Chief Change Officer - #260 Rahshea Cardiff: From Starbucks to Startups—Serving Joy at Work – Part Two

Episode Date: March 27, 2025

Part Two. Joy, but make it scalable.After opening up about grief, growth, and career pivots in Part One, Rahshea Cardiff is back—this time to talk about the business side of happiness. As VP of Partnerships at Happy Companies, she’s building tech-driven tools that actually help humans (imagine that!). From burnout prevention to culture repair, this episode explores her vision for making workplaces feel a little less like work.Key Highlights of Our Interview:Unbecoming to Become: Shedding What Isn’t You"Maybe it’s not about becoming anything. Maybe it’s about unbecoming everything that isn’t who you really are."The Power of Staying True to Yourself“I was told I needed to change who I was… to fit into somebody’s picture of what they thought I should be. Instead, I learned to step into who I am and be proud of it.”Unlocking a Team’s Full Potential through Behavioral Insights“With Happy, leaders get a snapshot of every team member—how they’re wired, their strengths, their energy drivers, and what drains them.”Putting a Personalized Coach at Every Leader’s Fingertips“Happy’s platform essentially puts a one-on-one coach at the fingertips of every leader and employee, including self-coaching to improve communication and motivation.”Human Stories and Tech-Driven Scalability: A Perfect Balance“Technology is terrific for us at Happy; it provides the behavioral insight, but it’s that human coach who can tell the story, make it personal, and take it to the next level of impact.”Connect with us:Host: Vince Chan | Guest: Rahshea Cardiff  --Chief Change Officer--Change Ambitiously. Outgrow Yourself.Open a World of Expansive Human Intelligencefor Transformation Gurus, Black Sheep,Unsung Visionaries & Bold Hearts.10 Million+ All-Time Downloads.Reaching 80+ Countries Daily.Global Top 3% Podcast.Top 10 US Business.Top 1 US Careers.>>>130,000+ are outgrowing. Act Today.<<<

Hi, everyone. Welcome to our show, Chief Change Officer. I'm Vince Chen, your ambitious human host. Oshul is a modernist community for change progressives in organizational and human transformation from around the world. Who couldn't use a bit more happiness, this episode and the next, dive deep into what it means to find joy and resilience in both work and life. I'm thrilled to introduce Rishir Cardath, the VP of Partnerships at Happy Companies. Happy Companies is a venture focused on building happier, healthier workplaces.

Rishir brings over 20 years of experience in people management across major brands like Best Buy, Starbucks, and Microsoft. And she and constant changes like layoffs and digital transformation can make it tough for employees to thrive and survive. herself has navigated intense transitions, leaving a corporate role at Microsoft to pursue entrepreneurship, experiencing the loss of her mother, facing divorce, and raising her first child. In this two-part series, she shares her journey of resilience, why she joined happy companies, and how she's working to enhance employee experience using technology but without losing the touch, the human touch. In our last episode, we focused on Rishia's personal story and career transitions.

Today we'll explore her role at happy companies and her vision for transforming the workplace, balancing tech innovation with genuine care for people. Let's get started and find some happiness. Great! Let's dive into HAPI companies. To kick things off, can you give us an introduction to the firm? What exactly does HAPI focus on and what's your role within the firm? Then from there, what is more, the different aspects of the HAPI experience and what it really means to build a HAPI company. Absolutely, HAPI, our mission is really to improve

the way people and teams interact at work and to improve the way they work together. There's a couple of interesting challenges within the work environment and culture right now. One of them being that since the pandemic, we've seen this shift from primarily in office in person to hybrid and remote work settings. And we know that's going to continue to be there and likely continue to grow. And then we've also seen this challenge that many organizations are facing. They're really in a position to accomplish more with less resources,

whether that's less staffing, less budgeting, whatever the case may be. Naturally within business, those growth targets continue to increase each year. So again, how do we accomplish more with less? It's interesting because despite that, I believe many leaders know how important that people component is to their growth and success. It often tends to fall down the ladder of priorities as they get very focused on those bottom line deliverables and the growth expectations and things of that nature. It's a challenge and then

when you look at how do we still build highly effective, highly collaborative, highly connected teams, even in the midst of remote and hybrid work environments. It's a challenge. It's a very big challenge. With HAPI, we take the power of behavioral science. Our HAPI assessment is rooted in disc. And so we take the power of behavioral science and we really position it to be actionable insight within a team.

