Workforce Therapy Files
This podcast is designed for business leaders and human resource professionals who are challenged with expanding their workforce. Workforce Therapy Files, an Employer Solutions Podcast, is hosted by 3 separate business owners who operate in the staffing and human resources space. They'll provide perspectives, tips and advice (along with a little humor) to help you prepare for and manage your workforce challenges. Need Help Supporting Your Company’s Recruiting and Staffing Goals? We’re here to help. You can contact us via our individual websites, depending on your specific needs or questions: • Jamie Swaim, SPHR – www.ParcelKnows.com • Molley Ricketts – www.IncipioWorks.com • Jason Heflin – www.CrowdSouth.com We hope you find it insightful and helpful. Thank you for listening!
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AI Change Management: A Practical Guide for Modern Organizations
06/08/2026
AI Change Management: A Practical Guide for Modern Organizations
File 39: In this file of Workforce Therapy Files, the hosts sit down with Jenna Ahern, founder of Guardian Owl Digital, to discuss the rapid impact of artificial intelligence on business, leadership, and the future of work. They explore why organizations need intentional AI policies, stronger data governance, and ongoing employee training as AI becomes more integrated into daily operations. Jenna emphasizes that leaders must approach AI as a change-management challenge rather than simply a technology initiative. The group stresses the importance of creating learning environments where employees can safely experiment and build competency. Jenna also shares lessons from her entrepreneurial journey, including the importance of betting on yourself and recognizing that hustle alone does not scale a business. The file encourages leaders to embrace continuous learning and proactively guide their organizations through a rapidly evolving landscape. Key Themes · Meet Jenna Ahern · Entrepreneurship, Resilience and Betting on Yourself · AI is a Leadership Challenge, not Just a Technology Challenge · Why Every Organization Needs an AI Policy · Building AI Skills through Practice and Continuous Learning Episode Transcript Molley Ricketts: Welcome back to the Workforce Therapy Files. We are here today with an amazing guest, Mrs. Jenna Ahern. How are you doing today? Jenna Ahern: Hi, I'm so grateful to be here. Thank you all for having me. Molley Ricketts: Jenna is here with us today. She owns Guardian Owl Digital Agency. Look at me. I remembered. I usually just say Guardian Owl. So, the digital agency is the new part for me. We are excited to have you on the show today. Before we kick off though, Jamie has to ask one of her very unique questions. Drum roll. Jamie Swaim: But today we're going to do something a smidge different. Molley Ricketts: Uh-oh. Jamie Swaim: Because I like to keep it spicy. Okay. Jenna Ahern: Same. Jamie Swaim: Choose between door number one or door number two. Jenna Ahern: Two. Jamie Swaim: Okay, number two, tell us something that you think is ridiculously overrated. Jenna Ahern: Ridiculously overrated? Jason Heflin: Podcasts. Jenna Ahern: Podcasts. I know that's a really good one. I think right now and relevant to this, what's really, really overrated is Sintra.AI. Call it out. Jamie Swaim: Why? Jenna Ahern: Because I think that it has a lot of hype and they have a lot of marketing and they're doing a decent job. But I think that that to me is a very much hyped-up AI tool, just like a lot of the AI tools are. And so I wanted to say AI is overhyped, but I can't say that because it's not. It's real. It's serious. It is definitely here. I'm like, some of the tools are, so I went Sintra. Jamie Swaim: Okay. Jenna Ahern: That's how my brain operated on that question. Jamie Swaim: Alright. Jenna Ahern: Do you want a personal overrated? Jamie Swaim: Sure. You can do it however you want. Jenna Ahern: I don't have one. I need like a cross. Jamie Swaim: You can also point to anybody else here and ask them to popcorn it. Jenna Ahern: Oh, I know those Stanley cups. I think those are overrated. Jamie Swaim: They spill way too easily. Jenna Ahern: I don't have one. I never bought one. I think those are overrated. Jamie Swaim: Tell me, you don't have a teenager at home without telling me you have a teenager. Jenna Ahern: Exactly. I'm like, that's ridiculous. Jamie Swaim: Absolutely. Jenna Ahern: There you go. That's overrated. I probably had made a lot of people angry right there. Jason Heflin: So, what's underrated right now? How about that? Jenna Ahern: Water. Jason Heflin: Water. Jenna Ahern: I think we should be talking more about water and sustainability and ethics. AI is new, sure, but virtues and our environment hasn't really changed. There's still water around hopefully. Jamie Swaim: Yeah. Lots of question marks there though. Jenna Ahern: Yeah. Jamie Swaim: Yeah. Jenna Ahern: But that's underrated right now. Clean drinking water. Jamie Swaim: Jason, what's overrated for you? Jason Heflin: What's overrated? The McRib. Jamie Swaim: The McRib? Yeah. Jenna Ahern: Overrated or underrated? Jason Heflin: I think it's overrated. I mean, you know. Jenna Ahern: Have you last sampled? Jason Heflin: Oh, it's been years. I don't know. Jim said it. Jim said it. So I'm stealing Jim's answer. Jenna Ahern: Well, I heard they had a reckoning. That's why I was like, oh wow. Jason Heflin: Oh yeah. No, I don't know. Jamie Swaim: Alright. Molley, what do you think? Molley Ricketts: Yeah, and I knew this was coming around and I still can't think of anything. Jenna Ahern: I gave you like three minutes. Molley Ricketts: You did. Jamie Swaim: Want me to go first? Okay, it gives you a little bit more time though. You need to be thinking. Okay. For me, socks. Molley Ricketts: Oh, that's a good one. Jamie Swaim: I think socks are incredibly overrated, except on cold days. I'll give you a caveat there. But the amount of energy it takes to wash them, match them. The number of times you only find one. To me, forget it. I'm just going sockless. I don't want socks. Jason Heflin: What about… Molley, what about washing jeans? Molley Ricketts: That’s overrated. Jason Heflin: Some people don't wash their jeans. That's overrated. Molley Ricketts: You're not supposed to wash your jeans. Okay? Jenna Ahern: Agreed. Molley Ricketts: A couple of times a year. Jason Heflin: I over-wash my jeans. Jamie Swaim: Do you have it on your calendar? Is it like today's jean wash day? Molley Ricketts: No, it's just that they're standing up straight. Then you turn them inside out and wash them. Jenna Ahern: And you can smell them. Jamie Swaim: If they're standing up straight? Jenna Ahern: Smell. There's a stop. Gets to a point. Jamie Swaim: It's got food on them. Jenna Ahern: Yeah. Jamie Swaim: Remember earlier when we were talking about values and ethics, the virtues? I don't know. I feel like we're crossing over some weird line here with the jeans conversation. Jenna Ahern: I mean, I think it's right in line with the WTF. Jamie Swaim: Yeah, for sure. Absolutely. Molley Ricketts: Okay, so back on track. Agree? Jamie Swaim: Yes. Molley Ricketts: Okay. Ms. Jenna? Jenna Ahern: Yes. Entrepreneurship, Resilience and Betting on Yourself Molley Ricketts: I know that you started Guardian Owl. You've launched it. Jenna Ahern: I did. Molley Ricketts: Got it going. Congratulations. Jenna Ahern: I blacked out. How many years has it been? Molley Ricketts: Having a brown out moment? Yeah. How many years has it been? Jenna Ahern: 12. Jamie Swaim: Congratulations. That's incredible. Jenna Ahern: Wild. Thank you. Wild rollercoaster ride. Molley Ricketts: Yeah. Wild one turns upside down goes way far down. Jenna Ahern: I know. But I like rollercoasters. Molley Ricketts: Yeah, I do too. It's the excitement of it, not the fear. Right? Jenna Ahern: Thrill of the ride. Molley Ricketts: So what was the moment? And I feel like as entrepreneurs sitting around the table, we all have this moment where you were just like, I can't keep doing this. I can't do this anymore. And what made you keep doing it? Jenna Ahern: In corporate America or running my business? Molley Ricketts: Running your business. Jenna Ahern: You know, I think that we all, I call it have you ever seen the reds? And so sometimes I think when I get to those states, it's oftentimes a buildup or 10 things went wrong in two days. And it is just usually this small sample size. And when I'm in that moment, that's when I have to work on. And again, this is a learned skillset, breathing and trying to ground myself into a reality that isn't myself. So, really just getting out a little macro because what I'm doing is not that important. I'm not saving lives or anything. So, oftentimes when I get to those points where I want to give up or I want to quit or I want to break, I think I just have to really zoom out. And it starts with just quick breathing. If I have two minutes before I'm going to freak out or if I have more time, I really have gotten into just being more still. I used to be a runner and would burn a lot of my rage, my reds, with training hard, training heavy. And I think that that was great for the season I was in. But one of the things that I've recognized is I am clearer and more steady when I am more still and not moving. And so I think yoga on a weekly basis has helped me with that. Reading. Just taking time away from the screen. Walking for 20 minutes. Standing up. Actually doing those things. I mean, we could talk about it, but getting into a rhythm where I'm doing that every week at least one time a week has just helped my reds go from happening every two weeks on this rollercoaster ride to maybe once every two months. Molley Ricketts: So that's the point of what keeps you going. So why did you even start? What was it that was that trigger that was like, I got this, I can do this. Jenna Ahern: I think that my mom really helped push me over the edge. I was burning the candle from both ends when I was working full-time in corporate America and then also growing the business. And I was trying to do both. And I'm sure a lot of people who've grown business did that for the time period. I really struggled to let go. And what made me choose my business was if I was going to work that hard and pour everything into it, I wanted it to be mine and not for another company. Not at that time, not in that season and not at that period of just the internet and search engine marketing. And so that, betting on myself, that was the moment and that was the bet I took and I'm really glad that I bet on myself. Molley Ricketts: Yeah, you're pretty kickass. I'll give you that. Jamie Swaim: For those of us who aren't as familiar as Molley is to your business, tell us what Guardian Owl does. Jenna Ahern: Guardian Owl is a digital marketing agency. We also have a GO AI division, and we help you be seen and chosen when somebody is searching for your product or service across the internet. Jamie Swaim: Very cool. Jenna Ahern: Yeah. Jason Heflin: And AI is a huge part of that right now. Jenna Ahern: It has and is and is going to be a big part. Yes, absolutely. Whether we like it or not, it's here. AI is a Leadership Challenge, not Just a Technology Challenge Jason Heflin: So that's the topic we want to talk about today. You are an expert and we want to tap into that a little bit. Jenna Ahern: Well, that was like an hour ago. So much has changed. Jason Heflin: Yeah, by the time this airs. Jenna Ahern: Yeah, I'm no longer the expert. Jason Heflin: So like we talked about, this podcast is about the workforce. And so where are you seeing things evolve in the workplace from both an employer's perspective and the employee's perspective with AI? And I know that's a really broad question, but just fire away and let us know kind of what you're seeing out there right now and what needs to be addressed. Jenna Ahern: Well, it's the wild, wild West on both sides I would say. And I think that it's change. We're in a period of change. And I want to make sure too, we're also in an environment that is most would say unstable, more chaotic. We're coming off of COVID. Now we're in an arena that has had a lot of change, not just from a business standpoint, but from our country. And so on top of that, now you are asking humans to make incredible changes in their lifestyle with AI and implementing it just for one and using it. And then two, being able to neurologically change and the way they think about things and the way they work. And to me, that's asking a lot of humans right now. I think to that last part, what do we need to talk more about? We need to just talk more about policies. How are we being intentional about creating these policies for our organization? It doesn't matter if it's an organization of 3, 30, 3000 or 30,000. I think that the leadership needs to understand not just how we're using these tools, but what's the impact of these tools within our organization and how we're deploying. Because bias and certain things can scale just as the good can. So, I think we need to have more of those conversations intentionally at a leadership-level and we need to have more policy and data governance. Jason Heflin: Would you say true or false? Most companies do not have an AI policy. Jenna Ahern: True. Why Every Organization Needs an AI Policy Jason Heflin: True or false? Most companies should have an AI policy. Jenna Ahern: True. Jason Heflin: Okay. How do they get one? Let's say I'm a leader. I know nothing about AI, but I know it's a thing (air quotes) and I need to be addressing it. My team's using it. How do I get started? Jenna Ahern: Don’t they just put that into ChatGPT and just say, what’s the right policy? Jason Heflin: Should I just put into Chat? Jenna Ahern: And believe it or not, people are doing that. Let's just call that out, right? Jamie Swaim: Got HR policies every day. Jenna Ahern: No, stop doing that. And some people put it on their website in the footers on their privacy policy, like their AI policy. I'm like with the prompt there are hyphens. And oftentimes it's from 2022, 2023. If your AI policy, to your point, if you're not checking that now quarterly, you're behind. And that goes for Guardian Owl, as well. We're actively updating one from July. So that's where we are. And to go back to how should you approach this one, don't go to ChatGPT, but two, when we're talking about change management, I see a lot of managers out there talking about AI and not leaders. And I think we need to be intentional about how we are approaching this conversation with our organizations. If you're automatically going to humans and saying, here's our policy and not giving them a say and how do you think that this should be covered? How do you think that you're a valuable part of our organization? What are your thoughts? And addressing these concerns and the scarcity mindset and everything that comes with change, fears, addressing those and making sure that voices are heard before then you roll out a policy that one, nobody's going to know half of the stuff in there anyway, right? Because we're all learning it together. So, I think the biggest thing is make sure people know that they're seen and their voices are heard. Whether or not they approach you. Everyone’s culture is different. But I think allowing, especially your leaders to have a seat in the table with just a conversation before you craft this policy is important. Jamie Swaim: I really like the way that you're heading here sometimes on our podcast, I like to give a little Parcel policy moment, and I've never seen a topic more like AI in the workplace that requires the cooperation of literally every division. So, things that make my chest super tight, for example, is using AI to create harassing images or harassing limericks or something like that to bully an employee. Jenna Ahern: Or for me, uploading financial information of clients to do analysis. Jamie Swaim: Yes. Or for the legal team, they're probably going to have some question marks about whether or not anything that you're uploading to get some insight on releases confidential information or IP. If you were to go over to Finance, they're definitely going to be like, please don't put our financial data out there. And a lot of times people are using these systems without removing names or identifying information. And we definitely see a lot of headlines about how AI can be used for surveillance and be able to be data that can be sold or shared with another company without your permission. So I don't know. I got lots of question marks here and I think it is definitely, I love hearing you say, let's get everybody together to start talking through how we should be managing this stuff so that it is being hit from every angle. Jason Heflin: Let's say I'm that same leader and I go to my team and I say, let's write an AI policy, but we need help. Is that something Digital Owl does? Jenna Ahern: Yes. Guardian Owl, but I love that you call us Digital Owl. Jason Heflin: It's a subdivision. Jenna Ahern: It's a subdivision. It's growing. It's growing. We just launched today. Jason Heflin: It happened just now. Jenna Ahern: We hatched. Now I forget the question. What was it? Jason Heflin: So can Guardian now help with writing the policy? Jenna Ahern: Yes, of course. But I also, I think that too, in organizations that are moving fast, you might even have an AI consultant or you might have, yes, we can help with that and help train, but depending on what your organization does, we might not even be the right fit for you based on your needs or your location or your wants and desires or the problems you're fixing. So I think that's why getting all your leaders together and understanding, okay, do we want in this policy? And then two, yeah, do we need external help? Do we want to bring in, based on these concerns? Because it's something that everyone needs to be on the same page and be really strong in the charge and being on the same page continually, when you're running a company. This is some serious stuff. If you have data leaks or you do have employees that are, it's just a lot of ways that this could go wrong. So, I think that if you're not all on the same page, and yes, we do that, but I think that you can also lean into external sources in your local area, or even if you have a franchise. A great example is . They have commercial, Kentucky is their separate entity, but Cushman & Wakefield has an overarching policy. Well, they use that to then help craft their own. And we came in and are a part of that as well as the training component. Hey, here are the do's and don'ts, here's how we want to think about how we're rolling it out. Because even in every organization, they probably have 20% of their people that are actually going to be actively using and engaging. And then they're going to have a big chunk of people that are going to need handholding. And this can be a big change. And then they might have people that might not make it. So again, it's like that is something that yes, we like to do and we can do, but I also think that it needs to be a good fit for everybody in the organization because it should be a long ride, long partnership. Building AI Skills through Practice and Continuous Learning Jamie Swaim: I think one of the things that also stands out to me is that this is going to be such a pervasive topic over the next however many years, maybe just the future of work in general. I'm curious how people grow competency, because business leaders are not going to want to outsource a hundred percent of the things they're responsible for. How do people learn what they need to know? Because this is brand new for a lot of people that are in the workforce. Jenna Ahern: And how you learn everything is practice and there becomes the human variable of change. Because if you aren't practicing and you aren't utilizing different models, you're not going to understand the languages and how each one operates. That to me is going to dramatically affect the hiring process because if we operate on Claude and you aren't familiar, you're very familiar with Copilot. Okay, that might be a huge factor for me in the future because it already is now. If you're not using it because we need that as a skillset. But to me, I think if you're not practicing just as an individual, then it's going to be a challenge. And then also I think from a company standpoint, I think giving some time for your team in the work day to actually go play and create and...
