The Corporate Bartender

Hosted by Eric Spencer, Lori Spencer

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Episodes

108

Latest episode

Oct 2026

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About the show

The Corporate Bartender is where people leaders come to think out loud. Hosted by Eric and Lori Spencer, this long-running show is part podcast, part professional community, and part midweek reset for HR, Talent, L&D, and business leaders navigating the human side of work. Each episode features thoughtful conversations with trusted experts and guest “bartenders” on timely leadership and workplace topics — from culture and burnout to organizational change, psychological safety, and what’s actually working right now. It’s smart, practical, and intentionally human… with just enough humor to remind us we’re all still people. Pull up a stool — there’s always an open seat at the bar.

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60 recent

October 24, 2026Episode 1071 hr 6 min

The Corporate Bartender - Overcoming Trauma and Living Your Best Life with Stacy Winsett

What's up everyone and welcome to The Corporate Bartender! I tell you, this show in 2026 is something I couldn't foresee. Each episode is just SO good! If you've ever faced tough challenges, been up against the ropes, and are looking for a path to your best life, you are in the right spot. We've got Stacy Winsett on the program. She is an HR lifer (#HR4Lyfe!), senior executive, labor relations expert, and organizational leadership guru. Stacy has been there, done that, and has a closet full of t-shirts. She's also the author of the new book, From Ashes to Influence - Leadership Forged by Fire and Faith . I've known Stacy for over a decade, and her story is going to blow your minds. This conversation was AMAZING, and I know I say it, but it's true - this is one of my favorites of 2026. I just know you're gonna dig it! If you want to skip straight to the interview, 4:15 is your spot! TCB Layout: 0:00 - Show Open & Intro 1:05 - Titles 1:37 - Kickoff 4:15 - Stacy Winsett Interview 56:45 - Last Call Website: https://stacywinsett.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacywinsett/ Join our community! https://skyeteam.cloud/tcb Theme Music by Hooksounds.com Good Feels Stories Copyright Paramount/CBS

September 20, 2026Episode 1061 hr 3 min

The Corporate Bartender - Doing the Work That Really Matters with Shushan Aleaqui

What's up everyone and welcome to The Corporate Bartender! Man, today is a GREAT day. We're talking about doing the work that really matters...to you. In this conversation we cover a lot of ground - listening to your inner voice, paying attention to what lights you up (because it likely will light up the lives of those around you). If you've ever navigated a critical transition or inflection point in your life or career, you won't wanna miss this one. We've got TCB OG Shushan Aleaqui on the program. She is a business transformation expert, change agent, executive coach, and she knows her way around a balance sheet. Shushan has more than 30 years of experience building, leading, and transforming organizations with names you know! This conversation was EPIC, and I just know you're gonna dig it! If you want to skip straight to the interview, 4:38 is your spot TCB Layout: 0:00 - Show Open & Intro 1:01 - Titles 1:32 - Kickoff 4:38- Shushan Aleaqui Interview 53:49 - Last Call Website: https://shushanaleaqui.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shushanaleaqui/ Join our community! https://skyeteam.cloud/tcb Theme Music by Hooksounds.com Good Feels Stories Copyright Paramount/CBS

September 19, 2026Episode 1051 hr 5 min

The Corporate Bartender - Intentional Imbalance For A Lasting Legacy with Dr. Lani Jones

What's up everyone and welcome to The Corporate Bartender! Work/Life balance. It's a myth. We only get one life, and during that life we have to work - most of us do anyway. For those that do, our work becomes a big piece of our identity. How intentionally are we living it, and what are we leaving behind? If you're thinking about these things and how they apply to you and your life, you're in the right spot. We've got Dr. Lani Jones on the show today. She's a seasoned psychologist and HR professional, and she's got some innovative ideas about creating intentional imbalances in your life to gain control and make it better. She's also got a framework for leaving the legacy that you WANT to leave...and I love me a good framework! This conversation was a BANGER, and I just know you're gonna dig it! If you want to skip straight to the interview, 4:11 is your spot TCB Layout: 0:00 - Show Open & Intro 1:01 - Titles 1:32 - Kickoff 4:11- Dr. Lani Jones Interview 55:05 - Last Call Website: https://drlanijones.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drlanijones/ Join our community! https://skyeteam.cloud/tcb Theme Music by Hooksounds.com Good Feels Stories Copyright Paramount/CBS

August 16, 2026Episode 1041 hr 8 min

The Corporate Bartender - How To Align WHAT We Do, With What We WANT To Do with Anne Mounts

