The Modern People Leader: Forward-Thinking HR

Darren Murph, a leading voice on distributed work and former leader at GitLab, Zillow, and Andela returned to the show. We dug into the remote first maturity scale, the four-pillar operating model (knowledge, project, self, performance), and how to build an “org brain.” ----  Sponsor Links: 🔗 Learn more about TopicFlow. MPL Links: 🔗 Buy your ticket for MPL Live Austin . 🔗 Go sign up for MPL Bui...

Brandon Weber, Co-founder & CEO of Nava Benefits, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about why benefits have become the second-largest company expense — and how HR can “moneyball” their healthcare spend, cut down on benefits-related admin work, and deliver better employee outcomes through the emerging “alt marketplace.” ----  Nava Links: 🔗 Learn more about Nava . MPL Links: 🔗 B...

Andrew Golden, Chief People Officer at RetailNext, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about how he’s driving transformation, why HR and IT must partner more closely, the power of building lightweight AI solutions in-house, and why he’s optimistic about the future of people teams. ----  Sponsor Links: 🔗 Request a demo of ChartHop . 🔗 Talk to the team at Ethena . MPL Links: 🔗 Go sig...

Gena Smith, CHRO at LVMH North America, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about how she sparked an AI transformation across 75 LVMH brands, why HR should lead AI change management, and how to reframe AI adoption as a cultural and creative advantage. ----  Sponsor Links: 🔗 Talk to the team at Ethena . 🔗 Request a demo of Workleap . MPL Links: 🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build . ----  (05...

What happens when you put a mic in front of HR leaders and ask them for their unfiltered takes on AI? In this episode, Daniel and Stephen recap their trip to HR Tech — where they recorded 12 quick-hit “AI Confessions” from folks they met on the conference room floor. From agentic workflows and custom GPT chaos to the real blockers slowing down AI adoption , this one’s packed with candid insights f...

Angela Crossman, Hernan Chiosso, and Jean-Luc Charles joined us to debrief the “Yellow Pod” conversation from MPL Live NYC and what the group is actually doing with AI at work. We covered opportunities vs blockers, “AI as coach” guardrails, why HR should own enablement, actionable next steps, and predictions for the AI-powered workplace. ----  Sponsor Links: 🔗 Talk to the team at Ethena . 🔗 Book...

Joy Rothschild, Chief Human Resources Officer at Omni Hotels & Resorts, joined us on The Modern People Leader.  ----  Sponsor Links: 🔗 Request a demo of Workleap . MPL Links: 🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build . ----  (05:21) Joy’s origin story: from hospitality ops to finding a home in HR (07:48) Early career breaks, sponsorship, and a philosophy of giving people a chance (09:59) Layoff, comeback c...

Jessica Zwaan joins MPL Build to show HR leaders how to craft business cases that CEOs actually approve, using BLUF, the So What test, and clear links to revenue and savings. We walk through conservative projections, objection handling, and a live role-play on adopting a performance platform in today’s fiscally skeptical environment. ----  Sponsor Links: 🔗 Talk to the team at Ethena . 🔗 Request...

Kim Minnick, Founder of Code Traveller HR, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We dug into why performance reviews often fail, how companies can decouple performance from compensation, creative ways to reward employees beyond pay, and the importance of transparency, choice, and designing programs that reflect company values. ----  Sponsor Links: 🔗 Talk to the team at Ethena . 🔗 Request a demo...

This episode of The Modern People Leader dives into the realities of leading through constant change, featuring guests Mita Mallick, Shelby Garrison, and Kelly Lohr.  We discussed how HR leaders can navigate layoffs with transparency and humanity, the importance of supporting both exiting and remaining employees, and how to build resilience and adaptability into workplace culture. ----  Sponsor Li...

Yemi Akisanya, Head of JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) at Axon, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about how the DEI conversation is evolving post-2020, why quotas are being replaced with performance-aligned strategies, and how Axon is making inclusion measurable and mission-critical. ----  Sponsor Links: 🔗 Talk to the team at Ethena . 🔗 Request a demo of ChartHop...

Jessica Zwaan, Author of Built for People & COO at Talentful, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about AI adoption in HR, from policy design to hands-on building. We explored the “Wild West” of AI use, tool selection, overcoming the stigma of ‘cheating,’ and practical frameworks like the 4Bs (Bot, Build, Borrow, Buy) to guide adoption and innovation. ----  Sponsor Links: 🔗 Reque...

Pilar Muner, VP of People & Talent at ChartHop, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We covered: - Why fractional work isn’t always the burnout cure-all it’s made out to be -How ChartHop is using AI to power HR workflows in-house - The AI vendor checklist every HR leader needs — what to ask, what to watch for, and how to cut through the hype If you’re evaluating AI tools for your people team...

