Team Lab – Details, episodes & analysis

What if the "problem team member or leader" isn't the problem at all—but a symptom of a system protecting itself from the truth?

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Nathalie Martinek, a former cancer researcher who discovered unsettling parallels between tumor metastasis and toxic workplace behavior. After experiencing a carcinogenic work environment herself, Nathalie hung up her lab coat to study what she calls "the human lab"—how good people become participants in dysfunctional systems, often without realizing it.

The Big Questions We Tackle:

What's the difference between psychological safety and a toxic workplace? Nathalie breaks down how teams can feel safe while existing in wider systems that aren't—and why the buffer won't last forever.

How does scapegoating actually work? Unlike bullying (which is personal), scapegoating is systemic—the organization turns on someone to avoid looking at itself. And yes, entire teams can become scapegoats too.

Are narcissistic leaders born or made? Nathalie challenges us to look at our own narcissistic traits and how low-trust environments bring out self-protective behaviors in all of us. The question isn't just "who's the narcissist"—it's "how am I participating?"

Can toxic cultures change? Only if people are willing to see their own contribution to the problem. 

What You Can Do Right Now

• Don't take their word for it. Watch if what leaders say matches what they do—that's how you know if you're in a trustworthy environment.
  
  

• Preserve your integrity, not your honesty. You don't owe toxic systems your truth. Sometimes staying silent about certain things is self-preservation.
  
  

• Face your trigger points. That tricky person? They're going to show up at every job until you learn what they're teaching you about yourself.
  
  

• Recognize the pattern. If someone's blocking your moves, recruiting allies against you, or giving you impossible assignments designed for failure—you're likely being scapegoated. Get out.
  
  

• For Gen Z: Don't believe everything you're told about workplace culture. See for yourself. Be compliant without being exploited. And remember: work doesn't have to fulfill your purpose—it can just be a place you show up and do good work.
  
  

Connect with Nathalie

• Substack: Hacking Narcissism Newsletter
  
  

• Website: www.drnataliemartinek.com
  
  

• LinkedIn: Dr. Nathalie Martinek
  
  

• Books: The Scapegoating at Work (ebook), The Little Book of Assertiveness
  
  

More Resources

Get the Cross-Functional Trust Repair Scorecard

What if navigating constant change isn't about moving faster, but noticing who's stuck at the edge of the bridge?

In this episode, we sit down with Suzanne Sitrin, a leadership consultant who's spent decades helping leaders guide teams through transformation: from the quality-management era to today's rapid growth and perpetual pivots. Suzanne shares what actually helps when the bar keeps moving and people are running out of runway.

The Big Questions We Tackle:

How do you lead when the goalposts keep moving? Suzanne unpacks what she's seeing in so many corporate environments: innovation at the top can translate into exhaustion at the bottom—especially when teams hit a milestone and immediately learn it "doesn't count" anymore.

What does psychological safety really require? We talk about trust, vulnerability, and how leaders create the conditions for productive disagreement (without it turning personal).

How do you lead across generations without generalizing? Suzanne shares what's changing in expectations at work—and why leaders need both clarity and flexibility: feedback and autonomy.

The Hard Truths

Not every team (or leader) is ready. Suzanne shares what happens when there isn't true willingness to do the work, and why "growth mindset" can't be lip service if transformation is the goal.

What You Can Do Right Now

• Stop assuming. Curiosity beats projection, especially in ambiguity.

• Ask more, tell less. You can name hard things if you do it with care and clarity.

• Celebrate before you raise the bar. Recognition affirms effort, and strengthens future performance.

• Build emotional intelligence on purpose. Your leadership doesn't end at 5pm; people take it home with them.

Connect with Suzanne

• Website: www.bluebirch.com

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzanne-sitrin/

• Instagram: Blue Birch Consulting

What does it mean to be a "future-fit" leader?

According to our guest this week, being future-fit means improving the performance of organizational leaders to solve the challenges they face today, while expanding their capacities to be more fit for the challenges ahead.

They're not just trying to be better at the old game; they're helping to create an entirely new paradigm for how we work and relate to each other.

