Nicole Martin on Making HR a Strategic Partner In this episode of Culture Conversations, Megan Robinson talks with Nicole Martin, Founder and CEO of HRBoost, about why HR often gets pulled in reactively and what it takes to make HR a true strategic partner. HR can be viewed as the department that handles compliance, hiring, and employee issues. But Nicole explains that when organizations only turn to HR to fix immediate problems, they miss the chance to bring people strategy

What if we’re focusing on the wrong employees when it comes to engagement? In this episode of Culture Conversations, Megan Robinson sits down with Noah L. Pusey, Co-Founder and CEO of Ripple Analytics, to challenge some common assumptions about employee engagement. Organizations spend significant time measuring engagement and even more time trying to improve it. But what if the better question isn’t how to turn every disengaged employee into an engaged one? Noah offers a diff

The Issues Most Organizations Still Face in Creating Lasting Behavior Change and How to Solve Them Organizations have never spent more money on leadership development. Not even close. There are more leadership workshops, certifications, LMS platforms, executive coaches, assessments, mentoring programs, and online learning libraries than ever before. Organizations are investing heavily because they understand that leadership quality directly impacts execution. And yet, many or

Why Success Alone Isn't Enough—and the Four Elements That Make Work More Meaningful In this episode of Culture Conversations, Megan Robinson sits down with entrepreneur and executive coach Diana Patel to explore what fulfillment really looks like at work and why success alone doesn’t always create it. Diana shares four elements that help shape a more fulfilling experience: purpose, people, process, and peace. Tease Key Insights Fulfillment Is More Than Success Fulfillment isn

I was coaching a leader recently when she laughed and said, “This feels like another school group project." I immediately knew what she meant! One person was carrying the team. Deadlines were slipping. The person who cared the most had become responsible for keeping everything on track while others contributed far less than they should have. We've all experienced some version of that dynamic. For years, I thought the lesson from group projects was that some people simply didn

The Job Market Split in Two: Why Hiring Feels Broken for Everyone In this episode of Culture Conversations, Megan Robinson sits down with AI talent operations leader and executive coach David Camacho to examine a contradiction that is frustrating job seekers and employers alike: Qualified people are spending months looking for work while organizations leave important roles open because they cannot find the right candidate. The problem is not simply a lack of jobs or a lack of

Stop Waiting for a Seat at the Table In this episode of Culture Conversations, Megan Robinson sits down with organizational effectiveness leader Carlee Wolfe for a conversation about one of HR's most persistent challenges: How to move from being viewed as a support function to being recognized as a strategic business partner. Because despite decades of progress, many HR leaders still find themselves waiting for an invitation into critical business conversations. The reality i

Why Leadership Starts Breaking Down as Companies Grow One of the biggest mistakes I see companies make is assuming their HR team should own leadership development internally. Not because HR isn’t capable. But because most HR teams are already drowning trying to keep the business running. In companies below 1,000 employees, HR becomes the center of everything people-related. They’re handling recruiting, retention, onboarding, employee relations, compliance, benefits, payroll,

Organizations invested $252.3 billion in AI in 2024, yet 70-85% of initiatives fail. You may be surprised to learn the problem isn't even the technology; it’s in the leadership (or lack thereof). Here are the 7 critical skills your executives need now to turn AI investments into a competitive advantage instead of catastrophic failure. The Real AI ROI The numbers are staggering. Organizations poured $252.3 billion into AI in 2024 alone. Yet 70-85% of AI initiatives fail to

Culture Is Shaped by What You Build—Not Just What You Say In this episode of Culture Conversations, Megan Robinson sits down with fellow leader and former CEO Meighan Newhouse for a conversation that moves beyond theory and into something far more tangible: How the spaces we create, physically and virtually, shape the cultures we experience every day. Because culture isn’t just a set of values or leadership intentions. It’s the feeling people have when they interact with your

Culture Is Not a Buzzword. It’s a Strategy. In this episode of Culture Conversations, Megan Robinson sits down with Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk to explore a question many leaders think they’ve answered—but often haven’t: What actually creates a culture where people feel like they belong? Because culture isn’t built through mission statements or values on a wall. It’s built in the everyday experiences people have inside your organization. And if we’re honest, most teams are still try

What kind of leader are you when you receive feedback? What kind of teammate are you when it’s your turn to give it? Do you lean in with curiosity? Do you get defensive? Or do you see feedback as an opportunity to grow something stronger than before? In this episode of Culture Conversations, I sit down with leadership expert, author, and Grow Strong Leaders co-founder Meredith Bell for a thoughtful, practical conversation about one of the most misunderstood tools in leadershi

What kind of person are you in tough environments? What kind of person are you when the pressure is on? Do you get harder? Softer? Or do you change the environment around you? In this episode of Culture Conversations, Megan Robinson sits down with community-builder and podcast host Ben Albert for an unscripted, real-time exploration of a powerful leadership metaphor: the egg, the carrot… and the coffee bean. What unfolds is a thoughtful, honest conversation about how we show

Clear Boundaries Build Stronger Cultures Culture doesn’t break down all at once. It erodes quietly—through unclear expectations, avoided conversations, and values that exist on paper but not in practice. In this episode of Culture Conversations, Megan Robinson sits down with Bowen, leader of the interim accounting and finance staffing practice at BrainWorks, to explore one deceptively simple concept that radically shifts workplace culture: non‑negotiables. What unfolds is a g

Unlocking Human Potential We talk a lot about culture, connection, and leadership — but what if the biggest shifts in how we lead aren’t philosophical at all… but biological? In this episode, I sit down with Rick Mask, organizational culture strategist and author of The Psychology of Leadership, to explore how neuroscience is transforming the way organizations understand people. This isn’t just about brain science. It’s about how human beings work, how they respond, and how l

How to Think Beyond the Tools and Lead with Curiosity In this episode, Megan Robinson and Julia Kozlov explore what it truly means to lead strategically in an age when artificial intelligence is transforming how we work, decide, and connect. Julia brings her expertise in technology strategy and leadership development to unpack how leaders can stay curious, adaptable, and human-centered even as the world accelerates around them. Tease Key Insights Empathy is strategy . Underst

Leadership can get lonely. In a 2024 survey, Harvard Business Review found that 25% of CEO’s reported frequent loneliness and over half reported “meaningful bouts” of loneliness. As you steer your organization toward new goals and navigate complex challenges, it can feel natural to think you have to do so much of it on your own. You bear the responsibility for making significant decisions, implementing strategy, and guiding the overall direction of your team. Yet, leadership

Having a growth mindset is one of the biggest things I think HR should just really lean into. The Shift in HR's Role I’m thrilled to...

Let's get brutally honest about something most executives won't admit: You have no idea what's happening with half your workforce. I'm...

“Our values are the invisible threads that bind us, guide our decisions, and shape how we show up—even when no one’s looking.” Values are...