Empathy Is Not Soft. It's a Damn Strategy. (with Dr. Melissa Robinson-Winemiller)

Empathy Is Not Soft. It's a Damn Strategy. (with Dr. Melissa Robinson-Winemiller)

Empathy is the most overused word in leadership right now. Everyone says it. Almost nobody does it. This week, Des and Ashley sit down with Dr. Melissa Robinson-Winemiller , TEDx speaker, international bestselling author of The Empathic Leader, host of The Empathic Leader podcast, and the founder of EQ via Empathy. Two doctorates, an MBA, a master's in data analytics, and a personal story that turned losing a career into a mission. She came armed with research, receipts, and the data point that stopped Ashley mid-sentence: there are 43 distinct types of empathy — and most leaders are only using one of them (badly). This one isn't about feelings. It's about strategy. Get in. What You'll Learn * The 43 types of empathy and why "feeling what someone feels" is only 1/43rd of it * Why self-empathy is the foundation every leader skips (and the 35% leadership burnout rate it creates) * Niceness vs. kindness why one is gift wrap and the other is the real work * Dark empathy how psychopaths, narcissists, and Machiavellians use cognitive empathy as a manipulation tool (and how to spot it) * Where the hiring process is the LEAST empathic experience companies offer * Why performance reviews are quietly robbing your team of growth * How to handle layoffs and terminations without leaving wreckage * Whether AI has empathy (spoiler: no, and the new term we coined for what it does have) Where to Find Dr. Melissa * LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dr-melissa-a-robinson-winemiller [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-melissa-a-robinson-winemiller-author-speaker-trainer/] * Book: The Empathic Leader — Amazon (paperback + Audible, narrated by Dr. Melissa herself) * YouTube: @The.Empathic.Leader [https://www.youtube.com/@The.Empathic.Leader] * Podcast: The Empathic Leader Podcast (everywhere you listen)

Compensation isn't a math problem. It's a truth-telling problem.

This week, Des and Ashley sit down with David Turetsky with 35+ years in compensation, U.S. patent holder on performance-driven pay tech, former VP at ADP, and the brain behind HR Data Labs. He's seen every comp shortcut, every salary band shortcut, and every excuse HR has ever used to underpay someone. And he's not interested in being polite about any of it. If you're a recruiter who freezes up when comp comes into the conversation, this episode is for you. If you're an HR leader who's been quietly recycling the same broken pay practices for a decade, this one is especially for you.

Lori Golden : Early Career Hiring: What is different?

Early career hiring didn’t suddenly “break.” Companies changed the rules. In this episode of Talentless, Desiree Goldey, Ashley King, and Lori Golden unpack why the hiring market feels so disconnected for Gen Z candidates, recruiters, and employers alike, and why companies quietly pulled back from investing in early career talent. Lori brings over 27 years of recruiting experience across agency, startup, and corporate environments to a conversation that goes far beyond campus recruiting. Together, the team explores how hiring expectations shifted after the pandemic, why “entry-level” jobs now demand years of experience, and how AI, social media, and modern work culture are reshaping the future of employment. The conversation dives into: * Why companies reduced internship and early career hiring programs * How “entry-level” became “2–3 years required” * The disconnect between Gen Z and corporate work culture * Why recruiters need more transparency in hiring processes * How AI is amplifying distrust in recruiting * The role social media plays in burnout and workplace expectations * Why recruiters are struggling to balance efficiency with empathy * The hidden problem with treating early career hiring as “cheap labor” * Why soft skills and adaptability matter more than ever * How companies lost the long-term strategy around workforce development Lori also shares her perspective on what younger generations are actually asking for: fairness, honesty, mentorship, and a system that feels human again. If you’ve been wondering why early career hiring feels harder than ever — this episode explains why. * Companies didn’t stop wanting young talent — they stopped wanting to train it. * “Entry-level” hiring now often requires experience because organizations want to avoid investing in development. * AI is exposing communication problems in recruiting, not solving them. * Transparency matters more than automation in the hiring process. * Gen Z isn’t rejecting work — they’re rejecting exploitation. * Recruiters cannot build strong pipelines without trust. * Soft skills, adaptability, and communication are becoming more valuable than technical credentials alone. * The future of hiring requires mentorship, not just technology. “You cannot build a future workforce while refusing to train future workers.” — Lori Golden “The early career pipeline isn’t broken. Companies just stopped investing in it.” — Lori Golden “If you want to change the game, you still have to learn how to play it.” — Lori Golden “Gen Z isn’t rejecting work. They’re rejecting systems that feel exploitative.” — Talentless Podcast “We automated communication, but not transparency.” — Lori Golden Connect with Lori Golden: * LinkedIn: Lori Golden on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] * Community: Rebel HR * Early Career Program: Hire You

AI Isn’t Replacing Recruiters. Bad Leadership Is.

