Ep. 356: “Ask More Questions” – The Empathy-Powered Leadership Journey in the Workplace with Psychologist & Author Jess Baker
Release Date: 06/17/2025
Ep. 358: “Everything Begins With Trust” – Interior Design and Creating Workplace Environments Where People Thrive with Sabrina Pagani of AECOM
Workplace Innovator Podcast | Enhancing Your Employee Experience | Facility Management | CRE | Digital Workplace Technology
Sabrina Pagani is Principal and Interiors Practice Leader at AECOM where she is passionate about helping clients create impactful environments in which to live, learn, work, and play. Mike Petrusky asks Sabrina about the importance of trust and giving people freedom and clear objectives when creating thriving environments. They explore how facility management leaders must cut through the noise and focus on the essential aspects of human behavior and needs when designing spaces. Sabrina believes that the physical environment is crucial for human connection, but it must be integrated with...
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Ep. 357: “The Heart of Innovation” – Culture, Leadership and Organizational Change in the Workplace with Porschia Parker-Griffin, MS, PCC of Fly High Coaching
Workplace Innovator Podcast | Enhancing Your Employee Experience | Facility Management | CRE | Digital Workplace Technology
Porschia Parker-Griffin, MS, PCC is Founder and CEO at Fly High Coaching where she is an organizational consultant, career services and strategy leader, and Host of the “Career 101 Podcast”. Mike Petrusky asks Porschia about how the physical workspace impacts company culture and employee engagement, while leading to collaboration, innovation and better business outcomes. They explore the marketplace today where organizational change, including reorganizations, mergers and acquisitions are all significant challenges for companies. Employee engagement is at its lowest point globally since...
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Ep. 356: “Ask More Questions” – The Empathy-Powered Leadership Journey in the Workplace with Psychologist & Author Jess Baker
Workplace Innovator Podcast | Enhancing Your Employee Experience | Facility Management | CRE | Digital Workplace Technology
Jess Baker is a Chartered Psychologist, Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society and Author of the book, “The Super-Helper Syndrome: A Survival Guide for Compassionate People” which is for anyone who wants to understand how helping works and to be better at it. Mike Petrusky asks Jess why she believes that empathy in the workplace is often misunderstood, and she shares the difference between cognitive empathy and emotional empathy. She explains that compassionate leadership involves both empathy and taking action to relieve the suffering of others, which leads to better team...
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Ep. 355: “Evolution in the World of Work” – Strategies and Operations for Dynamic Workspaces with Adam Stoltz of The Idea Kitchen
Workplace Innovator Podcast | Enhancing Your Employee Experience | Facility Management | CRE | Digital Workplace Technology
Adam Stoltz is a corporate real estate and workplace leader with a focus on strategy, operations, and workplace experience and he is Cofounder at The Idea Kitchen, a shared workspace in the heart of Larchmont, NY. Mike Petrusky asks Adam about his career journey and his current focus on understanding the evolving workplace and how leaders can meet the needs of professionals today. They discuss how businesses must foster a culture of continuous improvement and adaptation while providing flexibility in their operations as they explore the challenges of delivering dynamic workspaces. Adam...
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Ep. 354: “Flexibility is the Future of Work” – Strategies for Business Success, Workforce Management and Building Productive Teams with Silvija Martincevic of Deputy
Workplace Innovator Podcast | Enhancing Your Employee Experience | Facility Management | CRE | Digital Workplace Technology
Silvija Martincevic is CEO of Deputy, a global workforce management platform, where she is passionate about creating a culture that expects high performance, but also one where high care and the importance of open and respectful communication is prioritized. Mike Petrusky asks Silvija about her years of experience building, growing and scaling global businesses, including Affirm and Groupon, and her current views of Gen Z and the expectations of frontline workers today. They explore flexibility as a strategy for long-term business success, improving employee sentiment, engagement, and...
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Ep. 353: “It’s a Mindset” – Enhancing Employee Experience and Strategies for the Future of Work with Kelly Duff of Sentinel Technologies
Workplace Innovator Podcast | Enhancing Your Employee Experience | Facility Management | CRE | Digital Workplace Technology
Kelly Duff is Employee Experience Manager at Sentinel Technologies where she is passionate about creating meaningful and engaging workplace experiences that foster growth, community, and purpose. Mike Petrusky asks Kelly for an update on her career journey and they explore how her role has expanded to include a variety of responsibilities such as building community, recognizing employees, and planning social events. Mike and Kelly agree that the pandemic dramatically changed the concept of workplace experience, shifting the focus from physical office amenities to remote and hybrid work models,...
