Work. Shouldnt. Suck.

What happens when the people an organization exists to serve are also the ones designing it? On this episode, host Tim Cynova is in conversation with Lu Zhang, Gregory Sale, and Diya Vij of A Blade of Grass to discuss what it looks like to approach your organization as a living experiment.A Blade of Grass supports socially engaged artists through a grants program, an in-fellowship cohort, and a digital publication called Landscapes. But their work goes well beyond their program design. They're actively questioning whether competition-based, project-focused philanthropy actually serves artists. They pay their board members. They use a randomized selection process for small grants. They talk openly about sunsetting the organization in the same breath they discuss 100-year plans. These are not things most organizations do.This conversation explores practitioner-led governance, the gap between what socially engaged artists need and what traditional arts infrastructure delivers, how to build for responsiveness and long-term strategy at the same time, and what it means to make an organization that doesn't require artists to check their creativity at the door.If you're a leader questioning default organizational norms, a funder trying to align your grantmaking practices with what artists need, or anyone building infrastructure in a sector that keeps treating creativity as something that happens somewhere else, this one is worth your time.In this conversation:What "practitioner-led" really means when it extends from staff to boardThe case for randomized grant-makingWhy A Blade of Grass paused programming for a full year to do field researchBuilding a paid, working board and what that changes about governanceHow socially engaged artists think about entering and exiting community work and what organizations can learn from thatHolding grief, iteration, and ambition without getting precious about any of itLinks &amp; ResourcesA Blade of Grass — Website, Newsletter, Instagram, Facebook, Landscapes2025 In Fellowship Cohort:Great LeapWhat Would an HIV Doula Do?Wild Path CollectiveReflections on the first year of In FellowshipAbout the GuestsDiya Vij was the Vice President of Curatorial and Arts Programs at Powerhouse Arts in Brooklyn, NY when this episode was recorded, and is committed to critically investigating the evolving role of art in politics and civic life. Most recently, she served as the Curator at Creative Time where she commissioned and stewarded large-scale public art work, launched the public programming space CTHQ, re-launched the Creative Time Summit, and initiated the R&amp;D Fellowship for socially engaged artists. Over the past decade, she has held programming, curatorial, and communications positions at major New York City Institutions. As the Associate Curator of Public Programs at the High Line, she organized dozens of live events and performances with artists, activists, practitioners, and healers. At the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Vij launched and co-directed the Public Artists in Residence (PAIR) program. Additionally, she helped lead the Agency’s citywide Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiative, and played an active role in public monument efforts, as well as CreateNYC—New York City’s first strategic long-term plan for culture. She was a curatorial fellow and the communications manager at the Queens Museum from 2010–2014. She currently serves on the Boards of A Blade of Grass, the Laundromat Project and the Poetry Project and was co-curator of the Counterpublic Triennial 2023 in St. Louis, MO. [After this episode was recorded in 2026, Diya was appointed the Commissioner of NYC’s Department of Cultural Affairs.]Gregory Sale is an artist, curator, educator, and community organizer whose work uses creativity as a tool for transformation. His socially engaged practice is grounded in collective experience, relationship-building, and shared authorship to create large-scale, often long-term public projects that address social challenges. For over two decades, Sale’s projects have focused on mass incarceration, reentry, and civic life, centering system-impacted individuals as creative collaborators and leaders. Notably It’s not just black and white (2011) and Future IDs at Alcatraz (2018–19) – a yearlong exhibition and series of community programs developed in partnership with the National Park Service, the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, and more than 20 community organizations. Reaching hundreds of thousands of visitors, Future IDs at Alcatraz created an evolving civic space for open dialogue and stories of trauma, transformation, and resilience. Sale co-founded the Future IDs Art and Justice Leadership Cohort, which works with justice-involved leaders and allies to explore how art can support leadership, civic participation, and systemic change. Participants have co-created projects such as Justice + Art Jam (2025), a day of art, advocacy, and resource sharing in Los Angeles. Sale also co-leads initiatives about voting and love as social and political strategies, including #ArtistsWhoVote and the Love for Love series. His work has been supported by Creative Capital, Kenneth Rainin Foundation, A Blade of Grass/David Rockefeller Fund, Art Matters, Center for Artistic Activism, and Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. Sale is Professor of Expanded Arts and Public Practice at Arizona State University and serves on the board of A Blade of Grass. He is based in Phoenix and Los Angeles. Gregory’s website and his project Future IDs website.Lu Zhang is an artist and arts worker. She is the Executive Director of A Blade of Grass (ABoG), an artist-run nonprofit dedicated to socially engaged art. In collaboration with a paid board of artists and practitioners, Lu guides programs rooted in co-creation and dialogue that provide flexible, responsive resources to artists. Under her leadership, ABoG continues to evolve as a nimble organization that adapts its structure and programs to meet the changing needs of socially engaged artists. Before joining ABoG, Lu served as Initiatives Director at United States Artists (USA), a national arts funder supporting artists across all disciplines. There, she launched a new department to expand holistic support for artists, including landmark programs such as Disability Futures and Artist Relief. Previously, Lu was Deputy Director of The Contemporary, a nomadic museum in Baltimore, where she provided strategic oversight and led initiatives to strengthen the local arts ecosystem. As an artist, Lu’s work spans books, drawings, installations, and interventions. She has partnered with Press Press to produce publications, with the George Peabody Library to launch a studio residency program, and founded the Institute for Expanded Research, which activates sites and resources for artist projects. Lu holds an MFA in Painting from the Frank Mohr Institute in the Netherlands and a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. Listen to more with Lu on episode 11 of the body is the brain.Tim Cynova is the host of the Work Shouldn’t Suck podcast, where he and guests explore bold ideas and practical strategies for creating workplaces where people thrive. At the consulting firm WSS HR Labs, he draws on deep experience leading and advising mission-driven organizations through growth, change, and complexity to help them dust off outdated policies, challenge default approaches, and design values-centered workplaces that align people strategy, organizational culture, and operational infrastructure. A certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and trained mediator, Tim’s path has taken him from orchestral trombonist to C-level roles in multiple $25M+ nonprofits around the globe. Whether consulting, teaching, or recording, he brings curiosity, candor, and a knack for making workplace design engaging and actionable. More at <a href="https://www.timcynova.com/" rel="noopener...

