

Workday Playdate
Erin Diehl | Business Improv Edutainer, Failfluencer, Keynote Speaker
TOP 1% GLOBAL PODCAST for People-First Leaders
Formerly the "improve it! Podcast"
I’m Erin Diehl, keynote speaker, business improv edutainer, and founder of improve it! (AKA your work bestie). Every Wednesday, Workday Playdate with improve it! helps HR professionals, people leaders, and culture-driven humans bring more laughter, levity, and purpose to their workdays. Because work is better when you play.
This is not your average leadership podcast. You’ll get research-backed strategies, improv-inspired tools, and candid conversations with top leaders, speakers, improvisers and authors who are rethinking how we work and lead.
Our promise is to give you tangible takeaways you can use immediately, plus a few laughs along the way.
Interested in partnering with us? Workday Playdate reaches thousands of people-first leaders who care about workplace culture, leadership, and team development.
Contact info@learntoimproveit.com to learn more about sponsorship opportunities. We promise laughs, impact, and zero awkward small talk. Think ROI with a side of LOL’s. Let’s make it happen!
Formerly the "improve it! Podcast"
I’m Erin Diehl, keynote speaker, business improv edutainer, and founder of improve it! (AKA your work bestie). Every Wednesday, Workday Playdate with improve it! helps HR professionals, people leaders, and culture-driven humans bring more laughter, levity, and purpose to their workdays. Because work is better when you play.
This is not your average leadership podcast. You’ll get research-backed strategies, improv-inspired tools, and candid conversations with top leaders, speakers, improvisers and authors who are rethinking how we work and lead.
Our promise is to give you tangible takeaways you can use immediately, plus a few laughs along the way.
Interested in partnering with us? Workday Playdate reaches thousands of people-first leaders who care about workplace culture, leadership, and team development.
Contact info@learntoimproveit.com to learn more about sponsorship opportunities. We promise laughs, impact, and zero awkward small talk. Think ROI with a side of LOL’s. Let’s make it happen!
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jul 5, 2023 • 23min
190: Ask Me Anything: Best Practices for First Time People Leaders
Instructions for how to put an Ikea table together? In the manual. How to grow the perfect green beans? In that one gardening Youtube channel you follow. A playbook on how to manage people? Now that’s a bit dicey. Managing teams and leading people does not have to be overwhelming. And in this Q&A episode, Erin gives you her 5-step guide for managing effectively, whether you’re a leadership guru or just getting started. If you’re looking for concrete strategies to let your people know you have their backs no matter what, this is the episode for you. ICYMI – Your Post-Episode Homework: Have a question related to personal or professional development you want answered? Leave a SpeakPipe message for Erin’s next Q&A episode. Show Links: Episode 122 of the improve it! Podcast with Ramona Shaw Episode 80 of the improve it! Podcast with Kim Scott Did today’s episode resonate with you? Please leave us a review for a chance to win a self-care package from us! Take the quiz to download your free Wellness Workbook! Tell us about your fails and/or send a question/voice message on SpeakPipe here! Want to book Erin to speak at your organization or large-scale event: Learn more here! Connect with Erin Diehl: @itserindiehl on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter Erin’s LinkedIn improve it! TikTok Improve it! Instagram Improve it! Facebook improve it! website Book a Laugh Break Book a Workshop Email Erin: info@learntoimproveit.com “I love this podcast and I love Erin!!” If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing this podcast! This helps Erin support more people – just like you – move toward the leader you want to be. Click here, click listen on Apple Podcasts, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with 5 stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let Erin know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven’t done so already, subscribe to the podcast. That way you won’t miss any juicy episodes! Thanks in advance, improve it! Peeps :)
Jun 28, 2023 • 38min
189: Imagine Belonging at Work with Rhodes Perry
Creating a culture of belonging at work – we talk about this all the time as people leaders, but do we consider what the concrete building blocks are to ensuring that each team member feels seen, heard, and valued? In today’s episode, Erin talks with award-winning social entrepreneur, best-selling author, and nationally recognized DEI expert Rhodes Perry about what these exact building blocks are & how creating a culture of belonging isn’t actually that complex – it just requires us to do the work. If you’re sensing burnout, having difficulty building relationships with your team members, or looking for tangible methods to simplifying your leadership – this is the episode for you. More about Rhodes Perry: Serving as the Founder & CEO of Rhodes Perry consulting, Rhodes pilots a national leadership development and change management consultancy that helps executives build psychological safety, trust, and belonging cultures at work. He is an award-winning social entrepreneur, best-selling author of two books, and a sought-after keynote speaker, now, nationally recognized as a workplace culture strategist and DEI thought leader. He has 20 years of leadership experience having worked at the White House, the Department of Justice, and PFLAG National. Media outlets like Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, and the Associated Press have featured his powerful work. ICYMI – Your Post-Episode Homework: 1) Click the links below to learn more about the Belonging at Work Summit and the Belonging at Work Membership Community and share the links with a friend who would be interested 2) Share this episode on your social media, with your group chat, or with any online community you’re part of Connect with Rhodes Perry: Check out all things Rhodes Perry at his website here: https://www.rhodesperry.com/ Show Links: The Coqual Power of Belonging report The Belonging at Work Summit The Belonging at Work Membership Community Register for the Belonging Summer School program Did today’s episode resonate with you? Please leave us a review for a chance to win a self-care package from us! Take the quiz to download your free Wellness Workbook! Tell us about your fails and/or send a question/voice message on SpeakPipe here! Want to book Erin to speak at your organization or large-scale event: Learn more here! Connect with Erin Diehl: @itserindiehl on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter Erin’s LinkedIn improve it! TikTok Improve it! Instagram Improve it! Facebook improve it! website Book a Laugh Break Book a Workshop Email Erin: info@learntoimproveit.com “I love this podcast and I love Erin!!” If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing this podcast! This helps Erin support more people – just like you – move toward the leader you want to be. Click here, click listen on Apple Podcasts, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with 5 stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let Erin know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven’t done so already, subscribe to the podcast. That way you won’t miss any juicy episodes! Thanks in advance, improve it! Peeps :)

Jun 21, 2023 • 28min
188: Seven Ways to Practice Self Love
Imagine a life where you’re too exhausted to grab the newspaper for your next-door neighbor. Where you snap at your best friend instead of letting them finish their story. Where you don’t offer to help plan your team’s end of year event because you’re maxed out. Imagine a life where you can’t care for others because you’re not taking care of yourself first. This is the life we all live when we don’t practice self-care. This is the life that will continue if we don’t make self-care a priority. In order to help your team, your family, and the community you’re a part of – you need to love you first. We need you to love you first. In this episode, Erin gives you her go-to seven ways to practice self-care on a daily basis, not once in a blue moon when you think about it. These are the self-care tips for the busy, the stressed, the burnt out and for the times when you think you’re fine but your body knows you’re not. If you’re working on taking care of you so you can take care of the priorities in your life – this is the episode for you. Implement one or all of these steps because you have a mission that is bigger than you, that starts with you. ICYMI – Your Post-Episode Homework: Take one of these seven ways to practice self-love and implement it into your daily routine. You don't have to start with all seven – small steps make all the difference. Show Links: Up your hydration game with Liquid IV Did today’s episode resonate with you? Please leave us a review for a chance to win a self-care package from us! Take the quiz to download your free Wellness Workbook! Tell us about your fails and/or send a question/voice message on SpeakPipe here! Want to book Erin to speak at your organization or large-scale event: Learn more here! Connect with Erin Diehl: @itserindiehl on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter Erin’s LinkedIn improve it! TikTok Improve it! Instagram Improve it! Facebook improve it! website Book a Laugh Break Book a Workshop Email Erin: info@learntoimproveit.com “I love this podcast and I love Erin!!” If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing this podcast! This helps Erin support more people – just like you – move toward the leader you want to be. Click here, click listen on Apple Podcasts, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with 5 stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let Erin know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven’t done so already, subscribe to the podcast. That way you won’t miss any juicy episodes! Thanks in advance, improve it! Peeps :)
Jun 14, 2023 • 42min
187: Ditch the Workplace Drama with Cy Wakeman
Leaders don't manage people, they manage energy. Drama researcher, thought leader, and New York Time best-selling author Cy Wakeman joins Erin to discuss what it means to manage the energy of your team & the individuals you lead by analyzing emotional waste and how to replace it with good mental processes. If your team is burning out quickly and you’re not sure what you can do – this is a good place to start. More about Cy: Cy Wakeman is an International Speaker on Leadership & Management, a Global Thought Leader, and Drama Researcher—which is a career she discovered accidentally and has since quantified how much drama there actually is in the workplace. Her research has shown that the average employee spends nearly 2.5 hours per day in drama, gossiping, tattling, withholding buy-in, resisting change and stepping down from accountability. Drama is emotional waste, any unproductive thought or behavior and like any other waste in the workplace. Now, her work is focused on giving leaders tools to recapture that emotional waste and upcycle it into results. Cy founded Reality-Based