Explore every episode of the podcast KatAnu Connect Podcast

Shadow work: those hidden tasks inside “done” and the off-board favors your team quietly takes on, silently steals capacity, tanks predictability, and frustrates everyone.  This high-energy, practical guide shows you how to name it, measure it, and design simple team agreements that bring invisible effort into the light so you can plan realistically, deliver confidently, and protect your people.

If your meetings and events feel flat, formulaic, or just plain exhausting, it’s time to shake things up.  In this lively, practical guide, we explore three meeting formats that actually work: Lean Coffee, Open Space, and World Café.  Whether you have 60 minutes, half a day, or a full day to play with, you’ll find the perfect approach to energize your team, spark real dialogue, and co-create meaningful outcomes.  Get ready to turn “just another meeting” into a space where ideas flow, people connect, and progress happens!

Too many Sprint Plannings feel like marathons with no finish line.  In this episode, Kate & Ryan show you how to flip the script!  They break down practical facilitation moves to keep Sprint Planning crisp, collaborative, and confidence-building.

From capacity planning hacks to sprint goals that actually inspire, they share real-world stories, pitfalls to avoid, and energizing techniques you can steal for your own teams.  Whether you’re a Scrum Master, Product Owner, or developer, you’ll walk away ready to lead Sprint Planning like a pro—no more chaos, just clarity and momentum!

Kate & Ryan discuss "quick retros" you can do at any time for any meeting, event or other activity

Kate & Ryan discuss the Scrum of Scrums, Meta Scrums, Product Owner Syncs and their usefulness

Kate & Ryan discuss what "Accountability" means for a Scrum team, how we can hold each other accountable, the levels of it, and how it differs from "responsibility."

Kate & Ryan are joined by Anu Smalley to discuss Backlog Refinement and her mnemonic "REFINE" to help keep teams on track

Kate & Ryan discuss the often overlooked Sprint Review, why we shouldn't call it a Demo and aspects we can focus on to make them better

Kate & Ryan are joined by Kate's partner in crime Anu Smalley to discuss the core attributes and responsibilities of great Product Owners

Kate & Ryan discuss Patrick Lencioni's Team #1 video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjE_mPoZPSg) and the importance of understanding what team you are really on

Kate & Ryan discuss the concepts behind an Agile Center of Excellence and a Community of Practice and how they work together

Kate & Ryan are joined by a mystery guest to discuss a topic that seems to confuse everyone: where does the Scrum Master belong in the org chart?

Kate and Ryan discuss the Cynefin framework that outlines five situational domains that are defined by cause-and-effect relationships and how they can help organizations understand how they work

Most people think facilitation means running a meeting, keeping time, or taking notes. But true facilitation is so much more - it’s about guiding groups toward purpose-driven outcomes, staying neutral, navigating conflict productively, and creating space for every voice in the room!

In this episode, Kate and Ryan bust the biggest myths around facilitation - from the false belief that conflict is failure, to the misconception that the facilitator must “own” the decisions. Together, they unpack why neutrality matters, why planning goes far beyond an agenda, and why facilitation is a skill that everyone needs!

Whether you’re a Scrum Master, Project Manager or simply someone tired of unproductive meetings, this conversation will give you fresh insights, practical tips, and a new appreciation for the power of facilitation!

Kate & Ryan are joined by Jeff van Brunt (A-CSPO, CSM, CAL) to discuss Gallup's State of the Global Workplace 2023 Report and somethings we can do to make life better for our team members

Kate & Ryan talk about the importance of real Agile leadership and what your org can do to support it

Kate & Ryan look at products vs. projects, the confusion around Epics and why your organization might want to sort out the terminology

Kate & Ryan complete their 3-part series going over what ChatGPT says are the most common myths about Scrum and Agile

Because AI is all the rage, Kate & Ryan ask ChatGPT what are some of the top myths about Agile.  This week its part II with myths 11 thru 20

Because AI is all the rage, Kate & Ryan ask ChatGPT what the top myths about Agile

Kate & Ryan are joined by Anu Smalley to discuss Facilitation and classes to help us all stop "winging it"

Kate & Ryan discuss Minimum Viable Products (MVPs), why teams seem to struggle with the concept, and how we can help them

Kate & Ryan talk with IT professional and Certified Agile Leader Erick Cortes about his transformative experience with the course

Kate & Ryan discuss the Agile Values & Principles and how to discuss them with our teams 

Kate and Ryan are joined by special guest Erin Mullens for a lively, honest conversation about the real world of Scrum Mastery. They explore how each of them found their way into the role, what truly energizes them about the job, and the frustrations they all wrestle with (hello, “gravitational pull of waterfall”!).

