Welcome back to the FNDN Series, where we continue our deep dive into startup people and pay practices with industry leaders from across the startup world.

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Join Startup People Summit, a one-day virtual conference designed for startup People leaders who want practical insight, honest conversations and proven approaches to scaling their People function — get your ticket here: www.startuppeoplesummit.com 

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In our conversation with Melanie Naranjo ,Chief People Officer at Ethena, we get raw and real about the state of HR in today's employer-driven market. We explore how HR professionals can build credibility with their CEOs, navigate the pressures of AI adoption, manage the loneliness of the HR role, and find the resilience to advocate for themselves — and their function — with confidence.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to the FNDN Series
00:44 Welcome & Setting the Stage
01:03 The Current State of the Market
03:07 How HR Teams Should Adapt
03:29 Spicy Take: Mentoring Your CEO Through AI Panic
05:35 Upskilling the Workforce for an AI-Forward World
07:05 Making AI Accessible — Not Just Aspirational
10:02 DEI, Change Management & Getting Company-Wide Adoption Right
11:16 Building Credibility as a Strategic Partner to the C-Suite
12:18 Asking the Right Questions & Holding CEOs Accountable
14:26 Balancing Short-Term Wins with Long-Term Strategy
15:26 Marketing the HR Function Better
16:24 Handling "Department of Plus One" Overload
22:39 Quarterly Leadership Feedback: Three Questions That Build Credibility
25:46 The Power of Vulnerability in Tough Conversations
28:54 Navigating the Fractional vs. In-House Shift
38:53 Long-Term Career Advice for People Professionals
43:03 Finding Joy Outside of Work
44:54 Wrap-Up & Closing Remarks

Connect with Melanie Naranjo

Visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanie-naranjo 

More FNDN Episodes:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4GeBIeZOKrFxG1oiiPxmiM 
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fndn-series/id1794263484

HRCredibility, PeopleOps, StartupHR, ChiefPeopleOfficer, HRLeadership, CEORelationship, AIAdoption, HRStrategy, StartupCompensation, ChangeManagement, FractionalHR, HRProfessionals, TalentDensity, WorkplaceWellbeing, HRCareer, PeopleStrategy, StartupCulture, HRBestPractices, EmployeeEngagement, StartupLeadership

Description: Welcome back to the FNDN Series, where we continue our deep dive into startup people and compensation practices with industry leaders from across the startup world. In our conversation with Isidora Torres, VP of People at Beehiiv, we explore what it truly means to bring a therapist's lens into HR — from embedding wellness into high performance culture, to building radical transparency with your CEO. Isidora shares how Beehiiv has redesigned performance reviews, structured comp cycles, and created a culture where honesty and vulnerability are championed from the top down. Stay tuned to hear how she's redefining what people operations can look like in a remote-first, high-performing startup.

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction and Welcome
00:44 Startup People Summit 2026 Announcement
01:03 Guest Introduction: Isidora Torres
01:46 Bringing a Therapist Lens into HR
03:34 Integrating Therapeutic Skills into Leadership Development
05:20 Building a Management Operating System
07:16 Defining Core Values at Beehiiv
08:13 The Role of Wellbeing in High-Performance Culture
09:10 Rest as Part of the Performance System
10:33 Personal Responsibility vs. Organizational Support
12:04 Working Remotely and Maintaining Culture
14:04 Psychological Safety and CEO Transparency
16:55 Building an Honest Relationship with Leadership
19:40 How Isidora Interviewed Her CEO
23:42 Principles for a Strong CEO-HR Relationship
26:17 Wellness Days and Their Impact
27:29 Decoupling Performance Reviews from Comp Reviews
30:23 How Merit-Based Pay Still Works
33:03 Running Four Comp Cycles a Year
35:16 Safeguarding Honesty in Reflections
36:22 The "Sun Shining" Channel
39:13 The Traction Framework and Rocks System
44:47 People Analytics and Meaningful Data
46:35 Remote Work and Talent Philosophy
50:47 Writing a Newsletter and Growing in Public
55:19 Final Advice: Experiment and Ask
56:46 Closing Remarks

Join Startup People Summit, a one-day virtual conference designed for startup People leaders who want practical insight, honest conversations and proven approaches to scaling their People function — get your ticket here: www.startuppeoplesummit.com

