The Just-in-Time Cafe Podcast

Today’s highlight is our interview with Justin Kenny, Chief Performance Officer, and Katie Bockwoldt, Statewide Director of Performance Improvement for the State of Vermont—two leaders quietly reshaping how government delivers results. What starts as a conversation about training programs quickly turns into something more systemic: a shift toward communities of practice, performance logic models,...

It's Episode 121 and Tracy and Elisabeth sit down with emergency physician–turned–start-up-founder Greg Jacobson and Lean author, podcaster, and KaiNexus Senior Advisor Mark Graban, to unpack whether software can actually strengthen a culture of continuous improvement—or merely reveal the one you already have. The KaiNexus journey started in healthcare but has grown to embrace its cross-industry i...

Today’s highlight is Tracy and Elisabeth's interview with Tony Dottino—author, consultant, and one of the rare people who was actually in the room when modern quality thinking was taking shape. Tony worked alongside legends like W. Edwards Deming, Joseph Juran, and Philip Crosby, helped shape what became the Malcolm Baldrige Award, and influenced early Six Sigma thinking—and he’s still at it. We’l...

It’s a brand new year and Tracy & Elisabeth's highlight is their conversation with Bernadette Hill and Priya Venkatesan from UC Davis—two leaders who’ve helped shape a culture of improvement using approaches that may surprise you. Their work reminds us that progress isn’t always driven by new tools or frameworks, but by how people show up for one another. And instead of the cafe's usual Book B...

Today's highlight is Tracy & Elisabeth's interview with Melisa Buie, co-author of the just-published Faceplant. We get the skinny on how someone with a PhD in Plasma Physics got drawn into the emotional landscape of failure, and all the great things that came out of it. For Book Buzz we’ll do a nosedive into Faceplant—hmm, might need to rethink that phrasing—but Tracy & Elisabeth give a mo...

Today’s highlight is Tracy and Elisabeth's interview with Kristle Bulleman, Process Manager for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. She lets us in on what it takes to make the impossible happen — like granting a wish to meet a mermaid (and honestly, who wouldn’t sign up for that?). For Hot Apps, Tracy brings firsthand experience on how to zhuzh up an event — especially when you want to add a little fanfar...

It's October at the Cafe, and Elisabeth and Tracy got to sit down with Meg Bowles—co-author of the New York Times bestseller How to Tell a Story—to explore why stories power so much of our work and lives. In Book Buzz, they spill what got underlined and dog-eared (stakes, structure, callbacks, and more) in today's book. And for Q&A, they tackle the evergreen trap: jumping to solutions before w...

It's episode 115 and the highlight is our interview with Michael Bremer —the author who turned the humble Gemba Walk into an art form (and picked up a Shingo Award along the way). For our Book Buzz, we crack open Michael Bungay Stanier’s The Coaching Habit—because it’s always the right time to celebrate saying less and asking more. And in our Q&A, we dig into the potholes people stumble into w...

On today’s episode, Tracy & Elisabeth sit down with UK author and empathy firestarter Shola Kaye to unpack, among other things, something called “Empathy Hijacking”—yes, it’s a thing, and yes, it’s probably happened to you. For Book Buzz, we crack open Miracle Mornings and snoop through Tracy’s daily habits—was she ever a night owl? Then for Q&A, we go head-to-head on how we each structure...

In today’s episode, Tracy & Elisabeth sit down with process improvement pro Michelle Formanczyk to talk about her exciting new role for this year’s Michigan Lean Conference—and why you won’t want to miss it. In our Hot Apps segment, we test drive Scribe, an app that magically turns your clicks into slick, step-by-step guides. And for Q&A, we ask: Is AI a continuous improvement hero—or just...

Today’s spotlight shines on none other than Gwendolyn Galsworth—author, trailblazer, and the reigning doyenne of the visual workplace. In our feature interview, Gwendolyn shares powerful insights into how visual thinking transforms not just operations, but entire cultures. Get ready for sharp wisdom, strong convictions, and a dash of storytelling flair. 📚 Then, in a special Book Buzz/Q&A mash...

It's Episode 111 highlight is Tracy & Elisabeth's interview with best-selling author John Guaspari–about his latest book, If Engagement the Why, then Respect Is the How. We quizzed John on how an aerospace engineer ended up writing what could be a how-to guide for the Lean tenet: “Respect for People.” For Hot Apps, we’ll explore an offering from your local library that’s free and worth thousan...

