Jeff Harnois speaks with Valerie Workman about leadership courage, confidence, and how organizations must evolve during periods of transformation.

The conversation explores imposter syndrome, women in leadership, and how AI will reshape HR and workforce development.

Marissa Levin shares her journey of building and exiting multiple companies and the identity transformation that followed.

This episode explores conscious leadership, psychological safety, trust, Enneagram, and the cultural implications of AI.

A practical conversation for leaders serious about transformation.

What separates capable leaders from transformational leaders is not confidence. It is audacity.

This episode explores how leadership action drives organizational transformation and measurable business results. You will hear real executive case studies, leadership interventions that improved retention, and communication strategies that changed team performance.

Learn how executive courage influences succession planning, decision-making, and organizational growth. Discover how conflict competence improves results and why silence inside organizations creates financial risk.

If you lead teams, manage transformation, or build organizational capability, this episode gives you practical leadership tools you can apply immediately.

Welcome to the Transformational Leadership Podcast, where senior leaders share real-world experiences building high-performance organizations in complex, high-pressure environments.

In this episode, host Jeff Harnois is joined by Richard Finger, Vice President of Human Resources at Broadmead Inc. Richard brings deep experience from leading large-scale HR transformations, including his work at Bristol-Myers Squibb, where he played a critical role during the years leading up to the loss of patent protection for Plavix — the company’s flagship pharmaceutical product at the time.

The conversation explores how organizations prepare for major inflection points, including large-scale restructuring, business spin-offs, and reinvention at global scale. Richard shares lessons from leading workforce transformation across tens of thousands of employees, navigating uncertainty, and aligning people strategy with long-term business outcomes.

This episode offers a candid look at leadership during disruption, the role of HR in enterprise transformation, and what it takes to guide organizations through change while maintaining performance, culture, and trust.

00:00 – Welcome to the Transformational Leadership Podcast 00:27 – Podcast mission and focus on real leadership stories 00:42 – Introduction of host Jeff Harnois 01:15 – Introducing Richard Finger and his leadership background 01:53 – Setting the context: Bristol-Myers Squibb and Plavix 02:34 – The market impact of patent expiration 03:15 – Scale and complexity of a global organization 04:12 – Preparing for transformation years in advance 06:08 – Workforce implications of large-scale change 09:42 – Leading HR transformation in complex environments 13:55 – Spin-offs, restructuring, and organizational redesign 18:30 – Leadership lessons from enterprise transformation 23:44 – Balancing execution, culture, and performance 28:16 – The evolving role of HR as a strategic function 33:05 – Applying transformation lessons across industries 38:12 – Final reflections on leadership and change

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How do you transform HR in a 9,000-employee, multi-billion dollar healthcare organization while reducing turnover by 11% and increasing engagement by 24%? Billy Parsons, a transformational CHRO with 65+ M&A integrations under his belt, shares the playbook.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction to Billy Parsons

02:24 - The Challenge: 9,000 Employees, 725 Locations

03:26 - Current State: Built for Call Centers, Not Clinical Enterprise

05:25 - Deep Evidence-Based Review: Finding the Hotspots

06:15 - Resistance: The "Second Job" Problem

08:34 - Cultural Friction Post-M&A

11:11 - Structural Barriers: Google to Microsoft Transition

13:18 - Managing Change Fatigue with 135-Question Survey

15:13 - The "Dirty Dozen": Frontline Manager Advisory Group

19:12 - Employee Experience Council: 30 Frontline Voices

21:23 - Decentralizing HR: From Black Hole to Business Partners

24:21 - Manager Enablement vs. Care Provider Empowerment

27:30 - Foundational Changes: 900 Job Titles to Less Than Half

29:12 - On-Demand Pay System: 50% of Completed Work Every Friday

30:43 - Results: 11% Turnover Reduction in Year One

31:12 - 24% Engagement Increase in One Year

32:17 - Organizational Upskilling: First Large-Scale L&D Program

34:45 - Position Management System for Better Forecasting

35:16 - Recognition Platform: The Game Changer

38:11 - Points System: Patients & Doctors Worth 5X More

39:35 - Results: From 100 to 2,000+ Recognitions in Month One

41:15 - Creating Unified Company Culture Across Regions

42:35 - Gamification: Regional Competition & Pride Building

44:20 - Advice for HR Professionals: Jump In, Even If You're Not "Ready"

46:12 - Best Advice Not Taken: Join Organizations That Appreciate You

Transformation Results:

📉 11% reduction in turnover (Year 1)

📈 24% increase in engagement (Year 1)

🎯 10,000+ recognitions in first quarter (vs. 100/month baseline)

👥 1,500 patient recognitions in first 90 days

💰 Improved Net Promoter Scores despite starting at saturation

🏗️ 900 job titles reduced to 450

💵 On-demand pay system serving hourly workforce

#HRTransformation #HealthcareHR #ChangeManagement #EmployeeEngagement #McKinsey #RecognitionPlatform #TurnoverReduction #OrganizationalEffectiveness #CHRO #PeopleOperations #EmployeeExperience #CultureTransformation

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👍 LIKE if you're leading organizational change!

💬 COMMENT What's your biggest HR transformation challenge?

📤 SHARE with CHROs and HR leaders!

#TransformationalLeadership #HRLeadership #OrganizationalChange #ExecutiveLeadership

In this episode of Transformational Leadership, host Jeff Haar Noyes is joined by Jennifer Kozel, Founder and CEO of The Guevarra Group, for a powerful conversation on leadership, blind spots, and human-centered transformation.

Jennifer shares her unconventional yet deeply impactful approach to executive development — including the use of equine-assisted learning to surface leadership blind spots in ways traditional workshops never could. Through vivid real-world stories, she explains how awareness, presence, and relationship-building can unlock transformation at both the individual and organizational level.

The episode also dives into Jennifer’s experience addressing complex employee relations challenges, where shifting perspective — not policy — created lasting change. From navigating conflict with empathy to leading large-scale HR transformation inside a 100-year-old, high-growth organization, Jennifer offers a grounded and deeply human perspective on what it truly means to lead.

This conversation is essential for leaders navigating change, culture, and growth — especially those willing to look inward first.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Welcome to Transformational Leadership

00:28 – Introducing Jennifer Kozel

01:32 – Why experiential learning matters in leadership

02:04 – Using horses in executive development

03:05 – A real-world equine leadership story

04:12 – Leadership blind spots revealed

05:11 – Frustration, control, and awareness

06:24 – The “blind spot” moment

07:13 – Applying insights back at work

08:20 – Transforming how leaders assign work

09:13 – Experiential learning vs classroom learning

09:46 – Managing difficult employees

10:50 – When conflict escalates

12:06 – Leadership stress and physical toll

13:15 – A transformative personal experience

14:24 – Shifting perspective and energy

15:00 – Rebuilding trust through curiosity

16:11 – Seeing employees as people

17:37 – Leadership transformation starts within

18:29 – Ripple effects across teams

19:34 – Psychometrics and human behavior

20:55 – “When the student is ready…”

22:08 – Expanding leadership capacity

23:36 – Unlocking hidden potential

24:26 – Transforming HR in a 100-year-old company

26:13 – Building HR foundations from scratch

27:19 – Culture, recognition, and growth

28:12 – Leader development as retention strategy

29:41 – Overcoming resistance to HR

32:37 – Trust, credibility, and relationships

35:23 – Vision, alignment, and execution

38:03 – Coaching as a catalyst

39:51 – Best advice Jennifer ignored

41:10 – Self-care and leadership sustainability

42:27 – From Navy service to HR leadership

44:18 – Advice for the next generation

46:03 – Talking to yourself kindly

47:00 – How to connect with Jennifer

48:13 – Final thoughts & closing

🎧 CALL TO ACTION

👉 Subscribe to Transformational Leadership for real-world stories from leaders driving meaningful change.

👍 Like the episode and share it with a leader navigating growth or transformation.

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💬 Join the conversation in the comments below.

In this episode of Transformational Leadership, host Jeff Harnois sits down with Theresa Hilsen, Director of Leadership Enablement & Communications at Sony Interactive Entertainment — the company behind PlayStation.

Theresa has spent her career inside highly matrixed, technical organizations, acting as a trusted partner to senior executives through transformation, culture shifts, leadership development, and organizational change.

From enabling leaders to become “multipliers,” to aligning culture with lived values, to elevating technical teams beyond linear thinking — this episode goes deep into the realities of transformation inside complex environments.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Welcome to Transformational Leadership

00:28 – No fluff: frameworks, stories, results

00:58 – Meet Theresa Hilsen, Director at PlayStation

01:27 – Transformation, technical leaders & failing fast

01:53 – Espoused vs. lived values

02:21 – Leadership enablement in a matrixed business

02:47 – Evolving from HR to embedded business partner

03:12 – Understanding what keeps leaders up at night

03:37 – Changing leadership behavior and culture

04:18 – Working inside highly technical environments

04:51 – The HR seat at the table & shifting the model

05:17 – Becoming a true partner to senior executives

05:45 – Leadership whisperer role explained

06:20 – Translating engineering thinking to people impact

07:00 – Humanizing transformation

07:35 – New leader sessions: structure & purpose

08:29 – What keeps the leader up at night?

09:34 – Giving teams a voice & building agreements

10:30 – Simplicity & alignment accelerate transformation

11:17 – Current state vs desired state

12:11 – Failing fast: are you rewarding it?

12:47 – Culture, reactions, and psychological safety

13:11 – Divergence between what we say and what we do

13:59 – Trust, alignment and accountability

14:46 – The coaching mirror

15:33 – Wins: alignment, pace & transformation success

16:23 – Organizational shifts and technology change

17:00 – Back row to front: pushing and cheering

17:59 – People-first leadership at Sony

18:29 – Working for leaders who believe in people

19:17 – Senior VP Paul Walsh and lived values

19:46 – Up-leveling technical leaders

20:14 – Beyond training: how to stretch teams

20:50 – Liz Wiseman’s multipliers & the rubber band

21:37 – Stretching beyond perceived limits

22:16 – The reality of what’s possible

22:43 – Psychology, energy & startups

23:05 – Leaders who think technically & humanizing it

24:24 – Navy SEAL mindset: seven more reps

25:16 – Career foundation & path to Sony

26:14 – Technical leaders + human perspective

27:02 – Best advice she didn’t take

27:50 – Impact is greater than making the boss look good

28:42 – Prioritizing business needs

29:22 – Connect with Theresa on LinkedIn

29:40 – Closing & invitation to subscribe

30:06 – Like, subscribe, review & share

🎧 CALL TO ACTION

👉 If this episode resonated, subscribe for more leadership conversations.

👍 Leave a comment and join the discussion.

🔔 Turn on notifications so you don’t miss upcoming episodes.

📩 Share this with someone leading transformation today.

In this powerful episode of Transformational Leadership, host Jeff Harnois sits down with Miriam Del Angel, former VP of Human Resources at Ronstad Enterprises and current founder of LML People Consulting. With executive leadership experience at Arthur Andersen, Microsoft, Accenture, Deloitte, EY, PWC, and Grant Thornton, Miriam shares battle-tested strategies for transforming employee engagement in complex, global organizations.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 - Introduction: Meet Miriam Del Angel

02:15 - The Ronstad Challenge: Monthly to Quarterly Engagement Surveys

04:30 - Creating an Employee-Led Engagement Committee

07:45 - Why Recognition Was the Global Common Theme

10:20 - Formalizing the Initiative with Governance and Accountability

13:40 - Results: Significant Improvement in One Quarter

16:00 - Wellbeing Champions and Communication Gaps

19:15 - The Surprising Discovery: Benefits Already Existed

22:30 - The PWC Southwest Story: Lowest Scores for 3-5 Years

25:45 - Why Traditional Focus Groups Were Failing

28:00 - The Radical Approach: Interviewing Every Employee

31:20 - Three Months, 300+ Conversations

34:40 - Presenting Difficult Feedback to Defensive Leadership

38:15 - First Time Moving Out of the Red Zone

41:00 - The Importance of Leadership Modeling Behavior

44:30 - Working Across Global Cultures: Trust-Based vs Task-Based

47:45 - Miriam's Origin Story: How She Got Into HR

51:20 - Working Remote Before It Was Cool

53:40 - Book: "Latinas in Corporate"

56:30 - Key Takeaways and Final Thoughts

Key Frameworks Discussed:

• Building trust through 1-on-1 engagement vs. traditional focus groups

• Creating diversity in committees by level, geography, and function

• The importance of governance and regular check-ins for transformation initiatives

• Setting expectations with documentation and contingency plans

• Leadership modeling as essential to behavioral change

• About Miriam: Author of "Latinas in Corporate: Overcoming Cultural

• Obstacles While Juggling a Career and Family" and co-author of the

• Latinas Rising Up in HR series. Miriam has dedicated her career to people-first leadership and creating meaningful organizational change.

Resources:

Website: latinasincorporate.com

Book: Available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble

LinkedIn: Miriam Del Angel

Perfect for: HR Leaders, Change Management Professionals, Executives, People Managers, Organizational Development Practitioners

#employeeengagement #TransformationalLeadership #HRLeadership #ChangeManagement #OrganizationalCulture #GlobalLeadership #PeopleStrategy #ExecutiveInsights #CultureTransformation #LeadershipDevelopment