A people-centered employee retention strategy is critical to keeping your top talent from leaving your company. And our guest for today is the perfect resource person for this topic.

In this week’s episode, I sit down with Vanessa Cacho, a brilliant business and human resource consultant, to talk about future-proofing your workforce through retaining and developing great talent.

Throughout her career, Vanessa has worked with private and commercial companies, supporting all businesses. She saw firsthand how the absence of “The 3 E’s” made a difference in one’s career choice and trajectory and how those have disproportionately impacted Black and Brown people.

So today, Vanessa shares what employees are looking for from their leaders and why these matter, how leaders can show that they care about their employees, and much more!

Let’s get started!

Key Takeaways:

Introduction (00:00)

Vanessa Cacho’s HR journey (02:21)

Important skill sets that propel Vanessa to move forward (06:16)

What employees are really looking for from their employers? (10:59)

Ways to show that you care for your employees (19:39)

What is Vanessa most excited about? (21:41)

Episode wrap-up (26:16)

Additional Resources:

Connect with Fran on LinkedIn: Connect with Fran

Follow our LinkedIn page: Aerobodies

Learn more about WellTeamCulture here: Create a cohesive-healthy work culture 

Visit our website here: Aerobodies

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Follow Vanessa on LinkedIn: Vanessa Cacho

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The Optimized Workplace is a podcast with the goal of providing new and unique ways for you to help your organization thrive while providing an exceptional experience for your employees and nourishing their well-being.

--

Ready to optimize your workplace and create a culture of well-being for your team?

👉 Book a complimentary 30-minute call with Fran: Optimize My Workplace

Be sure to follow us so you never miss an episode!

As an African-American woman, being able to achieve so much in a male-dominated industry is no easy feat. And this week’s guest is a testament to that.

In this week’s podcast episode, I’m fortunate enough to be joined by Chief Tiffanye Wesley, a celebrated leader, trailblazer, speaker, trainer, influencer, wife, and mom of four.

Tiffanye is a 30-year veteran of the Arlington County Fire Department, where she was also the first African-American female to be promoted to leadership level in the department’s 80-year history. As a speaker and trainer, she ignites her audiences all over the country as she presents classes on leadership, diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Today, Tiffanye talks about what made her achieve so much and focus on her goals, her principles in motivating others, how to deal with imposter syndrome, and more.

Join the conversation now.

Key Takeaways:

Introduction (00:00)

Meet Chief Tiffanye Wesley (01:01)

What makes Tiffanye humble despite her achievements (03:36)

What makes her focused on her goals (05:30)

The power of affirmations and resiliency (08:43)

Tiffanye’s biggest why (11:24)

Principles that she lives by to motivate others (14:37)

How to deal with imposter syndrome (16:31)

How does imposter syndrome show up in her line of work (19:39)

What makes Tiffanye most excited about this year (21:12)

What’s next for her (26:40)

#1 advice on self-care (28:16)

Keep up with Tiffanye (29:46)

Additional Resources:

Connect with Fran on LinkedIn: Connect with Fran

Follow our LinkedIn page: Aerobodies

Learn more about WellTeamCulture here: Create a cohesive-healthy work culture 

Visit our website here: Aerobodies

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Follow Tiffanye on Instagram: Tiffanye Wesley

Check her out on LinkedIn: Tiffanye Wesley

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The Optimized Workplace is a podcast with the goal of providing new and unique ways for you to help your organization thrive while providing an exceptional experience for your employees and nourishing their well-being.

--

Ready to optimize your workplace and create a culture of well-being for your team?

👉 Book a complimentary 30-minute call with Fran: Optimize My Workplace

Be sure to follow us so you never miss an episode!

With the recent pandemic, most people resist returning to the office or adjusting to the hybrid work setup. As a result, they feel more disconnected from their organization than ever. 

So, how do you bring that life back to your organization or team?

Enter the HEART© Coaching Methodology. This holistic coaching methodology by Tassos Kotzias aims to make you feel Holistic, Empowered, Accepted, Resilient, and Transformed so that you can appreciate and integrate this holistic transformation, balance, and harmony into your life.

Tassos has over twenty-five years of experience in senior leadership and working in demanding entrepreneurial environments. He also holds the Holistic Coach qualification, accredited by ICF of the Holistic Coach Training Institute in the U.S.

Today, he’s here to drop some invaluable nuggets on what HEART© coaching is all about, how you position yourself for that holistic transformation, and how to bring that positive change into the workplace and your life.

Let’s get started!

