How do organizations create effective systems for remote work while maintaining strong connections? Wayne Turmel, co-founder of The Remote Leadership Institute and co-author of The Long-Distance Leader and The Long-Distance Teammate, shares his decades of experience helping teams communicate, connect, and thrive in dispersed workplaces. 🚀 Key Insig…

How does one build a workplace that balances culture, efficiency, and innovation in a remote-first world? Meet Joanne Barnett, a trailblazer in Future of Work strategies, as she shares her experiences driving exceptional culture, employee experience, and operational excellence in remote-first businesses. With her award-winning expertise, Joanne has…

What happens when a traditional industry embraces modern work practices? Join Grayson Harris, Flexible Work and Engagement Partner, as he shares his journey from designing wind and solar farms to pioneering flexible work strategies in his company. Inspired by his own experiences as a digital nomad, Grayson transitioned into a Head of Remote role, b…

How do you lead a fully remote team while championing work-life integration and visible teamwork? Rowena Hennigan, Head of Remote at Nosana.io and founder of RoRemote, shares her journey as a remote work advocate, educator, and changemaker. With over 25 years of experience and a deep passion for the socioeconomic benefits of remote work, Rowena rev…

How do you build thriving teams and create intentional connections in a rapidly scaling remote-first environment? Nadia Vatalidis, Interim Director of Talent Acquisition at Camunda and former VP of People at Remote.com, takes us behind the scenes of scaling teams from 70 to over 1,000 employees while maintaining culture, connection, and operational…

What does it take to drive organizational success as a Head of Product Excellence in a flexible-first environment? Valentina Thörner shares how she navigates the intersection of HR, operations, and leadership to optimize processes, empower teams, and create a culture of seamless collaboration at SCALAR. Her unique approach to remote work combines s…

How do you build a thriving remote workforce while maintaining a culture of engagement, well-being, and continuous learning? Kenneth Hellem, Chief People Officer at Ultimate Beauty, reveals his approach to leading a fully remote, people-first organization. Kenneth’s work sits at the intersection of operations and people management, and his insights…

What does it take to lead a remote-first organization with 100+ professionals across 35 countries? In this episode, Chase Warrington, Head of Operations at Doist (the creators of Todoist and Twist), shares how he has helped shape a fully remote company that serves over 40 million customers in 19 languages. From building operational infrastructure t…

How do you scale a remote-first company across 40+ countries while maintaining a results-driven, people-focused culture? In this episode, we dive deep with Dajana Berisavljević Đakonović, the Head of People at Toggl. With over eight years of People Ops experience, Dajana shares the lessons from Toggl’s journey—from growing a fully distributed team …

Welcome to the first episode of the Head of Remote podcast! In this series, we’ll explore one of the most transformative roles in the modern workplace: the Head of Remote. Remote work is more than a trend—it’s a permanent shift in how we collaborate and connect. But to make it work, organizations need dedicated leadership to guide the cultural, ope…

Understanding what we need to be productive isn't just about optimizing output; it's about crafting a lifestyle that aligns with our values and interests. By identifying the specific conditions under which we thrive—be it the silence of an early morning, the dynamic buzz of a café, or the structured environment of an office—we can achieve our best …

In this episode, we're returning to our conversation with Darren Murph, the Head of Remote at GitLab, originally recorded in July 2021. As we navigate the shifting landscapes of remote work in March 2024, Darren's insights on fostering company culture from a distance have only become more salient. This revisit highlights Darren's valuable strategie…

In this episode of the Collaboration Superpowers podcast, we hosted esteemed guests David Horowitz, Esther Derby, and Diana Larsen. The conversation dived into the essence of conducting a successful remote agile retrospective, highlighting the importance of clear goals, structured feedback, and the engagement of all team members. Our guests shared …

In this episode, we explore the transformative impact of intentional teamwork in remote and hybrid environments. We discuss how deliberate collaboration, clear communication, and a shared vision can create a cohesive, productive team. Learn how teams that collaborate with purpose and strategy can overcome the challenges of distance, utilize diverse…

DOM PRICE is the head of R&D and work futurist at Atlassian. Originally from Manchester, now living in Sydney, Australia, Dom spends half his time on the road between the US, Europe, and Australia. We discuss what Atlassian struggles with and how they share and scale knowledge throughout their organization. We also discuss how they manage communica…

In a traditional office, overhearing incidental conversations can lead to serendipitous learning and fast problem-solving. But how can we simulate this beneficial aspect of office culture in an online environment? Here are actionable tips to help you recreate the magic of overhearing, even when your team is spread across different locations. For mo…

