Ep. 391: “Shaping the Felt Environment” – The Science and Practice of Emotional Wisdom in the Workplace with Joshua Freedman of Six Seconds EQ Network
Release Date: 03/03/2026
Ep. 414: "Innovation Starts with Why” – Strategy, Change, and the Human Side of Facility Management with Martin Ruppe MBA, MCR, SFP of IFMA’s Workplace Evolutionaries
Workplace Innovator Podcast | Enhancing Your Employee Experience | Facility Management | CRE | Digital Workplace Technology
Martin Ruppe MBA, MCR, SFP is the Executive Director for IFMA’s Workplace Evolutionaries community where he is passionate about transforming facilities and workplaces through strategic consulting, digital innovation, and data-driven solutions. Mike Petrusky asks Martin why he believes innovation in FM is not about using the latest tools, but about identifying organizational gaps and aligning technology choices with strategic objectives. Having a clear strategy and understanding the 'why' behind workplace transformation is essential, so Martin encourages workplace leaders to focus on their...
info_outline
Ep. 413: "Always Be Connecting the Dots” – The Role of Hospitality in Culture and the Future of the Workplace with Jason Leeds of Dartcor Enterprises
Workplace Innovator Podcast | Enhancing Your Employee Experience | Facility Management | CRE | Digital Workplace Technology
Jason Leeds is Chief Growth Officer at Dartcor Enterprises where he helps organizations use hospitality to create workplaces that strengthen culture, connection, and employee engagement. Jason brings a unique perspective at the intersection of hospitality, commercial real estate, and the future of work, so Mike Petrusky asks him how hospitality helps people connect and thrive at work. They explore intentional, detail-driven experiences that can contribute to a sense of belonging and increase employee engagement as facility management leaders seek to reinvent workspaces and make them more...
info_outline
Ep. 412: “Where the Design Should Start” – Aligning Workplace Experience with Organizational Strategy with Beth Goff-McMillan of SKG and FOLIO
Workplace Innovator Podcast | Enhancing Your Employee Experience | Facility Management | CRE | Digital Workplace Technology
Beth Goff-McMillan is CEO of SKG and Founder of FOLIO where she is passionate about helping organizations create environments that inspire people, elevate performance, and reflect purpose. Mike Petrusky asks Beth why she believes that workplace design should start with asking "why" and how FM leaders should focus on understanding the purpose behind bringing employees together and what the organization aims to achieve from the space. The physical office is not the strategy itself but a direct reflection of a company’s strategy and desired outcomes for people and culture, so successful...
info_outline
Ep. 411: “Flexibility is Key” – FM Change, AI, and the Future of Workplace Experience with Tanja Stojanovski, FMP, SFP of Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc.
Workplace Innovator Podcast | Enhancing Your Employee Experience | Facility Management | CRE | Digital Workplace Technology
Tanja Stojanovski, FMP, SFP is Manager, Workplace Experience at Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc. where she is passionate about operations, property, facility and corporate management. Mike Petrusky asks Tanja about the future of the facility management and workplace experience profession as the industry faces constant change and requires daily adaptation. She believes that flexibility is key and says that the role of the FM team is shifting from being execution-focused to strategic partners who participate in business decisions and innovation. AI and data-driven technologies are already...
info_outline
Ep. 410: “Safe, Significant, and Situated” – Getting to Better: Elevating Human Potential at Work and in Life with Author Stephen de Groot of Brivia
Workplace Innovator Podcast | Enhancing Your Employee Experience | Facility Management | CRE | Digital Workplace Technology
Stephen de Groot is President & Co-Founder of Brivia where he is passionate about making work and life meaningful for everyone and he is author of the new book, “Getting to Better: A New Model for Elevating Human Potential at Work and in Life”. Mike Petrusky asks Stephen about his business philosophy, and they discuss how he believes workplace leaders can align their values and behaviors by creating environments where individuals feel safe, significant, and situated. They explore Steve’s book in which he offers practical strategies for value alignment including identifying the value,...
info_outline
Ep. 409: “Things are Changing Rapidly” – Workplace Culture and the Human Side of Facility Management with Melissa Van Hagan, CFM, IFMA Fellow of Hill Physicians Medical Group
Workplace Innovator Podcast | Enhancing Your Employee Experience | Facility Management | CRE | Digital Workplace Technology
Melissa Van Hagan, CFM, IFMA Fellow is Director, Facilities & Corporate Real Estate at Hill Physicians Medical Group where she is passionate about collaborating to ensure that relevant stakeholders are kept appraised of progress and challenges while delivering appropriate level of detail for each audience. Mike Petrusky asks Melissa why she believes that building strong industry relationships and community through IFMA and events like World Workplace is essential for personal and professional growth in facility management. They explore how hybrid and remote work have dramatically reshaped...
