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Description
The Happy at Work podcast explores the intersection of organizational culture, positive psychology, and employee branding to create thriving workplaces. Our expert hosts—Dr. Laura Hamill, Michael McCarthy, and Dr. Tessa Misiaszek—bring diverse perspectives and deep expertise to uncover practical strategies for fostering happiness and success at work.
We engage with various guests, including organizational leaders, HR professionals, psychologists, researchers, and employees across various industries. Through thought-provoking conversations, we delve into:
- How organizational culture shapes employee experiences and drives engagement
- Evidence-based positive psychology strategies that boost both human flourishing and business metrics
- Innovative approaches to align brand identity with employee experience and operationalize company values
Our mission is to give listeners actionable insights and tools to transform their workplaces. Whether you're a CEO, an HR professional, a manager, or an employee seeking to make a positive impact, the Happy at Work podcast offers valuable perspectives to help you create a more fulfilling, productive, and positive work environment.
Join us as we explore the cutting edge of workplace well-being and performance, uncovering the strategies that lead to truly happy, engaged, and successful organizations.
136 Episodes
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Send us a text What if the path to career success and personal fulfillment requires embracing fear rather than avoiding it? Jill Schulman, Marine Corps veteran and author of "The Bravery Effect," reveals a transformative understanding of bravery that challenges conventional wisdom. Forget everything you thought you knew about courage. Schulman defines bravery as "taking voluntary action in the presence of fear toward a worthwhile goal" - a skill anyone can develop with practice. Through comp...
Send us a text What happens when doubling someone's wage doesn't motivate them to work more hours? Lawrence Wiener, an American attorney who's spent 33 years in Buenos Aires, Argentina, reveals fascinating insights about work motivation beyond money in our latest conversation. Lawrence's journey began when he gazed out his San Francisco law firm window and realized he wasn't enjoying his path toward partnership. This moment of clarity led him to ride his bicycle to Los Angeles, then move to ...
Send us a text In creating a family-run company that will last 100 years, you have to have an adaptable skillset that gets evaluated quarterly. This is one of the great points that Matthew Powell, fourth-generation CEO of Century Companies, reveals on how to operate a business with a 100-year time horizon. After starting his career in investment banking, Powell gained a unique appreciation for the power of patient capital and long-term thinking. He returned to his family's Midwest-based safe...
Send us a text Chuck Wisner, author of "The Art of Conscious Conversations," shares transformative insights on how to improve workplace communication through self-awareness, understanding our physical responses to triggering situations, and mastering four essential types of conversations. • Chuck's journey from musician to architect to communication expert was sparked by witnessing effective conflict resolution • Our internal dialogue (the "CADs") often contains judgments and negativity that...
Send us a text Jordana Cole shares her journey as a leadership development expert and how she's revolutionizing coaching through AI with her company ShiftWell.ai. She explains how this technology can democratize access to professional development by providing on-demand, personalized coaching to employees at all levels. • AI coaching can reach employees who traditionally lack access to development resources, including hourly workers, non-English speakers, and those with busy schedules • Tradi...
Send us a text Dr. Enya Doyle shares insights on creating inclusive workplaces through the fundamental principles of curiosity and decency, offering practical approaches to overcome political divisiveness in DEI work. • Approaching DEI through curiosity and decency rather than complexity • Understanding unconscious and systemic bias as created and perpetuated by people • Research findings on gender barriers including lack of knowledge about women's health issues • Demystifying allyship as ac...
Send us a text Andrea Kehoe, Director of Operations Administration at Kettering University, shares how she's led efforts to transform the university's workplace culture following what their president called a "cultural meh" after the pandemic. Through cross-collaborative working groups, employee surveys, and responsive action, Kettering has revitalized their campus community by implementing simple yet effective strategies that prioritize employee satisfaction. • Asking employees directly wha...
Send us a text David White, a cognitive anthropologist with 25 years of corporate experience, shares powerful insights about why organizational transformations fail and how understanding brain science can revolutionize our approach to culture change. His research reveals the complex relationship between our habitual work practices and the neural pathways that form our cultural thinking patterns. • Culture consists of millions of schemas or tacit knowledge structures that reside in our brains...
Send us a text Marcus Mossberger shares his passion for cultivating hope in the workplace based on research showing that hope is critical for employee motivation and satisfaction. He defines workplace hope as "the active belief in a better future," differentiating it from passive optimism by emphasizing personal agency and responsibility for positive change. • Hope in the workplace requires active belief and responsibility, not just passive optimism • The top reason people leave organization...
