Workplace Innovator Podcast | Enhancing Your Employee Experience | Facility Management | CRE | Digital Workplace Technology

Lisa Mitchell-Kastner is Head of People & Culture and CHRO at ISS Americas where she is passionate about enhancing workplace culture, leveraging technology tools to create an engaging employee experience. Mike Petrusky asks Lisa about her career journey from operations into HR and she shares her perspectives on current workplace trends, including the evolving talent landscape in a post-Covid workplace where employees have expectations for flexible working arrangements and desire a strong alignment with the company's purpose and values. Lisa believes that multigenerational workforces and diverse teams necessitate the creation of inclusive environments that foster open communication and value diverse perspectives, so she promotes the power of storytelling and the development of a strong employee value proposition to attract and retain talent. Mike and Lisa agree that delivering workplace technologies that match the frictionless and intuitive experiences in our personal lives is essential, so they offer practical advice to help you be a Workplace Innovator in your organization! Connect with Lisa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-mitchell-kastner-22984b13/ Learn more about ISS Americas: https://www.issworld.com/en Discover free resources and explore past interviews at: https://www.workplaceinnovator.com/ Learn more about Eptura™: https://eptura.com/ Connect with Mike on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikepetrusky/

Tica Masuku is a Human Geographer and the Global Workplace Strategy Director at Spaceful where she is passionate about understanding the interrelatedness of the environment and the human condition. Mike Petrusky asks Tica to share insights from her training in human geography and her experiences helping clients manage their workplaces. They explore the trends and challenges in corporate real estate and facility management, the importance of understanding the interplay between people and place, and the impact of the digital age on our workplace experiences. Tica believes that the physical environment can influence behaviors, emotions, and productivity, so FM and CRE leaders must use storytelling to help people appreciate the value of design strategy and the power of place. Mike and Tica share stories about Australia, music, and their community of professionals, as they offer the inspiration you need to be a Workplace Innovator! Connect with Tica on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ticamasuku/ Learn more about Spaceful: https://spaceful.com.au/ Discover free resources and explore past interviews at: https://www.workplaceinnovator.com/ Learn more about Eptura™: https://eptura.com/ Connect with Mike on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikepetrusky/

Christine Mueller is Vice President and Director of Office Services Operations & Engineering at Capital Group where she is passionate about creating excellence through coaching, strong relationships, and inspiring others to achieve their most challenging goals. Mike Petrusky asks Christine about her career journey and how she currently views the role of facility management, the evolution of the built environment and moving from traditional FM to a focus on workplace experience. They explore the challenges of talent acquisition in the industry, the impact of technology, and the importance of active listening in facility management. Christine believes that AI and other technologies will allow enable FM professionals to better support the workplace while creating seamless user experiences. In a fast-changing work environment, Mike and Christine offer practical advice and inspiration to help you be a Workplace Innovator in your organization! Connect with Christine on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinelmueller/ Learn more about Capital Group: https://www.capitalgroup.com/ Find out more about IFMA: https://www.ifma.org/ Discover free resources and explore past interviews at: https://www.workplaceinnovator.com/ Learn more about Eptura™: https://eptura.com/ Connect with Mike on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikepetrusky/

David Dewane is Chief Experience Officer for Physical Space at Geniant where he is passionate about exploring the intersection of space, people and technology in the workplace. Mike Petrusky asks David about understanding the needs and experiences of employees, the evolution of workplace design, and the role of technology in creating more effective and engaging work environments. David says that by understanding the reality of the experience your teams are having and getting real intelligence through research, FM and CRE leaders can evolve their approach to workplace design, rather than reverting to outdated models. Mike and David discuss helping people move from a defensive mindset to a discovery mindset so they can foster innovation and adapt to changing workplace strategies. David also makes a distinction between functional and performative spaces, with the latter being more effective in enhancing productivity and well-being, so he encourages listeners to focus on making people happier while offering the inspiration needed to help you be a Workplace Innovator in your organization! Connect with David on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daviddewane/ Learn more about Geniant: https://geniant.com/ Watch Mike's "On My Way To Work" video series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSkmmkVFvM4E39sM-pNaGhLoG0dkM947o Discover free resources and explore past interviews at: https://www.workplaceinnovator.com/ Learn more about Eptura™: https://eptura.com/ Connect with Mike on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikepetrusky/

Jamie Woolf is Co-Founder and CEO of Creativity Partners, a renowned innovation cultivator, speaker, and the first Director of Culture at Pixar Animation Studios where she has inspired thousands worldwide to embrace innovation as a catalyst for personal and organizational transformation. Mike Petrusky asks Jamie about her time at Pixar and they explore how physical environments and organizational culture can facilitate or hinder creative thinking and collaboration. Jamie believes that infusing play and creativity into the workplace can enhance problem-solving and overall well-being as we move away from a strict focus on efficiency and profitability. Good ideas can come from anyone, regardless of their position in the organization, and leaders should be curious and open to all ideas. Mike and Jamie discuss how the physical work environment can facilitate casual collisions and interactions between different departments to foster creativity and they offer the inspiration you need to be a Workplace Innovator in your organization! Connect with Jamie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-woolf-a41416b/ Learn more about Creativity Partners: https://www.creativity-partners.com/ Watch Mike's "On My Way To Work" video series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSkmmkVFvM4E39sM-pNaGhLoG0dkM947o Discover free resources and explore past interviews at: https://www.workplaceinnovator.com/ Learn more about Eptura™: https://eptura.com/ Connect with Mike on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikepetrusky/

