Ways to Change the Workplace with Prina Shah – Details, episodes & analysis

Work feels heavier.
People feel more stretched.
And even when organisations are performing well on paper, something feels off.

In this solo episode of Ways to Change the Workplace, Prina Shah explores the concept of a polycrisis and what it really means for leaders, organisations, and workplace culture.

A polycrisis is not just multiple crises happening at once. It is when economic pressure, social tension, climate anxiety, political instability, and constant change collide and amplify each other. And work sits right at the centre of that collision.

In this episode, Prina unpacks why organisations can no longer separate what happens outside the workplace from what happens inside, and why wellbeing initiatives alone will never be enough.

This is a practical, systems-focused conversation about how leadership behaviour, organisational design, and culture must change if work is going to remain meaningful in complex times.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn

• What a polycrisis is and why it matters at work
 • Why the boundary between ‘outside’ and ‘inside’ has collapsed
 • How workplace systems can either absorb or amplify pressure
 • Why counselling and wellbeing initiatives are necessary but not sufficient
 • What leaders need to do differently under sustained complexity
 • What organisations need to redesign to stop quietly breaking people
 • How meaningful work becomes a stabilising force in uncertain times

Key Topics Covered

• The polycrisis explained in practical, workplace terms
 • Why work is where pressure converges
 • The outside-inside loop and its impact on people, families, and communities
 • Leadership behaviour under pressure
 • Organisational systems, workload, and role clarity
 • Change without recovery and why it erodes trust
 • Designing work for sustainability rather than endurance

The polycrisis is not temporary.

What happens outside will keep coming inside.
And what happens inside will keep going back out.

The responsibility is not to fix everything.
It is to stop making it worse.

Call to Action

Share this ep! If you’re ready to go deeper, DM me to explore the Polycrisis Executive Diagnostic to assess whether your organisation is absorbing complexity or unintentionally amplifying it.

Send Prina a text to let her know how you'd change the workplace

If you are seeking professional advice or would like to change your company culture through training, consulting, speaking and coaching, get in touch,  email me.

Say hi!

• Sign up to my monthylish practical newsletter 
• Get in touch with me, Prina
• Check  out my website⁠⁠⁠ - do a professional stalk...
• Follow me on LinkedIn
• Find out what I am up to on Instagram⁠⁠⁠ 
• Grab a copy of Make Work Meaningful and start creating your own legacy at work and leave me a review.
• Subscribe to the Ways to Change the Workplace Podcast for more actionable insights. 

Prina (Helping you find GREAT ways to change your workplace) Shah

In this episode of Ways to Change the Workplace, Prina Shah is joined by Simone Pickering as part of the series Rethinking Regional Workplaces with Simone Pickering.

In When Work Follows You to The Shops, they explore what boundaries really look like when you live and work in a regional community or small town – where colleagues are neighbours, clients are parents at the school gate, and confidentiality is constantly tested.

This conversation moves beyond theory and into lived experience. It unpacks the emotional load of being “always on”, the complexity of dual relationships, and why boundary-setting in small towns is often misunderstood as being difficult rather than responsible.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why boundaries feel different in regional communities
• Dual relationships and blurred personal-professional lines
• Being approached about work everywhere
• Confidentiality and trust in small ecosystems
• Digital and after-hours boundaries
• Boundary-setting as leadership behaviour

Reflection questions

• Where has work quietly followed you into your personal life?
• Which boundaries have become blurred because “that’s just how it is here”?
• What would change if boundaries were treated as leadership, not attitude?

Simone Pickering is a Kalgoorlie local and the founder of The People & Culture Office, a consultancy she launched in 2018 to make HR easier for regional businesses. Her career began in local government before she spent almost a decade in the mining industry, later stepping into the not-for-profit sector where the human impact of good HR became impossible to ignore. Today, Simone partners with organisations across regional WA, helping leaders strengthen culture, lift capability and build workplaces people actually want to be part of. With deep experience, a human-centred approach and a clear lens on the reality of small-town workplaces, she brings insight, honesty and a steady hand to conversations about work in the regions.

