Podcasts

Podcast: Oz Rashid — Help Wanted: Training My Replacement and 4 More Work Dilemmas

In this episode, we launch "Help Wanted," a new segment where our host, Oz Rashid, CEO of MSH Talent, answers anonymous questions from listeners in real time, without seeing them beforehand. Oz works through five workplace dilemmas: a marketing manager who suspects they're training their replacement; a founder whose hands-off culture cost him a senior recruiter; a candidate turned down after eight interviews; an employee who let a teammate take the blame; and a new manager who misses the work they were promoted out of. Along the way, Oz shares how MSH added accountability to a people-first culture and why he believes four interviews are usually enough.

Podcast: DeDe Halfhill — Hiring for Emotional Intelligence

DeDe Halfhill, Founder and Principal Consultant of TAIOH Partners, is a retired US Air Force colonel with 25 years of service. Her career includes a tour with the US Air Force Thunderbirds, two command assignments, including a squadron in Iraq, and a role on the staff of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon. We talk with DeDe about the 1948 Air Force leadership manual behind her upcoming book, the story that earned her a place in Brené Brown's "Dare to Lead," and why emotional intelligence is the most important skill a leader can hire for. She also shares the interview question she uses to test for accountability and explains when confidence becomes a red flag.

Podcast: Michelle Link — 16,000 Hires in Four Weeks

Michelle Link, Chief Human Resources Officer of Maximus, leads global HR for a workforce of 40,000 to 50,000 people. Her career includes HR leadership roles at Corning, Cigna, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, PRA Group, and ADS. At Maximus, she oversaw the hiring of 16,000 people in four weeks for the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. We talk with Michelle about what gets sacrificed in emergency-speed hiring, why Maximus pairs AI training with human-centered skills, and her case for hiring for likability. She also shares the interview question that reveals true self-awareness and the career advice she would give her younger self.

Podcast: Toby Ramirez-Johnson — From the Front Desk to HR for More Than 50 Hotels

Toby Ramirez-Johnson, Senior Corporate Director of Human Resources of Omni Hotels & Resorts, started in the front office at the New Haven Omni in 1997. Today she sets HR strategy for more than 50 Omni properties, with a stint leading HR across the Southeast for Wyndham in between. We talk with Toby about what hospitality culture looks like at the front desk, how Predictive Index shapes interviews without deciding them, and how one shelter volunteer day became a nine-week job readiness program that put graduates on Omni's payroll.

Podcast: Andy Martin — From Audible to Oncology: Building an AI Accelerator

Andy Martin, Chief Technology Officer of MJH Life Sciences®, spent a decade in machine learning and AI product roles at Amazon's Audible before taking on healthcare's hardest data problem. He built an internal AI accelerator that turns marketers, HR associates, and ops teams into working software builders. Andy also breaks down the interview question he trusts to reveal real thinking under pressure, and explains why AI's advances in protein binding and drug discovery could turn some of the hardest cancers to treat into something researchers finally believe is solvable.

Podcast: Jessica Kalinowski — Way Too Much: Rethinking the Modern Interview Process

Jessica Kalinowski, Head of Reliability and Security of Beacon Biosignals, joins us to unpack how she took an engineering org from one or two releases a month to 130, all without a single AI adoption mandate. Her path runs through McKesson and connectRN, where she most recently served as Vice President of DevOps and Corporate IT. Jessica also makes the case that most hiring processes have grown bloated rather than accurate, and shares why she leads every team with a psychology degree instead of a computer science one.

Podcast: Curt Kwak — Why This Healthcare CISO Left the Private Sector for Public Service

Curt Kwak, Chief Information Officer and Chief Information Security Officer at the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner, spent most of his career protecting patient data and hospital systems before making an unusual jump: trading healthcare's private sector, including nearly a decade at Cambia Health Solutions and Proliance Surgeons, for a state regulator's desk. Curt talks candidly about leading IT and security for a state insurance regulator, why AI literacy is now a priority for his agency, and the hiring philosophy he trusts most: look past the résumé and find the human connection first.

Podcast: Laura McLand — How an Arby's Job Led to a 30,000-Person HR Career

In this episode, we talk with Laura McLand, Vice President of Human Resources at Sun Holdings, the second-largest franchise organization in the country. Sun Holdings operates 13 brands, including Burger King, Popeyes, Arby's, IHOP, Applebee's, Golden Corral, and Taco Bueno, across more than 1,250 restaurants and retail locations in 32 states. Laura's team of three fields more than 8,000 applications a week and fills the average open role in two days. We talk about why she hires for passion over experience, why she asks every candidate what they want to be when they grow up, and how her own path, from a $5.00/hour, server job at Arby's to running HR for more than 30,000 employees, shapes the way she leads.

Podcast: Philip Martoccia — Building a Team Culture That Scales Without Burnout

In this episode, we talk with Philip Martoccia, Chief Operating Officer of Five-Star AudioVisual. Philip joined the company in May 2022 with zero experience in the audiovisual industry, and helped grow its revenue from $49 million to $115 million. Before audiovisual, his path ran through lifeguarding, a crisis hotline, a self-built tutoring company, and medical school. We talk about why teams can't scale on adrenaline alone, how Philip approaches hiring and firing decisions as a COO, and what his own career taught him about ego, patience, and building a culture that lasts.

Podcast: Jason Reader — From Washing Dishes to Chief Operating Officer

In this episode, we talk with Jason Reader, Chief Operating Officer of Davidson Hospitality Group. Jason began his hospitality career washing dishes at a Perkins in Pennsylvania, moving to Pyramid Hotel Group, Magna Hospitality, and Remington Hospitality before joining Davidson, where he now oversees nearly 90 hotels and resorts and more than 240 restaurants, bars, and lounges across the United States, Europe, and the Caribbean. We talk about why he hires for personality over experience, how Davidson keeps its people-first culture accountable without losing what makes it distinctive, and what a genuine résumé red flag looks like in practice.