Recruiting isn’t broken because of AI. It’s broken because too many companies reduced recruiting to speed, admin work, and “paper pushing” long before AI entered the conversation. In this episode of Talentless, Desiree Goldey, Ashley King, and Oscar Chavez unpack the real issue behind modern hiring dysfunction: leadership decisions that stripped recruiting of strategy, empathy, and human judgment. Oscar shares what 20+ years in recruiting from agency to in-house to AI startup environments taught him about hiring systems, recruiter enablement, and why technology cannot fix a broken process without people who know how to lead it. The conversation dives into: * Why AI should amplify recruiters, not replace them * How companies accidentally trained recruiters to become “inbox managers” * The dangerous obsession with speed over quality * Why empathy is still the most underrated recruiting skill * The truth behind “beating the ATS” * What leadership gets wrong about hiring technology * How recruiters lost their seat at the strategic table * Why passive sourcing and relationship building still matter more than ever Oscar also shares one of the most powerful recruiting stories we’ve ever heard on the podcast a reminder that recruiting is not administrative work. It changes lives. If you’ve ever wondered whether AI is the problem… or just exposing problems that already existed, this episode is for you. Key Takeaways: * “If you speed up a broken process, you’re just going to break it faster.” * Recruiting was reduced from strategic partnership to administrative support and leadership decisions drove that shift. * AI is most effective as an enablement tool, not a replacement for human judgment. * Empathy is still one of the strongest predictors of recruiting success. * The best recruiters build relationships, not just pipelines. * Hiring leaders often want control, not partnership and recruiting suffers because of it. * “Your company is only as good as the people in it. Notable Quotes “AI isn’t replacing recruiters. Poor leadership is.” - Oscar Chavez “If your presence adds no value, your absence makes no difference.” -Ashley King “Empathy should be your first strategy.” - Desiree Goldey “We went from being quarterbacks in the hiring process to being ball boys.” — Oscar Chavez “You’re not fixing hiring by removing the humans. You’re just automating dysfunction.” — Talentless Podcast Connect with Oscar Chavez * LinkedIn: Oscar Chavez [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ochavezj/](“Oscar from LinkedIn”) * Resume Audit Tool: The Six Second Test

Ghosted by the Machine: What Hiring Lost (and How We Get It Back) with Mark Lane

What happens when hiring becomes automated, impersonal, and frankly broken? This week on Talentless, Desiree and Ashley sit down with communications strategist and Ghosted by the Machine host, Mark Lane, to unpack what job seekers are really experiencing right now and what recruiters need to hear. From being ghosted for months (or a year ) to competing against AI-generated resumes, this conversation dives into the emotional, systemic, and technological realities shaping today’s hiring market. Whether you're a recruiter, hiring leader, or job seeker, this episode is a reality check. What We Cover: * Why 70–75% of resumes never get seen by a human * The rise (and risks) of AI in hiring * Ghosting, rejection delays, and broken candidate experiences * The emotional toll of job searching in today’s market * Why networking is more critical than ever * Ageism, overqualification, and market saturation * The power of storytelling in landing your next role * What “career resilience” actually looks like right now * The ONE thing recruiters must do better (hint: it’s simple) Key Quotes: * “Your AI is competing against my AI.” * “It’s not personal, it’s the market.” * “If you don’t like what you’re consuming, stop creating it.” * “Let’s make hiring human again.” About Mark Lane:Mark Lane is a communications strategist and host of Ghosted by the Machine, a podcast exploring AI-driven hiring and career resilience. With 20+ years of experience, he brings a unique blend of storytelling, strategy, and real-world perspective to the future of work. Also… he’s a saxophonist in multiple bands (yes, really). Where to Find Mark:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-k-lane/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-k-lane/]Podcast: Ghosted by the Machine (YouTube, Apple, Spotify, iHeart)