It's About Payroll

🎙️ Welcome to a special holiday mashup episode of "It's About Payroll"! 🎉 In this episode, your hosts dive into a festive mix of payroll hot topics and holiday fun. We break down the real impact of off-cycle payrolls—are they a customer service win or a business headache? We debate whether payroll should stand alone as its own department and if it deserves a seat in the C-suite. Plus, we explore...

In this episode of It’s About Payroll, Brian and Walt sit down with Trista Yerkich-Faul, an 18-year Certified Payroll Professional and former Workday HCM consultant with deep expertise bridging payroll operations and HR technology . Trista breaks down one of the industry’s biggest misconceptions: that Workday is only for large enterprises. She explains how Workday Go, a streamlined deployment meth...

Welcome to a special reposting of Episode 89! In this inspiring conversation, we sit down with the incredible Tabitha Brown—America’s mom, actress, author, and social media sensation. Tabitha shares her journey from humble beginnings in Eden, North Carolina, to becoming a beacon of positivity, wellness, and authenticity for millions. In this episode, Tabitha opens up about: - The importance of tru...

In this episode of It’s About Payroll, hosts Brian Escobar and Walter Duncan sit down with industry powerhouse Jenny Lee, a seasoned payroll and HCM expert known for driving transformation through process optimization and collaboration. Jenny shares her journey from hands-on practitioner to strategic leader, revealing what truly makes a payroll implementation succeed—or fail. From the debate betwe...

Join us for an inspiring episode of "It's About Payroll" as we sit down with Aron Alexander, founder and CEO of Runa, the company reimagining how money moves across the globe. Discover how Aron’s journey from helping out in his family’s retail business led to building one of the most innovative payment infrastructures in the world. In this episode, we dive into: The evolution of Runa from WeGift a...

In this Season 14 Review of It’s About Payroll, hosts Brian Escobar and Walter Duncan reflect on one of their most dynamic seasons yet—packed with powerhouse guests, innovation talk, and real-world payroll insights. They open by reframing mindset and language, stressing how positivity and intentional speech shape success. The duo then dives into financial fitness for payroll pros, revealing practi...

Join us for an inspiring episode of "It's About Payroll" as we sit down with Troy Markusson, a seasoned payroll leader and mentor, to discuss the future of payroll and how to attract the next generation of professionals to this essential field. In this episode, Troy shares his journey from college intern to payroll innovator, his passion for making payroll "cool," and the importance of purpose, co...

In Episode 179 of It’s About Payroll, hosts Brian Escobar and Walter Duncan III sit down with Jim Kohl, a payroll leader whose career bridges compliance, creativity, and comic-book storytelling. Jim shares his origin story—from English major and stand-up comic to Paychex trainee and, eventually, one of the first employees at Check Technologies, where he helped pioneer embedded payroll. Together th...

🚨 Is the tip system broken? 🚨 From underpaid service staff to gender & racial wage gaps, the truth about tipped pay isn’t pretty — and it could all be changing soon. Episode 178 of It’s About Payroll exposes the real numbers, the hidden biases, and why the future of tipped work might be headed for a total shake-up. 💡 If you’ve ever left a tip — or relied on one — you need to hear this. 🎧 Liste...

Global payroll leader Kira Rubiano returns to It’s About Payroll—but this time, the conversation goes far beyond payroll. Kira opens up about her courageous battle with breast cancer, her path to remission, and the lessons she’s bringing back into leadership, consulting, and community. From early detection to empathetic leadership, this episode blends professional insights with powerful personal r...

In this episode, we dive deep into the future of payroll, automation, and the impact of AI on the world of work with special guest Brent Skinner—renowned HCM and HR tech analyst, podcast host, and industry thought leader. Join us as we explore: What “autonomous payroll” really means and how close we are to letting AI run the show The evolving role of payroll professionals in an automated world Why...

In this episode of It’s About Payroll, Brian and Walt welcome leadership expert William Davis, author of How to Lead Without Just Managing. With decades of experience in corporate, consulting, and retail leadership, William brings practical insights on what makes leaders truly effective. The conversation dives into today’s leadership crisis, where 78% of Americans believe organizations are failing...

Get ready for an inspiring deep dive into the world of payroll, time tracking, and people-first leadership! In this episode of "It's About Payroll," we sit down with Dean Matthews, visionary CEO and founder of On the Clock—a leading time tracking solution trusted by over 15,000 businesses. Dean shares his journey from self-taught developer to SaaS leader, revealing how he built On the Clock from t...

In this gripping It’s About Your Paycheck true-crime episode, we unravel the unbelievable payroll fiasco at Palm Beach Equine Clinic, where a receptionist was mistakenly paid a veterinarian’s $400K salary for nearly a year. Key Points Covered: The Error: A third-party payroll provider assigned the wrong salary, and internal controls failed at every level—no alerts, no audits, no red flags caught....

In this lively episode of It’s About Payroll, Brian and Walt welcome UK payroll veteran and Payroll Support Network (PSN) co-founder, Jody Cox. With over 20 years of experience, Jody shares her career journey from finance into payroll leadership, including building a payroll function that supported over 11,000 employees. She reveals how PSN started as a mentoring connection that grew into a thrivi...

🎙️ Welcome to Episode 171 of the It's About Payroll podcast! This week, hosts Brian and Walt sit down with Sanders Offner, President of Crescent and Impact HR, to explore the evolving world of HR and payroll for small to mid-size businesses. Sanders shares his journey from starting in a closet to leading a company known for white-glove service, operational expertise, and people-first leadership. I...

In this powerful episode of It’s About Payroll and It’s About Your Paycheck, Brian and Walt sit down with Marshall Leitz, a seasoned lending expert with over 35 years in commercial finance. Marshall specializes in helping fast-growing businesses unlock working capital through receivables, inventory, and equipment financing—without sacrificing equity. Marshall breaks down the difference between dil...

✅ Summary – In this episode of It’s About Payroll, hosts Brian and Walter welcome Aaron Martin and Shohan from Rain, a leading Earned Wage Access (EWA) company on a mission to end payday lending and improve financial wellness. Aaron shares how lessons from his father shaped his approach to saving, while Shohan recounts his own experience escaping payday loan cycles. They explain how Rain provides...

🎙️ In It’s About Payroll Episode 168, we’re honored to welcome Dr. Victoria Mattingly (Dr. V)—an organizational psychologist, global keynote speaker, and founder of Mattingly Solutions. From allyship and mental health to data-driven DEI, Dr. V delivers powerful insights rooted in both lived experience and psychological science. Her mission? To make inclusion actionable and allyship a shared respon...

🎙️ Episode 167 of It’s About Payroll is here, and we’re going global—literally. We sat down with John Lee, CEO and Co-Founder of Work From Anywhere, to unpack the real challenges behind remote work across borders—and how smart payroll strategy is the key to making it work. 🧭 From managing permanent establishment risk and multi-country tax compliance, to addressing payroll and social security chal...

🎧 EPISODE 166: The Global Payroll Playbook with Max van der Klis-Busink Podcast: It’s About Payroll Hosts: Brian Escobar & Walt Tynes This week, we’re honored to welcome Max van der Klis-Busink — global payroll leader, award-winning author of The Global Payroll Manager’s Playbook, and founder of Passion for Payroll & The Payroll Comedian. Max shares his journey from dreaming about global payroll...

Trucking payroll isn’t just complex—it’s a moving target. In this episode, we sit down with Michael Ritzema, President and Founder of Superior Trucking Payroll Service, to talk about the unique challenges and solutions in the world of transportation compensation. From per diem strategies and IRS Form 945 to misclassification pitfalls and garnishment headaches, Michael shares hard-earned insights f...

In this episode of It’s About Payroll, we welcome Michael Steen, Client Solutions Director at Payroll Minds, for a powerful and insightful conversation on the intersection of payroll, leadership, and humanity. Michael shares his nontraditional journey from crisis intervention and mental health to global payroll consulting, and how compassion, personal branding, and listening are his keys to succes...

In this episode, we hit pause to look back and talk through: ✅ What really stood out to us this season ✅ The challenges we navigated behind the scenes ✅ Powerful lessons learned along the way ✅ And most importantly—the amazing guests who brought their wisdom, energy, and heart to every conversation. From compliance curves to pay transparency, global payroll trends to financial wellness tips, t...

In this episode of It’s About Payroll, we’re joined by the brilliant Tiana Neal—a dynamic leader in global payroll and benefits operations, founder of Transcenders Consulting Group, and host of The Human Roll podcast. With deep expertise at the crossroads of compliance, care, and technology, Tiana brings a refreshing and insightful perspective to the evolving relationship between HR and Payroll. T...