Let's Talk, People with Emily Frieze-Kemeny

Strong performance feels like it should be enough. But many leaders reach a point where doing great work no longer drives advancement, and suddenly the rules feel unclear. Visibility, stakeholder perception, and delivery start to matter more than performance alone. In this episode, Emily Frieze-Kemeny sits down with May Busch , former Morgan Stanley COO, career coach , and author of VISIBLE . Afte...

Stepping into a new leadership role should feel like progress. But for many leaders, the pressure to prove yourself, move fast, and make the right decisions quickly muddles how you show up when it matters most. In this episode of Let’s Talk, People , Emily sits down with Oneeka Botu , Senior HR Leader for Retail Leadership & Team Development at Valentino, a globally recognized luxury brand wit...

Influence is one of the most misunderstood skills in leadership. We often think it means pushing harder, building a stronger case, or winning the room. In reality, influence usually begins in a much quieter place… in the pause that helps you manage your own reaction. In this episode of Let’s Talk, People , Emily Frieze-Kemeny sits down with Courtney Michener Miller , Head of Learning at AstraZenec...

Change is no longer an occasional disruption, it’s the constant backdrop of leadership today. And when change accelerates, leaders are often left holding the weight of uncertainty, pressure and unspoken anxiety across their teams. In this episode of Let’s Talk, People , Emily Frieze-Kemeny sits down with Kiabi Carson , Head of Human Resources for North America at Turner & Townsend , a £1.4B gl...

When leaders don’t define decision guardrails early, decisions drift upward, risk feels unsafe, and teams stop building the muscle to decide for themselves. In this episode of Let’s Talk, People , Emily sits down with Olesya Govorun , who leads organizational development and culture transformation at Pfizer , to unpack why ineffective decision-making is one of the most costly (and fixable) leaders...

Every leader faces it… the moment you realize someone on your team just isn’t cutting it.. Too often, leaders hold onto struggling employees out of compassion, hope, or fear of being “too harsh.” But avoiding hard decisions can quietly drain energy, stall team performance, and create bigger problems down the line. In this episode of Let’s Talk, People , Emily sits down with Mary Beech , Chief Grow...

What if the key to high performance isn’t pushing harder, but knowing when to pause? In leadership, the line between ambition and burnout is thinner than we think. True performance isn’t about doing more; it’s about creating the boundaries that protect your energy, wellbeing, and focus. In this episode of Let’s Talk, People , Emily sits down with Janet N. Ahn, PhD , behavioral science expert and e...

What if we reframed our dislike of office politics and saw it instead as a way to help our teams get the recognition they deserve? In complex organizations, politics and strategic networking aren’t distractions. They’re often the hidden drivers of influence, credibility, and career growth. In this episode of Let’s Talk, People , Emily sits down with Audrey Greenberg Venture Partner and Chair of Bu...

What if your credibility as a leader had more to do with curiosity than confidence? In fast-moving industries, learning isn’t optional, it’s your edge. In this episode of Let’s Talk, People , Emily sits down with Karen Giberson , President & CEO of the Accessories Council, a nonprofit that represents the hundred-billion-dollar accessories industry, to explore how a thirst for learning keeps le...

Bringing new ideas to life at work shouldn’t feel like pushing a boulder uphill. But too often, it does. Leaders say they want innovation. Teams try to deliver it. But without the right conditions, innovation at work stalls. Mismatched expectations, siloed communication, and rigid structures can quietly kill momentum before anything new has a chance to take hold. In this episode of Let’s Talk, Peo...

Time is one of the most precious resources we have — and one of the most mismanaged in modern leadership. Teams today are stretched thin, constantly reacting to urgent demands, and struggling to stay focused. The result? Chronic overwhelm, declining team productivity, and a work culture that rewards busyness over progress. But better time management isn't just about your calendar,  it's about...

You can’t lead well if you’re not well. Too many of us today are struggling to lead while running on fumes. And when we think about wellbeing, it often becomes just another thing on the list, something we turn to only after burnout hits. In this episode of Let’s Talk, People , Emily sits down with Rosemary Mancino , President of Meridian Brands and Founder of The Wisdom Collective, to reframe well...

You can’t build a high-performing team if people don’t feel safe to show up fully. When people hide parts of themselves at work, you lose trust, creativity, and performance. But most leaders don’t realize it’s happening, or how they may be contributing to it. In this episode of Let’s Talk, People , Emily talks with Owen Rogers, founding partner of IDEO, the company that pioneered Human Centered-De...

Giving feedback can be hard. Avoiding it makes things even harder. It’s time to do the hard thing and have that feedback conversation.  In this episode of Let’s Talk, People , Emily sits down with Wanda Shoer , Chief Learning Officer at Sanofi, a global pharmaceutical and healthcare company, to talk about one of the most important, and most avoided, leadership responsibilities: giving feedbac...

Communication isn’t a soft skill—it’s a crucial leadership skill. In this episode of Let’s Talk, People, Emmy-winning journalist turned executive communications coach, Jane Hanson, joins Emily to unpack what it really takes to communicate with clarity, presence, and influence in today’s distracted, high-stakes world. They dig into what “executive presence” actually means (and what it doesn’t), why...

Leadership in this moment of divisiveness means making space for complexity—without getting lost in it. In this episode, Emily is joined by Vince Marigna, CEO of Breakthrough Collaborative, to explore how leaders can navigate uncertainty, hold space for difference, and guide teams through today’s increasingly divisive environment. Together, they dig into what it really means to lead during destabi...

Human-centered design isn’t just for product teams. It’s a tool every leader should have in their back pocket. In this episode, Emily is joined by Iris McQuillan-Grace—actor-turned-educator-turned-global head of employee experience—to explore how leaders at every level can use human-centered design to unlock better ways of working. Iris shares how design thinking principles like empathy mapping, d...

Leadership today is like an extreme sport, requiring stamina, adaptability, and emotional resilience. Diane Gherson , former Chief Human Resources Officer at IBM, Harvard professor, and current advisor to CEOs and CHROs, joins Let’s Talk, People to break down the realities of toxic leadership—and how organizations can define it, detect it, and dismantle it. This episode goes beyond the buzzword. D...

Leading today is like managing Russian nesting dolls—layer upon layer of complexity, from geopolitical shifts to workplace expectations. Mel Steinbach , Chief Business Officer and Chief People Officer at MasterClass, joins Let’s Talk, People to unpack how leaders can navigate the paradoxes of modern leadership. In this engaging and refreshing episode, Mel and Emily candidly explore how leaders can...

What if the key to transforming businesses and leadership isn’t just strategy, but kindness—paired with math? In this powerful conversation, James Rhee —Harvard-trained lawyer, private equity investor, former CEO of Ashley Stewart, Johnson Chair of Entrepreneurship at Howard University, and author of Red Helicopter —shares how he led a remarkable business turnaround by prioritizing relationships,...

How do you keep your team engaged when everything around them is changing? We know we are accountable for engagement—but what happens when your organization is in flux, and uncertainty is the norm? Should leaders give themselves a pass, or is there a way to keep employees motivated even in the midst of disruption and uncertainty? In this episode of Let’s Talk, People , I sit down with Marta Callao...

Fear is a constant force in our work lives—whether it’s fear of failure, job insecurity, or financial anxiety, these worries shape how we show up and perform. In this episode, I sit down with Farnoosh Torabi , one of America’s leading personal finance experts, host of the Webby winning podcast, So Money, and four-time author, to explore our role as leaders in helping people deal with their fears…...

Onboarding – Get them a laptop, take them to lunch, and wish them luck? Or could it be the pivot movement that sets the course for someone’s success?  In this episode, I sit down with Cameron Kinloch , CFO of Weights & Biases , to break down why onboarding is a critical factor in team success, speed to productivity, and long-term engagement. With experience spanning Wall Street and Silico...

As extreme weather events continue to happen all around us, what responsibility do we have as managers and leaders in caring for our employees while needing to drive performance? What can we do as managers in organizations to take action and support climate change initiatives?  These are just a few of the big questions we tackle in this episode with Josh Dorfman , a serial climate entrepreneu...

Leaders often feel like they have set a clear strategy and vision, yet often their team’s performance falls short of their expectations.  In this episode, Emily will walk you through a robust exercise that you can use with your team to help you achieve higher performance on strategic goals. The exercise begins with a reflective “look back” to refuel your team members, an energizing “look...