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Workday Playdate: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Erin Diehl | Passion Struck Network
TOP 1% GLOBAL PODCAST for People-First Leaders Formerly the "improve it! Podcast." #9 in BEST 100 SELF LEADERSHIP PODCASTS. I’m Erin Diehl, keynote speaker, business improv edutainer, and founder of improve it! (AKA your work bestie). Every Wednesday, Workday Playdate with improve it! helps HR professionals, people leaders, and culture-driven humans bring more laughter, levity, and purpose to their workdays. Because work is better when you play. This is not your average leadership podcast. You’ll get research-backed strategies, improv-inspired tools, and candid conversations with top leaders, speakers, improvisers and authors who are rethinking how we work and lead. Our promise is to give you tangible takeaways you can use immediately, plus a few laughs along the way. Interested in partnering with us? Workday Playdate reaches thousands of people-first leaders who care about workplace culture, leadership, and team development. Contact info@learntoimproveit.com to learn more about sponsorship opportunities. We promise laughs, impact, and zero awkward small talk. Think ROI with a side of LOL’s. Let’s make it happen!
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- 2 days ago55 min
346: Why Your Body Freaks First (and What Leaders Do Next) with Inna Segal
In this episode of Workday Playdate, Erin sits down with wellness expert, bestselling author, and intuitive healer Inna Segal to explore the powerful connection between emotional wellbeing and physical health. If you've ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, burned out, or disconnected from yourself, this conversation offers practical tools to help you unlock your body's innate ability to heal.Inside This Episode:Your Body Is Talking: Inna explains how physical symptoms often carry emotional messages and why learning your body's language can lead to greater self-awareness, resilience, and healing.The Hidden Link Between Emotions and Health: Discover how stress, grief, trauma, and unresolved emotions can manifest physically, and what you can do to release what's been weighing you down.Healing Starts with Connection: From visualization and color work to movement and breath, Inna shares simple practices to help you reconnect with yourself and access your body's wisdom.Why Slowing Down Is a Superpower: For leaders, parents, and high achievers, Inna reveals why creating moments of stillness can unlock clarity, energy, and emotional balance.The Stages of Healing Explained: Learn how healing evolves over time, why discomfort is sometimes part of the process, and how to navigate change with more trust and self-compassion.What to Do Now:Pause Before You Push Through: The next time you feel stressed, exhausted, or overwhelmed, ask yourself: "What is my body trying to tell me?"Create Five Minutes of Stillness: Take a few intentional breaths, slow down, and notice what thoughts, emotions, or sensations are asking for your attention.Experiment with Color and Visualization: Try using color, movement, or imagery to shift your emotional state and release tension.Your FreebieWhat’s your leadership style and next business move? Find out by taking a fun little quiz here.Connect with Inna SegalInna’s websiteInna’s booksInna’s LinkedInConnect with Erin Diehl x improve it! Leadership Playground online membership communityErin’s websiteErin’s InstagramErin’s TikTokErin’s LinkedInimprove it!’s websiteimprove it!’s InstagramFor more information on improve it! visit www.learntoimproveit.com.
- 3 days ago27 min
345: New Mom Confidence During Uncertain Seasons with Rosie Moan
In this episode of Workday Playdate, Erin sits down with Rosie Moan to talk about one of the most challenging combinations many women face: becoming a new mom while navigating uncertainty in work, identity, and life. If you've ever felt like you're simultaneously capable and completely overwhelmed, this conversation offers a refreshing reminder that confidence is about trusting yourself through the unknown.Inside This Episode: Why Confidence and Uncertainty Often Arrive Together: Rosie shares how some of life's biggest growth moments happen when we feel both competent and terrified at the same time, and why that tension is often a sign we're expanding into something new.The Identity Shift of New Motherhood: Becoming a parent can reshape how we see ourselves. Erin and Rosie discuss the emotional and professional adjustments that come with this transition and how to navigate them with more self-compassion.Improvisation as a Tool for Real Life: Drawing from her background in improv, Rosie explains how embracing a "yes, and" mindset can help us respond to unexpected challenges, uncertainty, and change with greater flexibility.Learning to Trust Yourself Again: The conversation explores why confidence isn't about having every answer. It's about building trust in your ability to figure things out as you go.The Power of Letting Go of Perfection: Rosie shares insights on releasing unrealistic expectations and creating space for growth, learning, and grace during demanding seasons of life.What to Do Now:Ask Yourself a Better Question: Instead of asking, "What if I fail?" try asking, "What if I can handle whatever comes next?"Practice "Yes, And" This Week: When something unexpected happens, look for one way to accept reality and build forward rather than resist it.Celebrate Evidence of Your Resilience: Take a few minutes to write down three challenges you've already navigated successfully. Use them as reminders that you've handled uncertainty before and can do it again.About the GuestRosie Moan is a Chicago-based actor, improv performer, coach, and acting coach who has spent more than 15 years helping people build confidence, take creative risks, and trust themselves on and off camera. A graduate of Emerson College, she performs, teaches, and coaches within Chicago's renowned improv community and facilitates workshops designed to strengthen communication, collaboration, and personal growth. Her work centers on helping people move past self-doubt and step more fully into their potential. She is also a lead facilitator for improve it! Your FreebieWhat’s your leadership style and next business move? Find out by taking a fun little quiz here.Connect with Rosie Moan Rosie’s websiteRosie’s InstagramRosie’s LinkedInConnect with Erin Diehl x improve it!Leadership Playground online membership communityErin’s websiteErin’s InstagramErin’s TikTokErin’s LinkedInimprove it!’s websiteimprove it!’s InstagramFor more information on improve it! visit www.learntoimproveit.com.
- 1 weeks ago16 min
344: Lead by Lifting Others (Not Your Title)
In this episode of Workday Playdate, Erin explores why the best leaders are the ones creating connection, recognition, and growth for the people around them. If you’ve ever wondered how to become a more impactful leader without forcing authority, this episode is your reminder that leadership is built in small moments of recognition.Inside This Episode:Why Titles Don’t Create Great Leaders: Employees rarely remember your title. They remember how you made them feel. Erin breaks down why connection-based leadership creates stronger teams and better workplace culture.Recognition Is a Retention Strategy: With 66% of employees leaving jobs without feeling appreciated, Erin explains why genuine recognition directly impacts employee engagement, retention, morale, and performance.The Lyft Method Makes Leadership Actionable: Erin introduces her four-step, improv-inspired leadership framework to help leaders create more collaborative and human-centered workplaces: Look for the good, Initiate the scene, Follow their lead, Tag them in.Leadership Happens in Small Moments: Learn how everyday interactions shape trust, psychological safety, and team culture.Empowering Others Creates Better Teams: Erin shares practical ways leaders can spotlight strengths, share opportunities, and help team members grow into leadership themselves.What to Do Now: Practice the Spotlight Swap: Choose three people on your team this week and intentionally recognize something specific they contributed.Customize Recognition: Pay attention to how each person prefers to receive appreciation instead of using one-size-fits-all praise.Share the Mic: Find one opportunity this week to invite someone else into visibility, ownership, or leadership.Your FreebieWhat’s your leadership style and next business move? Find out by taking a fun little quiz here.And thank you to our sponsors Intuit Quickbooks Payroll.To learn more visit: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/workforce/Connect with Erin Diehl x improve it! Leadership Playground online membership communityErin’s websiteErin’s InstagramErin’s TikTokErin’s LinkedInimprove it!’s websiteimprove it!’s InstagramFor more information on improve it! visit www.learntoimproveit.com.
- 2 weeks ago50 min
343: Why One-Off DEI Training Backfires with Lily Zheng
In this Workday Playdate, Erin sits down with Lily Zheng to unpack why traditional DEI efforts keep falling flat. Lily and Erin discuss what leaders can do instead to create workplaces that are actually fair, inclusive, and built to last.If you’ve ever wondered why diversity trainings, performative culture initiatives, and “quick fix” belonging strategies rarely create real change, this episode is your invitation to rethink workplace equity through a practical, people-first lens.Inside This Episode:Why DEI Efforts Keep Missing the Mark: Despite decades of workplace initiatives, discrimination rates remain shockingly high, and many solutions are still surface-level.The FAIR Framework Changes the Conversation: Lily shares a practical, problem-solving approach to building inclusion that focuses on fixing real workplace barriers.Belonging Is Measurable: Learn how employee experience connects directly to retention, engagement, performance, and long-term business success.Middle Managers Have More Power Than They Think: Practical ways to influence leadership, advocate for change, and create safer workplaces from any level.Human-Centered Leadership Creates Lasting Change: Why authentic leadership, psychological safety, and consistent action outperform performative workplace culture efforts every time.What to Do Now:Audit Your Workplace Culture: Ask whether your organization is solving real employee problems or simply signaling values externally.Translate Human Issues Into Business Metrics: Use turnover, burnout, retention, and engagement data to advocate for meaningful workplace change.Create One Honest Conversation This Week: Invite feedback without defensiveness and focus on listening before fixing.Your FreebieWhat’s your leadership style and next business move? Find out by taking a fun little quiz here.And thank you to our sponsors Intuit Quickbooks Payroll.To learn more visit: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/workforce/About the Guest:Lily Zheng is a DEI strategist, consultant, speaker, and the author of Fixing Fairness: A Framework for Equity and Organizational Change. Lily works with organizations to move beyond performative diversity efforts and build measurable, sustainable systems for fairness, inclusion, and accountability. Their work focuses on practical, problem-solving approaches that help leaders create healthier workplace cultures rooted in trust, transparency, and real human impact.Connect with Lily ZhengLily’s LinkedInLily’s websiteLily’s book Fixing Fairness: 4 Tenets to Transform Diversity Backlash into Progress for AllConnect with Erin Diehl x improve it!Leadership Playground online membership communityErin’s websiteErin’s InstagramErin’s TikTokErin’s LinkedInimprove it!’s websiteimprove it!’s InstagramFor more information on improve it! visit www.learntoimproveit.com.
- 3 weeks ago19 min
342: Human-First Leadership That Actually Works
In this Workday Playdate, Erin explores what human-first leadership actually looks like in a workplace shaped by AI, uncertainty, and nonstop change.If you’ve ever wondered how to lead when technology is evolving faster than your team can adapt, this episode is your reminder that human skills are the future-proof skills.Inside This Episode:Human-First Leadership Isn’t Soft, It’s Strategic: Why leaders who prioritize connection, curiosity, and psychological safety are outperforming those who rely on authority alone.AI Can’t Replace Human Trust: As automation increases, employees are craving authenticity, communication, and leaders who know how to create belonging.The Best Leaders Create Space, Not Pressure: Why innovation happens when teams feel safe enough to experiment, fail, and speak honestly.People Support What They Help Build: Collaborative leadership creates stronger buy-in, better ideas, and more resilient teams.Adaptability Is the New Leadership Superpower: The leaders who thrive aren’t the ones pretending to have all the answers — they’re the ones willing to evolve in real time.Burnout Doesn’t Build Better Teams: Sustainable performance comes from leaders who understand energy, trust, and human motivation — not constant hustle.What to Do Now:Audit Your Leadership Style: Ask yourself whether your team feels managed or genuinely supported.Create One Moment of Psychological Safety: Invite honest feedback this week without defensiveness or fixing.Prioritize Human Connection: Schedule one conversation this week that isn’t about productivity, but about the person behind the role.Your FreebieWhat’s your leadership style and next business move? Find out by taking a fun little quiz here.And thank you to our sponsors Intuit Quickbooks Payroll.To learn more visit: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/workforce/Connect with Erin Diehl x improve it!Leadership Playground online membership communityErin’s websiteErin’s InstagramErin’s TikTokErin’s LinkedInimprove it!’s websiteimprove it!’s InstagramFor more information on improve it! visit www.learntoimproveit.com.
