The Workplace Communication Podcast

What can a Super Bowl sideline reporter teach us about making better decisions at work? Quite a bit, as it turns out.

Jen Mueller has spent more than 25 years on the sidelines covering the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and more, where split-second decisions, clear communication, and trust can make all the difference. But the same principles that help a sports team make the right call can also help leaders empower their teams to make confident decisions when things don't go according to plan.

On this episode of The Workplace Communication Podcast, we're talking with Jen Mueller, Keynote Speaker, Communication Strategist, and Sports Broadcaster at Talk Sporty to Me about what it really takes to empower people to make decisions without waiting for permission. You'll learn why confidence alone isn't enough, how clear boundaries and context can help people take ownership, and why leaders need to stop playing not to lose and start creating the conditions for their teams to play to win.

Leadership tips you won't want to miss:

🎙️ Empowering your team with clear guardrails instead of vague encouragement

🎙️ Defining what failure looks like so people can make decisions with confidence

🎙️ Building trust through small, intentional moments of connection

🎙️ Embracing action over perfection to keep decisions moving forward

Jen is a veteran sideline reporter for the Seattle Seahawks and a longtime member of the Seattle Mariners' TV broadcast team. As the founder of Talk Sporty to Me, she translates the communication strategies she's learned in professional sports into practical insights for business professionals. Her work focuses on helping leaders communicate more intentionally, build stronger relationships, and recognize the impact that small actions can have on a team.

If you're looking to empower your team to make better decisions, then this episode is for you!

If you've enjoyed this episode, please be sure to subscribe and leave a review.

🎧 Listen to the episode here: https://lindsaylapaquette.com/podcast/

For a full written transcript of the episode, please see the show notes at the link above.

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#Leadership #AuthenticLeadership #TeamEmpowerment #LeadershipDecisionMaking #BecomeTheLeader #Podcast

You've probably sat through a meeting where someone read directly off their slides, and you checked out within minutes.

Now flip that perspective. As a leader, how often are you focused on what you're saying, but not how you're showing up?

Andy Freed has spent years helping leaders rethink that exact gap. As Chairman of Virtual, Inc. and author of Lead Like the Boss, Andy challenges the idea that leadership is just about delivering information. Instead, he frames it as a performance; one where your presence, energy, and intention are always on display, whether you realize it or not.

On this episode of The Workplace Communication Podcast, we're talking with Andy Freed, Chairman of Virtual, Inc., about why leadership is a performance and how being more intentional about how you show up can transform the way your message is received. Join us as we learn how to move beyond surface-level communication and create real connection, why emotional impact matters just as much as clarity, and how small, everyday behaviors can either build or quietly erode trust.

Leadership tips you won't want to miss:

🎙️ Defining what you want people to think, feel, and do before you speak

🎙️ Ditching "business karaoke" and speaking to people, not slides

🎙️ Managing your presence in small moments, not just big ones

🎙️ Showing intentional appreciation to strengthen trust and team culture

Andy Freed is Chairman of Virtual, Inc., a strategic consulting, marketing, and professional services firm that partners with mission-driven organizations across technology, healthcare, financial services, and life sciences. He is also the author of LEAD LIKE THE BOSS, where he helps leaders show up with clarity, presence, and impact when it matters most.

If you're looking to communicate with more intention and show up in a way that truly resonates, then this episode is for you.

If you've enjoyed this episode, please be sure to subscribe and leave a review.

🎧 Listen to the episode here: https://lindsaylapaquette.com/podcast/

For a full written transcript of the episode, please see the show notes at the link above.

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In today's workplaces, leadership is often defined by decisiveness, efficiency, and constant action. But what happens when those expectations disconnect us from ourselves?

Andrea Menard has spent her life challenging that imbalance. As a Métis performer, speaker, and founder of the Sacred Feminine Learning Lodge, her work brings forward a different way of leading; one that honours the parts of ourselves we've been taught to ignore. From the stage to the screen to her latest Sacred Feminine wisdom cards, Andrea's work is rooted in one core belief: we are meant to lead as whole human beings.

On this episode of The Workplace Communication Podcast, we're talking with Andrea Menard, Performer, Speaker, Founder at Sacred Feminine Learning Lodge about redefining leadership through balance, bringing Indigenous wisdom into the workplace, and creating more sustainable and human-centered ways of working. Join us as we learn how to recognize when "business as usual" is no longer working, how to listen to the body's signals, and how to lead in a way that supports both performance and well-being.

Leadership tips you won't want to miss:

🎙️ Listening to your body's signals and recognizing physical cues as critical leadership data

🎙️ Embracing the power of the circle to create more inclusive and balanced decision-making

🎙️ Prioritizing rest and grounding to support clarity, focus, and sustainable performance

🎙️ Leading with intention and reciprocity instead of operating from an extraction mindset

Andrea Menard is an accomplished Métis performer, TEDx speaker, wellness trainer, and the founder of the Sacred Feminine Learning Lodge. Andrea dedicates her life and work to empowering both the Indigenous and the Feminine voice through song, story, activism, training, and healing.