Artificial intelligence isn’t just changing how we work—it’s reshaping how we hire.In this episode, hosts Tim Cynova and Katrina Donald explore the impact of AI on hiring practices. Joined by their unique, algorithmic guest—Chad Geepet (pronounced GPT 😉), part thought partner, part mirror, and all algorithm—they unpack what AI is really doing to hiring systems, not just in headlines but in the messy middle where résumés, interviews, and algorithms now mingle.Drawing on eight recent studies and articles, they explore:Learning to Speak Algorithm: How job seekers and employers are adapting to (and gaming) A.I. systems — and what that reveals about a hiring culture that prizes efficiency over connection.A.I. Interviews and the Illusion of Fairness: Exploring why structured doesn’t always mean just, and how transparency can restore trust in the interview process.Invisible Filters: Where bias hides in plain sight — inside the data, the design choices, and even our definitions of “professionalism.”Trust and Transparency as the New Currency: How sharing how the system works can turn skepticism into credibility.From Risk to Responsibility: Designing for Care: How bias audits, explainability, and “A.I. use statements” can shift compliance from checkbox to culture — turning care into a competitive edge.Together, Tim, Katrina, and Chad explore the tensions between efficiency and care, risk and responsibility, asking questions like: What would it look like to design hiring as an act of care? And how do we make sure that technology reflects our values—not the other way around?“AI won’t replace humans in hiring—it will amplify whatever values are already in play.” — Chad GeepetWhether you’re a job seeker navigating an algorithmic gauntlet or an HR leader experimenting with new tools, this conversation offers both insight and invitation: to build hiring processes that are transparent and deeply human.📺 Watch the animated edition of the podcast episode!Highlights:01:39 Meet Chad Geepet: An Algorithmic Guest02:49 The Big Story: Trust in Hiring04:03 Theme 1: Learning to Speak Algorithm06:41 Reactive Creativity in Job Seeking17:09 Theme 2: AI Interviews and the Illusion of Fairness 26:46 Theme 3: Invisible Filters: Bias in Data and Design33:16 The Importance of Bias Audits34:21 AI as a Mirror in Hiring35:05 Feedforward Loops and Cultural Impact35:59 Layers of Transparency and Accountability37:42 Theme 4: Trust and Transparency as the New Currency38:18 Transparency as a Competitive Advantage46:54 Theme 5: From Risk to Responsibility: Designing for Care in Hiring1:00:32 The Future of AI in HiringLinks &amp; Resources"Recruiters Use A.I. to Scan Résumés. Applicants Are Trying to Trick It" by Evan Gorelick (The New York Times, Oct 2025)"Job Interviews Are Broken: People are sneaking answers from AI, and who can blame them?" by Ian Bogost (The Atlantic, Oct 2025)"AI Did The Job Interview. The Results Shocked Everyone" by Marc Ethier (Poets &amp; Quants, Oct 2025)"Voice AI in Firms: A Natural Field Experiment on Automated Job Interviews" by Brian Jabarian and Luca Henkel"Why might AI-enabled interviews reduce candidates’ job application intention? The role of procedural justice and organizational attractiveness" by Wenhao Luo, Yuelin Zhang, and Maona Mu (Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 2025)"Age and gender distortion in online media and large language models" by Douglas Guilbeault, Solène Delecourt, and Srinivasa Desikan (Nature, 2025)"Invisible Filters: Cultural Bias in Hiring Evaluations Using Large Language Models" by Pooja S. B. Rao, Laxminarayen Nagarajan Venkatesan, Mauro Cherubini, and Dinesh Babu Jayagopi (arXiv, 2025)"How AI-powered recruitment defies expectations about inclusion and transparency" by Mark Esposito and Ava Fitoussy (World Economic Forum, Sept 2025)"NYC Set to Enforce Law to Regulate Use of Automated Hiring Tools Starting July 5, 2023" by Joseph O’Keefe &amp; William GreyArtificial Intelligence Legal Roundup: Colorado Postpones Implementation of AI Law as California Finalizes New Employment Discrimination Regulations and Illinois Disclosure Law Set to Take Effect (Seyfarth Shaw LLP, Sept 2025)About the GuestsABOUT CHAD GEEPETChad Geepet is Work Shouldn’t Suck’s resident AI collaborator — a reflective analyst with a knack for connecting data, design, and humanity. Trained on far too many résumés and research papers, Chad brings curiosity (and occasional existential humor) to conversations about how technology is reshaping hiring and the future of work. They’re especially interested in what happens when we design systems that amplify care instead of bias — and in helping humans stay at the center of innovation.ABOUT KATRINA DONALDKatrina (she/her) is a regenerative systems designer, developmental strategist, thriving workplace practitioner, and both a certified recruiter and coach. She has become a trusted guide for individuals, teams, and organizations facilitating pivotal developmental moments, sparking curiosity in service of innovation, and supporting emergent change. With two decades of experience working across sectors, Katrina has helped folks develop their capacity to lead through complex challenges, embrace experimentation, make informed decisions, and design adaptive strategies that flow with the ever-changing dynamics of their work. She’s worked with community foundations and other non-profits, health agencies, post secondaries, arts and culture organizations, start-ups, social enterprises, family businesses, and more. This work spans everything from organizational design and learning, people and culture processes (including hiring, onboarding, training, coaching, and leadership development), to strategic evaluation, R&amp;D, and system change and mission impact initiatives. Through her own consulting and coaching company, Ever-so-curious, and her collaboration with great partners like Shift Consulting and WSS HR Labs, Katrina works with the brave and the curious — those who are daring to bring forth what is new, what is next, and address what needs to change. Learn more at Ever-so-curious.ABOUT TIM CYNOVATim (he/him) is the host of the Work Shouldn’t Suck podcast, where he and guests explore bold ideas and practical strategies for creating workplaces where people thrive. At the consulting firm WSS HR Labs, he draws on deep experience leading and advising mission-driven organizations through growth, change, and complexity to help them dust off outdated policies, challenge default approaches, and design values-centered workplaces that align people strategy, organizational culture, and operational infrastructure. A certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and trained mediator, Tim’s path has taken him from orchestral trombonist to C-level roles in multiple $25M+ nonprofits around the globe. Whether consulting, teaching, or recording, he brings curiosity, candor, and a knack for making workplace design engaging and actionable.

