The Vita Talks HR and Benefits Podcast

Happy New Year to our Vita Talks Listeners . Starting 2026 off with our first episode, host Gianna Ricciardi sits down with Cristelle Sary , lawyer and managing partner at Messier Sary & Consultants. With over 15 years of experience in pension, benefits, and employment law, and registration with both the Quebec and Ontario bars, Cristelle brings a legal lens to one of the fastest-growing realities...

In this episode of Vita Talks , host Gianna Ricciardi sits down with Cory Brewer, Founder of Beyond Landscaping and Co-Founder of Market Hill Agency . Cory shares how he grew his North Vancouver landscaping company while tackling one of today's biggest business challenges: finding and keeping strong people. He discusses the turning point that led him to rethink how his office operated, ultimately...

In this episode, Gianna sits down with Scott Dedels, Co-CEO of Block Rewards , to explore how Canadian employers are incorporating Bitcoin into compensation and benefits programs. Scott shares how Block Rewards helps organizations diversify their savings offerings by giving employees the option to invest in Bitcoin alongside traditional group RRSPs. He discusses the evolution of Bitcoin sentiment...

In this episode of Vita Talks, host Gianna Ricciardi is joined by My-Linh Diep, founder of Sante Continuum and a recognized facilitator with the Mental Health Commission of Canada . Together, they explore how one large, unionized organization moved beyond surface-level mental health initiatives by implementing a structured, layered training strategy that resonated with executives, managers, and te...

In Episode 15 of Vita Talks, host Gianna Ricciardi is joined by Rita De Luca, Partner and Senior HR Consultant at DRH Solutions , to explore the foundational role company values play in building scalable, high-performing organizations. Rita shares a compelling case study of a 1,000-person company that, despite its size, lacked clarity and consistency—resulting in disengagement, poor accountability...

In this episode #14 of the Vita Talks Podcast , host Gianna Ricciardi welcomes Elissa Shorrock , Founder and Senior HR Consultant at ZOLERNA HR Consulting , for a candid look at how communication—when not managed intentionally—can derail even the most promising organizations. Elissa shares a case study from a growing marketing agency that introduced multiple collaboration tools like Microsoft Team...

In Episode 13 of Vita Talks , host Gianna Ricciardi is joined by Sophie Babinski, Principal Consultant at Pli & Repli and Co‑Founder of Manella , to explore how fast-paced organizations can better support employees through their parental leave experience. Sophie shares a compelling case study from a pre‑IPO SaaS company of over 1,000 employees. Despite strong parental leave policies and DEI values...

In Part 2 of this two-part series, Vita Talks host Gianna Ricciardi welcomes back John Cochrane, Founder of JD Consulting, for the conclusion of a deep dive into group insurance funding models and risk evaluation. Building on the foundational conversation in Episode 11, this episode breaks down the real-world results of a comprehensive benefits audit for a 600-employee organization. The outcome? A...

In Part 1 of this two-part series , host Gianna Ricciardi is joined by John Cochrane, Partner and Founder of JD Consulting , to explore the often-misunderstood world of group insurance funding and underwriting arrangements. Drawing on over 25 years of experience in employee benefits consulting , John outlines the three primary funding models—fully insured, refund ( retention ) accounting, and admi...

In this episode of the Vita Talks Podcast, we sit down with Giovanna Buscemi, Executive Coach and Founder of Clareo Institute, to explore how executive coaching empowers leaders—especially women navigating complex leadership roles—to thrive through transition, overcome internal blockers, and lead with confidence. Giovanna brings decades of experience in HR, leadership development, and counseling t...

Thinking about offering employee benefits but feeling lost? You're not alone. Many small businesses struggle to set up group insurance that works for their team and their budget. Some plans feel too rigid, too expensive, or just too complicated.   In this special Vita Talks HR & Benefits takeover episode, Dominic lafigliola turns the mic on Gianna Ricciardi, Co-Founder and Practice Leader at Vita...

Joining Gianna in this episode is Farzeen Foda, Founder of PeopleStrategy.ca, a Human Resources and Organizational Development consultancy focused on partnering with organizations to design work that inspires performance and effectiveness. Farzeen is also an instructor for the Essentials of People Analytics and Analytics Project Design at York University, a program to help HR Professionals confide...

Happy New Year! On today's episode, Gianna sits down with Coralia Raducea, founder of Elentia Consulting, a recruitment and human resources consulting firm that offers personalized services, while taking your organizational needs to heart.   Coralia explains why companies would choose to use an external HR expert over attempting to tackle issues in-house, and shares an example of a high-growth SAA...

Today, Gianna sits down with Barbara Gobetti, HR Manager at Estateably. Barbara shares her journey within the company, starting as a Financial Analyst, and explains how her path led her to a role in HR. She took on various responsibilities alongside HR, such as payroll, hiring, and screening, which ultimately caught the attention of leadership and earned her the position of Human Resources Manager...

Joining Gianna today is Adriana Arian, HR Director at Brain Box AI. Brain Box AI is Great Place to Work certified which Adriana credits to her team's HR strategies and inclusive work environment.   Adriana shares her values of organically recruiting team members via diversity, providing everyone with shared opportunities, and highlighting an individual's skills and talents as the most important qu...

Recruiting is expensive. In fact, some experts place the cost of hiring a candidate at three times that candidate's annual salary. It shouldn't surprise anyone, then, that businesses that recruit poorly often don't last long. So how do you do it right? In this episode of the Vita Talks podcast, Gianna is joined by Samantha Bateman, the founder and talent acquisition leader at Integria Consulting,...

In this episode of the Vita Talks Podcast, Gianna is joined by Leigh-Ann Ing, the head of wellness at Gowling WLG, a Canadian law firm with over 1,500 legal professionals. Leigh-Ann discusses the firm's evolving wellness strategy, which centers compassion and self-kindness. These values are often overlooked in the high-pressure environment of the legal industry, which instead often prioritizes per...

In this inaugural episode of The Vita Talks Podcast, host Gianna Ricciardi welcomes Mandy Di Lazzaro, managing partner of Axxel HR, to discuss the often overlooked yet crucial process of employee onboarding. Mandy highlights the critical role of structured and consistent onboarding in employee retention and engagement, sharing a case study about a retail company that significantly improved its ret...

In this episode of The Vita Talks Podcast, Nicole Piggott, president and founder of Synclusiv, a DEI consulting firm joins the podcast. Nicole underscores the importance of prioritizing inclusion to foster diversity in the workplace and shares a case study from a remote Canadian operation where cultural awareness and culturally relevant therapists for employees drastically improved retention and r...