WTF is Business Casual
Buckle up for real HR stories that'll make you laugh, cringe, and thank your lucky stars you're not that guy.
WTF is Business Casual is the HR podcast where two seasoned consultants—Sarah Bursten and Jenny Lavey, co-founders of RiseHR—dish on wild workplace fails, toxic bosses, employee drama, and leadership gone wrong. With 35+ years of combined experience in HR, leadership development, and people management, they offer surprisingly useful advice wrapped in real talk and hilarious storytelling.
If you’re an HR professional, small business owner, people manager, or just someone who’s survived office politics, this show is for you.
Subscribe to WTF is Business Casual—because work is weird, leadership is messy, and people always be peopling.
Hosted by Sarah Bursten & Jenny Lavey | RiseHR
www.risehumanresources.com
WTF is Business Casual
Brains That Work Differently: Why Your Team Needs Both
Jenny and Sarah get real (and a little vulnerable) about what it actually looks like to build something together when your brains couldn’t be wired more differently.
From inner monologues that never shut up to brains that see zero pictures when they read (yes, it’s a thing), they unpack how wildly different mental wiring shows up at work, in friendships, and in every tense “are you mad at me?” conversation they’ve ever had.
They talk through:
- Why friction between “big‑picture idea people” and “process‑first planners” isn’t a flaw, it’s the secret sauce
- How knowing each other’s operating systems changed the way they brainstorm, decide, and stay (mostly) sane
- Why psychological safety isn’t just a buzzword, and why your team won’t share their best ideas without it
And yes, there’s laughter, a few cold‑plunge confessions, and plenty of “holy crap, you see it THAT way?” moments.
Great teams aren’t made of clones. They’re built on trust, tension, and a lot of honest conversations.
Highlights:
[00:02] Inner dialogue, color‑coded days, and the shock of finding out not everyone pictures an apple in their head
[25:10] Why Jenny blurts ideas like fireworks and Sarah needs two hours (and a spreadsheet) to process them
[39:45] That time Sarah felt squashed and Jenny felt shut down and why naming it mattered
[52:00] Quick starts vs. deep thinkers and why teams need both
[1:04:20] What Clifton Strengths taught them about each other (and why “restorative” isn’t just being negative)
[1:15:00] Cold plunges, last‑minute chaos, and how showing up late can still get the job done
Tell us:
Are you the big‑idea quick‑start or the thoughtful process‑first type?
DM us! We love seeing how real teams actually work.
Hit play! Because it turns out, opposites don’t just attract… they build some pretty badass businesses too.
