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How Business Owners Can Use AI Without Risking HR Compliance and Team Trust with Kelly Price

Release Date: 09/10/2025

How Business Owners Can Use AI Without Risking HR Compliance and Team Trust with Kelly Price

AI for Business Owners

In this episode of the AI for Business Owners Podcast, host is joined by , Founder and CEO of , to discuss how small businesses can integrate AI into HR operations without losing the human touch. With a background that spans hospitality, recruiting, and HR leadership, Kelly shares her journey to launching Thrive HR and her mission to help small business owners build strategic, compliant, and people-first organizations. Jeff and Kelly explore how AI can support HR functions like onboarding, performance management, and policy creation, while also emphasizing the irreplaceable value of...

The Career Pivot for Dental Professionals to Enter Tech Using AI Recruiting with Alison Norris

AI for Business Owners

In this episode of AI for Business Owners, host chats with , a former dental hygienist turned recruiting agency founder and CEO , and tech entrepreneur. Allison shares her journey from burnout in clinical practice to empowering thousands of dental professionals through non-clinical career pathways. Together, they explore how AI is reshaping hiring, what recruiters actually need in their tools, and why your resume might be more valuable than you think, even if you're changing industries. Whether you're building an app, pivoting careers, or just trying to understand how AI and data privacy...

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AI for Business Owners

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The Truth About AI SEO Tools for Entrepreneurs to Fix Rankings Using Better Prompts -Rebekah Edwards

AI for Business Owners

In this episode of the AI for Business Owners Podcast, talks with , the Co-Founder & CEO of and soon-to-be book publisher, about how AI is transforming the world of SEO, where current tools fall short, and how deep research features and smart prompting can unlock meaningful efficiency. Rebekah shares her thoughts about how she uses tools like ChatGPT and ClearScope for SEO insights, the power of deep research with proper prompting, and her vision for creating smarter AI-driven SEO software. They explore practical use cases, prompt engineering best practices, and the limitations of...

How to Fix AI Chaos with Process Mapping and the 1% Rule for Leaders - Jack P. Flaherty

AI for Business Owners

In this dynamic episode of the AI for Business Owners Podcast, host Jeff Torello is joined by Jack P. Flaherty, speaker, author, consultant, C-Suite advisor at The Decision Switch, founder and CEO of Connacht Ventures to discuss how leaders can use AI and automation not just efficiently, but wisely. Jack shares how his consulting work with executives and tech companies has revealed a common trap: diving into automation without a clear mission. He advocates for a “go slow to go fast” approach where breaking down processes and building modular solutions (think Lego blocks!) creates smarter,...

AI for Transparency Reporting in Healthcare to Automate Compliance without Code with Lucas Croteau

AI for Business Owners

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Preparing for the Future of Work with AI and Inclusive Leadership with Sacha Thompson

AI for Business Owners

In this insightful episode of the AI for Business Owners Podcast, host Jeff Torello sits down with Sacha Thompson, founder and CEO of The Equity Equation, a boutique consultancy committed to building psychologically safe and inclusive workplaces. With a strong background in tech and inclusion-focused marketing, including roles at Amazon Web Services, Sacha brings a unique perspective to the intersection of AI, ethics, and DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion). Sacha discusses her early exposure to AI and machine learning in public sector tech, the importance of high-quality, inclusive data,...

How AI Is Changing Education for Teachers to Fix Student Disconnection & Boost Agency – Peter Nilsson & Maya Bialik

AI for Business Owners

In this insightful episode of AI for Business Owners Podcast, host Jeff Torello speaks with Peter Nilsson and Maya Bialik, two leading educators and authors. Maya is the founder of QuestionWell AI, an AI tool designed to help teachers write customized questions, board member at The Plenary, Co. and Peter is a school leader, the Founder, Editor at The Educator's Notebook and Co-Founder of Athena Lab and senior consultant at Aptonym. Together, they discuss how AI can be integrated into education to support both teachers and students. Maya and Peter dive into the complexities of teaching...

How ChatGPT Helps Clinicians Replace 30 Day Rehab and Prevent Fentanyl Relapse with Alex Shohet

AI for Business Owners

In this compelling episode of the AI for Business Owners Podcast, host Jeff Torello speaks with Alex Shohet, a former tech entrepreneur turned mental health and addiction care innovator. He is a founder & CEO of Evergreen Fund and co-founder and CEO of MyAlyce and Red Door Life. With over two decades of experience in behavioral health, Alex is now leveraging AI to transform how treatment centers manage patient care. He shares how his team uses ChatGPT and custom models to support care teams, reduce relapse rates, and improve client outcomes using behavioral data and structured frameworks....

AI Tools for Business Owners to Automate Emails and Train on Sales Data with Barry Sendach

AI for Business Owners

In this engaging episode of the AI for Business Owners Podcast, host Jeff Torello sits down with Barry Sendach, Founder and CEO of Dome Spaces, Dyester Corp and Tentspaces, President at Containers In Motion. Barry shares his entrepreneurial journey and discusses how he is preparing to integrate AI into his business operations. With a strong focus on sales efficiency, customer outreach, and staying ahead of the competition, Barry walks us through his plans to adopt AI for smarter data management, content automation, and market monitoring. Together, Jeff and Barry explore the real-world...

More Episodes

In this episode of the AI for Business Owners Podcast, host Jeff Torello is joined by Kelly Price, Founder and CEO of Thrive HR, to discuss how small businesses can integrate AI into HR operations without losing the human touch.
With a background that spans hospitality, recruiting, and HR leadership, Kelly shares her journey to launching Thrive HR and her mission to help small business owners build strategic, compliant, and people-first organizations.
Jeff and Kelly explore how AI can support HR functions like onboarding, performance management, and policy creation, while also emphasizing the irreplaceable value of empathy, context, and human leadership in people operations. This episode delivers practical, experience-backed insights on how to make HR more efficient without making it robotic.

Key Takeaways

HR is a business function, not just a cost center—strategy and compliance both matter.
AI is a powerful productivity tool, but it cannot replace human reasoning or emotional intelligence.
Onboarding, training, and FAQs are ideal areas for AI-powered automation in HR.
Performance conversations should never be fully automated—context and empathy matter.
Business leaders must understand the limits of automation and lead with appropriateness.

Noteworthy Quotes

"AI is a tool, not the doer. You still need a person to say the words." – Kelly Price
"Teach your people what the box is, and empower them to go to the edges." – Kelly Price
"Even if it's all praise, getting a performance review written by ChatGPT and emailed is the wrong approach." – Kelly Price
"Appropriateness is everything when you're automating. Just because you can doesn't mean you should." – Jeff Torello
"The human factor in HR isn't optional—it’s foundational." – Kelly Price

Key Timestamps

00:36 – Introduction: Meet Kelly Price, founder of Thrive HR
01:52 – Career journey: From psychology and hospitality to HR leadership
06:55 – Launching Thrive HR and supporting small businesses with strategic HR
11:11 – Kelly's AI use cases in HR: job descriptions, reviews, policies
18:18 – Why empathy still matters in performance conversations
22:50 – How big corporations lose the human element in HR
25:14 – Building an HR chatbot: empowering local managers with compliant flexibility
29:10 – AI in onboarding: training systems, customer service, and team culture
36:00 – Balancing automation with real human support and leadership