What if AI could improve employee health, prevent burnout, and reduce stress all at once? Sounds too good to be true, right? But it’s actually happening now! A lot of people worry that AI is coming for their jobs, but there’s another side to the story. More and more, AI is showing up as a powerful ally in supporting employee well-being. In this week’s episode of The Optimized Workplace, Mark Mulray, CEO of THRIVEbyAI, reveals how artificial intelligence (AI) is changing corporate wellness progra...
Apr 29, 2025•26 min•Ep. 65
Are you struggling to integrate wellness into your company’s culture? You’re not alone. Employee wellness and well-being are no longer seen as a luxury in the corporate world—it’s a necessity. In this week’s episode of The Optimized Workplace, Fran Dean-Bishop sits down with Mia Kyricos, wellness expert and the founder of Kyricos & Associates, to explore how to seamlessly embed well-being into your organizational strategy. With over 25 years of experience, spanning across more than 100 count...
Apr 15, 2025•28 min•Ep. 64
If your people aren’t whole, your business can’t be. In this must-listen episode of The Optimized Workplace, Fran Dean-Bishop talks with Eileen Benwitt, a transformative leader with over 35 years of experience in HR and corporate wellness. As the founder of Witt & Wonder and Chief Global Ambassador of Leela Life, Eileen brings a fresh approach to workplace well-being. Today, they explore how today’s work culture demands a new playbook—one that makes room for self-awareness, emotional intelli...
Apr 01, 2025•25 min•Ep. 63
Do you feel bloated or drained after a long-haul flight? What if your travel routine could actually recharge you? In this week’s episode, Fran Dean-Bishop sits down with travel wellness expert Edyta Satchell. With over 20 years of leadership in global travel and as a Certified Health Coach, Edyta has transformed the travel experience for thousands by crafting personalized "beauty and vitality itineraries" that enhance confidence and productivity. As the founder of Finelle and Satchell Global Wel...
Mar 18, 2025•25 min•Ep. 62
Imagine going to the doctor and getting a diagnosis faster, with fewer errors, and with your physician focusing on you—not on administrative tasks. That’s just one of the benefits of AI-powered ambient listening. In this week’s episode of The Optimized Workplace , Fran Dean-Bishop sits down with Dr. David Berger, Founder and Principal of AI Healthcare Insights. With over 25 years of healthcare leadership experience, Dr. Berger explains the critical role of healthcare leadership in improving pati...
Mar 04, 2025•25 min•Ep. 61
Is leadership resilience all about mindset? Think again. In this week’s episode of The Optimized Workplace , Fran Dean-Bishop sits down with Kathleen Gramzay, the founder of Kinessage and a body-mind resilience expert. Kathleen shares her groundbreaking approach to self-care, nervous system regulation, and leadership performance—a strategy she developed after overcoming chronic pain and burnout herself. Today, we’re unpacking what resilient leadership really means, the hidden signs of burnout, h...
Feb 18, 2025•30 min•Ep. 60
Did you know workplace trauma is silently costing businesses millions of dollars? In this episode of The Optimized Workplace , Fran Dean-Bishop sits down with Marisol Solarte-Erlacher, owner and CEO of Marisol Solarte-Erlacher and Associates, LLC, to uncover the hidden costs of workplace trauma. With over 20 years of experience, Marisol breaks down what’s really at stake—and what organizations can do to foster resilience and create a thriving work environment. They discuss why one-off wellness i...
Feb 04, 2025•29 min•Ep. 59
Is your workplace wellness ready for a transformation? Join Fran Dean-Bishop as she chats with Lygeia Ricciardi, the CEO of AdaRose, as they explore new ways to improve the well-being of hybrid and remote teams. With over two decades of experience in the wellness space, Lygeia shares her creative approach to workplace wellness, from blending gamification to live expert sessions and even physical wellness kits. You’ll also learn how technology can improve employee wellness without pushing them to...
Jan 21, 2025•24 min•Ep. 58
Is drinking embedded in your workplace culture? Maybe it’s time to rethink that. In today’s episode of The Optimized Workplace, we’re diving into a topic you might not have considered: the impact of alcohol culture in your workplace. We invited Amy Willis, founder of Hol + Well and a sober coach who understands firsthand the complex layers of alcohol use and sobriety. Amy shares insights on the effects of alcohol on mental health and workplace productivity and offers practical steps for HR leade...
Nov 19, 2024•29 min•Ep. 57
What if the key to building a stronger, more resilient business is found within a diverse supplier network? In our latest podcast episode, we sit down with Heather Cox, co-founder of Certify My Company. Heather, a leading advocate for inclusivity, shares her incredible journey of helping diverse businesses achieve certification and build partnerships with corporations dedicated to inclusion. We’ll discuss common misconceptions about diverse businesses and explore the power of mentorship, where H...
