Heroes of HR

Payday used to be a fixed point. Now it’s a pressure point. As more employees live paycheck to paycheck, access to earned wages has become less about convenience and more about survival. This conversation digs into why financial stress shows up at work, how payroll and benefits are evolving to meet that reality, and why employers can no longer ignore the role money plays in engagement, performance...

Modern life feels loud, fast, and constantly online, yet people still find connection in the strangest places. This conversation moves through sports fandom, parenting, technology, and generational differences to unpack how people actually relate to each other today. From shared misery over teams we love, to how phones shape honesty and attention, to why work often feels busier but less thoughtful...

Automotive sales looks simple from the outside. It isn’t. Between long sales cycles, multiple stakeholders, emotional buyers, and relentless pressure, dealerships are struggling to hire, train, and retain the right people. This conversation breaks down why turnover is so high, why leadership roles are harder to fill than anyone admits, and how customer experience lives or dies with the people on t...

HR doesn’t usually get the spotlight. At isolved Connect in Philadelphia, that changed. This conversation captures what happens when HR professionals are treated like the drivers of the business, not the back office. From real customer conversations to broker dynamics to celebrating People Heroes, the episode reflects a shift in how HR is valued, supported, and invested in. In this episode, we tal...

Local restaurants are fighting a very different battle than big brands. They’re competing for talent, attention, and loyalty in communities where relationships matter more than polish and margins are always thin. This conversation digs into how small operators think about hiring, marketing, and customer engagement, and why community connection is often the real differentiator when resources are li...

Product development today is less about shipping features and more about orchestration. Platform teams are navigating AI integration, customer feedback, and business goals at the same time, often with competing incentives pulling in different directions. This conversation explores how modern product orgs are structured into pods, why AI adoption is harder than it looks, and what it actually takes...

Security is no longer an IT problem. It is a business problem. As companies scale globally, adopt cloud infrastructure, and rely more heavily on AI, the attack surface keeps expanding. This conversation looks at how payroll and HR platforms are evolving alongside rising cybersecurity threats, from spoofing and credential theft to the growing risks of BYOD environments. It also digs into why legacy...

Org charts aren’t paperwork. They’re the nervous system of the company. In this conversation, Jacob Peña breaks down how organizations finally get clarity when you stop treating org charts like a static PDF and start treating them like living data. His take hits on broken workflows, the real value of HR heroes, and why automation isn’t replacing anyone. It’s giving them their time back. In this ep...

Employee loyalty isn’t luck. It’s built. Jill Fish and Lisa Walker from Rocky Mountain Diabetes Center walk through nearly two decades of working side by side and what it takes to create a workplace people genuinely want to stay in. Their story highlights how benefits, communication, culture, and technology all shape the employee experience in ways that actually move the needle. In this episode we...

Innovation in HR isn’t just a tech story. It’s a people story. Jan, HR director at Community Living Concepts, breaks down how nonprofits can modernize their HR practices without losing sight of their mission. From choosing the right software to empowering employees through upskilling, she shares how thoughtful technology and intentional leadership can change the trajectory of a team. In this episo...

HR tech moves fast, but Yutaka Takagi has a way of grounding all the noise into what actually matters. His world sits at the intersection of customer stories, product innovation, and the real people outcomes leaders are chasing. He talks about AI as something that’s already woven into daily life, the rising demand for personalization, and the way community impact quietly shapes stronger businesses...

Employee engagement in a rural hospital isn’t theory. It’s personal. In this conversation, Mary Kay Kirgis talks through twelve years of building trust, navigating staffing shortages, and keeping a small healthcare system moving when everyone wears multiple hats. Her lens is grounded, human, and honest about the work. Change isn’t optional. It’s the job. In this episode we talk about HR, employee...

HR is shifting from support function to strategic engine, and Stacey Harris and Tami Nutt make the case clearly. They walk through how HR leaders can elevate their role by understanding how their organizations actually generate revenue, how AI is reshaping people's decisions, and why personalization matters in every HR tech interaction. In this episode we talk about HR, AI, compliance, personaliza...

