Talentless

Leadership conversations love to talk about intention. This one talks about impact. In this episode of Talentless, Desiree Goldey and Ashley King sit down with Felicia Smith, founder of The Climb, to unpack what leadership development actually looks like when diversity moves beyond buzzwords and into real behavior, decision-making, and power structures. We get into: The moment representation stops...

Ben Abear, Scaled Analytics & Innovation Manager at Adobe In this episode of Talentless, Desiree Goldey and Ashley King sit down with Ben Abear to talk about why modern hiring breaks when decisions are driven by feelings instead of facts. Ben shares how data builds trust, strengthens partnerships with the business, and helps recruiters move from order takers to true strategic partners even on smal...

Hiring veterans isn’t hard. Hiring veterans without understanding them is where everything falls apart. In this episode of Talentless, Desiree Goldey and Ashley King are joined by Lee Cage Jr. (SPHR, HRIP, CSM) to break down the myths, mistakes, and missed opportunities in military hiring. Lee brings a rare mix of experience across enterprise transformation, HR technology, and 17+ years of service...

AI is everywhere in recruiting right now. And depending on who you ask, it’s either the future of TA… or a compliance nightmare wrapped in a shiny demo. In this episode of Talentless, Ashley King and Desiree Goldey cut through the hype and talk about what AI actually does well in talent, what it does dangerously wrong, and why the biggest risk isn’t the tech. It’s the humans using it without guard...

Data. Data. Dada. However you say it, one thing is clear: not all data is created equal. In this episode of Talentless, Ashley King and Desiree Goldey break down what data actually matters in talent acquisition and why most TA teams are stuck reporting numbers that don’t move the business forward. This is a practical, no-fluff conversation about data literacy, business impact, and why knowing how...

What if the problem with talent acquisition isn’t recruiters… it’s how we set them up? In this episode of Talentless, Ashley King and Desiree Goldey dig into recruiter enablement and why it’s quickly becoming the difference between TA teams that survive and those that actually move the business forward. We unpack what recruiter enablement really means (spoiler: it’s not just more tools), why measu...

We took Talentless on the road and dropped ourselves right into the middle of RecFest. Sun out, mics on, chaos fully embraced. In this episode, we sat down with two of our all-time favorite humans in recruiting, Brooke Freeburg and Krissy Callari from ZRG, and let the conversation do what it does best… wander in the smartest, funniest way possible. We talked about the realities of recruiting right...

"HR Conferences” is our love letter and side-eye to the events that are supposed to move this industry forward. Desiree and Ashley break down what conferences should be about – community, real education, and true innovation – and why too many of them have turned into overpriced vendor parades with celebrity keynotes no one asked for. We talk about safety (especially for women), inclusion, accessib...

Jim Miller is a global People Operations leader with over 20 years of experience scaling recruiting and people teams across tech giants and hyper-growth startups including Google, FullStory, and now Ashby, where he serves as VP of People & Talent. From leading 200+ recruiters worldwide to advising on product, process, and people tech, Jim has built his career around one central truth: productivity...

Katrina Kibben is a leadership speaker, LinkedIn Top Voice, and founder of Three Ears Media known for transforming how companies attract talent and build healthy team cultures. With over 15 years at global brands like Monster.com and Randstad, Katrina brings real talk on leadership, belonging, and what it means to show up as yourself at work. In this episode, Katrina joins Talentless to talk about...

“Clockout with Julia Arpag” is a story about building something meaningful at work and at home. Julia shares how she turned her love for connecting people into a business rooted in purpose, faith, and high-performance recruiting. As founder of Aligned Recruitment, she’s proof that you can lead with heart, hire with intention, and still build world-class teams. Catch the full episode below and hear...

“Clockout with Tejal Rives” is a conversation about finding power where the system told you not to. Tejal opens up about navigating the job search and promotion process as a woman of color and how that experience pushed her to change how hiring works—starting with transparency and empathy. From helping others decode what recruiters really look for to talking openly about DEI and neurodiversity, he...

“Clockout with Erin Riska” dives into the unconventional path of a recruiter who refuses to play by the old HR rulebook. Erin shares how curiosity, flexibility, and a healthy dose of irreverence shaped her work as a fractional talent strategist and writer. From building better candidate experiences to designing people-first recruiting systems, her story is equal parts grit and wanderlust. Catch th...

Joel Lalgee is a podcast host, executive recruiter, and content strategist who’s become a true friend of the Talentless Podcast. In this episode of Clockout, Joel shares his journey, lessons learned, and why content is one of the most powerful tools in the talent industry.  Tune in to hear Joel’s story and get inspired by one of the legends in recruiting content.

Clockout with Talentless and learn about the career journey of everyone's favorite almost dentist- Shannon Ogborn!

Same job title, totally different reality. In this episode of Talentless, we break down the messy truth about role nuances: the invisible details that can make or break a recruiter’s sanity. We’re talking job titles that don’t match the work, hiring managers who oversell the role, and candidates who find themselves in a job that feels nothing like the posting. We’ll swap stories, spill some tea, a...

Recruiting isn’t one-size-fits-all—and nowhere is that clearer than when you move across industries. In this episode of Talentless, we dig into the nuances that shape how hiring actually works in different sectors. From the fast-paced world of tech to the highly credentialed healthcare field, from hospitality’s frontline brand-builders to the high-stakes demands of tech hiring, we break down what...

Recruiters aren’t just sourcing resumes — they’re managing expectations, coaching through bias, and sometimes dragging hiring managers across the finish line. In this episode of Talentless, we dig into the real work behind “managing the manager.” From setting clear timelines and pushing back on unrealistic requests to aligning on what “good” actually looks like, we discuss the soft skills and stra...

Recruiters aren’t just sourcing resumes — they’re managing expectations, coaching through bias, and sometimes dragging hiring managers across the finish line. In this episode of Talentless, we dig into the real work behind “managing the manager.” From setting clear timelines and pushing back on unrealistic requests to aligning on what “good” actually looks like, we discuss the soft skills and stra...

In this episode of Talentless, we’re diving headfirst into one of the most overlooked—but most important—parts of the hiring process: the candidate experience. And we brought in one of the most trusted voices in the game to help us do it. Bonnie Dilber joins us to break down why candidate experience isn't just a buzzword, but a core pillar of effective, equitable recruiting. We talk about what a g...

They share the same house but don’t always see eye to eye. In this episode, we’re unpacking the long-standing (and sometimes strained) relationship between HR and Talent Acquisition. Our guest, Daniela Herrera, joins us to explore how these two critical functions can move from friction to flow. From legacy hierarchies to modern collaboration, we’ll break down what works, what doesn't, and what it...

What are the real lessons no one warns you about when you start recruiting? In this episode of Talentless, we’re talking about the rookie mistakes, unspoken rules, and jaw-dropping moments that shape every recruiter’s first two years. Whether you’re just starting out or reflecting on your own early missteps, we’ve got stories and insights that’ll hit close to home. We’re breaking down the things w...

Would you know if the recruiter sliding into your DMs was actually running a scam? This week on Talentless, we’re cracking open the recruiting ecosystem, from the elite talent whisperers changing lives to the shady scammers collecting resumes like Pokémon cards. There are good recruiters. There are lazy ones. And then there are straight-up predators. We’re naming the types, sharing receipts, and g...

In this episode of Talentless, Ashley King and Desiree Goldey take on the recruiting unicorns of the talent world those hyper-specific, nearly mythical roles we lovingly (and sometimes begrudgingly) call purple squirrels. From wild job descriptions to impossible expectations, they unpack what makes these roles so hard to fill and why companies keep writing them. This episode dives into the tension...

In this episode of Talentless, hosts Ashley King and Desiree Goldey welcome their very first guest: Jeremy Lyons, a recruiting operations pro who’s as smart as he is generous with his time. Together, they dive into the world of RecOps—what it is, why it matters, and how it’s quietly shaping the future of hiring behind the scenes. RecOps (that’s Recruiting Operations, for the uninitiated) isn’t jus...