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Most HR professionals spend their careers trying to have all the answers. Gabe Calhoun spent 34 years learning that the ones who admit they don't are the ones who last.

In this episode of The Moss HR Minute, Nicole Moss, Co-Founder of Moss Consulting HR Services, sits down with Gabe Calhoun, a 34-year HR leadership veteran known for bridging the gap between people strategy and business performance. Gabe has navigated multiple acquisitions, built HR functions from the ground up, and spent decades mentoring the next generation of HR professionals — all while staying grounded in the belief that the best HR leaders are the ones who never stop learning.

This is a candid, experienced, and deeply human conversation about what it actually takes to lead through change, earn a seat at the leadership table, and build the kind of trust that holds a company together when everything else is in flux.

Key topics discussed in this episode:

• The defining moment that made Gabe choose HR as a career — and why watching one entry-level hire change their family's life was all the reason he needed
• What he got wrong the first time navigating a company acquisition — and why compliance and payroll accuracy are the fastest ways to either build or destroy employee trust overnight
• The biggest disconnect between HR teams and the business units they support — and why understanding operations is non-negotiable for any HR professional who wants to be taken seriously
• Why HR professionals who pretend to know the answer are more dangerous than the ones who admit they don't
• How to earn a seat at the leadership table — partnership, listening, and the willingness to say "I don't know, but I will find out"
• Why collaboration across a team of experienced HR professionals is one of the most underrated advantages a business owner can have
• Gabe's work supporting Oak Hill Academy in Dallas — a school serving students with unique learning needs — and the leadership lessons he has taken from executive director Brit Smart
• What 34 years in HR looks like when it is driven by genuine care for people and not just policy

This episode is essential listening for business owners navigating growth, change, or acquisition, and for HR professionals at any stage who want a clear-eyed, honest perspective on what separates the ones who last from the ones who don't.

Connect with Gabe Calhoun:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabe-calhoun-msm-2689757/

Book time with Nicole to talk about your HR needs:
https://mossconsulting.com/book-a-free-consultation

Learn more about Moss Consulting HR Services:
https://www.mossconsulting.com

Follow the show:
@TheMossHRMinute

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Healthcare costs are up. Your renewal is coming. And if you are not already having the conversation with your broker, you are six months behind.

In this episode of The Moss HR Minute, Nicole Moss, Co-Founder of Moss Consulting HR Services, sits down with Ford Clemons, Managing Director of Employee Benefits at Higginbotham, for one of the most practical and eye-opening conversations the show has had on what employee benefits actually cost, what drives those costs up, and what business owners can do to stay ahead of it.

Ford has spent his entire career at Higginbotham working with mid-market employers across the US, helping them build and sustain competitive benefits packages in an industry that has changed more in the last decade than in the previous three. From ACA compliance to self-funded strategies to population health management, he brings the kind of deep, healthcare-rooted knowledge that turns a confusing and expensive line item into a manageable and strategic investment.

Key topics discussed in this episode:

• What drew Ford to employee benefits from a pre-med background — and why the intersection of healthcare and business became his calling
• The compliance mistakes business owners make most often, and why not knowing is not an excuse when the penalties land
• Why employee benefits is the second largest line item on most balance sheets and how treating it like a business investment changes everything
• Population health management — what it is, why it matters, and how managing chronic conditions proactively prevents catastrophic claims
• How high cost claimants happen, what drives cancer and prescription costs, and where preventative care fits into the strategy
• The honest conversation about 30 to 50 percent renewal increases — what is causing them at a macro level and how Ford navigates those conversations with clients
• Why blaming your broker for a bad renewal is one of the most common and costly misconceptions in the industry
• Why the benefits strategy conversation needs to start at least six months before renewal — not 90 days out
• The value of pairing a strong outsourced HR partner with a benefits broker and why Ford finds it makes every client outcome better
• Ford's volunteer work with Genesis Women's Shelter, the Touchdown Club of Dallas, and the Ashford Rise School — and what keeps him committed to that work year after year

This episode is essential listening for any founder, operator, or HR leader who is tired of being surprised at renewal, wants to understand what is actually driving their costs, and is ready to treat their benefits program like the strategic business tool it is — within one Moss Minute.

Connect with Ford Clemons:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fordclemons/
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +1 214-346-4159
Website: https://www.higginbotham.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@higginbothamins
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/higginbotham_ins/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/higginbothamins

Book time with Nicole to talk about your HR needs:
https://mossconsulting.com/book-a-free-consultation

Learn more about Moss Consulting HR Services:
https://www.mossconsulting.com

Follow the show:
@TheMossHRMinute

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What happens when you take a management major and throw them straight into live multi-state corporate compliance, complex HRIS acquisitions, and high-stakes performance improvement meetings on day one? In this episode of The Moss HR Minute, Nicole Moss, Co-Founder of Moss Consulting HR Services, sits down with summer intern Avery Walters to discuss her transformation from classroom business theory into hands-on human capital management.

Avery shares an inside look at sitting in as an HR witness during a sensitive Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) meeting, breaking down how thorough preparation, clear documentation, and gracious empathy eliminate misinterpretation. 

Nicole and Avery examine the critical gap between academic business concepts and real-world employee relations, demonstrating why clear communication, fast-turnaround text-to-ticket accessibility, and multi-language support form the backbone of modern corporate support systems.

Key topics discussed in this episode include:

• The Reality of High-Volume Acquisitions: Navigating complex HRIS onboarding environments—like iSolved—during high-speed corporate expansion.
• The Architecture of a Performance Improvement Plan: Dismantling the stigma surrounding PIPs to treat them as collaborative tools for clarity, mutual expectations, and employee retention.
• Classroom Business Theory vs. Applied Execution: Why academic management studies must be paired with real-world experience to navigate unpredictable human behavior.
• Managing High-Tension Workplace Conflict: Recognizing when to step back and allow agitated employees the space they need rather than forcing rigid confrontation.
• Optimizing Efficiency with Text-to-Ticket Workflows: How providing workers with instant, direct text access resolves critical benefits and payroll issues in real time.
• Breaking Down Language Barriers in HR: The operational and emotional importance of providing direct, non-translated Spanish support to ensure every worker feels heard.

Nicole and Avery outline how standardizing your documentation and providing rapid, accessible communication channels takes the burden off business owners, proving that clear, empathetic HR infrastructure turns operational friction into long-term organizational success.

Contact Moss Consulting 

Book time with Nicole to talk about your HR needs:

https://mossconsulting.com/book-a-free-consultation

Learn more about Moss Consulting HR Services:

www.mossconsulting.com

Follow the show: @TheMossHRMinute

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On her first day as an HR intern, Nicole Moss asked if anyone wanted to observe a live in-person termination. Cayman Hasseberg almost said no — then raised her hand.

In this episode of The Moss HR Minute, Evie Fisher, Marketing Intern at Moss Consulting, sits down with fellow intern Cayman Hasseberg for an honest, grounded conversation about what HR actually looks like in the real world versus what gets taught in the classroom. 

Two months into her internship and heading into her senior year at the University of Oklahoma, Cayman reflects on the moments that shaped her summer — the fast pace, the live client situations, the payroll systems nobody warned her about, and the termination she witnessed on day one that taught her more about grace under pressure than any textbook ever could.

Key topics discussed in this episode:

• The first thing that surprised Cayman about real-world HR versus the step-by-step classroom version — and why the pace alone is a lesson
• What it is actually like to navigate multiple payroll systems across different clients, from Paylocity to iSolved to ADP, in real time
• The skills Cayman has picked up at Moss that she could not have gotten anywhere else — problem solving, critical thinking, and learning on the fly
• The moment this summer that confirmed she chose the right major
• The biggest HR myth she wants to correct — and why HR being the bad guy is one of the most damaging misconceptions in the industry
• What happened on day one of the internship and why witnessing Nicole handle a live termination with grace and compassion became one of the most defining learning moments of her summer
• How every HR manager at Moss works differently — and what Cayman learned from shadowing Ashley, Yoli, Tim, and Nicole across completely different working styles
• Why Cayman wants to keep building her career at Moss as she finishes her degree

This episode is for business owners who want to understand what thoughtful, experienced HR looks like in practice — and for anyone early in their HR career who wants a honest look at what the real learning curve actually feels like when the work is real, the clients are real, and day one does not wait for you to be ready.

Book time with Nicole to talk about your HR needs:
https://mossconsulting.com/book-a-free-consultation

Learn more about Moss Consulting HR Services:
https://www.mossconsulting.com

Follow the show:
@TheMossHRMinute

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"If it's not documented, it might as well have never happened." — and that is just one of the things two HR interns got exactly right in this episode.

In this episode of The Moss HR Minute, Nicole Moss, Co-Founder of Moss Consulting HR Services, sits down with Avery Walters and Cayman Hasseberg — two members of the 2026 Moss Consulting summer intern team — for the fastest, most no-nonsense HR breakdown the show has produced yet. No slides. No fluff. Just six rapid-fire rounds of HR truth that every business owner needs to hear.

From employment law myths to real-time red flags to the questions most leaders avoid until it is too late, Avery and Cayman prove that the next generation of HR professionals is arriving sharper, more grounded, and more ready than most people expect.

Key topics discussed in this episode:

• Myth or Fact — the most commonly misunderstood HR basics, including at-will employment, PTO laws, and 1099 misclassification
• First Instinct — how to respond when an employee quits by text, two people can't get along, overtime has been miscalculated, or a new hire is struggling at 30 days
• HR Red Flags — the phrases and situations that should immediately put any business owner on alert, including gut-feeling hiring, undocumented practices, and paying under the table
• This or That — skills versus attitude, annual reviews versus ongoing check-ins, fast hire versus right hire, and the truth about remote versus hybrid versus in-office
• The Two Truths of HR — what people consistently get wrong about the profession and what is genuinely harder than it looks
• Intern Takes — what surprised Avery and Cayman most about HR in their first week and a half, what they are already carrying forward, and how they would finish the sentence "Good HR feels like..."

Packed with honest intern insights, real-world examples, and a bit of behind-the-scenes humor, this episode delivers a high-value breakdown of essential business operations—all at top speed.

Book time with Nicole to talk about your HR needs:
https://mossconsulting.com/book-a-free-consultation

Learn more about Moss Consulting HR Services:
https://www.mossconsulting.com

Follow the show:
@TheMossHRMinute

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The students studying HR right now are watching the industry shift happen in real time — and one of them is already positioning herself ahead of it.

In this episode of The Moss HR Minute, Nicole Moss, Co-Founder of Moss Consulting HR Services, sits down with Cayman Hasseberg, HR Intern on the 2026 Moss Consulting summer intern team, with Avery Walters stepping in as co-host. Cayman is a rising senior at the University of Oklahoma studying human resources with a minor in business management — and what she observed inside Moss Consulting in just two weeks cuts straight to the heart of where the HR industry is headed.

Her focus is employee relations and risk management, the side of HR that keeps businesses protected, people supported, and teams moving without unnecessary disruption. Spending her summer inside a fractional HR firm is giving her a front-row seat to what that work looks like at scale — across dozens of clients, industries, and people challenges happening all at once.

Key topics discussed in this episode:

• What drew Cayman into HR — the people side, the leadership dynamics, and the employee relations work that keeps businesses running smoothly
• What surprised her most about consulting HR: the pace, the volume of clients, and how consistently the Moss team delivers under pressure
• The difference between internal and consulting HR from the perspective of someone experiencing both for the first time
• The emerging trend both Cayman and Avery independently identified: internal HR moving out and fractional consulting HR moving in — faster than most business owners realize
• Nicole's take on why HR deserves a seat at the leadership table and what it actually takes to earn it
• Why the only real way to learn HR is to be in the room when things get uncomfortable — and why that is exactly the point
• Where Cayman hopes to take her career and what this internship is already showing her about the path forward

This episode is for business owners who want to understand where HR is heading and for anyone early in their HR career who is trying to figure out what the next five years actually look like. Cayman brings a grounded, curious, and genuinely insightful perspective — and Nicole's closing take on human capital and leadership is one of the most compelling arguments for elevating HR that the show has delivered.

