Most leaders want their people to feel valued. But somewhere between the pizza parties and the "Employee of the Month" plaques, something gets lost, and the best people quietly start looking for the door.
The Appreciation at Work® Podcast is for leaders who are done guessing and ready to get it right.
Each week, we bring you honest conversations, real research, and practical tools built on the framework trusted by over 480,000 professionals across 60 countries: The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace. You'll learn how to move beyond generic recognition and communicate appreciation in the way each person on your team actually receives it.
Because there's a difference between recognizing performance and appreciating a person. And that difference changes everything.
Subscribe and start building a workplace your team refuses to leave.
4 People Who Shape Your Team Culture (with JC Hite)
You don't need a payroll to build a team culture. You just think you do. In this episode, I sit down with JC Hite, a partner here at Appreciation at Work and the owner of Hite Digital, to talk about hiring, leading teams, and what it actually takes to build team culture before you can afford to pay anyone. JC walks through the four team members every small business owner already has, starting with yourself. If you hired someone who worked the way you work, would you give them a raise? That ...
17 Aug 2026
The Four Missing Links to a True Culture of Appreciation (with Jim Uhl)
Jim Uhl spent almost 30 years as a police officer before he became a leadership researcher, a Gallup-certified strengths coach, and the Chief Engagement Officer of Breaking the Chain Consulting. Jim and I talk about the four missing links he sees holding organizations back: purpose and values, strengths, a culture of appreciation, and forgiveness. We get into why so many leaders build their culture by accident instead of on purpose, and why that gap is costing them their best people.&nb...
3 Aug 2026
The 5 Languages of Appreciation: A Marathon, Not a Sprint (with Dr. David Knapp)
If you've ever wondered why the way you say thank you doesn't always land the way you intend, this episode is for you. I sat down with Dr. David Knapp, president of Marathon Leadership in Thornton, Colorado, and author of the 2024 book Marathon Leadership: 26.2 Essential Lessons for Leaders, to talk about what happens when leaders finally understand the 5 languages of appreciation. David has trained everyone from Silicon Valley startups to Fortune 100 companies to county public works cr...
27 Jul 2026
How To Rebuild Trust With Your Team This Week (with Dr. William Attaway)
Ever wonder why you double-check one person's work but never think twice about another's? That gap isn't about skill; it's about trust. In this episode, Dr. William Attaway breaks down the three pillars every person on your team is unconsciously measuring in you: competence, consistency, and character. He walks through the three most common ways leaders accidentally destroy trust with their team (usually while trying their best) and shares a real story of a director who rebuilt trust wi...
20 Jul 2026
Recognition vs Appreciation: Why Your Star Employee Might Quit (with JC Hite)
What if your top performer is quietly doing the math on when to leave, even while you're celebrating her as Employee of the Year? This week I sit down with JC Hite, co-owner of Appreciation at Work, fresh off a workshop with one of the fastest-growing therapy clinics in Arkansas. JC breaks down the framework that compounds appreciation — knowing, appreciating, and serving — and tells the story of an award-winning employee who nearly quit because her company confused recognition vs appr...
13 Jul 2026
Recognition vs Appreciation: Why Your Top Performers Still Feel Overlooked (with Jasmine Liew)
You can't promote everyone, and the budget for bonuses only stretches so far, so what do you do for the people who are doing great work but won't see it reflected in a raise? That's the exact tension Jasmine Liew, founder of Breakthrough Catalyst and Singapore's premier partner for the Five Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace, walked into years ago as an HR leader reading engagement survey results. What she found reshaped how she leads: recognition vs appreciation isn't a semanti...
6 Jul 2026
Flavor of the Month No More: Build a Workplace Appreciation Culture That Lasts (with Jennifer Gray)
If your team isn't feeling it, a generic "great job" email isn't going to fix that. I've seen leaders try, and I've done it myself. In this episode, I sit down with Jennifer Gray, Chief Deputy Director at Marion County Community Corrections in Indiana and a certified Appreciation at Work facilitator, who has been implementing the Appreciation at Work framework with her 200-person agency for several years. What Jennifer shares will challenge the way you think about recognition and ...
29 Jun 2026
Good Job Isn't Good Enough: Building an Employee Appreciation Culture (with Sheryl Driggers)
If you've ever told someone "good job" and watched them walk away unmotivated, there's a reason, and it's not about effort. It's about the difference between recognition and appreciation. In this episode, I sit down with Sheryl Driggers, keynote speaker, leadership coach, and entrepreneur with 25 years of business leadership experience. She co-founded a collision repair company in Tallahassee in 2001, grew it to three thriving locations, and sold it in 2021. Today she works with Collisi...
22 Jun 2026
Building an Employee Appreciation Culture That Actually Sticks (with Melanie Bazile)
If you're leading a team that's stretched thin, and you're wondering whether building an employee appreciation culture is even realistic, this episode is for you. I'm joined by Melanie Bazile, Director of Innovation and Expansion at Compass, an organization that provides supported and independent living services for adults with disabilities across the entire state of California. Compass has been doing this work for 30 years, and over the last five, Melanie has been the driving force behind ...
15 Jun 2026
The Peer Appreciation at Work Tool Any Team Can Build Today (with Krista Kindley)
Recognition tells your team they performed. Appreciation tells them they matter. If you’ve been leaning on one and wondering why culture still feels hollow, this episode is for you. My guest today is Krista Kindley, a training and development professional with the Family and Children’s Resource Program at UNC Chapel Hill’s School of Social Work. With 16 years in child welfare, Krista has seen some of the most burnout-prone, resource-stressed workplaces in the country, and she’s been quietly b...
8 Jun 2026
The Best Place They'll Ever Work: Moments That Matter (with Chris Dyer)
You're doing the work. 1:1s, recognition programs, team meetings fill your calendar. And still your best people leave. What if the problem isn't effort? What if you're focused on the wrong moments? In this episode, I sit down with Chris Dyer, Inc. magazine's #1 leadership speaker, three-time bestselling author, and former CEO who earned best place to work recognition fifteen times, to unpack his new book, Moments That Matter. What Chris discovered after selling his company and sitti...
1 Jun 2026
Guess No More: Employee Appreciation That Works for Every Person (with Nick Hoard)
If your team members aren't staying (or aren't fully showing up), the answer might not be compensation. It might be that they don't feel genuinely seen. I'm joined today by Nick Hoard, founder of Patient Care Marketing Pros and a business owner who has done the real work of building a culture where appreciation isn't a nice idea; it's a system. Nick shares how he took the 5 Languages of Appreciation through his entire team, embedded appreciation profiles into their virtual workspace, and buil...
If you’ve invested in swag, end-of-year parties, and awards ceremonies, and your team still doesn’t feel genuinely valued, this episode is for you. I’m joined by JC Hite, entrepreneur, speaker, and co-owner of Appreciation at Work®, whose focus is helping business owners scale with stability without sacrificing faith and family. JC brings something rare: he’s lived both sides of this: leading teams where people left for a 3% raise, and building an employee retention culture where competitor...
28 May 2026
The 5 Languages of Appreciation (And Why Words Aren't Enough) (with Dr. Paul White)
Most leaders think they're showing appreciation. But if your go-to is an award, a bonus, or a company-branded mug, you're reaching less than 10% of your team. And if words are all you use, you're missing over half the people you lead every single day. In this very first episode of the Appreciation at Work® Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Paul White — psychologist, author, and the founder and president emeritus of Appreciation at Work®, and co-author of The Five Languages of Appreciation in the W...
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