The Corporate Happiness Show

Meet Zoe Pirtle! She is a multifaceted audio engineer, songwriter, artist, and musician. Through her company, Sound Scientist Productions, she releases her own music under the name Zoe Mina; works as a freelance audio engineer on various audio jobs ranging from fixing recordings, or creating custom music, to creating logo audio for sound branding moments; and as a consultant for audio setups and projects. With a diverse background both personally and professionally, she strives to accomplish anything set before her with a smile, positivity, and an out-of-the-box mindset. 

Music by Sound Scientist Productions.

Meet Lynda Yang! Having spent almost two decades within traditional HR, this People Expert is now challenging the profession's status quo. Lynda Yang is the Founder & Chief Disruptor of hrmillennium, an innovative People Operations consultancy that aims to empower the next generations of leaders. Lynda acquired her Master's degree in Management & Leadership, her Bachelor's degree in Human Resources Management and is recognized by The Society of Human Resources as a Senior Certified Professional. 

Meet Alyssa Young! She is the proud Director of Optimization at EmpowHERment. Alyssa believes in true work-life balance and owning your worth. She takes pride in representing this organization, and acting as a spokesperson for her team. Her passion is to contribute, support, and make a difference long-term. 

Meet Jennifer Granillo! She's a Senior Director, People and Brand, and combines her secret weapon of encouragement plus her 20-plus years of corporate marketing and human resources within the hospitality space, to positively influence both employees and employers at all levels. 

Based in the Greater Boston area, Jennifer has traveled across the US, imparting teams and organizations with her infectious enthusiasm and genuine, down-to-earth relatability. 

Meet Dr. Aleksandra Plazinic! She is an Executive Communications Coach and Trainer, Keynote Speaker, University Lecturer with a Ph.D. in communications, certified NLP trainer, and consultant with vast professional experience in international organizations: United Nations and European Commission, business consultancies, and within the University setting.

Dr. Aleksandra Plazinic has been recognized as one of the Top 30 Business Coaches To Look Out For In 2022 by the New York City Journal and is listed among 175 Women B2B Thought Leaders to Follow in 2023 by Thinkers 360.

She works with international executives and professionals to help them overcome the fear of public speaking, effectively communicate, present with impact, build self-confidence to advance their careers, and reach personal fulfillment.

Dr. Aleksandra Plazinic published many academic and expert articles. She has been recognized for her work, personally endorsed by Arianna Huffington, and featured in Thrive Global, Medium, Idyllic Pursuit, The New York City Journal, Entrepreneurs Herald, Thinkers 360, YouQueen, and BizLife.

Meet Tony Sadiku! He is a Tampa-based certified personal trainer and fitness coach who’s helped countless people discover their potential and reach their fitness and wellness goals. Along the way, he’s motivated people to embrace movement as medicine and establish healthy habits toward an active lifestyle. He regularly leads free workout classes throughout Tampa Bay. In addition to his work in wellness, Tony is a local broadcast meteorologist and reporter. His work covering major weather events has earned 2 Emmy nominations.

Do you often feel undervalued and unappreciated when trying to communicate at your workplace - or in private - but usually don’t have enough energy and don’t know how to effectively present your ideas?

Meet Robin Page-Norman! She is a member of Forbes HR Council as well as on the HR Advisory Board for Bennie, an HR Tech broker, and has 30 years of HR experience. Robin spent her first 5 years out of school working for a boutique recruiting firm, Sales Consultants of Boston, working on training and operations and gaining real understanding of the recruiting process from an operational standpoint–while also working in a few small companies as the stand alone HR representative, wearing many hats in HR.

She worked at TERC, an educational research and curriculum development organization in Cambridge, for 22 years. She has strengths in operations, employee relations, culture, benefits management, and HRIS implementation. She sat on committees with varying initiatives that range from onboarding to a retirement fiduciary committee.

Then Robin moved into a role as the Vice President of People Operations for Bluedot, a geofencing tech startup based in Austin Texas and Australia. At Bluedot, she has embraced building a successful HR “TEAM” focused framework.