Connect with Isidora

Visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/torresisidora/

Resources Mentioned

Books Mentioned: No Rules Rules by Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer — the Netflix culture book referenced for the "sun shining" concept Traction by Gino Wickman — the framework behind Beehiiv's rocks-based goal-setting system

Companies Mentioned: Beehiiv — remote-first startup where Isidora serves as Head of People Operations Shapes — people operating system / AI tool for people data (mentioned in mid-roll) Bridgewater Associates — referenced in discussion of radical transparency culture Morning Brew — where Beehiiv's CEO Tyler learned the Traction/rocks framework Clay — mentioned as an example of companies using coaches for employee wellbeing

Concepts Mentioned: Sun Shining — a Slack channel practice at Beehiiv where leaders publicly acknowledge mistakes and learnings Replays — Beehiiv's version of performance reviews, decoupled from compensation Rocks — goal-setting units from the Traction framework (company, team, and individual levels) Wellness Days — monthly Fridays off at Beehiiv built into company benefits

More FNDN Episodes:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4GeBIeZOKrFxG1oiiPxmiM Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fndn-series/id1794263484

TherapyAtWork, PeopleOps, HRLeadership, StartupCulture, WellbeingAtWork, PsychologicalSafety, RemoteWork, PerformanceReviews, CompensationStrategy, StartupCompensation, HighPerformance, EmployeeWellness, PeopleOperations, MentalHealthAtWork, RadicalTransparency, StartupLeadership, FlatOrganization, EmployeeEngagement, HRNewsletter, StartupBestPractices

Description: Welcome back to the FNDN Series, where we continue our deep dive into startup compensation with industry leaders from across the startup world. In our conversation with Shani Brisilovsky, AI Product Lead at Shapes and behavioral economics researcher, we explore how AI is fundamentally reshaping the HR function — from automating admin-heavy processes to positioning people teams as the drivers of organization-wide AI transformation. We dig into the shortcomings of legacy HRIS platforms, the rise of agentic AI in people operations, and why the future of HR is less about rigid calendars and more about real-time, human-centered decision-making. Stick around to hear Shani's advice on how people leaders can get ahead of the curve before it's too late.

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome to the FNDN Series
00:44 Guest Introduction: Shani Brisilovsky
01:37 Keeping Up with AI's Rapid Pace of Change
03:34 How a Behavioral Economics Master's Informs AI Thinking
05:21 The Evolving Role of HR in the Age of AI
06:39 HR as the Driver of AI Transformation: The Atlassian Example
08:22 Challenges of Leading Transformative Organizational Change
09:30 Moving from Rigid HR Cadences to Real-Time Processes
13:35 Preserving the Human Element Amid Automation
14:17 Lessons from Healthcare: Freeing Up Time for What Matters
18:09 The Emergency Room Story: Human Connection Throughout the Process
20:10 Where Current HRIS Systems Are Falling Short
24:50 Agentic AI and How Shapes Is Building for the Future
30:32 Addressing AI Concerns: Privacy, Security, and Hallucinations
32:33 Vibe Feature Demo: Generating Salary Bands with a Single Prompt
33:44 Advice for People Leaders: Start Now, Don't Wait
35:14 Closing Remarks

Connect with Shani

Visit: https://shapes.co/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanibrusi/

Resources Mentioned

Join Startup People Summit, a one-day virtual conference designed for startup People leaders who want practical insight, honest conversations and proven approaches to scaling their People function — get your ticket here: www.startuppeoplesummit.com 

Companies & Organisations Mentioned: Shapes — AI-native HRIS platform where Shani serves as AI Product Lead

MIT AHA (Advanced Humans with AI) Research Center — Research hub studying how people interact with AI tools; conferences available online

Atlassian — Notable example of a company placing AI transformation under its HR/People team

Zapier — Another example where the Chief People Officer took ownership of AI transformation

Anthropic — Recommended by Shani as a direct, high-quality source for learning how AI is being built and used

A16z — Published the article Workday's Last Workday, referenced in the discussion on legacy HRIS limitations  

More FNDN Episodes:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4GeBIeZOKrFxG1oiiPxmiM