Todd Davis is a Senior Consultant and Thought Leader, the former Chief People Officer at FranklinCovey, and author of the book "Get Better: 15 Proven Practices to Build Effective Relationships at Work". Mike Petrusky asks Todd about the importance of understanding employees, creating engaging work environments, and the principles of effective leadership as outlined in the book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People". Todd emphasizes how leadership involves understanding employees and their needs and the timeless principles that Dr. Stephen Covey explored continue to be relevant in today's changing workplace environment. The physical workplace plays a critical role for employee engagement and productivity, so facility managers can lead their teams and leverage their understanding of change management to create great experiences in our built environment. Mike and Todd explore building effective relationships in the workplace and they offer practical advice to help you be a Workplace Innovator in your organization! Connect with Todd on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/todddavisfc/ Learn more about Todd's book: https://www.amazon.com/Get-Better-Practices-Effective-Relationships/dp/1501158309/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= Register for The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People™ course: https://www.franklincovey.com/the-7-habits/ Watch Mike's "On My Way To Work" video series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSkmmkVFvM4E39sM-pNaGhLoG0dkM947o Discover free resources and explore past interviews at: https://www.workplaceinnovator.com/ Learn more about Eptura™: https://eptura.com/ Connect with Mike on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikepetrusky/

Rex Miller is a renowned expert in optimizing human and team performance, strategic foresight, and organizational transformation with a long history of serving the facility management and corporate real estate communities. Mike Petrusky asks Rex about their recent time together in Dallas at the IFMA / CoreNet North Texas Tech Symposium where they shared some of the challenges facing workplace leaders in 2025 and explored how the industry needs to shift its focus from technical skills to human and leadership skills. There's a lack of emphasis on curiosity, experimentation, and building stakeholder coalitions, so Rex shares his insights about workplace culture and how companies can understand the new attitudes, habits, values, and behaviors of their employees. Leadership is about influence, not positional power, so facility managers and corporate real estate professionals can lead by using their influence. Mike and Rex agree that we have a great opportunity to lead the future of work and the workplace and they offer practical advice to help you be a Workplace Innovator in your organization! Connect with Rex on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rexmiller/ Learn more about Rex and get his books: https://rexmiller.com/rex-miller-1 Listen to Rex talk about "Genius Spark": https://eptura.com/discover-more/podcast/workplace-innovator/reignite-your-life/ Watch Mike's "On My Way To Work" video series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSkmmkVFvM4E39sM-pNaGhLoG0dkM947o Discover free resources and explore past interviews at: https://www.workplaceinnovator.com/ Learn more about Eptura™: https://eptura.com/ Connect with Mike on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikepetrusky/

Albert De Plazaola is Senior Principal of Global Workplace Strategy at Unispace where he is passionate about design strategy, workplace strategy and change management with the intent to bring design thinking to solve business problems. Mike Petrusky asks about the opportunity FM and corporate real estate leaders have today to think differently about the workplace and address legacy issues in office design and strategy. They explore the importance of leadership when creating the culture and workspaces that will meet the needs of the hybrid workforce, while also enhancing productivity. Albert explains that the "perception paradox" reveals a gap between management and employee views on returning to the office, but offers hope for workplace leaders as he shares innovative ideas that can help you create more effective workspaces as you seek to be a workplace innovator in your organization! Connect with Albert on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/albert-de-plazaola-976b51/ Learn more about Unispace: https://www.unispace.com/ Discover free resources and explore past interviews at: https://eptura.com/discover-more/podcasts/workplace-innovator/ Learn more about Eptura™: https://eptura.com/ Connect with Mike on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikepetrusky/

Michelle Gladieux is President of Gladieux Consulting and Author of the book "Communicate with Courage: Taking Risks to Overcome the Four Hidden Challenges" where she focuses on leadership and communication, strategic planning facilitation, and building creative tools that yield personal and professional development. Mike Petrusky asks Michelle to share her views on communication and how it applies to challenges we face in managing the built environment today. Communication involves risk, engaging in a new mindset or behavior with no guarantee of the result, so Michelle offers strategies to confront the four hidden challenges in communication: hiding from risk, defining to be right, rationalizing the negative, and settling for good enough. Mike and Michelle agree that having a physical presence in the workplace, at least occasionally, is essential for developing trust and connection among our teams, so they share practical tips for better communication that will inspire you to be a workplace innovator in your organization! Connect with Michelle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellegladieux/ Buy Michelle's book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Communicate-Courage-Taking-Overcome-Challenges/dp/152300312X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= Subscribe to the BREAKDOWN newsletter: https://gladieuxconsulting.com/BREAKDOWN/ Discover free resources and explore past interviews at: https://eptura.com/discover-more/podcasts/workplace-innovator/ Learn more about Eptura™: https://eptura.com/ Connect with Mike on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikepetrusky/

Dean Stanberry, SFP, CFM is Immediate Past-Chair on the IFMA Global Board of Directors where he is passionate about applying his collective skills and experience toward advancing the FM profession. In early January, Mike Petrusky hosted Eptura's first webinar of 2025 where he asked Dean about the findings in a recently released report from IFMA titled "Gamechanger: A Facility Manager's Guide to Building a Relationship with AI". Dean shared how artificial intelligence can automate repetitive tasks, augment human capabilities, and offset workforce shortages as we seek to care for the built environment. Mike and Dean explore specific ways that AI will impact FM, including areas like predictive maintenance, energy management, space utilization, fault detection and diagnostics. They offer practical insights and encourage you to learn more about how you can be a workplace innovator in your organization! Connect with Dean on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deanstanberry/ Download the IFMA Gamechanger Report on AI in FM: https://ifma.foleon.com/research-reports/ai-in-fm/ Watch the full hour-long video with Mike and Dean: https://lp.eptura.com/webinar-workplace-registration-january-25.html Discover free resources and explore past interviews at: https://eptura.com/discover-more/podcasts/workplace-innovator/ Learn more about Eptura™: https://eptura.com/ Connect with Mike on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikepetrusky/