Dear Leaders: Love, Your People

Dear Leaders, Whether you realize it or not, someone is going undercover in your culture every single day. They walk in, they interact with your people, and they walk out with a story — a story about who you are as a team and what you stand for. The question is: do you like the story they're going to tell?   This episode was born out of an accidental undercover culture experiment at the most u...

Dear Leaders,  Whether you'd like to believe it or not, AI is already in your culture. Your people are using it — in their personal lives, in their workdays, on your team — and if you haven't defined what that looks like, they're defining it for themselves. All fifteen different versions of it. We'll talk about: The danger of ambiguity: what happens when your team has no standard to measure AI use...

Dear Leaders, Whether you’d like to believe it or not, what’s happening in the world right now is impacting how your people show up to work. Expensive groceries, gas shortages, plus everything else your people have going on means they might not be operating on a full tank. They just don’t have the capacity. We’ll talk about: Why all of us have a change threshold (and how to assess your team’s capa...

Dear Leaders, Here's a statistic that might make you feel seen: the average CEO only gets 28 minutes of uninterrupted work time per day. Twenty-eight minutes. The rest is emails, questions, meetings, and constant interruptions. And if you're like me, you might have accidentally created this problem for yourself. We'll talk about: Why loving your people doesn't mean sacrificing what you need as a l...

Dear Leaders, Team retreats aren't just nice to have: they impact trust, bring people closer together, and give you space to solve problems in ways you can't when you're stuck in your normal routine. I'm saying this as someone who facilitates team experiences for a living, and I'll be honest: I was discounting the value of our own team retreat. I was overthinking the time commitment, worrying abou...

Dear Leaders, Culture can't be dependent on resources. The parties, the gifts, the decorations—those aren't your culture. Those are events. They're nice, they matter, but they're not culture. Culture is how your people feel. Your team needs both celebration AND support during the holidays. Most leaders focus so much on the celebration part—the parties, the decorations, the spectacl...

Dear Leaders, You can't change a tire without touching it. You have to get down on eye level with it, understand how it's connected, where the lug nuts are, what's actually broken. The same is true for culture—you can't influence what you don't understand. Whether you're a new leader stepping into a role or a seasoned leader trying to make changes, there's a three-step...

Dear Leaders,  Your calendar is your love language. Where you spend your time tells your people what you actually value, not what you say you value. And if there's a gap between those two things, we notice. Oh boy, do we notice.  In this episode, I share the story of a leader who showed up to all three of my presentations during the same week they were hosting board members from across the reg...

Dear Leaders, Let’s talk about something we all deal with but don’t always lead through intentionally: change. In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on a big change we just rolled out at my own company—our new name, Spree Culture Co.—and what I didn’t get right in the process. As someone who’s studied change management, teaches leadership, and literally trains others on this stuff… it’s hu...

Dear Leaders, Sometimes, the most supportive thing you can do as a leader isn’t cheering the loudest or offering help before it's asked—it’s simply asking what we actually need. In today’s episode, we talk about how easy it is to miss the mark with the best intentions. Whether it’s over-supporting, under-supporting, or just showing up in a way that doesn’t land, the truth is: positive intentions d...

TW: Talk of Misscarriage Dear Leaders, Some of the hardest moments in leadership don’t come from deadlines, launches, or meetings—they come when life happens outside of work, and you're still expected to lead. When your heart or energy is at home, and your team still needs guidance, how do you show up?   In this episode, we’re exploring what it looks like to lead through grief, personal change, an...

Dear Leaders, We’re wrapping up our three-part culture series with what might be the most important (and most challenging) part: owning it. You’ve said what kind of culture you want. You’ve built the systems and processes to support it. But now comes the part where it all lives—or dies—by what you do next. This episode is all about modeling the culture you’ve defined, holding yourself accountable...

Dear Leaders, Last week, we started the conversation on culture—what it is, why it matters, and how you can define it for your team. But defining it is just the beginning. This week, we’re moving to the next step: building it. Culture isn’t just words on a wall—it’s the systems and processes that bring those words to life. Without them, your words aren't a culture... they're just a wish. In this e...

Dear Leaders, Culture isn’t just snacks in the break room, nap pods, or branded t-shirts. It’s not about the perks—it’s about the actions, big and small, that create the environment we work in every day. And here’s the thing: you shape that culture. For the last few episodes, we’ve talked about the things we need from you—imposter syndrome, feedback, and generational differences. But now, it’s tim...

Dear Leaders,Generational differences in the workplace are nothing new, but with Gen Z entering the workforce, it feels like the conversation has gained fresh momentum. The challenge isn’t just about understanding each generation’s quirks and preferences—it’s about crafting a team culture that accommodates everyone while setting clear expectations to reduce conflict. In this episode, we talk about...

Dear Leaders, We need to talk about feedback. You know, that thing that’s supposed to help us grow but often feels like eating a Warhead—sour, overwhelming, and hard to swallow at first. But just like that candy, feedback has a sweet side when it’s done right, and you play a crucial role in helping us get there. In this episode, we cover: Why feedback often triggers a “fight-or-flight” response an...

Dear Leaders, We need to talk about imposter syndrome. You know, that nagging feeling of self-doubt your people—and maybe even you—experience after a big success or opportunity? Imposter syndrome convinces us that our wins come from luck or timing instead of our own hard work and strengths. It can quietly drain confidence, hinder relationships, and impact productivity. But here’s the good news: as...

Imagine I’m sitting behind you in class, leaning forward to tap you on the shoulder, only to slip you a tiny piece of folded up paper. Instead of it being from your crush that says “do you like me, check yes or no” it’s from your people, with all the ways you can show up as a better leader for them. Who knew you could take something we used to get in trouble for and turn it into a podcast? Not me,...

Dear Leaders, We need praise from you. But not like the "make their heads big" praise. We want the information praise; you know, when you see something that's working for us that we can do again? We know you have a unique perspective of our strengths, gifts, processes and systems... we just need you to share that perspective. Here's a ten-minute podcast to explain more. We can&#3...

Dear Leaders, We want you to lead our culture. But leading it has to start with you fully understanding what you're asking of us, defining it, and creating accountability around it. We don't know what folding in the cheese means, but we're willing to learn. Here are three things that will help us. We can't wait to share them with you. Love, Your People

Dear Leaders, Consider this first episode a love letter to you. Where we tell you what we're up to, introduce our bear-loving host, Brandi Spurling, and paint a really clear picture of what to expect. We can't wait to keep this conversation going. But for now, welcome to Dear Leaders! We're rooting for you, and we think you're going to like it here. Love, Your People