The Culture Coach
I’m Wendy Brand, Your Culture Coach, dedicated to supporting people-first leaders. Each week we dive into strategies and insights to help you build a workplace where employees feel valued, motivated, and inspired. From fostering tribal values and improving core processes to developing inclusive communities and responsive listening strategies, we cover it all. Join me weekly for practical tips, expert interviews, and real-world examples to help you boost productivity, extinguish burnout and cultivate a vibrant organizational culture that reflects your mission, vision and values.
#141 The Culture Maturity Model, Part 2: How to Level Up Your Culture
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Last week, Wendy walked through the four levels of the Culture Maturity Model: Reactive, Emerging, Intentional, and Thriving. This week she covers what to do about where you landed. For each level, she describes what a 30–90 day shift looks like and lays out a practical action plan built on her CORE framework: Clarify, Operationalize, Reinforce, Evaluate. She also makes the case that building an intentional culture doesn’t take a six-figure consultant. It takes time, focus, and the right tools.
Key takeaway
Wherever you are, ther...
#140: The Culture Maturity Model: Where does your organization really stand?
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Every organization has a culture. The question is whether it’s happening to you or because of you. In this episode, Wendy revisits the Culture Maturity Model (first covered back in Episode 82) and walks through its four levels: Reactive, Emerging, Intentional, and Thriving. For each one, she describes the kinds of organizations that tend to land there, what it feels like to work inside them, and the red flags that tell you you’re there. If you’ve ever wondered whether your culture matches what you think it is, this one’s for yo...
#139 Lori Castillo: Why the Strongest Brands Are Built from the Inside Out
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What if your employees are your most important audience?
In this episode of The Culture Coach Podcast, Wendy Brand sits down with marketing and culture strategist Lori Castillo to explore the powerful connection between internal culture and external brand. Drawing from her leadership experience at organizations including Procter & Gamble, CoverGirl, and NatureSweet, Lori shares why the world's strongest brands don't start with advertising—they start with the employee experience.
Together, Wendy and Lori discuss how culture influences customer trust, employee engagement, innovation, retention, and ultimately, bu...
#138 The Portfolio Career and Culture with Jennifer Doty
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What does it look like to build a career that's more than one thing, and do it out in the open? In this episode, Wendy sits down with Jennifer Doty, a former Fortune 100 vice president who spent nearly 20 years at MetLife before her role was eliminated and she was forced to reimagine everything.
Today, Jennifer is thriving with a portfolio career that includes a leadership role at tech startup ThreeFlow, two published books, a speaking practice, and a growing business with LivePure. She shares what she learned about identity, reinvention, and w...
#137 Building a Values-Driven CPA Firm with Shannon Badger
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Building a successful business is one challenge. Building one that maintains strong values, accountability, and a healthy culture as it grows is another.
In this episode of The Culture Coach Podcast, Wendy Brand sits down with Shannon Badger, co-founder of Badger CPA, to talk about what it really takes to grow a firm while staying true to the values that matter most.
Shannon shares how what started as a small side hustle in 2009 evolved into a thriving accounting and advisory firm...
#136 How Palo Alto Software CEO, Sabrina Parsons, Built a Mission-Aligned Culture
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What actually makes a culture real—not just aspirational?
In this episode, Wendy Brand sits down with Sabrina Parsons, CEO of Palo Alto Software, to talk about what it takes to build an intentional culture that holds up through growth, change, and hiring challenges.
Sabrina shares the turning point that led her team to articulate their culture (after several “perfect resume” hires didn’t work out), and how they operationalized six culture tenets—like relying on data, solving for the customer, and transparency—to create a workplace...
#135 Your Body Knows Before You Do: Julie Habelmann’s Story of Heart Health, Alignment, and Listening Within
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February is American Heart Month—a reminder of the importance of cardiovascular health and the signals our bodies send us every day.
In this deeply personal conversation, Wendy sits down with her dear friend Julie Habelmann—founder of Noble Tones, integrative sound healing practitioner, and women’s heart health advocate—to explore how a heart attack became a catalyst for profound life and leadership transformation.
After surviving a spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) in 2020, Julie was forced to slow down, listen to her body, and reevaluate everything. That experience ultimate...
#134 Leadership Alignment
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There’s a moment in leadership that's that in-between phase where, on the outside, everything looks fine… but internally, something feels off.
