Claim OwnershipWorkplace Therapy
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© Scott Arrieta, Sarah Gould, Skylar Lewandowski
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Work is a significant part of the human experience. Most of us will spend more time in pursuit of our vocation than we will on any other singular aspect of our lives.
Given how much of ourselves we dedicate to our work, it's not surprising that the workplace can also be a significant source of trauma in our lives.
Workplace Therapy is a podcast that puts the human expriences of work front and center. We'll be discussing the latest trends in workplace trauma and offering solutions on how to move forward. Because if we're going to work together, we need to learn how to heal together.
Given how much of ourselves we dedicate to our work, it's not surprising that the workplace can also be a significant source of trauma in our lives.
Workplace Therapy is a podcast that puts the human expriences of work front and center. We'll be discussing the latest trends in workplace trauma and offering solutions on how to move forward. Because if we're going to work together, we need to learn how to heal together.
34 Episodes
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In this episode of The Workplace Therapy Podcast by Unity & Company, host Scott Arrieta sits down with Lori Woodley Langendorff, thought leader, author, and co-founder of All It Takes, to explore how emotional literacy isn’t just for classrooms—it’s the missing ingredient in today’s workplaces.Drawing from her book SEL Muscle Mastery, Lori shares a practical framework for developing six “emotional muscles” that strengthen collaboration, accountability, and resilience:Quit Taking It Personally (Resilience)Speak from “I” (Ownership)Ask vs. Tell (Collaboration)Authentic ConnectionCuriosity over Judgment (Agility)Walk the Talk (Integrity)Together, Scott and Lori unpack why organizations continue to deprioritize emotional intelligence—even when the science proves its value—and how leaders can start integrating these skills to create cultures that heal, not harm. From distinguishing between serving and saving to mastering the Notice–Choose–Act framework, this episode offers tangible ways to build stronger, more human workplaces.Whether you’re a CEO, manager, or educator, this conversation is a masterclass in leading with empathy, resilience, and integrity.🎧 Listen now to learn how to flex your SEL muscles and create a workplace where people thrive—not just survive.
What does it really mean to be resilient at work—and why do so many high performers find themselves burning out?In this episode of The Workplace Therapy Podcast by Unity and Company, Scott Arrieta sits down with Dr. Marie-Hélène (MH) Pelletier, psychologist, business strategist, and author of The Resilience Plan. Drawing from her rare combination of a PhD in psychology and an MBA, MH shares a practical, strategic approach to resilience—one that moves beyond “self-care tips” and empowers leaders to build sustainable performance cultures.You’ll learn:Why resilience is not an innate trait but a skill to be built and maintained.How to apply business strategy tools like SWOT analysis to your own well-being.Practical ways leaders can model resilience and create healthier team cultures.If you’ve ever felt like you’re running on empty or want to equip your team to thrive without burning out, this conversation is for you.
What if the best solutions in your organization are already happening—but you’re too focused on fixing problems to notice them?In this episode of The Workplace Therapy Podcast by Unity & Company, host Scott Arrieta sits down with Dr. Ur Barzel, Vanderbilt faculty member and change management expert, to explore the practice of bright spot thinking. Together, they uncover how small, overlooked wins can be amplified into systemic change.Through stories ranging from hospital safety to city planning to an unexpected moment at a hockey game, Scott and Ur reveal how curiosity, psychological safety, and non-traditional leadership create the conditions for people to thrive. You’ll also hear how to use the “miracle question” to uncover hidden wisdom in your team, and why courage and humility matter more than positional authority.If you’re a leader looking for practical, human-centered ways to build resilience and unlock your culture, this conversation offers powerful tools and inspiring examples you can apply right away.
