Evan Benway: Dynamic Sound, Positive Well-Being | Work 20XX Ep30
Release Date: 09/07/2024
Melinda Stallings: Positivity, PechaKucha, Gifts, Reset | Work 20XX Ep53
Work 20XX with Jeff Frick
Melinda Stallings brings the power of positivity to the workplace and stage. Founder of The Positive Consultant and curator of DisruptHR Austin, Melinda promotes the “infinite power of positivity,” consulting with individual organizations and extending her reach as the force behind DisruptHR Austin, where she builds programs such as the 2025 theme, Envision, Empower, Elevate, helping people thrive in the workplace. I also learned about PechaKucha, a Japanese storytelling format built around the idea of “talk less, show more.” At DisruptHR, this translates into speakers having just 5...
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Robert Phelps: Cybersecurity, People, Responsibility, Test | Work 20XX Ep52
Work 20XX with Jeff Frick
Robert Phelps helps keep remote teams secure, often before they even know they’re at risk. As President of Creative IT, Robert and team provide IT services for companies that are too small to build an in-house department, or those that need a little assist. Robert and I spoke at Running Remote 2025 Austin, before his keynote, ‘The Hidden Bottleneck: Why Remote Teams Struggle to Scale (and How to Fix It Today),’ on the cybersecurity challenges of remote and distributed teams, and the responsibility for user and companies, even if most of their apps and IT are hosted at a large...
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Karrie Sullivan: Results, Resilient, Reluctant, Readiness | Work 20XX Ep51
Work 20XX with Jeff Frick
Karrie Sullivan has been on the edge of digital transformation since the earliest days of digital media, with a stint at during the late ‘90 internet boom. She knows about getting people to change behavior, to adopt the new, to do things differently. As she said, people won’t change behavior just because you ask them. People will change behavior to fit in. Especially if you hand them proven peer produced playbooks. Today, Karrie leads Culminate Strategy Group, where she and her team specialize in accelerating new technology adoption by identifying and working with key change agents....
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Henrik Jarleskog: AI Squad, BarCeptionist, Full Stack Hospitality | Work 20XX Ep50
Work 20XX with Jeff Frick
Henrik Järleskog, has been on my radar for some time. He’s an active member of the ‘future of work’ community on LinkedIn, frequently contributing articles, keynotes, posts, panel discussions, podcasts appearances and more. I knew I’d have him on eventually…. And then he dropped the post … ‘Not one hand went up’ And went on to describe his team of AI agents, working for him. His dirty dozen, cabinet, team of rivals, assistants, advisors, and worker bees, helping Henrik 3x to 4x himself as he described. From to , the list is long and detailed. So the time is now....
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Brian Robertson: Authority, Clarity, Limits, System | Work 20XX Ep49
Work 20XX with Jeff Frick
Brian Robertson’ leadership philosophies are based on empowering the system, not the people. With clear limits, an ‘act don’t ask’ permissive mindset, the culture seeks to foster more entrepreneurial leadership, when people can exercise authority and autonomy, rather then sitting around, waiting to be told what to do. As the founder of Holacracy and a veteran entrepreneur, Brian brings a new model for leadership and decision-making, rooted in clarity, authority, and giving people the ability to act. Recorded at Running Remote in Austin, Brian shares how companies can unlock speed...
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Mindy Honcoop: Fractional, Upskill, Micro dose Change | Work 20XX Ep48
Work 20XX with Jeff Frick
Mindy Honcoop helps people grow, one micro dose at a time. As the founder of Agile in HR and a seasoned people leader, Mindy brings a unique lens as her path started in the juvenile justice system, working with kids, and figuring out how happiness, and being one’s best self at work, contributed to a child’s well being. At Running Remote, Mindy emcee’d the outside stage for two days, absorbing insights, and sharing her own perspective on the evolving nature of leadership, work, and upskilling. In this episode, she shares how fractional roles work, her approach to growth and creating...
