Behind the Growth

For our final episode, the three founding partners of Growth by Design Talent turn the lens on themselves. Mike Joyner, Adam Ward, and Jill Macri sit down together to reflect on the journey of building GBD from scratch, what led them to start the firm, and why they're closing this chapter. They share the inflection points that shaped each of their careers—from Adam's internship that sparked his lo...

Miranda Kalinowski's 30-year journey from HR generalist in Australia to Head of Global Recruiting at Stripe reveals what it takes to lead talent through transformational growth. She scaled Facebook from 6,000 to over 84,000 employees while learning that your internal culture is your external brand. You'll hear why she chose recruiting from day one and the advice that changed her leadership approac...

From Google and Facebook to Airbnb, Lyft, and Discord, Samara Crasilneck has built recruiting operations at some of the most influential tech companies of the past decade. Her career spans the full spectrum of hypergrowth chaos and post-growth stabilization, teaching her that success isn't about moving fast all the time—it's about knowing when to move fast and when to slow down. Samara shares her...

Emil Yeargin's career path took him from agency recruiting to leading talent teams at Lyft and Gusto. His transition from individual contributor to people leader wasn't just about managing more people—it required a fundamental shift in how he defined success. You'll hear why agency recruiting skills translate so well to high-growth startups (and where they fall short), his framework for creating c...

Becky McCullough's decade at HubSpot has been defined by one core philosophy: focus on the work itself, not the title. From executive search to leading teams at McKinsey, and now as VP of Talent Acquisition at HubSpot, she's built her career by doing great work and letting recognition follow. You'll hear why she believes you should always take the call (even when you're happy where you are), her f...

Ambra Benjamin's journey from retail at Nordstrom to VP of Global Recruiting at Datadog reveals a powerful truth: the fundamentals of excellent customer service translate into recruiting leadership success. In this conversation, she shows how those early lessons became the foundation for leading teams through uncertainty. She opens up about the challenging transition from high-performing IC to peo...

Megan's journey from merchandising at major retailers to leading people strategy at Bain Capital Ventures shows how analytical thinking and relationship-building skills translate across completely different contexts. She opens up about making the leap to an entry-level recruiting role after years in merchandising, and the question that reframed everything: "Am I swimming away from something or tow...

Brendan shares three career-defining lessons that shaped everything: the power of equity, the art of storytelling, and that language matters in achieving outcomes. His journey from $30,000-a-year agency recruiting to leading talent at LinkedIn, Y Combinator, and as Chief People Officer shows how the right frameworks can accelerate your career. You'll hear why he believes recruiters should "blow ca...

From Air Force intelligence officer to VP People at Jack Archer, Chris shares the strategic framework that powered his transition into tech leadership. His approach to career moves - "make your next move every move" - and his philosophy of seeking discomfort over comfort offers a masterclass for anyone navigating major career transitions. Chris proves that great leaders operate with a reflective m...

Welcome to Behind the Growth — a podcast where emerging talent leaders get behind-the-curtain access to career stories from industry architects at LinkedIn, Meta, Stripe, Anthropic, and beyond. This isn't about company case studies or industry trends. It's about the humans who built the talent functions we admire – and the winding paths that got them there. Each conversation feels like eavesdroppi...