What if burnout isn’t the end of the road, but the beginning of a new one?In this episode of The Workplace Therapy Podcast by Unity & Company, host Scott Arrieta sits down with Hayley Hatfield—career coach, culture strategist, and founder of HayleyHatfield.com—to explore the messy but transformative moment so many women leaders face: the career crossroads.Drawing on her own journey through corporate burnout and reinvention, Hayley shares why burnout can actually be a breakthrough moment, and how women can use it to clarify values, reclaim agency, and step into leadership that is both strategic and soulful. Together, Scott and Hayley unpack the cultural and generational shifts shaping today’s workplace, from the growing demand for empathetic leadership to the silent scripts that keep women stuck in roles that no longer serve them.Whether you’re questioning if you should stay, pivot, or build something entirely new, this conversation is a reminder that leadership doesn’t have to mean self-sacrifice—it can mean alignment, authenticity, and a new way forward.
In this episode of The Workplace Therapy Podcast by Unity & Company, Scott and Monica Arrieta sit down with Nadine Fakhoury, an executive coach and former Vice President at Cisco. Nadine shares her remarkable journey from engineer to executive, where she became the only female VP in her division, leading a global team of 350 people and managing billions in revenue.Through powerful personal stories — from being mistaken for the admin in leadership meetings, to advocating for herself in salary negotiations, to creating the first-ever offsite for technical women at Cisco — Nadine reflects on what it means to lead authentically in environments where you don’t always feel you belong. She opens up about the responsibility leaders carry to use their authority, voice, and platform to create opportunities and foster belonging for others.Nadine also discusses the personal cost of misalignment and burnout, the importance of values-driven leadership, and why her coaching practice is dedicated to helping leaders get unstuck and flourish in complex systems. This is a conversation for anyone who believes leadership is about more than personal success — it’s about building space where others can thrive.
What if the secret to advancing your leadership, team cohesion, and organizational culture wasn’t just about charisma or authority—but about influence? In this powerful episode of The Workplace Therapy Podcast, Scott Arrieta sits down with Ellin Sidell, CEO of The Sidell Method and co-author of The Influence Advantage, to break down the three overlooked relationship types every professional needs to thrive: partnership, mentorship, and sponsorship.With decades of experience at companies like Nestlé, Microsoft, and Costco, Ellin brings a science-backed yet deeply human perspective to ethical influence, neuroplasticity, and strengths-based leadership. From building Costco’s groundbreaking mentorship program to unlocking how reciprocity, likability, and visibility create exponential growth—for individuals and organizations alike—this is one conversation you won’t want to miss.
In this episode of The Workplace Therapy Podcast, host Scott Arrieta sits down with John Wichmann, CEO of Gather Sciences and architect of the Balanced Hybrid framework, to unpack what it really takes to make hybrid work work—not just for employees, but for the business.As more companies push for full-time return to office, John makes a compelling case for why an optimized hybrid model might actually be the strategic advantage most leaders are missing. Together, Scott and John explore the four pillars of a balanced hybrid strategy—People, Patterns, Place, and Purpose—and discuss why many hybrid implementations fail due to lack of intentionality, consistency, and accountability.John shares data-backed insights, real-world stories, and strategic takeaways for leaders who want to avoid arbitrary policies and instead build a hybrid culture that boosts productivity, supports onboarding and mentorship, and helps attract top talent in a shifting labor market. Whether you're hybrid, remote, or in-office, this conversation is a must-listen for anyone designing the future of work.
In this powerful episode of The Workplace Therapy Podcast, Scott Arrieta, CEO of Unity & Company is joined by Dr. Ur Barzel — a leading expert in organizational change, high reliability organizations (HROs), and systems thinking.Together, they explore how organizations in high-risk industries like healthcare, aviation, and the military achieve low error rates not by eliminating human mistakes, but by building environments that promote psychological safety, systemic learning, and continuous improvement.Through real-world examples — including the case of nurse RaDonda Vaught, tragic system failures in amusement parks, and the evolution of aviation safety protocols — Dr. Barzel illustrates why blame cultures fail and how leaders can cultivate just cultures that truly fix root causes.Whether you’re leading a hospital, a startup, or a Fortune 500 company, the lessons in this conversation are clear:Blame doesn’t fix broken systems.Fear kills innovation and transparency.Leadership begins with creating environments where people can speak up safely — and learn together.If you're ready to move beyond surface-level fixes and lead lasting change, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.
