Jackie’s programs are designed to measurably im…
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#75: Sales as Business Therapy with Jim Speredelozzi
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34:57Jim currently leads the revenue team for The Predictive Index (PI), a firm focused on the Talent Optimization discipline. Before joining PI, Jim built and ran the velocity sales team at Black Duck Software, an application security company. Jim has been in software sales for longer than he cares to talk about. In his spare time he is raising three c…
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#74: Flipping the Switch to Brain On! with Deb Smolensky
29:41
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29:41Deb Smolensky is a #1 best-selling author, speaker, and award-winning thought leader in the area of human performance at work. She serves as NFP’s Global Well-being and Engagement Practice Leader, and for the past 25 years has worked with hundreds of employers, including Fortune 500 companies, developing strategies, programs and practices that empo…
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