SpeakEasy HR

About

What’s the difference between managing tasks and actually leading people? And why are so many managers promoted into leadership roles without ever being taught how to lead?

In this episode of SpeakEasy HR, David Noe sits down with Dwight Braswell, leadership trainer, speaker, and founder of Complete Leadership Academy, to explore what it takes to turn managers into leaders who inspire accountability, ownership, and results.

Dwight believes leadership isn’t about having a title or simply getting work done. It’s about what you say and do in the everyday moments that shape your team’s experience. From navigating difficult conversations and holding people accountable without micromanaging to building trust, improving one-on-ones, and turning meetings into meaningful momentum, Dwight shares practical ways leaders can move beyond managing tasks and start igniting their people.

With experience supporting organizations including McDonald’s, Ace Hardware, Zillow, Thumbtack, and the U.S. Army National Guard, Dwight brings an actionable, real-world approach to leadership development.
Because leadership isn’t just what you believe. It’s what you say and do every day.
Tune in for a candid conversation about raising the standard, building stronger teams, and becoming the kind of leader people actually want to follow. 

To find more information, visit https://completeleadershipacademy.com/

AI is changing how we work, the skills we need, and the future of jobs. So why isn’t HR always part of the conversation?

In this Top Shelf Take, David Noe explores why HR needs a seat at the table early in AI strategy, how organizations can prepare employees for evolving skill requirements, and why adopting new technology isn’t the same as transforming the way we work.

The takeaway? AI isn’t just a technology conversation. It’s a people conversation. HR has an opportunity to help leaders navigate change, develop future-ready talent, and ensure technology improves the way people work rather than leaving them behind.

HR can’t fix every people problem—especially when leaders aren’t willing to own their part.
In this episode of SpeakEasy HR, David Noe sits down with Greg Modd, founder of Penultimate People Consulting, to talk about leadership accountability, workforce strategy, and the role relationships play in building strong organizations.
Greg shares his perspective on Extreme Ownership, leadership alignment, workplace culture, and turning complex people challenges into clear, executable decisions. They also discuss why accountability has to start with leadership and what happens when HR is asked to solve problems that really belong at the leadership table.
With experience spanning military service, government, consulting, and executive HR leadership, Greg brings a unique perspective on what it takes to lead people effectively and create cultures where people actually want to perform.
A candid conversation about leadership, accountability, culture, and why HR can’t fix what leaders won’t own.

New technology can help us move faster, but does it actually solve the problem?

In this Top Shelf Take, David Noe explores a leadership lesson inspired by the buzz around flying cars: sometimes we're so focused on finding a better way around a problem that we forget to ask why the problem exists in the first place.

From investing in new HR technology to introducing AI and addressing employee burnout, David challenges leaders to look beyond quick fixes, question broken processes, and focus on solving root causes. Because true innovation isn't just about doing things faster—it's about doing the right things better.

One topic. One perspective. One takeaway: Before you invest in a better way to work around a problem, make sure you're not ignoring a better way to solve it!

Ready for Change. Now What?
What happens when you know you’re ready for something different—but you’re not quite sure what that “something” is?
Maybe you’ve outgrown your role. Maybe your career has taken an unexpected turn. Maybe you’re an athlete transitioning into life beyond sports. Or maybe you simply know there’s more you could be doing but can’t quite articulate what that looks like.
That’s where Alex Bowden comes in.
In this episode of SpeakEasy HR, Alex joins David Noe to talk about “Ready for Change. Now What?” and why career decisions should start with something deeper than a job title.
Alex believes people are more than their résumés, degrees, and job titles. Her work focuses on helping people understand their strengths, values, experiences, and the environments where they thrive—and then using that understanding to figure out what comes next.
As a former professional dancer who transitioned into HR, talent, and entrepreneurship, Alex understands firsthand how closely our work can become tied to our identity. When you’ve spent years defining yourself by what you do, figuring out who you are beyond that role can be challenging.
Through CareerCatalyst, Alex helps individuals uncover and articulate the value they bring, while her work with PEOPLEfirst helps organizations recognize talent they may otherwise overlook.
We’ll talk about career transitions, identity, strengths, overlooked talent, athletes preparing for life beyond sports, and why employers need to look beyond traditional résumés and familiar career paths when identifying potential.
Because sometimes the biggest career question isn’t:
“What job do I want?”
It’s:
“Who am I, what do I bring to the table, and where could that take me?”
Join us October 12 for a conversation about change, career identity, and figuring out what’s next.
Ready for change? Now what?
Let’s talk about it.

To learn more about Alex and her work, visit www.choosecareercatalyst.com

About

About
What if the same drive that helped you succeed is also the thing driving you toward burnout?
For high performers, leaders, and corporate professionals, burnout doesn’t always look like falling apart. Sometimes it looks like showing up, getting the work done, answering one more email, taking on one more responsibility—and quietly running on empty.
In this episode of SpeakEasy HR, David Noe sits down with Ivy Watts, mental health speaker, author, and somatic coach, for an honest conversation about burnout prevention, workplace stress, and the connection between our mental health and nervous system.
Ivy draws from her own experience with anxiety, depression, overwhelming stress, burnout, and self-doubt to share practical tools that can help professionals recognize what their bodies are telling them, regulate their nervous system, build resilience, and create healthier ways to manage stress.
They talk about why “just push through it” isn’t always the answer, how movement and emotional awareness can support mental wellness, and why taking care of yourself isn’t a weakness—it’s part of performing at your best.
If you’re constantly running at full speed, this conversation is your reminder that you can’t outwork burnout. Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is pause, reset, and take care of the person doing the work.

HR can be a lonely profession, but you don’t have to navigate it alone.

In this Top Shelf Take, David shares four ways HR professionals can feel less isolated.

Whether you’re new to HR or have been doing it for decades, connection matters. You’re human, you won’t always have the answers, and you were never meant to do this work alone.

Book mentioned in this episode is by my good friend, Pete Schramm. https://golattitude.com/pathfinders-book/

About

Fun Is the Secret Ingredient to Success with Joel Zeff

What if having more fun at work isn't a distraction from success—but actually a key ingredient to achieving it?

In this episode of SpeakEasy HR, David Noe sits down with Joel Zeff, dynamic speaker, improvisational humorist, author, and longtime advocate for bringing more energy and celebration into the workplace.

Joel shares why organizations and individuals should celebrate everyday successes and how doing so can increase collaboration, productivity, passion, creativity, and innovation.

With a career that has taken him from journalism and corporate communications to comedy and the stages of companies like Wells Fargo, Samsung, KPMG—and even the IRS—Joel has built a unique approach to helping people connect, participate, laugh, and learn.

We talk about the power of fun, why leaders sometimes take work too seriously, how improvisation can teach us to collaborate and adapt, and why the choices we make every day can shape a more creative and passionate career.

Joel also shares insights from his book Make the Right Choice and challenges us to think differently about the choices we make at work and in life.

Because success doesn't always have to be so serious. Sometimes, fun is the secret ingredient.

A class trip with 8th grade son taught David an unexpected lesson about leadership.

As a chaperone, he learned his job wasn’t to do things for the students—it was to keep them safe, encourage them, and let them figure things out. Watching them struggle to build a survival shelter reinforced a lesson that applies directly to leadership: sometimes stepping in isn’t helping.

The takeaway: Don’t confuse helping with doing. Give people room to struggle, learn, and succeed on their own.