Business Skill Development

Episode 67 – Expectation Drift: How Vague Leadership Breaks Execution

Episode 67 – Expectation Drift: How Vague Leadership Breaks Execution

Jennifer Long

Welcome to episode 67 of Leadership Kung Fu!
If you’ve ever come up empty-handed when searching for answers from a leader, or your team is divided on what they thought the project completion standard was, you might have experienced Expectation Drift! Sandi and Jen jump in to tackle this topic to help teams and leaders identify and get ahead of a potential problem. Listen along as they discuss:

  • What IS Expecation Drift and how it happens
  • Employee engagement rates and other statistics around misalignment
  • What happens when leaders don’t know what expecations are
  • Leaders as learners
  • The role of accountability in expecation drift
  • Micromanaging vs. checking in
  • A rock analogy
  • How to get in front of the Drift and own it

and much more!

Thank you so much for listening! If you like what you hear, leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform, and make sure to check out the video cast under the “Videos” tab or over on the Leadership Kung Fu Youtube Channel!
Connect with Jen on LinkedIn and visit her website Own Up!®
Connect with Sandi on LinkedIn and visit her website Satori Consulting, Inc!

Have a comment, question, or topic for Sandi and Jen? Email us at podcast@dramafreeworkforce.com or leave us a comment on LinkedIn. If you like what you hear, leave us a review on your favorite listening platform!

Jen’s Website

Sandi’s Website

Episode 66 – Stop Outsourcing Thinking: Rebuilding Your Team’s Problem-Solving Muscles

Episode 66 – Stop Outsourcing Thinking: Rebuilding Your Team’s Problem-Solving Muscles

Jennifer Long

It’s critical that you know that Episode 66 of Leadership Kung Fu is here!

Welcome to February’s topic of what outsourcing thinking actually does to your team and how your practices can keep the problem-solving muscles healthy. Sandi and Jen dive right into:

  • How the cost of time with critical thinking is a lie
  • Low accountability and leaderned helplessness
  • The role of psychological safety
  • System 1 and System 2 thinking
  • The importances of exploring your problem-solving tools
  • Critical Thinking and A.I.
  • Leadership self-reflection and the role it plays
  • Managing discomfort
  • How many places you might have abandoned thinking

and much more!

Thank you so much for listening! If you like what you hear, leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform, and make sure to check out the video cast under the “Videos” tab or over on the Leadership Kung Fu Youtube Channel!
Connect with Jen on LinkedIn and visit her website Own Up!®
Connect with Sandi on LinkedIn and visit her website Satori Consulting, Inc!

Have a comment, question, or topic for Sandi and Jen? Email us at podcast@dramafreeworkforce.com or leave us a comment on LinkedIn. If you like what you hear, leave us a review on your favorite listening platform!

Jen’s Website

Sandi’s Website

Episode 65 – Strategy is Not a Slide Deck

Episode 65 – Strategy is Not a Slide Deck

Jennifer Long

Starting off 2026 strong, it’s episode 65 of Leadership Kung Fu!

Join Sandi and Jen in this new year as they revisit the topic of strategy in the workplace and how to get it unstuck from your meeting slide deck and out in action in your workforce. Listen along as they discuss:

  • Strategy to action
  • How strategies from Q4 are looking in Q1
  • Personal anecdotes
  • The importance of your “No” list
  • Facing the fears of “what if”
  • Real risk vs. risks we THINK are real
  • What strategy is and is not
  • Operationalizing
  • How alignment is an ongoing conversation
  • What happens when everything is deemed important
  • What each level of leadership needs to do with the strategy from the top
  • The importance of choosing the right words
  • Strategy upkeep and metrics
  • How strategy can die and what happens if it does
  • The effect of run-time on strategy
  • The 5 take-aways of strategy

and more!

Thank you so much for listening! If you like what you hear, leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform, and make sure to check out the video cast under the “Videos” tab or over on the Leadership Kung Fu Youtube Channel!
Connect with Jen on LinkedIn and visit her website Own Up!®
Connect with Sandi on LinkedIn and visit her website Satori Consulting, Inc!

Have a comment, question, or topic for Sandi and Jen? Email us at podcast@dramafreeworkforce.com or leave us a comment on LinkedIn. If you like what you hear, leave us a review on your favorite listening platform!

Jen’s Website

Sandi’s Website

Episode 64 – Your New Leader Isn’t Ready (Yet!)

Episode 64 – Your New Leader Isn’t Ready (Yet!)

Jennifer Long

Start making plans, episode 64 of Leadership Kung Fu is here!

Jen and Sandi are thinking about the future on today’s episode and discussing workplace succession plans! What happens when your CEO has a medical event? Can someone easily take over if your manager has a family emergency? Who steps in when retirements are announced? Join Sandi and Jen as they cover how you and your team can think ahead as well as:

and more!

Thank you so much for listening! If you like what you hear, leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform, and make sure to check out the video cast under the “Videos” tab or over on the Leadership Kung Fu Youtube Channel!
Connect with Jen on LinkedIn and visit her website Own Up!®
Connect with Sandi on LinkedIn and visit her website Satori Consulting, Inc!

