Amazing Teams Podcast

Hosted by Doug Dosberg and Una Japundza

Business Entrepreneurship Society Culture

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Sep 2026

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About the show

We started this podcast because we love teams, especially amazing ones. Michael Jordan said it best, "Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships." This is what we're all about! Our mission is to help others build amazing teams by having authentic conversations with remarkable people who are building amazing teams. We will explore the tactics, strategies, and frameworks that have helped them succeed.

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56 recent

September 29, 2026Episode 1029 min

Building Culture Through Gamification & Efficiency With Sarah Russell

Send us Fan Mail Want to show your team how to color-code their calendar during a grand old Zoom webinar? Stop. Don’t. From clearing the inbox to blocking out time, these can actually be one-on-one opportunities to build a better company culture. Today, Sarah Russell is the Director of People Strategy Practice at 512Financial. However, her experience in tech and social work informs her unique view of the people function. In this episode, she shares her thoughts on everything from creating black belt-level Asana ninjas to decentralizing HR. “Whatever seat you're in, you can probably help build efficiency or whatever you're naturally gifted at. It builds a lot of confidence shortly.” – Sarah Russell Key Takeaways Including workplace efficiency in culture efforts frees up time for more productive exchanges. Gamification helps drive participation in efficiency-forward company culture building. HR departments shouldn’t shoulder all efforts. Decentralize it with peer input and coaching. Instead of long, strategically planned rollouts, unleash a concept and iterate on what works. Timestamps 02:13 Meet Sarah Russell, Professional Generalist 06:27 The Belt System 12:45 Clearing the Inbox & Experimenting with Expectations 15:01 Cross-Functional Confidence & Efficiency Tips 18:44 HR Beyond Compliance 25:11 Increasing Workplace Efficiency with AI 27:36 Five Tacos to Share Topics Amazing Teams, Una Japundza, 512Financial, HeyTaco, Sarah Russell, company culture, workplace efficiency, gamification at work Mentions https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahchristinerussell https://512financial.com/

September 8, 2026Episode 936 min

Avatars, Pirate Lingo, and the Cadet Program: How Pirate Ship Built a Single-Digit Turnover Culture — With Diego Lugli

Send us Fan Mail Ahoy there, ye landlubber! How does your captain help you find your sea legs? Every pirate needs the chance to grow, even if it means eventually jumping ship. Diego Lugli is the Director of Human Resources at Pirate Ship, where he does far more than help maintain the pirate-centric culture on the fully remote team of 200-plus. Pirate Shippers at every level enjoy massive career growth perks, from temporary lateral moves to peer mentorship. Memes, custom avatars, and tons of tacos probably have something to do with their very low turnover, too. “If you can lay the foundation for developing talent internally when those roles do appear, you're going to have more internal options.” – Diego Lugli Key Takeaways Some orgs reap huge benefits by going remote because they can change lives and nurture talent from far-flung places. Startup culture is the ideal setting to provide career growth opportunities, scaling everyone’s abilities up as the company grows. Special projects and lateral moves are successful when they’re confined to areas employees have a genuine interest in. Daily peer recognition, avatars, and Slack channels for fun chit-chat keep morale high on customer support teams. Timestamps 2:37 Ahoy, Diego! Lugli’s Voyage from Burnout to Pirate Ship 3:53 HR Department of One & Going Fully Remote 6:02 Kudos Cove: Peer Recognition at Pirate Ship 8:36 The Pirate Cadet Program 20:13 Low Turnover at a Company That Cares 26:33 The Poop Deck: A Deep Dive Into Team Pirate Culture 31:25 Upcoming: Scallywag Academy 34:11 Five Tacos to Share Topics Discussed Amazing Teams, Una Japundza, Pirate Ship, HeyTaco, Diego Lugli, peer recognition, career growth and development, remote teams Mentions LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diego-lugli-5465b022 Website: https://www.pirateship.com/

