The EX Conversation

In this episode of The EX Conversation, Kaz sits down with Funmi Williams, Head of Internal Communications for AND-E, to explore her career journey from aspiring lawyer to communications leader, and the experiences that have shaped her approach to leadership.

The conversation goes beyond career progression to examine what it means to navigate corporate environments when you don't see yourself reflected in leadership. Funmi shares candid insights on resilience, confidence, representation, and why creating inclusive workplace cultures remains a critical challenge for organizations today.

If you're an internal communications, employee experience, HR, or workplace leader grappling with questions around inclusion, belonging, leadership development, or authentic communication, you'll find plenty of practical reflection points in this discussion. For anyone trying to create environments where people can thrive without compromising who they are, this episode offers a thoughtful and honest perspective.

In this episode of The EX Conversation, Kaz Hassan sits down with internal communications consultant, author, and researcher Jenni Field to explore a question many organizations continue to wrestle with: is employee engagement still the right measure of organizational health?

Drawing on years of research, consulting experience, and conversations with leaders across industries, Jenni challenges some of the assumptions behind engagement metrics and asks whether our measures of success have kept pace with the realities of modern work. Together, they discuss the difference between engagement and impact, the limits of benchmarking, and what organizations should be paying attention to instead.

If you're responsible for employee experience, internal communications, culture, or digital workplace strategy, this episode offers a thoughtful perspective on a topic that continues to shape leadership decisions. For leaders trying to prove value, build high-performing teams, or move beyond survey scores, you'll find plenty of practical questions to take back to your own organization.

In this episode of The EX Conversation, Kaz sits down with Emily Esposito,Senior Sales Communications and Events Specialist at Boston Beer Company, to explore what it really takes to cut through the noise and support employees with clear, actionable communication. Drawing on her experience working closely with sales teams, Emily shares how Boston Beer Co rethought their approach to communication — and turned one of their least engaged audiences into one of their most engaged.

They unpack the difference between communication that gets seen and communication that actually works, why clarity matters more than frequency, and how aligning messaging to real-world use cases changes outcomes. Emily also shares the thinking behind Brew Hub — their intranet designed around frontline needs — and what it takes to drive meaningful adoption in fast-moving environments.

This episode is especially useful for internal comms and EX leaders trying to simplify complex messaging, reach distributed or deskless workers, and move beyond surface-level engagement metrics. If you’ve ever felt like your comms are being seen but not understood, this conversation will resonate.

In this episode of The EX Conversation, Kaz sits down with Jason Anthoine, Managing Director at Arketi Inside, to unpack what’s really holding employee experience and internal communications back. Drawing on nearly four decades in the field, Jason reflects on what’s changed — and what hasn’t — from leadership expectations to the ongoing challenge of actually reaching and influencing employees. At the center of it all is a simple but often overlooked idea: progress in EX doesn’t come down to tools, budgets, or skill gaps — it comes down to courage.

They explore how the role of leadership is evolving, why internal and external brand are now inseparable, and what it takes to connect communications work to outcomes leaders care about. Jason shares practical perspectives on helping leaders show up more authentically, bridging the gap between comms and marketing, and why speaking the language of revenue, cost, and risk changes the conversation.

This episode is especially useful for EX and internal comms leaders who feel stuck between knowing what needs to change and struggling to make it happen. It speaks to the real frustrations — slow progress, unclear impact, disengaged leadership — and offers a grounded way to think about moving forward.

In this episode of The EX Conversation, Kaz sits down with Kat Cooke, Head of Internal Communications at SCC, to talk about what it really takes to build trust inside an organization. Their conversation explores how transparency, honesty, and two-way communication can shape culture in a meaningful way — especially when employees want more than polished messaging from leadership.

Employee experience has spent years building credibility, securing influence, and proving its connection to business success. Yet many EX leaders still face the same challenges: stagnant engagement scores, limited budgets, rising employee burnout, and constant pressure to do more with less.

In this solo episode of The EX Conversation, Kaz Hassan shares why he believes 2026 represents a pivotal moment for the profession. As AI reshapes the workplace, EX leaders have an opportunity to move beyond incremental improvements and rethink employee experience from the ground up. Rather than layering AI onto existing systems and processes, Kaz explores what it means to build AI-native employee experiences that drive productivity, reduce friction, and create measurable business value.

If you're responsible for employee experience, internal communications, HR, or the digital workplace, this episode will resonate with the realities you're navigating today. It offers practical thinking for leaders who are tired of fighting the same budget battles, struggling to demonstrate impact, and looking for a new way to position EX as a strategic business driver.

In this episode of The EX Conversation, Kaz sits down with Michelle Martinez to explore the growing overlap between IT, employee experience, and human-centered leadership.

Drawing on her background in engineering and software development, Michelle shares why the biggest challenges in technology rarely come down to the tools themselves — and why trust, psychological safety, and communication are becoming essential skills for modern teams. The conversation also looks at how AI and evolving ways of working are changing the relationship between technical teams and the wider business.

In this episode of The EX Conversation, Kaz sits down with Rachael Knowles to explore what actually works — and what doesn’t — when communicating with frontline employees. Drawing on experience across hospitality, travel, and global customer-facing organizations, Rachael reflects on the realities of engaging time-poor workforces and why some popular communication trends may be missing the mark.

In this episode of The EX Conversation, Kaz sits down with Rachael Knowles to explore what actually works — and what doesn’t — when communicating with frontline employees. Drawing on experience across hospitality, travel, and global customer-facing organizations, Rachael reflects on the realities of engaging time-poor workforces and why some popular communication trends may be missing the mark.

In this reflective episode of The EX Conversation, Kaz steps back from guest interviews to share what he’s learned from the first ten conversations with EX, internal comms, and digital workplace leaders. It’s a practical synthesis of recurring themes—what’s changing, what’s working, and where leaders are being challenged to think differently.

From rethinking how we use AI, to putting employees at the center of decision-making, to rediscovering the role of the digital workplace, this episode connects the dots across multiple expert perspectives. It’s a useful checkpoint for anyone trying to make sense of how the EX space is evolving right now.

If you’re navigating competing priorities, new technologies, or shifting expectations around employee experience, this episode will help you sense-check your approach and refocus on what matters most.