
Gut+Science explores employee engagement insights you can act on, from CEOs you can trust. Get ready for high energy interviews led by employee engagement evangelist Nikki Lewallen—ones that’ll have you rethinking what it means to build successful people-first cultures.
Culture does not change because someone put new values on a wall. It changes when leaders decide who owns it, how it gets measured, and what behaviors get reinforced every single day.
Nikki sits down with Brett Hoogeveen, leadership and culture strategist at BetterCulture, to unpack why culture initiatives often stall and what it really takes to make culture a measurable, intentional business practice.
Brett shares his five-pillar model for continuous culture improvement, why HR cannot carry culture alone, how executive alignment shapes everything, and why core values only matter when they actually change behavior. For people-first leaders ready to turn culture from a buzzword into a competitive advantage, this conversation is a must-listen.
Additional Resources:
Get the free resource at Betterculture.com/gutscience
Connect with Brett on LinkedIn
Watch Gut + Science (and more) on YouTube!
Connect with Nikki on LinkedIn
Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn
Learn more about PeopleForward Network
Nikki’s Key Takeaways:
- Culture is attitudes and behaviors, not perks.
- Healthy culture can and should be measured.
- HR supports culture, but cannot own it alone.
- Executive alignment drives sustainable culture change.
- Core values must shape daily employee behavior.
















Nikki Gregory
Gut + Science
Gut + Science is a mentoring platform for people-first leaders of all levels. We talk to exceptional leaders who prioritize culture, get fired up about employee engagement, and are excited to share ideas and tools for bettering employee experiences.
We are on a mission to improve employee engagement by inspiring and equipping leaders to help employees thrive at work. Host Nikki Gregory highlights accomplished, people-first CEOs (and executives) that share their powerful mindsets, experiences and tools that have helped them succeed. Content experts share education and inspiration on topics such as diversity and inclusion, emerging and lucid leadership, and corporate social responsibility. We named the show Gut + Science because leaders need both data and experiences to guide decision making.
Nikki is passionate about helping millions love their work, about giving back, about investing in people. In Gut + Science, these callings come to life in the form of high-energy interviews designed to help pave the way for people-first cultures, and give leaders the inside scoop on how to build winning cultures and companies. Nikki has helped countless executives make meaningful, relationship-oriented investments.