Workday Playdate

Latest Episodes:

112: How to Support Your Transgender Employees with Tara Robertson Jun 22, 2022

Show notes

Leaders, how are you currently supporting your transgender employees? On today’s episode of the improve it! Pod, we’ve got a guest who will help you create a safe space within your team so all feel seen, heard and valued. Please welcome the incredible - Tara Robertson, to the show! In today’s episode you’ll hear:

Why your mental health and boundary setting is imperative as a people leader
How to create policies within your organization to help create a more inclusive environment for transgender employees
Three things that you can START doing as a people leader to support trans employees, and what you can STOP doing as a people leader to ensure a safe space for all

About Tara Robertson: Tara Robertson is an intersectional feminist who uses data and research to advocate for equality and inclusion. She brings nearly 15 years experience leading change in open source technology communities and corporate spaces, including 3 years leading Diversity and Inclusion at Mozilla. She now partners as a consultant with technology, engineering and media leaders to help drive systemic change. Her work has been included in Harvard Business Review, Forbes and other publications. Hit play on this amazing episode and drop us a line at info@learntoimproveit.com to tell us what you think! Show Links:

Human Right's Campaign's Trans Toolkit for Employers
Rubber chicken
Amazing handmade soap
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“I love this podcast and I love Erin!!” If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing this podcast! This helps Erin support more people – just like you – move toward the leader you want to be. Click here, click listen on Apple Podcasts, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with 5 stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let Erin know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven’t done so already, subscribe to the podcast. That way you won’t miss any juicy episodes! Thanks in advance, improve it! Fam :)
For more information on improve it! visit www.learntoimproveit.com.

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🌟 Learn more about Workday Playdate: https://www.learntoimproveit.com/podcast-page
🎤 Book Erin to speak: https://www.learntoimproveit.com/keynote-speaker
📚 Workshops & Team Experiences: https://www.learntoimproveit.com/experiential-training
💌 Learn more about Erin: https://www.itserindiehl.com/meet-erin
📱 For more information on improve it! visit www.learntoimproveit.com.

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If this conversation made you think differently about work, leadership, or building joyful teams, please follow Workday Playdate on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who could use more play in their workday.

111: Anti-Racism in Business: Conversations with HR Conversationalist Shereen Daniels Jun 15, 2022

Show notes

Want to know how to dismantle systemic racism in the workplace? Today we are spilling ALL the beans on how to advance racial equity at work. In this insightful conversation, Erin & Shereen discuss making space for when you are called out and how to analyze your own fear to find solutions. This ultimately allows you to grow, unlearn, and be the best individual you can be. About Shereen Daniels: An advocate for anti-racism in business, Shereen is Founder + Managing Director of HR rewired and Chair of the African Diaspora Economic Inclusion Foundation. With a mission to unlock over one million global conversations about race by 2025, Shereen’s bespoke diagnostic approach combined with her personable candor supports internationally recognized corporates and household brands as they work towards dismantling systemic racism across their organizational structures. Her story has been featured in Forbes, she was recognized as one of LinkedIn’s Top Voices for 2020 and is the winner of HR Most Influential Thinker 2021. Enjoy this conversation with the incredible, Shereen Daniels. Show Links:

Shereen’s Book
Shereen’s LinkedIn
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110: Are You Hiring? How a Clear Set of Core Values Can Help You Hire and Retain Top Talent with Special Guest Jenna McDonnell Jun 08, 2022

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Does your organization have core values? Do you need help developing or refining them? Did you know you can use these to attract and retain top talent within your company or team? So many questions, and so many answers. Today we are spilling ALL the beans on how our internal core values were developed, and how we use them to hire, retain and develop top talent. Listen in on this conversation with our Director of Client Experience, Jenna McDonnell, and apply to your team or organization today. Creating team culture starts here. Hit play! Show Links:

Episode 28
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Minisode 15: The Chicken Dance Origin Story & A New Name For Our Community Jun 06, 2022

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It all started with episode 102 of this show. One of the most charismatic and genius guests, Chris Do, mentioned that we needed a new name for our community. A name that made us laugh. A name that connected us all. A name that was more than just the ‘improve it! fam.” A name does not define us, but it does connect us to who we are at our core. Hit “play” to hear our new name, the origin story of the chicken dance, and how it all plays into our core values as a community. If you are a new or long-time listener of this show – this is an episode not to miss. Connect with Erin Diehl:

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109: Ten Easy Ways to Improve Your Creativity Jun 01, 2022

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Are you feeling the weight of the world on your shoulders? Does the content you are consuming daily cause creative blocks and stifle your innovation? Erin has been feeling stagnant in her creative process too, and realized she had the tools in her tool belt to pull herself out of this creative rut. (Spoiler alert – burn out and creative ruts go hand in hand, so if you are feeling the BURN, give this one a go)! This episode give you TEN super easy, tangible, and FREE ideas that you can do to improve your creativity when it feels like it’s lost at sea. Tune in, this is filled with takeaways you won’t want to miss! Show Links:

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
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108: SHHH – Don’t Tell HR: The Truth About Human Resources Professionals in Your Organization with Traci Chernoff May 25, 2022

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SHHH… We have a secret inside scoop on human resources and the perfect guest to spill all the beans. Have you ever been confused on the importance of human resources in your organization? If so, today’s episode is for you! In today’s episode you’ll hear all about:

