foHRsight: HR, Leadership & the Future of Work

Mark Edgar and Naomi Titleman
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Careers
  • Updated Weekly

You’re leading people through constant change. Evolving expectations, AI disruption, and rising pressure to get culture and performance right. If you’re an HR leader, People and Culture executive, or senior business leader shaping the future of work, foHRsight is for you. foHRsight: HR, Leadership & the Future of Work is a weekly podcast from future foHRward, hosted by Mark Edgar and Naomi Titleman Colla. Each episode explores the most pressing issues facing HR and leadership today, including employee engagement, retention, flexible work, leadership effectiveness, and the real impact of AI on organizations. Through candid conversations with CHROs, senior leaders, and forward-thinking experts, foHRsight delivers practical insight and strategic perspective you can apply immediately. The goal is simple: help you make better people decisions, build stronger organizations, and lead with confidence in an increasingly complex world of work. Follow foHRsight on your favourite podcast platform and join the future foHRward community, a growing network of HR and People leaders connecting through conversation, events, and shared insight on what’s next for work.

  1. 6d ago

    How Leaders Create Resilience Without Burning People Out with Jay Abbasi

    When pressure becomes constant, resilience can start to look a lot like suffering in silence. Employees are told to adapt, stay positive and keep moving, while the conditions driving burnout often remain untouched. For HR leaders, the challenge is not simply helping people manage stress. It is creating workplaces where people can stay clear, connected and capable even when the demands are high. In this episode, Naomi Titleman Colla speaks with Jay Abbasi about why resilience is not built by asking people to push harder. They explore how safety, focus and meaningful connection shape performance, why people struggle to access their best thinking when they feel threatened, and what emotionally intelligent leadership looks like in practice. The conversation also offers a practical challenge for leaders: notice what is driving your own behaviour before attempting to understand someone else’s. From regulating before reacting to sharing vulnerability without becoming the victim of the situation, this episode offers grounded ways to lead more effectively under pressure. About Our Guest Jay Abbasi is a global keynote and TEDx speaker, coach and former Tesla leader who helps professionals perform under pressure without burning out. After leading national training programs for more than 1,000 Tesla employees, he has coached leaders at organizations including Google, Amazon, TikTok and Wells Fargo. Stay Connected with foHRsight To sign up for our monthly newsletter, foHRsight, click HERE  Follow us on LinkedIn: Mark EdgarNaomi Titleman Collafuture foHRward Follow us on InstagramIf you are looking for more foHRsight, sign up for our monthly foHRsight newsletter. It’s free and includes access to our quarterly white paper. This quarter’s white paper is about Rethinking Entry-Level work in the Age of AI, produced with Dr. Miranda Rodak from Indiana University’s Kelley school of business - an important topic for HR, Leadership and parents, students and society as a whole! https://www.futurefohrward.com/subscribe Support the show

    How Leaders Create Resilience Without Burning People Out with Jay Abbasi

  2. Jul 30

    Why AI Adoption Is a Leadership Challenge, Not a Technology Challenge with Paul Gibbons

    Most organizations aren't struggling with AI because of the technology. They're struggling because people don't change as quickly as the tools do. As leaders race to implement AI, many are relying on change management approaches that were designed for a slower, more predictable world. But when change is constant, communication plans and training sessions aren't enough. Real transformation happens when leaders understand how people actually adopt new ways of working. In this episode, Naomi sits down with organizational change expert and author Paul Gibbons to explore why traditional change management needs an update for the age of AI. Together, they unpack why leadership modelling matters more than ever, how HR can navigate the "double bind" of transforming itself while helping the rest of the organization evolve, and why behavioural science—not technology—is the missing ingredient in successful AI adoption. Whether you're leading an AI initiative, supporting organizational change, or simply trying to help your people adapt to a rapidly changing workplace, this conversation offers a thoughtful, practical perspective on leading transformation with both confidence and humanity. About Paul Gibbons Paul Gibbons is a consultant, speaker, and author focused on change, culture, and AI adoption. He is the creator of the Adaptive Adoption Framework and has authored nine books, including Adopting AI, written for leaders who need a practical strategy. He was ranked among the top five culture change thinkers globally by Global Gurus. Find Paul: Website: Paul Gibbons AdvisorySlack community: Think Bigger Think BetterStay Connected with foHRsight To sign up for our monthly newsletter, foHRsight, click HERE  Follow us on LinkedIn: Mark EdgarNaomi Titleman Collafuture foHRward Follow us on InstagramIf you are looking for more foHRsight, sign up for our monthly foHRsight newsletter. It’s free and includes access to our quarterly white paper. This quarter’s white paper is about Rethinking Entry-Level work in the Age of AI, produced with Dr. Miranda Rodak from Indiana University’s Kelley school of business - an important topic for HR, Leadership and parents, students and society as a whole! https://www.futurefohrward.com/subscribe Support the show