Podcast: David Salama — The Insomnia Cookies Executive Who Hires Differently

In this episode, we talk with David Salama, Chief Digital Officer of Insomnia Cookies, about leading digital transformation at a brand built on nostalgia. David started his career pricing complex instruments at a hedge fund, then led the product side of the innovation lab at S&P Global. He went on to co-found FlyCleaners, raising more than $10 million and growing the business to 300 employees while helping build one of New York City's first on-demand companies. For the past six years, he's led engineering, product, and IT at Insomnia Cookies, scaling the company to nearly 400 bakeries across the US, Canada, and the UK. We cover how he measures success as a digital leader, why he thinks cheaper software creates more demand for engineers rather than less, his contrarian hiring philosophy, the interview question he uses to spot ownership, and the AI-planned vegetable garden that taught him the difference between expertise and perceived expertise.

Podcast: Paul Hiltz — From Turning Around Written-Off Hospitals to a Billion-Dollar Health Network

In this episode, we talk with Paul Hiltz, President and CEO of Naples Comprehensive Health (NCH), an independent, locally governed health system in Southwest Florida. Paul spent 30 years turning around underperforming hospitals across Ohio and Kentucky before taking over NCH in 2019, where he has grown a $600M community hospital into a billion-dollar comprehensive health network with the #1 heart program in Florida. He is also a Forbes bestselling author. We cover his career journey, the grow-or-die culture he built by borrowing teamwork from the Blue Angels and a NASCAR pit crew, why he hires athletes and problem-solvers over pedigree, how he fights physician burnout, and where AI is taking healthcare.

Podcast: Dr. Lilicia Bailey — Most Leaders Think They’re Self-Aware. They’re Wrong with Dr. Lilicia Bailey of CommonSpirit Health

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Lilicia Bailey, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer of CommonSpirit Health, one of the largest nonprofit health systems in the country. Dr. Bailey started in psychology at Spelman, built global people functions at Cox Enterprises, and rebuilt the culture and engagement function at Belk before leaving retail for healthcare in 2016. She led people strategy through the pandemic and the staffing crisis that followed, first at Wake Forest Baptist and then as Chief People Officer at Emory Healthcare, all while earning her PhD studying how leaders navigate exactly that kind of chaos. We cover what makes a good leader in healthcare, how poor leadership shows up in patient care, her core hiring philosophy, the interview question she uses to spot self-awareness, and how CommonSpirit is rolling out AI across its 160,000-person workforce.

Podcast: Shana Sweeney — From Google and Aetna to Building a Company From Scratch

In this episode, we talk with Shana Sweeney, Chief Human Resources Officer of SugarAI, the AI-powered CRM company formerly known as SugarCRM. Shana has led people strategy at nearly every scale: benefits at Aetna, people operations at Google, utilities and manufacturing at Severn Trent, co-founding the health data startup Nuna, Inc., and 11 years at SugarAI, where she rose from director of HR to CHRO. We cover her core hiring philosophy, what a company-wide rebrand actually requires from HR, why middle management is being redesigned rather than eliminated, and where AI is taking talent acquisition, workforce planning, and the future of work.

Podcast: Marina Morgan — Takes on Talent: Why AI Readiness Is a People Problem

In this episode of "Takes on Talent," we sit down with Marina Morgan, Founder and Principal Strategist of AIQ, a framework designed to measure how ready an organization is to adopt AI — not from a technology standpoint, but from a human and organizational one. Marina brings more than 15 years of transformation work across technology, media, and telecommunications, having sat with executive leadership teams at the organizational side of AI: decision-making, execution, adoption, and change at scale. She built a training system that onboarded more than 10,000 employees for a national telecom, designed a business game for a retail chain that lifted sales by 40%, and started her first company at 19. She is also an Anthropic partner and a Y Combinator alumna. We explore the neuroscience of entrepreneurial decision-making, why human adaptive skills — not infrastructure or budget — are the primary bottleneck to enterprise AI adoption, and what it actually takes to get AI to work inside a company full of humans.

Podcast: Kristen Banks — From UFC Fight Pass to the Las Vegas Raiders: Building Marketing Teams That Win

What does it take to market one of the most iconic franchises in professional sports — and hire the team to do it? We explore that question with Kristen Banks, Senior Vice President of Marketing of the Las Vegas Raiders. Kristen spent nearly eight years at the UFC, rising from Content Marketing Manager to VP of Marketing for Digital Products, before joining the Raiders to scale a brand that relocated from Oakland to Las Vegas in 2019, building for a fan base that now includes 39 million annual Vegas visitors.

Podcast: Mark Kendall Moore — What Protecting World Leaders Teaches You About Hiring

In this episode of "Hire Learning with Oz Rashid," we sit down with Mark Kendall Moore, Chief Security Officer of Dayton Children's Hospital, for one of the most unconventional career stories this show has featured. Before leading security across 32 locations in a pediatric hospital system, Mark spent nearly 11 years in the United States Marine Corps, including leading top-secret missions in support of Presidents Reagan and Bush as part of the Marine One security detachment. What followed was a career that defied easy categorization: executive protection for Henry Kissinger across 220 travel days a year, family security manager for Bill and Melinda Gates, and an NBC Security role that put him inside Centennial Olympic Park the night of the 1996 Atlanta bombing. Mark is also co-founder of the Selie Foundation, a humanitarian organization doing active work in Haiti, the same country where he developed one of the most distinctive pre-screening interview methods we've heard on this show. We explore what a lifetime of high-stakes security work forges in a hiring manager, why Mark developed a 20-statement pre-screen to filter out bad-fit candidates before asking a single question, and how AI is beginning to change the future of physical security — from behavioral analytics to predictive threat detection before an incident occurs.

Podcast: Keith Zubchevich — Unsupervised AI Is a Toddler Out Looking for a Job

Keith Zubchevich is President and CEO of Conviva, a global leader in real-time experience analytics and one of the sharpest voices on AI in the enterprise. Keith joined the company in 2008 as its fifth employee and took over as CEO in 2021. Before Conviva, Keith helped take Riverbed public and launched a storage networking line at Cisco that did $244 million in two years. For nearly two decades he has built alongside four PhD founders, including Databricks founder Ion Stoica, in a culture grounded in self-awareness and zero ego. We explore why AI agents need to be measured from the consumer's side rather than the system's, why AI is the first technology revolution that replaces people instead of upgrading them, and the high-slope hiring philosophy Keith applies to every role at Conviva.

