Excited for my conversation with Erin Diehl on this episode of the podcast. We talk improv in the workplace for helping team members feel seen, heard and valued. Plus, Erin shares her MOVE ON method for mental and physical healing.

Today on the podcast, I'm talking with "The Sacred Meaning of Everyday Work" author, Robert Tribken. Robert is such a cool guy--with an MBA and a theology background he has a unique perspective about work. We continue our theme of purpose and discuss how to see the value in everyday tasks. It's a powerful conversation. I hope you'll listen in!

Super excited about my conversation today with friend, colleague and returning guest, David Papa. Listen in as we discuss authenticity, fear, control and how to be your best self. 

Today we're releasing our 250th show celebration episode featuring:

Rick Gilkey
Ken Keen
Saundra Dalton-Smith
Steve Robinson
Mazi Robinson

… and a very special co-host, my daughter, Abby Smith!

Listen in to hear timeless highlights on how the brain works, leading under pressure, the rest you need, building culture, managing anxiety and more.

I had a lot of fun recording this episode and I know you'll find value in listening. Enjoy!

Always love revisiting the RAPKG podcast with my dear friend and business partner, Randy Hain, the week of Thanksgiving.

RAPKG means showing Random Acts of Praise, Kindness and Gratitude - an action which we can always use reminding of. An action which should always be in practice.

As we get intentional this week, spending time in conversation with family and friends - let's remember to both talk about it and show it… even beyond the dinner table.

Today on the Workplace Therapist Show, we're talking about "The Secret Lives of Customers" with author, David Duncan. The word "customer" can have many definitions… customers can be internal or external. Listen in as David and I talk collecting the right data, working from home vs. the office and where vulnerability comes into play. 

Today, I'm honored to have my friend and mentor of 20 years, Len Leritz, join me for an episode of The Workplace Therapist Show. Len takes us on a deep dive into the framework of how we think about how we process the world. It's that internal communication - the lens we look through - that can cause problems for us especially if we're reading from old scripts and beliefs. Listen in - I know you'll find this episode as helpful and insightful as I did!

October marks Emotional Wellness Month and if you're listening to this on the release date of October 10, today specifically is World Mental Health Day. Emotional well-being is an important topic. Today, we're revisiting Brandon's conversation with The Mental Health Comedian Frank King. 

Over our last few episodes, we've discussed navigating through conflict, managing anxiety, building resiliency and self-awareness. In essence: we've learned about showing more kindness to others and ourselves. Another way we can take this a step further is to place ourselves in the shoes of others. We never know the battles someone else is facing, but with a little empathy, we can be better fellow human beings. I'm excited to be joined on a new episode today by Rob Volpe to share "Five Steps to Empathy".

"In all drama, there's always a lack of clarity."

Such insight from today's podcast guest, Marlene Chism. We have a great conversation filled with tips for guiding you through difficult conversations and moderating conflict.

I hope you'll listen in! 

Happy Labor Day! I hope you're off enjoying some time with family and friends. You know, we only have 4 months left in 2022. As things begin to rev back up for the fall season, it's a great time to examine where our focus lies. To help us on this journey, we're revisiting my podcast conversation with Andy Storch, Author of "Own Your Career, Own Your Life" on mindset.

Last month, Emily and I had the pleasure of traveling to Las Vegas for the 2022 NAPA Expo. I spoke to over 18,000 regional managers and store owners about how to master urgency when everything is urgent.

Today, we're sharing takeaways from our time at the Expo, including some key challenges I see many leaders facing on a new episode. 

For President's Day, we're revisiting Brandon's most recent episode with Licensed Counselor, Mazi Robinson on strengthening our resiliency muscle. Anxiety levels are at an all time high…. Mazi notes that our anger is often unaddressed anxiety. But take heart, Mazi walks us through how to build resiliency and turn things around.

"The only thing that frees us from anxiety is doing the thing you are afraid to do." So many nuggets of advice for facing anxiety head-on today in a new episode of The Workplace Therapist Show with Licensed Counselor, Mazi Robinson. Mazi notes that our anger is often unaddressed anxiety. And folks, today we talk about how we've entered "next level" anxiety in post-pandemic times. But take heart, Mazi also walks us through how to build resiliency and turn things around.

