The Team Engagement Podcast

Hosted by Shawn Richards

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Episodes

351

Latest episode

Aug 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

We discuss 5 questions in about 15 minutes because leaders know how to be concise! Questions are centered on team engagement and leadership principles for leaders of all experience levels.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

September 10, 2026Episode 48916 min

Is Your Habit of Micromanaging Eroding Trust? | Nathaniel Seitz

In this episode of The Team Engagement Podcast, Shawn Richards speaks with Nathaniel Seitz, Founder of Day 91 Solutions, about trust, psychological safety, micromanagement, growth, and emotional wellness. Nathaniel explains how micromanagement can undermine trust, even when a leader genuinely believes they're helping. Instead, he encourages leaders to create a "circle of safety" where employees feel comfortable admitting mistakes, raising concerns, and having honest conversations. Drawing from his own career experiences, Nathaniel shares what it felt like to move from being heavily micromanaged to working for a leader who trusted him to get the job done. That experience shaped his belief that employees need room to make mistakes, learn, and improve. He also discusses why being open to change is necessary for growth, why leaders need to truly disconnect when taking time off, and how continuing to learn can keep leaders and employees moving forward. What You'll Learn: - How micromanagement can erode trust - Why psychological safety starts with trusting your people - How to create a "circle of safety" within your team - Why open-ended questions can lead to better conversations - Why leaders must be open to change before they can grow - How taking real time away from work supports emotional wellness - Why leaders should trust their teams when they're away - How continuous learning can keep your mind and career moving forward About Nathaniel Seitz Nathaniel Seitz is the Founder of Day 91 Solutions, where he focuses on improving onboarding, HR practices, employee experiences, and workplace effectiveness. His philosophy centers on helping organizations support employees beyond the traditional first 90 days. He is also the author of The 91st Day. Connect with Nathaniel: Website: https://www.day91solutions.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanielsietz/ Sponsored by Taelor. You're running a company, managing a team, showing up to rooms that matter- and somewhere between all of that, figuring out what to wear fell off the list. Taelor handles it. A personal stylist picks clothes in your size and style and ships them to your door every month. You wear them, send them back- no shopping, no laundry, no thinking about it. Use code SHAWN30 at taelor.style for $30 off your first month. More episodes: https://teamengagementpodcast.com #Leadership #TeamEngagement #PsychologicalSafety #Trust #Micromanagement #NathanielSeitz

September 3, 2026Episode 48816 min

Growth Requires Room to Be Unfinished | Dr. Desiree Williams

In this episode of The Team Engagement Podcast , Shawn Richards speaks with Dr. Desiree Williams , leadership expert, author, speaker, and healthcare professional, about psychological safety, continuous learning, belief, and emotional wellness. Desiree explains that psychological safety is determined by what happens after someone speaks up . Leaders may say their doors are always open, but employees will pay close attention to how leaders respond when someone disagrees, admits a mistake, asks a difficult question, or delivers bad news. She also shares why leaders don't need to pretend they have every answer. Modeling continuous learning and being willing to say, "I haven't learned how to do this yet," gives teams permission to learn as well. As Desiree puts it, growth requires room to be unfinished. What You'll Learn: • Why psychological safety is determined by a leader's response • How curiosity helps leaders respond when employees speak up • Why believing in someone's potential can transform their confidence • How leaders can empower people to empower others • Why saying "I don't know yet" supports a growth mindset • How leaders can model continuous learning • Why self-awareness and boundaries are essential for emotional wellness • How leaders set the emotional temperature for their teams About Dr. Desiree Williams Dr. Desiree Williams is a leadership expert, author, speaker, and healthcare professional whose work focuses on people, culture, and strategy. She helps leaders translate leadership into practical behaviors that strengthen trust, improve culture, and create workplaces where people and performance can thrive. Connect with Desiree: Website: http://drdesireespeaks.com Sponsored by Taelor. You're running a company, managing a team, showing up to rooms that matter- and somewhere between all of that, figuring out what to wear fell off the list. Taelor handles it. A personal stylist picks clothes in your size and style and ships them to your door every month. You wear them, send them back- no shopping, no laundry, no thinking about it. Use code SHAWN30 at taelor.style for $30 off your first month. More episodes: https://teamengagementpodcast.com #Leadership #TeamEngagement #GrowthMindset #PsychologicalSafety #LeadershipDevelopment #DesireeWilliams

