REVUP Your Leadership with Hilda Gan

What does it take to build a workplace where people feel valued, supported, and inspired to do their best work?

In our first episode of Season 8, guest host Samantha Moonsammy sits down with Hilda Gan, author of the Amazon bestselling book REVUP Your Leadership™ — Be the Boss You Wish You Had, to explore the story behind the book, the experiences that shaped her leadership philosophy, and why putting people first is essential to building successful organizations.

Drawing on her early career in critical care nursing and her experience helping grow iTRANS Consulting to 125 employees across 7 offices that was recognized as a Best Workplaces™ in Canada, top 10 twice, Hilda shares the lessons that shaped her approach to leadership and workplace culture. She reflects on the importance of creating environments where people feel respected, valued, and empowered to contribute their unique strengths.

Hilda also shares the inspiration behind her REVUP Framework™ (Respect, Equality, Valued, Uniqueness and Potential) and the journey of bringing her book to life, from choosing the right publishing partner to celebrating its launch. Along the way, she discusses the influence of Jean Lumb and offers practical advice for leaders looking to make a meaningful difference in their workplaces.

The takeaway? Great leadership starts with caring about people. When leaders invest in their people and create cultures where employees want to stay and contribute, organizations can strengthen engagement, improve retention, and increase profitability.

Chapters

00:45 - Intro / About Guest Host Samantha Moonsammy
03:00 - About Hilda Gan
04:50 - Early beginnings and lessons from nursing
09:16 - Why now was the time to write a book
12:26 - Creating a culture where people were valued at iTrans Consulting
17:17 - Book launch celebration
20:23 - The impact of Jean Lumb on Hilda Gan
25:51 - Why Hilda chose Lucky Book Publishing
30:05 - Tips for leaders today: How they can REVUP their work culture
34:27 - Where to find Hilda and her book
36:07 - What’s next for Hilda
40:24 - Where to find Samantha and Lucky Book Publishing

About Hilda Gan:

Hilda Gan is the Founder, President, and Chief People Officer of People Bright Consulting Inc., where she helps organizations transform workplace culture through people-centric leadership, strategic HR consulting, and leadership and team training. With more than 25 years of experience spanning healthcare, technology, engineering, and organizational development, Hilda is passionate about helping leaders build workplaces where people love what they do and where they work. She is the author of REVUP Your Leadership™ — Be the Boss You Wish You Had and creator of the REVUP Framework™.

About Guest Host Samantha Moonsammy:

Samantha Moonsammy is a community builder and communications professional with more than 20 years of experience helping people share their stories. Through Lucky Book Publishing, she provides strategic coaching and publishing support to authors, helping them develop compelling books, distinctive brands, and effective marketing strategies. Her career also includes work as an award-winning celebrity event planner, television host, media personality, and public servant.

Show links

Order REVUP Your Leadership on Amazon - https://a.co/d/0h9wHUJ3

Visit Lucky Book Publishing - https://luckybookpublishing.com/

Connect with Samantha - https://ca.linkedin.com/in/smoonsammy

Connect with Hilda Gan - ca.linkedin.com/in/hildagan 

Visit us at - peoplebrightconsulting.com

Follow us

LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/company/pplbright

Twitter - twitter.com/pplbright 

Facebook - www.facebook.com/pplbright

Instagram - www.instagram.com/pplbright/ 

Hilda Gan is a sought-after expert on effective HR strategies, work culture enhancement, and employee engagement. Unique among HR consultants, Hilda combines over 25 years of HR expertise with business acumen and business owner experience.

People Bright Consulting is an award-winning HR Management Consulting firm that helps leaders of companies build the foundations for successful hiring, healthy and inclusive work culture, and engaged staff. It starts with listening to our clients and finding pragmatic customized business solutions to HR problems.

#REVUPYourLeadership #Leadership #WorkplaceCulture #PeopleFirst #LeadershipDevelopment

Nonprofits and businesses both want to make a difference, but they often approach partnerships from different starting points. Charities seek funding out of necessity, while businesses balance philanthropy with brand and community goals. When these priorities collide, partnerships can become transactional rather than transformational. What could happen if both sides worked together with greater trust and a shared focus on impact? 

