In this episode of Make or Break Hot Take Edition, Mo Berkner Boyt sits down with Michelle Yanahan, principal and owner of ChangeFit 360, for a conversation about what change leaders keep getting wrong. Michelle argues that too much change work is still measured by activity instead of impact, shaped by templates instead of context, and managed like a project when people actually experience it as a constant, overlapping human reality.

Throughout the conversation, Michelle makes the case for a more disciplined and more human approach. She points to behavioral science as a practical lens for identifying the specific actions people need to take, measuring behaviors that predict adoption, and reinforcing change through the leaders, peers, and relationships closest to the work. She pushes for metrics tied to behavior, leader support, stakeholder voice, and the outcomes the change is meant to produce, rather than lagging indicators typically used.

Mo and Michelle challenge some of the field of change management’s cookie-cutter techniques by calling out the false comfort of deliverables that do not drive results, and questioning the idea that people adopt change one initiative at a time.

Michelle’s perspective on AI brings the argument into the present: organizations treating AI as another technology rollout will miss the deeper culture shift underneath it. The throughline is clear from start to finish: change becomes more effective when it is designed around human behavior and connection and the lived experience of the people asked to implement it.

Follow Make or Break on your favorite streaming channel to effectively manage human risk during organizational change:

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Follow + Connect with our guest:

Michelle Yanahan

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-yanahan-changefit360/

Website - https://changefit360.com/

In this episode of Make or Break Hot Take, Mo Berkner Boyt talks with Rachel Breitbach, Practice Lead and Senior Advisor at Farwell, about the key elements that help people navigate change. Rachel shares her own path from aspiring sports broadcaster to HR and ultimately into the world of change leadership as a “recovering HR professional.”

A central theme of the conversation is that change is about plans and executive alignment. And it is ultimately about trust, whether teams understand the change that is occurring and know what they need to do differently to ensure that they feel equipped to do it. Rachel argues that strong change leadership depends on trust and introduces the TIE Model: transparency, inclusion, and empathy, as an effective change management strategy. She also challenges the instinct many leaders have to wait until they have all the answers before communicating. In her view, waiting too long creates more fear than honesty ever does.

Their conversation also explores psychological safety, ownership, and the importance of helping people move from feeling like change is happening to them to feeling like they have agency within it. Together, Mo and Rachel touch on that there might be something to be learned from the Tooth Fairy and make the case that resilience, connection, and trust are not abstract cultural ideas.They are practical capabilities that leaders can strengthen to help organizations respond to disruption more effectively.

Follow Make or Break on your favorite streaming channel to effectively manage human risk during organizational change:

https://c2iq.io/spotify

https://c2iq.io/apple

https://c2iq.io/audible

https://www.youtube.com/@C2IQMakeorBreak

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Follow + Connect with our guest:

Rachel Breitbach

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-breitbach/

Website - https://www.gofarwell.com/

What makes organizational change succeed or lose momentum? In this episode of Make or Break, Hot Takes Edition, Mo Berkner Boyt speaks with Riley Smith and Keely Middleton from Propeller Consulting about the human realities behind transformation.

They discuss why pilots and sandboxes can reveal whether a change works in practice, how workarounds expose resistance to new processes, and why sentiment should be viewed from an ongoing, 30,000 foot perspective rather than as a collection of isolated anecdotes. The conversation also explores the value of slowing down early to understand an organization before designing the solution, especially when leaders are under pressure to move quickly.

Riley and Keely challenge the idea that resistance is inherently negative. Resistance can provide useful information, if leaders listen, investigate, and use it to adjust the approach. They also share why leadership visibility must include people managers, how informal influencers can strengthen adoption, and why change saturation includes both competing projects and the everyday rhythms of the business.

The episode closes with reflections on change resilience and the value of finding a professional community while the pace of change continues to accelerate.Follow Make or Break on your favorite streaming channel to effectively manage human risk during organizational change:https://c2iq.io/spotifyhttps://c2iq.io/applehttps://c2iq.io/audiblehttps://www.youtube.com/@C2IQMakeorBreak –Follow + Connect with our guest:Riley Smith & Keely MiddletonRiley LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rileysmith23/ Keely LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/keely-middleton/ Website - https://propeller.com/