The WorkWell Podcast™

• Your Team Doesn't Need a Boss, They Need a Human with Selena Rezvani

  Your Team Doesn't Need a Boss, They Need a Human with Selena RezvaniIn this episode of The WorkWell Podcast™, Jen Fisher speaks with Selena Rezvani, Wall Street Journal bestselling author and Forbes-named premier expert on standing up for yourself at work. Selena returns to the podcast to discuss her latest book, "Quick Leadership: Build Trust, Navigate Change, and Cultivate Unstoppable Teams." Drawing from her personal experience losing her workaholic father at age 13 and years of coaching leaders behind closed doors, Selena shares practical, actionable strategies for becoming the kind of leader people want to follow—without sacrificing your humanity or health.Episode Highlights:The shocking statistic: Your manager influences your mental health on par with your spouse—more than your doctor or therapist (UKG research)Trust killers in leadership: Why over-promising on small things destroys credibility and what "being impeccable with your word" really meansThe "Shit Umbrella" concept: How great leaders shield their teams from chaos, unrealistic pressure, and distractions from aboveUrgency culture: How to recognize when anxiety is being passed like a baton and why marking emails as "urgent" is eroding workplace trustThe difference between boss and leader: Why giving away power creates unstoppable teams instead of diminishing your authority"Ask three before you answer": A practical technique to build autonomy and critical thinking in your team membersRe-engaging disengaged employees: Why viewing lost spark as temporary (not permanent) changes everythingQuotable Moments:"People don't want this stoic pillar of a leader—they want a human." - Selena Rezvani"Your questions are expected, not tolerated." - Selena RezvaniResources:Book: "Quick Leadership: Build Trust, Navigate Change, and Cultivate Unstoppable Teams" by Selena Rezvani

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• Why Nobody Talks About Being a Caregiver at Work (& What It's Costing Us) with Jennifer Levin

  Why Nobody Talks About Being a Caregiver at Work (& What It's Costing Us) with Jennifer LevinIn this deeply personal episode of The WorkWell Podcast™, Jen Fisher speaks with Jennifer Levin, television writer, journalist, and founder of Caregiver Collective, about her powerful book "Generation Care: The New Culture of Caregiving." While we're in meetings and hitting deadlines, millions of workers are simultaneously managing something most colleagues know nothing about—caring for aging or chronically ill family members. Jennifer became a caregiver at 32 when her father was diagnosed with a rare degenerative illness, and what she discovered changed everything about how we should think about work, support, and what it means to show up.Episode Highlights:What makes millennial and Gen X caregiving different—and why "you don't have other responsibilities" is a dangerous assumptionWhy most young caregivers don't identify as caregivers—and what that silence costs themThe role reversal nobody prepares you for: becoming your parent's parentWhy our culture doesn't value family care as strong social capital—and the discrimination that followsThe real cost to companies: employees leaving not because they want to, but because unpaid leave forces impossible choicesSigns a team member might be struggling with caregiving (even if they haven't said anything)Ambiguous loss: grieving the person who's still here and the life you thought you'd haveWhy guilt is the one word every caregiver mentions, no matter what aspect of care they're discussingHow to create a culture of care awareness without requiring people to sacrifice their careersThe "waiting for the other shoe to drop" reality—and why caregiving emergencies don't follow a scheduleQuotable Moments:"People will question your decisions all the time when you're a caregiver. But the person you're caring for wouldn't want you to give up on yourself either." - Jennifer LevinResources:This episode of The WorkWell Podcast™ is made possible by Lyra Health, a premier global workforce mental health solution. Learn more at Lyrahealth.com/workwell.Jennifer's Book: "Generation Care: The New Culture of Caregiving" by Jennifer LevinJoin the Caregiver Collective: A national online support group for caregivers who feel younger than expected in this role

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• The Power of Mattering: From Invisible to Invaluable with Zach Mercurio

