What if your AI tools were more like teammates than tech? AI isn't coming for your job, it's coming to take the busywork off your plate.

Jason and Nikki crack open how the PeopleForward Network team is weaving AI into their daily workflows without ditching what makes them... them.

From using ChatGPT for parenting convos to building sales proposals, onboarding guides, and culture content, they're showing how AI can augment your team, not replace it.

Expect lightbulb moments and a roadmap for using AI to go further faster while keeping your values and people at the center 💡

Additional Resources:

Connect with Nikki on LinkedIn

Connect with Jason on LinkedIn

Subscribe to the PFN YouTube Channel for daily leadership insights!

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Key Takeaways:

• AI is a co-pilot. Use it to enhance, not replace, human work.
• Start small. Experiment with everyday tasks before scaling.
• Input matters. Better prompts lead to better, more authentic outputs.
• Culture comes first. Align AI use with your company's values.
• Free up time. Let AI handle the mundane so people can focus on meaningful work.

What if your biggest leadership blind spots were hiding in plain sight?

To celebrate 50 episodes of The Unleashing **Leaders Podcast, we're bringing this powerful conversation to Fringe. Host Lee Scott sits down with long-time friend and leadership powerhouse Cyrus Aram, TED speaker, UC Davis professor, and CEO of Unleashing Leaders. Together, they peel back the layers on the hidden blind spots that derail even the most experienced leaders.

From culture clashes and conflict to misaligned customer experiences, Cyrus shares hard-earned insights and real-life stories that drive home the importance of empathy, frameworks, and thinking outside-in. With his signature candor and heart, Cyrus offers practical tools for navigating ambiguity, leading across industries, and helping people truly feel seen.

This episode is part strategy, part soul, and all about unleashing what's already within you.

Additional Resources:

Listen to The Unleashing Leaders Podcast!

Attend Unleashing Leaders University: https://unleashingleadersuniversity.com/purchase

Learn more about Unleashing Leaders: https://unleashingleaders.com/

Follow Unleashing Leaders on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/unleashingleaders

Connect with Lee on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leeallenscott/

Follow Unleashing Leaders on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingLeaders/

Follow Unleashing Leaders on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingleaders/

Subscribe to the PFN YouTube Channel for daily leadership insights!

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Key Takeaways:

• Culture trumps everything in leadership success or failure
• Frameworks help leaders navigate complex, recurring challenges
• Conflict reveals deeper issues, not just surface disagreements
• Strategic thinking starts with listening to language patterns
• Outside-in perspective transforms customer experience design

What if the real reason workplace engagement hasn't budged in 30 years is because we've made leadership too complicated?

In this kickoff to a powerful new content partnership, Nikki introduces Dr. Ryan Darby, organizational psychologist, leadership simplifier, and founder of WorkStrong. Ryan's not here for hype. He's here for habits. Drawing from his deep experience with 34Strong and years of leading large-scale engagement work, Ryan shares why most leadership development fails, and how a simpler, more actionable approach can finally move the needle.

You'll hear the backstory of Work Strong's creation, rooted in real gaps spotted inside thriving companies. You'll also get a sneak peek into the upcoming "Work Doesn't Work (Anymore)" series and why Ryan believes the future of leadership lies in emotional regulation, discipline, and better listening, not more content.

This one's a rally cry for people-first leaders ready to stop admiring the problem and start doing what actually works.

Additional Resources:

Connect with Dr. Ryan Darby on LinkedIn

Watch Gut + Science (and more) on YouTube!

Connect with Nikki on LinkedIn

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Key Takeaways:

• Leadership is a skill, not a knowledge dump.
• Engagement won't shift without habit-driven systems.
• Listening is thinking. Learn how your brain hears.
• Simplify leadership: action over theory.
• Good leadership demands emotional regulation and resilience.

What if your team could get more done in less time? ⏳ In this Community Conversation, Nikki and Jason flip the traditional "hours worked" mindset on its head, championing the power of results over clock-watching.