Have a comment, question, or topic for Sandi and Jen? Email us at podcast@dramafreeworkforce.com or leave us a comment on LinkedIn. If you like what you hear, leave us a review on your favorite listening platform!

Jen’s Website

Sandi’s Website

Episode 63 – Strategic Momentum: The Discipline of Aligned Action

Episode 63 – Strategic Momentum: The Discipline of Aligned Action

Jennifer Long

Our actions have aligned to bring you Episode 63 of Leadership Kung Fu!
Join Sandi and Jen as they excitedly tackle the topic of aligned action and how your teams’ strategies can hinge upon it. Dive in with them as they cover:

  • What gets in the way of aligned action
  • Fragmented ownership
  • Working in silos vs. moving forward collectively
  • Decisions vs. feedback
  • Where incentives knock you out of alignment
  • Dashboards
  • Fighting stagnant policies/standards
  • The curse of unwillingness
  • Leadership drift
  • Giving strategy a chance to breathe
  • Buy-in vs. agreement
  • Movement based on workplace agility
  • Chance of success based on aligned action

and much more!

Thank you so much for listening! If you like what you hear, leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform, and make sure to check out the video cast under the “Videos” tab!
Connect with Jen on LinkedIn and visit her website Own Up!®
Connect with Sandi on LinkedIn and visit her website Satori Consulting, Inc!

Have a comment, question, or topic for Sandi and Jen? Email us at podcast@dramafreeworkforce.com or leave us a comment on LinkedIn. If you like what you hear, leave us a review on your favorite listening platform!

Jen’s Website

Sandi’s Website

Episode 62 – First Moves Matter: Helping a New Leader

Episode 62 – First Moves Matter: Helping a New Leader

Jennifer Long

New to the group, it’s episode 62 of Leadership Kung Fu!

Sandi and Jen are enthusiastic about today’s topic of new leaders and how you and your organization can set them up for success and if you’re a new leader, how to tackle that transition with flying colors. Listen in as they discuss:

  • common new leader hurdles and transition difficulties
  • how values shift in a new role
  • the art of letting go
  • what your leadership will look like as you make the shift
  • technical skills and relationship skills
  • how relationships evolve when new leadership occurs
  • where Imposter Syndrome can affect the new role and how limiting it can be
  •  Taming Your Gremlin by Rick Carson
  • troubles with the hand-off
  • trust during the transition
  • leadership groups for new-to leadership leaders
  • perks of being a brand-new leader

and much more!

Thank you so much for listening! If you like what you hear, leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform, and make sure to check out the video cast under the “Videos” tab!
Connect with Jen on LinkedIn and visit her website Own Up!®
Connect with Sandi on LinkedIn and visit her website Satori Consulting, Inc!

Have a comment, question, or topic for Sandi and Jen? Email us at podcast@dramafreeworkforce.com or leave us a comment on LinkedIn! If you like what you hear, leave us a review on your favorite listening platform!

Jen’s Website

Sandi’s Website

Episode 61 – From Talking to Doing: Why Leadership Teams Stall

Episode 61 – From Talking to Doing: Why Leadership Teams Stall

Jennifer Long

Welcome to episode 61 of Leadership Kung Fu! Jen and Sandi are talking the talk and walking the walk to bring you today’s topic: why leadership teams can stall! Settle in as they chat about:

  • Words are nice, but action is important
  • Stalling due to fear of conflict
  • Feeling safe in the workplace
  • How multiple priorities can actually be a hindrance
  • Corporate whiplash and fatigue
  • Alignment vs. accountability
  • The Knowing-Doing gap
  • How to stop “The Stall”
  • The One Hard Question
  • What parts you actually play
  • 6 Thinking Hats by Edward de Bono
  • Where your bias lives
  • Timeboxing
  • Meeting habits

and much more!

Thank you so much for listening! If you like what you hear, leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform, and make sure to check out the video cast under the “Videos” tab!
Connect with Jen on LinkedIn and visit her website Own Up!®
Connect with Sandi on LinkedIn and visit her website Satori Consulting, Inc!

Have a comment, question, or topic for Sandi and Jen? Email us at podcast@dramafreeworkforce.com or leave us a comment on LinkedIn! If you like what you hear, leave us a review on your favorite listening platform!

Jen’s Website

Sandi’s Website

Episode 60 – The Art of the Mid-Year Check In

Episode 60 – The Art of the Mid-Year Check In

Jennifer Long

Ready for some self reflection? Here’s episode 60 of Leadership Kung Fu!

Sandi and Jen are asking us to take some time and join them a moment as they chat about the importance of a mid-year check in, not just with our teams, but with ourselves too! Listen along as they highlight:

  • The importance of sense-making
  • Measuring your efficacy, not your results
  • How often are you getting feedback?
  • Your leadership “brand”
  • Behavior that reflects value
  • Reactiveness and the signs of burnout, physical and non
  • Intentional resets
  • A.I. in leadership styles and the most popular uses as of recording
  • Goals and the metrics of goals
  • Are your metrics just a sign of activity?
  • Driving focus
  • The weights of risk and opportunity

and much more!

