
Honest HR
Honest HR is the go-to podcast for aspiring and informed HR professionals intent on transforming workplace challenges into golden opportunities. Hosted by Nicole Belyna, Monique Akanbi, and Wendy Fong, this podcast brings you insights, trends, and actionable advice through relatable stories from the REAL world of HR.
Latest episodes

Oct 9, 2018 • 23min
Building Credibility: Come Prepared, Build Mutually Beneficial Partnerships and If All Else Fails Try Welding feat. Claire Petrie
Callie sits down with Claire Petrie at SHRM's 2018 Leadership Development Forum (LDF) to discuss building credibility as a young professional. Along the way, they dig in on failing royally, acting like "a deer in the headlights" and mutually beneficial partnerships like mentoring. Listen in for tips on how to build your own credibility and put failure in perspective.

Sep 24, 2018 • 31min
Living the HR Department of One Life feat. Drew Cherry, SHRM-CP
Callie and Drew talk The Office, being a DOO (Department of One) and HR as a calling not a career.

Sep 18, 2018 • 35min
PD as the Momentum in Your Career feat. Katie Powers, SHRM-SCP
Callie talks to Katie about professional development and the importance of failure, Katie tells Callie how her boss asked her to be "an empathetic, discerning human being" in her role.

Sep 10, 2018 • 2min
An Honest Update: Thanks for Holding Tight, We've Got a Lot Coming at You Soon
Callie gives an update on the podcast and explains why we've been MIA in recent weeks. Tune in for this update and teaser on what's to come...

Aug 13, 2018 • 27min
Always Ask and Stay Curious feat. Lorena Pabon, SHRM-CP
Callie talks to Lorena about asking for the type of experience you want to gain. Being upfront about your professional goals, knowing when an organization is a good fit or not and negotiating.

Aug 6, 2018 • 33min
Bottom Line: Org Change is Hard feat. SHRM President & CEO Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP
Callie and Deanna talk to Johnny about leadership change, how it impacts organizations, the importance of getting managers on-board and HR's role. Together they "pull back the curtain" on the org change happening at SHRM and the need for initiatives like the culture club.

Jul 30, 2018 • 24min
The Best Bosses: Lead by Example, Show Empathy and Listen feat. Beth Lambrecht, SHRM-CP
Callie and Deanna talk about the good, bad and the ugly of bosses with guest Beth Lambrecht. Beth talk about faking it until you make it on stretch projects and the importance of feedback, being accountable and humble.

Jul 23, 2018 • 23min
What It Means to Be Agile: Collaborative Teams, Cohesive Environments and Transparency feat. Dan Van De Voorde, SHRM-CP
Callie talks to Dan Van De Voorde about his experience working in an agile organization, failing fast and moving on and staying on top of your game. Dan, "The Rare Millennial," gives the audience a look at his career thus far and describes how working outside of HR helped him cultivate his unique perspective as an HR pro.

Jul 16, 2018 • 20min
Be a Generalist and a Specialist and Don't Forget to Celebrate the "Wins" feat. Stephanie Mardell
Callie and Deanna talk with Stephanie Mardell, VP of People at Button, about building teams and the importance of developing a thoughtful, intentional recruitment process in a start-up environment. They also get into managers--the people who make or break employee engagement and how it's important to be a generalist AND a specialist. Oh, and one more thing, grit.

Jun 5, 2018 • 17min
Tell Us Your "Why" and Make Sure to Find Your Passion feat. Sam Sanders, SHRM-CP
Callie and Deanna talk finding your passion and your "why" with Sam Sanders, SHRM-CP, Director of People and Culture at Metronome LLC.