Culture Over Coffee
Welcome to Culture Over Coffee, a podcast focused on improving company culture and fostering employee engagement hosted by Beth Sunshine, SVP/Partner at Up Your Culture. Every week we chat with experts and thought leaders about the latest proven practices that succeed in reducing regrettable turnover, increasing productivity and retaining key customers. So, pour a cup of your favorite brew and join us. Up Your Culture, an employee engagement and company culture firm, was designed by The Center for Sales Strategy which has almost 40 years of experience improving business performance.
Episodes
June 23, 2026 • 9 mins
Culture Problem… or Operations Problem?
Most leaders don’t think they have a culture problem.
Instead, they’re asking questions like:
Why is execution so slow?
Why are we losing good people?
Why does everything feel harder than it should?
In this episode of Culture Over Coffee, Beth Sunshine explores why many of the challenges organizations label as operational issues are actually culture issues in disguise.
...
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January 8, 2026 • 38 mins
In this episode, Dan Kessler, President of Energage, joins Beth Sunshine to explore how data and action come together to create thriving workplace cultures.
Drawing on insights from millions of employee surveys and thousands of companies, Dan shares how organizations can move beyond measuring engagement to activating it.
Dan has some amazing takeaways, like:
- Why employee engagement data reveals what leaders can’t alway...
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December 18, 2025 • 5 mins
Culture isn’t just something you feel. It’s something you build.
In this short Culture Snapshot episode, we’re breaking down why great cultures aren’t powered by perks or positivity alone. Instead, they run on systems: the intentional habits, behaviors, and leadership practices that create clarity and consistency.
We’ll also walk through the four “engagement elevators” that help organiz...
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December 11, 2025 • 27 mins
Career development shouldn’t be a checklist. It should be a catalyst.
In this episode of Culture Over Coffee, Beth sits down with Deb Kuhn who leads Career Development and Programs at TransUnion, to explore how growth pathways can transform company culture from the inside out.
Deb shares incredible insights, including:
- Why TransUnion replaced rigid career ladders with “squiggly careers,” helping employees e...
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December 4, 2025 • 5 mins
What separates almost leaders from always leaders?
In this Culture Snapshot, Beth explores how small gaps in consistency (missed feedback, delayed recognition, or forgotten check-ins) can quietly erode engagement, and how one extra step can transform trust, culture, and results.
Evaluate Your Company Culture:
https://uyc.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/quick-culture-assessment
Beth Sunshine:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethsunshin...
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November 20, 2025 • 32 mins
In this episode of Culture Over Coffee, Catherine Badalamente, President and CEO of Graham Media Group, joins Beth to talk about what it really means to lead as listener-in-chief, and how active listening can strengthen trust, reveal hidden cultural challenges, and help employees thrive.
Catherine shares powerful takeaways including:
- Why real listening goes beyond surveys and meetings
- How to make it a daily intentional practic...
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November 13, 2025 • 4 mins
In this quick-hit Culture Snapshot, Beth spends a few minutes breaking down a powerful concept every leader should understand: culture debt.
Much like financial or technical debt, culture debt builds up when we avoid tough conversations, ignore toxic behaviors, or push past early signs of burnout.
Beth shares relatable, real-world examples of how culture debt sneaks into teams and outlines practical ways to start addressing it. ...
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July 10, 2025 • 6 mins
Feedback fuels growth, but most employees aren’t getting enough of it.
In this quick Culture Snapshot episode, Beth takes a few minutes to explore what data from ENGAGE 2025: The Company Culture Report reveals about the frequency and quality of workplace feedback. Also, she offers bits of actionable advice to help leaders make feedback a consistent, impactful habit.
ENGAGE 2025: The Company Culture Report:
https://uyc.th...
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July 3, 2025 • 36 mins
Middle managers are the critical link between leadership and employees...but many of them feel disengaged, unsupported, and overwhelmed.
In this episode, Matt Sunshine, CEO of The Center for Sales Strategy, is joining Beth to discuss why managers are struggling to stay engaged and how that impacts the teams they lead.
Matt has some amazing takeaways, like:
- Why the way in which companies “shift the goal posts” in...
