Host Leah Cottham sits down with Hudson Brock, CEO and Founder of AlloHire, to explore what truly sets top talent apart in today's rapidly changing work environment. Hudson shares his framework for identifying A players through three key traits that go far beyond traditional resume screening. The conversation dives into how AI is reshaping recruiting processes while emphasizing why human connection remains essential for emotional career decisions.

Hudson introduces the concept of vocational capital and building career equity, explaining how the best talent views work as adding value to others rather than just collecting paychecks. They discuss practical strategies for supporting employee development, from creating learning margins throughout the week to implementing alliance-based employment relationships. The discussion also covers global hiring opportunities and challenges, including cultural intelligence and combating remote work loneliness through intentional team building.

Key topics covered:

[00:00] Intro

[02:30] Defining A-Players with Humble, Hungry, Smart Framework

[05:18] Building Trust in Interview Processes

[07:23] Algorithm Bias in Applicant Tracking Systems

[10:21] Resume Writing Skills Gap for Gen Z

[13:02] Attract Don't Chase Career Strategy

[14:05] Performance Image Exposure Career Framework

[17:16] Employer Brand vs Job Description Gaps

[22:01] Quick Apply Application Response Rates

[24:42] Practical AI Applications in Recruiting

[27:24] Audio Messages Breaking Through AI Noise

[30:30] Over-Relying on AI Technology Risks

[33:15] Deep Fakes and Fake Candidates

[36:51] Vocational Capital and Career Equity

[42:00] Mobility and Meaning for Next Generation

[44:34] Creating Learning Margins for Remote Teams

[52:15] Global Hiring Cultural Intelligence Challenges

[59:31] Hiring Red Flag Common Denominators

[1:03:53] Shadowing as Interview Process Innovation

Tune in for actionable insights on attracting top talent and building meaningful career partnerships in the modern workplace.

Host Leah Cottham sits down with Marissa Goldberg, founder of Remote Work Prep, to explore how AI is reshaping remote team management without replacing human workers. Marissa brings years of experience building AI powered operational solutions for distributed teams and shares practical insights from her journey since 2015. The conversation tackles common misconceptions about remote work productivity and reveals how overwork is actually more prevalent than underwork in remote environments.

Marissa breaks down her human centered approach to AI adoption, emphasizing the importance of starting with problems rather than tools. She shares specific examples like automated Slack thread summarization and performance review tracking that help teams work more efficiently. The discussion covers transparent AI interfaces, human in the loop safeguards, and practical tips for leaders looking to implement AI without creating fear among team members.

Key topics covered:

[00:00] Intro

[01:37] Remote work misconceptions and overwork reality

[03:06] Biggest misconception about remote workers

[06:23] AI tools transforming remote team management

[08:09] Starting with problems not tools

[09:24] People first approach to AI adoption

[12:07] Human centered AI in practice

[14:24] Documentation automation for remote teams

[18:02] Slack emoji automation for decisions

[21:51] Performance review tracking made easy

[25:12] Human in the loop safeguards explained

[29:13] Leadership mistakes in AI adoption

[31:43] Personal AI productivity tools

[34:38] Advice for AI hesitant workers

[36:25] AI reducing context switching strategies

[41:34] Future of async first remote work

[45:00] Risks without human centered approach

[47:11] Balancing technology with team culture

This episode offers actionable strategies for remote leaders ready to leverage AI while protecting team culture and human strengths.

Leah Cottham sits down with Renita Käsper, a global talent acquisition leader with 20 years of experience building multicultural teams across Asia Pacific, Europe, and beyond. Renita shares why cultural intelligence has become essential for remote leaders managing distributed teams and explains the critical difference between hiring globally and actually setting teams up for success.

The conversation explores how unintentional systems and processes can silence diverse voices, even when companies have good intentions about building inclusive teams. Renita walks through real examples of cultural miscommunication in remote settings, from misunderstood urgency levels to the dangers of acronym-heavy onboarding processes. She emphasizes that cultural intelligence goes beyond one-off training sessions and must be embedded into daily communication systems, feedback processes, and leadership approaches.

Key topics covered:

[00:00] Intro

[04:53] Cultural intelligence as core leadership skill

[09:22] Defining cultural intelligence and curiosity

[14:17] Treating others as they want to be treated

[20:03] Remote first companies need intentional cultural systems

[26:05] Unintentionally silencing cultural voices in global teams

[31:23] When remote teams become afraid to speak up

[34:08] Embedding cultural intelligence from the start

[38:32] Building culturally intelligent onboarding processes

[50:00] Buddy systems and connection tools like Donut

[54:54] Moving beyond culture fit to culture enrichment

[1:02:43] Building relationships before focusing on tasks

[1:04:57] Ask more questions and assume less

This episode offers practical strategies for remote leaders looking to move beyond culture fit toward what Renita calls culture enrichment, where teams intentionally leverage diverse perspectives rather than defaulting to homogeneous hiring practices.

Explore how AI is transforming hiring, team building, and leadership—and where human expertise still matters. Katie, a fractional COO and startup founder, shares practical lessons for leaders navigating the AI era.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How to use AI as a tool, not a replacement, for tasks like candidate screening and data analysis

• Why building your processes manually first is essential before automating

• The rise of fractional leadership and its impact on startups

• The critical role of emotional intelligence in orchestrating humans and AI

• How to operate with intention, clear communication, and strong core values

• When automation can actually create more work than it saves

Learn how to harness AI as an enabler while keeping the human touch your ultimate advantage.

Host Leah Cottham chats with Gina Schinkel, founder of Driftawave, about how the future of work demands mission-driven leadership and strategic team retreats.

From her journey at LinkedIn to launching a company that builds transformational offsites, Gina shares how remote teams can create genuine connection and measurable business results.

They break down ROI metrics, debunk common CEO misconceptions about offsites, and explore why trust beats control in building thriving distributed teams.

Key topics covered:

[00:00] Intro

[03:21] Mission Driven Leadership for Remote Teams

[06:16] Common CEO Misconceptions About Workstations

[09:54] How Top Companies Use Offsites Strategically

[17:28] Essential Planning Advice for HR Leaders

[22:41] Creating Transformational Offsite Experiences

[26:20] Designing Offsites by Energy and Atmosphere

[28:01] Measuring ROI from Team Retreats

[31:21] Biggest Remote Culture Building Mistakes

[36:17] Human Connection in an AI World

[39:23] Knowledge Work Burnout Solutions

[44:41] Future of Work Leadership Message

Discover why leading remote companies design retreats around energy and atmosphere—and why, in the age of AI, human connection is more valuable than ever.

Find out how a values-driven talent philosophy can transform your hiring process, strengthen culture, and improve retention. You'll learn why behaviors often matter more than skills, how to align employer branding with candidate experience, and the risks of rushing to fill roles. Plus, practical tips on building inclusive hiring systems, fostering curiosity and trust, and supporting internal mobility - especially in remote and distributed teams.

What you'll learn:

• How to define and apply a value-led talent philosophy

• Why behaviors can outweigh skills in long-term success

• Ways to align candidate experience with company culture and values

• Common hiring strategy pitfalls and how to avoid them

• How to build inclusive and authentic hiring systems

• The role of trust, curiosity, and internal mobility in distributed teams

In this episode of Freedom of Work, host Leah Cottham sits down with Selina Purdie, Head of People at Monolith AI, to explore how people teams can borrow principles from product management to design intentional employee experiences.

Selina shares her unique journey from scientist to people leader, explaining how she applies data-driven thinking to map employee touchpoints, build public roadmaps, and identify friction points throughout the employee lifecycle - from attraction to exit.

Together, Leah and Selina dive into real-world examples, from redesigning performance management for remote teams to boosting learning budget adoption and embedding company values through rituals. They highlight practical frameworks like employee journey mapping, feedback loops, and stay interviews, all designed to create trust, transparency, and sparks of joy across distributed teams.

Whether you're in HR, people ops, or simply curious about crafting better workplaces, this episode offers practical strategies and inspiring stories for rethinking the employee experience as if it were a product.

Tune in now to Freedom of Work!

80% of transformation programs fail - often because they overlook the human element.

In this episode of Freedom of Work, Leah chats with independent program director Rita about how remote and distributed teams can lead transformation projects that actually stick. From radical transparency and agile pods to psychological safety and change agents, they explore what it really takes to build meaningful, lasting change across borders and time zones.

Topics Covered:

• Why most digital transformations fail

• Embedding psychological safety in remote teams

• Change agents, fireside chats, and decentralized ops

• How to balance tech investment with people development

• Reverse mentoring to drive authentic connection

Brought to you by RemoFirst – simplifying global hiring and compliance.

Structured games aren't just fun, they're powerful tools for uncovering how teams think, communicate, and collaborate. Alexandra Suchman, Co-Founder of Barometer XP, joins Leah our Host to explore how intentionally designed play can surface hidden patterns, build psychological safety, and drive meaningful team development.

Drawing on real-life examples and insights from her work with global teams, Alex explains how leaders can use games to foster trust, give better feedback, and improve performance, especially in remote and distributed environments. Whether you're an HR leader, team manager, or culture builder, this episode offers practical ideas for bringing more connection and clarity into your workplace.

• What "structured games" really are (and why they matter)
• The iceberg model: Bonding, building, and development
• Why play reveals blind spots in team dynamics
• How to use games to boost trust and psychological safety
• Tips for applying these methods with remote teams

How can travel do more than move people - it can move culture, too?

Leah, our Host, chats with Stephen from Roamr about shifting the mindset from travel as a perk to travel as a culture-building tool. They explore how distributed teams can build deeper connections, improve collaboration, and reduce travel costs - all while making remote work more human.

What you'll learn:

• The difference between work from anywhere and work from everywhere

• Why big offsites aren't the only way to build culture

• How informal moments (like shared taxi rides) spark real connection

• Data-backed travel trends shaping distributed teams

• How to make travel more inclusive, intentional, and budget-friendly