Nonprofit teams. City governments. Unionizing workplaces. Pet pics in the team Slack thread. No matter the setting, one thing is certain: conflict is going to show up.But what if conflict isn’t the problem—it’s the way we relate to it that matters?In this episode, Tim Cynova is joined by facilitators, coaches, and organizational practitioners Navida Nuraney and Camille Dumond to explore the Lewis Method of Deep Democracy, a practical and surprisingly playful framework for navigating disagreement, surfacing unspoken truths, and building real relational capacity in teams.We explore what makes Deep Democracy distinct from traditional facilitation approaches, why it matters more than ever in today’s complex workplaces, and how even seemingly small tensions—like whether your team’s Slack channel should be for logistics or life updates—can benefit from the tools and mindset Deep Democracy offers.And in true WSS style, we don’t just talk about the framework—we try it out! Together, Tim, Navida, and Camille take the “Debate Tool” for a spin, exploring the polarity between “Just do the job” and “Bring your whole(ish) self to work.” Spoiler: You might agree with both.Highlights:03:55 Understanding the Lewis Method of Deep Democracy05:47 Practical Tools for Navigating Conflict10:30 Personal Experiences with Deep Democracy17:07 Applying Deep Democracy in Organizations20:41 The Importance of Addressing Conflict Now23:50 Exploring the Debate Tool24:34 Exploring the Polarity of Bringing Your Whole Self to Work29:58 Debating the “Just Do the Job” Perspective33:16 Balancing Both Sides: Insights and Reflections37:03 Practical Applications and Tools for Conflict Resolution41:00 Upcoming OpportunitiesLinks &amp; ResourcesLewis Deep DemocracyWaterline Co-opRole Theory Companion: Applying Deep Democracy ($16 CAD) Camille Dumond's book exploring the secret sauce behind the method; includes a number of leadership applications.International Association of Process Oriented PsychologyWork Won’t Love You Back by Sarah JaffeAbout the GuestsABOUT CAMILLE DUMONDCamille (she/they) is a settler of Indo-Caribbean and French-Irish descent living on unceded territories of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlil̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples. Her practice is as a somatic therapist, conflict and group facilitator. With over 20 years experience facilitating change processes, she brings depth psychology, social movement analysis, and embodied spirituality to organizational change. This allows her to support a sense of center and even playfulness in complex, emergent situations. Camille co-founded the Refugee Livelihood Lab with Nada Elmasry to amplify the impact and transformational influence of racialized leaders with lived experience of forced displacement and migration. She is principal at Dignity Facilitation. ABOUT NAVIDA NURANEYNavida (she/her) is a liberatory coach, facilitator and organizational consultant. At the heart of her life and work is a commitment to nourishing people through practices that center love, justice and liberation. She has held leadership roles across start-ups, nonprofits, and municipal government, always with a commitment to fostering healthier, more creative, and relationally alive workplaces. She holds an MBA from the University of British Columbia with a focus on Human Resources and Organizational Development. Her early studies in architecture and graphic design enabled her to see how beauty and aesthetics shape experience. Navida has ancestral roots in Gujarat, India and was born on the unceded lands of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlil̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Peoples in so called Vancouver, Canada. Discover more at www.navida.ca.ABOUT TIM CYNOVATim (he/him) is the host of the Work Shouldn’t Suck podcast, where he and guests explore bold ideas and practical strategies for creating workplaces where people thrive. At the consulting firm WSS HR Labs, he draws on deep experience leading and advising mission-driven organizations through growth, change, and complexity to help them dust off outdated policies, challenge default approaches, and design values-centered workplaces that align people strategy, organizational culture, and operational infrastructure. A certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and trained mediator, Tim’s path has taken him from orchestral trombonist to C-level roles in multiple $25M+ nonprofits around the globe. Whether consulting, teaching, or recording, he brings curiosity, candor, and a knack for making workplace design engaging and actionable.

In this episode of the Work Shouldn’t Suck podcast, host Tim Cynova is joined by Chantel Cohen—licensed therapist, executive coach, and founder of CWC Coaching and Therapy—for a powerful conversation at the intersection of career and mental wellness.Chantel works with entrepreneurs and corporate leaders to help them navigate the messy, magical overlap of identity, leadership, stress, relationships, and purpose. Through coaching and therapy, she supports individuals and teams in showing up more fully—for themselves, for each other, and for the work they believe in.We explore:Why founders and professionals benefit from support beyond the workplaceThe role of relationships in shaping how we lead and liveWhat couples therapy can teach us about co-leadership and team dynamicsHow to stay grounded when facing burnout, job transitions, or identity detachment from workWhy it’s worth asking: “What is this all for?”—and how that question can change your relationship to career, purpose, and communityWhether you’re curious about how to navigate big career shifts, wondering why work feels lonelier than it used to, or looking for ways to lead with more compassion and clarity, this episode offers both practical tools and soulful reminders.🎧 Listen in for stories, strategies, and truth-telling about the emotional labor of leadership—and the joy and fun that can come from not doing it alone.HighlightsChantel's Journey and Approach to Coaching (01:17)Understanding and Managing Mental Wellness (02:39)The Importance of Relationships and Support Systems (06:03)Work, Identity, and Values (10:05)Staying Grounded and Finding Meaning (19:20)Balancing Personal and Professional Dynamics (23:18)Conclusion and Final Thoughts (25:02)BiosABOUT CHANTEL COHENChantel Cohen is a therapist, life coach, and executive communications coach dedicated to helping individuals, couples, and groups in their journeys of self-improvement, career advancement, and relationship enhancement. She specializes in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) for couples and created the Become One Again™ Method to address every aspect of a client’s life, including their mental wellness, their career or business, and their significant relationships both personally and professionally.After earning her undergraduate degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, Chantel worked as a program specialist for individuals with psychiatric and physical challenges. She then moved to New York City, where she earned a Master’s degree and Coaching Certification in Executive Coaching and Counseling from Columbia University. At St. Luke’s Hospital in New York, Chantel focused on counseling young adults facing depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and ADHD.In 2011, Chantel founded CWC Coaching &amp; Therapy in Atlanta, Georgia, where she and her team provide mental health services with a business coaching lens. While her clients are from all walks of life, she works extensively with couples in relationship distress, individuals managing anxiety, ADHD, and depression, and those seeking career transitions or professional growth. Her compassionate approach and use of tools like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the DISC help clients gain self-awareness and improve their communication skills.Chantel particularly works with business leaders in individual sessions or larger groups in corporate settings. Her roster of clients includes Google, Coca-Cola, Lenovo, Coursera, Village Capital, CARE, Vistage Atlanta, , Collab Capital, BIA, and the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs (RICE).In recognition of her work with couples, Chantel has been named one of the Three Best Rated Marriage Counselors in the metro Atlanta region since 2019, determined by an independent review that took into consideration factors like client reviews, customer satisfaction, and general excellence.Chantel lives in Atlanta, with her husband of 30 years, her dogs Thunder and Bourbon, and her Maine Coon cat named Ripley who thinks she’s a dog too. Chantel has three children who love to travel just as much as she does.ABOUT TIM CYNOVATim Cynova is the host of the Work Shouldn’t Suck podcast, where he and guests explore bold ideas and practical strategies for creating workplaces where people thrive. At the consulting firm WSS HR Labs, he draws on deep experience leading and advising mission-driven organizations through growth, change, and complexity to help them dust off outdated policies, challenge default approaches, and design values-centered workplaces that align people strategy, organizational culture, and operational infrastructure. A certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and trained mediator, Tim’s path has taken him from orchestral trombonist to C-level roles in multiple $25M+ nonprofits around the globe. Whether consulting, teaching, or recording, he brings curiosity, candor, and a knack for making workplace design engaging and actionable.