Lyssa Adkins has spent the past decade developing leadership teams worldwide, using skillful professional and organizational systems coaching. She is an internationally recognized leadership coach, future of work expert, renowned Agile-coaching pioneer, and author of the top business book, Coaching Agile Teams. 

Dive deep with us as Lyssa shares how leaders can replace command-and-control reflexes with adult-to-adult collaboration, deeper sense-making and what she calls a "future-fit toolbox" of cognitive, emotional and energetic skills.

Tools & Resources Mentioned

Methodologies:

• Liberating Structures for group facilitation

• Relationship Systems Coaching

• Open Space Technology

• Sense-making sessions for leadership teams

Technology & Platforms:

• Miro for visual collaboration

• Slack for remote team communication

Influential Thinkers:

• Diane Musho Hamilton Roshi (Zen teacher and conflict mediator)

• Daniel Schmachtenberger (Game B theorist)

• Laura Storm (Regenerative leadership)

• Bob Anderson (The Leadership Circle)

• Michelle Holliday ("The Age of Thriveability")

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lyssaadkins

• If you're a leader ready to expand your cognitive, emotional, and energetic toolkit and make a bigger impact in the world, connect with Lyssa at lyssaadkins.com. 

About Team Lab 

Team Lab explores the power of teams, the science and art of collaboration, and the magic of thriving relationships at work. Hosted by Angela Migliaccio and Cori Caldwell, this podcast brings you inspiring stories and insights to help you build trust, foster alignment, and unlock creativity in your teams.

Follow us on LinkedIn and subscribe/follow here to never miss an episode!

What if the breakthrough your team needs isn't found in another strategy session or process improvement, but in a moment of unexpected connection? How can asking people to step outside their analytical comfort zone create the psychological safety that brings teams together? And why asking, "What duck are you feeling right now?" might just be what your next team meeting desperately needs?

In this episode of Team Lab, we're exploring these questions with Meredith Tozzer, HR partner and team transformation coach who brings a refreshingly unconventional approach to leading technical teams. With a background spanning art history, higher education, and global high-tech companies, Meredith has mastered the art of reading team dynamics and transforming tension into productive momentum.

Join us for a conversation that explores how "constructive friction" can actually accelerate your team's success instead of slowing it down, why the path to vulnerability is best initiated with silliness, and how to convert team resistance into authentic engagement.

Resources

Connect with Meredith Tozzer on LinkedIn 

Mad Libs + Storytelling Team Exercise - Try Meredith's combination approach for team building that gets people out of their heads. Choose a topic or vision for the collective team to build upon. Have each team member write one sentence of a story, starting at the top of a sheet of paper. Have them fold it so the sentence can't be seen by the next person

Three-by-Three Grid Icebreakers - Use silly animal pictures (rubber ducks, hedgehogs, raccoons) and ask team members to identify a picture that best represents them in this moment and why. This silly opening can help create safe spaces for sharing for the rest of the meeting!

Culture Amp Study referenced in the episode about high performance sustainability over time

Mental Health First Aid Training - Particularly valuable for leaders supporting high-pressure teams

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Follow us on LinkedIn and subscribe/follow to never miss an episode!

What if your workplace could energize your spirit rather than drain it? How much smoother might organizations transform if they focused on removing blockers instead of adding more processes? What would happen if we designed our work systems around human dignity, creativity, and meaningful connection?

In this episode of TeamLab, we're diving into these questions with business transformation strategist and award-winning author Jardena London. As the founder of Rosetta Agile, Jardena brings over 25 years of experience leading bold transformations across organizations of all sizes.

Join us for a conversation that bridges the gap between workplace efficiency and human fulfillment, exploring what it means to be successful at transformational leadership, how AI might actually help us reconnect with our humanity, and why the best leaders "give a hoot and don't pollute."

Connect with Jardena on LinkedIn

Subscribe to Jardena's bi-weekly newsletter for insights on making work more soulful at her website: JardenaLondon.com

Grab Jardena's book for your professional library: "Cultivating Transformations: A Leader's Guide to Connecting the Soulful and the Practical". 

Check out the Theory of Constraints by Eli Goldratt to better understand how to help pinpoint critical issues.

Assess the 'Me' - Get insights into the qualities others see that you don't see yourself.

