Theme
People integration during M&A, cultural due diligence
Ep. 22 · December 16, 2025
Nick Avery · Carta
The success of organizational change, particularly post-acquisition, is fundamentally driven by nuanced cultural integration and authentic communication rather than rigid plans. Traditional HR practices like performance management are outdated and necessitate a radical shift towards real-time, data-driven feedback, significantly powered by AI.
Score
100%
Ep. 294 · February 20, 2025
Debbie Shotwell · Stack Overflow
A thriving company culture, effective learning & development, and successful technological transformations (like AI adoption and M&A integrations) are fundamentally driven by strong, transparent leadership, clear values, continuous communication, and proactive employee engagement that fosters psychological safety and adaptability.
Score
100%
Ep. 307 · February 10, 2025
Silvia Van Dusen · LinQuest
HR executives in private equity-backed companies must be exceptionally agile and business-focused, prioritizing rapid value creation and strategic preparation for potential acquisitions by maintaining compliance, fostering an engaged culture, and optimizing workforce planning to ensure minimal impact during transitions.
Score
100%
Ep. 341 · January 20, 2025
Jed Milstein · Asbury Automotive Group
Exceptional customer service and business differentiation in the automotive industry directly stem from a profound commitment to internal employee well-being, fostering transparency, and meticulously integrating cultures during acquisitions to ensure continuity and drive productivity.
Score
100%
Ep. 370 · December 20, 2024
Beth King · Paytronix
HR's strategic value in M&A is crucial, leveraging both data-driven insights and deep cultural understanding during diligence to ensure successful integrations and long-term employee retention, rather than merely addressing post-deal aftermath.
Score
100%
Ep. 65 · August 29, 2025
Erin McAuley · Springline Advisory
Organizational success, especially during hypergrowth and M&A, hinges on intentional culture co-creation and a 'scale with soul' approach, treating culture as a core business strategy rather than a secondary project.
Score
90%
Ep. 87 · July 29, 2025
Serena Filson · Certara
Successful HR leadership during major organizational transitions like IPOs and divestitures demands ruthless prioritization, embracing iterative 'good enough' solutions, and fostering transparency and a sense of shared ownership among employees.
Score
90%
Ep. 199 · May 8, 2025
Nicholas Nyhus · Aspirus Health
HR leaders must transcend transactional roles to become strategic organizational effectiveness partners by anticipating business needs, driving results through talent and culture, and leading with courage and a deep understanding of financial, operational, and strategic aspects of the business.
Score
90%
Ep. 245 · April 4, 2025
Kate Kemp · Restaurant365
HR's fundamental role is to enable and amplify the organization by understanding and leveraging people's unique experiences and differences as assets, acting as a platform to remove friction and drive impact.
Score
90%
Ep. 263 · March 24, 2025
Jill Larsen · Synopsys Inc
HR leaders must embrace disruption and act as data-driven, strategic operators with a P&L mindset to drive business outcomes, especially by pragmatically leveraging technology like AI and focusing on cultural integration during significant organizational changes.
Score
90%
Ep. 363 · December 31, 2024
Shelley Okeefe · Platinum Dermatology Partners
Effective culture and employee experience are built by deeply understanding employee demographics, leveraging existing organizational strengths, and adapting flexibly, particularly through significant organizational changes like M&A, mirroring customer-centric marketing strategies.
Score
90%
Ep. 58 · September 9, 2025
Andrew Bartlow · Altamont Capital Partners
HR leaders must continuously and intentionally grow their foundational skills across all HR disciplines, learn to operate strategically, and adapt to changing business demands to effectively guide organizations, especially in environments where productivity and efficiency are paramount.
Score
80%
Ep. 86 · July 30, 2025
Colleen McCreary · Confluent
Company values and mission are truly tested and proven during difficult times. By prioritizing people through transparent communication, thoughtful alternatives to drastic measures like layoffs, and consistent trust-building, organizations can achieve long-term success and resilience, even after severe financial setbacks.
Score
80%
Ep. 131 · June 25, 2025
Amanda Sedars · Mindr
A strong legal foundation, coupled with a relentless focus on human connection and strategic networking, empowers HR leaders to navigate complex, fast-paced environments like private equity, driving performance while building resilient, values-driven cultures.
Score
80%
Ep. 152 · June 11, 2025
Thomas Lokar · National Car Wash Solutions
HR must proactively transform into a strategic value creator, leveraging technology and data to move beyond transactional tasks and drive tangible business outcomes.
Score
80%
Ep. 166 · June 2, 2025
Luc Stefani · LS HR Consulting
HR must be deeply integrated with local business needs and cultural contexts, acting as a strategic partner to drive organizational success and talent retention, especially by embracing flexibility in a rapidly evolving work environment.
Score
80%
Ep. 170 · May 28, 2025
Erica Koenig · SPS Commerce
Erica Koenig's core belief is that strategic HR involves deeply understanding business needs, proactively building foundational people capabilities before implementing technology, and recognizing that culture is the ultimate differentiator that can make or break critical business initiatives like M&A.
Score
80%
Ep. 227 · April 17, 2025
Karen Greene · Escalon Services
HR in fast-paced, PE-backed organizations thrives by proactively building scalable people programs, embracing rapid change, and strategically integrating technology like AI, while also fostering a culture of resilience and continuous upskilling.
Score
80%
Ep. 250 · March 28, 2025
Jamie Durling · Luxury Goods & Retail (various organizations)
HR must transcend traditional people-centric views to become a strategic business facilitator, quantifying its impact on financial outcomes and proactively partnering with finance to drive top and bottom-line results.
Score
80%
Ep. 287 · February 27, 2025
Katie Manning · RGP
Emotional intelligence and authentic relationship building are paramount for HR leaders to foster an inclusive culture, design effective programs, and navigate organizational change, ultimately driving employee engagement and business success.
Score
80%
Ep. 367 · December 24, 2024
Fred Skinner · Eversana
A genuinely cultivated, simple, and trust-based company culture, centered on employee engagement, client delight, and financial results, is the indispensable foundation for sustainable success, especially through rapid growth and mergers.
Score
80%
Ep. 95 · July 23, 2025
Malvika Jhangiani · FARO Technologies
Successful HR leadership in a dynamic, global environment demands agility, a willingness to embrace discomfort and 'scrappy' innovation, and a profound 'bilingual' understanding of both HR and core business functions to unlock human potential and drive growth.
Score
70%
Ep. 135 · June 23, 2025
Heather Oxley · GlobalLogic
Effective HR leadership is rooted in continuous learning, embracing diverse experiences, and acting as a strategic business partner who understands financials, aligns with organizational goals, and empowers a global team.
Score
70%
Ep. 228 · April 17, 2025
Matthew Rieck · Inszone Insurance
Companies often overlook simple, often free, yet highly effective HR strategies like succession planning and genuine employee appreciation, leading to high turnover and missed opportunities for fostering a strong culture and retaining top talent. Proactive personal and professional development is also key for individual career resilience.
Score
70%
Ep. 234 · April 14, 2025
Logan Sutherland · Stampin' Up!
HR professionals wield significant influence, not just within organizations but globally, by enriching employees' work lives, aligning them with their potential, and thus positively impacting their overall well-being and communities.
Score
70%
Ep. 246 · April 3, 2025
Nathan Peirson · Onit
HR's core mission is to drive business impact by ruthlessly simplifying processes, focusing on foundational needs before growth, and designing the organization to support strategic objectives, even if it requires making pragmatic trade-offs.
Score
70%
Ep. 316 · February 4, 2025
Lisa Hammond · Veradigm
Strategic HR leadership is built on a foundation of strong business acumen, a willingness to take calculated career risks, and the ability to lead with composure and strength during crises, rather than merely fulfilling a 'caretaker' role.
Score
70%
Ep. 349 · January 14, 2025
Janice Deskus · Staples
Successful large-scale change and organizational transformation depend on a deep understanding of an organization's history, present, and future goals, coupled with relentless, empathetic communication and a holistic approach to leadership development that prioritizes the 'whole self' of employees.
Score
70%
Ep. 300 · February 14, 2025
Paul Brubaker · KARL STORZ
HR must operate as a strategic business unit, demonstrating measurable value and ROI, while also prioritizing the human element and ethical decision-making, particularly during times of crisis and career transition.
Score
60%
Ep. 303 · February 12, 2025
Joy Todd · AVI Systems
HR professionals must deeply align their personal values with their organization's values and actively embody them to be effective leaders and advocates, especially in rapidly growing, employee-owned companies.
