Episodes

In this episode of True Stories at Work, host Michelle Aronson sits down with Kristen, an attorney with a fascinating career path that began at a west coast startup. Kristen shares her journey through different work cultures—from startups to law firms—highlighting the challenges of creating a culture that aligns with personal values and the importance of self-awareness in leadership. She discusses her eye-opening experiences, including an outrageous comment from a managing partner comparing emp...

In this episode of True Stories at Work, host Michelle Aronson introduces Tracy, an HR executive who got her first HR job the good old fashioned way, nepotism… but absorbed everything and grew from that first big break. Tracy reflects on her early ‘black and white’ thinking and the pivotal moment she was forced to report to a coworker she couldn’t stand, only to discover a valuable mentor and friend. She shares her personal growth journey, echoing Taylor Swift’s advice to sometimes look in the ...

In this episode of ‘True Stories at Work,’ host Michelle Aronson chats with Brett, a seasoned HR professional who grew up in a family of headhunters. Brett shares her unique journey into the world of human resources, highlighting the lessons she learned from her father and her knack for finding hidden talent. She discusses her early career aspirations, the pivotal moments that led her into HR, and her innovative methods for sourcing hard-to-find candidates. Brett also opens up about personal e...

Have you ever wondered about the hidden dramas lurking in office emails? In this ‘True Stories at Work’ episode, meet Leah, the former girls’ basketball coach turned legal sensei. Leah had so many great stories to share, that her stories cover two episodes. Episode one shared her experience working on employment challenges involving everything from bank heists to ‘mouse jigglers?’ This episode explores the wild world of e-discovery, revealing surprising tales of sexual misconduct (and preferen...

In this episode of True Stories at Work, host Michelle Aronson introduces Leah, a management-side attorney with great insights and stories about the human side of work. Leah takes us through her journey from dreaming of being the boss to finding her path into employment law. We explore the imperfections of humans at every level of the workplace, including two executives caught in an intimate embrace after hours on a conference room table. We discuss some legal challenges of remote work (mouse ...

Have you ever wondered about how your people and culture influence your business financials? In this True Stories at Work episode you get to meet Jolene who began in Financial Forensics on wall street to turning around companies through HR… using culture as her gateway drug into shaping companies for the better. You’ll hear how moving 33 times during the grades K-12 impacted her ability to connect quickly and build trust. Jolene shares her union negotiation tactics, call to action for leaders to...

In this episode of True Stories at Work, host Michelle Aronson sits down with Stella, an HR executive, who shares her journey from sales to Human Resources during the 2009 housing crisis. Stella opens up about the art of building a strong company culture, highlights the core values driving her employees, and reflects on her career journey across three different industries. Don’t miss the workplace confession to find out what happens when three people try to hide in the same closet—for very diffe...

Have you ever considered how luck and timing impact your career? In this episode of True Stories at Work, meet Norah, who worked VERY hard but also showed up in the right place at the right time with the right skills. From her serendipitous encounter at a smoothie shop to landing her first formal HR role at a bank during the 2008 financial collapse – she shares the moments that changed her career. We also discuss the challenges of office romance, return-to-work strategies, and how assuming posit...

In this episode of ‘True Stories at Work,’ Michelle Aronson interviews Keri-Lynne (KL), a seasoned HR professional who transitioned from sales and marketing to human resources by accident. KL shares her unique journey from selling cars to becoming a Chief People Officer, highlighting the importance of career ownership, empathy in leadership, and navigating challenges during the pandemic. She also discusses her experiences with global HR projects and the critical role of culture in organizations....

This episode of ‘True Stories at Work’ hosted by Michelle Aronson features a conversation with Travis, an experienced HR professional and Talent Acquisition leader. Travis shares his journey from aspiring to be in a rockstar to falling into Human Resources. Travis discusses the challenges, surprises, and emotional moments he has faced in his career. He reflects on a powerful moment with an executive coach that changed his outlook on leadership and his life. We discuss the importance of HR in bus...

Did you ever think it would be easy to work in England, because you already speak the language? Well tune into this episode of ‘True Stories at Work’ to meet Dina, an executive coach and former HR professional, shares her experiences working in human resources across different cultures and the unique challenges that come with it. She shares challenges with the English language and culture while working in the UK, New York City and Texas. You’ll learn why she quit a job to save herself from a bad...

This episode of True Stories at Work features a conversation with Caroline, an executive recruiter who began her career in the tumultuous year of 2010, navigating the challenges of the recession-hit job market. Hosted by Michelle Aronson, a recovering HR executive and certified coach, this podcast dives into the human aspects of working in HR and recruitment, sharing anecdotes ranging from dealing with dress code violations to the intricacies of negotiating job offers, including unusual perks l...