In this episode, we sit down with Rob Tonus, President of The Fundraising Company and a nonprofit leader with more than three decades of experience in the charitable sector. Rob works closely with smaller organizations that may not have the resources for a full-time fundraiser but still need the strategy and expertise to achieve their goals and expand their impact.

Rob shares why nonprofit leaders need a stronger business mindset when it comes to sustainability, fundraising, and partnerships, and discusses the challenges many charities face today, from limited resources and donor expectations to the growing role of technology. We also explore how businesses can support nonprofits beyond financial contributions by offering leadership, strategy, and operational expertise to build stronger, more effective collaborations.

If you’re a nonprofit leader, fundraiser, or business professional looking to build meaningful partnerships and increase your impact, this conversation offers practical insights on how to work together to create real change.

0:00 - Intro
02:13 - What is Impact?
03:37 - Why nonprofits workers need to put on a business mentality
05:33 - How Rob helps small organizations
07:33 - Challenges faced by nonprofits today
13:36 - Unique challenges with the charitable sector (cont.)
17:37 - Philanthropy and the business sector
20:25 - How businesses can build community & give back
22:22 - Determining which organizations to support?
23:32 - The impact of Rob’s work
30:58 - Importance of knowing your donors
34:45 - Nonprofits and technology 
38:47 - What’s next or Rob
41:54 - Where to find Rob

Visit Rob’s website - https://www.fundraising-co.ca/

Connect with Rob - https://ca.linkedin.com/in/robtonus

Hosted by Hilda Gan - ca.linkedin.com/in/hildagan 

Visit us at - peoplebrightconsulting.com

Follow us

LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/company/pplbright

Twitter - twitter.com/pplbright 

Facebook - www.facebook.com/pplbright

Instagram - www.instagram.com/pplbright/ 

Hilda Gan is a sought-after expert on effective HR strategies, work culture enhancement, and employee engagement. Unique among HR consultants, Hilda combines over 25 years of HR expertise with business acumen and business owner experience.

People Bright Consulting is an award-winning HR Management Consulting firm that helps leaders of companies build the foundations for successful hiring, healthy and inclusive work culture, and engaged staff. It starts with listening to our clients and finding pragmatic customized business solutions to HR problems.

#Fundraising #NonProfit #Business #Charity 

For years, organizations have aspired to deliver truly people-centered leadership, personalized development, meaningful internal mobility, and continuous performance enablement. Yet many transformation efforts stalled, not from lack of intent, but from limits in scale, visibility, and human capacity.

In this episode, we are joined by Shveta Malhan – a people and transformation leader with over 20 years of experience helping organizations unlock human potential through better leadership, learning, and talent practices. As Managing Partner and Co-founder of Yenza3, she works with leaders to thoughtfully integrate AI into people systems, enabling personalized learning, internal mobility, and continuous performance, without losing judgment, trust, or human connection. Shveta is known for translating emerging technology into practical, people-centered transformation that actually works in the real world.

Together, we explore how AI is now removing many of the barriers that once held leadership and talent transformation back. At the same time, technology alone cannot deliver change, true transformation still depends on leadership readiness, transparency, and trust.

Tune in as we discuss how leaders can use AI to enhance, not replace, human potential, creating workplaces where performance, connection, and sound judgment reinforce each other. You’ll leave with practical use cases, frameworks, and actionable guidance to adopt AI responsibly and effectively in today’s evolving workplace.

Chapters

0:00 - Intro
03:50 - Why leadership transformation experts get stalled in the past
07:58 - How AI is enabling leaders 
12:49 - The impact and fears of AI
18:35 - Practical uses cases for AI Chatbots
28:22 - Framework to integrate AI into your work
31:45 - Advice for adopting AI today
36:12 - Building trust, more than tools
43:00 - Tips for leaders adopting AI
45:03 - What’s next for Shveta
47:24 - Where to find Shveta

Visit Shveta’s website - https://www.yenza3.com/

Connect with Shveta - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shvetamalhan/ 

Hosted by Hilda Gan - ca.linkedin.com/in/hildagan 

Visit us at - peoplebrightconsulting.com

Follow us

LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/company/pplbright

Twitter - twitter.com/pplbright 

Facebook - www.facebook.com/pplbright

Instagram - www.instagram.com/pplbright/ 

Hilda Gan is a sought-after expert on effective HR strategies, work culture enhancement, and employee engagement. Unique among HR consultants, Hilda combines over 25 years of HR expertise with business acumen and business owner experience.