JooBee Yeow joined us on The Modern People Leader to talk about why HR must stop overfunctioning and start diagnosing real business problems—especially when revenue is on the line.  We discussed how HR leaders can step out of their silo, challenge assumptions, influence revenue growth, and flip the HR pyramid to prioritize high-impact, strategic work. ----  Sponsor Links: 🔗 Request a demo of Work...

Tiffany Stevenson, former Chief People Officer at WeightWatchers and Patreon, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about this being the CHROs toughest chapter yet, how AI is reshaping HR, and what HR brings to the boardroom. ----  Sponsor Links: 🔗 Request a demo of ChartHop . MPL Links: 🔗 Buy your ticket for MPL Live New York . 🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build . ----  (09:35) Tiffany’s ca...

Priscila Bala, CEO of LifeLabs Learning, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We explored how AI is transforming learning, the enduring role of middle management, and why the most impactful leadership skills are more human than ever. ----  Resources Mentioned: 🔗 Sign up for LifeLabs Learning’s Culture Club . Sponsor Links: 🔗 Request a demo of Workleap . MPL Links: 🔗 Buy your ticket for MPL Li...

Jenny Molyneaux, VP of People at Vercel, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about why AI is replacing HR tech spend before headcount, how Vercel’s people team is building custom AI tools to replace expensive SaaS products, and what HR leaders can do to start building with AI today. ----  Sponsor Links: 🔗 Get your free 30-day Synthesia account . 🔗 Request a demo of ChartHop . MPL Li...

Geanne Weaver-Hepler (Director of EX, Charlie Health), Allison Vendt (VP, People Ops & Head of EX at Dropbox), Nick Freeman (Co-CEO, Marco), and Brian Elliott (CEO, Work Forward) joined us to talk about what’s broken with employee connection—and how to fix it. We explored practical frameworks for offsites, hybrid team building, and creating meaningful connection moments across distributed work...

Jessica Zwaan, COO at Whereby, joined us again on The Modern People Leader for a deep dive into Employee Lifetime Value (ELTV). We explored how HR leaders can adapt marketing-style metrics like LTV to CAC for talent, the different ways to calculate it, and how the process itself can reshape how People teams think about value, cost, and impact. ----  Sponsor Links: 🔗 Request a demo of ChartHop ....

Joanne Rodgers, CHRO of New York Life, joined us on The Modern People Leader to share how her 30-year journey at the company led her from securities regulation to the C-suite. We talked about the DNA of New York Life’s culture, how they’re rolling out AI tools company-wide, and why HR must lead the charge in this era of transformation. ----  Sponsor Links: 🔗 Request a demo of Workleap . 🔗 Get yo...

Jennifer Henderson (CEO, Tilt), Jessica Winder (SVP People, CoLab Software), Allison Whalen (CEO, Parentaly), and Justin Clifford (CEO, Bereave) joined us to talk about what most companies get wrong when it comes to employee leave. We discussed parental and bereavement leave through a human lens—from compliance and continuity to return-to-work strategies and performance review pitfalls. ----  🔗 G...

Kahina Ouerdane, Chief People Officer at Workleap, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about her journey from international human rights law to tech, how software is the new workplace, why AI is forcing a rethinking of learning and org design, and more. ----  Sponsor Links: 🔗 Request a demo of Workleap . 🔗 Get your free 30-day Synthesia account . MPL Links: 🔗 Buy your ticket for MP...

Alex Buder Shapiro, Chief People Officer at Jasper, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about how AI is reshaping organizational design, the shift from early-career jobs to early-career talent , and how HR teams can lead through experimentation and workflow innovation. ----  Sponsor Links: 🔗 Get in contact with the Career Sandwich team . 🔗 Request a demo of ChartHop . MPL Links: 🔗...

Eliza Jackson, Chief People and Administrative Officer at ButcherBox, joined us on The Modern People Leader.  We talked about how operational excellence can protect and scale company culture, how her team built a "work in service of" mindset, and how ButcherBox is using AI agents to unlock capacity—not replace people. ----  Sponsor Links: 🔗 Request a demo of Workleap . 🔗 Get in contact...

Jessica Zwaan and Joris Luijke joined us to break down the what, why, and how to create an employee journey map. We talked about why People teams should be designing for moments and not just processes, why journey mapping should start small, and why 80% of employee moments fall flat. ----  Sponsor Links: 🔗 Get in contact with the Career Sandwich team . MPL Links: 🔗 Buy your ticket for MPL Live N...