Episodes

  • People Leave Feelings Instead of Jobs (Season 4 First-Half Wrap)

    People Leave Feelings Instead of Jobs (Season 4 First-Half Wrap)
    Jul 5 2026

    Episode 194 · People Leave Feelings Instead of Jobs (Season 4 First-Half Wrap)

    Twenty-plus guests. One truth. Across the first half of Season 4, every conversation kept circling the same finding: people leave feelings instead of jobs. In this solo wrap, Dr. Joey Faucette looks back across episodes 168 through 192, with D.R.E.A.M. (193) as the capstone, and pulls the whole season into a single word every people leader can act on. Seen.

    Dr. Bob Johansen named the world we lead in now: BANI, brittle, anxious, nonlinear, and incomprehensible. Anne Grady reminded us it is not the tech that spins the revolving door, it is people feeling disengaged, overwhelmed, unsupported, and unappreciated. And Stephen de Groot promised that when people know they matter, half your challenges simply go away.

    The episode moves in three movements.

    Movement one: see them, hear them, value them. Meredith Jones on accountability as a two-way street. Ruth Kent on weaving well-being through the whole culture. Barbie Brown on being a relationship builder rather than a recruiter. Tom Lawrence on listening to understand rather than to reply. Margarita Ramos on trust growing in the light. Emily Berliner on recognition as the underrated tool that costs nothing. Tim Elmore on A.L.E.G. and the line from David Augsburger that being heard is so close to being loved the two are hard to tell apart. Dr. Jamie Hardy on making a well-being culture visible before depletion seeps through. George Pesansky on studying what went right. And Dr. Domonique Revere on curiosity as the fuel in the Work Positive engine.

    Movement two: your roots. You can only give what you have grown within yourself. Nick Jonsson on executive loneliness and going first. Mark Divine on calm as an outcome of training and stillness as the master skill. Will Steel on being yourself as the most powerful you there is. Brad Englert on telling the truth, putting family first, and going home for supper.

    Movement three: six frameworks, one conviction. T.R.A.N.S.F.O.R.M., R.E.T.A.I.N., L.E.A.R.N., Leader Soul, T.H.R.I.V.E., and the D.R.E.A.M. Team, with Dave Sanderson, Rob Volpe, Steve Cadigan, Allison Jones, and Tom Oxley threading the same truth through each. Michael Walsh, Bala Muthiah, Bob Johansen, and Sharon McLaughlin close the loop: structures serve people, give before you take, choose how you are augmented, and have the real conversations you have been avoiding.

    Your Do One Thing this week: Choose one person on your team. Sit down one to one, with no agenda but the person in front of you. Tell them one thing you see in them that they have yet to see in themselves. Then ask one question: where do you want to go from here? Then close your mouth and listen to understand.

    Where do you stand in your own culture? Take the free Work Positive Culture Assessment at workpositive.today. Thirteen questions, about three minutes, and you will know your stage, your strengths, and your next best steps.

    Connect with Dr. Joey

    Visit workpositive.today, subscribe to the free Work Positive Newsletter, and browse every episode at the Work Positive Podcast archive.

    • TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.joeyfaucette
    • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@workpositive7529
    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjoeyfaucette/
    • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorkPositiveToday/
    • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/workpositive.today/

    #WorkPositive #CultureEatsStrategyForBreakfast #ChangeManagement #ChangeFatigue #Leadership #PeopleFirst #HR

    Enjoying the show? Please leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts . It helps more people leaders find the Work Positive Podcast and grow culture, grow people and grow profits

    Know a leader who would be a great guest? Send your recommendation to analiza@getpositive.today.
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    19 mins
  • Cultivate the Teams You D.R.E.A.M. About | Dr. Joey Faucette

    Cultivate the Teams You D.R.E.A.M. About | Dr. Joey Faucette
    Jun 28 2026

    Episode 193 | Cultivate the Teams You D.R.E.A.M. About | Dr. Joey Faucette

    Episode summary

    How do you cultivate a Work Positive team culture when nearly 4 out of 5 people on your team are somewhere between going through the motions and actively working against you? How do you create a team so strong that people line up to join it, refuse to leave it, and do their best work inside it? Dr. Joey Faucette unveils his groundbreaking D.R.E.A.M. Teams framework for cultivating the teams you dream about leading. You discover how to define your culture on purpose, place the right people in the right seats, elevate courage, attend to each person, and magnify their strengths.