Send us a text MJ Shaar, a kindness strategist and wellness thought leader, explains how kindness provides the most effective entry point to improving our overall wellness and transforming workplace culture. Through compelling research and personal insights, she reveals how kindness impacts everything from arterial health to company profits. • Mood is the easiest wellness habit to change, and kindness provides the most effective and lasting boost • Kindness in the workplace directly improves...
Send us a text Kevin Eikenberry shares his expertise on flexible leadership, arguing that flexibility is the essential antidote to uncertainty in our complex, ever-changing world. Drawing from his experiences growing up on a Michigan farm and three decades running his leadership development company, he offers practical wisdom on leading through turbulent times. • The key to flexible leadership is embracing "both/and" thinking instead of "either/or" approaches • Leaders must manage tensions b...
Send us a text Eddie Pate shares insights from his career leading diversity initiatives at major companies and his new book on inclusive leadership practices that create belonging. He explains how small daily actions create lasting ripple effects that transform workplace culture through accessible, practical strategies. • Eddie's journey from sociology doctorate to diversity leadership at Microsoft, Starbucks, and Amazon • Balancing corporate leadership with prioritizing family responsibilit...
Send us a text Summary In this episode of the Happy at Work podcast, Tessa and Laura engage with Siri Chilazi, a senior researcher at Harvard Kennedy School, to discuss her new book 'Make Work Fair'. The conversation explores the importance of embedding fairness into workplace culture, the role of power in shaping norms, and the evolving language around diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Siri shares key insights from her research, emphasizing the need for data-driven approaches to create...
Send us a text What if you could transform workplace conflict into a source of growth and innovation? Join us as we welcome David Dye, renowned author and president of Let's Grow Leaders, who shares his extraordinary journey from the nonprofit sector to becoming a leadership expert. In this insightful episode of the Happy at Work podcast, David unveils the intricacies of managing workplace conflict, especially in the virtual realm, and the profound impact of remote work on team dynamics. Toge...
Send us a text Summary of Episode In this conversation, Dr. Tracy Brower discusses the critical factors that contribute to happiness and engagement in the workplace. She emphasizes the importance of workplace environment, connection, and the balance between work and life. Dr. Brower outlines the 'Big Five' factors that influence happiness at work, including purpose, connection, learning, performance, and gratitude. The discussion also touches on the evolving nature of work, particularly in t...
Send us a text In this special New Year’s episode, Tessa, Laura, and Michael gather to reflect on the key workplace themes from 2024 and share their predictions for the future of work in 2025 and beyond. The discussion covers emotional attachment to work, the ongoing evolution of hybrid work, the transformative role of AI, and the critical importance of workplace culture. The co-hosts also dive into their personal aspirations for the new year, sharing the words and intentions guiding them for...
Send us a text In this conversation, Faye McCray shares her journey from practicing law to media and consulting, exploring how career transitions and authentic storytelling can lead to more nourishing work. She discusses the importance of recognizing when work environments no longer serve us, the power of taking calculated risks, and how sharing our authentic stories can create deeper connections in our professional lives. In This Episode, You'll Learn: How to recognize when your career need...
Send us a text In this episode, Josh Drean challenges traditional employment models and explores how emerging technologies are reshaping the future of work. From remote work dynamics to decentralized organizations, Josh shares insights on why current workplace structures are failing to meet modern workforce needs and what the future might hold. In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why traditional employment models are struggling to adapt to modern workforce needsHow emerging technologies like bloc...
Send us a text In this special episode, Michael and Tessa sit down with our very own Laura Hamill to discuss her new book "The Power of Culture" published by The Economist. Laura shares insights from her decades of experience studying organizational culture, explaining why companies struggle with culture change and how leaders can build intentional, powerful cultures that drive business success. In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why organizational culture is both critical and incredibly difficu...
Send us a text In this episode, Tessa and Laura explore the evolving landscape of workplace dynamics with Stacey Messier, who brings her unique perspective from managing multiple innovation workspaces across New England. The conversation walks through how organizations can create meaningful in-person experiences that go beyond basic amenities, addressing the challenges of "hushed hybrid" work arrangements and the importance of purposeful collaboration. In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why tradi...
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