In the final episode of our special series, The Manager Crisis, I sit down with Ashley Kera, a workplace strategist, leadership coach, and former manager of 100+ early-career professionals to unpack what the data misses and what real managers are facing on the ground.

With a background in clinical psychology and a decade leading talent operations, Ashley brings clarity to the messy middle: the tension between performance expectations and actual human needs.

We talk about the limits of policy, why retention can’t be solved by perks, and how culture is felt in everyday interactions, not just all-hands slogans.

From burnout to bandwidth, Ashley shares practical insight for anyone tasked with leading people through pressure, change, and growth. If you’ve ever been the one “holding it all together,” this episode is for you.

Let’s close out this series with the honesty it deserves.

How do you put people first when you’re responsible for the bottom line?

In this episode of Heliona Insight, we sat down with Ryan Martin, CFO and senior executive, to tackle the uncomfortable truth many C-suite leaders face: managers are burning out at record rates and that burnout is quietly costing companies more than they realize.

Ryan shares his perspective on why people strategy and financial strategy are more connected than ever, how retention shows up on the balance sheet, and what every leader should understand about investing in workplace well-being.

This is Part 2 of our special Manager Crisis series, where we unpack what it really takes to support the people you rely on most. If you care about numbers and people, this episode is for you.

If managers are the bridge between strategy and execution, what happens when the bridge starts to crumble?

In this special second episode with returning guest Dr. Katie Gaebel, we kick off a new 3-part Heliona Insight series called The Manager Crisis. Katie, researcher, speaker, and culture strategist, joins me to unpack Gallup’s 2025 State of the Global Workplace report, with a focused lens on the manager crisis outlined between pages 7–25 and 94–98.

We explore what’s really driving disengagement, why burnout among middle managers is rising, and what organizations must do to support the people they rely on most.

Katie brings a powerful blend of data and humanity to this conversation, reminding us that behind every performance metric is a human being, often a manager, trying to hold it all together.

If you lead people, report to someone, or are simply curious about what’s breaking (and what could fix it), this conversation is essential.