What's up everyone and welcome to The Corporate Bartender! A lot of us fall into jobs that become careers, and before we know it, 15 or 20 years have gone by. Are we doing what we want to do? What we're passionate about? Or, are we still an accountant (or HR person, or whatever) because of momentum? If you're wondering how to align these things in your world, you're in the right spot. We've got Anne Mounts on the show today. She's the founder of Acera Partners, and has 20+ years experience on the people side of business. Anne understands how businesses work, and helps organizations and people understand their "why." She also does a lot of work in the HR Community with organizations like Rocky Mountain HR People & Strategy. AND she's been part of the TCB community for years! This conversation was a BLAST, and I just know you're gonna dig it! If you want to skip straight to the interview, 4:19 is your spot. TCB Layout: 0:00 - Show Open & Intro 1:05 - Titles 1:22 - Kickoff 4:19- Anne Mounts Interview 59:03 - Last Call Website: https://www.acerapartners.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-mounts/ Join our community! https://skyeteam.cloud/tcb Theme Music by Hooksounds.com Good Feels Stories Copyright Paramount/CBS

July 21, 2026Episode 1031 hr 7 min

The Corporate Bartender - Better Cultures & Better Lives Through Neuroscience with Alex Davids

What's up everyone and welcome to The Corporate Bartender! When we think about building cultures at work, and living a full, more intentional life - neuroscience isn't always the first word that pops to mind. If you wanna know how that fits into the puzzle, you're in the right spot. We've got Alex Davids on the show today. She's the co-founder of Next Evolution Performance, and has more than 20 years teaching executives brain-based frameworks that improve, pretty much everything. She's writing a couple of books. Oh, and despite being a native New Zealander, she's a CU Buff! 'Sko Buffs! This conversation was a BANGER, and I just know you're gonna dig it! If you want to skip straight to the interview, 3:38 is your spot. TCB Layout: 0:00 - Show Open & Intro 0:50 - Titles 1:22 - Kickoff 3:38- Alex Davids Interview 57:44 - Last Call Website: https://nextevolutionperformance.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/high-performance-coach-alexandra-davids-neperform/ Join our community! https://skyeteam.cloud/tcb Theme Music by Hooksounds.com Good Feels Stories Copyright Paramount/CBS

June 15, 2026Episode 1021 hr 9 min

The Corporate Bartender - The Human Side of AI (aka Nicole Does Stuff With Robots) with Nicole Yue

What's up everyone and welcome to The Corporate Bartender! AI is everywhere these days. Companies are adopting it, folks are trying to leverage it, and it's kinda hit or miss. Businesses are seeing mixed results and the dreams of replacing folks with all kinds of robots isn't as shiny as it was a year ago. If you're wondering how to tackle the AI problem in your world, you're in the right spot. We've got Nicole Yue on the show today. She's the founder of People+Process+AI, and has 30+ years experience on the people side of business. AND she was Lori's AI teacher! Stick around, we'll talk about it. If you want to skip straight to the interview, 2:19 is your spot TCB Layout: 0:00 - Show Open & Intro 0:51 - Titles 1:22 - Kickoff 2:19- Nicole Yue Interview 59:25 - Last Call Website: https://peopleprocessai.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolelenaersyue/ Join our community! https://skyeteam.cloud/tcb Theme Music by Hooksounds.com Good Feels Stories Copyright Paramount/CBS

June 1, 2026Episode 1011 hr 5 min

The Corporate Bartender - Kids Today Don't Know How To "Corporate" with Jenny Lavey

What's up everyone and welcome to The Corporate Bartender! "Rub some Dirt On It" is a thing of the past. Kicking off a career out of school is a different animal than it was when us GenXers were coming up. The Dr. Cox approach (if you remember that character from Scrubs) doesn't fly these days, and kinds coming up today didn't have the same set of experiences that we did. The pandemic changed a lot of this. Well, if you have kids, or know someone who's about to launch, you're in for a treat. We've got Jenny Lavey on the program today. Jenny's a lifer in HR, co-host of the podcast, "WTF is Business Casual," and is the co-founder of Rise HR. Oh! And she's an OG TCB'er!! This conversation was a BANGER, and I know you're gonna dig it! If you want to skip straight to the interview, 2:19 is your spot TCB Layout: 0:00 - Show Open & Intro 0:57 - Titles 1:29 - Kickoff 2:19- Jenny Lavey Interview 56:21 - Last Call Website: https://www.risehumanresources.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennylavey/ Join our community! https://skyeteam.cloud/tcb Theme Music by Hooksounds.com Good Feels Stories Copyright Paramount/CBS

