This episode was recorded live at the isolved booth during SHRM 25 in San Diego. William Tincup sat down with Seychelle Hercules Padgett, Yanick Goens, and Jessica Michniacki. Each guest brought a different take on what it means to lead with empathy and courage in HR.
Jessica explained how she helps clients through terminations. She does the hard work with calm and compassion. Yanick shared how he manages daily conflict by showing up in person and listening first. Seychelle described how she rebuilt her career after a layoff and found new purpose by helping others do the same. The conversation moved quickly, but each answer left an impact. These professionals do not just talk about people-first culture. They live it.
Timestamps
00:00 — William Tincup kicks off from the SHRM floor
00:28 — Jessica owns the nickname “The Terminator” by leading hard conversations
01:11 — William calls out the emotional cost of termination work
01:33 — Yanick explains why comfort should never follow tough decisions
01:54 — Seychelle finds her edge by bringing order to dysfunction
02:29 — William draws a connection between chaos theory and HR
02:40 — Seychelle compares good HR to good jazz
02:54 — Yanick keeps things from burning down by leading with presence
03:25 — Yanick tells the moment he protected both the company and the person
04:09 — Seychelle reflects on losing her job and gaining her voice
05:17 — Jessica returns to her first company and mentors the next wave
06:06 — Seychelle embraces failure as fuel
07:05 — William recalls how NASA made failure part of the plan
07:29 — Seychelle defines people heroes as those who lift others
08:07 — William compares career confidence to body dysmorphia
08:13 — Jessica points to leaders who never ask for credit
08:48 — Yanick shares why floor time builds trust
09:40 — The group agrees HR works best when it feels human
This episode was recorded live with isolved at the SHRM Annual Conference in San Diego.
The Heroes of HR podcast is a limited series sponsored by isolved. isolved is an HCM platform that modernizes HR, benefits, and payroll across Healthcare, Hospitality, Manufacturing, and more.
Learn more about isolved: https://www.isolvedhcm.com/
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