Relationships at Work - a trust-driven leadership podcast

Part 3 of our 4-part conversation on shifting our leadership from friction to flow.. What does a team in flow actually look like? In this Relationships at Work episode, host Russel Lolacher is joined by Margaret Graziano to unpack how leaders can shift their teams from defensive, draining dynamics into collaboration and empowerment. Discover why the “magic number” for team problem-solving is five...

Part 2 of our 4-part conversation on shifting our leadership from friction to flow.. Flow begins with you. In this episode of Relationships at Work , host Russel Lolacher talks with Margaret Graziano , culture transformation expert and bestselling author of Ignite Culture , about how ego, triggers, and old patterns affect leadership. Learn why personal awareness is the first step toward flow, and...

Part 1 of our 4-part conversation on shifting our leadership from friction to flow.. What’s the difference between friction and flow in the workplace? In this episode of the Relationships at Work podcast, host Russel Lolacher sits down with Margaret Graziano — CEO of KeenAlignment and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Ignite Culture . Together they define friction in leadership, explore ho...

In this solo mini-episode, host Russel Lolacher shares a leadership tool that helped him retain a team for more than a decade: the team credo. Drawing from his own experience, Russel explains how a short, clear set of guiding principles can improve communication, build trust, and align your team around what matters most. You’ll also get seven practical steps to create a credo that inspires and str...

Part 4 of our 4-part conversation on embracing wellness as a part of leadership.. Wellness isn’t just an individual practice — it has to be operationalized into the culture of the workplace. Host Russel Lolacher speaks with Stephen Kohler , founder of Audira, about how organizations can prove they value wellness through their calendars, budgets, and workload trade-offs. This episode explores how e...

Part 3 of our 4-part conversation on embracing wellness as a part of leadership.. Teams don’t believe in wellness because of posters — they believe in it because of their leaders. Host Russel Lolacher is joined by executive coach Stephen Kohler to discuss why role modeling matters, how leaders can reinforce wellness with consistency and empathy, and why even small actions — like encouraging a team...

Part 2 of our 4-part conversation on embracing wellness as a part of leadership.. The most important relationship a leader has is with themselves. In this conversation, host Russel Lolacher talks with Stephen Kohler — CEO of Audira and author of The Leadership Anthem — about how stress shows up in the body, what cortisol and fight-or-flight do to leadership, and how leaders can hold themselves acc...

Part 1 of our 4-part conversation on embracing wellness as a part of leadership.. Workplace wellness is more than perks, programs, or posters on the wall. In this episode, host Russel Lolacher explores how leaders can define wellness with clarity alongside executive coach and author Stephen Kohler . Together they look at why wellness requires alignment with your values, your relationships, and you...

In this Relationships at Work episode, host Russel Lolacher explores one of leadership’s most overlooked skills—tone. It’s not just what you say, it’s how you say it. From quick emails to team meetings, the wrong tone can undermine intent, damage relationships, and weaken trust. Russel shares a real-world example of how three simple words—“Perfect, for now”—changed the dynamic of a working relatio...

Part 4 of our 4-part conversation on the Superloop framework. What does a healthy, human-centered workplace really look like? Susan Leger Ferraro — executive coach, speaker, and bestselling author of Superloop joins Russel Lolacher to reveal how her framework can transform organizational culture. From equity audits to leadership accountability, Susan shares proven strategies to align beliefs, biol...

Part 3 of our 4-part conversation on the Superloop framework. Strong teams aren’t built by accident. In this episode, Russel Lolacher sits down with Susan Leger Ferraro — senior advisor, CEO of G3 Works, and author of the bestselling book Superloop . She explains how practices like clearing conversations, Feedforward, and Pathmaker roles help teams move beyond conflict and into connection. Learn p...

Part 2 of our 4-part conversation on the Superloop framework. Your relationship with yourself determines how you show up as a leader. Susan Leger Ferraro — speaker, executive coach, and bestselling author of Superloop — shares why triggers aren’t setbacks, but signals for growth. Discover how to use self-reflection, emotional hygiene, and conscious interruption of your Superloop to build resilienc...

Part 1 of our 4-part conversation on the Superloop framework. In this episode of Relationships at Work , host Russel Lolacher and Susan Leger Ferraro, author of Superloop , unpack how beliefs, biology, and behavior create the framework for everything we do as leaders and employees. Discover how awareness of this loop helps us stop running on autopilot and start shaping better outcomes for ourselve...

Governance isn't just paperwork and policy—it shapes how employees are hired, managed, and treated every single day. In this episode of Relationships at Work , host Russel Lolacher sits down with HR leader Dominique Brewer to dig into what HR governance really is, how it connects to the employee experience , and why leadership accountability is essential for it to succeed. From the Workhuman*...

This is part 4 of a 4-part conversation on authentic leadership. You can’t fake authenticity — and culture knows when you try.  In this episode, author and executive coach Jim Fielding joins to discuss how leaders shape organizational culture through tone, vulnerability, and consistent behavior. As a former executive with teams of thousands at companies like Disney and Claire’s, Jim shares the sig...

This is part 3 of a 4-part conversation on authentic leadership. Team culture begins before day one.  In this episode, executive coach, author, and former Disney exec Jim Fielding reveals how authenticity shows up in the hiring process, how to build trust through vulnerability, and why showing up as a fully human leader sets the tone for every team interaction. From performance conversations to “e...

This is part 2 of a 4-part conversation on authentic leadership. Self-awareness isn’t optional if you want to lead authentically. In this episode, author and executive coach Jim Fielding explores the personal barriers that prevent leaders from showing up as their true selves. From trauma and identity to DISC profiles and 360 reviews, Jim shares the internal tools and honest moments that shaped his...

This is part 1 of a 4-part conversation on authentic leadership. Authenticity is often used as a leadership buzzword — but what does it actually mean?  In this episode, Jim Fielding, executive coach and author of All Pride, No Ego , shares his clear and human-centered definition of authentic leadership. Drawing on his experience as a former executive at Disney, DreamWorks, and Fox, Jim explains ho...

In this episode of Relationships at Work , we explore how recognition is more than praise — it's a cultural signal that defines values, fosters belonging, and drives performance. Host Russel Lolacher sits down with a workplace recognition expert from Workhuman to dig into: Why generic praise fails to make people feel seen How meaningful recognition strengthens psychological safety The damage...

This is part 4 of a 4-part conversation on the context we need for improving leadership development. If your workplace culture isn’t evolving, your leadership development probably isn’t either. In this Relationships at Work episode, Dr. Rob Lion joins Russel Lolacher to explore how broken systems, poor communication, and lack of psychological safety derail leadership development efforts. They dive...

This is part 3 of a 4-part conversation on the context we need for improving leadership development. Great leadership development isn’t done in isolation—it’s done with the team. In this Relationships at Work episode, Dr. Rob Lion explains how leaders can use trust, vulnerability, and shared growth to develop themselves and those around them. Russel Lolacher explores how team engagement and develo...

This is part 2 of a 4-part conversation on the context we need for improving leadership development. You can’t develop as a leader if you don’t understand yourself. In this Relationships at Work episode, Dr. Rob Lion digs into the internal foundation of leadership development—mindset, identity, motivation, and the courage to seek help. With Russel Lolacher, he explores why self-awareness is non-ne...

This is part 1 of a 4-part conversation on the context we need for improving leadership development. Leadership development starts with understanding what leadership actually is —but most organizations skip that step entirely. In this Relationships at Work episode, Dr. Rob Lion joins Russel Lolacher to unpack the leadership confusion so many organizations suffer from. Together, they explore why we...

Inclusion is one of the most talked-about values in the modern workplace—but also one of the most misunderstood. We say the word, we build strategies around it, but do we actually know what it looks and feels like? In this episode of Relationships at Work , host Russel Lolacher welcomes Peter Andrew Danzig — LSW, MSS, MA, CCPT, CPT — a trauma-informed therapist, inclusion strategist, and performin...

This is part 4 of a 4-part conversation on the work leaders need to do to incorporate belonging in the workplace with author and research Dr. Beth Kaplan. Each episode explores a different theme—clarity, self-awareness, team dynamics, and workplace culture.  Workplace culture often undermines belonging, even with the best of intentions. In this episode, we explore the difference between performati...