The HR Life Podcast

Alison Avila joins the guys to test the theory that no matter what intro Tony gives about Steve, it will turn out to be true.  They also discuss perfectionism in HR Pro's, nicknamed horror stories, and why some staffing companies succeed when others don't.  Alison is the Director of Human Resources at Your Employment Solutions (YES) , a Utah-based staffing agency where she has led HR strategy and...

The guys talk Steve's missing Star Wars ornaments and Vision Mission Values with the Empty Red Seat.  Why your vision, mission, and values form a critical component in your recruiting, onboarding, and engagement.  This discussion is the central focus of Tony’s consulting services and the bleeding edge recruiting techniques that Steve presents at conferences around the country and in his book.    ...

The guys talk to Steve Jaffe, author of the book The Layoff Journey: From Dismissal to Discovery .  The discussion moves from statistics of the increasing numbers of people caught in layoffs, to some of the pitfalls of using an ATS fully screen applicants.  Recovering from being caught in a layoff is a journey and this episode looks at it from 100 different angles including HR’s.     Born and rais...

Recorded live at The Work Elevated Conference, this episode will shock you into a smile.  After another brilliant introduction, the guys talk to both organizers and attendees at the conference.  Rachel Child joins the podcast again and talks about working at the conference, Karisa Stahle then talks about turning over the reigns to Joylynn Jepson who also joined and promised to first release the th...

Steve admits his troubled past selling lizards and the guys talk recruiting, interviewing, and the state of HR with Melissa Musgrave.  Melissa shares her experience "recruiting Jesus" and some other fun stories.  The guys take a few minutes and discuss the assassination of Charlie Kirk.   Melissa believes people are the capital, and growth is the return.  Founder of Melissa Musgrave People Collect...

After a shaky start, the guys talk to Diane Fullerton from GBS Benefits about that time she helped save the Work Elevated Conference and her association with Utah SHRM.  They also talk the world of benefits, what your broker should be doing for you, and the process of getting benefit quotes.  We know... all sexy topics for sure, but it was a lot of fun.  Monday was a full participant in this episo...

The guys talk with JD Robinson about Recruiting, the state of HR, making transformative relationships with people, and acknowledge that HR is not your friend... but neither is accounting or marketing.  They discuss the value of experience verses a degree and why high performers that nobody likes shouldn't be on your team as well as the greatest recruiting process JD has ever been a part of.  (No p...

The guys talk to Dan Merkley about his experience organizing and managing the athlete's village for the Olympics.  What does it take to create an organization that exists to put on a single event and then disband? How do you staff hundreds of workers and keep them all engaged and working hard until the end of the games?  How do you keep them from finding another employer two weeks into the event? ...

The guys talk to Matt Hilbig from OCM, Inc about the state of HR from the perspective of the job seeker.  The discussion covers the current labor market, bad behavior by both candidates and recruiters, the reputation companies develop over time by how they treat applicants, and, of course, the word "strategic."   Guest appearance by Rizzo.     Matthew Hilbig is Executive Vice President and co-owne...

The guys sit down and talk to Josh Brecheisen about working in HR while being religious, recruiting, how to become the best version of yourself and the future of AI in helping people find jobs.  Josh discusses the idea that, in the future, AI bots will find everybody a job instead of individuals applying for jobs.  Josh is a recruiting leader, trainer, and speaker. He's recruited for top brands su...

The guys leave the Red Seat empty for an episode and talk the lawsuit against Workday and the implications for AI use in recruiting.  They discuss how you can protect your company and what to ask vendors to provide when you evaluate their AI products.  The guys also talk recent changes in recruiting and the marketing principles associated with them.  The current state of HR also comes up, of cours...

The guys speak to Xavier "X" Cugnon about veterans, the skills they bring to the private sector, how employers can ask about a veteran's story, and the transition from military to civilian life. Oh... and there's a story about a great big cat.    Xavier Cugnon is the Vice President of Human Resources at Lookout Pest Control. With over 15 years of progressive HR leadership, Xavier blends business a...

Tony and Steve talk to Kate Thompson for a fresh take on HR.  Tony rambles on about perfume, and Kate drops some fantastic wisdom. They talk about the benefit of being required to solve problems, self care, finding out who's perfume is overpowering the office, and the definition of boring/bad HR.  Steve coins the phrase "Cold Played", and the jokes just never stop coming.   And yes... the email to...

In this episode, the guys talk to Rachel Child about her story, how she got into HR, the effect of firing a lot of people on a young practitioner, the generational differences between older and younger workers, and even a story about an HR professional who was answering email while in delivery.   Rachel Child is a certified HR Practitioner, Consultant, and Business Instructor (Weber State) who lov...

In this episode the guys tackle breaking news with the Red Seat empty.  Stay tuned at the end of the episode for a special treat.  Weird Al, you're welcome to cover the song.   Learn more about Steven "Big Deal" Smith at https://thehiringtreebook.com/  Learn more about Tony "Two Weeks Notice" Benjamin at https://www.thegrangellc.com/ Lyrics:   He used to be C E O  A brand new CHRO, he was living t...

We'd love your reactions, comments, and ideas for future episodes.  Contact us at thehrlifepodcast@gmail.com.   In this Episode we talk to Priscilla Wadman about her story and how she got into HR, her view of the state of the art, and what it means to really support employees.  Priscilla gives a fantastic roadmap to building an HR career.   With a distinguished career in human resources, Priscilla...

The podcast now has its own email so you can tell us how much you LOVE the podcast.  Contact us at thehrlifepodcast@gmail.com.  In this episode the guys leave the "Red Seat" empty, recapping the first four episodes and introducing themselves to listeners.  Steve shares an incredibly inspirational story of the death of his son and the amazing HR professional that helped him through it.  Tony shares...

Katey Connell is a force for transformation—on stage, in the workplace, and through her podcast, Become Alive. A dynamic Senior Talent Acquisition Manager at an advertising agency, Katey is known for doing things differently. She pioneered culture-first screening interviews to protect and elevate company culture, helping hire not just for skills, but for core-values. As a former SeaWorld Dolphin a...

Steve and Tony talk to Jeremie about data and Human Resources, the current state of Human Resources, the Business Partner model of Corporate HR, global views of HR, and when engagement trumps talent.  Jeremie Brecheisen is the managing partner of the Gallup EMEA division. Over the past two years, Jeremie has led the Gallup CHRO Roundtable, which hosts 1,000+ large-company CHROs. He has conducted o...

An interview with Beca Mark, Owner and CEO of MegaStar HR joins the podcast.  In this episode we we discuss the current state of HR, eliminating the conflict with CFO's and finance, The Role of Human Resources, the difference between cutesy and effective, how to install culture, and the move to outside HR consulting agencies.  Learn more about MegaStar HR at https://www.megastarhr.com/ .   Steve S...

In this, our inaugural episode, we talk to Karisa Stahle, VP of Human Resources at Verde, and Chair of Utah's annual Work Elevated Conference, sponsored by Utah SHRM and GBS Benefits.  She is a results driven HR executive with 4+ years facilities industry experience and 15 years experience in HR.  She's also on the Board of Directors for Utah SHRM.  She talks to Tony and Steve about The current st...

A quick introduction to your hosts, Tony Benjamin and Steven Smith.  The first full episode drops on June 17, 2025.