Welcome to Happeo Unmuted, the podcast where we go beyond best practices to explore what really connects people at work. In this episode, Jesse Bourgeault-Trickey sits down with Roxanne Deevey, owner and chief strategist of DB Strategic Communications and two-time Gold Quill award winner, to discuss why internal communications keeps getting treated as an afterthought — and what it actually takes to change that.Roxanne brings decades of award-winning experience in the education and healthcare nonprofit sectors, and she doesn't hold back on the assumptions, habits, and organizational blind spots that quietly undermine even the best-intentioned comms teams.In this episode, Roxanne shares:

• Why communications gets cut first when budgets get tight — and how to prevent it
• How message mapping became one of the most quietly powerful tools in her practice
• Why organizations consistently overestimate how much employees care about executive activity
• What genuine consultation looks like versus just ticking a box — and why the difference matters
• The recognition-based inclusion campaign that won Gold Quills and got replicated by other school boards
• Why plain language is the advice everyone agrees with and almost nobody follows
• Why the CEO isn't always the best person for the interview

Whether you're an internal communications professional, a people leader, or someone trying to get leadership to take comms seriously, this episode is full of things worth writing down.

🔍 Timestamps

⁠00:00⁠ Intro

⁠00:01⁠ Roxanne's background and DB Strategic Communications

⁠00:03⁠ Why communications gets treated as a "nice to have"

⁠00:04⁠ The power of asking "why this, why now?"

⁠00:05⁠ What makes the chaos of the job worthwhile

⁠00:07⁠ Message mapping: what it is and why it works

⁠00:11⁠ How organizations overestimate employee interest in leadership

⁠00:12⁠ Red flags that signal a difficult project ahead

⁠00:15⁠ Why approval processes muddle communication

⁠00:19⁠ The "graa" inclusion campaign: recognition over moralizing

⁠00:24⁠ What genuine consultation actually looks like

⁠00:27⁠ The democratization of video and what it changed

⁠00:29⁠ AI's role in communications — and what it can't replace

⁠00:34⁠ Why plain language is harder than it sounds

⁠00:37⁠ Why the CEO isn't always the right interview subject

⁠00:39⁠ Closing thoughts

🔗 Learn more about Happeo: ⁠https://www.happeo.com⁠

🎧 Subscribe for more episodes on internal communications, knowledge management, employee experience, and AI in the workplace.

Ready for Change: Communication, Culture, and Leading Transformation | Happeo Unmuted Podcast | Episode 14Welcome to Happeo Unmuted, the podcast where we go beyond best practices to explore what really connects people at work. In this episode, Jesse Bourgeault-Trickey sits down with Andrea Greenhous, founder and president of Vision to Voice, to rethink how organizations approach change, communication, and transformation.From moving beyond outdated “change management” frameworks to building cultures that are truly ready for change, Andrea shares powerful insights on how communication, leadership, and human behavior shape successful transformation.In this episode, Andrea shares:✅ Why organizations should focus on being “ready for change,” not just managing it✅ Why communication must be valuable, purposeful, and worth employees’ time✅ How poor communication creates “change trauma” — and how to fix it✅ Why leaders must take ownership of communication and lead change from the top✅ How storytelling creates authentic, compelling reasons for change✅ Why modern intranets and knowledge management are critical for supporting transformation✅ How emotional intelligence, trust, and psychological safety drive successful changeWhether you’re an internal communications professional, HR leader, or transformation strategist, this episode offers practical advice on building a culture that can adapt, learn, and thrive through constant change.🔍 Timestamps00:00 Intro01:25 Why communication must be valuable02:28 A change communication blooper03:42 Understanding your audience and making messages stick04:52 Why change management feels broken06:02 Moving beyond outdated frameworks07:12 The concept of “change readiness”08:12 Why organizations forget the human side of change09:32 Building people-first communication systems10:57 Anchoring change to organizational purpose12:05 Why employees resist change13:12 Understanding “change trauma”14:20 Rebuilding trust after failed change15:22 Emotional intelligence in communication16:57 How leaders undermine change17:55 The role of humility and failure in leadership20:01 Supporting employees after implementation25:54 Knowledge management’s role in change27:09 Creating valuable, lasting content29:47 The power of storytelling in transformation30:57 Using stories to shift behavior32:21 Why authentic stories need tension and failure33:28 Getting leadership buy-in for real communication36:58 The role of modern intranets38:28 Why comms teams need better tools39:54 Supporting managers as communicators41:14 Creating message permanence42:31 The human challenge of AI in change45:07 Measuring success in transformation47:14 Staying agile and adapting quickly48:31 The communicator’s role as “ear to the ground”50:24 Why emotions are data55:04 Building a culture ready for change56:13 From knowing culture to learning culture🔗 Learn more about Happeo: https://www.happeo.com🎧 Subscribe for more episodes on internal communications, knowledge management, employee experience, and AI in the workplace.

