In this episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Kendall Schultz, Chief People Officer at Triumph Behavior Support, to explore what it really takes for HR to move beyond a cost center and earn authority inside fast-growing, high-pressure organizations. With over 15 years of experience across venture-backed and private equity environments, Kendall shares how HR leaders can build credibility through execution, not permission, while navigating scale, risk, and constant change.

Kendall breaks down why waiting to be invited into strategy conversations no longer works for HR. Instead, she explains how people leaders must proactively identify risk, eliminate waste, influence decisions, and operate with the same rigor as product and finance teams. From finding significant cost inefficiencies to treating people operations like a product roadmap, she outlines how HR can become a true value engine for the business.

The conversation also explores the human side of authority. Kendall shares how psychological safety, ethical leadership, and transparency are not soft concepts but essential operating principles, especially during restructures, layoffs, and periods of rapid growth. She explains why HR must be present, consistent, and willing to make hard calls to build trust that scales beyond the HR function itself.

Topics Discussed:

1. Reframing HR from cost center to value engine
2. Earning authority through execution, not title
3. Treating people operations like a product
4. Finding operational inefficiencies and reducing organizational waste
5. Building credibility with CEOs and founders in PE and VC environments
6. Embedding psychological safety into daily operations
7. Leading ethically through layoffs and restructures
8. The limits and opportunities of AI in people operations
9. What skills HR leaders need to stay relevant and future-proof their role

If you are an HR leader, people operator, or executive navigating scale, scrutiny, and constant pressure to prove value, this episode offers a clear, experience-backed view of how HR can earn lasting influence and relevance in the future of work.

Additional Resources:

1. Cleary’s AI-powered HR Chatbot
2. Future Proof HR Community
3. Connect with Kendall Schultz on LinkedIn

In this episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Amaan Hussain, Director of HR at The Acquisition Group, to explore how HR leaders can adopt AI without sacrificing the human connection that defines their organization. With over a decade of experience leading HR strategy in high-growth, direct-to-consumer environments, Amaan shares how his team balances efficiency, empathy, and scale in a world increasingly shaped by technology.

Amaan explains why his organization is intentionally cautious about where AI shows up and where it does not. He outlines a clear guardrail that guides every technology decision: AI can improve speed, consistency, and insight, but it should never replace the core human relationships that drive performance, trust, and differentiation. From recruiting and coaching to sales enablement, he shares how a hybrid model allows AI to augment work without eroding what makes the business successful.

The conversation also explores recruiting and managing Gen...

In this episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Jamie Rivero, HR Director at MYCO Mechanical, Inc., to explore what disciplined HR leadership looks like in a rapidly changing environment. Drawing on nearly two decades of experience across manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, retail, and construction, Jamie shares how HR leaders can navigate AI adoption and major system decisions without losing credibility or trust.

Jamie explains why moving too fast on AI and HR technology often creates more problems than it solves. She unpacks the importance of understanding the business before evaluating tools, pressure-testing vendor claims, and building ROI cases that connect time saved to real business outcomes rather than surface-level efficiency metrics.

The conversation also examines where AI can support HR teams and where human judgment must remain central. Jamie outlines how HR leaders can reduce low-value work with technology while protecting high-stakes decisions like hiring, performance management, and employee relations, offering a grounded view of what it takes to lead HR through ongoing change.

Topics Discussed:

1. Why HR leadership today requires judgment, not just tools
2. Slowing down AI adoption to avoid costly implementation mistakes
3. Evaluating HR technology through a true business lens
4. Building credible ROI cases that executives trust
5. Lessons learned from failed or delayed HR system implementations
6. Negotiating vendor contracts and protecting leverage during implementation
7. Where AI belongs in HR and where humans must stay in the loop
8. Preparing HR teams for continuous change without eroding trust

If you are an HR leader, people strategist, or executive navigating AI, HR technology, and constant change, this episode offers practical insight into how experienced HR leaders make decisions that stand the test of time.

Additional Resources:

1. Cleary’s AI-powered HR Chatbot
2. Future Proof HR Community
3. Connect with Jamie Rivero on LinkedIn