Podcast: Ryan Lee — Takes on Talent: Why AI Makes Mediocre People More Mediocre

Ryan Lee is Founder and CEO of Trident Advisors, where he helps organizations accelerate AI-driven transformation and build intelligent workflow automation into the fabric of how they operate. He has shipped mission-critical systems at Apple Pay, Visa, and ADT, and is one of the few practitioners in the space who has led both the building and the advising sides of enterprise technology at scale. In this episode, Oz and Ryan go wide, covering what the Sears-to-Amazon and Blockbuster-to-Netflix transitions tell us about the companies most at risk right now, why expertise still precedes leverage in an AI-native world, and what it actually means to build with agents.

Podcast: Luis Suarez — You Won't Be Replaced by AI, but by Someone Using It

In this episode, we sit down with Luis Suarez, Chief Technology Officer of H.I.G. Capital, one of the world's largest alternative investment firms managing over $74 billion in assets. Luis has spent nearly two decades leading technology strategy and operations across H.I.G.'s global platform, with a mandate that goes beyond internal IT — he walks into every company the firm acquires and evaluates the tech team from the inside. A lifelong technologist who started with a Commodore 64, Luis has navigated every major shift in enterprise technology, from the internet era and cloud migration to the pandemic-driven remote-work transformation and now the GenAI explosion. At H.I.G., he oversees not only the firm's own technology infrastructure, but also supports over 120 portfolio companies across industries ranging from healthcare to manufacturing on their AI enablement journeys. We dive into the three qualities Luis looks for in every hire that cannot be taught, why he believes patience is a superpower in the hiring process, and how H.I.G. is using a top-down AI enablement strategy to prepare its workforce for the decade ahead.

Podcast: Anna Belova — 15M Books, 75 Countries, Now She's Building AI

Anna Belova, Founder and CEO of OpenWay AI, is a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and serial entrepreneur. She built DEVAR into one of the most ambitious consumer augmented reality companies in the world — 15 million books sold across 75 countries in 27 languages, a no-code AR platform used by 250,000 creators and 200 universities in 180 countries, and partnerships with Google, Hasbro, McDonald's, and Nasdaq. Anna shares her philosophy on building corporate culture from the very first hire, and why a strong culture is the most powerful defense against the wrong people. We explore what separates the most successful founders from everyone else in the room, why big-brand enterprise executives rarely thrive in early-stage startups, and what a single question about travel reveals about how a candidate actually thinks.

Podcast: Brett Fitelson — Corporate Recruiting Is Passion, Not Commission: The Five Ps and What Candidate Experience Actually Costs

Oz Rashid sits down with Brett Fitelson, Technical Talent Acquisition Manager of Seminole Hard Rock Support Services, to explore what separates transactional recruiting from recruiting that genuinely changes lives. Brett came into staffing the way most great recruiters do: sideways. A yellow sticky note, a cold call to Robert Half, and a lot of persistence later, he discovered he was built for this work. Five years inside Seminole, Brett has personally hired over 600 people across 18 departments, 13 states, and four countries. We explore the real difference between agency staffing and corporate recruiting, how Brett’s candidate experience approach turned two SVP finalists into lifelong advocates, and why the Five Ps (proper preparation prevents poor performance) show up in every conversation he runs.

Podcast: Benny Czarny — Build a Company That Outlasts You Through Founder-Led Growth

Benny Czarny is CEO and Founder of OPSWAT, a cybersecurity company he bootstrapped from a San Francisco apartment over 20 years ago. It now employs over a thousand people and protects critical infrastructure across 80+ countries. He is also the author of “Cybersecurity Upside Down” and co-producer of the cybersecurity docuseries "Into the Breach." We dive into Benny’s founder philosophy on patience with product go-to-market, why he views unsolicited resignations as a leadership failure, how he identifies the best candidates by the quality of questions they ask, and why he burns every 30-60-90 day plan he receives.

Podcast: Yvette Martinez-Rea — Learned About Grief, Work, and Showing Up

In this episode, we sit down with Yvette Martinez-Rea, Chief Operating Officer of Yext, a SaaS platform powering digital presence for some of the biggest brands in the world. Yvette brings more than two decades of operating experience across tech, gaming, media, and beauty — including senior leadership roles at Verizon, ESL Gaming North America, Yahoo, United Online, and Violet Grey. Yvette shares the unexpected loss that reshaped how she leads and why she now makes room for the hard stuff at work. We explore her "slow hire, fast fire" philosophy, the one word she always hires for, and why the best candidates are often already inside your organization.

Podcast: Colette Brown — The Red Flags in Hiring You Should Never Ignore

In this episode, Colette Brown, Chief Human Resources Officer of Stony Brook Medicine, discusses what actually builds (and breaks) a healthy culture. She dives into why leaders should address behavior instead of attitude, the red flags hiring managers keep talking themselves into ignoring, and the 15-year stay-at-home mom who became her favorite hire. With nearly 40 years in healthcare HR, including stops at Melmark, Presby’s Inspired Life, and Crozer-Keystone Health System, Colette brings stories from the trenches and practical tools any leader can use on Monday morning.

Podcast: Calvin Arterberry — Navigating the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the Future of Work

Calvin Arterberry, CEO of Flowbot Forge, discusses AI and the future of work. Calvin brings extensive experience in product design and UX leadership, having previously shipped products that drove tens of millions in revenue at major brands, including Verizon, Lowe's, Best Buy, and Wayfair, before becoming a serial entrepreneur. Calvin shares his perspective on navigating the "Fourth Industrial Revolution" and why professionals must shift from being task-executors to orchestrators. Oz and Calvin engage in a lively debate about the realities of short and long-term AI disruption, explore why self-disruption is the ultimate career strategy, and discuss Calvin’s core hiring philosophy of prioritizing hunger and innate aptitude over a standard résumé.