Book time with Nicole to talk about your HR needs:
 https://mossconsulting.com/book-a-free-consultation

Learn more about Moss Consulting HR Services:
 https://www.mossconsulting.com

Follow the show:
 @TheMossHRMinute

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The next generation of HR professionals is already watching the industry shift in real time — and one intern saw it coming before she even finished her second week.

In this episode of The Moss HR Minute, Nicole Moss, Co-Founder of Moss Consulting HR Services, sits down with Avery Walters, HR Intern on the 2026 Moss Consulting summer intern team, with Evie Fisher returning as co-host. Avery is studying human resources and management and came into this internship with real internal HR experience — which makes her perspective on the consulting model sharper and more grounded than most people expect from someone just starting out.

What she noticed almost immediately is something Nicole has been saying for years: the consulting model is not a trend. It is where HR is heading, and it is moving faster than anyone anticipated.

Key topics discussed in this episode:

• What drew Avery to people and culture inside a business — and why the human side of the workplace has always been her focus
• The real difference between internal HR and consulting HR, from someone who has experienced both firsthand
• What it was like to walk into Moss Consulting on day one — including meeting a client and seeing the team dynamic up close
• The emerging trend Avery is already observing: internal HR departments moving out and fractional consulting HR moving in
• Why Nicole believes every HR professional deserves a seat at the leadership table — and what it actually takes to get there
• What HR school teaches you versus what you only learn by being in the room when things get hard
• Where Avery hopes to take her career and why starting on the consulting side gives her an uncommon foundation

This episode is for business owners who are curious about where HR is headed, and for HR professionals at any stage who want a reminder of why the work they do matters far beyond the policies and the paperwork. 

Nicole's take on human capital, leadership, and the real weight of what HR manages is one of the most honest and grounded moments the show has delivered within one Moss Minute.

Book time with Nicole to talk about your HR needs:
 https://mossconsulting.com/book-a-free-consultation

Learn more about Moss Consulting HR Services:
 https://www.mossconsulting.com

Follow the show:
 @TheMossHRMinute

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The best marketing insight of the year might have come from a second-week intern — and it is worth every business owner's attention.

In this episode of The Moss HR Minute, Nicole Moss, Co-Founder of Moss Consulting HR Services, sits down with Evie Fisher, Marketing and PR Intern on the 2026 Moss Consulting summer intern team, with Avery Walters stepping in as co-host. The camera gets turned on one of their own for a candid, energetic conversation about marketing trends, team culture, content creation, and what it actually feels like to learn a business from the inside out.

Evie is studying strategic communication with a minor in psychology and is spending her summer helping build the Moss Consulting intern website, producing weekly content, and getting hands-on experience alongside the full Moss team. In just two weeks, she has already picked up on something that many established businesses are still figuring out.

Key topics discussed in this episode:

• What drew Evie to strategic communication and why the intersection of creativity, research, and people made it the right fit
• What it is actually like to be an intern at Moss Consulting — the pace, the access, and what surprised her most about the working world
• Why short-form, low-effort, authentic content is outperforming polished high-production marketing and what that means for how companies tell their story
• How Moss Consulting's intern team is building a content hub from the ground up — including a blog, weekly reflections, and behind-the-scenes video
• What Evie noticed about Moss Consulting's team culture in just two weeks and why it stood out
• Where marketing is headed and what business owners should be paying attention to right now
• What the intern experience has revealed about the direction Evie wants to take her career

This episode is a reminder that the freshest, most honest perspective in the room is sometimes the one that just walked in the door. For business owners thinking about how to show up authentically online, build a team culture worth talking about, and attract the next generation of talent, this conversation delivers all three within one Moss Minute.

Book time with Nicole to talk about your HR needs:
https://mossconsulting.com/book-a-free-consultation

Learn more about Moss Consulting HR Services:
https://www.mossconsulting.com

Follow the show:
@TheMossHRMinute

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You hired a recruiter. They filled the role. Then the person left — and nobody could tell you why.

