Episode 363

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Published on:

7th Jun 2026

363: AI Adoption That Sticks with Tracey Lovejoy

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers!

PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills

PMOs rarely fail because of a weak plan.

They fail because the adoption stalls. Pilots linger. Big bets like AI never move into everyday behavior. The initiative launches with energy. People say yes. Then six weeks in, nothing really changed.

In this episode, I sit down with Tracey Lovejoy, behavioral scientist, strategist, and co-founder of Catalyst Constellations. Tracey spent 12 years at Microsoft leading innovation at the intersection of design, technology, and change. As an ICF certified executive coach, she helps leaders navigate complexity with clarity. And with a deep passion for unlocking human potential, she is the perfect guest to tackle the adoption problem head on.

We get into what is really happening when change falls apart. And more importantly, what can you do about it right now.

What You Will Learn

  • Why adoption fails before the plan is even finished.
  • The biology of change resistance. And why is it not your enemy.
  • Why people resist change done TO them. Not change they choose.
  • The grief cycles inside every major initiative. Even the ones people wanted.
  • Lovers, haters, and just don't care. How to move each group forward.
  • Build your listening skills first. Everything else follows.
  • The network map that has nothing to do with the org chart.
  • Two red flags that predict transformation failure every time.

Press play. Your initiatives can only succeed as far as your people follow. This is the conversation you did not know you needed.

Connect with Tracey Lovejoy:

Tracey Lovejoy on LinkedIn

catalystconstellations.com/book

P.S. Do you want my help applying what I teach in The IMPACT Engine?

This summer, we’re launching the IMPACT Application Lab inside the IMPACT Insiders Book Club to help you turn the ideas in the book into real movement inside your PMO, portfolio, and strategy delivery work.

Book Club and these workshops are free for all owners of The IMPACT Engine: Accelerating Strategy Delivery for PMO and Transformation Leaders. If you already have the book, upload your receipt or a photo of you with your copy (if it was gifted to you) and we’ll send your invite.

📘 Get the book here.

👥 Join Book Club here.

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I welcome your feedback and insights!

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Warmly,

Laura Barnard

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About the Podcast

PMO Strategies
with Laura Barnard
In this podcast, PMO leaders and those wanting to capitalize on the best of project management to deliver the organization’s strategy will uncover the hidden secrets of the best PMOs, learn the game-changing techniques that transform any PMO into a value-driven IMPACT Engine, and explore the best ways for the PMO to become an integral part of the fabric and future of an organization. After spending two and a half decades helping organizations deliver change, with 15 of those years in the shoes of PMO leader inside organizations, Laura strongly believes that there is more to making an IMPACT than templates, tools, and process. She’ll show you how to make the shifts necessary to become a business-focused PMO that will become an invaluable organizational asset. With her guests and insights, we explore the sticky situations and tough challenges PMO leaders face, from sorting through all of the “noise” about what the PMO “should” do to finding the best ways for your PMO to make an IMPACT. Listen in, and you can discover how to shift your focus from outputs to outcomes, fundamentally changing the game for your PMO and personal success.

About your host

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Laura Barnard