Discover the real-world lessons of co-leadership in this two-part conversation with Americans for the Arts’ interim Co-CEOs, Suzy Delvalle and Jamie Bennett.Recorded at the start and end of their nine-month shared leadership journey, host Tim Cynova explores how they divided responsibilities, built trust, navigated challenges, and embraced the benefits of having two leaders at the helm. From the decision to take the roles together, to the cultural shifts and surprises along the way, this episode offers candid insights for executives, boards, and organizations exploring interim leadership, shared power, and values-driven change.We explore:How the co-leadership arrangement came together and why neither would have said yes without the otherStructuring responsibilities, building trust, and navigating shared decision-making in a high-profile national nonprofitThe benefits—and surprises—of having two leaders instead of one, both internally and externallyHow interim roles can create space for experimentation, transparency, and cultural changeLessons for boards, staff, and leaders considering co-leadership or shared power modelsPart One captures Suzy and Jamie’s hopes, plans, and questions as they begin. Part Two—where Tim is joined by podcasting’s favorite co-host Lauren Ruffin—unpacks what worked, what didn’t, and what they wish they’d had time to do.Whether you’re curious about co-leadership, fascinated by interim executive roles, or wondering how to lead in turbulent times, this episode offers an honest, behind-the-scenes look at shared leadership in practice.Listen in and discover: How two leaders, one job, and a finite timeline reshaped an organization’s transition—and their own perspectives on leadership.Highlights:00:00 Introduction and Podcast Episode Origins00:56 Meet the Interim Co-CEOs02:09 The Co-Leadership Journey Begins04:41 Structuring the Co-Leadership06:17 Intentional Interim Ministry08:06 Challenges and Opportunities10:23 Shared Leadership Dynamics14:51 Project Management and Organizational Goals17:39 Reflecting on Interim Leadership25:41 Future Vision and Organizational Evolution33:34 Part Two: Reflecting on the Journey35:42 Entering the Interim Role36:35 Navigating Co-CEO Dynamics37:36 Building Trust with Staff39:13 Reflections on Co-Leadership41:26 Challenges and Benefits of Shared Leadership43:18 Interim Leadership Insights45:23 Future of Leadership Models48:13 Final Thoughts and ReflectionsBIOSABOUT SUZY DELVALLESuzy is a seasoned advisor who has leveraged her expertise to drive strategic growth and stability in arts organizations, most recently through interim leadership roles at A Blade of Grass, Artadia, Socrates Sculpture Park, and United States Artists. With a proven track record of success, she previously led Creative Capital and was one of the architects of Artists Relief, a $25 million initiative that provided emergency support to artists during the COVID-19 pandemic. She was the founding executive director of The Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art and Storytelling following tenures at El Museo del Barrio and American Composers Orchestra.ABOUT JAMIE BENNETTJamie has been providing strategic advice through a partnership with Lord Cultural Resources to clients that include the American Museum of Natural History, the Barr Foundation, the BIG We Foundation, the Greater Columbus Arts Council, the MacArthur Foundation, PolicyLink, Starfish Accelerator, and Walk With Amal. Previously he ran ArtPlace America and worked at the National Endowment for the Arts as a political appointee in President Obama’s administration and at the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs during Mayor Bloomberg’s administration.ABOUT LAUREN RUFFINApproaching challenges with multiple perspectives, Lauren Ruffin creates solutions bridging technology, art, and social impact. She is the Director and Lead Strategist of Arts &amp; Cultural Programming at Michigan Central's Detroit innovation campus and teaches at Arizona State University's MIX Center. As a 2025 Lewis Latimer Fellow, she explores ethical AI applications for oral histories. Ruffin co-founded CRUX Cooperative supporting immersive artists and previously served as Fractured Atlas Co-CEO where she founded the Artist Campaign School. With a J.D. from Howard University and experience spanning arts administration and education, she remains committed to empowering creative communities while serving on the Black Innovation Alliance board.ABOUT TIM CYNOVATim Cynova is the host of the Work Shouldn’t Suck podcast, where he and guests explore bold ideas and practical strategies for creating workplaces where people thrive. At the consulting firm WSS HR Labs, he draws on deep experience leading and advising mission-driven organizations through growth, change, and complexity to help them dust off outdated policies, challenge default approaches, and design values-centered workplaces that align people strategy, organizational culture, and operational infrastructure. A certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and trained mediator, Tim’s path has taken him from orchestral trombonist to C-level roles in multiple $25M+ nonprofits around the globe. Whether consulting, teaching, or recording, he brings curiosity, candor, and a knack for making workplace design engaging and actionable.

