Episodi

  • Is the Pharmacy Benefit System a Scam? Follow the Money
    Jan 12 2026
    This episode of The Jim Stroud Podcast is brought to you by ProvenBase - an AI-powered talent acquisition and Deep Search sourcing platform that helps organizations find, engage, and hire hard-to-find candidates from thousands of real-time online sources. See it in action for yourself by visiting - https://provenbase.com ... In this episode: Are pharmacy benefits actually helping employers and employees—or has the system become a costly black box? Jim Stroud sits down with Alan Pannier, Chief Strategy Officer at SmithRx, to unpack how the U.S. pharmacy benefit ecosystem really works and why it can feel “scammy” even when it’s legal. Alan explains how PBMs were originally built to simplify pharmacy access, and how the model evolved into opaque pricing practices that can drive costs higher. In this episode, we break down spread pricing, rebate incentives, and why the “middle layer” of healthcare may be the biggest winner when no one can see the real numbers. Jim also presses for practical guidance: what HR leaders should ask their PBM, how to evaluate vendors using net cost vs. discount math, and what “fiduciary alignment” should look like in a contract. If you’re an employer, HR leader, or benefits decision-maker wondering why drug costs keep climbing—and what you can do about it—this conversation is your cheat sheet. Contact our guest: Alan Pannier - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alan-pannier SmithRx - http://www.smithrx.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    31 min
  • Is Career Coaching Actually Booming—or Are We Just Calling It That?
    Jan 5 2026
    This episode brought to you by "The Career Intelligence System" at https://ci.jimstroud.com ... Everyone keeps saying career coaching is booming. You hear it on podcasts. You see it on LinkedIn. You see screenshots, sold-out programs, and bold income claims. But if that’s true… why does the market feel crowded? Why does demand feel real—but uneven? In this episode, we strip away the hype and look at what’s actually growing, what’s being mislabeled as a “boom,” and why that distinction matters if you’re a coach—or thinking about becoming one. This isn’t a takedown or a pep talk. It’s a clear-eyed look at what’s really happening beneath the headlines. 🎧 Listen before you decide where you fit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    9 min
  • Low hire. Low fire.
    Dec 29 2025
    Everyone keeps asking if the job market is broken. It’s not that simple. Hiring didn’t disappear—it changed. Quieter. More selective. Less forgiving of guesswork. In this episode, Jim Stroud unpacks why the market feels confusing, why familiar strategies stopped working, and what’s really driving hiring decisions right now. If your experience suddenly feels harder to translate—or the rules feel different without warning—this conversation will help you see what’s actually happening beneath the noise. | This episode brought to you by: Job Search 3.0 - Stop endlessly applying for jobs. Start attracting them instead. https://jobsearch.jimstroud.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    10 min
  • 93% on Technology. 7% on People. That’s the Real AI Problem.
    Dec 26 2025
    Companies aren’t failing at AI because the tech isn’t ready—they’re failing because they’ve underinvested in the humans expected to make it work. | Subscribe to "The Recruiting Life" newsletter at JimStroud.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    6 min
  • Chestnuts roasting on an open fire...
    Dec 25 2025
    Jim Stroud shares a special message of thanks to everyone who supported him online. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    4 min
  • When AI Stops Assisting and Starts Hiring
    Dec 24 2025
    Recruiting is crossing a line from AI support to AI execution, and the winners won’t be the fastest adopters—but the ones who pair automation with accountability and governance. | Subscribe to "The Recruiting Life" newsletter at JimStroud.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    6 min
  • Why Job Hunting Feels Like a Full-Time Job
    Dec 23 2025
    Long searches, low response rates, and widespread burnout reveal a hiring system optimized for volume over clarity—leaving job seekers exhausted and trust eroding fast. | Subscribe to "The Recruiting Life" newsletter at JimStroud.com Read the report that inspired my rant - "Job Seeker Survey: 76% Burned Out by Job Hunt" https://www.howdy.com/blog/job-hunter-survey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    6 min
  • The Global Job Market Is Tapping the Brakes
    Dec 22 2025
    The global labor market isn’t breaking, but the data shows employers quietly shifting from hiring at scale to hiring with intent—while U.S. metrics remain temporarily distorted by missing government data. | Subscribe to "The Recruiting Life" newsletter at JimStroud.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    6 min