In this timely and compassionate episode of The Workplace Therapy Podcast, Scott Arrieta and co-host Dr. Sarah Gould sit down with Anna Pinkerton, a world-renowned trauma specialist and founder of Kindness Informed Leadership. With over 30 years of clinical experience, Anna brings deep insight into the psychological toll of chronic stress, burnout, and trauma in leadership—and how kindness isn’t a weakness but a revolutionary act of resilience.Together, they explore:How untreated trauma shows up in leadershipThe signs of chronic stress and early-stage burnoutWhy traditional productivity-driven cultures are breaking peopleThe false dichotomy between kindness and accountabilityPractical frameworks for healing and supporting ourselves and our teamsThe power of vulnerability, presence, and emotional regulation in high-stakes environmentsAnna’s message is clear: Kindness is not about being nice—it’s about being brave, present, and connected. This episode is a must-listen for anyone in leadership who wants to build a culture that sustains people, not just profits.
In this heartfelt and thought-provoking episode of The Workplace Therapy Podcast, host Scott Arrieta sits down with Marcia Donziger, founder and CEO of Vital Biz Consulting, to explore how workplace culture can be both a healing force and a strategic driver of business results.Marcia shares her personal journey—from being diagnosed with ovarian cancer in her 20s to founding MyLifeLine, a nonprofit that helped cancer patients stay connected with their support networks. She later transitioned into organizational consulting, driven by her belief that care, connection, and trust are essential for people and companies to thrive.Together, Scott and Marcia unpack:The Culture CARES framework (Commitment, Appreciation, Respect, Engagement, and Safety)Why psychological safety and trust are the foundation of high-performing teamsHow to transform culture one business unit at a time, even without executive buy-inThe emotional and strategic impacts of mass layoffs—and how to navigate them with humanityWhy employee experience is not a soft skill—but a business driverThe role of leaders as culture carriers and examples of real-world impactListeners will walk away with a renewed sense of what's possible when organizations make care a cornerstone of their leadership strategy.
The most valuable lessons about business and leadership are not learned in the classroom. When it comes to developing the next generation of high-impact leaders, there is simply no substitute for experience and mentorship. On this week's episode of The Workplace Therapy Podcast, our guest Candice Seiger gives us a healthy dose of both.
Candice is a seasoned strategy and operations executive who has worked for major brands like Carnival, Hyatt and AAA. She currently sits on the board for American Public Television and holds an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. In this week's episode, Candice shares the four essential ingredients to her success as a leader and offers advice to deveoping leaders on how to scale their impact by focusing on what matters most - the people.
The promotion process at most companies can be frustratingly opaque. In this week's episode of the Workplace Therapy Podcast, Annie Brown - Head of People at Fi gives us an insider's peek behind the veil of performance reviews and promotion decisions and gives some invaluable advice to employees and managers navigating the process.
We expect a lot of things from leaders in the modern workplace and perhaps chief among them is the expectations that leaders maintain resilience, composure and stability during times of uncertainty and change. That can sometimes be a tall order as today's workplace experiences a volume and velocity of change that is often times overwhelming.
In this week's episode of The Workplace Therapy Podcast, certified somatic coaches Scott and Monica Arrieta from Unity & Company interview Dr. Susan Bernstein, CEO of Shift Beyond Strategies. Dr. Bernseitn holds a Ph.D. in Somatic Psychology and an MBA from UC Berkley. She leverages her unique blend of business acumen and deep expertise in somatic psychology to work with organizations to produce more adaptable and self-aware leaders who in turn serve as catalysts for organizational growth.
Burnout in the workplace is one of the most costly business problems in the workplace today. Mass layoffs and increased productivity expectations have left workers feeling unappreciated, unseen and emotionally and physically depleted. Burnout fuels employee disengagement, attrition, lost productivity and a host of other negative business outcomes.
On this week's episode of The Workplace Therapy Podcast, we speak with Azizi Marshall, CEO of the Center for Creative Arts Therapy on how the cure for burnout might come from an unexpected place - the creative arts.
True innovation comes from a place of authenticity. How then, can organizations hope to cultivate and harness innnovation in a time where it feels more difficult than ever to be yourself in the workplace?