During her tenure at Bluedot, she developed a passion for working in the startup world, creating and celebrating the successes as they grow and mature. With that passion, she started an HR Consultancy - PageHRConsulting Group (PHRC) - a full service outsourced HR resource. The PHRC team of HR professionals supports startups and small companies build their HR Framework from scratch.

Outside of work, Robin likes to travel, entertain, cook, write fiction stories and read. She has raised 4 children and has 4 grandchildren.

Meet Chelsea Stonerock, SHRM-CP! She is a graduate of Rollins College and Savannah College of Art and Design, Chelsea has spent the last decade committed to building human-centric company cultures that address the needs of today's workforce. Her unique background as a creative brand copywriter combined with her extensive business leadership experience allows her to effectively bring attention to the "whole person" when shaping company policies and initiatives. 

Chelsea's talk A Million Little Moments: How to Influence Culture was ranked an attendee favorite at the 2020 BambooHR Virtual Conference. She is currently a leader as the Director of People and Culture for one of Orlando's top Digital Marketing Agencies: 321 and is pursuing her Masters in Industrial and Organizational Psychology at Purdue.

Meet Julie Pitois! She is the president of PRO TO COL Sport Systems, Inc.   

Julie started Pro to Col Sport Systems, Inc. in the Spring of 2016. Pro To Col Sport Systems is a well-rounded expert team of Orthopedic Manual Therapists, Physical Therapists, Athletic Trainers, Sports Performance Coaches, Sports Medicine Doctors & Chiropractors and Acupuncturists all working together. Clients go through a “protocol” created for them to ease pain & eradicate injury through proper movement & treatment. Julie is creating a shift in the industry in care through teamwork and collaboration to help people be the best they can be using the different disciplines at Pro To Col Sport Systems.  

Previous and current clientele include the NFL, Ironman Triathletes, MLB, PGA, LPGA, Jiu-Jitsu, and MMA amateur and professional athletes, and she also worked with UC Berkeley athletic training room with the baseball, tennis and track and field teams, and most recently has worked with the San Diego Fleet professional football team.  

Julie is a Certified Orthopedic Manual Integrative Therapist, Teachers Assistant for James Waslaski, Certified posture expert (2020) Soft tissue release British Sports Therapist, Active Isolated Stretch, trained in Medical Massage, Functional Movement Systems, Level 1 and 2 SFMA Certified, Sports Massage Certified, Cupping, and Rocktape Certified.  

She is also an instructor for ICOHS, health science college where she teaches Applied Anatomy and Kinesiology, Physiology and Pathology and Medical Massage techniques.  Prior to opening PRO TO COL she owned her sole practice as an Orthopedic Manual Therapist since 1998 where she provided sports and rehabilitation therapy for San Diego County. Julie’s interest in supporting professional athletes stemmed from her early career as an elite level collegiate volleyball player at UCSB.  She also played volleyball professionally in Spain.    

Meet Jamie & Brian of Weapon Brand! Weapon Brand provides impactful self-defense training for individuals and corporate employees who are motivated to improve their confidence, gain skills, and shift their mindset by teaching the tools to be your own weapon and create a “weapon mindset” that will serve you for a lifetime.

Brian Anderson-Needham is the owner and operator of Weapon Brand and Combat Athlete Performance Academy has had a career most could never imagine. Starting out as a US Marine, Brian commanded important roles in keeping America safe. Some of the positions Brian held were Sniper, Platoon Sergeant, and Route Recon Forward Operator. Following his Marine experience, Brian was employed by the State of Ohio as a Hostage Negotiator, Violent Fugitive Task Force Specialist, and Defensive Training Specialist. Later the State of Ohio tasked Brian to develop and train Law Enforcement agencies, as well parole and corrections departments in Self Defense programs including firearms, hand-to-hand combat and de-escalation techniques.

