People Business is a weekly podcast exploring human nature in the workplace. Every business is in some way a "people business" and it's often how we manage these dynamics that leads to long-term success or failure.
Latest Episodes
How Small Businesses Compete & Win w/ Sri Kaza
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- People Skills
- People Strategy
- Personal Growth
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The Holy Shift w/ Dan Michelson
Dan Michelson is the CEO of InCommon and author of Holy Shift! Moving Your Company Forward to the Future of Work. In addition to his work at InCommon, he is an Adjunct Professor at the Quinlan School of Business at Loyola University. In this conversation, Dan talks about historical shifts that have rocked the workplace and how […]
How to Ask if Someone Needs Help w/ Cece Sykes
Cece Sykes, LCSW, ACSW, is a consultant and senior trainer with the Internal Family Systems Institute where she specializes in trauma and addiction and educates therapists internationally on how to apply the IFS therapy model to addictive processes. In this episode, she shares ways concerned bosses, colleagues, and friends can broach the subject of addiction […]
Staying Agile & In The Game w/ Pamela Meyer
Pamela Meyer is a leading Agile Innovation expert who works with leaders, teams, and organizations that need to be more agile and innovative to compete in a rapidly changing world. She is the author of five books on agility, innovation, and learning, including her newest book, Staying in the Game: Leading and Learning with Agility for […]
Better Relationships, Better Business w/ Megan Lally
Megan Lally is the CEO at Highdive, an award-winning advertising firm working with clients like Jeep, Rocket Mortgage, State Farm, Donate Life America, Allstate, and Fifth Third Bank. She was recognized in AdAge’s “40 Under 40” list. In this conversation, she shares how Highdive creates better work by focusing on the relationships employees have with […]
Changing My Mind on Employee Recognition w/ Meisha-ann Martin
Meisha-ann Martin is the Senior Director, People Analytics & Research at Workhuman. She has a PhD in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and has spent almost twenty years as a researcher and practitioner on topics like recognition, wellness, inclusion and psychological safety. In this episode, we talk about employee recognition programs and adjust some of O’Brien’s preconceived notions. […]
The Psychology of Money (and Creating Healthy Habits) w/ Meghaan Lurtz
Dr. Meghaan Lurtz is a Professor at Kansas State University where she teaches courses for the Advanced Financial Planning Certificate Program, a lecturer at Columbia University where she teaches Financial Psychology, an undergraduate adjunct professor through the University of Maryland system in their CFP program, and a writer and Senior Research Associate with Kitces.com, a […]
Employee Anthropology w/ Gina Fong
As a clinical assistant professor in the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, Gina Fong teaches Ethnographic Customer Insights. She was voted “Professor of the Year” by Kellogg’s 2023 graduating class. In this conversation, we discuss how her work translates to understanding and improving the employee experience. Mentioned in this Episode: Gina Fong on […]
Buying & Selling a Business w/ Jim Suprenant
Jim Suprenant is the Senior Managing Partner at Guggenheim Partners. A career investment banker, Jim joins the show to discuss the ins and outs of buying and selling businesses. Mentioned in this Episode: Guggenheim Partners: https://www.guggenheimpartners.com/ Go Big or Go Home (book): https://www.amazon.com/Go-Big-Home-Customer-Experience/dp/1544536364 Time Codes (1:48) – Welcoming Jim. (2:12) – What is an investment banker? (6:41) […]
- All Episodes
- People Skills
- People Strategy
- Personal Growth
- Uncategorized
How Small Businesses Compete & Win w/ Sri Kaza
Sri Kaza is a business leader and small business advocate with a career spanning corporate strategy, entrepreneurial ventures, and dedicated support for small businesses. He is the author of Unconvention: A Small Business Strategy Guide. Mentioned on the Show Visit Sri’s website: https://sri-kaza.com/ Connect with Sri on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/srikaza Get Sri’s book, Unconventional: https://a.co/d/d9swnpB O’Brien and Sri discussed the […]
The Customer Experience Mindset w/ Mark Fithian
Mark Fithian is the cofounder of WideOpen, a consultancy that helps organizations achieve sustainable growth through strategic customer experience. Mark’s expertise in CX is informed by more than thirty years of work across industries, partnering with leading brands such as Providence, SAP, PayPal, Optum, IBM, BMW, the American Cancer Society, and Microsoft. Before founding WideOpen, […]
Taking Control of Our Health w/ Brock Anderson & Tracy Awe from Function Health
Brock Anderson and Tracy Awe are Directors of Enterprise and Strategic Partnerships with Function Health, a biometric data company helping individuals and groups take control of their health data to live longer, healthier, more productive lives. Mentioned on the Show Listen to Dr. Mark Hyman on the Huberman Lab podcast: https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/how-to-improve-your-vitality-heal-from-disease-dr-mark-hyman Learn more about Function Health […]
System Swap w/ Karl Staib
This is a fun crossover episode with Karl Staib, host of the Systemic Leader podcast and systems consultant through a company of the same name. In this episode, shared across both platforms, we discuss systems thinking and how we have each built and evolved systems to help us navigate work and life. Mentioned on the […]
Hiring Workers with Criminal Records w/ Shawn Bushway
Shawn Bushway has a PhD in economics and public policy from the Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University and has spent his career in criminology, where he has been recognized as a Distinguished Scholar for the Division of Corrections and Sentencing and a Fellow of the American Society of Criminology. He has published two books […]
No More Goal Setting w/ Radhika Dutt
Radhika Dutt draws on 25 years of experience across industries, continents, and sizes of organizations to write, speak, and consult on innovation and change. Her experience has taught her that goal-setting systems often produce the opposite of what they promise: short-termism, performance theater, and cultures that prioritize looking good over doing good work. In this […]
Telling Better Stories w/ Neal Foard
Neal Foard spent more than 25 years in advertising and marketing, creating award-winning campaigns for global power brands like Budweiser, Lexus, and Nokia. Most recently, Neal has gained a following on social media for his inspirational videos about the kindness of everyday people. Mentioned on the Show Learn more about Neal Foard at his website: https://www.nealfoard.com/ […]
Building a High Performing Team w/ Bianca D’Alessio
Recognized in Crain’s New York Business Notable Leaders in Real Estate and ranked the #1 Real Estate Broker in New York and New York State and #14 in the Nation for 2022, Bianca currently manages a $10B real estate portfolio for Nest Seekers International. She is the star of Selling the Hamptons on HBOMax, CEO […]

