In Episode 121, we turn our focus to a critical issue in healthcare: patient aggression and its impact on worker well‑being.

We’re joined by Dr. Lisa Kath, Associate Professor of Psychology at San Diego State University, to discuss new research on how healthcare workers are affected not just by direct exposure to aggressive patient behavior, but also by witnessing and hearing about it.

Drawing on data from pediatric healthcare settings, this conversation highlights how repeated exposure to patient aggression shapes stress, burnout, and turnover—and why the effects extend beyond the individual directly involved.

We discuss:

* Why frequency of exposure, not just extreme incidents, drives psychological harm

* The surprising impact of witnessing or hearing about aggression, and how it increases stress and turnover intentions

* Why nurses face higher risk due to constant bedside exposure

* How workplace context (e.g., ER and behavioral health units) shapes exposure levels

* What these experiences signal about organizational support and safety culture

* Practical solutions, including peer support programs and post‑incident recovery strategies

You can find Dr. Kath here: https://psychology.sdsu.edu/people/lisa-kath/

You can read the paper here: https://www.pediatricnursing.org/article/S0882-5963(26)00173-9/fulltext

In Episode 120, we explore a topic that is incredibly common, but rarely talked about at work: reproductive loss.

We’re joined by Dr. Katrina Brownell, Assistant Professor of Management at Virginia Tech, who uses an autoethnographic approach to examine her own experiences with pregnancy loss and what happens when organizations lack the language, policies, and support to acknowledge it.

Reproductive loss—including miscarriage, stillbirth, and other forms of pregnancy loss—affects a significant number of people. Yet in many workplaces, silence is the default response. We talk about how silence at work doesn’t mean nothing is happening. It often means employees are carrying more than we can see.

This episode challenges organizations to rethink how they approach grief, privacy, and support, and whether current workplace norms are truly serving employees in their most difficult moments.

You can find Dr. Brownell here: https://management.pamplin.vt.edu/faculty/directory/brownell-katrina.html

You can find her paper here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/gwao.70158

In episode 119 , we dig into a question many of us have experienced firsthand: Why does a stressful day at work make us (and our partners!) devour cookies, takeout, or comfort food.

We’re joined by Dr. Wiston Rodriguez, Assistant Professor of Psychology at San Diego State University, to explore new research on how workplace stressors, specifically illegitimate tasks, shape employees’ eating behaviors after work.

Illegitimate tasks are assignments that fall outside your role or feel demeaning (like being asked to do work that “isn’t your job”). Dr. Rodriguez’s research shows these experiences don’t just impact your mood—they can trigger negative emotions that lead to unhealthy eating behaviors, and those effects don’t stop with you.

We discuss:

* What illegitimate tasks are and why they feel so stressful

* How workplace stress drives emotional eating and poor food choices

* The surprising finding that these eating behaviors spill over to partners and families

* How broader systems—like income, access to food, and work conditions—shape health outcomes

* Why workplace stress doesn’t just affect performance—it affects physical health and long‑term well‑being

* Practical steps managers and organizations can take to reduce harm, from clear communication to supportive workplace culture

This episode highlights how everyday workplace decisions—like how tasks are assigned—can ripple outward into employees’ homes, relationships, and health behaviors.

You can find Dr. Rodriguez here (https://psychology.sdsu.edu/people/wiston-rodriguez/).

You can find the paper here (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41542-025-00247-w).