    Listen as Dr. Joey explores:

    ☀️ Why managers account for 70% of the variance in team engagement and why that variance costs the global economy $438 billion in lost productivity annually

    ☀️ How a single misaligned leader, operating without self-awareness, can poison an entire culture one drop at a time and how a single intentional leader can transform it

    ☀️ Why top talent are the best evaluators in the room and why they often choose to work for a different company than yours

    ☀️ How fear paralyzes teams in communication, career progression, and innovation and how courage is the antidote that unlocks potential

    ☀️ Why people who felt seen, heard, and led suddenly felt none of those things when leaders stopped checking in during the pandemic

    Dr. Joey transforms how you think about team culture by proving that as you apply the D.R.E.A.M. framework, you create a culture where people feel clearly led, rightly placed, bravely heard, personally seen, and genuinely celebrated.

    Key Insight

    "The organizations that grow people and profits today do so in that order. They start with people. And the profits pour in." Sharon McLaughlin

    Your DOT (Do One Thing)

    Choose ONE element of the D.R.E.A.M. framework to implement this week based on where your team can learn and do better:

    • Define: Ask one team member "What is one thing I can improve in leading our team?"
    • Right People: Write down three reasons why the perfect candidate gets excited to join your team before your next hire
    • Elevate: Share one thing you're uncertain about in your next team meeting and ask for your team's thinking
    • Attend: Have a vision conversation with one team member, telling them one thing you see in them that they have yet to fully see in themselves
    • Magnify: Catch three people doing something well this week, share it specifically, out loud, and in the moment

    The D.R.E.A.M. Teams @ Work Framework
    • Define Your Culture on Purpose
    • Right People, Right Seats
    • Elevate Courage
    • Attend to Each Person
    • Magnify Their Strengths
    Featured Work Positive Podcast Guests
    • Sean Lemson (executive coach, author of "One Drop of Poison")
    • Dr. Will Sparks (leadership culture expert)
    • Jon McGavin (Area General Manager for Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott, Grand Lakes Orlando)
    • Jennifer McClure (executive search veteran, leadership advisor)
    • Ashley Rudolph (talent acquisition expert)
    • Glenn Akramoff (interim leadership specialist)
    • Jill Schulman (former Marine, author of "The Bravery Effect")
    • Lisa Cummings (CEO of Lead Through Strengths)
    Connect with Dr. Joey & Work Positive

    Visit workpositive.today, subscribe to the free Work Positive Newsletter, and browse every episode at the Work Positive Podcast archive.

    • TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.joeyfaucette
    • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@workpositive7529
    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjoeyfaucette/
    • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorkPositiveToday/
    • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/workpositive.today/
    Enjoying the show?

    Leave a rating and a review on Apple Podcasts so more people leaders discover the Work Positive Podcast. It takes a minute and helps the whole community.

    Know a leader who would be a great guest? Send your recommendation to analiza@getpositive.today.

    #WorkPositive #CultureEatsStrategyForBreakfast #DREAMTeams #Leadership #Engagement #Attraction #Courage #CareerGrowth
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    1 hr
  • Lead Change Without Losing Your People | Sharon McLaughlin

    Lead Change Without Losing Your People | Sharon McLaughlin
    Jun 21 2026

    Episode 192 | Lead Change Without Losing Your People | Sharon McLaughlin

    Episode summary

    Disruption is the norm now, and wave after wave of it leaves people leaders worn down in body, mind, and heart. Sharon McLaughlin shows you how to guide change so it transforms your culture rather than batters your people. You care for yourself first, then you care for the team you lead, and you trade more strategy for the real conversations that keep your culture people-first.