Podcast: Astad Dhunjisha — Leading TA for One of the World’s Biggest Brands

Astad Dhunjisha, Vice President of Human Resources at AT&T, oversees talent acquisition and frontline learning for this Fortune 40 company that hires over 25,000 people a year. Prior to this role, he was Global SVP of TA and HR at Experian and led various global HR functions at Bayer and Monsanto. Having moved to the US in 2009 with just two bags, his unique journey shapes how he thinks about hiring, inclusion, and what people need to do their best work. We discuss the massive scale of bringing outside talent into a major telecommunications brand and why AT&T’s CEO still personally interviews every single candidate at the VP level and above. We also dive into the exhausting contradictions of walking the leadership line, the importance of suspending the 35-second first impression during an interview, and why the future of AI in hiring should focus on building human capability rather than just rushing into a cost-efficiency game.

Podcast: Christy Harris — Why Getting Uncomfortable Is the Secret to Career Growth

Christy Harris, Chief Human Resources Officer and SVP of CCC Intelligence Solutions, a publicly traded SaaS company, joins Oz. She shares her career journey, including 21 years at Allstate and then taking a massive leap of faith to lead HR in a high-growth, AI-driven technology company. Christy unpacks the importance of getting uncomfortable to grow, the evolving landscape of empathetic leadership, and how to successfully integrate AI workers into your organizational chart.

Podcast: Craig Swaisgood — How Sports Franchises Use Data To Understand the Evolving Fan Experience

In this episode, we sit down with Craig Swaisgood, VP of Data and Analytics of the New York Mets. Craig brings an incredible track record of leveraging data across multiple high-stakes industries, having previously served as VP at JPMorgan Chase, Senior Director at the Houston Astros, and working inside the Obama White House. Craig shares his journey from public service to Major League Baseball and explores how we balance hard numbers with human intuition. We dive into how top sports franchises build sustainable businesses even when the team isn't winning, why his hiring process relies on objective scorecards to remove bias, and the dangers of completely offloading our critical thinking to generative AI.

Podcast: Tate Kelly — How To Spot, Interview, and Hire People With an Athlete Mindset

In this episode, we sit down with Tate Kelly, Senior Vice President of Partnerships at the United Soccer League (USL), to discuss the explosive growth of professional soccer in the US. Tate brings a wealth of sports business experience, having previously sold corporate partnerships for the Tennessee Titans in the NFL, driven revenue for Gonzaga Sports Properties at Learfield IMG College, and started his career with a unique role for Nike. Tate discusses his perspective on building a robust corporate partnership foundation for expansion clubs and the highly anticipated introduction of promotion and relegation to the USL. We explore how his background as a Division I runner translates into a relentless sales mentality, his core hiring philosophy centered on the "athlete mindset," and his favorite memories from college basketball.

Podcast: Diedre Bradley — Evolving as an HR Executive From Industry to Industry

In this episode, we sit down with Deidre Bradley, Vice President of Human Resources of a large national healthcare organization, founder of DB Coaching and Consulting, and adjunct professor of the University of Houston Clear Lake. Deidre brings over a decade of high-level HR leadership experience across major organizations, including Tenet Healthcare, LifePoint Health, and manufacturing facilities associated with Ford and Toyota. Deidre shares her unconventional journey from manufacturing industry to healthcare and what it really takes to run people's operations when lives are on the line. We explore the lost art of traditional personal branding, why a realistic job preview prevents bad hires, and her core hiring philosophy based on finding humble, hungry, and smart candidates.

Podcast: Karina Kogan — From Warner Media to Chief Marketing Officer: Navigating PR, Culture, and Growth

In this episode, we sit down with Karina Kogan, Chief Marketing and Growth Officer of Sundays for dogs. With two decades of experience scaling iconic consumer tech and media businesses, Karina has driven growth for renowned companies like Peloton, Aura, Napster, Warner Media, and P Vault. Karina shares her approach to defining high growth at the intersection of product and marketing, and how to scale brands responsibly. We explore her best advice for a new executive's first 30 days, the power of diversity in mitigating brand blind spots, and how she views AI as a creative companion rather than a replacement. Oz Rashid also dives into Karina's specific hiring philosophies and how she builds complementary teams.

Podcast: Malvika Jhangiani — Take the Detour: Career Risks, Big Bets, and Building High-Performance Teams

Hiring for skill feels safe; hiring for will builds transformation. In this episode, we sit down with Malvika Jhangiani, Chief Human Resources Officer of FARO Technologies. With global HR leadership experience spanning multinational organizations across the US, India, and the Middle East, Malvika has led large-scale transformations inside complex, matrixed businesses. Malvika shares why her core hiring philosophy is “hire for will, not skill,” and how learning agility consistently outperforms credentials. We explore what global companies get wrong about inclusion, why transformation fails without stakeholder alignment, and how HR leaders must balance global consistency with local cultural nuance. She also breaks down how AI is becoming HR’s newest coworker — freeing up time for more strategic, creative work.

Podcast: Andrew Diskin — What It Means To Show Up as a Hiring Leader

In this episode, we sit down with Andrew Diskin, Talent Acquisition Leader at one of the world’s leading global research firms. Andrew brings more than 15 years of talent acquisition leadership experience across major organizations, including KPMG, Marsh McLennan, Rothschild, BMO, and SimilarWeb.

Podcast: Takes On Talent: AI Hype, What Is Moltbook, and Is Something BIG Happening?

In this episode, Oz Rashid breaks down the accelerating AI race, recent executive shakeups at major AI labs, and what it all means for business leaders and the workforce. He explores the difference between AI hype and enterprise reality, the “February 2020 moment” analogy, and why technology adoption rarely moves as fast as capability. Oz also dives into the emerging workforce paradox: companies claiming overcapacity in traditional roles while struggling to find AI-skilled talent. The message is clear — this is not a fear conversation. It’s a leadership conversation.

Podcast: Dr. Gordon Dean Cooper — Speaking the Language of the Business as an HR Leader

On this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Gordon Dean Cooper, HR Executive formerly of LVMH, JPMorgan Chase & Co and Kenneth Cole. Gordon shares how he approaches HR as a commercial function, shaped by operating inside highly regulated financial institutions and brand-driven luxury organizations.

Podcast: Oscar J. Benavidez — Leading When the Stakes Are Life and Death

We’re joined by Oscar J. Benavidez, MD/MBA, Chief, Division of Pediatric and Congenital Cardiology and Executive Director, Pediatric Cardiac Catheterization and Surgical Program at the Heart and Vascular Institute of Mass General Brigham and Associate Professor of Harvard Medical School. Oscar shares his unconventional path into medicine, what drew him to a high-risk turnaround role, and how he rebuilt trust, outcomes, and culture inside one of the most complex care environments in healthcare.

