Vibecast

What if the most honest signal about your organization's vibe wasn't in any survey, HR report, or AI dashboard, but in the private conversations people were too afraid to have anywhere else? 🎙️

In this episode, Kristi Skutvik sits down with Sana Manjeshwar, founder of OmbudSana and a 15-year organizational ombudsman veteran, to explore one of the most powerful yet underutilized roles in business. Sana shares her unlikely journey from employment litigator to ombuds, what the role actually does (and how it differs from HR, EAP, and therapy), and why she believes every organization needs this kind of confidential, off-the-record safety valve.

They dig into how ombuds serve as the ultimate "canary in the coal mine," surfacing real-time cultural trends that no survey or technology can capture, why leaders themselves are among the most frequent visitors to ombuds offices, and how tools like conflict style awareness can transform the way teams navigate hard conversations. Sana's closing advice is simple and urgent: in an increasingly polarized world, leading with intentionality and kindness isn't soft, it's the highest-leverage investment you can make in your people.

Additional Resources:

Connect with Sana on LinkedIn

Visit OmbudSana's website

Learn more about the International Ombudsman Association

Subscribe to Kristi's YouTube for more Vibecast content!

Learn more about Skutvik Consulting

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Key Takeaways:

• An organizational ombudsman is a confidential, off-the-record, impartial resource that gives employees a safe space to surface concerns before they become systemic problems.
• Ombuds surface real-time cultural intelligence that surveys, HR data, and AI simply cannot capture, making them the ultimate "canary in the coal mine" for organizational health.
• Leaders are often the top visitors to an ombuds office because navigating unprecedented pressure requires a safe space to think out loud, too.
• AI cannot replace the ombuds role; the soul of this work lies in human presence, empathy, and the ability to read what someone isn't saying.
• Understanding your conflict style and those of your team members is one of the most practical tools for leading with intentionality and reducing unnecessary friction.
• Grounding yourself before walking into work, and choosing to respond rather than react, is a daily practice that shapes the entire vibe of your organization.

What truly defines the vibe of a workplace, and how do leaders intentionally shape the emotional tone of an organization? ✨

In this episode, Kristi Skutvik sits down with Kit Krugman to explore how leadership, self-awareness, and intentional design influence the culture and energy within teams. Kit shares how her career journey, early exposure to leadership, and experiences working alongside executive teams shaped her perspective on power, responsibility, and the signals leaders send through everyday actions.

They discuss why leaders must be deeply aware of the tone they set, how hiring complementary strengths creates stronger teams, and how thoughtful design of hybrid work and collaboration can transform the way organizations function. This conversation offers practical insight into how leaders can build cultures rooted in clarity, trust, and intentional growth while creating environments where people feel empowered to contribute and thrive.

Additional Resources:

Follow Kit on LinkedIn

Visit Foursquare's website

Check out Kit's book

Subscribe to Kristi's YouTube for more Vibecast content!

Learn more about Skutvik Consulting

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Key Takeaways:

• Defining workplace vibe and emotional tone
• The role of signaling and body language in leadership
• Self-awareness and emotional intelligence in leadership
• Strategies for building trust and diversity in teams
• Designing organizational culture through behaviors and communication

What truly shapes the vibe of a workplace, and how do personal experiences influence the way we lead, connect, and grow? ✨

In this episode, Kristi Skutvik sits down with Katherine von Jan to explore how workplace vibes are formed through leadership, energy, and everyday interactions. Katherine reflects on her unexpected path from lifeguarding to leading in the tech world, sharing how purpose, curiosity, and supportive environments shaped her confidence and career.

They discuss how small gestures from leaders can have a lasting impact, why emotional intelligence plays a critical role in modern management, and how AI is beginning to influence workplace dynamics. This conversation offers a thoughtful look at how leaders can intentionally create environments where people feel valued, motivated, and inspired to thrive.

Additional Resources:

Follow Katherine von Jan on LinkedIn

Visit Tough Day's website

Subscribe to Kristi's YouTube for more Vibecast content!

Learn more about Skutvik Consulting

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Key Takeaways:

• Vibes in the workplace are a shared experience of connection and energy.
• Not every vibe is for everyone; it's okay to seek a better fit.
• Katherine's journey illustrates the importance of resilience and proving oneself.
• Cultural experiences can significantly shape career paths and values.
• Purpose-driven work leads to greater fulfillment and impact.

What if the most powerful leadership tool isn't strategy or skill, but a story that connects hearts before it drives results? 🔥

In this episode, Kristi sits down with Danielle Krischik to unpack how storytelling shapes leadership, culture, and connection. They explore what it really means to define a "vibe" inside an organization and how internal storytelling can bridge gaps between teams, vision, and values.

