Darlene Winfield and Yira Coleman on leading with purpose, humor, and heart in HR

Recorded live from the isolved booth at SHRM 2025, this episode brings together two voices who embody what it means to be a “people hero.” Darlene Winfield and Yira Coleman join William Tincup and Ryan Leary for a heartfelt—and often hilarious—conversation about impact, purpose, and the power of showing up for others. Yira reflects on how encouragement drives her both personally and professionally. She shares the transcendent moment that led her to write a children’s book series inspired by the Fruit of the Spirit. Darlene channels her inner Wonder Woman, describing how she wields her “golden lasso” to pull people and processes together for good. The conversation flows from faith to fatherhood to the unexpected realities of managing HR in parks and rec—including graveyards. This one has range—and heart. Timestamps 00:00 — Bald jokes and wedding stories set the tone 00:49 — The mic’d-up altar moment that made it to the family DVD 02:14 — What’s your superpower? Yira brings the encouragement, Darlene brings the lasso 03:55 — Behind the scenes of Darlene’s HR podcast “Connections” 04:21 — What it means to be a “people hero” from hire to expire 05:08 — Yes, Darlene’s team manages a real graveyard 05:50 — Yira names her ultimate people hero—and it gets spiritual 06:40 — Faith, fake-outs, and Fort Worth front desks 07:40 — The transcendent career moment that inspired Yira’s children’s book series 09:20 — Stellar Strawberry and Barnabas Banana—how characters teach core virtues 10:00 — Darlene shares the quiet HR wins that never make headlines 11:07 — Why advocacy at work changes everything 11:29 — Work as a place where encouragement matters most 11:52 — Closing out with gratitude and a reminder of the everyday impact of HR This episode was recorded live with isolved at the SHRM Annual Conference in San Diego. The Heroes of HR podcast is a limited series sponsored by isolved. isolved is an HCM platform that modernizes HR, benefits, and payroll across Healthcare, Hospitality, Manufacturing, and more. Learn more about isolved: ⁠https://www.isolvedhcm.com/⁠ Connect with Us: William Tincup LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/tincup/⁠ Ryan Leary LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanleary/⁠ Connect with us on social: Site: ⁠http://www.wrkdefined.com⁠ TikTok: ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@wrkdefined⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/wrkdefined⁠ Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/WRKdefined/⁠ Twitter (X): ⁠https://twitter.com/WRKdefined⁠ Substack: ⁠https://wrkdefined.substack.com/