Dr. Laura welcomes international keynote speaker, CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame inductee, and one of the world’s leading experts on executive presence and influence, Stacey Hanke, to the show to talk about how we can tend to and elevate our influence at work. Stacey defines the qualities of true influence and discusses her Monday to Monday philosophy of consistency in messaging. Not only is influence grown in what we say, but how we listen, how we show up daily, and how we continue to present ourselves.

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.

Dr. Laura welcomes Dr. Shahana Alibhai, a TEDx speaker, bestselling author, family physician, and medical director of The Foundry Abbotsford, to the show to talk about her book, Feel Better, and the need for more focus on mental health, especially for youth. Dr. Shahana points out that medicine is very focused on illness, on diagnosing disease and offering treatment, whereas mental health requires holding space for belonging, acceptance, and mattering. She and Dr. Laura explore what it takes to navigate emotions and thrive in life.

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 Laura Munson, the #1 New York Times, USA Today, and international best-selling author of novel “Willa’s Grove”, memoir “This Is Not the Story You Think It Is”, and recent self-help book “The Wild Why”, to the show. Laura Munson tells Dr. Laura about the impetus behind the writing of her new book, “The Wild Why”, and her passion for bringing wonder back into the world. As Laura explains, wonder can release our creativity and free us from the hustle culture that leads to burnout.

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 wrongful conviction expert and attorney Jeffrey Deskovic and filmmaker Jia Rizvi to Where Work Meets Life™for an eye-opening conversation about wrongful conviction and exoneration advocacy. Jeffrey Deskovic was wrongfully convicted of a crime he didn’t commit and spent sixteen years in prison, from age seventeen to thirty-three, until he was exonerated by DNA evidence. Jia Rizvi is a documentary filmmaker passionate about telling stories of wrongful convictions, whose short documentary, Conviction, and upcoming full documentary, Sixteen Years, are about Jeffrey Deskovic’s story. Dr. Laura hosts a raw and illuminating discussion on Jeffrey’s story, wrongful convictions and the advocacy work required to exonerate the innocent, and Jia’s career in telling these stories.

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 Jana Boyko, business coach and author of Bedside Business Plan and the upcoming Employee to Entrepreneur, to the podcast for a conversation on entrepreneurship and self confidence. Jana describes her journey from doing a BCom and working for a marketing firm to striking out on her own as an entrepreneur and the failures and successes she experienced on that path. Dr. Laura learns how Jana’s guided journals are designed to guide entrepreneurs through the steps of starting a business with a focus on understanding ourselves and our ideas.

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 Dr. Esther Sternberg, M.D., a Professor, Research Director, Speaker, and Author of the books Well at Work, Healing Spaces, and The Balance Within, to the podcast to talk about wellness at work and how workplace environments impact employees. Dr. Sternberg shares her career journey from her start in medical family practice through to becoming the Research Director at the Andrew Weil Center of Integrative Medicine. She and Dr. Laura talk about what factors impact health and overall wellness at work and how these can be improved.

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 Dr. Joel Davis Brown. Chief Visionary Officer of Pneumos LLC, sought-after speaker, and author of “The Souls of Queer Folk: How Understanding LGBTQ+ Culture Can Transform Your Leadership Practice”, to Where Work Meets Life™ to talk about his journey, leadership, and what we can all learn from the queer community. Joel discusses how he worked to uncover what it means to be queer from an ethnographic standpoint, validating and understanding the community, in order to understand their leadership lessons.

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 examines how we can find calm within the turbulent and tricky times we’re in today. With geopolitical unrest, economic uncertainty, layoffs, and heightened emotions swirling around our unpredictable current times, it can be difficult to believe that calm is possible. It is still possible, however challenging it may seem, and Dr. Laura illustrates this by stressing the beauty of living in the moment and searching for gratitude in order to ground ourselves within chaos.

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.

Dr. Laura welcomes Mike Horne PhD, author of The People Dividend and an executive and organization development coach, to the show to talk about his book and why he’s drawn to making people and organizations better versions of who and what they currently are. Mike began his career in labour management relations, which led him into the world of learning and development. Mike’s driving question has always been about how he could live out his humanistic values and help people. As he says “I’m not afraid to be called a helper.”

Dr. Laura talks about spirituality and mental health in this episode, exploring the topics through the lens of the turbulent times we find ourselves in today. The uncertainty, volatility, and polarization in our modern times are creating a very real mental health crisis, especially in the areas of anxiety and depression. Dr. Laura defines these challenges and discusses how to address them through spirituality - a personal example of something that has worked for her.

Dr. Laura welcomes Saijal Patel, Founder and CEO of Saij Wealth Consulting, to a conversation about finance and financial literacy, especially in regards to women. Saijal promotes empowering women’s financial independence and security. She has over two decades of experience in the financial industry in both North America and Asia to draw upon. Saijal’s drive comes from seeing the unique challenges women face in managing personal finances and understanding how money works.

Dr. Laura welcomes Julie Ann Cairns to the podcast to talk about her book, The Abundance Code: How to Bust the Seven Money Myths for a Rich Life Now, and her passion for helping people see the importance of an abundant mindset. Julie Ann was trained in economics, has an MBA, and had 30+ years running seven and eight-figure businesses. But after an economic downturn and great financial loss, she had an epiphany that turned her life around. She shares her incredible story of how she found her true calling in helping others achieve success and find fulfillment in all areas of life.