Her amazing The Real Work Magazines https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Vufxc-KkAAmYUIVOrxITSdUaZxrvZyVV?usp=share_link

Simone’s People and Culture Office https://thepeopleandcultureoffice.com

Simone on LinkedIn https://au.linkedin.com/in/simone-pickering-mahri-a03954134 

Send Prina a text to let her know how you'd change the workplace

If you are seeking professional advice or would like to change your company culture through training, consulting, speaking and coaching, get in touch,  email me.

Say hi!

• Sign up to my monthylish practical newsletter 
• Get in touch with me, Prina
• Check  out my website⁠⁠⁠ - do a professional stalk...
• Follow me on LinkedIn
• Find out what I am up to on Instagram⁠⁠⁠ 
• Grab a copy of Make Work Meaningful and start creating your own legacy at work and leave me a review.
• Subscribe to the Ways to Change the Workplace Podcast for more actionable insights. 

Prina (Helping you find GREAT ways to change your workplace) Shah

Prina delves into one of the most crucial, yet often misunderstood, skills for any CEO: how to lead the room with presence and purpose.

Prina breaks down actionable, practical strategies to help you, as a CEO or executive, own the room—not because of your title, but through intentional actions, thoughtful pauses, and inspiring leadership. These are not just theoretical ideas; they’re techniques Prina has successfully used in her work with top executive teams.

Key Takeaways:

1. Enter Like You Belong There:
   • Command attention with purpose, pausing as you enter to set the tone for the room without arrogance.
2. Lead With Questions, Not Answers:
   • Avoid the "Hippo Effect" and shift the focus to the collective intelligence of the room. Ask thought-provoking, open-ended questions that challenge assumptions.
3. Own Your Silences:
   • Silence is a powerful tool that forces deep thinking and enhances the impact of your words. Practice waiting before speaking again to give people the space they need to contribute meaningfully.
4. Use Stories to Control the Narrative:
   • People remember stories, not data. Craft compelling narratives to illustrate your vision and inspire your team.
5. Take the Room's Pulse, Then Set the Tone:
   • As a CEO, you’re not just reacting to the room—you control the atmosphere. Whether calming or energising, lead like a thermostat, not a thermometer.
6. Leave Before You’re Done:
   • Whenever possible, conclude while the energy is high, leaving the room wanting more. This empowers your team to take ownership and continue without your constant presence.

Why This Matters:

If you don’t learn how to lead the room, the room will lead you. You risk losing control of the conversation, decision-making processes, and, ultimately, your organisation’s direction. But if you master these techniques, you’ll not only inspire loyalty and engagement but also create a culture of innovation and strategic thinking that cascades down through every level of your business.

Get In Touch:

If you’re a CEO or executive looking to elevate your leadership and bring your team to new heights, Prina is here to help. These techniques aren’t just theoretical—they’re proven strategies that will transform the way your team responds to your leadership.

Reach out to Prina to develop your executive team into a high-performance, cohesive unit that drives results and creates a legacy. You’ve already got the title—now it’s time to own the room. Find all the details below.

Send Prina a text to let her know how you'd change the workplace

If you are seeking professional advice or would like to change your company culture through training, consulting, speaking and coaching, get in touch,  email me.

Say hi!

• Sign up to my monthylish practical newsletter 
• Get in touch with me, Prina
• Check  out my website⁠⁠⁠ - do a professional stalk...
• Follow me on LinkedIn
• Find out what I am up to on Instagram⁠⁠⁠ 
• Grab a copy of Make Work Meaningful and start creating your own legacy at work and leave me a review.
• Subscribe to the Ways to Change the Workplace Podcast for more actionable insights. 

