Today companies are applying the principles of good human-centered design not just to products but to processes and experiences. It’s not uncommon to hear that employee experiences are designed with a human-centered design approach.







This podcast clocks in at around 29 minutes. You can also listen to it on Apple Podcasts, stream on Google Podcasts or Spotify or grab the RSS feed in your player of choice. So head out for a walk and let Justin and I keep you company.







Human-centered design—a term used by the firm IDEO, a pioneer in the field—has been used to rethink everything from how you design your professional life to how your organization feeds you and your teammates. (does it ring any bell? It’s me!)



The key principle is that instead of building systems that suit the needs of their businesses, they’re basing their designs around empathy for the customer––employee, in this case. The practice of empathic listening and observation help understand how your employee interacts with your products, your brand, and with the other employees, and to build an experience for them around their pain points, needs and wants––be they implicit or explicit.



Human-Centered Design and the Advantage of Designers and Developers



Today’s guest on the podcast is Justin Dauer. Justin is a Chicago-based designer, author of Cultivating a Creative Culture, a long-time friend of WE Factory (you might remember him from the Workplace Wisdom interview series), speaker, and the Vice President of Human-Centered Design and Development at bswift.







As a perpetual student of human-centered design, observation, and creative process, Justin builds teams and cultivates cultures around the perspectives and skillsets we already use daily in our work: empathy, objectivity, and creativity.



In the first edition of his book Cultivating a Creative Culture, Justin points out:



"Designers and frontend developers have a unique advantage—being human-centered. That helps solve the cultural problems in business that are sucking the life out of us."



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To find out exactly what Justin means, tune into this episode. He explains what he means by this, talks about the connection between pausing, caring for each other and being creative, reflects on the role of metrics, gives a sneak peek into the forthcoming follow-up book Cultivating a Creative Culture (2nd edition). 



"By being inclusive in our design approach and learning and discovering from human interactions, human-centered design fuels sales, innovation, and loyalty." Justin Dauer



"Human-centered connection culturally supports this process as well by being equally inclusive in how we staff, how we hire, how we open our minds, and remove our personal biases."Jus

Does thinking of school or hospital food make you turn your nose up? No wonder! The consensus is that it’s terrible, lame, and far from providing the healing and nourishment it should.







This podcast clocks in at around 48 minutes. You can also listen to it on iTunes, stream on Google Podcasts or Spotify or grab the RSS feed in your player of choice. So head out for a walk and let Joshna and I keep you company.







No matter where you are in the world, you probably need to look high and low to find excellent examples of the food menus that are being served at hospitals, prisons, and schools, what we call institutional food.



Changing institutional food



This week on the podcast my guest is Joshna Maharaj, a mighty chef who has devoted her career to change institutional food. She has worked with a number of hospitals and universities in Toronto, Canada to build new models for institutional food procurement, production, and service.



Joshna Maharaj



Joshna Maharaj is not only an award-winning chef, but also a two-time TEDx speaker, food activist, and author who believes strongly in the power of chefs and social gastronomy to bring values of hospitality, sustainability, and social justice to the table.



"My number one top priority is to remember that access to good quality food is a basic human right and that whatever of a new face of a food system that we try and build must be accessible to everybody and not just those who can afford it." — Joshna Maharaj



Her first book Take Back The Tray, which will be out in the spring, shares a blueprint for changing institutional food systems around the globe.



"The gift that cooks can offer to people is a beautiful plate of food."— Joshna Maharaj



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But despite the accolades, her journey has not been without its share of challenges. Joshna joins me on The Nourishing Workplace to discuss everything from how better food in hospitals leads to a better health system and more sustainable food culture to the changes she makes when she takes over an institution’s kitchen, and much more.







Show Notes



A shortlist of articles and resources mentioned in this episode plus further resources:



WATCH: Joshna talks about the elderly Chinese patient, whom I refer to during the episode (TVO)Joshna's upcoming book, Take Back The TrayFURTHER READ: A great example of a school cafe

These days, everyone is hungry for more advice and guidance, especially about finding ways to get to their optimal weight, improve their work productivity, or eat mindfully.







This podcast clocks in at around 47 minutes. You can also listen to it on Apple Podcasts, stream it on Google Podcasts or Spotify or grab the RSS feed in your player of choice. So, head out for a walk in nature and let Kate and I keep you company.







As I've discussed many times before, one of the biggest inhibitors to nutrition and wellness is in the workplace. Work for most people is stressful and mentally taxing––schedules can change in the last minute, and coworkers inevitably influence behavior. Most of us are creatures of habit with daily routines centered around work demands. However, these factors make the workplace a great opportunity to improve our intentional nutrition game.



Today’s guest on the podcast, Kate Cook says:



“Nowadays, lots of people are quite knowledgeable and savvy in terms of their nutrition. The problem is that many are massively missing the point and choose to get on the bandwagon with the latest diet instead of getting down to the fundamentals.” Kate Cook



Let's break this down.



Kate Cook's Approach to Nutrition



With nearly 20 years of experience, Kate knows a thing or two about nutrition. She is one of the UK’s leading wellness and nutrition experts, an international speaker, and accomplished author of seven books.



Kate Cook: one of the UK's leading wellness and nutrition experts.



Some of Kate's titles are ‘Get Healthy for Good’, ‘Drop a Dress Size’ and the most recent ‘Positive Nutrition - Strategic Eating to Upgrade Your Health and Energy.’ Besides seeing clients privately (Kate has seen well over 8,500 patients one to one), she works with corporations by giving talks and workshops that empower their staff to adopt healthier lifestyles.



She also has written columns for Marie-Claire, Men’s Health, and many other magazines. She is currently doing an MA in Anthropology of Food at SOAS, London University. 



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Kate joins me on The Nourishing Workplace to discuss everything from why there is so much confusion around the term healthy eating and lifestyle, what the issues with the latest food trends, fads, and tribalism are, and what it takes to create a balanced and well-maintained diet that will aid in our professional and personal lives.



Much like me, Kate’s interests are broad and cross over food into trends, agriculture, the food system, and the evolution of work culture. As you can probably feel from our conversation, Kate and I could go on and on and chat for hours.



Key Take-aways



Short on time? Here are four quick takeaways:



How we are working is not working. We need to look at structural problems, which gives a clear indication o

These days, everyone is hungry for more advice and guidance, especially about finding ways to get to their optimal weight, improve their work productivity, or eat mindfully. This podcast clocks in at around 47 minutes. You can also listen to it on Apple Podcasts, stream it on Google Podcasts or Spotify or grab the RSS feed in your player of choice. So, head out for a walk in nature and let Kate and I keep you company. As I’ve discussed many times before, one of the biggest inhibitors to nutrition and wellness is in the workplace. Work for most people is stressful and mentally taxing––schedules can change in the last minute, and coworkers inevitably influence behavior. Most of us are creatures of habit with daily routines centered around work demands. However, these factors make the workplace a great opportunity to improve our intentional nutrition game. Today’s guest on the podcast, Kate Cook says: “Nowadays, lots of people are quite knowledgeable and savvy in terms of their nutrition. The problem is that many are massively missing the point and choose to get on the bandwagon with the latest diet instead of getting down to the fundamentals.” Kate Cook Let’s break this […]

The coffee break is usually the first and the most common experience of food in the workplace—at least for us in Western countries. What can you do to make it special?







This podcast clocks in at around 44 minutes. You can also listen to it on iTunes, stream on Google Podcasts or Spotify or grab the RSS feed in your player of choice. So head out for a walk and let Francesco and I keep you company.







However, coffee is not just a product. It’s not just the dark golden liquid that we drink to get us going in the morning, or sip on–the–go from one meeting to the next.



Coffee is an experience. A ritual.



The coffee break is a moment that the most forward-thinking employers encourage as a way to bring their people together around the coffee machine. But that the least forward-thinking ones still dismiss as a waste of time.



This episode kicks off a mini-series of four episodes that are entirely dedicated to what we eat and drink at work as we continue to explore what happens when organizations challenge the prevailing idea that food culture is irrelevant or marginal to business success.



Today we start off with coffee. Not just any regular coffee. But specialty coffee.



Bringing the coffee experience into the workplace



To discuss coffee I've invited a friend. Francesco Impallomeni is a fellow Italian, born and bred in Italy and now based in Copenhagen. I met and sipped coffee with when I was still living and working between Copenhagen and Helsinki.



Francesco Impallomeni



Francesco is an Italian specialty coffee roaster, trainer, educator, and co-founder of Nordhavn Coffee Roasters (NCR), a micro coffee roastery. With an academic background in Politics and Economics, he studied the challenges related to agricultural development in the Global South.



In 2009 he was introduced to food project management by Slow Food organization where, among other things, he fell in love with coffee and his wife. With both these passions, he moved to Copenhagen wherein 2015 he co-founded his roastery. 