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Behind the Mic: How Great Podcast Production Builds Strong Brands
05/25/2026
Behind the Mic: How Great Podcast Production Builds Strong Brands
File 38: In this episode of Workforce Therapy Files, the hosts turn the tables and interview podcast producer Jim Ray about the growing role of podcasting in business, branding, and thought leadership. Jim explains why authenticity is one of the most important elements of successful business content. The conversation explores why podcasting creates from deeper, more engaging conversations that build long-term brand equity, as compared to traditional blogging and social media. The team validates the coaching and strategic guidance Jim provides clients beyond simply recording audio. This approach helps professionals communicate more effectively and confidently. The group unpacks how podcasting has strengthened their own communication skills, leadership presence, and team collaboration. Listen as the group shares humorous behind-the-scenes stories while also highlighting the discipline and consistency required to build a successful podcast. Today’s conversation reinforces podcasting as a powerful platform for education, relationship-building, and business growth. Key Themes: Turning the Tables: Interviewing Podcast Producer Jim Ray The Hidden Work Behind Great Podcast Production What Separates an Average Podcast from a Great One Why Authenticity Matters More Than “Going Viral” From Blogging to Podcasting: The Evolution of Content Marketing How Podcasting Builds Confidence, Communication, and Brand Authority The Future of Podcasting and Why Long-Form Content Still Wins Episode Transcript Jamie Swaim: On this file for workforce therapy files. We are incredibly honored to welcome an amazing guest, and I know I say that often, but today our guest is the person who makes the workforce therapy files possible. Molley Ricketts: Yay. Jamie Swaim: You may have heard him referred to as Jim Jimmy Jumbo. Jason Heflin: I called him Jimothy. Jamie Swaim: Jimothy is one of my personal favorites. Absolutely. The Jumbotron. Molley Ricketts: Did that just happen? Jamie Swaim: It just did. Alright. Jason Heflin: Wow. Jamie Swaim: Yes. Our producer, Jim Ray, welcome to the show, Jim. Jim Ray: Hey, thanks for having me on. Jamie Swaim: Absolutely. Jim Ray: Good to see everybody. Jamie Swaim: So I like to start with the most random of questions. So I'm going to ask you to suspend belief for a second and act like you are a burglar who just does pranks. Okay And you sneak into people's homes just to mildly inconvenience them. Okay. So I'm going to give you some examples like mismatching all of their socks, mild inconveniences. What would be the signature prank for Jim Ray? Jim Ray: Throw pillows in the refrigerator because they have to wonder, how did I do that? Why did I do that? Jamie Swaim: He did that that so fast! He was like, I thought about, I've been waiting for the day that someone would ask me. Jim Ray: This was yesterday. What are you talking about? Jamie Swaim: Yes. I love this. I kind of want to round robin this for a second, Jim, because there's a lot of questions we want to ask you, but I'm also curious about the answers of other folks that are on this amazing file. Heflin, what's your prank? Jason Heflin: Oh my gosh. I would probably put different drinks in different bottles so they kind of see what… Jamie Swaim: Yes. Jason Heflin: Milk is in the orange juice and, you know. Jamie Swaim: Yeah, I like it. Molley? Molley Ricketts: I would probably do random things like put an egg in the mayonnaise or put the ketchup in the mustard. Kind of like your drink thing. Just everyday things. And you're going to do it and be like, what the, why is there an egg in the mayonnaise? Jason Heflin: Yeah. What I really like to do is I usually go over to Jamie's house and a hide her keys somewhere. Jamie Swaim: That's you that's doing that? All this time, I thought I was disorganized, you know what I mean? Jason Heflin: No. I sneak in on the weekends and before Monday. Jamie Swaim: Yeah. Molley Ricketts: So what about you? Jamie Swaim: I think I'd break in and leave stuff I no longer need from my house and people would be like, where did this come from? That is what I would like to do to people. Molley Ricketts: It'd be a great way to get rid of stuff. Jamie Swaim: Yeah. Because I know I need to declutter. And this would be like two birds, one stone. Yeah. Jason Heflin: I’ve got a cat. I'll drop off. Jamie Swaim: You’d be like, this dog really gets on my nerves. Jason Heflin: Yeah, yeah. Jamie Swaim: Yes. Jason Heflin: We’ve got two cats. One of them I like a little. Jamie Swaim: I do have a second alternative and we can put this up to a vote and that would be just in honor of my husband is to go in and just turn all the lights on or put the thermostat to the actual comfortable that everybody's got their degrees. They put it on in the winter. Jim Ray: 68 degrees. Jamie Swaim: 68 in the winter? So then I would go in the winter. Jim Ray: Well, 67 winter. It's an ambient temperature. Jamie Swaim: Oh. I would go in and put Jim’s on 70 and just see what happens. You know what I mean? Because the kind of stuff that just… Jim Ray: Next thing you're going to be adjusting my mics and everything else. I get you. Be that person. Jason Heflin: We have one of those thermostats you can control from your phone. Jim Ray: Oh, wow. Jason Heflin: And it is constantly changing. It's probably going to go out within the first year because I'll be like, why is it this temperature? And my wife will be like, why is it this temperature? I'm like, what? I don't know. I didn't touch it. Jamie Swaim: That’s when you change it from your phone phone and you're like, it wasn't on there. Yeah. Okay. Well, thank you. Good to know what kind of prankster you'd be. Jim Ray: Well, that and leaving random Post-It notes. “Hey, thanks again. Really appreciate it.” Jamie Swaim: Who wrote this? Jim Ray: Who wrote that? What is this? Jamie Swaim: I'm not losing my mind. Molley Ricketts: Nice flush. Jamie Swaim: Yeah, nice flush. Wash your hands. Jason Heflin: Yeah. Jamie Swaim: Good reminders. Molley Ricketts: That's great. So today we're interviewing Jim Ray, our producer, and can't wait to learn more about what he does behind the scenes. We get to come into the room and he's got us all set up and ready to go and we crack jokes and he records and then the magic happens. Jim Ray: That’s called massive editing. Molley Ricketts: Massive editing. So most people hear the final product, right? They hear us and they see us online producing everything, but we never see what it takes to create it. So today we're flipping the mic. So what does a podcast producer actually do, Jim? Jamie Swaim: Yeah. What do you do? Jason Heflin: What do I do? I’ve been wondering. Jim Ray: Let me justify myself. No, I think a lot of it really, you guys actually came up with a concept. I mean, you all called me. We literally recorded episode number one in Molley's office just on a, Hey, come out, come over and let's just see if we can figure this out. We went from title, to concept, to what are we going to talk about, to episode one being recorded in about two hours. That's probably the fastest implementation plan ever. Molley Ricketts: So you're saying we're easy to work with? Jim Ray: Well, yeah. It helps when you guys really know why you want to do this. Jamie Swaim: Yeah, I heard “decisive.” Molley Ricketts: That's what I heard. Jamie Swaim: Action-oriented. Organized. Jim Ray: Results oriented. Yeah, that's what I heard. No, but you guys all get along and that helps tremendously. You guys feed off of each other so well, and I think that comes through in the content, right? So that makes the editing a lot easier. There's not a lot of times where you guys get stuck when you're doing multiple people on the mic at the same time, somebody else can step right in. So there's not any dead air in there. It's just a great conversation. You guys each have your respective competencies. So from that standpoint, you're constantly, okay, here's the next level, the next level, whether it's going deeper or just going further in the conversation. That makes it easy because I don't have to pull you along and try to help you guys come up with the messaging. You have it and it's just a matter of delivery. My job is just to make sure that one, we sound as good as we can on the mics, which is fantastic for you guys, in terms of what we're able to do with the mic quality. Beyond that, you guys just keep bringing guests. You guys keep bringing ideas, your ability to kind of walk into the room and sometimes the episodes are really well planned out. Other times it's, Hey, okay, let's come up with something on the fly. And actually some of those are the better episodes just because it's organic and it's right there and you guys just play off each other. So the big part of my stuff is making sure that the sound is good, making sure the distribution is ready to go, and then kicking it over to Jason's team for uploading to the website and social media. But you guys execute and that makes it fun. Molley Ricketts: So what do you think separates a good podcast from a great one? Jim Ray: Interesting. I think knowing the purpose of the podcast. So many times I'll have somebody who's interested in doing a podcast and they walk in and they think they're going to be the next Joe Rogan, and it's just not going to happen. Molley Ricketts: What? It's not going to happen? Maybe in the next year. Jim Ray: You guys are on your way. But you haven't arrived, but it's keeping you enthusiastic along the way. No, you guys understand the “why” each of you work in the HR space. Each of you work in staffing and workforce development, so that helps. Even from the marketing standpoint, a lot of your clients, Jason, are large hirers who need help. And so you're in this game as well. And so again, you guys all have a common mission and that works well. What's interesting about you guys is you're actually three unique businesses and you guys are coming together as a collaborative podcast, which I think is a great way to do it. But you're coming at it with different perspectives. You're not getting the same sheet of music, you're not getting the same lines that are inside. So the fact is you guys know what you're looking at and what you're trying to accomplish, and I think that makes you much better than average. Great? We're still going. I think eventually if we can get into video, I think that takes it to another level. But right now, I mean you guys are overperforming, you're always enthusiastic and you've got really good content. Jason Heflin: So this is the Jim Ray way, by the way. We're asking him questions about himself and he just turns and starts talking about us because he's a complimenter. He brings other people up. That's what he does. Molley Ricketts: And he does. Jason Heflin: And I think that's what makes, I mean, I'm going to go ahead and put it out there, but I think that's what makes you such a great producer is you're constantly, you're part of the process too. We're in here doing this, but you're that other voice of reason and you check us. Well, what if you tried it this way? What if you tried it that way? What if you started this way? So you are a bit of a director as well. It's not like we're in here just talking. I mean, before we get started, we map everything out on the board. You help us do that. You kind of check some of the things we say. You think about it from the audience perspective versus just us. Here's what we want to say. And you talk about how it's going to be received. So I think there's a lot of directing too, not just producing in it. What do you think about that? Jim Ray: No, that's a real good point. And I think that's more and more you're seeing little podcast studios pop up and people going, Hey, come on in. We'll do a podcast. And really what it seems to be is more of I've got a mic and the software, you bring your voice and talk. Here's your recording. And that's only going to go so far. That's why a lot of people burn out. The majority of podcasts never reach 10 episodes. They literally never reach 10 episodes. I just think it's different. I think it's more involved than what people think. A big, coming back to your point, Jason, a big part of this is the coaching aspect is being able to watch outside of the bubble saying, okay, here's what you guys are doing. Does that make sense? Hey, what if you tilted it this way? Some of what we do process-wise was because early on, you guys let me become a little bit more involved in the origination and how are we going to set up this process? And now you guys have got it. You run with it. This is what you do when you come in. So yeah, I think the coaching aspect is my differentiator rather than, Hey, I've got a place you can come in and talk on the mic. That gets boring real quickly. Jason Heflin: You work with a lot of podcasters or professionals that are starting podcasts. Do they all come in with a fully formed idea? Jim Ray: Not really. Some of them know they want to do it. Some of them are unaware that podcasting might be a marketing option for them. They're thinking blogs. They're thinking social media. They're thinking, I got to buy a Google pay-per-click ad or something like that. They haven't really thought about podcasting because they're thinking more of the Joe Rogan’s, the Martha Stewarts, the true crime novels. They haven't really seen it as business content. But very quickly, I can kind of take that kernel and turn it on its side and go, no, this is why this would be more important to you and the organization at large. And then when I can get a group of professionals who are talking, that becomes a lot more interesting because it's not just one person droning on and on and on like I'm doing in this very answer, but it's more that feedback and that playing off of each other that it just adds to the conversation. Jason Heflin: And I think a lot of people come in thinking, I am going to be the next big podcast star. I think one misconception that I see is that those people that are really successful at podcasting typically have stardom to begin with. The Martha Stewarts, the Joe Rogans. Jamie Swaim: Don't forget Amy Pohler. Jason Heflin: Yeah, Amy Pohler. Jason Bateman, all the big podcasts out there right now. Jim Ray: They’re playing off of a foundation. Jamie Swaim: Yeah, they've already got that. I think for us, it took a while to get some steam in the engine and we're at several thousand listeners downloads whatever now. And you've got several podcasts that are in that bucket, right? I mean, among all your podcasts, you probably have tens and tens of thousands of listeners. So I mean, that's a testament to creating good content. And I think if anyone out there is thinking about creating a podcast, Jim's the perfect person to talk to because he's going to coach you through it. He's going to question some of the things that you're doing so that you can make it better. Any idea that comes out of your head's not going to be fully-formed, so it needs a little bit of massaging. And Jim's a great masseuse. He's a great podcast masseuse. Jim Ray: There you go. Molley Ricketts: Podcast masseuse. Jim Ray: Podcast masseuse. I'll put that my business card. Jamie Swaim: I don't why it wasn't already. Jim Ray: Well, Molley's got head honcho on hers, so maybe podcast masseuse. There you go. Jason, Jason actually runs, owns and runs a marketing agency down in Bowling Green. And so you kind see some of this, and I really appreciate the fact that you're pointing some of that out because I think, again, a lot of people just don't know what to do with this medium. They like the idea, but what am I going to talk about? Who's going to listen? It's about consistency. It's really about consistency. You guys have gone several seasons now. There are things that you guys are doing. We've been to the Kentucky SHRM conference a couple of times now. There's just a rhythm and it becomes, I think, a little bit easier, but it also builds up that audience expectation, which is, again, that's fun when you're getting feedback, when you're getting other guests coming on going, oh, I really like this. It's just some validation for the people who are actually trying to do it. So it's not always, Hey, I got this new client. Some of it's just the brand positioning and each of you have your own respective brands, but I think this combined conversation actually helps with that. Jamie Swaim: I think it feels way less intimidating now, too. I don't know about you guys, but whenever we first got started in my head, I was picturing the tens of thousands of people that were going to be listening to us (side eye), but I didn't know how comfortable I'd feel, and it felt very much like a public speaking experience versus now, it feels very much like we're hanging out in an office together and talking about something that we all feel really excited to talk about. I'm curious though, Jim, because I'm a people person, so I want to know your hero origin story. Is this the career you thought you would have whenever you graduated from college, or how did you get here? Jim Ray: Absolutely not. This is not at all what I thought. I grew up with my grandmother. My grandmother was actually blind, so the way I communicated with my grandmother, even as a small child, had to be much more descriptive. So verbally, I was always pretty good. I ended up in sales. I did sales and sales management for 20, 30 years now, and then eventually in my own company when I was doing things such as web development and coaching and things like that, that was fine, but that became commoditized. When Google finally blessed podcasting is a legit form of content for search and everything else that made perfect sense. Within three months, I had a product and a service on the street and did very well that first year. And you learn as you iterate, you just get better and better and better, and you learn ways to improve the quality. Ways to improve the efficiency, and ways to talk a little bit differently with different groups of clients. This is what I do. This is the majority of my revenue stream now as a business. It's just fun. I mean, it is really fun. You guys had asked when you first came in this morning about something that I'm excited about. We just launched a podcast for a different organization, but it's a nonprofit that I got to have a hand in and we hit the deadline, we got everything going. We went from concept to delivery, and it's been a great journey. So that kind of stuff, I like when the light bulbs go off and you're helping somebody. I don't have to be in the spotlight. That's why I don't mind being the producer. I don't need to be in the spotlight, but I get a tremendous amount of joy on watching you guys have a great time and knowing that we're putting something else out there in the ethos that's actually going to help promote your respective brands. I love that stuff. Jamie Swaim: Yeah. I would imagine also that being in the seat that you get to sit in, that you've learned all kinds of amazing things that you had no idea you even wanted to learn about. So what was the topic that you were like, I get to know that information today, or I learned something new and you were super excited to learn it? Jim Ray: Well, I think as we started looking more at video podcasting, I was a purist, right? The reason I like podcasts is because I think I can put my earbuds in and I can multi-task. I can do other things, but I'll still listen to that content. As someone who was a content creator, I used to write a tremendous amount of blogs for law firms all over the state of Kentucky. I used to do a...
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Why HR Is Still Misunderstood in Business Leadership?
05/11/2026
Why HR Is Still Misunderstood in Business Leadership?
