What if the secret to better leadership isn't about doing more, but being more human?

In this episode of Work Doesn't Work (Anymore), Dr. Ryan Darby sits down with leadership expert and founder of Brain Squared Leadership Solutions, Laurie Cozart. With over 10,000 individuals and 500 teams coached, Laurie brings deep insights on how leaders can thrive in today's complex and rapidly changing workplace.

Together, they unpack why hero leadership is outdated, why clarity is the most underrated leadership skill, and how vulnerability and relationship-building are actually strategic advantages. Laurie shares stories from her own journey and introduces practical, neuroscience-backed tools for fostering resilient leadership, trust-filled teams, and simplified work cultures that don't burn people out.

If you're tired of the noise and looking to build magic teams that feel good and perform better, this conversation is your playbook.

Additional Resources:

Connect with Laurie on LinkedIn

Followed Brain Squared Leadership Solutions on LinkedIn

Learn more about Brain Squared Leadership Solutions

Connect with Dr. Ryan Darby for continued leadership insights

Subscribe to the PFN YouTube Channel for daily leadership insights!

Follow Gut + Science wherever you get your podcasts for more from Work Doesn't Work (Anymore)

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Key Takeaways:

• Hero leadership quietly exhausts everyone
• Clarity is kindness and performance fuel
• Relationships make hard tasks feel easy
• Vulnerability builds trust, not weakness
• Emotional safety drives resilience and engagement

What if your company values weren't just words on a wall, but a lived, breathing part of your culture that drives every hire, fire, and daily decision?

Live from CultureCon 2025 in Madison, Wisconsin, Nikki sits down with Eliza Jackson of ButcherBox for a conversation that flips traditional HR playbooks on their head.

With a colorful background that spans finance, kindergarten classrooms, and hypergrowth startups, Eliza brings a refreshingly real perspective on what it takes to build values-driven organizations that actually walk the talk.

From rejecting high-performing candidates who don't align with company values to ensuring every employee has access to a personal coach, Eliza breaks down ButcherBox's radical approach to "baking in" culture at every level. You'll hear how they future-proof their workforce through mindset over skillset, maintain startup agility at scale, and foster a culture of relentless improvement, all while staying human at the core.

Additional Resources:

Connect with Eliza on LinkedIn

Learn more about ButcherBox

Connect with Nikki on LinkedIn

Connect with Zach on LinkedIn

Connect with Nick on LinkedIn

Learn more about CultureCon

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Key Takeaways:

• Values must be embedded across all touchpoints.
• Coaching unlocks personal and organizational growth.
• Hire for mindset, not just experience.
• Startup culture can scale if you're intentional.
• Inner work fuels external culture strength.

What if your AI tools were more like teammates than tech? AI isn't coming for your job, it's coming to take the busywork off your plate.

Jason and Nikki crack open how the PeopleForward Network team is weaving AI into their daily workflows without ditching what makes them... them.

From using ChatGPT for parenting convos to building sales proposals, onboarding guides, and culture content, they're showing how AI can augment your team, not replace it.

Expect lightbulb moments and a roadmap for using AI to go further faster while keeping your values and people at the center 💡

Additional Resources:

Connect with Nikki on LinkedIn

Connect with Jason on LinkedIn

Subscribe to the PFN YouTube Channel for daily leadership insights!

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Key Takeaways:

• AI is a co-pilot. Use it to enhance, not replace, human work.
• Start small. Experiment with everyday tasks before scaling.
• Input matters. Better prompts lead to better, more authentic outputs.
• Culture comes first. Align AI use with your company's values.
• Free up time. Let AI handle the mundane so people can focus on meaningful work.

What if your biggest leadership blind spots were hiding in plain sight?

To celebrate 50 episodes of The Unleashing **Leaders Podcast, we're bringing this powerful conversation to Fringe. Host Lee Scott sits down with long-time friend and leadership powerhouse Cyrus Aram, TED speaker, UC Davis professor, and CEO of Unleashing Leaders. Together, they peel back the layers on the hidden blind spots that derail even the most experienced leaders.

From culture clashes and conflict to misaligned customer experiences, Cyrus shares hard-earned insights and real-life stories that drive home the importance of empathy, frameworks, and thinking outside-in. With his signature candor and heart, Cyrus offers practical tools for navigating ambiguity, leading across industries, and helping people truly feel seen.

This episode is part strategy, part soul, and all about unleashing what's already within you.

Additional Resources:

Listen to The Unleashing Leaders Podcast!

Attend Unleashing Leaders University: https://unleashingleadersuniversity.com/purchase

Learn more about Unleashing Leaders: https://unleashingleaders.com/

Follow Unleashing Leaders on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/unleashingleaders

Connect with Lee on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leeallenscott/

Follow Unleashing Leaders on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingLeaders/

Follow Unleashing Leaders on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingleaders/

Subscribe to the PFN YouTube Channel for daily leadership insights!

