At The Whiteboard

Psychological safety is often described as the belief that you won’t be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes. It sounds straightforward, but in real workplaces it often breaks down in small, everyday moments. A concern gets brushed aside. An employee showing stress gets dismissed. A mistake quietly follows someone long after it happened. None of these...

Support at work is often misunderstood. Organizations invest in perks, programs, and incentives, assuming those things will rebuild engagement during major workplace transitions. But support doesn’t land the way leaders think it does. In this episode of Return to Office , Nicole and Paula unpack the difference between perceived support and actual support , and why that distinction matters so much...

Silence doesn’t create compliance; it creates resistance. In constantly changing office environments, leaders often underestimate the psychological impact of unclear or top-down communication. Research consistently shows that return-to-office transitions are not just operational shifts — they are psychological and social adjustments. When leaders fail to acknowledge emotions, explain the “why,” or...

Flexibility has a branding problem. In Episode 3 of Return to Office , Nicole North and Paula Manolakakis unpack one of the most misunderstood concepts in today’s workplace: flexibility. Many leaders worry that flexibility means chaos, lower standards, or loss of accountability. Employees, on the other hand, experience the opposite problem: unclear boundaries, “always on” expectations, and burnout...

Your Nervous System’s Love Language: Certainty Return to office isn’t just about where people work. It’s about how safe they feel while doing it. In Episode 2 of Return to Office , Nicole North and Paula Manolakakis explore why certainty and predictability are some of the most powerful leadership tools during times of disruption. When expectations are unclear, priorities keep shifting, or leaders...

Slow and Steady Wins the Race Return to office wasn’t just a policy shift. It was a nervous system shock. In Episode 1 of Return to Office , Nicole North and Paula Manolokakis unpack the reality that leaders and employees are quietly struggling with right now. The expectation to snap back into full, pre-2020 in-office productivity before people have actually re-regulated. We talk about: Why leader...

Learn about how Return to Office came to be and meet your hosts, Nicole North and Paula Manolakakis.

Nicole is joined by France Tailleur who is a mom & Certified Conscious Parenting Coach. She has an innate gift at finding unconventional & practical solutions to parenting challenges that arise. She guides & challenges you to raise your parenting standards, challenges everything that takes away your freedom, to raise your standards for how your child experiences their childhood & h...

Nicole is joined by Steve Ware who is a Performance trainer, Coach and Podcast Host. He is all about improving employee well being through no BS mindfulness workshops. He's helped thousands of employees all across the globe build their resilience and lower their stress levels. Today they talk about what no-BS mindfulness really means and how you can build the practice into your everyday life!...

Nicole is joined by Elizabeth Stiles who is a fashion brand consultant with 15 years experience in the retail industry working for some of the biggest high street brands. She’s incredibly passionate about helping creatives make more money in their business to become financially independent! For the past 3 years she has focused on launching & scaling independent brands by focussing on their mar...

Nicole is joined by Kris Ryan who is a trained actor for 40 years, primarily in theatre but also worked in commercials and TV. He started in the training world, almost by accident working with a company who did workplace simulation. Today they talk about all things experiential learning and the role of simulations in training. Simulation is not role-play. Simulation uses real facts with real peopl...

Nicole is joined by Dr. Lisa Weeks a Naturopathic doctors who's goal is to uncover and treat the root cause of your health concerns; not suppress the symptoms. Today they talk about everything workplace wellness and how we can create cultures of wellness, as well as creating leaders who promote wellness. PLUS some incredible tactical tips and strategies for anyone to improve their health in th...

Gary Brennan is back! 2021's top podcast guest is back to chat with Nicole about all things confidence. Would you believe that you have all the confidence you need already right inside you? Well Gary shines the light on that spark that's already inside you!

Nicole talks with Sertrice Grice, Co-Founder & Chief Consulting Officer of Mattingly Solutions, a woman-owned diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) consulting firm. She is passionate about helping organizations use metrics to create data-driven DEI strategies that drive meaningful change.  Get ready to look at diversity and inclusion in a whole new way! See their website for more  h...

Nicole is joined by former hair stylist, former client and friend, Renée Boudreau. Renée is the Founder & CEO of Wisp Collective, and is a 2021 YWCA Women of Distinction Nominee in the Pandemic Innovator category.  They discuss how incredibly tough 2020 was in so many ways, for individuals and small businesses alike and how Renée accepted the challenge for what it was and worked pivot as...

Are you “in flow”? Speaker and Violinist, Diane Allen, is an expertise in The Positive Psychology of Peak Performance: The Flow State. Nicole and Diane take a deep dive into the flow state and how both leaders and followers can break through to reach their highest potential. You’ve never heard a podcast like this one. Get ready to hear some beautiful tunes alongside thought provoking conversation!

Can you really do your best work regardless of your work environment? Dionne England says YES! As an author and Business Consultant, Dionne’s literature focuses on her unique perspective on doing our best work and leadership strategies for professionals in large organizations. She challenges mainstream perspectives and connects in a genuine way with her readers by delivering thought-provoking read...

Is being creative at work important? The answer is YES! Nicole is joined by Monica Zimmerman, author of Creative Leadership for Modern Leaders, holds multiple Masters in Fine Arts and has over 20 years of experience in business operations, executive management, and art education.  Together they talk about her mission is to unleash your creativity, innovation and reduce stress. Discover h...

Nicole is joined by the multitasking powerhouse Tiana Fech! A Calgary mom of three kiddos, an educator with over 16 years of experience and also the host of "The Part-Time Jungle Podcast" which creates conversation and community about swinging motherhood and work in a way that works best for each of us and our families. Tiana helps businesses confidently create learning experiences that inspire, e...

Nicole invites Meridith to join the podcast again for another amazing chat about how to be your authentic self with speaking to a group and how the pandemic changed everything with regards to the once basic work presentation. If you want to be a more confident speaker or if you want to stop tossing money out the door because your presentations suck, then Meridith is your gal! @meirdithgrundeicoach...

What brings you joy? It may seem like a simple question but have you really stopped and thought about it? Nicole sits down with Eli Hans, artist, playwright, producer and holistic cancer coach to discuss that very thing and why it's so important to answer. They also discuss Eli's incredible one-man show infused with humor and original music, Out of the Blue is a heart-warming and inspiring true st...

Nicole is joined by Joseph Bennett, a multi passionate podcaster, life coach, improviser, retreat leader, poet, assemblage artist and wanna be stand-up comedian! So get ready to laugh and understand what limitless rest can be for you and why we feel the need to have exhaustion as a status symbol in our lives. Pull out your pen and post-it notes because this podcast is full of motivational gems! EN...

Principal and Customer Experience Officer at Transformidy, Larry Leung, sits down with Nicole to discuss customer and employee happiness. How do we achieve it and, maybe more importantly, how do we measure it? 

Mr. Positivity is joining Nicole on the podcast today! Jared Allmond is a #girldad, peanut M&M lover and solutions account executive. Not only will you walk away from today’s podcast with a brighter view on life, but you will gain better insights into organizational culture and strategies for the new hybrid office.

Carolyn Ellis of BrillianceMastery.com has recently published her newest book, “Lead Conversations That Count: How Busy Managers Lead Great Meetings”. Carolyn joins Nicole to discuss how we can make meaningful connections, stronger relationships and build trust within our teams to provide the best results. Grab a copy of her new book today, and stay tuned for Part 2 of their conversation!