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
BYOC (Be Your Own CEO) w/ Bobby Powers
Bobby Powers is the head of HR and Learning & Development for Gravity Payments in Seattle. Gravity became famous several years ago when founder Dan Price decided to take a 90% pay cut and raise the minimum wage at his company to $70,000 per year. That, along with several other “radical” business principles, has led […]
Befriending Your Inner Critic w/ Carolyn Sellers
Carolyn Sellers is a practicing psychotherapist with her own private practice where she works with individuals to heal and grow, resolve fears and doubts, and address old patterns and behaviors. Her specialties include, among other things, depression, anxiety, trauma, grief, issues with self-esteem as well as leadership development, workplace stress, and career transitions. Carolyn is unique […]
Preparing for the Future w/ Daniel Vallejos
Daniel Vallejos is the founder of 360HRE, an employee experience design studio based in Chicago, IL. His work includes 360-videos for recruitment and education as well as experiential training for Human Resources professionals. His core mission: elevate the workforce through experience. In this episode, we talk about the future of Human Resources and how to level […]
Changing People’s Minds w/ Loran Nordgren
Loran Nordgren is an Associate Professor of Management and Organizations at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. He also works with companies to understand and make use of the principles of behavior change. Professor Nordren’s research considers the basic psychological processes that guide how we think and act. The overarching goal of his work is to advance […]
From the Battlefield to the Boardroom w/ Mike Sarraille
Mike Sarraille is a retired U.S. Navy SEAL officer, a graduate of the University of Texas McCombs Business School, and now a leadership instructor, speaker, and strategic advisor for Echelon Front as well as the CEO of Echelon Front Overwatch. EF Overwatch specializes in the recruiting, training, and placement of U.S special operations forces veterans with companies seeking leaders […]
Jennifer J. Fondrevay on Humanizing Mergers & Acquisitions
Jennifer Fondrevay is the Founder of Day1 Ready, a consulting firm that advises forward-thinking business leaders, owners, and executives on how to prepare for the human capital challenges of M&A transactions. As a Fortune 500 C-Suite “survivor”of three multi-billion-dollar acquisitions, Jennifer has been on all sides of the deal equation. She saw countless growth strategies fail due […]
Chrisanne Christ on Innovative Community Banking
Chrisanne Christ currently serves as a Senior Partner at Centier Bank, a 125-year-old, private, family-owned bank headquartered in Merrillville, IN. She has worked at Centier for the past 24 years overseeing HR, Talent Development, Risk, Audit, Financial Intelligence, and Information Security. Chrisanne’s position allows her to work closely with Centier’s CEO and Senior Management team to help […]
Dr. Victoria Mattingly on Diversity, Inclusion, & Allyship
Dr. Victoria Mattingly is an organizational psychologist passionate about improving the human experience at work. She is CEO and Founder of Mattingly Solutions, an HR/management consulting firm that measures workplace inclusion and trains majority group members to create a better workplace culture where everyone can thrive. Dr. Mattingly is offering People Business listeners 25% off her new virtual […]
- 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 […]