Human Resources: what it means, and why it is the heartbeat of any organization
How you can be an advocate for HR leaders within your own company
How to best convey the importance of your work to leadership and the collective company
How to allow the people who care in your organization to step forward and lead

More about Traci: Traci Chernoff is the Director of Employee Engagement at Legion Technologies and an experienced HR leader. Prior to joining Legion, Traci spent nearly a decade in key HR leadership roles for both Big-Box and Luxury retailers directly supporting retail management and hourly teams across North America; most recently, Traci worked as a Director of Human Resources for a Global Luxury Retailer. Traci is the Host and Creator of the podcast, “Bringing the Human back to Human Resources” where she destigmatizes HR by uniting employee demands and business needs while simultaneously challenging the perceptions and stigmas surrounding HR. LinkedIn, Instagram, Website, Podcast Tune in, this is an episode filled with takeaways you won’t want to miss! Show Links:

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107: How to Create Connection in a Fast Paced Culture with Emily McCann May 18, 2022

Show notes

Improve it! Fam, welcome back to another episode. So many of us are working in a fast-paced culture. With everything moving so quickly, how are you able to create connection and build and scale your team? We have a fantastic guest that’ll help you incorporate connection and a sense of belonging in your day to day! In today’s episode you’ll hear all about:

How to create connection with multiple personality types
Creating a strong sense of team when your environment is always changing
How to foster a sense of connection when working both in person and virtually

More about Emily: Emily McCann is the Director, People and Culture at C.A. Fortune Sales & Marketing. She is passionate about connecting business strategy with people programs to drive employee engagement. She believes vulnerability and connection are key ingredients to creating meaningful relationships. She's proud to have played a part in building positive cultures and developing talent in a variety of industries and roles. Emily focuses on bringing her whole self to work which includes being a mom to a two year old, a partner to her husband, and a set of legs to her running shoes! Tune in, and get ready to connect with your team on another level. This is an episode you won’t want to miss! Show Links:

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Episode 106: Priorities, Mental Health, and Being a Working Parent: A Conversation with My Mother May 11, 2022

Show notes

As Justin Timberlake says… “It’s Gonna be May.” Now that we’re NSYNC, this month not only represents one of the most famous boy band lyrics of all time, but it also represents Mother’s Day, Mental Health Awareness, spring, and rebirth. And what better way to celebrate the month by chatting with the woman who gave birth to Erin…. Her mother! Janice Holbrook is a mom, grandmother, stroke survivor, mental health advocate, and positive force of nature. In this insightful conversation between mother and daughter you’ll hear all about being a working parent, overcoming setbacks, setting and maintaining your priorities, and raising a Type A recovering perfectionist, turned #failfluencer (aka Erin). This is an episode you cannot miss! More about Janice Holbrook: Janice Holbrook has had a long list of jobs throughout her life. Her very first job was a proofreader for the local newspaper. She tried sales jobs and discovered that her was not her gift in life. She tried her hand at secretarial work, but that wasn't her cup of tea, either. Janice was a music major in college. When she became a mother, she decided to begin a music studio (an entrepreneur!!). As she moved from one town to another (husband's job), she became involved in preschool education. Janice got her certification in music education (while raising two children and working at a preschool!). She was director of a preschool in MI, and became the music teacher at two preschools in SC. Janice has been involved in community theater, and is involved with her church through various committees, choirs, and children's activities. She is currently retired and enjoying time with her children and grandson. Show Links:

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Minisode 14: Need a Positivity Boost at Work? Three Ways Improv Improves Your Mental Health May 09, 2022

Show notes

Do you need a positivity boost at work? In today’s minisode, Erin brings on our very own improve it! Facilitator and hype man, Blake Edwards, to teach you the ways improv improves your mental health and can add positivity to even the most challenging work day. Blake is a talented and award-winning Director, Writer, Actor (and one of those people who brightens a room by simply walking into it). Around here, we all believe he is the real life Ted Lasso. His in-depth knowledge of the multi-faceted world of entertainment, nurturing communication style and genuine positivity, brings out the very best in the people and projects he works on. Blake is especially masterful at creating humorous and whimsical short-form video content for broadcast, web, and social platforms. His 10 years of live improvisational comedy performance, and appreciation of play both in front of and behind the camera, make him uniquely qualified for both the messaging and execution of commercial campaign that provide tons of laughs. After graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and earning a Communications degree in Media Production, he had various stints abroad and in Los Angeles, before returning home to the South. Today, his comedic work as a Director and On-Screen Talent has been recognized by the Sundance Film Festival and featured on viewers screens regionally and nationally. And Blake has had zero trouble finding humor in his own personal life! He is recently (and happily!) married to his wife Hilary, a visual artist, whom he met during a hurricane and married during a pandemic! Enjoy this episode with the one, the only, Blake Edwards. Links from show:

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105: Happy (Working) Mother's Day - Three Improv Activities You Can Use on Your Kids May 04, 2022

Show notes

improve it! Fam – You know what’s coming up? Mother’s Day! Which calls for an episode on improv activities you can use on your kids (or partner or friends!). This episode is truly beneficial for anyone, because we can’t be amazing leaders/parents without parenting ourselves! Hit play to hear this tangible & relatable episode! Show Links: