Pamela J. Brown leads talent strategy for 530 Crunch Fitness locations, hiring 500+ personal trainers a year in an intensely competitive market. But her real superpower? Building leaders who build leaders, opening doors for the next generation, and proving that great people strategy drives revenue, not just cost savings.

In this episode of Talent All Stars, Pamela shares practical wisdom from 25 years of leading people teams across insurance, financial services, and fitness. She breaks down the exact coaching framework she uses to develop leaders, how she built credibility in a brand-new industry by getting vulnerable, and why leading with service creates opportunities that come back to you in unexpected ways.

You'll also hear how Pamela uses AI to audit her own leadership effectiveness, how she distills complex roles into clear hiring criteria (sales, service, science), and what metrics actually matter when you're trying to prove the business impact of your people strategy.

You'll learn:

• How to position yourself so doors open for you (and how to open them for others)
• The exact coaching questions that build leadership capability in your team
• Why understanding "the language of the business" is critical for HR credibility
• How to choose which technology initiatives to prioritize in 2026
• The one metric that proves retention drives revenue, not just cost savings

Connect with Pamela: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamelabr

Follow Multiplying Moves for Pamela’s Thought Leadership: https://lnkd.in/edWard7R

Check out Crunch’s website for great career opportunities: https://www.crunch.com/careers

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💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ziprecruiter/

💼 Dave’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davetravers/

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ziprecruiter

🎵TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ziprecruiter

Enjoyed this episode? We’d be grateful for a rating or review on your favorite podcast app.

A great culture doesn’t just happen by accident. Marvin Boakye, Chief Human Resources Officer at Cummins, believes it must be engineered with the same discipline, rigor, and accountability as any complex system. For him, culture is not an abstract idea. It is something leaders design through daily behavior, decisions, and tradeoffs.

In this episode of Talent All Stars, Marvin explains how Cummins Inc., the global power leader, builds intentional culture across more than 70,000 employees worldwide. He breaks down the five elements that make culture stick, why leadership behavior carries more weight than values statements, and how Cummins uses real data to understand engagement, performance, and risk. The conversation offers a clear look at how intentional culture becomes a strategic advantage for any talent team.

You’ll learn:

• Why Marvin believes “culture eats strategy for breakfast”
• Why Cummins treats diversity as one of the biggest strategic advantages
• How vulnerability actually strengthens trust instead of weakening your authority
• Why culture leaders need to stay focused on what they practice, promote, and permit

Connect with Marvin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marvin-boakye-25a2122

Connect with us:

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💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ziprecruiter/

💼 Dave’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davetravers/

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ziprecruiter

🎵TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ziprecruiter

Enjoyed this episode? We’d be grateful for a rating or review on your favorite podcast app.

Octapharma Plasma operates donor centers nationwide, supplying critical plasma used in treatments that impact patients daily. Leading the talent strategy behind this essential work is Monte Garrett, Director of Talent Acquisition. His leadership philosophy is founded on a framework he mastered as a teenager: the strategic discipline of chess. Monte's mentor taught him to approach every business challenge like a position on the chessboard, requiring deep anticipation, measured discipline, and constant adjustment.

In this episode of Talent All Stars, Monte shares how this viewpoint shapes their approach to hiring, workforce planning, and managing organizational change. He explains why Talent Acquisition must evolve into a consultative discipline, using data to challenge assumptions and guide the business with authority.

You’ll learn:

• How chess principles enable Octapharma Plasma to strategically plan hiring needs and respond to industry shifts.
• Why constant adaptation is essential to avoid stagnation in a dynamic business environment.
• How Monte teaches recruiters to become data-driven advisors who influence key business decisions.
• The simple steps interviewers can take to improve candidate comfort and facilitate authentic conversations.

Connect with Monte Garrett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/montegarrett/

Connect with us:

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💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ziprecruiter/

💼 Dave’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davetravers/

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ziprecruiter

🎵TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ziprecruiter

Enjoyed this episode? We’d be grateful for a rating or review on your favorite podcast app.

First Student is North America’s largest provider of school transportation, moving millions of students every day across the United States and Canada (more than every major airline combined). Leading the people side of this operation is Renee Boydo, Vice President of HR Experience, who guides the teams responsible for hiring, training, and supporting the drivers and staff who keep children safe.

In this episode of Talent All Stars, Renee shares how her team strengthens trust and retention through thoughtful use of technology, clear processes, and a consistent focus on people. When “the world’s most precious cargo” is on the line, finding people who want to make a positive impact in their communities is essential.

You’ll learn:

• How First Student hires and supports America’s safest bus drivers
• Why retention begins on day one of employment
• How AI and technology enhance the human side of hiring
• Why consistency and trust drive safety at scale

Connect with First Student: https://firststudentinc.com

Connect with Renee Boydo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/renee-boydo

Connect with us:

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💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ziprecruiter/

💼 Dave’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davetravers/

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ziprecruiter

🎵TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ziprecruiter

Enjoyed this episode? We’d be grateful for a rating or review on your favorite podcast app.

Premise Health is the largest direct healthcare provider in the United States, operating more than 800 wellness and care centers across 46 states. At the center of its growth is Liz Reimer, Chief Human Resources Officer, who leads the company’s people strategy and talent function.

In this episode of Talent All-Stars, Liz shares how her team re-engineered recruitment by dividing talent acquisition into specialist roles, investing in recruitment marketing, and empowering employees to broadcast their stories. She explains how Premise Health’s on-site care model helps attract clinicians, why “be brief, be bright, be gone” is her rule for executive communication, and how a disciplined approach to AI keeps efficiency and humanity in balance.

You’ll learn:

• How Premise Health attracts top clinicians through authentic employer branding
• Why splitting TA teams into sourcers and advisors accelerates hiring
• How video campaigns fill critical roles in less than 14 days
• Why disciplined use of AI keeps HR both efficient and human

Connect with Liz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizreimer

Connect with Premise Health: https://www.premisehealth.com

JLL helps organizations buy, build, lease, and operate the spaces where business happens, from hospitals and data centers to offices and logistics hubs. Behind this global real estate and investment-management powerhouse is a talent operation that keeps more than 100,000 people moving in over 80 countries.

In this episode, Jane Curran, Global Head of HR Operations at JLL, shares how she built a career defined by curiosity, courage, and commercial thinking. Her leadership philosophy is simple but powerful: be high energy, low maintenance, and fall in love with the problem. From mentoring teams across continents to re-engineering HR technology and AI processes, Jane reveals how she turns people strategy into business advantage at scale.

Jane explains:

• How saying “yes” to opportunities shaped her career and built credibility with executives
• Why great leaders embrace failure as part of learning and create safe spaces for their teams
• How JLL balances human connection with technology in a rapidly changing talent landscape
• Why falling in love with the problem is the first step to earning business investment

Connect with JLL: https://www.jll.com

Connect with Jane: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jane-curran-hr

Connect with us:

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💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ziprecruiter/

💼 Dave’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davetravers/

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ziprecruiter

🎵TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ziprecruiter

Enjoyed this episode? We’d be grateful for a rating or review on your favorite podcast app.

UniFirst is a North American leader in the supply and servicing of uniform and workwear programs, facility service products, as well as first aid and safety supplies and services. With more than 270 service locations, over 300,000 customer locations, and 16,000-plus employee Team Partners, the company outfits more than 2 million workers every day.

In this episode, Catalina Dongo, Senior Vice President of Human Resources at UniFirst, shares her 20-year journey from administrative assistant to HR executive, and how the company’s values, structure, and leadership principles have scaled right alongside its business.

Catalina explains:

• How she built her career by turning small opportunities into big wins
• How the company spent two years defining leadership principles that actually live in people’s actions
• How UniFirst balances family roots with a modern, tech-enabled workforce

Connect with UniFirst: https://www.unifirst.com

Connect with Catalina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catalinadongo

Connect with us:

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💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ziprecruiter/

💼 Dave’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davetravers/

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ziprecruiter

🎵TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ziprecruiter

Enjoyed this episode? We’d be grateful for a rating or review on your favorite podcast app.