The Within Podcast

Hiring a fractional partner can give your business the expertise it needs—without the full-time commitment. But not all fractional support is created equal.

In this episode, Nicky and Ali dive into the questions every business owner should be asking before hiring a fractional HR partner (or any fractional role). They unpack the importance of aligning business strategy with people strategy, understanding your true growth goals, and getting clear on what you actually need support with—not just what you want off your plate.

They also discuss:

Why business strategy and people strategy must work together

Whether you’re overwhelmed, scaling fast, or just trying to build smarter—this episode will help you make more intentional decisions when bringing in outside support.

Potential Within website: thepeopleco-com/potentialwithin

Connect with hosts & guests:

For more information on The People Co., check out our Webiste: thepeople-co.com

In this special “I Wish I Would Have Known” episode, Nicky Wallace sits down with Jim Roy to talk about a lesson many business leaders learn on the job: how to understand financial statements.

Jim shares how stepping into leadership forced him to learn how to read balance sheets, interpret numbers, and make sense of financial reports — skills that aren’t always taught in school but are critical when running a business.

The conversation highlights why understanding your organization’s financial health is essential and why building a strong support system — including trusted advisors and bookkeepers — can make all the difference.

Key takeaway:

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In this episode, Nicky Wallace welcomes Jim Roy o PWS Employment Solutions to talk about the realities of recruiting in today’s workforce.

With years of experience in staffing and direct placement, Jim shares insights into how the hiring process has changed and what companies can do to create a better experience for candidates.

From responding to applicants to building intentional hiring processes, this conversation highlights why the human side of recruiting still matters, even in a world filled with automation and technology.

Nicky and Jim also discuss:

Why communication with candidates is critical

The impact of automation in recruiting

How companies can improve their hiring process

What makes an organization a “preferred employer”

The importance of building strong professional networks

At the end of the day, hiring isn’t just about filling roles — it’s about building relationships and creating a positive experience for the people who walk through your doors.

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What if the symptoms you’re experiencing are your body trying to tell you something?

In this episode, Nicky Wallace sits down with Integrative Trichologist Ali Sartain to talk about epigenetics — how your lifestyle, environment, stress, and nutrition influence how your genes are expressed.

Nicky shares parts of her personal health journey and how learning about epigenetics helped her uncover factors that traditional testing wasn’t addressing. Together, they discuss how stress, toxins, processed foods, emotional health, and daily habits can all impact how the body functions.

The conversation is a reminder that health isn’t just about one symptom or quick fix — it’s about understanding the bigger picture and learning how to support your body over time.

In this episode we discuss:

What epigenetics is and how it differs from genetics

How lifestyle and environment affect gene expression

The difference between epigenetic testing and bloodwork

Why stress and emotional health play a role in physical symptoms

The importance of self-awareness in your health journey

Why small lifestyle changes can create meaningful shifts

About Our Guest

Allie Sartain is an Integrative Trichologist and women’s health advocate. She helps women stop guessing and start understanding their bodies. By blending scalp science, nervous system regulation, and conscious living, Allie teaches that beauty is a reflection of internal balance — and that hair is often just the beginning of the conversation.

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You’re Not for Everyone and That’s the Point

In this special edition of Wish I Would Have Known, Nicky shares a deeply personal reflection on identity, feedback, and the cost of trying to become someone you’re not.

After years in a high-performance sales environment, she found herself chasing results while quietly losing clarity about who she actually was. The feedback kept coming. The expectations kept shifting. And the pressure to mold into a specific version of leadership created more confusion than growth.

What happens when you are already performing at a high level, but are still asked to change who you are?

This conversation explores:

• The difference between development and distortion

The episode also dives into emotional intelligence, personal values, and the realization that trying to be for everyone often leads to losing yourself.

If you’ve ever walked out of feedback feeling confused instead of clear…

This conversation is for you. You are not for everyone. And that is not a weakness, it is alignment.

About the show: 

Potential Within website: thepeopleco-com/potentialwithin

Connect with hosts & guests:

For more information on The People Co., check out our Webiste: thepeople-co.com

Before You Fix Culture, Do This

Organizations often come to us asking for a specific solution.

An engagement survey.

And while those may be valid tools, they are rarely the right starting point.

In this episode of Within, we unpack why organizational audits and culture exercises must come before solutions.

Before adding more programs, leaders need clarity on three things:

1. Leadership Alignment

2. Workforce Demographics and Generational Dynamics

3. Resource Audit

Do employees know they exist?

Are they valued?

Should you stop doing something instead?

We discuss why compensation and benefits alone no longer define employee value, how flexibility has evolved beyond location, and why psychological safety is not optional for high-performing teams.

This episode also explores:

Why smaller organizations often “accidentally” build HR

The difference between adding initiatives and raising standards

How to approach listening sessions and engagement surveys strategically

The importance of challenging legacy thinking

The intersection of organizational health and individual wellbeing

Modern talent strategy is not about more programs.

It is about better alignment.

Because organizational health and individual health are directly connected.

If your people are not well, your organization will not be well.

About the show: 

Potential Within website: thepeopleco-com/potentialwithin

Connect with hosts & guests:

For more information on The People Co., check out our Webiste: thepeople-co.com

In this episode of Within, Nicky Wallace sits down with Allie Sartain, an Integrative Trichologist and women’s health advocate, for an honest conversation about the hidden struggles so many women carry while still trying to show up for their families, businesses, and everyday lives.

In this episode of Within's podcast, I Wish I Would Have Known series, Heidi shares a powerful moment: asking her kids at 18 what she could have done better as a mom. Both of them said the same thing—nutrition.

From busy sports schedules and drive-through dinners to learning about gut health, whole foods, and the differences between male and female fasting, this conversation explores what it means to grow alongside your kids.

This episode is about awareness, not guilt. And it’s never too late to change your family’s health story.

If this episode resonates, forward it to someone who needs it.

About the show: 

Potential Within website: thepeopleco-com/potentialwithin

Connect with hosts & guests:

For more information on The People Co., check out our Webiste: thepeople-co.com

In this episode of Within, Nicky shares the deeply personal journey that led to the creation of The Potential Within.

After the birth of her second daughter, what began as subtle health symptoms quickly escalated into a two-year medical journey filled with chronic pain, misdiagnoses, invasive testing, anxiety, and isolation.

From being told she was “fine” to preparing for a possible cancer diagnosis, to emergency back surgery, to finally being diagnosed,  this episode unpacks what it feels like when your body is screaming but no one is listening.

But this isn’t just a health story.

It’s the origin story of The Potential Within.

Through functional medicine, epigenetic testing, whole food changes, and radical self-advocacy, Nicky began peeling back the layers of what was really happening in her body.

What she discovered wasn’t just about healing herself.

It was about something bigger:

• The lack of safe spaces to talk about health struggles

The Potential Within was created to:

Because no one should feel alone navigating their health journey.

And because wellbeing isn’t separate from how we lead, work, and live.

About the show: 

Potential Within website: thepeopleco-com/potentialwithin

Connect with hosts & guests:

For more information on The People Co., check out our Webiste: thepeople-co.com

SUMMARY

Ali explains why listening sessions are one of the most powerful and underused tools leaders have. By consistently asking employees for input and capturing feedback in a structured way, organizations gain real time insight into culture, leadership effectiveness, and unmet needs. Heidi expands on this by sharing her experience facilitating listening sessions and how curiosity, thoughtful follow up questions, and psychological safety help employees open up and engage more honestly.

Nicky brings the conversation into a small business context, sharing examples of how informal listening conversations prevented turnover, uncovered hidden skills, and helped leaders course correct before disengagement became a larger issue. Throughout the discussion, the group reinforces a core message: listening only works if leaders communicate what they heard and take visible action. When done well, listening sessions build trust, empower employees, and move organizations forward.

ABOUT

Connect with them on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/nwallace515/ or www.linkedin.com/in/alipayne/ and www.linkedin.com/in/heidibuttolph/