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fndn-series/id1794263484

AIinHR, FutureOfWork, HRTechnology, PeopleOperations, BehavioralEconomics, AgenticAI, HRISPlatforms, StartupCompensation, HRLeadership, AITransformation, PeopleTeams, WorkplaceInnovation, HRAutomation, StartupCulture, CompensationStrategy, RealTimeHR, HumanCenteredAI, EmployeeExperience, TalentManagement, StartupBestPractices

Description: Welcome back to the FNDN Series, where we continue our deep dive into startup compensation with industry leaders from across the startup world. In our conversation with Ben Langner, Global HR Executive, we explore the evolving role of AI in HR — where it genuinely accelerates decision-making, where it falls short, and which human moments should never be handed over to automation. Ben shares his practical framework for building a "no-fly list" of irreplaceable human interactions, and how people teams can lead AI adoption inside their organizations with confidence and clarity.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to the FNDN Series
00:44 Welcome Ben Langner: AI and HR Today
02:19 Speed to Insight: AI's Most Practical HR Use Cases
04:46 The Risk of Using AI as a Crutch
08:43 Better Prompting: How to Get More Out of AI
10:08 Interactive Prompting vs. Single-Point Prompts
12:24 AI in Practice: Internal vs. Personal Use Cases
13:45 Why Claude Is Changing Lives in the HR Space
15:58 Balancing AI's Pace of Change with Security
16:04 The List: Defining Where Humans Must Stay in the Loop
19:08 How to Start the AI Conversation Inside Your Business
22:52 Performance Management: A Clear Case for Human Judgment
24:45 Personal Moments at Work That Should Never Be Automated
26:59 AI as a Gift for HR Teams, Not a Threat
29:51 How AI Is Elevating the HR Role
30:19 Connecting People Data to Business Outcomes
36:04 AI Adoption: How HR Teams Can Lead the Charge
40:22 Finding and Nurturing AI Champions Internally
43:18 Raising the Ceiling: Adoption Models That Work
44:34 Hackathons and Think Tanks: Structured AI Innovation
47:10 Closing Thoughts and Wrap-Up

Connect with Ben Langner

Visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benlangner/

Resources Mentioned

Tools Mentioned: Claude (Anthropic) — AI tool Ben highlights as a game-changer for HR professionals in the last 30–60 days

Events Mentioned: Join Startup People Summit, a one-day virtual conference designed for startup People leaders who want practical insight, honest conversations and proven approaches to scaling their People function — get your ticket here: www.startuppeoplesummit.com 

More FNDN Episodes:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4GeBIeZOKrFxG1oiiPxmiM

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fndn-series/id1794263484

AIinHR, HRLeadership, PeopleOperations, AIAdoption, FutureOfWork, HRTech, StartupCompensation, HumanMoments, AIandHR, PeopleData, PromptingTips, HRStrategy, WorkplaceAutomation, PeopleTeams, StartupCulture, HRInnovation, AIChampions, ChangeManagement, TalentRetention, StartupLeadership

Welcome back to the FNDN Series, where we continue our deep dive into startup compensation with industry leaders from across the startup world. In our conversation with Phil Wolf, Founder of Connects Health and workplace wellbeing specialist with over 15 years of experience, we unpack the growing mental load crisis facing today's workforces and why traditional wellbeing programs are falling short. We explore Phil's Wayfinder Framework — a practical, scalable approach to embedding genuine wellbeing strategy into companies of any size — and what it actually takes to build a culture where people can perform without burning out.

You don't need a HRIS, you need a PeopleOS. The only platform with native AI is Shapes. Check it out here: https://shapes.co/lp/insights-lp?utm_source=newsletter&utm_term=matt_april

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction and Welcome
01:08 Meet Phil Wolf: Workplace Wellbeing Specialist
01:59 The State of Wellbeing in Today's Workforce
03:45 The Biggest Challenge: Constant Mental Load
07:04 AI, Efficiency Pressure, and Burnout
08:34 Why Removing Admin Work Can Backfire
09:52 Time Boxing and Energy Pattern Planning
11:17 Job Security Anxiety and the AI Threat
12:40 External Stressors: News, Cost of Living, and Low-Grade Anxiety
15:49 How to Curate Your Information Diet
19:29 LinkedIn Tips for Healthier Consumption
20:54 The Problem with Traditional Wellbeing Programs
22:12 Why EAPs Alone Are Not Enough
23:13 From Initiatives to Strategy: The Industry Shift
25:07 The Safe, Productive, and Prosperous Framework
28:06 Redefining What Wellbeing Really Means
29:20 When Should Companies Start Taking Wellbeing Seriously?
30:59 The Wayfinder Framework Explained
35:26 Making It Work for Small and Growing Businesses
37:21 The Wellbeing Enrichment Program
39:24 Real-World Results: Insurance, Burnout Metrics, and ROI
45:28 Recap and Key Takeaways
46:09 Final Tip: Upskill Your Managers First
47:26 Resources and Where to Find Phil
49:28 Closing Remarks

Connect with Phil Wolf

Visit: connectshealth.com.au linkedin.com/in/philwolf

Resources Mentioned

Programs & Frameworks: Wayfinder Framework — Phil's core model for embedding wellbeing across any size organization: Purpose, Values, Skills, Systems, and Support Wellbeing Enrichment Program — Phil's all-in-one wellbeing solution that replaces traditional EAP models

Newsletter: Connects Health Tuesday Newsletter — Weekly practical breakdowns on wellbeing and performance for HR leaders and business owners

News Source Mentioned: The Squiz — Australian daily news program offering an unbiased 10-minute summary of current events

Join Startup People Summit, a one-day virtual conference designed for startup People leaders who want practical insight, honest conversations and proven approaches to scaling their People function — get your ticket here: www.startuppeoplesummit.com

More FNDN Episodes:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4GeBIeZOKrFxG1oiiPxmiM Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fndn-series/id1794263484

WorkplaceWellbeing, BurnoutPrevention, StartupCulture, EmployeeWellbeing, WellbeingStrategy, MentalHealthAtWork, WayfinderFramework, PeopleOperations, HRLeadership, StartupCompensation, HighPerformance, WorkplaceResilience, EAPAlternative, PeopleAndCulture, ManagerDevelopment, StartupLeadership, FNDNSeries, AIAndWork, WorkLifeBalance, EmployeeEngagement

Welcome back to the FNDN Series, where we continue our deep dive into startup compensation with industry leaders from across the startup world. In our conversation with Jesse Schofer, Founder of Stacked and leading voice in HR tech, we explore the critical infrastructure gaps holding HR teams back from becoming truly strategic functions. We unpack why most people ops teams are stuck in a cycle of reactive admin work, how to build a scalable HR tech stack aligned to business outcomes, and what the future of AI-powered HR infrastructure actually looks like.

You don't need a HRIS, you need a PeopleOS. The only platform with native AI is Shapes. Check it out here: https://shapes.co/lp/insights-lp?utm_source=newsletter&utm_term=matt_april

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

00:44 Guest Introduction: Jesse Schofer

01:05 Why HR Gets Less Budget Than Other Functions

02:43 The "Too Many Tools" Myth Debunked

04:57 Where to Start: Choosing the Right HR Tech

06:07 Strategic Prioritization Over Reactive Decisions

07:57 Contextual Infrastructure: No One-Size-Fits-All

10:59 Defining Success Before Selecting Tech

12:05 Requirements Mapping: Building Backwards from the Outcome

13:50 The Stacked Database: Broadening Your Vendor Search

16:37 All-in-One vs. Point Solutions

19:22 How New Tech Changes Your Day-to-Day Operations

22:09 The Self-Fulfilling Cycle of Poor HR Infrastructure

29:25 How to Get Executive Buy-In for Infrastructure Investment

35:06 Options Papers and Candid Leadership Conversations

41:32 State of the Union: Where HR Tech Is Falling Short

43:00 AI and the Future of People Ops as a Service Function

48:39 Closing Advice: Take Control of Your Own Development

50:36 Where to Find Jesse

Connect with Jesse

Visit: stakkd.tech 

https://linkedin.com/in/jessieschofer 

Join Startup People Summit, a one-day virtual conference designed for startup People leaders who want practical insight, honest conversations and proven approaches to scaling their People function — get your ticket here: www.startuppeoplesummit.com

Resources Mentioned:

Tools & Communities:

Stacked – HR tech discovery database built by Jesse to help teams find and shortlist vendors

