Built by People Leaders

Greta Stahl, Vice President of Organizational Learning and Development at Workday, ran the largest L&D program in the company's 20-year history: Everyday AI, which reached over 85% monthly AI adoption (a 40%+ jump from baseline) and conservatively saved more than 600,000 hours. Greta structured that program on a three-part framework—Mindset, Skill Set, and Habits—and her central argument is th...

Dom Dib is Head of Human Resources at 'Maplewave', a technology firm that won the Digital Nova Scotia Talent Champion Award and recognition as one of the best places to work in Atlantic Canada. Dom runs a two-person HR team supporting a globally distributed workforce across Canada, South Africa, and the Middle East, and his core operating principle is "Continuous Curiosity" — a company value that...

Ted Forbes, co-author of Making HR Matter: What CEOs Want and How to Deliver It, spent 25 years running HR functions at companies ranging from United Airlines (85,000 employees) to the startup Cotopaxi (70 to 300 employees). Ted introduces the "Relevant HR" framework and income statement thinking—a method that connects every people decision directly to EBITDA and cash flow. Ted started in consulti...

In this episode of Built by People Leaders, host Daria Rudnik sits down with Ed Howard, founder of One Breath Leadership and author of the One Breath Leadership book and app. Ed spent 20 years as a global compliance executive in investment banking before combining that high-stakes corporate experience with three decades of Zen training to create practical micro-recovery tools for corporate skeptic...

In this episode of the Built by People Leaders podcast, host Daria Rudnik speaks with Marina Morgan, fractional strategy leader, executive facilitator, and founder of AIQ Impact, about why successful transformation depends less on technology and more on human and organizational readiness. Marina shares insights from her journey across corporate leadership in Russia and her transition to entreprene...

In this episode of the Built by People Leaders podcast, host Daria Rudnik speaks with Anastasia Minko, Senior HR Project Manager at Smart Europe, about how HR leadership changes across cultures, industries, and stages of company growth. Drawing from her experience in global corporations, fast-growing tech companies, and German organizations, Anastasia shares practical insights on navigating comple...

In this episode of the Built by People Leaders podcast, host Daria Rudnik speaks with Chris Farr, Operations Executive at Invision Technologies, about leadership, organizational growth, and how HR can become a true operational partner during periods of rapid change and AI transformation. Drawing from his experience leading teams in the MSP and technology space, Chris shares practical insights on s...

In this episode of the Built by People Leaders podcast, host Daria Rudnik speaks with John Pezoulas, co-founder and managing partner of Ready Set Exec , about the realities of executive hiring in startups and scaling companies. With from more than 20 years in recruitment and executive search, John shares why recruiting is ultimately about helping people find opportunities where they can succeed —...

In this episode of the Built by People Leaders podcast, host Daria Rudnik speaks with Jason Aydelott, Fractional Chief Learning Officer and L&D strategist, about how Learning & Development can evolve from a cost center into a measurable business driver. Drawing on over 25 years of experience, Jason explains why most L&D functions struggle to prove impact—and how shifting from content c...

In this episode of Built By People Leaders, Daria Rudnik sits down with Ochuko Dasimaka, Career Strategist, HR Leader, and Founder of Career Heights Consulting, to explore what it really takes to build a successful career—and lead people through complex organizational change. With experience across global companies like Shell, Amazon, Unilever, and Rio Tinto, Ochuko shares her perspective on navig...

What happens when success is no longer enough? In this deeply personal and thought-provoking conversation, Daria Rudnik speaks with Catherine Dudtschak—former banking CEO turned Conscious Leadership Advisor—about the hidden cost of high performance and the journey toward authentic, essence-led leadership. After more than 30 years in executive leadership, Catherine shares how burnout, identity supp...

In this episode of Built By People Leaders, Daria Rudnik speaks with Daniela Morein Bar, Founder of Inspired Marketing, about how employer branding has evolved into a critical growth function for modern companies. Daniela shares how her background in B2B marketing led her to build recruitment marketing systems for tech companies like Teva, HiBob, and Intel. She explains why employer branding is no...

