In this thought-provoking episode of the Cohesion Podcast, Miriam Connaughton (Chief People Officer at Simpplr) sits down with Gianna Driver, Chief People Officer at Lattice. A serial CPO with deep experience in the tech sector, Gianna brings a fresh perspective to one of HR’s most persistent questions: how should we really be measuring employee experience and performance? With engagement scores stagnating for decades and workforces becoming more distributed and diverse, Gianna challenges conven...
Jul 10, 2025•45 min•Ep. 83
In this inspiring episode of the Cohesion Podcast , Carolyn Clark (VP of Employee Experience Strategy & Transformation at Simpplr) sits down with Sarah Kaplan, Director of Internal Communications at Smarsh. With a unique background in opera performance and a keen instinct for people-first storytelling, Sarah has led major internal transformation at Smarsh—starting from scratch just before a company acquisition and CEO transition. Sarah shares how she evolved the internal comms function from ...
Jun 24, 2025•35 min•Ep. 82
In this episode, we sit down with Kelly Clarke , a seasoned internal communications leader with experience at Cisco, Meta, and Gong, to explore how endurance and empathy power executive presence in times of transformation. With a foundation in PR and a heart for human-centered leadership, Kelly shares how she’s guided companies through crises, culture shifts, and massive change—always with transparency and trust at the core. Simpplr’s Carolyn Clark , VP of Employee Experience Strategy & Tran...
May 07, 2025•47 min•Ep. 81
This episode features an interview with Lisa Colella, Managing Director of Strategic Communications & Leadership Advisory at CRA Admired Leadership. With more than 18 years of professional experience, Lisa has worked with clients across agency, consultancy, and in-house settings. Her portfolio spans multiple industries, including fast-moving consumer goods, financial services, healthcare, and more. Previously, she was the Founder and CEO of a boutique consultancy and Global Head of Talent Co...
Apr 01, 2025•46 min•Ep. 80
This episode features an interview with Matt Rivera, Chief Marketing Officer at Day & Zimmermann and Gary Sevounts, Chief Marketing Officer at Simpplr. Matt has worked for Day & Zimmermann for 34 years, from payroll administrator to the first person in the marketing department. He leads a diverse team of marketers and communications professionals who contribute to a cohesive, professional and high-performing marketing organization. Gary is a veteran CMO with a track record of building hi...
Mar 04, 2025•48 min•Ep. 79
This episode features an interview with Pat Wadors, Chief Human Resources Officer at Intuitive, where she leads a global organization responsible for all aspects of the company’s employee experience. Prior to joining Intuitive, Pat was the Chief People Officer at UKG and Procore Technologies. She also held multiple leadership roles at ServiceNow, LinkedIn, and Yahoo! In this episode, Miriam sits down with Pat to discuss her book Unlock Your Leadership Story , the evolution of DEI in the workplac...
Feb 18, 2025•48 min•Ep. 78
This episode features an interview with Keri-Lynn Pajer, Vice President of HR Business Partnerships and Change Initiatives at Agero. Keri-Lynn is a Strategy and Planning Executive with expertise in aligning organizational needs to the delivery of complex business solutions and expanded capabilities. At Agero, she previously served as the Senior Director of Internal Communications and Change Initiatives, and was the Director of Transformation Strategy at Staples. In this episode, Miriam and Keri-...
Feb 04, 2025•42 min•Ep. 77
This episode features an interview with Laura Wall Klieves, Head of People at Malwarebytes. Laura’s career began in automotive advertising before she pivoted to Learning & Development. At Malwarebytes, Laura leads L&D and drives internal communications initiatives by weaving together her knowledge of visual storytelling and learning to elevate the organization's leadership and management teams. In this episode, Simpplr’s Chief People Officer, Miriam Connaughton and Laura discuss HR trend...
Jan 21, 2025•42 min•Ep. 76
This episode features an interview with Donald Knight, Venture Partner at Valor Ventures and Miriam Connaughton, Chief People and Experience Officer at Simpplr. Donald’s expertise is in creating a culture where employees thrive and has a proven track record of constructing scalable global strategies that support international expansion. Miriam utilizes her three decades of HR consulting experience to shape and deliver a great employee experience, through dynamic HR strategies and AI-powered tech...
Jan 07, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 75
This episode features an interview with Britt Byers, Executive Vice President of Human Resources North America at Kyowa Kirin. With three decades of experience, Britt has held senior roles in Pharmaceuticals like Sanofi and Novartis, as well as in financial services at Bank of America. She has deep expertise in R&D and global functions as well as Shared Service leadership with oversight for HR Operations. In this episode, Shawn and Britt discuss the importance of authentic and inclusive lead...
