Work in Progress Podcast

Think Dilbert meets Marc Maron (host of the popular WTF podcast). Or, imagine Steven Colbert dropping into an executive meeting to poke holes in your open enrollment communications strategy.

Work in Progress is a 30-minute podcast that takes on the day’s most pressing workplace issues with a healthy mix of insight, wit and irreverence. Hosts Tom Alexander, an award-winning radio broadcaster and producer, and Charles Epstein, Workspan’s NSFW humor columnist, engage guests from people in the field – practitioners, brokers, vendors - and people outside the field, including prominent business execs, and those in the world of sports, media and entertainment, to lend relatable perspectives on their day-to-day personal and business challenges.

podcast-headline

Meet the Hosts

Tom Alexander is an award-winning broadcaster, producer and ( jazz) recording artist; Charles Epstein is a humorist (NSFW columnist) and business communications specialist. Alexander and Epstein have been a creative team for over a decade, producing and co-hosting two nationally syndicated radio shows (Off-the-Wire, the Sportsman’s Daily Weekend Show), and collaborating on an assortment of multi-media projects (including their latest, an authoritative guide to losers and losing called, appropriately, Loser, which is currently in development).

Tom Alexander grew up in his family’s cinema business. This early exposure to film and music served as the inspiration for a career that’s included screenwriting and composing music for radio, TV, film and his own bands. Tom is also a voiceover artist and Silver Microphone Award-winning broadcaster in the areas of sports, comedy, entertainment and jazz.

Charles Epstein is a humorist (NSFW columnist, formerly a Huffington Post satire columnist) and business communications specialist (founder and President of BackBone, Inc., a marketing and public relations firm specializing in technology and workforce management). He has also developed a number of employee engagement and communications platforms, including PEAQuest (“immersive” health and wellness assessments), Weekender (moves wellness to the weekends) and mBARC (a business mobility and Duty of Care platform).

EP 34: Rock Your Moxie

November 19, 2019

Spine, spunk, resolve – or what our guest calls moxie. Some have had it from the beginning, most have to discover it. Maureen Berkner Boyt is the founder of MoxieExchange, a community of corporations committed to building inclusive workplaces and women committed to leadership development and professional growth.

EP 33: Are We Happy Yet?

November 12, 2019

Tom and Charles discuss levels and types of happiness in past jobs and workplaces. Our guest Kris Besch, CEO of Denver-based Choose People, discusses what it takes to make employees happy and eager to come to work.

EP 32: Speed Bumps and Baby Bumps

November 5, 2019

Wherein we repay our loyal listeners with a systematic attempt to elicit angry feedback. After our efforts at trolling, we are joined by Shannon Curry and Samantha Decker, co-founders of BumpBenies, a company that supports employees “from bump to baby and beyond.”

EP 31: Horrific Halloween Office Parties...and more!

October 29, 2019

The official Halloween episode where we discuss costumes past and present and nightmarish Halloween office parties. Our guest Marc Mullis, founder and CEO of Payformance Partners, talks about designing compensation strategies that enable people to reach their full potential.

EP 30: Tricks and Treats: the Halloween Show

October 22, 2019

Tom and Charles on sleep and the uneasy state between dreams and nightmares. Also...the second blood curdling installment of HR Horror Stories courtesy of Workspan's managing editor Stephanie Rotondo...and branding/marketing maven Kelly K on his latest project, nurturing the exciting sibling-comprised indie band Jane Doe and building their North American fan base.

EP 29: Media Pros on Broadcasting, Narrowcasting and Podcasting

October 15, 2019

Joining us are Marc Zumoff, broadcast veteran and the longtime television voice of the Philadelphia 76ers, to talk about team culture, and media…and entrepreneur/executive Steve Lapa who discusses the popularity of podcasting and the ingredients for a successful show (including ours!).

EP 28: Works of Art: The Business Side of Creative Entrepreneurship

October 8, 2019

This week's pod features Heidi Luerra, CEO & Founder of RAW Artists, a platform that gives independent artists tools, resources, education and exposure needed to succeed.

EP 27: We Can Work it Out

October 1, 2019

Tom and Charles talk about bridging the generation gap: sometime in the 2020s, older boomers and millennials will be middle aged! This week’s guests includes Karina Cabrera Bell, co-founder of OpenAccess, and entrepreneur & speaker, Eric Termuende.

EP 26: Getting Inventive

September 24, 2019

Tom and Charles discuss several of their own "inventions," then speak with Emily Frank, career reinvention specialist and Brooklyn-based product designer, inventor and entrepreneur Marco Perry.

EP 25: September of My Years - A Life in Music

September 17, 2019

Composer, conductor, arranger, and record producer Charles Calello has worked with Frankie Valli, Frank Sinatra, the Yardbirds, Barbara Streisand, Laura Nyro, Bruce Springsteen, on and on. Not to be missed!

EP 24: The Big Chill Out

September 10, 2019

We’re joined by Lindsay Johnson, CEO of FitPros, a wellness company that can help you turn boredom into mindfulness…and Nate Evans, marketing director for Powerblanket, a “super chill” company out of Salt Lake City (of all places).

EP 23: Like a Hurricane

September 3, 2019

We recorded this with Dorian heading our way, but just before scavenging for provisions we spoke with Paige Arnof-Fenn who describes herself as an "accidental entrepreneur"...though there's more to it than a slip in the shower.

EP 22: Zilosophical Musings on Diversity, Golf and Other Things

August 27, 2019

Rework Work's CEO Stacey Gordon discusses the importance of “intentionality” in promoting more authentically diverse workplaces, and “stand up philosopher” Michael Zildjian tees up his thoughts on “zilosophy.”

EP 21: WIP Gets Certified

August 20, 2019

Guests Scott Cawood, CEO of WorldatWork and Amy Dufrane, CEO of the HR Certification Institute (or HRCI) talk about the evolution and future of certification in the HR field.

EP 20: California Dreamin'

August 13, 2019

We take a break from the sweltering heat with a trip to the somewhat more temperate West Coast to speak with architect Brian Wickersham (in LA) and business consultant Lucinda Jackson (in SF) on her diverse experiences in corporate and academic worlds.

Streaming

Listen to Work in Progress via iTunes, Stitcher, and Podomatic.

iTunes

Stitcher

Podomatic

Have Questions?

Phone

+1 877 951 9191

USA and Canada

+1 480 951 9191

Other Countries

Online