Humans in the Loop – Jesse's Slack community focused on AI and HR tech transformation

More FNDN Episodes:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4GeBIeZOKrFxG1oiiPxmiM 

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fndn-series/id1794263484 

HRTech, PeopleOps, HRInfrastructure, StartupHR, HRStrategy, AIinHR, HRTechStack, PeopleOperations, HRTransformation, TechStack, PointSolution, AllInOne, HRLeadership, StrategicHR, FutureOfWork, HRData, PeopleAnalytics, HRBuyIn, ChangeManagement, StartupCompensation

Welcome back to the FNDN Series, where we continue our deep dive into startup compensation with industry leaders from across the startup world. In our conversation with Rowan Savage, Former CTO & Co-Founder at Runn, we explore how unconventional compensation practices can drive zero turnover and 100% employee net promoter scores. Rowan shares how Runn implemented automatic pay rises, pay transparency with exact salaries (no bands), location-agnostic compensation, and the radical practice of paying every role the same at each level—from engineers to marketers. We dive deep into their four-day work week, recruiting philosophy that attracted top 1% talent, and performance management approach that separated pay from performance discussions. Keep watching to discover how these practices resulted in annual pay reviews taking less than five minutes instead of weeks or months.’

Rowan is a serial entrepreneur and tech founder with a strong belief that the way you win is by attracting the best talent, putting the right team together, retaining them over the long term, aligning them on the mission and then unleashing them to do their thing. Rowan was recently the chief technology officer, and one of 4 co-founders at Runn. A fast-growing startup that’s embedded many of these ideas at the core including transparent pay, aysnc remote, worldwide hiring, flexible working hours and let’s not forget a 4 day work week.

Chapters:

00:44 Guest Introduction: Rowan Savage

01:48 Philosophy: Building High-Performing Teams

03:13 Consulting Top Talent Before Starting

05:37 People Operations Without HR Experts

08:20 Creating an Employee-Centric Culture

10:04 Redesigning Employment Contracts

13:05 Beyond Compensation: Building Your EVP

16:47 The ESOP Reality in New Zealand

19:42 The Contract as a First Impression

22:15 Hiring Process: Identifying Top Performers

24:05 Recruiting Through Community, Not Job Boards

24:48 Writing Job Ads That Attract Attention

27:09 Long Interview Processes Done Right

30:01 Investing Equal Time as Candidates

31:17 Scaling the Hiring Process

32:56 Attraction Strategy: Making a Great Workplace

34:30 Achieving 100% Employee Net Promoter Score

41:25 Automatic Pay Rises Based on Experience

44:24 Location-Agnostic Global Compensation

46:07 Five-Minute Pay Reviews vs Months-Long Cycles

47:27 Why Performance Comparisons Never Came Up

50:57 Eight-Week Cycles and Performance Tracking

52:34 Sandbagging vs High Performance Culture

54:12 Lessons Learned: Leadership Alignment Challenges

57:46 100% Retention in Engineering Team

59:35 Advice: Focus on People from Day One

Connect with Rowan

https://www.linkedin.com/in/savagerowan/ 

Resources Mentioned

Runn - Resource management platform for B2B SaaS companies

Buffer - Known for pioneering pay transparency practices

Atlassian - Australian software company referenced for compensation benchmarks

Culture Amp - People and culture platform

GitHub - Platform for software development

Canva - Australian design platform

Company Mentioned:

Runn - Resource management platform for B2B SaaS companies

Buffer - Company known for pay transparency practices

Culture Amp - People and culture platform

Atlassian - Australian software company

Canva - Australian design platform

GitHub - Software development platform

Tools Mentioned:

DISC Assessment - Personality and behavior assessment tool used by leadership team

More FNDN Episodes:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4GeBIeZOKrFxG1oiiPxmiM

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fndn-series/id1794263484

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StartupCompensation, PayTransparency, CompensationStrategy, AutomaticPayRises, LocationAgnosticPay, FourDayWorkWeek, HighPerformanceTeams, ZeroTurnover, EmployeeNetPromoterScore, PayEquity, TalentRetention, StartupCulture, RecruitingStrategy, PerformanceManagement, EmployeeEngagement, CompensationFrameworks, StartupBestPractices, PeopleOperations, RemoteWork, GlobalCompensation

Welcome back to the FNDN Series. In this episode, we sit down with Arif Ender, Director of Compensation at Palo Alto Networks and former compensation leader at Meta. We unpack the strategic differentiators tech giants use to scale from 5,000 to 50,000+ employees.