    Why AI Adoption Is a Leadership Challenge, Not a Technology Challenge with Paul Gibbons

  3. Jul 23

    What AI Can't Replace in HR Leadership with Karen Trenton

    Every generation of HR leaders faces a transformation that changes how the profession works. Today, it's AI. The pressure to move quickly can make it feel like everything is changing overnight. But beneath the new technology, the core of great HR remains remarkably consistent: earning trust, exercising sound judgment, navigating difficult conversations, and helping leaders make better decisions. In this conversation, retired CHRO Karen Trenton reflects on a career that spanned enormous shifts in technology, leadership and organizational change. She shares what she's most proud of, the career decisions she would make differently, why community matters more than ever, and why emotional intelligence—not technical expertise—is still what separates exceptional HR leaders. If you've been wondering what skills will matter most in the next decade of HR, this episode offers a thoughtful perspective from someone who's led through decades of transformation. About Our Guest Karen Trenton is a retired Chief Human Resources Officer with executive leadership experience across Coca-Cola and Sherritt International. Having led HR through periods of rapid organizational growth, global expansion and technological change, she brings a grounded perspective on leadership, judgment and the enduring human side of HR. Stay Connected with foHRsight To sign up for our monthly newsletter, foHRsight, click HERE  Follow us on LinkedIn: Mark EdgarNaomi Titleman Collafuture foHRward Follow us on InstagramIf you are looking for more foHRsight, sign up for our monthly foHRsight newsletter. It’s free and includes access to our quarterly white paper. This quarter’s white paper is about Rethinking Entry-Level work in the Age of AI, produced with Dr. Miranda Rodak from Indiana University’s Kelley school of business - an important topic for HR, Leadership and parents, students and society as a whole! https://www.futurefohrward.com/subscribe Support the show

    What AI Can't Replace in HR Leadership with Karen Trenton

  4. Jul 16

    Why Great Teams Don't Happen by Accident with Alison Coward

    Most teams don't have a collaboration problem because they lack talented people. They have a collaboration problem because they've never really talked about how they work together. We invest in Slack, Teams, Miro, Notion and countless other tools designed to make collaboration easier. But more tools haven't necessarily made teams better at collaborating. In some cases, they've simply created the illusion that collaboration is happening. In this episode of foHRsight, Naomi sits down with Alison Coward to explore why great teamwork rarely happens by accident and what it means to intentionally design the way people work together. They discuss why talented people don't automatically create high-performing teams, why workshops so often fail to create lasting change, and why small, consistent shifts in how teams communicate, align and make decisions can be far more powerful than sweeping culture initiatives. For HR leaders, there's an important challenge here: stop treating collaboration as something that should happen naturally. Start creating the conditions for it. About Our guest Alison Coward is a team culture strategist, workshop facilitator, trainer, and keynote speaker based in London. As founder of Bracket, she partners with ambitious, forward-thinking companies to help them build high-performing team cultures. Her book, Workshop Culture, lays out a practical framework for taking the energy and effectiveness of great workshops and embedding them into how teams work every day. Connect with Alison Website & newsletter: bracketcreative.co.uk | bracketcreative.co.uk/newsletterLinkedIn: Alison CowardBook: Workshop Culture — available wherever books are soldStay Connected with foHRsight To sign up for our monthly newsletter, foHRsight, click HERE  Follow us on LinkedIn: Mark EdgarNaomi Titleman Collafuture foHRward Follow us on InstagramIf you are looking for more foHRsight, sign up for our monthly foHRsight newsletter. It’s free and includes access to our quarterly white paper. This quarter’s white paper is about Rethinking Entry-Level work in the Age of AI, produced with Dr. Miranda Rodak from Indiana University’s Kelley school of business - an important topic for HR, Leadership and parents, students and society as a whole! https://www.futurefohrward.com/subscribe Support the show

