b Cause Work Doesn't Have to Suck

We all know what it is. That thing that we say, "If I ever win the lotto, I'll do (it) for a living." But what if your dream career, or even your hobby, can not only be the thing you do for your "real" career, but something you could use to make people laugh, impact lives, and leave a legacy? That's exactly what Heather Tolley-Bauer did. After relocating for her husband's career, she decided to tr...

It can feel so damn good to have the right answer or best idea in a meeting, eh? Bu t what if we told you, knowing stuff doesn't give you the most power? The most powerful person in the room is actually the person that asks the most powerful questions. In this episode, we talk about what impact asking a powerful question can have. Plus we give you three simple hacks to turn a poopy question into a...

Have you ever wondered what it's like to talk to yourself for an hour out loud? Was that the last year in COVID? Nicole takes a skill she built up over a year of mostly solitude and goes "so-loca" (solo + a little bit crazy) and takes to the pod for an episode by herself. Despite lack of epic orchestration and live audience she envisioned for such a debut, Nicole answers questions that listeners w...

"You should make an audiobook." Something Erin's heard over and over. And while she completely agrees, she's been a bit paralyzed, not knowing if she should read it or she should hire a trained professional. So, instead of waiting for perfection, Erin and Nicole decide it'd be a good idea to simply start here. To have Erin read a few chapters of the book. For those of you who haven't read it yet,...

Hybrid, Hybrid, Hybrid! That's one of the hot new business buzzwords these days. But, what if that is just the book dust cover to what our new world may look like? This week, Erin and Nicole dive into a new study by Microsoft that lifts that dust cover (or, more like the plastic sofa cover your Aunt Rita has had on her couch for 30 years) on what employees are really thinking and talk about more t...

What if you could stop leaning into your career, and instead could have the confidence to go all-in? This week Erin talks with Erin Lydon, Managing Director for Poker Powher, a company that teaches women how to play Texas Hold'em and then helps them translate their newfound poker skills to compete and succeed in business, finance, and so much more. Erin Haztikostas starts off by asking how Erin Ly...

"Hi, I'm Sally and I've spent 27 years working in the healthcare space. I've held several leadership roles including in project management, product development, and strategy, I'm now the head of blah, blah, blah." Ugh, so many times we waste the most incredible opportunity to make a great first connection. If instead you use the power and principles of strategic authenticity, you can turn that sno...

This week we're re-playing a favorite episode of ours, What To Do When Your Boss is a Bully. Erin Hatzikostas and Nicole Licata Grant sit down for another "How Was Your Week?" episode, and this time, they're actually in the same room! They talk about everything from Erin's new fascination with Dr. Scholl's shoes - they're stylish, they're affordable, they're damn good for your feet - to tackling o...

Fake it 'till you make it. You've heard that one a few, three...thousand times, eh? Well, what if that was the worst advice you could ever hear? Instead, Leslie Ehm wants you to focus on bringing your "swagger". And no, swagger isn't what you think it is (it actually looks and smells a lot like authenticity). Listen in to this high0energy and hilarious interview with the queen of swagger, and how...

You know the call...it goes something like this, "Hey Max, I'm calling to give you the heads up that they're doing a reorg, and you'll now be reporting to Jocelyn." Immediately you think, 'I don't have the energy to impress yet another new boss. I just really got into a groove with my current boss!' Well, the good news is that there is a better way to approach your "new boss" situations. In this e...

Isn't it funny how we're so good at delivering on everyone else's expectations, but yet we rarely set our own expectations? In this crazy do-everything-culture, it's more important than ever to schedule ourselves too (first?)! If you're ready to take a layover off the crazy train but don't know where to start, listen in to this week's episode as Erin talks to Tameika Isaac Devine, a lawyer, public...

Why does it seem that the duty and obligation to give yourself "self-care" often creates more stress in of itself?  Instead, what if self-care doesn't need to be appointments and breaks, meditation and pictures? What if self-care can be defined however the frick you want to define it and practiced on the regular, instead of some stop-in-time moment.  This week you'll learn to define self-care as a...