And so it really helps leaders get a snapshot of every member of their team and really understanding them on a more meaningful level. How are they wired? What is their natural approach to certain things such as communication, problem solving, the people dynamic and the team dynamic? And what are the things that make them tick? What are their energy drivers?

On the opposite side of that, what are their energy drainers? And what are the unique strengths and superpowers that they bring to your team? And then once you have that snapshot, you have that deeper understanding of each person and leader on your team, now how can I utilize that insight to position people to be having the greatest impact

to the business while simultaneously thriving in their genius and their superpower and their passion? Because when we can get a team to that space, they are going to unlock higher levels of potential, and they're going to accelerate the results and outcomes. And then when you consider, if I have all of that incredible insight to better understand each person on my team,

how can then we utilize that to have more effective communication with one another, stronger collaboration with each other? And then even if we're hybrid or remote, we have this incredible level of connectedness in the way that we are working together and we're achieving stronger outcomes. And it takes that and it allows you to scale it throughout your organization. The other thing that I think is so important connecting to some of those challenges we talked about in today's work environment, People leaders, for example, are stretched very thin right now. But we know that coaching, training, and development of every person on our team

is so critical to our continued growth and success. And with HAPI, we take all that amazing insight that we learn about each member of the team, and we're able to weave it into a very personalized coaching platform. And it essentially puts a one-on-one coach at the fingertips of every leader and employee within a team. It has unlimited self-coaching where they can understand themselves better and work on their own development,

whether that be understanding their blind spots or elevating how they communicate with emotional intelligence. For leaders, there's really wonderful content that helps them understand how can I have greater effective motivation amongst my team and within my meetings or my one-on-one conversations. But then it also has a very unique collaborative coaching concept where the example I shared with you earlier around that employee who I had to have those one-on-ones with and we had to really dig into their development and performance, one of our collaborative coachings in HAPI would allow me as a people leader to pull in my behavioral insight and work style and to also pull in that employee's.

And it will give me hyper-personalized guidance on how to approach this under-performance conversation with them. And it's done in a way that just helps me understand their kind of natural thought process and the way that they're wired, and how can I be thoughtful of that to make this a healthy and productive conversation?

And so it really is taking that people component, prioritizing it, leveraging the unique strengths and superpowers of every person on your team to position your team to achieve growth and success. It's really just been an incredible project to be a part of. As you mentioned, that transition from over 20 years in corporate America to being a part of a startup team, and it's definitely different, but it's also so exciting to be doing meaningful work and to be creating something

that I passionately believe is needed as we look at how leaders and organizations are gonna build this next generation of people-centric teams, even in the midst of hybrid and remote work environments. Absolutely. I can see how your background makes you an incredible asset for a firm like HAPI. When someone like you, with over 20 years in corporate America, joins the team, is not just about the skills you bring, it's also about the invaluable, unique insights you've gained

from first-hand, lived experience. You've seen and navigated the painpoints of the people function in large organizations, which position you perfectly to innovate solutions that can make a difference genuinely. So with all of that expertise and perspective, what is your specific role at HAPI? Serving as VP of partnerships, predominantly, I do a number of things. They say predominantly, and like really in a startup, we all tend to wear many hats. But I really, I have the joy of connecting with CEOs,

founders, C-suite leaders, HR leaders, on a daily basis, and just understanding what are their paying points? What are the challenges that they're striving to resolve or find a solution to around the people component of their teams? And what are their future forward growth goals, you know, that may be connected to that people component? For example, there's a lot of organizations that for this next fiscal year, they're striving

to put together remote work packages. And what tools and things are really necessary for remote teams to be successful? I also have the joy to work with executive coaches and consultants. So folks who are out there coaching executives, consulting companies, again, to help them solve those pain points and challenges. And many of them have different tools in their tool belt. And depending upon the problem or the solve that an organization needs, they make recommendations of those solutions.

And so they collaborate and link arms with us for positive impact when they feel that happy is a great fit for an organization. And so I had the joy to work within both of those realms. It's been very eye-opening, very insightful, and really just a pleasure to get to connect with so many different leadership mindsets because there are so many out there. And so you get to see and hear different perspectives, and there's some leadership out there that is still in that more traditional mindset. And then you have leaders who are more on that forefront.

They're ready to embrace technology, innovation, creativity, different ways of doing things. And then you have folks in the middle. It's just very interesting to be able to see and experience and hear feedback from all of those different perspectives. I get to be a part of helping those leaders consider that as we move forward, there's going to likely be in need to embrace innovation and to embrace some out-of-the-box strategies and solutions as we continue to evolve with two things, really, where the work environment is evolving to,

being as diverse as it is, and also where the demand of what people, applicants, candidates are asking for from an organization. Because we've also seen a shift there, and they are asking for more in terms of some of what you talked about earlier in the call. We're talking about that structure and that rigidness, and but where is the balance with really considering the nuances of the people component, and all of these unique individuals we have on a team,

and candidates and employees are really looking for their experience to be more prioritized. They're seeking more balance. They're seeking more flexibility in work schedules and work environments. They're seeking for there to be a greater balance and a greater priority around mental health and wellness and physical health and wellness. So we're also seeing a shift there. And so it's just really interesting to be a part of that. And HAPI is a tool and platform that I feel fulfills needs in multiple of those capacities. I totally understand where you're coming from. On one side, it's exciting to see technology enabling people-first solutions

like HAPI to reach and support so many lives. On the other hand, I must confess my skepticism about balancing the technology with the human touch. Solving people-centered challenges cannot solely rely on technology. When we do, we risk dehumanization. But without it, scalability becomes a challenge. How does HAPI navigate this blend? How do you manage that balance between using technology to scale solutions while still preserving the essential human element that truly makes a difference. That is a wonderful point to bring up. To be transparent with you, were some of those leaders that are still in that traditional mindset,

and maybe they're a bit resistant or they're struggling with some of these shifts, particularly as it relates to technology-based solutions. particularly as it relates to technology-based solutions. I do think, to be honest, that some of that is rooted in some apprehension around what you just shared of technology superseding the human element. And there's a few things I think have to be considered within this, right? So with HAPI, we very much so believe in the value of that human leadership, that human coach, that human consultant, which is one reason why we have our partnership program and why we know there's value in collaborating with leaders within that realm, because everything that we deliver in terms of our behavioral science insight, in terms of our coaching

content that we share, it is all exceptional and very impactful, but the meaning of it, the connection of it, and the application of it is next level when a human leader is involved that can tell a story in there, that can make a connection for that employee. That is what really takes it to heart, if you will. And so I think that it's important that we consider that. And the other nuances within this is when we look at scalability, which she mentioned,

and I think scalability is one of the greater challenges right now. For example, if an organization brings in an executive coach or consultant, they often work most closely with upper leadership. And then the goal is that impact scales out to the team. I'm sure in some instances it does, but in many others, again,

due to how much we're striving to accomplish and how fast we're moving every day, unfortunately it doesn't always scale out to the rest of the team. But they need that, they deserve that, and it's necessary for their continued growth and success as well as the company's. So having a technology that can complement and work alongside that human leader or coach, but helps scale it out, I think is really important,

especially for the challenges that we're seeing today. The other thing I would share on that is within a happy profile, for example, and when we think about society today and just in general, the way that we tend to socialize and interact. Some of us are very outgoing. We wear a fart on our sleeve. We're as open as a book will tell it all. Some of us are very introverted, and it is just not in our nature to really share or convey or give all of that information. And so that can be challenging when you're a leader

overseeing a diverse team of individuals and you don't have all of that more meaningful understanding of each of them. What is the best way for me to communicate with them? What is the best way for me to communicate with them? What is the best way for me to keep them in an open, healthy, productive mindset and space, whether we're having to have underperformance conversations or we're celebrating wins and recognition, right? But to have that insight that someone who's more introverted may not just naturally share with you is so helpful.

And it's helpful to ensure that you can lead them and help develop them in the most healthy and productive way possible for them. I think that's the important thing is that you can personalize your approach and your development to them. And so I think having that insight can be so impactful. But those are really three key things I think of when you post that question, which again is one, we're going to have all of that wonderful insight, regardless of how extroverted or introverted someone is and what we may be able to gain understanding of them otherwise. And it's going to help us in the way that we coach, train, lead, and develop them. And then that discussion we talked about scalability.

How can I scale it out so that I can ensure even if I am overwhelmed as a leader or I do have too much on my plate this week and it has impacted my time to coach and develop my team that they're still going to have a resource at their fingertips to be able to continue to do that. And then I can come back in there one-on-one and let's talk about what did you go pursue development wise last week? What are the areas that you're working on coaching, training, and developing? And how can I best support you as your leader in that? And then I think again, it's being thoughtful that technology

offers us some terrific benefits, specifically for us with HAPI, the manner in which we're using it, again, still that significant value in that human leader and that human coach, being able to take that content and connect it to something more meaningful, to tell a story with it, to really take it to the next level of impact. It makes perfect sense. Let's conclude our conversation with a quote that you shared with me last time. Equalistis. Maybe the journey isn't so much about becoming anything. Maybe it's about unbecoming everything that isn't really you, so you can be who you were meant to be in the first place. I love it because it captures the essence of

personal growth and transformation. Rishia, as someone who has walked this path of becoming and unbecoming, I'd love for you to share your reflections on this concept. How can listeners, whether they are in a corporate setting, going through personal challenges, or simply feeling stuck, embrace becoming and unbecoming, to break free and start their own journey towards happiness? What advice can you offer to help them begin to unlock fulfillment and real change in their lives? Yes, it is one of my favorite quotes. Maybe it's not about becoming anything.

Maybe it's about unbecoming everything that isn't who you really are. You know, in the initial part of our conversation, we talked a little bit about that conditioning. As we're growing up, and these are the things that we accomplish, these are the things we do. And when we approach our career, it's that continuous climbing the corporate ladder

and obtaining a certain title to accomplish and obtain other things within your personal life as well, right? And really throughout the journey and those pivotal points where I paused and I took a step back to reassess my priorities and to reassess how I wanted to move forward and the way I wanted to live my life and the impact I wanted to have. But it really put me in that space of,

here I worked so hard to get to this certain status, right? This certain point in my career, only to get there and realize I really did just want to prioritize my loved ones and to make a positive impact on the world and to do meaningful work. It wasn't about all of these things that I think I had been conditioned to feel were what I needed to be working on and what I needed to be working towards. And so you start to peel back the layers. And I really realized just that it was really about unbecoming all

of these things that weren't me. And if we connect that, just for example, within the context of HAPPY, throughout my corporate career, as shared, I'd always been a people first leader. I've also always been a very optimistic and a very positive perspective leader. And there were many times that I was told

I needed to be different or I needed to be tougher or an employee shouldn't come out of that performance management discussion seeming so optimistic or seeming that they're in a healthy and productive mindset. I felt many times that I was told I needed to change who I was just to fit into somebody's picture what they thought I should be. Really I learned instead to just step into who I am, to stand strong in who I am and

to be proud of who I am and that my uniqueness and the positive perspective I bring, the joy and the energy I strive to bring, me fully stepping into my superpowers is what is going to support me having the greatest impact on the people I love, on the people that I have the opportunity to connect with, whether that be personal or career-wise, and on the work that I'm doing. And within HAPPY, there's so much of that built into it that it's really about understanding each person as the unique and talented individual that they are and embracing that and celebrating that and rather than trying to tell someone they need to change or become something they're not instead we shift our perspective to how do I celebrate who you are and position you to

have the greatest impact. And so that shift has happened for me, like both personally and professionally. And now I feel that I get to step into a role that enables me to spread that perspective and impact to the community and to teams and organizations. For the individuals out there, that is something that I would strongly encourage people to take a moment and reflect on. Are you in the space you're in, on the path you're on,

because it is truly who you are and it is truly what you want? Or are you in that position or on that path because you've just been working towards becoming all of the things or the thing that you were conditioned to think you should be doing? And really truly, I think where we step into our highest and best self, which again, when we're operating from that space, supports us having the greatest impact on the people

in the world around us. When you are able to step into that, it will change your life. It really will. And so I would just always encourage folks to take that time, to really ask themselves those deep questions. And when you're ready to make the shift of unbecoming, there may be some sacrifice in there. There may be shifting your mindset.

For me, I had to make some shifts financially. I chose to change some of the ways that I was spending or prioritizing money so that I could prioritize my family and my loved ones over my career. But ultimately, the space I'm in now, that's where I feel I've reached, is that unbecoming everything that wasn't really who I am and stepping into who I am. And that's positioning me to have just an entirely different level of impact in the people in the world around me. So that's what I would encourage you to do, is take that time for deep reflection

and really choose to be intentional and purposeful with how you move forward and how you choose to do what we've talked about, Vince. Live in the moment, make the most of every day. Know that you're living your life with purpose and intention and making positive impact. We only have one life and is unpredictable, so make each day count. Absolutely. Thank you so much for joining us today. If you like what you heard, don't forget to subscribe to our show, leave us top-rated

reviews, check out our website, and follow me on social media. I'm Vince Chen, your ambitious human host. Until next time, take care.