Don't Waste the Chaos

If you think you “don’t need HR,” you’re probably losing money and people. In this episode, Kerri M. Roberts breaks down 5 HR failures that quietly drain small businesses - and shows you how to turn HR into a profit + culture lever in 90 days.   You’ll learn: Why turnover isn’t a mystery line item (it’s 19–40% of base pay per exit) The manager effect: when leaders slip, engagement and productivity...

Employee loyalty isn’t dead - we killed it. One policy, one broken promise, one missed conversation at a time. In this solo episode, Kerri Roberts (20+ years in HR & People Ops) breaks down why trust eroded and how leaders and HR can rebuild it with practical, humble-efficient systems. What you’ll learn The “broken loyalty contract” and how policies replaced relationships Why HR became the vil...

In Part 2, Kerri moves from revelation to application. After realizing in Part 1 that devotion to people had begun to override devotion to God, this episode lays out a simple, repeatable rhythm for leading in alignment: Structure, Stewardship, and Spirit. You’ll hear how Kerri redesigned her days (and her boundaries) to create peace, stop over-functioning, and make decisions from listening instead...

This week’s episode feels more like an unfolding than a plan. After a recent session with her coach and intuitive mentor, Kerri shares a revelation that stopped her in her tracks: Sometimes our devotion to people and outcomes quietly replaces our devotion to God. In this deeply personal conversation, Kerri explores how her vow of devotion - once her greatest strength - began to cloud her discernme...

Leadership under pressure can look a lot like control. In this real, faith-informed conversation, Kerri and her husband Terry (USMC veteran & entrepreneur) unpack why trust beats micromanagement , how devotion without discernment derails good leaders, and the simple practices that help you hear the Holy Spirit , set healthy boundaries , and steward your people, brand, and resources well. You’l...

What happens when life changes the rules - and the identity you’ve built no longer fits?   In this episode of Don’t Waste the Chaos , host Kerri Roberts sits down with Matt Vincent , a two-time Highland Games World Champion, entrepreneur, author, and host of the Not Dead Yet podcast. After career-ending injuries forced him to rebuild from the ground up, Matt turned loss into purpose - creating a g...

What does it really take to stay “top of mind” with your clients, colleagues, and team members? In this episode of Don’t Waste the Chaos , I sit down with John Hall - Chief Strategist at Relevance.com , Co-Founder of Calendar.com , and bestselling author of Top of Mind . Named EY Entrepreneur of the Year and recognized as one of the Business Journals’ Top 100 Visionaries, John is a nationally reco...

What happens to a team when trust takes a hit—and how do you rebuild it? In this candid solo episode of Don’t Waste the Chaos , host Kerri Roberts tackles one of the most underestimated drivers of workplace culture: trust. Pulling from her own consulting experience and research from Gallup, Edelman, and PricewaterhouseCoopers, Kerri lays out exactly why trust is the currency of leadership and what...

What happens when overstimulation quietly rewires our brains and families? In this episode of Don’t Waste the Chaos, host Kerri Roberts sits down with returning guest Karen Brooks, MSW — speaker, mentor, and mental health advocate — to unpack the truth behind dopamine “addiction.” With her trademark clarity and compassion, Karen breaks down what’s really happening in our brains, why technology is...

What happens when HR touches one of the most controversial workplace topics today? In this episode of Don’t Waste the Chaos , I share my candid take on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs - and why I believe companies don’t need them to build inclusive workplaces. I’ll walk you through: Why DEI initiatives exploded post-2020, and why many companies are now pulling back The unintended r...

Too many business owners are grinding for years without truly paying themselves what they’re worth. Loyalty doesn’t mean self-sacrifice - and underpaying yourself is silently wrecking your finances, your business, and your culture.  In this episode, Kerri Roberts pulls back the curtain on what happens when leaders don’t prioritize their own paycheck, why it’s dangerous, and how to start fixing it...

Money isn’t just numbers - it’s trust, culture, and retention. In this fiery episode of Don’t Waste the Chaos , Kerri Roberts exposes the hidden dangers of staying silent about money inside your business. From solo cups sparking wild rumors to leaders unknowingly breeding distrust, Kerri unpacks why financial transparency is the leadership move that keeps your people engaged, loyal, and productive...