In this solo episode, Wendy shares a personal story from her leadership journey—one where success, responsibility, and recognition continued to rise, while alignment quietly slipped away. She reflects on what happens when leaders sacrifice their own values, boundaries, and well-being in an effort to become what the organization needs—at the cost of who they are becoming.
This episode is for high-capacity leaders who are:
Succeedi...#133 Collaboration and Community with Barry Moline
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In this episode of The Culture Coach Podcast, Wendy Brand sits down with former CEO Barry Moline to explore what truly drives high-performing teams — and why connection, trust, and community matter more than strategy alone.
With nearly three decades of leadership experience, Barry shares real-world stories of early leadership mistakes, building intentional culture, strengthening collaboration, and guiding teams through crisis with clarity and trust.
Together, Wendy and Barry unpack how relationships are the foundation of strong culture — and how the same principles that build thriving team...
#132 Personal and Organizational Misalignment
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Leadership isn’t supposed to feel this heavy.
Yet so many capable, driven leaders are exhausted. Carrying everything, fixing everything, and feeling constant pressure just to keep things moving. In this episode of The Culture Coach Podcast, Wendy Brand breaks down the real root cause behind burnout, team friction, and fragile workplace culture: misalignment.
Drawing from her own leadership journey and years of consulting with organizations, Wendy explores how personal misalignment shows up in leadership behavior — and how it quietly shapes (and strains) organizational culture.
You’...
#131 The Aligned Leader
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Fresh off a week in Reno and Lake Tahoe working with Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) leaders, Wendy reflects on conversations with founders, CEOs, and franchise leaders navigating growth, change, and transition—and why alignment, not reinvention, is the real work leaders are being called to do in 2026.
Building on her recent newsletter and Substack article, “2026 doesn’t need a new you—it needs an aligned you,” Wendy unpacks how misalignment quietly shows up inside organizations long before leaders consciously name it themselves.
She also weaves in her CORE Culture Framework
#130 Leadership Culture Drains
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In this solo episode of The Culture Coach Podcast, Wendy Brand is bringing awareness to leadership habits that may be quietly draining your culture — and holding your organization back.
If you feel like everything is urgent, you’re constantly stepping in to do work that isn’t yours, or every decision still has to run through you, this episode is for you.
Wendy breaks down three common leadership patterns that erode clarity and momentum inside organizations and explains how each one connects back to mission, vision, core values, and role c...
#129 Building Flow into your Culture with Steven Puri
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In this episode of The Culture Coach Podcast, Wendy Brand sits down with Steven Puri —former senior executive at major motion picture studios, startup founder, and the creator of Sukha, a platform designed to help knowledge workers access flow state and protect deep work.
Steven makes a bold case: companies don’t win because TPS reports are filed on time or everyone hits inbox zero. They win because someone takes uninterrupted time to think, create, and solve meaningful problems—then brings back the insight that changes the trajec...
#128 REPLAY-108 Introducing the C.O.R.E. Culture Framework
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Greetings! This is a replay of an episode from this past summer on my CORE Culture™ Framework. Happy Holidays and I hope you enjoy.
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This week, I'm diving deep into my signature CORE Culture™ Framework, a proven model for helping leaders stop culture from happening by accident and start building one that drives retention, productivity, and purpose.
After a busy season of speaking at SHRM conferences in New Mexico and Alabama, I reflect on why I built the CORE Culture™ model and how it’s helping CEOs and HR l...
#127 Humanizing Leadership Through Empathy, Pets, and the Moments That Matter with Erika Sinner
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Today on The Culture Coach Podcast, Wendy sits down with Erika Sinner, Founder & CEO of Directorie, a $15M healthcare commercialization company and two-time Inc. 5000 honoree. Erika also serves as the Chief Empathy Officer of TinySuperheroes, a nonprofit empowering critically ill children through play and courage, and is the bestselling author of Pets Are Family.
Erika is a powerful, fresh voice in modern leadership — championing pet-inclusive policies, psychological safety, and building cultures where people feel genuinely seen and supported.
🔗 Resources Mentioned
#126 Navigating Bias & Building Intentional Cultures with Kae Williams
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In today’s episode of The Culture Coach Podcast, Wendy sits down with tech executive and author Kae Williams for a candid conversation about the invisible barriers women and marginalized leaders face at work—and the strategies that actually help you navigate them with confidence, clarity, and impact.