Today, NCR sources, roasts, and disseminates specialty coffee culture among ordinary consumers (including a few coffee nerds) and businesses such as offices, retail, and canteens where workers can enjoy a cup of specialty coffee during their coffee breaks.



Francesco joins me on The Nourishing Workplace to discuss everything from what specialty coffee is to why educating the consumer helps to improve the quality of life of everyone involved with coffee at different stages of the supply chain and how to practically improve your coffee break at work.



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Key Take-aways



Short on time? Here are four quick takeaways:



The term ‘specialty coffee’ was first coined by Erna Knutsen, of Knutsen

The coffee break is usually the first and the most common experience of food in the workplace—at least for us in Western countries. What can you do to make it special?

This podcast clocks in at around 44 minutes. You can also listen to it on iTunes, stream on Google Podcasts or Spotify or grab the RSS feed in your player of choice. So head out for a walk and let Francesco and I keep you company.

However, coffee is not just a product. It’s not just the dark golden liquid that we drink to get us going in the morning, or sip on–the–go from one meeting to the next.

Coffee is an experience. A ritual.

The coffee break is a moment that the most forward-thinking employers encourage as a way to bring their people together around the coffee machine. But that the least forward-thinking ones still dismiss as a waste of time.

This episode kicks off a mini-series of four episodes that are entirely dedicated to what we eat and drink at work as we continue to explore what happens when organizations challenge the prevailing idea that food culture is irrelevant or marginal to business success.

Today we start off with coffee. Not just any regular coffee. But specialty coffee.

Bringing the coffee experience into the workplace

To discuss coffee I’ve invited a friend. Francesco Impallomeni is a fellow Italian, born and bred in Italy and now based in Copenhagen. I met and sipped coffee with when I was still living and working between Copenhagen and Helsinki.

Francesco Impallomeni

Francesco is an Italian specialty coffee roaster, trainer, educator, and co-founder of Nordhavn Coffee Roasters (NCR), a micro coffee roastery. With an academic background in Politics and Economics, he studied the challenges related to agricultural development in the Global South.

In 2009 he was introduced to food project management by Slow Food organization where, among other things, he fell in love with coffee and his wife. With both these passions, he moved to Copenhagen wherein 2015 he co-founded his roastery. 

Today, NCR sources, roasts, and disseminates specialty coffee culture among ordinary consumers (including a few coffee nerds) and businesses such as offices, retail, and canteens where workers can enjoy a cup of specialty coffee during their coffee breaks.

Francesco joins me on The Nourishing Workplace to discuss everything from what specialty coffee is to why educating the consumer helps to improve the quality of life of everyone involved with coffee at different stages of the supply chain and how to practically improve your coffee break at work.

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Key Take-aways

Short on time? Here are four quick takeaways:

The term ‘specialty coffee’ was first coined by Erna Knutsen, of Knutsen Coffee Ltd., in 1978. The concept was quite simple: special geographic microclimates produce beans with unique flavor profiles, which she referred to as ‘specialty coffees.’ Underlying this idea of coffee appellations was the fundamental premise that specialty coffee beans would always be well prepared, freshly roasted, and properly brewed. Education is a powerful tool to improve the quality of life of people involved with coffee at different stages of the supply chainThe espresso machine offers the opportunity to do team building in the workplace. Many tech companies are taking advantage of that.An excellent product and human touch (typical of Italian baristas) would be the perfect bond.

Show Notes

A shortlist of articles and resources mentioned in this episode plus

Love it or loathe it, in December most organizations throw a holiday office party to celebrate the end of the year. How do you hold one that reflects your values, culture, and diversity within your team?

Let's be honest; if many employees look forward to it to celebrate the year's successes and spend time with colleagues in a casual way, other staff might feel stressed, anxious, and peer-pressured.

People with dietary restrictions or unable to attend social events in the evening or late at night might feel like they are not being considered. But not attending doesn't seem an option either. A common concern is: "Will people talk about me if I'm not there?"

So how do you throw an office party that includes everybody?

Of course, planning an office party is an exciting project, and you want it to be a positive experience for everyone. On the other hand, you can’t please everybody. While most colleagues will appreciate your efforts to consider everyone's needs, others—who don't want any change within their established traditions—might hinder your suggestions.

