Punk Rock HR

WRKdefined Podcast Network
  • 4.6 (153)
  • MANAGEMENT
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Welcome to the Punk Rock HR Podcast, hosted by the influential and unconventional Laurie Ruettimann. This podcast breaks away from the traditional constraints of the HR world to bring you candid and compelling conversations with some of the most disruptive and innovative minds in the business. Each episode, Laurie dives deep into critical topics surrounding the real world of work, exploring the modern workplace's nuances, and challenging the status quo of HR. Guests range from renowned thought leaders, authors, and entrepreneurs to HR professionals and individuals who have reshaped the way we approach work and organizational culture. Punk Rock HR is not your usual HR talk. It’s a blend of insight, wit, and irreverence, aiming to bring a fresh, unfiltered perspective to the challenges and opportunities facing today’s workforce. Whether you’re an HR professional looking to revamp your approach, a leader trying to understand the people side of the business better, or just someone interested in the dynamics of the modern workplace, this podcast is your ticket to engaging discussions and actionable insights. Expect energizing conversations, guests with big ideas, and a punk rock twist, with episodes released every Monday. Follow the Punk Rock HR Podcast to keep your finger on the pulse of work, leadership, and human resources. Your journey towards a more progressive and enlightened workspace starts here! 

  1. 307: The Engineer Who Won't Use AI with Andrew Norcross

    6H AGO

    307: The Engineer Who Won't Use AI with Andrew Norcross

    Andrew Norcross built NASA's website. He built the New York Times' website. He's been engineering the infrastructure of the internet for 20 years. Now he's building fences and painting houses in Florida, because AI ate his job and he refuses to be complicit in what replaced it. This is an episode about what happens when someone with real skill, real principles, and zero interest in using AI suddenly has no market for the thing they're best at. Norcross didn't rage-quit. He just stopped pretending the emperor has clothes. He watched an industry swap craftsmen for pattern-recognition machines, compared it directly to the 2008 subprime collapse, and walked away to do work with his hands until the inevitable correction comes. If you've ever wondered what integrity costs in a labor market that no longer rewards it, this conversation is for you. In this episode, you'll hear: How Norcross built the architecture for NASA.gov, the New York Times, GitHub, and Disney, and why that work has disappeared His direct experience with bad AI-generated code  Why the AI investment bubble looks a lot like subprime mortgage lending, and why the math doesn't math His reminder that AI is not intelligent, it's a pattern-recognition machine, and why the word choice matters Why no machine will ever account for the chaos and unpredictability of human behavior His pivot to referral-only handyman work A frank conversation about college vs. trades Why he gave up on long-term career planning entirely Why going to sleep sore from physical labor feels better than putting money in the wrong pockets

    43 min
  2. 306: Living Better to Lead Better with Scott Eblin

    APR 27

    306: Living Better to Lead Better with Scott Eblin

    Most leadership advice skips the body entirely. Scott Eblin doesn't. The executive coach and author of Overworked and Overwhelmed has spent 25 years helping C-suite leaders perform better, and his starting point isn't strategy. It's neurobiology. The reason so many leaders feel reactive, depleted, and like they have no agency isn't a character flaw. It's physiology. When you're running on chronic fight or flight, your frontal lobe (the part responsible for values, discernment, and intentional response) is competing with your amygdala. And the amygdala usually wins. If you manage people, work with people who manage people, or you're the person in the C-suite wondering why everything feels like a threat, this conversation is for you. In this episode, you'll hear: Why self-management comes before everything else in leadership What chronic fight or flight actually does to your decision-making How the parasympathetic nervous system works and how rhythmic movement activates it The Life GPS framework Scott and his wife built in the 90s Why knowing your 100% optimal makes a 25% day easier to navigate What Scott's MS diagnosis in 2009 taught him about temporary states The dance floor vs. the balcony concept, and why leaders need both Martin Seligman's disputation technique for breaking a pessimistic thought loop

