For our final episode, the three founding partners of Growth by Design Talent turn the lens on themselves. Mike Joyner, Adam Ward, and Jill Macri sit down together to reflect on the journey of building GBD from scratch, what led them to start the firm, and why they're closing this chapter.

They share the inflection points that shaped each of their careers—from Adam's internship that sparked his love for recruiting to Jill's formative years at Backroads learning leadership, to Mike's path through design, tech, and into talent. The conversation covers what it really took to build a consulting firm centered on quality over quantity, the leadership lessons learned along the way, and what they're most proud of after nearly seven years.

They discuss why they chose to create the community and support system they wish they'd had in their Head of Talent and RecOps roles, and how they proved that companies truly value strategic talent work as a differentiator.

An honest reflection on partnership, building something meaningful, and what comes next when you close one chapter to open another.

This is career development for the people who develop careers—one last time.

Miranda Kalinowski's 30-year journey from HR generalist in Australia to Head of Global Recruiting at Stripe reveals what it takes to lead talent through transformational growth. She scaled Facebook from 6,000 to over 84,000 employees while learning that your internal culture is your external brand.

You'll hear why she chose recruiting from day one and the advice that changed her leadership approach—"lead with heart and minds will follow."

She also opens up about the builder mode energy she found at Stripe, her philosophy on investing in the recruiting profession rather than just hiring from it, and the systems that keep her productive—from dictation while walking to AI transcription tools that save thousands of hours.

This is an authentic conversation about scaling with quality, leading through the heart, and finding the right next chapter after reaching the top.

From Google and Facebook to Airbnb, Lyft, and Discord, Samara Crasilneck has built recruiting operations at some of the most influential tech companies of the past decade. Her career spans the full spectrum of hypergrowth chaos and post-growth stabilization, teaching her that success isn't about moving fast all the time—it's about knowing when to move fast and when to slow down.

Samara shares her refreshing practical approach to tools and innovation: start with pilots, find champions who aren't on the ops team, and remember that sometimes the basics work just as well as the latest technology.

You'll hear about her leadership philosophy—from the productivity systems and boundaries that keep her effective, to why she believes great leaders communicate clearly and know when to let problems breathe rather than rushing to solve everything immediately.

An authentic conversation about sustainable leadership, building operations that empower rather than constrain your team, and why knowing when to slow down is just as important as knowing how to move fast.

Emil Yeargin's career path took him from agency recruiting to leading talent teams at Lyft and Gusto. His transition from individual contributor to people leader wasn't just about managing more people—it required a fundamental shift in how he defined success.

You'll hear why agency recruiting skills translate so well to high-growth startups (and where they fall short), his framework for creating conditions of success rather than managing people's work, and why sometimes the most caring thing a leader can do is make the tough decisions others avoid.

An authentic conversation about transitioning from solo contributor to team builder, balancing empathy with accountability, and why taking care of yourself isn't selfish—it's how you create capacity to serve others.

Becky McCullough's decade at HubSpot has been defined by one core philosophy: focus on the work itself, not the title. From executive search to leading teams at McKinsey, and now as VP of Talent Acquisition at HubSpot, she's built her career by doing great work and letting recognition follow.

You'll hear why she believes you should always take the call (even when you're happy where you are), her framework for evaluating opportunities based on skills rather than job descriptions, and the hyper-scheduling system that keeps her productive without burning out.

Becky also shares the conversation that led her from consulting to tech, and why she tells her team to look externally—even when she doesn't want them to leave. Her approach to leadership is built on transparency, communication, and the belief that if you bring people along through change, sustainable success follows.

An authentic conversation about building careers on impact, leading with intention, and why great work speaks louder than any title.

This episode is brought you by Ashby is all-in-one recruiting software that weaves AI through every layer – from ATS and CRM to sourcing, scheduling, and analytics.

Ambra Benjamin's journey from retail at Nordstrom to VP of Global Recruiting at Datadog reveals a powerful truth: the fundamentals of excellent customer service translate into recruiting leadership success. In this conversation, she shows how those early lessons became the foundation for leading teams through uncertainty.

