Trust, Friction, Silos & Soul: Season 1 Wrap-Up
Team Lab
That’s a wrap! Season 1 of Team Lab: Reimagining the Way We Work is in the books. Join us for a reflective walk down memory lane, surfacing the big themes, sticky challenges, and practical tools that shaped our conversations with some of the most thoughtful leaders, coaches, and practitioners this season. What You’ll Hear in This Episode The Four Biggest Challenges Teams Face Trust & Vulnerability: Why predictive trust isn’t enough and why vulnerability-based trust is the real unlock for high-performing teams. Internalized Urgency: How rushing for the sake of rushing erodes...
info_outline
Breaking Decision-Making Gridlock: Purpose, Process, and People
Team Lab
If you’ve ever sat in a meeting that felt like a never-ending swirl of competing voices and unresolved tensions, this episode will show you what’s possible when teams bring structure, trust, and purpose into their collaboration. In this episode, we’re honored to welcome Stefan Morales, Founder of Working Together Consulting, Associate with and BASE. His background spans organizational development, social design, facilitation, and public engagement — all grounded in a belief that complexity isn’t something to fear, but something we can learn to navigate together. Whether it’s...
info_outline
The Ripple Effect: How One Leader's Change Can Transform Entire Organizations
Team Lab
What does it take to move an entire organization forward—without relying on brute force leadership or toxic top-down control? In this episode, Chris Hutchinson shares how authentic leadership creates ripple effects that move teams, organizations, and entire systems. Drawing from his book Ripple, Chris explains how small, intentional leadership actions can generate long-lasting, exponential impact. He reflects on his own journey from an early experience on a challenging team in the military to building thriving leadership ecosystems. We discuss why thriving teams start with trust and...
info_outline
From Small Cog to Big Impact: Sticky Listener Situation UNPACKED!
Team Lab
What happens when you're a capable leader trapped in a challenging organizational culture? How do you create value and showcase your team's worth when you're dealing with controlling stakeholders, chaotic planning processes, and an authoritarian leadership style that permeates the entire organization? In this special solo episode of Team Lab, hosts Angela Migliaccio and Cori Caldwell unpack a real listener situation from ‘Holly*’, a senior director at a large software company navigating the complexities of a highly matrixed, high-pressure environment with challenging stakeholder dynamics....
info_outline
AI, EQ & the Future of Work: Why Humanity Still Wins
Team Lab
What if we told you that your team’s capacity to carry challenging moments without shutting down is directly related to the amount of time you invest with them to build a culture of trust, adaptability and emotional intelligence? In this wide-ranging conversation, leadership coach and global facilitator Joshua Pinchuk joins us to explore what it means to lead in a fast-changing work world. He shares stories from his own career—from a factory floor mishap that defined his leadership philosophy to coaching tech teams navigating the rise of AI. Joshua makes the case for ditching...
info_outline
Upgrade Your Toolbox: Cognitive, Emotional & Energetic Leadership with Lyssa Adkins
Team Lab
What does it mean to be a “future-fit” leader? According to our guest this week, being future-fit means improving the performance of organizational leaders to solve the challenges they face today, while expanding their capacities to be more fit for the challenges ahead. They're not just trying to be better at the old game; they're helping to create an entirely new paradigm for how we work and relate to each other. Lyssa Adkins has spent the past decade developing leadership teams worldwide, using skillful professional and organizational systems coaching. She is an internationally...
info_outline
What the Duck Are You Feeling? Getting to the Heart of Team Breakthroughs with Meredith Tozzer
Team Lab
What if the breakthrough your team needs isn't found in another strategy session or process improvement, but in a moment of unexpected connection? How can asking people to step outside their analytical comfort zone create the psychological safety that brings teams together? And why asking, "What duck are you feeling right now?" might just be what your next team meeting desperately needs? In this episode of Team Lab, we're exploring these questions with Meredith Tozzer, HR partner and team transformation coach who brings a refreshingly unconventional approach to leading technical teams. With a...
info_outline
Why Soul-Crushing Workplaces Are Killing Your Bottom Line & What Leaders Can Do About It
Team Lab
What if your workplace could energize your spirit rather than drain it? How much smoother might organizations transform if they focused on removing blockers instead of adding more processes? What would happen if we designed our work systems around human dignity, creativity, and meaningful connection? In this episode of TeamLab, we're diving into these questions with business transformation strategist and award-winning author Jardena London. As the founder of , Jardena brings over 25 years of experience leading bold transformations across organizations of all sizes. Join us for a conversation...
info_outline
Unlocking the Power of Teams with Karen Duggan - Part 2
Team Lab
Single-day team building and offsites can be powerful for identifying challenges and creating plans for change, but what happens when work resumes on Monday? How do top teams SUSTAIN success? In Part 2 of our talk with organization development expert Karen Duggan, we cut straight to the HOW: How to create norms and rituals that stick, sewing sustainable practices that fuel authentic collaboration, and so many actionable tools for leaders to help their people connect at deeper levels. Karen also shares the ONE question leaders must ask to keep their teams thriving under pressure....
info_outline
Unlocking the Power of Teams with Karen Duggan
Team Lab
Ever wonder why some teams thrive while others struggle, despite having talented people? The answer might surprise you. In this first episode, Karen Duggan, a powerhouse organization development expert who's coached literally thousands of teams throughout her career is here to break it all down! Karen reveals the three non-negotiable elements that can transform an average team into an extraordinary one. Spoiler alert: it's not what most leaders focus on! She shares so many practical exercises and strategies that you can implement TODAY to strengthen team relationships and skyrocket...
info_outlineThat’s a wrap! Season 1 of Team Lab: Reimagining the Way We Work is in the books.
Join us for a reflective walk down memory lane, surfacing the big themes, sticky challenges, and practical tools that shaped our conversations with some of the most thoughtful leaders, coaches, and practitioners this season.
What You’ll Hear in This Episode
The Four Biggest Challenges Teams Face
Trust & Vulnerability: Why predictive trust isn’t enough and why vulnerability-based trust is the real unlock for high-performing teams.
Internalized Urgency: How rushing for the sake of rushing erodes excellence, and why strategic pauses are essential.
Messy Humans: Friction, conflict, and “sweaty palm” conversations—how they can fuel growth when addressed with intention.
Systemic Silos: Why silos persist under pressure and how leaders can weave alignment back into the system.
Memorable Tools & Frameworks
The Precious/Meaningful Object exercise for building deeper team trust
Sense-making pauses to keep teams aligned and engaged
Liberating structures for fast, inclusive decision-making
The playful “What the Duck Are You Feeling?” icebreaker
‘Meeting hygiene’ practices to trade rushed decisions for grounded agreements
Humanity at the Core
Across every conversation, a common thread emerged: honoring the humanity of teams. From creating soulful workplaces (thank you, Jardena London) to recognizing seasons of rest and reflection, to designing environments where people can thrive alongside AI, this season was all about making work more relational and more bearable!
A Look Ahead to Season 2
Topics we’re pondering:
AI-augmented leadership and teams
The evolving role of middle managers
Strengthening collaboration at speed
And more of your questions! Send us your anonymous “Team Dynamic Dilemmas” for a chance to have them unpacked on air.
About Team Lab
TeamLab explores the power of teams, the science and art of collaboration, and the magic of thriving relationships at work. Hosted by Angela Migliaccio and Cori Caldwell, this podcast brings you inspiring stories and insights to help you build trust, foster alignment, and unlock creativity in your teams.
Follow us on LinkedIn and subscribe/follow to never miss an episode!
Team Lab theme music composed and performed by @subrasonic