Thanks so much for being a loyal follower of The Workplace Therapist Show! With your support, we've had over 115,000 all-time downloads! 

Did you know we also have a new podcast called The Leadership Foundry Podcast where we take a deeper dive into issues and roadblocks impacting leaders in today's hybrid workplace?

We talk about things like "why good leaders fail" - an episode featuring Jim Wetrich, "Three Core Principles for First-Time CEOs" with Chad Costley and this episode you're about to hear with Sam Horn on "How to Talk to the Decision-Maker Who Doesn't want to Talk to You). 

Check out The Leadership Foundry Podcast on iTunes and MyLeadershipFoudry.com where you can catch up on past episodes. 

Now - enjoy this special edition with host, Brandon Smith and Guest, Sam Horn, Founder and CEO of The Intrigue Agency. 

Why does it feel like we're experiencing more conflict in today's workplace? My guest Leslie Nydick, The Conflict Strategist, says: "we're talking about the conflict instead of running from it." In this episode, we discuss ways to resolve friction with toxic co-workers and minimize conflict altogether in the workplace. 

We hope you're enjoying some REST and relaxation this 4th of July! The podcast team is off today, so we're revisiting this fantastic episode with Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith on the 7 Types of Rest You Need. 

Excited to have my eldest son, Noah, with me on today's Workplace Therapist Show! We talk about life as a working teenager, balancing school and career goals, managing both employees and customers and why he recommends "don't always follow the money" (#prouddadmoment!). Listen in!

With my new book "The Author vs. Editor Dilemma" officially available and in your hands this Thursday (6/23/2022), be sure to catch today's special "Ask the Workplace Therapist" edition of The Workplace Therapist Show! Creative Director, Emily Smith, joins as we answer questions from our listeners. I'm sharing specific examples of how to "author up" and "edit down" in the workplace. We discuss how to be more proactive as a direct report and ways to encourage your team to embrace the "Author vs. Editor" workflow so they get excited about work, feel involved and appreciated.

It's an exciting podcast day because producer, Whitney, and I are back in front of the mics to talk about my new book, "The Author vs. Editor Dilemma: The Leadership Secret to Unlocking Your Team, Your Time, and Your Impact" launching Thursday, June 23, 2022!  

In this book, I explain how to "author up" and "edit down" so you can reclaim control of your life and win back hours in your week. Listen in to learn more! 

Today, I'm reflecting on this special episode of The Workplace Therapist Show where producer, Whitney, and I discuss why I wrote "The Hot Sauce Principle" and how we can apply it to our working relationships today. While it's a fun episode, it's a great reminder that life is not meant to be an endless sea of to-dos. It's a reminder that, taking control of our schedules, projects and other forms of urgency in our lives is a form a self-care - because that means more time for doing other things we enjoy.

"The greatest opportunity you have in your career is when you're happy in it." I'm excited to have Dr. Benjamin Ritter with me on today's episode of The Workplace Therapist Show to talk about authoring a career you love. Together, we cover how to retain talent and the three buckets where leaders need to live for their teams.

More than 70% of us feel like pretenders; we feel like everyone around us has their life together while we continue to swing and miss. My guest today on The Workplace Therapist Show, Dr. Carolyn Goerner, has gone great lengths to combat imposter syndrome, including trying out for Broadway! While the feelings of imposter syndrome never fully go away, we can give such thoughts less power. We can learn to embrace our authentic self! On the podcast, Carolyn shares her three steps to do just that.

Fair promotions, well-matched managers and fewer meetings. Inc. columnist, author and friend of the show, Jeff Haden returns to share three things you, as a leader must do in 2023 to set your team - and the business as a whole - up for success.

To celebrate the upcoming release of my book, The Hot Sauce Principle, on Audible, I'm sharing the first chapter on today's episode of The Workplace Therapist Show.

