Return to People

Kaleem Clarkson
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Great employee experiences don’t happen because of location - they're shaped by empathetic leaders. Join us to hear real-world stories from executives, founders, and people operations professionals who've successfully created thriving employee experiences within remote and hybrid teams. Each episode highlights real-world experiences, insights, and lessons learned from sustaining culture at scale to fostering meaningful social connections beyond the office, providing listeners with actionable insights for building better workplaces. Hosted by remote work expert and keynote speaker Kaleem Clarkson, whose passion for work-life integration and improving remote employee experiences has earned recognition as a LinkedIn Top Voice in Remote Work and featured in Harvard Business Review.

  1. Jul 15

    The Flexibility Playbook: Turning Workplace Autonomy into Shared Responsibility - ep. #028

    Can workplace flexibility survive without a rigid clock-in culture? In the latest episode of the Return to People Podcast, host Kaleem Clarkson sits down with Donald Walker, the COO of Raben. With over 15 years of experience spanning higher education and workforce operations, Donald shares how this national advisory firm built a thriving hybrid model that completely ditches attendance tracking and puts absolute trust front and center. Donald unpacks a powerful paradigm shift: treating workplace flexibility not as an individual privilege, but as a shared responsibility. For Raben, the evolution of their hybrid workspace wasn't sparked by a fear of lost productivity. Instead, it was intentionally designed around mentorship, culture transfer, and a profound belief that organizations have a duty to care for their employees, their clients, and the broader local communities they operate within. As Donald notes: "We're way more concerned about the outcomes than we are about the process of how we get there... It's not just about me and what's convenient for me. We have to think about the whole gamut of people and what's the impact that we have on those people." The conversation dives deep into the realities of navigating this modern workplace framework, mapping out the core friction points and breakthroughs every leadership team faces: The Core Challenges: Donald opens up about the realities of remote onboarding and development for younger, junior staff. Without regular in-person interaction, newer employees can struggle to absorb organizational culture, master client relationship management, and access the informal, organic coaching that naturally happens in shared physical spaces. The Core Successes: You'll learn how Raben unlocked radical trust by evaluating teams purely on outcomes rather than micro-managing activity. Furthermore, Donald highlights their unique responsibility framework, which considers the economic and social impact of corporate hybrid decisions on local service workers and surrounding neighborhood businesses. Learn More About Donald & Raben: Donald´s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wdonaldwalker Raben´s Website: https://www.raben.co/people/donald-walker Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  2. Jul 1

    Small Team, Massive Footprint: How to Scale Without the Overhead - ep. #027

    Can a company scale to thousands of retail stores and achieve millions in revenue with a team that fits at a single dinner table? In the latest episode of the Return to People Podcast, host Kaleem Clarkson sits down with Lisa Curtis, the Founder and CEO of Kuli Kuli Foods. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and one of Inc. Magazine's top 100 female founders, Lisa shares how her mission-driven superfood brand cracked the code on building a high-performing, globally distributed team without sacrificing impact or profitability. Lisa unpacks the reality of running a global remote team without a tech company budget, explaining how she turned unexpected tariff challenges into an opportunity to tap into international talent. Instead of viewing time zones as an obstacle, Kuli Kuli treats geographic dispersion as a quiet competitive advantage that enables nearly 24-hour operations. She also emphasizes the importance of intentionality in the distributed employee experience. From flying executives across borders for side-by-side training to celebrating diverse cultural traditions at weekly standups, Lisa argues that running a lean business across borders requires moving away from startup hustle culture and treating entrepreneurship as a marathon, not a sprint. As Lisa puts it, "No market, no mission. We gotta sell products. But we also have to do it in a way that really improves the lives of people around the world." The conversation dives deep into the realities of navigating this modern workplace framework, mapping out the core friction points and breakthroughs every leadership team faces. Learn more about Lisa: Lisa´s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisamariecurtis/ Kuli Kuli´s website: https://www.kulikulifoods.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  3. Jun 17