    Listen as Sharon McLaughlin explores:

    ☀️ How to guide change without losing yourself or the people you lead

    ☀️ Why change fatigue and change saturation drain organizations today

    ☀️ How to care for yourself first as a people leader, then care for your team

    ☀️ What the silence in a room tells you about your culture

    ☀️ How real conversations, rather than more strategy, keep your culture people-first

    Key Insight

    “That’s the real measure of culture: what’s not being said, or what’s being avoided.”

    Sharon McLaughlin

    Sharon’s Do One Thing (DOT)

    “Get out of the strategy and have some real conversations about how the change is being received or perceived, and how the team is managing it. Sometimes leaders avoid those conversations because they don’t want to hear the answer. They just want it implemented. They’ve invested a lot of money. So those conversations you’re avoiding, have them. What you hear may surprise you, and your team will appreciate it.”

    Sharon McLaughlin

    About Sharon McLaughlin

    Sharon McLaughlin is an executive coach and change leadership advisor with more than 30 years of experience helping people and organizations navigate complex transitions. She is the founder of Change Clarity, where she helps leaders guide change without losing themselves or their people in the process. She serves as president of the Ontario chapter of the Change Management Association and belongs to a global community of change management professionals.

    Connect with Sharon

    Website: sharonmclaughlin.ca

    LinkedIn: Sharon McLaughlin on LinkedIn

    Connect with Dr. Joey

    Visit workpositive.today, subscribe to the free Work Positive Newsletter, and browse every episode at the Work Positive Podcast archive.

    • TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.joeyfaucette
    • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@workpositive7529
    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjoeyfaucette/
    • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorkPositiveToday/
    • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/workpositive.today/

    #WorkPositive #CultureEatsStrategyForBreakfast #ChangeManagement #ChangeFatigue #Leadership #PeopleFirst #HR

    Enjoying the show? Please leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts . It helps more people leaders find the Work Positive Podcast and grow culture, grow people and grow profits

    Know a leader who would be a great guest? Send your recommendation to analiza@getpositive.today.
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    31 mins
  • Make People Matter, and Watch Challenges Shrink | Stephen de Groot

    Make People Matter, and Watch Challenges Shrink | Stephen de Groot
    Jun 14 2026

    Episode 191 | Make People Matter, and Watch Challenges Shrink | Stephen de Groot

    Episode Overview

    “Take the values off the wall. Paint over them.” Stephen de Groot once showed up to a consulting engagement with a roller and a paint can, and nearly got fired for it. His point lands hard and simple: your values stay just words until your actions give them meaning.

    As you live the values you say you believe, your culture transforms from a poster in the lobby into a place where your people feel safe, seen, and ready to grow.

    Listen as Stephen explores with Dr. Joey:

    ☀️ Why values painted on a wall mean nothing until your daily actions give them meaning.

    ☀️ The three great states that help your people feel safe and capable.

    ☀️ What “nuked” change is and why you are created for it.

    ☀️ How hiring for values and filtering for competencies shrinks most discipline challenges.

    ☀️ The one thing you can do today to grow your own resilience by knowing your values.

    Key Insight

    “Ensure that your people feel like they matter, and what they do matters, and half your problems will go away.”

    Stephen de Groot

    Your DOT (Do One Thing)

    Know yourself. Know your own values. As Stephen says, the one thing you can do is “know ourselves, know our own values,” because understanding what matters to you grows your resilience and points you toward the environments that align with your values, where fulfillment and meaning grow.

    Connect with Stephen de Groot

    Get a copy of his books:

    • Getting To Better: A New Model for Elevating Human Potential at Work and in Life
    • Responsive Leadership in Social Services: A Practical Approach for Optimizing Engagement and Performance

    Brivia Consulting: https://www.briviaconsulting.com/

    Getting to Better (free tools + overview): https://gettingtobetter.com/

    LinkedIn: Stephen de Groot

    Connect with Dr. Joey

    Visit workpositive.today, subscribe to the free Work Positive Newsletter, and browse every episode at the Work Positive Podcast archive.

    • TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.joeyfaucette
    • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@workpositive7529
    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjoeyfaucette/
    • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorkPositiveToday/
    • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/workpositive.today/

    #WorkPositive #CultureEatsStrategyForBreakfast #Leadership #HumanPotential #EmployeeEngagement #CompanyValues

    Enjoying the show? Please leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts . It helps more people leaders find the Work Positive Podcast and grow culture, grow people and grow profits
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    36 mins
  • Curiosity: The Secret to Culture Transformation | Dr. Domonique Revere

    Curiosity: The Secret to Culture Transformation | Dr. Domonique Revere
    Jun 7 2026
    Episode 190 | Curiosity: The Secret to Culture Transformation | Dr. Domonique Revere How do you transform a work culture where people don't just survive a toxic workplace but thrive in a space where they feel seen, heard, valued, and have skin in the game? How do you move from overfunctioning as a leader to offloading responsibility and allowing autonomy and agency in your team? How do you make leadership accessible and practical for anyone looking to elevate their culture intentionally? Transform your approach to servant leadership and allyship on this episode of the Work Positive Podcast with Dr. Joey Faucette and Dr. Domonique Revere. Dr. Dom is a leadership strategist, work culture expert, and Chief Culture Architect of HR Remedy Consulting. She coaches at the intersection of leadership development, organizational management, and culture elevation, offering clear practical frameworks for leading with integrity, presence, and impact. Listen as Dr. Dom explores: ☀️ Her origin story growing up in East Cleveland in a single parent household, with a community who saw potential in her and propelled her toward success without expecting gain ☀️ Why she wanted to create spaces where people felt seen, heard, valued, could thrive rather than just survive, and be creative and innovative ☀️ How servant leadership and allyship mean helping others move in the same direction, honoring different perspectives and experiences, without needing anything in return ☀️ Why leaders need to stop overfunctioning, offload responsibility, and allow autonomy and agency to grow in their teams so they can take vacations without worry ☀️ Her new book "Language of the Land" which makes leadership accessible and practical, providing an A to Z guide for anyone looking to elevate their culture intentionally Dr. Dom transforms how leaders think about culture by proving that as you become genuinely curious about the people around you, asking more questions to understand why they operate, emote, and carry what they carry, you learn about your own blind spots and create a culture where people thrive individually and collectively. 🔑 Key Insight: "Servant leadership and allyship - when we think about allyship, it's not necessarily that we're all moving in the same direction. We want to make sure that everyone has a seat at the table, we understand perspective, we really are honoring experiences. But these are also folks that don't have anything to gain. Them being at the table and really their gaining is the essence of understanding and valuing different perspectives, different lifestyles, different experiences, different truths. When we are sitting in that space and knowing that everybody deserves peace, deserves protection, deserves safety, we all win." 💡 Your DOT (Do One Thing): Ask more questions. Become genuinely curious about the people who are around you - why they operate the way that they do, why they emote the way that they do, why they carry the things that they carry. You'll learn not only a lot about them, but you'll learn a lot about yourself as well. You'll learn where your blind spots are, where the privilege is, where maybe you can lean in and do things a little bit differently. If you take nothing else away from the conversation, slow down and become genuinely curious about the people that you're choosing to do life and choosing to do work with. It's going to make us all just better humans individually and collectively. Connect with Dr. Domonique Revere: Visit HRemedyConsulting.com for leadership strategy, work culture expertise, and coaching services Get "Language of the Land: The A to Z Guide for Elevating Culture" on Amazon Connect with Dr. Dom on LinkedIn Follow Dr. Dom Revere on Instagram and Twitter Discover how to make leadership accessible and practical for transforming cultureLearn the key to psychological safety, belonging, and inclusion in the workplace #ServantLeadership #Allyship #CultureTransformation #LanguageOfTheLand #GenuineCuriosity #StopOverfunctioning #CultureEatsStrategyForBreakfast #WorkPositive 🎙️ Love the Work Positive Podcast? Please leave a review on iTunes to help others discover how to grow people and profits with a positive work culture! 🔗 Stay connected with Dr. Joey Faucette: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@workpositive7529LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjoeyfaucette/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorkPositiveToday/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/workpositive.today/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.joeyfaucette 📧 Know someone who'd make a great guest on the show? Email analiza@getpositive.today with your recommendation!
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    36 mins
  • Fulfill Human Potential Through Super Performance | George Pesansky