If you’re a manager, a people operation, a member of the event committee, or the party person in charge at your company, this episode—my first solo episode—is for you! Today, I dive into my eight tips for keeping your office holiday party and celebration inclusive, diverse, nourishing, and (most of all) enjoyable for everybody.

Key Take-aways

Short on time? Here are my eight tips on planning an inclusive, diverse, and nourishing office party:

- Start and focus on people
- Avoid any assumptions
- Step into your power as a host and lead by example
- Enjoy it responsibly. Don't make it about alcohol
- Think about other events you could celebrate throughout the year
- Serve something for everybody. Keep dietary restrictions in mind
- Buy consciously and support your local community
- Enjoy yourself

Find these tips useful? Have more tips to share? Tag your thoughts #thenourishingworkplacepod for a chance to be featured.

Show Notes

A shortlist of articles and resources mentioned in this episode plus further resources:

- Knoll's Jenny West – How to Infuse Hospitality in Your Workplace mentioned in Tip 1 (ep03 of The Nourishing Workplace)
- Rei Chou – How to Create Intentional Space for Presence and Connection mentioned in Tip 3 (

Love it or loathe it, in December most organizations throw a holiday office party to celebrate the end of the year. How do you hold one that reflects your values, culture, and diversity within your team?

This podcast clocks in at around 28 minutes. You can also listen to it on iTunes, stream on Google Podcasts or Spotify or grab the RSS feed in your player of choice. So head out for a walk and let me keep you company.

Let’s be honest; if many employees look forward to it to celebrate the year’s successes and spend time with colleagues in a casual way, other staff might feel stressed, anxious, and peer-pressured.

People with dietary restrictions or unable to attend social events in the evening or late at night might feel like they are not being considered. But not attending doesn’t seem an option either. A common concern is: “Will people talk about me if I’m not there?”

“Will people talk about me if I’m not there?”

So how do you throw an office party that includes everybody?

Of course, planning an office party is an exciting project, and you want it to be a positive experience for everybody. But you can’t please everybody. While most employees will appreciate your inclusivity efforts, others—who don’t want any change within their established traditions—might hinder your suggestions.

If you’re a manager, a people operation, a member of the event committee, or the person who is in charge of organizing the office parties in your company, this episode—my first solo episode—is for you! Today, I dive into my eight tips for keeping your office holiday party and celebration inclusive, diverse, nourishing, and (most of all) enjoyable for everybody.

Key Take-aways

Short on time? Here are my eight tips on planning an inclusive, diverse, and nourishing office party:

Start and focus on peopleAvoid any assumptionsStep into your power as a host and lead by exampleEnjoy it responsibly. Don’t make it about alcoholThink about other events you could celebrate throughout the yearServe something for everybody. Keep in mind dietary restrictionsBuy consciously and support your local communityEnjoy yourself

Find these tips useful? Have more tips to share? Tag your thoughts #thenourishingworkplacepod for a chance to be featured.

Show Notes

A shortlist of articles and resources mentioned in this episode plus further resources:

Knoll’s Jenny West – How to Infuse Hospitality in Your Workplace mentioned in Tip 1 (ep03 of The Nourishing Workplace)Rei Chou – How to Create Intentional Space for Presence and Connection mentioned in Tip 3 (ep02 of The Nourishing Workplace) Airbnb’s McKenzie Phelan – How Airbnb Built a Unique Food Program mentioned in Tip 5 (ep01 of The Nourishing Workplace) More on teetotalism, the sober curious movement, and B CorpsCollaborate with me

Bonus Worksheet

PLUS: I created a free workbook for you with all the prompts mentioned in the episode so you can take action now! Get your hands on it here.

The Cheat Sheet Every Company Event Organizer Needs To Throw an Inclusive, Diverse, and Nourishing Company Party.

Gain in company reputation and increase your event attendance rate by keeping an eye on the big picture.

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How does a company achieve the desired workplace hospitality experience that their workforce is expecting while optimizing space and resources?







This podcast clocks in at around 46 minutes. You can also listen to it on Apple Podcasts, stream on Google Podcasts or Spotify or grab the RSS feed in your player of choice. So head out for a walk and let Jenny and I keep you company.







Imagine: you’re walking into your workplace to start your workday. Take a moment to stop and look around. What are people doing?



Are they working? Or, are they chatting about what activities they did over the weekend? Are they drinking a cup of coffee?



Chances are, it’s all of the above. And chances are, you wouldn’t expect anything else. Socializing with fellow employees helps you feel like you are part of a community.