Financial stress doesn’t stay at home when people walk into work. Jaryn and Ivan from ZayZoon dig into earned wage access as a real solution for the employees who feel that pressure the most. They break down what EWA actually is, why it matters for deskless and hourly workers, and how it’s reshaping the way companies think about benefits. Their take is grounded in what employees are actually strug...

Some leaders grow companies by accident. Others do it with intention. Amy Moser is the second kind. As Chief People Officer at isolved, she sits in the middle of growth, culture, and technology and sees how every small adjustment ripples through an organization. Her take on leadership is hands-on and human. She talks about mentorship without the ceremony, technology without the buzzwords, and care...

Community health doesn’t give you the luxury of distance. We talk about what it means to stay accessible, to carry the emotional weight of the team, and to keep a small organization moving even when everyone is stretched thin. Her world is built on trust, straight talk, and the kind of support that never fits neatly into a job description. In this episode we talk about HR in community health, empl...

Compliance doesn’t sound exciting until something breaks. Hannah Peterson from Poster Elite brings clarity to a topic most teams ignore until it's too late. She talks about why labor law posters matter, how fast regulations shift, and the real consequences companies face when they fall behind. Her story is grounded in the work, the culture that kept her growing inside Poster Elite, and the respons...

Remote teams sound simple on paper until you’re the one holding it together. Aubrey Yankee lives that reality every day at Biltmore Properties, where sixty scattered housing sites across Arizona depend on her to make the work feel human. Her world is federal housing, tight margins, rotating staff, and teams that rarely see each other in person. She talks about what it takes to keep people plugged...

Most employees carry more legal stress than they ever admit. Tickets, landlord disputes, custody questions, identity theft scares, wills they avoid for years. None of it stays outside the workplace. Tom Von Jess breaks down why prepaid legal services matter more than most leaders think. His angle is simple. When you give people affordable access to real legal help, they show up differently. They’r...

Summary: The talent experience is shifting fast, and this conversation makes it real. Tara Cooper and her son Aiden walk through the gap between what employers think candidates want and what candidates actually need. Growth, honesty, clarity, and real feedback matter more than ever. The companies winning today are the ones willing to rethink how people learn, how they apply, and how they build tru...

Live from isolved’s booth at SHRM 2025 in San Diego, William Tincup grabs three HR leaders just before bingo hour—and asks them what heroism in the workplace really looks like. Trica Walters (CHRO, Tulsa), Dr. Kelly Drummond (HR Director, City of Knoxville), and Laquita Jaouani (HR Specialist, Easily Blessed Media) each bring a unique lens. They talk about the power of connection, the gift of calm...

At the isolved booth at SHRM San Diego, William Tincup and Ryan Leary brought together two HR pros who had never met—Ashantae Brooks and Tiana Houston—and uncovered an instant connection. From their shared commitment to servant leadership to their passion for helping others thrive, the conversation quickly turned into a lively, heartfelt exchange. Ashantae, a Bronx-born talent whisperer now shapin...

Live from the isolved booth at SHRM San Diego, William Tincup and Ryan Leary sit down with Michael Bach—CEO of the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion and longtime DEI data advocate. What starts as a light-hearted nod to Bach’s rainbow pocket square quickly turns into a sharp critique of performative allyship, corporate backsliding, and the real reason inclusion still meets resistance in t...

This episode was recorded live at SHRM 2025 in San Diego. William Tincup sat down with D’Mar Phillips, Bill Chval, and Franz Schreiner. Each guest brought a unique lens to the idea of people leadership. They spoke with clarity. They answered without polish. They showed what real influence looks like inside a company. D'Mar explained why strong relationships matter more than surface-level connectio...

Live from the isolved booth at SHRM Annual in San Diego, Christine Allen and Caleb Larkin join William Tincup and Ryan Leary to wrap the event with laughs, insight, and a little chaos. This wasn’t just another tradeshow—it was a full-on activation. Caleb breaks down how isolved’s infamous text-based bingo game drew over 400 participants—and why designer purses turned the booth into a mob scene. Ch...