Buckle upâthis week's episode lights the fuse on culture-changing conversations, showing you how a single powerful question can ignite an entire organization! In this episode, Nicole Greer sits down with powerhouse duo Cheri Torres and Jackie Stavros, co-authors of Conversations Worth Having , to explore how the practice of Appreciative Inquiry (the other AI ) can transform your workplace cultureâone conversation at a time. Together, they share practical tools like the SOAR framework and the 5D ...
Jun 25, 2025â˘55 minâ˘Ep. 218
In this energizing episode of the Build a Vibrant Culture podcast, Nicole Greer sits down with creativity expert and leadership consultant Dr. Amy Climer , author of Deliberate Creative Teams: How to Lead for Innovative Results . Together, they unpack what makes teams truly innovative and how leaders can clear the path for creativity. Youâll discover Amyâs three-part model for team innovation, why most brainstorming fails, and how to use a proven, research-backed creative problem-solving process...
Jun 18, 2025â˘52 minâ˘Ep. 217
In this episode of the Build a Vibrant Culture Podcast , Nicole Greer sits down with Bryon Beilman, CEO of iuvo Technologies and author of Leadership at the Edge . Bryon introduces his innovative "Hyperloop Mindset"âa high-speed, low-friction approach to culture and leadership that propels business forward. Together, they unpack how to hire A+ players, empower leaders at every level, and embed change into your weekly rhythms. Bryon shares how his award-winning IT consulting firm builds culture i...
Jun 11, 2025â˘36 minâ˘Ep. 216
What if innovation wasnât just for Research & Development? What if every employee had permissionâand a processâto contribute game-changing ideas? In this episode of Build a Vibrant Culture podc , Nicole Greer sits down with Ben Bensaou, professor, innovation expert, and author of Built to Innovate , to explore the systems, habits, and cultural practices that embed innovation into a companyâs DNA. Together, they dive into: What it means to build an âinnovating engineâ alongside an âexecution ...
Jun 04, 2025â˘37 minâ˘Ep. 215
What if the secret to building a vibrant culture starts with redesigning your own life? In this episode of the Build a Vibrant Culture host Nicole Greer sits down with visionary Ryan Rigterink, author of Redesign Life , to explore how purpose, passion, and personal transformation can shape both individual lives and organizational culture. A tech entrepreneur and thought leader in human-centered AI, Ryan shares the powerful framework behind his Redesign Life process and how leaders can tap into t...
May 28, 2025â˘53 minâ˘Ep. 214
In this episode of the Build a Vibrant Culture podcast, Nicole sits down with people-first HR leader Carrol Ostendorf to talk about building leadership from the inside out. Carrol shares her bold vision for Delta |v| University, a homegrown development platform thatâs energizing engineers, elevating young talent, and reinforcing culture across five states. With a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and a heart for people, Carrol brings humor, insight, and a blueprint for HR teams that want to make...
May 21, 2025â˘48 minâ˘Ep. 213
Welcome to the Build A Vibrant Culture Podcast, where clarity, energy, and results collide! This week, Nicole Greer dives into the world of compensation with Jason Smith, Principal Compensation Consultant at Gallagher's Compensation and Rewards Consulting practice. With a career journey that started behind the bar at Applebeeâs and led to becoming a recognized expert in compensation strategy, Jason is here to pull back the curtain on the complex world of pay structures, transparency, and fairnes...
May 14, 2025â˘1 hr 6 minâ˘Ep. 212
What happens when you combine mentorship, emotional intelligence, and people-first leadership? You get the award-winning culture of Novant Health Rowan Medical Center. In this episode, Nicole Greer, the Vibrant Coach, sits down with two transformational healthcare leaders: Kendra Bowman , Radiology Manager and engagement award-winner, and Gary Blabon , President and COO of Novant Health Rowan Medical Center. Together, they dive into what it really takes to create a workplace where people thriveâ...
May 07, 2025â˘43 minâ˘Ep. 211
What if the secret to stronger teams, better performance, and real engagement isnât a new systemâbut a more human approach to leadership? In this powerful episode of the Build a Vibrant Culture Podcast , Nicole Greer sits down with Genevieve Retzlaff, a certified transformational coach and organizational development expert with a background as colorful as her insightsâincluding a stint with Cirque du Soleil! Genevieve brings her passion for people and performance to the forefront as she breaks d...
Apr 30, 2025â˘39 minâ˘Ep. 210
Are your hiring practices building a vibrant cultureâor inviting lawsuits? What if you could create a workplace people never want to leave? In this episode of Build a Vibrant Culture , Nicole Greer sits down with Adam Kemper, founder of The Workplace Law Firm , to unpack the full employee lifecycleâfrom attracting top talent to letting someone goâwith practical legal advice every business leader needs. With humor, clarity, and loads of real-world experience, Adam reveals the dos, donâts, and dow...