If you're looking to create a more human, balanced, and sustainable approach to leadership, then this episode is for you!

If you've enjoyed this episode, please be sure to subscribe and leave a review.

🎧 Listen to the episode here: https://lindsaylapaquette.com/podcast/

For a full written transcript of the episode, please see the show notes at the link above.

Andrea Menard's contact information:

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Imagine walking into a tense meeting where emotions are running high and instead of trying to find the perfect words, you say just two simple ones that instantly shift the entire dynamic. It sounds almost too simple to work, but for Doug Noll, it's a proven method grounded in neuroscience and tested in some of the most extreme environments imaginable.

After 22 years as a trial lawyer, Doug Noll walked away from the courtroom to become a peacemaker, taking his work into maximum-security prisons, where he trained individuals serving life sentences for murder to become mediators and peacekeepers. Today, he brings those same battle-tested skills into boardrooms and leadership teams, helping organizations navigate conflict, rebuild trust, and transform how people communicate at work.

On this episode of The Workplace Communication Podcast, we're talking with Doug Noll, about the power of naming emotions and why most workplace communication advice misses the mark. Join us as we learn how to recognize what's really happening beneath the surface in high-stakes conversations, how to answer the brain's three subconscious questions, and how to shift from trying to control conversations to creating emotional safety that accelerates trust, collaboration, and results.

Leadership tips you won't want to miss:

🎙️ Regulating your own nervous system before stepping into high-stakes conversations

🎙️ Assessing emotional cues in others instead of relying solely on their words

🎙️ Validating colleagues by naming their emotions to reduce defensiveness

🎙️ Practicing affect labeling in low-pressure situations to build confidence

🎙️ Cultivating psychological safety by consistently making others feel seen and heard

Doug Noll is a lawyer-turned-peacemaker whose work has carried him from training murderers to become peacemakers in maximum security prisons to the US Congressional Budget Office.

If you're looking to move beyond surface-level communication and lead with emotional awareness that transforms conflict into connection, then this episode is for you!

If you've enjoyed this episode, please be sure to subscribe and leave a review.

🎧 Listen to the episode: https://lindsaylapaquette.com/podcast/

For a full written transcript of the episode, please see the show notes at the link above.

Doug Noll's contact information:

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Other: Substack

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You can have the strategy, the roadmap, and the results to prove it, and still feel completely disconnected from your own leadership.

That's the quiet tension Jamelle Lindo has seen time and time again. After a decade in leadership roles, he realized something most organizations overlook: success isn't just built on intellect or execution - it's built on humanity. And when that piece is missing, even the highest performers can feel emotionally powerless.

As the creator of the Emotional Empowerment Process™, Jamelle works with leaders to help them reconnect with themselves in a way that fuels resilience, strengthens relationships, and sustains performance, especially in a workplace that's evolving faster than ever with AI. Because in a world driven by data and automation, the real advantage isn't more logic - it's deeper emotional connection.

On this episode of The Workplace Communication Podcast, we're talking with Jamelle Lindo, EQ Executive Coach and Founder of PARADIGM People Development, about leading with emotional empowerment in the age of AI. Join us as we explore how emotional avoidance quietly impacts decision-making, why high performers often tie their worth to achievement, and what it takes to stay grounded and human as the pace of change accelerates.

Leadership tips you won't want to miss:

🎙️ Recognizing emotional avoidance patterns that quietly hold back your leadership

🎙️ Engaging with emotions as data instead of distractions in high-pressure moments

🎙️ Developing awareness of the thoughts and stories shaping your reactions

🎙️ Regulating your nervous system to lead with clarity during constant change

🎙️ Cultivating internal sources of confidence beyond external achievement

Jamelle Lindo helps leaders become emotionally empowered to build resilient, human-centered teams that avoid burnout, drive sustainable growth, and adapt swiftly to change, through his proven Emotional Empowerment Process™.

If you're looking to lead with more courage, clarity, and humanity in an AI-driven world, then this episode is for you!

If you've enjoyed this episode, please be sure to subscribe and leave a review.

🎧 Listen to the episode: https://lindsaylapaquette.com/podcast/

For a full written transcript of the episode, please see the show notes at the link above.

Jamelle's contact information:

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Other: Vimeo

Lindsay's contact information:

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Free e-course: Free Yourself from Workplace Confrontation and Conflict

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Change at work is often treated like a checklist: new strategy, new structure, new expectations. But what rarely gets named is what people are actually losing along the way: certainty, identity, trust, and sometimes even a sense of belonging. When leaders move too fast and skip the human side of organizational change, the cost shows up quietly through employee burnout, disengagement, and resistance that feels hard to explain.

