Work Positive

EP 173 | Culture by Design, Not by Default | Emily Berliner

Work Positive

Show Notes

Does your work culture just happen, growing on its own until you hardly recognize it? Or do you intentionally design your work culture, building an environment that works well for everyone? What would change if you created the right space and simply let the right people be attracted to what you're building? Transform your approach to culture creation on this episode of the Work Positive Podcast with Dr. Joey Faucette and Emily Berliner. Emily is the founder and COO of Ebo Consulting Inc. from Alaska, specializing in management coaching, startup support, and helping small businesses optimize operations. After meeting a contractor who insisted on weekly meetings, Emily's entire perspective on work culture transformed, leading her to develop a "culture by design" approach that's now transforming how her team works together. Listen as Emily explores: ☀️ Why recognition is so underrated and how simple acknowledgment changes everything ☀️ How creating the right space attracts the right people who fit your culture perfectly ☀️ The power of walking the talk with integrity and values alignment ☀️ Why work-life integration acknowledgment builds loyalty and reciprocity ☀️ How getting out of your own head and adapting as a leader creates breakthrough results Emily transforms how leaders think about culture by proving that intentional design beats accidental development every time, and that the simplest acts of recognition create the biggest shifts. 🔑 Key Insight: "I guarantee you that if you create the space for it, you will attract the right fits and it'll work for you. It's just providing the space and the encouragement and the trust and that integrity. Recognition is so underrated. We're not talking about giving them an award and a big certificate. We're talking acknowledge their presence, thanking people for a good email. How much does that take? Absolutely nothing." 💡 Your DOT (Do One Thing): Start appreciating and recognizing the people around you in your work environment. If you have teams or team members, acknowledge their presence. Thank someone for a good email. Stand in the kitchen grabbing coffee and say, "You did a great presentation earlier, just wanted to let you know," then walk away. Start from the bottom, get your leadership aligned, make sure work-life integration is in place, and your team will be the happiest team. Connect with Emily Berliner:

Visit eboconsultinginc.com to explore services, resources, podcast links, and professional referrals Book a discovery session to discuss business development, startup formation, or branding Download simple business documents from the resources page Connect with Emily on LinkedIn

#CultureByDesign #Recognition #WorkLifeIntegration #IntentionalCulture #SmallBusinessSupport #LeadershipAdaptation #CultureEatsStrategyForBreakfast #WorkPositive

🎙️ Love the Work Positive Podcast? Please leave a review on iTunes to help others discover how to grow people and profits with a positive work culture! 🔗 Stay connected with Dr. Joey Faucette:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@workpositive7529 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjoeyfaucette/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorkPositiveToday/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/workpositive.today/

📧 Know someone who'd make a great guest on the show? Email [email protected] with your recommendation!

More from Work Positive

Oct 18, 2026

EP 209 | Make Retention a HABIT | Dr. Sharon Grossman An engineer at Hewlett-Packard ran into his manager’s office with a breakthrough. The manager wanted to say thank you on the spot. He reached into his lunch bag and handed over the only thing he had: a banana. It became the Golden Banana Award. In this week’s episode, psychologist Dr. Sharon Grossman talks with Dr. Joey about the fifteen-minute daily habit that keeps your top talent on your team. Who on your team earned a golden banana yesterday? ABOUT THE GUEST Dr. Sharon Grossman is a psychologist, keynote speaker and retention strategist. She helps organizations reduce turnover, strengthen leadership and create work cultures where people are motivated to stay. She combines behavioral science with practical systems that improve engagement, performance and retention, and she has for more than 25 years. Her executive coaching helps leaders recover from burnout, and her retention work extends that care to frontline teams. Her HABIT system equips people leaders to do five things in a fifteen-minute daily huddle: Huddles, Appreciation, Barometer, Improvement and Tracking. She’s the author of several books, including Don’t Buy Their Lunch! Buy Their Loyalty. You discover her books, speaking, coaching and consulting at drsharongrossman.com. Key Insights