They share why it's time to ditch the outdated 9–5 mentality, how to unlearn habits that hold us back, and why role clarity + goals + KPIs are the secret trio for driving real impact. 🚀

From experimenting with a four-day work week to harnessing AI for smarter workflows, this episode is packed with practical strategies, fresh perspectives, and a few personal stories that'll make you rethink your relationship with time.

Whether you're a leader or a team member, you'll walk away ready to work sharper, not harder, and maybe even earn yourself that extra day off.

Additional Resources:

Subscribe to the PFN YouTube Channel for daily leadership insights!

Connect with Nikki on LinkedIn

Connect with Jason on LinkedIn

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Key Takeaways:

• Measure success by results, not hours worked.
• Use role clarity, goals, and KPIs to guide focus.
• Unlearn outdated time-based work habits.
• Leverage AI to boost efficiency and flexibility.
• Cut low-value tasks to create space for impact.

Why are we still using resumes like it's 1995?! 📄

Live from CultureCon 2025, Nikki Lewallen Gregory is joined by Natasha Nuytten, CEO of CLARA, for a rapid-fire convo on shaking up everything we thought we knew about HR.

From blowing up the resume to embracing AI in ethical and human-first ways, Natasha dishes on how leaders can stop playing it safe and start rethinking talent. They explore the magic of unlearning, why potential matters more than pedigree, and how to build hiring processes that actually reflect the world we live in today.

If you're tired of rinse-and-repeat recruiting and ready to reimagine the future of work, this episode is your permission slip to challenge the status quo and lead with heart and strategy.

Additional Resources:

Connect with Natasha on LinkedIn

Learn more about Clara

Listen to "Human Side Up"

Listen to The CultureCon Podcast

Learn more about CultureCon

Connect with Zach on LinkedIn

Connect with Nick on LinkedIn

Connect with Nikki on LinkedIn

Subscribe to the PFN YouTube Channel for daily leadership insights!

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

• Unlearning outdated HR practices creates room for innovation.
• Skills-based hiring outperforms resume-based filtering.
• Culture fit should evolve into culture value-add.
• AI must be ethical, transparent, and human-first.
• Potential matters more than traditional career paths.

What if the secret to staying focused, aligned, and genuinely excited about your goals wasn't a 20-page annual plan, but a simple monthly sprint? Nikki and Jason pull back the curtain on how PeopleForward Network uses OKRs and monthly sprint goals to spark team momentum. 📈

They demystify what OKRs really are, how sprint goals drive alignment and energy, and why failing fast can actually fuel success. Packed with real-life examples and people-first leadership insights, this episode delivers practical tips and a dose of workplace magic. 💡

Whether you're leading a team or just trying to keep the main thing the main thing, this episode is your playbook for unlocking strategic progress, one sprint at a time. 🏃‍♀️

Additional Resources:

Subscribe to the PFN YouTube Channel for daily leadership insights!

Join the PFN Community!

Connect with Nikki on LinkedIn

Connect with Jason on LinkedIn

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

• OKRs bring focus and clarity to what really matters.
• Monthly sprints keep goals agile and actionable.
• Team alignment grows with regular goal check-ins.
• A safe, feedback-rich culture powers real progress.
• Agility isn't optional, it's a must for modern teams.

What if your biggest money block was invisible… and inherited?

Welcome to a groundbreaking kickoff of a new Addicted to Betterment series with Nikki and David, and the incomparable financial coach, Roya Mattis. Together, they dive deep into the subconscious programming most of us never question: the invisible money stories we inherited long before we even earned our first dollar. 🧠

From cheese-and-cracker ceilings to yacht-level abundance, Roya masterfully unpacks how our earliest money memories silently set our financial thermostats, and how we unconsciously sabotage success when we out-earn our internal "deserve level."