Apr 23, 2025â˘56 minâ˘Ep. 209
Are your internal emails building trustâor fueling confusion? Is poor communication quietly killing your company culture? In this vibrant conversation, host Nicole Greer sits down with Alejandra Ramirez, a seasoned internal communication strategist and founder of Ready Cultures. With two decades of experience and a passion for creating thriving organizational cultures, Alejandra shares her signature "3H Framework"âHead, Heart, and Handsâa powerful approach for crafting clear, connected, and acti...
Apr 16, 2025â˘42 minâ˘Ep. 208
In this episode, Nicole sits down with Karl Sakas , a seasoned leadership advisor and operations expert for creative businesses, to explore his latest book, Calm the Chaos . They dive into what it really takes to lead a thriving business or agency without losing your mindâor your weekends. Karl shares powerful insights about managing your energy, delegating intentionally, building strong teams, and yes, surviving meetings that couldâve been emails. He also tackles: Why leaders must prioritize th...
Apr 09, 2025â˘55 minâ˘Ep. 207
In this energizing episode of Build A Vibrant Culture , host Nicole Greer sits down with virtual assistant guru and author Melissa Smith to demystify the world of virtual assistants (VAs). Whether youâre an overwhelmed entrepreneur, a high-performing exec, or someone just tired of doing it all, Melissa offers empowering advice on how the right VA can give you time back, increase your energy, and even save your sanity. From the myths of delegation to the magic of friction-free productivity, Melis...
Apr 02, 2025â˘49 minâ˘Ep. 206
What happens when you walk into a workplace filled with chaos? In this episode, Nicole sits down with the powerhouse author, leadership expert, and former deputy mayor, Irma J. Neal , for a jaw-dropping conversation about Leading in Chaos â the title of her book and the essence of her leadership journey. Irma shares real, raw stories from her time leading a government department in Washington, D.C. under extreme dysfunctionâand how she brought it back to life with structure, empathy, and fearles...
Mar 26, 2025â˘49 minâ˘Ep. 205
Could saving your organization thousands (or even millions) of dollars affect the vibrant culture you're working to build? How about your ability to hire or retain the right people? In this episode of Build a Vibrant Culture , Nicole sits down with Robert L. Day, founder of WeAudit.com and author of The Great American Heist: How Credit Card Processors Steal Businesses' Profits . With over 30 years of experience in finance and merchant processing, Robert shares eye-opening insights on how busines...
Mar 19, 2025â˘39 minâ˘Ep. 204
Are workplace stressors hijacking your mind, body, and soul? Today's guest has written a book to help you gain back your mindfulness and become a better leader, employee, and all-around person! Listen to Nicole and Mitch Russo as they unlock the key to accelerating your business success while cultivating a happier, more productive team using Mitch's book, Sacred Profits. Mitch Russo co-founded Timeslips Corp in 1985 and sold it for eight figures nine years later. He then partnered with Tony Robb...
Mar 12, 2025â˘46 minâ˘Ep. 203
What if everything you thought about DEI was wrong? Is your organization truly inclusive, or are you just checking a box? Join us at the Build a Vibrant Culture podcast as Nicole sits down with Grant Harris, Certified Diversity Executive and author of Unlocking Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for Success . Grant takes us on a journey from compliance to community, sharing how organizations can move beyond check-the-box DEI efforts to create truly inclusive workplaces. In This Episode, We Cover:...
Mar 05, 2025â˘48 minâ˘Ep. 202
If you've ever struggled with the process of adding quality people to your team, you will love this episode! Hiring can be a make or break activity in any organization, but especially in small- to medium-sized businesses. Our guest today, Ryan Englin, is passionate about supporting growing businesses to build amazingly productive companies by hiring the right people. Growing up, he saw his own father working 12-hour shifts and weekends as an owner/operator, witnessing firsthand the struggles tha...
Feb 26, 2025â˘51 minâ˘Ep. 201
Want to create a dynamic people culture at your organization? Using human behavioral research, our latest guest will help us discover how to do just that. This week on the Build a Vibrant Culture podcast, we have author Hugh Massie with us! As CEO of DNA Behavior International, Hugh has over 60,000 hours of experience and mentored millions of people, including the leaders of more than 2,500 businesses and 200,000 advisors in 123 countries to be Behaviorally SMART for achieving greater self-empow...
Feb 19, 2025â˘55 minâ˘Ep. 200
Whether you're an employee, leader, or HR manager, at some point in your career you may (probably) have thought, "Ugh, this job..." Today we have Lisa Even on the show, and guess what? Joy really is her job! Lisa is a keynote speaker, entrepreneur, and author of Joy Is My Job: A book to spark joy filled mindset, moments, and experiences! Lisa believes that leadership is more than hitting metrics or chasing numbers. True leadership is about creating environments where people choose to show up, en...