Thank you so much for listening! If you like what you hear, leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform, and make sure to check out the video cast under the “Videos” tab!
Connect with Jen on LinkedIn and visit her website Own Up!®
Connect with Sandi on LinkedIn and visit her website Satori Consulting, Inc!

Have a comment, question, or topic for Sandi and Jen? Email us at podcast@dramafreeworkforce.com or leave us a comment on LinkedIn! If you like what you hear, leave us a review on your favorite listening platform!

Jen’s Website

Sandi’s Website

Episode 59 – Conscious Un-Bossing: The New Distaste for Managing

Episode 59 – Conscious Un-Bossing: The New Distaste for Managing

Jennifer Long

It’s a group effort over here on Leadership Kung Fu, so we’re glad you’re here for episode 59!
Join Jen and Sandi as they dissect the topic of Concious Un-Bossing, and listen along as they cover:

  • Jen’s NEW book Workers are the Solution, Not the Problem: A Guidebook to Leading Differently
  • how Gen Z is bringing changes to the workplace
  • conscious uncoupling
  • what it means to start to change a workplace culture
  • purpose over power
  • inclusivity is a power tool
  • trust at every level and how it becomes an operating system
  • mature accountability systems
  • how group leadership makes you a better person
  • how leading is a capability, not a title
  • what advantages your business can gain from this model
  • how shifting to a new cultural model takes time
  • the books Humanocracy by Gary Hamel and Michele Zanini and The Social Leadership Handbook by Julian Stodd
  • what happens when human solve problems together

and more!

Thank you so much for listening! If you like what you hear, leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform, and make sure to check out the video cast under the “Videos” tab!
Connect with Jen on LinkedIn and visit her website Own Up!®
Connect with Sandi on LinkedIn and visit her website Satori Consulting, Inc!

Have a comment, question, or topic for Sandi and Jen? Email us at podcast@dramafreeworkforce.com or leave us a comment on LinkedIn! If you like what you hear, leave us a review on your favorite listening platform!

Jen’s Website

Sandi’s Website

Episode 58 – Leading Hybrid and Remote

Episode 58 – Leading Hybrid and Remote

Jennifer Long

Travel back in time with Jen and Sandi as they chat about a topic that’s not necessarily new, but is certainly still a topic of discussion: working remotely and hybrid workforces!

Whether you’re taking a break in the breakroom or moving laundry inbetween meetings, listen along as Jen and Sandi discuss:

  • The importance of asking questions and the weight of listening
  • a brief conversation about how engagement surveys can fail you
  • thinking about how your work is best done could influece hybrid work management
  • what working in a conducive environment to the work you do can influence work output
  • looking at the work instead of seeking giving “same treatment”
  • what can cause resentment among hybrid teams
  • the strategy of shaping in office/remote work around the type of people who work for/with you
  • the state of strategy
  • your workforce is the solution
  • if you are setting them up for success regardless of environment
  • new terms and slang that have come from 5 years of hybrid workforces
  • how celebrating success is important
  • half thebattle is understanding the correct problems to solve
  • Red Team Thinking benefits

and more!

Thank you so much for listening! If you like what you hear, leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform, and make sure to check out the video cast under the “Videos” tab!
Connect with Jen on LinkedIn and visit her website Own Up!®
Connect with Sandi on LinkedIn and visit her website Satori Consulting, Inc!

Have a comment, question, or topic for Sandi and Jen? Email us at podcast@dramafreeworkforce.com or leave us a comment on LinkedIn! If you like what you hear, leave us a review on your favorite listening platform!

Jen’s Website

Sandi’s Website

Episode 57 – Reactive Fist, Broken Mind: The Cost of Fearful Leadership

Episode 57 – Reactive Fist, Broken Mind: The Cost of Fearful Leadership

Jennifer Long

Don’t be afraid, it’s a new episode of Leadership Kung Fu!

This episode is all about fearful leadership and what that can cost your place of business. Jen and Sandi waste no time diving into what can truly be at stake when leadership takes a reactive instead of a strategic approach. Listen along as they delve into:

  • what can trigger reactive leadership
  • how you show up and how that can impact your team and their action
  • what short-term thinking means for long term effects
  • how reactionary actions affect overall messages/goals of a company
  • what drivers trigger responses/what leaders might be afraid of
  • talent drain
  • the fear around fear-based decisions
  • the dangers of a non-response
  • impacts on factors outside of business
  • what helps create strategic calm
  • the importance of time for strategies
  • tools that can help combat reactive leadership

and more! Listen in to help give your leadership tips to retract the reactivity and hold space for strategy.

Thank you so much for listening! If you like what you hear, leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform, and make sure to check out the video cast under the “Videos” tab!
Connect with Jen on LinkedIn and visit her website Own Up!®
Connect with Sandi on LinkedIn and visit her website Satori Consulting, Inc!

