The fastest way to destroy trust?

Half attention.

Presence is one of the most underrated leadership skills.

And one of the most powerful.

In this episode, Marc Jongebloed, Chief People Officer at the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office, shares what acting taught him about leadership, why thriving teams outperform surviving ones, and how connection, autonomy, and competence shape high-performing cultures.

🎧 Listen in & tell us what you think.

Career growth isn’t always linear.

Sometimes it looks like:

– Moving countries at 21

– Messaging 300 strangers

– Leaving corporate for a pre-revenue fintech

In this episode, Ana King, shares the mindset behind her journey to Chief People Officer -- and why she operates on one simple principle: What if it goes well?

If you’re waiting for certainty, you may be waiting forever.

🎧 Listen in & tell us what you think.

We say people are our greatest asset.

Then we manage them like risk.

In this episode, Vicky Proctor, Chief People Officer at Assystem, explains why standardizing everything is suffocating individuality and why the next evolution of work demands empowerment, not more policies.

🎧 Listen in & tell us what you think.

We don’t hire the best candidate.

We hire the one who feels right.

The one who reminds us of ourselves.

The one who makes us comfortable.

In this episode, Meryl Folb, unpacks why comfort is not capability and why instinct without structure is just bias dressed up as confidence.

🎧 Listen in & tell us what you think.

We love to celebrate compassion.

But compassion alone doesn’t sustain a mission.

In this episode, LeighAnn Hanrahan, Chief People Officer at Centers for Independence, reveals why doing good requires financial discipline and why sustaining compassion demands accountability.

🎧 Listen in & tell us what you think.

We’ve normalized showing up when it’s already too late.

But what if staying well required leadership from you?

In this episode, Dr. Olusegun Ishmael, has seen healthcare from every angle: provider, payer, executive. His conclusion is simple:

The system won’t carry you.

You have to fly.

🎧 Listen in & tell us what you think.

The people in the room shape the future.

But the real question is

who isn’t there?

In this episode, Keren Joseph-Browning, Chief People Officer at Star, unpacks how bias hides inside “potential,” how culture fit can quietly exclude, and why real equality requires structural design.

🎧 Listen in & tell us what you think.

Leadership isn’t about avoiding hard things.

It’s about lifting them.

And building something lasting from what you find underneath.

In this episode, Shannon Vargesko, Chief People Officer at YMCA Greater Pittsburgh, shares what it means to lead through instability, bankruptcy, crisis, and culture repair -- without losing compassion.

🎧 Listen in & tell us what you think.

Authentic leadership isn’t about being liked.
It’s about being real enough to be trusted.

In this episode, Marcus Ooi, General Manager, unpacks what leadership looks like when it’s grounded in vulnerability, self-awareness, and the courage to fail forward.🎧 Listen in & tell us what you think.

Culture doesn't scale on paper.

It scales through respect.

In this episode, John Brown, COO at GEHA, reminds us that leadership isn’t about hierarchy, documentation, or process first. It’s about how you treat people.

🎧 Listen in & tell us what you think.