Oct 11, 2026

EP 208 | You Invest. Your People Invest Back. | Katherine Kobs About a decade ago, a company told a young team member, "We wanna send you to college and we'll pay for it." Kate Kobs said yes. Nearly a decade later, she invests in people the way that company invested in her. In this week's episode, Kate talks with Dr. Joey about attracting top talent with total rewards and retaining them as you follow through. Who on your team waits for you to invest first? ABOUT THE GUEST Katherine (Kate) Kobs is a human resources leader who creates people-first HR functions. She created them across manufacturing, municipal government, energy, and retail companies. She loves translating compliance into practical guidance managers use to positively influence their culture. Today she leads HR for an organization with entities spread across Wisconsin. She also serves as a human resources sergeant in the Wisconsin Army National Guard. Kate lives in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. She shares inspiring stories about work culture on LinkedIn. She welcomes your questions there. Key Insights

Oct 4, 2026

EP 207 | Slow Down to Grow Trust | Sara Valentine Halloween comes every Monday at Give Kids The World Village. Christmas comes every Thursday. Sara Valentine says your culture happens on the days in between, on ordinary Tuesdays. In this week's episode, Sara talks with Dr. Joey about the HEART framework she discovered as she watched her team serve Wish families, and how a culture climbs back from rock bottom one conversation at a time. What does your team hear from you on an ordinary Tuesday? ABOUT THE GUEST Our guest on this episode is a human resources executive, leadership speaker, and creator of the Heart Leadership framework. It's a simple approach that helps leaders like you and me build trust through intentional conversations and everyday actions. She's led people and culture for nearly 20 years, and is passionate about helping organizations like yours create work cultures where employees feel heard, valued, and empowered. She currently serves as vice president of talent and culture at Give Kids The World Village, and hosts the Heart Leadership podcast. She believes that leadership is less about having all the answers and more about how we show up for our people. Sara welcomes messages from the Work Positive community on LinkedIn. KEY INSIGHTS

Sep 27, 2026

EP 206 | You Go First. Then Your Team Follows. | Dr. Joey Faucette Every February at Dr. Joey's farm, the first crocus pushes through frozen ground before the daylilies stir. The crocus goes first. Then spring follows. In this week's episode, Dr. Joey coaches all five B.R.A.V.E. @ Work practices from the Work Positive Community Live Experience. Who on your team waits for you to go first? ABOUT DR. JOEY Dr. Joey Faucette is the creator of the Work Positive Culture framework and founder of Work Positive Today. He serves as a Positive Culture Architect, Executive Coach, and host of the Work Positive Podcast. He helps people leaders transform their work cultures so they attract top talent, reduce turnover, and grow productivity and profits. The bestselling author of 19 books, Dr. Joey brings more than four decades of culture coaching to every conversation. Each month he hosts the Work Positive Culture Live Experience, where he coaches the Work Positive Community through one framework at a time. He works from Pleasant Gap Farm in Dry Fork, Virginia. KEY INSIGHTS

Sep 20, 2026

EP 205 | Millions Hiding in Your Organization | Porschia Parker-Griffin Two sisters bought a pearl necklace at a Goodwill for sixty-nine cents. The appraisal came back at $50,000. Do you undervalue your team in a similar way? One designer at an architecture firm shared her underappraisal with Glassdoor because her owner had yet to ask. Porschia Parker-Griffin helps organizations unlock the millions of dollars of potential hiding inside their own teams. What would an appraisal of your team discover that you priced too low? ABOUT THE GUEST Porschia Parker-Griffin is the founder and CEO of Fly High Coaching. She helps organizations attract, engage, and retain high-caliber professionals through tailored consulting, training, and coaching programs that achieve their business goals and enhance their culture. She holds the ICF Professional Certified Coach credential along with numerous other important certifications, including master practitioner status in the MBTI and certification in the Hogan assessments. She holds two psychology degrees, including a master's in industrial and organizational psychology, and she hosts the Career 101 Podcast, which she describes as everything you were never taught about career growth, development, and change. Her company tagline is soaring to your full potential. She especially enjoys helping companies unlock the millions of dollars of potential hiding in their organization, and she offers the Work Positive community her case studies, her podcast, and an open LinkedIn inbox. KEY INSIGHTS

See all episodes →