April 26, 2026Episode 10054 min

The Corporate Bartender - Burnout Is Everywhere, What Are You Gonna Do About It? with Johanna Danaher

What's up everyone and welcome to The Corporate Bartender! Navigating a career keeps getting harder and harder, and it's a LOT of work! We've got to be ready for the twists and turns and inevitable burnout that comes with it. That's what we're talking about today. We've got Johanna Danaher on the program. If you don't know Johanna, stick around, we've got you covered! She was a wannabe marine biologist, bartender(!), gig worker, and an HR lifer. She's been there, done that, and got the t-shirts. This conversation was fantastic, and I know you're gonna dig it. You'll learn about lobsters, burnout, and the drink called "the Johanna." If you want to skip straight to the interview, X:XX is your spot TCB Layout: 0:00 - Show Open & Intro 0:48 - Titles 1:20 - Kickoff 3:32 - Johanna Danaher Interview 46:54 - Last Call Website: https://www.anchortoaspire.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johannadanaher/ Join our community! https://skyeteam.cloud/tcb Theme Music by Hooksounds.com Good Feels Stories Copyright Paramount/CBS

March 15, 2026Episode 991 hr 8 min

The Corporate Bartender - Looking For a New Gig is Different in 2026 with the TCB Crew

What's up everyone and welcome to The Corporate Bartender! Pull up a stool, settle in, and let’s talk shop for a minute. Around here we spend a lot of time unpacking the messy reality of work - the leadership moments, the career pivots, the things that look simple on LinkedIn but feel a whole lot different in real life. And today? We’re getting into one of the topics that’s quietly stressing out a lot of very smart people right now: finding your next gig in 2026. Because let’s be honest - the job search game has changed. Resumes are getting screened by AI. Interviews sometimes feel like you’re talking to a robot…because sometimes you are. And everyone seems to be asking the same question: How do you actually stand out when the algorithms are also applying for the job? So Lori grabbed the mic and opened it up to the TCB Crew. What followed was a real conversation about the highs, the headaches, and the strategy behind navigating a job search right now - from networking that actually works, to the emotional rollercoaster of the process, to how AI is both helping and absolutely messing with the system. It’s thoughtful. It’s practical. And like most Crew conversations around here… it’s also pretty damn honest. Because the reality is this: careers are getting less predictable, the rules keep shifting, and trying to figure it out solo is a fast path to yelling at your laptop. And around here, we don’t do that alone. TCB Layout: 0:00 - Show Open & Intro 1:31 - Titles 2:02 - Kickoff 3:44 - Job Search 2026 1:01:40 - Wrap & Close Join our community! https://the-corporate-bartender.mn.co/ Theme Music by Hooksounds.com Good Feels Stories Copyright Paramount/CBS

February 21, 2026Episode 981 hr 9 min

The Corporate Bartender - Year Six: The TCB Re-Launch Episode with the TCB Crew

What's up everyone and welcome to The Corporate Bartender! If you’ve been hanging around this bar for a while, you know this has never just been a podcast — it’s been a room. A room where HR nerds, L&D folks, consultants, and people leaders, pull up a stool and actually talk about what’s going on at work. And today? We’re officially kicking off the TCB relaunch! Year Six. New energy. Same soul. We break down what’s changing — a more intentional cadence, thoughtfully curated Guest Bartenders, a clearer focus on high-signal conversations — and what is absolutely not changing: the Crew, the candor, and the community-first vibe. We even wrote a TCB Crew Charter. That’s right. We put the vibe in writing. And then we opened it up to the room. The conversation was honest, funny, thoughtful — and a really strong reminder that leadership is getting more complex, and nobody wants to figure it out alone. Oh, and don’t worry — Last Call is alive and well. The internet still gets weird, the humans still get good, and the cocktails still get…distributed. Let's GO! TCB Layout: 0:00 - Show Open & Intro 1:14 - Titles 1:47 - Kickoff 8:23 - Agenda 11:13 - What's Changing/Not Changing 24:32 - Crew Conversation 57:28 - Wrap & Close Event Mentioned: https://rmps.starchapter.com/meetinginfo.php?id=29&ts=1760057155 Event Mentioned: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/disrupthr-denver-190-tickets-1980129360220 Join our community! https://the-corporate-bartender.mn.co/ Theme Music by Hooksounds.com Good Feels Stories Copyright Paramount/CBS