File 37: In this file of Workforce Therapy Files, the hosts turn the spotlight on Jamie Swaim to explore her journey into human resources and leadership strategy. Jamie discusses why HR is often misunderstood in executive spaces and explains the difference between reactive HR support and proactive people strategy. They explore workforce planning, compliance challenges, and the growing complexity of managing people across multiple states and industries. The discussion highlights the importance of ambiguity management, resourcefulness, and cross-functional thinking for modern HR leaders. The group reflects on how meaningful relationships, mentorship, and practical experience have shaped Jamie’s approach to leadership. The conversation reinforces the idea that strong HR strategy is deeply connected to business success and organizational trust. Key Themes: · Beyond the Support Desk: Why Executives Misunderstand HR · Proactive Workforce Planning: Scaling Without Surprises · The State-Line Trap: Navigating Multi-State Compliance Risks · From Middle School Passion to HR "Encyclopedia" · The Three Pillars of Modern HR: Ambiguity, Resourcefulness, and Empathy · Real Talk Over Theory: The Inspiration Behind Parcel Episode Transcript Jason Heflin: Welcome back to the Workforce therapy files. Today we're doing something really fun. It's the final in our series of interviewing the founders of our podcast. And we got Jamie Swain, one of my favorite people. Jamie Swaim: CEO. Jason Heflin: CEO. President. Supreme Leader. Molley Ricketts: Grand Poo-bah. Jason Heflin: Grand Poo-bah. Jamie Swaim: That’s my personal preference. I'm just kidding. Jason Heflin: So thanks for being here today and taking some time out of your busy schedule. Jamie Swaim: Absolutely. Thank you for having me. Jason Heflin: Absolutely. I'm going to kick it off with some questions for your if you're ready. Jamie Swaim: I'm ready. Jason Heflin: Okay. So this is us interviewing Jamie as if we just didn't even know her. Molley Ricketts: Okay. Beyond the Support Desk: Why Executives Misunderstand HR Jason Heflin: So we may know some of the answers to these, but going to, I bet we're going to be surprised. Jamie, why is HR still misunderstood in the executive room? Jamie Swaim: I think it's because the day-to-day interactions before you become an executive with HR are support focused. They're compliance focused, and the further the individuals go in the HR space, the more it's strategy focused. And sometimes people ascend to the executive space before they've ever seen HR as a strategy. I think that's the biggest issue. And so they still want to interact as like, Hey, can you pull this report for me? Can you file this for me? Instead of, can you help me think through how our people will be impacted by this business need or this projected route that my company is going to go down? I think that's the biggest area that's misunderstood. Jason Heflin: Yeah, that's good. And it's true. I mean, it's easy to get disconnected or not be connected in the first place. Well, what's the difference between HR support and people strategy? Jamie Swaim: Yeah. I think the biggest difference is that support's in the moment largely it is reacting to what the challenges of right now and appropriate behavior, performance concern bubbled up. How do I help you through this navigate this tricky water moment that you're experiencing right now? Strategy to me is how do I make sure that the things we're putting in place right now align to where you want the company to go, but it takes being partners in that and understanding where companies want to go to be able to put strategies in place. Jason Heflin: Would you say it's proactive thinking over reactive thinking? Jamie Swaim: Absolutely. Jason Heflin: So I'm going to go off script a little bit. Jamie Swaim: That's fine. Proactive Workforce Planning: Scaling Without Surprises Jason Heflin: What's a quick thing that people can do to be better at that, to be better at that strategic long-term planning and thinking. Jamie Swaim: In terms of people? Jason Heflin: In terms of their people, in terms of talent. Jamie Swaim: I think the biggest one for me is really creating a workforce plan. Every year, companies get together and they say, what are the goals that we're going to have for this year? What are the budgets we're going to have for this year? And sometimes those are the only two things that leaders will do together to plan for their company. And they're not thinking through what that means from a people perspective. So you get surprised things like, we need to hire 45 people because we're supposed to start this on Tuesday. You’re like, gosh, I wish I'd known that whenever I was putting together my team for this year. And those kinds of things can't continue to happen. If you want a seamless execution, if you don't want to do things like we've cautioned on this podcast, like hiring quick or not building intentionality in how you scale and grow or contract. Even having conversations of like, I'm not really sure that based on our sales forecast that we're going to be able to sustain this workforce. Okay, well, here's our turnover number. Do we want to just let natural attrition happen and not backfill it? Or are there other things that we'd like to do? We can have conversations about that upfront that save you some of the things that you sacrifice and the trust that you have with the people that work there. The State-Line Trap: Navigating Multi-State Compliance Risks Jason Heflin: Yeah. Good. I'm going to use a scary word in this next one called compliance. We've been talking in my company a lot about compliance. There's a new Americans with Disabilities Act law coming into effect in April. All websites, government, healthcare, all the major service websites have to be ADA compliant. Molley Ricketts: How? Jamie Swaim: There's a lot of things. Molley Ricketts: How will they be ADA compliant? Jason Heflin: ADA compliance for websites is visual and audio. So if somebody has a visual disability or can't hear, and there's audio or video on the site. Jamie Swaim: Also color considerations. Jason Heflin: You have two similar colors of blue are sitting next to each other that are too close. People can't tell the difference. Different fonts, the readers can't read them to people. So anyway, that's a side journey. Molley Ricketts: Sorry, didn't know. Jamie Swaim: But we're all learning. Jason Heflin: But I've been talking about compliance half the day every day for the last few weeks. So it's scary. People are like, what comply I have to comply? Yes, yes. It's a minimum of $115,000 fine. So now are they going to, who knows if these compliances are going to be enforced or not? Somebody's going to have to call you out. Probably won't. But compliance is scary when people bring it up. So what's the biggest compliance risk companies are ignoring in the space of hiring and people and talent? Jamie Swaim: I think the biggest one from my perspective is when we're thinking about scaling and growth and ignoring the fact that compliance is bigger than just federal law. So every state in our country has a different set of requirements. And so, choosing to scale might also mean that you need to choose how you're going to support your organization with additional requirements. And it can't always be absorbed by the two people you gave to the HR team. So, you're in 45 states. Well, that might mean that I have two more people that are necessary just to be able to do the basics. And that's not counting the other meaningful things that the function can offer. And it's not just in HR. That's true for safety. It's true for finance requirements, tax laws, how the unemployment's set up, how workers' comp is set up. All of it is down to the state line. And I don't think companies always think about that, especially if founders or growing company CEOs have not worked in that space before. If they haven't hired an HR expert that they're spending time with, it may not be something that they pay attention to. The second one though, that is also something I stay with my head on pivot right now is immigration laws. It's a growing space, and for some industries, you got to stay really connected to it, especially in rural medical settings, agriculture, people with highly-skilled workforces where you've got individuals on a lot of visas. Paying attention to where we are from an immigration standpoint is going to be really important to make sure you have the right budgets and support to navigate it. Jason Heflin: And it doesn't have to be scary. Right? Jamie Swaim: It doesn't have to be scary. But here's the thing. We need to all accept the fact that the people that write these laws are not people that are executing the work. So they don't always write them in ways that are so clear that you're like, oh, okay, well that's step one. I understand that. And they don't always provide the tools to help you do it well. So finding someone who understands the ways that companies have bumped their heads on this is it's worth the time and it's worth the investment to have somebody that you can trust to help you navigate it. Molley Ricketts: Can I get an amen? Jamie Swaim: Thank you. From Middle School Passion to HR "Encyclopedia" Jason Heflin: Can I ask you another off-script question? I'm going to start with a compliment. So you are probably the most knowledgeable person when it comes to these type of topics, like the technicality of human resources. Jamie Swaim: That Jason knows. Jason Heflin: Yeah. So I don't know many, but no, but seriously, you really are. And whenever you dive into these things, it's like you could just keep going and keep going because you've seen so much. How did you learn all this? You're an encyclopedia. What's your backstory? This is about getting to know Jamie. So what's your backstory? How'd you get here? How did you become such a brainiac? Jamie Swaim: Actually, I think part of it is because I was born that way. No, I'm just kidding. I decided I was going to be in HR in middle school, which I know is not when a lot of people make those choices. Molley Ricketts: You were 12? Jamie Swaim: Yes. And I had a situation where one of my family members had applied for a position that they were already doing and had been doing it for six months and they didn't get the job. And then the person that was hired, they were asked to train. Molley Ricketts: Oh. Jamie Swaim: For months. For months. It was a promotion. And then the hiring manager asked that person if they ever planned on losing weight? And I don't know whether or not the decision to do that was connected, but there's no way that you would disconnect it, if you were somebody who was on the receiving end of that. And I remember being in middle school and being like, what a dumb way to make business decisions. So, when I got to high school, I had a whole conversation with my guidance counselor, because this is pre-internet, just so we're clear. I had a conversation with my guidance counselor and I said, I just want to be part of how do you influence these kinds of decisions so that they're not made based on things that don't actually drive value. And for some reason, this was very interesting to me. It's like I grew a passion about it. So, I got really involved in things like Junior Achievement and those kinds of things, and I just enjoyed learning about it. So then I was looking at a college, my guidance counselor said, there's two that we could find in Kentucky that had an HR track. It was just at the beginning of no longer calling it Personnel. And so we were moving into this HR space and here was the outlook. And I knew I wanted to affect business, but I didn't want to be an accountant and I didn't want to work in finance. And this really spoke to me because I really, I'm going to give you the generic thing that everybody who first gets started in HR says is I love people, but sorry, it gets on my nerves now. But at the beginning, that was how I felt too. I felt like, how can I help people? But then this is in the early parts of the internet to get started. I had this crazy CEO, and if you're listening to this, you know exactly who you are. Crazy CEO, who promoted me before I was ready. And he said, I'm going to give you two things. I'm going to give you an attorney that you can call. Shout out to Jim Smith, and I'm going to give you a consultant that you can use because I think you have the right heart and I think you have the right mind for things. But I know that there are going to be things that we're going to come across that you don't have experience to tackle. And I used those relationships in every possible way. I read every SHRM magazine. I dove into every piece of content that I could get to try to learn these things. I actually read the Family Medical Leave Act. My gosh, I ordered that. Jason Heflin: Nerd. Jamie Swaim: Right? Molley Ricketts: Totally. Jamie Swaim: I ordered it and the Fair Labor Standards Act, and I read it word for word because I thought I needed to. Okay. Which I don't know that you need to. Molley Ricketts: Not word for word. Jamie Swaim: There’s stuff in there you don't even come across. But that's how I grew my knowledge around these things because I thought that's what it meant to be in HR. And this was before I started learning other things. Long answer, I think Jason, but… Jason Heflin: Good answer. Jamie Swaim: Thank you. I'm a nerd. I guess is if you wanted to underline something twice what the answer is. Molley Ricketts: But I love that nerdiness about you. Jamie Swaim: Thank you. Molley Ricketts: Because that means that someone like me, I can lean into you the same way that you leaned into those two people because I know you're going to be the best. Jamie Swaim: Thank you. Gosh. Molley Ricketts: So when you think about how far you've come and everything that you've experienced, and I know that I get to talk to you sometimes when I'm like, I don't know what the heck I'm supposed to be doing right now. And you're like, you know what? Let's talk through it. And I always love that about you. You give me the grace when sometimes you know that I know the answer, but you need to help me walk through it to find it together. Jamie Swaim: By the way, one of the biggest privileges I have in my life is to be behind the curtain with people before they take it and deliver it to someone else. Molley Ricketts: Yeah. Jamie Swaim: It took me a while to get my head around it that way. So thank you for allowing me the opportunity to be with you behind the curtain. Molley Ricketts: Yeah, always. Jamie Swaim: Yeah. The Three Pillars of Modern HR: Ambiguity, Resourcefulness, and Empathy Molley Ricketts: So you've come through the ranks. You've lived like me through different seasons of what it means to be in HR. Started out as Personnel and HR and human capital. I think we went through a phase of that and gosh, I don't even know what else. Jamie Swaim: People. Now we're just a people. Molley Ricketts: Yeah. So, what capabilities do you think HR has to have now that maybe you didn't have to have 10 years ago? What capabilities must HR leaders have now or learn now, build now that you didn't have to 10 years ago, 5 years ago? Jamie Swaim: I'm going to say this because some of it is that I didn't know I needed it 10 years ago, but it probably was true then too. Jason Heflin: Okay. Jamie Swaim: I think the first is the ability to deal with ambiguity. And it's because nothing is predictable when you're dealing with people. Molley Ricketts: Never. Jamie Swaim: You can't judge somebody correctly just because you interviewed them for two hours. You can't judge somebody quickly because you worked with them for five years. When life circumstances shifted and you've never seen them through that season. You got to be real comfortable to be like, I have no idea how we're going to get through this and rely on the fact that, but you have before gotten through other things that you had no idea how you're going to get through that ability to deal with ambiguity, to say I don't know what I'm talking about right now, but I have the tools to learn more about it so that I can show up appropriately. I think that really matters. The second thing is I really lean into resourcefulness. And if I'm adding anybody on my team as a leader or a team member, I need to know that when you don't know something that you won't automatically fizzle, that you'll continue to be like, I am committed to figuring it out. Right? Molley Ricketts: Yeah. Jamie Swaim: I'm going to make a phone call. I'm going to look something up. I'm going, I'm not going to wait for somebody to be the authority on the topic. Right? I would rather you give me something to react to than to rely on me wholly to create it. That's what I look for. And the third is the ability to think in terms of the other person's seat as it relates to cross-functional capability. Molley Ricketts: That's deep. Jamie Swaim: I'm not a finance person, but I should care about what finance has to control. I should understand my impact on their work. I should care about how I manage my budget. I should be clear about what my needs are. I should understand why priorities are selected that aren't mine, but advocate for them effectively. I feel like it's appropriate for me to understand the challenges that my operational partners are up against, so that whenever I'm like, okay, but tomorrow we're going to start our performance review cycle and it's going to take you 15 hours to get stuff done in two days, well, that's not reflective of the life they're living. And I think there's a lot of ways that HR does that, where they put timelines or deadlines out there that, because the work is important, but it almost gets lost because it's impossible to execute. So I think you got to be thinking about how you're affecting other people and how you all have to work together in order to make great things happen. Molley Ricketts: Yeah. So you've been in corporate, you've been in small, you've been a medium… Jamie Swaim: Fortune 5. Molley Ricketts: Fortune 5. You've been a solopreneur. Jamie Swaim: Yeah. Molley Ricketts: In that experience that you've had, what are the greatest relationships that you feel like you have to have for your position to make a move to be respected? So often the HR is the, oh, you have to go to the principal's office kind of thing. From your experience and where you sit, looking back on your knowledge, what has been the greatest relationship that you know have to have as soon as you go into an organization? Jamie Swaim: It depends on the industry, but finance and IT are the two places that I really care about building some connection because whether or not I have the funds to execute something, whether or not I fully understand the impact of my decisions on the business output and whether or not I have the right systems or tools to navigate it most efficiently, those relationships to me are really key, really key. But I think the biggest one is the leaders that are on my team. I need to know that we're walking right foot, left foot together, and that we're sharing a brand, that we are building something together that we could speak for each other in a way of like, no, I know that's what you heard, but I know that person so well that I'm wondering if we're missing a sliver. Because like I said, we're dealing with ambiguity every day. So I think having people that you know can trust is super important. Molley Ricketts: And what two great positions to acknowledge that you have...