Kae has spent decades leading in male-dominated environments across startups, scale-ups, and global tech companies. Throughout her career, she noticed a repeated pattern: women being spoken over, their ideas being dismissed or “hepeated,” their credibility questioned, and their contributions overlooked—regardless of company size or cu...
#125 How to Communicate Hard Things with Farrah Mitra
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In this week’s episode of The Culture Coach Podcast, Wendy sits down with Farrah Mitra — executive coach, former Bain consultant, Cornell alum, and one of only fifteen Radical Candor™ coaches worldwide. Farrah's career has been built at the intersection of people, performance, and communication, and she brings a rare blend of strategic clarity and deep humanity to the conversations leaders fear most.
Together, Wendy and Farrah break down:
Why communication is often the true bottleneck inside organizations — and how it silently shapes trust, culture, and retention.The thin...#124 Leading Above the Line: How Conscious Leadership Shapes Culture
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In this week’s episode of The Culture Coach Podcast, Wendy Brand unpacks the power of conscious leadership—a philosophy popularized by John Mackey (Whole Foods), Steve McIntosh, and Carter Phipps—and how it connects directly to the CORE Culture™ pillars of Clarity, Energy, and Ownership.
Wendy explores what it truly means to lead above the line—where fear is acknowledged but not in control—and how awareness, alignment, and accountability fuel intentional cultures. Drawing from The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership, Dare to Lead, and her own coaching wor...
#123 From Fired to Founder: Building a People-First Business with Dave McDonald
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This week on The Culture Coach Podcast, Wendy sits down with Dave McDonald, founder of the Better Together Group and host of the WTF Podcast, to talk about the unconventional path that led him from being “fired from every good job he ever had” to running a thriving family of staffing agencies dedicated to feeding families one shift at a time.
Dave’s story is full of humility, humor, and heart. Together, Wendy and Dave unpack:
How early experiences shaped Dave’s people-first leadership philosophyThe challenges of build...#122 Five Traits of a Strong Leader
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What’s the real difference between a strong leader and a tough one?
In this solo episode, I’m unpacking one of the biggest shifts in leadership today — moving from command-and-control to human-centered leadership.
After 30 years in corporate leadership, I’ve seen both styles up close. The truth? The leaders who build loyalty, trust, and high performance aren’t the ones barking orders — they’re the ones balancing clarity, accountability, and empathy.
In this episode, you’ll learn the five key shifts that separate strong leaders f...
#121 Leading in the mental health space with Janelle Moravek
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In this episode of The Culture Coach, Wendy sits down with Janelle Miller Moravek, a nonprofit leader and mental health advocate who has led Youth & Family Counseling as Executive Director since 2009.
Janelle’s leadership journey offers a masterclass in balancing compassion with strategy. She shares how trust is built over time — and how that trust becomes the foundation for psychological safety. Together, Wendy and Janelle unpack what it looks like to create a manageable workload, support your team’s well-being, and model what it means to car...
#120 Celebrating Neurodiversity in the Workplace with Grant Harris
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In this episode of The Culture Coach podcast, I sit down with Grant Harris to explore neurodiversity and inclusion in the workplace. Grant shares his journey of discovering his own neurodistinct identity, the strengths that come with it, and how leaders can create more inclusive cultures that unlock hidden brilliance on their teams.
We cover:
- The difference between being neurodiverse, neurodivergent, and neurodistinct
- Why curiosity is one of the most powerful leadership tools
- Simple, cost-free adjustments leaders can make to...
#119 AI, Burnout, and the Future of Leadership with Victoria Mensch
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What does it really take to lead with confidence in the age of AI? And how can leaders embrace innovation without burning out themselves—or their teams?
In this episode of The Culture Coach Podcast, Wendy sits down with Victoria Mensch, Founder and CEO of the Silicon Valley Executive Academy, to explore the intersection of AI, leadership, and workplace culture.
Victoria shares her perspective on why AI adoption isn’t just a technical challenge—it’s a leadership competency. She explains how executives can cult...
#118 Laughter and Development with Kevin Hubschmann
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What can leaders learn from comedians? As it turns out—quite a lot.
In this episode of The Culture Coach Podcast, Wendy Brand sits down with Kevin Hubschmann, founder of Laugh.Events and author of the Laugh Rx newsletter, to explore how laughter and improv translate into powerful leadership and culture skills.
