In this follow-up with Mike Reading, we get real about his build journey since we last talked. Mike's now part of a founder lab, working to refine his approach to scaling {RDT} DevAI, and operating inside the pressure of building something that matters.

In this conversation we dive a little deeper and break down the art of critical thinking, why it’s a muscle, why it’s at risk and why leaders who stop training it will fall behind fast.

Because better tools don’t make better decisions. Better thinking does.

The future of talent won’t be hired. It will be built.

In this episode, we explore how TalentSquare is redefining talent acquisition, moving beyond jobs, beyond pipelines, and toward a connected ecosystem designed for speed, quality, and scale.

Brano Vargic shares the origin story, the technology behind the platform, and the leadership principles required to disrupt an industry that’s long overdue for change.

This is a conversation for operators who care about impact over effort when scaling hiring.

Joe Silva doesn’t do theory. He’s built his career in the real world of cybersecurity, across both defense and private sectors, where the stakes are high and the margin for error is zero. Now, as Founder & CEO of Spektion, he’s channeling that experience into building something of his own and it shows. Some people are wired to lead, to build, to take the risk. Joe is one of them.

In this episode, we get into what it actually looks like to make that jump from operator to founder and the mindset shift that comes with it. We also (of course) put HR under the microscope. Joe’s take? Let’s just say he’s got opinions. And they’re not the ones you hear in HR echo chambers.

Even though we’re building completely different products, the overlap in how we think about people, performance, and building something that actually works is real.

Tune in for this candid conversation on leadership, building in high-stakes environments, and what it really takes to scale something from the ground up.

After leading HR at scale, Jenna Ferrua made a deliberate move away from the corporate model to join STRATIVIS as a Principal Consultant and Fractional CHRO.

In this episode, we unpack that decision. What she saw from inside large organizations, why she believes the future of HR is more agile and outcome-driven, and how she’s now ready to help companies solve real business challenges without the overhead.

A grounded, honest conversation on leadership, timing, and building where you can have the greatest impact.

Wrapping up our month of strong female voices, we have HR leader, Erisa Ojimba.

In this episode, we sit down with Erisa and unpack the career moments, leadership influences and hard-earned lessons that shaped how she shows up today. We talk about the traps leaders fall into when they prioritize harmony over credibility and why chasing likeability can quietly limit impact and authority. 

This is a candid conversation about building trust, earning respect, and leading with clarity, even when it means being uncomfortable. Because in leadership, being liked isn’t the goal. Being trusted is.

In this episode of Fractional Frequency, we’re joined by Megan Mirkes, Operations Manager of Kidz Kabaret, for a conversation on what the corporate world can learn from the arts.

Leading in creative and nonprofit environments requires a different lens. Megan shares how simple acts of gratitude, empathy, and truly understanding the experience of your team can shape stronger cultures and more resilient organizations. When resources are limited, leaders have to be intentional about how they show appreciation and create meaning in the work.

As businesses navigate tighter budgets, the nonprofit world offers an interesting blueprint. Megan talks about how organizations like Kidz Kabaret balance the books while still making people feel valued and connected to the mission. The takeaway may surprise some leaders — the things that make the biggest impact on teams aren’t always financial.

As part of our nod to women in leadership this month, we’re joined by one of our favorite people, Nponano Maikori.

Nponano is a strategic communications leader with over 15 years of experience building programs that cultivate engagement, shape culture and connect the dots across complex, global organizations. She brings both precision and heart to her work, using communications not just as messaging, but as a catalyst for clarity, alignment, and real change.

Currently the Director of Communications at Baker Donelson, Nponano understands something many leaders overlook: authority isn’t just held in titles, it’s built in narrative.

In this episode, we explore the power moves that don’t make headlines. The subtle decisions. The behind-the-scenes influence. The long-game thinking that builds credibility and trust inside organizations, especially in environments where not every voice is equally amplified.

This is a conversation about influence without ego, narrative without noise, and the quiet force that shapes how organizations move.

If you care about leadership, reputation, and building authority that lasts, this one’s for you.

Today’s guest is dialing in from London and she doesn’t build small.

Entrepreneur and ambitious operator, Gail is the founder and CEO of H&G Recruitment, a business she scaled from zero to £43M in annual revenue. She also launched NTS, Network Transport Solutions just a year ago, and it’s already turning over £2M annually.

She leads a team of 50+, has built authority and credibility in historically male-heavy industries, crediting her success to sharp strategy, disciplined execution, and zero appetite for excuses.

“Authentic leadership” gets thrown around a lot.

But when it’s inconvenient? When it risks power or when it costs you comfort? Do you still choose it?

In this episode Amy and Erin sit down with Jacob Little, a leader who has shaped careers, built psychological safety at scale, and led with conviction even when it wasn’t the easy path.

This isn’t a conversation about being likable.

It’s about congruence between who you are and how you decide, the difference between vulnerability and leading vulnerably, the real risk of showing up fully. Especially in senior roles. Why authenticity requires discipline, not just openness, and how AI is increasing the premium on distinctly human leadership.

We unpack the hard edges: when authenticity feels risky, the tension between transparency and oversharing, the pressure to “play the role,” what high performers must unlearn when they step into leadership, and why values don’t earn you credit, they hold you accountable.

Honest. Reflective. Practical. No leadership theater. Just the real work.

Most companies treat values like marketing copy. Polished, framed, and quietly ignored when decisions get inconvenient. We didn’t build STRATIVIS that way.

Values were the infrastructure first. Everything else came after.

People First, Always isn’t a tagline we added to sound good. It’s the standard we operate against, moment to moment, decision to decision. It shows up in the teams we’ve built, the leaders we’ve challenged and the calls we’ve made when it would have been easier not to.

In this episode, we break down what values are actually supposed to do: hold weight under pressure, guide decisions when there isn’t a clear playbook, and shape the kind of company you become, whether you planned for it or not.

Because values aren’t what you publish. They’re what you prove.