People Strategy Forum
Sam Reeve & Char Miller & Sumit Singla
Every great leader inspires, motivates and rewards their people for performance. Welcome to the People Strategy Forum podcast, a show that guides leaders to elevate the workforce. People are at the heart of successful organizations. Team members’ well-being and career development are essential. This show discusses practical and effective leadership strategies for top executives, senior professionals, and talent managers. Aligning employer and employee objectives is a must. Every team member needs to feel fulfilled and satisfied in order to be fully productive and accountable. This show helps leaders create an engaged workforce that is happily accomplishing daily responsibilities and committed to the organization’s future success. Episodes focus on innovative and integrated talent management tools, including employee recognition, compensation, and development, as well as strategies for building a healthy workplace culture and improving the workforce experience. On a deeper level, the podcast centers around attracting, growing and retaining top talent. It addresses employee motivation, communication, performance, productivity and the genuine human connections that are essential for every successful organization. Each team member brings their own unique strengths, talents, interests, and passions. By touching on these personal areas, leaders create an environment where employees perform at their best. Sam Reeve, Howard Nizewitz, and Sumit Singla host the podcast. Sam has 20-years of diverse compensation experience at leading firms. His time at Barclays, BlackRock, and Automatic Data Processing (ADP) allowed him to see companies evolve from the startup phase to rapidly growing to mature organizations Sumit has over 15 years of talent management practice across different sectors. His expertise in organizational framework, design thinking, performance management, and business storytelling is unparalleled. He is a favorite speaker at talent management conferences and events across the country. With these three forward-thinking, passionate people professionals at the helm of the podcast, talent-centric organizations can find relevant and helpful advice. Special guest co-hosts thought-leaders impart essential tips for making every workplace inspiring and rewarding. Beyond theoretical ideas, these experts share experiences as business leaders that shed light on overcoming challenges and celebrating wins. Even with generous budgets and advanced tools, having the right team in place is crucial to achieving goals and succeeding. By putting effective programs in place, leaders can expect deeper connections that result in healthy working relationships that spell success across the organization. Join Sam Reeve, Howard Nizewitz, and Sumit Singla on the People Strategy Forum podcast and learn the keys to elevating the workforce.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Dec 29, 2025 • 32min
Celeste Warren - The Culture Reset: Why Fairness Is Your Hidden Performance Engine
Ready to understand the real engine of a high-performing company? We're taking a deep dive into the critical culture reset and uncovering why fairness is your organization's greatest hidden performance asset. Join us as we chat with Celeste Warren, a globally recognized leader in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, who now runs a consulting practice dedicated to integrating inclusive practices into people strategies and business operations. Celeste breaks down the most common equity blind spots across talent systems—from the "lazy" route of AI recruiting to combatting proximity bias in performance reviews and ensuring you hire for long-term potential, not just "fit for purpose." This conversation simplifies the complex, providing pragmatic, actionable advice to help every leader build a genuinely equitable and innovative workplace.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!
Dec 26, 2025 • 37min
Jolynn D. Ledgerwood - The Human Side Of AI: Redefining Workflows One Brick At A Time
Workplaces should not always be all about serious work – sometimes, you also need a bit of fun to keep your sanity and identify areas of improvement in the most interesting ways. Joining the People Strategy Forum is Jolynn D. Ledgerwood, Founder of Elevate Your Talent, who shares how she uses LEGO® bricks to redefine and elevate workflows and systems. She emphasizes the need for real human connection to break through limiting beliefs and redesign organizational strategies, particularly in this age of AI and automation. Jolynn also explains how to address AI anxiety and the right way to tap into your creative brainpower to build a better and more human workplace.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!
Dec 22, 2025 • 35min
Colleen Stanley - Be The Mentor Who Mattered
Before they can achieve success, every great leader needs someone to teach them about mastering their craft and building their confidence. But in today’s world of rapid change, social disconnection, and digital overload, is mentorship disappearing? Colleen Stanley, a highly respected leadership expert, joins the People Strategy Forum to explore the crisis in mentorship we are experiencing in this age of automation. Discussing her book, "Be The Mentor Who Mattered," she presents practical habits leaders can integrate into their daily lives to rekindle the spark of mentorship culture. Colleen also discusses how to maintain genuine connections despite the rampant use of AI tools, putting human mentorship at the center of ever-evolving tech innovation.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!
Nov 25, 2025 • 34min
Darryl Stickel Ph.D. - Trust Under Pressure: How Leaders Break Silence And Inspire Performance
Trust under pressure isn’t just a leadership challenge, it’s a defining moment that determines whether teams shut down or rise together. In this conversation, Darryl Stickel, Ph.D., shares the lessons behind decades of research, advising government leaders, executives, and communities on how trust breaks, how it’s rebuilt, and why silence, uncertainty, and fear are often symptoms of unmet emotional and psychological needs rather than resistance. He breaks down his ten trust-building levers, the difference between ability, integrity, and benevolence, and how leaders can reduce uncertainty, create psychological safety, and open space for honest dialogue and performance. Whether you’re navigating change, leading through complexity, or rebuilding confidence after breakdown, this episode offers a grounded, human framework for restoring trust and strengthening relationships.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!
Nov 24, 2025 • 43min
Allister Frost - Future-Ready Leadership In An AI World: How Mindset Drives Performance
Future-ready leadership begins with mindset, not machines. This conversation with Allister Frost brings that truth into sharp focus. In this powerful discussion, Allister shares his journey from leading digital strategy at Microsoft to helping global leaders navigate a rapidly accelerating AI world without losing their humanity, clarity, or confidence. He breaks down why tools alone cannot transform culture, why many organizations are unknowingly building the wrong AI strategy, and why curiosity, communication, and creativity have become the essential skills for the modern workforce. Allister also introduces the ReadyAlready® Growth Cycle, his simple framework for staying adaptable, innovative, and grounded through constant technological change. This is a practical, energizing roadmap for anyone preparing themselves, their teams, and their organizations for what comes next.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!
Nov 23, 2025 • 35min
Chinmay Malaviya - Purpose That Moves People: How Sustainable Rewards Retain Top Talent
One of the best ways to retain the best talent in your organization is to constantly make them feel seen and appreciated. By providing sustainable rewards on a regular basis, you help ensure that everyone in the team finds purpose and fulfilment in the work that they do. Joining the People Strategy Forum is Chinmay Malaviya, co-founder and CEO of Ridepanda, which provides personal e-bikes and scooters as a form of company benefit. He explains how this type of employee perk crushes commute stress, lowers parking costs, and helps cut down carbon emissions. Chinmay also presents strategies on rolling out this reward program in their own organizations successfully, inspiring everyone to live healthier lives inside and outside of work.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!
Aug 29, 2025 • 41min
Ryan Englin - Creating A Magnetic Culture
A truly magnetic culture doesn’t happen by accident—it’s built through intentional hiring, onboarding, and retention. Ryan Englin, CEO of Core Matters and author of Hire Better People Faster, shares how his Core Fit Hiring System helps small businesses attract the right people, inspire long-term loyalty, and become employers of choice. From shifting recruiting out of HR and into marketing, to creating onboarding that drives performance, to aligning company goals with employees’ personal dreams, Englin lays out the blueprint for cultivating a workplace culture so magnetic that top talent seeks it out.
Jul 27, 2025 • 41min
Michael Wenderoth - Partners In Progress: Empowering Teams For Promotion And Growth
Getting a promotion at work requires more than just hard work. It demands a strategic understanding of power, politics, and influence. Michael Wenderoth, an executive coach, Stanford MBA, host of the 97% Effective podcast, and author of Get Promoted, challenges the common belief that promotions come solely from merit. He emphasizes the importance of developing relationships, understanding power dynamics, and utilizing politics and influence ethically. Michael shares a three-step roadmap and a snowball strategy. This path helps build credibility, expand your network, and gain momentum without compromising your values. He provides essential insights for individuals seeking career advancement. He also helps leaders cultivate a culture of promotion and retention.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!
Jul 26, 2025 • 48min
Dr. Larry Schooler - Making Conflict Your Friend: Embracing Healthy Workplace Dynamics
Avoiding conflict at all costs may not always be the best course of action to take for your organization. Sometimes, you can use it as your greatest leadership tool. Dr. Larry Schooler of The University of Texas at Austin joins the People Strategy Forum to discuss how healthy conflict can unlock creativity, deepen trust, and reenergize a workplace culture. He explains the right way to manage emotional temperature and the importance of clear communication in dealing with conflict. Dr. Larry also explores the future role of AI tools in conflict management, forever transforming how humans resolve their differences.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!
Jul 25, 2025 • 36min
Frankie Berkoben - Leveraging Your Strengths To Minimize Friction In Your Leadership
Leadership is often riddled with a long list of challenges and problems, and these lead to tons of friction. Frankie Berkoben, executive coach for overwhelmed and ADHD leaders in tech, explores how to turn cognitive chaos into creative brilliance. In this conversation with People Strategy Forum, she explains how understanding your executive functions and taking care of your human operating systems can help you work flawlessly even during your most stressful moments. Frankie also emphasizes why having a neurodivergent mind should be seen not as a leadership setback but as a superpower that unlocks even bigger opportunities.