What about the 'We'? Try Liberating Structures facilitation techniques to gather and cull ideas from large groups so that all voices feel heard.

TeamLab explores the power of teams, the science and art of collaboration, and the magic of thriving relationships at work. Hosted by Angela Migliaccio and Cori Caldwell, this podcast brings you inspiring stories and insights to help you build trust, foster alignment, and unlock creativity in your teams.

Follow us on LinkedIn and subscribe/follow to never miss an episode!

Single-day team building and offsites can be powerful for identifying challenges and creating plans for change, but what happens when work resumes on Monday?

How do top teams SUSTAIN success? 

In Part 2 of our talk with organization development expert Karen Duggan, we cut straight to the HOW: How to create norms and rituals that stick, sewing sustainable practices that fuel authentic collaboration, and so many actionable tools for leaders to help their people connect at deeper levels. 

Karen also shares the ONE question leaders must ask to keep their teams thriving under pressure.

• Team Huddle template in Miro

• P-squared: Each team member *briefly* shares 2 professional, 2 personal items at the top of staff weekly/biweekly meetings

Karen Duggan is a renowned author and organization and talent development specialist who has coached over a thousand teams across various industries. Her unique approach combines practical tools with deep interpersonal work, helping organizations transform how their teams operate. Karen's expertise in team dynamics has made her a sought-after speaker and consultant for companies seeking to cultivate exceptional teamwork.

Connect with Karen on LinkedIn 

• Have your team challenge featured and unpacked on a future episode of Team Lab!

• >> Anonymous Submission Form <<

• Podcast Episodes Website

• LinkedIn

• Your hosts:

• Angela Migliaccio

• Cori Caldwell

• Work with us IRL! Book a consult:  Team Lab at Work

• Team Lab theme music composed by Subra Doyle

• Insta - @subrasonic; Spotify

Don't miss Episode 3, where be talking to team transformation consultant, speaker and author of "Cultivating Transformations: A Leader's Guide to Connecting the Soulful and the Practical", Jardena London! Jardena will walk us through what it means to take a soulful approach to leading teams, highlighting top moments and case studies from her years of working with organizations of all sizes and levels.

Ever wonder why some teams thrive while others struggle, despite having talented people? The answer might surprise you.

In this first episode, Karen Duggan, a powerhouse organization development expert who's coached literally thousands of teams throughout her career is here to break it all down!

Karen reveals the three non-negotiable elements that can transform an average team into an extraordinary one. Spoiler alert: it's not what most leaders focus on!

She shares so many practical exercises and strategies that you can implement TODAY to strengthen team relationships and skyrocket collaboration. (Seriously, we had to split this conversation into two episodes because the wisdom just wouldn't stop flowing!)

Get ready to take notes, challenge your assumptions, and discover what truly matters when building teams that create exceptional value. 

In This Episode

• Why slowing down to have real conversations accelerates team performance

• Practical exercises to strengthen team relationships and collaboration

• How to recognize and address team dysfunction

• Strategies to elevate your team to unprecedented levels of performance

• "Crucial Conversations" by Kerry Patterson

• Psychological Safety / 5 Dysfunctions of a Team Model - Patrick Lencioni

Karen Duggan is a renowned author and organization and talent development specialist who has coached over a thousand teams across various industries. Her unique approach combines practical tools with deep interpersonal work, helping organizations transform how their teams operate. Karen's expertise in team dynamics has made her a sought-after speaker and consultant for companies seeking to cultivate exceptional teamwork.

Connect with Karen on LinkedIn

• Have your team challenge featured and unpacked on a future episode of Team Lab!

  • >> Anonymous Submission Form <<

• Podcast Episodes Website

• LinkedIn 

• Your hosts:

  • Angela Migliaccio

  • Cori Caldwell 

• Work with us IRL! Book a consult:  Team Lab at Work 

• Team Lab theme music composed by Subra Doyle

  • Insta - @subrasonic; Spotify

Don't miss part two of our conversation with Karen Duggan, where she breaks down the advanced team behaviors and mindsets behind high performing and high value-creating teams.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review us. Your support helps us bring more valuable content to team leaders everywhere!

