The Energized Leader

What if your workplace energized people instead of exhausting them? In this episode of The Energized Leader Podcast, Desi Payne talks with Rich Sheridan, CEO and co-founder of Menlo Innovations and author of Joy, Inc. and Chief Joy Officer, about building a workplace culture people love.

Rich shares how his own experience with burnout inspired a different approach to leadership, one centered on joy, trust, collaboration, and human energy. Discover how fear-based leadership can undermine teamwork, why leaders need to stop being the person with every answer, and how Menlo’s practice of working in rotating pairs encourages shared knowledge and stronger relationships.

You’ll also hear why asking “Are you okay?” can transform a difficult interaction, how humility and apologies build trust, and why laughter belongs in a workplace doing serious work.

Whether you’re a CEO, manager, HR professional, or emerging leader, this conversation offers practical ideas for creating a positive workplace culture, supporting employee engagement, and protecting your life outside of work.

Listen and discover how joyful leadership can help you energize your team and rethink the way you work.

Rich's Bio:

Menlo Innovations CEO Rich Sheridan became disillusioned in the middle of his career in the chaotic technology industry. He had an all-consuming thought…things can be better. Much better. He had to find a way. Why couldn't a workplace be filled with camaraderie, human energy, creativity, and productivity?

Ultimately, Rich co-founded Menlo Innovations in 2001 to end human suffering in the workplace. His unique approach to custom software creation is so surprisingly different, that 3,000 people a year travel from around the world just to see how they do it.

His passion for creating joyful work environments and cultures led to his bestselling and widely celebrated books, Joy, Inc. - How We Built a Workplace People Love and Chief Joy Officer – How Great Leaders Elevate Human Energy and Eliminate Fear.

To contact Rich or purchase his books go to: https://richardsheridan.com/

Are you saying yes to so many good things that you have no energy left for the things that matter most?

In this episode of The Energized Leader Podcast, Desi Payne welcomes entrepreneur and leadership speaker Gary Barker for a practical conversation about leadership development, employee engagement, workplace culture, and protecting your energy.

Drawing on his experience building Digital Technology Group and leading through challenging business seasons, Gary shares why energized leadership starts with staying engaged. He explains how overcommitment drains leaders, why daily appreciation matters, and how shifting from delegation to empowerment helps you build leaders within your team.

You’ll discover:

Whether you’re a business owner, manager, HR professional, or emerging leader, this episode will help you rethink your priorities, strengthen team relationships, and become more intentional about how you lead.

Listen for a powerful reminder: the future you want to create starts with how you show up today.

Gary's Bio:

Most leadership advice sounds great on a podcast and dies by Tuesday. Gary Barker fixes that.

Gary is the Founder and CEO of Barker Leadership Institute. He's no theorist. For more than 28 years he built an eight-figure digital print technology company from the ground up, developing the teams, culture, and systems that ensure its continued growth. He's lived what he teaches, in real time, with real people and real numbers on the line.

That's why his work starts with culture. Strategy only goes as far as the people carrying it. Gary helps leaders build teams that own outcomes, hire for fit, and create cultures where good people stay and grow. His guiding principle is growth at the right level, at the right time. Not every leader needs the same thing. Simply put, the greater the responsibility, the more intentional leadership must become.

Based in Tampa, Gary helps leaders trade busy for built.

Contact Gary: https://garylbarker.com/

Culture Health Scorecard: https://garylbarker.com/culture-consulting

Contact Desi Payne: https://www.desipayne.com/

What can you learn from ten incredible leaders in one podcast episode?

A LOT!

In Part 3 of my special celebration series, I’m sharing some of my favorite takeaways from episodes 28 through 37 of The Energized Leader Podcast.

We’re talking about:

✅ Building trust and psychological safety

You will hear insights from Christine Trippi, Eddie Slowikowski, Mike McGrory, Holly Hoffman, Ken Hartley, Mensur Pudic, Vanessa McNeal, Tessa Kampen, Brad McCloskey, and Dana Nuesca.

Thank you for listening, watching, and helping The Energized Leader Podcast reach this exciting milestone. You’ve gotta start somewhere, and I cannot wait to see where we go next!

Listen now, choose your favorite leadership lesson, and let’s get energized!

The Energized Leader Podcast is celebrating 1,000 downloads!

In Part 2 of this special three-part leadership series, host Desi Payne revisits powerful lessons from Episodes 14 through 27. You will discover practical strategies to improve productivity, protect your energy, strengthen workplace relationships, build resilience, and create a positive workplace culture.  Guests include:  Jones Loflin, Jon Salvador,  Desi Payne, interviewed by co-host Garrett Ross and David Bossou, John O'Leary, Hoan Do, Hollie Tometich, Marie Cosgrove, Lynsey Mulder, Tania DeSa, Jason Dennen, Jeff Hendred, Antoinette Griffin, Dave Kauffman.