Dec 17, 2024•37 min•Ep. 74
This episode features an interview with Ellen Maier, Human Resources Director at Zignaly. Ellen is an experienced HR leader committed to enhancing remote work settings and empowering employees. With a strong background in HR and organizational psychology, she fosters an inclusive and growth-focused culture for the Zignaly team. In this episode, Shawn and Ellen discuss creating trust within a remote team, the importance of personal connections in the workplace, and benefits and practices of being...
Dec 03, 2024•46 min•Ep. 73
This episode features an interview with Sarah Lovelace, Vice President of People at Airbase. Prior to this role, Sarah served as VP of People at Plenty, held various roles at Box, and was a Recruiting Coordinator at Google. In this episode, Shawn sits down with Sarah to discuss adapting leadership to different organizational stages, realistic and meaningful leadership development programs, and challenges and trends in global workforce management. ------------------- “You have to go through all o...
Nov 12, 2024•45 min•Ep. 72
This episode features an interview with Brady Pyle, Chief HR & Inclusion Officer at Space Center Houston. Over a 30-year federal career, Brady held various HR leadership roles at NASA, including HR Director for the Johnson Space Center and Director of HR Services, earning two NASA Outstanding Leadership Medals. In 2013, Brady created his leadership blog, OutOfThisWorldLeadership.com, which now ranks among Feedspot’s Top 100 Leadership Blogs. In this episode, Shawn and Brady discuss how space...
Oct 29, 2024•52 min•Ep. 71
This episode features an interview with Athena Aktipis, author of A Field Guide to the Apocalypse: A Mostly Serious Guide to Surviving Our Wild Times . She is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Arizona State University, director of the Cooperation and Conflict Lab and co-director of the Human Generosity Project, the first large-scale collaborative project to investigate the interrelationship between biological and cultural influences on human generosity. Athena also c...
Oct 15, 2024•51 min•Ep. 70
This episode features an interview with Shaun Randol, Founder of Mister Editorial, a mixternal communications newsletter. Shaun has spent a large portion of his career piloting communications for international companies such as Bloomberg and BlackRock. In this episode, Shawn and Shaun discuss the myth of planning in storytelling, the importance of adapting to new technologies, and maintaining a strategic perspective on the evolution of communications work. ------------------- “I think those of u...
Oct 01, 2024•40 min•Ep. 69
This episode features an interview with Stephen M.R. Covey, author of The Speed of Trust and Co-founder of FranklinCovey’s Global Trust Practice. He is a sought-after international speaker, who has taught trust and leadership to business, government, military, education, healthcare, and NGO entities. As the former President and CEO of the Covey Leadership Center, Stephen increased shareholder value by 67 times and grew the company to become the largest leadership development firm in the world. I...
Sep 17, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 68
This episode features an interview with Rachel Happe, Founder and Digital Workplace, Organization, and Community Strategist at Engaged Organizations. She started Engaged Organizations to focus on helping organizations adapt to new technologies and accelerate knowledge supply chains while improving trust, transparency, and agility. She is a sought after speaker and expert on the impact of technology on engagement, relationships, and culture and has keynoted at several digital workplace conference...
Sep 03, 2024•50 min•Ep. 67
This episode features an interview with Sandy Gould, Chief People Officer at Pinwheel. Sandy has nearly three decades of experience in human resources and talent acquisition. He has worked for companies like Disney and Yahoo where he led recruitment and diversity efforts. Sandy’s mission in life is to help people unleash their super powers and lead with authenticity. In this episode, Shawn sits down with Sandy to discuss strategies for building company culture, insights into building trust and f...
Aug 20, 2024•59 min•Ep. 66
This episode features an interview with Kosheno Moore, Vice President and Digital Community Leader for Regional Center Satellite at Fidelity Investments. Prior to joining Fidelity, she served as the Manager of CX Communications at Workday, Head of Communities at Aurea Software, Principal of Employee Communications at Jive Software, and spent 7 years at Agilent Technologies in various roles. In this episode, Shawn and Kosheno discuss strategies for creating meaningful digital connections, the fut...
Aug 06, 2024•51 min•Ep. 65
This episode features an interview with Elizabeth Baskin, CEO of Tribe, Inc., an internal communications boutique working with global brands. Before launching Tribe, she was the CEO of consumer branding agency MATCH, and held management and creative positions at several other ad agencies. In this episode, Shawn sits down with Elizabeth to discuss the effectiveness of editorial boards and content training for global communications, strategies for maintaining employee engagement and motivation, an...