August 18, 2026Episode 833 min

Cultivating a Culture of Continuous Learning at Work With Sam Reilley

Send us Fan Mail Casino Night, Disney World, and custom jackets. Must be a fun, laid-back job. Actually, this is a remote-first team of about 80 people, and three-quarters of them are high-performing engineers in tightly regulated spaces. Sam Reilley, VP of People and Culture at BSC Analytics, calls them the best of the best. Reilley’s done the research, and the most reliable way to build culture in this industry is continuous learning at work. In addition to certifications, her team is given every opportunity to become bona fide subject matter experts. “ People have to have that space to continue to grow, especially when you're in tech, and it is changing overnight. Creating a space where they have tools and resources to continue to do that is huge. ” – Sam Reilley, BSC Analytics Key Takeaways Tangible certifications are great, but learning and development should enhance overall expertise. Giving employees access to resources that further their careers inspires them to excel at the job they already have. Traditional team-building methods like trips, events, and swag help make growth milestones part of the company culture. Frequent check-ins and informal conversations alike are invaluable forms of workplace communication. Timestamps 1:48 Meet Sam Reilley: From a Nonprofit in Ghana to BSC Analytics 7:38 Certs, Celebrations, & Lighting Talks: L&D for Engineers 11:59 Looking Beyond Certifications 15:13 Sam’s Shark Tank & a Very Vegas TacoCon 20:54 The All Five Club 23:41 Thought Leadership & Expanding Membership 32:21 Five Tacos to Share Topics Amazing Teams, Una Japundza, BSC Analytics, HeyTaco, Sam Reilley, company culture, learning and development, workplace communication Mentions Website: https://bscanalytics.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samreilley

August 4, 2026Episode 729 min

Intention & Impact: Creating Employee Connection in Remote Teams With Justin Tsatsa

Send us Fan Mail What does Justin Tsatsa recommend for engagement and employee connection in remote teams? Quality over quantity. When he joined Fetch, one of the globe’s top shopping rewards apps, he had no idea we were mere weeks from a pandemic. Going remote-first and scaling exponentially transformed him from office manager to culture champion practically overnight. Tsatsa dove headfirst into a lot of the virtual team-building stuff you’ve probably tried. Today, he finds that more carefully selected impact events work best for his high-energy team, as well as recognition tools like HeyTaco. “It just came down to the content that we put out and how impactful and meaningful the event is, not the amount that we're trying to do. It's okay if participation is low. It gives you a place to start.” – Justin Tsatsa Key Takeaways Be wary of issues like Zoom fatigue and personal time when planning team-building events. Adding purpose and meaning to in-person and virtual events gives them more impact. Growth opportunities add value to teams, even if it empowers some people to move on to new roles. Keeping events voluntary is part of showing your team you trust them. Experimentation is important for company culture, even if it means circling back to something that didn’t work before. Timestamps 1:14 Joining Fetch & Going Remote 2:43 The Trial & Error of Remote Team Building 4:32 Virtual Socializing & Events With Impact 6:12 The Team Meetup Playbook 10:37 Communication, Feedback, & Remote Operations 12:37 On Voluntary Activities & Trusting Your People 14:02 Sustaining Culture & Fostering Growth 18:05 Scaling a Remote Team: Justin’s Recipes for Success 25:32 Five Tacos to Share Key Topics Discussed Amazing Teams, Una Japundza, Justin Tsatsa, employee connection, remote teams, team building, company culture Mentions Website: https://fetch.com/

July 21, 2026Episode 631 min

Whimsy on Purpose: Building Company Culture That’s Truly a Unicorn With Michaela Flatau

Send us Fan Mail When your customer is known as The Warfighter, it’s safe to say your company culture could use a dose of whimsy. That’s why you’ll frequently find Michaela Flatau, Chief People Officer at Defense Unicorns, in a unicorn costume. As the defense technology company has grown to 200, it’s become more by-the-book with organization and transparency, but fun traditions keep morale high. Team rituals centered around giving and honest communication strengthen workplace trust. After all, if you want to say you hire the very best, you have to treat them as such. “If you've already gone too far down the [corporate] path, you can't turn it around by suddenly having fun logos or costumes and things like that. You have to earn your employees’ trust as well.” – Michaela Flatau Key Takeaways Revisiting and revising company culture is essential as teams grow. Leaders who value and protect the culture are a huge contributor to its success. Work-life balance and camaraderie help retain talent in stressful or heavy roles. Trusting employees with recognition is as key as trusting them to do a good job. Team rituals and social Slack channels drive participation and engagement on remote teams. Timestamps 2:54 The Mission: About Defense Unicorns 6:54 The Evolution of Whimsy at Work 13:12 Introducing Transparency 15:26 Leadership’s Role in Company Culture 21:11 What’s With the Costume? 22:53 Tacopocalypse & Team Rituals 26:50 Building Authentic Workplace Trust 29:52 Five Tacos to Share Key Topics Discussed Amazing Teams, Una Japundza, Michaela Flatau, Defense Unicorns, HeyTaco, company culture, workplace trust, peer recognition Mentions Website: https://defenseunicorns.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaela-flatau