Kevin shares his journey from being one of the first employees at a SaaS company to building a career in comedy—and eventually creating team-building experiences that blend fun and professional development. Along the way, he d...
#117 Innovative and Inclusive Cultures in Tech with Telle Whitney
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What does it take to keep your people’s fire alive—and build organizations where everyone can thrive?
In this episode of The Culture Coach Podcast, Wendy Brand sits down with Telle Whitney—computer scientist, co-founder of the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, former CEO of the Anita Borg Institute, and author of Rebooting Tech Culture: How to Ignite Innovation and Build Organizations Where Everyone Can Thrive.
Telle brings decades of experience leading in technology and building communities for women in computing. Together, we explore:
💡...
#116 Clarity Culture
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In this episode, Wendy Brand unpacks why clarity and focus are the quickest wins for CEOs and culture leaders. Without them, even the best teams slip into misalignment, decision fatigue, and constant firefighting. With them, leaders reclaim their energy, teams align around what matters, and culture becomes the system that drives results.
You’ll hear:
Why clarity is the foundation of every thriving cultureThe difference between clarity and focus—and why you need bothThe hidden costs of operating without clarity (and how to stop paying them)A simple 3-step practice to r...#115: Five Reasons Culture Transformations Fail (and How to Avoid Them)
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This week, I break down each of the five biggest reasons culture transformations fail—straight out of the latest Harvard Business Review article and echoed in my own work with organizations.
Learn practical ways leaders can avoid these pitfalls and build an intentional culture that actually sticks.
And if you’re ready to go deeper:
👉 Join the Culture Strategy Lab ($57/month community launching Sept. 29) for coaching, frameworks, and real-world solutions. https://culturecoachwendy.com/strategylab/
👉 Explore Culture Strategy Sprints (3-month group intensives) if you want to...
#114 Planning for Your Year of Intentional Culture
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In this episode of The Culture Coach Podcast, I’m pulling back the curtain on three powerful programs I’ve created to help leaders design intentional cultures that prevent burnout, increase performance, and create thriving organizations.
All three programs officially open on September 29th, but you don’t have to wait—when you sign up now, you’ll start receiving updates and get immediate access on launch day.
Here’s what I cover in this episode:
Why I created these three programs and how they work to...#113 Strategic Workforce Planning with a Culture Lens
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As 2025 winds down and 2026 approaches, it’s the perfect time to make sure your workforce is ready for the year ahead—not just your business plan. In this solo episode, Wendy Brand shares why workforce planning should go hand-in-hand with your strategic objectives, and how to make sure your people plan supports your business plan.
Tips on how to:
Align your workforce with your top business objectivesIdentify and close skill gaps for future successConduct a “culture gap” analysis alongside your skills assessmentUse a simple grid tool to evaluate individuals, teams, and enga...#112 What Got You HERE Won't Get You THERE
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In this solo episode of The Culture Coach Podcast, Wendy dives into a common but critical leadership crossroads: realizing that the leadership style, team structure, and culture that got you this far… may not be what gets you to your next level.
Inspired by a real coaching conversation with a new CEO, Wendy walks through the process of stepping into a broader, more strategic leadership role. She explores questions every senior leader should be asking themselves mid-year:
Is my leadership philosophy still serving me and my team?Do my mission, vi...#111 "Lifetime of Love" Culture with CEO Carson Wagner
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At just 19 years old, Carson Wagner founded Lifetime of Love Nannies with a mission to provide purpose-driven, high-quality care for families and children. What began as a bold leap into entrepreneurship has grown into a nationally recognized agency with three thriving locations and a team of over 75 dedicated employees.
Carson’s unwavering commitment to inclusive, ethical, and relationship-centered childcare has earned her numerous awards and accolades, recognizing her leadership, innovation, and impact on the childcare industry.
In this episode, you’ll hear how she creates a se...
#110 Your Culture Is Talking: What Are You Really Promising New Hires? with Linda Carlisle
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Hello culture fans!
In this week’s episode of The Culture Coach, I’m joined by Linda Carlisle—
Linda is a fractional corporate communications partner, helping business leaders, VCs, private equity firms, and their portfolio companies solve communication and culture challenges in the Moments that Matter™, including mergers, acquisitions, organizational restructuring, leadership changes, turnarounds, business process redesigns, technology implementations, and workforce reductions.