Danielle shares how personal stories, especially the vulnerable ones, builds trust and allows leaders to show up authentically. The conversation also touches on the evolving role of AI in the workplace and how it can actually enhance human relationships when used with intention. From team alignment to emotional resonance, this episode gives leaders a roadmap for cultivating a culture of connection through story.

Additional Resources:

Follow Danielle on LinkedIn Visit The Story Effect Website Visit the Knight Agency Listen to The Story Effect Podcast

Subscribe to Kristi's YouTube for more Vibecast content!

Learn more about Skutvik Consulting

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Key Takeaways:

• A vibe is the emotional truth of a story.
• Storytelling can change perceptions and drive action.
• Connection is essential for employee engagement.
• Leaders must share personal stories to build trust.
• Storytelling is an ecosystem involving multiple narratives.

What happens when vulnerability becomes your leadership superpower?

Kristi sits down with Karen Alter to unpack what it means to lead from the heart in an industry often driven by metrics and deadlines. From stepping into leadership in a post-founder era to fostering a culture where creativity and connection thrive, Karen shares how relational leadership has shaped every corner of her organization. She opens up about her journey, from receiving the vibe to becoming the one who creates it, including the powerful personal story of how a colleague became a surrogate and lifelong friend.

Karen gets real about hiring for culture fit, designing intentional hybrid spaces, having hard conversations with clients, and why she'll never lead with fear. This episode is a masterclass in showing up as your full self, and how that choice impacts everything from morale to results.

If you're ready to build a culture where trust, transparency, and real human connection fuel your team, this one's for you.

Additional Resources:

Connect with Karen on LinkedIn

Learn more about Borshoff

Subscribe to Kristi's YouTube for more Vibecast content!

Learn more about Skutvik Consulting

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Key Takeaways:

• Vulnerability builds trust and deepens team connection
• Culture thrives on intentional relationships and shared values
• Physical space impacts creative energy and collaboration
• Hire for diversity, align on core values
• Great leadership starts with listening, not talking

What if the "vibe" of your workplace isn't created by perks or policies, but by the people you allow into the room and the energy they bring with them? ⚡️

In this episode, Kristi sits down with executive coach Tony Ferraro to unpack what vibe really means inside an organization and why culture is something you protect, not manufacture. Tony draws a powerful connection between vibe and culture, explaining how great teams feel different because they are free from "energy drains" like misalignment, drama, and unclear purpose.

Tony shares his winding journey from teaching physics to leading a growing school, and eventually into executive coaching, revealing how moments of failure, tension, and unexpected endings shaped his philosophy on leadership. Through personal stories, he shows how even one misaligned hire can quietly crack an otherwise healthy culture.

Additional Resources:

Tony Ferraro, Senior Executive Coach/Director of Training Services at Floyd Consulting: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonyferraro-floyd/ Floyd Consulting - https://www.floydconsulting.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/floyd-consulting/

Subscribe to Kristi's YouTube for more Vibecast content!

Learn more about Skutvik Consulting

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Key Takeaways:

• A strong vibe is closely tied to having A players who energize the people around them.
• Culture weakens when energy is spent on drama instead of the mission.
• There are no neutral hires. Every person either adds to or detracts from the culture.
• Great hiring starts with clarity around role, outcomes, and core values.
• Leaders often sabotage interviews by falling in love too early.

What if the real strength of a team isn't found in productivity tools or meeting rhythms, but in how seen and supported people feel while doing the work together? 🌿

In this thoughtful episode, we sit down with Shelby Miller to explore the deeper heartbeat of workplace culture, the human connections, shared values, and subtle "vibes" that shape how people show up, especially in remote environments.

Shelby takes us through her unexpected career path from health education into project management, revealing how each step strengthened her belief that great cultures are built through intention, care, and hiring for genuine team fit rather than just skill alone.

She reflects on the power of human-centered leadership from meaningful parental leave and honest communication to the magic that happens when remote teams finally meet face-to-face at in-person retreats.

Additional Resources:

"Creating Compiler's Parental Leave Policy: How a small, scrappy, California-based LLC created parental leave and wage replacement policies for its remote, multi-state team."

Follow Shelby on LinkedIn Follow Compiler on LinkedIn

Learn more about Compiler

Subscribe to Kristi's YouTube for more Vibecast content!

Learn more about Skutvik Consulting

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Key Takeaways:

• A vibe is intangible and open to individual interpretation.
• It's important for organizations to bridge the gap between aspirations and individual perceptions of vibe.
• Creating a human-centered workplace enhances employee satisfaction.
• Parental leave policies should be prioritized, regardless of company size.
• In-person retreats foster connection and strengthen team dynamics.

