Today’s episode is exactly what we need for hard times when it seems like good people can’t finish first. My guest is an author, thought leader and visionary who proves every day that principled leadership isn’t just possible but actually drives results. 

I’m so excited to introduce Irma Neal, who has navigated everything from being the actual Deputy Mayor of Indianapolis to corporate executive positions to building multiple successful businesses, all while maintaining her core principles and beliefs. Irma shares how she identifies and handles people who thrive on chaos, why she always looks at herself first when mistakes happen, and how creating clear values-based boundaries actually empowers teams to self-police toxic behavior.

Rather than accepting that you have to compromise your integrity to succeed, Irma shows us how leaders who stay true to their values create loyalty, reduce turnover, and build environments where people genuinely want to contribute their best work. She also reveals why financial wellness programs aren't just nice-to-haves but strategic investments that create measurable returns in productivity, retention, and employee loyalty.

Resources:

• "Leading in Chaos" by Irma Neal
• Onyx Rising website 
• Onyx Rising on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook
• Free Money Mindset Quiz
• Irma Neal on LinkedIn

Many of us secretly (or not so secretly) believe that being successful means being boring, safe, and having basically no fun at work. But if you scratch beneath the surface, you’ll probably remember a few shining moments where you were having a great time AND doing some of the best work of your life. My guest, Todd Schuchart, is all about creating these moments for himself and his teams. 

Sure, you aren’t going to love everything about your work, but why is it inevitable that we accept environments that squeeze the creativity and humanity out of talented people when we have experts like Todd dedicating their lives to making work more fun and creative?

In this episode, you'll learn how to do exactly this from Todd, who went from corporate executive to self-proclaimed "certified goofball" running a multi-million dollar lead generation company. Todd challenges the myth that you have to choose between being successful and being yourself, sharing his "sandbox method" for managing teams and his philosophy that being serious about results doesn't mean you can't have fun doing the work.

Rather than accepting the soul-crushing aspects of traditional corporate culture, Todd shows us how setting boundaries, maintaining your sense of humor, and focusing on what really matters can create both better business outcomes and a workplace where people actually want to show up.

Resources:

• Todd’s YouTube Channel - Razor Ridge Leads
• Razor Ridge website
• Razor Ridge on LinkedIn
• Razor Ridge on Facebook

Conventional wisdom often says that leadership is about having all the answers. But I’d argue that today’s business world requires the opposite: the skill and comfort to ask the right questions and help teams navigate change and ambiguity.

If you’re a leader, I implore you to ask yourself: when was the last time you helped someone see a "failure" as an iteration? Or created space for your team to actually innovate instead of just survive?

In this episode, we explore these questions with adaptive leadership coach Valerie Sandjivy, who challenges us to find harmony amidst the chaos by fundamentally reframing how we think about change, mistakes, and what it means to lead.

In this moment when businesses desperately need innovation and resilience, too many leaders are clinging to outdated approaches that create fear instead of the creative, collaborative cultures that would actually drive real results and retain talent.

Rather than resisting the constant shifts in our world, Valerie shows us how adaptive leadership means staying "one step ahead" by listening to signals and creating with intention instead of reacting from fear. She breaks down her four-pillar foundation for leadership and reveals why the most successful leaders treat every challenge as a training room for the next level.

Resources:

• Valarie’s Free Leadership Self-Assessment Quiz
• Valerie Sandjivy on LinkedIn
• Book: "Not Safe for Work: A good manager's guide to better feeling work in a toxic culture" by me

Remember Six Sigma? Before you say “no” and feel super smug that you never had to deal with it, how about Lean UX or Agile? And do you remember how much more awesome work became after your company rolled those out? No? Me either. 

I know it’s more complicated than that. And maybe some things did improve in some ways. But I have to ask: why do companies insist on chasing trendy, expensive, complicated workflow and productivity overhauls when we already know some very simple things corporations COULD do to truly improve productivity, innovation, and even employee retention. 

In this episode, we explore this question and look at the reasons why companies continue to chase a new fix while ignoring what we employees already know, including the mounting evidence that "always on" culture actually destroys productivity and innovation.