Jamie Anderson, the CEO of Weapon Brand and an advertising veteran, started her career in print media, moved on to an exciting career in radio, then began her own advertising agency (founded in 2011). With years of advertising and marketing experience under her belt, Jamie is thrilled to take on this new adventure with Weapon Brands. Helping others take care of their businesses has never felt like work as she takes pleasure in watching her client's businesses grow... and now she gets to work with individuals, groups, and corporate clients allowing her to utilize her years of marketing and event experience and help civilians stay safe and protect themselves.

Meet Alli & Ilene! They have - combined - fifty plus years in executive HR leadership and after one merger too many, they took their own advice and followed their bliss: they jumped out of corporate life into entrepreneurial life. After the successful purchase, renovation, launch and turnaround of a Provincetown Bed & Breakfast - the award-winning Roux Provincetown - Alli and Ilene turned their focus to their current venture, The Zest Zone LLC, where they work with women who long for a more vibrant, joyful life, but don't feel they have the time, energy, or support to find it. Alli and Ilene provide simple, life-changing practices that serve as a roadmap to happy, healthy, joyful living.

Alli formerly served as SVP of People for a Northeast Regional Retailer and Ilene served as Director of Culture in the same Company. It is where they met and from where they forged what would become a successful lifetime partnership, both in business and life.

Meet Danielle Laura! She is a two time number one bestselling and award-winning author, Human Design & Gene Keys expert, advisor for mission driven companies, and founder of the H.O.T. Method™.

In her private work, she guides thought leaders, celebrities, and heads of companies around the globe in igniting their innate gifting so they can master their mission, amplify impact, and experience deep connection and fulfillment.

A recognized authority on leveraging energetics in business, relationships, and self-mastery, Danielle has been featured in over 30 international publications and podcasts, including Authority Magazine, HuffPost, Reader’s Digest, Thrive Global, and more.

Meet Sandy Bean! She's the founder of St Pete Girl Boss and an enthusiastic veteran coach, educator, and writer on a mission to create clarity + connection, so you can best deliver your authentic magic. Her specialties include community building, curriculum and workshop construction, creating welcoming and inclusive spaces, and entrepreneurial growth support. She's able to inspire even the most lethargic of souls!

Her clients range from gifted students with disabilities, to established and successful entrepreneurs looking to pivot and create momentum around their mission.

Meet Becca! She is an HR professional with over 7 years of experience bringing people into the startup world. Becca began her HR career working at a recruiting agency where she learned how important benefits and work/life balance are to the everyday employee. Currently, Becca is the head of HR for a start up in the construction tech space where her primary focus is on company culture and recruitment/retention. 

In her free time she loves building Legos, tattoo collecting, and spending time with her best friend, a tabby cat named Guppy.

Meet Natasha! She's an HR/PeopleOps professional and is currently working as the Head of People at GameOn Technology, a Series B conversational AI startup headquartered in San Francisco. 

Natasha's passions include connecting people to their purpose, cultivating psychologically safe and fulfilling work environments, and positively impacting those in her community, both professionally and personally, by leading with empathy. 

She is a Tech startup enthusiast and true believer that people strategy is business strategy.

The Live Bold & Boss Up Podcast Show - Ash & Steph - and The Corporate Happiness Show - Jacqueline - met for a special LIVE episode to talk about how to be happy professionally & personally, what to do if you’ve been laid off, and how to find a job that will make you truly happy. Tune in!

Meet Rebecca Thomas! She is an accomplished, ambitious and professionally certified HR team player, culture champion and empathetic leader with extensive success and experience in spearheading an entire HR, recruiting and people operations department from the ground up! Her focus has always been about improvement and how to make things better whether that's training, recruiting talent, onboarding new employees, developing benefit plans, looking at new HR tech tools or making HR processes more efficient. 

Rebecca is always looking at raising the bar and taking people or processes to the next level. She loves that HR allows her the privilege of helping others to better know themselves and to truly embrace and maximize their natural talents–all while strengthening a team, organization or culture. 