Your values are only as strong as your hardest day. Culture isn’t built on t-shirts, swag, or pretty mission statements - it’s tested in the fire. In this week’s episode of Don’t Waste the Chaos , Kerri Roberts calls out performative cultures, hollow values, and leadership that only looks good on paper. Backed by hard data and lived client experience, she lays out how to stop wasting money on surf...

A small HR oversight — a missing policy, an incomplete employee file, a misclassified worker — can turn into a lawsuit that costs your business $125,000 or more, and 70% of small businesses face an employee-related legal claim at some point. In this solo episode, Kerri Roberts breaks down exactly how to conduct a DIY HR audit for your business across five areas — compliance basics, hiring and onbo...

What does it actually take to find your voice, build a platform, and show up authentically in a world that wants you to be everything to everyone — and what does any of that have to do with running a business? In this episode, Kerri Roberts sits down with Denise Tallcott, former radio host turned podcast creator, public speaker, business coach, and the warmhearted force behind Working Moms Redefin...

What does it look like to build something that lasts without burning through the people who make it possible? In this episode, Kerri Roberts sits down with Emily Holdman, Managing Director at Permanent Equity, a Missouri-based private equity firm with a 30-year investment horizon and a foundational commitment to do no harm — which in practice means walking into an organization and learning before...

If your team is showing up but nobody seems fully there, you're not imagining it — and you're not alone. Only 21 to 23% of employees globally report being actively engaged at work right now, 59% admit to doing the bare minimum, and 66 to 82% of the workforce is experiencing burnout in 2025. In this solo episode, Kerri Roberts breaks down what's actually driving the morale crisis, wh...

Most small business owners don't lay people off because they planned to — they lay people off because they panicked, waited too long, and ran out of options. In this solo episode, Kerri Roberts draws a sharp line between reactive layoffs and intentional right sizing, and makes the case that how you handle workforce reduction when growth slows is one of the clearest signals of your integrity a...

What does it actually take to walk away from a high-income city life, two salaries, private school, a country club, and the whole identity that goes with it — and not regret it? In this episode, Kerri Roberts brings back her most-requested guest, her husband Terry, for their most personal conversation yet. They cover the full arc: from Terry growing up in poverty in a trailer park, through 10 year...

Most small business CEOs wouldn't offer 12 weeks of paid maternity leave — not because they don't care, but because the financial and operational reality of it is genuinely brutal, especially without the systems that make it survivable. Kristin Graham Brown does it anyway. In this episode, Kerri Roberts sits down with Kristin, founder and CEO of Hoot Design Company, for a conversation ab...

You already know you should drink more water, move your body, get more sleep, and cut back on alcohol — so why aren't you doing it consistently? The answer isn't another tip, another routine, or another podcast episode about wellness habits. It's a mindset problem, and in this solo episode, Kerri Roberts walks through her full wellness routine across five buckets and then goes deep...

Building a business that feels like home means creating something that serves people the way you wish you had been served — and for Kerri Roberts, that realization led to something she's been building quietly behind the scenes for a while now. In this solo episode, she pulls back the curtain on her four collectives, the membership programs she just launched, explains why she built them, who t...

Burnout isn't a signal to push through — it's sacred data telling you something about alignment, calling, and what you were actually built for. In this deeply personal solo episode, Kerri Roberts pulls back the curtain on her full career journey: from hospital registrar and electronic medical records implementer, through five different organizations across healthcare, mortgage, higher ed...

Most women entrepreneurs who struggle to sell aren't bad at selling — they're carrying fears they've never named, marketing a product they don't fully believe in, or waiting to feel confident before they take action. In this episode, Kerri Roberts sits down with Andee Hart, founder of She Sells Differently, for one of the most honest and practical sales conversations this show...

Hiring for an entrepreneurial spirit sounds like a smart move — until the person you just brought on starts challenging every system, resisting structure, and quietly dismantling the culture you've spent years building. In this solo episode, Kerri Roberts makes the case that "entrepreneurial spirit" in a job description is often a misleading signal that attracts exactly the wrong ca...