And progressive companies know that making their workplaces community-oriented improves not only their employee experience but also boosts their employer brand.



How to create spaces for connection and interaction, perhaps in front of a cup of coffee?



The new approach to hospitality in the workplace takes inspiration from hotels, coffee shops, coworking spaces, and yoga studios and has shifted from a single coffee machine in the reception to broad, fluid, and purposeful experiences for both residents and visitors.



At the same time, office spaces are becoming smaller and smaller, workstyles are changing, and Millennials and Generation Z want different things than older generations.



Today, the workplace is a complex ecosystem that requires flexibility and adaptation.



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As a Transformation Leader at Knoll, a design firm that produces office systems, furniture, and accessories for the office, Jenny West helps her clients, Fortune 500 companies, navigate change and shape their work environments by integrating strategy, vision, and the latest trends and research in workplace design, employment, and workstyles.



She is a licensed commercial interior designer, LEED professional, Fitwel Ambassador, and change management practitioner whose expertise is to inspire organizations to reimagine the norm.



Jenny West, Transformation Leader at Knoll



Jenny joined me on The Nourishing Workplace this week, where we discussed everything from how to design a human-centered workplace to how to bring cafeterias and ‘third places’ at the forefront of your company culture.



Key Take-aways



Short on time? Here are four quick takeaways:



With a human-centered workplace strategy, projects are delivered so that they’re both beautiful and focused on people’s experiences. People are brought along in the journey and constantly involved in the conversation on how, for example, the new amenities or workplace plans

How does a company achieve the desired workplace hospitality experience that their workforce is expecting while optimizing space and resources?

This podcast clocks in at around 46 minutes. You can also listen to it on Apple Podcasts, stream on Google Podcasts or Spotify or grab the RSS feed in your player of choice. So head out for a walk and let Jenny and I keep you company.

Imagine: you’re walking into your workplace to start your workday. Take a moment to stop and look around. What are people doing?

Are they working? Or, are they chatting about what activities they did over the weekend? Are they drinking a cup of coffee?

Chances are, it’s all of the above. And chances are, you wouldn’t expect anything else. Socializing with fellow employees helps you feel like you are part of a community.

And progressive companies know that making their workplaces community-oriented improves not only their employee experience but also boosts their employer brand.

How to create spaces for connection and interaction, perhaps in front of a cup of coffee?

The new approach to hospitality in the workplace takes inspiration from hotels, coffee shops, coworking spaces, and yoga studios and has shifted from a single coffee machine in the reception to broad, fluid, and purposeful experiences for both residents and visitors.

At the same time, office spaces are becoming smaller and smaller, workstyles are changing, and Millennials and Generation Z want different things than older generations.

Today, the workplace is a complex ecosystem that requires flexibility and adaptation.

Workplace Design Terminology Cheat Sheet Every Workplace Pro Needs

Don’t be scared of industry jargon! Get the most out of this podcast episode with Jenny West (Knoll) by downloading our free comprehensive glossary.

You can unsubscribe anytime. View our Privacy Policy.

Leave this field empty if you're human:

As a Transformation Leader at Knoll, a design firm that produces office systems, furniture, and accessories for the office, Jenny West helps her clients, Fortune 500 companies, navigate change and shape their work environments by integrating strategy, vision, and the latest trends and research in workplace design, employment, and workstyles.

She is a licensed commercial interior designer, LEED professional, Fitwel Ambassador, and change management practitioner whose expertise is to inspire organizations to reimagine the norm.

Jenny West, Transformation Leader at Knoll

Jenny joined me on The Nourishing Workplace this week, where we discussed everything from how to design a human-centered workplace to how to bring cafeterias and ‘third places’ at the forefront of your company culture.

Key Take-aways

Short on time? Here are four quick takeaways:

With a human-centered workplace strategy, projects are delivered so that they’re both beautiful and focused on people’s experiences. People are brought along in the journey and constantly involved in the conversation on how, for example, the new amenities or workplace plans would be perceived or what might be a challenge to their day-to-day productivity that needs to be integrated into the new design.Millennials and Gen Z–people are placing much importance on community spaces. They are attracted to the ambiance of ‘third places.’ For them, it’s much less about the territory and more about community.The cafeteria can play a relevant role as a community hub, both for employees and visitors alike because it can foster a powerful experience in connection even for those that are outside of your organization.Programs that help bind people together are starting to become a norm in organizations. And an underutilized cafeteria would be a perfect place for onsight culture opportunities and to host such ev