The Just-in-Time Cafe Podcast
 

The Just-in-Time Cafe Podcast

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Episodes

A Continuous Improvement gabfest where Tracy O’Rourke and Elisabeth Swan share what’s new in the world of Lean Six Sigma.

Episodes

Scaling What Works—Without Breaking What Doesn’t, with Justin Kenney and Katie Bockwoldt

4 days ago

4 days ago

Today’s highlight is our interview with Justin Kenny, Chief Performance Officer, and Katie Bockwoldt, Statewide Director of Performance Improvement for the State of Vermont—two leaders quietly reshaping how government delivers results. What starts as a conversation about training programs quickly turns into something more systemic: a shift toward communities of practice, performance logic models, and a more human-centered approach to continuous improvement.

For Hot Apps, we take a closer look at Justin’s homegrown “Praise Board” built inside Microsoft Teams—a deceptively simple tool that raises a bigger question: can recognition be operationalized? What happens when it becomes visible and shared?

And for Q&A, we asked: What does it really take to sustain a Lean Six Sigma deployment—and how much of that comes down to leadership behaviors around recognition and engagement?

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Link to the video version of this podcast: https://youtu.be/xEFNfNz70C0

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Culture Is Not an App, with Greg Jacobson and Mark Graban

Monday Mar 02, 2026

Monday Mar 02, 2026

It's Episode 121 and Tracy and Elisabeth sit down with emergency physician–turned–start-up-founder Greg Jacobson and Lean author, podcaster, and KaiNexus Senior Advisor Mark Graban, to unpack whether software can actually strengthen a culture of continuous improvement—or merely reveal the one you already have.

The KaiNexus journey started in healthcare but has grown to embrace its cross-industry impact by drawing on habit-loop science and the power of the nudge. As you might suspect, humans are at the center. This made for a fascinating "Hot-App Interview".

Last up—inspired by the idea of getting assistance when we need it—our Q&A segment addresses the question: "What really gets in the way of asking for help?"

And, in case you’re watching the video, you’ll notice Elisabeth has been reduced to a voice during the interview. That's because she was in the middle of the historic Cape Cod Blizzard of '26. The 2.5 feet of snow and 70 mph winds make this the blizzard edition!

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Link to the video version of this podcast: https://youtu.be/cPAnE3pvrSI

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Mind Over Matters: Engaging People to Drive Change with Tony Dottino

Tuesday Feb 03, 2026

Tuesday Feb 03, 2026

Today’s highlight is Tracy and Elisabeth's interview with Tony Dottino—author, consultant, and one of the rare people who was actually in the room when modern quality thinking was taking shape. Tony worked alongside legends like W. Edwards Deming, Joseph Juran, and Philip Crosby, helped shape what became the Malcolm Baldrige Award, and influenced early Six Sigma thinking—and he’s still at it. We’ll discuss what’s changed, what hasn’t, and what’s got him on television now!

For Hot Apps, we’ll explore a mind-mapping tool that helps teams see problems in new ways. And for Q&A, we’ll unpack a deceptively simple question: What is a “shield,” and how can it help change agents actually change things?

Thanks for Listening!

Listen to more podcasts at JITCafe.com.

Link to the video version of this podcast: https://youtu.be/x5nzI1EBnlY

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Campus Kaizen, with Bernadette Hill and Priya Vankatesan

Monday Jan 05, 2026

Monday Jan 05, 2026

It’s a brand new year and Tracy & Elisabeth's highlight is their conversation with Bernadette Hill and Priya Venkatesan from UC Davis—two leaders who’ve helped shape a culture of improvement using approaches that may surprise you. Their work reminds us that progress isn’t always driven by new tools or frameworks, but by how people show up for one another.

And instead of the cafe's usual Book Buzz, Hot App, or Q&A, Tracy and Elisabeth are closing out the year with something different—a moment of reflection. After all, reflection is the step we’re most tempted to skip—and the one that gives us the biggest chance to learn.

Time to get down to business!

Thanks for Listening!

Listen to more podcasts at JITCafe.com.

Link to the video version of this podcast: https://youtu.be/QOcJPiEParI

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Fail Better, Solve Faster with Melisa Buie

Monday Dec 01, 2025

Monday Dec 01, 2025

Today's highlight is Tracy & Elisabeth's interview with Melisa Buie, co-author of the just-published Faceplant. We get the skinny on how someone with a PhD in Plasma Physics got drawn into the emotional landscape of failure, and all the great things that came out of it. For Book Buzz we’ll do a nosedive into Faceplant—hmm, might need to rethink that phrasing—but Tracy & Elisabeth give a more behind-the-scenes take on Melisa’s new book. And then for Q&A, we asked, What’s the latest example of process improvement in the wild? What have we seen?