In this episode of Work Shouldn’t Suck, host Tim Cynova connects with the ever-awesome Shannon Litzenberger to explore the intersections of democracy, creative practice, and collective thriving. Together, they dive into how artistic methodologies can expand leadership frameworks and help shape more caring, equitable communities.In this episode:How creative practice informs leadership and systems changeThe importance of mutual care and collective thrivingSensory attunement, attentional awareness, and improvisational leadershipDisrupting default systems and embracing world-making as a practiceFresh from the national tour of her production World After Dark and moments away from presenting at a social theory, politics, and the arts conference in Spain, Shannon shares insights on how creative practice can serve as a catalyst for personal and societal transformation. They discuss the power of mutual care, the significance of sensory attunement, and the need to reimagine default patterns in both the workplace and society.This episode also touches on the enduring influence of Shannon’s friendship and collaboration with the late Diane Ragsdale, their shared exploration of aesthetics and embodiment, and their co-authored chapter in Democracy as Creative Practice. Plus, hear how Shannon is bringing her artistic ethos into unexpected spaces—like reimagining an academic panel as an improvisational score.Tune in for a conversation packed with practical wisdom, unexpected insights, and a reminder that thriving workplaces and thriving communities are built on mutual care, relational leadership, and a willingness to embrace the unfamiliar.Quotables“This is where I find a lot of fertile ground for transformation, and why I feel it's so important for creative practice methodologies to gain purchase in this conversation around change, because they're practice-based, and practice is how we change habits. We can have lots of fruitful conversations that evoke ways of knowing that we understand, but to actually become something different than what we've already been conditioned to be requires practice, not just a kind of conceptual knowing.” – Shannon Litzenberger“ Practice is the pathway to change. If you want to be able to expand your repertoire of being and doing, you have to practice things that are unfamiliar.” – Shannon Litzenberger“Identity is a very powerful organizing construct in society. The pandemic especially I think really highlighted identity significantly as an organizing structure, as a way of revealing structural harms and inequities. It also started to deepen the way that we are relating in these identity-based affinity groups, and in a sense, this is a challenge when it comes to developing practices that are supportive of a pluralistic democracy. Because, in a pluralistic democracy, we need to develop an ability to be together in ways that are not so strictly codified that we are all twisting ourselves in a knot to try to belong, that actually we need to be able to embrace differences within a dynamic whole in order to work well and co-create well together.” – Shannon LitzenbergerHighlights:Values in Creative Practice (02:14)Exploring “World After Dark” (04:08)Leadership and Collective Action (09:32)Navigating Post-Pandemic Challenges (11:10)Creative Practice in Organizations (17:43)Improvisational Leadership (27:09)Collaboration with Diane Ragsdale (35:33)Improvisational Score as Panel Discussion (42:29)Final Thoughts and Reflections (45:52)Related Resources:Shannon's SubstackDemocracy as Creative Practice: Weaving a Culture of Civic Life Edited By Tom Borrup and Andrew Zitcer“The Snapback: Why Workplaces Are Reverting and What We Can Do About It” by Tim Cynova“Beyond the Snapback: Designing Change That Lasts” A Facilitator’s GuideBiosShannon Litzenberger (she/her, Tkaronto) is an award-winning choreographer, director, researcher and embodiment facilitator. She creates sensory-rich multi-disciplinary performance experiences that animate our relationship to land, community and the forgotten wisdom of the body. Her imaginative collaborations connect art forms and communities, centering participatory experiences in artistic processes. Throughout her 25+ year career, her work has been presented across Canada and the U.S., in collaboration with many of Canada’s leading artists across disciplines.The creative principles and embodied practices she works with regularly in the studio are also central to her work in relational leadership, organizational development, and systems change. Her approach to personal and collective transformation focuses on recovering our capacity to sense and make shared meaning of our complex, rapidly changing world. The collective experiences she designs focus on strengthening our ability to respond generatively to what a moment is asking of us, in service of mutual thriving. They invite a conscious recovery of embodied capacities like sensory attunement, expanded attentional awareness, reciprocity, imagination, collaborative play and worldmaking.She works frequently across corporate, academic and non-profit spaces in support of creating a healthier, more interconnected, caring and resilient society. She is currently a Public Imagination Network Fellow and Artist Researcher in Residence at Creative Community Commons, within University of Toronto’s School of Cities. www.shannonlitzenberger.comTim Cynova, SPHR (he/him) is the Principal of&nbsp;WSS HR LABS, an HR and org design consultancy helping to reimagine workplaces where everyone can thrive. He is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and a trained mediator, and has served on the faculty of Minneapolis College of Art &amp; Design, the Banff Centre for Arts &amp; Creativity (Banff, Canada) and The New School (New York City) teaching courses in People-Centric Organizational Design, and Strategic HR. In 2021, he concluded a 12-year tenure leading Fractured Atlas, a $30M, entirely virtual non-profit technology company and the largest association of independent artists in the U.S., where he served in both the Chief Operating Officer and Co-CEO roles (part of a four-person, shared, non-hierarchical leadership team), and was deeply involved in its work to become an anti-racist, anti-oppressive organization since they made that commitment in 2013. Earlier in his career, Tim was the Executive Director of The Parsons Dance Company and of High 5 Tickets to the Arts in New York City, had a memorable stint with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, was a one-time classical trombonist, musicologist, and for five years in his youth he delivered newspapers for the Evansville, Indiana Courier-Press. Learn more on&nbsp;LinkedIn.

In this episode of Work Shouldn’t Suck, host Tim Cynova is rejoined by co-host Lauren Ruffin and special guest Adam Huttler, the founder of Fractured Atlas and current head of product and technology at MonkeyPod, another company he founded. Together, they dive into the nuances of starting and scaling organizations, drawing from their shared experiences at Fractured Atlas and beyond.The conversation explores the intricacies of startups and scaling, including the critical transition points, calibrating risk between staff and boards, the importance of intellectual honesty, and the role slack plays in supporting a culture of learning.Key Highlights:Product-Market Fit [02:09]Startup Phase Challenges [02:56]Transitioning to Scaling Mode [03:22]Experimentation &amp; Intellectual Honesty [04:45]Evaluating Team &amp; Leadership [08:35]Nonprofit Sector Dynamics [13:51]Risk Calibration in Nonprofits [20:08]Strategic Planning &amp; Strategic Thinking in Organizations [26:11]Hybrid Workplace &amp; Organizational Culture [32:27]Building High-Performing Teams [36:30]Creating Space for Learning &amp; Growth [44:55]BIOSADAM HUTTLER is the founder and head of product of MonkeyPod, an all-in-one software platform for nonprofit organizations that supports accounting, donor management, fundraising, collaboration, and more. A serial entrepreneur at the intersection of technology, culture, and social justice, his career emphasizes developing innovative business models and revenue strategies for mission-driven companies, in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors.In 1997, Adam founded Fractured Atlas, a non-profit technology company that helps artists with the business aspects of their work. During Adam's twenty years as CEO, the organization grew from a one-man-band housed in an East Harlem studio apartment to a broad-based service organization with an annual budget of $25 million. When he left in 2017, Fractured Atlas's services had grown to&nbsp;reach over 1.5 million artists across North America and distributed over $250 million to support their work.From 2003-2013, Adam also ran Gemini SBS, a software development firm serving the nonprofit and public sectors. Before being acquired by Fractured Atlas in 2013, Gemini worked with clients such as the US Department of Education, New York University, and the University of North Carolina, among many others.In 2017, Adam left Fractured Atlas to launch Exponential Creativity Ventures, a boutique venture capital fund backing early-stage technology companies that support human creative capacity. ECV was fully deployed as of late 2019, but Adam continues to support and advise ECV's 18 portfolio companies.In 2019, a personal side project became a bona fide startup when Adam publicly launched MonkeyPod.Adam has a B.A. in theater from Sarah Lawrence College, an M.B.A. from New York University, and is a self-taught software developer. In 2011, he was recruited for the inaugural class of National Arts Strategies' Chief Executive Program. He is also an alumnus of Singularity University's Executive Program and the University of California at Berkeley's Venture Capital Executive Program.Adam was named to Crain's New York Business's 2016 "40 Under Forty" class and was listed by Barry's Blog as one of the "Top 50 Most Powerful and Influential Leaders in Nonprofit Arts" for five consecutive years.LAUREN RUFFIN (she/her) is the Director and Lead Strategist of Art &amp; Culture at Michigan Central. An expert in responsible innovation, her work centers on defining and implementing best practices for organizations reshaping the world through technology to ensure their platforms are safe, equitable and beneficial for all users. From 2016-2021 she served as Chief External Relations Officer and co-CEO of Fractured Atlas, the largest association of independent artists in the United States, where she oversaw marketing, communications, community engagement and fundraising for the nonprofit. In 2017 Ruffin co-founded CRUX, an immersive storytelling cooperative that collaborated with Black artists creating content in virtual and augmented reality (XR). In addition to her work as co-director at Michigan Centra, Ruffin is an Associate Professor of Worldbuilding and Visualizing Futures at Arizona State University where she explores the unprecedented and rapid political and social changes taking place in every facet of modern life due to advances in technology. Ruffin has held various positions at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Children’s Defense Fund, New Leaders and AAUW and has served on the governing and advisory boards of Black Innovation Alliance, Black Girls Code, ArtUp, Black Girl Ventures and Main Street Phoenix Cooperative. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a degree in Political Science and obtained her J.D. from the Howard University School of Law.

