This episode features an interview with Lisa Colella, Managing Director of Strategic Communications & Leadership Advisory at CRA Admired Leadership. With more than 18 years of professional experience, Lisa has worked with clients across agency, consultancy, and in-house settings. Her portfolio spans multiple industries, including fast-moving consumer goods, financial services, healthcare, and more. Previously, she was the Founder and CEO of a boutique consultancy and Global Head of Talent Communications and Marketing at Philips.

In this episode, Simpplr’s Vice President of Corporate Communications and Employee Experience Strategy, Carolyn Clark, and Lisa discuss balancing formal and informal communication for effective leadership, the challenges and benefits of integrating AI tools into leadership practices, and how behavioral science and creativity can improve communication strategies.

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“ The people that excel at creating meaning, not just transmitting information, they understand that communication isn't about just town halls and emails. But, really how they show up every day and that there is science to say if they show up in a way that is credible, they're highly competent. That they're likable in one way, shape, or form, generally likable and they are consistent. That they have a frequently and predictable drumbeat of presence that people can create what we call parasocial relationships. Which is, everyone feels like they have a relationship with the CEO, even though they might see them in a town hall once a year.” – Lisa Colella

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Episode Timestamps:

*(02:33): Getting to know Lisa

*(07:27): Lisa’s career journey

*(12:42): Balancing informal and formal communication

*(19:12): How psychology influences communication

*(32:24): How CRA is navigating the AI space 

*(38:29): Blending science and creativity for better communication strategies

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Links:

Connect with Lisa on LinkedIn

Learn more about CRA Admired Leadership

Subscribe to Admired Leadership Field Notes Newsletter

Try Alex

Subscribe to Confluence Newsletter

Connect with Carolyn on LinkedIn

Cohesion Podcast

About Simpplr

This episode features an interview with Matt Rivera, Chief Marketing Officer at Day & Zimmermann and Gary Sevounts, Chief Marketing Officer at Simpplr. Matt has worked for Day & Zimmermann for 34 years, from payroll administrator to the first person in the marketing department. He leads a diverse team of marketers and communications professionals who contribute to a cohesive, professional and high-performing marketing organization. Gary is a veteran CMO with a track record of building high-growth demand and revenue engines, effective marketing teams, differentiated brands, and establishing categories. Previously, he was CMO at Malwarebytes, Socure, and Equifax’s Identity and Fraud Division.

In this episode, Miriam, Matt, and Gary explore the connection between customer experience and employee experience, the importance of authenticity and transparency in storytelling, and leveraging AI to enhance communication and measurement.

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“ With the automation that we have today for the employee experience, you can do that and then transfer it right over into the external marketing. You're tweaking the message. But it's the same types of messaging. It's the same campaigns. We're looking at the same analytics. All of those things really start connecting a lot. I think, in a lot of cases, the employee experience and what you're doing there, if you're doing it right, it's authentic, can really drive some of the marketing stuff too.” – Matt Rivera

“ Brand starts internally.  It starts with a mission and starts with the employees believing in why. Why did we start the company? Why are we doing what we're doing all day long? Why are we passionate about it? In the companies that I worked with and I dealt with, when there is that connection and it's genuine, employees become ambassadors. In the companies where that connection doesn't exist, people don't believe it and it’s just words, then it can take a negative turn really quickly.” – Gary Sevounts

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Episode Timestamps:

*(02:51): Matt and Gary’s career journeys

*(07:01): Getting to know Matt and Gary

*(08:41): Exploring the connection between CX and EX

*(12:56): The art of great storytelling 

*(24:15): Marketing strategies for Internal Communications

*(35:36): Leveraging technology for employee engagement

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Links:

Connect with Matt on LinkedIn

Learn more about Day & Zimmermann

Connect with Gary on LinkedIn

Connect with Miriam on LinkedIn

Cohesion Podcast

About Simpplr

This episode features an interview with Pat Wadors, Chief Human Resources Officer at Intuitive, where she leads a global organization responsible for all aspects of the company’s employee experience. Prior to joining Intuitive, Pat was the Chief People Officer at UKG and Procore Technologies. She also held multiple leadership roles at ServiceNow, LinkedIn, and Yahoo!

In this episode, Miriam sits down with Pat to discuss her book Unlock Your Leadership Story, the evolution of DEI in the workplace, and the importance of storytelling for fostering connection among employees.

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“ Words may change, but the intent of creating a high-performing, healthy company that can do their thing, be it a service, a product development, innovate, requires diversity of thought. You look at the past and say, ‘If I hire from this school or from this industry, chances of failure of that candidate are reduced.’ But are you hiring the best? Maybe not. You're de-risking, you're not optimizing. If you slow your neurological roll, if you look at exactly what you need in the future, not just for today, you can create a healthier company.” – Pat Wadors

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Episode Timestamps:

*(03:55): Getting to know Pat

*(06:31): Pat discusses her book Unlock Your Leadership Story

*(19:42): Pat breaks down personal scorecards 

*(24:12): The evolution of DEI in the workplace 

*(28:59): The importance of storytelling in creating connection

*(35:56): A lesson Pat learned in her career

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Links:

Connect with Pat on LinkedIn

Email Pat

Visit Pat’s website

Order Pat’s Book Unlock Your Leadership Story

Connect with Miriam on LinkedIn

Cohesion Podcast

About Simpplr

This episode features an interview with Keri-Lynn Pajer, Vice President of HR Business Partnerships and Change Initiatives at Agero. Keri-Lynn is a Strategy and Planning Executive with expertise in aligning organizational needs to the delivery of complex business solutions and expanded capabilities. At Agero, she previously served as the Senior Director of Internal Communications and Change Initiatives, and was the Director of Transformation Strategy at Staples. 

In this episode, Miriam and Keri-Lynn discuss the importance of listening to employees, the balancing act of integrating AI while maintaining human connections, and the continuous effort to maintain a culture of trust and engagement.

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“ I think the secret sauce is the employee. It's ensuring that you have a really structured, intentional employee listening program. What we like to say here is that we don't ever ask a question that we don't plan on or don't have the ability to make changes to. It's this one small act of change. Understanding what the employee needs and wants and really taking that information and trying to take one small step forward every time you hear something. Communication is a huge part of that.” – Keri-Lynn Pajer

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Episode Timestamps:

*(03:07): Getting to know Keri-Lynn

*(07:00): Defining and enhancing employee engagement

*(09:06): The secret sauce to high engagement

*(16:57): Building connectivity and trust

*(27:26): Adapting to hybrid and remote work

*(35:35): The role of AI in connectivity

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Links:

Connect with Keri-Lynn on LinkedIn

Learn more about Agero

Connect with Miriam on LinkedIn

Cohesion Podcast

About Simpplr

This episode features an interview with Laura Wall Klieves, Head of People at Malwarebytes. Laura’s career began in automotive advertising before she pivoted to Learning & Development. At Malwarebytes, Laura leads L&D and drives internal communications initiatives by weaving together her knowledge of visual storytelling and learning to elevate the organization's leadership and management teams. 

In this episode, Simpplr’s Chief People Officer, Miriam Connaughton and Laura discuss HR trends for 2025. They explore strategies for improving employee engagement post-pandemic, the balance between remote work and return-to-office mandates, and the responsible integration of AI in HR processes.