  In this episode of The WorkWell Podcast™, Jen Fisher speaks with Zach Mercurio, author of "The Power of Mattering: How Leaders Can Create a Culture of Significance." Despite billions invested in engagement programs and wellbeing initiatives, employees are more disengaged than ever—and the problem isn't what most leaders think. This conversation reveals why mattering can't be addressed through programs and perks, and what leaders must do differently at the interaction level to help people feel truly seen, valued, and significant.Episode Highlights:Why engagement is at its lowest point in a decade despite $2 billion invested in programsThe difference between mattering, belonging, and inclusion—and why mattering is what's missingHow we've lost the skills to care for each other after 25 years of digital communicationThe "sprinkler issues" that silently kill motivation and create learned helplessnessWhy high performers and frontline workers are most at risk of feeling invisibleThe three practices that help people feel significant: noticing, affirming, and showing they're neededWhy you can't give effective feedback to someone who doesn't first feel that they matter to youHow showing others they matter actually regenerates your own sense of significanceQuotable Moment"You don't show people that they matter in spite of their low performance. You show people that they matter so that you can regenerate their energy and confidence to perform well." - Zach MercurioLyra Lens:Sarah Haggerty, Clinical Psychologist and Neuroscientist at Lyra Health, explores the practical skills managers need to notice when someone's struggling and how to check in appropriately. She also breaks down the concept of "10% more depth" in workplace relationships.Resources:This episode of The WorkWell Podcast™ is made possible by Lyra Health, a premier global workforce mental health solution. Learn more at Lyrahealth.com/workwell.

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• The Devil Emails at Midnight: From Bad Boss to Better Leader with Mita Mallick

  In this episode of The WorkWell Podcast™, Jen Fisher speaks with Mita Mallick, leadership expert and author of "The Devil Emails at Midnight: What Good Leaders Can Learn from Bad Bosses." Mita shares powerful stories from her own experiences with toxic leadership and reveals how she learned to recognize—and address—her own bad boss behaviors.Episode Highlights:The origin story behind the provocative title and how a flooded childhood home led to discovering a "burn book" of bad bosses13 types of toxic bosses including "The Sheriff" who refused to learn her name and renamed her "Mohammed," and "Medusa" who ruled through fear and public humiliationThe three moments when bad boss behavior emerges: external marketplace stress, absorbing behaviors from your own bad boss, and personal life catastrophesWhy bad bosses aren't born, they're made and how grief, trauma, and unprocessed emotions show up in leadershipThe midnight email phenomenon and why normalizing around-the-clock work expectations is unsustainable and counterproductiveHow fear-based leadership drives short-term results but destroys long-term productivity through turnover, disengagement, and organizational damageThe shame and power dynamics that keep people trapped in toxic workplace relationshipsSelf-reflection strategies for recognizing your own bad boss behaviors including career journaling and asking for coaching (not feedback)The importance of vulnerability in leadership and creating psychological safety for teams to discuss grief, personal struggles, and workplace challengesQuotable Moments:"Names were given to us by someone who had big hopes and dreams for us. Let that sit in. That's who someone named you. And so think about the promise of what your life is to be. And someone can't respect you by saying your name correctly." - Mita Mallick"Your culture becomes defined by the worst behavior you tolerate." - Mita MallickResources:Book: Order "The Devil Emails at Midnight: What Good Leaders Can Learn from Bad Bosses" by Mita MallickAvailable at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and local independent bookstores

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• Feelings Aren't the Enemy (Your Avoidance Is) with Dr. Marc Brackett

  In this episode of The WorkWell Podcast™, Jen Fisher and special co-host Dr. Joe Grasso from Lyra Health speak with Dr. Marc Brackett, founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and Professor in the Child Study Center at Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Brackett's bestselling book "Permission to Feel" has revolutionized how we think about emotions in schools and workplaces, and his new book "Dealing With Feeling" challenges us to stop running from our emotional lives and start actually living them.Episode Highlights:Why there's no such thing as a "bad emotion" and how all feelings are simply dataThe difference between being an "emotion scientist" versus an "emotion judge"How toxic masculinity teaches men to disconnect from their emotions, perpetuating cycles of loneliness and isolationWhy "being emotional" doesn't mean you're weak—it means you're humanThe Meta Moment: A four-step process for healthy emotion regulation in high-pressure situationsHow to have difficult conversations at work without avoiding or attackingWhy bringing your whole self to work includes bringing your emotionsPractical strategies for managers to create emotionally intelligent team culturesThe importance of checking in with your emotions before they leak into unrelated situationsQuotable Moments:"Emotional intelligence... is not emotional reactivity. Emotions are on a continuum. There's a little bit of anger, which is annoyance, and there's a lot of anger, which is enraged." - Dr. Marc Brackett"Just because you're feeling strong emotions doesn't mean you're not capable. Doesn't mean you're not strong. Life is about emotions." - Dr. Marc BrackettResources:Free app: "How We Feel" (available on iOS and Android) - A mood tracking tool developed by Dr. Brackett to help build emotional vocabularyThis episode of The WorkWell Podcast™ is made possible by Lyra Health, a premier global workforce mental health solution. Learn more at Lyrahealth.com/workwell.

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