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June 26, 2025 • 22 mins
Engagement may be strong at the top...but it’s not making its way down the org chart.
In this episode, Beth sits down with Kate Rehling, Senior Talent Analyst and Engagement Specialist at Up Your Culture, to explore the troubling disconnect between executives and employees when it comes to culture and engagement.
Kate shares some amazing thoughts to consider, like:
- How front-line employees can easily feel disconnecte...
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June 19, 2025 • 26 mins
For many employees, culture is a major reason they say “yes” to a job offer. But, too often, the reality doesn’t live up to the pitch.
In this episode, Beth is joined by Deborah Fulghum, Employee Engagement Specialist and Culture Coach at Up Your Culture, to unpack what happens when the promised culture falls short of expectations (and how organizations can fix it).
Deb offers such great insights, like:
- W...
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June 12, 2025 • 4 mins
Many leaders assume their people know exactly what’s expected of them, but the data says otherwise.
In this brief Culture Snapshot episode, Beth spends a few minutes to break down why unclear expectations lead to disengagement, especially among mid-tenure employees. She also shares simple ways to bring clarity and alignment back into focus.
ENGAGE 2025: The Company Culture Report:
https://uyc.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com...
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June 5, 2025 • 23 mins
In this episode, we’re exploring why more than a third of employees say they don’t receive enough recognition from managers or peers. We’ll be breaking down why recognition remains so underutilized, what it costs your culture, and how to make it part of your daily rhythm.
And here to help Beth make sense of it all is Kelly George, Culture Coach here at Up Your Culture.
Kelly offers great insights, like:
- How...
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May 29, 2025 • 20 mins
In this episode, we’re digging into the real cost of silence in the workplace (and what it takes to build a culture where people feel safe, heard, and empowered).
You’ll soon see that when employees feel like they can’t be their authentic selves at work, the impact goes far beyond quiet meetings and silent Slack threads.
Joining me to explore this critical issue is Mindy Murphy, Culture Coach here at Up Your C...
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In this episode, we’re looking into why the honeymoon phase for new employees is fading so fast and how it’s costing organizations more than they realize.
With half of new hires feeling only somewhat engaged within their first six months, early disengagement is becoming a major threat to retention, morale, and performance.
Joining Beth to help break it all down is Tirzah Thornburg, Senior Talent Analyst at The Cente...
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December 19, 2024 • 9 mins
In this brief, Culture Snapshot episode, we’re spending a few minutes to examine what comes after you’ve implemented an Employee Engagement Survey with your team.
We’ll answer questions like, “what happens after the survey results come in?” and “How can companies use the feedback effectively to enact real change?”
By the end of this quick episode, you’ll be equipped with all the s...
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December 12, 2024 • 31 mins
In this episode, we’re thinking about how leaders can utilize the full potential of their role to help shape the culture of their company.
And we could think of no better person to speak to this topic than Donna Hall, SVP/General Manager at Robertson Lowstuter.
Donna offers great insight about:
- Why leaders who talk more than they listen are culture killers
- How clearly communicating your company’s vision com...
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December 5, 2024 • 37 mins
In this episode, we’re taking a look at why psychological safety is a crucial component in all organizations: especially those known for taking risks in pursuit of innovation.
And here to help us break it all down is Adrienne Wilkerson, Co-Founder and CEO at Beacon Media + Marketing.
Adrienne makes a ton of amazing points, like:
- Why you can’t have true innovation without psychological safety
- How being willi...
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November 21, 2024 • 12 mins
In this short, Culture Snapshot episode, we’re taking little time to think about employee retention rates and how you can go about improving them.
On the other side of the brief episode, you’ll see that, to avoid the recruitment merry-go-round, you need to hire the right people, develop them in a way that allows them to grow in their jobs, and create a culture that allows for strong employee engagement.
LINKS:
Beth ...
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November 7, 2024 • 28 mins
In this episode, we’re exploring how companies can go about bridging two different cultures following a merger or acquisition.
And helping us break down how to do just that is Miracle Semien, CRO at Veaux Professional Services.
Miracle brings so many great insights to light, like:
- How an aligned culture, or lack thereof, creates a ripple effect throughout the company that is inevitably felt by your customers
- Why ...
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