Have a comment, question, or topic for Sandi and Jen? Email us at podcast@dramafreeworkforce.com or leave us a comment on LinkedIn! If you like what you hear, leave us a review on your favorite listening platform!

Jen’s Website

Sandi’s Website

Episode 56 – Deflect and Redirect: Handling Conflict Like a Kung Fu Master

Episode 56 – Deflect and Redirect: Handling Conflict Like a Kung Fu Master

Jennifer Long

How to deal with conflict can be, well, confliciting! In this episode, Jen and Sandi tackle the topic of conflict and how knowing yourself can aid you in knowing how to master conflict! Listen along as they cover:

  • why conflict can be good for leaders
  • the different types of conflict
  • how to identify what your own conflict behavior is
  • what harm withdrawing from conflict can do 
  • the role of EQ (emotional intelligence) in conflict and the weight it carries
  • the gift of considering different perspectives and the ability to get out of your own head
  • how engaging with others is NOT a weakness in leadership
  • increased communication versatility
  • the importance of sleeping on a decision and taking time to process the information
  • the cost of doing conflict poorly

and more! Tune in to hear more tips so you can conquer conflict with ease!

Thank you so much for listening! If you like what you hear, leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform, and make sure to check out the video cast under the “Videos” tab!
Connect with Jen on LinkedIn and visit her website Own Up!®
Connect with Sandi on LinkedIn and visit her website Satori Consulting, Inc!

Have a comment, question, or topic for Sandi and Jen? Leave us a comment on LinkedIn and be sure to leave us a review on your favorite listening platform.

Jen’s Website

Sandi’s Website

Episode 55 – Leading with Clarity-Debunking Leadership Myths

Episode 55 – Leading with Clarity-Debunking Leadership Myths

Jennifer Long

Welcome to Episode 55 of Leadership Kung Fu! Jen and Sandi are back after a shiny new rebrand and  a first episode of 2025! To start out this year, listen along as they tackle topics such as:

  •  what has changed within things you subscribe to and how the workplace is different than what it was 10/15+ years ago
  • how “no” is not a bad word in the workplace
  • vulnerability is a good, healthy thing
  • not all leaders are charismatic
  • Everything DiSC by Wiley
  • results vs. relationships and the importance of workplace connections
  • how relationships ≠ “liking” someone
  • how our words set us up to show up
  • time and energy management
  • HBR: Manage Your Energy, Not Your Time

and more! Tune in as they bust more leadership myths to start your 2025 with clarity!

Thank you so much for listening! If you like what you hear, leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform, and make sure to check out the video cast under the “Videos” tab!
Connect with Jen on LinkedIn and visit her website Own Up!®
Connect with Sandi on LinkedIn and visit her website Satori Consulting, Inc!

Have a comment, question, or topic for Sandi and Jen? Leave us a comment on LinkedIn! 

Jen’s Website

Sandi’s Website

Episode 54 – The Art of Goal Setting, Keeping, and Achieving

Episode 54 – The Art of Goal Setting, Keeping, and Achieving

Jennifer Long

Happy holidays from Organizational Transformational Kung Fu: The Podcast! Jen and Sandi are looking to the future this week and talk about goals and how to set them, keep them, and meet them! Follow along as they chat about:

  • their year in review
  • what reflection can do for you and writing vs. typing/digital record keeping
  • hard vs. soft transformations
  • the role of practice and support in discipline
  • what we’re really doing when we “let ourselves off the hook”
  • the importance of the set up short term does for long term
  • how we are influenced by the number of goals we set
  • Atomic Habits by James Clear 
  • considering a “shift” instead of a “stop”
  • an exciting new change coming to OTKF in 2025!

We want to thank each and every one of you for your support all throughout 2024, and we cannot wait to see what we can do in 2025! See you next year!

Thank you so much for listening! If you like what you hear, leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform, and make sure to check out the video cast under the “Videos” tab!
Connect with Jen on LinkedIn and visit her website Own Up!®
Connect with Sandi on LinkedIn and visit her website Satori Consulting, Inc!

Have a comment, question, or topic for Sandi and Jen? Leave us a comment on LinkedIn! 

Jen’s Website

Sandi’s Website

Episode 53 – Listening as a Leader

Episode 53 – Listening as a Leader

Jennifer Long

In this week’s episode of OT Kung Fu, Jen and Sandi revisit the types of listening they talked about with author Sean Grace and ponder how the listening types affect us in the workplace. Join them as they cover:

and more!

Thank you so much for listening! If you like what you hear, leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform, and make sure to check out the video cast under the “Videos” tab!
Connect with Jen on LinkedIn and visit her website Own Up!®
Connect with Sandi on LinkedIn and visit her website Satori Consulting, Inc!

Have a comment, question, or topic for Sandi and Jen? Leave us a comment on LinkedIn! 