Key Takeaways:

Introduction (00:00)

Meet Tassos Kotzias (00:54)

What is the HEART© coaching methodology? (02:28)

How do individuals empower empathy (07:24)

Biggest shifts after applying the HEART© methodology (12:32)

What leaders need to be embracing to make these big shifts (16:15)

How to get someone ready for a transformation (20:10)

What’s keeping Tassos busy (22:19)

Episode wrap-up (23:44)

Additional Resources:

Connect with Fran on LinkedIn: Connect with Fran

Follow our LinkedIn page: Aerobodies

Learn more about WellTeamCulture here: Create a cohesive-healthy work culture 

Visit our website here: Aerobodies

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Check Tassos out on LinkedIn: Tassos Kotzias

Follow him out on Instagram: My Holistic Coach

Keep up with him on Facebook: My Holistic Coaching

Visit his website for more information: TassosKotzias.com

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The Optimized Workplace is a podcast with the goal of providing new and unique ways for you to help your organization thrive while providing an exceptional experience for your employees and nourishing their well-being.

--

Ready to optimize your workplace and create a culture of well-being for your team?

👉 Book a complimentary 30-minute call with Fran: Optimize My Workplace

Be sure to follow us so you never miss an episode!

How well do you trust your skincare products? 

In today’s modern age, where you can easily buy almost everything off the shelf, it’s easy to look past what’s inside the lotion or makeup you’re wearing.

But today’s guest has challenged that and was able to launch a thriving and unique skincare company that promotes wellness, self-care, environmental sustainability, and better consumer values.

Today, we’re fortunate enough to be joined by no other than the founder and CEO of Beaute Nouveau (and my advisor), Lacey Haegen.

Lacey founded Beaute Nouveau after years of working in the mainstream luxury cosmetics industry. She then realized that the industry was outdated and stuck on profit over people.

And so, she launched Beaute Nouveau to create a full line of clean outer beauty products that not only meet the demands of today’s modern women but also elevate inner wellness through its petroleum-free and natural botanical ingredients.

In this episode, Lacey and I talk about the core values behind Beaute Nouveau, what to look for when buying off-the-shelf products, the unrealistic expectations of consumers, her biggest life lessons being a CEO and more!

Let’s jump in!

Key Takeaways:

Introduction (00:00)

Meet Lacey Haegen and her works at Beaute Nouveau (00:51)

The story behind Beaute Nouveau’s core values (03:13)

The big why that launched Beaute Nouveau (05:05)

What to look for when buying beauty products from big brands (11:55)

Changing our unrealistic expectations as consumers (15:02)

Lacey’s biggest life lesson being a CEO (23:24)

What’s keeping Lacey busy (29:07)

Redefining customer’s buying journey (31:37)

Episode wrap-up (37:05)

Additional Resources:

Connect with Fran on LinkedIn: Connect with Fran

Follow our LinkedIn page: Aerobodies

Learn more about WellTeamCulture here: Create a cohesive-healthy work culture 

Visit our website here: Aerobodies

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Follow Lacey Haegen’s works on Instagram: Beaute Nouveau

Check Beaute Nouveau for more: Beaute Nouveau

--

The Optimized Workplace is a podcast with the goal of providing new and unique ways for you to help your organization thrive while providing an exceptional experience for your employees and nourishing their well-being.

--

Ready to optimize your workplace and create a culture of well-being for your team?

👉 Book a complimentary 30-minute call with Fran: Optimize My Workplace

Be sure to follow us so you never miss an episode!

How can teams broaden their horizons and step into leadership roles?

In today's episode, Chris Whaley is joining us to delve into his distinctive coaching methodology – utilizing escape rooms to unlock up-and-coming leaders' potential and foster exceptional team growth.

Drawing from his extensive experience at Philips, a leading global healthcare medical device and solutions company, Chris embarked on his entrepreneurial journey. Driven by his passion for bringing people together with diverse backgrounds to tap into their inner strengths, he established Escape to Expand, LLC.

Escape to Expand aids companies in not only accomplishing their objectives but also in cultivating high-performing teams. 

Chris uses a time-tested investigative approach centered around the fundamental questions of Who, What, When, How, and Why. This approach introduces an emerging technique adapted from escape rooms to reveal each individual's unique personality to forge strong connections.

Today, Chris and I explore what Escape to Expand is all about, strategies for nurturing leadership within teams, the profound impact of the escape room technique, and much more.

Let's dive in!