The world of work is at an inflection point. Organizations are grappling with flatter hierarchies, the chaotic whiplash of return-to-office mandates, and the lingering legacy of top-down management—all while trying to build relatively functional, happy teams.

Enter Team Lab: Reimagining The Way We Work—a podcast dedicated to exploring the power of teams, the science and art of collaboration, and the magic of thriving relationships at work.

Hosted by Angela Migliaccio and Cori Caldwell, who've spent years coaching and empowering leaders across the tech industry and beyond, Team Lab invites you to rethink teams—not as hierarchical machines, but as vibrant, living ecosystems.

Each episode features relatable conversations, honest insights, and practical wisdom from struggling leaders, systemic team coaches, and innovative changemakers. We'll uncover how successful teams build trust, foster alignment, navigate complexity, and unlock creativity.

Whether you're a team leader, team member, coach, or facilitator, you'll walk away inspired and equipped with fresh perspectives on teamwork and collaboration.

🎧 We want to hear from you! In addition to insightful guest interviews, our episode lineup also includes anonymous listener stories of actual team challenges. Submit yours today for a chance to have us unpack & offer expert guidance in a future show!

What if everything you learned about leadership is actually holding you back? And what if the secret to thriving through AI disruption and remote work chaos isn't adding new skills—it's unlearning the old ones?

In this episode, we sit down with Karen Ferris, organizational change expert, author of eight books including Be Remarkable: Learn to Unlearn, and a voice that cuts through the noise on what teams actually need from leaders today. Karen has spent her career watching organizations struggle with change—and she's seen what separates the ones that thrive from the ones that collapse under pressure.

What does it really mean to be a remarkable leader? Karen breaks down her REMARKABLE framework—Resilient, Empathetic, Mindful, Adaptive, Resourceful, Known, Accountable, Brave, Listening, and Empowering. But this isn't just another list of leadership buzzwords. 

At its core, this conversation is about having the courage and self-awareness to say: What served me yesterday is no longer relevant today.

Karen reveals why most leaders struggle to achieve 'Remarkable', because they are often missing the foundations of:

• Listening to understand

• Empowerment 

• Vulnerability 

• Psychological Safety 

We also dig into why organizations are drowning in change fatigue—and why it's usually not about too much change, but too much badly handled change. Don't skip this episode, where Karen shares her proven formula for becoming more successful at better handling change. 

• Find Karen on LinkedIn

• Visit her website: KarenFerris.com

• Check out her books, including Be Remarkable: Learn to Unlearn

• Alvin Toffler's Future Shock - The origin of "learn to unlearn and relearn"

• Daniel Pink's work on motivation - Autonomy, mastery, purpose

• Amy Edmondson's research on psychological safety

• Gallup's CliftonStrengths research - Trust, compassion, hope, stability as key factors

• Nick Shackleton-Jones on TikTok - The real reason for return-to-office mandates

• The Westpac vs. Carleen Chandler case - Groundbreaking Australian fair work decision on remote work

What if the workplace transformation everyone's worried about is actually the breakthrough we've been waiting for? What if AI agents don't replace us—they finally free us to do the work that actually matters?

Welcome back to Part 2 of our conversation with Matt Tabor, organizational performance expert and founder of BCGN Group. If you caught Part 1, you heard Matt lay out his four 2030 future of work predictions:

• AI is a Valued Team Member
• People & Teams Fuel Growth and Innovation
• Silos Collapse; Outcomes Become Shared
• Cultures Prioritize Ethics, Resilience & Critical Thinking

There's so much we unpack, but Matt helps us answer the all-important question: As information gaps and political shenanigans dissipate, how would you redirect the freed time and emotional energy?

Join us as Matt helps you get tactical about what you can do now to get yourself and your team prepared for this shift. 

• Find Matt on LinkedIn

• DOWNLOAD BCGN Group's  "2030 Predictions: Agentic AI Implications for People, Culture and Growth"

• Duncan Simester - Innovative Strategy requires a unique insight to create value + experimentation: 

• Weekly Team Meeting Ritual to build trust - P2 - 1 Personal, 1 Professional 

• LinkedIn Learning - For AI training and skill development

• Amy Edmondson's work on psychological safety