Podcast: Camille Mallari — From Entry-Level to Executive: Lessons in Growing Leaders at Scale

Podcast: Julia Zhou — Responsible AI Starts With People, Not Technology

We’re joined by Julia Zhou, Co-Founder and CTO of SAAFE.ai, a veteran technology leader with decades of experience as CIO, CTO, and Head of Product across complex healthcare organizations, including HCM, CINQCARE, CBH, and Molina Healthcare. Julia shares how responsible AI, trust, and culture intersect in healthcare and hiring, and why safety-first thinking matters as AI reshapes how teams are built and led. Oz and Julia explore the art of ethical AI in practice, what top founders in the Bay Area are prioritizing today, and how leaders can hire for curiosity, resilience, and cultural alignment in an increasingly automated world.

Podcast: Dariya Golan — The Marathon Mindset: Leading High-Performance Cultures

We sit down with Dariya Golan, CEO, Advanced Surgery Center of Clifton at SCA Health. Dariya shares her incredible journey, starting as an entrepreneur in Ukraine to leading a major healthcare turnaround where she has grown EBITDA by 500%. She discusses how the mental toughness gained from running 12 marathons translates directly to the boardroom and why the CEO must personally represent the culture they expect from their team.

Podcast: Evan Shy — The Brutal Truth About Entrepreneurship

Evan Shy, Chief Executive Officer of HTD Talent and Coding Temple, joins Oz to explore the realities of building scalable enterprises, accelerated talent development, and the unglamorous truths of entrepreneurship. They discuss how AI is transforming workforce training, the mental fortitude required to build sustainable businesses, and the three critical validations every founder must complete before launching.

Podcast: Takes on Talent: Best of 2025

This “Best of 2025” edition brings together standout moments from the leaders who defined the year. Oz revisits conversations with Russell Foltz-Smith, Advisor, AI Strategist, and EVP of Product of Smarter Sorting; Amos Schwartzfarb, CEO Coach, Advisor, and Author, and Formerly MD of Techstars Austin; Ozge Gunaydin Erturk, CMO of FloSports and former Amazon leader; Kevin Dooley, CHRO of Q² Solutions and former executive of Deutsche Bank, Colgate Palmolive, and PepsiCo; Tim Rains, VP and CISO of ADT and former Microsoft and Amazon security leader; Tara May, CEO of Aspiritech; and Mariano Filippini, Founder of Gen-FC, Formerly of TelevisaUnivision and Miami Sharks. Each highlight shares a moment where these leaders challenged how we hire, how we lead, and how we understand talent, spanning AI and human connection, neurodiversity in tech, leadership under pressure, global sports, and the mindset needed to build high-performing teams.

Podcast: Pari Parchi — Breaking Barriers From Wall Street to the Board Room, and as a Mother

Today, we talk with Pari Parchi, Founder and CEO of Panorama Aero. Before launching Panorama Aero, she built an elite Wall Street career at Morgan Stanley, Fortress Investment Group, and Cowen, where she became CEO of Cowen Aviation Finance. Pari shares how structured finance shaped her entrepreneurial edge, why she refused early dilution, how she built a specialized aviation fleet serving high-stakes missions, and what motherhood, ownership, and independent thinking have taught her about leadership and hiring.

Podcast: Michael Rady — Coaching-Led Leadership: From High School Basketball to the Boardroom

Today, we’re joined by Michael Rady, Executive Vice President of People and Culture at Swisher, whose career spans senior leadership roles at PepsiCo, United Parks & Resorts, and Ingersoll Rand. He brings a lifetime of coaching influence, a world-class talent mindset, and deep experience leading organizations through transformation. Michael shares how his athletic upbringing shaped his leadership philosophy, why coaching is central to every manager’s job, and how he’s helping modernize a legacy brand through culture, care, and capability.

Podcast: Ozge Gunaydin Erturk — How Nontraditional Paths Can Lead to an Amazing Career

Host Oz Rashid talks with Ozge Gunaydin Erturk, Chief Marketing Officer of FloSports. Before joining FloSports, Ozge built a powerhouse career at global brands including Amazon, Match.com, and Varsity Tutors. She shares how her engineering background shaped her data-driven marketing approach, what she learned from Amazon’s leadership culture, and how she applies those lessons to building teams, earning trust, and hiring for ownership.

Podcast: Lauren Easterday — The 8-Hour Interview That Worked: When Breaking Hiring Rules Makes Sense

On this episode, host Oz Rashid talks with Healthcare Operations Leader Lauren Easterday, Founder and Principal of EastLight LLC. Before launching her own firm, Lauren built a distinguished career in healthcare and operations, holding leadership roles at Wipro, Clearway Health, and HealthPartners. Lauren is also a member of several professional healthcare and leadership organizations focused on board readiness and governance. She shares how those experiences shaped her mission to help companies execute effectively at critical inflection points by bridging strategy, technology, and people to drive meaningful change in the healthcare industry.

Podcast: Kristen Medlin — How HR and AI Come Together in Healthcare

On this episode, host Oz Rashid talks with Kristen Medlin, Chief Human Resources Officer of Eventus WholeHealth. Kristen’s career spans two decades of shaping HR, first in Aiken Regional Medical Centers and then UHS, before her move to Eventus. Kristen leads with an innovation-first mindset, blending technology, empathy, and strategy to redefine team culture and transform healthcare HR through AI and human-centered leadership.

Podcast: Nan Poppen — 25 Years at One Company: The Loyalty Secret That Built a Banking Empire

Nan Poppen, Chief Human Resources Officer of First Bank & Trust, has dedicated over 25 years to the company, leading its HR department for the last 17 years. Nan is a rare example of loyalty and people-first leadership in an era defined by career moves and shifting priorities. She oversees HR for a workforce of over 750 employees across 17 branches, spearheading everything from strategic hiring, DEI, and leadership development to nurturing a culture rooted in community and connection.

