HR Superstars

Mental health is a priority for many organizations, but knowing how to talk about it is still one of leadership's biggest challenges. In this episode of HR Superstars, Karina Young sits down with Melissa Doman, organizational psychologist and author of the "Cornered Office: Why We Need to Talk About Leadership Mental Health". They discuss what it takes to make mental health a true leadership competency. Melissa shares practical frameworks for having better workplace conversations, navigating mental health with confidence and care, and helping leaders build healthier, higher-performing teams. You'll learn: Why mental health should be treated as a leadership competency How managers can support employees without crossing professional boundaries How HR can make the business case for investing in workplace mental health Join us as we discuss: (00:00) Meet HR Superstar: Melissa Doman (05:44) Why leaders avoid mental health conversations (09:40) Mental health vs. mental illness at work (18:53) The business case for workplace mental health (26:10) What great mental health leadership looks like (31:03) How managers can support without becoming therapists (37:36) Building an evergreen culture of mental health (40:30) Starting the mental health conversation with a self-audit Resources: For the entire interview, subscribe to HR Superstars on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube, or tune in on our website. Original podcast track produced by Entheo. Listening on a desktop & can't see the links? Just search for HR Superstars in your favorite podcast player. Hear Karina's thoughts on elevating your HR career by following her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karinayoung11/ Download 15Five's Manager Enablement Playbook: https://www.15five.com/resources/ebook/15fives-manager-enablement-playbook-for-hr-leaders?hsLang=en?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=2026_Podcast&utm_content=ebook For more on maximizing employee performance, engagement, and retention, click here: https://www.15five.com/demo?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=Q2-Podcast-Ads&utm_content=Schedule-a-demo Melissa Doman's LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/melissadoman1 Cornered Office: Why We Need to Talk About Leadership Mental Health: https://www.amazon.com/Cornered-Office-Leadership-Mental-Health/dp/139435035X Yes, You Can Talk About Mental Health at Work: Here's Why… and How to Do it Really Well: https://www.amazon.com/Talk-About-Mental-Health-Work/dp/1789563038 Mental Health at Work Conversational Literacy: https://www.melissadoman.com/blog/conversational-literacy-for-mental-health-at-work

Introducing new values doesn't change culture. New conditions do. In this episode of HR Superstars, Karina Young speaks with Paula Brockwell, founder and lead psychologist of The Employee Experience Project. They discuss why culture is something you design, not declare, and why so many culture initiatives stall six months after the big announcement. There's no single definition of a good culture, only the one that's right for your business. To find it, Paula shares how HR teams should build change around what the business needs right now, not an aspirational version years away. From there, she breaks down why getting specific about non-negotiables matters and how organizations can shape the conditions that actually drive behavior. You'll learn: Why building the conditions for change matters more than the change itself How to get your leaders to model what you're asking for Why slowing down on AI transformation can be the fastest path forward Join us as we discuss: (00:00) Meet HR Superstar: Paula Brockwell (03:17) Aspirational culture goals set leaders up to fail (10:26) Why unwanted behaviors flourish (14:47) Change fails without fixing the system first (16:46) Turning leaders into true enablers (23:33) The psychological contract between employer and employee (31:13) Why AI transformation needs a pause before scaling (33:41) How to pick the right cultural mode for your business Resources: For the entire interview, subscribe to HR Superstars on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube, or tune in on our website. Original podcast track produced by Entheo. Listening on a desktop & can't see the links? Just search for HR Superstars in your favorite podcast player. Hear Karina's thoughts on elevating your HR career by following her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karinayoung11/ Download 15Five's HR Leader's Guide to Reducing Regrettable Turnover: https://www.15five.com/resources/ebook/guide-to-reducing-regrettable-turnover?hsLang=en?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=Q4_2025_CTA&utm_content=turnover For more on maximizing employee performance, engagement, and retention, click here: https://www.15five.com/demo?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=Q2-Podcast-Ads&utm_content=Schedule-a-demo Paula Brockwell's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulabrockwell/ The Employee Experience Project: https://theexproject.com/

We've been taught to picture career growth as a straight line upward. That's not how careers actually unfold. In this episode of HR Superstars, Karina Young speaks with Brittany Storie, Product Advisor and Sales Leader at AllVoices. They discuss how HR leaders can build a more flexible approach to career growth in a workforce where linear paths are no longer the norm. Brittany shares why companies should be honest about the fact that employees may eventually leave—and how that honesty can build trust, strengthen performance, and create lasting alumni relationships. She also explains how employees can take ownership of their growth and what HR leaders can do to create more human workplaces. You'll learn: How to talk openly with employees about their growth at the company How HR leaders can think beyond the org chart for employee development Why hiring needs to recognize nonlinear resumes and nontraditional career paths Join us as we discuss: (00:00) Meet HR Superstar: Brittany Storie (02:58) The traditional career ladder is outdated (06:19) How to build trust with new hires about career growth (11:24) The value of a strong alumni network (13:28) Going beyond traditional paths for employee development (17:22) Psychological safety and trust with employees (22:06) Hiring for nonlinear, nontraditional career paths (27:42) The need for internal champions to drive culture change Resources: For the entire interview, subscribe to HR Superstars on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube, or tune in on our website. Original podcast track produced by Entheo. Listening on a desktop & can't see the links? Just search for HR Superstars in your favorite podcast player. Hear Karina's thoughts on elevating your HR career by following her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karinayoung11/ Download 15Five's Employee Engagement Playbook: https://www.15five.com/ebook/engage-to-excel-15fives-employee-engagement-playbook/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=Q2_2023_Podcast_CTAs&utm_content=Employee For more on maximizing employee performance, engagement, and retention, click here: https://www.15five.com/demo?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=Q2-Podcast-Ads&utm_content=Schedule-a-demo Brittany Storie's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittanystorie/

What do you do when your highest-performing employee is also creating tension across the team? HR leaders often face the difficult choice of tolerating harmful behavior because of someone's results or taking action and risking the loss of valuable expertise. In this episode of HR Superstars, Karina Young sits down with Diana Lowe, executive coach, author, and founder of Blue Light Leadership. They discuss why changing workplace behavior is so difficult and how leaders can create the conditions for meaningful growth. Diana shares why difficult behavior is often more complex than it appears and how HR leaders can use curiosity, accountability, and empathy to help leaders grow and teams thrive. You'll learn: How to find the root cause of difficult behavior How to hold high performers accountable with empathy, not punishment How to drive change through internal motivation Join us as we discuss: (00:00) Meet HR Superstar: Diana Lowe (04:22) Difficult behavior is a system problem (15:15) The "iceberg" of behavior: what we don't see (19:51) How to coach and provide feedback to leaders (24:34) Holding the line between empathy and accountability (34:20) The next step for HR leaders Resources: For the entire interview, subscribe to HR Superstars on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube, or tune in on our website. Original podcast track produced by Entheo. Listening on a desktop & can't see the links? Just search for HR Superstars in your favorite podcast player. Hear Karina's thoughts on elevating your HR career by following her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karinayoung11/ Download 15Five's Performance Review Playbook: https://www.15five.com/ebook/review-process-playbook?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=Q2_2023_Podcast_CTAs&utm_content=Performance For more on maximizing employee performance, engagement, and retention, click here: https://www.15five.com/demo?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=Q2-Podcast-Ads&utm_content=Schedule-a-demo Diana Lowe's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianaelowe/

High performance has traditionally been measured by individual output, but that definition is starting to change. In this episode of HR Superstars, Karina Young continues her conversation with Chris Walker, entrepreneur and author of The Frequency Era. They discuss why companies need to move beyond measuring individual output, how hiring practices can better identify potential, and how HR leaders can recognize the people who elevate the performance of those around them. Listen as Chris shares his perspective on building organizations where people continue to grow, evolve, and create meaningful impact in a rapidly changing workplace. You'll learn: Why traditional performance metrics are becoming outdated How HR can move beyond training programs to shape culture, behavior, and leadership effectiveness How to create a hiring process that better reflects the realities of modern work Join us as we discuss: (00:00) Meet HR Superstar: Chris Walker (00:38) Why leaders should trace every problem back to the top (04:17) The quality of your people is your biggest strategic advantage (06:53) How to treat skills as trainable capacities (11:29) Measuring the ROI of your people (14:58) How HR business partners can help unlock unique capabilities (18:35) Why resumes are ineffective as a primary way to filter candidates (22:50) Trial-based hiring models to assess talent Resources: For the entire interview, subscribe to HR Superstars on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube, or tune in on our website. Original podcast track produced by Entheo. Listening on a desktop & can't see the links? Just search for HR Superstars in your favorite podcast player. Hear Karina's thoughts on elevating your HR career by following her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karinayoung11/ Download 15Five's Manager Enablement Playbook: https://www.15five.com/resources/ebook/15fives-manager-enablement-playbook-for-hr-leaders?hsLang=en?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=2026_Podcast&utm_content=ebook For more on maximizing employee performance, engagement, and retention, click here: https://www.15five.com/demo?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=Q2-Podcast-Ads&utm_content=Schedule-a-demo Chris Walker's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chriswalker171/ The Frequency Era: https://www.amazon.com/Frequency-Era-Chris-Walker-ebook/dp/B0GXGBWSWQ