Key Takeaways:

Introduction (00:00)

Meet Chris Whaley (00:56)

What Escape to Expand means (02:05)

From engineering to coaching (05:22)

Empowering the team to be leaders (07:39)

The escape room impact (12:22)

You can only be as strong as your team (15:15)

What's keeping Chris busy this year (17:28)

Keep up with Chris (20:57)

Additional Resources:

Connect with Fran on LinkedIn: Connect with Fran

Follow our LinkedIn page: Aerobodies

Learn more about WellTeamCulture here: Create a cohesive-healthy work culture 

Visit our website here: Aerobodies

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Check Chris out on LinkedIn: Chris Whaley

Visit Escape to Expand for more information: Escape to Expand

* Listeners of The Optimized Workplace get a FREE 30-minute consultation call with Chris. Mention Fran Dean-Bishop to claim today’s guest BONUS.

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The Optimized Workplace is a podcast with the goal of providing new and unique ways for you to help your organization thrive while providing an exceptional experience for your employees and nourishing their well-being.

--

Ready to optimize your workplace and create a culture of well-being for your team?

👉 Book a complimentary 30-minute call with Fran: Optimize My Workplace

Be sure to follow us so you never miss an episode!

High stress levels, burnout, and turnover are among the key issues organizations grapple with today. 

These issues have a detrimental impact on both organizational performance and leadership effectiveness. And this is where executive coaching comes in.

In this episode, we are joined by J.R. Flatter, an esteemed International Coaching Federation (ICF) accredited coach, specializing in leadership development and enhancement of commercial and government organizations. 

He is the founder and chairman of Flatter Inc., a company dedicated to leadership coaching and coach training.

Join us as J.R. provides valuable insights into the qualities and characteristics of a 21st-century leader. Furthermore, he sheds light on the advantages of executive coaching, how it works, and the compelling reasons why every leader and business owner should consider enrolling in such a program.

Tune in now to learn more!

Key Takeaways:

Introduction (00:00)

Meet J.R. Flatter (01:35)

What’s affecting today’s organizational performance? (02:31)

Critical leadership skill sets needed to be successful today (05:50)

The four pillars of the House of Leadership (10:46)

How to help leaders authentically accept sacrifice (18:02)

The benefits of executive coaching (22:35)

Additional Resources:

Connect with Fran on LinkedIn: Connect with Fran

Follow our LinkedIn page: Aerobodies

Learn more about WellTeamCulture here: Create a cohesive-healthy work culture 

Visit our website here: Aerobodies

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Check J.R. out on LinkedIn: J.R. Flatter

Visit Flatter Inc. for more information: Flatter Inc.

--

The Optimized Workplace is a podcast with the goal of providing new and unique ways for you to help your organization thrive while providing an exceptional experience for your employees and nourishing their well-being.

--

Ready to optimize your workplace and create a culture of well-being for your team?

👉 Book a complimentary 30-minute call with Fran: Optimize My Workplace

Be sure to follow us so you never miss an episode!

In today's episode, we are joined by the founder and CEO of Mindset Strategies, Chantelle Fitzgerald, to discuss mindfulness for leaders and its impact on workplaces.

Mindset Strategies is a leadership development firm focusing on mindfulness, emotional intelligence, diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Chantelle's company works with individuals and organizations to uncover blind spots and unconscious biases to create a more inclusive workplace.

Today, Chantelle sits down to discuss the benefits of mindfulness for leaders, some of the best practices in bringing mindfulness into the workplace, a guide on the A Minute to Arrive practice, and more.

Make sure to check it out!

Key Takeaways:

From teaching French to teaching mindfulness (01:40)

Why it's still a struggle for people to practice mindfulness? (05:56)

How to have A-type leaders slow down and be present (08:22)

Best practices in practicing mindfulness in the workplace (10:00)

A guide on how to do the A Minute to Arrive practice (12:56)

The benefits of recognizing your own emotions in your body (16:57)

Chantelle's Mindset Strategies programs and training for leaders of today (20:28)

Additional Resources:

Connect with Fran on LinkedIn: Connect with Fran

Follow our LinkedIn page: Aerobodies

Learn more about WellTeamCulture here: Create a cohesive-healthy work culture 

Visit our website here: Aerobodies

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Check Chantelle Fitzgerald out on LinkedIn here: Chantelle Fitzgerald

Visit Mindset Strategies for more info here: Mindset Strategies

--

The Optimized Workplace is a podcast with the goal of providing new and unique ways for you to help your organization thrive while providing an exceptional experience for your employees and nourishing their well-being.

--

Ready to optimize your workplace and create a culture of well-being for your team?

👉 Book a complimentary 30-minute call with Fran: Optimize My Workplace

Be sure to follow us so you never miss an episode!

In today's episode, we're lucky enough to be joined by Tatum Crews, a leader in the health and wellness industry and CEO of The Covery Wellness Spa.

