What My Students Taught Me About Leadership

Building Benefits That Actually Work for Your Workforce

Summary Most organizations diagnose low benefits adoption as a communication failure. Amrita Bhaumik, VP of HR at Team Car Care — one of the largest Jiffy Lube franchisees, operating over 450 stores — has a harder diagnosis: the programs were never designed for the people being asked to use them. One-size-fits-all benefits are a budget choice. The workforce paying for that choice is the one that doesn't work at a desk. Before Team Car Care, Amrita served as CHRO at Valvoline Global Operations, where she drove a uniform parental leave policy across nearly 30 countries regardless of local legal minimums. In this conversation with host Lindsey Topping-Schuetz, she shares the data-driven strategy she used to move executives, the "meeting before the meeting" tactic that earns leadership ownership before the formal room, and the single question that has shaped her approach to culture for two decades. Timestamps 00:00 Amrita's path from Valvoline CHRO to VP of HR at Team Car Care 01:00 People leadership philosophy: enabling growth through culture and environment 04:00 Year-one priority: building strong leaders at 450 Jiffy Lube stores 05:30 The frontline benefits problem: reactive workers and programs that don't fit 07:00 How benefits and caregiving have changed across the automotive industry 09:00 Lindsey's personal story: seven years out of the workforce and what she needed to return 12:00 The birthday rule, mom guilt, and co-opting her daughter into work decisions 17:00 Building a uniform parental leave policy across 30 countries at Valvoline 21:00 Culture is built on the hardest day, not the best one Takeaways * If frontline workers aren't using your benefits, the problem is design, not awareness. Build programs for the life stage and schedule of the employees you actually employ. * Equip frontline managers first. They are the most direct channel between a benefits program and the employee who needs it — coach them to have the conversation before the portal ever opens. * Use internal data, not benchmarks, to move executives. Performance data, diversity percentages, and attrition patterns make the case more durably than external studies. * Work the room before the meeting. Surface individual leadership concerns individually so the group decision gets owned, not just agreed to. * Culture is tested on the hardest day. Benefits that don't show up when someone needs them most are expensive promises — not a culture. Connect with the Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amrita-bhaumik-hr/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/amrita-bhaumik-hr/] Team Car Care: https://www.jiffylube.com/ [https://www.jiffylube.com/] Sponsor Juno is the modern financial safety net for working families, helping organizations offer affordable, long-term financial coverage for children diagnosed with a new, severe illness or disability. Learn more at https://www.junokids.com/ [https://www.junokids.com/]

What My Students Taught Me About Leadership

Summary When Crunch Fitness's head of people and culture returned from parental leave in 2007, the CEO gave her a choice: delegate most of her role or come back early. She came back—but on her terms. Two days in the office. Three at home. And she never went back to five. That decision, made during the 2008 financial crisis while bonding with her newly adopted daughter, became the foundation of her leadership philosophy: flexibility isn't a perk. It's infrastructure. In this conversation, Pamela J. Brown walks through how she applies "ruthless prioritization" to protect both her team's capacity and her own, why she tells direct reports their projects are "yellow-light priorities" instead of letting them chase dead ends, and what it actually looks like to lead with empathy across 400+ locations where remote work isn't an option. She also shares the moment she saw something off in a colleague's face at a conference—and told her to leave before her talk, no questions asked. Timestamps 03:17 Ruthless prioritization: protecting your top three at work and at home  05:08 Why "yes, and" beats "no" when managing requests from your team  08:39 Applying Crunch's "no judgments" mantra to parents at work  11:11 The CEO call during parental leave: coming back early with conditions  14:47 Practicing daycare drop-off for two weeks before returning to work  17:09 What flexibility looks like when remote work isn't possible  19:31 The difference between leading as a professor and leading as an executive  22:04 Relax and recovery: what fitness taught her about unplugging from work  25:10 Where to find Pamela and her newsletter Multiplying Moves Takeaways - Flexibility must be embedded in company infrastructure, not treated as an exception or perk—especially for parents managing emergencies, illness, or caregiving logistics. - "Yes, and" is more effective than "no"—acknowledge the request, explain the priority level, and set a date when you can revisit it so your team can succeed without frustration. - Ruthless prioritization requires keeping your top three business goals visible, time-blocking work toward them, and moving everything else out of the way—at work and at home. - Empathy scales when leaders lean into listening, give developmental time even during packed schedules, and trust their instincts when something is visibly wrong with a team member. Connect with the Guest Connect with Pamela J. Brown on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamelabr/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamelabr/] Learn more about Crunch Fitness: https://www.crunch.com/ [https://www.crunch.com/] Sponsor Juno is the modern financial safety net for working families, helping organizations offer affordable, long-term financial coverage for children diagnosed with a new, severe illness or disability. Learn more at https://www.junokids.com/

How to Reimagine the Childcare Gap in the U.S.