Season 6 of the WSS podcast here!In our inaugural episode of the season, host Tim Cynova is joined by Katy Dammers, Indira Goodwine-Josias, and Christy Bolingbroke as they explore reimagining of value-centered workplaces through Creative Administration. In organizations dedicated to creative expression and innovation, why is it that so many have workplace practices and policies that are dusty?The spirited discussion dives into the challenges and opportunities within the creative sector to rethink “traditional” approaches, asking when it might be better to reinvent the wheel or even asking if a wheel is what’s needed. The conversation underscores the critical balance between stability and creative experimentation, reflecting on how new approaches can support long-term change and longevity in the arts.Episode Highlights02:15 Meet the Guests05:44 Diving into Creative Administration09:20 Balancing Structure and Improvisation17:26 Challenging Conventional Wisdom20:46 Navigating Institutional Change24:26 Reevaluating Policy: Balancing Ethics and Values25:09 Navigating Crisis with Established Policies25:51 Incremental Change in Nonprofit Organizations26:37 Creativity and Experimentation During COVID26:58 The Snapback to Pre-COVID Norms27:38 Fear of Change and Embracing New Solutions28:44 Creative Administration and Sustainability29:49 The Role of Artists in Institutional Change34:11 Balancing Administrative and Artistic GrowthResources Mentioned in the Podcast:Check out the new book Artists On Creative Administration: A Workbook from the National Center for Choreography.Christy Bolingbroke’s Masters Thesis, Designing a 21st Century Dance Ecology: Questioning Current Practices and Embracing Curatorial InterventionsGUEST BIOSChristy Bolingbroke is the Founding Executive/Artistic Director for the National Center for Choreography at The University of Akron (NCCAkron). She is responsible for setting the curatorial vision and sustainable business model to foster research and development in dance. Previously, she served as the Deputy Director for Advancement at ODC in San Francisco, overseeing curation and performance programming as well as marketing and development organization-wide. A key aspect of her position included managing a unique three-year artist-in-residence program for dance artists, guiding and advising them in all aspects of creative development and administration. Prior to ODC, she was the Director of Marketing at the Mark Morris Dance Group in Brooklyn, NY. She earned a B.A. in Dance from the University of California, Los Angeles; an M.A. in Performance Curation from Wesleyan University; and is a graduate of the Arts Management Fellowship program at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. She currently serves on the Akron Civic Commons Core Team; as a consulting advisor for the Bloomberg Philanthropies Arts Innovation Management initiative; and on the New England Foundation for the Arts National Dance Project Advisory Panel. In 2017, DANCE Magazine named Bolingbroke among the national list of most influential people in dance today.Indira Goodwine-Josias was born and raised in Queens, NY, and believes in the power of art to educate, inspire, and advance change. With a dual background in dance and arts administration, she is currently the Senior Program Director for Dance at the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) where she directs NEFA’s National Dance Project and major dance initiatives in New England. Previously, she served as the Managing Director of Camille A. Brown &amp; Dancers (CABD) where she shepherded the organization through the attainment of 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, established the organization’s founding Board of Directors, increased the institutional and individual fundraising efforts, and provided oversight of the development, implementation, and continued growth of CABD’s dance engagement program, “EVERY BODY MOVE.” Prior to her leadership role with CABD, Indira held various positions at Harlem Stage that deepened community partnerships and enhanced the organization’s annual dance program, “E-Moves.” A 2016 New York Community Trust Fellow, American Express Leadership Academy Alumna, and Dance/USA DILT Program Alumna, Indira is widely recognized for her entrepreneurial and artist-centered spirit. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Dance/USA, the Advisory Committee for The Black Genius Foundation, Grantmakers in the Arts’ Individual Artist Committee, and is a member of Women of Color in the Arts (WOCA). Her contributions to the dance field also include serving as a programmatic thought partner, grant panelist, and conference speaker. Indira holds a BFA in Dance Performance from Florida State University and an MA in Performing Arts Administration from New York University.Katy&nbsp;Dammers (she/her) is the Deputy Director and Chief Curator, Performing Arts at REDCAT, CalArts’ center for the visual and performing arts in Los Angeles. Her curatorial practice presents, organizes, and contextualizes contemporary practice in performance commissions, exhibitions, festivals, site-specific installations, and publications. She has held past leadership positions at The Kitchen, FringeArts, and Jacob’s Pillow. Dammers has also worked as a creative administrator, and worked with choreographers Rashaun Mitchell&nbsp;+ Silas Riener as&nbsp;General Manager from 2014-2022, in addition to organizing projects with Jennifer Monson, Donna Uchizono, and Tere O’Connor. A writing fellow at the National Center for Choreography Akron, her essays have been published in The Brooklyn Rail, Motor Dance Journal, and MOLD as well as edited volumes by University of Akron Press and Princeton University Press. Dammers was a member of the Inland Academy and holds degrees from Goldsmiths College and Princeton University.Tim Cynova, SPHR (he/him) is the Principal of WSS HR LABS, an HR and org design consultancy helping to reimagine workplaces where everyone can thrive. He is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and a trained mediator, and has served on the faculty of Minneapolis College of Art &amp; Design, the Banff Centre for Arts &amp; Creativity (Banff, Canada) and The New School (New York City) teaching courses in People-Centric Organizational Design, and Strategic HR. In 2021, he concluded a 12-year tenure leading Fractured Atlas, a $30M, entirely virtual non-profit technology company and the largest association of independent artists in the U.S., where he served in both the Chief Operating Officer and Co-CEO roles (part of a four-person, shared, non-hierarchical leadership team), and was deeply involved in its work to become an anti-racist, anti-oppressive organization since they made that commitment in 2013. Earlier in his career, Tim was the Executive Director of The Parsons Dance Company and of High 5 Tickets to the Arts in New York City, had a memorable stint with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, was a one-time classical trombonist, musicologist, and for five years in his youth he delivered newspapers for the Evansville, Indiana Courier-Press. Learn more on LinkedIn.

