Work Besties Who Podcast

What does it really mean to own your seat at the table—especially when part of you is still wondering whether you belong there?

In EP116, Jess and Claude sit down with Dr. Christiane Schroeter, leadership strategist, TEDx speaker, author, and creator of Petite Practice®, to talk about confidence, imposter syndrome, and why waiting until you feel completely ready can keep you stuck.

Christiane shares her STEP approach to building confidence through small, repeatable actions: simplify the goal, tell someone what you want, examine the next step you can take, and praise your progress along the way.

The conversation gets personal when Claude shares how comments about her accent early in her career stayed with her for years and affected the way she felt about presenting—even long after she knew she was capable.

Together, they explore how to stop letting old narratives determine how you show up, speak up, and take up space at work.

You’ll also hear:
• Why confidence often comes after you start—not before
• Why high achievers still experience imposter syndrome
• How to speak up when you’re questioning whether you belong
• How to share your accomplishments without feeling like you’re bragging
• Why your “ta-da” list may matter as much as your to-do list
• How Work Besties can help each other see the wins they may be missing
• How leaders can build confidence rather than unintentionally crush it
• One simple practice that can boost your confidence in less than a minute

Owning your seat at the table doesn’t mean you never feel nervous, uncertain, or uncomfortable.

It means you stop letting those feelings decide whether you show up.

Send us Fan Mail

You can watch the full episode on Youtube
Follow us on IG ,  TikTok, Threads and LinkedIn
Please rate, comment and provide suggestions for upcoming episodes

Work Besties! Theme Song Written by Ralph Lentini @therallyband

Have you ever stayed quiet because someone else probably knew more than you—or finished something difficult and immediately focused on what you could have done better?

In this episode, Jess and Claude unpack the confidence trap: the belief that we need to feel completely confident before we speak up, share an idea, apply for an opportunity, or take the next step. They explore how imposter syndrome can show up at work through overpreparing, comparing ourselves to others, moving the goalpost, fearing mistakes, and working harder just to prove we belong.

They also share a practical tool for challenging self-doubt: the Brag Book. By recording the win, your contribution, and the impact, you create evidence you can return to when your inner critic gets loud.

You do not have to eliminate every doubt before moving forward. Keep the evidence, let your wins count, and take one brave step.

Send us Fan Mail

You can watch the full episode on Youtube
Follow us on IG ,  TikTok, Threads and LinkedIn
Please rate, comment and provide suggestions for upcoming episodes

Work Besties! Theme Song Written by Ralph Lentini @therallyband

One of us went to Greece and completely disconnected from work. The other planned a relaxing beach vacation—and got shingles instead.

In this honest and unexpectedly funny conversation, Jess and Claude explore the difference between choosing to rest and being forced to stop. Claude shares how she prepares her team so she can take a real vacation without checking emails, while Jess opens up about ignoring the warning signs of burnout until her body made rest nonnegotiable.

We talk about:

• Why saving all your rest for vacation does not work
• How to truly disconnect from work without guilt
• The burnout warning signs Jess missed
• Why losing interest in the things you love matters
• How small daily resets can protect your energy
• What work besties can notice before we notice it ourselves
• The Stop, Restart and Ask summer reset challenge

This is not about completely reinventing your life. It is about listening sooner, asking for support and making next week feel even 10% lighter.

Because rest works better before you hit the wall—but hitting the wall does not mean you failed.

Send this episode to the work bestie who has been saying, “I just need to get through this week,” for the last six weeks.

Send us Fan Mail

You can watch the full episode on Youtube
Follow us on IG ,  TikTok, Threads and LinkedIn
Please rate, comment and provide suggestions for upcoming episodes

Work Besties! Theme Song Written by Ralph Lentini @therallyband

What if being tired does not mean you are more committed?

In Episode 113, Jess and Claude sit down with leadership speaker, coach and author Naomi Asher to challenge the idea that exhaustion is proof we are working hard enough.

Naomi shares how she found herself completely burned out in a role that offered more money and less responsibility—and why her research revealed that burnout is often driven by something deeper than workload: values misalignment, unresolved conflict and losing confidence in what we do.

Together, they explore the “cupcake hustle,” the pressure to keep showing up because being helpful is working, and how over-functioning can leave us carrying responsibilities and emotional weight that were never ours to hold alone.

Naomi also explains:

• The warning signs of burnout we often miss in ourselves
• Why vacations cannot fix an unsustainable pattern
• How to care about someone without carrying their emotional weight
• Why asking for help can feel uncomfortable—but prevent resentment
• How clarity can be kinder than avoiding conflict
• Why micro-rests matter before our energy reaches 2%

Because rest is not weakness, and exhaustion is not proof of commitment. You do not have to earn the right to recharge.

Learn more about Naomi and her work at NaomiTheMaven.com.

Keep supporting each other, Work Besties!

Send us Fan Mail

You can watch the full episode on Youtube
Follow us on IG ,  TikTok, Threads and LinkedIn
Please rate, comment and provide suggestions for upcoming episodes

Work Besties! Theme Song Written by Ralph Lentini @therallyband

What if staying busy is not just part of your schedule—but the way your nervous system feels safe?

In this episode, Jess and Claude sit down with licensed clinical social worker Karen Dwyer-Tesoriero to explore the connection between high achievement, people-pleasing, hypervigilance and burnout.

Karen explains why high achievers may feel anxious when they stop working, why setting a boundary can initially feel more uncomfortable than answering the late-night email, and how the pressure to constantly perform can begin much earlier than we realize.

Together, they discuss:

• How mental load and overwhelm can leave us feeling completely stuck
• Why Type A tendencies may be connected to people-pleasing
• The difference between true self-care and expensive “wellness”
• How after-hours emails can send mixed messages to employees
• Why managers should help teams prioritize—not simply add more work
• Grounding techniques for moments of anxiety or panic
• How breathing, movement, pets, music and supportive people can help us co-regulate
• Why burnout begins long before the moment we finally crash

Karen also shares simple ways to create “glimmers”—small moments of safety, connection and calm that help bring the nervous system back down.

Because protecting your energy is not laziness, and you do not have to earn rest by reaching your breaking point.

Connect with Karen Dwyer-Tesoriero:

Website: https://kdtesorierolcsw.net

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kdtesorierolcsw/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@karen.a..dwyertes

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/14iE8QdmpUz/

If this conversation reminded you of someone who is always carrying too much, send them this episode—and keep supporting your Work Besties.

Send us Fan Mail

You can watch the full episode on Youtube
Follow us on IG ,  TikTok, Threads and LinkedIn
Please rate, comment and provide suggestions for upcoming episodes

Work Besties! Theme Song Written by Ralph Lentini @therallyband

Have you ever walked away from a difficult conversation and suddenly thought of the perfect response?

There is a reason that happens.

We loved Jennifer Prendergast’s explanation of the “flipped lid” in Episode 105 so much that we wanted to revisit it and give it more space in this Summer Friday Bonus.

Jennifer guides us through the hand model of the brain to explain what happens when stress activates our nervous system. When we “flip our lids,” we can temporarily lose access to the parts of our brains responsible for communication, logic, listening, motivation, and decision-making.

In this bonus episode, you’ll learn:

• How to build the hand model of the brain as you listen
• What happens in the brain when we feel triggered
• Why stress can show up as micromanaging, people pleasing, passive aggression, overcommitting, or checking out
• Why workplace training can be difficult to use during a stressful moment
• Why we often think of the perfect response after a conversation ends
• How two activated nervous systems can become trapped in the same conflict loop
• How nervous-system awareness can help us respond with less judgment and shame

Follow along using your own hand as Jennifer demonstrates this simple but powerful model.

To hear the complete conversation with Jennifer, listen to Episode 105, “Safety = Connection”

Learn more about Jennifer Prendergast and The Expert Talk:

https://www.theexperttalk.com/

Did you enjoy this Summer Friday Bonus? Send us your feedback and tell us which workplace topics you would like us to explore in future bonus episodes.

Like, share, and follow Work Besties Who Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

And remember, Work Besties: keep supporting each other.

Send us Fan Mail

You can watch the full episode on Youtube
Follow us on IG ,  TikTok, Threads and LinkedIn
Please rate, comment and provide suggestions for upcoming episodes

Work Besties! Theme Song Written by Ralph Lentini @therallyband

Because burnout does not always arrive all at once. Sometimes it starts quietly: one ignored boundary, one skipped break, one more “I’ll just handle it,” one more “I’m fine” when you are absolutely not fine.