    Fulfill Human Potential Through Super Performance | George Pesansky
    May 31 2026
    How do you close the gap between knowing something and actually doing it as you drown in knowledge but lack the ability to translate it into consistent repeatable action? How do you create a culture so Work Positive that an ordinary person put in the right environment with the right tools suddenly becomes extraordinary? How do you transform from a leader who points out issues to one who helps people reach their full potential? Transform your approach to building super performing cultures on this episode of the Work Positive Podcast with Dr. Joey Faucette and George Pesansky. George is a Six Sigma Master Black Belt, army veteran, inventor, and the author of "Super Performance" published by Fast Company Press. He has trained over 10,000 professionals, worked with some of the world's largest manufacturers, and built a flourishing consulting practice. Listen as George explores: ☀️ His unexpected leadership opportunity as a tank platoon leader with zero training or experience, completely surprising everyone and reaching top evaluations ☀️ Why the essence of Super Performance is helping people reach their full potential, realizing it's not about me but about we and how we all come together ☀️ The golden hour philosophy that we can all have nearly perfect or even perfect levels of performance, like how factories have hours where they work completely safe ☀️ How to go beyond talking about servant leadership and actually demonstrate you'll do things to help people be better tomorrow than they were today, even at an expense to you personally ☀️ Why you have to hang on loosely as a leader, letting people take ownership and be engaged so it doesn't matter if you show up because the systems exist George transforms how leaders think about performance by proving that as you build a culture where people take autonomy and control, you work less rather than harder because you let people take ownership. 🔑 Key Insight: "What I'm gonna call those eight strategies we outline in the book, when you can approach problems that way, there's really nothing you can't solve if you have a group of committed resources that are going to be there with you. It's not about working too hard. Super Performance is actually working less because you're letting people take ownership and letting them be engaged. If you didn't show up today, if you didn't show up this week, it wouldn't matter because the systems exist, the people have ownership, they're engaged. You were a clock builder versus a time teller. The time tellers are the folks that I refer to as capes, the clock builders are who I always want to hire." 💡 Your DOT (Do One Thing): Understand something that went well and be able to answer the question why. It can be any activity, any discussion, could even be the workout, the peloton that you're on listening to the podcast. Ask yourself why did it feel so good today? Why could I have gone a few extra steps, a few extra miles? Why did the performance in the factory do well? The question of why when we do well never gets asked but the question of why when we fail is asked much too often. Just have some balance. Don't say never look at why we fail, but ask the other question once in a while. Connect with George Pesansky: Get "Super Performance" on Amazon (paperback, Kindle, audiobook narrated by George himself)Visit GeorgePesansky.com for articles, podcast appearances, and resources that add valueVisit MyBlendedLearning.com for George's company and consulting servicesConnect with George on LinkedInRead George's articles in Forbes and Fast Company where he is a contributorDiscover how to help people and organizations reach their full potential #SuperPerformance #ClockBuilder #GoldenHour #HangOnLoosely #AskWhyItWentWell #WorkLessNotHarder #CultureEatsStrategyForBreakfast #WorkPositive 🎙️ Love the Work Positive Podcast? Please leave a review on iTunes to help others discover how to grow people and profits with a positive work culture! 🔗 Stay connected with Dr. Joey Faucette: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@workpositive7529LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjoeyfaucette/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorkPositiveToday/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/workpositive.today/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.joeyfaucette 📧 Know someone who'd make a great guest on the show? Email analiza@getpositive.today with your recommendation!
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    31 mins
  • T.H.R.I.V.E. @ Work: Mental Health Culture Framework | Dr. Joey Faucette