Overworking can stem from various factors, including the desire to accommodate different time zones or the absence of physical cues signaling the end of the workday. This constant “on” mode can lead to burnout and decreased productivity. Recognizing the signs and implementing strategies to maintain a healthy work-life balance is essential. For more…

Karin Hurt and David Dye are CEO and President of Let's Grow Leaders and are known for their practical tools and leadership development programs. They are about to release their newest book, Powerful Phrases For Dealing With Workplace Conflict, which aims to help employees and managers create better communication practices. This all leads to buildi…

STEFAN ROLOFF is an Agile Coach who plans and facilitates hybrid PI Planning sessions across multiple time zones. In this interview, we delve into the complex landscape of Scaled Agile and Program Increment (PI) Planning. Stefan shares his insights on synchronizing agile teams globally, outlining actionable steps for overcoming time-zone barriers a…

HEATHER HANSEN is a true trailblazer in global communication and an unwavering advocate for amplifying diverse voices. Heather's resounding stand against language-related biases in international teams has garnered her a prominent position as a sought-after consultant for some of the world's largest companies. With her thought-provoking 2018 TEDx ta…

ADAM RIGGS is the CEO and Found of Frameable, building products to help the digital collaboration experience in MS Teams. Before Frameable, Adam was a Presidential Innovation Fellow at the Treasury Dept. and a subject matter expert at the State Dept. on various open data and knowledge management challenges. Adam shares his best practices and tools …

PROJJAL GHATAK is the CEO and co-founder of OnLoop, a platform reshaping the performance management landscape and introducing the concept of Collaborative Team Development (CTD) to transform how hybrid teams are evaluated and nurtured at their core. In this interview, we delve into the critical components of effective performance feedback, explore …

ANDREA "DEA" WOODARD is a business consultant and facilitator specializing in remote and hybrid leadership. She is also passionate about personal user manuals. In this interview, we dive into how to use personal user manuals, the downsides, what it means to be more ourselves at work, and how to start building your own manual. For more information, …

SUMEET GAYATHRI MOGHE is a product manager, a future of remote strategist, and the author of the Async-First Playbook: Remote Collaboration Techniques for Agile Software Teams. In this interview, we discuss what problems asynchronous work solves, why it's challenging and worth it, and where teams can begin. For more stories of remote teams doing gr…

In this interview, we sit down with SOPHIE WADE, an esteemed work futurist and the founder of FlexCel. With a mission to establish "digitally integrated and responsive sustainable work environments," her company offers advisory services and transformative workshops. As the author of Empathy Works, Sophie brings a wealth of knowledge and insights to…

PETER SMIT is a global thought leader in collaboration with 35 years of global experience across multiple industry sectors. He is also the Founder & CEO of Collabogence Inc. This analytics startup combines workplace analytics with people analytics to provide insights into the impact of workplace changes on the effectiveness and productivity of peop…

DAVID SMITH is a digital workplace consultant focused on helping teams develop virtual fluency and cultural intelligence. In this interview, we discuss how to know what we don't know, how different cultures learn, and how to develop a learning culture within your organization. For more stories of remote teams doing great things, visit https://www.c…

ADAM NATHAN is the CEO of Almanac, where remote teams write, approve, and organize documents. Almanac aims to help teams cut meetings and messages by 80%! This interview discusses structured documentation, asynchronous workflows, living handbooks, and the Modern Work Method https://almanac.io/folders/modern-work-method-QPizZr. For more, visit www.c…

ELISA REGGIARDO is a Partner Marketing at Slite, a modern knowledge base that helps teams escape the chaos of information overload. In this interview, we talk about information management & asynchronous decision-making. For more information on remote teams doing great things, visit https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com…

MELISSA ROMO is the VP of Global Customer Marketing for a multi-national company. She also authorized a book called Your Resource is Human: How empathetic leadership can help remote teams rise above. In this interview we discuss the five leadership behavior Melissa outlines in her book. For more stories of remote teams doing great things, visit htt…

RONNY LEBER is a well-renowned keynote speaker, stadium host, and coach from Austria who has entertained 5 million people, live, and worldwide at major sporting events, corporate events, and seminars. Since 2021 Ronny has spent more than 1,500 hours on live television as a host and anchorman. In this interview, we discuss how to present on video to…

KASSY LABORIE is a Virtual Learning Expert specializing in developing trainers and virtual classroom strategies. In the new edition of her book, Interact And Engage! 75+ Activities for Virtual Training, Meetings, and Webinars, Kassy (and her co-author, Tom) provide practical tools for igniting online events and virtual training through the use of w…

SARAH FERN is the Chief People Officer of Velocity Global, a company that allows you to hire, manage, and pay global talent all from one platform. In this interview, we discuss why the hybrid model misses the mark, tips for global hiring and onboarding, and tips for work-life balance. For more stories of remote teams doing great things, visit https…