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Ep. 352: “Keep Going Forward” – Exploring the Future of Work and the Physical Workplace with Jeff Frick of Menlo Creek Media
Workplace Innovator Podcast | Enhancing Your Employee Experience | Facility Management | CRE | Digital Workplace Technology
Jeff Frick is a podcast host and a media entrepreneur who is passionate about the future of work, leadership, and innovation. He is the host of two podcasts, Work 20XX and Turn the Lens, and he joins Mike Petrusky on this collaboration episode to share his current views on the workplace and the role of the built environment in the future of work. They explore how the physical office can serve as a place for meaningful interactions and experiences and discuss the role that technology can play in understanding space utilization and enhancing the experience of employees who come into the office....
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Ep. 351: “Keep Reskilling” – Leading Through Change and the Future of FM Innovation with Lorri Rowlandson and Alana Dunoff, ProFM, FMP, IFMA Fellow
Workplace Innovator Podcast | Enhancing Your Employee Experience | Facility Management | CRE | Digital Workplace Technology
Lorri Rowlandson is Senior Vice President for Strategy & Innovation at BGIS in Toronto and Alana Dunoff, ProFM, FMP, IFMA Fellow is a Consultant and Adjunct Professor at Temple University in Philadelphia. They joined Mike Petrusky on stage in front of an audience of FM professionals at IFMA’s Facility Fusion in Austin, TX to record a live podcast called “Leading through Change and the Future of FM Innovation” where they discussed change management and the role of technology in the built environment. Mike asked his guests to share practical use cases as they focused on sharing...
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Ep. 350: “Do Unto Others” – Leading with Empathy, Understanding and Compassion as we Design Neuroinclusive Workplaces with Kay Sargent of HOK
Workplace Innovator Podcast | Enhancing Your Employee Experience | Facility Management | CRE | Digital Workplace Technology
Kay Sargent is Senior Principal and Director of Thought Leadership for Interiors at HOK where she is a recognized expert on workplace design and strategy and author of the new book, “Designing Neuroinclusive Workplaces: Advancing Sensory Processing and Cognitive Well-Being in the Built Environment”. Mike Petrusky invites Kay back to the show for a milestone episode and an inspiring conversation about the importance of neuro-inclusive design in the workplace and the impact of the built environment on individuals. Kay believes that designing with intention and evidence-based methods is...
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Ep. 349: “Lead in the Future” – Connecting Space to Strategy, People to Purpose, and Data to Decisions with Amanda Schneider, LEED AP, MBA of ThinkLab
Workplace Innovator Podcast | Enhancing Your Employee Experience | Facility Management | CRE | Digital Workplace Technology
Amanda Schneider, LEED AP, MBA is Founder & President at ThinkLab, a TedX Speaker, and Host of “Design Nerds Anonymous” podcast where she is passionate about sharing research and insights for the built environment. Mike Petrusky asks Amanda about the evolving role of the workplace, the importance of process innovation over product innovation, and the impact of generational changes in the world of work today. They explore the integration of human resources, workplace design, and technology, and the need for professionals to connect space to strategy, people to purpose, and data to...
info_outlineJess Baker is a Chartered Psychologist, Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society and Author of the book, “The Super-Helper Syndrome: A Survival Guide for Compassionate People” which is for anyone who wants to understand how helping works and to be better at it. Mike Petrusky asks Jess why she believes that empathy in the workplace is often misunderstood, and she shares the difference between cognitive empathy and emotional empathy. She explains that compassionate leadership involves both empathy and taking action to relieve the suffering of others, which leads to better team performance and a more inclusive environment. Jess says that change management in the workplace should involve asking employees about their needs and how they would design their workspaces to optimize their well-being and productivity, but advises we ask more questions since the first answer may not always reveal the true needs or feelings of individuals. Mike and Jess share inspiration and encouragement as you seek to be a Workplace Innovator in your organization!
Connect with Jess on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessbakerpsych/
Buy the book “The Super-Helper Syndrome”: https://www.amazon.com/Super-Helper-Syndrome-Survival-Compassionate-People/dp/0750998865
Explore Empathy-Powered Leaders - a unique development journey: https://jessbaker.co.uk/empathy-powered-leadership/
Take a Free Quiz about Dynamic Helper Archetypes: https://jess-baker.involve.me/helper-quiz
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/