Jen’s Website

Sandi’s Website

Episode 52 – Say What? The Art of the Question with Author Sean Grace

Episode 52 – Say What? The Art of the Question with Author Sean Grace

Jennifer Long

Welcome back to OT Kung Fu: The Podcast!

Sandi and Jen are joined this week by the incredible author Sean Grace!

From Sean’s website: 

“Sean Grace is a communication consultant, author, coach, and speaker, with over 25 years of experience developing and training sales, marketing, and leadership talent across diverse industries. His unique brand of business consulting is forged from his long career in media, advertising, and the creative arts.

Sean studied music performance at the Juilliard School and SUNY Purchase, and finance at Wharton. As an award winning musician and multi-instrumentalist, he borrows techniques from jazz improvisation to help foster creative collaboration and cooperation within and across teams.

Sean’s track record of success as a consultant and coach has earned him a reputation as a trusted advisor and trainer to some of the world’s most innovative and successful organizations.”

Listen along as Jen, Sandi, and Sean discuss topics from Sean’s new book The Art of the Question: A Guide for Seekers, Dreamers, Problem Solvers and Leaders such as:

  • the value of creative thinking in a post-pandemic workplace
  • Sean’s workflow in how he got started in the formulation of questions
  • how vital curiosity and openness is to the process of questions
  • the 3 phase model
  • types of listening and the effect on conversations and situations
  • the Socratic 8
  • his work as a musician and his album “Wonderland”
  • the origin of the name OT Kung Fu!

You can connect with Sean at peakluma.com and find his book over at Amazon!

Thank you so much for joining us, Sean!

Thank you so much for listening! If you like what you hear, leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform, and make sure to check out the video cast under the “Videos” tab!

Have a comment, question, or topic for Sandi and Jen? Leave us a comment on LinkedIn! 

Jen’s Website

Sandi’s Website

Episode 51 – Conversations on Change with Curtis Bateman

Episode 51 – Conversations on Change with Curtis Bateman

Jennifer Long

Welcome to Episode 51 of OT Kung Fu: The Podcast!

Joining Jen and Sandi this week is Curtis Bateman, co-author of Change: How to Turn Uncertainty Into Opportunity and vice president of direct international offices for FranklinCovey. From the FranklinCovey site: 

                “With over twenty-five years of experience in the training industry, Curtis is an internationally recognized presenter, content developer, change consultant, business leader, and coach. His passion for enabling organizations “at change” resulted in the co-creation of transformative, industry-leading solutions, including Change Element, Leaders@Change, Managing Millennials, Millennials@Work, and the Change Practitioner.” 

We’re thrilled to have Curtis join us to talk about what change means to a leader and the workplace as a whole! Listen along to the conversation as they cover: 

  • -the behaviors that show up when change comes
  • -what it means to be reactive vs. choosing a reaction
  • -what a change introduction does
  • -risks and rewards of change
  • -how leaders can maintain good effects of change
  • -compliance vs. engagement

and more!

You can read more about Curtis and check out more of his articles at his FranklinCovey page and follow him on his LinkedIn!
Thank you so much for listening! Make sure to check out the video cast under the “Videos” tab!

Have a comment, question, or topic for Sandi and Jen? Leave us a comment on LinkedIn! 

Jen’s Website

Sandi’s Website

Episode 50 – Thinking About Hidden Potential by Adam Grant

Episode 50 – Thinking About Hidden Potential by Adam Grant

Jennifer Long

It’s OT Kung Fu’s 50th episode!
We have another book review episode, this week featuring Hidden Potential by Adam Grant! Join Jen and Sandi while they cover topics like:

-Performance Reviews and how they have changed from potential to goal-oriented
-How imperfect leaders are more beneficial than “perfect” leaders
-How meeting folks where there are at instead of where you want them to be cultivates a better workplace culture
-High potential compared to related experience
-Why learning agility is more valuable as a leadership predictor
-Why self-reflection is such an important tool
-Learning curves and useful uncomfortability
-Imposter Syndrome and feedback
-Self-awareness and how it echoes into other aspects of life
-How a “scarcity”mindset affects you
-“Learning Organizations” and follow-through
-How tech and instant delivery plays in

You can check you more about Adam Grant book and take the assessment on his page at adamgrant.net!

Thank you so much for listening! Make sure to check out the video cast under the “Videos” tab!
Connect with Jen on LinkedIn and visit her website Own Up!®
Connect with Sandi on LinkedIn and visit her website Satori Consulting, Inc!

Have a comment, question, or topic for Sandi and Jen? Leave us a comment on LinkedIn! 

Jen’s Website

Sandi’s Website

Episode 49 – Leadership and Building Organizational Capacity with Todd Conklin

Episode 49 – Leadership and Building Organizational Capacity with Todd Conklin

Jennifer Long

You made it to the end of July, and we have a new episode of OT Kung Fu for you to celebrate and gear up before a new month begins tomorrow!