In this episode, Jess and Claude talk about the silent drain of burnout and how work besties can help us catch it before it becomes a crash. They break down what burnout is, what it is not, and the early signs that are easy to miss — from waking up tired and feeling more cynical, to struggling with work that usually feels manageable.

They also unpack the stories many of us were taught about hustle culture: that caring means being available, ambition means always saying yes, and commitment means exhaustion. But there is no award for being the busiest person in the room.

This episode introduces the “Burnout Before It Hits” check-in, a simple mid-year reset built around five questions:

What is draining me right now?
What boundary am I ignoring?
What am I saying yes to that needs a pause?
What does my body know before my brain admits it?
What is one micro reset I can take today?

The challenge this week is simple: one drain, one boundary.

Burnout does not mean you failed. It means something has been asking too much from you for too long without enough recovery, support, or truth.

So send this episode to the work bestie who always says “I’m fine,” but you know they are running on fumes. And maybe ask them: what can we take off your plate this week?

Send us Fan Mail

You can watch the full episode on Youtube
Follow us on IG ,  TikTok, Threads and LinkedIn
Please rate, comment and provide suggestions for upcoming episodes

Work Besties! Theme Song Written by Ralph Lentini @therallyband

What if your work, your ideas, and even your relationships were meant to function like ecosystems, not deadlines?

In this episode, we sit down with Tigrilla Gardenia, a nature-inspired mentor and plant neurobiology expert, for one of our most surprising and thought-provoking conversations yet. Tigrilla shares her journey from music, technology, Microsoft, and Cirque du Soleil to living in a spiritual eco-community in Northern Italy and working with musical plants.

Together, we explore what plants can teach us about leadership, collaboration, emotional intelligence, and the relationships we choose at work. From learning how to stop forcing and start flowing to rethinking “negative” traits as misplaced strengths, this conversation invites us to look at ourselves and our work environments differently.

Because maybe the goal is not to fix every part of yourself.

Maybe the goal is to understand where it belongs in the ecosystem.

Find Tigrilla Gardenia on Linkedin, Instagram, Youtube and Facebook

Send us Fan Mail

You can watch the full episode on Youtube
Follow us on IG ,  TikTok, Threads and LinkedIn
Please rate, comment and provide suggestions for upcoming episodes

Work Besties! Theme Song Written by Ralph Lentini @therallyband

New Summer Friday Bonus episode is live!

We are back with more from Jodie Goldberg, and this time we are talking about collective intelligence, leadership, and how to bring out the wisdom already sitting inside your team.

Because sometimes the leader does not need every answer — they just need to create the space for the best ideas to rise.

Send us Fan Mail

You can watch the full episode on Youtube
Follow us on IG ,  TikTok, Threads and LinkedIn
Please rate, comment and provide suggestions for upcoming episodes

Work Besties! Theme Song Written by Ralph Lentini @therallyband

Bad meetings are not just annoying. They are expensive.

In this episode of Work Besties Who Podcast, Jess and Claude sit down with Jodie Goldberg to talk about how meetings can either build connection, clarity, and trust — or completely drain the room.

Jodie shares why better meetings start with intention, not just an agenda. From setting a clear purpose to creating meeting norms, managing over-talkers, making quieter voices feel heard, and replacing random icebreakers with true relational strategies, this conversation is full of practical ways to make meetings more human and more effective.

We also talk about why not everyone needs to speak out loud to feel included, how physical space impacts participation, and why a great meeting is not about whether it is 15 minutes or 60 minutes — it is about how intentionally it is designed.

If you have ever sat in a meeting thinking, “This could have been an email,” this episode is for you.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why connection at work needs to be intentional
• The difference between icebreakers and relational strategies
• How to create meeting norms that actually help people participate
• What to do when one voice dominates the room
• How to make decision-making meetings more effective
• Why quieter team members may need different ways to contribute
• How better meeting design can lead to stronger collaboration

Your Supportive Work Besties,
Jess & Claude

You can connect with Jodie Goldberg at LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook

Send us Fan Mail

You can watch the full episode on Youtube
Follow us on IG ,  TikTok, Threads and LinkedIn
Please rate, comment and provide suggestions for upcoming episodes

Work Besties! Theme Song Written by Ralph Lentini @therallyband