Nov 05, 2024•28 min•Ep. 56
Struggling with your corporate wellness programs? It turns out you don’t need a massive budget to create impactful programs. In this episode of The Optimized Workplace, Jennifer Green, the inaugural Director of Wellness at Venbrook, a national leader in insurance, explains how companies can leverage existing benefits to promote employee well-being. With 20 years of experience in corporate wellness, HR, and account management, Jennifer breaks down the nuances of creating strategic wellness plans....
Oct 22, 2024•23 min•Ep. 55
Imagine waking up at 5 a.m. every day for 15 years, swimming for hours in the freezing cold. Sounds grueling, right? But that’s exactly what elite athletes like Katie Ledecky do to become a ninth-time Olympic gold medalist. While we may not be training for the Olympics, the same focus and dedication can be adopted to transform our performance at work. That’s what this week’s guest is here to discuss. Meet John Toomey. John is an international speaker, writer, Olympic coach, and thought leader. H...
Oct 08, 2024•30 min•Ep. 54
Is your workplace struggling to foster resilience in a post-pandemic world? In this week’s episode of The Optimized Workplace, I had the privilege of speaking with Dr. Marie-Hélène Pelletier, a leadership psychologist and best-selling author of The Resilience Plan , to discuss the critical role of resilience in today’s workplaces. With her extensive expertise in workplace mental health, Dr. Pelletier guides us through the essentials of building a resilient workforce. We dive into why basic welln...
Sep 24, 2024•25 min•Ep. 53
Do your employees suffer from chronic pain and always feel tired and burned out? What if you could change that and have healthy employees without relying on medication? In this episode, I had the privilege of speaking with Dr. Keita Vanterpool, a chiropractor and holistic wellness advocate who overcame her own battle with lupus. Dr. Keita shares how she transformed her life through a holistic approach, focusing on mind, body, and spirit. She explains the power of the mind-body connection, why di...
Sep 10, 2024•30 min•Ep. 52
Hiring the right people for your small business isn’t just a challenge–it can make or break your growth. Thankfully, our guest expert is here to walk us through the best hiring processes for small businesses. Today’s guest is Talmar Anderson, CEO & Founder of Boss HQ and host of the Rock Your Bossitude podcast. With extensive experience helping small businesses refine their hiring process, Talmar shares her expertise on best hiring practices so you can attract, hire, manage, and keep an amaz...
Aug 27, 2024•25 min•Ep. 51
Is your workplace designed for your well-being? In this week’s episode of The Optimized Workplace, we sit down with Dr. Whitney Gray to explore the impact of a well-designed work environment on employees' well-being and performance. Dr. Gray, Senior VP of Research at the International WELL Building Institute, provides valuable insights into how the built environment influences employees’ health and supports their success at work. She also discusses the alarming economic cost of burnout and offer...
Aug 06, 2024•33 min•Ep. 50
Are you struggling with high attrition rates and increasing workplace burnout? It’s time to ditch those satisfaction surveys and discover how AI can provide the solution you need. In this week’s episode, we sit down with Eitan Vesely, a serial entrepreneur and CEO of Watercooler, an AI-powered people analytics tool that transforms siloed HR data into actionable insights. For years, Eitan was troubled by the high number of unhappy employees and those leaving jobs due to work-related stress or dif...
Jul 30, 2024•23 min•Ep. 49
Is your organization struggling with mental health at work? Although awareness is growing as more people talk about it, there is still much work to be done to improve mental health in the workplace. In this episode of The Optimized Workplace, we’re joined by Nick Bracks, founder of Move Your Mind wellness software, Aussie actor, and active mental health advocate. Nick’s story is one of incredible transformation. After surviving a near-death car accident and facing mental health challenges, he de...
Jul 23, 2024•22 min•Ep. 48
What comes to mind when you think of mental health at work? Many would say it involves providing clinical support to everyone. But what happens next? People don’t necessarily always need clinical support with what’s going on in their workplaces. How do we foster a sustainable mental health culture without instilling fear of job loss? Join us in this week’s episode as I sit down with Jocelyn Pepe, fractional head of wellbeing, mental health researcher, coach, and founder of TrU–an organization su...
Jul 02, 2024•23 min•Ep. 47
With Gen Z comprising the bulk of today’s workforce, how are companies attracting and retaining top talent? 80% of Gen Z are looking for a company that is committed to their physical and mental health well-being. And with everything accessible right at their fingertips, it’s easy for employees to look into a company’s culture. In this week’s episode, we’ve invited the amazing Millette Granville, a DEI expert and 2U’s first Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). With over 15 ye...
