Wear Your Cape to Work™

The Curious Yes

In this episode of Wear Your Cape to Work, Trina Schaetz talks with Ashley Simmons, VP of PMO at Summit Seven [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashlee-simmons-mba-pmp-92726249/], 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 [https://pmoga.pmi.org/pmouncon] 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  [https://youtu.be/gJYPm2YcAl8] Project Insight Website [https://projectinsight.com/?c=20250101-podcast] Watch Video Podcast [https://projectinsight.com/wearyourcapetowork] Subscribe to Wear Your Cape to Work Podcast on: YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ProjectInsightPMSW/podcasts] Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/5WMdTjiTDDDOJzSQqhUwi8] Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wear-your-cape-to-work/id1783821226] RSS [https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2419669.rss]

Born with the Project Management Gene

In this episode, Trina and Mathew talk with Joe Pusz, better known as "PMO Joe," [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joepusz] 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 [https://projectinsight.com/?c=20250101-podcast] Watch Video Podcast [https://projectinsight.com/wearyourcapetowork] Subscribe to Wear Your Cape to Work Podcast on: YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ProjectInsightPMSW/podcasts] Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/5WMdTjiTDDDOJzSQqhUwi8] Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wear-your-cape-to-work/id1783821226] RSS [https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2419669.rss]

Aligning People with Strategy

Katharine Manchanda [https://www.linkedin.com/in/katharinepmp/] is a strategy and execution leader with experience across IT, banking, retail, automotive finance, loyalty programs, data and analytics, and the winery industry. Throughout her career, she has led projects and programs, helped grow PMOs, updated governance structures, and mentored project managers.  We're excited to have her on the show because she is as passionate about people as she is about business strategy, and when you bring those two parts together, that’s when businesses really can move forward in what they want to accomplish.  Show Notes 1:16-2:47 | A career across industries Katharine shares her background in project and program leadership across several industries, along with her experience growing PMOs and governance structures. 2:49-3:42 | Grocery and loyalty Katharine reflects on her work in major grocery retail launching a loyalty program. 3:46-5:15 | How market and regulatory shifts impact project work Katharine discusses how changing consumer behavior and new regulations can quickly reshape priorities, timelines, and project plans.  5:31-7:27 | Strategy on the go Katharine and Trina talk about what happens when strategy changes interrupt long-range plans. 7:47-9:00 | From delivery to strategic thinking She reflects on how depending on role, perspective needs to evolve from task-focused delivery to broader business relevance. 9:20-11:11 | What executives need to see Katharine shares her thoughts on the information leaders need in order to make good decisions. 11:11-13:01 | Successful vs. relevant Katharine explores the difference between delivering a project successfully and delivering benefits that still align with the original business strategy.  13:01-15:03 | Governance and decision speed Katharine discusses how governance and access to executive sponsors can affect momentum. 15:03-17:38 | Risks and issues The conversation turns to why leaders need visibility into risks and issues, not just status. 18:01-19:01 | Strategy work behind the scenes Katharine reflects on the difference between frontline delivery and more strategic PMO roles. 19:04-20:05 | Aligning strengths to the work This part of the episode looks at how leaders can match people’s strengths to organizational needs. 20:05-21:08 | Katharine’s superpower Katharine shares why the people side of leadership matters most to her. 21:39-23:20 | Building a PMO Katharine offers advice for organizations setting up a PMO. 23:20-24:29 | Capacity in real life Katharine and Trina discuss workload, competing priorities, and the realities of capacity. 24:29-end | Aligning people to strategy The episode closes with a look at how people, capacity, and strategy come together. Project Insight Website [https://projectinsight.com/?c=20250101-podcast] Watch Video Podcast [https://projectinsight.com/wearyourcapetowork] Subscribe to Wear Your Cape to Work Podcast on: YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ProjectInsightPMSW/podcasts] Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/5WMdTjiTDDDOJzSQqhUwi8] Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wear-your-cape-to-work/id1783821226] RSS [https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2419669.rss]

Conducting the Stakeholder Symphony

Francis Solomon Knox [https://www.linkedin.com/in/francis-solomon-knox-msc-pfmp-pmp-csm-agilepm-prince2-2b82aa34/] is the Senior Director of Portfolio Management at Breakthrough T1D [https://www.linkedin.com/company/breakthrought1d/], a leading global type 1 diabetes research and advocacy organization. Throughout his career, he has led portfolio transformation work across government and nonprofit organizations. In this episode, Steve and Trina explore how Francis brings clarity, alignment, and forward motion to a complex web of stakeholders. Show Notes 1:00-4:00 | An accidental start in project management Francis shares how he unexpectedly found his way into project management.  6:00-8:00 | Harmonize, manage, deploy Francis explains his ability to bring order to complex problems and stakeholder environments. He talks about how every project introduces change, and why thoughtful change management is essential when navigating complexity. 8:00-9:40 | Earning stakeholder buy-in This part of the conversation focuses on building support for change. Francis discusses the importance of helping people understand the benefits, identifying early adopters, and creating momentum that others can follow. 9:40-12:00 | What it’s like to work at an organization like Breakthrough T1D Francis gives a look inside Breakthrough T1D and the many teams working together to advance its mission, including research, science, grants, lobbying, and affordable care. Project teams play an important role in supporting and connecting that mission-driven work. 12:00-15:00 | Project management vs. portfolio management Francis breaks down the difference between project management and portfolio management.  15:00-17:00 | Prioritization, business drivers, and difficult decisions The conversation turns to prioritization and how PMO leaders help organizations make strategic choices when multiple initiatives are competing for the same resources.  7:00-22:00 | How Breakthrough T1D uses Project Insight for strategic portfolio management Francis shares how Project Insight helps Breakthrough T1D manage its portfolio with centralized visibility across all projects & programs. The platform helps the team see what is happening, prioritize effectively, decide what needs attention now versus later, and help executives make strategic decisions. Project Insight's Jira integration has been particularly powerful. Teams can work in Jira and their input automatically updates project data. 23:00-24:00 | From chaos to symphony Francis reflects on the idea that portfolio management is not about controlling chaos for its own sake. It is about creating alignment, rhythm, and coordination across many moving parts, more like conducting a symphony than reacting to noise. 24:00-end | Growing your change management style over time Francis closes with a reminder that change management is a skill that develops with experience. The more you practice, the more value you can bring to your team, your stakeholders, and your organization. Project Insight Website [https://projectinsight.com/?c=20250101-podcast] Watch Video Podcast [https://projectinsight.com/wearyourcapetowork] Subscribe to Wear Your Cape to Work Podcast on: YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ProjectInsightPMSW/podcasts] Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/5WMdTjiTDDDOJzSQqhUwi8] Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wear-your-cape-to-work/id1783821226] RSS [https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2419669.rss]

Meeting Risk with Precision (NASA) Replay

We’re replaying one of our most popular episodes this week as anticipation builds for NASA’s Artemis II mission, the agency’s first crewed lunar flyby in more than 50 years.  In this episode of Wear Your Cape to Work, Trina sits down with NASA PM, Jeff Conner, who spent 43 years working with space projects. From the early days of the shuttle program to coordinating recovery efforts after the Columbia accident, Jeff’s career spans some of the most mission-critical projects in NASA’s history. This conversation explores Jeff’s career path, his family legacy in aerospace, and the mindset it takes to lead when failure is not an option. Topics covered: * The family connection: Trina and Jeff as cousins * Jeff’s father’s role at NASA in the Air Force physical standards lab * Starting his NASA career as a mechanical engineer * Payload integration projects and contributing to the construction of the International Space Station * Installing payloads aboard space shuttle missions * Planning for shuttle emergency landings and alternate recovery locations * Project management in the 1980s: printed schedules, phone calls, and couriered memos * Reflecting on a bygone work era—before nonstop email and instant messaging * The Columbia accident and Jeff’s role in the Air Boss helicopter recovery operations * Risk as a defining factor in space projects—and how to lead within it * Jeff’s superpower: identifying risks early and turning them into opportunities for precision and excellence * How teams can minimize compounding issues when working on large, hazardous systems * Leading diverse teams through complexity, pressure, and change If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to manage projects where the margin for error is zero, this episode is for you. Project Insight Website [https://projectinsight.com/?c=20250101-podcast] Watch Video Podcast [https://projectinsight.com/wearyourcapetowork] Subscribe to Wear Your Cape to Work Podcast on: YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ProjectInsightPMSW/podcasts] Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/5WMdTjiTDDDOJzSQqhUwi8] Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wear-your-cape-to-work/id1783821226] RSS [https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2419669.rss] Project Insight Website [https://projectinsight.com/?c=20250101-podcast] Watch Video Podcast [https://projectinsight.com/wearyourcapetowork] Subscribe to Wear Your Cape to Work Podcast on: YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ProjectInsightPMSW/podcasts] Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/5WMdTjiTDDDOJzSQqhUwi8] Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wear-your-cape-to-work/id1783821226] RSS [https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2419669.rss]