Meet Amanda Carapi Sjölin! She works as a People Experience Partner at the Tech Scale-up Oneflow and loves to mirror the diversity of the world into the work space by seeing people meet and connect. She has a proven track-record in exploring new ideas, learning, and keeping the motivation high.

Amanda, born in Stockholm, is a psychology nerd and did her masters program in psychology with a focus on personnel, work, and organization. She loves being in nature, has walked the "Camino de Santiago," and could 100 % live off mangoes. Traveling around the world she met a lot of people from different cultures with different stories to tell, showing that she is always open for some good conversation, especially when talking about all things spiritual.

Meet Ashlee Davis Brooks!

She is a People Operations Leader, DEI champion, and a Career Strategist for women. After 10 years of being a licensed healthcare operations leader, she transitioned her career in 2019 to focus on her passion for building inclusive, equitable, and diverse cultures within startup tech companies. When she's not leading People Ops at Informed K12, you can find her mentoring women, exploring nature, spending time with friends, and traveling!

Meet magic-maker Janelle Khargie! 

Businesswoman, entrepreneur, and visionary, Janelle has been supporting Tampa brands for 2 decades through live event productions and partnerships. As a social justice pioneer, Janelle also works with professional sports teams such as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Tampa Bay Lighting to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion. She currently serves as the Chair to the Hillsborough County DEI Advisory Council to the Board of County Commissioners.

Meet Laura Zarrate, a first-generation Latina and a proud dog mama.

Laura is the founder of Athena CPAs and Advisors, an accounting firm with a mission to give trailblazing women fierce confidence in their finances by banishing financial confusion and offering high-level support so that they can launch and scale their businesses without feeling overwhelmed. Athena provides tax preparation, tax planning, Virtual CFO services, business strategy and consulting with a dream is to build a network of businesses that empower each other and give new entrepreneurs a foothold. 

Laura loves fitness and has competed in various bodybuilding shows and she enjoys spending time with my husband and dogs.

Meet Suzanne Diakrousis! She has worked at companies like Cantor Fitzgerald and DevaCurl, and presently works at Julie Vos as a People Leader and HR Professional. Ever since she was young she loved talking to people and had a deep curiosity for understanding cultures and speaking to everyone, which led her to working in communications and eventually into teaching. For the last decade she has combined her communication and teaching skills into becoming a true leader in her field, streamlining and optimizing systems and processes as an HR expert. She enjoys her work immensely, and in that capacity has built up her skills in collaboration and problem solving with great zest. 

You'll hear us talk about Culture Clubs, what a cookie can do for you and your people, some mention of great greek food, plus all the fine expertise that Suzanne is sharing with us. 

Suzanne also just got married very recently, so with all the well-wishes, tune in and enjoy this episode.

Meet Chimere Sidney, she's the Chief People, Culture & Operations Officer at Net Synergy Virtual Solutions.

Chimere Sidney leads the company’s Overall People and Operations Team with responsibility for business in the United States. In previous roles she served in Leadership, Coaching, Training and Development, Operations, Aerospace Medicine, and Sales positions. She has also worked in Higher Education for 18+ years, Financial Institutions, Education Technology, and served in the US Military.

Sidney is a proactive, driven, and flexible Air Force Veteran able to communicate effectively and provideguidance to others when navigating complex business and education requirements. She is also a motivated strategist with refined decision-making skills and valuable adaptability, frequently adjusting plans to promote best practices in changing environments.

Meet Anna! She was the first People Ops hire at Reprise, a no-code demo creation platform that was founded in 2020. She worked in education and project management before pivoting to People Ops, so she navigates the space with what she considers to be a deeper understanding of what people really need from an HR team–that's trust and transparency. She is a firm believer that any company initiatives that are intended to benefit employees should be well thought out and not just check boxes on an HR list.

Meet Grace Woods! She works as a Talent Acquisition Lead at a tech company in Stockholm. In this role she has hired a team of Talent Acquisition Specialists who focus on scaling the company by recruiting in a "culture first" way, with the personality and potential of the candidate in the driving seat. Grace believes this is the best way to create and retain a strong, positive work culture.