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 Work Gets Done (and Evolving it for AI) w/ David Dean
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- People Skills
- People Strategy
- Personal Growth
- Uncategorized
Remote First w/ Iwo Szapar
Iwo Szapar is the Co-founder and CEO of Remote-how, the world’s leading marketplace with remote & hybrid work experts. Since 2017, he has advised 600+ companies (including Walmart, ING Bank, and Microsoft) to help them optimize their distributed workforce. As a remote work expert, he co-created “Remote-how Academy,” – the world’s first certification program for […]
Bonus Episode: Warrior Rising
In this special episode, Andy Riise returns to the podcast joined by retired Navy SEAL Jon Macaskill and retired Green Beret Jason Van Camp. Andy (Army) and Jon (Navy) are competing in a half ironman to raise awareness (and money) for Warrior Rising, a nonprofit helping veterans become entrepreneurs. The military-to-civilian transition can be tough and Warrior Rising is arming those […]
Get Your Mind Right w/ Kevin Bailey
Kevin Bailey is the founder and CEO of Dreamfuel, a company that helps high-performers and their teams get the mental edge they need to exceed their goals and fuel the long game. Time Codes: (1:50) – What is the Dream Fuel origin story? (5:18) – How do you define mindset? (6:38) – What’s the difference between emotions […]
Life’s a Stage w/ Billie Shepard
Billie Shepard has been a professional actor and coach for over forty years. Through Billie Shepard & Associates, she leverages her acting experience and unique training methods to transform corporate speakers into influential leaders. This includes both in-person and virtual presentation skills, both of which are crucial in today’s business environment. She presents her methods in […]
Building Strong Communities w/ Sam Jacobs
Sam Jacobs is the Founder and CEO of Pavilion, the premier community and career development platform for high-growth leaders and their teams in every function. He is also the author of Kind Folks Finish First: The Considerate Path to Success in Business and Life. This episode is all about community and how to build one so that everyone in […]
Reach Your Peak w/ Bryan Gillette
Bryan Gillette is a former Silicon Valley human resource executive, founder of his own leadership consulting business, and amateur ultra-endurance athlete. He has ridden his bike across the United States and run 205 miles around Lake Tahoe. After interviewing 100 leaders on how they reach their peak and from his own experience in both roles, he […]
Training First Time Leaders w/ Emily Tsitrian
Emily Tsitrian is the author of Make Me the Boss: Surviving as a Millennial Manager in the Corporate World and coach to new managers experiencing the pressures of leadership for the first time. Mentioned in this Episode: Emily’s Manager.Flow Podcast Emily on LinkedIn Extreme Ownership By Jocko Willink The Dichotomy of Leadership by Jocko Willink Saving Private Ryan: […]
Finding Your Power & Overcoming Exclusion w/ Francine Parham
Francine Parham is a career expert focused on female leadership and the advancement of women and women of color into positions of leadership and authority in the workplace. Having spent two decades in the corporate sector advancing to the position of global vice president in two Fortune 500 companies (General Electric and Johnson & Johnson), Francine […]
- All Episodes
- People Skills
- People Strategy
- Personal Growth
- Uncategorized
How Work Gets Done (and Evolving it for AI) w/ David Dean
David Dean is an author, speaker, and business AI realist who explores how artificial intelligence reshapes work, judgment, and accountability in organizations. Rather than focusing on AI capabilities, he examines the human elements that remain essential: how people navigate uncertainty, where accountability lies when AI assists decisions, and what holds organizations together when technology accelerates […]
Self-Funding w/ Spencer Smith
Spencer Smith is a Senior Vice President at Pareto Health, a leading employee benefit group captive manager that helps midsize employers reduce health insurance costs and volatility. He is also the host of Self-Funded with Spencer, a podcast focused on self-funded employee benefits plans and the complex healthcare ecosystem. Mentioned on the Show Learn more about […]
Dignity Bridges the Gap w/ Dr. Donna Hicks
Dr. Donna Hicks is an Associate at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University and the former Deputy Director of the Program on International Conflict Analysis and Resolution (PICAR). She facilitated dialogues in numerous unofficial diplomatic efforts in the Middle East, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Colombia, Cuba, Libya and Syria. She has taught courses […]
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 […]
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 […]