Did you know that HR professionals are the true crime detectives of the corporate world? From solving the case of the mysterious naughty photographs to catching protesting poopers, this True Stories at Work episode features jaw-dropping stories from Nicole as she shares her most memorable investigations and leaves no case unsolved. Learn how Nicole landed her first HR job (as a director) without even applying. Gain insight into the unpredictable and often strange investigative work that HR cond...

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live with your coworkers on the ocean for 8-months each year? In this True Stories at Work episode you get to meet Lauren. Who wanted to be a pirate, astronaut and is now an HR leader on a cruise ship. Michelle Aronson hosts Lauren, who aspired to be an astronaut, however ended up in HR after a health issue crashed her aerospace engineering dreams. Lauren talks about her practices in addressing HR issues and the unique challenges she faces living ...

How does an HR professional build a connected, inclusive, and tech-forward culture? Find out in our latest podcast episode with Karen, who considers herself an accidental tourist in HR! #HRLeadership #InclusiveWorkplace #Podcast In this episode, Karen shares her experience crafting a culture to support high-growth companies. She discusses the importance of creating an inclusive culture and how to align the executive team and care for the HR team. We discuss how to keep culture (and humans) in f...

What happens when you choose to face your fears and be vulnerable at the work? This episode of True Stories at Work shares how well these tactics worked for Adam, as he moved from a $10/hr contractor to running global programs in the London headquarters of a multinational insurance company within 8 years! Adam shares the importance of honest communication, sharing your half-baked ideas, and taking risks at work. We discuss vulnerability, mentorship, radical candor and managing your fear at work...

This True Stories at Work episode begins where my last podcast episode dropped off, with Lauren on the brink of her first leadership role and her first sexual harassment investigation (at the same time!). Lauren shares a few of the ‘insane moments’ she has experienced during her career and how reveals how these experiences have shaped her into a better HR professional. We discuss the many challenges that HR faces, the shifting expectations of employers, and how HR is often the junk drawer for ...

Have you ever had to handle a rift in your department? In this True Stories at Work episode you get to meet Lauren, who hit “all the desks” in HR to grow her expertise… but nothing prepared her for the mistake of rehiring a former employee, creating a “scorched earth” moment and a lot of leadership growth. We also talk about boundaries, and how you we keep them with our teams and employees. Lauren shared so many stories that I had to split her stories across 2 episodes. In this episode, you’ll...

How would adding children at work up the stakes as an HR leader? In this True Stories at Work episode you get to meet Jason, who, despite the law, doesn’t believe in Central Jersey! We discuss the ways that his bartending skills transfer to HR, how to de-escalate a peanut hostage situation, and the unique challenges he faced when employees, parents and kids are your customers. Curious about de-escalation at work? How to De-Escalate an Argument with a Coworker (hbr.org) Schools – Managing Pean...

HR leaders have difficult conversations, around an incredible range of topics “It would just be easier to say, we don’t want you around than to say, hey, I need you to wear a bra to work.” Welcome to True Stories at Work, where we discuss the best things about working in Human Resources. The people, the stories, and the things that happen at work that we didn’t know even about… workplace confessions! I’m a recovering HR executive, certified coach, and business school professor who knows that T...

In this episode of True Stories at Work, we introduce you to Aileen, who has spent the majority of her career in Talent Acquisition at a professional services firm and is now a career coach. Join us as we share true stories about following your passion, networking into the best jobs, and the importance of taking career risks. Aileen graduated college with aspirations to become a Russian-speaking foreign policy expert (and maybe even high potential Karaoke-queen) but accidentally entered HR afte...

In this True Stories at Work episode, you get to meet Tara, who started her career as a behavioral specialist and found the skills and knowledge transferred nicely into HR. She worked in many industries (financial, tech, and higher ed) and understands that “the work that we do in HR is ultimately about people. The industries are definitely different. The types of people that work in them are different. But, overall there’s a similar thread to humanity.” We connect around the virtue of patience,...

Have you ever wondered what makes a manager truly memorable? In this True Stories at Work episode we pick up with Bruce where we left off, talking about the impact COVID had on the employee complaints at work. This episode discusses the shift from employees complaining about each other to employees complaining about their managers. If you are just tuning into this podcast, please listen to episode 5, where this story begins… Remember, Bruce studied HR, only worked in HR and oversaw the Employee...

Today you get to meet Bruce who directed employee relations for a credit card company with over 15,000 employees. Employee relations is where cultures are made. You will hear how Bruce kept the human in human resources and the very high price he paid. “I spent 36 years in HR, which is, you know, people can’t see, but I don’t have any hair.” Bruce had so many great stories to share that I broke his interview into 2 episodes. On this episode, he highlights the invisible things that create cultur...