Jen and Sandi are joined on this episode by Dr. Todd Conklin, author of Pre-Accident Investigations: An Introduction to Organizational Safety  as well as host of his organizational safety podcast of the same name. From his website:
     “Todd Conklin spent 25 years at Los Alamos National Laboratory as a Senior Advisor for Organizational and Safety Culture.  Los Alamos National Laboratory is one of the world’s foremost research and development laboratories; Dr. Conklin has been working on the Human Performance program for the last 15 years of his 25-year career.  It is in this fortunate position where he enjoys the best of both the academic world and the world of safety in practice.  

        Conklin holds a Ph.D. in organizational behavior from the University of New Mexico.  He speaks all over the world to executives, groups and work teams who are interested in better understanding the relationship between the workers in the field and the organization’s systems, processes, and programs.  He has brought these systems to major corporations around the world.  Conklin practices these ideas not only in his own workplace, but also in the event investigations at other workplaces around the world.  Conklin’s best selling book, Pre-Accident Investigations: An introduction to Organizational Safety is a best selling book on safety.  Conklin has several other books and a huge podcast following for his twice-weekly podcast of the same name.  Conklin defines safety at his workplace like this:  ‘Safety is the ability for workers to be able to do work in a varying and unpredictable world.'”

Listen along as they talk about the 5 HOP principles mentioned in Dr.Conklin’s book and how leadership mindsets can flourish within those principles, what simply having confidence can do for you, “why?” versus “how?” and what kind of leader flocks to each question, and more! Thank you so much for joining us on this episode, Dr. Conklin!

You can find all of Dr. Conklin’s books and his podcast on his page on HOP Hub here.
Dr. Conklin and Jen will be speaking at the next Conklin Conference in Santa Fe, NM from September 10th-September 12th 2024. You can sign up for the conference HERE.

Thank you so much for listening! Make sure to check out the video cast under the “Videos” tab!
Connect with Jen on LinkedIn and visit her website Own Up!®
Connect with Sandi on LinkedIn and visit her website Satori Consulting, Inc!

Have a comment, question, or topic for Sandi and Jen? Leave us a comment on LinkedIn! 

Jen’s Website

Sandi’s Website

Episode 48 – Influence as a Strategy: Getting Better Outcomes with Others

Episode 48 – Influence as a Strategy: Getting Better Outcomes with Others

Jennifer Long

Happy Summer! Beat the heat with Sandi and Jen and listen along as they tackle the topic of influence (as a person, not for social media)! Today they cover:

  • -How reciprocity is different within the workplace
  • -How you show up as a leader to your peers vs. to your boss
  • -The traits of a successful workplace influencer
  • -Their love and use of the EverythingDiSC® by Wiley within training they have done
  • -Negotiation awareness and the balance required to not cross the line into -manipulation
  • -Persuasion vs. Influence

and more! 

Thank you so much for listening! Make sure to check out the video cast under the “Videos” tab!
Connect with Jen on LinkedIn
Connect with Sandi on LinkedIn

Have a comment, question, or topic for Sandi and Jen? Leave us a comment on LinkedIn!

Jen’s Website

Sandi’s Website

Episode 47 – Work-Life Bloom Interview with author Dan Pontefract

Episode 47 – Work-Life Bloom Interview with author Dan Pontefract

Jennifer Long

We have a real treat for listeners today! Jen and Sandi are joined by award-winning author Dan Pontefract to talk about his new book Work-Life Bloom: How to Nurture a Team that Flourishes! From his website: “Dan is a renowned keynote speaker who has presented at four TED events and delivers approximately 50 keynotes annually. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Victoria’s Gustavson School of Business and has received over 25 industry, individual, and book awards.” Listen along as Dan, Sandi, and Jen cover topics such as:

  • -The origin of Work-Life Bloom
  • -Personas in Work/Life Balance
  • -“Soil” vs “Water” tests in the workplace
  • -Workplace Vulnerability and Gen Z

You can connect with Dan on his website donpontefract.com, and you can check out the book’s page at worklifebloom.com
Dan’s Assessment: worklifebloom.com/work-life-assessment
Connect with Dan on LinkedIn!

Thank you so much for listening! Make sure to check out the video cast under the “Videos” tab!
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Jen’s Website

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Episode 46 – Critical Thinking and Problem Solving for Teams: A Red Teaming Review

Episode 46 – Critical Thinking and Problem Solving for Teams: A Red Teaming Review

Jennifer Long

Welcome back to OT Book Club, er, we mean OT Kung Fu! Jen and Sandi invite you to listen in as they discuss “Red Teaming: How Your Business Can Conquer the Competition by Challenging Everything” by Bryce G. Hoffman.

Enjoy the ASMR of Jen and Sandi flipping through to their favorite parts and points of the book and how you can empower your teams to think critically in tough situations, and how you can get that critical thinking to produce critical solutions! If you want Jen and Sandi to review more books/literature about teams or accountability in the future, let us know!