When the world shut down in March 2020, I was in the final editing stages of the book and felt a momentary sense of panic: had the book I spent all these months writing suddenly become obsolete? But still, two years after we first shut down, the urgency epidemic is as prevalent as ever.

So, I invite you to revisit and review The Hot Sauce Principle: How to Live and Lead in a World Where Everything is Urgent All of the Time. 

Dive into the first chapter now! 

If you're yearning for some learning, you've come to the right place. Today's Workplace Therapist Show guest is the World's Fastest Reader and holds the Guinness Book of World Records title (for reading more than 25,000 words a minute and writing more than 100 words a minute!) to match! Howard Berg joins me to explain the value of schema, comprehension and EQ for faster learning.

I've got an inspiring conversation with Michael Unbroken for this edition of the podcast. Michael is a coach and advocate for adult survivors of childhood trauma and, while his story can be hard to hear, he has turned his own journey around serving as a guiding light for others today. We talk about clarity being key to self-discovery and how to avoid growth derailers.

Ed Frauenheim joins me on today's Workplace Therapist Show to take a deep dive into gender roles. Specifically, he breaks down the 5 C's needed to make a shift in the way we view masculinity. In his findings, Ed explains how the best leaders are perceived as being the most open... and that's leading with heart!

This show is the GOAT! (And if you're not sure what that means, you definitely need to revisit this "Generational Communication" episode with my daughter, Abby Smith.

If your boss can trust you to get work done and take care of any fires that arise, you'll give them the ability to work ON their business (instead of IN the business). And that's what every boss wants this year for Christmas.

To understand our strengths, we must be vulnerable to recognize our weaknesses. Today on the podcast, CANDOR Founder and CEO, Tish Squillaro joins me to discuss the seven emotions. Specifically, we tap into three steps for leaders to overcome thoughts of insecurity.

It's no secret that our careers look different at 50 than they do at 25. On the podcast today, John Tarnoff joins me to share tips for bulletproofing your career and three factors you need to understand to face this new set of challenges. John is an Executive & Career Transition Coach, Career Strategist for Mid-Late Career Professionals and author of "Boomer Reinvention: How to Create Your Dream Career Over 50." I know you'll take as many notes as I did!

With the pandemic still in force and year-end holidays approaching, we're discussing a heavier topic on The Workplace Therapist Show today. To bring hope and humor, 7x TED Talk speaker and Tonight Show writer, Frank King - The Mental Health Comedian joins me to talk about suicide and depression. We discuss signs you or a loved one might be struggling, the necessity of a self-care plan and how we can better handle mental health in the workplace.

It's official! My latest book, "The Author vs. Editor Dilemma: The Leadership Secret to Unlocking Your Team, Your Time, and Your Impact" is now available in audiobook format. In celebration, we're releasing a sneak peek of the book as I read Chapter 1. You'll meet Carlos, a new CEO doing his best to learn about his team and lead them in the right direction. You'll get an intro to urgency, the hero trap and "two seats" (Author and Editor)… but that's just the start! Head over to Audible and begin your journey through all eight chapters after the episode.

In honor of the holiday week, I'm pulling one of my favorite shows on gratitude from the vault. My friend and business partner, Randy Hain, explains RAPKG (Random Acts of Praise, Kindness and Gratitude) and shares ways we can communicate this in the workplace and at home. 

I'm excited to be joined by Rusty Chadwick, Director at WinShape Teams and Co-Author of the book, TEAM WORK. Rusty and I discuss the two characteristics of a high performing team and the role leaders play in both forming teams... and keeping them together. This is important information in today's hybrid workplace! I took a lot of helpful notes and know you will too.

When working from home, it can be easy to feel undervalued at work. "Out of sight, out of mind" - right? We're sharing tips for handling unappreciative co-workers and answer your other workplace relationship questions on this Ask the Therapist edition of The Workplace Therapist Show.

Do the pandemic and a hybrid work schedule still have you feeling a little... lost? We're talking purpose, lazy co-workers, and how to deal with that suspected office romance on this "Ask the Therapist" edition of the podcast. 

"Fear can be a driver or a barricade". What is fear to you? Today on a new episode of The Workplace Therapist Show, Jacqueline Wales, Author of The Fearless Factor and The Fearless Factor @ Work, shares how to thrive through fear and build trust in a distrustful world. A topic we could all learn more about!

On this episode of the podcast, I'm excited to welcome back my good friend and business partner, Randy Hain, as we discuss his new book: Essential Wisdom for Leaders of Every Generation. Randy explains candor, clarity and communication (three ingredients he says form the compass for leaders and aspiring leaders), along with tips for protecting the "air" in your calendar.

How can we make ourselves stand out in a company? Today, my good friend John Kim returns to the show to discuss the world of consulting and how to ask the right questions in your business.

From leading Haiti earthquake relieve efforts, to working in Pakistan after Osama bin Laden was killed, Ken Keen has seen just about everything. He joins me today to discuss leading through crisis and how you can apply some of these concepts in your own workplaces.

How do show up for our team as a whole leader?  Today on the show, Rob McKenna joins me to discuss how to build up your team and become the leader your were meant to be!

Today on the podcast I'm welcoming back Jennifer Kahnweiler, speaker, researcher and author of several leadership books including "Quiet Influence" and "The Introverted Leader." Jennifer and I discuss how the "new normal" work environment affects both the extroverts and introverts on your team. If you're wondering how, as a leader, you can support your people to be their best, Jennifer suggests the answer involves getting curious and listening. 

In this conversation we chat about:

* The benefits of an out-of-office workplace experience in its ability to allow focus and promote productivity

*How a hybrid workplace affects the introverts and extroverts on your team

* How to run a virtual meeting where everyone participates

* How to promote community for the introverts and extroverts on your team.

Books, Articles, Tools & Resources mentioned on this episode:

Check out Jennifer's latest research and the article she wrote about the advantages of working from home.

Introverts Working From Home: How to Make Them Thrive 

Do you wonder how conducive your workplace is to introverts' success? Use Jennifer's assessment tool to find out!

Creating An Introvert-Friendly Workplace Quiz 

In our conversation, Jennifer mentioned a recent HBR article about the considerations companies need to take in determining what the future of work should look like for their organization. You can read that at How to Do Hybrid Right.

Jennifer's Life Hack for Better Conversations in the Workplace and Beyond:

Take time apart from those you're with. Make sure you take breaks from people; get outside and take time away to allow yourself a chance to reset. Outside is a healthy SPACE, use it for your good!

Today's episode is the perfect follow-up to our show last week on gaining visibility. While your good works catch the eye of your boss, they also catch the eye of fellow employees. Potentially toxic employees who are seeking the same promotion as you. Berta Aldrich, author of "Winning the Talent Shift", shares how to navigate this new challenge. 

There's no doubt that after 18 months of living during the COVID pandemic, there's a pervading sense of weariness and low-level anxiety. As my guest, Jason Wasser describes it, we're living in a state of "Present Traumatic Stress Disorder which creates a mid-level of daily stress before our day has even begun. If you're feeling exhausted, you're not the only one. So, should you be taking a Mental Health Day to re-set? Perhaps, though most of us won't. Today Jason and I dive in to explore the beliefs and stories we tell that keep us from giving ourselves the care we need.
We talk about reverse-engineering the lives we want and the questions to ask in order to get there.
I love these questions Jason presents: What are you here to do? How do you get your stakeholders rallied around a common cause?
What's the most important thing to do for you?
What beliefs do you have that prevent you from feeling like you have a choice?
Why do you feel GUILTY for taking self-care?
What makes you feel like you're being selfish?
What are the should's and supposed to's that are keeping you from doing it?
What are you afraid to ask for?
As always, Jason and I have a great conversation, I hope you'll listen in. If you want to learn more about Jason, check him out at Jason Wasser or listen to his podcast at The You Winning Life Podcast.

It's an Ask the Therapist segment on the podcast this week! Listen in as my favorite producer and I take on some of your toughest questions from when you think you might be bad at your job to your boss's social media, to remote team motivation. We have some great conversations—I hope you'll #listenin!