What The HR!

Episode 116: Bringing Emotional Intelligence to Every Conversation – Even in an AI World

11 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Amy Jacobson is an EI and human behaviour specialist, delivering emotional intelligence programs, keynotes & workshops across Australia internatio...

Episode 115: Nobody Likes a Bad Manager - Not Even Your Money

25 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Jeffery Robinson is the Senior Program Director at Build Wealth MN, where he leads financial education, coaching, workforce development, and housing c...

Episode 114: Human-Centered Hiring in an AI World

12 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Paul DeBettignies, better known online as Minnesota Headhunter, is a Minnesota IT Recruiter who builds IT teams with startups and tech companies, crea...

Episode 113: Finding the Courage to Speak Up, Stand Out, and Shine

28 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

A 6-time award-winning keynote speaker Meredith Breitstein tours the world encouraging leaders to step into their destiny, walk through fear, and SHIN...

Episode 112: The Habits of Future-Ready Leaders: Talent, AI, and What Actually Matters

15 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Rick Rittmaster is a Leadership and Talent Development expert who leads the Leadership Solutions practice at Strategic Talent Partners and is a Co-Fou...

Episode 111: Unlocking Human Potential: Neuroscience, Coaching, and AI for Better Leaders

03 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Heather Polivka helps leaders create workplaces where people thrive, great talent stays, and businesses grow. Whether clients are responding to a chan...

Episode 110: Getting a Handle on Handbooks

20 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Lena Scullard and Becky Lauseng welcomed employment attorney Kate Bischoff to discuss employee handbooks, which she defined as documents setting expec...

Episode 109: Great Leaders Make Sure Monday Morning Doesn't Suck

06 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Eric Harkins is the President and Founder of GKG Search & Outplacement, a Minneapolis-based consulting firm that helps organizations Get, Keep &am...

Episode 108: A Deep Dive into MN Paid Leave

27 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tiffany McDaniel, an Absence Consultant at Brown and Brown, explained the new Minnesota paid leave program, which takes effect on January 1st. Tiffany...

Episode 107: Know Yourself, Know Your People: Preventing Burnout at Work

24 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Becky Lauseng and Jay Olson introduced Keynote Speaker, Janice Litvin, who defined burnout as chronic, unmanaged work leading to complete mental, phys...

Episode 106: The Perfect Game Day

11 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we talk with J.P. Paul, Vice President of Stadium Operations for the Minnesota Vikings, now in his 23rd season with the team. J.P. ha...

Episode 105: Meet Our New Cohosts: Jay and Lena!

21 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Becky Lauseng introduced Jay Olson and Lena Scullard as the new co-hosts for the "What the HR podcast," with both new co-hosts expressing enthusiasm f...

Episode 104: Energy: Emotions in Action

19 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Kristen Brown is a Certified Speaking Professional, bestselling author, and interactive and funny keynote speaker and trainer who helps organizations ...

Episode 103: Future Ready Leadership

04 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Rosie Ward is a fierce advocate for humanity who is sought-after to help rehumanize workplaces that free, fuel and inspire people to bring their b...

Episode 102: Return to People

21 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

John Christensen is an award-winning filmmaker, author, and the CEO of ChartHouse Learning, the company behind the globally recognized FISH! Philosoph...

Episode 101: Transparency in Leadership & Culture

07 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Smith is a seasoned global talent leader with over 20 years of experience in Talent Acquisition, Leadership Development, and Talent Management. C...

Episode 100: Farewell to Mike and Jessie

07 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We’ve made it to 100 episodes of What the HR! — and we’re marking the moment with a special farewell to our original hosts, Jessie Novey and Mik...

Episode 99: 2025 Employee Experience Trends Report

17 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Benjamin Granger is Chief Workplace Psychologist and Head of EX Advisory Services. He has over a decade of experience building Experience Manageme...

Episode 98: Loneliness in HR

03 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With over 15 years of experience in human resource strategy, organizational effectiveness, and talent development, Bethany Kurbis helps leaders and or...

Episode 97: Imposter Syndrome

20 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Teresa Sande is the CEO and Founder of Mirror Mirror Strategies, an organizational strategy & talent development consultancy focused on cultivatin...

