SpeakEasy HR

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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/

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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.

What happens to HR when artificial intelligence changes the way we work?

In this episode of SpeakEasy HR, David Noe sits down with Cole Napper, a globally recognized leader, author, speaker, educator and practitioner in people intelligence, AI workforce transformation, people analytics and workforce strategy.

Cole is the world's first Chief People Intelligence Officer at HRBench and brings experience spanning Fortune 500 companies, venture-backed startups and some of the leading organizations in workforce intelligence. He is also the owner of Directionally Correct, LLC, host of the world’s leading people intelligence podcast and newsletter, and founder of the Data Driven HR Academy.

With a Ph.D. and M.A. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology, Cole brings a unique perspective to one of the biggest questions facing HR today:
How can organizations use AI and data to make better decisions about their people without losing the human element?

David and Cole explore the rise of people intelligence, how AI is transforming the workforce, the growing importance of people analytics, workforce planning and talent intelligence, and what HR leaders need to understand as technology continues to reshape work.

The conversation also looks at what it means for HR professionals to move beyond traditional reporting and become strategic decision-makers who can connect people, data, AI and business strategy.

As AI continues to transform organizations, one thing remains clear: understanding people may become more important—not less.
Tune in for a thought-provoking conversation about the future of HR, AI and the growing role of People Intelligence.

About:

After two decades in HR, David Noe has spent a lot of time interviewing people—and he’s been on both sides of the interview table. From recruiting and hiring to onboarding and working with employees after the interview is over, he’s seen what can make the difference between simply filling a position and making a successful hire.

In this Top Shelf Take, David shares one simple approach hiring managers can use to rethink the way they conduct interviews. It’s about creating a better conversation, learning more about the person sitting across the table, and making the interview a more valuable experience for both sides.

Because sometimes, finding the right person isn’t about asking more questions. It’s about approaching the conversation differently.

What happens when your workplace becomes toxic—and you feel like you’ve lost control?
In this episode of SpeakEasy HR, David sits down with HR leader and author Theresa Chilcoat to talk about one of the most difficult workplace experiences: surviving a toxic environment while protecting your peace, your confidence, and your career.
With more than 15 years of HR experience, Theresa has seen the workplace from both sides. She shares what she has learned about the warning signs of employee disconnect, why people rarely disengage overnight, and how leaders can recognize the changes in energy, voice, recognition, and ownership before an employee decides to leave.
But this conversation isn't just about what leaders can do. Theresa also brings the employee perspective, drawing from her book, Surviving the Toxic Workplace from an HR Insider, and her message that employees have agency—even when they can't control the environment around them.
David and Theresa explore how employees can begin taking back their power, set healthier boundaries, protect their well-being, and make intentional decisions about how they respond to a difficult workplace.
They also dig into the other side of the equation: Do leaders really understand what motivates the people they lead? And what happens when leaders become more aware of the people behind the performance?
It's a conversation about toxic workplaces, leadership awareness, employee motivation, retention, and ultimately, recognizing that while we can't always control the workplace around us, we can control how we respond to it.
Listen in for a candid conversation about recognizing the signs, reclaiming your power, and creating healthier workplaces—whether you're leading the team or trying to survive it. 

To find Teri's book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GHJDHBR2

In this week’s Top Shelf Take, David Noe celebrates National Payroll Week and takes a closer look at what a paycheck really represents.

Payroll isn’t just about numbers, taxes, deductions, and deadlines. Behind every paycheck is a person—and every paycheck creates possibility.

David highlights the important role payroll professionals play in making sure employees are paid accurately and on time, often doing critical work behind the scenes that goes unnoticed when everything goes right.

He also challenges business leaders to take a moment this week to recognize their payroll teams and appreciate the responsibility they carry.

Because payroll isn’t just about paying people—it’s about supporting people, creating opportunity, and helping people move forward.

This week’s takeaway:
Every paycheck creates possibility.

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In Episode 85 of SpeakEasy HR, David sits down with Adam Weisner—entrepreneur, investor, executive coach, author, and business leader—for a powerful conversation around The 7 Unbreakable Laws of Leadership.
With more than two decades of leadership experience across banking, manufacturing, investing, and financial technology, Adam has built and scaled organizations while staying grounded in a belief that leadership is stewardship and business can be a force for good. As President and CEO of Sherman Research, he leads a company focused on helping people make wiser financial decisions through independent research, education, and long-term thinking.

Adam also shares his philosophy of Purpose Beyond Profit, including Sherman Research’s commitment to directing 51% of distributable profits toward advancing the Gospel through churches, ministries, missionaries, nonprofits, and Kingdom-focused initiatives.

The conversation explores leadership, culture, purpose, faith, family, stewardship, and legacy, along with Adam’s concept of Asymmetric Endurance—building organizations that become less dependent on one leader and more capable of creating freedom, sustainability, and lasting impact.

Whether you’re leading a team, building a business, or simply trying to become a better leader, this episode offers practical wisdom for leading with conviction and building something that truly lasts.

To preorder Adam's book, visit https://www.biblicalbusiness.com/

Labor Day is about more than a day off—it’s about recognizing the people behind the work.

While we often focus on productivity, performance, revenue, hiring, and growth, every organization is ultimately powered by people. Labor Day gives leaders an opportunity to pause and appreciate those who consistently show up, serve customers, solve problems, support their teammates, and make the organization better.

The challenge is simple: when everyone returns after Labor Day, identify one person who makes your organization better because they show up and do the work—and tell them.

Don't just post a generic Labor Day message. Give someone specific recognition and let them know their work matters.

Key takeaway:
People aren't just labor. They're people. Celebrate the people who make the work matter.