Summary Every year, more than 150,000 early childhood educators leave the profession—a churn rate that directly impacts the 11 million children who depend on stable, high-quality care. Jessica Harrah has spent 20 years at KinderCare, the last decade as Chief People Officer, building systems that treat childcare not as a perk but as baseline infrastructure. Her defining moment came at an anniversary dinner when her husband said, "I need you to have some of that energy at home"—a gut punch that forced her to redesign what work-life integration actually meant. KinderCare now surveys 40,000 teachers annually, offers four-day workweeks to classroom staff, and provides free mental health care to employees' entire families. Harrah's argument is clinical: companies that don't offer childcare benefits are no longer employers of choice. The workforce of 2025 expects to be seen as whole people, and benefits are the language employers use to say, "We see what matters to you outside these four walls." Timestamps 03:14 Jessica's 20 years at KinderCare and why the mission stuck  06:47 The anniversary dinner that changed her approach to presence  11:23 Why childcare must shift from perk to infrastructure  15:02 What holds companies back from offering childcare benefits  18:56 How Ben stayed silent during Owen's NICU stay—and what that teaches HR leaders  23:41 Work-life integration for 40,000 teachers who can't leave the classroom  28:19 Post-COVID pressure: should moms keep toddlers home during remote work?  32:05 One question every HR leader should ask employees right now  Takeaways * Companies that view childcare as infrastructure—not a perk—see measurable gains in retention, productivity, and employee engagement, just as they do with healthcare benefits. * Leaders create psychological safety not through open-door policies but through specific, recurring questions: "What do you need from me this week?" * Work-life integration is highly personal—a four-day workweek for classroom teachers serves the same function as mid-day Costco runs for office workers. * Offering benefits to an employee's entire family (not just the employee) sends a structural message: we welcome you as a whole person. * The next generation of workers expects employers to acknowledge their full lives; benefits packages are now the primary language of that acknowledgment. Connect with the guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-harrah-5864866a/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-harrah-5864866a/] Learn more about KinderCare: https://www.kindercare.com/ [https://www.kindercare.com/] Learn more about Juno Juno is the modern financial safety net for working families, helping employers offer affordable, long-term financial coverage for children diagnosed with a new, severe illness or disability. Learn more at https://www.junokids.com/ [https://www.junokids.com/]