    Why Great Teams Don't Happen by Accident with Alison Coward

  5. Jul 9

    Creating Workplaces Where Calm Can Thrive with Ashish Singh

    We spend so much time helping people perform that we often forget to help them recover. Today's employees are balancing demanding workloads alongside constant notifications, endless comparison, economic uncertainty and personal pressures that don't disappear when the workday begins. By the time someone reaches a breaking point, the signs have often been there for much longer. In this episode, Mark Edgar sits down with life and wellness coach Ashish Singh to explore what it really means to build resilience before it's needed. Together, they unpack why calm isn't something we discover after everything settles down, but something we cultivate in the middle of everyday life. Ashish shares the deeply personal experience that led him from corporate life into coaching after a serious injury forced him to confront anxiety, uncertainty and his own internal dialogue. That journey became the foundation for his work helping others reconnect with what he calls "the steadiness within." Throughout the conversation, they explore why we can only truly control our thoughts and our actions, how social media has amplified stress through constant comparison, why mindfulness doesn't have to mean lengthy meditation sessions, and what practical tools can help people reset throughout an ordinary workday. For HR leaders, this conversation offers an important shift in perspective. Rather than waiting until employees are overwhelmed, organizations have an opportunity to normalize simple wellbeing practices that support people every day. Creating healthier workplaces isn't only about responding well during difficult moments. It's about making steadiness part of how work happens in the first place. Resources Website: thecalmmind.coInstagram: singashish3LinkedIn: Available (handle mentioned in conversation)About Our Guest Ashish Singh is a life and wellness coach, author and founder of The Calm Mind. Drawing from his own experience navigating anxiety, injury and major life transitions, he helps individuals and organizations develop practical tools for building emotional resilience, mindfulness and lasting inner steadiness. Stay Connected with foHRsight To sign up for our monthly newsletter, foHRsight, click HERE  Follow us on LinkedIn: Mark EdgarNaomi Titleman Collafuture foHRward Follow us on InstagramIf you are looking for more foHRsight, sign up for our monthly foHRsight newsletter. It’s free and includes access to our quarterly white paper. This quarter’s white paper is about Rethinking Entry-Level work in the Age of AI, produced with Dr. Miranda Rodak from Indiana University’s Kelley school of business - an important topic for HR, Leadership and parents, students and society as a whole! https://www.futurefohrward.com/subscribe Support the show

    Creating Workplaces Where Calm Can Thrive with Ashish Singh

  6. Jul 2

    The Resilience Habits Every Leader Needs with Dr. MH Pelletier

    We often think resilience is something we discover in the hardest moments. But what if it's actually something we build long before we need it? As work becomes more complex, change accelerates, and cognitive demands continue to rise, many leaders find themselves relying on the same habits that helped them succeed in the past—only to realize they no longer have the capacity they once did. The challenge isn't a lack of capability. It's that resilience is too often treated as an individual trait instead of something we can intentionally strengthen. In this episode of foHRsight, Naomi Titleman Colla sits down with leadership psychologist and executive coach Dr. Marie-Hélène (MH) Pelletier to explore why resilience isn't about pushing harder or simply "bouncing back." Instead, it's a strategic practice that can be developed by individuals, teams, and organizations alike. Together, they discuss why high performers often underestimate the demands they're carrying, how cognitive patterns quietly erode decision-making, why resilience should be treated as leadership infrastructure rather than a wellness initiative, and the practical habits leaders can build today to protect their performance before they reach their breaking point. Whether you're leading an HR function, supporting organizational change, or simply feeling the weight of today's pace of work, this conversation offers a practical and refreshingly human approach to sustaining performance without sacrificing wellbeing. About Our Guest Dr. Marie-Hélène (MH) Pelletier is a leadership psychologist, executive coach, keynote speaker, and author of The Resilience Plan: A Strategic Approach to Optimizing Your Work Performance and Mental Health. With more than 20 years of experience working with leaders across industries, she helps organizations build resilience as a strategic capability that strengthens decision-making, leadership, and long-term performance. Connect with MH: Website & book: theresilienceplan.comLinkedIn: search Dr. Marie-Hélène PelletierLink for free resources: https://drmarie-helene.com/free-resources-sign-up/Stay Connected with foHRsight To sign up for our monthly newsletter, foHRsight, click HERE  Follow us on LinkedIn: Mark EdgarNaomi Titleman Collafuture foHRward Follow us on InstagramIf you are looking for more foHRsight, sign up for our monthly foHRsight newsletter. It’s free and includes access to our quarterly white paper. This quarter’s white paper is about Rethinking Entry-Level work in the Age of AI, produced with Dr. Miranda Rodak from Indiana University’s Kelley school of business - an important topic for HR, Leadership and parents, students and society as a whole! https://www.futurefohrward.com/subscribe Support the show

