Wear Your Cape to Work™

Project Insight
  • 5.0 (6)
  • Business
  • Updated Weekly

Wear Your Cape to Work is a podcast hosted by Project Insight. We believe that project and program managers truly are the superheroes of every organization.Our guests have poured their lives and talents into driving successful project outcomes for industries across the world. They wear their capes to work every day, and we want to celebrate them. We want you to hear their stories and be inspired to wear your own cape to work.You won't want to miss any of our exciting conversations with PMPs from companies like fairlife, Universal Studios, Activision Blizzard King, PayPal and more.Subscribe and follow on YouTube, Apple, Spotify, and other favorite podcast channels. 

  1. 6d ago

    Steering with a Light Grip

    Bryan Fosmark is the IT and Automation Director at Sagepoint Energy and a Project Insight customer. Like many of our guests, his path to project management has taken some unexpected turns. But like so many superhero project managers, his cape shines through in each of his roles. He's amazing at leading teams through project work that doesn't have a process yet. And the coolest part? He's able to do it without a white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel. If you want to learn how to keep cool under pressure while giving your team incredible autonomy to do their best work, this episode is for you. In the episode:  1:13  Bryan's path from retail to construction and how he learned to bring out people's talents. 3:09  The move from residential to commercial construction and the challenge of managing larger teams and more activity. 4:32  How humble beginnings led to managing complex renewable energy projects. 5:05  The value of growing into new responsibilities throughout your career. 5:41  Bryan's natural talent for project development under pressure and with little guidance. 6:30  A complex project that tested Bryan under pressure. 8:00  Why spreadsheets and basic work-management tools fall short on complex projects. 8:15  How Bryan encourages project managers to use Claude to help define their initial project requirements. 9:00  Choosing the right project management tools for the complexity of the project. 10:28  Why long projects often shift as goals and circumstances change. 11:00  Keeping a loose grip on the steering wheel and allowing a project to evolve. 11:43  How kids and water sports taught Bryan to become more adaptable and comfortable with change. 12:00  Sometimes new project information may require you to backtrack, revisit a decision, or adjust the process. 13:25  When should a project manager hold the line instead of drifting from the process? 15:23  Bridging business and technology needs while serving business leaders, project managers, and technical teams. 18:15  Letting your talents and interests guide your career path in ways that benefit both you and the business. 20:00  Giving teams room to experiment with new technology, including AI, while maintaining clear guardrails. 23:00  Whether project management could ever take the human completely out of the loop. 24:00  Using Project Insight's API and support team to fit the platform to unique business processes. 26:10  The 'playground' Bryan gives his teams and why the right culture lets people use their talents. 30:00  Why project managers are the superheroes of their organizations and how a light grip helps them navigate change. 31:00  Bryan credits the people on his team who make the work successful. Download the Project Data Backbone Guides for more reliable reporting. Project Insight Website  Subscribe to Wear Your Cape to Work Podcast on: YouTube Spotify Apple Podcasts RSS

    Steering with a Light Grip

  2. Sep 15

    The Experimental Mindset

    Today’s guest is Abby Bird, Senior Director of Program Management at bioMérieux. She leads a cross-functional team of program managers, project coordinators, technical writers, and change management experts across transformation and strategy projects in the medical device manufacturing industry.  Abby’s path towards project leadership started in science and healthcare and that start helped her thrive in a medical device world. But her real superpowers are experimentation and efficiency. She helps teams step back, see the bigger picture, and ask whether every step is truly moving the work forward. And she’s comfortable trying lots of paths to the best outcomes.  I know you’re going to love her sense of humor and this episode.  Show Notes 01:40 - Abby’s accidental entry into project management by way of science.  03:00 - Working on a science project researching pathogens and being asked to be the project manager, without the title.  04:25 - How scientific training shaped the way Abby sees projects.  05:36 - When Abby realized that her scientific training and natural proclivity for organizing things could come together in a role at work. Using bossiness for good.  07:14 - Putting your superpowers to work for the good of your organization and the world.  08:20 - What project work is like at a medical device manufacturer or in healthcare in general.  09:49 - The marrying of Abby’s scientific background and business acumen. Do you need a medical or science background if you want to be a healthcare PM?  11:17 - Why having diverse backgrounds and experiences on your team is really helpful.  11:45 - PMs can be apprehensive about transitioning into a new industry. What Abby recommends.  12:29 - Abby’s PMO work in transformation projects, change management, and efficiency, and why her timelines are pretty non-negotiable.  13:35 - Abby’s PMO handles such a diverse project portfolio. How does she lead teams with an efficiency mindset? She says it’s because she’s lazy.  14:59 - Abby recommends asking, “How can I make this easier?” and explains how that approach builds trust with her teams, the business, and leadership.  18:09—20:30 - Communicating with executives. There’s a perception that the C-suite just wants the numbers, but Abby believes they also want the impact.  20:36 - If you don’t explain something right the first time, you can pivot and take another stab at it. It’s not an audience with the Queen, lol.  22:00 - PMs need to communicate information. Abby shares advice about translating data and visuals into a story for the executive team.  24:30 - Efficiency can have some blind spots. Abby shares a few warnings about making every project about efficiency.  27:00 - Abby recommends first thinking, “What do I really want out of this conversation?” before she starts digging into each puzzle.  28:00 - Efficiency starts with understanding the real problem, not just doing work for work’s sake. Ask, “What are we actually solving?”  30:00 - Project managers need to get comfortable with discomfort.  31:36 - The experimental mindset of trying different ways to run things and look at things. Project management is fluid. Get comfortable with experimentation in the process.    Abby Bird on LinkedIn Download the Project Data Backbone Guides for more reliable reporting. Project Insight Website  Subscribe to Wear Your Cape to Work Podcast on: YouTube Spotify Apple Podcasts RSS

