The Riff is a free-flowing unscripted conversation on a specific topic. On this debut episode AJ Thomas, Q Hamirani, and Lars Schmidt riff on the impact of ChatGPT and generative AI on HR.

In this episode of Redefining Work, I’m joined by Roleshare co-founder and co-CEO Sophie Smallwood. Sophie and I talk about the importance of mentorship, her journey to creating Roleshare and what the job-sharing model looks like in today’s workplaces.

On this episode of Redefining Work, I’m excited to be joined by Josh Bersin. He’s a global HR industry analyst. founder of The Josh Bersin Company, author and a returning guest to this podcast. In this conversation, we talk about HR trends in 2023, what people sustainability means, layoffs in tech and his book “Irresistible: The Seven Secrets of the World's Most Enduring, Employee-Focused Organizations.”

In this episode of Redefining Work, I’m thrilled to speak with Backstage Capital Managing Partner and founder Arlan Hamilton. Backstage Capital is a seed investment fund that backs overachieving, underrepresented startup founders. In this conversation, Arlan and I discuss the current state of HR and people operations, how she’s building a company in this important space and why you don’t necessarily have to quit your job to build a startup. We’ll also talk about her other projects, including the podcast Your First Million and her book “It's About Damn Time.”

In this episode of Redefining Work, I’m speaking with 10x Genomics Chief People Officer Becks Port. In this conversation, Becks and I discuss her career experience, her path from Ph.D in psychology to chief people officer and how she shapes strategy through the science of happiness.

In this episode of Redefining HR, I’m joined by Workday’s chief people officer, Ashley Goldsmith. Ashley and I discuss how she’s helped scale Workday, the skills HR teams need to grow and much more. This episode is the season finale of Redefining HR. In January, for season nine, we’re evolving this podcast into Redefining Work. I’m excited for Ashley to help us close out season eight and be a part of this milestone for Redefining HR.

In this episode of Redefining HR, I spoke with PepsiCo’s SVP and Chief Design Officer, Mauro Porcini. Mauro and I discuss what great design looks like, how it ties to innovation and insights from his recent book, “The Human Side of Innovation.” We also discuss why everyone is a designer in many ways.

In this episode of Redefining HR, I spoke with PepsiCo’s SVP and Chief Design Officer, Mauro Porcini. Mauro and I discuss what great design looks like, how it ties to innovation and insights from his recent book, “The Human Side of Innovation.” We also discuss why everyone is a designer in many ways.

In this episode of Redefining HR, I spoke with Northwestern Mutual Executive Vice President and Chief HR Officer Don Robertson. We discuss Don’s career transition from finance to HR, how his business acumen informs talent strategy, how Northwestern uses people analytics and much more.

In this episode of Redefining HR, I’m joined by Johnson & Johnson’s head of global talent management, Michael Ehret. Michael and I discuss his background, his work at J&J, how he thinks about innovating on a global scale and more.

In this episode of Redefining HR, I speak with Kerry Chandler, chief people officer at Bombas. We discuss her career path, what led her to Bombas and how she builds effective people teams. Kerry also shares how early career heads of people can align people strategy with the organization and build strong relationships with the board of directors.

In this episode of Redefining HR, I speak with NASA Chief Human Capital Officer Jane Datta. We discuss her career and how she leads the people team at one of the world’s most recognized organizations. We also discuss how NASA approaches recruiting in a high-volume environment and how the agency puts people first.

This episode is a re-release of the tribute I recorded for Kai two years ago. To this day, it’s the hardest piece of content that I’ve ever created. This podcast covers death, addiction, grief and loss, which can be triggering for many. I strongly recommend that if this podcast triggers you, please take care of yourself and pass on this episode.

This episode of Redefining HR is different from my normal format. There will be no video, guests or conversations specifically about innovative HR practices. Today, I’m talking about one of the universal life experiences of being human — living with grief.

In this episode of Redefining HR, I speak with Credit Karma Chief People, Places and Publicity Officer Colleen McCreary and Vice President, Head of Global Talent Acquisition, Ashleigh Anderson. We discuss their work at Credit Karma, including how they avoid layoffs. Colleen and Ashleigh discuss their unique approach to redeploying and reskilling talent and how it’s helped them avoid layoffs.

In this episode of Redefining HR, I’m joined by Zander Media’s founder and CEO, Robin Zander. We discuss his career path, creativity and digital storytelling, and his work in video production at Zander Media. We also talk about his new documentary, “Parenthood @ Home.”

In this episode of Redefining HR, I spoke with Melissa Daimler, chief learning officer at Udemy and author of the new book “ReCulturing: Design Your Company Culture to Connect with Strategy and Purpose for Lasting Success.” Melissa and I talk about her book, her career path and how learning and organizational development have evolved. We also discuss how to intentionally apply system thinking to design so you can reculture the workplace.

In this episode of Redefining HR, I’m joined by Electronic Arts Chief People Officer Mala Singh. We discuss her background in HR, how international assignments shaped her view on global people practices, how she thinks about innovation at scale in hybrid work and much more.

One of the most important relationships in a workplace is the dynamic between the chief people officer and the founder-CEO. No one knows this better than Lynee Luque, CPO at NerdWallet. In this episode of Redefining HR, Lynee and I discuss her shift from finance and consulting to HR, how the dynamic shifts for a CPO when working with a founder-CEO versus an established CEO, and how she’s fueled growth by working with her CEO.