Dr. Joanie Connell on Guardrails for AI, Critical-Thinking Cultures, and Workplaces Built for Humans

Host Liz Sweigart sits down with Dr. Joanie Connell—electrical-engineer-turned-consulting-psychologist, founder of Flexible Work Solutions, and newly elected President of the Society of Consulting Psychology. Joanie traces her journey from Silicon Valley circuit boards to advising tech leaders on human-centric innovation. Together they explore why critical thinking is the best guardrail for AI, how affiliative humor defuses tension, and what it means to make work better for people and people better for work. Highlights How snowy Boston winters nudged Connell toward California Discovering psychology as a way to bridge the engineer–human gap. Why properly stewarded technology—and clear organizational guardrails—determine whether AI becomes utopia, dystopia, or something in-between. Destigmatizing humor at work: laughing with people, never at them, and using levity to open hard conversations. “Make workplaces healthier and help humans thrive there”—Connell’s twin mission for executives and organizations. What’s next: drafting a chapter on potential AI futures and stepping into SCP’s presidential Trio to champion consulting psychology on a larger stage.