She opens up about the challenging transition from high-performing IC to people leader—why nothing is easier than that first leadership interview, and how success shifts from personal achievement to team accomplishment. You'll hear why she believes everyone who manages people should interview for the role, the specific challenges of moving from peer to manager, and how the pandemic and 2023's market uncertainty tested her leadership philosophy.

Ambra shares her approach to self-care that actually works: sporadic PTO throughout the year, protecting Thursday as a no-meeting day, and why starting your morning intentionally sets the tone for everything else.

An authentic conversation about choosing leadership deliberately, bringing your team through uncertainty, and why taking care of yourself isn't selfish—it's strategic.

Megan's journey from merchandising at major retailers to leading people strategy at Bain Capital Ventures shows how analytical thinking and relationship-building skills translate across completely different contexts.

She opens up about making the leap to an entry-level recruiting role after years in merchandising, and the question that reframed everything: "Am I swimming away from something or towards something?" You'll also hear how she evaluates opportunities using a simple framework (what you're good at, what you enjoy, and what the business needs).

Megan reveals how extreme structure creates space for both deep work and spontaneity, why showing up and doing solid work builds trust that leads to stretch opportunities, and how she approaches interviews by asking questions that reveal whether she can build honest, open relationships with the people she'll work with.

This conversation is about following curiosity, creating structure, and building a career path that works for you—whether you're just starting out or navigating your next transition.

This episode is brought to you by Gem — an AI-first, all-in-one recruiting platform where you get your ATS, CRM, sourcing, scheduling, and analytics all in one place.

Brendan shares three career-defining lessons that shaped everything: the power of equity, the art of storytelling, and that language matters in achieving outcomes. His journey from $30,000-a-year agency recruiting to leading talent at LinkedIn, Y Combinator, and as Chief People Officer shows how the right frameworks can accelerate your career.

You'll hear why he believes recruiters should "blow candidates' minds" with storytelling, his framework for handling difficult conversations, and the painful LinkedIn executive meeting that taught him to always have meetings before the meetings. Brendan shares why asking for help should be part of how you operate daily, his approach to building teams with people better than himself, and the goal-setting practice that gets him out of bed to update his plans.

An authentic conversation about learning from mentors, building recruiting excellence, and why preparation and relationships are the foundation of career success.

This episode is brought to you by caro — AI-powered workforce planning that becomes the single source of truth for headcount across your entire organization.

From Air Force intelligence officer to VP People at Jack Archer, Chris shares the strategic framework that powered his transition into tech leadership. His approach to career moves - "make your next move every move" - and his philosophy of seeking discomfort over comfort offers a masterclass for anyone navigating major career transitions.

Chris proves that great leaders operate with a reflective mindset, asking the questions nobody else is asking. Whether he's talking about translating military competencies for tech recruiters, building solutions for slope rather than y-intercept, or his timer-based productivity hack that keeps him laser-focused, this conversation is packed with actionable frameworks.

You'll hear why empathy and accountability aren't mutually exclusive, how curiosity became his key to leadership, and the simple routine that grounds him through high-stakes environments. Plus, his guidance for veterans transitioning to tech: focus on competencies, not pedigree.

An authentic conversation about strategic career decision-making, leading through influence, and the productivity systems that keep high-performers grounded.

This is career development for the people who develop careers.

Welcome to Behind the Growth — a podcast where emerging talent leaders get behind-the-curtain access to career stories from industry architects at LinkedIn, Meta, Stripe, Anthropic, and beyond.

This isn't about company case studies or industry trends. It's about the humans who built the talent functions we admire – and the winding paths that got them there.

Each conversation feels like eavesdropping on a 1-1 coffee chat. The kind where leaders share their real stories: the pivots that scared them, the mistakes that taught them, the frameworks they swear by.

Because career development for talent professionals shouldn't be an afterthought.