People Bright Consulting is an award-winning HR Management Consulting firm that helps leaders of companies build the foundations for successful hiring, healthy and inclusive work culture, and engaged staff. It starts with listening to our clients and finding pragmatic customized business solutions to HR problems.

#AI #Leadership #DigitalTransformation 

Quiet achievers are often the most capable people in the room, yet the most overlooked. In workplaces that reward visibility and self-promotion, their thoughtful leadership style can go unnoticed, leaving them struggling to be heard or recognized. So how can quiet professionals build confidence, communicate their value and lead with presence, without changing who they are?

In this episode, we’re joined by Linda Raynier, author of The Quiet Achiever (Wiley, October 2025), keynote speaker, leadership and communication coach, and founder of the Quiet to Confident Leadership program. Linda shares practical insights on embracing quiet strengths, leading authentically, and making a meaningful impact at work.

A former CPA turned recruiter, Linda has built a career coaching business, a YouTube community of over 1 million subscribers, and LinkedIn Learning courses with over 2.6 million learners worldwide. Named one of Canada’s Top 20 Career Coaches for 2025, she brings both personal experience and proven strategies to this conversation.

In this conversation, Linda opens up about her own journey as a quiet achiever, the hidden strengths of quiet leadership, and how leaders can better support and engage quieter voices on their teams. Whether you’re a quiet professional or a leader looking to better support quieter voices, this episode offers a powerful reframe on confidence, communication, and leadership.

Chapters

0:00 - Intro

3:06 - Why Linda is passionate about helping quiet quitters become successful in the workforce

9:40 - The hidden strengths of quiet leaders (the QUIET framework)

17:06 - Experience as a quiet achiever

22:07 - Growing a YouTube channel with 1M subscribers

29:55 - Connecting with the right audience

30:28 - Who Linda works with

36:07 - Advice for leaders to connect with quiet achievers

45:11 - Linda’s book

48:58 - What’s next for Linda 

51:03 - Where to find Linda

Visit Linda’s website - https://www.lindaraynier.com/ 

Subscribe to Linda on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@LindaRaynier 

Connect with Linda - https://ca.linkedin.com/in/lindaraynier

Hosted by Hilda Gan - ca.linkedin.com/in/hildagan 

Visit us at - peoplebrightconsulting.com

Follow us

LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/company/pplbright

Instagram - www.instagram.com/pplbright/ 

Facebook - www.facebook.com/pplbright

X - twitter.com/pplbright 

Hilda Gan is a sought-after expert on effective HR strategies, work culture enhancement, and employee engagement. Unique among HR consultants, Hilda combines over 25 years of HR expertise with business acumen and business owner experience.

People Bright Consulting is an award-winning HR Management Consulting firm that helps leaders of companies build the foundations for successful hiring, healthy and inclusive work culture, and engaged staff. It starts with listening to our clients and finding pragmatic customized business solutions to HR problems.

#Leadership #QuietAchievers

Nonprofits are facing rising demand, limited budgets and digital gaps, which can quickly become overwhelming without the right strategy and expertise.

CharityVillage is partnering with Trendspire's ProEdVentures to launch a Nonprofit Transformation Partner Certification Program to train staff, consultants, and recent grads as in-house transformation leaders, blending strategy, data, process, and AI, including a real capstone project to deliver practical, sustainable change across the sector

In this episode, we are joined by Dianne Clark, who has over 25 years of experience leading a consultancy in digital operations transformation, assisting nonprofit leaders to explore digital tools and strategies for continuous improvement. Growing capacity to manage employees, engage stakeholders, make informed decisions, and more. Dianne is vendor-neutral and fluent in hundreds of software products.

In this episode, we explore Dianne’s journey, the CharityVillage collaboration, and how nonprofits can drive practical digital transformation with the program’s seven units, the role of AI and more.

0:00 - Intro

3:42 - Dianne’s journey / about the program

11:03 - How organizations can benefit from Digital Transformation

13:03 - Collaboration with Charity Village

17:11 - 7 Units of Digital Transformation

27:45 - AI and Nonprofits

35:15 - Nonprofits and ROI
43:35 - Where to find Dianne

Visit Dianne’s website - https://www.trendspire.com/

Learn more about ProEdventures - https://www.proedventures.com

Hosted by Hilda Gan - ca.linkedin.com/in/hildagan 

Visit us at - peoplebrightconsulting.com

Follow us

LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/company/pplbright

Twitter - twitter.com/pplbright 

Facebook - www.facebook.com/pplbright

Instagram - www.instagram.com/pplbright/ 

Hilda Gan is a sought-after expert on effective HR strategies, work culture enhancement, and employee engagement. Unique among HR consultants, Hilda combines over 25 years of HR expertise with business acumen and business owner experience.

People Bright Consulting is an award-winning HR Management Consulting firm that helps leaders of companies build the foundations for successful hiring, healthy and inclusive work culture, and engaged staff. It starts with listening to our clients and finding pragmatic customized business solutions to HR problems.

#DigitalTransformation #Nonprofit

Power can elevate a leader’s influence — but it can also quietly erode the very qualities that made them effective in the first place.

In this episode of REVUP Your Leadership, we explore The Power Paradox with Ivan Palomino, behavioral science expert, culture transformation strategist, and founder of PeopleKult. Drawing on decades of research and his 25 years working with global corporations, Ivan breaks down how power subtly shifts the brain, dulls our ability to read others, and expands leadership blind spots.

Together, we explore how leaders can rebuild self-awareness as a skill, counter the distortions of power, and stay grounded in the human side of leadership. If you want to lead with clarity, empathy, and impact, no matter how much influence you hold, this episode will challenge you, stretch you, and equip you.

Chapters:

0:00 - Intro

4:00 - The Power Paradox

09:45 - Losing your edge

18:01 - How to help break the Power Paradox

23:24 - Toxic work culture

24:44 - The high cost of leadership blind spots

26:45 - Self awareness and the importance of mentorship

28:56 - Mental Models

30:51 - REVUP Principles

34:37 - Investing in people

41:42 - What’s next for Ivan

45:58 - Where to find Ivan

Visit Ivan’s website - https://www.ivanpalomino.net/ 

Connect with Ivan - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ipalomino/?originalSubdomain=ch 

Hosted by Hilda Gan - ca.linkedin.com/in/hildagan 

Visit us at - peoplebrightconsulting.com

Follow us

LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/company/pplbright

Twitter - twitter.com/pplbright 

Facebook - www.facebook.com/pplbright

Instagram - www.instagram.com/pplbright/ 

Hilda Gan is a sought-after expert on effective HR strategies, work culture enhancement, and employee engagement. Unique among HR consultants, Hilda combines over 25 years of HR expertise with business acumen and business owner experience.

People Bright Consulting is an award-winning HR Management Consulting firm that helps leaders of companies build the foundations for successful hiring, healthy and inclusive work culture, and engaged staff. It starts with listening to our clients and finding pragmatic customized business solutions to HR problems.

#Leadership #WorkCulture

In a world obsessed with automation and efficiency, there’s one leadership skill AI will never replicate: the ability to build meaningful human connections.

In this episode, we sit down with Trina Boos, Founder and CEO of Boost Academy of Excellence, to explore why workplace etiquette, emotional intelligence, and communication are more critical than ever in today’s hybrid and AI-driven world. Drawing from her extensive experience in marketing, digital, and creative industries — as well as her leadership roles at Boost Agents and Ad Lounge — Trina shares practical insights on developing professional presence, fostering trust, and navigating generational differences in the workplace.

We dive into the “Others Focused” framework, the growing knowledge transfer gap, and how leaders can bridge the divide between generations while staying authentic and adaptable.

If you’ve ever wondered what truly sets great leaders apart — or how to future-proof your career against AI — this episode offers thoughtful, actionable answers.

Chapters

0:00 - Intro

2:13 - The knowledge transfer gap, impact of COVID and remote work

8:03 - The anxious generation - advice for young leaders

10:50 - The Others Focused framework

13:22 - Challenges leaders are facing today

17:37 - Generational gap in the workforce, adapting to different needs

27:18 - Importance of communication and flexibility
28:22 - AI-proof advantages, workplace etiquette, and human connection

34:40 - Getting comfortable with networking and talking with others

40:19 - What’s next for Trina

Visit Trina’s website - www.boostacademyofexcellence.com

Check out Trina’s podcast- https://boostacademyofexcellence.com/podcast/

Connect with Trina - https://ca.linkedin.com/in/trinaboos

Hosted by Hilda Gan - ca.linkedin.com/in/hildagan 

Visit us at - peoplebrightconsulting.com

Follow us

LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/company/pplbright

Twitter - twitter.com/pplbright 

Facebook - www.facebook.com/pplbright

Instagram - www.instagram.com/pplbright/ 

Hilda Gan is a sought-after expert on effective HR strategies, work culture enhancement, and employee engagement. Unique among HR consultants, Hilda combines over 25 years of HR expertise with business acumen and business owner experience.

People Bright Consulting is an award-winning HR Management Consulting firm that helps leaders of companies build the foundations for successful hiring, healthy and inclusive work culture, and engaged staff. It starts with listening to our clients and finding pragmatic customized business solutions to HR problems.

#WorkplaceEtiquette #LeadershipDevelopment #WorkCulture #Networking

Have you ever felt misunderstood even when you were speaking the same language? In today’s global workplace, communication isn’t just about what we say, but how our words are understood through different cultural lenses.

In this episode of REVUP Your Leadership, we are joined by John Edward McGraw, a Multicultural Workplace Expert and founder of Hiyaku Coaching (“Hiyaku” meaning leap forward in Japanese). With over fifteen years of experience bridging cultures in Japan and Canada, John helps leaders and teams develop cultural fluency, break down communication barriers, and collaborate with impact.

We dive deep into why shared language doesn’t always mean shared meaning — and what inclusive leaders can do about it. We also explore why cultural awareness is critical to effective leadership, how the LEAP tool can help you reset and reconnect in moments of misunderstanding, ways to stay curious and aware of your own cultural lens, practical strategies to build more inclusive, high-performing teams, and more.

If you lead across borders, backgrounds, or perspectives, this episode will help you make the LEAP forward toward more authentic connection and shared success.

Chapters

0:00 - Intro

03:03 - Shared language isn’t shared meaning

08:32 - How John helps others

15:09 - Differences within same cultures

17:23 - LEAP

21:14 - Keeping curiosity open
23:45 - Tips for showing curiosity in an open way
28:00 - Being aware of your own cultural lens
39:12 - What’s next for John
40:48 - Where to find John

Visit John’s website - https://johnedwardmcgraw.com/ 

Free cultural diagnostic tool - https://johnedwardmcgraw.com/get-your-checklist

Connect with John - https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnedwardmcgraw/

Hosted by Hilda Gan - ca.linkedin.com/in/hildagan 

Visit us at - peoplebrightconsulting.com

Follow us

LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/company/pplbright

Twitter - twitter.com/pplbright 

Facebook - www.facebook.com/pplbright

Instagram - www.instagram.com/pplbright/ 

Hilda Gan is a sought-after expert on effective HR strategies, work culture enhancement, and employee engagement. Unique among HR consultants, Hilda combines over 25 years of HR expertise with business acumen and business owner experience.

People Bright Consulting is an award-winning HR Management Consulting firm that helps leaders of companies build the foundations for successful hiring, healthy and inclusive work culture, and engaged staff. It starts with listening to our clients and finding pragmatic customized business solutions to HR problems.

