Getting Personal with Compt

In this episode of Getting Personal with Compt, Lauren sits down with Rachel Anne, educator, coach, and founder of the Menopause Education Center, to talk about menopause, perimenopause, self-advocacy, and why so many women are left to figure out their own bodies without enough information or support.

Rachel shares her own experience navigating symptoms, doctors, late-night research, and the lack of accessible education around menopause. She also explains why “powering through” is not the same thing as strength, and why knowing yourself, asking better questions, and advocating for care can be life-changing.

They also discuss how menopause shows up at work, from brain fog and sleep disruption to burnout, presenteeism, turnover, and the quiet exit of senior women who have spent decades building their careers.

In this episode, we discuss:

* Why the lack of menopause education can feel so terrifying
* How women are often dismissed, misdiagnosed, or told they’re “just getting older”
* Why self-advocacy starts with trusting that you know your own body
* The problem with expecting women to “power through” symptoms
* How menopause impacts work, leadership, productivity, and retention
* What menopause support at work can actually look like
* Why small accommodations can make a career-saving difference

Rachel’s message is clear: you’re not alone, you’re not broken, and you deserve support that helps you feel like yourself again.

And, as always, if you'd like to be a guest, email Lauren at [email protected]

What happens when HR stops talking about innovation in theory and starts building the systems that make it work?

In this episode of Getting Personal with Compt, Lauren sits down with KK Mayo, Senior Director of People Ops at Ava Labs, to talk about scaling a people function from 45 employees to 250, building better onboarding systems, and creating the “rails” that help fast-growing teams move without breaking.

KK shares how her team thinks about automation, AI enablement, leadership buy-in, and the behind-the-scenes workflows that make People Ops more strategic and less reactive.

In this episode, we discuss:

•  How KK helped scale Ava Labs’ People Ops function 
•  Why efficiency creates more room for strategic thinking 
•  The story behind Ava Labs’ 98 automated onboarding workflows 
•  How a 90-day quality-of-hire workflow gives recruiting and managers better feedback 
•  Why AI adoption should be shared across People Ops, security, and managers 
•  What companies risk when AI policies exist “somewhere,” but employees don’t know what to do 
•  The burnout lesson KK learned the hard way while scaling HR 

This conversation is about AI, automation, and systems, but more than that, it’s about building work in a way that doesn’t rely on one person holding everything together.

Work isn’t separate from the rest of life anymore.

In this episode of Getting Personal with Compt, Lauren sits down with Angela Howard, culture strategist and founder of Call for Culture, to talk about what it means to lead right now — in a moment where everything feels like it’s happening all at once.

From burnout and political tension to AI and shifting expectations of work, Angela describes this moment as the “messy middle of tension.” And instead of trying to escape it, she challenges leaders to move through it with intention, care, and courage.

They talk about what happens when the realities of the world show up at work, why traditional approaches to culture change are falling short, and what it looks like to build something more human from here.

In this episode, we discuss:

•  Why “if it’s happening in the world, it’s happening at work” is changing leadership 
•  The idea of the “messy middle” and what it means for organizations 
•  A powerful moment from Culture Impact Lab: a eulogy for DEI 
•  The difference between leadership and management (and why it matters right now) 
•  Why small, everyday actions are the real drivers of culture 
•  How focusing on local impact and community can be a more sustainable path forward 

This is a conversation about letting go of perfect answers — and choosing how to show up anyway.

The Culture Impact Lab is May 13-14 in Chicago. Visit callforculture.com to learn more.

Want to be a guest on the show? Email [email protected]. 

Hiring has changed. Not just the process, but what candidates are actually evaluating when they consider a job.

In this episode of Getting Personal with Compt, Lauren sits down with Jeff Hyman, CEO of Recruit Rockstars and a recruiter with more than 30 years of experience placing top talent.

Jeff shares what he’s seeing from both sides of the hiring table: how candidates are evaluating companies today, why flexibility and benefits matter more than ever, and why most companies make the mistake of trying to compete with big tech on perks and compensation.

Instead, Jeff argues that companies should focus on something very different.

In this episode, we discuss:
- Why top candidates are “interviewing the company” just as much as the company interviews them
- What candidates are actually looking for beyond salary
- Why 1 in 10 lifestyle benefit dollars going to groceries isn’t surprising
- The mistake companies make when they try to copy big tech perks
- How AI may reshape recruiting, jobs, and compensation over the next decade

Jeff also shares practical advice for companies that want to attract great talent without blowing their budget.

Want to be a guest on the podcast? Email our host at [email protected].

In this episode of Getting Personal with Compt, Lauren sits down with Mary Migiano, Compt’s Head of Customer Experience, to unpack what the 2026 Lifestyle Benefits Benchmark Report looks like in real life.

From the stat that 1 in 10 stipend dollars now goes to grocery retailers to the rise of flexible, all-inclusive lifestyle spending accounts, this conversation goes beyond the numbers.

They discuss:

• Why 2025 was defined by “doing more with less”
• What high participation really means (even when utilization varies)
• Why quarterly funding beats monthly
• How professional development budgets are shifting in the age of AI
• And what employees are actually using benefits for right now
• Plus: groceries, Costco, and why benefits today function less like perks — and more like pressure valves.

Download the full 2026 Lifestyle Benefits Benchmark Report here.

AI didn’t arrive in a vacuum. It showed up after years of crisis, burnout, and constant change at work.

In this episode of Getting Personal with Compt, Lauren Schneider sits down with Theresa Fesinstine, founder of peoplepower.ai and former CHRO, to talk about what AI adoption actually looks like inside organizations—and why the hardest part isn’t the technology.

Theresa shares her own journey from learning and development to HR leadership to building an AI education company, and reflects on how exhaustion, fear-based narratives, and unclear ownership have shaped how teams experience AI today.

This conversation isn’t about becoming an AI expert (which definitely doesn't happen overnight). It’s about curiosity over panic, asking better questions, and designing human-centered change in a moment when everything feels loud.

If AI feels overwhelming — or you’re not sure where to even start — this episode offers a calmer, more grounded way in.

Burnout doesn’t always look like collapse. Sometimes it looks like caring too much for too long.

In this episode of Getting Personal with Compt, Lauren sits down with Patrick Riecke, burnout prevention coach, national speaker, and former healthcare leader, to talk about what burnout really is, how it quietly drains energy at work, and why purpose-driven people are often the hardest hit.

Drawing on his own experience leading through crisis in healthcare, Patrick breaks down the difference between exhaustion and burnout, the hidden “energy leaks” many teams ignore, and what actually helps people recover without resorting to surface-level wellness fixes.

As we look ahead to 2026, this conversation offers a reset for leaders and employees who feel depleted but still deeply care about their work.

In this episode, we cover:

• How to tell if you’re burned out—or just tired
• Why caring deeply can accelerate burnout
• The subtle ways work drains energy
• What burnout recovery really looks like
• How leaders can rebuild trust, motivation, and sustainable energy

If you’re exhausted, overwhelmed, or worried about losing good people, this episode will resonate.
And take the test at http://myburnouttest.com

What happens when “routine” healthcare goes wrong?

When Jennifer Kean’s 80-year-old father was hospitalized for a standard surgery, it spiraled into eight weeks of complications, missed medications, and a crash course in how broken the healthcare system can be.

With her siblings scattered across the country, Jennifer found herself coordinating care, navigating Medicare, and trying to work full-time—all while wondering why no one was helping families like hers.

That experience led her to Umbra Health Advocacy, where she now helps families and employers bridge the gap between care and chaos.

In this episode of Getting Personal, we talk about:

• How caregiving impacts working professionals
• What patient advocates actually do—and why everyone needs one
• Why 70% of caregivers are also working full-time
• The emotional toll of caring for aging parents
• What real support looks like—at work and at home

If you’re caring for someone you love, or just trying to make sense of the healthcare maze, this conversation will hit home.

🎧 Listen to the full episode and subscribe for more conversations that humanize work, leadership, and life.

What do frontline workers really want from leadership? (Spoiler: it’s not another HR email.)

In this episode of Getting Personal with Compt, we sit down with Victoria Dew, Founder & CEO of Dewpoint Communications, who has spent nearly 20 years helping companies actually connect with their people—especially the ones who don’t sit behind a desk.

We dig into:
✅ Why frontline workers feel unheard—despite making up 70–80% of the global workforce
✅ What companies get wrong about employee communication
✅ Why tech alone won’t fix engagement (looking at you, “culture platforms”)
✅ The power of listening as a business strategy
✅ How managers shape wellbeing, retention, and trust more than any app ever will
✅ Real strategies to build connection, loyalty, and resilience—at scale

Victoria also shares insights from her new report, Connecting the Frontline, based on research across 18 industries—from construction and healthcare to manufacturing and food & beverage. If you lead people, work in HR or internal comms, or simply care about building a workplace that works, this conversation will shift how you think.

🎧 Listen to the full episode and grab the report here: https://dewpointcomms.com/resources

In this inspiring episode of Getting Personal with Compt, Pete Schramm, CEO and founder of Latitude, shares how growing up on a Pennsylvania farm shaped his approach to building relationships and creating opportunities. Standing at 6'8", Pete's perspective on connection is as expansive as his height.

Pete takes us through his remarkable journey:

• From farm chores in Butler, PA to playing basketball abroad in Hong Kong
• How he transformed cultural and language barriers into opportunities for connection
• The pivotal moment when he asked his boss, "How can I be the best employee you ever had?"
• Why intentional mentorship isn't just for those at the top—it's for everyone

This conversation offers practical insights on how to build meaningful professional relationships, seek out effective mentorship, and create systems that foster growth for yourself and others.

Want to be a guest on Getting Personal with Compt and share your own stories? Reach out to our host, [email protected] — we'd love to hear from you!