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Why Hiring Is Broken: Moving Beyond “Check-the-Box” Recruiting
04/27/2026
Why Hiring Is Broken: Moving Beyond “Check-the-Box” Recruiting
File 36: In this file of Workforce Therapy Files, the hosts spotlight Molley Ricketts, founder and CEO of Incipio Workforce Solutions, and explore her journey building a people-first recruiting firm. Molley shares how her early experiences shaped her belief that hiring should be intentional rather than transactional. The conversation dives into common hiring mistakes, including reactive recruiting and outdated job descriptions. They also unpack the real cost of bad hires and why culture alignment matters more than filling a seat quickly. Molley highlights the overlooked value of essential workers and the importance of recognizing their contributions beyond moments of crisis. The group discusses leadership growth, the difference between founder and CEO roles, and how to scale a business while maintaining culture. Practical insights around networking, strategy, and long-term talent development are woven throughout. The file ultimately challenges leaders to rethink how they approach hiring, culture, and workforce strategy. Key Themes: Molley Ricketts’ Origin Story: From Corporate to Entrepreneur Reactive Hiring vs. Strategic Talent Planning The Real Cost of a Bad Hire vs. an Open Position Essential Workers: Why Their Value Is Still Overlooked Scaling a Business Without Losing Culture and Leadership Identity File Transcript: Jamie Swaim: Welcome back to another amazing episode of the Workforce Therapy Files. Today we are continuing a theme where we're getting to know the hosts of Workforce Therapy Files, and today we are dedicating our time completely to the one, the only, the incredible, the author… Molley Ricketts: International bestseller. Jamie Swaim: The international bestseller. You're not supposed to do your own intro, but dang it, Molley Ricketts: I didn't want you to miss it. Jamie Swaim: I'm not going to ask Jim to redo it because… Jason Heflin: A quick plug, but international best seller for what? Molley Ricketts: She Knows Best. Jamie Swaim: Author of international bestselling book, , Molley Ricketts. Molley Ricketts: Thanks. Thanks for having me on the show. Jamie Swaim: Very good. Molley Ricketts: Thanks. Jamie Swaim: Molley. I know we’ll give you some questions and you prepared some things that you definitely want to talk about today, but you're not prepared. Jason Heflin: We're not going to ask you any of those questions. Jamie Swaim: We're not going to ask you any of them. We've got a whole list. Molley Ricketts: I feel so unprepared now. Jamie Swaim: All right. If you had to teach a master class tomorrow about something that has nothing to do with your business or your job, what would it be on? Molley Ricketts: Boating. Jamie Swaim: Boating. Jason Heflin: That's Boating with a B, not voting with a V. Molley Ricketts: Oh no. You don't want me to teach that class! Jamie Swaim: How'd you get into boating? Molley Ricketts: Grew up around it. Jamie Swaim: Yeah. Molley Ricketts: I was driving a boat before I was driving a car. Jamie Swaim: So now we'll also call you Captain Molley Ricketts. Jason Heflin: She's been a captain for us lately, like getting some of this content ready and stuff. Jamie Swaim: Yeah. I don't know if you guys know this, but our podcast wouldn't happen if it wasn't for Molley Ricketts. Molley Ricketts: Oh, stop. Jamie Swaim: She gets us together. She tells us what we're going to talk about. She gets us guests. She found Jim. Yeah. Your face should be bigger on our sticker. Molley Ricketts: I like that. Jamie Swaim: But you're already in the middle, so I guess there's that. Okay. Molley Ricketts: The Red glasses. Jamie Swaim: So let's just like every hero or villain in a story. Molley Ricketts: Yeah. Molley Ricketts’ Origin Story: From Corporate to Entrepreneur Jamie Swaim: They all have a good origin story. Let's talk about yours. Molley Ricketts: Okay. Jamie Swaim: What problem in the workforce space frustrated you so much that you were like, nobody else is doing this, so I'm going to build a company and I'm going to be the one to do it? Molley Ricketts: It stemmed from working with organizations that continue to look at recruiting as a transaction and checking a box to fill a seat. The opportunities that come with an organization that are intentional about the people that they're putting in those seats and that are intentional about the knowledge, skills, and abilities that they're bringing into the company. When you really think about it and make that decision based on growth and succession, instead of checking-the-box, you change the game. And for so long, the companies that I was working with, that's all they wanted to do. Jamie Swaim: Yeah. I got you. Molley Ricketts: Yeah. Jamie Swaim: Your company's name is Incipio. We didn't mention that in the intro. Jason Heflin: Incipio Works. Jamie Swaim: Incipio Workforce Solutions. Yep. So was Incipio the first company you started? Molley Ricketts: It was not. Jamie Swaim: What? There's another story here. I did not know this. Molley Ricketts: So I worked with a corporate organization for almost 12 years and learned a lot. It was a great experience. It was also one of those great golden handcuff companies where you've got the great pay, great benefits, great PTO. Jamie Swaim: Did you have a pension? Molley Ricketts: Yeah. Jamie Swaim: What? Molley Ricketts: Can you believe it? Jamie Swaim: No. Molley Ricketts: Yeah. So there were other plans for me. I was part of the second wave of layoffs that banking institution had, and I thought, you know what? I can do this. I can do this on my own. But I had two small kids and didn't think that I could lean into myself enough to financially support the family. My husband was working, he had a stable job, still does, and it was all great, but taking that leap of faith on myself was a little too scary. So I went out and I said, okay, if anybody was going to hire me to solve their recruiting problems, and all I have on my resume is 12 years of a corporate job, they're going to look at me and think, no. Jamie Swaim: That's not going to work over here in my widget-making. Molley Ricketts: So, I went to work for a small company here in Louisville. Architects and engineers, Luckett and Farley. I'm a history nerd. So they were the official architects of the Twin Spires at Churchill Downs from 18, whatever that year was, sorry, I don't remember. So I thought, how cool would that be? And learned a lot from there. And then I was tapped to work a contract position with GE through YO Corporation out of northern, the New England area, and learned a lot there, especially working as a third party for a corporate company like GE. Learned a lot. And through that, a lot of the managers and leaders that I had worked with in the past at Citigroup said, Hey, the person that I'm working with now, I don't like them recruiting for me. Can you help me? So my first company started itself basically, because people that I had worked with in the past reached out and I thought, I can do this. I can work full-time job and come home and work again. Sorry, Chad. And that's what I did. So my first company was Starting Line Staffing Consultants. Jamie Swaim: Starting line? Molley Ricketts: Starting line. Jamie Swaim: Because you love the track. Molley Ricketts: Yes. Jamie Swaim: Yes. That's a great name for your company. Molley Ricketts: Yeah. And it was a starting line for new employees, for new companies. Right? Jamie Swaim: For sure. Molley Ricketts: So I did that. So I worked full-time as a contractor through YO at GE, and I had my own business on the side, and the business started to grow and I had to make a decision. I was like, I don't have that real third-party experience. So, I went to work for a temporary agency and continued to affirm that that's not the business that I wanted. Through that education and learning really took my Starting Line business and pulled it into that temporary agency and learned a lot after two and a half years and discovered that wasn't a good fit for me and decided to leave there and took on the adventure of giving myself a few months of a break to get my stuff together. Did you like that? I said stuff I didn't. Jason Heflin: Very well done. Yeah. Molley Ricketts: Thank you. Thank you. Jamie Swaim: Such growth, really. Molley Ricketts: Right, right. So I took a few months and really got a plan together. And Jason, to your point of really understanding what it was at the minimum expectations I had to set for myself, that was hard because I'd had so much responsibility in leadership opportunities in the previous positions, and I missed that, because now I'm the only one. And when I started Incipio and the frustration that I had seen with other organizations that I'd been a part of that we were working with, I just saw that real lack of focus and the transactional filling of seats that companies were used to, and there's got to be more than this. The satisfaction that I felt early on in my career, why can't other people feel that? And they should. Why has it become acceptable that they don't have to? So Starting Line was then dissolved, worked for the third party, and Incipio was born, which is Latin for new beginnings. Jamie Swaim: Look at all this intentionality. Jason Heflin: I know. Jamie Swaim: I know. Jason Heflin: I just start on a whim and she's over here thinking about it. Jamie Swaim: I love it. So if you were to think about the thing that you have changed your mind on in the past 10 years as it relates to talent, what's the thing that you believed 10 years ago that you no longer believe? Molley Ricketts: Everything's on a resume. Jamie Swaim: Oh yeah. Molley Ricketts: Maybe it used to be that way. Jamie Swaim: No, I think it was probably wrong then too. Molley Ricketts: You think? Jamie Swaim: Well, I think it's because you have to decide what you are hiring for. Molley Ricketts: Yeah. Jamie Swaim: Are you hiring a resume writer? And if your job is not to be a resume writer, then it's probably not going to be a perfect resume. Molley Ricketts: Fair. Jamie Swaim: That’s my take on it. Yeah. Jason Heflin: Alright. I'm going to ask some questions now. Jamie Swaim: That's good. I'm going to shut up now. Jason Heflin: Or don't. Please don't. Jamie Swaim: Okay, good Reactive Hiring vs. Strategic Talent Planning Jason Heflin: What are employers still getting wrong about hiring all this time? Molley Ricketts: Just one thing? Jason Heflin: Yeah. Molley Ricketts: I believe that employers are still getting wrong just in hiring and recruiting, that they're reactive. That because a person leaves or a position goes unfilled, that that position has to be filled. It's this job, it's no other job. And instead of taking a step back and really evaluating the landscape and understanding what position is missing, they're just reactive hiring. And this crazy thing happens when you really look at the job descriptions that you're hiring against when you're frustrated because the talent that's walking in the door that you want to hire to isn't the person that you want to fill the job. And the amount of times that I will ask a leader, well, did you read the job description? Jason Heflin: Yeah. Molley Ricketts: Well, recently? Yeah, before you posted it. Well, no, because the job that I need to fill. For the person that was here two years ago? You don't think that job has evolved at all, even in the smallest skillset? Jason Heflin: Oh yeah. Molley Ricketts: Oh, well, I guess. Jamie Swaim: You change systems. Molley Ricketts: You're not even on the same tech stack. Jamie Swaim: You all don’t even produce that anymore. Jason Heflin: We're still recruiting for it. You had new responsibilities to that role. Molley Ricketts: Yeah. Well, I wonder why I wasn't getting the talent I was still looking for. It's like stop reactive hiring. Jason Heflin: Yeah. And rewrite that job description, please. Sounds like. Well, we're leaders confusing activity and with strategy that seems very common and we all do it, but the activity isn't always strategy. Where do they get that message up? Molley Ricketts: Post and pray. Jason Heflin: I say that all the time. Molley Ricketts: The post and pray mentality. I know that you guys know what that is, but for those listeners that may not, it's when you post a job and you pray that candidates come into play, especially in today's day and age. Let's even go back to rewriting a job description that's relevant to the position that you want to fill. But thinking that people are just going to apply to a job that you've posted. If you don't have a brand that's nationally recognized, that's probably not going to happen. And even if you do have a brand that's nationally recognized, the talent that you're wanting, they're not applying to jobs. They're working. Not saying that the demographic of human that isn't working right now they're not quality talent. I'm not saying that. Please don't confuse the note of, you have to be intentional about the position that you want to fill. Jamie Swaim: Agreed. The Real Cost of a Bad Hire vs. an Open Position Jason Heflin: Yeah. I think networking too. Networking has gone out the window. It's like, well, you may know someone, you may be working with someone at another institution that could be a good fit. Let's talk about that. What's the real cost of a bad hire that most executives… Jamie Swaim: Oh no. Is she going to tell us about soft dollars? Molley Ricketts: Here we go. I asked someone recently, I said, so do you think that having a position go unfilled is more costly than that of a bad hire? And they said, absolutely. I said, really? Tell me more. Well, because you've got the position. It's unfilled. They're not, no one's doing the job. I said, so you're telling me that that costs you more as an organization than filling the position with someone who is not a good fit? And everything that you have to go through in that experience to then get rid of them costs less than having the position vancant? Jason Heflin: And the cultural repercussions, because others have to fill that role for that. Not just fill an empty seat, but come back behind someone and clean things up and try to educate and try to train while doing the job and all those things. Molley Ricketts: And as a leader, if you're acknowledging that that person isn't the right fit, everyone that's around that person that knows that you know that they're not the right fit, they're like, well hell, if they're going to put up with this person, then why am I busting my butt to make it happen? Jamie Swaim: Especially if that hire was in a spot that is at a higher-level than that person that is doing the work. Molley Ricketts: Tight spot. Jamie Swaim: Really tight. Yeah. Essential Workers: Why Their Value Is Still Overlooked Jason Heflin: Wow. Alright. I got a question about essential workers. A lot about essential workers. Molley Ricketts: Yes, they're my jam. Jason Heflin: Yes, they're your jam. What's happening with essential workers that the media isn't talking about that people should be talking about? Molley Ricketts: So does everybody remember what happened back in 2020? Jamie Swaim: With painful clarity. Molley Ricketts: Do you remember the people that, I believe the federal government issued a thing that people were supposed to print out to put on their dashboards if they were an essential worker so that they could be on the road so that they could be parked in a parking lot so that they could be actually going to work? Do you guys remember that? Jamie Swaim: I don't know if it was federal, but yes, I remember the parking passes. Yeah. I remember having to make sure that people across straight, the state lines especially had something explaining why they had to cross the state lines and stuff like that. Jason Heflin: Yeah. There were privileges around it. Jamie Swaim: Privilege. Molley Ricketts: Essential workers were privileged, in that category. Jason Heflin: Valued. Molley Ricketts: I mean, revered. These are the people going to work every day, making it happen. Lifting them up! Jason Heflin: Utility workers, nurses, yeah. Molley Ricketts: Manufacturing. I mean, it's crazy, right? Jamie Swaim: Yeah absolutely. Molley Ricketts: And then what? Jamie Swaim: The world opened back up. Jason Heflin: Back to reality. Molley Ricketts: Yeah. So they weren't special anymore. Do you guys know that over 70% of the nation's workers is an essential worker? Jamie Swaim: 70%? Molley Ricketts: 70%? Jamie Swaim: I did not know that. Molley Ricketts: 70%. Jamie Swaim: That number surprises me for some reason, and I don't know why. Molley Ricketts: It did me too. Jamie Swaim: I guess when you think about all the things that prop up a community, essential workers are a large part of that. Molley Ricketts: So the ones that are actually doing the thing, doing the work. Jamie Swaim: Yeah. Molley Ricketts: It's so disheartening that individuals in that category of worker are no longer lifted up the way that they were. I really thought that that was going to help make a change and people would admire and look at those committed individuals in manufacturing, in long-term care, in the hospital environment Jamie Swaim: And logistics, Molley Ricketts: All of that. And it just went away. Jamie Swaim: And you feel like the media is not talking about that enough. How would you expect, if we were to keep the lessons of 2020, how would you expect to see those things show up now, if we learned from it and did something different? Molley Ricketts: I think acknowledging the power of their work, the influence of their work, instead of, it feels less than. If you have a blue collar job, if you have an entry-level to mid-level manager position in your community, in your home, it almost feels like they belittled. That their job isn't a value because I'm the vice president of whatever, so I'm greater than, and that hurts my heart. Jason Heflin: So if I get pulled over by a police officer and I say, look, I'm a podcaster. I really got to get where I'm going. Oh sir, please. Yeah, go right on. Yeah. Yeah. Jamie Swaim: Sad note. I got pulled over recently in the great state of Indiana, and I would just like to thank the nice trooper for being the nicest person that's ever pulled me over. He was really kind - little side note. Molley Ricketts: Did he give you a ticket? Jamie Swaim: 100%. He absolutely gave me a ticket. Jason Heflin: Do you listen to the Workforce Therapy Files? Jamie Swaim: Do you know who I am? Is what I said. That didn't get me any clout. So yeah, no, he was like, did you know that you were speeding? And I said, oh, I just got off the interstate, so I guess I'm still an interstate mind. And he goes, you are going fast for the interstate. So I had to slow it down. Molley Ricketts: But just to wrap the essential worker category up, loyalty isn't something that is assumed it's earned. And in that category of worker, it's earned every day. Jamie Swaim: And obviously we need those or they wouldn't have been deemed essential. So how we treat those individuals in our community matters. Molley Ricketts: Hundred percent. Jamie Swaim: Yeah. I'm picking a bunch, putting down. Molley Ricketts: Thanks. Scaling a Business Without Losing Culture and Leadership Identity Jamie Swaim: Absolutely. Okay. So Molley, you're going to switch gears a smidge. In your career, and especially with Incipio, you have scaled a business, your second business, and you've done that. And we spent so much time talking about culture and it's importance. So I want to ask you some questions specific to what it means to scale a business without losing sight of culture. What do you think intentional growth has looked like in your business? ...
/episode/index/show/28060014-706e-492d-9ee1-130803f2f525/id/40992030
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The Real Cost of Winning: Why Jason Heflin Exchanged Toxic Growth for Time and Family Empowerment
04/10/2026
The Real Cost of Winning: Why Jason Heflin Exchanged Toxic Growth for Time and Family Empowerment
File 35: Jason Heflin sits in the "hot seat" to share insights from his entrepreneurial journey, which began after he realized he was not wired for the repetitive nature of a corporate cubicle. The interview explores his core business philosophy of avoiding commoditization by prioritizing deep, long-term strategic partnerships over one-off product services. When asked about scaling a business, Jason highlights the importance of "stick-to-itiveness" and the risk-taking necessary to overcome the fear of failure. He admits that his greatest operational challenge was learning to embrace standardized processes, a discipline that often feels restrictive to his "free spirit" nature. Regarding team management, Jason emphasizes accountability through ownership and the difficult but necessary decision to let go of talented individuals who are not a cultural fit. Reflecting on his diverse past ventures—ranging from a diaper bag company to a brewery—he cautions against chasing every "shiny object" without a clear plan or genuine passion. Having once prioritized "winning" at the cost of his personal life, he has since redefined success to focus on family and empowering others to lead. Finally, he identifies his company's differentiator as a results-driven culture where team members genuinely care about outcomes and are not afraid to pivot when strategies fail. Key Themes: Breaking Free from the Gray Cubicle The Partnership Obsession The "Stick-to-itiveness" of Scaling The Copper Touch: Lessons from Diaper Bags to Breweries Ownership and the Hard Truths of Leadership Redefining the Win: From Toxic Growth to Time Well Spent Episode Transcript: Jamie Swaim: Today on the Workforce Therapy files. We'd like to welcome you back and also tell you that we have a special guest that is in the hot seat. Molley Ricketts: Who? Jamie Swaim: It's none other than your favorite. Jason Heflin. Yes. Molley Ricketts: And the crowd goes wild! Jamie Swaim: So, Mr. Heflin, we have a number of questions that we'd like to just pick your brain on in this episode, in this file. Jason Heflin: I’m turning my hat around backwards for this. Molley Ricketts: Uh-oh. Jamie Swaim: Is that straight up? Out of over the top. Are you Lincoln Hawk? Jason Heflin: Whoa. Jamie Swaim: Yes. Might've been one of my favorite movies. I'm not going to lie. Molley Ricketts: He trembled a little bit. Jamie Swaim: I know. And I'm ready to arm wrestle him just to see what happens. So Jason, I want to start off with, if you were a professional athlete and you had walk-in music, what would be the theme song you would choose? Jason Heflin: The Final Countdown. Jamie Swaim: Oh, there was a little harmony there. I like it. Final Countdown. Gosh, I do feel like that's a song I haven't heard recent enough. Jason Heflin: Yeah. There was a show 20 years ago called Arrested Development. Jamie Swaim: Yes, Jason Heflin: It was great, and one of the characters would always come out to that song. He was a magician, and that's how he would come out. He would do a little dance. Molley Ricketts: It's a great show. Jason Heflin: It's a great show. Jamie Swaim: Jason Bateman, right? Molley Ricketts: Yeah, Jason Bateman. Molley Ricketts: In the early years. Jamie Swaim: He's one of my favorites. Molley Ricketts: Yeah. Jamie Swaim: Okay. Now we're going to get more serious, but it's helpful to know because I feel like when I see people and I know that about them, immediately this song pops in my head. Jason Heflin: Maybe it should be the intro, Jim, to this episode. Jamie Swaim: He said you can't afford that. Yeah. Jason Heflin: We’ll just have to sing it! Jamie Swaim: That public domain? Is that how it works? Molley Ricketts: Copyright laws. Jamie Swaim: I dunno. Alright. So, Jason, what was the first moment that you realized you were wired for entrepreneurship? Jason Heflin: About six or seven years into sitting in a gray cubicle in a corporate office. Jamie Swaim: You're like, this is not for me. Jason Heflin: Doing TPS reports. Jamie Swaim: You’ve been missing a lot of work, Jason. Jason Heflin: I said 'm going to do something else and it's not going to be for someone else. I need to exercise that muscle. Jamie Swaim: How long did that take you? Jason Heflin: Oh, like I said, six or seven years. Jamie Swaim: Six or seven years. Jason Heflin: 6-7. Jamie Swaim: Okay. What problem are you most obsessed with solving right now? Jason Heflin: Not being a commodity. Jamie Swaim: Tell me more. Jason Heflin: So I don't want our services to be commoditized. And I think often that's the way we're approached initially is, Hey, we need a website, or we need ads for hiring, or we want to attract talent through digital advertising, blah, blah. Whatever the thing is. And they're just looking at it like a commodity. Jamie Swaim: Dollar. Product. Jason Heflin: Yeah. Do you do it? We're going to ask 12 other people the same thing. And then whoever has the cheapest prices who we're going to pick. I want to build long-term partnerships. I mean, that's what I've always wanted. That's what we strive to do. And so it's really hard for me when someone enters our funnel as looking at us as a commodity. And then you have to kind of flip that and say, no, I want to go to lunch and get to know you and your team and what we're trying to do here, and let's build a strategy around it. I don't want to just do the thing. And then you're disappointed in six months. I want to really dig into what the true issues are. Jamie Swaim: I would imagine what the kind of work that you do, the longer-term relationships create better outputs any way. Jason Heflin: Oh yeah. Jamie Swaim: It’s not like, oh, let me put together your whole employment brand because I've known you for two seconds. Jason Heflin: We've had clients for 12 plus years and they're the best. I love ‘em. They're friends, they're partners. Partners is overused, but it's true. They're real partners. We're in their business. We go in their office and the admins know us and just shoo us on back to the conference room and no security and just, yeah. Jamie Swaim: Yeah. Molley Ricketts: It makes a difference. Jamie Swaim: I'm assuming, because you've been in business now for 72 years? Jason Heflin: 73. Jamie Swaim: 73, okay. I don't want to undersell your knowledge, but I'm curious, how has your definition of success evolved across that 73-year spectrum? Jason Heflin: Well, in the year 1 through 50, I was really more focused on winning. So it was more toxic culture, toxic growth for the sake of growth. But yeah, so I'm more focused on time with my family, treating people really well, building partnerships, long-term partnerships I want to be in for years with somebody. I don't want to waste anybody's time. So yeah, less winning, more hanging. Jamie Swaim: Well, as someone who's known you for at least 30 of those 73 years, I think it's a solid choice. People should do it. Jason Heflin: Thanks. Jamie Swaim: Yeah, for sure. Molley Ricketts: All right, Jason, so what do you think separates entrepreneurs who scale from the ones who stall? Jason Heflin: Sticktoitiveness. Is that a word? Jamie Swaim: It is now. Jason Heflin: Okay. Webster's definition of sticktoitiveness is staying the course. Go. I mean, I think the ones that don't scale are maybe fearful. Being an entrepreneur is about risk, and you have to be willing to take those risks. And if you're not, it's going to be a very slow process. So don't expect it to be a quick run. If you're not willing to lose and lose multiple times. Molley Ricketts: You definitely have to be okay with the word no, a lot. Jason Heflin: I've started and sold at least four businesses in my life, and I made that mistake many times over in the past. Molley Ricketts: So what operational discipline do you think takes founders way too long to execute, to learn? What do they avoid for too long? Jason Heflin: In my experience, this is self-reflection, but it was process, building processes around commonly common tasks. Jamie Swaim: Standard work. Jason Heflin: Yep. Things that we do over and over again. We know how to do. Somebody's already figured out step one through six, just put it down, this is it. These are the rules. We can change the rules anytime if things in the environment change. But yeah, and I resist process because I'm a free spirit. I just want to operate. I'm a cowboy. I don't want to be pinned down. So that's tough for me. And my business partner's really good at it. So we have complimented each other in that way over the years. Molley Ricketts: I agree. It's definitely as a fellow free spirit, seeing things on paper with process and 1, 2, 3, A, B, C, and it's like, really? You couldn't just do it? Jason Heflin: I get itchy. I feel pinned in. Jamie Swaim: I know this isn't something that you said, but I'm curious around the same question because I know we're interviewing Jason, but we like to have a little chitchat. I feel like the founder relationship with cash also is something that might get in the way of people scaling. And I don't know how you guys have done that or whether or not that's a challenge that you had, but for the bootstrappers or the individuals who are getting started with some sort of investment cash, figuring out how to leverage debt, figuring out how to budget for the down months, figuring out how to do that and not be, I don't know, discouraged from continuing. I know you guys have had nothing but green, gold star months in your careers as entrepreneurs, but I'm curious what you might advise for the people who are doing those entrepreneur journeys, anew. Jason Heflin: I think prepare for the downtimes. The thing that you think, oh, if this happened, that would be bad. Well get ready for it. It's going to happen eventually. Just get ready, build a plan around it. If this, then this, if this, then that. And sometimes it's even helpful to kind of draw that out like a little tree. Just like, okay, if this happens, I'm going to do this and just be ready. And that way when it happens, you're much more at ease. You can say, okay, I have a plan. I can follow it. I don't know if it's going to work, but I have alternate routes I can take. Jamie Swaim: Name it and claim it. Jason Heflin: Yep. Molley Ricketts: For me, it was business debt is completely different than personal debt, but personal debt for me was always, you don't have that. That's how you freedom and survive and live. But business debt, I went in with that same mentality, but learned that it's not the same at all. So when you think about looking at a business and you want to scale, you want to grow, where do you see businesses overcomplicating that growth? Jason Heflin: Well, on the topic of hiring, I think it's quick fix hiring. And I've been guilty of that many times. Just like, oh, this person has the credentials. Let's go hire them and let's just move. And we talked about that in a previous episode recently. It's just it does not work. It won't ever work. You might get lucky and their resume is everything about them, but most often it's not so quick. Jamie Swaim: Especially with AI, right? Yeah. Jamie Swaim: People are putting resumes together because they think that's what you want to see sometimes. Jason Heflin: Yeah, yeah. Lean into the interview. Don't be afraid to have a long interview. Don't be afraid to talk about culture. Don't be afraid to talk about the times in the past when they've had a conflict with fellow employees because those could bubble back up in your environment and come back to haunt you. Jamie Swaim: Absolutely. Jason Heflin: And it's better for them too. They don't need to be in a place that's not good for them. Molley Ricketts: They human behind the paper. So what do you think real accountability looks like in your organization at CrowdSouth? Jason Heflin: Ownership of your area of expertise. That's really what it is. And we did talk again in a recent episode about this, but letting them own it. Allowing them as an entrepreneur to own their area, getting in and being helpful by guiding the work and steering the work and kind and productive corrections are probably welcomed and should be welcomed, but not hovering over people. So I think them owning their area and then the entrepreneur allowing them to own their area. Jamie Swaim: As an entrepreneur, you have become no stranger to mitigating and navigating risks and learning how to make decisions that are right for you and your company. So I have a couple of questions as it relates to these things. What is a decision that you made that felt uncomfortable but was necessary? Jason Heflin: I'll tie it back to a previous answer a couple of questions ago. Letting people go that are not a good cultural fit. It's hard to do. Maybe they have all the talent, maybe have more than the talent, and you can see them fitting in a role somewhere else or even fitting in a role in your company, but just culturally they do not fit. And your team will let you know. Molley Ricketts: Pretty quick. Jason Heflin: Yep. Molley Ricketts: I agree with you on that. Jason Heflin: But it's still really hard. They're a good person. You're like, gosh, they could do so much. Jamie Swaim: Especially if you're doing any of the tips that we talk about around leadership and getting to know people and you learn their family, the impact of a job loss, those things start to hit really hard. Jason Heflin: Yeah. Oh yeah. Jamie Swaim: But your company's better for it. Jason Heflin: A hundred percent. Jamie Swaim: All right. I'm curious of the risk reward methodology you have in your own head. How do you measure and evaluate risk versus opportunity? Jason Heflin: I struggle with it personally. I like to keep the gas pedal down all the time. So I'm very comfortable with risk and I will go a little too far with it. Molley Ricketts: Do you have an example? Jason Heflin: Oh gosh. Do I have examples? Yeah. I mean, it's good for a business to be able to niche into things. These are the things we're good at. But then sometimes an opportunity will come up to take on a new thing and start to think we can do that. We'd be great at that. But it's a big risk to try something. You're going to probably fail a few times. And especially if it's a new client or someone you're interacting with as an entrepreneur, you could really flub it up. Think in terms of the big picture, go back to the plan for the year or the three-year plan or whatever it is, and say, does this really fit into what we're trying to do and be okay not taking this work or this big chunk of money because it's this shiny object or this brand that you wanted to work with. Or, Ooh, that would be great in our portfolio to say, I worked with this Fortune 100 company. Just be careful, evaluate it. Really sit back before you just take it. Jamie Swaim: And I don't know that our listeners know this about you, and so hopefully I'm not going too far, but blink twice if I say something you don't want me to say, okay, that's my safe word. But prior to CrowdSouth and building this marketing conglomerate that you guys have gone and built. Jason Heflin: Conglomerate, I like that. Jamie Swaim: That sounds big. Jason Heflin: Sure. Jamie Swaim: But prior to that, you were not new to the entrepreneur journey. I mean, you started companies and if you were to go through them, they don't all have something in common. Jason Heflin: Yeah. Jamie Swaim: You were in various industries and approaching it from different ways, but using key things that led to CrowdSouth. Do you want to talk about that at all? Because I think when people call you, they might be thinking about you through your marketing lens, but I used to refer to you as the person with the Midas touch. Everything you touch seemed to turn to gold. Jason Heflin: Maybe Copper. Jamie Swaim: Copper. The copper touch. Jason Heflin: Yeah, the copper touch. All Jamie Swaim: Right. Jason Heflin: Yeah. So a good example is I started a business once and it was fully because it was a good idea, but I wasn't super, super interested in it. So that kind of bit me. Later I started an online, an e-commerce business. And of all things, we were selling diaper bags. Jamie Swaim: Before you even had a child. Jason Heflin: Oh yeah, I had no interest. Jamie Swaim: You even know any kids? Jason Heflin: Yeah. What's a kid? I don't know. What's a diaper? Jamie Swaim: Why do you need a whole bag? Jason Heflin: Yeah, why do you a whole bag for these things? But it was a vacuum in the market, and my partner at the time and I went into it and it did really well. It just took off. And suddenly we were selling diaper bags and I turned a whole bedroom in my house into a warehouse. We had boxes stacked to the ceiling, and my wife and I were working on weekends shipping these things out and taking them to UPS, and it was exciting until it wasn't. And so we ended up selling that business to a company called Hayneedle, which owned like 50 different e-commerce businesses. It was just better. They had all the things they needed to really take it and run with it. And I could go do a different idea. So I think my unique ability as an entrepreneur is knowing when to leave, knowing when to get out of the way. Jamie Swaim: But you’ve also been a travel blogger. You owned a microbrewery slash restaurant, and now are in the marketing business. None of those things have automatic ties to each other. Definitely using your marketing expertise to do that. Jason Heflin: And real estate business and bourbon and all kinds of stuff. Jamie Swaim: I don’t remember the bourbon. Jason Heflin: Most of them are opportunities. They're like, I see an opportunity and so I can't stop myself sometimes. So I do think it's important because entrepreneurs have that same gene where they see an opportunity whether it's a good fit or not, and they just chase it. And so be cautious of that. Make sure you don't have to be something you're just in love with, but at least have some sort of passion for it and know where it's going to go. Don't just start it because it's a good idea and then not know what you're going to do with it later. Jamie Swaim: Yeah. Jason Heflin: Have an exit plan or have a plan where you're going to step to the side and let somebody else take this thing over somebody that's more better suited, like, Hayneedle was. Molley Ricketts: Yeah. So Jason, when you think about your life as an entrepreneur and knowing that you've been with CrowdSouth for, what is it now 12, 13 years? Jason Heflin: Yep. Wow. Molley Ricketts: What does entrepreneurship cost you? Jason Heflin: Yeah, so I think it's cost me time. Time and money you exchange. So for many years, the brewery you mentioned, I owned the brewery at the same time, I own CrowdSouth. And I would go in the morning and I would work all day at CrowdSouth and I would drive immediately over to the brewery and I would work till one in the morning. And I did that for two and a half years. Jamie Swaim: Which means the MVP is also Jason's wife. Jason Heflin: Shout out. And during that time, had a baby. Molley Ricketts: Oh my gosh. Jason Heflin: And so it was just rough. And I realized I was exchanging too much the money for the time or the growth for the time, because it wasn't a lot of money then. It was just, okay, we're just growing this thing. So yeah, time. So that's really more what I'm trying to get back to focusing on. I'm going to start exchanging...