July 7, 2026Episode 535 min

Line of Sight: How Transparency in the Workplace Builds Aligned Teams – With Martin Gourdeau

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever asked a question at work and once you got the answer, wished you hadn’t? If so, you might not be the right fit on Martin Gourdeau’s team. He doesn’t do performative transparency in the workplace; it’s a true core value. Martin is the CEO of Vacation Tracker, a fully remote SaaS company with a team distributed across seven countries. He finds that being clear and candid about the status of a business is an effective method for building trust in teams, as well as driving performance. “There's a way to be transparent and not doomy-gloomy. You can be factual, keep your heads up, stay positive, and have trust and confidence in the plan.” – Martin Gourdeau Key Takeaways: True transparency can align people with purpose and improve outcomes. Leaders should be able to state the consequences of not meeting a goal. Being transparent helps organizations retain the people who are the best fit. If you want to introduce transparency in the workplace, start small. Invite tough questions. If you don’t know the answer, be sure to follow up. Teams can be held accountable for performance, but anything specific to one person is off-limits. Timestamps: 00:31 Meet Martin, CEO of Vacation Tracker 01:33 Transparency & Energy Management at Vacation Tracker 03:51 Vacation Tracker’s Vacation Policy 04:55 Martin’s Intro to True Transparency at Work 11:57 Transparency Reveals Misalignment on Teams 15:23 Building & Maintaining Transparency 18:07 What Not to Share 20:26 How to Introduce More Transparency at Work 22:49 Transparency & Leadership Qualities 27:18 Getting Clear on Objectives & Priorities 28:27 How Transparency Translates Across Cultures 31:04 What’s Next for Vacation Tracker 32:52 Tacos to Share Key Topics Discussed: Amazing Teams, Una Japundza, Martin Gourdeau, transparency in the workplace, company core values, building trust in teams, workplace communication Mentions: Website: https://vacationtracker.io/ LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/mgourdeau

June 23, 2026Episode 427 min

How to Scale Remote Work Culture Without Forcing It – With Camilla Booth

Send us Fan Mail Ever had an awkward time at a poorly attended Zoom mixer? It’s practically a rite of passage in remote work culture these days. Camilla Booth has felt your pain. Throughout her eight years as VP of People at Coder, she’s hosted everything from paint-and-sips to tarot card readers, but nothing stuck. All the while, Coder was exploding from a team of 20 to nearly 200. Camilla finally settled on an authentic startup culture driven by simplicity, Slack, and strict attention to surveys. Toss in a sprinkle of tinker, plush tacos, and an all-in CEO for a tight-knit team that somehow lives in 15 different countries. “Meeting people from all over the world has probably been one of the more rewarding parts. I've been able to learn so much from other people because of their experience and culture.” – Camilla Booth Key Takeaways: Don’t tell people what startup culture is; let the vibe emerge organically. Social Slack channels are more engaging than disruptive, complicated events. Convert skeptical leaders with hard data, and audit your processes more often. Kind messages saved from peer recognition channels soothe burns on bad days. Engagement rises when people drive the culture, not when leaders spend more money. Timestamps: 00:15 Meet Coder, Camilla, & Their Fast-Growing Team 01: 32 Going Global & Investing in People 04:35 Organic Culture & the Power of Tinkering 08:15 Slack Channels, After Hours, & Employee Appreciation Week 12:16 The Trial & Error of Virtual Events 18:00 The Importance of Leadership Buy-In: Swaying Skeptics with Data 19:12 At Long Last, Events & Awards That Never Feel Forced 20:31 Knowing When to Pull the Plug 23:30 My Favorite Taco 24:30 Five Tacos to Share Key Topics Discussed: Amazing Teams, Una Japundza, Camilla Booth, remote work culture, startup culture, peer recognition, employee engagement Mentions: Website: https://www.coder.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/camilla3 Mentions: https://www.coder.com/careers

