The Breakthrough Hiring Show: Recruiting and Talent Acquisition Conversations
Welcome to The Breakthrough Hiring Show! We are on a mission to help leaders make hiring a competitive advantage. Join our host, James Mackey, and guests as they discuss various topics, with episodes ranging from high-level thought leadership to the tactical implementation of process and technology. You will learn how to: - Shift your team’s culture to a talent-first organization. - Develop a step-by-step guide to hiring and empowering top talent. - Leverage data, process, and technology to achieve hiring success. Thank you to our sponsor, SecureVision, for making this show possible!
Episodes
Nicole Hirsch, Sr. Director of TA & People Operations at Lattice, explores how a foundation in philosophy and early leadership as an RA shaped her people-first approach. Nicole and James talk about parallels between Plato and Confucius, and modern hiring. They discuss why investing in people, and redefining success beyond a linear ladder matter most during a major career and life transitions.
Content mentioned:
Lauren Groshong, GTM Recruiting Leader at Vanta, shares how growing up with grit and humor was foundational to her leadership style. Lauren talks about her time leading business recruiting at Grammarly, and how the leadership team has supported staff based in Ukraine throughout the war with Russia.
Connect with host James Mackey on LinkedIn!
Thank you to our sponsor, SecureVision, for making this show possible!
Lance Sapera, Global Head of Talent at Barracuda, shares how growing up in a Navy family and learning from John Wooden's Pyramid of Success shaped his practical, people-first approach to leadership. From flight deck rules like aviate, navigate, communicate, to modern cybersecurity hiring, he shows how empathy with standards, long-term pipelines, and disciplined systems compound to build sustainable, high-trust teams.
Books ment...
Joe Wilson, Chief Evangelist at Bunq, examines how real startups are built through honest problem definition, relentless iteration, and a builder’s mindset instead of one-off heroic moments. Joe Wilson traces his path from a dorm-room company started to pay for college to a career of stacking small wins into durable results, sharing why most founders oversell themselves and how five hard questions can pressure-test any idea.
Annie Andrews, VP of People at QGenda, shares how building a great culture starts with candidate experience and how to build culture for remote teams. She also shares what it's been like to grow from a Recruiting Coordinator to a VP of People role.
Connect with host James Mackey on LinkedIn!
Thank you to our sponsor, SecureVision, for making this show possible!
Tracy St. Dic, Global Head of Talent at Zapier, discusses how her background in the arts and education influenced her approach to leading teams. She unpacks how each chapter was driven by a desire to make a bigger impact. James and Tracy also talk about what it was like to run a large TA team for Teach For America.
Connect with host James Mackey on LinkedIn!
Thank you to our sponsor, SecureVision, for making this show possib...
Ana King, Chief People Officer at Sapi, reflects on her journey from Bucharest to London and how cultural studies shaped her philosophy on leadership and recruiting. She shares how building trust between CEOs, finance, and teams, drives profitability and sustainable growth, from hiring for “smart and kind” to aligning people strategy with business outcomes and leading change through listening and learning.
Books mentioned: Daniel Go...
Reece Batchelor, currently in a Founding Talent role at Dust, shares a unique perspective shaped by his time as a professional football player. He reflects on how values, transparency, and teamwork are essential to finding great talent and helping them thrive.
Connect with host James Mackey on LinkedIn!
Thank you to our sponsor, SecureVision, for making this show possible!
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Heather Lother, VP of Talent & People Operations at Crossover for Work, talks about how focusing on skills and transparency can completely change the way teams hire. She shares what she’s learned from coaching managers through choosing candidates, making interviews more meaningful, and turning the process into a genuine two-way conversation.
Connect with host James Mackey on LinkedIn!
Thank you to our sponsor, SecureVision...
Megan Batterbury, Senior Talent Operations Specialist at incident.io, joins us to talk about what it really means to scale hiring with heart by building efficient systems without losing the human touch. She shares how thoughtful planning, transparent employer branding, and playful team rituals shape recruiting experiences that truly connect.
Connect with host James Mackey on LinkedIn!
Thank you to our sponsor, SecureVision, f...
Jonathan Lau, Director of Talent Acquisition at Super.com, joins us to unpack how in-house recruiting can bridge the gap between talent strategy and business goals. With years of leading experience, Jon explains how elevating quality of hire over speed reshapes value, the importance of data collection, and candidate experience creating the first touchpoint of influence.
Connect with host James Mackey on LinkedIn!
Everett Chaffin, Director of Global TA Operations at Zendesk, joins us to explore how recruiting operations can become a true force multiplier for people. He shares his journey from starting his career at his dad's agency to running TA Ops for Zendesk. He unpacks how AI, standardization, and storytelling empower recruiters to act as trusted talent advisors rather than just process owners.
Connect with host James Mackey on Link...
Sara Chevrette, Head of Global Talent Acquisition at Sonatype, joins James Mackey, to unpack the connection between psychology and recruiting talent. She shares how values drive hiring, pushing for curiosity, and the importance of building a strong culture within the workplace.
Connect with host James Mackey on LinkedIn!
Thank you to our sponsor, SecureVision, for making this show possible!
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Greg Troxell, Director of TA at Function Health, joins James Mackey to share how a single comment reshaped his hiring philosophy from resume relay to business impact. He shares how they break down the concept of skills-based scaffolding and how it drives better hires leading to reduced mis-hires.
Connect with host James Mackey on LinkedIn!
Thank you to our sponsor, SecureVision, for making this show possible!
Beatriz Lourenco, Head of People at Poolside.ai, joins host James Mackey to discuss her journey scaling from 4 to 150+ employees. She shares how she approached early hires and is building a TA motion that keeps up with rapid growth.
Connect with host James Mackey on LinkedIn!
Thank you to our sponsor, SecureVision, for making this show possible!
Follow us:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/82436841/
SecureV...
Join host James Mackey and Steve Bartel, CEO of Gem, to explore what’s happening in today’s hiring market - inbound is up 3x, time to hire has grown by eight days, and recruiters are carrying 55% more reqs. They discuss where AI genuinely reduces workload and boosts efficiency, along with the rise in fraud and interview cheating.
Thank you to our sponsor, SecureVision, for making this show possible!
Rachael Becker, Founder & CEO of RB Builds, joins host James Mackey to discuss business efficiency, tech transformation, and creating standout user experiences.
With a unique blend of expertise across operations and technology, Rachael shares actionable insights on how organizations can streamline processes, improve internal alignment, and scale sustainably.
Thank you to our sponsor, SecureVision, for making this...
The landscape of global talent acquisition is evolving rapidly, and nearshore engineering teams in Latin America have emerged as a strategic solution for US-based tech companies.
In this insightful conversation, host James Mackey and Gino Ferrand, Founder and CEO of Tecla, explore why Latin American engineering teams are becoming increasingly attractive for companies looking to optimize their hiring strategies in today's volat...
With markets reacting to global uncertainty and AI transforming the hiring landscape, both job seekers and recruiters are recalibrating their strategies.
Join host James Mackey and Steve Bartel, CEO of Gem, as they discuss how automation is changing resume screening, interview prep, and rediscovery of existing talent. As companies look to cut costs and boost efficiency, the challenge becomes clear: how do you hire smarter without l...
In this episode host James Mackey sits down with Lupe Colangelo, Director of Alumni Engagement & Employer Partnerships at General Assembly.
They provide insights into the evolving tech talent landscape with a special focus on AI hiring trends and challenges faced by employers and job seekers alike. Lupe shares key findings from GA's State of Tech Talent report while discussing practical strategies for building sustaina...
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