In this week's episode of The Workplace Therapy Podcast, Scott Arrieta (CEO of Unity and Company) and Skylar Lewandowski speak with Janine Dennis of Talent Think Innovations on the elusive goal of being yourself in the workplace and reaping the benefits of embracing authenticity versus conformity.
We’re starting a new series here on The Workplace Therapy Podcast called Weaponized Words, where we examine the lexicon we use in the workplace and try to unpack how certain words and phrases might have and unintended impact in our organizations. This week, my co-host Skylar Lewandowski and I take a look at the often-weaponized word, “productivity.” We discuss what productivity is, what it isn’t, where leaders commonly trip up when evaluating productivity and what we can learn to do differently.
Deep down, we know that we as humans are all different. We know that we don't all have the same perspectives, abilities and desires. And yet, in so many aspects of our lives, we're encouraged or sometimes even required to foresake our natural strengths and propensities and are instead directed to work tirelessly on mitigating our weaknesses so we can become like everybody else. This approach is exhausting and futile.
In this week's episode of Workplace Therapy, our hosts discuss an assessment developed by Gallup called Clifton Strenghts (formerly known as Strengths Finder). The Clifton Strengths assessment shines a light on the strengths and talents that make you unique and helps you to understand how to lean into your strengths to accomplish your goals instead of focusing on mitigating your weaknesses.
This week, Scott Arrieta, CEO of Unity and Company shares his Clifton Strengths results and reflects on how those insights have changed his perspective on work and life.
Deep down, we know that we as humans are all different. We know that we don't all have the same perspectives, abilities and desires. And yet, in so many aspects of our lives, we're encouraged or sometimes even required to foresake our natural strengths and propensities and are instead directed to work tirelessly on mitigating our weaknesses so we can become like everybody else. This approach is exhausting and futile.
In this week's episode of Workplace Therapy, our hosts discuss an assessment developed by Gallup called Clifton Strenghts (formerly known as Strengths Finder). The Clifton Strengths assessment shines a light on the strengths and talents that make you unique and helps you to understand how to lean into your strengths to accomplish your goals instead of focusing on mitigating your weaknesses.
This week, Skylar Lewandowski, the Director of Special Programs at Unity and Company shares her Clifton Strengths results and reflects on how those insights have changed her perspective on work and life.
The job market these days is tumultuous to say the least. Large employers are making huge cuts to their staffing and operating models. AI and automation technologies threaten to displace some jobs. And wage growth just isn't keeping pace with increased employer demands for productivity and worker output.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the job market, the skilled trades are booming. Demand for jobs like construction are on the rise, and those jobs aren't easy to offset by outsourcing or technology implementations. The skilled trades offer rewarding work, skill development, a fulfilling career path and competitive compensation.With the best of intentions, we as a society have pushed the corporate, cubicle-dwelling life as a significant piece of the American dream. But is it time for us to paint a different picture of a new dream?
This week on the podcast, we're excited to introduce Shannon Kahn as our guest. Shannon founded SMK Consulting to “Create Profit and Prosperity for Staffing Firms.” With over three decades of staffing industry experience, Shannon has a history of leading teamsthat deliver exceptional results with a focus on driving revenue and profitability, operationalexcellence, and leadership development. Working for both large public companies and nichefirms, she held many executive leadership roles throughout her career. Shannon spent morethan sixteen years working in the skilled trades sector where she developed a passion for theblue-collar workforce and is committed to creating awareness and appreciation for the tradesand other blue-collar professions.
You won't want to miss this enlightening discussion.
Sometimes you don't have to look very far to find the inspiration you need to take your leadership to the next level. Lessons about life and leadership are everywhere in the world around us.
On this week's installment of The Workplace Therapy Podcast, our hosts Scott Arrieta and Skylar Lewandowski interview Michael Frino and Katie Desiderio, authors of the best selling book, The Beekeeper: Pollinating Your Organization for Transformative Growth.
In this week's episode, we'll dive into:
- Why it's essential for leaders to be proximal
- Why the ability to accept truth about yourself and the desire to change are among the most important leadership attributes
- Why leaders don't need to know everything
- What the true job of a leader is
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