Bringing the Human back to Human Resources

Michael Timms joins the podcast to break down why most "succession planning" in organizations is actually just replacement planning in disguise, and why that distinction matters more than most HR leaders realize. Michael Timms is an internationally sought after speaker, consultant, and bestselling author who teaches leaders how to inspire accountability. He's the author of How Leader...

Traci welcomes Dr. Carrie Graham, PhD, a training strategist specializing in scalable talent development who guides small and mid-sized organizations to achieve measurable results through strategic employee training programs. Dr. Graham's research reveals that toxic work environments aren't just unpleasant, they produce real, life-altering mental and physical health consequences for the pe...

In this episode, Traci shares what her return to work has looked like with three kids under three, a demanding career, and a podcast. She opens up about what that took to admit, and why the "have it all" pressure lands differently when both your career and your family are simultaneously demanding more of you. She also gets into what she actually wishes workplaces understood about flexibility, and...

This week, Traci sits down with Greg Roche, founder of Retention and Rewards Partners and author of The Fast and Easy Guide to Networking for Introverts, to explore why intentional connection is the most underrated retention strategy in any organization. Greg shares the "stepping over the line" framework he's used throughout his career in total rewards, walking through the exact moment an employee...

This week's episode makes the case that your next team building session should involve a table full of LEGO bricks, and JoLynn Ledgerwood, certified LEGO Serious Play facilitator and learning and development specialist with over 25 years of experience, is here to explain exactly why. Most people have never heard of LEGO Serious Play. The ones who have? They usually want to get certified on the...

This week, Traci sits down with Chris Taylor, founder of Actionable.co, a company that helps consultants prove the impact of their programs and build deeper, longer-lasting client relationships through behavior change technology, the Impact Certainty Methodology, and a global network of peers. Chris has spent 18 years making the case that the entire L&D industry is stuck measuring the wrong th...

This episode is about authentic leadership, self-awareness, and the quiet ways competition undermines collaboration in the workplace. Traci sits down with Archana Mohan, Chief Operations and Technology Officer in the finance sector and author of The Thru Line: How Understanding Who You Are Empowers How You Lead. Archana holds a BA from Brown, an MA from Columbia, and an MBA from Yale, but her most...

This week, Traci sits down with Rob Gallaher, Entrepreneur and Founder of ProfitX, to dig into how profit sharing actually works, why most businesses aren't doing it, and what it takes to build a program that genuinely transforms how a team operates. What We Cover: What profit sharing actually is and why no real how-to guide existed before Rob wrote one Why his first program was a complete dis...

This episode closes out the layoff series with a look at what employees are rarely told about severance, separation agreements, and their rights when a job ends. This week, Traci sits down with Dan Goodman, founder of Dan Goodman Employment Advisory (DGEA), a firm that has helped nearly 1,800 employees navigate some of the most high-stakes moments of their careers. What We Cover: Why severance exi...

This week's episode is part three of the layoff series, and it's focused entirely on the employee side of the experience: what to actually do when you or someone you know is the one getting laid off. Spoiler alert: Over 40% of Americans have been laid off at least once in their careers. Statistically, this conversation is more relevant than most of us want to admit. This is a greatest hits...

In part two of the four-part layoff series, Traci addresses what often goes unspoken in layoff conversations: the toll on the HR professionals managing them, and how to take care of yourself while taking care of everyone else. What We Cover: — The grief HR professionals carry that nobody talks about— Numbness as a warning sign, not a badge of honor— How to structure your day when the conversations...

Traci sat down with Jena Dunay, founder of Recruit the Employer, to talk about conducting layoffs with dignity. We're bringing this one back as the first episode of our four-part layoff series because it's just as relevant now as it was when it first aired. What We Cover: Offboarding as seriously as onboarding What's at stake when there's no plan in place What outplacement actually...