This isn't your average money mindset talk. It's about soul elevation, healing scarcity at the root, and stepping fully into your purpose-driven power with money as a tool, not a trap. 💸

📲 If any of this resonated with you and you are curious about programs offers or possibilities, click this link: http://www.CallWithRoya.com

Additional Resources:

Listen to "Breaking the Financial Ceiling" on Addicted to Betterment!

Connect with Roya on LinkedIn

Learn more on Roya's website

Subscribe to Addicted to Betterment on YouTube!

Subscribe to the PFN YouTube Channel for daily leadership insights!

Connect with Nikki on LinkedIn

Connect with David on LinkedIn

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Key Takeaways:

• Financial ceilings are often subconscious, not circumstantial.
• Early money memories shape lifelong beliefs and behaviors.
• Deserve level determines financial highs and lows.
• Money is a tool for love and expansion.
• Rewrite inherited money beliefs to change your future.

Ever wonder what your action figure accessories would be? Or whether you'd rather be launched to Mars or dive into the depths of the ocean? 🌊 🚀

In this offbeat bonus episode of Leading for Wellness, Dr. Patricia Grabarek and Dr. Katina Sawyer ditch the serious talk and take each other on a wild ride through quirky, laugh-out-loud hypotheticals, all sparked by a friendly showdown between Google and ChatGPT.

From irrational fears to fashion regrets and hilarious text messages from fans, this candid convo is full of surprising insights, contagious laughter, and the kind of weird questions that make you pause... and maybe howl laughing.

Come for the fun, stay for the perspective shift.

Additional Resources:

Grab your copy of "Leading for Wellness"

Listen to the original episode

Listen to the Leading for Wellness Podcast

Connect with Patricia on LinkedIn

Connect with Katina on LinkedIn

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

• Humor enhances connection and authenticity in leadership.
• Irrational fears can spark thoughtful self-awareness.
• Fashion trends reveal hidden parts of personality.
• Offbeat questions encourage meaningful reflection.
• Joyful moments create memorable team bonding.

Employees crave feedback, and 96% say they want it! But let's be honest… giving and receiving feedback can be awkward. 😬

In this episode of "In the Loop", Katherine Coble is tackling the art of feedback: how to do it well, when to give it, and why it matters.

Inspired by Radical Candor by Kim Scott, Katherine explores how to balance caring personally while challenging directly (without being too harsh… or too nice).

Plus, we're sharing the "Four F's of Feedback," a simple formula to make your feedback clear, actionable, and actually helpful. 🎯

Additional Resources:

Download this PDF to learn how to get + give great feedback!

Learn more about Radical Candor

Connect with Katherine Coble on LinkedIn

Learn more about Borshoff

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Key Takeaways:

• Right amount of feedback drives highest employee engagement.
• Give feedback as close to the event as possible.
• Leaders model openness by regularly asking for feedback themselves.
• Balance caring personally with challenging directly, like Radical Candor.
• Use Four F's: frame, future, feelings, follow-up.

Ever felt like your culture change efforts are just… throwing spaghetti at the wall 🍝?

In this episode, Nikki sits down with BJ McKay from ADVISA to swap real, in-the-trenches stories of transformation.

Together they break down the ATLAS framework, reveal why discomfort is the secret ingredient to lasting change, and share how to keep leaders energized instead of burned out.

From ditching the busywork to mastering the art of measurable impact, BJ's insights will have you rethinking how you approach culture so it actually sticks. This is your backstage pass to what works (and what doesn't) when you're leading people-first change that lasts. 🎯

Additional Resources:

Get Your 5 Minute Culture Check!

Connect with BJ on LinkedIn

Learn more about ADVISA

Listen to Culture Starts Here on The CultureCon® Podcast

Watch Gut + Science (and more) on YouTube!

Connect with Nikki on LinkedIn

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

• Real transformation is uncomfortable but necessary.
• Systems must show measurable impact, not just look good.
• Focus on fewer priorities to reduce burnout and increase impact.
• Leadership growth at work benefits life outside of work.