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“ There is something intangible about being next to another human being, whether they're on your team or on a cross-functional team. There's something about being able to say to, as I call a 3D person, live and in-person, ‘Hey, how are you?’ Those spontaneous connections. We're not dictating five days a week, but we do want to encourage, at least, our managers and our senior leaders to get back into the office a little bit more. The other thing that I think we see, but also I would imagine a lot of companies are seeing, is especially for new employees, that learning about the company, making those initial connections when you first are hired doesn't happen when we're all sitting at home.” – Laura Wall Klieves

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Episode Timestamps:

*(04:19): Getting to know Laura

*(04:27): Laura’s priorities for 2025

*(07:06): How Laura is approaching return-to-office mandates

*(12:46): Strategies for enhancing employee engagement

*(24:16): The role of AI in HR

*(33:57): Future HR trends and predictions

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Links:

Connect with Laura on LinkedIn

Connect with Miriam on LinkedIn

Cohesion Podcast

About Simpplr

This episode features an interview with Donald Knight, Venture Partner at Valor Ventures and Miriam Connaughton, Chief People and Experience Officer at Simpplr. Donald’s expertise is in creating a culture where employees thrive and has a proven track record of constructing scalable global strategies that support international expansion. Miriam utilizes her three decades of HR consulting experience to shape and deliver a great employee experience, through dynamic HR strategies and AI-powered technology.

In this episode, Shawn, Donald, and Miriam discuss the concept of high-performance cultures, how fostering human connection and empathy in the workplace can combat loneliness, and the impact of AI on workplace dynamics.

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“Historically, our profession has been rooted on five major time periods. It started because of being administrative in nature. Then from administration, we went into compliance. From compliance, we went into employee satisfaction. From satisfaction, you got companies that are focused on how do they engage their employees, mainly through this lens of productivity. Last, I think the best companies understand that they want people to be fulfilled. If you want people to be fulfilled, you got to recognize that there's plenty of talent at your organization that just isn't. There is a large sentiment of loneliness.” – Donald Knight

“If you have lots of people with similar habits, that becomes the culture. It's habit-creating. If managers in general are good at creating psychological safety in an organization and they have a habit of practicing that, then people will generally report that's a cultural trait here. I feel really included and I feel like I can be my authentic self because it's very psychologically safe here. It doesn't just happen because you say it, it happens because people have healthy habits around that on a daily, moment-to-moment basis.” – Miriam Connaughton

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Episode Timestamps:

*(02:35): Getting to know Donald and Miriam

*(08:46): Being an intentional leader

*(17:56): High-Performance Index and the ripple effect

*(27:28): Loneliness in the workplace

*(46:56): Incentivizing human-centric leadership

*(53:29): The role of AI in enhancing employee experience

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Links:

Connect with Donald on LinkedIn

Follow Donald on Instagram

Follow Donald on Threads

Email Donald

Connect with Miriam on LinkedIn

Email Miriam

Connect with Shawn on LinkedIn

Cohesion Podcast

About Simpplr

This episode features an interview with Britt Byers, Executive Vice President of Human Resources North America at Kyowa Kirin. With three decades of experience, Britt has held senior roles in Pharmaceuticals like Sanofi and Novartis, as well as in financial services at Bank of America. She has deep expertise in R&D and global functions as well as Shared Service leadership with oversight for HR Operations.

In this episode, Shawn and Britt discuss the importance of authentic and inclusive leadership, strategies for easing employee anxieties, and the power of showing kindness in the workplace.

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“Before you react to something in a meeting or a conversation, or if someone's upset, just be there in the moment. You might have a difference of opinion, but you're just creating a space for the conversation. But it is on leaders, I think, to create the tone that you're not numb to what's happening. You can’t not mention something. Otherwise, you just don't look genuine. You don't look like there's a leader you can trust who's just not acknowledging something that could be an awful environment.” – Britt Byers

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Episode Timestamps:

*(02:54): Getting to know Britt

*(14:34): The shift from financial services to pharmaceuticals

*(18:10): The importance of meaningful work 

*(23:01): Leadership themes and enterprise leadership

*(27:51): The importance of being kind in the workplace

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Links:

Connect with Britt on LinkedIn

Learn more about Kyowa Kirin

Follow Kyowa Kirin on LinkedIn

Connect with Shawn on LinkedIn

Cohesion Podcast

About Simpplr

This episode features an interview with Ellen Maier, Human Resources Director at Zignaly. Ellen is an experienced HR leader committed to enhancing remote work settings and empowering employees. With a strong background in HR and organizational psychology, she fosters an inclusive and growth-focused culture for the Zignaly team.

In this episode, Shawn and Ellen discuss creating trust within a remote team, the importance of personal connections in the workplace, and benefits and practices of being an email-free organization.

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“When you say email-free, it's equal to clutter-free. When you consider you're wasting so much valuable time because, time is money and you also have an amount of energy. The crazy thing is that everyone that works with email, they start reading, checking everything in the morning. Once they finish that, they have no other energy to do anything else. You can miss important information, important updates.” – Ellen Maier

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Episode Timestamps:

*(02:12): Getting to know Ellen

*(06:39): Building a trusting remote culture at Zignaly 

*(22:14): How Zignaly manages an email-free work environment 

*(28:51): Strategies for global team management

*(37:11): AI in human resources

*(41:47): What’s next for Zignaly and Ellen

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Links:

Connect with Ellen on LinkedIn

Follow Ellen on X

Learn more about Zignaly

Follow Zignaly on X

Connect with Shawn on LinkedIn

Cohesion Podcast

About Simpplr

This episode features an interview with Sarah Lovelace, Vice President of People at Airbase. Prior to this role, Sarah served as VP of People at Plenty, held various roles at Box, and was a Recruiting Coordinator at Google.

In this episode, Shawn sits down with Sarah to discuss adapting leadership to different organizational stages, realistic and meaningful leadership development programs, and challenges and trends in global workforce management.

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“You have to go through all of the seasons and you have to go through the reviews, you have to go through having a first hard conversation with an employee. Sometimes there's just not a time limit on that. I think, ultimately, those L&D programs sometimes aim to fast track that. But, I have truly found the best value is again, getting to know managers.” – Sarah Lovelace

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Episode Timestamps:

*(01:58): Getting to know Sarah

*(07:52): Sarah’s leadership style at Airbase 

*(24:17): Strategies for measuring organizational trust 

*(31:23): Values that drive the People team at Airbase 

*(35:56): How Airbase develops leaders 

*(42:28): Future challenges for People teams

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Links:

Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn

Connect with Shawn on LinkedIn

Cohesion Podcast

About Simpplr

This episode features an interview with Brady Pyle, Chief HR & Inclusion Officer at Space Center Houston. Over a 30-year federal career, Brady held various HR leadership roles at NASA, including HR Director for the Johnson Space Center and Director of HR Services, earning two NASA Outstanding Leadership Medals. In 2013, Brady created his leadership blog, OutOfThisWorldLeadership.com, which now ranks among Feedspot’s Top 100 Leadership Blogs.

In this episode, Shawn and Brady discuss how space exploration's unique challenges shape forward-thinking organizational strategies, strategies for cultivating internal talent and establishing robust leadership pipelines, and utilizing AI in leadership and employee development.

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“When leaders are moving from individual contributors to leadership roles, a lot of times they were selected because they're the technical expert. They're the smartest person in the room. We had to teach them as you move into that role, you've got to train yourself to use coaching skills, to ask questions. Because if you're constantly giving answers, you're not going to grow the capacity of the team. You're the team's lid. If you want to grow technical expertise in your function and in your field, those are the people we want in our management and leadership positions. You're asking questions, you're developing those creative solutions from your team. The role becomes more of coaching and facilitation and less of giving the answer.” – Brady Pyle

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Episode Timestamps:

*(02:56): Getting to know Brady

*(16:21): Leadership development strategies 

*(27:02): Implementing effective recognition programs

*(32:35): Building trust in leadership 

*(42:44): Differences between NASA and Space Center Houston

*(45:43): The role of AI in leadership development

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Links:

Connect with Brady on LinkedIn

Follow Brady on X

Learn more about Space Center Houston

Read Brady’s blog

Connect with Shawn on LinkedIn

Cohesion Podcast

About Simpplr