We explore why job architecture is the non-negotiable foundation for growth, the looming challenges of the EU Pay Transparency Directive, and how AI tools like Claude Code are democratizing the competitive advantages once reserved for Silicon Valley titans. Arif shares practical strategies for building custom HR tools, managing global expansion, and maintaining pay equity at scale.

About the Guest

Arif Ender is a Total Rewards expert with nearly two decades of experience at Palo Alto Networks, Meta, Mars, and Nestlé. Currently the Director of Compensation for EMEA & LATAM at Palo Alto Networks, he oversees strategy across 65+ countries. Arif is also a faculty member at WorldatWork and holds CCP, GRP, and CSCP certifications. He specializes in navigating market volatility, sales incentives, and regulatory compliance on a global scale.

Chapters

00:44 Guest Introduction: Arif Ender

01:08 EU Pay Transparency Directive: The Year Ahead

02:59 Beyond Data Modeling: Change Management Challenges

04:39 Correcting Past Practices & Preventing Future Issues

06:02 Making the Business Case: Fines, Tenders, and Reputation

09:36 Scaling Compensation: From 500 to 5,000+ Employees

12:55 Job Architecture: The Non-Negotiable Foundation

16:22 The Meta Advantage: Custom-Built HR Tools

18:02 Scaling Crisis: Approving 800 Offers Solo

20:01 Why Most Companies Lack Meta's Tooling Strategy

24:06 AI's Democratization of Competitive Advantages

28:06 Learning Claude Code: The Practical Roadmap

32:08 Building Custom Tools: Family Finance to Market Pricing

36:01 Why People Teams Should Build Their Own Tools

38:00 The "Rest of World" Problem for US-Headquartered Companies

41:09 First Moves: Hiring Global Expertise Early

42:18 The Painful Transition: Structuring for Scale

43:14 "Hire at All Cost" vs. Pay Equity Reality

48:02 Meta's Philosophy: No Counter-Offers Ever

52:28 2026 and Beyond: EU Pay Transparency Predictions

56:04 Cultural Nuances: The Nigeria Allowances Story

Connect with Arif

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/arifender

Resources Mentioned

Companies & Organizations:

Palo Alto Networks – Global cybersecurity leader.

Meta (Facebook) – Where Arif scaled comp during hyper-growth.

WorldatWork – The leading association for Total Rewards professionals.

WGEA – Australia’s Workplace Gender Equality Agency.

Tools & Technologies:

Claude Code – AI tool for building custom applications.

Lovable – AI-driven rapid app development.

Gemini & ChatGPT – Large Language Models for productivity.

Next.js – Framework used for building HR tool frontends.

Concepts & Frameworks:

EU Pay Transparency Directive – New legislation regarding pay equity.

Job Architecture – The framework for organizing roles and levels.

Statistical Regression Modeling – Used for deep pay equity analysis.

More FNDN Episodes

Spotify: Listen Here

Apple Podcast: Listen Here

Tags:

#EUPayTransparency #CompensationAtScale #PayEquity #JobArchitecture #MetaCompensation #StartupCompensation #GlobalCompensation #AITools #ClaudeCode #HRTech #PeopleOps #TalentStrategy #CompFrameworks #GenderPayGap #ScalingStartups

Welcome back to the FNDN Series, where we continue our deep dive into startup compensation with industry leaders from across the startup world. In our conversation with James Seechurn, author of What Pay Costs and Nothing Left to Take Away, we challenge everything you thought you knew about compensation. James dismantles the myths behind pay for performance models, merit cycles, and competency frameworks while exploring why companies fail to pay people fairly. We dive into the tension between chaos and control in startups, examine the future of work in an AI-driven economy, and discuss how participative workforces and employee ownership can transform company culture. Stick around for one of the most eye-opening conversations about compensation you'll ever hear.