    Hybrid Workplace Strategy: Proximity Without Office Mandates - ep. #026

    What happens to your company culture when your team is scattered across multiple time zones and continents? In the latest episode of the Return to People Podcast, host Kaleem Clarkson sits down with Dustin Hutton-Alcorn, the Director of People at Intellistack. With a background in human rights and people operations, Dustin shares how his company evolved from an office-centric setup into a mature, flexible SaaS organization that treats culture as a core business driver. Dustin unpacks the challenge of building what he calls "connective tissue" across a distributed workforce, especially during remote onboarding. To solve this, Intellistack utilizes a clever people hubs strategy, recruiting near major cities to encourage organic, employee-led gatherings rather than forcing performative attendance. He also emphasizes the importance of protecting budgets for purposeful in-person collaboration. Dustin argues that maintaining true workplace flexibility serves as a powerful recruiting weapon, especially as larger tech companies push for strict return-to-office policies. As Dustin puts it, "At the core of who I am as a person, what I love is being able to craft experiences and deliver results that have the human experience at the core of what I do.” The conversation dives deep into the realities of navigating this modern workplace framework, mapping out the core friction points and breakthroughs every leadership team faces: Learn more about Dustin: Dustin´s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dustinhuttonalcorn/ Intellistack´s Website: https://www.intellistack.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  4. Jun 3

    Scaling Remote Culture from the Ground Up - ep. #025

    How do you maintain a truly people-first culture in an industry notorious for grinding schedules and client-driven burnout? In this episode of the Return to People podcast, host Kaleem Clarkson welcomes Annie Diiorio, the HR Manager and Executive Business Partner at Canidium. Annie’s career path is incredibly unique, having transitioned from an intern who suddenly became the sole HR professional for the organization in just one month, to an HR Leader. Managing a distributed workforce of 130 employees across 28 states and six countries, she brings a wealth of experience in balancing tight client deadlines with employee work-life balance. The conversation dives into how Canidium actively pushes back against harsh industry norms through manager-led rest policies. Built from the ground up as a remote company since 2008, the company prioritizes optional office attendance and intentional engagement over forced participation. Annie also shares her commitment to human-centered hiring, explaining why she rejects AI screening to personally interview every candidate. "It's pretty rare to have good work-life balance at a consulting company, but it is something that we really strive for.” Whether you're running a fully remote team or trying to build a workplace culture where people actually want to be part of for five years, Annie’s perspective offers a guidance in high-touch, high-impact leadership. Learn more about Annie: Annie´s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anniediiorio/ Canidium´s Website: https://www.canidium.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  5. May 27

    Stop Chasing Engagement and Start Building Participation - ep. #024

    Are you ready to move beyond surface-level and discover what actually drives participation in a global, distributed workforce? In this episode of the Return to People podcast, host Kaleem Clarkson welcomes Barbara Nicholas, the CEO of Polly. Barbara’s career path is as unique as her leadership style, having transitioned from an operator in cybersecurity to the CEO role at a SaaS platform essential for modern team collaboration. Leading a fully distributed company that has embraced remote work for over a decade, she brings a wealth of experience in scaling systems and building infrastructure that moves the needle for high-growth organizations. The conversation dives deep into the evolution of the remote employee experience, moving past simple engagement to a more robust framework of participation. Barbara shares her insights on building deep trust and clear responsibility across global teams spanning from APAC to the US. Interestingly, she draws a powerful parallel between her professional leadership and her work leading search and rescue operations in the Colorado wilderness, where trust and clarity are quite literally matters of life and death. Trust and clarity don't just build great teams, they save lives. Throughout the episode, we explore the challenges of managing a lean global team, the ethical implementation of AI in people-centered organizations, and the lessons learned from being a customer before becoming the CEO. Whether you are navigating the complexities of a 100% remote model or looking to refine your team’s engagement strategy, Barbara’s perspective offers a masterclass in high-stakes, high-impact leadership. Learn more about Barbara: Barbara´s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbara-nicholas-polly Polly´s Website: https://www.polly.ai/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  6. May 20

    The People-First Blueprint: Turning Human Connection into a Business Model - ep. #023

    Are we merely managing remote logistics, or are we intentionally designing a culture where trust is the standard? In this episode of the Return to People podcast, host Kaleem Clarkson sits down with Peter Georgariou, the Founder and CEO of Karmadharma, to answer that very question. Drawing from nearly three decades of experience leading major media rollouts and helping hundreds of mission-driven organizations scale, Peter shares how he turned purpose into a successful business model. The conversation dives into the real-world challenges of remote onboarding, specifically helping younger employees who entered the workforce during the pandemic adjust to professional norms and build confidence. Peter explains how Karmadharma combats this through structured, intentional engagement, such as weekly gratitude and reflection calls, that fosters deep trust and psychological safety. By avoiding micromanagement and treating employees like adults, the agency proves that when you trust your team and involve them in strategic planning, they naturally take ownership of their performance. “When you put people first, the results take care of themselves.” If you are building, leading, or scaling a team, this conversation offers an inspiring, practical blueprint for combining creative growth with a values-driven culture that truly prioritizes its people. Learn more about Peter: Peter´s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petergeorgariou/ Karmadharma´s web: https://karmadharma.ca/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  7. May 6

    Building Resilient High-Growth Startups Through Intentional Hiring - ep. #022

    How can high-growth tech startups turn the challenge of remote work into a strategic advantage while maintaining a culture of joy? In this episode of the Return to People podcast, Kaleem Clarkson sits down with Kapil Pershad, the Co-Founder and Chief Product and Technology Officer (CPTO) of Payzli, to explore how intentional hiring and thoughtful communication can turn remote work into a scalable and effective model within the fintech space. With a career spanning over 25 years, Kapil shares his journey from engineering roles at major corporations like Bank of America to building a resilient, people-first company amidst the complexities of a global pandemic. The discussion dives into the evolution of the modern workplace and the specific strategies that Payzli leverages to grow and succeed. Kapil explains how structured onboarding and cultural alignment act as the pillars of a successful high-growth startup, allowing teams to tap into a global talent pool without losing their sense of connection. “…Joy in the workplace isn’t just possible, it’s foundational.” If you are building, leading, or scaling a team, this episode offers a practical and inspiring look at fostering a positive employee experience through "workations" and better internal systems. Tune in to discover how Kapil and the Payzli team are redefining the payment industry while creating a thriving culture that prioritizes well-being. Learn more about Kapil: Kapil´s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kapilpershad/ Payzli´s webpage: https://payzli.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  8. Apr 22

    The Data Science Edge Behind High-Performing Sales Teams - ep. #021

    Are you relying on gut feeling when your data is trying to tell you something smarter? In this episode of the Return to People podcast, Kaleem Clarkson sits down with Francis Brero, Co-founder and Chief Product Officer of MadKudu, to explore how data science is transforming the way modern B2B sales teams operate. From his journey as an immigrant in France to building a company in Silicon Valley, Francis shares how curiosity, resilience, and a passion for analytics shaped his path. The core takeaway? Companies don’t have a data problem; they have a translation problem. Francis explains how businesses can turn scattered buyer signals into clear, actionable insights without needing a full team of data scientists, unlocking more predictable and scalable sales pipelines. Along the way, he challenges the habit of relying on instinct alone and makes a strong case for democratizing data across teams, especially in remote and hybrid environments. “The companies that win aren’t the ones with the most data but the ones who actually use it to make decisions.” If you’re building, leading, or scaling a team, this episode offers a practical and inspiring look at how to combine data, creativity, and a people-first mindset to drive real results. Learn more about Francis: Francis´s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francisbrero/ MadKudu´s webpage: https://www.madkudu.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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About

Great employee experiences don’t happen because of location - they're shaped by empathetic leaders. Join us to hear real-world stories from executives, founders, and people operations professionals who've successfully created thriving employee experiences within remote and hybrid teams. Each episode highlights real-world experiences, insights, and lessons learned from sustaining culture at scale to fostering meaningful social connections beyond the office, providing listeners with actionable insights for building better workplaces. Hosted by remote work expert and keynote speaker Kaleem Clarkson, whose passion for work-life integration and improving remote employee experiences has earned recognition as a LinkedIn Top Voice in Remote Work and featured in Harvard Business Review.

Information

  • Creator
    Kaleem Clarkson
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    28
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Kaleem Clarkson
  • Show Website
    Return to People