From employer branding and hiring practices to 30-day new hire interviews and intentional exit interviews, Linda shares how to create a culture where people feel seen, he...
#109 Clarity, Coaching, and Emotional Intelligence with Ted Whetstone
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Tired of putting a Band-Aid on your people problems? 🩹
🎙️ On this week’s episode of The Culture Coach Podcast, I sat down with Ted Whetstone—executive coach, systems thinker, and former left-brainer turned whole-brainer.
Ted helps senior leaders stop reacting and start redesigning the way they think, lead, and collaborate.
Here’s a taste of what we covered:
🔁 Why systems thinking is a leadership superpower
⚡ The difference between incremental improvement and breakthrough change
🌱 How to unlock your team’s full potential—without micromanaging
If you’re a CEO or executive...
#108 Introducing the C.O.R.E. Culture Framework
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This week, I'm diving deep into my signature CORE Culture™ Framework, a proven model for helping leaders stop culture from happening by accident and start building one that drives retention, productivity, and purpose.
After a busy season of speaking at SHRM conferences in New Mexico and Alabama, I reflect on why I built the CORE Culture™ model and how it’s helping CEOs and HR leaders operationalize their culture in practical ways.
Whether you're building from scratch or refining what’s already there, this episode gives you the tools to...
#107 Exit Strategy and Culture with Adam Strong
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Adam built his first business as a kid, and today he helps leaders like you identify real strategies for exponential growth and sustainable success This week on The Culture Coach, I’m joined by Adam Strong—a former elite athlete turned successful business strategist who now works with founders and CEOs around the world to help them scale—and exit—on their terms.
In our conversation, Adam and I discussed the importance of purpose and clarity. He shares some of his experience working with leaders
If you're running a...
#106 Culture and Digital Marketing with Kym Insana
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Kym Insana is a multi-million dollar business owner, digital marketing expert, and founder of AlwaysOn Digital, a women-owned agency helping brands like the U.S. Air Force, Enfamil, and Johnston & Murphy scale through impactful campaigns.
With over 20 years of experience, Kym left her demanding NYC advertising career to build a company that offers flexibility and balance—values she champions as a wife and mother of four. AlwaysOn Digital thrives by empowering talented working parents to blend career success with family life.
A sought-after speaker, Kym has shared her journey an...
#105 Part 2: Belonging and the Keys to Inclusion and Connection with Greg Morley
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You don’t “roll out” belonging. You build it—one intentional choice at a time.
In Part 2 of my conversation with Greg Morley, we move past DEI buzzwords and into the real work of creating connection and psychological safety at work.
Greg shares the lessons behind his new book Bond: Belonging and the Keys to Inclusion and Connection, and why true inclusion starts with how leaders show up.
👥 We cover:
The connection between storytelling and trustHow to create space where every voice mattersWhat inclusive leadership actually looks like i...#104 Part 1: Belonging and the Keys to Inclusion and Connection with Greg Morley
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My guest this week is Greg Morley. Greg was most recently Global Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Moët Hennessy, a division of LVMH. Greg brings a personal and professional passion to the development of talent and to helping others achieve more than they believe they can.
Greg led the HR function for the company’s operations across the Asia Pacific region. Prior to joining Moët Hennessy, he was Vice President, Human Resources Asia Pacific for Hasbro, Inc. and was Vice President, Human Resources for the Shanghai Disney Resort...
#103 The WD-40 Culture with former CEO Garry Ridge
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This week on The Culture Coach, I’m joined by none other than Garry Ridge, Chairman Emeritus and former CEO of WD-40 Company. Over 25 years as CEO, Garry transformed a global household brand not just by growing the business—but by building a culture so strong, it became a competitive advantage.
Now, Garry shares the leadership lessons from what he calls his “CEO apprenticeship,” turning decades of real-world experience into wisdom for today’s business leaders.
In this episode, we go beyond the usual culture conversati...
#102 Employee Resource Group (ERG) Strategies with Lola Adeyemo
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Are you interested in creating a sense of belonging in your organization? If so, I think you are going to enjoy this episode.
If you are familiar with my THRIVE Culture framework, you know that creating inspiring inclusivity and belonging is one of the six key pillars that allow organizations to own their role in employee burnout.
And, my guest today is an expert on the topic.
Lola Adeyemo is just an incredible individual, born and raised in Nigeria and came to the U.S. as an ad...