The Covery Wellness Spa is a non-invasive wellness company established in 2019. It aims to support and restore its clients' well-being through innovative treatments to help them look, feel, and perform better.

With her background in fitness and marketing, it makes sense how Tatum took The Covery wellness brand to new heights and differentiated itself from its competitors.

Today, Tatum shares the importance of recovery for your body, how to start your health and wellness routine, and the seven areas to research to kickstart your self-care journey.

Tune in now to learn more. You don't want to miss this!

Key Takeaways:

Intro (00:00)

How The Covery Wellness Spa started (01:50)

Why recovery is essential for our body (03:09)

How Tatum got into the health and wellness industry (05:26)

Top services that clients regularly avail at their wellness spa (07:50)

On taking self-care to the next level (11:14)

Navigating health and wellness routine as a first-timer (15:44)

Tips for those who want to get started (21:02)

The 7 areas for researching self-care (23:12)

Additional Resources:

Connect with Fran on LinkedIn: Connect with Fran

Follow our LinkedIn page: Aerobodies

Learn more about WellTeamCulture here: Create a cohesive-healthy work culture 

Visit our website here: Aerobodies

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Check The Covery Wellness Spa for more info: The Covery Wellness Spa

For franchise inquiries: The Covery Franchise

--

The Optimized Workplace is a podcast with the goal of providing new and unique ways for you to help your organization thrive while providing an exceptional experience for your employees and nourishing their well-being.

--

Ready to optimize your workplace and create a culture of well-being for your team?

👉 Book a complimentary 30-minute call with Fran: Optimize My Workplace

Be sure to follow us so you never miss an episode!

In today's episode, we're fortunate to be joined by Serafine Lilien, ergonomist and owner of Ergo Arts, a provider of ergonomic assessments and services.

As an ergonomist who has performed more than 18,000 individual ergonomic assessments over the last 20 years, Serafine has worked tirelessly to help maximize employee productivity, health, and well-being using ergonomic principles.

Today, we discuss the principles behind ergonomics, how to set up a workspace for maximum efficiency and wellbeing, and how organizations can provide their employees with much-needed ergonomic support.

Make sure to check it out!

Key Takeaways:

Intro (00:00)

Ergonomics and the principles behind it (03:06)

Taking a closer look at your ergonomic environment (05:50)

On paying attention to early signs of discomfort (08:41)

How organizations can provide ergonomic support to their employees (14:07)

Episode wrap-up (21:12)

Additional Resources:

Connect with Fran on LinkedIn: Connect with Fran

Follow our LinkedIn page: Aerobodies

Learn more about WellTeamCulture here: Create a cohesive-healthy work culture 

Visit our website here: Aerobodies

--

Connect with Serafine: Serafine Lilien

Check out Ergo Arts for more: Ergo Arts

--

The Optimized Workplace is a podcast with the goal of providing new and unique ways for you to help your organization thrive while providing an exceptional experience for your employees and nourishing their well-being.

--

Ready to optimize your workplace and create a culture of well-being for your team?

👉 Book a complimentary 30-minute call with Fran: Optimize My Workplace

Be sure to follow us so you never miss an episode!

In today's episode, we were joined by the founder, designer, and CEO of Maika, Viola Sutanto.

Maika is a brand that creates thoughtfully-designed, sustainably-made bags and accessories for multi-tasking, empowered, and stylish women.

Currently, Maika has partnered with Make-A-Wish America with a mission to spread joy and hope in every purchase made from the Maika X Make-A-Wish collection.

Today, Viola and I discuss how Maika tells its story around sustainability, what inspires Viola to create, their co-creation process, and more.

Make sure to check it out!

Key Takeaways:

Intro (00:00)

What is Maika all about? (01:39)

How Maika tells their story around sustainability (04:35)

Does a brand have to be a sustainable brand? (07:41)

How Viola started Maika (11:15)

Artist vs. designer (15:25)

What inspires Viola to create? (18:49)

The co-creation process of Maika (19:50)

Episode wrap-up (27:27)

Additional Resources:

Connect with Fran on LinkedIn: Connect with Fran

Follow our LinkedIn page: Aerobodies

Learn more about WellTeamCulture here: Create a cohesive-healthy work culture 

Visit our website here: Aerobodies

--

The Optimized Workplace is a podcast with the goal of providing new and unique ways for you to help your organization thrive while providing an exceptional experience for your employees and nourishing their well-being.

--

Ready to optimize your workplace and create a culture of well-being for your team?

👉 Book a complimentary 30-minute call with Fran: Optimize My Workplace

Be sure to follow us so you never miss an episode!