ALI GREENE is a remote work leader, advocate, speaker, and co-author of Remote Works: Managing For Freedom, Flexibility & Focus. In this interview, we discuss what it's like to be a digital nomad, where managers are going wrong, and tips for work-life balance. For more stories of remote teams doing great things, visit https://www.collaborationsuper…

DR. DEB MASHEK is an experienced business advisor, professor, higher education administrator, and national nonprofit executive. Previously Full Professor of social psychology at Harvey Mudd College and named one of the Top 35 Women in Higher Education by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education. In her new book, Collabor(h)ate, Dr. Mashek draws on her d…

SONJA SVILKIĆ ĆIRIĆ is a Scrum Master at Seven Bridges, now Velsera, a company of about 200 people headquartered in Belgrade, Serbia. Before the pandemic, the company worked primarily in person. Now, every team can decide how and where they want to work. The office is still available for those who want or need to use it. In this interview, we discu…

CRISTINA GÓMEZ PRADA is the Chief Operating Officer at Hanzo Studio in Madrid, Spain. Before the pandemic, Hanzo was a small team of about 20 people who worked as a remote-first team from the beginning. And... they allowed everyone to come into the office if they wanted to. During the pandemic, the team doubled in size... remotely. And now, the off…

MICHAEL DUBAKOV is the co-founder and CEO of Fibery, an all-in-one work management platform. His team of 30 works remotely across seven countries and they manage their work using the same work management platform they are building and optimizing for their customers. In this interview, we discuss the secrets to good workflow management and how to wo…

PAUL RICHARDS is the Founder/CEO of YCube Aerospace Solutions and a Board Member at AGILE Space Industries. He's also a former astronaut who has logged more than 307 hours in space (including an EVA totalling more than 6 hours). In this interview, we talk about remote collaboration - from space! For more stories of remote teams doing great things, …

ABE HEWARD is a software engineer based in Arizona, USA - and such a close friend that I call him family. His company was primarily in-person before the pandemic, 100% remote during, and is currently navigating hybrid. Leadership has mandated that most people must come into the office 3 days per week: Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. In this intervie…

People have gotten used to working remotely - but are still struggling with too many meetings & too many messages. Async has become really popular this year - but I’m not sure async is the answer. I think we need to change how we work: rethink meetings, rethink workflows, slow down, be more intentional, think about our information management. Jurge…

It is way too easy to schedule a time to talk online. Without any travel time, the allure of back-to-back meetings is great. And while back-to-back meetings are definitely efficient, they’re not great for us mentally - and it’s generally not good meeting practice. Here are all of the tips that I’ve collected that will help you get rid of your unwan…

For more stories of remote teams doing great things, visit https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com.

KARIN REED is an on-camera communications expert, the CEO and Chief Confidence Creator at Speaker Dynamics. She has written a third book ("Running Effective Meetings For Dummies") and I invited her back for a third conversation to discuss what we are still getting wrong about meetings in 2022. We discuss meeting overload and how to solve it and she…

FREDRIK THOMASSEN is the CEO and Founder of Superside, a fully remote creative service company. Fredrik founded Superside to create more equal economic opportunities globally with the world's creative talent. He scaled his company of 750+ people in 80 countries - with a focus on cultivating an organization of kindness and truth seeking. In this int…

DR. HEIDI K. GARDNER, PHD is a Distinguished Fellow at Harvard Law School, author of Smarter Collaboration, and co-founder of the research and advisory firm Gardner & Co. In this interview we dive into collaboration overload: Why it happens, how it can disadvantage certain groups of people, and how to overcome it. For more, visit www.collaborations…

STEPHAN WIEDNER is a psychological safety expert whose career has focused on developing sustainable high performance leaders, teams, and organizations. He has developed a unique perspective on psychological safety by designing innovative and evidence-based training, building technology to help leaders and managers master their interpersonal skills,…

Knowing what we need to be productive can help us do our best work and to design our lifestyles around the things we love the most. In this episode we dive into what personal manuals are and the important role they can play in team building. For more stories of remote teams doing great things visit https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com.…

CRISTEN TORREY is the Director of Research at Figma, "the design platform for teams who build products together." Cristen lead the research team at Figma to produce a report that underscores the must-haves for better team collaboration. In this interview we talk about the components of good collaboration and why it's so hard for teams to achieve. F…

Dr. Darryl Stickel has devoted his career to understanding trust, what it is, how it functions, and how to increase it. He holds a PhD in Business from Duke University and wrote his doctoral thesis on building trust in hostile environments. After leaving Mckinsey & Company in 2001, Darryl founded Trust Unlimited. His clients have included financial…