August 27, 2026Episode 48715 min

Feedback Promotes Psychological Safety | Mike Moreau

In this episode of The Team Engagement Podcast , Shawn Richards speaks with Mike Moreau , President of Concord Consulting, about feedback, psychological safety, continuous improvement, and emotional wellness in leadership. Mike explains why leaders need to create room for mistakes and regularly invite candid feedback. When people know they can speak openly without being punished for every misstep, trust grows and teams become more willing to experiment, learn, and improve. The conversation also explores the importance of being relentless about growth and pursuing small, consistent improvements. Mike then challenges leaders to examine whether they have become the bottleneck in their organizations and explains how better delegation and accountability can create space for both their teams and themselves to grow. What You'll Learn: • Why making room for mistakes strengthens psychological safety • How regularly asking for feedback builds trust • Why leaders need to be prepared to receive difficult feedback • How a relentless pursuit of small improvements compounds over time • Why leaders shouldn't become the center of every decision • How delegation and accountability support emotional wellness • Why meaningful organizational change often starts with the leader Connect with Mike: Concord Consulting: https://www.concordconsulting.com More episodes: https://teamengagementpodcast.com #Leadership #TeamEngagement #PsychologicalSafety #Feedback #GrowthMindset #MikeMoreau

August 20, 2026Episode 48617 min

Encourage Curiosity | Lilith Christiansen

In this episode of The Team Engagement Podcast , Shawn Richards speaks with Lilith Christiansen , Founder and CEO of HumanGenuity, about psychological safety, curiosity, growth mindset, and emotional wellness. Lilith explains why leaders should actively invite dissent and different perspectives before making decisions. She also discusses the importance of providing context, maintaining consistent accountability, and ensuring leadership behavior matches what the organization says it values. For Lilith, cultivating a growth mindset starts with curiosity. Instead of focusing only on whether an experience produced the desired outcome, leaders can ask what they learned, what they might change, and how that experience can help them approach the next challenge differently. What You’ll Learn: Why leaders should actively invite dissent How context helps teams understand and support decisions Why consistency strengthens psychological safety How curiosity creates opportunities for growth Why setbacks can provide some of the best learning opportunities Practical approaches leaders can use to support emotional wellness How gratitude, rest, and reflection can strengthen leadership Connect with Lilith: Website: https://human-genuity.com More episodes: https://teamengagementpodcast.com #Leadership #TeamEngagement #Curiosity #PsychologicalSafety #GrowthMindset #LilithChristiansen

August 13, 2026Episode 48517 min

Get Up and Move | Rachel Franco

In this episode of The Team Engagement Podcast , Shawn Richards speaks with Rachel Franco , Founder and CEO of Fail Smarter, about psychological safety, learning from failure, growth mindset, and emotional wellness. Rachel explains why innovation requires an environment where experimentation and thoughtful failure are accepted. She shares how leaders can strengthen psychological safety by modeling vulnerability, responding to ideas with curiosity instead of judgment, and measuring how safe people actually feel speaking up. Rachel also challenges leaders to examine whether they have a growth mindset toward other people , not just themselves. If leaders believe someone cannot improve, they may unintentionally stop giving that person the opportunities and feedback necessary to grow. When it comes to emotional wellness, Rachel recommends developing greater self-awareness, seeking support from peers, and remembering one very practical habit: get up and move. Even a short walk can help leaders manage stress and approach challenges with a clearer perspective. What you'll learn: Why psychological safety is essential for experimentation and innovation How leaders can model vulnerability around mistakes and failure Why curiosity is a better response than judgment The importance of measuring psychological safety How a leader's beliefs about other people's potential affect their growth Why self-awareness and peer support matter for emotional wellness How simply getting up and moving can help leaders reset and think more clearly Connect with Rachel: Website: https://www.fail-smarter.com/about LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelfranco More episodes: https://teamengagementpodcast.com #Leadership #TeamEngagement #PsychologicalSafety #GrowthMindset #FailSmarter #RachelFranco

August 6, 2026Episode 48415 min

Are You a “Principled” Leader? | Ashley Gibson

In this episode of The Team Engagement Podcast, host Shawn Richards speaks with Ashley Gibson, psychotherapist, advisor, speaker, and Founder of Meaning in Practice, about principled leadership, psychological safety, burnout, and organizational behavior. Ashley explains why teams have a nervous system and how leaders influence that system through what they model, reward, and tolerate. She also discusses the importance of closing the gap between stated values and everyday behavior. The conversation explores how leaders can respond to failure without immediately assigning blame, why emotional wellness must be addressed at both the individual and organizational levels, and how principled leadership creates healthier teams. What You’ll Learn • How leaders influence the nervous system of a team • Why psychological safety begins with consistent behavior • How to close the gap between intention and impact • Why growth requires examining systems instead of assigning blame • How workplace structures contribute to burnout • What principled leadership looks like in daily practice About Ashley Gibson Ashley Gibson is a psychotherapist, advisor, speaker, and Founder of Meaning in Practice. After more than a decade as an executive and marketing leader, she transitioned into clinical work and now helps leaders and organizations understand burnout through an evidence-based, systems-level framework. Connect with Ashley Website: https://www.meaninginpractice.com Listen to more episodes: https://teamengagementpodcast.com #Leadership #TeamEngagement #Podcast #PsychologicalSafety #WorkplaceCulture #AshleyGibson