These memorable guests share insights on eliminating distractions, identifying your priorities, inspiring others, building authentic connections, recognizing employee strengths, creating psychological safety, and helping people feel seen, heard, and valued.

You will also hear remarkable stories of leaders who overcame devastating injuries, personal trauma, discrimination, business challenges, and unexpected setbacks. Plus, Desi explores how DISC personality styles and greater self-awareness can help leaders communicate more effectively, strengthen their teams, and lead with authenticity.

Whether you are a CEO, manager, business owner, educator, healthcare leader, or emerging leader, this episode offers practical leadership lessons you can use to energize yourself and the people around you.

Listen now, celebrate 1,000 downloads with Desi, and discover the leadership insights shared in Episodes 14 through 27 of The Energized Leader Podcast.

The Energized Leader Podcast has officially reached 1,000 downloads! To celebrate this exciting milestone, host Desi Payne revisits the first 13 episodes and shares powerful leadership lessons from each guest.

In Part 1 of this three-part celebration, discover practical insights from Chris Robinson, Logan Aguirre, Donna Isgett, Dr. Grenita Lathan, Dave Hirst, Dave Cameron, Tom Douglas, Richard Ollis, Nikki Stone, Dr. Bob Nelson, Linda Daugherty, and Dustin James.

You will learn how great leaders create clarity, overcome complacency, prevent burnout, build trust, support employee mental health, empower their teams, recognize employees, strengthen workplace culture, and energize others. You will also hear why leadership sabbaticals, meaningful recognition, resilience, purpose, and genuine connection can transform both leaders and their organizations.

Whether you are a CEO, manager, HR professional, educator, healthcare leader, or emerging leader, this episode is packed with practical leadership strategies you can use to create a more positive, energized workplace.

Thank you for helping The Energized Leader Podcast reach its first 1,000 downloads. This is only the beginning!

How can leaders motivate different personalities, build a stronger workplace culture, and stay organized when life and business feel overwhelming?

In this episode of The Energized Leader Podcast, Desi Payne talks with entrepreneur, author, and speaker Dana Nuesca about the leadership lessons she learned while building a successful business with her husband. Dana shares an honest look at the challenges of working with a spouse, protecting their marriage, leading employees with different backgrounds, and transforming a struggling workplace into a supportive team.

You will discover why effective leaders must adapt their communication and motivation strategies to each employee, how transparency and trust strengthen workplace culture, and why money is not the only way to reward people. Dana also explains how clutter and disorganization increase stress, consume valuable time, and drain mental energy.

Plus, Dana shares practical organization tips, the story behind her book Hot Mess to Not Mess, and how structure can help even naturally disorganized people become more productive.

If you want to improve employee engagement, communicate with different personalities, reduce workplace stress, and become a more energized and organized leader, this episode is for you.

Connect with Dana:

(Dana's Full Bio Below)

Connect with Desi Payne:

#TheEnergizedLeader #LeadershipPodcast #WorkplaceCulture #EmployeeEngagement #LeadershipDevelopment #TeamMotivation #OrganizedLeader #BusinessLeadership

Dana Nuesca Bio:

Dana Nuesca married at 19, which most people will tell you is a terrible idea. Forty years later, she is still married, still standing, and has built an entire career out of proving most people wrong.

Dana holds a bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of North Carolina Wilmington and a master’s degree in management from Troy University. She has put those credentials to work as a franchise co-owner, author, and speaker. Dana and her husband, Kalani, co-own The Tailored Closet and PremierGarage in San Diego, where they have somehow managed to build a thriving business without either one filing paperwork on the other.

Dana is the author of Hot Mess to Not Mess: Kicking Indecision and Disorganization to the Curb and a contributing author to Her Next Level, a 21-author anthology featuring her chapter, “Her Commitment,” which does exactly what the title promises.

She is also the founder of HotMessToNotMess.com, where she helps business owners get out of their own way and, occasionally, their spouse’s way too.

Dana is a Jesus lover, the mother of one son, a grandmother of six, and, by multiple credible accounts, genuinely funny. Her clients agree. Her husband is still deciding.

What makes an energized leader? For Brad McCloskey, educational leader and incoming superintendent of Ottumwa Schools, it starts with relationships.