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Key Takeaways:

• Culture trumps everything in leadership success or failure
• Frameworks help leaders navigate complex, recurring challenges
• Conflict reveals deeper issues, not just surface disagreements
• Strategic thinking starts with listening to language patterns
• Outside-in perspective transforms customer experience design

What if the real reason workplace engagement hasn't budged in 30 years is because we've made leadership too complicated?

In this kickoff to a powerful new content partnership, Nikki introduces Dr. Ryan Darby, organizational psychologist, leadership simplifier, and founder of WorkStrong. Ryan's not here for hype. He's here for habits. Drawing from his deep experience with 34Strong and years of leading large-scale engagement work, Ryan shares why most leadership development fails, and how a simpler, more actionable approach can finally move the needle.

You'll hear the backstory of Work Strong's creation, rooted in real gaps spotted inside thriving companies. You'll also get a sneak peek into the upcoming "Work Doesn't Work (Anymore)" series and why Ryan believes the future of leadership lies in emotional regulation, discipline, and better listening, not more content.

This one's a rally cry for people-first leaders ready to stop admiring the problem and start doing what actually works.

Additional Resources:

Connect with Dr. Ryan Darby on LinkedIn

Watch Gut + Science (and more) on YouTube!

Connect with Nikki on LinkedIn

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Key Takeaways:

• Leadership is a skill, not a knowledge dump.
• Engagement won't shift without habit-driven systems.
• Listening is thinking. Learn how your brain hears.
• Simplify leadership: action over theory.
• Good leadership demands emotional regulation and resilience.

What if your team could get more done in less time? ⏳ In this Community Conversation, Nikki and Jason flip the traditional "hours worked" mindset on its head, championing the power of results over clock-watching.

They share why it's time to ditch the outdated 9–5 mentality, how to unlearn habits that hold us back, and why role clarity + goals + KPIs are the secret trio for driving real impact. 🚀

From experimenting with a four-day work week to harnessing AI for smarter workflows, this episode is packed with practical strategies, fresh perspectives, and a few personal stories that'll make you rethink your relationship with time.

Whether you're a leader or a team member, you'll walk away ready to work sharper, not harder, and maybe even earn yourself that extra day off.

Additional Resources:

Subscribe to the PFN YouTube Channel for daily leadership insights!

Connect with Nikki on LinkedIn

Connect with Jason on LinkedIn

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Key Takeaways:

• Measure success by results, not hours worked.
• Use role clarity, goals, and KPIs to guide focus.
• Unlearn outdated time-based work habits.
• Leverage AI to boost efficiency and flexibility.
• Cut low-value tasks to create space for impact.

Why are we still using resumes like it's 1995?! 📄

Live from CultureCon 2025, Nikki Lewallen Gregory is joined by Natasha Nuytten, CEO of CLARA, for a rapid-fire convo on shaking up everything we thought we knew about HR.

From blowing up the resume to embracing AI in ethical and human-first ways, Natasha dishes on how leaders can stop playing it safe and start rethinking talent. They explore the magic of unlearning, why potential matters more than pedigree, and how to build hiring processes that actually reflect the world we live in today.

If you're tired of rinse-and-repeat recruiting and ready to reimagine the future of work, this episode is your permission slip to challenge the status quo and lead with heart and strategy.

Additional Resources:

Connect with Natasha on LinkedIn

Learn more about Clara

Listen to "Human Side Up"

Listen to The CultureCon Podcast

Learn more about CultureCon

Connect with Zach on LinkedIn

Connect with Nick on LinkedIn

Connect with Nikki on LinkedIn

Subscribe to the PFN YouTube Channel for daily leadership insights!

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

• Unlearning outdated HR practices creates room for innovation.
• Skills-based hiring outperforms resume-based filtering.
• Culture fit should evolve into culture value-add.
• AI must be ethical, transparent, and human-first.
• Potential matters more than traditional career paths.

What if the secret to staying focused, aligned, and genuinely excited about your goals wasn't a 20-page annual plan, but a simple monthly sprint? Nikki and Jason pull back the curtain on how PeopleForward Network uses OKRs and monthly sprint goals to spark team momentum. 📈

They demystify what OKRs really are, how sprint goals drive alignment and energy, and why failing fast can actually fuel success. Packed with real-life examples and people-first leadership insights, this episode delivers practical tips and a dose of workplace magic. 💡

Whether you're leading a team or just trying to keep the main thing the main thing, this episode is your playbook for unlocking strategic progress, one sprint at a time. 🏃‍♀️

Additional Resources:

Subscribe to the PFN YouTube Channel for daily leadership insights!

Join the PFN Community!

Connect with Nikki on LinkedIn

Connect with Jason on LinkedIn

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

• OKRs bring focus and clarity to what really matters.
• Monthly sprints keep goals agile and actionable.
• Team alignment grows with regular goal check-ins.
• A safe, feedback-rich culture powers real progress.
• Agility isn't optional, it's a must for modern teams.