From building trust with teams to navigating tricky leadership dynamics, they share what it takes to create the “air a team can breathe.” Listeners will hear stories, lessons learned the hard way, and practical tips they can put into play right away, whether they’re brand new to the Scrum Master role or seasoned pros.

Expect laughs, a few “oh, that’s me” moments, and a healthy dose of honesty about the challenges, changes, and the future of the role. This isn’t theory, this is Scrum Mastery in action!

Kate & Ryan discuss the story of Van Halen and the brown M&Ms and what they can tell us about User Stories

Kate and Ryan discuss how they try to be Agile at home  

Kate talks with Michael Bell (PMP, CSM) Brand Strategist at the The Modern Brand Company about Agile leadership for non-technical teams

Kate & Ryan welcome Fred Mastropasqua the CEO of Clearly Agile to discuss Metrics!

Kate and Ryan discuss the importance of certifications and the benefits they bring

Kate & Ryan discuss the "team sport" that is Backlog Refinement a necessary activity for a healthy product backlog

Kate and Ryan discuss the pros and cons of Scrum and Kanban, and how to decide which to use

Kate & Ryan discuss the importance of the ScrumMaster, their ongoing value, and how they aren't just a Project Manager with a fun title.

Kate & Ryan discuss the source of a ScrumMaster's power: their influence

Kate, Anu, and Ryan discuss the importance of developing and having core values on  teams.

“Values are like fingerprints, nobody's are the same, but you leave them all over everything you do.” —Elvis Presley

Live from the buzz of Agile2025, Kate Megaw, Anu Smalley, and Ryan Smith dive into the energy, insights, and shake-ups that had everyone talking. From the groundbreaking PMI–Agile Alliance partnership, to embracing AI as your co-conspirator, to ditching dogma and speaking the language your teams actually understand—this episode is a celebration of agility’s fresh new vibe.  With Ryan keeping the conversation sharp (and occasionally steering it back on track), it’s an energizing dose of optimism, straight talk, and a few Friday-afternoon giggles.

Kate and Ryan talk with Anu Smalley about the importance of "Business Agility" and how organizations should think about it

Kate and Ryan discuss Metrics that make sense for your team and your organization

Kate & Ryan discuss OKRs and how they may best fit into your team's Agile practice

Kate & Ryan discuss the 5 levels of planning in Scrum:

• The Vision Statement
• The Roadmap
• Release Planning
• Sprint Planning 
• The Daily Scrum

Kate & Ryan discuss the importance of psychological safety for Scrum Teams

Kate & Ryan discuss the "dark art" of sizing, why so many teams struggle with it, and the uses of Velocity

Kate & Ryan discuss the Daily Scrum, why it shouldn't be a status update and some tips & tricks for keeping it fresh

Kate & Ryan dig into Vision Statements, Product Goals & Epics 

Kate and Ryan dig into the various types of work and tickets beyond the User Story

Kate & Ryan discuss the future of work with Jeff van Brunt

Trust isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s the foundation of every high-performing team. In this episode, we explore why trust and reliability are inseparable—and how leaders can intentionally build both.  From creating psychological safety to demonstrating authenticity and consistency, we break down practical steps to foster stronger team connections, improve engagement, and boost results.  Whether you’re leading a Scrum team or guiding cross-functional projects, these insights will help you transform relationships and elevate performance.

Kate & Ryan discuss the perennial topic of the 5 stages of Team Formation:  Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning

Kate & Ryan discuss Program vs Scrum Teams, how they differ and how they can work together in Scrum

Kate & Ryan discuss rollover work: issues that are not finished in one Sprint and "just rollover" to the next one and why this happens so teams can stop it from happening