Jul 23, 2024•45 min•Ep. 64
This episode features an interview with Steven T. Hunt Ph.D., Work Techno-Psychologist & Author of Talent Tectonics . Steve is an industry expert who has had a pivotal role in developing systems that have improved productivity and engagement of millions of employees around the globe. He is a well-known speaker, author, and thought leader on strategic human resources. In this episode, Shawn and Steve discuss how the nature of work is evolving, the cause of burnout, and how we should be using ...
Jul 09, 2024•46 min•Ep. 63
This episode features an interview with Aniisu K. Verghese, Founder of Intraskope, a boutique internal communications and personal branding consultancy serving global markets. Aniisu is an award-winning internal communications expert with over two decades of experience in change and transformation initiatives. He started India's first blog on internal communications in 2006 and is now the author of three books. In this episode, Shawn and Aniisu discuss inclusive internal communications, strategi...
Jun 25, 2024•51 min•Ep. 62
This episode features an interview with Mike Robbins, motivational speaker and author. As an expert in teamwork, leadership, and emotional intelligence, Mike delivers keynotes and seminars that empower people, leaders, and teams to engage in their work, collaborate, and perform at their best. He teaches important techniques that allow individuals and organizations to be more appreciative, authentic, and effective. In this episode, Shawn and Mike discuss the limits of authenticity, how AI is affe...
Jun 11, 2024•46 min•Ep. 61
This episode features an interview with Monique Zytnik. Monique is an award-winning, global internal communication leader who presents on best-practice communication at world conferences and guest lectures at universities. Her campaigns have been recognized by Gartner and the Digital Communication Awards. In this episode, Shawn sits down with Monique to discuss the misconception of authenticity, the challenge of creating culture, and why AI will never replace human creativity and connection. ---...
May 28, 2024•54 min•Ep. 60
This episode features an interview with Christina Kucek, Executive Director of Intelligent Automation at CAI. She has over 15 years of consulting experience in delivering cutting-edge implementations in Conversational AI, natural language processing, and robotics process automation. At CAI, Christina guides clients through their automation journeys while delivering innovative solutions. In this episode, Shawn and Christina discuss the impact of AI on employee experience: from onboarding to accel...
May 14, 2024•48 min•Ep. 59
This episode features an interview with Hamza Khan, Future of Work and Leadership Expert. He is the best-selling author of Leadership Reinvented and The Burnout Gamble and is a two-time TEDx Speaker. Hamza challenges organizations to rehumanize their workplaces to achieve inclusive and sustainable growth. His clients include Microsoft, Deloitte, and TikTok. In this episode, Shawn sits down with Hamza to discuss why work is not working, how to make employees owners, and the no day work week. ----...
Apr 30, 2024•50 min•Ep. 58
This episode features an interview with Jordan Katz, Chief Insights Officer at Simpplr. Jordan advises organizations on the influential use of data and analytics to develop strategies that predict outcomes and increase performance. Prior to Simpplr, he was one of the Heads of Employee Experience Strategy at Qualtrics and has consulted hundreds of SaaS companies and global organizations. In this episode, Shawn and Jordan dive into Simpplr’s Future of Employee Experience Report. They discuss the i...
Apr 16, 2024•55 min•Ep. 57
This episode features an interview with Jordan Katz, Chief Insights Officer at Simpplr. Jordan advises organizations on the influential use of data and analytics to develop strategies that predict outcomes and increase performance. Prior to Simpplr, he was one of the Heads of Employee Experience Strategy at Qualtrics and has consulted hundreds of SaaS companies and global organizations. In this episode, Shawn and Jordan dig into Simpplr’s 2024 State of Internal Communications Report. They discus...
Apr 02, 2024•53 min•Ep. 56
This episode features an interview with Josh Bersin, Founder and CEO of The Josh Bersin Company. Josh is an analyst, author, educator, and thought leader focusing on the global talent market and the challenges and trends impacting business workforces. He studies the world of work, HR and leadership practices, and is often cited as one of the leading HR and workplace industry analysts in the world. In this episode, Shawn and Josh discuss the post-industrial workforce, building dynamic organizatio...
Mar 19, 2024•45 min•Ep. 55
The Cohesion podcast is back with more exciting episodes! Shawn Pfunder, Communications and Employee Engagement Director extraordinaire is taking over the role of host. Previously this season, we had some amazing guests including CEOs, Founders, and Chief People Officers. They shared valuable tips on creating a world-class employee experience, transforming culture, rebuilding trust after layoffs, and empowering every employee to be a leader. In the second half of the season, we're bringing new v...
Mar 12, 2024•2 min
