In this episode of We’re Not Recording, Matt Taylor, VP of Global HR at Endpoint Clinical, reflects on what it really means to stay curious as an HR leader in the middle of complexity. From earning a pilot’s license to navigating global people strategy, Matt shares how curiosity—not titles or promotions—has shaped his leadership journey. He explores why the best HR leaders learn to sit in the tension between empathy and accountability, how leadership is less about pleasing people and more about guiding them through ambiguity, and why holding complexity without losing compassion is the real work. Along the way, Matt unpacks lessons from commission-based recruiting, boundary-setting, lifelong learning, and why HR ultimately teaches you more about leadership than people. This conversation is a grounded, honest look at leading through uncertainty—by asking better questions, staying human, and never stopping the learning process.

Integrity isn’t a slogan in this conversation—it’s a decision that comes with real risk. In this episode, Valerie Workman recounts the moment she walked into a meeting with Elon Musk fully expecting to be fired—and walked out leading Tesla’s 700-person HR organization. What began as speaking up about what the company needed turned into a defining leadership moment: when integrity opened the door, courage demanded she step through it. Valerie and Melanie unpack the invisible leadership calls no one prepares you for—taking responsibility instead of seeking permission, choosing the work over the title, and leading without a playbook during moments of real uncertainty. Valerie reflects on resisting the need to be liked, building the right team before crisis hits, and why excellence—not roles—is what actually transfers across careers. This conversation goes beyond career advice. It’s about what happens when you tell the truth in the room where decisions are made—and are brave enough to take the wheel when the road suddenly becomes yours to drive.

When remote work took off during the pandemic, so did a risky new trend: people secretly working two full-time jobs at once.

In this episode of We’re Not Recording, Melanie Naranjo talks with Tracy Simek, Chief People Officer at Locus Robotics, about why this isn’t just a hustle issue — it’s a trust, culture, and mission issue.

Both leaders are clear: side hustles are fine. Entrepreneurship is encouraged. But representing yourself as fully committed to two companies at the same time crosses a line — because it puts company values, team trust, and even confidential information at risk

Tracy explains why at a fast-growing, mission-driven company like Locus, no one can build something truly meaningful while splitting their loyalty across multiple employers.

In this episode of We’re Not Recording, Melanie Naranjo sits down with Andrea Cooper, Chief People Officer at Talkspace, to unpack her winding career journey — from working on the retail floor at Walmart, to spending over 20 years inside one of the world’s largest organizations, to stepping into the uncertainty of consulting and ultimately finding alignment in smaller, mission-driven companies. Andrea reflects on the fear and freedom that came with leaving the “safety of familiarity,” the steep learning curve of working for herself, and the confidence that comes from having to pitch your own value, set your own rates, and risk rejection. She shares candid lessons on building a consulting network, negotiating pricing without underselling yourself, and why relationship-based, authentic networking mattered more to her than personal branding or social media hustle. The conversation also explores the differences between large enterprises and lean teams, why smaller companies force deeper business understanding, and how retail experience shaped Andrea’s people-first but business-grounded leadership style. Throughout, Andrea emphasizes growth, resilience, and the power of discomfort as a catalyst for long-term confidence and clarity. This episode is especially valuable for HR leaders, consultants, and professionals considering a leap away from traditional career paths — or anyone questioning whether staying comfortable is holding them back from their next chapter.

In this episode of We’re Not Recording, Melanie Naranjo sits down with Carey Albertine, SVP of People & Culture at Voltus, Inc., to talk about what happens when the job you love suddenly becomes the one you can’t stand.

Carey reflects on how a leadership change transformed her work overnight—and how that moment reshaped her views on management, culture, and what truly drives engagement at work. The conversation explores her unconventional path into HR, the humility required to admit what you don’t know, and why personal reinvention isn’t a failure—it’s often the work itself.

This is an honest conversation about leadership misalignment, growth through discomfort, and finding purpose again when your career takes an unexpected turn.

In this candid conversation, Chief People Officer Jevan Lenox reveals how an impressive résumé can actually intensify imposter syndrome — especially when you’re expected to have all the answers on day one.

Jevan shares how a rocky first year at Square shook his confidence, why starting over in sales ops (a field he knew nothing about) became a turning point, and how leading through curiosity instead of expertise reshaped his entire approach to leadership.

He and Melanie dive into navigating new executive roles, interrogating your own experience, resisting over-engineered HR processes, and choosing the highest-ROI path even when it’s not the most familiar.

A sharp, honest look at what happens when expectations collide with reality — and how not knowing can become your greatest strength.

When a legal mind meets a human heart, the gray areas of work and life start to make a lot more sense. In this episode, Match Group’s Vice President of Global Employment Law and Ethics & Compliance, Katie Dugan, joins hosts Roxanne Petraeus and Melanie Naranjo to explore how love, law, and leadership collide. From the do’s and don’ts of dating at work to what really defines a “hostile” environment, Katie shares how empathy, judgment, and accountability can coexist—even in the most complex workplace situations. The trio dives into real-world workplace dilemmas, generational shifts in expectations, and the delicate art of handling the gray with both heart and integrity.

In this Halloween-themed episode of We’re Not Recording, Melanie Naranjo sits down with Lamari Brayboy III, Head of HR and People Operations at ThoughtWorks, to unpack a concept he calls “diversifying your happiness.” Drawing from his grandmother’s wisdom about not putting all your eggs in one basket, Lamari shares why tying your identity—or joy—to a single role, relationship, or achievement can be risky. He and Melanie explore how professionals, especially in HR, can rediscover fulfillment by building purpose across multiple “buckets” of life: work, family, community, hobbies, and self-growth. Along the way, Lamari reflects on his journey from law school to HR leadership, offers practical advice for reclaiming agency at work, and explains how learning the “language of business” helps HR earn a real seat at the table. This episode is an honest, energizing reminder to nurture different parts of yourself—so your happiness doesn’t depend on just one.

In this candid episode of We’re Not Recording, Roxanne Petraeus—Ethena’s CEO and an expectant mom—joins VP of People Melanie Naranjo to unpack the real, often avoided conversations around parental leave. Together they explore the tension between business needs and human realities, from the fear of announcing a pregnancy to the unspoken pressure on women to “do it all.” They question toxic positivity around maternity leave, challenge outdated assumptions about ambition, and share what it actually looks like to build fair, flexible policies without losing honesty or empathy. It’s a grounded, funny, and refreshingly real look at what leaders and employees both wish they could say about balancing work, family, and ambition.

In this episode of We’re Not Recording, Roxanne Petraeus and Melanie Naranjo dive into the surprising parallels between executive coaching and leadership therapy—and why every founder should probably have one. Roxanne reflects on how bringing in a coach early helped her and her co-founder navigate growing pains, communication gaps, and the emotional turbulence of scaling a company through big transitions like AI. From there, the conversation takes a sharp turn into modern workplace ethics: how should companies handle employees who attend protests or post activism on LinkedIn? The hosts debate where free expression ends and company values begin, exploring real examples of when social media behavior crossed the line. It’s candid, nuanced, and a little spicy—exactly what you’d expect when compliance meets real life.