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Rapid Therapy Round: Leadership, Culture, and Workplace Truths Leaders Need to Hear
03/30/2026
Rapid Therapy Round: Leadership, Culture, and Workplace Truths Leaders Need to Hear
File 34: In this episode of Workforce Therapy Files, Jamie Swaim, Molley Ricketts, and Jason Heflin take a rapid-fire approach to leadership and workplace culture, tackling common myths, hiring mistakes, and behaviors that quietly damage teams. The conversation highlights the importance of intentional leadership, emotional intelligence, and clear communication in building strong workplace cultures. From employer branding and onboarding gaps to AI in recruiting and CEO-level concerns, this episode delivers practical, real-world insights for leaders navigating today’s evolving workplace environment. Topics Workforce Myths That Hold Organizations Back Leadership Behaviors That Quietly Destroy Culture Hiring Mistakes and Candidate Experience Gaps AI in the Workplace: Opportunity vs. Risk What’s Keeping CEOs Up at Night? What Should Be Keeping Leaders Up at Night? Discussion Highlights Molley Ricketts: And welcome back to Workforce Therapy Files. Today, we’ve got a treat for you. We’re calling this the rapid therapy round. Jamie, Jason, are you guys in? Jason Heflin: I’m in. Jamie Swaim: It’s been a while since we didn’t have a guest. Molley Ricketts: It has been. Jamie Swaim: I’m excited to spend some quality time with you guys. Molley Ricketts: We are guests with each other today. Jamie Swaim: That’s right. I’m pretty excited. Jason Heflin: Yeah, we’ll get to know each other a little better. Molley Ricketts: Okay, so there’s seven questions. Rapid fire. Jason, one workforce myth you want to kill. Workforce Myths That Hold Organizations Back Jason Heflin: Employer branding doesn’t need attention. Companies spend time branding to customers but not enough to employees. Jamie Swaim: Mine is that leaders will lead. That is a myth. Jason Heflin: It takes time and effort to become a good leader. Molley Ricketts: Mine is HR being responsible for turnover. Leaders own that. Leadership Behaviors That Quietly Destroy Culture Jason Heflin: One leadership behavior that quietly destroys culture? Jamie Swaim: Being outcomes-focused above everything else. Molley Ricketts: Sarcasm can damage culture. Jason Heflin: Not letting go and micromanaging. Hiring Mistakes and Candidate Experience Gaps Jamie Swaim: One hiring mistake you see every week? Molley Ricketts: Silence after offer acceptance until day one. Jamie Swaim: That gap is a missed opportunity. Jason Heflin: Employer branding plays into that. Jamie Swaim: Hiring too quickly without development support. AI in the Workplace: Opportunity vs. Risk Molley Ricketts: A trend you’re bullish on? Jason Heflin: Using AI as a starting point, not as a full solution or to replace people. Jamie Swaim: Organizations need AI policies. But my trend is radical candor. Molley Ricketts: AI recruiting needs human judgment. What’s Keeping CEOs Up at Night Jamie Swaim: Talent availability is a concern. Jason Heflin: Market instability. Molley Ricketts: Service levels and accountability. What Should Be Keeping Leaders Up at Night Jamie Swaim: What should be keeping leaders up at night? Molley Ricketts: Company culture should keep leaders up at night. Jamie Swaim: External stress impacts employees. Jason Heflin: Leaders must prepare for what’s next. Conclusion Molley Ricketts: Well, I think this was great. Jason Heflin: Rapid this time. Jamie Swaim: It was definitely a therapy round. Jason Heflin: If you have opinions, let us know. That’s where we’ll leave the conversation for today. Before we close the file, we invite you to reach out to us with questions, suggestions or other comments. We’d love to hear from you. Did You Enjoy Today’s Conversation? Visit to listen to additional WTF files or to let us know you’d like to be a guest on an upcoming file. Need Help Supporting Your Company’s Recruiting and Staffing Goals? We’re here to help. You can contact us via our individual websites, depending on your specific needs or questions: · Jamie Swaim, SPHR – · Molley Ricketts – · Jason Heflin – We hope you found this file insightful and helpful. Thank you for listening!
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Interview with Carol Shulte - 2025 KYSHRM
03/20/2026
Interview with Carol Shulte - 2025 KYSHRM
The Workforce Therapy Files team attended the 2025 Kentucky SHRM Conference, in Louisville. We took the opportunity to interview over 20 professionals who stopped by our booth. Jamie and Molley were joined by Carol Schulte, Keynote Speaker and Founder of The Brāve Initiative. Dr. Brad Shuck also sat in for this interview. Carol shared her mission of empowering individuals to "get their brave on" by embracing their most authentic and vulnerable selves. She challenges HR professionals to create safe spaces where employees can bring their entire identity to their work, asserting that true connection requires being "real" rather than leading from a title. Carol’s own "brave" journey includes a series of extraordinary life experiences, such as living in an ashram in India, volunteering in Thai orphanages, and apple picking while living in a van in New Zealand. These experiences inspired her to help others "live big" and focus on a "brave list" of challenges rather than a traditional bucket list. Regarding modern leadership, Carol believes the "command and control" style is obsolete and must be replaced by a mind shift toward courage and bold decision-making. She advocates for the platinum rule, which encourages leaders to "do unto others as they want you to do to them". This approach requires leaders to know their team members on a deeper, individual level to understand their unique motivations and needs. Carol emphasizes that today’s workforce desires "raw humans" as leaders who are comfortable admitting they do not have all the answers. By being vulnerable and sharing their own stories, leaders invite their teams to do the same, fostering a more collaborative culture. To conclude her interview, she left a powerful question for the next participant: "What would you do if you were even braver?". To learn more, visit: · Website: Carol and Brad, thanks for stopping by to speak with us! That’s where we’ll leave the conversation for today. Before we close the file, we invite you to reach out to us with questions, suggestions or other comments. We’d love to hear from you. Need Help Supporting Your Company’s Recruiting and Staffing Goals? We’re here to help. You can contact us via our individual websites, depending on your specific needs or questions: · Jamie Swaim, SPHR – · Molley Ricketts – · Jason Heflin – We hope you found this file insightful and helpful. Thank you for listening!
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Interview with Corina West of Grace Health – 2025 KYSHRM
03/16/2026
Interview with Corina West of Grace Health – 2025 KYSHRM
The Workforce Therapy Files team attended the 2025 Kentucky SHRM Conference, in Louisville. We took the opportunity to interview over 20 professionals who stopped by our booth. Jason and Jamie were joined by Corina West, an HR Assistant for Grace Health in Corbin, Kentucky. Corina shared her insights on working for a comprehensive healthcare organization that provides family medicine, dentistry, and behavioral health services. Despite only being in her role for a little over a year, she is part of a small three-person team responsible for managing a large workforce of 465 employees. Corina now leads the one-day orientation for all new hires, where she coordinates speakers to cover topics like HIPAA and risk compliance while ensuring new employees understand the "expectancy" of company policies. She noted that their unique leave structure—accruing 6.15 hours of PTO every two weeks instead of having paid holidays—is a key policy she has mastered and often uses to help applicants determine if the role is a good fit. Corina spoke very highly of her Director, Kim Bingham, whose open-door policy and willingness to handle any task herself have made Corina's transition into HR seamless. While she currently manages the tasks that "everyone else hasn't already had their hands in," she is eager to grow within the department and take on higher-level responsibilities. She finds the work intimidating but deeply rewarding and was excited to be attending her second KYSHRM conference. To keep the conversation moving, she left this thoughtful question for the next participant: "What was the best decision that you've made in your current role and what was the outcome of it?" To learn more, visit: · Website: Corina, thanks for stopping by to speak with us! That’s where we’ll leave the conversation for today. Before we close the file, we invite you to reach out to us with questions, suggestions or other comments. We’d love to hear from you. Need Help Supporting Your Company’s Recruiting and Staffing Goals? We’re here to help. You can contact us via our individual websites, depending on your specific needs or questions: · Jamie Swaim, SPHR – · Molley Ricketts – · Jason Heflin – We hope you found this file insightful and helpful. Thank you for listening!
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Interview with Sharlis Montgomery of Hogan Lovells - 2025 KYSHRM
03/11/2026
Interview with Sharlis Montgomery of Hogan Lovells - 2025 KYSHRM
The Workforce Therapy Files team attended the 2025 Kentucky SHRM Conference, in Louisville. We took the opportunity to interview over 20 professionals who stopped by our booth. Jason was joined by Sharlis Montgomery, the Learning and Development Manager at the global law firm Hogan Lovells. Sharlis shared how she supports over 2,500 non-lawyer staff members across the globe. With eight years at the firm, Sharlis focuses on upskilling "business teams" in areas like leadership and interpersonal skills through a structured competency framework. She is passionate about making training fun and innovative, ensuring every employee leaves her facilitation sessions with something valuable. One of her favorite aspects of the role is championing major investments in her team's growth, such as providing access to certifications from prestigious institutions like Harvard and Yale. When asked about retaining talent, Sharlis stressed the importance of truly listening to staff through post-surveys and "real, raw" focus groups to understand their development needs. She noted that many companies actually offer great benefits, but employees often leave simply because those opportunities weren't marketed internally well enough. Recognizing she is an expert in learning, not marketing, she advocates for cross-departmental collaboration to ensure staff are fully aware of the resources available to them. Sharlis believes that engaging directly with departments helps her identify and expand the training options that contribute most to long-term retention. She wrapped up the session by emphasizing that HR and marketing must work together to effectively share value with the organization. To challenge the next guest, Sharlis left the question: "If there was one thing that they could change about their role, what would that be?" To learn more, visit: · Website: Sharlis, thanks for stopping by to speak with us! That’s where we’ll leave the conversation for today. Before we close the file, we invite you to reach out to us with questions, suggestions or other comments. We’d love to hear from you. Need Help Supporting Your Company’s Recruiting and Staffing Goals? We’re here to help. You can contact us via our individual websites, depending on your specific needs or questions: · Jamie Swaim, SPHR – · Molley Ricketts – · Jason Heflin – We hope you found this file insightful and helpful. Thank you for listening!
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Interview with Boutaïna Ettaki from Seven Counties Services - 2025 KYSHRM
03/11/2026
Interview with Boutaïna Ettaki from Seven Counties Services - 2025 KYSHRM
The Workforce Therapy Files team attended the 2025 Kentucky SHRM Conference, in Louisville. We took the opportunity to interview over 20 professionals who stopped by our booth. Jamie and Molley were joined by Boutaïna Ettaki, a Talent Acquisition Specialist at Seven Counties Services. She shared her enthusiasm for working in the nonprofit sector, where she finds fulfillment in supporting her community and underserved populations. Drawing on her professional background in sales, she views recruiting as a process of "shopping for people" by identifying specific skills to fill a hiring manager's unique needs. When it comes to attracting a younger workforce, Boutaïna emphasized that Gen Z looks for relatable content, such as real employee testimonials and videos, to get a true sense of a company's culture. She warned that this generation will "snoop" through an organization's website and social media, making it essential for companies to remain relevant or be left behind. Boutaïna also highlighted that these candidates heavily rely on reviews from sites like Glassdoor and Indeed, often scrolling through comment sections before deciding to apply. To improve retention, she suggested that leaders should communicate directly with team members to discover what they need to stay, rather than starting the expensive hiring process over again. She noted that losing a "best friend at work" creates a trickling effect on morale and can lead outsiders to assume a workplace is toxic. Boutaïna believes it is often more cost-effective to offer a small pay increase to a current employee than to spend thousands searching for a replacement. Finally, she encouraged employers to ask the right questions to understand the root causes of turnover within their organizations. To wrap things up, she left this vital question for the next guest: "What will you do to retain talent within your organization?" To learn more, visit: · Website: Ettaki, thanks for stopping by to speak with us! That’s where we’ll leave the conversation for today. Before we close the file, we invite you to reach out to us with questions, suggestions or other comments. We’d love to hear from you. Need Help Supporting Your Company’s Recruiting and Staffing Goals? We’re here to help. You can contact us via our individual websites, depending on your specific needs or questions: · Jamie Swaim, SPHR – · Molley Ricketts – · Jason Heflin – We hope you found this file insightful and helpful. Thank you for listening!
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Interview with Cooper Tyra from Houchins Insurance Group – 2025 KYSHRM
02/28/2026
Interview with Cooper Tyra from Houchins Insurance Group – 2025 KYSHRM
The Workforce Therapy Files team attended the 2025 Kentucky SHRM Conference, in Louisville. We took the opportunity to interview over 20 professionals who stopped by our booth. Cooper Tyra, an Account Executive at Houchins Insurance Group, sat down with Jason Heflin and Molley Ricketts to explain how his firm serves as the "risk subsidiary" for a massive employee-owned conglomerate. Based in their Louisville satellite office, Cooper works as a single point of contact for private equity firms and manufacturing companies, handling both property and casualty insurance and employee benefits. He highlighted that Houchins stands out because it is an ESOP, part of an umbrella of 25 operating companies that employ over 20,000 people across the region. Although he started his career in project management and finance, Cooper found his stride in insurance after grad school because he enjoys the hands-on, consultative nature of building relationships. He shared that he loves making a tangible impact on employees' lives by improving their healthcare options and overall well-being. When it comes to engaging with company leadership, Cooper believes the best strategy is to lead with "the numbers". He explained that while HR teams often manage the plan structures, executives usually want to cut through organizational complexity to see the long-term story told through spreadsheets. This "straight to the point" approach ensures leaders understand the funding strategies that drive their business forward without getting bogged down in unnecessary details. Cooper finds that daily problem-solving and navigating the constant changes in the insurance market are right in his "wheelhouse". To wrap up his time at the conference, he left this forward-looking question for the next guest: "Heading into next year, what do you think is going to be the biggest impact on the younger workforce and being able to attract and retain them with so much changing regarding flexible work schedules?" To learn more, visit: · Website: Cooper, thanks for stopping by to speak with us! That’s where we’ll leave the conversation for today. Before we close the file, we invite you to reach out to us with questions, suggestions or other comments. We’d love to hear from you. Need Help Supporting Your Company’s Recruiting and Staffing Goals? We’re here to help. You can contact us via our individual websites, depending on your specific needs or questions: · Jamie Swaim, SPHR – · Molley Ricketts – · Jason Heflin – We hope you found this file insightful and helpful. Thank you for listening!
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Interview with Jessica Vogt - 2025 KYSHRM
02/20/2026
Interview with Jessica Vogt - 2025 KYSHRM
The Workforce Therapy Files team attended the 2025 Kentucky SHRM Conference, in Louisville. We took the opportunity to interview over 20 professionals who stopped by our booth. Jessica Vogt, a Corporate Recruiter and culture specialist for Louisville-based Aegis Sortation, sat down with Jamie Swaim to discuss how her company is modernizing the freight and parcel industry through automation. Aegis works with major distribution centers like UPS, FedEx, and Amazon, bringing innovative technology to outdated conveyor sorting systems to make logistics more seamless. In addition to recruiting for cross-functional roles in engineering and manufacturing, Jessica is currently focused on building Employee Resource Groups and a new internship program to connect with local Kentucky colleges. She shared a key philosophy from her senior leadership: the importance of pairing high accountability with high flexibility. As a working mother with two young children, Jessica values that her company allows personal experiences and professional responsibilities to coexist without "fearful judgment". She believes that for a company to retain employees today, it must recognize that times have changed and prioritize balancing work with lifestyle needs. This culture of transparency is reinforced by the company's COO, who chooses to sit in the "bullpen" with the rest of the staff rather than in a private office. Though Aegis is only about eight years old, Jessica is proud that they are already taking the necessary initiatives to be an employer of choice where people want to stay. She concluded by noting that while the interview was a bit nerve-wracking, she enjoyed the opportunity to share how Aegis is striving to create "raving fans" through its workplace culture. To learn more, visit: · Website: Jessica, thanks for stopping by to speak with us! That’s where we’ll leave the conversation for today. Before we close the file, we invite you to reach out to us with questions, suggestions or other comments. We’d love to hear from you. Need Help Supporting Your Company’s Recruiting and Staffing Goals? We’re here to help. You can contact us via our individual websites, depending on your specific needs or questions: · Jamie Swaim, SPHR – · Molley Ricketts – · Jason Heflin – We hope you found this file insightful and helpful. Thank you for listening!
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Interview with Don Woolridge and Paul Bolton from the Leadership Louisville Center - 2025 KYSHR
02/16/2026
Interview with Don Woolridge and Paul Bolton from the Leadership Louisville Center - 2025 KYSHR
The Workforce Therapy Files team attended the 2025 Kentucky SHRM Conference, in Louisville. We took the opportunity to interview over 20 professionals who stopped by our booth. Jamie Swaim and Molley Rickets sat down with Donald Woolridge, Sr., and Paul Bolton from the Leadership Louisville Center to discuss their training and development arm, Leading Better, which takes leadership insights traditionally reserved for small cohorts and brings them to the "many". Donald shared how leadership is fundamentally universal and timeless, centered on interpersonal connectivity, empathy, and influence regardless of how global or virtual a team becomes. Paul added that leaders must bridge the gap between remote and in-person workers through transparency and dedicated one-on-one time, noting that this investment is far more efficient than the cost of replacing a person. The group also stressed the importance of updating "dusty" job descriptions to ensure companies are hiring for the roles they actually need today. Paul compared a leader's role to that of a coach, whose job is simply to bring out the greatness that is already inside an individual. To improve employees' quality of life, Donald suggested that leaders must "pour into" their people and create environments where they have "skin in the game" and can speak freely. The group also discussed the concept that organizations aren't just hiring a headcount; they are hiring and coaching families, meaning every workplace decision has a ripple effect on an employee’s life at home. This holistic view of the employee can drive a powerful cultural movement and significantly boost retention. To learn more, visit: · Website: Donald and Paul, thanks for speaking with us! That’s where we’ll leave the conversation for today. Before we close the file, we invite you to reach out to us with questions, suggestions or other comments. We’d love to hear from you. Need Help Supporting Your Company’s Recruiting and Staffing Goals? We’re here to help. You can contact us via our individual websites, depending on your specific needs or questions: · Jamie Swaim, SPHR – · Molley Ricketts – · Jason Heflin – We hope you found this file insightful and helpful. Thank you for listening!
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The Power of Emotional Intelligence in Leadership – Interview with Eric Williamson
02/11/2026
The Power of Emotional Intelligence in Leadership – Interview with Eric Williamson
File 33: In this episode of the Workforce Therapy Files, Jamie and Molley sit down with Eric Williamson to explore leadership and workplace culture, focusing on how intentional leadership decisions shape team performance, communication, and long-term organizational success. They dive into his recent book, “How to Work with Jerks.” The conversation centers on emotional intelligence, workplace accountability, and the responsibility leaders carry in building environments where teams can grow and perform at a high level. Leadership Begins with Intentionality The discussion opens with a focus on leadership responsibility. Strong workplace culture does not happen by accident. It is shaped by daily decisions, communication style, and how leaders respond under pressure. Eric emphasizes that leadership requires awareness, not just of strategy and operations, but of how behaviors influence team morale and performance. Intentional leadership sets the tone. When leaders operate with clarity and consistency, teams gain stability. When leaders react emotionally or inconsistently, uncertainty spreads. The conversation reinforces that culture flows from the top. Emotional Intelligence in Workplace Leadership A central theme in the episode is emotional intelligence. Leadership is not simply about directing tasks. It’s about understanding people. Eric discusses how self-awareness and the ability to manage reactions play a critical role in workplace culture. Leaders who regulate their emotions create space for productive dialogue. Instead of escalating tension during difficult moments, emotionally intelligent leaders pause, listen, and respond thoughtfully. This approach strengthens trust and reduces unnecessary workplace conflict. The group explores how emotional intelligence directly impacts retention, morale, and overall organizational performance. Navigating Conflict and Difficult Conversations Workplace challenges are inevitable. The episode highlights how leaders must approach conflict not as something to avoid, but as an opportunity to clarify expectations and reinforce standards. Eric explains that difficult conversations, when handled with clarity and fairness, can strengthen team alignment. Avoiding conflict often creates greater problems later. Addressing issues directly, while maintaining professionalism and respect, reinforces accountability and strengthens workplace culture. The conversation underscores that leadership maturity is often revealed in how leaders handle uncomfortable situations. Communication as the Foundation of Culture Communication emerges as another core leadership principle. Clear expectations, consistent feedback, and honest dialogue are foundational to strong workplace culture. The discussion emphasizes that high-performing teams understand what is expected of them. Leaders who communicate vision, priorities, and performance standards consistently create alignment. Miscommunication, on the other hand, breeds frustration and disengagement. Eric reinforces that communication is not a one-time announcement. It’s an ongoing leadership discipline. Building Sustainable Organizational Growth The episode closes with a broader reflection on sustainable growth. Strong workplace culture supports long-term success. Leaders who invest in people, prioritize clarity, and operate with integrity build organizations that can adapt and thrive. The conversation reminds listeners that leadership is not about titles. Leadership is about influence. Workplace culture is shaped daily through actions, reactions, and expectations. Leaders who take ownership of that responsibility create environments where both people and performance can flourish. Interested in Contacting Eric Williamson to Learn More? Website: Email: Eric’s Book: That’s where we’ll leave the conversation for today. Before we close the file, we invite you to reach out to us with questions, suggestions or other comments. We’d love to hear from you. ALSO MENTIONED IN THIS INTERVIEW Molley’s New Book: Dr. Debra Clary’s Book: Listen to Our Episode with Dr. Debra Clary: Did You Enjoy Today’s Conversation? Visit to listen to additional WTF files or to let us know you’d like to be a guest on an upcoming file. Need Help Supporting Your Company’s Recruiting and Staffing Goals? We’re here to help. You can contact us via our individual websites, depending on your specific needs or questions: · Jamie Swaim, SPHR – · Molley Ricketts – · Jason Heflin – We hope you found this file insightful and helpful. Thank you for listening!
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Interview with Rawleigh Richardson - 2025 KYSHRM
02/02/2026
Interview with Rawleigh Richardson - 2025 KYSHRM
The Workforce Therapy Files team attended the 2025 Kentucky SHRM Conference, in Louisville. We took the opportunity to interview over 20 professionals who stopped by our booth. Jason Heflin, CEO of CrowdSouth interviewed Rawleigh Richardson, a member of the Kentucky SHRM State Council and the founder of HumanKind Consulting. Rawleigh shared how he is working to put the "human" back into human resources. Since launching his consultancy in 2023, he’s been busy helping clients navigate reductions in force by providing career coaching and optimizing their LinkedIn profiles and resumes. He also assists organizations with complex legal hurdles, specifically helping them understand wage and hour issues, such as exempt versus non-exempt contract status. Drawing on his experience as an employee relations investigator, Rawleigh emphasizes the importance of being a "risk avoider" by balancing the protection of the organization with a fair approach to individuals involved in conflicts. When asked for culture-building tips, Rawleigh recommended utilizing AI tools like Co-pilot to help apply a company’s mission and vision to internal communication like newsletters. He strongly advocates for stay interviews, suggesting that leaders simply ask their team members what keeps them happy and why they choose to stay. Rawleigh believes that while technology is a great support, true engagement comes from direct communication and creating interest-based groups to keep people connected. He also encourages conference attendees to network and reach out to the state council board, including Chair Patricia William Key, for support. Finally, Rawleigh left this simple yet important question for the next participant: "Are you a dual member of your local chapter and the National SHRM, and what resources have you used from the National chapter?" To learn more, visit: · Website: Rawleigh Richardson, thanks for stopping by to speak with us! That’s where we’ll leave the conversation for today. Before we close the file, we invite you to reach out to us with questions, suggestions or other comments. We’d love to hear from you. Need Help Supporting Your Company’s Recruiting and Staffing Goals? We’re here to help. You can contact us via our individual websites, depending on your specific needs or questions: · Jamie Swaim, SPHR – · Molley Ricketts – · Jason Heflin – We hope you found this file insightful and helpful. Thank you for listening!
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Interview with Erin Mitchell - 2025 KYSHRM
01/12/2026
Interview with Erin Mitchell - 2025 KYSHRM
The Workforce Therapy Files team attended the 2025 Kentucky SHRM Conference, in Louisville. We took the opportunity to interview over 20 professionals who stopped by our booth. Molley Ricketts sat down with Erin Mitchell, the Chief of Staff at Barnes Young Wealth Advisors. They discuss managing culture during a major merger that will grow Barnes Young from 19 to 55 people. With a background in political science, Erin discovered that her empathetic yet direct personality was a perfect fit for HR, where she prioritizes being able to step into other people's shoes. She is particularly proud of the culture she has helped cultivate and aims to maintain that sense of community across their expanding office locations. Erin believes the key to overcoming HR stigmas is building deep trust, acting as a transparent "middle woman" between the leadership team and the rest of the staff. She noted that while building trust is a foundation for success, it can be a double-edged sword when team members rely on her so much that she must guide them on how to handle situations themselves. If budget were no object, Erin would provide leadership training to every single employee, regardless of whether they are in a formal management role. She believes emotional intelligence, feedback skills, and career pathing are essential for everyone to lead within their own departments. Erin left this question for the next guest: "What are some tips of the trade or success stories for enhancing culture and relationships among multiple office locations?". To learn more, visit: · Website: Erin Mitchell, thanks for stopping by to speak with us! That’s where we’ll leave the conversation for today. Before we close the file, we invite you to reach out to us with questions, suggestions or other comments. We’d love to hear from you. Need Help Supporting Your Company’s Recruiting and Staffing Goals? We’re here to help. You can contact us via our individual websites, depending on your specific needs or questions: · Jamie Swaim, SPHR – · Molley Ricketts – · Jason Heflin – We hope you found this file insightful and helpful. Thank you for listening!
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Interview with Hannah Carretti - 2025 KYSHRM
01/06/2026
Interview with Hannah Carretti - 2025 KYSHRM
The Workforce Therapy Files team attended the 2025 Kentucky SHRM Conference, in Louisville. We took the opportunity to interview over 20 professionals who stopped by our booth. Hannah Carretti, HR Director for Campari America, sat down with Jamie Swaim and Jason Heflin, at the 2025 KYSHRM conference to share her experiences as a "true generalist at heart" working in the distilling industry. Hannah’s favorite area of HR is training and employee development, which she finds both humbling and an honor to lead. Currently, she is spearheading a frontline leadership training program, viewing these leaders as the essential support system for her manufacturing team. Safety is also a top priority at her site, leading them to host an annual safety day where they stop production completely for hands-on training, games, and team bonding. When asked what she looks for in a new hire, Hannah immediately pointed to empathy, explaining that while technical skills can be learned by anyone, empathy and understanding are much harder to teach. She believes these soft skills are vital for effective leadership across all levels of an organization. Hannah also enjoyed the conference keynote by , finding his session on "how not to be a jerk" both lively and engaging. To keep the conversation going, she left this imaginative question for the next participant: "If you could train on any topic with no budget and no restriction on what the topic is, what would you want to train your team on?". To learn more, visit: · Website: Hannah Carretti, thanks for stopping by to speak with us! That’s where we’ll leave the conversation for today. Before we close the file, we invite you to reach out to us with questions, suggestions or other comments. We’d love to hear from you. Need Help Supporting Your Company’s Recruiting and Staffing Goals? We’re here to help. You can contact us via our individual websites, depending on your specific needs or questions: · Jamie Swaim, SPHR – · Molley Ricketts – · Jason Heflin – We hope you found this file insightful and helpful. Thank you for listening!
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How Leaders Embrace Change - Interview with Maggie Harlow
12/30/2025
How Leaders Embrace Change - Interview with Maggie Harlow
File 32: In today’s file, the team interviews Maggie Harlow, Co-Founder of Signarama Downtown. They discuss leadership lessons, evolving workforce expectations, the importance of communication and accountability, and the challenges of being a female CEO. Maggie shares her entrepreneurial journey, insights on personal growth, and the significance of vision boarding. The conversation emphasizes the need for clarity in expectations, respect among team members, and the courage to embrace challenges as opportunities for growth. Leadership and Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace As the leadership discussion unfolds, Maggie shares one of the most important lessons she has learned: the ability to stay centered while managing people and emotions at work. Emotional situations are inevitable in leadership roles. Effective leaders must learn how to remain calm without becoming disconnected. Rather than reacting emotionally, Maggie emphasizes observing situations carefully and responding with clarity and intention. Practical Leadership Strategies for Difficult Workplace Conversations The conversation shifts to practical strategies Maggie uses when navigating emotionally charged workplace conversations. She explains how listening closely to the language people use to describe their feelings allows leaders to acknowledge emotions without escalating conflict. By reflecting those feelings back, leaders help others feel heard, which often reduces defensiveness and tension. Maggie also highlights the importance of validation. She notes how acknowledging emotions does not mean agreeing with them. Instead, validation creates a foundation for productive dialogue and problem-solving. Curiosity as a Core Leadership Skill Curiosity is a central theme in today’s discussion. Maggie explains how by staying curious leaders remain open rather than reactive, especially during moments of disagreement. Asking thoughtful follow-up questions and resisting the urge to correct or dismiss emotions helps leaders better understand people and situations. Curiosity can strengthen leadership effectiveness across teams, client relationships, and organizational culture. Learning Through Workplace Conflict and Growth Rather than avoiding conflict, Maggie reframes it as an opportunity for learning and leadership growth. She explains that moments of tension often reveal important insights about individuals, systems, and leadership blind spots. Leaders who approach conflict with openness and emotional awareness are better positioned to learn, adapt, and lead effectively. This approach is relevant to personal and professional development. Growth often comes from navigating discomfort thoughtfully. The Broader Impact of Leadership on Teams and Culture As the conversation begins to wrap-up, the group reflects on how leadership behavior influences teams and workplace culture. Maggie discusses how modeling calm, intentional responses sets expectations for how others handle challenges. Leaders who demonstrate emotional intelligence and self-regulation often create healthier, more resilient workplaces. The episode reinforces the mission of Workforce Therapy Files: helping leaders navigate real-world workplace challenges with clarity, empathy, and confidence. Interested in Contacting Maggie Harlow to Learn More? Website: Phone: (502) 585-4099 That’s where we’ll leave the conversation for today. Before we close the file, we invite you to reach out to us with questions, suggestions or other comments. We’d love to hear from you. Did You Enjoy Today’s Conversation? Visit to listen to additional WTF files or to let us know you’d like to be a guest on an upcoming file. Need Help Supporting Your Company’s Recruiting and Staffing Goals? We’re here to help. You can contact us via our individual websites, depending on your specific needs or questions: · Jamie Swaim, SPHR – · Molley Ricketts – · Jason Heflin – We hope you found this file insightful and helpful. Thank you for listening!
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Interview with Aaron Heflin - 2025 KYSHRM
12/22/2025
Interview with Aaron Heflin - 2025 KYSHRM
The Workforce Therapy Files team attended the 2025 Kentucky SHRM Conference, in Louisville. We took the opportunity to interview over 20 professionals who stopped by our booth. Jason Heflin caught up with Aaron Heflin, the HR Director for RCSS Holdings, Inc., which manages an employee-owned group of road construction companies including Reynolds Sealing and Striping. With over 300 active employees across Kentucky and neighboring states, Aaron shared that his crews particularly love their recurring project striping the roads of Smoky Mountain National Park because of the beautiful scenery and wildlife. This year marks a major milestone as they celebrate 10 years of being employee-owned, a model that has seen share values skyrocket by over 600%. Aaron emphasized that the ESOP structure is a massive culture driver, fostering collaboration and efficiency because the workers in the field are the ones truly driving the business's success. It serves as an incredible recruiting and retention tool, often getting new hires eager to start the very next day once they see the actual wealth progression of current employees. When asked about company culture, Aaron defined it as a "common sense of ownership" and the collaboration required to complete dangerous road projects as a unified team. He stressed that because road construction is a "team game," their success relies on everyone holding down their own fort while working together. To wrap things up, Aaron left this insightful question for the next participant: "On your next hire, what are the main skills or attributes that you're looking for?". To learn more, visit: · Website: Aaron Heflin, thanks for stopping by to speak with us! That’s where we’ll leave the conversation for today. Before we close the file, we invite you to reach out to us with questions, suggestions or other comments. We’d love to hear from you. Need Help Supporting Your Company’s Recruiting and Staffing Goals? We’re here to help. You can contact us via our individual websites, depending on your specific needs or questions: · Jamie Swaim, SPHR – · Molley Ricketts – · Jason Heflin – We hope you found this file insightful and helpful. Thank you for listening!
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Interview with Khari Bryant - 2025 KYSHRM
12/22/2025
Interview with Khari Bryant - 2025 KYSHRM
The Workforce Therapy Files team attended the 2025 Kentucky SHRM Conference, in Louisville. We took the opportunity to interview over 20 professionals who stopped by our booth. Jamie Swaim is joined by Khari Bryant, an Account Executive at Bchex (formerly the Background Investigation Bureau) to explain how his company simplifies the "choose your own adventure" world of background screenings. Bchex rebranded to a shorter, more modern name while continuing to offer comprehensive services like criminal checks, drug screens, and MVRs at all jurisdictional levels. A major benefit of their partnership is FCRA compliance, as Bchex handles the dispute and adverse action letters that often lead to "terrible lawsuits" for unassisted businesses. Khari reminded listeners that the Fair Credit Reporting Act applies to any company running background checks, not just those in the credit or retail sectors. When it comes to recognition, Khari’s team uses a creative "token system" where managers reward specific positive behaviors with tokens that employees can use for monthly drawings. He is also promoting a new podcast, "The Bad Hire," which features a $10,000 giveaway for the best hiring story submission. Khari hopes the podcast will provide a platform for people to share their hiring experiences, both good and bad. He wrapped up his interview by leaving a fundamental question for the next participant: "What do you think company culture is?" To learn more, visit: · Website: Khari Bryant, thanks for stopping by to speak with us! That’s where we’ll leave the conversation for today. Before we close the file, we invite you to reach out to us with questions, suggestions or other comments. We’d love to hear from you. Need Help Supporting Your Company’s Recruiting and Staffing Goals? We’re here to help. You can contact us via our individual websites, depending on your specific needs or questions: · Jamie Swaim, SPHR – · Molley Ricketts – · Jason Heflin – We hope you found this file insightful and helpful. Thank you for listening!
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Interview with Kelly Hunt - 2025 KYSHRM
12/18/2025
Interview with Kelly Hunt - 2025 KYSHRM
The Workforce Therapy Files team attended the 2025 Kentucky SHRM Conference, in Louisville. We took the opportunity to interview over 20 professionals who stopped by our booth. Jamie and Molley sat down to interview Kelly Hunt HR Manager for Perry Distributors, in Hazard, Kentucky. Kelly brings 20 years of combined leadership and HR experience to the discussion. She explained how her primary motivation for working in human resources is people. People build the business, and once the right individuals are hired, it becomes the employer's job to build them up. They discussed how the HR role is challenging, sometimes requiring professionals to act as a "babysitter" when employees bring personal issues, like stomach pain or a toothache, to the office. Kelly commented that HR work must always be proactive, not reactive, meaning professionals need to be ready for anything that comes their way. When discussing employee appreciation, Kelly emphasized that you have to know your people, because appreciation looks different for each individual. It could be as simple as always giving someone a high five, or it could mean providing a confidential space where they can vent, or even "kick, scream, and cry" if needed. You take a template approach to everyone. Finally, Kelly offered the next guest the question: "Why did you choose to be in HR or did it choose you?". To learn more, visit: · Website: Kelly Hunt, thanks for stopping by to speak with us! That’s where we’ll leave the conversation for today. Before we close the file, we invite you to reach out to us with questions, suggestions or other comments. We’d love to hear from you. Need Help Supporting Your Company’s Recruiting and Staffing Goals? We’re here to help. You can contact us via our individual websites, depending on your specific needs or questions: · Jamie Swaim, SPHR – · Molley Ricketts – · Jason Heflin – We hope you found this file insightful and helpful. Thank you for listening!
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Interview with Eric Williamson - 2025 KYSHRM
12/06/2025
Interview with Eric Williamson - 2025 KYSHRM
The Workforce Therapy Files team attended the 2025 Kentucky SHRM Conference, in Louisville. We took the opportunity to interview over 20 professionals who stopped by our booth. The team interviews Eric Williamson, one of the keynote speakers, and author of and co-author of . Eric joined the KYSHRM Conference to help HR leaders mitigate workplace friction and help organizations prevent people from becoming a jerk in the first place. He stressed that while people often point fingers at others, we must be self-reflective because everyone has been the jerk at some point. Eric recommends practicing "the art of recognition," by centering on emotional self-awareness and tuning into what your body and the situation are signaling. A tip is to leave the ego at the door and constantly solicit feedback from employees and colleagues, doing a "pulse check" early and often, rather than waiting for formal reviews. Leaders should consider approaching difficult relationships with curiosity, asking how things could be done differently, instead of judgment. Eric’s mission is deeply personal, stemming from his experience as an "expert jerk who turned jerk expert" after both working for a boss who embarrassed him and realizing his own arrogance toward his mentor nearly cost him his job. Talented people quit because they couldn't figure out how to manage difficult relationships, emphasizing the need to look internally for better outcomes. The ultimate tool for navigating conflict, according to Eric, is vulnerability. Removing the guard that makes you appear inadequate gives others confidence and shows them it is okay to not have all the answers. Keeping with the theme of difficult relationship management, Eric left the following question for the next guest: "What's one small action you'll take to build a relationship with someone you don't like?" To learn more, visit: · Website: Eric Williamson, thanks for stopping by to speak with us! That’s where we’ll leave the conversation for today. Before we close the file, we invite you to reach out to us with questions, suggestions or other comments. We’d love to hear from you. Need Help Supporting Your Company’s Recruiting and Staffing Goals? We’re here to help. You can contact us via our individual websites, depending on your specific needs or questions: · Jamie Swaim, SPHR – · Molley Ricketts – · Jason Heflin – We hope you found this file insightful and helpful. Thank you for listening!
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Interview with Charles Duke – 2025 KYSHRM
11/24/2025
Interview with Charles Duke – 2025 KYSHRM
The Workforce Therapy Files team attended the 2025 Kentucky SHRM Conference, in Louisville. We took the opportunity to interview over 20 professionals who stopped by our booth. The team interviews Charles Duke, the HR Administrator for the Kentucky Historical Society, based in Lexington. He describes himself as an "inspirational leadership type of HR professional." The KHS was coping with a unique situation: its 60 employees had operated for 7 years without an HR person, relying on the Personnel Cabinet for onboarding and discipline. Charles came to the interview prepared. He used the museum's website to create a portfolio of ideas for each department, ultimately turning the interview into a conversation built on competence. Charles also shares his extensive background, which included 30 years in the Air Force. When asked what he looks for in a candidate, he immediately answered, "authenticity," explaining that he needs to see the same energy displayed during the interview applied to the rest of the job. Charles believes the HR professional's job is to put the "human" back in HR by handling employee relations and clarifying thought processes. That essential human element and relationship-building can't be done by AI or other staff, like a curator. Finally, Charles leaves the following question for the next guest: What do you think qualifies you to be a human resources professional? To learn more, visit: · Website: Charles Duke, thanks for stopping by to speak with us! That’s where we’ll leave the conversation for today. Before we close the file, we invite you to reach out to us with questions, suggestions or other comments. We’d love to hear from you. Need Help Supporting Your Company’s Recruiting and Staffing Goals? We’re here to help. You can contact us via our individual websites, depending on your specific needs or questions: · Jamie Swaim, SPHR – · Molley Ricketts – · Jason Heflin – We hope you found this file insightful and helpful. Thank you for listening!
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Interview with Jack Crowdis – 2025 KYSHRM
11/07/2025
Interview with Jack Crowdis – 2025 KYSHRM
The Workforce Therapy Files team attended the 2025 Kentucky SHRM Conference, in Louisville. We took the opportunity to interview over 20 professionals who stopped by our booth. Jason Heflin, CEO of CrowdSouth interviews Jack Crowdis, Business Development Manager for PayFWDs, based in Louisville. Jack explains that while their payroll platform is similar to the big national providers, they bring a highly consultative approach. PayFWDs builds systems customized specifically around people, aiming to get the setup right. That may be a different experience from what the client has seen elsewhere. Each client gets a dedicated customer service representatives. PayFWDs serves clients across 48 states. Jack comments the greatest hurdle they encounter is convincing prospective clients that switching payroll providers won't be a daunting process. PayFWDs tackles this by assuming the burden of the transfer, pulling necessary data for the client. They perform a full tax audit upfront and guarantee in their contract to pay any notice resulting from issues they should have caught. Jason asks Jack to provide a question for the next interview. Jack asks, “What is the number one thing that drives revenue? Is it customer service, pricing, etc.?” To learn more, visit: · Website: Jack Crowdis, thanks for stopping by to speak with us! That’s where we’ll leave the conversation for today. Before we close the file, we invite you to reach out to us with questions, suggestions or other comments. We’d love to hear from you. Need Help Supporting Your Company’s Recruiting and Staffing Goals? We’re here to help. You can contact us via our individual websites, depending on your specific needs or questions: · Jamie Swaim, SPHR – · Molley Ricketts – · Jason Heflin – We hope you found this file insightful and helpful. Thank you for listening!
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Interview with Jeremy Jacobs - 2025 KYSHRM Conference
11/03/2025
Interview with Jeremy Jacobs - 2025 KYSHRM Conference
The Workforce Therapy Files team attended the 2025 Kentucky SHRM Conference, in Louisville. We took the opportunity to interview over 20 professionals who stopped by our booth. Jason Heflin, CEO of CrowdSouth interviews Jeremy Jacobs, Founder of UnDesked. They discussed critical challenges in workforce development, especially with regard to frontline employees. Jeremy explained that while traditional office workers are equipped with resources like laptops and Microsoft Teams, 80% of the global population in the workforce, or 2.7 billion people, are "undesked" and lack access to a dedicated computer. This gap creates significant problems for organizations related to onboarding, training, daily job assignments, and providing access to necessary resources. UnDesked offers a solution as the only frontline productivity platform, essentially functioning as "Frontline 365" for these deskless workers. In terms of scalability, while most clients are 50 people or larger, UnDesked serves massive clients like Berry Global, which operates 600 facilities with over 100,000 employees. The platform offers a significant financial value, costing only $5 per employee per month for the first year, which is even cheaper than securing email from Microsoft. Unlike complicated ERP systems that require lengthy implementation, UnDesked is designed for quick adoption, allowing clients to be up and running and communicating with workers within a week. Jacobs revealed that the worst professional advice he received, often from trusted individuals, was the generalized suggestion to "just go to college and get a good job," advice that would have contradicted his nature as an entrepreneur. Finally, Jeremy provides a question for the next podcast guest, “What specific "puzzle" or non-typical issue keeps them up at night?” He clarifies that the answer should be more interesting than general work stress. To learn more, visit: · Website: Jeremy Jacobs, thanks for stopping by to speak with us! That’s where we’ll leave the conversation for today. Before we close the file, we invite you to reach out to us with questions, suggestions or other comments. We’d love to hear from you. Need Help Supporting Your Company’s Recruiting and Staffing Goals? We’re here to help. You can contact us via our individual websites, depending on your specific needs or questions: · Jamie Swaim, SPHR – · Molley Ricketts – · Jason Heflin – We hope you found this file insightful and helpful. Thank you for listening!
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Interview with Rusty Steele - 2025 KYSHRM Conference
10/27/2025
Interview with Rusty Steele - 2025 KYSHRM Conference
The Workforce Therapy Files team attended the 2025 Kentucky SHRM Conference, in Louisville. We took the opportunity to interview over 20 professionals who stopped by our booth. At the 2025 KYSHRM Conference, Rusty Steele, HR Director for Oxmoor Auto Group, joins Jason Heflin of CrowdSouth to discuss how effective communication and employee engagement drive long-term success in a fast-paced industry. Rusty explains how Oxmoor focuses on creating a positive culture across multiple dealerships, by focusing on transparency, teamwork, and genuine care for employees. He shares how leadership’s commitment to listening and adapting has helped them attract and retain top talent in a competitive market. Jason and Rusty discuss how consistency, recognition, and accountability shape Oxmoor’s workplace values. This is an example of how a large organization can stay people-focused, while continuing to grow. As the conversation concludes, Brian provides a question for the next guest at the conference: "Why do you wake up in the morning? Why are you doing this?". He explains that while everyone works for money, life is "too short to do something that you hate". Brian comments that if work is not someone's passion, they should find their passion, because it would be much better to get paid for doing something you love. To learn more, visit: · Website: Rusty Steele, thanks for stopping by to speak with us! That’s where we’ll leave the conversation for today. Before we close the file, we invite you to reach out to us with questions, suggestions or other comments. We’d love to hear from you. Need Help Supporting Your Company’s Recruiting and Staffing Goals? We’re here to help. You can contact us via our individual websites, depending on your specific needs or questions: · Jamie Swaim, SPHR – · Molley Ricketts – · Jason Heflin – We hope you found this file insightful and helpful. Thank you for listening!
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Interview with Brian Ingle - 2025 KYSHRM
10/20/2025
Interview with Brian Ingle - 2025 KYSHRM
The Workforce Therapy Files team attended the 2025 Kentucky SHRM Conference, in Louisville. We took the opportunity to interview over 20 professionals who stopped by our booth. In this segment, Jason interviews Brian Ingle. He’s the Executive Director of Planning and Management for the State Auditor’s Office. Brian adds that his passion lies in leadership, training new leaders, and helping supervisors transition from being button pushers to being true leaders of people. Brian discusses how the transition from a specialized role to a supervisory position is a big shift. To help new supervisors succeed and prevent them from failing during this transition, he created an acronym designed for the first 90 days in the role: RELAX. The RELAX Acronym for New Supervisors: 1. R (Role): New supervisors must understand that their role is going to change. It is no longer about pushing buttons; instead, leaders must add value to people and help them to push the buttons better. 2. E (Engagement): This component emphasizes relationship building, as leadership is relationship. Engagement means getting to know employees on an individual level, including personal details such as the names of their spouse, how many children they have, and their important days. Brian notes that if leaders invest in their people, the people will invest in them. 3. L (Link up): In the first 90 days, leaders need to conduct many meetings, not because people love meetings, but to foster the relationship piece. During these meetings, expectations must be clearly articulated: the leader's expectations of themselves, their expectations of the employee, and the employee's expectations of the leader and of themselves. Brian points out that people often have expectations—even if they claim not to—which surface when they go home and say, "it's not what I expected". Therefore, the link up process requires putting those expectations into words. 4. A (A): Ingle was unable to recall the "A" component during the recording, though the host suggested they might discuss it if Brian were to return as a full episode guest. 5. X (X factor): The "X factor" is the unique quality the individual brings to the role, the reason they were hired. Brian stresses that new leaders should avoid trying to fill the shoes of their predecessor or trying to be like everyone else. He encourages tapping into this unique factor because the organization may have hired the person specifically because they are different. He quotes Andy Stanley: "Your marginally improved weaknesses will never be as great as your fully exploited strengths." Leaders should play to their strengths and not be afraid to be unique, as they might be in that position precisely to say that thing, to think that thought, to have that idea. Jason agreed that the X factor is essential because everybody brings something different to the table and can improve things in their own way. Question for the Next Guest: As the conversation concludes, Brian provides a question for the next guest at the conference: "Why do you wake up in the morning? Why are you doing this?". He explains that while everyone works for money, life is "too short to do something that you hate". Brian suggests that if work is not someone's passion, they should find their passion, noting that it would be much better to get paid for doing what you love. To learn more, visit: · Website: Brian Ingle, thanks for stopping by to speak with us! That’s where we’ll leave the conversation for today. Before we close the file, we invite you to reach out to us with questions, suggestions or other comments. We’d love to hear from you. Need Help Supporting Your Company’s Recruiting and Staffing Goals? We’re here to help. You can contact us via our individual websites, depending on your specific needs or questions: · Jamie Swaim, SPHR – · Molley Ricketts – · Jason Heflin – We hope you found this file insightful and helpful. Thank you for listening!
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Interview with Kevin Finley - 2025 KYSHRM
10/13/2025
Interview with Kevin Finley - 2025 KYSHRM
The Workforce Therapy Files team attended the 2025 Kentucky SHRM Conference, in Louisville. We took the opportunity to interview over 20 professionals who stopped by our booth. In this segment, Jamie and Jason interview Kevin Finley. He’s an HR Generalist, with Denham-Blythe Company, a design-build general contractor specializing in industrial and heavy commercial construction. Kevin talks about how Denham-Blythe is adapting to future leadership challenges by implementing a successful beta test for a flexible work model for their office staff. This model was later implemented throughout the company. He also explains the company's leadership model, where ownership is transferred internally, ensuring minimal culture shift. To learn more, visit: · Denham-Blythe Company: Kevin Finley, thanks for stopping by to speak with us! That’s where we’ll leave the conversation for today. Before we close the file, we invite you to reach out to us with questions, suggestions or other comments. We’d love to hear from you. Need Help Supporting Your Company’s Recruiting and Staffing Goals? We’re here to help. You can contact us via our individual websites, depending on your specific needs or questions: · Jamie Swaim, SPHR – · Molley Ricketts – · Jason Heflin – We hope you found this file insightful and helpful. Thank you for listening!
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Interview with Nelson Caudill - 2025 KYSHRM
10/06/2025
Interview with Nelson Caudill - 2025 KYSHRM
The Workforce Therapy Files team attended the 2025 Kentucky SHRM Conference, in Louisville. We took the opportunity to interview over 20 professionals who stopped by our booth. In this segment, Molley interviews Nelson Caudill. He’s an Employee Benefits Advisor, with USI Insurance Services. Nelson joins the podcast to talk about how USI Insurance Services partners with companies to simplify complex insurance challenges. He describes how their hands-on, analytical process helps clients make smarter decisions about managing risk and employee benefits. Nelson shares examples of how USI’s insights have made a tangible difference for businesses of all sizes. It’s an easy-to-follow conversation that gives leaders a real sense of what it’s like to work with USI. To learn more, visit: · USI Insurance Services: Nelson Caudill, thanks for stopping by to speak with us! That’s where we’ll leave the conversation for today. Before we close the file, we invite you to reach out to us with questions, suggestions or other comments. We’d love to hear from you. Need Help Supporting Your Company’s Recruiting and Staffing Goals? We’re here to help. You can contact us via our individual websites, depending on your specific needs or questions: · Jamie Swaim, SPHR – · Molley Ricketts – · Jason Heflin – We hope you found this file insightful and helpful. Thank you for listening!
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Interview with Brad Shuck, PhD – 2025 KYSHRM
09/22/2025
Interview with Brad Shuck, PhD – 2025 KYSHRM
The Workforce Therapy Files team attended the 2025 Kentucky SHRM Conference, in Louisville. We took the opportunity to interview over 20 professionals who stopped by our booth. In this segment, we interview keynote speaker, Dr. Brad Shuck. He gave a talk titled, . From the website: “The future of work isn’t something we’re waiting on – it’s something we’re building Today. The choices we make. How we show up. How we connect. How we see others. In real time. Human Resources isn’t reacting to change anymore. We’re leading it.” You may remember Brad from File 16, during which he discussed . To learn more, visit: Website: Dr. Brad Shuck, thanks for stopping by to speak with us! That’s where we’ll leave the conversation for today. Before we close the file, we invite you to reach out to us with questions, suggestions or other comments. We’d love to hear from you. Need Help Supporting Your Company’s Recruiting and Staffing Goals? We’re here to help. You can contact us via our individual websites, depending on your specific needs or questions: · Jamie Swaim, SPHR – · Molley Ricketts – · Jason Heflin – We hope you found this file insightful and helpful. Thank you for listening!
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