Every problem solver faceplants eventually—it’s what you do next that counts. And regardless of next steps—be sure to include coffee.

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Link to the video version of this podcast: https://youtu.be/73dtX_um8oo

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Mermaids, Metrics, and Motivation with Kristle Bulleman

Monday Nov 03, 2025

Monday Nov 03, 2025

Today’s highlight is Tracy and Elisabeth's interview with Kristle Bulleman, Process Manager for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. She lets us in on what it takes to make the impossible happen — like granting a wish to meet a mermaid (and honestly, who wouldn’t sign up for that?).

For Hot Apps, Tracy brings firsthand experience on how to zhuzh up an event — especially when you want to add a little fanfare to picking winners.

And for Q&A, we tackle a classic leadership challenge: how do you reward improvement teams in ways that truly motivate? What works — and what falls flat?

  • 00:00 - Intro
  • 01:28 - What's on the Menu?
  • 02:19 - Hot Apps
  • 08:29 - Q&A
    • “What kinds of reward and recognition efforts have you seen in regard to continuous improvement efforts, and to what extent have they worked?”
  • 21:32 - Featured Guest
  • 55:40 - Upcoming Events

Resources:

Listen to more podcasts at JITCafe.com.

Link to the video version of this podcast: https://youtu.be/epm0Yo9pf9Q

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Storytelling as a Change Agent, with Meg Bowles

Tuesday Sep 30, 2025

Tuesday Sep 30, 2025

It's October at the Cafe, and Elisabeth and Tracy got to sit down with Meg Bowles—co-author of the New York Times bestseller How to Tell a Story—to explore why stories power so much of our work and lives. In Book Buzz, they spill what got underlined and dog-eared (stakes, structure, callbacks, and more) in today's book. And for Q&A, they tackle the evergreen trap: jumping to solutions before we’ve even named the problem.

Resources:

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Link to the video version of this podcast: https://youtu.be/Wgxuzsyf6B4

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From Blind Spots To Breakthroughs, with Michael Bremer

Tuesday Sep 02, 2025

Tuesday Sep 02, 2025

It's episode 115 and the highlight is our interview with Michael Bremer—the author who turned the humble Gemba Walk into an art form (and picked up a Shingo Award along the way). For our Book Buzz, we crack open Michael Bungay Stanier’s The Coaching Habit—because it’s always the right time to celebrate saying less and asking more. And in our Q&A, we dig into the potholes people stumble into when conducting Process Walks—aka Gemba Walks.

Resources:

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Link to the video version of this podcast: https://youtu.be/zGvUULtZh-8

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The Empathy Advantage, with Shola Kaye

Monday Aug 04, 2025

Monday Aug 04, 2025

On today’s episode, Tracy & Elisabeth sit down with UK author and empathy firestarter Shola Kaye to unpack, among other things, something called “Empathy Hijacking”—yes, it’s a thing, and yes, it’s probably happened to you. For Book Buzz, we crack open Miracle Mornings and snoop through Tracy’s daily habits—was she ever a night owl? Then for Q&A, we go head-to-head on how we each structure our personal growth (and whether structure is even the right word). 

Curious? Good. Let’s get into it!" 

Resources:

Thanks for Listening!

Listen to more podcasts at JITCafe.com.

Link to the video version of this podcast: https://youtu.be/g0KYLs6VXXA

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- RSS Feed: https://feed.podbean.com/JITCafe/feed.xml

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Lean, Learning, and Legacy, with Michelle Formanczyk

Wednesday Jul 02, 2025

Wednesday Jul 02, 2025

In today’s episode, Tracy & Elisabeth sit down with process improvement pro Michelle Formanczyk to talk about her exciting new role for this year’s Michigan Lean Conference—and why you won’t want to miss it.

In our Hot Apps segment, we test drive Scribe, an app that magically turns your clicks into slick, step-by-step guides.

And for Q&A, we ask: Is AI a continuous improvement hero—or just another shiny tool in the toolbox?

Lean, learning, and a little splash of sass—let’s dive in!

  • 00:00 - Intro
  • 01:27 - What's on the Menu?
  • 02:10 - Hot Apps
  • 08:24 - Q&A

    • Is AI a continuous improvement hero—or just another shiny tool in the toolbox?

  • 18:06 - Featured Guest
  • 44:29 - Upcoming Events

Resources:

Thanks for Listening!

Listen to more podcasts at JITCafe.com.

Link to the video version of this podcast: https://youtu.be/8R-DxNeGcno

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