April 21, 2026Episode 318 min

From Taco Trophies to Culture Clubs: Building Teams That Thrive

Send us Fan Mail What does it actually take to make people feel seen at work — and keep it going? In this episode, Una from HeyTaco sits down with Sheena, a longtime culture builder and HeyTaco admin, to share what actually moved the needle for her team. Not theory. Real tactics, real stories, real results. They walk through four pillars of building culture with peer recognition — Connection, Visibility, Engagement, and Culture — and for each one, they dig into the symptoms to watch for and the specific things you can do about them. You'll hear how Sheena used core value hashtags to make company values something people actually did (and how she discovered two of their five values were never showing up), why bringing Taco Shoutouts into all-company meetings changed the whole energy in the room, and how a rotating Culture Club helped her keep recognition fresh for years. If you've ever wondered how to get peer recognition off the ground — or how to make it feel meaningful again after the novelty wears off — this one's for you. 🌮

February 6, 2026Episode 220 min

Taco Bytes: 10 Lessons for 10 Years of Building HeyTaco

Send us Fan Mail To celebrate HeyTaco’s 10th birthday, Una sits down with HeyTaco founder Doug Dosberg for a heartfelt and hilarious trip down memory lane. In this special Taco Bytes episode, Doug shares 10 powerful lessons from a decade of building a gratitude-powered business—complete with taco costumes, customer stories, and Beyoncé GIFs. If you’re a startup founder, team builder, or taco enthusiast, this one’s for you. Highlights from the Episode The Big 1-0 : Doug reflects on what it feels like to hit the 10-year mark and why it doesn’t feel like it’s been that long. Behind the List : How he went from “I don’t have any lessons” to “I have too many lessons.” Lesson Threads : The top 10 takeaways cover everything from building a bootstrapped SaaS to designing human-centered recognition. Doug’s 10 Lessons for 10 Years Building a business is hard — It takes time, patience, and the courage not to quit when things get tough. Don’t do it for the money — Solving a real problem beats chasing revenue any day. Work on a problem you actually feel — Doug built HeyTaco because he knew what it felt like to do meaningful work and feel invisible. Your customers are the best investors you’ll ever have — He bootstrapped HeyTaco from day one, and never took outside funding. Tools don’t create culture. People do. — A moving story about a team using tacos to lift up a teammate shows that culture lives in moments, not mechanics. Customer service is the product — Doug still checks the support inbox. Listening to users fuels innovation. Recognition works best when it’s imperfect — Typos, emojis, and awkward phrasing are features, not bugs. Recognition is a leading indicator — Tacos often spike before major milestones (like a little ChatGPT launch 👀). Recognition reveals what actually matters — Teams can reverse-engineer their real values by looking at what teammates thank each other for. HeyTaco is just a vehicle — The mission is bigger: help people treat each other better and feel appreciated at work. Also in This Episode Doug’s taco costume makes a triumphant return Una compares the HeyTaco dashboard to a football stadium noise meter (she’s not wrong) A spicy debate about AI vs. human support Favorite Quote “HeyTaco is just a vehicle. The real work is helping people treat each other better and feel appreciated.”

January 13, 2026Episode 110 min

TacoBytes: Inside the HeyTaco Hall of Fame

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Taco Bytes , Doug and Una dive into what truly makes workplace cultures thrive: givers . Together, they explore why the most impactful people on teams are often the quiet, consistent supporters—the ones who notice effort, celebrate progress, and lift others up without expecting anything in return. The conversation centers on the HeyTaco Hall of Fame , an annual recognition honoring individuals (not teams!) who embody the spirit of gratitude day in and day out. Doug and Una share what inspired the Hall of Fame, what makes someone worthy of induction, and stories from recent inductees who show that meaningful culture isn’t built by the loudest voices—but by those who show up with generosity, empathy, and consistency. Along the way, they touch on how recognition works best when it’s frequent and sincere, why small gestures matter more than we think, and how playful elements like TacoTars help gamify gratitude without losing its heart. Whether you’re a leader, a teammate, or just someone who wants to make work a little better for the people around you, this episode is a reminder that giving credit freely can change someone’s entire day—and sometimes, an entire team. 🌮 Key Takeaways Great workplace cultures are built by givers , not takers Recognition is most powerful when it’s consistent and freely given The HeyTaco Hall of Fame celebrates individuals , not teams Inductees are honored for quality and consistency , not one-off moments Being a giver means noticing and celebrating even the small wins TacoTars add a fun, gamified layer to recognition Hall of Fame inductees get to design their own taco avatar 🌮 Members earn serious bragging rights (the best kind) Finding positivity—even in tough moments—matters Small acts of recognition can have an outsized impact on someone’s day