The HX Podcast with Stacie Baird

In launching this series on talent, it had me thinking…where do we start? With that, we are re-broadcasting an episode with Allison Coward, an expert on #firstprinciples with the thought, why don’t we start with what is, well, first.  First principles are the most fundamental, foundational truths or assumptions of a concept that cannot be deduced from anything more basic. First principles thinking (https://www.firstprinciples.ventures/insights/first-principles-the-foundations-of-innovation-and-growth) is a problem-solving method of breaking down a complex problem or idea into these basic truths, then reasoning up from there, rather than relying on analogy or convention. This method can lead to greater innovation and a deeper understanding of a subject by starting from the ground up.  Our first step (as we dissect the state-of-talent in 2026) is to start with the building blocks. The first principles.

https://staciebaird.com/the-hx-podcastIn this episode, I'm kicking off a new series that’s very near and dear to my heart: talent. I was struck by a McKinsey study called "The War for Talent," published back in 1998, which happened to be the first year I was in recruiting. Reading it again, I was shocked to realize that the core challenges it identified; a shortage of leadership talent, a lack of manager accountability for developing people, and the need for a compelling employee value proposition - are issues we are still grappling with today, perhaps more acutely than ever. It really made me ask, why are we still hiring like it's 1998? This realization is why I'm launching this series. We're going to dig into what it truly means to attract, develop, and retain people in 2025 and beyond. We’ll question everything, from legacy practices like requiring a bachelor's degree for every job posting to how we can elevate the human experience for candidates in an era dominated by applicant tracking systems. We’ll explore how to build a real talent pipeline, how to measure potential, and how to create a workplace where great people actually want to join and stay. I want to be clear that I don't have all the answers; I’m here to learn right alongside you. This is a conversation I want us to have together. I'm excited to talk about what has evolved over the last 25 years, what has stubbornly stayed the same, and what we need to do now to finally move forward. If you're passionate about this topic, I want to hear from you as we explore how to finally win this long-running war for talent. Stacie More episodes at StacieBaird.com.

On this now two year anniversary, I felt that this deserved a replay! This is an episode that is an enormous part of why I've changed the brand of the podcast to encompass the broader human experience. My daughter, Jocelyn, is my very special guest today. She talks about her leukemia diagnosis over two years ago, and the battle that would take up all of 2023, and change the way she has to look at her health for the rest of her life. Hearing this story from her provides so much joy for who she is as a woman, how she's grown, and my hope is that you'll hear the same message.  She shares some of the early indicators that were thought to be a bad case of the flu, the mysterious bruises she got, and when she checked in to Phoenix Children's Hospital. She talks about shaving her head, the incredible people that stepped up for her when she was down, and the quirky things that people say and do - when they don't know what to say or do! The lesson and ongoing message in this podcast for all of us is, I believe, that through struggle and adversity comes strength. I'm so proud of my daughter - and the lessons I believe are important for anyone struggling.  I hope that you find this episode to be uplifting and motivating for your own human experience. Thank you so much for listening! Stacie More episodes at StacieBaird.com.

In this episode of the HX podcast, as part of our "Well at Work" series, I had the privilege of speaking with Justin Long, an author who shared his incredible story of resilience. I was so impacted by his journey, which he says truly began when he got sober at age 32 after years as a "raging alcoholic filled with self-loathing". Justin recounts growing up in an emotionally dysfunctional household, shaped by generational trauma, where he was made to feel he had no value. This led him to a life of searching for external validation through alcohol and other harmful behaviors. Justin's path to healing has been a lifelong journey involving AA, a pivotal mentor named Roland, and transformative trauma therapy. We talk about how he learned to develop self-awareness, challenge those negative beliefs instilled in him since childhood, and shift from self-loathing to self-love. He now applies these profound lessons to his leadership role at Spring Hill Equine Veterinary Clinic, where he focuses on knowing himself to lead himself, understanding his team as individuals, and creating a positive culture where people can grow. His message is a powerful reminder that if you don't feel good about who you are, you have the power to change that. If you'd like to check out his books, click here for more details.  I hope you enjoy this episode! Stacie More episodes at StacieBaird.com.