In this episode of Built by People Leaders, host Daria Rudnik sits down with Jim Carlough — Leadership Identity Architect and author of The Six Pillars of Effective Leadership. With over 30 years of experience scaling organizations from $100M to $1B, Jim shares a powerful perspective: leadership isn’t about skills alone — it’s about identity. Together, they explore why most managers fail not becau...

In this episode of the Build by People Leaders podcast, host Daria Rudnik speaks with Monica Duque, senior people leader and AI transformation driver, about what it really takes to build an AI-first organization. Drawing from her hands-on experience transforming a company through AI, Monica shares how HR can move from a support function to the driver of organizational change. Instead of waiting to...

In this episode of the Build by People Leaders podcast, host Daria Rudnik speaks with Kurt Uhlir, CMO and growth operator, about what truly changes when companies move from startup chaos to scalable systems. Drawing from his experience scaling companies to hundreds of millions in revenue, Kurt shares why the very traits that make founders successful early on often become the bottleneck at the next...

In this episode of the Build by People Leaders podcast, host Daria Rudnik speaks with Diana Abdrahmanova, organizational architect, strategic HR advisor, and former Head of HR, about what it really takes for HR to become a true business driver. Drawing from her experience leading HR in fast-growing companies and complex M&A environments across regions, Diana shares how the role of HR must evol...

In this episode of the Build by People Leaders podcast, host Daria Rudnik speaks with Martin Beischl, VP of People & Culture, about how the role of HR evolves as startups grow into complex organizations. Drawing from his experience scaling B2B tech companies from early growth to successful exit, Martin shares how people leaders must shift from intuitive decision-making to structured, business-...

In this episode of the Build by People Leaders podcast, host Daria Rudnik speaks with Andrew Bolton, CEO and co-founder of Tech Rescue, about one question many companies have forgotten to ask: What are we actually trying to accomplish? Andrew shares his unconventional journey from financial markets and hedge funds to building a tech-for-good company that provides real human tech support instead of...

In this episode of the Build by People Leaders podcast, host Daria Rudnik speaks with Traci Austin, transformational leadership strategist and founder of Elevated Talent Consulting, about what it really takes to scale organizations without losing care for people. Drawing from her unconventional career path — from building HR departments from scratch to leading nursing homes and advising trade busi...

In this episode of the Build by People Leaders podcast, host Daria Rudnik speaks with Oksana Lukash, People & Culture executive and fractional Chief People Officer with over 25 years of experience helping high-growth companies scale sustainably. Oksana shares practical insights on what it really means for HR to understand the business, why culture must be treated as organizational infrastructu...

In this episode of the Build by People Leaders podcast, host Daria Rudnik speaks with Dr. Mary C. Kelly, a retired U.S. Navy commander and executive leadership advisor. They explore how HR leaders can earn a seat at the executive table, lead organizational transformation, and leverage AI while keeping people at the center. Mary shares insights from her extensive leadership experience, emphasizing...

In this episode of the Build by People Leaders podcast, host Daria Rudnik speaks with Elena Krutova, a seasoned HR and operations leader with over 20 years of experience. Elena shares her journey from recruiter to Chief Operations Officer, highlighting the importance of human-centric leadership, integrity, and delivering tangible results. She discusses strategies for HR professionals to be true bu...

In this episode of Build by People Leaders, Daria Rudnik speaks with Dr. Shayna Cook, Chief People Officer at Dominion Payroll, about what it really takes to build modern organizations where people and performance thrive together. Shayna shares her nonlinear journey from science teacher to HR executive, why HR must think like a business owner, and how to move from “accidental organizations” to int...

In this high-impact episode, executive coach Roshan Chander breaks down why leaders and executives get stuck in invisible decision loops that quietly limit growth, authority, and performance. Roshan explains how autopilot decision-making forms mental loops that affect leadership effectiveness, productivity, and long-term business strategy. He introduces the concept of a personal decision audit and...

In this insightful episode, Dr. David Leitner explores a concept often overlooked in leadership conversations: followership. He challenges the traditional belief that leadership alone drives success and explains why followership is an active, intentional choice that plays an equally powerful role in organizational performance. Dr. Leitner breaks down the dynamic relationship between leaders and fo...