Transformation Realness

Join us on Transformation Realness as we dive into an enlightening conversation with Kyle Forrest, a prominent thought leader from Deloitte. Hosted by the formidable Kyle Lagunas, this episode explores the evolving landscape of HR strategy and transformation, focusing on the intersection of human resources and artificial intelligence. Discover why 93% of AI spending is still directed towards techn...

Join us for a groundbreaking conversation on creating inclusive spaces within the HR tech industry. In this episode, host Kyle Lagunas speaks with Natalie Egan, a serial entrepreneur and trans advocate, and Joseph Cole, a marketing leader, about their pioneering efforts to organize the first ever queer meetup at an HR tech conference. Discover how they overcame challenges and why such dedicated co...

In this live episode of Transformation Realness, recorded straight from the floor at Unleash and Transform in Las Vegas, host Kyle Lagunas reunites with an official show OG: Tyler Weeks, who oversees HR technology, analytics, and HR service centers for Marriott International. In a candid and energetic conversation—complete with a surprise cameo from a past guest—Kyle and Tyler dig into what it tru...

Join us in this episode of Transformation Realness as we dive into the world of AI and HR with Cathy Peterman, a senior HR leader at Wayfair. Known for her insightful perspectives, Cathy shares her experiences and expertise in integrating AI into the workplace, offering listeners a glimpse into the tangible business outcomes that can be achieved through innovative AI adoption. Recorded live from U...

In this episode of Transformation Realness, host Kyle Lagunas sits down with Jason Desentz, the Chief Human Resources Officer for Toshiba Americas, to explore the transformative power of AI and Lean Six Sigma in HR. Jason shares his journey from the automotive industry in Detroit to leading HR initiatives at Toshiba, bringing a process-driven approach to human resources. Listeners will gain insigh...

Join us for an insightful episode of Transformation Realness as host Kyle Lagunas sits down with Julia Levy, a seasoned talent acquisition expert with over 25 years of experience. Julia recently made the bold move to leave corporate America and channel her vast knowledge into writing a book aimed at helping the next generation navigate the job market. In this episode, Julia shares her journey and...

Join us on this episode of Transformation Realness as we dive deep into the current landscape of HR and talent acquisition with Steve Bartel, CEO and co-founder of GEM. Steve shares his insights on how the efficiency imperative is reshaping the hiring landscape, with a focus on AI, automation, and the pressing need to do more with less without compromising the well-being of recruitment teams. In t...

In this episode of Transformation Realness, host Kyle Lagunas dives into the evolving landscape of HR with Rocki Howard, founder and chief diversiologist at Diversiology.io and chief people and equity officer at Textio. Rocki shares her candid insights on how AI is reshaping the recruitment process and what talent professionals must do to remain indispensable in an AI-driven world. Listeners will...

In this episode of Transformation Realness, host Kyle Lagunas sits down with Joe Shaker, President of Shaker Recruitment Marketing, to explore the evolving landscape of recruitment marketing. Joe, coming from a lineage that's been shaping the industry for three generations, offers a unique perspective on what creativity means in an era where technology and automation dominate. Listeners will gain...

Hiring is messy, but it doesn’t have to be. In this episode of Transformation Realness, I sit down with Adam Godson, CEO of Paradox, and Andrew McMannis, Head of Workday Practice at Paradox, to talk about how AI-powered hiring is transforming talent acquisition. We get into why high-volume hiring, interview scheduling and frontline recruitment are still full of friction, how Paradox is delivering...

On this episode of Transformation Realness, I’m joined by Mark Hanson and Caroline Effinger of Lightcast to talk all things skills-based transformation. From connecting hiring to learning to using labor market data for smarter workforce planning, Mark and Caroline share how organizations can turn skills into their biggest advantage. We also dive into Lightcast’s partnership with Workday, how AI is...

On this episode of Transformation Realness, I’m joined by David Wachtel, General Manager of Talent Products at Workday, to explore how Workday is empowering HR leaders to take innovation into their own hands. We dive deep into Extend, the platform letting customers build tailored apps within Workday’s secure ecosystem, and Built on Workday, a marketplace unlocking new opportunities for partners to...