Welcome to Happeo Unmuted, the podcast where we go beyond best practices to explore what really connects people at work. In this episode, Jesse Bourgeault-Trickey sits down with Nekolina Lau to challenge how internal comms teams think about their role, and where they're spending their time. 1. Leaders are the most trusted communication channel, not the comms team.Employees trust people, not logos or titles. Leaders have been outsourcing their voice for too long, and simply approving a drafted message isn't the same as communicating.2. Silence isn't a comms problem.When nobody asks questions in a town hall or engagement is low, the instinct is to blame the channel. More often than not, it's a trust and psychological safety issue, and no new tool or feature will fix that.3. Stop measuring vanity metricsPost views and likes don't tell you much. The metrics that matter are the ones tied to real business outcomes — changed behavior, training completion, tool adoption.4. Build your reputational piggy bank before you need it.Transparency and honest communication are deposits. When a difficult decision or crisis hits, organizations that have built up that trust recover faster and with far less damage.5. Comms professionals need to stop being gatekeepers.The goal should be setting up frameworks, templates, and guardrails that empower leaders and employees to communicate within appropriate lanes, freeing the comms team to focus on work that's actually strategic.

Welcome to Happeo Unmuted, the podcast where we go beyond best practices to explore what really connects people at work. In this episode, Jesse Bourgeault-Trickey sits down with Janna Stam to unpack the realities of measuring internal comms, the emotional weight of the role, and why communication is far more than a “soft skill.”Top 5 takeaways from Janna Stam on Happeo Unmuted:1. There’s no universal metric for internal comms successInternal communications remains a “black box” when it comes to measurement. There’s no industry-wide gold standard, only internal benchmarking. Whether it’s open rates, click-throughs, or engagement signals, progress is measured against your own historical data. Even a 2–5% lift can be meaningful. The real key is setting intentional goals and tracking movement over time, rather than chasing a mythical silver bullet metric.2. “Can you send an email?” is the biggest misunderstanding of commsThe most common request Janna hears is: “I need an email to go out.” But internal comms is far more than message distribution. It’s governance, psychology, stakeholder alignment, and cultural translation. It’s about understanding influence networks, building trust with business partners, and identifying human champions who can make a message resonate in ways a single executive email never could.3. Communication is infrastructure, not a soft skillOne of Janna’s boldest takes: communication is organizational infrastructure. It’s the framework that creates coherence between strategy, culture, and day-to-day work. When business objectives are clearly translated into department, team, and individual goals, employees feel part of something bigger. Without that connective tissue, organizations struggle with alignment.4. AI is powerful, but human judgment is the differentiatorJanna sees AI as a creative and analytical accelerator, not a final decision-maker. Yes, it hallucinates. Yes, it can sound overly confident. But that’s precisely why the “human in the loop” matters. Tone, empathy, contextual awareness, and ethical judgment remain uniquely human strengths. AI can brainstorm, summarize, and spot patterns, but it can’t sense emotional risk or navigate cultural nuance on its own.5. The emotional labor of comms is real (and rarely discussed)Internal communicators sit between executive urgency and employee uncertainty. They absorb ambiguity, misalignment, and pressure, while projecting calm and clarity. As Janna puts it, it’s like a duck gliding smoothly on the surface while paddling frantically underneath. The role requires resilience, emotional intelligence, and the ability to translate complexity into meaning, often without recognition of the toll it takes.Throughout the conversation, Jesse and Janna return to one core idea: tools, platforms, and AI matter, but people matter more. Whether it’s leveraging champions on platforms, personalizing “comms packs” across regions, or repeating foundational messages until they stick, sustainable communication is built on human trust and accountability.