Rather than making us more efficient, this constant availability has allowed corporations to ignore and even indulge in their systemic inefficiencies, passing problems downstream to employees instead of fixing broken processes and placing accountability where it actually belongs.

The irony? In this historic moment when U.S. businesses desperately need to be more innovative and competitive, senior executives are turning instead to being more controlling and stifling the creativity and culture that would actually allow them to deliver real impact and results. 

• Making Time Off Predictable - Harvard Business Review
• Deloitte Workplace Study on Right to Disconnect policies
• That’s What the Money is For! Manager on a Mission podcast episode
• From Gatekeeping to Gardening Manager on a Mission podcast episode
• Books: "Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less" by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang and Not Safe for Work: A good manager’s guide to better feeling work in a toxic culture by me

Featuring an episode of SheThrives - Influencing women to rise above fear, build self esteem and THRIVE in all areas of their lives. With Lori Murphy.

Join Tosca and Lori as they talk about Tosca’s mission of creating a safe and healthy work environment.

Tosca is a former Fortune 100 executive on a mission to rework the workplace by putting people first. After snagging her first management role at age 25, she knew that creating a vision with a team, coaching them to succeed, and building a culture where team members actually liked and respected each other was her life’s work. Tosca left her Wall Street position to write her book “Not Safe for Work – A good manager’s guide to better feeling work in a toxic culture”. She also hosts the Manager on a Mission podcast and coaches people-focused leaders who know there’s a better way to manage teams but need just a little support to build the systems that are both good for people as well as profits.

Join Lori’s FREE Facebook Community for Women:

https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1ENSALcUax

Is emotional abuse just part of the deal when you work in corporate America? In this episode, we’re talking about the unspoken contract that many of us have accepted at work: that we have to tolerate being treated badly in exchange for a paycheck. 

And yes, the title of this episode references Don Draper's infamous line from Mad Men. As a former ad agency copywriter when the legendary show was on the air, I certainly didn’t enjoy working for people who treated me and my team members badly, yet I admit to pretty much buying into this mentality. There has always been a sort of accepted level of misery we’re supposed to endure on the job in exchange for money.  

Then something happened: the pandemic created a natural experiment that exposed the true nature of the emotional contract between employers and employees and broke open something we never expected - initially, the freedom to work more comfortably and flexibly. But later, the backlash and control tactics - one of the most troubling examples of which is JP Morgan Chase's surveillance system, which has created a culture of paranoia and distrust.

The fundamental question becomes: what is the limit of treatment we're willing to endure in exchange for money? And why do we assume work has to include some level of emotional abuse at all?

Resources you might like:

Manager on a Mission podcast episode: Hell, No RTO

My book: NSFW - A good manager’s guide to better-feeling work in a toxic culture 

Are you an overachiever who struggles to find joy in your work? Or maybe you feel like quitting your job but you really can’t afford to make that move. Either way, you need to hear this conversation with Tracy LaLonde.

Tracy brings over 30 years of experience in training and development across high-tech consulting and legal industries. And in this conversation, she shares her journey from burnout (traveling 40 weeks a year to three cities a week!) to becoming a trust expert and "joychiever" (that’s right: joy + achiever).

Tracy explains how high achievers and burnout candidates can become “joychievers” by understanding what makes them uniquely joyful and recognizing that joy comes from small daily choices. 

She shares insights from her book "The Joychiever Journey," which includes seven "true self stops" to help professionals gain a deeper understanding of themselves, including:

• Values Village - identifying your 5-10 highest priority values that guide all your choices
• Strengths Mountain - focusing on your most joyous strengths (not just what you're good at)
• Body Beach - taking care of your physical health
• Relationships Harbor - prioritizing joy-inducing relationships over joy-robbing ones

Tracy also reveals fascinating insights about workplace trust, including:

• The six elements of trust: competence, openness, integrity, empathy, empowerment, and consistency
• Why trust should be given rather than earned (it's actually physiological - it releases oxytocin!)
• How managers inadvertently erode trust through behaviors like not acknowledging effort
• Why saying "thank you" and acknowledging effort matters, even when people are "just doing their job"
• How to repair trust when it's broken (hint: it's a two-way street)

One of my favorite takeaways? If you're able to do what you really enjoy at least 30% of the time in your job, you'll be "exponentially more joyful.” It’s not about loving every aspect of your work - it's about intentionally designing your work to include enough of what brings you joy.

