The Lean Solutions Podcast

What You’ll Learn:Join the Lean Solutions Podcast hosts as they discuss the importance of reflection and goal-setting for 2026. They shared personal reflections on habits, such as overcooking presentations and non-use of talent, and the significance of being grounded and customer-focused. The team also discussed the eight wastes of lean to identify and improve personal habits.Links:Lean Solutions 2026 SummitLean Solutions Website⁠Click Here For Catherine McDonald’s LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠Click Here For Andy Olrich’s LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠Click Here For Shayne Daughenbaugh’s LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠Click Here For Patrick Adams’ LinkedIn⁠⁠

What You’ll Learn:In this episode, host Patrick Adams interviews Natalie Howden, a new team member at Lean Solutions, about her career journey and the importance of standard work in Lean environments. Natalie shares her background in pharmaceuticals, lithium-ion, and office furniture, highlighting her transition from a scientist to a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. She emphasizes the value of standard work in achieving consistency and improving processes, using examples from her experience.About the Guest:As an Executive Lean Coach at Lean Solutions, Natalie Howden helps organizations transform how they operate by reducing waste, accelerating flow, and embedding continuous improvement into everyday culture. Lean Solutions’ mission is to empower people through training, coaching, and talent solutions. Building the skills, systems, and culture needed for sustainable success.Partnering with organizations across manufacturing, healthcare, services, and professional industries, Natalie identifies inefficiencies and quality gaps and applies proven lean tools to redesign processes and deliver greater value with fewer resources. Through coaching leaders and teams, she builds lasting problem-solving capabilities and drives sustained performance by aligning systems, structures, and behaviors with lean thinking.Links:Natalie Howden's LinkedInLean Solutions 2026 SummitLean Solutions Website

What You’ll Learn:In this episode, host Catherine McDonald and guest Kelly Mallery discuss the importance of understanding and managing resistance to change in the workplace. They emphasize that resistance is a natural human reaction rooted in fear and that fighting it can be counterproductive, leading to eroded trust and failed change initiatives.About the Guest:Kelly Mallery has built her career helping teams and leaders navigate change—not by pushing harder, but by making the process easier, smarter, and even enjoyable. As the Operational Excellence Leader for two Viant Medical sites in New Hampshire and Michigan, she drives continuous improvement in high-stakes manufacturing environments. With over a decade of experience across solar, industrial consumer products, and aerospace, Kelly believes true transformation starts with mindset, not just tools.Through her coaching and consulting work, Kelly helps women change leaders overcome resistance, build confidence, and create lasting impact with less struggle. A proud Kata geek, she joined Kata Girl Geeks in 2020 and founded Kata School Northeast in 2023 to expand scientific thinking and adaptability. She lives in the Upper Valley between Vermont and New Hampshire with her family, where she continues her mission to make change work for people—not against them.Links:Kelly Mallery Coaching & Consulting LLCKelly Mallery's LinkedIn

Wendy Sellers, a nationally recognized HR consultant and expert known as The HR Lady®, shares her insights on positive leadership. She discusses how focusing on strengths and psychological safety can drive continuous improvement. Wendy reflects on her experiences with negative leadership and stresses the importance of clear values and accountability in fostering a healthy workplace culture. She also highlights the role of leader emotions in shaping team dynamics and offers strategies for dealing with toxic employees.

In this engaging discussion, Alex Suchman, CEO of Barometer XP, shares insights on leveraging play for workplace improvement. She explains how play can enhance trust and accountability while addressing communication dynamics that often lead to conflict. Alex introduces a playful drawing exercise to highlight different processing styles and stresses the importance of intentional design in play activities. She also discusses ‘relational waste’ and offers techniques to convert play into tangible outcomes that boost team performance.

What You’ll Learn:In this episode, hosts Patrick Adams and Andy Olrich discuss the importance of soft skills in leadership, emphasizing empathy, communication, adaptability, and emotional intelligence.About the Guest:Andy Olrich brings over 25 years of expertise in engineering trades, services, manufacturing, mining and logistics processes and support. With qualifications in Continuous Improvement and LEAN Six Sigma, he is also a Certified Scrum Master. Andy finds fulfillment in witnessing the positive outcomes that result from teams collaboratively working towards shared and individual goals.Patrick Adams is an internationally recognized leadership coach, consultant and professional speaker. He is best known for his unique human approach to sound team building practices, creating consensus and enabling empowerment.Patrick has been delivering bottom-line results through specialized process improvement solutions for over 20 years. He’s worked with all types of businesses from private, non-profit, government, and manufacturing ranging from small business to billion-dollar corporations. Patrick is an Author of the best selling book, Avoiding the Continuous Appearance Trap.Links:⁠Click Here For Andy Olrich’s LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠Click Here For Patrick Adams’ LinkedIn⁠

What You’ll Learn:In this episode, hosts Catherine McDonald, Andy Olrich, and guest Leire Martinez discuss the importance of sustaining culture and connection in organizations. They emphasize that culture is crucial for continuous improvement and can vary across different departments and regions.About the Guest:With a strong Lean Six Sigma background, she is experienced as an Operations Director managing multi-site operations, as well as a Plant Manager, Production Manager, and Continuous Improvement Manager in the automotive sector within a VUCA environment and during challenging periods such as COVID, the chip crisis, and material shortages. Her aim is to inspire the teams she works with to achieve results as one, always acting with integrity, a willingness to win, and a commitment to making tomorrow better.Links:Click Here For Leire Martinez LinkedIn

Patrick Adams, the founder of Lean Solutions and a fervent lifelong learner, shares insights from his exhilarating experience on the live startup competition, The Blocks. He discusses how the intense week of learning has inspired him to simplify lean concepts for broader understanding. Network building with fellow entrepreneurs and the friendly competitive spirit were highlights for Patrick. He also touches on the exhausting yet rewarding challenges and the valuable lessons in marketing he plans to apply to his business.

What You’ll Learn:In this episode, host Patrick Adams welcomes Andy Olrich and John Dyer to discuss their experiences at the Lean Excellence World Championship. They share insights into the diverse strategies teams employed to tackle a common challenge and emphasize the critical roles of customer engagement and supplier analysis. Despite early obstacles, the winning team distinguished itself through data-driven decision-making. The competition’s real-world scenarios and collaborative dynamics offered valuable learning opportunities for all participants.Links:Lean Summit | Findleansolutions

What You’ll Learn:In this episode, host Patrick Adams and guest Craig Tedrow discuss the importance of long-term sustainment in organizational processes. Craig shares his journey from resisting Lean practices to embracing them, emphasizing the need for leaders to involve employees and revisit improvements regularly. They highlight the significance of clear expectations, enabling action, and sustaining improvements. About the Guest:Craig Tedrow is an experienced Continuous Improvement professional with a strong background in the automotive, aerospace, and defense industries. Known for his ability to bridge the gap between frontline workers and organizational goals, he brings expertise in training coordination, process improvement, and team development. With an Associate’s degree in Computer and Information Sciences from Grand Rapids Community College, Craig combines technical understanding with a people-centered approach to leadership.Links:Click Here For Craig Tedrow's LinkedIn