Podcast: Mariano Filippini — How To Take Calculated Risks and Transform Your Career

We sit down with Mariano Filippini, Founder of Gen-FC, the first youth soccer channel in the US. Mariano’s career includes HSBC bank (where he earned a full-tuition NYU Stern MBA scholarship) to working at TelevisaUnivision managing Global Content Licensing business before moving on to fill the role of CEO at Miami Sharks. Mariano shares his perspective on taking calculated risks, leading with humility, and building proactive teams. Through his transition from corporate leadership to entrepreneurship and his focus on sustainable growth and energy management, Mariano offers practical insights into what it means to evolve as a modern leader.

Podcast: Jae Zayed — How AI Is Already Revolutionizing Healthcare

Join us for an insightful conversation with Jae Zayed, a seasoned technology executive who has led digital transformation initiatives across healthcare organizations, from Oracle and The Cerner Corporation to Southwest General Health Center, where he currently serves as Chief Digital and Information Officer. This episode explores the practical realities of AI implementation in healthcare, the importance of people-first leadership, and valuable lessons from building teams across different cultures and continents. Jae shares compelling insights on navigating the AI hype cycle, implementing governance frameworks for responsible AI adoption, and creating healthcare experiences that truly serve patients and clinicians. From ambient listening technology to AI-driven scheduling systems, discover how healthcare organizations can leverage artificial intelligence while maintaining the human touch that's essential to patient care.

Podcast: Monica Anderton — Building People-First Cultures From Retail to Manufacturing

We’re thrilled to welcome Monica Anderton in this week’s episode. Monica’s journey spans industry giants — including The Home Depot, global metal leader Novelis, and her current role as Chief Human Resources Officer for the North America Packaging and Paper Division of DS Smith, a global heavyweight in sustainable packaging. At each stop, Monica has shaped organizations, built world-class cultures, and led teams through transformative growth. Monica’s experiences are the kind that electrify any HR, leadership, or business community.

Podcast: Nathalie Danielle Weister — The Energy Blueprint for Leaders: Embodied Leadership

We’re joined by Nathalie Danielle Weister, Embodied Leadership Coach and Founder of Nathalie Danielle | Embodied Leadership Coaching. She previously held leadership roles at TelevisaUnivision, Hilton, The Walt Disney Company, and Fox Networks Group, bringing a wealth of experience in people, culture, and leadership development. Nathalie shares her journey from corporate HR to building her own coaching practice, and why embodied leadership, or leading from the inside out, matters now more than ever. If you’ve ever questioned alignment in your career, struggled with culture-building at scale, or felt the weight of reactive hiring, this conversation will resonate.

Podcast: Tara May — How Hiring Neurodiverse Professionals Can Take Your Company From Good to Great

On this episode, Oz Rashid welcomes Tara May, Chief Executive Officer of Aspiritech, a pioneering tech company that creates meaningful employment training and career paths for autistic and neurodivergent professionals. A 25-year veteran of digital transformation, Tara is on the Board of Directors at HAAPE and Neurowrx, a Member of the Forbes Business Council, and was formerly EVP at Winsight, LLC. She blends technology leadership and cultural change, building scalable QA, cybersecurity and skills programs that prove inclusion drives measurable performance. A tireless neurodiversity advocate, she partners with national initiatives and community programs to make Aspiritech a global model for how businesses can tap overlooked talent while improving outcomes for both people and organizations.

Podcast: Takes On Talent: Christoph Niebel — Winning Today in Tomorrow's TA Market

In this episode, Oz Rashid interviews Christoph Niebel, President of AMS, on the future of talent acquisition, the intersection of AI and human-centered recruiting, building agile organizational models, metrics that matter, and the evolving role of HR leaders. Christoph shares practical frameworks and personal insights, providing actionable guidance for talent professionals in every industry.

Podcast: Daniel Gandarilla — Redefining the Real Job To Be Done in HR

We’re joined by Daniel Gandarilla, Chief Human Resources Officer of Gulf Coast Blood Center and former Chief Talent Officer of Atrium Health. A Stanford alum, Daniel also holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership, and won the 2017 Strategy Gold Award for his innovative L&D programs at Texas Health Resources. Daniel’s career journey spans education, leadership development, and HR strategy. In this episode, he shares lessons on hiring for potential, building complementary teams, the role of change management, and how AI is reshaping HR.

Podcast: Matt Gorman and Tomas Layrisse — Takes On Talent: How LinkedIn Changed the Game and What Comes Next

On this episode, we’re joined by MSH’s Chief Revenue Officer, Matt Gorman, and VP Solutions, Global RPO, Tomas Layrisse. We break down why technology isn’t the fix for recruitment’s biggest challenges and why relationships still matter more than ever.

Podcast: Kevin Dooley — Why Intellectual Curiosity Outranks Experience: Learnings From Deutsche Bank, Colgate-Palmolive, and PepsiCo

We dive deep with Kevin Dooley, Chief Human Resources Officer at IQVIA Laboratories. Kevin brings 20 years of global HR leadership experience, from building a 3,000-person function at Deutsche Bank to senior roles at Colgate-Palmolive and PepsiCo. The conversation explores how AI is reshaping the workplace, the critical difference between being a passenger versus a pilot in technological adoption, and why understanding the business is essential for creating real value in any organization.

Podcast: Russell Foltz‑Smith and Amos Schwartzfarb — The Myths and Realities of AI’s Impact on Work

We’re joined by Russell Foltz‑Smith, Advisor, AI Strategist, and EVP of Product at Smarter Sorting, and Amos Schwartzfarb, CEO Coach, Advisor, and Author and Formerly MD at Techstars Austin. Russell and Amos bring decades of startup leadership and product expertise to a candid conversation on AI, human decision‑making, and why technology will never replace the human element. They share insights on accountability in the age of automation, the myth of technological perfection, and how leaders can embrace imperfection while still building for impact.

Podcast: Nicki Leritz — Building High-Performing Teams: Lessons From Pentair and Smiths Medical

On today’s episode, we’re joined by Nicki Leritz, whose previous roles include CHRO at Pentair’s Water Solutions segment and HR leadership positions at Smiths Medical and the Andersen Corporation. She’s now helping growing companies rethink how they build and scale people strategies through People Solutions Hub. Nicki shares her lessons from leading HR through fast growth, high turnover, and burnout, and how those experiences shaped her approach to leadership, hiring, and retention.

Podcast: Estefania Diaz-Balart — Career Transformation and the Wellness Journey

We’re joined by Estefania Diaz-Balart, Comms and Sales Leader for LATAM Media and Sports and former VP of Marketing and Latin Business Development at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Estefania shares how she’s built a career rooted in relationships, adaptability, and a deep understanding of cultural nuance. From walking away from opportunities to embracing them, she offers honest reflections on leadership, career pivots, and the power of wellness in driving high performance.

Podcast: Brad Wilson — Why Toxic Workplaces Don’t Deserve Your Loyalty

We’re joined by Brad Wilson, Senior HR Leader, Speaker, and Author of “Good Works.” Brad shares why culture must be built around kindness and purpose — not control — and how leaders can make (or break) engagement at scale.

Podcast: Jamie Gabriel — Why Candidate Experience Is Brand Strategy at Altice and AMEX

We’re joined by Jaime Gabriel, Executive HR Leader and Talent Strategist, formerly of AMEX and Altice. She shares practical lessons from leading HR at major enterprises and offers a fresh approach to hiring, feedback, and team dynamics.

Podcast: Mandy Monk — Bringing an Engineer’s Brain to HR: Lessons From Pizza Hut to True Food Kitchen

We’re joined by Mandy Monk, Executive Director and Chief People Officer at The People AdvisERs, whose career began in engineering and technology leadership before transitioning into people strategy. Mandy shares how her systems-based approach shapes the way she identifies, develops, and scales talent. From rethinking hiring practices to integrating AI and reimagining what a career path can look like, Mandy offers fresh insight for anyone serious about building high-performing teams in modern organizations.

Podcast: Matt Gorman and Corey Bernis — Takes On Talent

In this episode of the inaugural episode of this mini-series, Oz Rashid sits down with Matt Gorman, Chief Revenue Officer of MSH, and Corey Bernis, Vice President, Talent Solutions at MSH, for an unfiltered conversation on what it really takes to build high-performing teams. They reflect on the early days of MSH, the evolution of company culture, and the delicate balance between trust, accountability, and psychological safety. This is a raw look into how leadership thinks about hiring, integration, healthy conflict, and the responsibility of living company values out loud.

Podcast: Shashank Shekhar — Why Empathy Without Accountability Fails Teams

On this episode, we’re joined by Shashank Shekhar, Founder and CEO of InstaMortgage, a category-defining fintech company in the mortgage industry. Shashank shares his remarkable journey from arriving in the US with no network or software background to building a thriving, award-winning business during a financial crisis. He opens up about hiring missteps, how to build a high-performance culture without micromanagement, and the future of work with AI-driven teams. He also discusses the importance of values-based leadership, the dangers of hiring based on brand names alone, and how founders can stay resilient through failures.

Podcast: Monique Manso — Why Human Connection Comes First

We’re joined by Monique Manso, Chief Revenue Officer of Essence Ventures. Monique shares her journey through corporate media, her return to Essence, and how purpose and performance drive her leadership today. She explains how hiring for care, not just capability, shapes her team, and why transparency and human connection are at the heart of every role she fills. We also dive into how brands must act with intention to authentically serve today’s multicultural audiences, and why Monique believes this isn’t a DEI issue — it’s a business one.

Podcast: Catherine Mitchell — The Talent Shift No One’s Talking About

On this episode, we’re joined by Catherine Mitchell, Senior Vice President of InnovAge and a seasoned healthcare operator with a passion for building teams that lead with empathy, adaptability, and purpose. Catherine shares how her early personal experiences shaped her leadership style, and why hiring for story and transferable skills often leads to better outcomes. Catherine and Oz discuss how to build resilient healthcare cultures, the importance of non-linear thinking in hiring, and how AI may reshape how we evaluate talent. Catherine also opens up about common hiring mistakes — including the danger of overvaluing referrals — and what she looks for in candidates beyond the résumé.

Podcast: Jose Siade — The Mindset Shift That Leads to Better Hires

On this episode, Oz Rashid talks with Jose Siade, Chief Product Officer and Co-Founder of TechWisp, and former SVP of Product at LPL Financial. Jose unpacks what it really means to build product-market fit, shares battle-tested lessons from running product in traditional and emerging markets, and explains why hiring for motivation, not just qualifications, leads to lasting team impact. From structuring MVPs to navigating startup constraints, this conversation is packed with valuable insights for product leaders, founders, and hiring managers looking to scale with intention.

Podcast: Ari Murray — The Interview Question That Exposes Character

On this episode, host Oz Rashid talks to Ari Murray, Chief Growth Officer of Sharma Brands and Creator of Go-to-Millions and Workweek. Ari shares how an unconventional journey shaped her unique lens on hiring, growth, and personal branding. She explains what makes a candidate stand out (hint: it’s not the résumé), why energy and curiosity matter more than polish, and how one cold email changed everything. From building a newsletter read by tens of thousands to helping scale D2C brands behind the scenes, Ari offers specific advice for anyone trying to build momentum in their career.

Podcast: Victoria Pelletier — From Iron Maiden to Whole-Hearted Leader

On this episode, we’re joined by Victoria Pelletier, Vice President of Enterprise Transformation at Kyndryl, who stepped into a COO role at 24 and never looked back. A former child actor, TEDx speaker, and branding expert, Victoria shares how her journey from “Iron Maiden” to “whole-human leader” reshaped how she hires, leads, and shows up authentically. From building resilient teams to embracing emotional intelligence, her insights offer a powerful blueprint for anyone hiring or leading in today’s workplace.

Podcast: Tim Rains — Balancing Urgency and Culture Fit

As Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer of ADT, Tim Rains brings a blend of urgency, discipline, and mission-driven leadership to the table. He and Oz discuss how a strong culture of accountability drives better hires, why structured interviews uncover top candidates, and how mentorship programs and cross-functional experience shape long-term success. Tim also shares lessons from his time at Microsoft, Amazon, and T-Mobile, including how mentorship circles and leadership principles helped shape his approach to team building and cybersecurity leadership.

Employee Experience

Podcast: Amos Schwartzfarb — Accelerating Tech Startups, the Reality of Building a Business, and Unspoken Candidate Characteristics

With me (your host Oz Rashid) on this episode is Amos Schwartzfarb, Managing Director at Techstars — a mentorship-driven capital accelerator — to discuss entrepreneurship, investing and, of course, hiring.

Employee Experience

Podcast: Mandy Shaw — Transforming the C-Suite, Managing With Intention, and How Parenting Impacts Leadership Style

On this episode, Oz is joined by Mandy Shaw — President and Chief Executive Officer at Blaze Pizza, LLC — for a conversation about managing with intention and by example, how parenting makes you a better leader, company culture by design, and how small actions speak volumes.

Employee Experience

Podcast: Wade Mitzel - A Heart for Healthcare, Stewarding With Compassion and Living the Mission Through Hiring

The discussion centers on living out that mission and culture daily, to make it real and not simply a statement on a piece of paper.

Employee Experience

Podcast: Amelia Sordell — How To Build a Fast-Growing Startup and a Killer Company Culture

With me, your host Oz Rashid, on this episode, I am joined by Amelia Sordell, Founder of Klowt — a personal branding agency — to discuss Klowt’s hiring process, culture and the innovative onboarding strategy they use to enable continual improvements.

Employee Experience

Podcast: Jeff Nadler — Teladoc CIO on How to Hire Effectively for a Company Transforming Healthcare

With me [your host Oz Rashid] on this episode, I am joined by Jeff Nadler, Chief Information Officer at Teladoc Health — a telemedicine and virtual healthcare company — to speak about scaling, supply and demand, and innovating on the fly during Covid.

Employee Experience

Podcast: Deanna Meador — CEO, Inventor and Entrepreneur Extraordinaire

With me [your host Oz Rashid] on this episode I am joined by Deanna Meador, CEO at Couture Technologies — virtual try-on technology — and Director of Entrepreneurship at Vanderbilt University — a private research university in Nashville — to speak about her dual roles and involvement with hundreds of hires.

Employee Experience

Podcast: Anders Jones — Why Every Decision Is a Financial One, Evaluating the Growth-Seeker Archetype and Avoiding Opportunistic Mis-Hires

With me [your host, Oz Rashid] on this episode I am joined by Anders Jones – CEO and Co-Founder at Facet – who shares the unique financial model that Facet is built upon, as well as how the company handles being completely virtual, and their unique hiring ideologies.

Employee Experience

Podcast: Steve Nudelberg — Strategies to Stay “On The Ball” with Sales Hiring

With me [your host Oz Rashid] on this episode, I am joined by Steve Nudelberg, Principal Thinker at On the Ball Ventures — a coaching company that helps entrepreneurs and businesses to grow — to share strategies to stay “On The Ball” with sales hiring.

Employee Experience

Podcast: Jenn Crenshaw — Pioneering People Strategy for High-Growth Healthcare Startups

With me [your host Oz Rashid] on this episode, I am joined by Jenn Crenshaw, Chief People Officer at Prospero Health, to share her early career experiences, hiring philosophies, work ethic and favorite interview questions.

Employee Experience

Podcast: David MacLaren - Entrepreneurial Problem-Solving, Interviewing for Culture Fit & Why He Checks Every Reference

David MacLaren is Founder & CEO at MediaValet Inc. On this episode, he joins Oz to talk about aligning the right candidates with the right roles. MediaValet Inc. is a leader in the rapidly emerging cloud-based digital asset management (DAM) industry.

Employee Experience

Podcast: Tyneeha Rivers — Cultivating Culture at Scale and Interviewing With Empathy, Inclusion and Allyship

As Chief People Officer for Curaleaf, one of the world’s largest cannabis companies, Tyneeha Rivers is responsible for cultivating a positive company culture at scale. She and Oz discuss who is responsible for culture within an organization and how it impacts the hiring process.

Employee Experience

Podcast: Eric Rosenfeldt — Uncovering EQ, Embracing Surprises and Going Beyond the Job Description

What kind of talent does it take to solve the world’s water crisis? Eric Rosenfeldt, CEO at Magna Imperio Systems Corp., talks with Oz about seeking alignment between a candidate’s core values and those of the organization to help achieve strategic outcomes.

Employee Experience

Podcast: Matt Poepsel — Talent Optimization, Defining Success and Taking the Road Less Traveled

This episode features Matt Poepsel, Vice President and the “Godfather of Talent Optimization” at The Predictive Index (PI). PI offers a variety of tools and assessments that help organizations solve business problems through the lens of understanding individuals.

Employee Experience

Podcast: Wes Sellers — Transforming Healthcare Funding, Embracing Fear and Failure, and the Future of Behavioral Health Outreach

In this episode, Oz welcomes CEO and Co-Founder at CaringWays, Wes Sellers. CaringWays is a medical fundraising platform designed to help patients and their families collect funds for health expenses. It also provides donors and supporters with security and peace of mind by ensuring that funds are directed to the right places.

Employee Experience

Podcast: Anna Talerico — Interviewing for Authenticity, Knowing Your Dealbreakers & the Buzz on Quiet Quitting

Anna Talerico, CEO at Corporate Finance Institute (CFI), joins Oz on this episode to talk about hiring for an L&D organization. CFI is a global provider of professional development courses and certifications for finance professionals. Anna shares what helps build a culture of learning — hiring for curiosity and a commitment to helping others to learn and grow.

Employee Experience

Podcast: Eric Kau – Hiring for High-Growth Businesses, Culture Fit vs. Capabilities, and a COO’s Job Explained

Eric shares his hiring philosophy: businesses should take a “measure twice, cut once” approach, especially in small, high-growth startups.

Employee Experience

Podcast: Brian Carlson - Hire Slow, Fire Fast: Cultivating an Impactful Company Culture

Brian shares his company’s hiring philosophy and the book that inspired it. The organization takes a team-based approach to hiring. He talks about the value of panel interviews, building rapport through conversation, and the questions that help to get a real glimpse into a candidate’s hunger for excellence.

Employee Experience

Podcast: Sam Jaddi - Sound the Alarm! How Your Hiring Processes Rob You of Top Talent

In this episode, MSH founder and CEO Oz Rashid talks to Sam about why hiring is so important and what companies risk when they don’t prioritize it.