Return to People

Can a company scale to thousands of retail stores and achieve millions in revenue with a team that fits at a single dinner table? In the latest episode of the Return to People Podcast, host Kaleem Clarkson sits down with Lisa Curtis, the Founder and CEO of Kuli Kuli Foods. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and one of Inc. Magazine's top 100 female founders, Lisa shares how her mission-driven superfood...

What happens to your company culture when your team is scattered across multiple time zones and continents? In the latest episode of the Return to People Podcast, host Kaleem Clarkson sits down with Dustin Hutton-Alcorn, the Director of People at Intellistack. With a background in human rights and people operations, Dustin shares how his company evolved from an office-centric setup into a mature,...

How do you maintain a truly people-first culture in an industry notorious for grinding schedules and client-driven burnout? In this episode of the Return to People podcast, host Kaleem Clarkson welcomes Annie Diiorio, the HR Manager and Executive Business Partner at Canidium. Annie’s career path is incredibly unique, having transitioned from an intern who suddenly became the sole HR professional f...

Are you ready to move beyond surface-level and discover what actually drives participation in a global, distributed workforce? In this episode of the Return to People podcast, host Kaleem Clarkson welcomes Barbara Nicholas, the CEO of Polly. Barbara’s career path is as unique as her leadership style, having transitioned from an operator in cybersecurity to the CEO role at a SaaS platform essential...

Are we merely managing remote logistics, or are we intentionally designing a culture where trust is the standard? In this episode of the Return to People podcast, host Kaleem Clarkson sits down with Peter Georgariou, the Founder and CEO of Karmadharma, to answer that very question. Drawing from nearly three decades of experience leading major media rollouts and helping hundreds of mission-driven o...

How can high-growth tech startups turn the challenge of remote work into a strategic advantage while maintaining a culture of joy? In this episode of the Return to People podcast, Kaleem Clarkson sits down with Kapil Pershad, the Co-Founder and Chief Product and Technology Officer (CPTO) of Payzli, to explore how intentional hiring and thoughtful communication can turn remote work into a scalable...

Are you relying on gut feeling when your data is trying to tell you something smarter? In this episode of the Return to People podcast, Kaleem Clarkson sits down with Francis Brero, Co-founder and Chief Product Officer of MadKudu, to explore how data science is transforming the way modern B2B sales teams operate. From his journey as an immigrant in France to building a company in Silicon Valley, F...

How do you build a company rooted in service, purpose, and impact? In this episode of the Return to People Podcast, host Kaleem Clarkson sits down with Michael V. Sanders, Founder and CEO of Interactive Government Holdings (IGH). From his beginnings as a U.S. Marine Rifleman to leading one of the fastest-growing veteran-owned businesses in the country, Michael shares a powerful journey shaped by f...

In this episode of the Return to People Podcast, host Kaleem Clarkson sits down with Kristin Hull from Nia Impact Capital, an Oakland-based asset management firm focused on mission-driven investing. Kristin shares how her team navigated the shift from a collaborative office culture to a fully remote environment while staying true to their values and investment mission. This conversation explores t...

How can logistics companies scale faster by tapping into global talent without losing accountability, culture, or performance? In this episode of the Return to People Podcast, host Kaleem Clarkson sits down with Nick Schrock, founder of Valoroo, to explore how remote and offshore teams are transforming the logistics industry. With a background in enterprise software sales and logistics startups, N...

How do you transform a regional nonprofit into a fully remote, high-performing organization without losing the human connection that makes the work meaningful? In this episode of the Return to People Podcast, host Kaleem Clarkson talks with Tara Fitzpatrick-Navarro, CEO at USTA Mid-Atlantic, about how her team transitioned to fully remote work by prioritizing talent, trust, and community impact. O...

What does it take to build a high-performing company when your team is fully remote? In this episode of the Return to People podcast, host Kaleem Clarkson sits down with Justin Ruoff, Senior Vice President of Operations at SoundStack, to explore what effective remote leadership really looks like. With over a decade of experience building distributed teams, Justin shares how SoundStack scaled as a...

In this episode, host Kaleem Clarkson sits down with Jim Kernan, a leader at the intersection of technology, humanity, and modern work. Currently helping drive innovation at Luxonis, Jim brings more than 20 years of experience building and scaling teams across remote and hybrid environments, along with a deep belief that great leadership starts with empathy and trust. Jim shares what it really tak...

