282. Why Good Employees Leave and What Actually Makes Them Stay

282. Why Good Employees Leave and What Actually Makes Them Stay

June 23, 2026 · 27 min

About this episode

Traci discusses employee retention and the impact of toxic work environments with Dr. Carrie Graham.

Traci welcomes Dr. Carrie Graham, PhD, a training strategist specializing in scalable talent development who guides small and mid-sized organizations to achieve measurable results through strategic employee training programs. Dr. Graham's research reveals that toxic work environments aren't just unpleasant, they produce real, life-altering mental and physical health consequences for the people inside them, particularly for high-achieving women who were promised development opportunities that never materialized. What We Cover: Why retention strategies miss the point and what to focus on instead Good people leave bad managers and what makes someone actually unequipped to lead The real cost of a toxic environment and Dr. Graham's research findings on health outcomes for employees When employees outgrow their role and how social roles shift over time and what that demands of employers Why development starts with the individual, not what you think they bring, but everything they haven't told you yet The free recruiting tool most companies are ignoring and how former employees become brand advocates What job seekers can and should ask and the questions candidates have every right to…

People in this episode

Host: Traci Chernoff

Guest: Dr. Carrie Graham

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Organizations: dr.carriegraham.com, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram

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