James Alexander Seechurn is an author and advisor specializing in sales compensation, incentives, and the design of reward systems. He advises companies on how pay, job architecture, and performance systems shape behavior, culture, and long-term outcomes. James is the author of Nothing Left to Take Away and What Pay Costs, where he challenges conventional pay-for-performance thinking and draws on research, history, and real-world examples to rethink how organizations motivate people.

Chapters:

00:44 Guest Introduction: James Seechurn

02:26 The Balance of Chaos and Control in Startups

07:04 Pay Transparency and the Failure of Fair Compensation

11:35 Why Companies Haven't Paid People Fairly

16:23 Making the Economic Case for Fair Pay

20:43 Innovation Failures: BlackBerry, Google, and Kodak

26:45 Employee Ownership vs VC-Backed Models

31:35 The Problems with Merit Cycles and Pay for Performance

37:11 Why Competency Frameworks Infantilize Employees

43:22 Career Progression as the True Reward

48:37 Pay Tiers and Living Wages: A Better Approach

56:21 Peer-to-Peer Rewards and Participative Workforces

1:03:57 Advice for Startup Leaders: Trust Your People

1:12:39 The Future of Work in a Stagnant Wage Environment

1:21:02 Fractional Work and the Possible Return of Unions

1:27:21 The Executive Pay Problem

1:33:35 The Role of a Great CEO

Connect with James

Visit: LinkedIn profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-seechurn/ 

Guest: James Seechurn

Resources Mentioned

Books:

Companies Mentioned:

Concepts:

More FNDN Episodes:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4GeBIeZOKrFxG1oiiPxmiM 

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fndn-series/id1794263484 

Welcome back to the FNDN Series, where we continue our deep dive into startup compensation with industry leaders from across the startup world. In our conversation with Carmen Amador, Founder of The Cycle Method and business psychologist, we unpack the critical connection between the menstrual cycle and workplace performance that most organizations are missing. We explore how the modern work environment, built on industrial revolution principles, fails to account for cyclical rhythms and discuss the untapped potential when we understand and leverage the unique strengths that come with each phase of the menstrual cycle. Keep watching to discover why women are twice as likely to burn out at work and what actionable steps both individuals and organizations can take to create more inclusive, effective workplaces.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction and Warm-Up Conversation

02:30 Guest Introduction: Carmen from The Cycle Method

04:45 Why the Menstrual Cycle Matters in the Workplace

08:15 The Personal Health Journey That Led to Professional Mission

12:00 How Modern Work Structure Ignores Cyclical Rhythms

15:20 The Burnout Statistics: Why Women Are Twice as Likely to Burn Out

18:10 Myth Busting: Beyond Period Pain and Pregnancy

21:40 The C-Suite Framework: CEO, CIO, CPO, CMO, and COO Energies

27:30 Understanding Your Unique Cyclical Patterns

31:15 The Three Layers: Self-Awareness, Adjustment, and Cycle Mastery

36:20 Practical Applications: Sync, Adjust, and Prepare

40:25 The Business Case: Untapped Potential and Performance

43:50 Using Product and Tech Language: Agile Meets Biology

46:40 The Policy vs. Culture Gap: Spain's Menstrual Leave Example

49:30 Creating All-Gender Inclusive Conversations

51:45 Generational Perspectives on Menstrual Cycle Awareness

53:20 Beyond the Menstrual Cycle: Including All Hormonal Experiences

54:45 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

65:50 Beyond the Menstrual Cycle: Including All Hormonal Experiences

68:00 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Connect with Carmen

Visit: thecyclemethod.com

linkedin.com/in/carmenpsychologist 

Resources Mentioned

Research and Studies:

Concepts and Frameworks:

Media:

• A Good Hang by Amy Poehler - YouTube series mentioned in conversation

More FNDN Episodes:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4GeBIeZOKrFxG1oiiPxmiM 

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fndn-series/id1794263484 

MenstrualCycleAwareness, WorkplaceWellbeing, WomensHealth, StartupCulture, BurnoutPrevention, HormonalHealth, CyclicalLiving, PeopleOperations, InclusiveWorkplace, WorkplaceEquity, PerformanceOptimization, HRInnovation, DiversityAndInclusion, EmployeeWellbeing, StartupLeadership, WomenInBusiness, CycleTracking, HolisticWorkplace, PsychologicalSafety, StartupBestPractices