Opening Doors and Building Leaders: Inside Crunch Fitness's People Strategy

SAP has over 100,000 employees, operates in nearly every country on earth, and generates revenue in the tens of billions. So when their Global Head of Talent Discovery says the old way of hiring isn't working anymore, it's worth paying attention. In this episode of Talent All Stars, Eric Goldstein explains why SAP ditched "talent acquisition" as a concept, how they're building a skills-based hiring engine from the inside out, and why the real cost of a vacant role has nothing to do with the recruiting fee. You'll also hear: How Eric makes the business case to a CFO to invest in the Talent Discovery function. What AI is doing for early-career proximity at a global enterprise The interviewing technique he uses to find out who actually knows their stuff Connect with Eric: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericgoldstein2010/ Learn more about SAP: www.sap.com Connect with us: 💻 All Episodes: TalentAllStars.com 💼 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.

This episode originally aired September 30, 2025—and it's too good not to revisit. Jennifer Christie has built one of the most fascinating careers in people leadership: running presidential personnel at the White House, holding senior posts at American Express and Twitter, and now serving as Chief People Officer at Docusign. Safe to say she's seen leadership from every angle. In this encore episode, Jennifer breaks down: Why government and corporate leadership have more in common than you'd ever expect How AI is reshaping HR and why the right question isn't "what will it replace?" but "what will you do instead?" The one HR role she considers a must for any aspiring CPO Why internal mobility is about to become one of the most powerful tools in your talent strategy She also drops some straight-up practical advice for interviewers: stop fixating on bullet points and start digging into motivations and career transitions. That's where the real story lives. Connect with Jennifer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-christie-5254866 Connect with us: 💻 All Episodes: TalentAllStars.com 💼 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.

Verisk is a global data analytics company that helps businesses understand and manage risk. Now they’re tasked with completely rethinking how to build a talent pipeline in an industry where the skills didn't exist five years ago.In this episode of Talent All Stars, Verisk's CHRO Sunita Holzer breaks down how the company built a data science recruiting engine from scratch during the pandemic, why they hire for "ecosystem thinking" over technical skills alone, and what it really means to operate in a culture where just doing your job isn't enough.You'll hear how Verisk measures talent success (conversion rates, retention, internal mobility), why they need employees who think about geopolitics and insurance trends as much as their day-to-day tasks, and the company's approach to developing people who can handle a rapidly evolving digital landscape.Connect with Sunita: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunitaholzer/Explore careers at Verisk: https://www.verisk.com/Connect with us:💻 All Episodes: TalentAllStars.com💼 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.

Joy Rothschild leads people strategy for 20,000 employees across 50+ Omni Hotels & Resorts properties, each with its own character and story. But her edge isn't just hiring for a hospitality empire—it's spotting the quiet ones in the corners, the people others overlook, and betting on them before they're ready.In this episode of Talent All Stars, Joy shares her unexpected path into HR, the career-defining moment when a COO stopped her mid-grovel to teach her how to accept a promotion, and why she turned getting fired into a philosophy that now shapes how Omni develops 20,000 careers.You'll hear the origin story of "The Power of One"—a service empowerment program so sticky it survived a rebrand attempt and a pandemic. Joy also breaks down why she'll never let consultants eliminate HR from the hotels, her two-question interview filter, and what "growing the garden" actually looks like at scale.Connect with Joy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joy-rothschild-9591351/Explore careers at Omni Hotels & Resorts: https://www.omnihotels.com/careersConnect with us:💻 All Episodes: TalentAllStars.com💼 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.

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 teamWhy understanding "the language of the business" is critical for HR credibilityHow to choose which technology initiatives to prioritize in 2026The one metric that proves retention drives revenue, not just cost savingsConnect with Pamela: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamelabrFollow Multiplying Moves for Pamela’s Thought Leadership: https://lnkd.in/edWard7RCheck out Crunch’s website for great career opportunities: https://www.crunch.com/careersConnect with us:💻 All Episodes: TalentAllStars.com💼 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 advantagesHow vulnerability actually strengthens trust instead of weakening your authorityWhy culture leaders need to stay focused on what they practice, promote, and permitConnect with Marvin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marvin-boakye-25a2122Connect with us:💻 All Episodes: TalentAllStars.com💼 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.

In this special Year-End Wrap-Up of Talent All Stars, host Dave Travers reflects on the conversations that shaped the talent landscape in 2025. Through insights from leaders across healthcare, real estate, retail, technology, aviation, gaming, and more, this episode breaks down the five themes that defined how the best teams hired, developed, and retained talent this year.Dave revisits the voices behind these insights, including Yvette Hansen (Baylor Scott and White Health), Danielle Kensinger (Cushman and Wakefield), Jim D’Amico (Caliber), Jane Curran (JLL), Claire MacIntyre (Sam’s Club), Sara Tilley (ServiceNow), Mike Aronson (Johnson Controls), Scott Sell (Mercy), Jennifer Christie (DocuSign), Brian Riley (Riot Games), Tiffany Haley (Vanguard), Raul Valentin (ABM), Greg Muccio (Southwest Airlines), John Heyliger (Lockheed Martin), and Cindi Harper (Intel). Each offers a grounded look at the shifts redefining talent acquisition and HR in real time.Together, these leaders reveal the five biggest takeaways from 2025:How AI and automation created more space for meaningful human interactionWhy adaptability, curiosity, and learning agility have become the new hiring criteriaHow internal mobility and development became essential for competitivenessWhy business fluency is now required for TA credibilityHow proactive workforce planning reshaped partnerships with the businessAcross these themes, the message is clear. The most successful talent teams in 2025 did more than fill roles. They anticipated needs, shaped strategy, influenced executives with data, and created workplaces where employees could grow faster than the market was changing. Connect with the guests and check their Talent All-Stars episodes below!Yvette Hansen:Talent All-Star Episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTfGfgaWNwQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yvettehansen/ Danielle Kensinger:Talent All-Star Episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqBMhxa1mUcLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-kensinger-262bb744/ Jim D’Amico:Talent All-Star Episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NdXrFH4UUgLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimdamico/ Jane Curran:Talent All-Star Episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei5Jpy4ap_YLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jane-curran-1556715/ Claire MacIntyre: Talent All-Star Episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q65jlhkNJtgLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-macintyre/ Sara Tilley: Talent All-Star Episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXr9CepK-AsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahtilley/ Mike Aronson:Talent All-Star Episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKn6KGKOtLcLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikearonson/ Scott Sell: Talent All-Star Episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bGYEyoHkP8LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sellscott/ Jennifer Christie: Talent All-Star Episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blV7sti27DkLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-christie-5254866/ Brian Riley:Talent All-Star Episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGRZ1zCh0NALinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rileybrian/ Tiffany Haley: Talent All-Star Episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cr0NMDvAZuULinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffany-haley/ Raul Valentin:Talent All-Star Episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKWT-PGnT70LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rauljvalentin/ Greg Muccio: Talent All-Star Episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bguj_CkicILinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-muccio/ John Heyliger: Talent All-Star Episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=443vOAbS55oLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stem-workforce-transformation-data/ Cindi Harper: Talent All-Star Episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3EcM9f45pQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindi-harper-75aba0/ Connect with us:💻 All Episodes: TalentAllStars.com💼 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:💻 All Episodes: TalentAllStars.com💼 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 driversWhy retention begins on day one of employmentHow AI and technology enhance the human side of hiringWhy consistency and trust drive safety at scaleConnect with First Student: https://firststudentinc.comConnect with Renee Boydo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/renee-boydoConnect with us:💻 All Episodes: TalentAllStars.com💼 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 brandingWhy splitting TA teams into sourcers and advisors accelerates hiringHow video campaigns fill critical roles in less than 14 daysWhy disciplined use of AI keeps HR both efficient and humanConnect with Liz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizreimerConnect with Premise Health: https://www.premisehealth.com