Where Work Meets Life™ with Dr. Laura

Dr. Laura welcomes Hall of Fame speaker, author, and workplace culture expert Michael Kerr for a conversation on how leaders shape environments where people and organizations thrive. Drawing on decades of global experience, Michael believes that, rather than depleting us, work should energize us, and that leaders play a defining role in creating cultures grounded in purpose and connection. He shares that leadership is less about managing tasks and more about influencing people in meaningful ways. According to Michael, the leadership goal should be to become a culture leader who recognizes the profound effects of work on our health, relationships, and sense of identity.

In this episode of Where Work Meets Life™, Dr. Laura welcomes back Dr. Michelle Johnston for a thoughtful conversation about the seismic shifts leaders must make to create meaningful connections and stronger results. Inspired by her new book, The Seismic Shift in You, coauthored with Dr. Marshall Goldsmith, Dr. Johnston shares how the future of leadership depends less on achievement and more on humanity. Together, they explore the powerful shift from focusing on the what to prioritizing the who, reminding us that meaningful relationships are what sustain engagement and fulfillment. Dr. Laura and Michelle offer a hopeful path forward in a time marked by burnout and disconnection.

In this episode, Dr. Laura breaks down why toxic bosses are so widespread and costly, and addresses the first step to stopping them: naming what’s happening. Drawing from her research and her new book, I Wish I’d Quit Sooner, she explains eight “toxic boss personas”. These include the dishonest manipulator, the gaslighter, and the control freak. Having a shared language matters when describing harmful behaviors and their impact: accurate communication helps employees, HR, and leadership alike.

In this episode, Dr. Laura welcomes Dr. Shirley Davis, a leadership development expert, culture transformation thought leader, bestselling author, and President and CEO of Shirley Davis International, to the show for a conversation on workplace leadership and what it means to live, be in leadership, and leave a legacy. Drawing on more than 35 years of experience across HR, executive leadership, and global workforce consulting, Dr. Davis and Dr. Laura explore why so many organizations struggle with inclusive guidance and low employee engagement, and how a strong mindset and trust-based leadership can be built.

In this episode, Dr. Laura officially releases her new book, “I Wish I’d Quit Sooner: Practical Strategies for Navigating and Escaping a Toxic Boss”. She introduces us to what the book is about, why she wrote it, and her hopes for the book’s impact on people’s lives. Dr. Laura has run Canada Career Counseling for 16 years, and through the work of helping clients achieve career goals, she learned how many were suffering under a toxic boss. The numbers increased post-pandemic, with toxic workplace cultures becoming an uncomfortable rising trend. This is what inspired her to dig into research on toxic bosses and write her book.

Dr. Laura welcomes Navin ‘nuvs’ Jain, Product Evangelist at Workhuman, to the show to talk about gratitude and recognition. Workhuman focuses on workplace cultures that foster recognition, and Nuvs is deeply committed to spreading the word on the power of thanks and elevating great work happening in organizations. He and Dr. Laura discuss why gratitude can disappear from workplaces and how it can be brought back.

In this episode, Dr. Laura explores one of the eight personas a toxic boss can inhabit: the gaslighter. A gaslighting boss tends to be very covert in manipulative behavior. She defines gaslighting as manipulating another person into doubting their own perceptions, experiences, and understanding of events. Navigating a gaslighting boss erodes self-confidence and depletes energy as all time is spent trying to deliver to expectations that keep shifting. Dr. Laura explains how to identify one of these types of toxic bosses and how to survive their subtle tactics.

Dr. Laura welcomes #1 New York Times Best-Selling Author and Inspirational Speaker Michael Hingson to Where Work Meets Life™for a conversation about his escape from the World Trade Center with his guide dog Roselle and the lessons we can all learn from their teamwork. Michael shares his story of being born blind, never allowing that fact to hold him back, and how the trust between him and his guide dog helped him overcome fear on a very dark day. His advocacy for disability access and employment is now changing the world alongside his story.

Dr. Laura welcomes Pamela Buchanan, the Founder of Quantum Sense, to the podcast to discuss the innovation of Soul Health and why it’s a missing component in today’s workplaces. Pam worked in corporate America, including at Nasdaq, for over forty years before investing over a decade of research into the concepts and framework for Soul Health. Pam defines what the soul is and how nourishing it is connected to workplace environments and individual well-being.

Dr. Laura welcomes everyone to Season 6 of Where Work Meets Life™ in this introductory episode, which lets us in on what to expect from the podcast’s sixth season, why Dr. Laura does what she does, and what she plans to bring to the world going forward. Season 6 dovetails with the upcoming January 2026 release of her new book, “I Wish I’d Quit Sooner: Practical Strategies for Navigating and Escaping a Toxic Boss”, and conversations with other experts in the realm of narcissism, bullying, and toxic workplaces will help underscore the importance of the subject.

Dr. Laura welcomes Kirkland Shave, co-founder of the Mountain Trek health reset retreat, back to Where Work Meets Life™ for an honest and open conversation about mindful health and steering clear of binge or bust thinking in our eating and social situations. Dr. Laura uses her own life after her experience at Mountain Trek to illustrate the kind of “falling off the wagon” thinking that we tend to catastrophize. Kirk showcases how Laura, and by extension, each one of us, can shift our thinking to offer ourselves more grace.

Dr. Laura welcomes Kirkland Shave, co-founder of the Mountain Trek health reset retreat, and Dr. Kelly Tremblay, neuroscientist and certified coach, to Where Work Meets Life™to explore the connection between holistic health, burnout prevention, and the mind-body connection. Kelly and Kirk discuss the prevalence of stress and burnout in today’s society and our lack of meaningful connection to nature and our own bodies and minds. Dr. Laura investigates these issues from a neurological perspective and a practical wellness approach with both Kelly and Kirk, learning what can be done to reset our healing.

Dr. Laura welcomes Nick Jonsson, Certified Master Coach, keynote speaker, and author of the best-selling book “Executive Loneliness: The 5 Pathways to Overcoming Isolation, Stress, Anxiety, and Depression in the Modern Business World”, to the show to examine mental health, especially in leaders. Nick shares his personal story of loss of confidence, mental health challenges, and a spiral into addiction in a vulnerable illustration of how he learned the necessity of sharing and support to facilitate recovery. Sober and healthy today, Nick’s drive is to share his story so others can find the strength to break out of loneliness like he did.