Here's how to connect with Tracy:

• LinkedIn: Tracy LaLonde
• Website: joychiever.com
• Email: [email protected]

Books: "The Joychiever Journey: Evade Burnout, Surpass Your Goals and Out-Happy Everyone " and "Trust Me: An Insider's Guide to Being the Go-To Person at Work"

Are CEOs actually using data when making return-to-office decisions? Come on, you know the answer. (No, they aren't.) In today’s episode I'm taking on the worst corner-office offenders in the corporate world who are mandating returns to office with flawed logic, hypocrisy, and tone-deaf policies.

This episode was inspired by Jamie Dimon of JP Morgan Chase, who declared at a town hall early in 2025 that remote work "simply doesn't work" for creativity and decision-making—with no data to back his claims. It got me wondering why so many CEOs who usually pride themselves on being "data-driven" and "innovative" are so determined to make backward, uninformed declarations about how work should happen.

I cover four of the worst RTO offenders, from A to Z, starting with Andy (Jassy) of Amazon. and also share common threads among the reasons behind these mandates. And for managers caught in the middle, I offer some practical advice.

I also revisit one of my common rants: that proximity doesn't automatically build culture or innovation. These are built through consistent, committed leadership choices that include listening to people and adapting to new ways of working.

Take a listen and let me know in the comments which CEO gets your vote for the worst RTO take!

Connect with me:

• Get my newsletter
• My book NSFW
• Previous RTO episode: Hell No, RTO 
• Website
• Instagram

This whole episode is full of a-ha moments, those things that make you stop your usual routine and question if you’re doing everything you were meant to do with your life. It’s full of thought-provoking questions, like: did your 6-year old self already have the answer to who you really are? Or are you a closet changemaker? And how do you make a PIVOT?

Dr. Taryn Fletcher is coach, author, and educator who's on a mission to empower one million (or more!) humans to boldly pivot into the leaders they want to be. We explore how to recognize when it's time to pivot, the importance of listening to your inner wisdom, and her proven framework for navigating change authentically.

Dr. Fletcher shares her personal journey of pivoting after receiving life-changing news during her pregnancy with her third child, and how this catalyst helped her discover her true purpose. This conversation is perfect for anyone who feels that quiet (or not so quiet!) nudge that there might be more to their leadership journey.

Resources:

• Website: drtaryn.co
• Dr. Taryn on LinkedIn
• "The Pivot Plan" - Dr. Fletcher's upcoming book
• "Closet Changemaker" private podcast just for listeners of Manager on a Mission

Can your career be completely layoff-proof? Probably not. But can you do more than just worry about a layoff happening to you? Heck, yeah, and in this episode my guest shares some of her best strategies for protecting and advancing your career with you. Nicole Miles is a Certified Career Coach, founder of HerCareerStrategist and former Global Recruiting Leader at Tesla, and she brings over 20 years of corporate experience from all sides of the career equation.

I’ve been a recruiter and hiring manager in my corporate career, and Nicole even schooled me on a few things, including warning signs of potential layoffs, like:

• Restructuring and team consolidations
• Hiring freezes after periods of growth
• Negative financial performance (especially in publicly traded companies)
• Elimination of key programs like DEI initiatives
• Budget cuts across departments
• Return-to-office mandates (which Nicole notes can sometimes be designed to prompt voluntary departures)

She also shares the importance of staying ready, maintaining networking connections, and developing areas of expertise and differentiation. We also talk salary negotiations and resume strategy - as well as whether anyone actually reads your cover letters. 

Here’s how to connect with Nicole:

• LinkedIn: Nicole Miles 
• Website: HerCareerStrategist.com
• Book a complimentary Launch Your Dream Career session to discuss your specific situation
• Download Nicole’s free Standout Resume Toolkit
• Follow Nicole on Instagram

The WARN Act page that Nicole mentioned where employers notify of impending layoffs is by state, so Google yours, but here is the federal page.