The Jim Stroud Podcast

Jim Stroud

The Jim Stroud Podcast is part therapy, part exposé—and grounded in reality. Some weeks, I talk with insiders. Most weeks, I say the quiet parts out loud—no filter, no fluff, and no patience for corporate nonsense. This isn’t career advice theater. It’s the raw, unvarnished side of work: AI misfires, hiring hypocrisy, culture scams, and why the future of work increasingly feels like a Black Mirror episode in business casual. This podcast is for leaders, recruiters, advisors, and job seekers who want unfiltered clarity about what’s actually happening at work—and what it means for the decisions ahead. It’s not for anyone looking for motivational fluff, corporate talking points, or sanitized “best practices.” Because what’s coming for your job, your company, and your peace of mind won’t show up in an all-hands meeting. But you’ll hear it here. This podcast is brought to you in part by The Recruiting Life newsletter—clarity on what’s happening now and next in the world of work. Subscribe at 👉 https://jimstroud.beehiiv.com

  1. 5D AGO

    Is the Pharmacy Benefit System a Scam? Follow the Money

    This episode of The Jim Stroud Podcast is brought to you by ProvenBase - an AI-powered talent acquisition and Deep Search sourcing platform that helps organizations find, engage, and hire hard-to-find candidates from thousands of real-time online sources. See it in action for yourself by visiting - https://provenbase.com ... In this episode: Are pharmacy benefits actually helping employers and employees—or has the system become a costly black box? Jim Stroud sits down with Alan Pannier, Chief Strategy Officer at SmithRx, to unpack how the U.S. pharmacy benefit ecosystem really works and why it can feel “scammy” even when it’s legal. Alan explains how PBMs were originally built to simplify pharmacy access, and how the model evolved into opaque pricing practices that can drive costs higher. In this episode, we break down spread pricing, rebate incentives, and why the “middle layer” of healthcare may be the biggest winner when no one can see the real numbers. Jim also presses for practical guidance: what HR leaders should ask their PBM, how to evaluate vendors using net cost vs. discount math, and what “fiduciary alignment” should look like in a contract. If you’re an employer, HR leader, or benefits decision-maker wondering why drug costs keep climbing—and what you can do about it—this conversation is your cheat sheet. Contact our guest: Alan Pannier - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alan-pannier SmithRx - http://www.smithrx.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    31 min

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

The Jim Stroud Podcast is part therapy, part exposé—and grounded in reality. Some weeks, I talk with insiders. Most weeks, I say the quiet parts out loud—no filter, no fluff, and no patience for corporate nonsense. This isn’t career advice theater. It’s the raw, unvarnished side of work: AI misfires, hiring hypocrisy, culture scams, and why the future of work increasingly feels like a Black Mirror episode in business casual. This podcast is for leaders, recruiters, advisors, and job seekers who want unfiltered clarity about what’s actually happening at work—and what it means for the decisions ahead. It’s not for anyone looking for motivational fluff, corporate talking points, or sanitized “best practices.” Because what’s coming for your job, your company, and your peace of mind won’t show up in an all-hands meeting. But you’ll hear it here. This podcast is brought to you in part by The Recruiting Life newsletter—clarity on what’s happening now and next in the world of work. Subscribe at 👉 https://jimstroud.beehiiv.com

More From Evergreen Podcasts