Do you consider yourself a bit of a "Weirdo"? If so, this is the episode for you. Our guest this week believes your weirdness isn't what separates you, but is actually the very thing that creates your greatest connections with others. Erin sits down with Shelley Brown, speaker, author, artist, mindfulness educator, and all around weird girl. Shelley is the founder of Weird Girl Adventures, and she...

It's likely that every single human on this planet needs some dose of therapy right now. For some, professional help is necessary. But for many others, it may be as simple as crowdsourcing their therapy.  We can all be part of each other's therapeutic regimen if we just slow down, ask better questions, and understand that we can all be part of the bigger solution - at work and everywhere. We hope...

Could you use a vacation? Mel Miles' life mission is to give stressed out, overworked professionals permission to rewrite the script, create more space in their lives, and find the freedom they've always wanted. In this week's b Cause episode, we flip the script a bit and give you a dose of Soulcation and a dash of authenticity as we replay an interview Erin did on the Soulcation podcast. What bet...

When you think about doing something new - small or big - it can feel scary. But what if you started thinking about your life as just a collection of millions of experiments where you're also collecting a million data points? One at a time.  Erin sits down with Dr. Erin Baker, a Social Psychologist, elite-certified neuro-transformational coach, and authentic superstar, to talk about how we can shi...

We spend so much damn time trying to create change while following the rules that were "written" decades ago. Whether it's trying to affect massive inequities or just trying to create change for yourself, you cannot get there if you simply follow the rules. In this week's b Cause episode, Nicole and Erin give you several stories and inspiration to ensure you make real impact in the world and don't...

You've probably heard 1,834 times in the last year about how you have to think differently about fear. But what if the biggest fear you have is actually a fear of being "too much"? No, seriously. Think about it. How many times have you held yourself back because you have this weird, largely unidentified fear of simply being more than anyone can imagine (except maybe, you)? Erin Hatzikostas sits do...

I another of their melodramatic mini-series, "b Cause Work is Funny", Erin and Nicole take on Corporate America's ubiquitous and ever-present digital whiteboard, PowerPoint.  This mini-podcast episode is perfect for you if you too have PowerPoint-phobia. Listen in for the quick-fix therapy you likely need to prevent you from hurling your computer against the wall.  If you like jammin' with us on t...

It's easy to slip through life playing it safe. This week's guest challenges you to change your mind to wonder... if you were good at something the first time, maybe it wasn't hard enough. Erin Haztikostas sits down with LeRon Barton, a writer, author, 3x TEDx Speaker, and a fellow professional pot-stirrer to challenge your thinking about many things - from how you see race in America to how you t...

Erin and Nicole meet for the 100th time on the b Cause Podcast! Well, their 101st time - and your 100th - because the first take recording was a complete hot mess. But there's a silver lining because Erin showed up at Nicole's house in person (also a hot mess) where the magic originally happened, and she kicked things off right by getting to experience the now-famous "dog-sized" treadmill. To cele...

It can feel like such a mystery: how do some people get to the "top floors" at a company, while others stay in the lobby?  Well, we pull up one big curtain (and elevator) on that mystery this week. Erin talks with Renee Zaugg, CIO of Otis Elevator Company. It's clear from her rise that one "secret" is that people who get the big jobs lead...when they're not asked to lead.  The b Cause podcast kick...

Are you at least a bit curious about all the buzz surrounding Erin's new book, "You Do You(ish)?" This week Nicole gives you a glimpse in between the book covers by hosting a virtual book club made up of fans and friends of the show to discuss the recent release! Oh yeah, and she lets Erin (mostly) listen in too.  Nicole kicks off the introductions by inviting the guests to think of one word to de...

Feedback is gold, right? Well, sometimes. And sometimes you have to find your own way to turn what might feel a bit more like backfeed into your own fuel.  This week Erin and Nicole catch up to contemplate their WTFs and authentic-so-hards for the week. But one moment sticks out the most. What do you do with feedback that clearly misses the mark? Well, other than talk about it on public podcat, yo...

What if fear and faith were binary? Ask yourself every time you set out on something new: "Do I choose fear or do I choose faith?" And no, it can't be a mix. While making anything binary is typically not our jam, this week's guest stopped Erin in her tracks when she talked about fear and failure and being mutually exclusive. What would change in your life if you had to choose? Andrea Hawkins, the...