EP 184: Why Pairing Ambition With Kindness Builds Winning Teams

EP 184: Why Pairing Ambition With Kindness Builds Winning Teams

Author: James Mackey January 15, 2026 Duration: 48:33
Ana King, Chief People Officer at Sapi, reflects on her journey from Bucharest to London and how cultural studies shaped her philosophy on leadership and recruiting. She shares how building trust between CEOs, finance, and teams, drives profitability and sustainable growth, from hiring for “smart and kind” to aligning people strategy with business outcomes and leading change through listening and learning. Books mentioned: Daniel Goleman, Hernan Diaz Connect with host James Mackey on LinkedIn...

Hosted by James Mackey, The Breakthrough Hiring Show: Recruiting and Talent Acquisition Conversations digs into the real work of building great teams. This isn't about abstract theory; it's a series of direct conversations focused on turning hiring from a constant challenge into a genuine edge for your business. You'll hear from leaders and practitioners who are in the trenches, discussing everything from the strategic shift needed to become a talent-first organization down to the granular details of process, technology, and metrics. Episodes move between high-level thought leadership and actionable advice you can use immediately, whether you're in a fast-moving SaaS startup, a growth-stage company, or an established firm. The dialogue here covers the full spectrum: effective onboarding and retention strategies, practical diversity and inclusion initiatives, navigating job boards and social media, and understanding the recruitment metrics that actually matter. Tune into this podcast for honest talk about empowering top talent and constructing a hiring engine that drives business forward. It's for anyone in recruiting, HR, or leadership who wants to move beyond just filling roles and start building a lasting competitive advantage through people.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

The Breakthrough Hiring Show: Recruiting and Talent Acquisition Conversations
Podcast Episodes
EP 189: Empathy, Grit, and Leading Teams Through Crisis [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:58
Lauren Groshong, GTM Recruiting Leader at Vanta, shares how growing up with grit and humor was foundational to her leadership style. Lauren talks about her time leading business recruiting at Grammarly, and how the leade…
EP 185: How Teaching Influenced This Talent Leader's Perspective [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:18:09
Tracy St. Dic, Global Head of Talent at Zapier, discusses how her background in the arts and education influenced her approach to leading teams. She unpacks how each chapter was driven by a desire to make a bigger impact…
EP 181: How to Win with Employer Branding and Candidate Experience [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:05
Megan Batterbury, Senior Talent Operations Specialist at incident.io, joins us to talk about what it really means to scale hiring with heart by building efficient systems without losing the human touch. She shares how th…
EP 180: Leveraging Data to Find the Perfect Candidate [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:10
Jonathan Lau, Director of Talent Acquisition at Super.com, joins us to unpack how in-house recruiting can bridge the gap between talent strategy and business goals. With years of leading experience, Jon explains how elev…
EP 179: How a Global TA Ops Leader Thinks About Hiring [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:08
Everett Chaffin, Director of Global TA Operations at Zendesk, joins us to explore how recruiting operations can become a true force multiplier for people. He shares his journey from starting his career at his dad's agenc…