That's where Myriane Ouellette comes in.

As a leadership strategist at O Strategies, she helps leaders across sectors navigate complex change management while supporting their teams' well-being and resilience. Drawing from deeply personal experiences and years of supporting organizations through transformation, Myriane reminds us that change is never just technical - it's emotional, relational, and human-centered.

On this episode of The Workplace Communication Podcast, we're talking with Myriane Ouellette, Owner and CEO at O Strategies, about why so many change initiatives fail when leaders ignore the human experience behind them. Join us as we learn how grief and loss show up at work, why "resistance" is often a signal rather than a problem, and how shifting from control to stewardship helps teams adapt more sustainably.

Leadership tips you won't want to miss:

🎙️ Recognizing resistance as unacknowledged loss, not lack of commitment

🎙️ Slowing down to build real buy-in and capacity before pushing for results

🎙️ Shifting from command-and-control leadership to stewardship and care

🎙️ Creating space for honest dialogue instead of avoiding hard conversations

🎙️ Treating burnout as a system-level signal, not an individual failure

Myriane Ouellette is a leadership strategist, speaker, and founder of O Strategies, specializing in strategic planning and organizational resilience. Her work helps teams rethink how they lead and navigate change with clarity, courage, and humanity.

If you're looking to lead change in a way that protects both results and people, then this episode is for you.

If you've enjoyed this episode, please be sure to subscribe and leave a review.

🎧 Listen to the episode here: https://lindsaylapaquette.com/podcast/

For a full written transcript of the episode, please see the show notes at the link above.

Guest's contact information:

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Lindsay's contact information:

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Free e-course: Free Yourself from Workplace Confrontation and Conflict

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Some bosses don't just manage - they control, manipulate, and undermine, leaving employees walking on eggshells every day. The stress, self-doubt, and exhaustion can build quietly, often making people question themselves more than the toxic dynamics around them. Dr. Laura Hambley Lovett has spent years helping people break free from these harmful work environments. Drawing on her research and experience, she explains how to spot toxic leadership patterns, understand the impact on your well-being, and take practical steps to protect yourself, set boundaries, and plan a way forward with confidence.

On this episode of The Workplace Communication Podcast, we're talking with Dr Laura Hambley Lovett, Organizational Psychologist and Author of I Wish I'd Quit Sooner: Practical Strategies for Navigating and Escaping a Toxic Boss, about practical strategies for navigating and escaping a toxic boss. Dr. Lovett shares how to distinguish a truly toxic leader from a merely difficult one, maintain control over your work life, and create actionable steps for recovery or exit.

Leadership tips you won't want to miss:

🎙️ Identifying toxic versus difficult boss behaviors quickly

🎙️ Setting firm boundaries while staying effective at work

🎙️ Planning a step-by-step exit strategy to regain control

🎙️ Seeking support through mentors, colleagues, or therapy

Dr. Laura Hambley Lovett is an organizational psychologist and expert on workplace culture, career development, toxic leadership, and burnout. She is the author of several books, including I Wish I'd Quit Sooner: Practical Strategies for Navigating and Escaping a Toxic Boss (She Writes Press; January 13, 2026).

If you're seeking clarity, confidence, and practical ways to escape a toxic boss, this episode is for you.

If you've enjoyed this episode, please be sure to subscribe and leave a review.

🎧 Listen to the episode here: https://lindsaylapaquette.com/podcast/

For a full written transcript of the episode, please see the show notes at the link above.

Dr Laura's contact information:

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Other: Tiktok

Lindsay's contact information:

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Free e-course: Free Yourself from Workplace Confrontation and Conflict

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From coaching a four-star general to navigating a toxic corporate culture where retaliation, exclusion, and silencing were part of daily life, Kelly Meerbott has seen leadership at its most extreme. Just like most leaders and employees, she has experienced what it feels like when ideas are dismissed, confidence erodes, and fear quietly takes over the workplace.

Kelly's journey shows how the absence of psychological safety can crush potential and morale, and how fostering it can transform teams, spark innovation, and bring out the very best in people. Her story proves that when leaders prioritize trust, empathy, and open communication, extraordinary results are possible. On this episode of The Workplace Communication Podcast, we're talking with Kelly Meerbott, Award-Winning Executive Coach and Founder at You - Loud & Clear, about unlocking leadership excellence through psychological safety. Kelly shares practical strategies for leaders to foster trust, empathy, and open communication, and explores the personal and organizational barriers that often prevent teams from thriving.