How do modern organizations navigate a digital world where technology evolves faster than teams can adapt? In this week’s episode of the Return to People podcast, host Kaleem Clarkson sits down with Manish Hirapara, a digital transformation trailblazer and CEO of one of the fastest-growing digital strategy firms in the United States, PeakActivity. Manish’s career journey from software engineer to...

How can remote work transform company culture in a traditional industry like logistics? In this episode of the Return to People podcast, host Kaleem Clarkson talks with Simon Kaye, founder of Jaguar Freight, about leading high-performing teams in a remote world. With over 30 years in freight forwarding, Simon shares how prioritizing people has driven engagement, retention, and innovation. From his...

In this week’s Return to People episode, host Kaleem Clarkson sits down with Bruce Reading, President and CEO of Act!, for an inspiring conversation on leadership, engagement, and transformation in today’s hybrid workplace. With decades of experience leading global tech companies, Bruce has built billion-dollar categories, returned over $1.4 billion to investors, and hired more than 500 people acr...

How do you create a thriving culture when your team rarely meets in person? In this episode of the Return to People podcast, Kaleem Clarkson sits down with HR leader Jessica Lorello to unpack the realities of building connection, engagement, and trust in a fully remote environment. Jessica shares the hidden weight of “culture switching,” the constant adaptation employees face when navigating diffe...

What does it take to build trust, engagement, and creativity in a hybrid workplace? In this week’s Return to People Podcast, host Kaleem Clarkson sits down with Andy LeDuc, Vice President of Digital Strategy & Operations at Mueller Communications, to explore how organizations can thrive in the new world of hybrid work. With nearly two decades of experience in marketing, digital transformation, and...

What does it take to build a thriving remote culture and transform how teams meet? In this episode of the Return to People Podcast, host Kaleem Clarkson talks with Aydin Mirzaee, co-founder and CEO of Fellow, the AI-powered meeting assistant helping organizations improve collaboration before, during, and after every meeting. Drawing from his experience founding Fluidware (acquired by SurveyMonkey)...

How do you build strong remote teams while tackling global challenges? In the latest episode of the Return to People Podcast, host Kaleem Clarkson talks with Guy Bayes, co-founder of Vibrant Planet and veteran engineering leader with over 20 years of experience at Lyft, Facebook, and Lawrence Livermore National Labs. Today, Guy is applying his expertise to climate tech, building remote-first teams...

In the latest episode of the Return to People Podcast, host Kaleem Clarkson speaks with Christine Pope, CEO of Tax Valet, a fully remote, B-Corp certified company transforming sales tax services. Christine has grown the company from six employees to over 80, all while maintaining a culture of connection, trust, and growth. Her experiences offer actionable insights for leaders navigating the comple...

In the latest episode of the Return to People Podcast, we sit down with Brandon Bowers, Chief Operating Officer of SMB Team, to explore the evolving world of hybrid and remote work. With years of experience leading teams through periods of rapid change, Brandon shares actionable insights on navigating the challenges of workplace flexibility while maintaining strong culture, engagement, and perform...

In the latest episode of the Return to People Podcast, we’re joined by Caroline Yost, VP of People at Serenity Kids and a powerhouse in the world of People & Culture. With over a decade of experience scaling high-growth organizations, Caroline has built her career on fostering human-centered, high-performance teams in fast-paced environments. At Serenity Kids, she leads with empathy, strategy, and...

What does it take to rebuild a thriving remote-first workplace culture after a crisis while staying true to a mission that spans the globe? In this new episode of Return to People Podcast, host Kaleem Clarkson speaks with Scott Marshall, President & CEO of the Institute for Shipboard Education, home to the iconic Semester at Sea program. Scott shares how his purpose-driven nonprofit rebuilt its gl...

Meet Hari Srinivasan, CEO and co-founder of iCover, who's revolutionizing life insurance with a 5-minute, AI-driven application process. In this episode of Return To People Podcast, Hari shares his journey from immigrating to the U.S. in 1998 to building two tech companies from Missouri—including a fully remote iCover, long before it was trendy. But this isn't just a tech story—it's a playbook for...