Back to Blog Home Page
When I started the people actually podcast back in March, my vision was to simply highlight the unsung heroes behind every company—the TA and HR pros. Because people power your business, and these are the individuals that find them.
But what I didn’t expect was how much I’d personally take away from every conversation. Each episode, I learn something new about the person across the table from me—their story, career journey, experiences, leadership style, and the beliefs that shape how they hire and build teams.
And the last two episodes especially reinforced something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately: it might be time to throw out the old playbook.
Not just when it comes to hiring, but how we think about careers and leadership too. The traditional “path” doesn’t really exist anymore. The job seeker market is changing too fast for rigid formulas to hold up. And the people standing out right now are the ones adapting in real time.
These conversations explored exactly that—from nonlinear career journeys and first-time leadership lessons to global hiring, AI adoption, and the mindset shifts reshaping how teams grow.
Episode 4: Careers Aren’t Linear—And Hiring Shouldn’t Be Either
This week’s guest has an undeniable superpower: getting people excited about what they do every day. And honestly, isn’t that everything you could want in a recruiter?
For Katy Flatau, that didn’t start in talent acquisition. She began in media research and, after 15 years, did some soul searching to figure out her next move. What stuck with her? Watching small businesses grow—and seeing how passionate people were about what they were building. That’s where her superpower really started (her origin story, if you will).
Today, she’s the VP of Global Talent Attraction & Executive Recruiting at JumpCloud, and she’s built a career around exactly that—helping people find work that makes them happy.
She joined us to talk about what makes a great hire beyond the resume, the secret to scaling globally, and her approach to AI adoption (hint: it’s not about AI for AI’s sake).
Here’s what stuck with me the most from our conversation:
The best hires aren’t just qualified—they’re fired up by the problem. Every company is trying to solve something. And what separates a good hire from a great one is whether the problem you’re giving someone truly excites them. This is especially true in Katy’s world where she hires a lot of software engineers. These candidates aren’t going to make a switch just because of money (they have dozens of job offers!). They’re going to make the switch because they’re curious, excited, or passionate about your problem—and they want to be the one to help solve it.
Global hiring isn’t about translating your playbook—it’s about rewriting it. Katy joined JumpCloud when they had just 100 employees and helped scale it to 1,000+ across 18 countries. So, she knows a thing or two about global hiring. And her key to success? Understanding and adjusting to cultural differences. One example that stuck with me: when JumpCloud expanded into Mexico, they didn’t realize the level of competition around benefits. They had to go back to leadership and renegotiate what they could offer in order to even have a chance with top talent.
AI adoption isn’t about simply adding it in—it’s about rethinking every process. Instead of asking her team “where would you add AI?”, Katy flips the question: “If you were building every process from scratch today, what would you do differently?” That reframing changes everything. It shifts you from plugging AI into random steps to actually designing smarter, more intentional workflows from the ground up.
Listen to Katy explain how she approaches interviews with U.S.- and Canada-based candidates differently:
Listen to the full episode here.
Episode 5: No Playbook, Just People: Lessons from a First-Time CEO in HR Tech
For this episode, I got to go CEO to CEO with the incredible Ritu Mohanka. It’s not every day you get to swap notes with someone sitting in the same seat in the same industry, so this one was extra fun.
Stepping into her role at VONQ was Ritu’s first time in the CEO seat, which made the conversation even more interesting. She’s not operating off a decades-old playbook—she’s built her approach firsthand. And in a talent acquisition landscape that’s evolving as quickly as this one, that fresh perspective isn’t just unique—it’s valuable.
She joined us to talk about her experience as a first-time CEO—from how she evaluates talent to how she stays close to the customer, and the hiring decisions she’s learned not to rush.
Here’s what stuck with me the most from our conversation:
Past performance still matters, but context matters more. Someone can be exceptional in one company and struggle in another—and it’s not always about capability. It’s about fit, timing, and what the business actually needs in that moment. Beyond the resume, Ritu looks for people who can admit when they’re wrong and adapt quickly. Because the best leaders aren’t the ones who are always right, they’re the ones who learn the fastest.
Leaders don’t sit above the team—they stay close to the work. Ritu sets a personal goal of eight partner or customer meetings a week—and if she doesn’t hit it, she doesn’t consider the week a success. It’s how she stays close to real problems and can respond faster when things change. The same goes for her team—more quick video calls, fewer long email threads. Her mindset is simple: leadership means staying human and staying in touch.
Hire slower than feels natural. There’s real pressure, especially as a CEO, to fill roles quickly and keep things moving. But Ritu pushed back on a common belief—that an empty seat is worse than a mis-hire. Especially at the leadership level, a bad hire compounds fast, and the cost is much higher than waiting a little longer. Her takeaway: take the time to get it right, not just done.
The best leaders are always learning. Listen to Ritu’s biggest lesson—and the advice she’d give her day-one CEO self:
Listen to the full episode here.
What Great Teams Have in Common
One thing these conversations reinforced for me: there’s no single blueprint for building great teams anymore.
The strongest leaders aren’t the ones following a rigid formula or trying to force people into a predefined path. They’re the ones staying curious, adapting quickly, and building environments where people can grow, solve problems, and do meaningful work.
And honestly, that’s what I love most about doing this podcast. Every guest brings a completely different perspective, but the best insights almost always come from real experience—not theory.
These episodes are just the latest example of that, and I’m excited to keep learning from more people shaping the future of hiring in real time.
To stay up to date with people actually, follow us here:
Spotify
YouTube
Apple Podcasts
And if you’re a recruiter, TA pro, HR leader, or industry voice with a perspective to share, we’d love to have you on. Fill out this form and we’ll be in touch.