info_outline
Ep. 408: “Be More Human” – Embracing AI, Robotics and the Future of Workplace Strategy with Kevin Sauer, MCR.w of Nhance.ai & Sauer Strategy Works, LLC
Workplace Innovator Podcast | Enhancing Your Employee Experience | Facility Management | CRE | Digital Workplace Technology
Kevin Sauer, MCR.w, is Head of US Operations & Client Delivery at Nhance.ai, a digital twin and smart building platform, and Founder & CEO of Sauer Strategy Works, LLC where he is passionate about helping clients develop their workforce and workplace strategies, find the right technology, tools and resources, and guiding their change management programs. Mike Petrusky asks Kevin why he believes that human connection remains central to innovation and how engagement with colleagues, leaders, and outside perspectives is essential in the future of workplace strategy. The COVID-19 pandemic...
info_outline
Ep. 407: “Stay Curious” – Using Smart & Adaptive Technologies to Build People-Centric Workplace Experiences with Daniel Grilli of VECOS
Workplace Innovator Podcast | Enhancing Your Employee Experience | Facility Management | CRE | Digital Workplace Technology
Daniel Grilli is General Manager for Australasia at VECOS where he is passionate about using adaptive workplace technology to deliver operational strategy initiatives. Mike Petrusky asks Daniel why he believes that true innovation involves rapid learning from failure and requires organizations to be agile, experiment, and adapt quickly. They explore how design and management of workplaces are shifting from assumption-based to evidence-based, using real data about how spaces and amenities are actually used. Daniel says that adaptive technology should serve the people in the workplace, making...
info_outline
Ep. 406: “Prove That Value” – FM Innovation & Making Your Invisible Work More Visible with Alexander Wennerberg of Hives.co
Workplace Innovator Podcast | Enhancing Your Employee Experience | Facility Management | CRE | Digital Workplace Technology
Alexander Wennerberg is CEO & Founder at Hives.co where he is passionate about helping organizations tap into their teams’ best ideas and turn them into real improvements. Mike Petrusky asks Alexander why he believes that innovation is most effective when it empowers those closest to workplace problems to propose and implement solutions, rather than relying solely on top-down initiatives. They explore how facility management and real estate teams should focus on making their "invisible" work more visible, so they are recognized as value drivers rather than cost centers. Alexander says...
info_outline
Ep. 405: “Get Aligned on Purpose” – Change Management and the Three Pillars of Workplace Strategy with David George of CRUX Workplace
Workplace Innovator Podcast | Enhancing Your Employee Experience | Facility Management | CRE | Digital Workplace Technology
David George is CEO & Founder at CRUX Workplace where he builds on his decades of experience in workplace design, facilities management, real estate management and strategy to help clients co-create high performing, flexible workplace designs that enable people to do their best work. Mike Petrusky asks David why he believes that workplace strategists must be involved from the outset to understand business processes and create effective briefs for architects and designers, while innovation is centered on enabling people to perform their best and feel joy and connection at work. Engaging...
info_outlineJoshua Freedman is CEO and cofounder of Six Seconds, the global emotional intelligence (EQ) network where he is passionate about helping organizations achieve higher engagement, better leadership, and scalable culture change. Mike Petrusky asks Joshua about his new book, “Emotion Rules: The Science and Practice of Emotional Wisdom”, in which he equips leaders with scientific and practical tools for harnessing emotional intelligence to create a positive "felt environment" at work. Emotional intelligence is not only individually measurable but can also be assessed and developed at the organizational level to improve workplace culture and team effectiveness, so Joshua says emotional data is just as important as cognitive data in decision-making and leadership. Mike and Joshua discuss the increasing complexity and rapid change in the workplace today and explore how authenticity, empathy, and the willingness to acknowledge emotions in the workplace can help leaders to build trust and facilitate successful change management strategies. Tune in to hear the inspiration and encouragement that you will need to be a Workplace Innovator in your organization!
Connect with Joshua on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/freedman/
Order Joshua’s new book “Emotion Rules”: https://www.6seconds.org/emotionrules
Learn more about the Six Seconds EQ Network: https://www.6seconds.org/
Watch the podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSkmmkVFvM4H3pwnlU2AuqynuRDpvnh4J
Discover free resources and explore past interviews at: https://eptura.com/discover-more/podcasts/workplace-innovator/
Learn more about Eptura™: https://eptura.com/
Connect with Mike on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikepetrusky/