The Workplace Wonderers: Workplace Lessons from Experts

Beating Burnout with Nina Nesdoly

In this enlightening episode of The Workplace Wonderers, hosts Blake Cohen and Kara Kirby engage with Nina Nesdoly—burnout and corporate stress management speaker, neuroscience researcher, and PhD candidate in Management.
Nina shares her unique blend of scientific insights and practical strategies to help individuals and organizations combat burnout and enhance productivity.​ Nina Nesdoly Drawing from her background in neuroscience (BSc) and management (MSc), and soon to be PhD in Management, Nina discusses the neuroscience of work-life balance, the impact of stress on the brain, and actionable techniques to foster resilience in high-pressure environments.
Her approach combines academic research with real-world applications, making complex concepts accessible and actionable.​
🔑 Key Topics Covered:
Understanding the neuroscience behind stress and burnout
Practical strategies for stress management and burnout prevention
The role of organizational culture in employee well-being
Implementing sustainable practices for long-term success​
📚 About Nina Nesdoly: Nina is a renowned speaker and consultant specializing in stress management and corporate wellness. Her TEDx talk, "How to Relieve Stress When You're Overwhelmed," was selected as an Editor's Pick, highlighting her ability to deliver engaging and timely messages. Nina's insights have been featured in media outlets such as Buzzfeed, MarketWatch, and the Financial Times. Currently pursuing her PhD focusing on work-related stress, she continues to conduct and share cutting-edge research on burnout management.​
🔗 Connect with Nina Nesdoly:
Website: https://www.ninanesdoly.com
Watch her full TEDx here: https://youtu.be/9G1zyFoAaMc
🔗 Connect with Kara Kirby (Leadership and Organizational Development Expert):
Website: https://insightslg.com
🔗 Connect with Blake Cohen (Corporate Speaker & Leadership Expert):
Website: https://BlakeEvanCohen.com
Watch his full TEDx here: https://youtu.be/hQF_kmOcJt0 ​
📌 Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more insights on creating healthier, more productive workplaces.

Leading them out of a job w/ Henry Lucas

In this heartwarming and eye-opening episode of Workplace Wonderers, hosts Blake Cohen (Founder of Mind Capital & Corporate Speaker) and Kara Kirby (Leadership Development Expert & Founder of Insight Leadership Group) sit down with the brilliant and beloved Henry Lucas, LCSW—owner of Louisville Health and Healing and CEO of the Kentucky Harm Reduction Coalition.
Henry brings humor, heart, and hard-earned wisdom to a conversation about:
💡 The triumphs and challenges of harm reduction work
🌱 Why he launched a therapy school to help clinicians build thriving private practices
🤣 And the time he was cheekily called “diabolical” by an employee—for being such a great leader that no one wanted to stay… because they were too inspired to go out and grow on their own!
Henry’s compassion is contagious, his charm is undeniable, and his passion for helping others shines through every story he shares. Whether you're in healthcare, leadership, or simply love hearing from people who lead with purpose—this episode is for you. 🧠
Come for the insights. Stay for the laughs. Leave inspired.
Henry Lucas's Websites:
https://www.louisvillehealthandhealing.com/our-team/henry-j-lucas-lcsw-lcadc/
Kara Kirby:
https://insightslg.com
Blake Cohen:
https://themindcapital.com
https://blakeevancohen.com
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review! We love to hear from you!

Can A.I. Replace Great Leaders? Exploring the Future of Leadership & Technology

Artificial Intelligence is changing the way we work, learn, and lead — but can it ever replace great leadership?
In this episode of Workplace Wonderers, Kara Kirby and Blake Cohen tackle a big question: Will the rise of A.I. make human leadership skills obsolete, or will it make them more important than ever?
Guided by questions generated by artificial intelligence itself, Kara and Blake explore:
The role of emotional intelligence in the age of A.I.
What makes leadership irreplaceable.
How technology is shaping the future of work.
And a few unexpected (and hilarious) tangents along the way.
This episode is thought-provoking, fun, and full of insights for anyone curious about leadership, technology, and the future of work.
Learn more about Kara:
https://insightslg.com
Learn more about Blake:
https://themindcapital.com
Follow Workplace Wonderers for more real conversations about leadership, culture, and navigating the changing world of work.