Episode 96: Does Your Candidate Experience Match the Employee Experience?

13 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Jay is a Talent Acquisition and HR leader with over 20 years of experience. He is passionate about driving success through collaboration and communica...

Episode 95: Revolutionizing How We Live and Work

23 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Leah Pitzenberger is a psychologist by training, but spent almost a decade in various HR roles at Target Corporation, before focusing her career on st...

Episode 94: Pay Transparency

19 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sharona is a global HR consultant with expertise in global total rewards. Her specialties are compensation, benefits, HR operations, HRIS, performance...

Episode 93: Exploring the employee-owned (ESOP) model

19 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Since 1992, Nancy has led the Human Resources team for Room & Board, a 100% employee-owned (ESOP) business with more than 1,000 staff members and ...

Episode 92: The Importance of Being Coachable

23 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Kevin serves as an Executive Leadership Fellow at the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota. He teaches applied leadership in several ...

Episode 91: Feedback Reimagined

15 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Peter Berridge is an accomplished coach, facilitator, and author who utilizes the sciences of Positive Psychology and executive coaching to help leade...

Episode 90: AI, Civility and the Future of Work

21 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., is President and Chief Executive Officer of SHRM. Recently named one of the “Most Influential People Shaping Public Policy”...

Episode 89: Valuing Employee Time through Flexible Benefits

20 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Rob Whalen is the Co-Founder and CEO of PTO, Inc. where he started the company with Todd Lucas from his house in Woodinville. He is a serial entrepren...

Episode 88: Developing People Through Their Strengths

06 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A talent executive with Fortune 30 experience, Kelly has real-world expertise in all facets of HR including global organizational performance, leaders...

Episode 87: Employee Happiness Trends 2024

25 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ty Davidson joins the podcast to discuss the results of Kudoboards “2024 Employee Happiness Trends in the U.S. Based on insights from nearly 600 pro...

Episode 86: Driving Performance Through a Human Centered Strategy

18 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Angela is the founder of Lift Bridge Strategy, a boutique consultancy focused on more personal and human-centered approaches to helping companies grow...

Episode 85: How HR Can Leverage AI

12 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Leigha Jansen joins the pod to discuss all things AI in HR! Tune in to learn how to best leverage AI in the workplace and what needs to be done to gov...

Episode 84: 100 Conversations in 100 Days

07 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When Casey joined his new company, he made a goal to have 100 conversations in 100 days. Tune in to this episode to learn about his journey and what c...

Episode 83: Results Only Workplace

02 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jody Thompson is the Founding Principal of CultureRx®, headquartered in Minneapolis, MN. Thompson is an engaging domestic and international keynote p...

Episode 82: HR Professionals Burnout Too!

05 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Employee burnout has been a hot topic, but what about those responsible for tackling that issue? HR professionals have gone through a lot the past 4 y...

Episode 81: 2024 Employee Experience Trends Report

30 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Ben Granger joins the pod to discuss Qualtrics' 2024 Employee Experience Trends Report.  Dr. Benjamin Granger is Chief Workplace Psychologist and...

Episode 80: Non-Linear Career Paths

07 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Kristina Fusella joins the podcast to discuss the benefits of non-linear career paths. Kristina Jiali Fusella is a purpose-driven, transformational co...

Episode 79: Organizational Effectiveness and Optimizing Skills

05 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Martin Low is the Founder and CEO at On Plane Consulting.  He has over 20 years of HR experience at companies like Amazon.com, McKesson, Blue Apron, ...

Episode 78: Tools Women and Allies Need to Breakthrough

20 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Angel G. Henry is the President of AngelSpeaking, Inc., an Agile Mindset Trainer, an IT Adjunct Instructor, and an author. With over 20 years of IT ex...

Episode 77: Workplace Philanthropy w/ Percent Pledge

20 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Percent Pledge's CEO Joel Pollick joins the show to discuss Percent Pledge and Workplace Philanthropy. They recently released a report outlining all o...

Episode 76: What Motivates Gen Z to Learn

22 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Gen Z workers bring high expectations to their workplaces, including how they’re trained. Research has shown that Gen Z values career-advancing lear...

Episode 75: Leadership Development w/Summer Davies

11 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Summer Davies is an award-winning leadership development expert focused on cultivated thriving work environments where people feel equipped, capable, ...

Episode 74: Compliance Update - Cannabis, Pay History, Parental Leave & More!

10 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Kevin Mosher joins the show to give us a compliance update on multiple new pieces of legislature. See below for time stamps and topics.   2:00 - Affi...

Episode 73: What the HR! Won the SHRM Pinnacle Award!

25 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What the HR! recently won the SHRM Pinnacle award! In this episode we have TCSHRM Past President Becky Lauseng interview us to get a behind the scenes...

Episode 72: The Benefits of Having Fun in the Workplace

21 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Samantha Lomow joins the show to talk about the benefits of having fun in the workplace.  Throughout her 25+ year career across toys, entertainment, ...

Episode 71: Onsite Child Care with Hormel Foods

26 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Angie Bissen joins us to discuss Hormel Foods decision to build a 5 million dollar onsite child care center to support their employees and the communi...

Episode 70: Next Great Step: Career Coaching For College Students

24 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Beth Hendler-Grunt is a dynamic leader, adviser, and facilitator who has extensive experience consulting from start-ups to Fortune 500 firms. She ...

Episode 69: HR and Marketing Should Join Hands

03 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Kerry-Ann is a financial services marketer, currently leading the marketing function at JMMB (Financial) Group, which has operations across the Caribb...

Episode 68: How to Crush the Candidate Experience

22 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tianna is a People & Recruiting Leader who has a passion for building diverse teams and high-impact programs that help companies scale. She joined Not...

Episode 67: How to Make Compliance A Little Less Boring

08 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jennifer Watson joins us to share her experience managing compliance for both big and small companies. Tune in for some tips and tricks on how to make...

Episode 66: The Radical Art of Prioritizing

02 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Brandi Olson believes that you shouldn’t have to choose between doing good, important work, and your own humanity.  An expert in organizational des...

Episode 65: Spotlyfe: Helping People and Organizations Combat Burnout.

02 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

With a passion for building high growth organizations, Josh Schwede has been building and leading teams and strategies to support fast-growing, ventur...

Episode 64: Navigating Global Workforce Shifts with Steve Hunt

13 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Hunt’s work focuses on using technology to increase workforce agility and performance by improving employees’ capabilities experience, engagem...

Episode 63: Quiet Quitting w/ Dr. Ben Granger

30 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Ben Granger joins the show to discuss Qualtrics' research on Quiet Quitting, and the impact it has on both companies and employees.   Guest: Dr. ...

Episode 62: Power of your potential: Gallup StrengthFinder

28 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Keri Bischoff joins the show to talk strengths. Keri is the founder and CEO at Keri Bischoff Consulting and a Gallup-Certified CliftonStrengthsTM coac...

Episode 61: HR Technology Conference Wrap Up

21 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode I am joined by two HR Technology Consultants, Jeremy Ames and Shannon Klick. The HR Technology Conference recently wrapped up in Las V...

Episode 60: Designing a Purpose Filled Workspace

17 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Doug Shapiro is the VP of Research and Insight at OFS. He joins the show to discuss how to create workplace spaces that promote creativity. He has ov...

Episode 59: Modern Child Care Benefits for Today’s Working Parent

28 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Brittney Barrett is an entrepreneur and marketing leader, with an expertise in go-to-market and growth strategies at early stage startups. She is curr...

Episode 58: Help Employees Navigate Financial Decisions with LearnLux

11 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Rebecca Liebman is the founder of LearnLux, an award-winning workplace financial wellbeing program that blends digital education, interactive tools an...

Episode 57: Psychological Safety in the Workplace

20 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Greg Johnson (he/him) is the Sr. Director of Human Resources, Talent & Strategy at Children’s Minnesota, and a member of the PRIDE employee resource...

Episode 56: Are HR Vendors Bullies?

13 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Kimberly Carroll, Managing Partner at IA joins the show to discuss some of the “bullying” tactics that they observe between clients and technology...

Episode 55: Chasing Failure w/ Ryan Leak

03 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ryan Leak is an author, speaker, executive coach, and podcaster. He’s known for two documentaries: The Surprise Wedding & Chasing Failure. Ryan is t...

Episode 54: Coaching is For Everyone

02 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Learning Journeys, The International Center of Coaching is recognized as one of the coaching industry's most invigorating coaching learning centers....

Episode 53: ”Always On” Employee Listening Strategy

16 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Claire Schmidt is the founder and CEO of AllVoices, a platform that enables employees to anonymously report workplace issues directly to leadership. B...

Episode 52: Well-Being in the Workplace

12 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Nikki has a passion and gift for making well-being practices available and accessible to students of all levels.  She holds a degree in Kinesiology, ...

Episode 51: Financial Wellness in The Workplace w/ Pete the Planner

05 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Peter Dunn a.k.a. Pete the Planner® is an award-winning financial expert. He’s a USA TODAY columnist, the author of ten books, and the CEO and Foun...

Episode 50: How to Prepare for Your Next Career Move

15 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Skywater Search Director Andrea Anderson has over 15 years in HR and Recruiting. During this episode we learn some tips and tricks on how to crush the...

Episode 49: Smart Growth: The S-Curve Of Learning

28 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Whitney Johnson joins the show to discuss her new book "Smart Growth: How to Grow Your People to Grow Your Company". Join us to dive deep into the S-C...

Episode 48: Power Moms: How Executive Mothers Navigate Work and Life

11 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Joann is the author of two books about female business leaders. Her latest is Power Moms: How Executive Mothers Navigate Work and Life, published in ...

Episode 47: Creating a Better Parental Leave Experience

21 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Sue Campbell and Amy Beacom join the show to discuss parental leave and how to get it right. The U.S. is well behind other nations when it comes to th...

Episode 46: How Microsoft is Navigating the Great Reshuffle

03 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Lauren Gardner, CVP of Global Talent at Microsoft joins the show to discuss the Great Reshuffle and the future of hybrid work.   Guest: Lauren Gardne...

Episode 45: The Enneagram Personality Test

18 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As a system thinker, Matt Schlegel has always been fascinated by team dynamics and what makes some teams successful while others fail. He began studyi...

Episode 44: Leveraging the DiSC Personality Assessment

05 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Erich Kurschat (linkedin.com/in/erichkurschat) is the owner of Harmony Insights LLC (HarmonyInsights.com), a company that helps organizations and cons...

Episode 43: How to Create a Purpose Centered Culture

11 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Tristian Williams is one of the world’s rising experts on organizational health and leadership, his books and courses have been used to transform le...

Episode 42: Leading HR for a Professional Sports Team: Leah Pitzenberger(Minnesota Wild)

20 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Leah Pitzenberger joins us to talk about the internal transformation at the Minnesota Wild(NHL). Join us as she discusses the good and bad of leading ...

Episode 41: Inclusion is The Key to Success w/ Perrine Farque

13 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Perrine Farque is an author,  entrepreneur, keynote speaker and diversity expert who empowers leaders to leverage diversity as their competitive adva...

Episode 40: HR Technology: How to Choose, Optimize and Maximize Your Investment on HR Solutions

16 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Nikki Broderick joins us to discuss how companies should choose, optimize and maximize their investment in HR technology solutions.   Guest: Nikki Br...

What the HR! 39 HR Insights and Predictions w/ Josh Bersin

28 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Josh Bersin joins the show to discuss current and future trends within HR. Topics include, Hybrid Work, HR Capability Project, Skills Taxonomy, Recrui...

What the HR! 38 Being Effective in a Virtual Environment w/ Yess! CEO Sue Hawkes

25 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Sue Hawks joins us to talk about virtual work and how to make it more human and enjoyable. Tune in to hear some tips and tricks on making remote meeti...

What the HR! 37 Total Rewards w/ Chipotle's Scott Scansen

08 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Scott Scansen is Senior Director of Total Rewards, overseeing all compensation, benefits and HR systems at Chipotle. As a key member of the People Exp...

What the HR! 36 HR on Purpose w/Steve Browne

19 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Steve Browne is the Chief People Officer for LaRosa's, Inc. - a regional Pizzeria restaurant chain in Southwest Ohio with 11 locations and over 1,100 ...

What the HR! 35 Building Your Brand on LinkedIn

17 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Dan Swift, Founder and CEO of Empire Selling joins us to discuss LinkedIn and how we can leverage it to build meaningful relationships and land more p...