- May 6, 202646 min
341: Leadership in the AI Era: What Leaders Still Miss with Steve Cadigan
In this Workday Playdate, Erin tackles leadership in the age of AI with talent expert, Steve Cadigan.If you’ve ever wondered, “Will AI replace leaders?” or felt the pressure to have all the answers in a rapidly changing workplace, this episode is your reality check. About the Guest:Steve Cadigan is a globally recognized talent strategist, keynote speaker, and former Chief HR Officer at LinkedIn. He’s known for helping organizations rethink leadership, talent, and the future of work in a world defined by constant change. Steve brings decades of experience advising leaders on how to build cultures rooted in trust, agility, and continuous learning. Inside This Episode:AI Won’t Replace Great Leaders, It Will Expose Weak Ones: Why human skills like trust, empathy, and adaptability are becoming the ultimate competitive advantage.Ditch the Control Model: Outdated command-and-control leadership is slowing teams down; today’s best leaders prioritize autonomy and ownership.Trust Is the New Currency: Letting go of control is required to unlock innovation, speed, and engagement.Growth > Loyalty: Employees are looking for lifelong learning. Leaders who invest in development win.Agility Is Everything: What companies like Tesla teach us about rapid iteration, continuous improvement, and staying relevant in constant change.What to Do Now:Challenge One Leadership Belief: Identify one assumption you have about control, productivity, or trust and question if it still works in today’s environment.Practice Trust in Real Time: Fully delegate one task this week. Provide clear ownership and space for the other person to deliver.Have a Growth Conversation: Ask one team member what skill they want to build next and how you can support it.Your FreebieWhat’s your leadership style and next business move? Find out by taking a fun little quiz here.And thank you to our sponsors Intuit Quickbooks Payroll.To learn more visit: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/workforce/Connect with Steve Cadigan Steve’s LinkedInSteve’s bookSteve’s podcast Connect with Erin Diehl x improve it!Leadership Playground online membership communityErin’s websiteErin’s InstagramErin’s TikTokErin’s LinkedInimprove it!’s websiteimprove it!’s InstagramFor more information on improve it! visit www.learntoimproveit.com.
- Apr 29, 202618 min
340: Stuck in Your Career? Let’s Get You What You Want
In this Workday Playdate, Erin tackles one of the most searched topics at work: feeling stuck in your career.If you’ve ever thought, “Is this it?” or felt trapped between comfort and craving something more, this episode gives you a simple, actionable framework to stop spiraling and start moving. Career growth is about small, intentional steps that change your trajectory.Inside This Episode:Feeling Stuck at Work? You’re Not Alone: Why burnout, disengagement, and lack of clarity are more common than you think, and what they’re really telling you.Energy Before Strategy: Why you can’t think your way out of burnout and how resetting your energy unlocks better decisions and career clarity.The “Improv Your Way Out” Framework: A five-step method to help you get unstuck, gain direction, and start taking action today.Call the Scene: How naming your current reality (honestly) is the first step to changing it.Yes, And Your Life: How to hold gratitude and desire for more—without guilt or self-judgment.Create Your Next Career Identity: Why stepping into a new “character” helps you align your actions with who you want to become.Baby Steps > Big Leaps: The secret to career change that actually sticks (hint: it’s not quitting your job tomorrow).Upgrade Your Environment: How the people around you either accelerate or drain your growth.Mindset, Habits, Environment: The real drivers of career fulfillment and how to start shifting all three.Small Moves, Big Career Shifts: Why consistent, aligned action beats waiting for the “perfect” moment every time.What to Do Now:Call It + Claim It: Write down what you’re currently tolerating at work—and what you actually want instead. Clarity creates momentum.Take One Aligned Step: Don’t wait for a full plan. Send the email, start the conversation, or try something new this week. Small moves shift everything.Upgrade Your Energy + Circle: Reset your mindset (hello, Positivity Without Pretending Toolkit) and spend more time with people who challenge and energize you.Your FreebieYou don’t need to fake a good attitude to be a great leader. But chances are, you’ve been taught to push through instead of reset.Enter your free resource: The Positivity Without Pretending Toolkit. A quick, human-centered reset designed to help you shift your mindset, refuel your energy, and show up with authenticity, especially on the hard days. Download the Positivity Without Pretending Toolkit here.And thank you to our sponsors Intuit Quickbooks Payroll. To learn more visit: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/workforce/Connect with Erin Diehl x improve it! Leadership Playground online membership communityErin’s websiteErin’s InstagramErin’s TikTokErin’s LinkedInimprove it!’s websiteimprove it!’s InstagramFor more information on improve it! visit www.learntoimproveit.com.
- Apr 22, 202651 min
339: Innovation Without the Corporate Headache with Rich Braden & Tessa Forshaw
In this Workday Playdate, Erin brings together innovation experts Rich Braden and Tessa Forshaw to challenge everything you thought you knew about creativity at work. This episode proves that innovation is not reserved for a select few, but something everyone can access through mindset, play, and small, intentional actions.If you’ve ever thought “I’m not the creative type,” this conversation will expand your definition of innovation and give you practical ways to bring more curiosity, experimentation, and whole-brained thinking into your day.About the Guests:Rich Braden is an innovation strategist, educator, and global speaker who helps organizations unlock creativity through human-centered design, play, and experimentation. With experience spanning corporate, startup, and academic environments, Rich is known for making innovation accessible, actionable, and energizing.Tessa Forshaw is a creativity and innovation expert, educator, and consultant focused on helping individuals and teams activate their innate creative capacity. Her work blends research, facilitation, and playful practice to challenge limiting beliefs and build cultures where innovation thrives.Inside This Episode:Innovation Isn’t Exclusive: Why the biggest barrier to creativity is the myth that only certain people (or roles) are “allowed” to innovate.Whole-Brained Thinking Wins: How blending analytical rigor with creative exploration leads to better problem-solving, smarter decisions, and more innovative outcomes.The Play Advantage: Why improvisation, curiosity, and experimentation aren’t “nice to have”—they’re essential tools for unlocking new ideas and embracing failure.Mindset > Talent: How small, intentional mindset shifts can reignite creativity and help you move from “right vs. wrong” to “what’s possible?”Diverge, Then Converge: The airplane metaphor for brainstorming that helps you generate bold ideas and actually land them.Innovation in Action: Practical ways leaders can lower the bar, model experimentation, and create cultures where risk-taking is rewarded (not punished).Small Moves, Big Impact: Why innovation isn’t about big breakthroughs—it’s about consistent, everyday experimentation.What to Do Now:Try “Yes, And” Today: In your next meeting, build on someone’s idea before critiquing it. Watch how quickly energy and creativity shift.Run a 10-Minute Diverge/Converge Sprint: Set a timer. Generate as many ideas as possible (no judgment), then switch modes and narrow to your top 1–2 actions.Lower the Bar for Innovation: Pick one small experiment you can run this week.Model the Behavior You Want: As a leader (or future leader), openly share a risk you took or a failure you learned from to create psychological safety for others.Your FreebieYou already have strengths that make you a powerful leader. But chances are, one of them is doing more heavy lifting than you realize.Enter your free resource: The Human Leadership Edge Quiz. In just 10 quick questions, you’ll discover the leadership strength that sets you apart in the age of AI and how to use it more intentionally with your team.Take the Human Leadership Edge Quiz here.And thank you to our sponsors Intuit Quickbooks Payroll. To learn more visit: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/workforce/Connect with Rich Braden and Tessa ForshawRich’s LinkedInTessa’s LinkedInRich and Tessa’s book, innovation-ishConnect with Erin Diehl x improve it!Leadership Playground online membership communityErin’s websiteErin’s InstagramErin’s TikTokErin’s LinkedInimprove it!’s websiteimprove it!’s <a href="https://www.instagram.com/impr
About Workday Playdate
TOP 1% GLOBAL PODCAST for People-First Leaders Formerly the "improve it! Podcast." #9 in BEST 100 SELF LEADERSHIP PODCASTS. I’m Erin Diehl, keynote speaker, business improv edutainer, and founder of improve it! (AKA your work bestie). Every Wednesday, Workday Playdate with improve it! helps HR professionals, people leaders, and culture-driven humans bring more laughter, levity, and purpose to their workdays. Because work is better when you play. This is not your average leadership podcast. You’ll get research-backed strategies, improv-inspired tools, and candid conversations with top leaders, speakers, improvisers and authors who are rethinking how we work and lead. Our promise is to give you tangible takeaways you can use immediately, plus a few laughs along the way. Interested in partnering with us? Workday Playdate reaches thousands of people-first leaders who care about workplace culture, leadership, and team development. Contact info@learntoimproveit.com to learn more about sponsorship opportunities. We promise laughs, impact, and zero awkward small talk. Think ROI with a side of LOL’s. Let’s make it happen!
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