Prina (Helping you find GREAT ways to change your workplace) Shah

The Power of Clarity for Your Organisational Culture

What is the difference between lack of productivity and lack of clarity?

What is the secret to getting everyone in your workplace working toward a common goal?

Can your workplace thrive without a framework for decision-making and success?

Do you really know how to lead clear and effective meetings?
 
About today’s episode:
 
Today I chat with Ann Latham. Known widely as the Queen of Clarity, is the author of The Power of Clarity, which we will be discussing today. 

Her previous books are The Clarity Papers and Uncommon Meetings and her newest book, The Disconnect Principle, is coming in November. Ann is the founder of US-based consulting firm Uncommon Clarity®. Ann is also the sole recipient of a corporate award that she cherishes to this day: Most Likely To Dispute Recognized Authorities.

I speak with Ann about: The high cost of lack of clarity in the workplace. 

• Ann talks about how lack of clarity is standing in the way of your organizational goals.
• The big problem with “best practice” meeting agendas.
• What really causes bad meetings. Hint: it’s not the people.
• The six essential outcomes for any meeting to produce clear and effective organizational results.
• How our natural eagerness to talk, help others, and take action gets us off-track. 
• Why we aren’t as clear as we think we are.
• How most of your workforce is responding to unclear expectations every day.
• The compound effect of poor communication and lack of clear objectives in your organisation.
• How you might be inspiring individual vs. group momentum. 
• Questions to ask yourself to achieve organisational clarity.
• How these methods apply to strategic planning, projects, teamwork, emails and your daily to-do list.
• How common and ambiguous questions lead to feelings of inadequacy and are destructive to your workplace.
• And listen in to Ann’s answer to my question: if you had a magic wand, what is one way you would change the workplace? Teaser: it has to do with what she calls clarity blindness.

Connect with Ann: AnnLatham.com and check out her book power-of-clarity.com

More about your host Prina Shah:

We spend more time of our waking day at work than with loved ones, my mission is to make your workplace a good place to be!
 
Sometimes I speak to amazing thought leaders, sometimes the podcasts will be solo episodes. 

I am Prina Shah, I am a Coach, Consultant, Trainer and Speaker with 20+ years of experience in developing Executives, Leaders and Teams.
 
My specialty is in developing your people and working with you to optimise your organisational cultures.

Thank you for tuning in!
 
Prina (helping you find Ways to Change the Workplace) Shah
 

Send Prina a text to let her know how you'd change the workplace

If you are seeking professional advice or would like to change your company culture through training, consulting, speaking and coaching, get in touch,  email me.

Say hi!

• Sign up to my monthylish practical newsletter 
• Get in touch with me, Prina
• Check  out my website⁠⁠⁠ - do a professional stalk...
• Follow me on LinkedIn
• Find out what I am up to on Instagram⁠⁠⁠ 
• Grab a copy of Make Work Meaningful and start creating your own legacy at work and leave me a review.
• Subscribe to the Ways to Change the Workplace Podcast for more actionable insights. 

Prina (Helping you find GREAT ways to change your workplace) Shah

Have you ever been cheated on?

Remember how it stings?

Remember how it was to rebuild trust? Or perhaps you never got to that stage, as often, when trust is broken, it is difficult or near impossible to regain.

Let's think about breaking of trust in a workplace...

I regularly talk about the concept of positional power that you hold in the workplace.

If you break trust of your team, peers, colleagues, leaders, stakeholders +++ it's going to:

• Impact your professional brand negatively.
• Leave your team in a potential mess.
• It's going to take a long time to rebuild trust in you. 

In this episode I cover:

• Reasons for why we feel it so difficult to trust some people at work.
• How you can genuinely enable people to trust in you.
• How you can start to trust others at work and why it is important that you should! 

No doubt you will enjoy this episode!

Prina (helping your workplace to be less crappy) Shah!

Send Prina a text to let her know how you'd change the workplace

If you are seeking professional advice or would like to change your company culture through training, consulting, speaking and coaching, get in touch,  email me.

Say hi!

• Sign up to my monthylish practical newsletter 
• Get in touch with me, Prina
• Check  out my website⁠⁠⁠ - do a professional stalk...
• Follow me on LinkedIn
• Find out what I am up to on Instagram⁠⁠⁠ 
• Grab a copy of Make Work Meaningful and start creating your own legacy at work and leave me a review.
• Subscribe to the Ways to Change the Workplace Podcast for more actionable insights. 

Prina (Helping you find GREAT ways to change your workplace) Shah

Sooooo many people chicken out of giving or asking for feedback due to fear.

It is a tale as old as time.

Why is it that many find it difficult to be assertive in giving and receiving feedback? This is something I have been pondering on for a while.

In the workplace, it is because many have not been trained on how to deliver feedback effectively - without the special sh1t sandwich formula... 

I have a simple and super effective formula to get you to be bold in giving and seeking constructive feedback. You're going to love it! 

Send Prina a text to let her know how you'd change the workplace

If you are seeking professional advice or would like to change your company culture through training, consulting, speaking and coaching, get in touch,  email me.

Say hi!

• Sign up to my monthylish practical newsletter 
• Get in touch with me, Prina
• Check  out my website⁠⁠⁠ - do a professional stalk...
• Follow me on LinkedIn
• Find out what I am up to on Instagram⁠⁠⁠ 
• Grab a copy of Make Work Meaningful and start creating your own legacy at work and leave me a review.
• Subscribe to the Ways to Change the Workplace Podcast for more actionable insights. 

Prina (Helping you find GREAT ways to change your workplace) Shah

How can you create a meaningful career that pays the bills AND gives you joy?

You know you need to make changes in your career, but don’t know how to…

Spoiler alert: we are all heading to one destination (death) – therefore make your work life matter more…
 
About today’s episode:

Today I chat with Tammy Gooler Loeb, the author of Work from the Inside Out: Break Through Nine Common Obstacles and Design a Career That Fulfills You.

I speak with Tammy about: Work from the Inside Out – Designing a Career that is Fulfilling. Some of the things we discuss: 

• The personal internal barriers people come across when examining their work life.
• Self work and self development is an important leadership and skill, yet still difficult for some to adapt to as many still rely solely on their workplace to develop them, Tammy shares how people can own their career.
•  Tammy speaks to those who feel a state of "meh" with their career, but feel they have no other option but to continue doing the same…
• And listen in to Tammy’s answer to my question: if you had a magic wand, what is one way you would change the workplace? 

About today’s guest: Tammy Gooler Loeb is the author of Work from the Inside Out: Break Through Nine Common Obstacles and Design a Career That Fulfills You. She is a career and executive coach, speaker and facilitator with expertise in career transitions, and leadership development. Tammy’s clients represent many sectors and industries. 

Tammy’s weekly podcast, Work from the Inside Out, showcases career transition stories of people who found more meaningful work. I am on episode 132! 

Resources and links

Free gift from Tammy: www.tammygoolerloeb.com/workbook Companion Workbook plus bonus exercises to go along with my book, Work from the Inside Out: Break through Nine Common Obstacles and Design a Career That Fulfills You

Tammy's Website: https://www.tammygoolerloeb.com

More about your host, Prina Shah:

We spend more time of our waking day at work than with loved ones, my mission is to make your workplace a good place to be!
  
Sometimes I speak to amazing thought leaders, sometimes the podcasts will be solo episodes. 

I am Prina Shah, I am a Coach, Consultant, Trainer and Speaker with 20+ years of experience in developing Executives, Leaders and Teams.
 
My specialty is in developing your people and working with you to optimise your organisational cultures.

Thank you for tuning in!
 
Prina (helping you find Ways to Change the Workplace) Shah
  

Send Prina a text to let her know how you'd change the workplace

If you are seeking professional advice or would like to change your company culture through training, consulting, speaking and coaching, get in touch,  email me.

Say hi!

• Sign up to my monthylish practical newsletter 
• Get in touch with me, Prina
• Check  out my website⁠⁠⁠ - do a professional stalk...
• Follow me on LinkedIn
• Find out what I am up to on Instagram⁠⁠⁠ 
• Grab a copy of Make Work Meaningful and start creating your own legacy at work and leave me a review.
• Subscribe to the Ways to Change the Workplace Podcast for more actionable insights. 

Prina (Helping you find GREAT ways to change your workplace) Shah

Trigger warning for anyone affected by alcoholism or domestic violence.

My story is one I haven't told anyone.

Michelle, my client, recently asked me why I do what I do.

She wanted to know what motivates me to work with organisations to develop their people, teams and cultures.

I gave her the most generic response because I didn't know how to articulate my story.

My story begins with finding my Poppa's (Dad's) dead body in January 2000.

My life has never been the same since.

That event has impacted the way I live, work and love.

Tune in to this episode to find out more about why I do what I do.

Your partner in finding good Ways to Change the Workplace! 

Send Prina a text to let her know how you'd change the workplace

If you are seeking professional advice or would like to change your company culture through training, consulting, speaking and coaching, get in touch,  email me.

Say hi!

• Sign up to my monthylish practical newsletter 
• Get in touch with me, Prina
• Check  out my website⁠⁠⁠ - do a professional stalk...
• Follow me on LinkedIn
• Find out what I am up to on Instagram⁠⁠⁠ 
• Grab a copy of Make Work Meaningful and start creating your own legacy at work and leave me a review.
• Subscribe to the Ways to Change the Workplace Podcast for more actionable insights. 

Prina (Helping you find GREAT ways to change your workplace) Shah

Influence like an influencer!

View the youtube version here!

Have you conducted a skills audit on the way that you influence others?

Do you influence others using friendliness? bargaining? reasoning? use of power?
anger? assertiveness? or coalition building? There's many ways in which you can influence others.

Try, doing an influencing skills audit this week and see the techniques that you are repeatedly using.  Find out what you need to use more of and less of.

Send Prina a text to let her know how you'd change the workplace

If you are seeking professional advice or would like to change your company culture through training, consulting, speaking and coaching, get in touch,  email me.

Say hi!

• Sign up to my monthylish practical newsletter 
• Get in touch with me, Prina
• Check  out my website⁠⁠⁠ - do a professional stalk...
• Follow me on LinkedIn
• Find out what I am up to on Instagram⁠⁠⁠ 
• Grab a copy of Make Work Meaningful and start creating your own legacy at work and leave me a review.
• Subscribe to the Ways to Change the Workplace Podcast for more actionable insights. 

Prina (Helping you find GREAT ways to change your workplace) Shah

4 Types of Organisational Change!

Refer to the YouTube training video link to accompany this podcast episode.

Are your organisation's change efforts resulting in: 

1. A sinking ship.
2. People flying blind.
3. Are people onboard and ready to take flight.
4. Or is it simply plain sailing?

I have seen all 4 play out in workplaces.

If you want to develop your organisational cultures so change isn't painful, let's talk! Contact me via the below details. 

Send Prina a text to let her know how you'd change the workplace

If you are seeking professional advice or would like to change your company culture through training, consulting, speaking and coaching, get in touch,  email me.

Say hi!

• Sign up to my monthylish practical newsletter 
• Get in touch with me, Prina
• Check  out my website⁠⁠⁠ - do a professional stalk...
• Follow me on LinkedIn
• Find out what I am up to on Instagram⁠⁠⁠ 
• Grab a copy of Make Work Meaningful and start creating your own legacy at work and leave me a review.
• Subscribe to the Ways to Change the Workplace Podcast for more actionable insights. 

Prina (Helping you find GREAT ways to change your workplace) Shah