Thank you so much for listening! Make sure to check out the video cast under the “Videos” tab!
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Jen’s Website

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Episode 45 – The Customer Experience and a Coaching Approach with Dan Coldwell

Episode 45 – The Customer Experience and a Coaching Approach with Dan Coldwell

Jennifer Long

Here to tell you not to live in fear of bad reviews, Jen and Sandi are joined by Dan Coldwell this week, a colleague of Sandi’s at Satori Consulting, Inc. Dan has 30 years of experience in financial services as an executive and industry speaker and has also served as chief marketing and chief operations officer in past positions. He is a hockey certified coach, and he “cross-pollinates” (as he puts it) between the business and sports world.

Listen along as they chat about:

  • -acting on feedback/pain points
  • -the 3 steps of responding to feedback
  • -Feedback collection Do’s and Don’ts
  • -how to not fear bad reviews because of what they do for good reviews

Thank you so much for joining Jen and Sandi, Dan! If you’d like to chat more with Dan about the customer experience, you can contact him through the Satori Consulting, Inc. site.

Thank you so much for listening! Make sure to check out the video cast under the “Videos” tab!
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Jen’s Website

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Episode 44 – Transformational Leadership with Cara Cameron

Episode 44 – Transformational Leadership with Cara Cameron

Jennifer Long

Happy first podcast of 2024! We’re starting out this new year with a treat for you- Jen and Sandi are joined by Sandi’s colleague Cara Cameron, who holds the position of Chief Future of Work for Mutual Insurance. She has worked in Human Resources for over 15 years and is passionate about developing leaders. With her Chief Future of Work position, she is able to better analyze how the changing workforce impacts the organization, teams, and how those parties respond to the change. Listen along as Jen, Sandi, and Cara talk about:

  • -How do employees want to work/what they are looking for from a Chief Future of Work
  • -how the position develops and implements plans around intention and how HR supports those intentions
  • -how they meet skepticism and the “I’ll believe it when I see it” attitude
  • -how supportive CEOs/Presidents/Leadership are the keys to enacting positive change
  • -what it means when you understand where your team is through touch points and intentional support
  • -that Performance Management is an ongoing process

Thank you so much for listening! Make sure to check out the video cast under the “Videos” tab!
Connect with Jen on LinkedIn
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Jen’s Website

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Episode 43 – Change Starts with You

Episode 43 – Change Starts with You

Jennifer Long

Surprise! One additional episode before the New Year! This week, Jen and Sandi discuss changes in the workplace and how those changes come about. It all starts from the same place: you! Join them as they cover:

  • -how change is not linear, but dynamic
  • -how to go about thinking about change and understanding the “why” of change
  • -how changing requires vulnerability
  • -the Pyramid of Readiness model by Cy Wakeman
  • -the level of awareness in change
  • -self-reflection when it comes to change

and more!

Enjoy this last episode of 2023, and Jen and Sandi will see you in 2024!

Check out the Video cast under the “Video” tab!
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Jen’s Website

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Episode 42 – Leveraging Mastermind Groups to Grow Yourself and Your Business with Julie Ellis

Episode 42 – Leveraging Mastermind Groups to Grow Yourself and Your Business with Julie Ellis

Jennifer Long

Happy December! This week, Jen and Sandi are joined by fellow entrepreneur and author Julie Ellis! Join the trio as they discuss:

  • -Julie’s start with Mabel’s Labels and how she scales her leadership systems for different sized teams at different revenue numbers
  • – Julie’s new Mastermind project: a peer-reviewed mentorship for women in business and how to scale your successes
  • -What evolutions take place as your business grows in sales and in people and the leadership needs that come from that
  • – Julie’s Book Big Gorgeous Goals:How Bold Women Achieve Great Things

Thank you so much for joining us, Julie! If you have a question for Jen, Sandi, or Julie, leave a comment below or connect with them on LinkedIn!

You can find Julie by clicking the following:

Julie’s Linktree
Julie’s Website
Julie’s LinkedIn
Buy Julie’s Book

Check out the Video cast under the “Video” tab!
Connect with Jen on LinkedIn
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Jen’s Website

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Episode 41 – Strong Leaders Know They Are Imperfect

Episode 41 – Strong Leaders Know They Are Imperfect

Jennifer Long

In this episode of OT Kung Fu, join Jen and Sandi as they dive into how strong leaders are able to recognize their own shortcomings to encourage their own growth and stability as leaders. Topics in this episode include:

– self reflection and the act of identifying your own insecurities and how that is a helpful skill

-Imposter syndrome

-The Johari Window

-Humility and learning from mistakes

-How being vulnerable is vital to learning

-Adaptability and Inclusivity within that self-reflection

Check out the Video cast under the “Video” tab!


Connect with Jen on LinkedIn

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Have a comment, question, or topic for Sandi and Jen? Leave us a comment!

Jen’s Website

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Episode 40 – Leadership Training at the Top

Episode 40 – Leadership Training at the Top

Jennifer Long

Join Jen and Sandi LIVE from New York (not on Saturday Night, unfortunately) as they discuss how often the teams at the top and how the top team can be skipped when they start investing in team learning and workplace learning. They touch on the importance of top teams always checking in with their own learning as organizational health can shift and grow.