It's Episode 110, and the highlight is our interview with April Thomas, who has drawn on her clinical healthcare background to incorporate the stages of grief into change management. We’ll delve into how they intersect with and help drive Operational Excellence. For our Book Buzz, we’re revisiting the classic book Switch by Chip and Dan Heath. The cover has the iconic light switch–and we’ve learne...

It's Episode 109, and the highlight is Elisabeth & Tracy's interview with Dan Zigmond, ordained Buddhist Priest, tech professional, and author of The Buddha’s Office. He’s seen his share of offices, so he’s in the best position to describe how mindfulness alleviates workplace suffering. For Book Buzz, we’ll cover a guide that lays out the steps to designing fully transformative workshops. It s...

It's Episode 108, and the highlight is Tracy & Elisabeth's interview with Kate Parmelee. She's the Deputy City Manager for Strategic Initiatives & Innovation, and she's transforming the City of Port St. Lucie, Florida into a model for problem solving. Cities around the country are taking notes from her and her crackerjack team. For Hot Apps, we delve into a grade-school skillset paired wit...

It's Episode 107 and it's the first menu of the year! Today’s highlight is an interview with Tracy and Elisabeth! Turns out they're the fascinating authors of the soon-to-be published second edition of the Problem-Solver’s Toolkit. Can’t wait to hear what they've got to say about that. For Book Buzz - You'll hear about the book, The Creative Act, by Rick Rubin and why it’s good for coaches and pro...

Last one of the year! And Today’s highlight is our interview with Tracy Defoe the Kata Coach and Adult learning specialist about how changing a label could make the difference between resistance and acceptance of change. For our Book Buzz segment We’ll dig into a book that breaks down what your brain is up against when you try to create. And creativity is something every one of us is engaged in ev...

It's Episode 105 and the highlight Tracy & Elisabeth's interview with Meg Brown, Vice President of Human Resources at Cambridge Air Solution, where they’ve built an amazingly successful Lean culture by combining sheet metal with unconditional love–you know you need to know more about that. For Hot Apps we’ve got a mobile diary that helps you form a practice of reflection and adjustment. And th...

It's Episode 104 and the highlight is our interview with Paul Critchley, the President of New England Lean Consulting where we find out what’s in store at the first ever New England Lean Summit this September–there’s rumors of a DJ... For Hot Apps, we sampled a platform that could inject a stealth bit of productivity into your family’s day-to-day activities. And for Q&A, we asked, “Is there an...

It's Episode 103 and the highlight is our interview with Ahren Crickard, the Director of the Center for Operational Excellence at UC San Diego and she’ll be sharing all things Process Palooza–the yearly problem-solving festival with the highest octane MC available–a certain Tracy O’Rourke. For Hot Apps, we’ll give you our take on a conference app how good it is at networking. And then for Q&A,...

It's Episode 102 and the highlight is our interview with Maribel Topf the Division Manager of Continuous Improvement at Snap-on Tools author of the new book Process Alchemy–she put all her insights into print and we’re going to get a few gems from her. For Hot Apps, we’ll cover an app that might help you find space for yourself in your day. And then we’ll dig into the question of timing–what happe...

It's Episode 101 and the highlight is Tracy an Elisabeth's interview with Tracy Minutolo—Head of Operational Excellence at the technology health company Hologic. We’ll find out how Tracey morphed from a microbiologist into a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. For Hot Apps, we’ll give you our take on a serious rival for ChatGPT—or a perfect companion for Google—or both. And then we’ll dig into a question t...

Today’s highlight is whisky cocktails! Or the reason behind our whiskey cocktails. In a crossover celebration of 100 Cafe episodes, Tracy and Elisabeth invited their good friends Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh of the Lean Whiskey podcast to mark this cafe milestone. They're primed to talk all things podcasting. And for a special Hot Apps segment, these four will let you in on their current favo...

It's Episode 99 and the highlight is Tracy and Elisabeth's interview with Allison Kestenbaum, the Supervisor of Spiritual Care and Clinical Pastoral Education at UC San Diego Health. She just got her Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Certification so we dig into the intersection of continuous improvement and Spiritual care–that’s a new one for everyone out there. For Hot Apps, we’ll cover an app that give...

It's Episode 98 and the highlight is Tracy & Elisabeth's interview with Lifesharing’s Executive Team—Jeff Trageser and Mike Vazquez. Lifesharing is a nonprofit arm of UC San Diego Health dedicated to organ procurement and—lucky for everyone—they're steeped in continuous improvement. For Hot Apps, we’ll cover a networking app you’re probably aware of, you might even be using, but are you making...