Candice Chafey, Chief People Officer at Zeta Global

Leading with Empathy: Zeta Global’s First CPO on Feedback, Flexibility, and Parenting Summary What does it take to build a high-performance people function from scratch while raising a family?  Candice Chafey, the first-ever Chief People Officer at Zeta Global—and former CPO at Bridgewater Associates and Lehman Brothers—joins Parenting at Work to share how she designs culture and benefits with empathy and rigor. A founding member of Troop HR, Candice explains why leaders shouldn’t just lift a “playbook” from past roles, how to treat culture like a campaign that amplifies what’s already true, and why transparent feedback matters even more in hybrid environments.  She traces the shift from onsite perks to whole-self, stage-of-life benefits (from student loans to fertility and adoption), and makes the case for flexibility plus genuine human support when life gets hard.  Candice also gets personal—discussing postpartum depression, a childcare crisis, and the often-overlooked transition back to work—and offers practical ways leaders can stay grounded, ask better questions, and support parents without assumptions. Timestamps [00:45] – Candice’s path: first-ever CPO roles, blank canvases, and resisting one-size-fits-all playbooks   [03:29] – From “good people” to Great Place to Work: connection, pride, and treating culture like a campaign   [05:02] – Lessons from Bridgewater: radical transparency vs. kindness—and making feedback safe in hybrid   [07:54] – Imposter syndrome 101: why asking clear questions breaks the mental loop   [09:20] – The benefits shift: from onsite services to virtual care and whole-self, life-stage support   [13:42] – What parents want now: flexibility—and real human care in moments of crisis   [16:34] – Life balance over work-life balance: planning, partnership, and staying sane with four kids   [20:10] – Parenting x leadership: coaching with questions, empathy, and perspective   [24:20] – When worlds collide: postpartum, a nanny scare, and the missing return-to-work playbook   [31:30] – Grounded leadership: remember your “firsts,” use your story, and build better for others   [33:27] – Parting wisdom: “You’re all they know”—the power of presence at home and at work Takeaways - Lead by listening—don’t import a past playbook; build infrastructure that fits your company’s people and mission.   - Treat culture like a campaign: clarify what’s true, amplify it, and earn third-party validation thoughtfully.   - Normalize truth and feedback in hybrid: train managers to ask clear questions and reduce imposter syndrome.   - Design benefits for life stages: virtual care, student loan support, fertility/adoption resources, and mental health.   - Prioritize flexibility plus human support—plan proactively, but respond compassionately when crises happen.   - Create a return-to-work playbook: transitions, manager readiness, and personalized support for new parents.   - Coach like a parent: use questions to build judgment, offer perspective, and help people find their own answers. Sponsor Parenting at Work is brought to you by Juno — the modern financial safety net for working families.  Juno helps employers offer affordable, impactful long-term financial coverage for children diagnosed with a severe illness or disability, giving parents peace of mind and flexibility when it matters most.  You can learn more about how Juno is helping companies build family-first benefits that truly make a difference at ⁠⁠junokids.com⁠⁠.

Monica Anderton, CHRO at DS Smith

Parenting Meets Production: A CHRO’s Playbook for Parental Leave, Safety, and Frontline Flexibility Summary How do you offer flexibility when your business runs on shifts and machines can’t sit idle? Monica Anderton, Chief Human Resources Officer for DS Smith’s North American Packaging & Paper Division and a 2025 Top CHRO Voice in Manufacturing, breaks down what family-friendly HR looks like on the factory floor. With 20+ facilities and 2,500 employees, Monica serves two distinct audiences—desk-based staff and frontline teams—while staying competitive as a self-insured employer. She shares how DS Smith used benchmarks and employee surveys to design choice-rich benefits, why “unlimited PTO” doesn’t fit manufacturing, and how they rolled out inclusive two-week parental leave for all parents, including adoption and same-sex partners. Monica explains how to balance data with “the right thing,” from rapid, paid COVID leave to safety-first policies that depend on transparency when life happens at home. She also opens up about parenting while leading through travel and crises, and the community and workplace support that mattered most when her daughter suffered a catastrophic sports injury. Expect tangible examples for building trust, protecting safety, and attracting the next generation with practical, family-forward benefits. Timestamps [00:45] – Guest intro: DS Smith scope and what’s unique about manufacturing HR [01:37] – Serving desk and frontline teams: self-insured benefits, benchmarks, and surveys [03:53] – Time off on the line: why “unlimited PTO” doesn’t work in shift environments [05:13] – Inclusive parental leave: two weeks for all parents, including adoption and same-sex partners [07:58] – Data + values: making “the right thing” sustainable and competitive [09:13] – Safety in a crisis: immediate paid COVID leave and union dynamics [16:12] – When life happens: transparency, leave options, and preventing safety risks from distraction [18:52] – A parent-first moment: catastrophic injury, community support, and a scholarship preserved Takeaways - Build benefits as a choice-rich platform validated by market benchmarks and employee surveys. - Define flexibility by role: staff shifts reliably while offering fair time off and realistic policies for non-desk work. - Implement inclusive parental leave—small steps (e.g., two weeks) drive morale, attraction, and retention. - Price decisions with data but anchor in values; act decisively in crises to protect people and operations. - Ask for transparency during family emergencies; activate leaves, PTO donation, EAP, and care-finder resources to reduce safety risks. - Model empathy—normalize “it’s okay to not be okay” and equip managers to meet people where they are. Sponsor Parenting at Work is brought to you by Juno — the modern financial safety net for working families.  Juno helps employers offer affordable, impactful long-term financial coverage for children diagnosed with a severe illness or disability, giving parents peace of mind and flexibility when it matters most.  You can learn more about how Juno is helping companies build family-first benefits that truly make a difference at ⁠⁠junokids.com⁠⁠.