If you remember making mixtapes off the radio and your parents' only rule was to be home when the streetlights came on, this episode is for you. Jenn and I are zeroing in on our specific slice of Gen X, a micro-generation we're calling the 'Goonies Generation'. We're the kids born in the late 70s who had one foot in an analog childhood of latchkey independence and another in a fully digital adulthood, making us the ultimate translators between the old and new school. We'll take a fun trip down memory lane talking about MTV, arcade games at Pizza Hut, and the terror of Cold War drills, exploring how these moments shaped us into scrappy, independent, and connection-craving adults. That unique upbringing directly translates to how we operate today, especially as leaders. We'll discuss why our generation values autonomy, despises micromanagement, and leads with empowerment. But we also get real about the pressures we face now—being the overlooked 'sandwich generation' caring for both kids and aging parents, all while navigating our peak earning years. This episode is a call to action for our often-unseen generation to step up, recognize our role as the 'glue' holding things together, and connect with others who get it, because Goonies never say die. Stacie More episodes at StacieBaird.com.

In this episode, Jenn and I are diving deep into something we know a lot about: being Gen X and hitting that phase of life that people used to call a 'midlife crisis.' We're calling BS on that and reframing it as what it really is... a reboot. With our kids getting older, we finally have the space to ask what we want, not just what our families need. We get real about everything from navigating hormonal shifts and prioritizing sleep over everything else, to why I'm taking a whole pharmacy of supplements and have fully embraced my comfy, underwire-free wardrobe. It's about feeling our best, not turning back the clock, and being intentional about this next, powerful chapter. We also get into how this personal reboot is unlocking a professional relaunch. For years, many of us, especially women, made career choices based on our kids' schedules and being the primary caregiver. Now, those doors are wide open, and our motivation has shifted from chasing promotions to finding real fulfillment in coaching and mentoring others. We'll talk about why Gen X is consistently ranked the most stressed generation—stuck translating between Boomers and Millennials—and why it’s time for us to reduce the stigma, start talking, and redefine what this stage of life looks like for all of us. Here are some interesting related articles: Reevaluation trend: Forbes (2025) reports Gen X engagement dropped from 35% to 31%, with active disengagement rising from 17% to 18% Forbes. Stress over time: Gen X has been the most stressed generation for over a decade; a 2012 study rated their average stress 5.8/10 vs. Millennials at 3.4 and Boomers at 4.4 Forbes. Population and workforce share: Gen X makes up 31% of the U.S. workforce and 19% of the global population—large, not fringe marshmma.com. Caregiving burdens by age create rethink moments (see Episode 2 stats) ResearchGate+. Enjoy, Stacie More episodes at StacieBaird.com.

Hey humans, in this episode of the HX podcast, we're diving into the "Gen X Leadership Load". If you're a Gen Xer, you probably feel like the forgotten middle child, and I found some pretty jarring data that shows just how much we're dealing with. We're the first leaders in history to be sandwiched between four generations at work and two at home, acting as translators between old-school structures and new expectations. I'll share some specific stats from places like Pew Research and AARP on what this dual caregiving really costs us, both financially and emotionally. We were taught to just stuff our problems down and keep working, but that's leading straight to burnout, and the numbers are higher than for any other generation. So, what do we do about it? In the full episode, we'll talk through the massive impact this is having on our mental health and why organizations should be paying close attention to prevent a huge leadership gap. Stick around to the end, where I’ll give you a simple assignment to start gaining awareness and explore how we can become the leaders we never had. We'll see you there. Stacie More episodes at StacieBaird.com.

In this week's episode of our #WorkWell series, I'm building on last week's assignment with a new one that is both simple and challenging. After taking time to reset, I started asking myself a critical question every time I felt the urge for a distraction: "What would actually restore me right now, not just distract me?" It's so easy to fall into mindless scrolling or shopping, but I've found those are just temporary fixes that don't address the root cause. True restoration takes intention, and the only real short-term answer to exhaustion is rest and recovery.  My assignment for you is to try what I did this week. Every time you feel that pull toward a distraction, pause. I would get up, change my scenery, take two deep breaths, and grab my journal. This practice helped me offload my mental clutter and understand what was really going on. I found my needs usually fell into one of three categories: depletion, which I answered with a power nap or meditation; restlessness, which I solved with movement like a walk; or disconnection, which I eased by texting a friend or hugging my husband.   It all comes down to asking: What does my body need? What does my mind need? And what does my heart need? I encourage you to try replacing distraction with true restoration this week; it was incredibly insightful for me.  Stacie More episodes at StacieBaird.com.

Hey humans, we're continuing our #WorkWell series, all about mental health in the workplace. In this episode, we're getting real about the difference between just being tired and being truly, deeply depleted.  I know that feeling because I was just there myself. After we recorded our last episode on burnout, I felt almost out of my body, completely depleted and neurologically dysregulated. The only thing that could help was true rest and disconnection. So for this week, I have an exercise for you. It's an ask to take just five minutes every day to journal and really tune in to how you're feeling. Ask yourself: Do you feel recharged after a break? What do you actually enjoy right now? How often are you feeling irritable or numb? The goal isn't to fix it immediately, but just to recognize where you are. It's about figuring out if you're just tired, or if you've crossed over into depletion. Take this week to just check in with yourself.  I hope you’ll join me on this journey to work well. With light and love, we'll see you soon. Stacie More episodes at StacieBaird.com.

In the second of our small series on Mental Health at Work, Jenn Mason and I tackled a really challenging episode (as you can see by the title). We jumped right in by asking if resilience is being "weaponized" - used as a justification for harmful systems rather than a skill to be supported.  We explore the dark side of a resilience culture, where praising people for surviving toxic, high-demand environments becomes a smokescreen for the actual problem. What is the difference between empowering people to heal versus requiring them to manage the harm inflicted upon them by broken systems? We talk about how this "grind it out" mentality is often hard-coded generationally, something Jenn and I personally experienced coming up in the Gen X workforce.  We share our own stories and hope you'll enjoy them as well. Stacie More episodes at StacieBaird.com.

In the first episode of our "Mental Health at Work" series, my colleague Jenn Mason and I tackled the critical distinction between being tired and being truly depleted. We start by defining burnout as work-related exhaustion that happens over time, while compassion fatigue comes from the emotional toll of over-identifying with the suffering of others. We contend as well, though, that depletion is a much deeper state that impacts your core motivation and ability to connect, going far beyond simple exhaustion. Jenn and I were candid about how leaders, even us, in our own trauma-informed mental health organization—often miss the signs of depletion in ourselves and our teams because the culture rewards "powering through". We also explore the invisible burdens and emotional labor that are so inherent in leadership roles. We believe that a human-centered approach requires building in practices for replenishment. We shared some of our own personal strategies, from recognizing physical stress signals in our bodies to taking small "pit stops" during the day. I also talked about how I started my "Freedom Fridays" (which I've talked about in previous episodes) to build in recovery time before our emotionally-demanding town hall meetings. Ultimately, we want leaders to understand that they must model these healthy behaviors to create psychological safety for their teams. By prioritizing recovery just as much as we prioritize performance, we can proactively address the root causes of depletion before they lead to bigger problems like disengagement and turnover. Stacie More episodes at StacieBaird.com.

What if we could rewrite the rules of abundance? That's the question I tackle in my latest "What If" episode of the podcast. I believe we're on the cusp of a new era, one where we can move beyond the old, scarcity-driven models and embrace a future of limitless possibility. In this episode, I explore what it would mean to have a world of abundance, not just in terms of material wealth, but in all aspects of our lives: health, happiness, and human connection. I challenge the zero-sum thinking that has held us back for too long and propose a new narrative, one where we can all thrive together. I don't have all the answers, but I'm asking the questions that I believe will lead us to a better future. So, join me on this journey of exploration and let's imagine what's possible when we unlock the power of abundance. Stacie More episodes at StacieBaird.com.

Hey, humans. I want to talk about something that so many of us struggle with, and that's the feeling of not being enough. This is a part three of a series called "What If". I highly recommend going back and listening to the previous two if you haven't heard them already. I know that shame spiral all too well; when my life shifted in a single moment almost ten years ago, I found myself in a very dark place, believing I was flawed and unworthy. And as Brené Brown's research shows, that's the difference between guilt—I did something bad—and shame, which is the belief that I am bad . Let me say that again: Guilt is 'I did something bad,' shame is 'I am bad'. So what if we could change that narrative? What if you truly believed, right now, that you are enough, because you already are? Your assignment this week is to find one moment, maybe even write it on your mirror like I do, and tell yourself, 'I am enough exactly as I am' . We have the power to control our own script, so let's start there. Stacie More episodes at StacieBaird.com.

What if you understood that control is just a myth? I know so many of us, especially when we look at the news or our social media feeds, can feel a sense of complete overwhelm, like the world is totally out of control. And in response, we try to control what we can to feel safe and grounded. But what if that feeling of control is just an illusion? In this episode of our "What If" series, I want to challenge your thought process on this. We can do things to have a better life, like drinking more water or taking more steps, but we don't actually control the entire outcome. Research on the locus of control and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) shows that while we can influence things, we must also accept what we cannot control and commit to our values-based actions. I'll give you an assignment at the end of the episode that will help identify these areas of control and what to do with it.  Thank you for listening, and I hope you have a beautiful week full of curiosity about your own areas of control. Stacie More episodes at StacieBaird.com.

Hey humans, welcome to "What If," a new, short-format summer mini-series. I know life is busy, so these episodes are five minutes or less, designed to help you focus inward. This week, we're tackling a feeling many of us have been made to feel: that we are "too much". Whether you've been called too emotional, too quiet, or too opinionated, these labels can cause us to internalize the message that we must shrink ourselves to be accepted. I struggled with this myself after being told for years that my intuition was irrelevant and I needed to rely only on data. But embracing our full selves is what leads to resilience and well-being. So, here is your assignment: write a letter to your younger self affirming the very parts of you that were once labeled "too much". The goal is to begin seeing that you are not, and never were, too much. It’s about reframing what was called "too emotional" into the compassion and love it truly represents. Enjoy, Stacie More episodes at StacieBaird.com.

Welcome back to the continuation of my conversation with Mike and Reggie about the human experience of AI. In the first part, we laid the groundwork by discussing how to get started and facing the philosophical questions and fears surrounding this technology. Now, we get into the really exciting applications, exploring how my guests have gone from beginners to power users, integrating AI into their work and lives in truly transformative ways. You'll hear how Reggie has used AI to build dozens of applications, consult on complex topics, and even find support during a personal health crisis. Mike shares how he is using groups of AI models, or 'agents,' to solve major business challenges and improve efficiency. We discuss the critical importance of using your own professional knowledge to guide these tools and avoid the pitfalls of AI "hallucination" and bias. We wrap up with a look toward the future, discussing the tools they are most excited about, from AI that can generate images from a sketch to AI that helps you remember every detail from a meeting. Stacie More episodes at StacieBaird.com.

On this special two-part episode of the HX Podcast, I’m so excited to be joined by two of my colleagues from CMS, Mike and Reggie. We dive deep into the human experience of artificial intelligence, starting not with the technology itself, but with the people who use it. Mike and Reggie share their personal histories and what drives them, from a passion for service to the constant search for a better work-life balance. We explore how so many of us have been taught that "hustle equals worth," and how AI, when used wisely, presents an opportunity to reclaim our time for more meaningful human interactions. My guests offer fantastic, practical advice for anyone feeling overwhelmed and wondering where to even begin with AI. We then tackle the big questions head-on, discussing the common fears around AI replacing jobs and the complex topic of AI consciousness, ultimately exploring what it truly means to be human in an age of rapidly advancing technology. Stacie More episodes at StacieBaird.com.

Hey humans! On this episode of the HX podcast, I wanted to talk to my fellow Gen Xers about something that was programmed into us back in our twenties: the idea that our worth is tied to our productivity.  I see it causing problems in business and in people's lives.  I know this from my own career in startups, where that hustle culture was rewarded and it hard-coded into me the belief that being exhausted meant I was doing a good job.  But I now know that's just not the truth, and it's time we challenge that thinking.  So, I'm asking you to focus on a few things this week.  I want you to ask yourself what would change if you valued rest as much as work, and know that you can seek support if this is a struggle.  Remember, you are valuable because of who you are, not because of what you produce.  Your value is intrinsically amazing. Stacie More episodes at StacieBaird.com.

Hey humans! In this episode, as we continue our series on 'Assuming Positive Intent,' I'm diving further into a topic I believe is one of the most challenging things we navigate: the duality between victimhood and accountability. To pick up from last week, I really break down what victimhood looks like – that mindset rooted in an external locus of control, where we might blame others or circumstances, often stemming from past adversity or trauma, and I don't want to minimize that. I explore the significant costs of this mindset, especially in our workplaces—how it erodes trust, blocks progress, and reduces psychological safety—to really lay the foundation for why understanding this is so critical before we talk about how to shift towards accountability in our next episode. Stacie More episodes at StacieBaird.com.

In this episode of my 'Assuming Positive Intent' series, I wanted to share a personal insight that really struck me, especially as I've been feeling a bit exhausted from a big push at work. I talk about the crucial difference between falling into a 'victimhood' mindset and practicing 'self-compassion,' and I offer one simple but powerful shift I've been using. I'm finding this helps me foster empathy and move from that reactive place to one of empowerment - I hope that it helps you, too! Stacie More episodes at StacieBaird.com.