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
Overcoming Bias w/ Greg Tall
Greg Tall is the Director of Learning & Development with JB Training Solutions, a training firm helping employees through the entirety of their career, from their first day on the job to leading high functioning teams. Greg is a high-energy facilitator and trainer with over 15 years of experience in Talent Acquisition and Development, including stints with Teach […]
Competing Against Yourself w/ Desmond Clark
Desmond Clark spent 12 years as a Tight End in the NFL, playing with the Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins, and most notably, for eight years with the Chicago Bears, where he is second only to Mike Ditka in receptions by a tight end. After the NFL, Desmond got into business, working as a financial advisor before […]
Connecting the World’s Professionals w/ Sankar Venkatraman
Sankar Venkatraman is Chief Evangelist at LinkedIn Talent Solutions. As part of this role, he is responsible for bringing the voice of the customer to the product development team and drive product development that helps connect talent with opportunity for LinkedIn’s members. In this conversation, Sankar outlines LinkedIn’s many services and how individuals and businesses can get the most […]
Case Study: A Virtual Workforce w/ Miranda Nicholson, SVP of HR at Formstack
Miranda Nicholson is the Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Formstack, a workplace productivity solution that empowers anyone to digitize what matters, automate workflows, and fix processes—all without code. With a decade of experience managing corporate HR activities, Miranda currently leads the acquisition, onboarding, and retention of current and future Formstack employees. Even prior to the […]
How to Talk to Terrorists w/ Gary Noesner
Gary Noesner (pronounced “ness-ner”) retired from the FBI in 2003 following a thirty-year career. Twenty-three of those years were spent as an FBI hostage negotiator, where he retired as Chief of the FBI’s Crisis Negotiation Unit, Critical Incident Response Group, the first person to hold that position. In that capacity, Gary was heavily involved in numerous hostage, […]
Communicating With Confidence w/ Alex Perry
Alex Perry spent two decades as a Speech Language Pathologist, working with patients to regain their ability to speak after illness or injury. She then launched her business, Practically Speaking, to help professionals improve their communication skills and connect better with their audience. She hosts the Practically Speaking Podcast and is the author of Minivan […]
Aligning Tech & Talent w/ Byron Clymber
Byron Clymer is the Chief Information Officer for Lockton Companies, responsible for driving the people, process, and technology transformation taking Lockton into the next decade. In this episode, he shares best practices for aligning technology with the people functions of a business. Prior to Lockton, Byron ran Approach Logic, a consulting firm helping businesses navigate the complex […]
Realign Your Life w/ Samir Wagle & Sonny Garg
On paper, Sonny Garg and Samir Wagle had achieved the American Dream. They were corporate executives, making lots of money, with great families and nice homes. The problem was, they were both miserable. This led each man on a journey of self-discovery that changed their lives. After meeting, the two decided to partner together to help others define their […]
- 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 […]