Feb 12, 2025â˘42 minâ˘Ep. 199
Hello, podcast listeners -- do we have a fun episode for you today! If you've ever struggled with stress or burnout while trying to lead with purpose, you will appreciate everything Mel Kettle has to say on the subject. Mel is an author, podcaster, and highly sought-after speaker and trainer whose clients include leaders, teams and organizations that want to achieve real connection and sustained engagement. At the heart of everything Mel does is a commitment to self-leadership. She has an overar...
Feb 05, 2025â˘51 minâ˘Ep. 198
If you're a leader trying to help your people vibrantly navigate stress, you're going to love this episode! Today Nicole talks to Lauren Hodges, Award Winning Learning Designer, Keynote Speaker, and Author. Lauren is an expert in human performance sciences, an award winning learning designer, and author of the book Less Stress, More Calm: Discover Your Unique Stress Personality and Make It Your Superpower. She also founded Performance on Purpose, a global training and coaching company focused on...
Jan 29, 2025â˘45 minâ˘Ep. 197
Hello, vibrant listeners, and welcome to another week of the Build a Vibrant Culture Podcast with Nicole Greer! This week we had the privilege of chatting with Todd Davis, Senior Consultant and Thought Leader at FranklinCovey. Todd has over 35 years of experience in human resources, talent development, executive recruiting, sales, and marketing. He has been with FranklinCovey for over 27 years, serving as Chief People Officer and Executive Vice President for 18 of those years. As a former direct...
Jan 22, 2025â˘44 minâ˘Ep. 196
This week on the Build a Vibrant Culture Podcast, Nicole interviews Willie Pietersen. Willie specializes in strategy and the leadership of change, and his methods and ideas-especially strategic learning-are widely applied within the Columbia's executive education programs, and also in numerous corporations. He has served as a teacher and advisor to many global companies, including Aviva, Bausch & Lomb and Boeing. Willie is the author of three books and numerous articles, and in this episode ...
Jan 15, 2025â˘49 minâ˘Ep. 195
This week on the Build a Vibrant Culture Podcast, Nicole interviews author and HR expert Rich Salon. Rich is a seasoned HR leader, keynote speaker, and author of two books: Career Trust and Unleashing Your Career . Known as "Rich the HR Guy," heâs passionate about helping individuals achieve career fulfillment and fostering employee engagement. Rich has held pivotal roles at industry giants like The Home Depot, Penske, and Loweâs, where his work has impacted employee engagement, career fulfillme...
Jan 08, 2025â˘32 minâ˘Ep. 194
Welcome to "The Best of Build A Vibrant Culture!" While Nicole takes a much needed break from podcasting, please enjoy this vintage episode from 2022, and we'll be back with a fresh episode next week! ~~~ Want to become your best self? When youâre at your best, you can use your strengths & talents to serve others⌠In a way that ignites YOU. And there are ways to return to your best self even after a bad day⌠In this episode, Iâm joined by Susan Brady, co-author of Arrive & Thrive: 7 Impa...
Jan 01, 2025â˘42 minâ˘Ep. 93
Welcome to "The Best of Build A Vibrant Culture!" While Nicole takes a much needed break from podcasting, please enjoy this vintage episode from 2022, and we'll be back with fresh episodes in the new year! ~~~ These days, recruiting can be daunting⌠You want to build a team of rockstars, but where are they hiding? My guest, Darrin Jahnel, knows a thing or two about recruiting and company culture. His company has won multiple best workplace awards including the Inc. 5000. Darrin is here to share ...
Dec 25, 2024â˘38 minâ˘Ep. 103
In this week's episode, Nicole interviews Heather Jerrehian, an entrepreneurial futurist and investor who has driven innovation and go-to-market strategies for startups and Fortune 500 companies for over two decades. As a serial founder and tech executive, she has led turnarounds at unprecedented speed, scaled 10X growth, and engineered profitable exits. In her book Sail to Scale: Steer Your Startup Clear of Mistakes from Launch to Exit , Heather and her co-authors identify 18 common mistakes th...
Dec 18, 2024â˘47 minâ˘Ep. 193
This week on the Build a Vibrant Culture Podcast, Nicole interviews Dominic Rubino. Dominic is a construction business coach and author who has also built and sold two of his own multi-million dollar companies. For over 20 years, Dom has worked closely with contractors, showing them how to put simple systems in place. He knows what he's doing and his message is simple: you don't need a lot of time or a business degree to build a multi-million dollar construction business. You just need simple sy...
Dec 11, 2024â˘42 minâ˘Ep. 192
This week on the Build a Vibrant Culture Podcast, Nicole interviews Richard Medcalf, author of Making TIME for Strategy: How to be less busy and more successful. Richard describes himself as "what you get if you were to put a McKinsey consultant, a slightly unorthodox pastor and an entrepreneur into a blender." Richard is the founder of Xquadrant and a trusted advisor to exceptional CEOs and entrepreneurs, and their leadership teams. He has advised business owners and C-level execs for over 25 y...
Dec 04, 2024â˘48 minâ˘Ep. 191