Score
60%
Ep. 331 · January 27, 2025
Amrita Bhaumik · Valvoline Global Operations
Effective HR leadership, particularly for women and women of color, transforms challenges into opportunities through intentional strategy, building inclusive ecosystems, taking calculated risks, continuous learning, and proactive self-advocacy and mentorship.
Score
60%
Ep. 346 · January 15, 2025
Lynnette Heath · nVent
Truly valuing employees, demonstrated through intentional people processes, continuous development opportunities, and data-driven insights, is crucial for organizational success and fosters a deeply engaged workforce, even in a rapidly changing environment.
Score
60%
Ep. 74 · August 20, 2025
Stephanie Manzelli · Employ
HR leaders must proactively speak the language of business (finance, ops, growth) and decentralize ownership of culture and engagement to become strategic partners who drive organizational outcomes, rather than just administrators. Influence comes from courageously addressing hard truths with data and empathy, not just polish.
Score
50%
Ep. 137 · June 20, 2025
Jessica Carroll · Dynatron Software
HR's strategic value is realized when leaders deeply understand the business and adapt people strategies to the unique contexts and employee demographics of each organization, rather than applying universal playbooks.
Score
50%
Ep. 141 · June 18, 2025
Candice Chafey · Zeta Global
HR leaders must deeply understand the business's strategic direction and challenges, then design HR functions not just as support, but as business accelerators that foster trust in leadership and align culture from the top down.
Score
50%
Ep. 146 · June 16, 2025
Jomana Elwenni · Momentic Studios
HR credibility is earned, not granted by title, through demonstrating actionable solutions and proactively communicating the impact of foundational work, particularly when partnering directly with founders during critical growth or market shifts.
Score
50%
Ep. 264 · March 24, 2025
Liz Ahmed · Unum
By actively embracing continuous change and transformation rather than specializing, HR leaders can strategically align with business goals, foster deep employee engagement through transparent communication and storytelling, and proactively develop programs that address evolving workforce needs like mental health and efficient benefits administration.
Score
50%
Ep. 265 · March 24, 2025
Brian Little · Altera
HR leaders must operate as authentic, commercially-minded business partners, utilizing data-driven workforce planning and empathetic communication to successfully navigate external disruptions and cultivate an environment where employees feel valued amidst organizational change.
Score
50%
Ep. 312 · February 6, 2025
Lizzie Garner · ClearChoice Dental Implant Centers
HR strategies should be reverse-engineered directly from specific business needs and desired customer experiences, rather than relying on rigid HR theory, to foster high-performing teams and drive organizational success.
Score
50%
Ep. 314 · February 5, 2025
Ruchita Sharma · Guardian Life
Ruchita Sharma argues that HR's true value lies in proactively driving business outcomes through strategic transformation, embracing technology and flexible models, and fostering a culture of continuous learning, rather than merely reacting to situations.
Score
50%
Ep. 399 · October 23, 2024
Cory Rose · TAG (The Aspen Group)
Effective HR leadership demands a deep understanding of unique business contexts and diverse employee personas, advocating for adaptable, data-driven strategies over fads or 'one-size-fits-all' approaches.
Score
50%
“Culture plus L&D equals a successful merger.”
“It's almost like living in a house that is a constant open house, right? It's gotta be pristine and ready for that sale, but you still have to cook dinner every night.”
“And I think acquired teams oftentimes are bringing really special skills and experiences to organizations... And I think it's about clearing the way for the team... and amplifying that within the organization, that you'r...”
“We decided to actually incorporate some of the themes and the values of the company we are acquiring potentially... so that those employees can see themselves in our company and see their fingerprints on it.”
“The key, I think, is to not destroy what existed prior by trying to be too dominant with, with the acquiring company's culture. But allowing evolution across all of the entities.”
“We don't have— time is something that, that is a luxury we don't have in private equity.”
“We didn't have the same background. So the integration was probably more complicated than what we anticipated. The second point that I noticed that we spend a lot of time in system process, but merging is a, first of all...”
“Never underestimate the power of culture. It can make or break an acquisition integration.”
“Lastly, if you are going to be involved in any level of M&A work, it's about how does HR come to the table in partnership evaluating cultural fit of the M&A targets, because we know that cultural fit is the number one re...”
“we lean with, with culture first to make sure that it's a good fit for us. And then after we know that, when we expand, we double down on it”