In this episode of The Energized Leader Podcast, Desi Payne talks with Brad about the leadership lessons he has learned throughout more than two decades in education, from science teacher and coach to principal, associate superintendent, and superintendent.

Brad shares why strong relationships are the foundation of effective leadership, how listening can strengthen workplace culture, and why leaders should resist the temptation to match someone else's negative energy during difficult conversations. He explains how listening sessions have helped employees feel heard and how following through on employee feedback can build greater trust within an organization.

You'll also discover Brad's perspective on building positive workplace culture, strengthening teams, managing stress, supporting employee wellness, using humor at work, and creating an environment where people can have fun while still achieving meaningful goals. Brad also discusses the challenges facing today's educators and why supporting teachers and recognizing the professionalism of education matters more than ever.

If you are a leader, educator, school administrator, manager, or anyone who wants to build stronger relationships and a healthier workplace culture, this conversation is packed with practical leadership wisdom you can use immediately.

In this episode, you'll learn:

Why relationships are at the heart of energized leadership

Brad's final leadership advice says it beautifully: keep it in perspective. Problems may feel overwhelming in the moment, but leaders who bring people together, consider different perspectives, and remember to enjoy the journey can create workplaces where people and organizations thrive.

Read Brad McCloskey's Full Bio Here:

How do great leaders build cohesive teams, create psychological safety, and work effectively with difficult people?

In this episode of The Energized Leader Podcast, Desi Payne talks with Tessa Kampen, facilitator and team engagement expert, about what it takes to create workplaces where people feel valued, understood, included, and energized.

Tessa shares why strong teams begin with understanding the people behind the job, not simply implementing better systems and processes. She explains the four stages of psychological safety, including inclusion safety, learner safety, challenger safety, and contributor safety, and why each one plays an important role in building trust and employee engagement.

You will also discover a powerful new way to think about difficult coworkers. Tessa challenges leaders to look in the mirror and ask, “What is it like on the other side of me?” before labeling someone else as difficult. She explains how curiosity, humility, self-awareness, and understanding can transform workplace relationships.

Plus, hear Tessa's memorable beach ball analogy for understanding another person's perspective and why understanding does not require agreement.

If you are a leader, manager, HR professional, team member, or anyone who wants to improve workplace culture, communication, trust, and connection, this episode is packed with practical leadership strategies you can use immediately.

In this episode, you'll learn:

Contact Tessa: https://tessakampen.com/

Contact Desi: https://www.desipayne.com/

What if the difficult person at work isn’t actually difficult, but dysregulated?

In this episode of The Energized Leader Podcast, Desi Payne sits down with neuroscience expert and speaker Vanessa McNeal to explore how understanding the brain and nervous system can transform workplace relationships, reduce conflict, and help leaders create healthier, more energized teams.

Vanessa shares practical strategies for dealing with difficult coworkers and employees, navigating challenging conversations, managing workplace stress, and recognizing the role nervous system regulation plays in leadership. You’ll learn how curiosity can replace judgment, why communication is critical during conflict, and how leaders can support employees experiencing burnout and overwhelm.

Vanessa also explains why an energized leader is magnetic, someone who can bring positivity and energy while also showing compassion, emotional intelligence, and presence when life gets difficult.

If you’ve ever struggled with a demanding boss, difficult coworker, burned-out employee, or stressful workplace relationship, this conversation will give you a fresh perspective and practical tools to respond differently.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

Contact Vanessa: https://www.vanessamcneal.com/

Contact Desi: https://www.desipayne.com/

What does it take to transform unimaginable adversity into determination, purpose, and success?

In this inspiring episode of The Energized Leader Podcast, Desi Payne sits down with Mensur Pudic, a Bosnian American motivational speaker, personal development coach, award-winning author, natural bodybuilder, and powerlifter. Mensur shares his powerful journey from experiencing war and genocide as a young child in Bosnia to arriving in Iowa as a refugee with only the clothes on his back.

He reveals how childhood trauma shaped his mindset, why he spent years operating in survival mode, and how personal growth helped him replace fear with faith, resilience, and purpose. Mensur also explains how our thoughts create beliefs, our beliefs influence our actions, and our actions ultimately determine our results.

Listeners will discover practical strategies for overcoming negative thinking, challenging limiting beliefs, creating meaningful goals, and developing the discipline required to achieve them. Mensur also shares three ways to become simply motivated: work toward meaningful progress, find something that deeply inspires you, and surround yourself with people who challenge you to grow.

This conversation is a powerful reminder that your past may shape you, but it does not have to limit your future.

To contact Mensur, go to: https://simply-motivated.com/

To contact Desi, go to: https://www.desipayne.com/