Leadership tips you won't want to miss:

🎙️ Fostering team dialogue by asking what employees need to feel psychologically safe

🎙️ Creating shared agreements to hold your team accountable to safety standards

🎙️ Modeling self-awareness and personal healing to strengthen leadership presence

🎙️ Maintaining personal control in conflict with calm, deliberate communication

🎙️ Documenting interactions meticulously to navigate unsafe environments effectively

Kelly Meerbott, PCC, CBTI, is an award-winning executive coach who helps high-level leaders harness emotional intelligence to unlock their fullest potential. Through transformational coaching, Kelly fosters psychological safety and empowers leaders to create inclusive, high-performing cultures.

If you're looking to cultivate trust, resilience, and high-performing teams, then this episode is for you!

If you've enjoyed this episode, please be sure to subscribe and leave a review.

🎧 Listen to the episode here: https://lindsaylapaquette.com/podcast/

For a full written transcript of the episode, please see the show notes at the link above.

Kelly's contact information:

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Lindsay's contact information:

To book a discovery call

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Free e-course: Free Yourself from Workplace Confrontation and Conflict

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In today's collaborative workplaces, outdated "command and control" policy language feels completely out of step. Instead of encouraging cooperation, it often creates resentment and disengagement.

That's why Lewis Eisen, author of Rules: Powerful Policy Writing to Maximize Engagement, has been challenging the traditional way organizations write policies. Drawing on his background as a lawyer, IT professional, and senior government policy advisor, Lewis shows leaders how respectful, plain-language policies can inspire genuine cooperation, strengthen employee engagement, and reflect organizational values.

On this episode of The Workplace Communication Podcast, we're talking with Lewis Eisen, author of Rules: Powerful Policy Writing to Maximize Engagement, about how to move away from rigid, adversarial wording and instead create policies that employees want to follow. You'll learn how language choices shape culture, how to separate policies from procedures, and why policies are a key part of your organization's brand.

Leadership tips you won't want to miss:

🎙️ Recognizing how "command and control" language sends messages of distrust

🎙️ Shifting from "you must" to "we" language that fosters cooperation

🎙️ Defining policies as organizational boundaries instead of adversarial rules

🎙️ Treating policy writing as part of your brand and employee experience

🎙️ Identifying the most common word to eliminate for more engaging policies

Lewis Eisen combines his experience practising law with 20 years in consulting and 17 in policy writing in the federal government. His Amazon international bestseller Rules: Powerful Policy Wording to Maximize Engagement. came out in 4th edition this spring and his approach to drafting policies using respectful language has been adopted at organizations around the world.

If you're looking to create policies people actually want to follow, then this episode is for you!

If you've enjoyed this episode, please be sure to subscribe and leave a review.

🎧 Listen to the episode here: https://lindsaylapaquette.com/podcast/

For a full written transcript of the episode, please see the show notes at the link above.

Lewis Eisen's contact information:

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Lindsay's contact information:

To book a discovery call

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Free e-course: Free Yourself from Workplace Confrontation and Conflict

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The titles, promotions, and financial rewards keep stacking up, but then comes the quiet realization that the ladder you've been climbing has been leaning against the wrong wall. For many leaders, that truth shows up in the form of burnout, strained relationships, or a sense of emptiness that success alone can't fix.

That's the turning point Monica Chang reached in her own journey.

After years of living by cultural and societal expectations, she found herself exhausted and disconnected from what really mattered. Choosing a new path, she launched Start With Clarity Consulting to help leaders redefine success from the inside out.

On this episode of The Workplace Communication Podcast, we're talking with Monica Chang, Founder of Start With Clarity Consulting, about leading with authenticity and balance in a world that often pushes us toward overachievement. Together, we explore the cost of chasing externally defined success, the power of reconnecting with your values, and practical ways to thrive without losing yourself. This episode will inspire you to lead with more clarity, courage, and humanity, both at work and in your life.

Leadership tips you won't want to miss:

🎙️ Identifying when your ladder might be leaning against the wrong wall

🎙️ Cultivating resilience by separating self-worth from achievement

🎙️ Embracing the courage to pause, reflect, and redefine success

🎙️ Developing adaptability by becoming comfortable with uncertainty

Monica believes great leadership is about who you are when the pressure's on. She helps leaders connect to their authentic selves and lead with clarity, building stronger teams and thriving both at work and in life.

If you're looking to rediscover meaning and lead with authenticity without sacrificing your well-being, then this episode is for you!

If you've enjoyed this episode, please be sure to subscribe and leave a review.

🎧 Listen to the episode here: https://lindsaylapaquette.com/podcast/

For a full written transcript of the episode, please see the show notes at the link above.

Monica Chang's contact information:

Website

LinkedIn

Lindsay's contact information:

To book a discovery call

E-mail

Website

Free e-course: Free Yourself from Workplace Confrontation and Conflict

LinkedIn

Previous podcast episodes