How to Comfort Grief at Work w/ Jason Seiden

Welcome back to all of our listeners!
This week, we have Jason Seiden on the podcast to discuss his mission of improving how organizations cope and communicate with grieving team members. 
Jason and his wife have a powerful story that influenced their decision to start a passion project called Comfort Communications. Comfort Communications helps teams normalize grief and provides predictable, consistent, and effective support to bereaved colleagues. 
This episode is powerful, beautiful, and full of valuable tips on how we can best support our coworkers in their times of need. 
If there is any episode that we suggest you listen to all the way through, this is it!
To learn more about Jason's mission:
https://jasonseiden.com/
To learn more about Kara's company:
https://insightslg.com/
To learn more about Blake's company:
https://themindcapital.com/
We hope you enjoy this episode of the Workplace Wonderers!
 

Developing Insight with Kara Kirby

Welcome back to you all! Today's episode is deep dive into the Workplace Wonderer's new cohost, Kara Kirby. Kara details her professional journey telling us how she went from a small town in Texas, to teaching kids English in Mexico, to helping sell tires, to being the owner of a successful Organizational Development practice called Insight Leadership! We hope you enjoy the episode and getting to know Kara better. If you did, leave us some love (you know what to do)!
Learn more about Blake's Company: https://TheMindCapital.com
Learn more about Kara's Company: https://insightslg.com/
 

From Mental Health to Leadership Psychology

Hello to you all! Welcome back to another episode of the Wonderer Podcast hosted by Kara Kirby, Insight Leadership, and Blake Cohen, Mind Capital. On today's episode, Kara decided she wanted to take some time to interview Blake! They explore how he went from overcoming his own struggles with mental health concerns, to working in mental healthcare, and then eventually becoming an organizational and leadership psychologist. They talk challenges, pursuing dreams and goals, and sitting in uncomfortability. Thank you for watching, and we hope you enjoy!

Forming, Norming, Performing without Storming! Welcome Kara!

Well, folks, we're back!
On this episode, we welcome Kara Kirby to the team as the new co-host of Workplace Wonderer Podcast alongside Blake Cohen.
On this episode, we take time to establish our working relationship live on the podcast!
We cover a wide range of topics and most importantly, how we see ourselves working together!
Oh, and we have some fun too!
Please enjoy this episode of the Workplace Wonderer Podcast and leave a comment to welcome Kara Kirby to the show!

Corporate Values Attract Customers W/ Jonathan Bennett

On this episode of the Workplace Wonderer, Blake Cohen sits down with his guest, Jonathan Bennett, to discuss the impact of creating a value-based organization on attracting customers.
The conversation explores this topic in detail and then turns to the two men's personal journies of growth and self-discovery. This vulnerable and insightful conversation ended up exploring topics that neither person expected, but both were delighted it happened.
Jonathan Bennett, C.Dir., provides sought-after leadership coaching and strategic counsel to CEOs, executive teams, politicians, and boards of directors across Canada. With experience in urban, rural, remote, and First Nations communities, Jonathan’s expertise is in social purpose business strategy, governance, branding, change, and communications. T
o Connect with Jonathan:
https://clearlythen.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bennettjonathan/
https://www.youtube.com/@UC37R_53n7UpnrqYBqP3kAhw
To Connect with Blake:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/blakecohenmscap/
https://BlakeEvanCohen.com
We hope you enjoy this episode of the Workplace Wonderer: Lessons from the Experts!

Clear Communication Saves Teams W/ Peggy Umbarger

Clear #communication across your #team and #organization is crucial to the #success of your #business.
However, you may want to ask yourself, "How well am I doing at communicating clearly with my team?" The odds are that you think you're doing better than you actually are.
In this episode of the Workplace Wonderer, hosted by Blake Cohen, we sit down with Peggy Umbarger, Senior Branch Manager at Apple One Recruiting Services, to break down how clear communication has helped her climb the ladder in her career.
We discuss what clear communication is (and isn't), the importance of #mindfulness as a leader striving to communicate clearly, #activelistening, utilizing "on times," and much more.
I hope you enjoy this week's episode of Workplace Wonderer!
To connect with Blake, visit his LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/blakecohenmscap/
To connect with Peggy, check out her LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/peggyumbarger/
For reference, here's a link to the book At Your Best, which we discussed in the episode:
https://a.co/d/8ShuSyD
#Work #OrganizationalPsychology #Leadership #LeadershipDevelopment #Skills

Great Leaders Do this w/ Lori Saitz

The question we have for the audience is, "Does spirituality have a place in the workplace?" We think so!
This engaging conversation is informative and affirmative that a mindfulness practice may be the secret to success in the business world (and life).
Lori Saitz, the founder of Zen Rabbit, joins us this week to discuss tools that some of the most successful leaders in the world utilize, tips for developing a simple meditation practice, and how meditation helped her through a difficult time in her life.
To learn more about Lori, check out her website and LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorisaitz/
https://zenrabbit.com/
To engage with Blake, check out his LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/blakecohenmscap/
Please leave a review!