What the HR! 34 The Future of Remote Work

14 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we are joined by Kaleem Clarkson, Chief Operating Officer of Blend Me, Inc. A remote employee experience consultancy that helps startu...

What the HR! 33 Building a Lifestyle Brand with Life Time's Jess Elmquist(CLO/EVP of HR)

27 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we are joined by Jess Elmquist, Chief Learning Officer and EVP of HR at Life Time(NOTE: Jess has recently retired 4/27/21). In this in...

What the HR! 32 Assault Prevention w/ Chris Denton

12 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we are joined by Chris Denton of Not Me. She discusses how companies can and should provide education and training around assaults. In...

What the HR! 31 Creating a Data Driven Culture

07 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we are joined by Zach Day, Director of Custom Research and Analytics at MRA. Zach discusses how to build a data driven culture and how...

What the HR! 30 Servant Leadership with Becky Estby

22 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Beck Estby joins us to discuss "Servant Leadership" and living a life with no regrets.   Guests: Becky Estby linkedin.com/in/becky-estby https://next...

What the HR! 29 Mental Fitness w/ Executive Coach Carrie Cunnington

01 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Executive Coach Carrie Cunnington joins us to discuss mental fitness. During this episode, we walk through some of the mental exercises that Carrie do...

What the HR! 28 Compliance Update: COVID-19 Vaccine Update #2

09 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Compliance Update: Kevin Mosher joins us to provide an update on the COVID-19 Vaccine   Guests: Kevin Mosher  linkedin.com/in/kevin-mosher-71200a9  ...

What the HR! 27 Compliance Update: Politics in the Workplace

04 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Compliance Update: Kevin speaks with us about politics in the workplace.   Guests: Kevin Mosher  linkedin.com/in/kevin-mosher-71200a9   Hosts: Mike...

What the HR! 26 HR Trends & Insights with William Tincup

22 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

William Tincup(President & Editor-at-Large, RecruitingDaily) joins us as we unpack 2020 and look forward to 2021. William is the President & Editor-at...

What the HR! 25 Compliance Update: COVID-19 Vaccine for Employees

18 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Compliance Update: Kevin speaks with us about the Covid-19 Vaccine and how employers should handle the rollout.   Guests: Kevin Mosher  linkedin.com...

What the HR! 24 Building an Employer Branding Strategy

04 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Nate Guggia leads brand marketing at Job Portraits, a creative studio that specializes in employer branding content. Based in the SF Bay Area, Job Por...

What the HR! 23 Key Trends in Organizational Design: Ken Ferguson, CRO @ orgvue

19 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Ken Ferguson joins us to discuss how orgvue is helping companies leverage AI and Big Data to optimize organizational design.   Guests: Ken Ferguson -...

What the HR! 22 Building a Remote Culture w/ Deb LaMere: Datasite

11 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Deb LaMere, VP of HR @ Datasite joins us to discuss the pandemic and how Datasite has continued to build a strong culture with remote employees.   Gu...

What the HR! 21 Authentic Leadership with Julie Thiel, Schwans Company

26 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Julie Thiel joins us to discuss Authentic Leadership, and how Schwans Company needed it more than ever during the pandemic.   Guests: Julie Thiel - l...

What the HR! 20 - Mastering Employee Experience w/ Qualtrics' Ben Granger

12 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Benjamin Granger joins us to discuss Experience Management and the research that has been done to improve the listening techniques used in today's...

What the HR! 19 - Building a Digital HR Strategy w/ Leapgen's Jason Averbook

06 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We are joined by Leapgen's CEO, Jason Averbook to discuss digital transformation.   Guests: Jason Averbook - linkedin.com/in/jasonaverbook http://www...

What the HR! 18 Creating Diverse & Inclusive Organizations with Cecilia Stanton Adams

02 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Cecilia Stanton Adams, Chief Diversity Officer at Allianz Life joins the show to discuss Diversity and Inclusion.    Guests: Cecilia Stanton Adams -...

What the HR! 17 Diversity & Inclusion with C.H. Robinson

04 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

During this interview, we chat with Rachel and Cody about Diversity & Inclusion. Why it is important to them, how they found themselves in this space,...