In this episode of Unmute HR, Stephanie and Erin pull back the curtain on one of the biggest myths in business—that HR is just a tiny department focused on payroll and policies. They reveal how this stereotype not only undervalues HR but also creates landmines across organizations: lawsuits, turnover, disengagement, and stalled growth.

From breaking down the 13 disciplines of HR to explaining the critical “sequencing” every company needs at different stages of growth, they show why HR isn’t overhead—it’s the scaffolding that holds companies together. With real client stories, bold truths, and actionable insights, Stephanie and Erin challenge leaders to spot their cracks, rethink their funding, and finally build HR with intention.

If you’ve ever thought of HR as a cost center instead of a growth engine, this conversation will change your perspective.

In the debut episode of Unmute HR, Stephanie and Erin set the stage for a bold new conversation about the future of human resources. For too long, HR has been sidelined—muted by outdated stereotypes, underfunded, and treated as overhead instead of infrastructure. The result? Burnout, turnover, culture collapse, and preventable crises.

Drawing on decades of experience across startups, enterprises, consulting, and leadership, Stephanie and Erin unpack why silence is so costly, what happens when HR is left out of the growth equation, and how unmuting HR transforms not just a department, but an entire business.

This isn’t compliance talk or corporate spin—it’s real stories, hard truths, and the courage to lead differently. If you’ve ever wondered what HR could do if it finally had a voice, this episode is where the volume gets turned back up.