#Communication #Culture #Inclusive #Leadership

Behind every great organization is a leader who knows that people—not policies—make the difference. 

In this episode, HR veteran Christine Thrussell shares two decades of hard-earned wisdom from leading recruitment, transformation, and leadership development across the U.S. and Canada.

From the costs of poor leadership to the power of onboarding, retention, and appreciation, Christine breaks down what truly drives a healthy workplace culture. She also shares how leaders can move from transactional to transformational, build trust across teams, and recruit not just for skills—but for fit and belonging.

Whether you’re a people manager, HR professional, or aspiring leader, this episode will help you navigate the human side of leadership with candour, empathy, and strategy.

0:00 - Intro

02:25 - From transactional to transformational

08:28 - The costs of not having strong leadership

10:42 - Importance of onboarding

11:56 - Importance of employee retention

13:37 - Succession planning

24:27 - Valuing your entire team as a leader

27:44 - How to show employees appreciation

29:42 - Recruiting for skills, fit, and culture
35:33 - Work culture and belonging
39:47 - What’s next for Christine

Visit Christine’s website - https://ctchr.ca/

Connect with Christine - https://ca.linkedin.com/in/christinethrussell

Hosted by Hilda Gan - ca.linkedin.com/in/hildagan 

Visit us at - peoplebrightconsulting.com

Follow us

LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/company/pplbright

Twitter - twitter.com/pplbright 

Facebook - www.facebook.com/pplbright

Instagram - www.instagram.com/pplbright/ 

Hilda Gan is a sought-after expert on effective HR strategies, work culture enhancement, and employee engagement. Unique among HR consultants, Hilda combines over 25 years of HR expertise with business acumen and business owner experience.

People Bright Consulting is an award-winning HR Management Consulting firm that helps leaders of companies build the foundations for successful hiring, healthy and inclusive work culture, and engaged staff. It starts with listening to our clients and finding pragmatic customized business solutions to HR problems.

#Leadership #HRStrategy #WorkCulture

When leadership above you creates a challenging environment, it can leave you feeling frustrated or powerless. But you have more influence than you think.

In this episode, we are joined by educator and facilitator Jill McPherson, who shares how to use conscious, compassionate communication to stay grounded, build trust, and navigate difficult power dynamics with emotional intelligence. Drawing on her training in nonviolent communication, Jill offers practical strategies to help you learn by fostering connection instead of control.

We’ll explore why empathy doesn’t mean agreement, how to separate what was said from the story you tell yourself, speaking from values instead of blame, ways to deal with micromanagers without taking things personally, and more.

This conversation will give you tools to lead with clarity, courage, and compassion – while keeping your cool when the pressure’s on.

0:00 - Intro

02:33 - What is Power With, Not Power Over

07:38 - Strategy 1: Empathy is not agreement

11:09 - Dealing with micromanagers, not taking things personally

15:23 - Strategy 2: Separating stimulus from story 

27:00 - Strategy 3: Speak from values, not blame

32:04 - What’s next for Jill

34:06 - Where to find Jill

Visit Jill’s website - https://jillmcpherson.com/ 

Connect with Jill  - https://ca.linkedin.com/in/jill-mcpherson-keynote-speaker-facilitator-63480033

Hosted by Hilda Gan - ca.linkedin.com/in/hildagan 

Visit us at - peoplebrightconsulting.com

Follow us

LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/company/pplbright

Twitter - twitter.com/pplbright 

Facebook - www.facebook.com/pplbright

Instagram - www.instagram.com/pplbright/ 

Hilda Gan is a sought-after expert on effective HR strategies, work culture enhancement, and employee engagement. Unique among HR consultants, Hilda combines over 25 years of HR expertise with business acumen and business owner experience.

People Bright Consulting is an award-winning HR Management Consulting firm that helps leaders of companies build the foundations for successful hiring, healthy and inclusive work culture, and engaged staff. It starts with listening to our clients and finding pragmatic customized business solutions to HR problems.

#Leadership #CompassionateLeadership #WorkCulture