HR & Payroll 2.0

On this episode, Pete and Julie welcome Amanda Kassler, Payroll Shared Services Manager at Otsuka, for a conversation on what it means to lead with heart and strategy in today’s payroll landscape.  Amanda shares her journey from executive assistant to payroll executive, and how she’s driving transformation through shared services, insights, and leadership. From building a true Payroll Center of Ex...

On this episode, Pete and Julie share their POV’s and insights on a rush of HR tech marketplace updates and activity making headlines to wrap up the summer months of 2025!  Pete and Julie share their thoughts on recent acquisitions, product announcements, and news from vendors across HCM, EOR, recruiting, fintech, and more.  Vendors mentioned in the episode include Dayforce, Workday, SAP SuccessFa...

On this episode, Pete and Julie welcome Jeronika Dancy, Senior Manager of HR Technology at Amsted Industries, to explore the rise of the Workforce Management Center of Excellence (COE)! Jeronika shares her unexpected career journey into HR from recruiting to HRIS to leading global workforce management transformation in a complex manufacturing environment.  Jeronika shares how she blends people, pr...

On this episode, Pete and Julie welcome Joe Wilson, Colonel U.S. Air Force Reserve and Global CTO at Workday, to share lessons from his 30-year journey in tech and service, offering insights into the modern approach to scalable innovation, the skills-based future of talent, and why back-office operations deserve front-line focus. Joe provides a candid look at how employers can better support veter...

On this episode, Pete and Julie welcome fintech futurist, digital money visionary, and Founder of Bitwage, Johnathan Chester, to the show and go deep into the world of digital money movement!  From his early Bitcoin obsession to building one of the first platforms enabling crypto payroll, Jonathan shares a front-line perspective on how blockchain, stablecoins, and digital assets are reshaping the...

On this episode, Pete and Julie welcome Mercedes Sullivan, VP of People Transformation at McKinley!  Mercedes shares her unconventional journey as a touring professional tennis player, which eventually led her to become an IT and HR transformation executive. Plus, her fun story on how experimenting with an AI boyfriend named ‘Mateo’ sparked a curiosity for AI in the future of work.  The group expl...

On this very special episode, Julie and Pete take a tour of the 2025 Payroll Profession Confidence Index (PPCI) report! They share details and color commentary around the results of the 2nd annual PPCI, walking through the unique research set and its key findings and themes, including guidance for leaders and C-suite executives.  The 2025 PPCI assesses the health of the payroll profession and its...

On this episode, Pete and Julie welcome long-time HR technology industry executive and Partner at Acadian Ventures, Thomas Otter, to share his insights on where ‘hype meets truth’ on the state and future of HR and payroll technology! Thomas shares his path from studying labor law and industrial relations to finding a career in HR technology and now fueling the future of HR tech as an investor.  Th...

On this episode, Pete and Julie welcome Eddie Dunn, Founder and Exec Director at Civilian Ready Foundation, Interim President at Vets2Industry, long time talent executive, Army veteran and veteran advocate to the show.   Eddie shares insights on creating veteran-ready workplaces and bridging the gap between the highly skilled veteran community and the civilian workforce. Eddie discusses the critic...

In this episode, Pete and Julie welcome long-time show friend Danny Schulz, Director of Global Payroll at Kohler, for a candid and insightful conversation on the future of payroll talent, leadership, and transformation! Danny shares how Kohler is navigating the looming payroll talent gap with intentional succession planning, cross-generational leadership, and a bold commitment to building a people...

On this episode, Pete and Julie welcome global mobility powerhouse, the “energizer bunny” of global payroll, and Founder of ExPaytriate, Catey Palmer!  Catey shares her unconventional journey from a career in law to global payroll and how her passion for compliance, strategy, and people shaped a new venture to make expat payroll support more accessible. The group talks the often-overlooked intrica...

On this episode, Pete and Julie welcome Maureen Shea, former VP of HR Transformation, Vendor Governance, and Finance at CVS Health, for an energizing conversation on building an end-to-end mindset in a world of constant change! From her early days in compensation and benefits to leading large-scale enterprise HCM integrations, Maureen shares hard-earned insights on breaking down silos, driving cro...

In this episode, Pete returns from Fort Lauderdale Beach, Florida where UKG held its first Global Analyst Day and shares insights from the big event!  Pete and Julie opine a long list of updates at UKG including its refreshed C-suite, GTM focus, plus product updates on both the UKG Ready and UKG Pro solutions and what it all means for buyers.     Connect with the show:    LinkedIn:  http://linkedi...