Welcome to Happeo Unmuted, the podcast where we go beyond best practices to explore what really connects people at work. In this episode, Jesse Bourgeault-Trickey sits down with Maliha Aqeel to discuss several key aspects of internal communications, knowledge sharing, and digital transformation. Top 5 takeaways from Maliha Aqeel on Happeo Unmuted:1. Technology doesn’t fix communication, strategy doesOne of the biggest internal comms mistakes is relying on tools to solve people problems. Effective communication starts with understanding the audience, the purpose, and the real business impact, not launching another channel or platform.2. Comms must be strategic, not downstreamCommunications teams already have a seat at the table, but they need to use it. Comms should be involved from the start, connecting executive goals, company culture, and employee realities, and educating leaders on the strategic value they bring.3. Executive champions make or break changeSustainable communication change requires strong executive alignment. When leaders and comms teams agree on the problem—and model the behavior themselves—communication becomes clearer, simpler, and far more effective.4. Use AI responsibly with “Trust but Verify”Generative AI works best when it handles the first 70–80% of the draft, with humans refining the rest. Maliha’s “Trust but Verify” framework ensures AI output is accurate, on-brand, ethical, and accountable through systematic verification and documentation.5. Simplicity and audience focus drive real impactThe most effective communication is often the simplest. Overcomplicated campaigns fall flat, while clear priorities and a deep understanding of the audience—including the often-overlooked “silent majority”—lead to meaningful engagement and change.

Welcome to Happeo Unmuted, the podcast where we go beyond best practices to explore what really connects people at work. In this episode, Jesse Bourgeault-Trickey sits down with Priya Bates to discuss the strategic evolution of internal communications. From building courage and credibility to measuring real business impact, Priya shares her career-defining moments, common pitfalls organizations face, and why internal communicators must position themselves as part of a system for success.

Top 5 takeaways from Priya Bates on Happeo Unmuted:

1. Internal communicators need courage and accountability, not more complaintsPriya emphasizes that the profession must shift focus from complaining about lack of resources and respect to being accountable for real results. Internal communicators should focus on contributing to bottom-line outcomes and engaging employees to deliver on brand promises. She uses the quote from Albert Einstein: "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result," encouraging professionals to do things differently to achieve different results.

2. Strategy must come before tactics in communicationThe biggest challenge organizations face is the knee-jerk reaction to jump immediately to tactics when communication is identified as a problem, often skipping strategy. This leads to assigning communication tasks to junior or administrative staff who lack strategic training, perpetuating recurring issues. A holistic internal communication audit provides the strategic roadmap needed to identify gaps and create consistent employee experiences.

3. Tool adoption requires more than just availabilityUsing the Field of Dreams analogy, Priya warns that simply making a tool available does not guarantee effective use or contribution to efficiencies without proper process implementation. Successful adoption requires thinking about how the tool will be used, providing training and governance, maintaining relevant content, and measuring success beyond mere clicks to focus on organizational impact.

4. Survey fatigue is actually lack of action fatigueWhat organizations call survey fatigue is really frustration over failed follow-through. Organizations either fail to act on survey results or neglect to inform employees of the actions taken. Effective reinforcement means consistent actions from leaders, highlighting recognition for achievements, and connecting requested actions with actual results—a process of showing and showcasing, not just repeating the same message.

5. Measurement is the biggest opportunity for internal communicatorsPriya advocates for using metrics to demonstrate value and build credibility, even if it starts by showing what went wrong. This includes tracking often-overlooked outcomes like improvements in safety records, reduced liability or lawsuits related to non-compliance with policies, and better alignment with organizational goals. Building credibility involves delivering on strategic projects, measuring results, and creating case studies that demonstrate the link between successful communication and business results.

Welcome to Happeo Unmuted, the podcast where we go beyond best practices to explore what really connects people at work. In this episode, Jesse Bourgeault-Trickey sits down with Claude Baudoin to discuss the intricacies of knowledge management. From identifying experts to facilitating knowledge sharing, Claude Baudoin shares common misconceptions, his real-world successes, and the importance of motivating employees and leadership.

Welcome to Happeo Unmuted, the podcast where we go beyond best practices to explore what really connects people at work. In this episode, Jesse Bourgeault-Trickey sits down with Martin Hobratschk to discuss the evolving world of knowledge management. From the balance between centralizing knowledge and empowering experts, to leveraging AI for real-time insights and driving measurable impact, this episode is packed with actionable tips for anyone looking to make knowledge work for their organization.Top 5 Takeaways from Happeo Unmuted with Martin Hobratschk1. Start with a thorough assessment and a clear strategyBefore diving into tools or processes, it’s crucial to understand what you already have. Martin emphasizes, “The first step always has to be do a real good thorough assessment of what you've got now… really understand what tools are out there, what is in those tools, what is the state of the content, and what problems it solves.” Once you’ve identified gaps, focus on solving the highest-impact problem first. Start simple and iterate. Build a roadmap not just for the next six months, but with a vision stretching out multiple years.2. Centralize knowledge but empower decentralized expertsA single source of truth is essential, but the content should come from those who have the expertise. Martin explains, “The true experts are the ones who should be responsible for maintaining that knowledge… making knowledge sharing as much as possible a function of everybody’s job.” By integrating KM into the daily workflow of subject matter experts, organizations ensure accuracy and relevance without overburdening staff.3. Measure impact, not activityCreating knowledge isn’t enough—you must track how it drives real outcomes. Martin highlights, “You can put metrics in place to say we created 2,000 new knowledge articles this year, but were they actually used? Measure how things are being used… that’s a better measure than just counting articles created.” Focus on KPIs like first contact resolution, average handle time, and customer satisfaction to demonstrate tangible ROI.4. Leverage AI to enhance, not replace, human knowledgeAI can be transformative, from surfacing relevant content to identifying knowledge gaps. Martin notes, “AI is so much more than just creating and sharing. You can use it to analyze your knowledge base, find areas for improvement, and suggest ways to improve that… but always keeping a human in the loop.” AI-powered tools can also provide real-time guidance during customer interactions, highlighting contextually relevant updates without relying solely on search.5. Cultivate a learning and knowledge-sharing cultureThe most successful KM programs come from mindset change, not just systems. Martin says, “Knowledge management is something you do for people, not to them… continuous learning is continuous improvement.” Organizations need to incentivize knowledge sharing, celebrate champions, and make learning part of everyday work. A culture that values employee knowledge translates into better service for customers and higher engagement internally.

Welcome to Happeo Unmuted, the podcast where we go beyond best practices to explore what really connects people at work. In this episode, Jesse Bourgeault-Trickey sits down with Taylor Paschal to discuss the real foundations of responsible AI in knowledge management, from dismantling knowledge hoarding culture, to empowering SMEs, to keeping a human in the loop.

5 Key Takeaways from Happeo Unmuted with Taylor Paschal

1. Knowledge management is more than a knowledge base.
   Taylor emphasizes that valuable insights often live outside formal systems — in conversations, workflows, and other resources. KM leaders should act as guides who help employees become resourceful learners.

2. ROI in knowledge management comes from connection and impact.
   Beyond usage metrics, the true return lies in reducing duplicate work, improving quality assurance, and creating feedback loops between frontline teams and product or development functions.

3. AI needs humans in the loop.
   Taylor underscores the importance of human validation and coaching to ensure AI search results remain accurate, trustworthy, and aligned with organizational standards — especially in regulated industries.

4. Accessibility is key to effective KM.
   Knowledge management shouldn’t be reserved for large enterprises. Every organization — regardless of size or budget — can adopt scalable KM practices that make knowledge more accessible and actionable.

5. KM and communications are stronger together.
   Collaboration between KM and comms teams amplifies impact. Council-style groups or communities of practice can align goals, share governance, and ensure that knowledge supports broader business objectives.