Editor’s note: due the location and way of recording, there is a door noise at the 11:10 mark. Removing this would also remove the voice audio, so we were only able to dampen it. Jen is also wearing jewelry that clicks when moved, and we could not could not separate out without deleting voice lines as well. We apologize if these are distracting.

Have a comment, question, or topic for Sandi and Jen? Leave us a comment in the box below!

Jen’s Website

Sandi’s Website

Episode 39 – Psychological Safety and Accountability

Episode 39 – Psychological Safety and Accountability

Jennifer Long

Sandi and Jen explore the topic of what it means when someone feels psychologically safe in a workplace and where that starts for us, and what affect that can have on workplace accountability.

Have a comment, question, or topic for Sandi and Jen? Leave us a comment in the box below!

Jen’s Website

Sandi’s Website

Episode 38 – Getting Results from DEI Efforts

Episode 38 – Getting Results from DEI Efforts

Jennifer Long

Jen and Sandi take on a relevant topic of DEI- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion within the workplace to ensure it’s not just a token requirement that is met simply to tick a box. They round out Pride Month by placing the workplace and ourselves under the microscope with how to we recognize and shift into DEI mindsets.

Jen’s Website

Sandi’s Website

Episode 37 – Meeting Disciplines

Episode 37 – Meeting Disciplines

Jennifer Long

Join Sandi and Jen as they tackle the topic of meetings, the kind of people who show up to them, and what makes a meeting actually worth your time to attend. As the nature of meetings has changed in recent years, Jen and Sandi encourage reflection on the hows and whys of meetings and their attendees at their cores.

Jen’s Website

Sandi’s Website

Episode 36 – Coaching Leaders

Episode 36 – Coaching Leaders

Jennifer Long

Join Sandi and Jen as they dive into what it takes and means to coach leaders and how to encourage them and keep them as new folks are stepping into leadership roles. They also discuss how leaders can learn and adapt that “coaching” role as modern leadership takes on more than previous years.

Jen’s Website

Sandi’s Website

Episode 35 – Establishing Teams and Team Norms

Episode 35 – Establishing Teams and Team Norms

Jennifer Long

Jen and Sandi come to you today talking about what it a team truly is and what it takes to establish that team and the normalities needed for the team to function cohesively and productively.

Jen’s Website

Sandi’s Website

Episode 34 – Good Strategy, Bad Strategy

Episode 34 – Good Strategy, Bad Strategy

Jennifer Long

Join Sandi and Jen as they discuss good strategies in the workplace versus bad ones, and how to get your team through both. Listen in as they discuss some of their favorite strategy authors, resources, and inspirations to navigate process and product.

Jen’s Website

Sandi’s Website

Episode 33 – Leading in Stressful Times

Episode 33 – Leading in Stressful Times

Jennifer Long

This week, Jen and Sandi discuss the workplace post-pandemic, and the humanness of the stresses that are sourced from the adaptations we’ve had to make. They offer some solutions to keeping yourself and your team stress-free while navigating hybrid work environments.

Jen’s Website

Sandi’s Website

Episode 32 – Retention

Episode 32 – Retention

Jennifer Long

Sandi and Jen meet to discuss retention of employees in the workplace and what that looks like in 2023. With much of the workforce now remote, what can managers and leaders do to keep them engaged, and what does that look like versus those who wanted to come back to the office? Tune in to hear how things have changed and how to navigate the waves of management.

Jen’s Website

Sandi’s Website

Episode 31 – Strategic Whiplash

Episode 31 – Strategic Whiplash

Jennifer Long

Jen and Sandi discuss VUCA-Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity and what the impact of changing strategies can bring to the pace of our lives and the business world. What events in the workplace give us whiplash, and how do we come out of it?

Jen’s Website

Sandi’s Website

Episode 30 – Neuroscience of Accountability

Episode 30 – Neuroscience of Accountability

Jennifer Long

Sandi and Jen interview Reut Schwartz-Hebron. Reut Sandi and Jen discuss how accountability interacts with neuroscience and how that affects work and life. Reut trains and supports coaches, consultants, and HR leaders to complete their Certification in Applied Neuroscience.

Click Here to learn more about Reut Schwartz-Hebron

Jen’s Website

Sandi’s Website

Episode 29 – Own Up! Drama Free Accountability

Episode 29 – Own Up! Drama Free Accountability

Jennifer Long

Sandi interviews her co-host, Jen about her new book: Own Up! How to Hold People Accountable without all the Drama. Jen and Sandi talk about what is in the book and go through the Six Ownership Steps model of Accountability™ for Mangers and Leaders.

Click Here buy and get more info about the Own Up! book

Jen’s Website

Sandi’s Website

Episode 13 – Upskilling Your Team

Episode 13 – Upskilling Your Team

Jennifer Long

With rapid change comes the need for new skills as well as updated skills. This podcast covers some thinking and strategies around the need for on-going skills development, some solutions on how to incorporate skills development as managers and leaders as well as some of the most critical skills people need regardless of role and experience.

Jen’s Website

Sandi’s Website