In this episode of The EX Conversation, Kaz sits down with Kat Cooke, Head of Internal Communications at SCC, to talk about what it really takes to build trust inside an organization. Their conversation explores how transparency, honesty, and two-way communication can shape culture in a meaningful way — especially when employees want more than polished messaging from leadership.
Kat shares how her background in journalism shaped her approach to internal comms, and why she sees herself as “the journalist inside the business.” She explains how SCC creates space for employees to ask difficult questions, how leadership responds in visible and credible ways, and why authenticity matters if you want people to believe communication is more than a staged process.
This episode will be especially useful for internal communications, employee experience, and digital workplace leaders who are trying to make communication feel more open, more human, and more trustworthy. If you’re working through questions around leadership visibility, employee voice, or psychological safety, this conversation offers practical perspective from someone doing that work every day.
🎧 Enjoy the episode and thanks for listening.
Episode timeline
00:00 – 03:23 | From journalism to internal communications
Kat shares her career path, including how she moved from journalism into content writing and internal communications at SCC.
03:23 – 10:22 | Why she came back to SCC
Kat reflects on returning to SCC, the opportunity to grow, and why the role gave her more space to shape internal communications strategy.
11:19 – 13:19 | Why two-way communication matters
The conversation turns to the importance of open dialogue, honest feedback, and giving employees space to share concerns safely.
13:44 – 16:05 | How SCC creates space for employee questions
Kat walks through practical examples, including anonymous questions to the CEO, quarterly all-hands meetings, and live audience participation.
16:05 – 18:34 | Making leadership communication feel authentic
Kat explains how SCC moved away from overly staged all-hands meetings and toward a more natural, conversational format.
18:34 – 20:31 | The role of internal comms as employee representative
Kat talks about building trust by acting as a voice for employees and helping leadership messaging feel grounded and credible.
20:31 – 25:32 | What “family culture” really means at work
Kat and Kaz unpack why a family-like culture can be positive when it is based on honesty, support, and shared commitment — not perfection.
25:47 – 27:43 | Returning to a familiar workplace
Kat reflects on what it felt like to come back to SCC and step into a more senior leadership role.
28:27 – 30:00 | Career advice: say yes sooner
Kat shares the advice she wishes she had earlier in her career — to take more risks and be more open to opportunity.
31:11 – 31:45 | Taking a step back from the day-to-day
The conversation touches on the importance of recognizing the value of the work, even in fast-moving environments.
32:17 – 34:25 | EX Room 101: poor grammar and spelling
Kat shares one thing she would remove from the workplace immediately, and why details in communication still matter.
34:46 – 37:10 | Feeling human at work
Kat reflects on the value of personal connection, emotional honesty, and making room for people to be human at work.
About The EX Conversation
The EX Conversation is a podcast series from Unily that brings together employee experience, internal communications, and digital workplace leaders from across industries.
Each episode features an open, practical conversation with people on the frontlines of EX: sharing what’s working, what’s hard, and how they’re navigating complexity in real time. No hype. No scripts. Just honest perspectives and hard-won insight to help EX leaders learn from each other and move the workplace forward.