Beyond the Paycheck

Lead with Humanity: CPO Angela Briggs-Page on Pay Clarity, Skills-Based Pay, and Earned Wage Access Summary Money stress follows people to work—so how do leaders design pay and benefits that create breathing room, not just a paycheck? Angela Briggs-Page, Chief People Officer at Ocelero and founder/CEO of People Power, shares a people-first, data-backed approach to compensation and total rewards. W...

Cash, Clarity, and Care: Pay Transparency, Total Rewards, and AI with Sertara’s VP of HR Summary In a year when healthcare costs are climbing and “cash is king,” how do you design total rewards that actually improve lives? Serena Filson, Vice President of Human Resources and Total Rewards at Sertara, shares how her comp/HR tech roots (Johnson & Johnson alum) and consulting mindset shape a mode...

Summary How do you make compensation and benefits clear, valued, and equitable when 40,000+ seasonal employees rotate in and out each year? Kristen Ynclan, VP of Total Rewards at Vail Resorts, shares how storytelling, transparency, and community-based wellness turn “programs” into real value for a frontline workforce. Starting with her “silver dollar” money memory, Kristen explains why the message...

Redefining Fair Pay: Zurich’s CHRO on Culture, Managers, and the Human Side of Compensation Summary How do you create a workplace where people feel valued, not just paid? In this episode, Al Crook, Chief HR Officer at Zurich North America, shares how his early experiences shaped a people-first philosophy toward compensation. Al explains why pay is fundamentally an exchange of time, capability, and...

Transforming Lives Through Pay Equity: How Fair Compensation Drives Culture and Performance Summary How do you build a workplace where people feel valued, supported, and fairly compensated no matter their background? In this episode, Colleen Ferrell, Chief People Officer of the Americas at Burson, shares how her early experiences with financial stress shaped her leadership philosophy today. Collee...

Beyond the Paycheck: Providence Swedish’s CHRO on Pay Transparency, Student Loans, and Career Mobility Summary Salary gets attention—but benefits and mobility change lives. Maurice Lewin, North Puget Zone Chief Human Resources Officer at Providence Swedish, shares how his team designs equitable, career-building rewards for a diverse healthcare workforce. Grounded in a powerful money story—from Jam...

From Chores to Comp Bands: Advisor360’s CPO on Pay Transparency, Financial Wellness & Generational Wealth Summary How do you build a compensation philosophy that actually develops careers, reduces pay anxiety, and supports long-term wealth—not just short-term retention? Dena Upton, Chief People Officer at Advisor360, shares how her early lessons in frugality, risk-taking, and responsibility sh...

From Envelopes to Equity: Sophos’ VP of Total Rewards on Fair Pay, Benefits, and AI Summary What does “fair” really look like in pay and benefits—and how do you communicate it so people believe it? Steven Slutsky, Vice President of Total Rewards and HR Operations at Sophos, brings a rare mix of labor lawyer, comp consultant, and HR operator to unpack perceived fairness, pay transparency, and the m...

Summary What does it take to go from working at a Mississippi gas station to leading global HR strategy at a private equity-backed company? In this episode, Kelsey Willock sits down with Nabeel Ahmed , Chief Human Resources Officer at Wellbore Integrity Solutions (WIS) , to unpack his remarkable career journey and how it shaped his approach to compensation, performance, and employee well-being. Na...

Beyond Benefits: Penhall’s CHRO on Whole-Person Rewards, Pay Equity, and Financial Wellness Summary What if your benefits did more than attract talent what if they transformed lives? Melissa Kaspari, Chief Human Resources Officer at Penhall Company, shares how she “puts the human back in HR” by building total rewards that meet employees where they are. From a formative money story to leading HR in...

Thrive Together: Lumen’s SVP on Pay Transparency, Preventive Care, and Personalized Benefits Summary Are your employees leaving money and health on the table? Erika Hurtado-Dupont, SVP of People Operations and Total Rewards at Lumen Technologies, shares how her team is redesigning compensation and benefits so people actually use them. Drawing on her own money story and years in the service industr...

Summary How do you move employees from “using benefits” to feeling true ownership in the business? Keith Brown, Vice President of Total Rewards at Tractor Supply Company and a military veteran, shares practical ways to turn rewards into engagement, financial wellness, and better customer outcomes. Keith explains why transparency and empathy start with his own money story, then gets specific on how...

If your employees can’t explain how their pay is determined, you have a trust problem. Conner Shaw, Senior Vice President of HR Business Partners and Total Rewards at LiveView Technologies (LVT), shares how his team rebuilt compensation to scale—moving from a centralized, opaque process to manager-led decisions within clear ranges and guardrails. Drawing on his own money story and a career across...