  3. Jul 7

    Bringing Order to Chaos

    Brian Morin is the kind of transformation leader who can step into complexity, see what needs to be adjusted or refined, and bring order to chaos so the business can keep thriving. In this episode, he shares the leadership superpowers behind that work, from building trust and listening through resistance to helping teams focus on outcomes, deliver value, and move strategic initiatives forward. Brian talks with Trina Schaetz and Mathew Sparkes about how he naturally fell into project management, what he learned from leading large transformation work, and why the people side of change is usually the thing that makes or breaks the process. In this episode 00:00 – Meet Brian Morin, a transformation leader who brings order to chaos 01:00 – How Brian naturally fell into project management through process improvement 04:40 – The shift from telling teams what to do to helping them understand what needs to be achieved 06:00 – Why even a perfect process will not work if people are not brought along 09:15 – Building the kind of trust that lets leaders support teams and still hold them accountable 11:30 – Standing up a compliance PMO during a time of high regulatory scrutiny 14:00 – Creating focus when priorities, findings, technology work, and resources are all competing 16:10 – Why transformation leaders need to see both the high-level picture and the close-up details 18:05 – Helping technology teams connect the work in front of them to the bigger strategic outcome 19:25 – A real example of helping a product team focus on the work that would make the biggest impact 22:00 – How trust makes it possible to challenge priorities without taking ownership away from the team 26:25 – Brian’s superpower: spending time with people, listening, and asking better questions 28:10 – Why owning mistakes and being transparent can build more trust than pretending to have it all figured out 29:30 – Leading Agile transformation in a way that helped teams deliver value faster and more predictably 32:15 – Staying level-headed when everyone is working hard, but the work still feels chaotic 34:45 – The framework Brian uses to look at outcomes, decision rights, priorities, trade-offs, risks, and visibility 36:15 – What resistance can tell you if you stop long enough to listen 38:10 – Bringing momentum to change Project Insight Website  Subscribe to Wear Your Cape to Work Podcast on: YouTube Spotify Apple Podcasts RSS

    Bringing Order to Chaos

  4. Jun 23

    The Power of Genuine Connection

    Karla Mae Eidem, Global Head of Transformation and Project Delivery at Project Management Institute, joins Trina and Mathew to talk about the experiences that shaped the way she leads projects. Her career has taken her across countries, cultures, industries, and unfamiliar roles, where she learned to read between the lines, understand different perspectives, and find common ground with the people around her. Her superpower, genuine connection, is at the heart of the conversation. Karla shares why project leaders need to understand not only the work, but also the business, the team dynamics, and the people responsible for making decisions. Those relationships take time to build, but they create the trust project leaders need to influence others, work through roadblocks, align teams with strategy, and earn a place at the decision table. Show Notes 00:16 Meet Karla Eidem, Global Head of Transformation and Project Delivery at PMI 01:21 What is the Project Management Institute? 03:19 What is the difference between a PMO, TMO, and EPMO? 06:40 How Karla began her career in project management 08:33 How PMI chapters help project professionals build community 10:00 Growing leadership skills through PMI volunteer roles 13:26 How Karla moved from PMI volunteer to PMI employee 16:34 The people skills that shaped Karla’s project leadership career 18:08 Why genuine connection is a project leadership superpower 20:00 How courage, problem-solving, and curiosity help project leaders grow 22:00 How PMOs can create more value for the business 24:10 Why PMOs must navigate complexity, not just document it 24:27 How PMOs move from support function to decision partner 25:05 Why becoming a trusted decision partner takes courage 27:56 What is the PMI Talent Triangle? 28:20 Why business acumen matters for project managers 30:57 How project leaders translate between teams and business functions 32:00 Leading projects across cultures and languages 34:13 How to connect with stakeholders who have different personalities 34:35 Why stakeholder trust begins with genuine connection 36:43 How project leaders keep learning as their responsibilities grow 36:53 How to adapt to a new leadership role without losing authenticity 38:00 What is PMI’s MORE framework? 39:35 How the role of the project professional is changing Project Insight Website  Subscribe to Wear Your Cape to Work Podcast on: YouTube Spotify Apple Podcasts RSS

    The Power of Genuine Connection

  5. Jun 9

    Leading with Your Strengths

    In this special live episode of Wear Your Cape to Work, recorded at the PMI Orange County Chapter in Anaheim, California, Trina Schaetz talks with Marjan Khan, HR Project Manager at Mazda North America Operations, and Tamas Vejsz, Senior Project and Program Leader at CTC Global.  Marjan and Tamas share how they discovered their leadership strengths, how those strengths were shaped by their career paths and life experiences, and why strong leaders do not have to be good at everything. The conversation explores structure, communication, consensus-building, career pivots, asking for help, and building the kind of network that helps cover blind spots.  01:15 Leading from authentic strengths, not an impossible ideal 01:32 Marjan’s nonlinear path into project management 02:22 Tamas’s path from engineering to project leadership 04:01 Recognizing the strengths people consistently come to you for 04:17 Marjan’s strength: bringing structure and clarity 04:42 How Marjan’s communication strength was shaped early in life 05:43 Tamas on leading technical teams through relationships and consensus 06:30 Your strengths may shift depending on the role or season 06:58 Tamas on honing strengths over the course of a career 08:06 Strong leaders know who helps them think better 08:20 The people who see your capability before you do 09:23 Mentors who help you grow through blind spots 10:07 Why trust matters when someone gives you hard feedback 10:25 Asking for help without treating it like weakness 11:24 Start small, learn, and grow from the support you receive 11:44 Marjan on building a project management network inside Mazda 13:00 Networking starts with people already close to you 14:10 Marjan on being brave enough to reach out 15:08 Different strengths, same strong leadership 15:42 Get brave, go out there, and build your network  Project Insight Website  Subscribe to Wear Your Cape to Work Podcast on: YouTube Spotify Apple Podcasts RSS

    Leading with Your Strengths

  6. May 26

    The Power of Decisive Leadership

    In this episode of Wear Your Cape to Work, Trina Schaetz and Mathew Sparkes talk with Misty Boyd, Senior Director of ePMO at LION, about the power of decisive leadership in project management. Misty shares how directness, action, and outcome-focused thinking can help PMO leaders move work forward, support executive decision-making, and keep project teams aligned to business strategy. This conversation explores what it means to be a decisive project leader without becoming overly command-and-control. Misty talks about learning to balance directness with communication, how PMO leaders can translate project realities into business impact, and why the best decisions often come from clear data, trusted relationships, and a shared understanding of priorities. In This Episode • How decisive leadership helps project teams move forward  • Why directness can be both a strength and a blind spot  • How PMO leaders support executive decision-making  • Why project work must connect to business value and strategy  • How to communicate tradeoffs, priorities, and project realities clearly  • What leaders rely on from the PMO when decisions need to be made  • How decisive people keep going when new information changes the plan  00:00 Meet Misty Boyd  02:05 From Trade Shows to Software Projects  03:00 Leading the ePMO at LION  05:20 Supporting the People Who Support First Responders  08:00 Learning to Lead in the Gray  11:10 Misty’s Superpower: Decisive Leadership  14:00 When Directness Becomes a Blind Spot  16:00 Untangling Years of Customization  19:15 Avoiding Analysis Paralysis  21:00 Balancing Speed, Buy-In, and Risk  22:15 Why Decisive Leadership Is Attractive  23:15 Helping Executives See Priorities Clearly  25:00 Connecting Project Work to Business Impact  27:10 Communicating Differently With Different Leaders  28:10 Showing Tradeoffs Before Decisions Are Made  31:15 When the Plan Changes  33:00 Picking the Work Back Up  34:15 Where Misty’s Leadership Strength Started  36:00 Final Thoughts on Decisive Leadership  This episode is especially helpful for project managers, PMO leaders, program directors, and operations leaders who want to lead with clarity, communicate value to executives, and make better decisions across complex project work. About Project Insight Project Insight is project and portfolio management software for growing companies that need better visibility across projects, resources, budgets, priorities, and work happening in multiple tools. Project Insight helps PMOs and project leaders centralize project data, reduce manual reporting, and give executives a clearer picture of organizational work. Project Insight Website  Subscribe to Wear Your Cape to Work Podcast on: YouTube Spotify Apple Podcasts RSS

    The Power of Decisive Leadership

  7. May 12

    The Curious Yes

    In this episode of Wear Your Cape to Work, Trina Schaetz talks with Ashley Simmons, VP of PMO at Summit Seven, about PMO leadership, stakeholder management, organizational strategy, and leading change with curiosity. Trina first heard Ashley speak on a panel at PMO UnCon in San Diego in spring 2026, where Ashley’s talent for stakeholder management, organizational strategy, and change stood out right away. In “The Curious Yes,” Ashley shares how she developed that strength across her career, from project specialist to PMO executive, and how some of the mindset behind it started even earlier, back when she was playing national team soccer. This conversation is especially valuable for project managers, PMO leaders, and business leaders who want to build trust, support executive decision-making, and drive business value. Topics include: PMO value Stakeholder management Executive decision-making Business acumen Curiosity in leadership Project manager career growth Mentorship The power of a “curious yes”Watch the video version here  Project Insight Website  Subscribe to Wear Your Cape to Work Podcast on: YouTube Spotify Apple Podcasts RSS

    The Curious Yes

  8. Apr 28

    Born with the Project Management Gene

    In this episode, Trina and Mathew talk with Joe Pusz, better known as "PMO Joe," about discovering project management, learning from mentors, leading PMOs, and understanding the business value behind project work. Joe shares why project leaders need to stay focused on purpose, customer needs, executive priorities, and the people doing the work. He also reflects on how being unemployed during the recession shaped his mission and inspired the work behind PMO Squad Staffing. 1:45 | Joe’s project beginnings Joe shares how he first got started in project work. 5:00 | Preparing for Y2K Joe talks about where his career went next, including Y2K and learning from his first great mentor. 6:30 | Leading projects across industries Joe reflects on leading projects at Cessna Aircraft, Bell Helicopter, Textron Financial, and Wellstar Healthcare. 7:05 | First PMO leadership role Joe shares how he stepped into his first PMO leadership role. 8:25 | Projects have a purpose Joe talks about one of the most important lessons from his career. 10:30 | Earned-value management The conversation turns to earned-value management and project performance. Joe shares that it does not matter how well the project is running if the work is not meeting the customer’s need. 12:00 | Understanding the business Joe reflects on a mentor who helped him understand the business value of the project. 13:00 | Managing experienced teams Joe talks about motivating and managing people with more experience through coaching, feedback, motivation, and team focus. 14:25 | Not having all the answers Joe offers advice for PMO leaders managing big teams and large financial projects, including why you can never have too many mentors and why it is okay to say, “I don’t have all the answers.” 15:48 | Translating project information for executives Joe talks about translating project information so executives can make strategic decisions.  18:44 | Correction Trina mentions “Ashley Simpson,” but meant to say Ashley Simmons. 20:00 | Never forgetting that feeling Joe shares what it was like to be unemployed during the recession and never forgot the feeling of struggling to provide for his family. That experience helped inspire PMO Squad Staffing. 23:00 | PMO Squad Staffing Joe explains the special edge PMO Squad Staffing brings across tech, consulting, and staffing. 24:00 | Resume advice Joe shares why resumes need to show results and business acumen. Joe explains why project professionals should stop applying for jobs. 27:45 | Be a force multiplier Joe encourages people to connect with 10 PMO leaders for mentoring advice. 28:15 | Joe’s superpower Joe shares how staying connected to what people are going through, especially when it mirrors something he has gone through, has become one of his superpowers. 29:00 | Take a bite of everything Joe closes with the advice to take a bite of everything at the buffet. PMO Squad Staffing Website: https://www.thepmosquad.com/ Project Insight Website  Subscribe to Wear Your Cape to Work Podcast on: YouTube Spotify Apple Podcasts RSS

    Born with the Project Management Gene
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About

Wear Your Cape to Work is a podcast hosted by Project Insight. We believe that project and program managers truly are the superheroes of every organization.Our guests have poured their lives and talents into driving successful project outcomes for industries across the world. They wear their capes to work every day, and we want to celebrate them. We want you to hear their stories and be inspired to wear your own cape to work.You won't want to miss any of our exciting conversations with PMPs from companies like fairlife, Universal Studios, Activision Blizzard King, PayPal and more.Subscribe and follow on YouTube, Apple, Spotify, and other favorite podcast channels. 

Information

  • Creator
    Project Insight
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    40
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Wear Your Cape to Work™
  • Show Website
    Wear Your Cape to Work™