July 30, 2026Episode 48318 min

Pull the Emotion Out of Leadership | Josh Troche

In this episode of The Team Engagement Podcast , Shawn Richards sits down with Josh Troche , Founder of PedalStomper Productions and Co-founder of The Business Fix, to discuss psychological safety, servant leadership, growth mindset, and making better leadership decisions through honest communication. Josh shares why leaders should say the hard things, how asking "What do you need from me?" changes the leadership relationship, and why identifying opportunities others overlook creates lasting growth. He also explains why taking emotion out of difficult conversations leads to healthier teams and stronger leadership. What You'll Learn Why clarity is one of the greatest forms of kindness How honest conversations build psychological safety The servant leader's most important question Why looking for gaps creates opportunities for growth How separating emotion from reaction improves leadership Lessons from Josh's early entrepreneurial experiences About Josh Troche Josh Troche is the Founder of PedalStomper Productions and Co-founder of The Business Fix. Through podcast production, business consulting, and leadership coaching, he helps organizations strengthen communication and develop practical, people-centered leadership. Connect with Josh 🌐 The Business Fix: https://www.businessfixpodcast.com/ 🌐 PedalStomper Productions: https://pedalstomperproductions.com 🎧 Listen to more episodes: https://teamengagementpodcast.com #Leadership #ServantLeadership #PsychologicalSafety #TeamEngagement #LeadershipDevelopment #TheBusinessFix

July 23, 2026Episode 48220 min

The Power of "Yet" | Mickey Fitch-Collins, PhD

In this episode of The Team Engagement Podcast , host Shawn Richards speaks with Dr. Mickey Fitch-Collins , Human Skills Facilitator at Learnit, about trust, psychological safety, and developing a growth mindset. Mickey explains why trust is rooted in authenticity and consistency, how leaders can create psychologically safe teams by admitting mistakes, and why adding the word "yet" to limiting beliefs opens the door to continuous growth. She also shares why work-life integration and meaningful feedback are essential for emotional wellness in today's workplace. What you'll learn: • Why trust is the foundation of psychological safety • How "The Power of Yet" builds a growth mindset • Why authentic leaders admit mistakes first • The difference between work-life balance and work-life integration • How regular feedback improves emotional wellness and team performance • Why continuous learning helps individuals and organizations grow Connect with Mickey: 🌐 https://www.learnit.com/author/mickey-fitch-collins 🎓 Free Learnit Trial: https://www.learnit.com/mickey 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mickey-fitch-collins/ 🎧 Listen to more episodes: https://teamengagementpodcast.com #Leadership #TeamEngagement #Podcast #GrowthMindset #MickeyFitchCollins

July 16, 2026Episode 48116 min

Embrace the Beginner's Mindset | Claire Giovino

In this episode of The Team Engagement Podcast , host Shawn Richards speaks with Claire Giovino , Co-founder and CEO of InboxDone, about leadership, innovation, delegation, and the importance of maintaining a beginner's mindset. Claire explains how psychologically safe workplaces encourage people to share ideas, receive feedback in ways that work best for them, and contribute thoughtful solutions instead of simply pointing out problems. She also shares practical strategies for protecting emotional wellness through elimination, automation, and delegation. What you'll learn: • How psychological safety encourages innovation • Why leaders should embrace a beginner's mindset • The value of bringing solutions with every problem • How feedback preferences strengthen team relationships • Why elimination, automation, and delegation improve emotional wellness • Practical ways to create healthy boundaries and reclaim your time Connect with Claire: 🌐 Website: https://inboxdone.com 📘 Hiring Playbook: https://inboxdone.com/playbook 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairegiovino/ 🎧 Listen to more episodes: https://teamengagementpodcast.com #Leadership #TeamEngagement #Podcast #GrowthMindset #ClaireGiovino

July 9, 2026Episode 48023 min

Stop Assuming...Start Communicating | Anya Cheng

In this episode of The Team Engagement Podcast , host Shawn Richards speaks with Anya Cheng , Founder and CEO of Taelor, about communication, psychological safety, and growth mindset. Anya shares leadership lessons from her experience at Taelor, Meta, eBay, Target, and McDonald’s. She explains why leaders should help people use their strengths, communicate openly, and stop creating stories based on assumptions. What you'll learn: • Why psychological safety does not remove accountability • How leaders can help people succeed through their strengths • Why growth mindset means starting before you feel fully ready • How assumptions create emotional stress • Why better communication supports healthier teams Connect with Anya: Website: https://taelor.style LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anyacheng 🎧 Listen to more episodes: https://teamengagementpodcast.com #Leadership #TeamEngagement #Podcast #Communication #AnyaCheng