Six years off. One massive comeback. Zero regrets.

In this episode of The Balancing Act, Sarah Sheridan sits down with Susan Scutt, private equity operator, single mom, and comeback queen.

She walked away from work to raise her daughters. Then walked back in and built a bigger, bolder career.

We get into:

• The role she turned down (and why it wasn’t worth it)
• What her kids taught her about leadership
• Why tough love works—at home and in the boardroom

It’s a no-fluff conversation about ambition, resilience, and letting go of guilt. Especially for women who’ve hit pause—and are ready to hit play again.

We sat down with Andrew Zuckerman to talk about what small and scaling businesses get wrong about HR and how to fix it.

From 48-hour compliance assessments to rebuilding onboarding in a pinch, Andrew explains how fractional HR can solve real problems fast.

If you’re a founder, ops leader, or someone building the HR function from scratch, this one’s packed with practical insight.

Whelp, that’s a wrap. After 20 years, James is leaving the recruiting industry behind. And Hirewell. And the 10 Minute Talent Rant.

But not before taking a few parting shots at the recurring issues in the recruiting space that never seem to go away.

Jeff Smith and James Hornick stick a fork in their show in The 10 Minute Talent Rant, Episode 116: “The Final Rant”

 

This week, Sarah Sheridan chats with Mike Sharifi, a private equity exec and dad of two, about what it really takes to show up fully — at home and at work. From daily calendars to dishes, lead parenting to late-night laptop sessions, Mike shares how his family finds balance in a fast-paced world.

Tune in to hear how being a present parent has made him a more thoughtful leader — and how he’s rewriting the rules of what working fatherhood looks like today.

What’s helped you keep work and home in harmony?

In this episode of Beyond the Offer, we talk with Eric Buntin, TA leader at Amazon, Randstad, and Bath & Body Works, about what it takes to build scalable, strategic, and people-first recruiting teams. From structured hiring to AI, employer branding, and internal mobility, Eric shares hard-earned lessons that every TA leader should hear.

 

This summer, the job market is shifting gears! In "The Summer Slowdown" episode of The Hirewell Update, join Ryan and Emily as they dive into the typical recruitment trends seen during the warmer months. Discover why hiring might feel a bit more relaxed due to vacationing decision-makers, and how candidate availability can fluctuate with some taking holidays and recent graduates entering the market. Learn about increased demand and potential talent scarcity in seasonal sectors like hospitality and tourism. Plus, get insights on how to leverage this quieter period for strategic planning in recruitment or for job seekers to refine their search and expand their network. Tune in to understand these cyclical trends and how to navigate the summer hiring landscape!

 

Weird aspect of the AI era: more and more candidates are first learning about companies after they applied.

You read that right.

When the bots apply for you, job postings aren't the final stop on your job seeking journey, they're your first.

So if your company is hiring, the talent attraction process has been flipped on it's head.

Jeff Smith and James Hornick do a deep dive on how the talent attraction process has fundamentally changed in The 10 Minute Talent Rant, Episode 115: “Traditional Job Postings Are Dead.”

 

In this episode of The Balancing Act, host Sarah Sheridan sits down with Michelle Keefe, VP of HR at Bowes Professional, to talk about her inspiring journey from administrative roles to HR leadership. Michelle shares how she built her career by embracing challenges—including launching an office overseas with zero experience—and how she managed years of heavy business travel while raising her son.

She also discusses the evolution of workplace flexibility, the impact of strong leadership on work-life balance, and why companies must treat employees with trust and respect. Whether you're a working parent, an HR professional, or just looking for career inspiration, this episode is packed with valuable insights!

Evolving HR in Private Equity

Pam Perry is on the mic to share 40+ years of HR insights. From corporate to PE to launching her own HR consulting firm. In this episode, she dives into:

• Building HR teams and structures for scale
• Guiding founders through growth and transition
• Navigating culture in hypergrowth and remote work
• Why HR should lead the AI transformation, not fear it

Plus, real talk for HR leaders (and future ones!) on owning your worth and never getting stuck.

🔗 Listen now!

Here’s what we’re seeing right now: Pickiness over location. Lengthy salary negotiations. And a feeling that candidates need to sell themselves more.

This all sounds exactly like what we saw 2 years ago. And 6 years ago. And (ugh) 10 years ago.

And it's not like these, or any other hiring issues, don’t get talked about in the industry. They just keep coming back like clockwork.

Jeff Smith and James Hornick discuss why this never ending cycles happen in the next The 10 Minute Talent Rant, 114 “Why Hiring Challenges Never Go Away”