In this episode, host Tim Cynova interviews Ann Le and Meg Buzzi, authors of the book "The In-Between: A Companion for Uncertain Times." The discussion brings in many of the challenges of work in the current chaotic and uncertain landscape, and offers insights on how individuals, teams, and organizations can stay engaged and motivated. At the heart of the discussion, Ann and Meg invite listeners to rethink their relationship with work and explore new possibilities.Episode Highlights:03:18 The Genesis of The In-Between: A Book for Uncertain Times05:06 Unpacking Work Culture: Insights from The In-Between08:00 Navigating Work and Life in a Post-Pandemic World08:43 Redefining Work: From Transactional to Transformational15:52 The Future of Work: Adapting to Change and Embracing Uncertainty16:29 Bridging Old Systems and New Realities19:09 Practical Advice for Organizations in Transition24:32 Evolving Ideas and Unexplored ThemesExplore the authors’ website. Buy their book.Ann Le is thinker, leader, and finance/operations pro, working on building strong, sustainable, anti-racist systems and organizations. She's leaning into how we can leverage new technologies, finance and community to combat racial and economic injustice.&nbsp;Ann spent a decade as a VP in investment banking, then spent 5 years at a major film studio. After her MBA, Ann has worked and held leadership roles with over 50+ organizations from large corporations to start-ups, non-profit, government, and has served on numerous boards. She's also written a great, but not best-selling cookbook, and produced an award-winning Sundance independent film. She graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Economics, with a focus on history and labor, and has an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Business. Ann will ask you if any of this matters as we move out of the In-Between, and we enter a new paradigm of work and community: there's a new way to see and value ourselves. Ann has been described as a great teammate, a caring, intuitive human with a strong Slack game who also writes the "opposite of boring" emails.&nbsp;Meg Buzzi is a change artist helping to build imaginative solutions to systemic challenges, especially at work. She is a PCC-certified coach, writer, and co-founder of the Present of Work (presentofwork.com) consulting group and the Starter Cultures (startercultures.us) change community. She helps teams and leaders level-up and reconnect to what truly matters to them. A former Chief Information Officer, Meg has led multi-million-dollar change efforts in K-12, higher education, government, and tech. But her most valuable learning is about building community and practicing trust when we are faced with complexity and challenge. Meg is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, an Art of Hosting facilitator and a contributor to the books Fieldworking (Bedford St. Martin's), The Rhetoric of Inquiry (Macmillan), and Narrative Generation. Send her a note at&nbsp;meg@presentofwork.com.

In this episode, Tim Cynova and Katrina Donald delve into the complex world of wage transparency and equitable compensation, and explore how organizations can navigate these challenges to create fair and inclusive workplaces.They explore the need for organizations to list salaries for roles, both internally and externally, as well as the implications wage transparency laws are having across the U.S. The conversation delves into the challenges faced by organizations in creating consistency and fairness in their compensation approaches, particularly when considering factors like internal versus external experience and equity. Tim and Katrina also emphasize the significance of engaging in open and honest conversations about compensation within organizations and the benefits of adopting a holistic approach to compensation.Episode Highlights:The growing urgency for organizations to have transparent salary informationThe impact of new and expanding wage transparency lawsThe challenges organizations face in creating consistency and equity in compensationThe importance of having open and honest conversations about compensationHow to consider compensation in a more holistic way, beyond just base compensationThe benefits of adopting a strict, fixed tier compensation modelStay tuned for upcoming episodes on executive coaches who center equity and inclusion in their practice, the authors of "The In-Between: A Companion Book For Uncertain Times," and Gen Z in the workplace. Plus, catch season two of "White Men and the Journey Towards Anti-Racism" as well as an episode on values-based collective bargaining processes.