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Justin Harlan: Move for $10K, Stay for Community | Work20XX Ep47
Work 20XX with Jeff Frick
Justin Harlan wants you to move to Tulsa. But not just for the $10,000 check. He wants you to consider building your life in Tulsa. As Managing Director of Tulsa Remote, Justin leads a groundbreaking initiative to attract talented, remote workers to diversity Tulsa’s economic base beyond oil and gas with more knowledge workers. To grow greater Tulsa, as well as the newly transplanted community. Tulsa is also investing in ‘placemaking’ to increase the probability that these newest residents will stay for the long team. And it’s working. With over 3,500 people relocated and an 85%...
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Zach Boyette: Remote, Design, Freedom, Games | Work 20XX Ep46
Work 20XX with Jeff Frick
Zach Boyette got a business class view of the world and decided to build a life, and company around the freedom to design one’s own life, not only for Zach the traveler, but all the employees, regardless of the design they choose, living anywhere in the world. As co-founder and CEO of Galactic Fed, Zach leads a 100% remote, 150-person global marketing agency. They designed the company from the bottom up around the principle of giving agency to employees to design they life they want to lead. At work, at home, and in their communities. Built on a foundation of documentation, writing...
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Phil Kirschner v2: Vibe, Pulse, Transparency, Nudge | Work 20XX Ep45
Work 20XX with Jeff Frick
Phil Kirschner returns to Work 20XX with a fresh perspective on how we actually get work done, and exploring a concept he calls “vibe officing.” And yes, it’s a verb. As Phil puts it, “technology should help us be more human,” navigating between spaces, people, and pulse moments with greater flow and fewer barriers. Sitting face to face from Running Remote in Austin, Phil shares practical insights for leaders navigating change for their teams and organizations, culture shifts, and compliance challenges, with an update on New York City’s Local Law 97. Please join me in...
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Sophie Wade v2: Digitalized, Multi-Gen, What Is | Work 20XX Ep44
Work 20XX with Jeff Frick
Sophie Wade returns to Work 20XX with a powerful reminder, the future of work is digitalized, multi-gen, and human-first. And that’s not a typo, it is a process of work being broken down, and digitalized, and to quote Sophie, ‘the tech driven world and operations is changing how we work, not the other way around.” In person, from Running Remote in Austin, Sophie shares deep insights on how empathy, adaptability, and trust are reshaping workforce dynamics. Please join me in welcoming Sophie Wade back to the Work 20XX podcast from Running Remote. As founder of Flexcel Network, author...
info_outlineEvan Benway, a musician and the child of musicians, has been immersed in the creation and study of music since his earliest days. Through his deep appreciation for the evocative power and joy of sound, Evan understands how profoundly music can affect mood and emotions. However, in his professional journey, he discovered a stark contrast: sound is often considered a major distraction in traditional knowledge worker environments, especially in open floor plans filled with sound-reflecting materials like concrete and glass. Even in the most cutting-edge offices, unmanaged noise—particularly from people talking—can overwhelm other positive design elements. Evan experienced this firsthand and was struck by how unproductive such environments could be due to a poorly managed soundscape.
Traditional methods of sound management—absorbing, blocking, and covering, known as the ABCs of acoustics—are increasingly inadequate in modern office designs where sound sensitivity is high, and conventional solutions like carpets and acoustic tiles are less practical.
There had to be a better way.
Join me in welcoming Evan Benway to Work 20XX.
Evan founded Moodsonic to transform sound from a negative element into a positive force that enhances productivity, mood, and well-being. Moodsonic uses science-backed, biophilic sounds to create contextually relevant, dynamically generated soundscapes (with no loops) for built environments. Starting with offices and expanding into healthcare and educational markets, Moodsonic's approach brings the power of nature-inspired sound into these spaces.
Evan and his team are pioneering the use of dynamic soundscapes to improve people's experiences in built environments, leveraging the deep-seated biological impact of sound on attention, health, productivity, and well-being. At the same time, they carefully design these soundscapes to avoid the many pitfalls that poorly designed audio environments can bring.
In this episode of Work 20XX, we dive into the details, science, methods, and results of creating intentional soundscape designs that work in harmony with visual and other design elements to create better workplace experiences.
YouTube - Click Here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OqytQDMf80&list=PLZURvMqWbYjmmJlwGj0L0jWbWdCej1Jlt&index=1
Eposide page with transcript and show notes - Click Here
https://www.work20xx.com/episode/evan-benway-dynamic-sound-positive-well-being-work-20xx-ep30