    The Resilience Habits Every Leader Needs with Dr. MH Pelletier

  7. Jun 25

    Your Purposeful Third Act with Zabeen Hirji

    For many leaders, retirement isn't about leaving work. It's about leaving behind an identity. After decades of building careers, leading teams, and carrying enormous responsibility, the biggest question isn't "What's next?" It's "Who am I without the title?" In this episode of foHRsight, Naomi Titleman Colla sits down with Zabeen Hirji, former Chief Human Resources Officer at RBC, to explore what she calls the Purposeful Third Act—a new way of thinking about life after executive leadership. Together, they unpack the emotional transition that comes with stepping away from a long career, why purpose is something we rediscover rather than reinvent, and how organizations are missing an opportunity to better engage experienced leaders. They also discuss the growing importance of intergenerational workplaces, lifelong learning, and why judgment, wisdom, and human connection will become even more valuable in the age of AI. Whether retirement feels years away or is already on the horizon, this conversation is a thoughtful reminder that your greatest contribution may not be behind you—it may simply take a different shape. About Our Guest Zabeen Hirji is a founder, retirement disruptor, executive advisor, and board director. She served as CHRO at Royal Bank of Canada and is now the driving force behind the Purposeful Third Act movement, which helps senior leaders navigate life and work after corporate careers with intention and impact. 🔗 LinkedIn: Zabeen Hirji (follow + subscribe to her newsletter)🌐 Website: zabeenhirji.com (resources, role models, and P3A tools)Stay Connected with foHRsight To sign up for our monthly newsletter, foHRsight, click HERE  Follow us on LinkedIn: Mark EdgarNaomi Titleman Collafuture foHRward Follow us on Instagram If you are looking for more foHRsight, sign up for our monthly foHRsight newsletter. It’s free and includes access to our quarterly white paper. This quarter’s white paper is about Rethinking Entry-Level work in the Age of AI, produced with Dr. Miranda Rodak from Indiana University’s Kelley school of business - an important topic for HR, Leadership and parents, students and society as a whole! https://www.futurefohrward.com/subscribe Support the show

    Your Purposeful Third Act with Zabeen Hirji

  8. Jun 18

    Why Workplace Learning Needs an Existential Reset with Lori Niles-Hofmann

    Learning and development has spent decades creating courses, launching platforms, and chasing the next technology trend. But what if the problem isn't the technology at all? As AI reshapes how people access information, many traditional assumptions about workplace learning are being challenged. Employees no longer need to sit through generic training to find answers. They expect learning to be personalized, contextual, and available exactly when they need it. In this episode, Lori Niles-Hofmann joins Naomi Titleman Colla to explore why L&D is facing an existential moment, what organizations are getting wrong about skills development, and how AI could fundamentally change the way learning happens at work. Together, they discuss the shift from course creation to intelligent learning ecosystems, why skills management should be treated with the same precision as a supply chain, and how HR leaders can move from order-taking to strategic enablement. If you're responsible for developing people in an environment where business priorities, technology, and skills requirements are changing faster than ever, this conversation offers a practical and thought-provoking look at what comes next. Resources & References Mentioned 📘 The Eight Levers of EdTech Transformation by Lori Niles-Hofmann🌐 8Levers: 8levers.com (note: the "8" is the number, not a "B"!)🇨🇦 Valence — AI coaching platform, featuring Nadia🇨🇦 Disco.co — community learning platform (also used by foHRsight+)📊 Red Thread Research — State of EdTech presentation by Dani Johnson (Learning Technologies, London)🔬 LearnLM / DeepMind research on human + AI learning outcomesAbout Our Guest Lori Niles-Hofmann is an EdTech strategist, consultant, and author of The Eight Levers of EdTech Transformation. With a career spanning global LMS implementations, instructional design, and organizational learning strategy, Lori brings a rare combination of technical fluency and business acumen to the L&D space. She is the founder of 8Levers and a frequent speaker and writer on the intersection of AI, skills, and workplace learning. Connect with Lori LinkedIn: search Lori Niles-HofmannWebsite: 8levers.com Stay Connected with foHRsight To sign up for our monthly newsletter, foHRsight, click HERE  Follow us on LinkedIn: Mark EdgarNaomi Titleman Collafuture foHRward Follow us on Instagram If you are looking for more foHRsight, sign up for our monthly foHRsight newsletter. It’s free and includes access to our quarterly white paper. This quarter’s white paper is about Rethinking Entry-Level work in the Age of AI, produced with Dr. Miranda Rodak from Indiana University’s Kelley school of business - an important topic for HR, Leadership and parents, students and society as a whole! https://www.futurefohrward.com/subscribe Support the show

    Why Workplace Learning Needs an Existential Reset with Lori Niles-Hofmann
See All (187)

Trailer

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

You’re leading people through constant change. Evolving expectations, AI disruption, and rising pressure to get culture and performance right. If you’re an HR leader, People and Culture executive, or senior business leader shaping the future of work, foHRsight is for you. foHRsight: HR, Leadership & the Future of Work is a weekly podcast from future foHRward, hosted by Mark Edgar and Naomi Titleman Colla. Each episode explores the most pressing issues facing HR and leadership today, including employee engagement, retention, flexible work, leadership effectiveness, and the real impact of AI on organizations. Through candid conversations with CHROs, senior leaders, and forward-thinking experts, foHRsight delivers practical insight and strategic perspective you can apply immediately. The goal is simple: help you make better people decisions, build stronger organizations, and lead with confidence in an increasingly complex world of work. Follow foHRsight on your favourite podcast platform and join the future foHRward community, a growing network of HR and People leaders connecting through conversation, events, and shared insight on what’s next for work.

Information

You Might Also Like