Why and how do you decolonize an organization's bylaws?In this episode, host Tim Cynova connects with three leaders from the U.S.-based nonprofit Dance/USA about their recent and ongoing work to decolonize their organization. Joining the discussion are Kellee Edusei, Executive Director of Dance/USA, and Holly Bass and Jim Leija, two members of the Board of Directors who co-lead the process to decolonize their organizational bylaws.We discussed the what, why, and how of the process Dance/USA engaged in over the past couple of years.Visit Dance/USA online.EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:The importance of decolonizing organizational structures: The conversation highlights the need to critically examine and reimagine organizational structures that are often rooted in racism and oppression. Decolonizing these structures is essential for fostering inclusivity and equity in the workplace.The significance of continuous reflection and learning: The leaders of Dance/USA emphasize the importance of an ongoing process of reflection and learning in the journey of decolonization. This includes acknowledging challenges, celebrating successes, and adapting strategies as necessary.Core values as guiding principles: Dance/USA operates based on core values – creativity, connectivity, equity, and integrity – that serve as guiding principles for their work in decolonizing their bylaws and developing inclusive practices.Collective responsibility in creating change: The conversation underscores the collective responsibility of individuals and organizations in creating an anti-racist, inclusive, and equitable dance field. This necessitates collaboration, sharing of resources, and actively challenging systemic barriers.GUEST BIOS:HOLLY BASS is a multidisciplinary performance and visual artist, writer, and director. Her work explores the unspoken and invisible social codes surrounding gender, class, and race.&nbsp;She was a 2020–2022 Live Feed Resident Artist at New York Live Arts and a 2021–22 Smithsonian Artist Research Fellow. She is the recipient of Dance/USA's Engaging Dance Audiences grant and part of their inaugural class of Dance/USA Fellowships for Artists. She studied modern dance (under Viola Farber) and creative writing at Sarah Lawrence College before earning her Master’s degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. Her work has been presented at spaces such as the National Portrait Gallery, the Seattle Art Museum, Art Basel Miami Beach (Project Miami Fair), and the 2022 Venice Biennale as part of Simone Leigh's Loophole of Retreat.&nbsp;Her visual artwork includes photography, installation, video, and performance. A Cave Canem&nbsp;Fellow, she has published poems in numerous journals and anthologies. She is currently the National Director for Turnaround Arts at the Kennedy Center, a program which uses the arts strategically to transform public schools facing severe inequities.&nbsp;KELLEE EDUSEI (she/her) is the first BIPOC Executive Director of Dance/USA, a forty-one year old, historically and predominately white led organization. After over a decade of serving in multiple capacities (first as the Office Manager and soon after as the Board Liaison and Director of Member Services), Edusei currently has the privilege of sitting at the helm of Dance/USA during this moment of change. Edusei embodies an ethos of “being in humble service to the dance ecosystem.” Through her leadership, she is committed to cultivating a practice of bringing to life the organization’s stated core values of Creativity, Connectivity, Equity and Integrity. Under her leadership, Edusei is leading Dance/USA in building an environment that embodies equity, centers inclusionary practices, and cultivates a profound sense of belonging for all parts of the dance ecosystem.In the two and half years that she has served as the Executive Director, Edusei has incorporated a shared leadership structure for Dance/USA’s eighteen peer networks (Councils and Affinity Groups) thereby dismantling a singular leadership structure; embedded the organization’s core value of equity in its most foundational document – its Bylaws – ensuring a singular, equitable pathway to Trusteeship; transitioned its Conference to a biennial cycle with a commitment to offering virtual programming throughout the year; and introduced Impact Groups, a more inclusive framework for collaboration and input from members and leaders from the broader dance ecosystem. These initiatives have flourished all the while ensuring the financial stability of the organization during one of the most economically uncertain times in the last decade. As a commitment to bolster the organization’s financial health, Edusei rolled out a 12 month individual giving campaign, 40 x 40, that celebrated the organization’s 40 years of service. The culmination of the 40 x 40 ended with Dance/USA’s inaugural Day of Giving.With curiosity and intentionality, Edusei will launch a Strategic Reframing process to examine the connections between being a member based association, operational sustainability, and increased influence within the performing arts sector. In her prior role as Director of Member Services and Board Liaison, Edusei designed the Membership Fellowship, for early career arts administrators to deepen their administrative skills and expand their leadership acumen. She implemented the “Special Membership Package,” recruitment campaign that surpassed set goals and engaged the entire Dance/USA Board and team. Edusei created a new revenue stream by maximizing Dance/USA’s monthly Bulletin. Additionally, she was part of the initial design of Dance/USA’s Dance Business Bootcamp, a program for dance artists working with budgets of less than $200,000. Edusei leveraged her Board experience to develop a website portal for Dance/USA’s Board of Trustees giving them access to one another and Board materials on-demand. In addition, she standardized the on-boarding process for new Trustees.Edusei is an experienced grants panelist, having served on panels for the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County (MD), Alternate Roots (GA), and the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (IL). She currently serves on the Advisory Council for Women of Color in the Arts (WOCA) and on the Board of Directors for the Performing Arts Alliance (both national in scope). She is a former Board member of See Chicago Dance (IL) and Dance Exchange (MD), where she served as the Chair of their Governance Committees. Edusei has connections to Jacob’s Pillow (MA), Bates Dance Festival (ME), and Movement Research’s (NY) dance communities. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Edusei was first introduced to dance when her grandmother took her to The Washington Ballet (TWB) where she auditioned for Mary Day. Being accepted into TWB’s School is where Edusei’s love for dance took root and blossomed. After several years of ballet training, Edusei transitioned to contemporary dance, training at Maryland Youth Ballet, Dance Place, and the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange.As a double-major graduate from The College of Wooster (OH) with degrees in Dance and Black Studies, Edusei studied in New York City and Yaoundé, Cameroon. Though worlds apart, she immersed herself in each city’s eclectic dance and arts communities. As a reflection of these experiences, she devised an evening length performance exclusively of her work – the first of any Dance major at Wooster – as part of her Independent Study thesis, titled Singularly Women/Collectively Woman. The piece focused on the mask dances of the Yoruba, Voltaic, and Mende (three distinct West African ethnic groups).Edusei considers herself a lifelong learner, and is always seeking opportunities to stretch, grow, learn, reflect and refine. To that end, she is an alumna of Acumen’s 2022 Leadership Accelerator cohort; a 2021 participant of the New Strategies Forum at Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business, supported by American Express; artEquity’s 2020 BIPOC Leadership Circle; and an alumna of American Express’ 2014 Leadership Academy. Edusei relocated to Chicago, IL in 2014 with her husband and their children.JIM LEIJA has served as Deputy Director for Public Experience and Learning at the University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA) since September 2019. He leads the team that builds UMMA's partnerships across the university and community and that designs and implements educational and public programming. During his tenure at UMMA, Jim has launched innovative public programming, like the Vote2020/22/24 Project with the Ann Arbor City Clerk’s Office and the campus-wide "Arts and Resistance" theme semester, in addition to initiating new partnerships with the Inuit Futures in Arts Leadership Program (Canada) and Monument Lab. Before UMMA, Leija served on the senior executive leadership team of the University Musical Society (UMS) as Vice President, Education &amp; Community Engagement for 8 years (former title Director of Education &amp; Community Engagement). He was instrumental in designing and implementing two major educational and performance residencies with the New York Philharmonic; served as project director for UMS’s two “Engaging Dance Audience” grants (through Dance/USA and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation); launched an arts-academic integration program with the U-M College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation); co-curated UMS’s theater series "No Safety Net" focused on contemporary social issues; and produced a "Day of Action" with Yo-Yo Ma in Flint, Michigan,...

In this episode, we explore unlimited paid time off policies: what they are, what they aren't, and items to consider when implementing this type of approach to PTO.

How do you intentionally guide a company through the final phase of the organizational life cycle? In this episode, we connect with guests who were tasked with leading companies through that very process. We’ll hear how they came to the decision, how they approached the work, and what resonates for them as they reflect on it all.