    46 min
  3. 305: Global VA Agency for Stigmatized Industries with Amari Leigh

    APR 13

    305: Global VA Agency for Stigmatized Industries with Amari Leigh

    Amari Leigh didn't plan any of this. She volunteered at sex worker charities and women's health organizations, sent her CV to every reproductive justice charity she could find, and stumbled into freelance virtual assistant (VA) work. Now she runs a global agency that's worked with over 100 businesses across 17 countries, all of them sex-positive and queer-affirming. Sex positivity is rooted in consent, body autonomy, and non-judgment. Amari makes the case that a more sex positive, queer-positive world could genuinely save lives and make us all more productive and humane in the process. If you've ever built a business around your values, wondered whether to stick it out with difficult people or just walk away, or wanted to hear someone talk plainly about censorship, shadow banning, and what it actually costs to work in stigmatized industries, this one's for you. In this episode, you'll hear: How Amari accidentally launched a VA agency while emailing every sex positive and queer-affirming charity she could find What running a sex positive, queer-affirming business actually looks like across 17 countries and 19 U.S. states How censorship and shadow banning target sexual health and reproductive justice content while harassment gets a pass Why your social media following is not an asset, and what is Her honest answer on whether she'd try to educate a bigoted coworker (spoiler: absolutely not) Why a sex positive, queer-positive world would reduce unintended pregnancies, maternal deaths, and pressure on the foster care system

    35 min
  4. 304: Joyful Workplaces with Yolanda Fraction

    MAR 30

    304: Joyful Workplaces with Yolanda Fraction

    Yolanda Fraction, organizational development consultant, doctoral student in IO psychology, and author of Joyful Workplaces, joins Punk Rock HR to make the case that joy at work is a strategy, not a perk. And for the leaders who bristle at the word "joy," she has a reframe: call it effectiveness. The outcome is the same either way. Bad bosses. Turnover. Absenteeism. Mental health days taken just to survive the workload. Yolanda argues these are not culture problems. They are performance problems. And they are solvable, often for free. If you lead people, support leaders in HR, or want to build workplaces that actually work, this conversation is for you. In this episode, you'll hear: Why joy is the outcome of a high-performing organization, not a mood What the opposite of joy actually looks like on a balance sheet How Yolanda builds joyful workplaces without a budget Why toxic managers are a performance problem, not just a culture problem What self-determination theory has to do with performance reviews Why an 82-slide deck won't change executive behavior, and what Yolanda does instead Why Yolanda asks leaders to imagine their 7-year-old self watching them make a difficult call.

    30 min
  5. 303: Healthy to 100 with Ken Stern

    MAR 16

    303: Healthy to 100 with Ken Stern

    What actually helps people live longer, healthier lives? According to longevity expert Ken Stern, it’s not just diet, exercise, or the latest health trend. The biggest factor might surprise you: Your relationships. Ken Stern, author of Healthy to 100, joins Punk Rock HR to talk about what the longest-lived countries in the world are doing differently. Drawing from research and reporting in Japan, Singapore, Italy, Spain, and South Korea, Ken explains how social connection, community design, and policy shape how long (and how well) we live. In this episode, you’ll hear: Why loneliness is a serious health risk, comparable to smoking What the world’s longest-lived countries do differently than the United States How social connection impacts longevity more than diet or exercise Why the traditional life stages of school, work, and retirement were invented — and can be reinvented What Japan’s older workforce reveals about purpose and longevity How housing policy and urban design influence healthy aging Why the future of work will require rethinking retirement How communities and public policy shape how long we live

    31 min
  6. 302: Becoming Trustworthy: Race and Solidarity at Work with Karen Fleshman

