EP 207: From Legal Training to Talent Strategy

EP 207: From Legal Training to Talent Strategy

Author: James Mackey April 16, 2026 Duration: 1:12:50
Raised in a close Italian immigrant family, she grew up fascinated by people and what drives them. After a brief detour into law, she found her true calling in recruiting where she discovered that behavior often matters more than credentials. Now as VP of Talent Acquisition at Human, Valerie Vadala shares how to read real signals in hiring and why so many companies still get it wrong. Restaurants mentioned: Pianostrada, Roscioli Books mentioned: Do What You Are by Paul D. Tieger, Bullshit Job...

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 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 184: Why Pairing Ambition With Kindness Builds Winning Teams [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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, a…
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…