Leadership, her company that teaches leaders and individual contributors ways to lead, and reality that diffuses drama in the workplace. Cy is also a New York Times best-selling author and has published four books, the latest of which is Life’s Messy, Live Happy: Things Don't Have to Be Perfect for You to Be Content (2022). ICYMI – Your Post-Episode Homework: 1) Share this episode with someone you love 2) Take one of the juicy chicken nuggets from this episode and apply it – only you know what this looks like. Connect with Cy Wakeman: Cy’s Instagram Cy’s LinkedIn Cy’s Tik Tok Cy’s Podcast, No Ego Cy’s books Show Links: Tell us about your fails and/or send a question/voice message on SpeakPipe here! Want to book Erin to speak at your organization or large-scale event: Learn more here! Did today’s episode resonate with you? Please leave us a review for a chance to win a self-care package from us! Take the quiz to download your free Wellness Workbook! Connect with Erin Diehl: @itserindiehl on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter Erin’s LinkedIn improve it! TikTok Improve it! Instagram Improve it! Facebook improve it! website Book a Laugh Break Book a Workshop Email Erin: info@learntoimproveit.com “I love this podcast and I love Erin!!” If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing this podcast! This helps Erin support more people – just like you – move toward the leader you want to be. Click here, click listen on Apple Podcasts, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with 5 stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let Erin know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven’t done so already, subscribe to the podcast. That way you won’t miss any juicy episodes! Thanks in advance, improve it! Peeps :)

Jun 7, 2023 • 25min
186: Your Evening Routine: An Essential Five Step Guide for Busy Leaders
What happens when you try to go to bed after being on go-mode from the time your alarm went off that morning? You have trouble turning off your brain. And then because you have trouble turning off the brain, you have trouble falling asleep. And because you have trouble falling asleep, you have trouble staying asleep. You’re not alone in knowing that your body needs rest but your mind can’t seem to get off the hypothetical treadmill that is your life. If you’re looking for a foolproof, customizable guide for your evening routine – this is the episode for you. ICYMI – Your Post-Episode Homework: 1) Download your free Wellness Workbook by taking the quiz here and 2) Leave us a review on iTunes so we can remain a Top 1% podcast and continue to bring you expert guests! Show Links: Tell us about your fails and/or send a question/voice message on SpeakPipe here! Want to book Erin to speak at your organization or large-scale event: Learn more here! Did today’s episode resonate with you? Please leave us a review for a chance to win a self-care package from us! Take the quiz to download your free Wellness Workbook! Connect with Erin Diehl: @itserindiehl on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter Erin’s LinkedIn improve it! TikTok Improve it! Instagram Improve it! Facebook improve it! website Book a Laugh Break Book a Workshop Email Erin: info@learntoimproveit.com “I love this podcast and I love Erin!!” If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing this podcast! This helps Erin support more people – just like you – move toward the leader you want to be. Click here, click listen on Apple Podcasts, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with 5 stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let Erin know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven’t done so already, subscribe to the podcast. That way you won’t miss any juicy episodes! Thanks in advance, improve it! Peeps :)
Jun 6, 2023 • 19min
185: Want to Create Connection with Yourself & Others? Here is your action plan! With Jay Fields
The secret to becoming a great leader? Setting a timer on your phone to go splash water on your face. Yup, you heard that right. On her final episode on the improve it! Podcast (for now heehee), Jay Fields talks with Erin about what it means to spend more of your time thinking about yourself than experiencing yourself, how to develop a “felt” relationship with yourself, and how this can help you unlock internal resources like empathy, intuition, and courage. Do you spend more time thinking about yourself or experiencing yourself? This episode will help you understand what you lean towards and how to shift to become more connected to yourself and others. ICYMI – Your Post-Episode Homework: Incorporate a grounding practice into your daily routine. Whether it’s setting a timer to get up and shake out your body, go for a walk, or take deep breaths – find a practice that works for you and helps you connect back to yourself. Connect with Jay: Connect with Jay on LinkedIn Explore Jay’s LinkedIn courses Read Jay’s book, Teaching People Not Poses Show Links: Tell us about your fails and/or send a question/voice message on SpeakPipe here! Want to book Erin to speak at your organization or large-scale event: Learn more here! Did today’s episode resonate with you? Please leave us a review for a chance to win a self-care package from us! Take the quiz to download your free Wellness Workbook! Connect with Erin Diehl: @itserindiehl on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter Erin’s LinkedIn improve it! TikTok Improve it! Instagram Improve it! Facebook improve it! website Book a Laugh Break Book a Workshop Email Erin: info@learntoimproveit.com “I love this podcast and I love Erin!!” If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing this podcast! This helps Erin support more people – just like you – move toward the leader you want to be. Click here, click listen on Apple Podcasts, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with 5 stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let Erin know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven’t done so already, subscribe to the podcast. That way you won’t miss any juicy episodes! Thanks in advance, improve it! Peeps :)
Jun 1, 2023 • 19min
184: Feeling Challenged at Work? How to Reduce Stress and Have More Control with Jay Fields
Ever feel like your work week is like jumping into a pool of piranhas and there’s never going to be any healing? Us too. In her second episode with Jay Fields, Erin dives into what it means to feel challenged at work, how to reduce the resulting stress (actually this time), and have more control over what you can control. If you’re feeling stressed to the max, this episode is for you. ICYMI – Your Post-Episode Homework: Subscribe to the improve it! Podcast on Apple Podcasts so you don’t miss a beat and share this episode with a friend whose podcast game has been lacking lately – they'll thank you later. Connect with Jay: Connect with Jay on LinkedIn Explore Jay’s LinkedIn courses Read Jay’s book, Teaching People Not Poses Show Links: Tell us about your fails and/or send a question/voice message on SpeakPipe here! Want to book Erin to speak at your organization or large-scale event: Learn more here! Did today’s episode resonate with you? Please leave us a review for a chance to win a self-care package from us! Take the quiz to download your free Wellness Workbook! Connect with Erin Diehl: @itserindiehl on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter Erin’s LinkedIn improve it! TikTok Improve it! Instagram Improve it! Facebook improve it! website Book a Laugh Break Book a Workshop Email Erin: info@learntoimproveit.com “I love this podcast and I love Erin!!” If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing this podcast! This helps Erin support more people – just like you – move toward the leader you want to be. Click here, click listen on Apple Podcasts, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with 5 stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let Erin know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven’t done so already, subscribe to the podcast. That way you won’t miss any juicy episodes! Thanks in advance, improve it! Peeps :)
May 31, 2023 • 19min
183: Your body and nervous system – Why they are critical to creating lasting behavioral change with Jay Fields
Ever wondered why you have a hard time going from doing it all to doing nothing? Today, Jay Fields joins Erin on the improve it! Podcast to show us why. If you’re in an immobilized state (i.e., watching Netflix), there are things you can do to sort of “warm your body back up” instead of going straight into an intense run. On the other hand, if you’re in a mobilized state (i.e., in go, go, go mode), there are things you can do to “cool down” your body instead of going straight into meditation mode. Is regulating your nervous system by meeting yourself exactly where you are something you’d try? Listen to find out how you can start today. About Jay Fields: As a somatic coach who has devoted her life to helping people leverage the nervous system to manage their emotions more effectively, Jay Fields is the creator of the wildly popular program Yours Truly, which has taught thousands of women how to harness their body, brain, and nervous system to build self-trust and to show up more authentically in their personal and professional relationships. She's the author of the LinkedIn learning courses: Overcoming Insecurity for More Confidence at Work, Managing Your Emotions at Work, and Reduce Stress & Anxiety by Managing Your Nervous System, which has gotten close to 400,000 views. Additionally, she's a former yoga teacher and has authored the book Teaching People Not Poses, which offers yoga instructors tips on how to be truly remarkable at their job. ICYMI – Your Post-Episode Homework: Subscribe to the improve it! Podcast on Apple Podcasts so you don’t miss a beat and share this episode with a friend whose podcast game has been lacking lately – they'll thank you later. Connect with Jay: Connect with Jay on LinkedIn Explore Jay’s LinkedIn courses Read Jay’s book, Teaching People Not Poses Show Links: Tell us about your fails and/or send a question/voice message on SpeakPipe here! Want to book Erin to speak at your organization or large-scale event: Learn more here! Did today’s episode resonate with you? Please leave us a review for a chance to win a self-care package from us! Take the quiz to download your free Wellness Workbook! Connect with Erin Diehl: @itserindiehl on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter Erin’s LinkedIn improve it! TikTok Improve it! Instagram Improve it! Facebook improve it! website Book a Laugh Break Book a Workshop Email Erin: info@learntoimproveit.com “I love this podcast and I love Erin!!” If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing this podcast! This helps Erin support more people – just like you – move toward the leader you want to be. Click here, click listen on Apple Podcasts, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with 5 stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let Erin know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven’t done so already, subscribe to the podcast. That way you won’t miss any juicy episodes! Thanks in advance, improve it! Peeps :)
May 30, 2023 • 12min
182: New to the improve it! Podcast? Start Here!
First-time listener? Come on in, the water’s fine. In this short and sweet ep, Erin gives you the improve it! Podcast history so you have it at the ready for your next Trivia Night, what it is we actually do here at improve it!, what’s in it for you, and what’s on the horizon. The whole nine! If you’re looking for a new personal and professional development bestie, we already have a matching bracelet for you. ICYMI – Your Post-Episode Homework: Subscribe to the improve it! Podcast on Apple Podcasts so you don’t miss a beat and share this episode with a friend whose podcast game has been lacking lately – they'll thank you later. Show Links: Tell us about your fails and/or send a question/voice message on SpeakPipe here! Want to book Erin to speak at your organization or large-scale event: Learn more here! Did today’s episode resonate with you? Please leave us a review for a chance to win a self-care package from us! Take the quiz to download your free Wellness Workbook! Connect with Erin Diehl: @itserindiehl on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter Erin’s LinkedIn improve it! TikTok improve it! Instagram improve it! Facebook improve it! website Book a Laugh Break Book a Workshop Email Erin: info@learntoimproveit.com “I love this podcast and I love Erin!!” If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing this podcast! This helps Erin support more people – just like you – move toward the leader you want to be. Click here, click listen on Apple Podcasts, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with 5 stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let Erin know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven’t done so already, subscribe to the podcast. That way you won’t miss any juicy episodes! Thanks in advance, improve it! Peeps :)

May 25, 2023 • 11min
181: What Happens After Your Content Goes Viral with TikTok & Instagram Comedian, Andrea Lopez
Picture this: the reel you posted of your Kourtney Kardashian impression of ordering an iced matcha goes viral...now what? In Erin’s final episode with Andrea Lopez, you’ll learn what it’s like for your content to go viral, what to do as a result, and how to continue to build your online community. If you’re interested in building your social media presence—or using laughter to change the course of your day—then this episode is for you. ICYMI – Your Post-Episode Homework: Share joy with someone else today. Whether that’s sharing this episode with someone, watching one of Andrea’s Tik Toks and sending it in your group chat, or creating something of your own and sharing it with a friend—it’s up to you. But know that the joy you share will find its way back to you. Connect with Andrea: Follow Andrea on Instagram Follow Andrea on Tik Tok Listen to Andrea’s podcast, Big Wigs Check out Andrea’s website Show Links: Send a question/voice message on SpeakPipe here! Want to book Erin to speak at your organization or large-scale event: Learn more here! Did today’s episode resonate with you? Please leave us a review for a chance to win a self-care package from us! Take the quiz to download your free Wellness Workbook! Connect with Erin Diehl: Instagram LinkedIn improve it! TikTok Improve it! Instagram Improve it! Facebook improve it! website Book a Laugh Break Book a Workshop Email Erin: info@learntoimproveit.com “I love this podcast and I love Erin!!” If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing this podcast! This helps Erin support more people – just like you – move toward the leader you want to be. Click here, click listen on Apple Podcasts, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with 5 stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let Erin know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven’t done so already, subscribe to the podcast. That way you won’t miss any juicy episodes! Thanks in advance, improve it! Peeps :)