Enterprise Alchemy

Different countries. Different cultures. Different ways of working. But underneath it all… we’re not that different. In this episode, Sandra Barquilha shares why belonging, psychological safety, and human connection are universal, no matter where you work. 🎧 Listen in & tell us what you think.

Where you start… isn’t where you stay. In this episode, Kathryn Curtis shares how she broke through limiting beliefs, created her own opportunities, and proved that where you start doesn’t define where you end up. 🎧 Listen in & tell us what you think.

The problem with HR? It’s trying too hard to be HR. In this episode, Carla Read , shares why removing corporate barriers leads to better conversations, faster trust, and stronger teams. 🎧 Listen in & tell us what you think.

It was working. Until it wasn’t. In this episode, Ben Lennander , shares what happens when everything you built starts to collapse and how that experience shapes the kind of leader you become. Some lessons… you only learn the hard way. 🎧 Listen in & tell us what you think.

Before leadership… came responsibility. Multiple jobs. Family struggle. Learning early what it means to carry weight. In this episode, Bob Selle , shares how those early lessons shaped his leadership philosophy and why the best leaders don’t make it about themselves. 🎧 Listen in & tell us what you think.

You don’t always need a plan. Some days, survival is the only goal. No big wins. No breakthroughs. Just… getting through. In this episode, Sarah Arvanites shares what it really takes to keep going when everything falls apart and why sometimes the biggest win is simply putting one foot in front of the other. 🎧 Listen in & tell us what you think.

Everyone is doing AI. But most are getting it wrong. Companies are rushing to adopt it. Running pilots. Testing ideas. And still… Seeing no real results. In this episode, Gregory Louis-Charles , shares why 95% of AI projects fail and what companies need to do differently to actually see value. 🎧 Listen in & tell us what you think.

You don’t need confidence to start. You build confidence by starting. In this episode, Alana McNary , shares why stepping outside your comfort zone is the key to career growth and how saying yes can open doors to opportunities you never planned for. 🎧 Listen in & tell us what you think.

The conversation around AI is missing something. It’s not about replacement. It’s about competition. In this episode, Daryl Benson , explains why the real advantage isn’t AI itself. It’s how people use it. Because the gap isn’t between humans and machines. It’s between those who adapt and those who don’t. 🎧 Listen in & tell us what you think.

Hiring isn’t just a process. It’s the front door of your company. And whoever controls that front door shapes everything that follows. In this episode, Scott Long , shares why talent acquisition should never be treated as administrative, and what happens when companies rely too heavily on automation. 🎧 Listen in & tell us what you think.

Growth is exciting. But it can also be dangerous. Because growth doesn’t guarantee stability. In this episode, Nahed Khairallah , breaks down how a company scaled rapidly, and still collapsed from within. Not because of strategy. Not because of revenue. But because of people. 🎧 Listen in & tell us what you think.

HR leaders are trained to have answers. But the best ones ask better questions. In this episode, Jamie Juers , Chief People Officer at AdventHealth Primary Health, explains why curiosity is the foundation of effective people strategy. Because when leaders assume they know the answer, they often stop looking for the real problem. 🎧 Listen in & tell us what you think.

HR doesn’t fail because people lack good intentions. It fails when it loses connection to the business. When HR doesn’t understand how the work actually gets done, people strategy becomes theory. In this episode, David Hawthorne , Chief People Officer at Anchor Point Management Group, shares why the best HR leaders start by understanding the business itself. Because if you don’t understand the wor...

Flexibility, autonomy, and trust at work all depend on one thing: Credibility. In this episode, Diane Slater , Chief Human Resources Officer, shares the leadership principle she teaches every team she leads: You can’t cash credits you haven’t earned. It’s simple. But it offers a deeper look at workplace trust than most leadership books. 🎧 Listen in & tell us what you think.

Culture is not a PDF. It’s not a values poster. It’s not something you roll out on launch day. It’s built. Protected. Felt. And if you try to copy and paste it, you’ll lose it. In this episode, Lee Melton , Chief People Officer at The Coaching Inn Group, shares what it really takes to scale from under 100 people to 1,800 without losing the DNA that made the business special. 🎧 Listen in & tel...

The fastest way to destroy trust? Half attention. Presence is one of the most underrated leadership skills. And one of the most powerful. In this episode, Marc Jongebloed , Chief People Officer at the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office, shares what acting taught him about leadership, why thriving teams outperform surviving ones, and how connection, autonomy, and competence shape high-performing cu...

Career growth isn’t always linear. Sometimes it looks like: – Moving countries at 21 – Messaging 300 strangers – Leaving corporate for a pre-revenue fintech In this episode, Ana King , shares the mindset behind her journey to Chief People Officer -- and why she operates on one simple principle: What if it goes well? If you’re waiting for certainty, you may be waiting forever. 🎧 Listen in & te...

We say people are our greatest asset. Then we manage them like risk. In this episode, Vicky Proctor , Chief People Officer at Assystem, explains why standardizing everything is suffocating individuality and why the next evolution of work demands empowerment, not more policies. 🎧 Listen in & tell us what you think.

We don’t hire the best candidate. We hire the one who feels right. The one who reminds us of ourselves. The one who makes us comfortable. In this episode, Meryl Folb , unpacks why comfort is not capability and why instinct without structure is just bias dressed up as confidence. 🎧 Listen in & tell us what you think.

We love to celebrate compassion. But compassion alone doesn’t sustain a mission. In this episode, LeighAnn Hanrahan , Chief People Officer at Centers for Independence, reveals why doing good requires financial discipline and why sustaining compassion demands accountability. 🎧 Listen in & tell us what you think.

We’ve normalized showing up when it’s already too late. But what if staying well required leadership from you? In this episode, Dr. Olusegun Ishmael , has seen healthcare from every angle: provider, payer, executive. His conclusion is simple: The system won’t carry you. You have to fly. 🎧 Listen in & tell us what you think.

The people in the room shape the future. But the real question is who isn’t there? In this episode, Keren Joseph-Browning , Chief People Officer at Star, unpacks how bias hides inside “potential,” how culture fit can quietly exclude, and why real equality requires structural design. 🎧 Listen in & tell us what you think.

Leadership isn’t about avoiding hard things. It’s about lifting them. And building something lasting from what you find underneath. In this episode, Shannon Vargesko , Chief People Officer at YMCA Greater Pittsburgh, shares what it means to lead through instability, bankruptcy, crisis, and culture repair -- without losing compassion. 🎧 Listen in & tell us what you think.

Authentic leadership isn’t about being liked. It’s about being real enough to be trusted. In this episode, Marcus Ooi, General Manager, unpacks what leadership looks like when it’s grounded in vulnerability, self-awareness, and the courage to fail forward.🎧 Listen in & tell us what you think.

Culture doesn't scale on paper. It scales through respect. In this episode, John Brown, COO at GEHA, reminds us that leadership isn’t about hierarchy, documentation, or process first. It’s about how you treat people. 🎧 Listen in & tell us what you think.