This week, Traci sits down with the co-founders of Flora Fertility to talk about why employer-sponsored fertility coverage is broken and what the first individually owned fertility insurance solution is doing to fix it. Dr. Christy Lane is a global leader in InsureTech, an investor, founder, and award-winning health scientist with expertise in AI, digital health, and wearable devices. She is the c...

This week, Traci sits down with Steve Cadigan to explore what the future of work actually demands from HR leaders and why most organizations are still building for a world that no longer exists. Steve is a globally recognized talent strategist, advisor, author, and founder of Cadigan Talent Ventures. Best known as LinkedIn's first CHRO, he helped scale the company from 400 employees through it...

This episode is about how the language we use to describe people at work is quietly shaping both workplace culture and the future of AI. Joshua Berry, author, speaker, and Director of Iconic, brought this conversation to the podcast last year and it has only gotten more relevant since. The business terms you've been using on autopilot (headcount, right-size, prospects) aren't neutral. They...

This week, Traci sits down with Stephen Flanagan to tackle one of the most persistent problems in growing organizations: the gap between strategy set in the boardroom and what actually gets executed on the ground. Stephen Flanagan is the founder of Seeks Consulting, a firm dedicated to helping lean, fast-growing companies scale leadership by turning mid-level managers into execution-ready leaders....

This week, Traci sits down with James Warren, founder and CEO of ShareMore Stories, to explore how storytelling, emotional intelligence, and human experience research are reshaping the way organizations understand their employees, and themselves. James brings nearly 30 years across marketing, insights, and strategy, blending storytelling and AI through his company's SEEQ platform to help leade...

This week's greatest hits replay features generational researcher Dr. Meghan Grace breaking down who Gen Z actually is, what drives them at work, and how leaders can better engage and retain them. Dr. Meghan Grace is a leading generational researcher, host of the Hashtag Gen Z podcast, and co-author of three books on Generation Z. She co-leads the Institute for Generational Research and Educat...

This week, Traci sits down with Brett Hoogeveen, co-founder of Better Culture, to pull apart what culture actually is, why perks and benefits aren't it, and what organizations can do right now to build something that lasts. Brett shares the philosophy behind Better Culture's 20 Tenets of Culture, a research-backed framework built around the attitudes and behaviors that define high-performi...

This week on a replay episode, Traci welcomes Bianca Best to discuss what actually stops burnout and why values alignment matters more than sleep, exercise, or vitamins. Bianca Best is a globally recognized speaker, author, and strategist whose career includes collaborations with Google, Amazon, Deloitte, Barclays, and Unilever. She's dedicated to empowering professionals to achieve extraordin...

This week on the Traci explores what it really means to be cynical at work with Hywel Berry , CEO and founder of Alicorn Learning. A veteran of corporate leadership, sales, and organizational training, Hywel challenges the narrative that cynicism is inherently toxic—and argues that some of the most valuable people in your organization might just be the ones asking tough questions. Throughout this...

This week, Traci welcomes Karen Worthy, an executive career transition coach who helps leaders accelerate their job search and land their dream roles often in half the time of their peers. Karen unpacks why building community and leveraging your network is the most powerful tool in your career transition toolkit. What We Cover: Your personal "champions list" and how it opens doors across companies...

This episode is all about taking control of your own career development instead of waiting for your manager to hand you opportunities. Traci shares personal lessons learned from influential leaders and her own journey as both an HR professional and podcast founder. You'll walk away understanding that career growth—whether vertical promotions or horizontal skill-building—is ultimately your resp...

Traci sits down with Chris Hamilton, a benefits consultant who specializes in helping employers cut through the noise of rising healthcare costs, to dig into what's really driving the hardest insurance market in 15 years.  If you sat through open enrollment this year wondering why insurance premiums jumped 20% when you thought it would be single digits, this episode reveals why—and what you ca...

Traci shares an exciting update about the podcast's production plans for 2026. What You'll Hear: A peek at the production schedule and what's planned for the coming months Why Policy Pulse episodes will return in the summer with new content An invitation to share what topics and guests you want to hear about A sneak peek at next week's episode on insurance and benefits Connect with...