NEOGOV

Public Voices by NEOGOV

Education EN ↓ 8 episodes

If you work in local government, you already know the job is harder than it looks. Every week, retired Police Chief Doug Shoemaker and HR veteran Nicole Carlson sit down for honest conversations about what it actually takes to serve the community. Recruiting, retention, culture, community trust, and the unconventional thinking that moves agencies forward. New episodes every week on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

Author

NEOGOV

Episodes

Wellness Isn't a Perk. It's a Culture. 07.07.2026 33:27

Welcome back to Public Voices by NEOGOV, a podcast built for public sector leaders, HR professionals, and public safety personnel who want real conversations about the work they do every day. In the final episode of our pilot season, hosts Doug Shoemaker and Nicole Carlson take on a word that gets used a lot and understood very little: wellness. Most organizations treat it as a list of perks, but...

What If a PIP Wasn't a Punishment? Rethinking Performance Improvement Plans 30.06.2026 27:06

Welcome back to Public Voices by NEOGOV, a podcast built for public sector leaders, HR professionals, and public safety personnel who want real conversations about the work they do every day. In this episode, hosts Doug Shoemaker and Nicole Carlson take on one of the most dreaded tools in the workplace: the performance improvement plan. Most people hear PIP and brace for the worst. But what happen...

Across the Hall: What 80 Years of Public Service Taught Us About Culture and Crisis Leadership | Part 2 23.06.2026 24:40

Welcome back to Public Voices by NEOGOV, a podcast built for public sector leaders, HR professionals, and public safety personnel who want real conversations about the work they do every day. In Part 2 of this special two-part roundtable, hosts Nicole Carlson and Doug Shoemaker continue the conversation with retired Assistant City Manager Pamela Benjamin, retired Deputy Chief Evan Kunert, and reti...

Across the Hall: What 80 Years of Public Service Taught Us About Culture and Crisis Leadership | Part 1 15.06.2026 35:34

Welcome back to Public Voices by NEOGOV, a podcast built for public sector leaders, HR professionals, and public safety personnel who want real conversations about the work they do every day. In Part 1 of this special two-part roundtable, hosts Nicole Carlson and Doug Shoemaker sit down with Pamela Benjamin, retired Assistant City Manager for the City of Columbia, SC, Evan Kunert, retired Deputy C...

Mastering Workplace Communication: 3 Key Strategies for Public Sector Leaders 09.06.2026 25:34

Welcome to Public Voices by NEOGOV, a podcast built for public sector leaders, HR professionals, and public safety personnel who want real conversations about the work they do every day. In this episode, hosts Doug Shoemaker and Nicole Carlson dig into workplace communication and how leaders handle difficult conversations, give better feedback, run meetings worth showing up for, and lead with clar...

Building Trust from Within: Leadership Lessons from a Police Chief 02.06.2026 31:23

Welcome back to Public Voices by NEOGOV, a podcast built for public sector leaders, HR professionals, and public safety personnel who want real conversations about the work they do every day. In this week's episode, hosts Doug Shoemaker and Nicole Carlson sit down with recently retired Police Chief J.T. Manoushagian to talk about one of the most critical and most overlooked foundations of publ...

Generational Workforce Challenges: Why Labels Hold Leaders Back 26.05.2026 31:41

Welcome to Public Voices by NEOGOV, a podcast built for public sector leaders, HR professionals, and public safety personnel who want real conversations about the work they do every day. In this week's episode, our hosts retired Police Chief Doug Shoemaker and HR veteran Nicole Carlson tackle one of the most misunderstood topics in workforce management: generational labels. They challenge the...

This Is Public Voices: A Public Sector Leadership Podcast 19.05.2026 24:28

Welcome to Public Voices by NEOGOV, a podcast built for public sector leaders, HR professionals, and public safety personnel who want real conversations about the work they do every day. In our first episode, hosts Nicole Carlson and Doug Shoemaker introduce themselves and dig into workplace culture, employee engagement, leadership, and why the public sector needs more spaces like this one. RESOUR...