What if the secret to a thriving workplace isn't perks or policies, but the energy people feel the moment they walk in? 🔋

In this eye-opening episode, Kristi sits down with Eliza Jackson, Chief People & Operations leader at ButcherBox, to explore what she calls "the vibe" that powerful blend of energy, emotional connection, and environment that determines whether people feel like they belong or want to run for the door.

Eliza takes us through her non-linear journey: from high-pay finance roles to a drastic pivot into education after one life-changing moment inside a community school circle in Brooklyn. That experience taught her how culture can ignite purpose even when it comes with a 75 percent pay cut and 4 a.m. alarm clocks.

This episode challenges leaders, builders, and teammates everywhere to rethink what culture really is: not a program or a policy, but the everyday energy we bring to each other, one collision, one conversation, one human moment at a time.

Additional Resources:

Eliza Jackson - Chief People & Administrative Officer @ ButcherBox LinkedIn

Learn more about Skutvik Consulting

Learn more about workvibes

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Key Takeaways:

• Culture is an energy people instantly feel through belonging and connection.
• In-person collisions create the strongest relationships and team momentum.
• Core values must be practiced daily in hiring, feedback, and recognition.
• Coaching and continuous learning help people lead with confidence and resilience.
• Great culture requires trust, autonomy, and tough calls when the fit isn't right.

What if the key to better leadership isn't fixing people, but finally seeing them? 🔍

In this eye opening episode, Kristi sits down with Brandon Miller, CEO and founding partner of 34 Strong, to explore how a strengths-based approach can transform workplaces, families, and the leaders at the center of them. From surviving a damaging work culture early in his career to building one of the largest strengths-focused coaching firms in the world, Brandon shares raw, powerful stories of how pain shaped his purpose.

He opens up about confronting a toxic leader, rebuilding his life after the 2008 financial crash, and discovering the strengths philosophy that not only changed his career trajectory but completely reshaped his relationship with his kids. Brandon explains why public humiliation is the most destructive leadership tactic, why culture change requires deep work at the supervisor level, and how strengths create grace, clarity, and sustainable high performance.

This episode gives leaders, parents, and humans a new lens on what it really means to help people thrive, not by forcing them into who we want them to be, but by honoring who they actually are.

Additional Resources:

Brandon Miller - Founding CEO and Chairman of the Board 34 Strong 🔗 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-miller-34strong/) 🔗 (https://www.34strong.com) 🔗 (http://www.ChurchillLeadershipGroup.com) 🔗 (https://incrediblefamily.com/)

🔗 Subscribe to Kristi's YouTube for more Vibecast content! (https://youtube.com/@kristiskutvik?si=ZzyIX7yyCRukXgNy)

🔗 Learn more about Skutvik Consulting (https://www.skutvikconsulting.com/)

🔗 Learn more about workvibes (https://getworkvibes.com/)

🔗 Learn more about PeopleForward Network (https://peopleforwardnetwork.com/)

• Toxic leadership creates deep trauma and long term dysfunction.
• Strengths reveal a person's tendencies, not guaranteed superpowers.
• Parenting and leadership dramatically improve when you honor how people are wired.
• Culture change starts with people leaders, not perks or programs.
• Sustainable excellence comes from blending accountability with genuine care.

What if a puppet could say what your team is afraid to? 🎭

In this unexpected and wildly creative episode, Kristi sits down with David Mizne, creator of Culture Puppets, to explore how humor, vulnerability, and a little felt can transform workplace vibes.

From early days at a remote-first startup to launching a full-blown puppet-powered cultural movement, David reveals how bringing his full, quirky self to work didn't just entertain, it created space for honesty, trust, and human connection. He shares the story behind Little Ginger (the blue puppet with main-character energy), how 15Five made breathwork part of team meetings, and why creativity isn't a luxury, it's a culture-shaping necessity.

This episode is a masterclass in ditching the corporate mask and embracing the weird, the real, and the resonant. Whether you're leading a team or just trying to survive another Zoom meeting, you'll walk away inspired to rethink how culture really scales.

Additional Resources:

Connect with David on LinkedIn

Learn more about Culture Puppets

Subscribe to Kristi's YouTube for more Vibecast content!

Learn more about Skutvik Consulting

Learn more about workvibes

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

• Vibes are energetic signals shaping workplace culture.
• Creativity at work reduces stress and boosts morale.
• Psychological safety enables authentic team connection.
• Shared experiences deepen trust and team engagement.
• Puppetry can surface unspoken truths safely and humorously.