In this episode of The Moss HR Minute, Nicole Moss, Co-Founder of Moss Consulting HR Services, sits down with Wesley Jobes, Recruiting Manager at Moss Consulting, and intern co-host Evie Fisher for an honest, practical conversation about what is genuinely broken in traditional recruiting — and what a better model actually looks like in practice.

Wesley brings over 20 years of HR and talent acquisition experience to this conversation, including building paid apprenticeship programs in California manufacturing plants and launching a prison-to-employment roofing pipeline in Texas that is still running today. Her approach to recruiting is rooted in something most agencies skip entirely: genuine care for people, deep knowledge of company culture, and staying invested long after the offer letter is signed.

Key topics discussed in this episode:

• Wesley's background — from HR specialist to recruiting manager and why the people side of every role kept pulling her toward talent acquisition
• The prison apprenticeship program Wesley built that gave people a job, a skill, and a second chance — and why it still runs today
• What is fundamentally broken about traditional commission-based recruiting and why it leaves both companies and candidates without the full picture
• Why knowing a client's culture, values, and onboarding process before sourcing a single candidate changes everything about who gets through
• How Moss Consulting builds custom scorecards around each client's values — and why no two should ever look exactly the same
• What the candidate experience looks like when the recruiter is an extension of the internal HR team rather than an outside vendor
• Why recruiting and HR being handled by the same team directly improves retention after the hire
• What owners actually feel differently when the people who recruited their candidate are the same people supporting that employee long-term
• How to start a conversation with Moss Consulting about growing your team

This episode is essential listening for any founder or operator who has been burned by a recruiting process that felt transactional, impersonal, or disconnected from the actual needs of their business.

Wesley reframes what recruiting can look like when it is done with intention, structure, and genuine investment in the outcome — within one Moss Minute at a time.

Contact Moss Consulting
Book time with Nicole to talk about your HR needs:
https://mossconsulting.com/book-a-free-consultation

Learn more about Moss Consulting HR Services:
www.mossconsulting.com

Follow the show
@TheMossHRMinute

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Your job posting is up. The applications are coming in. So why are you still losing great candidates before they ever make it to an offer?

In this episode of The Moss HR Minute, Nicole Moss, Co-Founder of Moss Consulting HR Services, sits down with Wesley Jobes, Recruiting Manager at Moss Consulting, and intern host Evie Fisher for a rapid-fire, no-sugarcoating breakdown of the 10 recruiting trends getting the most attention in 2026.

Nicole and Wesley go thumbs up or thumbs down on each trend — and back every take with the kind of real-world insight that only comes from being in the recruiting trenches every day. This is one of the most honest, practical conversations the show has had about what is and isn't working in hiring right now.

Key topics discussed in this episode:

• AI-powered candidate screening — useful tool or shortcut that costs you your best hire?
• Skills-based hiring and why dropping degree requirements could immediately expand your talent pool
• Ghost jobs and why posting roles you're not actually filling is quietly destroying your employer brand
• Recruiter layoffs and TA restructuring — when it makes strategic sense and when it backfires
• Agentic AI that sources and schedules candidates autonomously — and where the human element still has to stay
• Pay transparency laws and why hiding your salary range is one of the most expensive mistakes you can make
• The ATS candidate experience problem — long applications, automated rejections, and zero follow-up
• Candidate ghosting in a cooling market and what recruiters actually think about it
• Internal mobility versus external hiring and why your best next hire might already be on your payroll
• Diverse hiring pipelines after recent court decisions and why fresh perspectives are a business strategy, not a checkbox

This episode is essential for any founder, operator, or hiring manager who wants to build a smarter, more competitive recruiting process in 2026 — without wasting time, budget, or the goodwill of the candidates you actually want.

Book time with Nicole to talk about your HR needs:
https://mossconsulting.com/book-a-free-consultation

Learn more about Moss Consulting HR Services:
https://www.mossconsulting.com

Follow the show:
@TheMossHRMinute