Fresh home from Orlando, Florida, Pete and Julie debrief on the ‘Super Bowl of Payroll,’ the 43rd annual Payroll Congress!  They share a recap of the biggest week in payroll, including POV’s on key learning sessions, keynotes, and insights from the week.  The new products and innovations making headlines, plus their thoughts on trends and takeaways from conversations around the event!  Connect wit...

On this episode, and just in time for Veterans Appreciation Month…. Pete and Julie welcome Ross Dickman, Army veteran and CEO of Hire Heroes USA!  Ross shares his personal transition story from Apache helicopter pilot to purpose-driven nonprofit CEO, offering candid insights on the challenges veterans and their spouses face when entering the civilian workforce and the rich, often overlooked skills...

On this episode, Pete and Julie welcome John Bernatovicz, founder and CEO of Willory, and author of ‘HR Like a Boss’!  John shares his inspiring journey behind his mission to elevate the HR profession with a passion rooted in resilience, community, and a vision to transform how people feel at work. From his early days at ADP to building a thriving consultancy and bestselling book – ‘HR Like a Boss...

On this episode, Pete and Julie welcome our ‘wizard behind the curtain’ and very own show producer, Ryan Kielma, to talk life in the creator economy through the lens of GenZ! The group starts by learning about Ryan’s career path, from a mechanical engineer living the corporate life to realizing it wasn’t the path for him. Ryan shares how he found his niche in content creation, social media and mar...

On this episode, Pete and Julie welcome Navy veteran, turned executive recruiter, Jamey Cummings to the show to talk the state of executive hiring! After learning about Jamey’s unlikely journey from the Naval Academy to the SEAL Teams to executive recruiter.  Jamey shares his insights for maximizing success for veterans transitioning to the workforce and employers seeking to engage the skills-rich...

On this episode, Pete and Julie welcome the Commandant of Global Payroll, Max van der Klis-Busink to the show to celebrate the 8th annual Global Payroll Week!  The group learns about Max’ path and early career start in payroll and the unlikely twists and challenges that have fueled his career and passion for payroll. Max talks about his new book, The Global Payroll Manager's Playbook: The Definiti...

Another peek into the GenZ paths to the workplace with Julie’s second son, Elias.  His journey couldn’t be more opposite than that of his brother who was the opening show for our YouTube channel. Eli finds his way to a finance intern position at Ford by networking – with exactly ONE adult role model.  Once and done is the way he rolls, content to begin his career with a Fortune 50 and one of the l...

On this episode, Pete and Julie welcome Bryan Bergin and Jared Levine, equity research analysts with TD Cowen focused on the HR tech, fintech, and IT Services sectors!  The group explores the overall health and state of the HR tech marketplace through the lens of financial analysts on the front lines of equity research and advisory. They explore the notable trends taking shape, including AI’s impa...

On this episode, Pete and Julie welcome Nicole Sahin, founder and CEO of G-P, to talk AI at Work!  The group starts by learning about Nicole’s career and path to becoming a global EOR pioneer.  They discuss the state of global employment and its impact on modern business strategy and how data and AI are playing a key role.  They dig into the key findings from the new G-P ‘AI at Work’ report and di...

On this episode, Pete and Julie welcome Future of Work Strategist at Infor, Marcus Mossberger to the show!  After learning about Marcus’ career path in HR tech, the group discusses the inspiration for his unique podcast Hope @Work. Marcus shares his passion for the psychology and power of hope to drive the human spirit and how its infusion in workplace culture can create win-win outcomes for the o...

On this episode, Pete and Julie welcome John Sarvari, Chief Technology Officer at AppyHere, to explore the current state and outlook for modern talent acquisition! John discusses his unique journey from optimizing manufacturing supply chains to disrupting talent acquisition tech for the frontline workforce!  John shares insights and expertise for winning the frontline workforce and explains why th...

On this special ‘HR Tech Marketplace Quick Take’ episode, Pete and Julie discuss the recent announcement by Deel to acquire the global payroll business segment from Safeguard Global. They discuss the acquisition by the numbers, sharing insights on what it means for the new couple.  What Safeguard Global brings and why it makes sense for Deel, how the marriage impacts the broader marketplace and th...