The HR Life Podcast

EP 53 Joe Tate Music, Japan, and the Power of Presentations

Joe Tate got into HR because his handwriting was better than the other guy's. He left one of his biggest roles because he refused to let his HRIS manager take the fall for a company-wide data breach. And somewhere in between, he built Boost HR, mentored hundreds of professionals through his six-week HR essentials course, and took a ski trip to Japan that ended up reshaping the way he thinks about people, culture, and the kind of workplace we all say we want but rarely build. Tony, Steve, and Joe cover a lot of territory in this one: why getting HR a seat at the table with the CFO is still a fight worth having, what promotion from within actually looks like when you celebrate it the way it deserves to be celebrated, and why live training is making a comeback that should have you rethinking your next all-hands. What can a heated bidet seat at 2 a.m. teach you about the employee experience? Listen and find out!    Learn more about Joe Tate at: https://boostrecruits.com/ [https://boostrecruits.com/] and https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-tate-a92b02/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-tate-a92b02/] Learn more about Fantastic Tony Benjamin at: https://www.thegrangellc.com/ [https://www.thegrangellc.com/] Learn more about Steven "Big Deal" Smith at: https://thehiringtreebook.com/ [https://thehiringtreebook.com/] Learn more about the Books mentioned on the podcast at: https://thehiringtreebook.com/hr-life-podcast [https://thehiringtreebook.com/hr-life-podcast] Learn more about Dyno Outfitters at: https://www.utahviaferrata.com/ [https://www.utahviaferrata.com/] Learn more about MegastarHR at: https://www.megastarhr.com/ [https://www.megastarhr.com/] Learn more about Pucks for Autism at: https://www.pucksforautism.com/ [https://www.pucksforautism.com/] Voice audio distortion courtesy of The Internet.   Joe Tate is a regionally renowned speaker, trainer, and source for HR compliance information.  After serving more than 1,000 clients with his company, Boost HR, he knows what he's talking about.

EP 52 Turns Out Smiling Is Free: Aric Bostick on Attachment Theory and Why Your Face Is an HR Problem

Tony and Steve welcome Aric Bostick, keynote speaker, former classroom teacher, professional crowd-energizer, and the man Steve publicly credits for telling him to get on a stage when he was just some guy with a book idea and a lot of enthusiasm. Aric brings the science of attachment theory out of the therapy room and drops it straight into your org chart.  You'll learn why people leave companies that pay more to work somewhere they feel seen. Why your resting face is already sending a message to your team (it's probably not the one you want). Why "soft skills" is the wrong name for the hardest thing most managers will never learn. For the record, Tony has never made a mistake. Learn more about Fantastic Tony Benjamin at: https://www.thegrangellc.com/ [https://www.thegrangellc.com/] Learn more about Steven "Big Deal" Smith at: https://thehiringtreebook.com/ [https://thehiringtreebook.com/] Learn more about the Books mentioned on the podcast at: https://thehiringtreebook.com/hr-life-podcast [https://thehiringtreebook.com/hr-life-podcast] Learn more about Dyno Outfitters at: https://www.utahviaferrata.com/ [https://www.utahviaferrata.com/] Learn more about MegastarHR at: https://www.megastarhr.com/ [https://www.megastarhr.com/] Learn more about Pucks for Autism at: https://www.pucksforautism.com/ [https://www.pucksforautism.com/]

EP 51 Fueling HR with the NY Times at Central Utah SHRM

Steve and Tony attended the Fuel HR conference on May 14, 2026.  They talked the EEOC's case against the NY Times, diversity, and interviewed several attendees. The most pertinent piece of advice they got from the conference is "If you're going to discriminate, don't advertise and document it."   Note: There were two interviews that were lost due to computer and sound issues.   We apologize to those two people and will get them back on the show soon.   On a more positive note, Steve and Tony introduced a lot of people to LimeRickys.

EP 50 The Empty Bolt Seat: The CEO Who Thinks He Doesn't Need HR, Grogu, and Reddit

A CEO returns to his struggling startup, looks around at the wreckage, and decides the HR team is the problem. He fires them. All of them. Then tells the world about it at a conference. Tony and Steve have opinions. Surprising, nuanced, occasionally loud opinions, and they're not entirely on the side you'd expect.  In between the Star Wars tangents and Tony's deep philosophical feelings about performance improvement plans, the guys also tackle AI: what most HR professionals are doing wrong, why Reddit is a terrifying foundation for legal advice, and how to actually use these tools without accidentally torching your credibility. Fifty episodes in, and the chaos has never been more educational. Learn more about Fantastic Tony Benjamin at: https://www.thegrangellc.com/ [https://www.thegrangellc.com/] Learn more about Steven “Big Deal” Smith at: https://thehiringtreebook.com/ [https://thehiringtreebook.com/] Learn more about the books mentioned on the podcast at: https://thehiringtreebook.com/hr-life-podcast [https://thehiringtreebook.com/hr-life-podcast] Learn more about our New sponsor at: https://www.utahviaferrata.com/ [https://www.utahviaferrata.com/] Learn more about our sponsor MegastarHR at: https://www.megastarhr.com/ [https://www.megastarhr.com/] Lean more about Jobs for America's Graduates (JAG) at: https://jag.org/ [https://jag.org/] Learn more about Pucks for Autism at: https://www.pucksforautism.com/ [https://www.pucksforautism.com/] Learn more about the Thrive Life Project: https://www.thrivelifeproject.org/ [https://www.thrivelifeproject.org/] The newest book mentioned on the podcast: The Bus Has No Driver: https://rb.gy/rqocj5 [https://rb.gy/rqocj5]

EP 49 - HEED This: Reading Body Language, Running Investigations, and What Counterintelligence Teaches HR with Derik Clark

Tony and Steve welcome Derik Clark — Army counterintelligence veteran, body language expert, and apparently a crowd favorite on par with Steve (high praise). Derik breaks down his HEED framework for reading nonverbal cues in HR investigations and job interviews, and why the thing you think you're seeing (lying) is almost never the thing you're actually seeing (discomfort). He also shares the true story of an Iraqi weapons smuggler who had perfect body language… until someone asked him where he was getting his money. Tony connects the dots to workplace investigations, written warnings, and why 80% of every workplace conflict story is actually the same from both sides. Steve didn't know Rocky Raccoon was a song, which tells you everything you need to know. Learn more about Derik Clark at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derikclark/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/derikclark/] Learn more about Fantastic Tony Benjamin at: https://www.thegrangellc.com/ [https://www.thegrangellc.com/] Learn more about Steven "Big Deal" Smith at: https://thehiringtreebook.com/ [https://thehiringtreebook.com/] Learn more about the Books mentioned on the podcast at: https://thehiringtreebook.com/hr-life-podcast [https://thehiringtreebook.com/hr-life-podcast] Learn more about MegastarHR at: https://www.megastarhr.com/ [https://www.megastarhr.com/] Learn more about Pucks for Autism at: https://www.pucksforautism.com/ [https://www.pucksforautism.com/] Derik Clark is a veteran counterintelligence officer who served in the US Army and now works as an HR business partner and consultant.  He's an expert interrogator that specializes in how to read people and the room.  Derik's HEED Framework: Hide Escape Ease Defend (How people react when they feel uncomfortable.)