The People Managing People Podcast

Most leaders assume that transparency around pay and finances will sow discord or fuel envy. Mel Price is living proof that the opposite is possible. As co-founder and CEO of Work Program Architects, she’s spent the last 15 years running a firm with full salary and financial transparency—by design, not by accident. The result? A company where people understand how money moves, why decisions are made, and how their own work ladders up to business outcomes.

In this episode, we talk about what it really takes to implement radical transparency—from open books and compensation committees to staff-run hiring and contract signing. Mel shares what she's learned from building a distributed leadership model where every employee is given the tools and data to think (and act) like an owner.

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• Check out Work Program Architects

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HR leaders say they want a seat at the table—but too often, they show up without speaking the language. In this episode, David talks with Julie Mahfouz Rezvani, Managing Director of The Orion Group, about the critical gap between HR's people expertise and the commercial acumen needed to drive real business impact. Julie brings clarity to the misunderstood concept of "HR as a cost center," unpacking the ways HR can become indispensable by translating people insights into financial impact.

They dig into the basics: How does your company make money? What's your revenue per employee? And if you can't answer that, why should your CFO listen to you? It's a candid conversation that calls HR professionals to step up, understand the business model, and learn to speak the language of the C-suite—not by mimicking it, but by reframing people problems in business terms.

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• Check out The Orion Group Inc.

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What happens when your mission statement no longer fits the company you're building? For Chase Warrington, Head of Operations at Doist, that question wasn’t rhetorical—it was a radical prompt that reshaped their culture. In this candid, live conversation recorded from the lawn of a remote work conference in Austin, Chase and David Rice unpack how purpose gets defined, tested, and redefined in remote-first companies—and why so many organizations still get it wrong.

We dig into why aligning your purpose with actual customer needs isn’t just a branding exercise—it’s a cultural imperative. Chase shares how Doist uses radical candor, documented values, and consistent reinforcement to build a culture where purpose isn't wallpaper. It’s a mirror. Whether you’re trying to refresh your mission statement or just make it mean something again, this episode offers a grounded look at how to move from performance to authenticity.

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• Connect with Chase on LinkedIn
• Check out Doist

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We’ve heard all the usual suspects when it comes to remote engagement—Slack check-ins, virtual happy hours, maybe an annual engagement survey if we’re lucky. But what if the problem isn’t the tools, but the assumptions? In this episode, David Rice sits down with Dr. Adora Ikwuemesi, whose recent qualitative study of remote workers in Nigeria reveals a much deeper, more nuanced picture of what truly drives—or erodes—remote engagement.

Adora walks us through her seven-part framework that emerged from conversations with 24 remote workers. Spoiler: it’s not just about more communication; it’s about better connection. From the physical realities of working without reliable electricity, to the surprising role that fun plays in fostering commitment, this conversation strips engagement down to its real-world components—beyond perks and policies. If you think your team is “fine,” you may just be missing the silence before the storm.

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• Connect with Dr. Adora on LinkedIn
• Check out Dr. Adora’s website and Kendor Consulting Ltd

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Candor is easy to value and hard to operationalize. It takes more than writing "feedback" on a poster and hoping people magically feel safe being honest. In this episode, I talk to Valentina Gissin, Chief People Officer at Garner Health, about how her team institutionalizes candor and turns culture into lived behavior—not empty slogans.

We dig into radical practices like publishing peer and upward feedback company-wide, cultural onboarding through case studies, and pushing back against the illusion of "culture fit" during hiring. Valentina also shares what she carried over (and what she left behind) from her time at Bridgewater, one of the most studied and controversial company cultures in corporate America.

This conversation is a blueprint for any leader asking the hard question: how do we make our culture real at scale?

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• Connect with Valentina on LinkedIn
• Check out Garner Health

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Most new managers aren't failing because they're bad at the job. They're failing because no one ever told them what the job actually is.

In this episode, David talks with Lia Garvin, author of The New Manager Playbook, about the real barriers keeping new managers from delivering results. It's not a lack of ambition or intelligence. It's a complete absence of clear expectations, practical support, and trust—from both directions.

They unpack why performance reviews so often feel arbitrary, how workplace surveillance backfires, and why calling your team a "family" is setting everyone up for disappointment. Whether you're newly promoted or managing the managers, this episode will reframe how you think about delegation, accountability, and what it really takes to lead.

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• Connect with Lia on LinkedIn
• Check out Lia’s book: The New Manager Playbook and the Managing Made Simple podcast

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Transitioning from the public sector to private HR isn't just a career move—it's a full-on culture shock. In this episode, Kimberly Williams, VP of People, Culture & Compliance at Walker Advertising, joins David to unpack her journey from federal HR to private enterprise, sharing hard-won lessons, surprising similarities, and the real stakes of navigating both worlds.

From managing bureaucracy to confronting toxic leadership, Kimberly offers candid insights into what translates, what doesn't, and how HR professionals can advocate for fairness in any environment.

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• Check out this episode’s sponsor: Oyster HR, Inc.
• Connect with Kimberly on LinkedIn
• Check out Walker Advertising and End Workplace Abuse

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What do tech hiring, Olympic figure skating, and the shifting tides of global work culture have in common? According to Ann Kuss, CEO of Outstaff Your Team, more than you'd think. In this episode, Ann joins David Rice to dissect the rapidly evolving landscape of tech talent: who's winning, who's losing, and why so many companies are still playing yesterday's game with today's rules. From the rise of AI-native roles to the global appetite for remote work, Ann unpacks the contradictions shaping how we recruit, retain, and reskill in 2025 and beyond.

David and Ann explore the dual realities in tech hiring: one where AI-driven skillsets command premium salaries, and another where traditional roles face declining value and shrinking budgets. They also dig into the elusive promise of cognitive diversity, the myth of the "perfect skill fit," and why Gen Z talent won't be lured by ping pong tables and kombucha anymore.

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• Check out this episode’s sponsor: Oyster HR, Inc.
• Connect with Ann on LinkedIn
• Check out Outstaff Your Team

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Jared Kleinert, founder and CEO of Offsite, shares insights on the growing importance of team retreats in today’s distributed work environment. As remote and hybrid models become the norm, retreats have evolved from perks to essential strategies for keeping teams connected, aligned, and engaged.

Jared emphasizes that planning intentional offsites is crucial for retaining talent and fostering a strong company culture. The conversation explores how to design effective retreats by setting clear business goals and measuring impact through feedback and engagement metrics.

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• Join the People Managing People community forum
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• Connect with Jared on LinkedIn
• Check out Offsite

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