    T.H.R.I.V.E. @ Work: Mental Health Culture Framework | Dr. Joey Faucette
    May 24 2026
    EP 188 | T.H.R.I.V.E. @ Work: Mental Health Culture Framework | Dr. Joey Faucette How do you transform your work culture as one in five adults deals with a mental health condition and one in three faces an anxiety disorder? What creates mentally healthy cultures as 54% of all lost work time in the United Kingdom traces back to work-related stress, anxiety, and depression? How do you lead people through chaos as they look to you for clarity, purpose in the predicaments, and meaning in the mayhem? Discover the proven framework to help your people thrive on this special LinkedIn Live episode of the Work Positive Podcast recorded during Mental Health Awareness Month. Dr. Joey Faucette unveils his groundbreaking T.H.R.I.V.E. framework from his latest best-seller "T.H.R.I.V.E. @ Work: Mental Health, Culture, and the People You Lead," drawing from insights of eight extraordinary mental health experts who have transformed cultures and helped countless leaders do the same. Listen as Dr. Joey explores: ☀️ Why organizations that grow people and profits today do so in that order, starting with people as the profits pour in ☀️ The difference between Nick who spiraled after his manager said no to flexible arrangements and Sally who stayed nine years after her manager simply said "You're not right, let's have tea" ☀️ How Velcro comments hook people by head and heart rather than soap bubble comments that disappear in three seconds ☀️ The NAP Framework for strategic rest: Nurture communities and learning, Assess which of seven rest types you need, Prioritize what restores you ☀️ Why feathers ignored morph into bricks, and bricks ignored become trucks as people burn out incrementally rather than suddenly Dr. Joey transforms how leaders think about mental health by proving that as you apply the T.H.R.I.V.E. framework, you create cultures where the people you lead feel seen, valued, rested, equipped, heard, and genuinely engaged. 🔑 Key Insight: "If you ran a factory and someone told you 54% of your machine downtime traced back to a single source, you'd stop the machines. You'd do a root cause analysis. You'd fix it before you switched them back on. Your people deserve that same urgent attention. The organizations that grow people and profits today start with people, and the profits pour in. Psychological safety isn't a cultural nicety. It's basic biology. As the brain perceives threat, the prefrontal cortex goes offline. Creativity disappears. Problem-solving suffers. Burnout accelerates. Trust is the antidote. You make it safe to not be okay, because at any given time, a significant portion of your team is not okay. The question is: Does your culture help them carry the weight or add to it?" 💡 Your DOT (Do One Thing): Choose ONE element of the T.H.R.I.V.E. framework to implement this week based on where your culture can learn and do better. Answer this question first: What about T.H.R.I.V.E. is our culture doing well right now? Give yourself some Joe High-Fives (a five-year-old who high-fived himself as he ran out of people). Celebrating rewires your brain to do more of what you do well. Then answer: Which T.H.R.I.V.E. part can our culture learn from and do better? Helping your people thrive happens in the steady accumulation of moments where people feel seen, valued, rested, equipped, heard, and genuinely engaged. Trust grows one honest conversation at a time. Honor lands one specific acknowledgment at a time. Rest renews one ten-minute margin at a time. Investment compounds one granular challenge solved at a time. Value gets communicated one clear expectation at a time. Engagement sparks one genuine TaDa at a time. The T.H.R.I.V.E. Framework: Trust: Psychological Safety is Your Foundation (Ask one person "How are you really doing?" and truly listen)Honor: Recognition that Lands Best (Give Velcro comments rather than soap bubbles, start meetings with Tip of the Hat)Rest: Your Leadership Superpower (Protect ten minutes today for yourself, shorten recurring meetings by ten minutes)Invest: Implement Your Resilience Plan (Ask team members what specific part creates most pressure, put resilience on meeting agenda)Value: Clarity, Boundaries, and the End of Burnout (Look for five things you like daily, notice feathers before they become bricks)Engage: A Culture where Monday is as Good as Friday (Ask yourself: How do I help people around me be successful? Then do it) Featured Work Positive Podcast Guests: Tom Oxley (Bamboo Mental Health founder, Nick vs Sally story, 54% lost work time statistic)Anne Grady (resilience expert, bestselling author, two-time TEDx speaker, five-minute gratitude meetings drop cortisol 23%)Dr. Erin Wilson (Strategic Rest Summit co-founder, NAP Framework creator, leadership exhaustion expert)Dr. Bob Nelson (world's leading authority on employee recognition, "1,501 Ways to Reward Employees," see something do something)Joel Zeff (TaDa Moments creator, Tip of the Hat practice,...
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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • Give Before You Take: AI as Force for Equity | Bala Muthiah