    MAR 2

    302: Becoming Trustworthy: Race and Solidarity at Work with Karen Fleshman

    Karen Fleshman joins Punk Rock HR to talk about race, power, and the uncomfortable yet necessary work white women must do to build trust across differences. As the founder of the Interracial Sisterhood Coalition, Karen works with white women who are past the beginner stage of anti-racism and ready to examine how conditioning, proximity to power, and workplace dynamics reinforce racial hierarchy. This conversation moves beyond theory. It explores accountability, institutional protection, intergenerational trauma, and what it actually takes to build solidarity in today’s workplace. In this episode, you’ll hear: Why Karen shifted from preparing young people of color for corporate America to preparing workplaces for them What the “messy middle” of anti-racism work looks like How white women’s proximity to power shapes HR and leadership roles The tension between protecting institutions and protecting people Why Karen prefers solidarity over performative allyship How intergenerational trauma influences workplace behavior What it takes to build trust across racial differences

    32 min
  7. 301: The Manager Method with Ashley Herd

    FEB 18

    301: The Manager Method with Ashley Herd

    Ashley Herd, founder and CEO of Manager Method and co-host of HR Besties, joins Punk Rock HR to talk about what it actually takes to lead people well. A lawyer turned HR executive, Ashley shares how mentorship, recognition, and practical judgment shape better managers — and why “common sense” leadership isn’t common at all. If you manage people, support managers in HR, or sit in the C-suite and want employees to function like humans instead of headcount, this conversation is for you. In this episode, you’ll hear: Why mentors can sit anywhere on the org chart — including below you The hidden human cost of how and when we terminate employees Why recognition isn’t “fluffy” — it’s fuel How Ashley’s Pause–Consider–Act framework changes everyday decisions What HR Besties gets right about nuance in the profession Why managers must stop thinking about people as spreadsheets

    36 min
  8. 300: The Reality of Work Tech in 2026 with Mary Ellen Slayter and Steve Smith

    12/18/2025

    300: The Reality of Work Tech in 2026 with Mary Ellen Slayter and Steve Smith

    Mary Ellen Slayter and Steve Smith of Rep Cap join Punk Rock HR to talk about the state of the job market, the reality behind AI hype, and what’s actually changing in work tech and HR tech. Drawing on decades as journalists turned operators, they break down why this moment feels uniquely disorienting and where real opportunity still exists. From capital shifts and consolidation to brand, people investment, and human connection, Mary Ellen and Steve share what’s breaking, what’s quietly working, and why 2026 may mark a turning point for companies willing to think long term. In this episode, you’ll hear: Why today’s job market feels brutal despite strong labor numbers How AI hype differs from real innovation in work tech Why VC-era assumptions are gone and what replaces them Where private equity, consolidation, and M&A are reshaping the market Why brand and long-term value matter more than short-term performance Where optimism still exists for work, people, and leadership in 2026

    30 min
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4.6
out of 5
153 Ratings

About

Welcome to the Punk Rock HR Podcast, hosted by the influential and unconventional Laurie Ruettimann. This podcast breaks away from the traditional constraints of the HR world to bring you candid and compelling conversations with some of the most disruptive and innovative minds in the business. Each episode, Laurie dives deep into critical topics surrounding the real world of work, exploring the modern workplace's nuances, and challenging the status quo of HR. Guests range from renowned thought leaders, authors, and entrepreneurs to HR professionals and individuals who have reshaped the way we approach work and organizational culture. Punk Rock HR is not your usual HR talk. It’s a blend of insight, wit, and irreverence, aiming to bring a fresh, unfiltered perspective to the challenges and opportunities facing today’s workforce. Whether you’re an HR professional looking to revamp your approach, a leader trying to understand the people side of the business better, or just someone interested in the dynamics of the modern workplace, this podcast is your ticket to engaging discussions and actionable insights. Expect energizing conversations, guests with big ideas, and a punk rock twist, with episodes released every Monday. Follow the Punk Rock HR Podcast to keep your finger on the pulse of work, leadership, and human resources. Your journey towards a more progressive and enlightened workspace starts here! 

Information

  • Creator
    WRKdefined Podcast Network
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    330
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved by WRKdefined
  • Show Website
    Punk Rock HR

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