In this episode of Success Leaves Clues, hosts Robin and Al are joined by Naomi Titleman, Co-Founder of future foHRward and former CHRO of American Express Canada, for a deeply thoughtful conversation about leadership, HR, and what it truly means to make work better in today’s complex world.

Naomi shares her journey from consulting at Deloitte to senior HR leadership at American Express, and eventually to building future foHRward, a consultancy and community dedicated to empowering HR leaders to lead with empathy, curiosity, and courage. She offers a refreshingly human perspective on HR’s evolving role, explaining why the function is no longer about policy and gatekeeping, but about supercharging human performance.

Together, they explore the realities of modern leadership, including the loneliness of senior HR roles, the tension between flexibility and productivity, and why culture lives or dies through day-to-day leadership behavior. Naomi also dives into how AI can free HR leaders from administrative overload, allowing them to focus more deeply on people, relationships, and critical thinking.

The conversation wraps with a powerful reflection on legacy, mentorship, and the responsibility today’s leaders have to plant trees for future generations, even when they may never sit in the shade themselves.

This episode is an insightful, grounded exploration of leadership, culture, and the future of work through a human-centered lens.

You’ll hear about:

• Naomi’s journey from consulting to CHRO to co-founding future foHRward
• Why HR leadership can be deeply lonely at the senior level
• What it truly means to “make work better”
• The shift from efficiency to effectiveness in leadership
• Why culture is shaped by everyday leadership behavior, not slogans
• The real meaning of flexibility and hybrid work
• How asking and listening builds trust inside organizations
• Why leaders must own people outcomes, not outsource them to HR
• How AI can enhance, not replace, the human side of HR
• Planting long-term impact through mentorship and leadership

We talk about:

• 00:00 Introduction
• 03:30 From consulting to American Express Canada
• 05:30 Founding future foHRward and building an HR community
• 08:00 Why HR leadership can feel isolating
• 10:00 Supercharging human performance
• 12:30 Flexibility, hybrid work, and the power of “and”
• 15:00 Leadership effectiveness versus efficiency
• 17:30 Culture, wellbeing, and day-to-day employee experience
• 19:30 Asking employees for feedback and actually listening
• 22:00 Handling feedback you cannot act on immediately
• 24:30 Common blind spots organizations still face
• 26:30 AI, automation, and the future of HR
• 29:00 Preserving the human in human resources
• 31:00 Planting trees through mentorship and legacy leadership
• 33:00 Final reflections on purpose and making work better

Connect with Naomi

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naomititlemancolla/
• Website: https://www.futurefohrward.com/

Connect with Us

• LinkedIn: Robin Bailey and Al McDonald
• Website: Aria Benefits and Life & Legacy Advisory Group