    Give Before You Take: AI as Force for Equity | Bala Muthiah
    May 17 2026
    Episode 187 | Give Before You Take: AI as Force for Equity | Bala Muthiah How do you create people-first technology that scales for high-performance teams? How do you lead engineering groups under pressure as you develop resilience and innovate sustainably? How do you champion AI as a force for equity rather than replacement, democratizing mentorship and surfacing areas for growth? Transform your approach to empathy, psychological safety, and long-term growth on this episode of the Work Positive Podcast with Dr. Joey Faucette and Bala Muthiah. Bala is Director of Engineering at Lyft, leading the engineering groups responsible for real-time decision systems that support millions of riders and drivers. His work centers on creating environments where teams thrive under pressure. He prioritizes empathy, psychological safety, and long-term growth as he champions AI as a force for equity and leadership. Listen as Bala explores: ☀️ How community shaped him from home to neighbors to extended family, teaching him he stands on the shoulders of giants ☀️ Why women leaders played a huge role in his development, with his first mentor being female and continuing through his career ☀️ The power of coffee walks and why real meetings happen after the meeting, rather than clicking the red button on Zoom ☀️ How starting meetings five minutes late and ending five minutes early gives you time to breathe, reflect, and avoid jumping from meeting to meeting ☀️ Why work is no longer the number one priority for people, which is completely the right thing as individuals develop their community Bala transforms how leaders think about technology by proving that as you bring together analytical skills and people skills, you unlock potential and become a better engineer and a better person. 🔑 Key Insight: "I am standing on the shoulders of giants. I'm taller and able to do things because I am built on top of somebody else's hard work. Someone gave me the opportunity, the learning, and knowledge. Every single opportunity I see, a friend of mine recently shared this: respect the opportunity. Anything you get, respect it. That teaching and that culture helped me stay grounded. Engineers are heads down solving problems, usually not very known for people skills. But as these two come together, you really unlock potential. You become a better engineer and a better person. It's a collective gain. Both benefit from each other. That's the formula I kept and it got me where I am." 💡 Your DOT (Do One Thing): Do two things. First, regardless of where you work or who you work with, as you ask someone "How are you?" and they tell you "I'm good," don't stop there. Ask "Tell me more." That opens up insights and creates better relationships. Many times we ask people how they are, they say good, and we walk away. Some of us ask the question and walk away rather than even listening. Be curious about them. Second, give before you take. Imagine the world as we all give before we take. The world transforms into a much better place. Whether you're talking or creating relationships, always give first before you take anything from that relationship. That makes the whole thing better. People come to you. You are one person who gives before you take, but there are ten people who come to you and give. Mathematically, you actually get more than you give. Note: The views expressed in this episode are those of Bala Muthiah and do not represent the views of his employer. ----more---- Connect with Bala Muthiah: Visit BalaMuthiah.com to read blog posts and discover podcast appearancesConnect with Bala on LinkedInReach out via email on his website (Bala loves connecting with people to learn)Discover how a 30-minute conversation triggers more insights than reading any amount of booksLearn how to create environments where teams thrive under pressure #GiveBeforeTake #PeopleFirstTechnology #AIForEquity #CoffeeWalks #TellMeMore #StandingOnShoulders #CultureEatsStrategyForBreakfast #WorkPositive ----more---- 🎙️ Love the Work Positive Podcast? Please leave a review on iTunes to help others discover how to grow people and profits with a positive work culture! 🔗 Stay connected with Dr. Joey Faucette: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@workpositive7529LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjoeyfaucette/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorkPositiveToday/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/workpositive.today/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.joeyfaucette 📧 Know someone who'd make a great guest on the show? Email analiza@getpositive.today with your recommendation!
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    35 mins