The Optimized Workplace

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 Mulra...

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 int...

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 t...

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...

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 lea...

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 he...

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 ca...

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 w...

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 ef...

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...

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...

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 dis...

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. Pellet...

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 appr...

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, Ta...

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’ heal...

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 troub...

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...

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,...

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...

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...

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 epis...

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 h...

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, b...

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 th...