Jun 25, 2024•29 min•Ep. 46
Are you passionate about nurturing an inclusive and supportive workplace? You might be missing this one crucial factor. In our latest episode of The Optimized Workplace, we speak with Ebony Travis Tichenor, a trailblazer in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). With 26 solid years in corporate America being a Black Hispanic woman, Ebony shares her unique perspective on integrating holistic well-being into DEI strategies and the critical role of authenticity and continuous advocacy in fostering...
Jun 11, 2024•21 min•Ep. 45
The demand for labeling buildings and workplaces as healthy and safe has skyrocketed to billions of square feet of office space–and it happens for a good reason. As people spend 90% of their lives in a built environment, it is just right to consider how these environments could either benefit or harm their health. This week’s guest is here to shed light on this topic. Joining me in our latest episode is none other than Dr. Esther Sternberg, a pioneer in the field of integrative medicine and auth...
Apr 30, 2024•25 min•Ep. 44
How does the built environment affect employees' health and well-being? Extensive research has been conducted on this topic, and it turns out that built environments impact our well-being more than we might think. In fact, where we sit and who we sit next to have a much more significant impact on our health and well-being, even more so than genetics and access to healthcare. And our guest is here to prove that. Today, we’re joined by Rachel Hodgdon, the president and CEO of the International WEL...
Apr 23, 2024•38 min•Ep. 43
Do you ever find yourself trapped in the endless cycle of busyness, feeling like you have nowhere to go? You’re not alone. Many of us wear our busyness like a badge of honor–the busier you are, the better, we’re led to believe. However, recent studies show that this state of constant busyness actually sabotages human potential. Working more hours doesn’t equate to productivity. Most of the time, busyness leads to burnout. And our guest understands this all too well, having even written a book ab...
Apr 16, 2024•24 min•Ep. 42
Do you feel isolated and disconnected from your team due to the COVID-19 remote work setup? In this week’s episode, we explore the transformative power of technology in building collaborative and engaging workplaces with Joey Cooper, the founder and CEO of ConnectSuites. With a rich background in technology and community building, Joey shares her journey in developing ConnectSuites, a platform that redefines property and community engagement in commercial real estate. Joey discusses how ConnectS...
Apr 09, 2024•26 min•Ep. 41
The United States is on the brink of a significant population shift driven by aging baby boomers, changing birth rates, and immigration patterns. But is the American workforce ready for this transition? Join me in this week’s episode as I interview Dr. Patty Delgado, an experienced industrial-organizational (I/O) psychologist and the founder and CEO of The Bridgify Group. Dr. Patty is also a co-founder of El Puente Institute™, which focuses on supporting organizations in effective recruitment an...
Mar 19, 2024•29 min•Ep. 40
Are you struggling to navigate today’s modern workplace? Join us on this episode of The Optimized Workplace as we dive into the transformative power of diversity and inclusion with Sally Helgesen, renowned leadership coach and diversity expert. Today, Sally shares invaluable insights on how embracing diversity isn't just a goal but a necessity for any organization looking to thrive. From redefining leadership excellence to addressing the wealth gap, this episode is a must-listen for anyone looki...
Feb 27, 2024•27 min•Ep. 39
Are your team members not fully engaged with each other at work? It’s a common challenge in any workplace, but the solution might be less conventional than you might think. ( Hint: It’s not team building.) In this week’s episode, I have the pleasure of sitting down with Alexandra Suchman, CEO and co-founder of Barometer XP. Barometer XP is a company that leverages games to spark insightful conversations among team members and leaders, fostering better communication and collaboration toward share...
Feb 20, 2024•29 min•Ep. 38
How should leaders in a hybrid work environment approach training and development for themselves and their employees? In this week’s episode, we are joined by author, speaker, and leadership expert Tara Powers. Her programs have earned her the prestigious Top 10 Leadership 500 award by HR.com and a bronze award from Brandon Hall for Best Results from a Leadership Program. Today, Tara shares her insights on the shifts she sees in today’s workplace environment and some of her groundbreaking strate...
Feb 13, 2024•27 min•Ep. 37
How crucial are today’s transportation infrastructures and innovations in shaping the future of work? In this week’s episode of The Optimized Workplace, I’m excited to have Greer Johnson Gillis on the show. Greer is the senior vice president and chief infrastructure and development officer for the Jacksonville Transportation Authority or JTA. JTA is an independent state agency with over 700 employees that designs and constructs bridges, highways, and various mass transit services. Today, Greer a...
Feb 06, 2024•32 min•Ep. 36
