Latisha Hurdle and Heidi Barnett on empathy, hiring and the human side of leadership

This live episode from the isolved booth at SHRM 2025 brings real talk and big energy. Hosts William Tincup and Ryan Leary sit down with two powerhouse women in HR—Latisha Hurdle of Rivers Casino and Heidi Barnett of Utah-based operations—to unpack what it really means to lead with heart. Latisha shares how she helps frontline talent rise through the ranks with empathy and structure, revealing how small shifts—like a changed shift time or a bonus day—can radically impact someone's trajectory. Heidi opens up about guiding working moms and seeing people’s potential before they see it in themselves. Both leaders drop raw stories on loyalty, intuition, and why hard conversations should never be sugarcoated. It’s HR storytelling at its most grounded—funny, human, and full of moments that hit harder than you’d expect. Timestamps 00:00 — Setting the tone live from the SHRM 2025 floor 00:38 — Latisha shares her journey from high school sweetheart to HR leader 02:00 — Heidi celebrates 20 years of marriage and stats on lasting partnerships 03:36 — The real key to strong relationships (and staying in them) 05:01 — What makes a "people hero" in the workplace 06:18 — HR as a champion for unseen talent 07:36 — Heidi helps a new mom see she doesn’t have to choose career or motherhood 09:08 — Latisha shares how a small scheduling change helped unlock leadership potential 11:00 — Why empathy in leadership matters more than ever 12:00 — Latisha’s superpower: trusting intuition when no one else does 14:45 — Heidi’s gift for breaking down complexity and reading people early 16:10 — The art of turning “no” into the next opportunity 17:50 — Why clear feedback beats soft landings 19:02 — Generational shifts in interview behavior and how HR is adapting 23:00 — The recruitment challenge at Rivers Casino and staying ahead of new competition 24:45 — Bonus days, hot meals, and betting on internal growth 26:46 — Latisha's dealer school program and commitment to internal mobility 27:16 — Final reflections on culture shock, coaching, and building people-first systems 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/