On this episode of Transformation Realness, I’m sitting down with Ahryun Moon, CEO and co-founder, and Jasper Sone, founder and CPO of GoodTime. We’re diving into the chaos of interviews—one of the most frustrating, yet critical parts of hiring—and exploring how GoodTime’s AI-powered platform is turning things around. From smarter scheduling to empowering interviewers and creating connected ecosys...

On this episode of Transformation Realness, I’m sitting down with Jason Scheckner, Senior Director of Business Strategy, and Ernest Ng, Senior Principal and Product Strategist, at HiredScore—now officially part of the Workday family. HiredScore is rewriting the rules of HR tech with their AI Talent Orchestration platform, moving beyond buzzwords to deliver tools that actually work. We get into how...

On this episode of Transformation Realness, I’m joined by Donald Knight, SVP of People and Culture at Warner Brothers and formerly Chief People Officer at Greenhouse Software. We explore the unique challenges of leading in an HR tech company, the rise of fractional leadership, and the power of finding your village to navigate it all.  From balancing culture, customers, and brand evangelism to embr...

Rebecca Carr, CEO of SmartRecruiters, joins me to talk about shaking up hiring tech with personalized workflows, API-first platforms and tools that actually work. From cutting through clunky processes to empowering users with seamless integrations, Rebecca shares how SmartRecruiters is making hiring as intuitive as unlocking your phone. If you’re ready to reimagine recruiting technology for today’...

On Transformation Realness, I’m joined by Radancy’s Jahkedda Akbar and Matt Lamphear about turning HR tech chaos into streamlined solutions. We explore how Radancy’s human-first innovation, data-driven agility, and unified tech stack empower recruiters to thrive in today’s dynamic talent landscape. Our conversation hits everything from streamlining bloated tech stacks to tackling the ever-shifting...

On this episode of Transformation Realness, I’m joined by none other than Yvette Cameron, Senior Vice President of Cloud HCM Product Strategy at Oracle. Yvette is a visionary (and certified badass) reshaping workforce technology with a focus on what actually matters: skills, culture, and empowering managers to lead in a rapidly changing world. We tackle big questions about how skills fit into the...

On this episode of Transformation Realness, I sit down with Employ’s leadership dream team — Dara Brenner, Steve Cox and Lucy Zarlengo — to unpack how they’re flipping the script on HR tech. Employ, the brains behind Jobvite, Lever, and JazzHR, is bringing these powerhouse brands together under one mission: giving talent acquisition teams tools that actually work. We get into how they’re uniting d...

In this episode of Transformation Realness, Kyle Lagunas is joined by Toya Del Valle, chief customer officer at Cornerstone OnDemand, to unpack how skills are more than just a buzzword. They explore why workforce agility matters (especially during a recession), how Cornerstone is approaching skills internally and the impact of their recent SkyHive acquisition. You’ll hear why recruiting your way o...

On this episode of Transformation Realness, I’m joined by Keith Sonderling, former EEOC commissioner and an absolute legend when it comes to tackling AI in HR. Keith breaks down how AI can totally transform our work—but only if we strike the right balance between innovation and accountability. Tune in as we dive into the big questions: How do we embrace AI responsibly? What’s HR’s role in making i...

In this episode of Transformation Realness, I’m joined by Opal Wagnac, SVP of Market & Product Strategy at isolved, to discuss how AI can empower HR leaders without compromising the human touch. Opal shares why AI’s true value depends on critical thinkers, ethical frameworks and, most importantly, real people guiding its use. She dives into the challenges and opportunities of AI for SMBs, her appr...

In this episode of Transformation Realness, I'm joined by Satish Kumar, CEO and co-founder of Glider AI, as we explore how assessments can be more than just gatekeepers — they can be key to discovering untapped potential in candidates. Satish shares how Glider’s next-gen tools combat candidate fraud, use hands-on assessments to validate true skills, and look beyond immediate hiring to identify pot...

On this episode of Transformation Realness, I’m talking with Natalie Egan, CEO and founder of Translator, Inc., and Steven Huang, director of social justice at the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) about how much of ourselves we can — or should — bring to work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Transformation Realness, I’m talking with Mara Jones, head of people and culture at Kasa, and Tara Torres, formerly Kasa’s director of talent acquisition and strategic people initiatives. We're digging into one of the hottest and most complex topics in the industry right now: skills-based talent strategy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices