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Most HR professionals spend their careers trying to have all the answers. Gabe Calhoun spent 34 years learning that the ones who admit they don't are the ones who last.

In this episode of The Moss HR Minute, Nicole Moss, Co-Founder of Moss Consulting HR Services, sits down with Gabe Calhoun, a 34-year HR leadership veteran known for bridging the gap between people strategy and business performance. Gabe has navigated multiple acquisitions, built HR functions from the ground up, and spent decades mentoring the next generation of HR professionals — all while staying grounded in the belief that the best HR leaders are the ones who never stop learning.

This is a candid, experienced, and deeply human conversation about what it actually takes to lead through change, earn a seat at the leadership table, and build the kind of trust that holds a company together when everything else is in flux.

Key topics discussed in this episode:

• The defining moment that made Gabe choose HR as a career — and why watching one entry-level hire change their family's life was all the reason he needed
• What he got wrong the first time navigating a company acquisition — and why compliance and payroll accuracy are the fastest ways to either build or destroy employee trust overnight
• The biggest disconnect between HR teams and the business units they support — and why understanding operations is non-negotiable for any HR professional who wants to be taken seriously
• Why HR professionals who pretend to know the answer are more dangerous than the ones who admit they don't
• How to earn a seat at the leadership table — partnership, listening, and the willingness to say "I don't know, but I will find out"
• Why collaboration across a team of experienced HR professionals is one of the most underrated advantages a business owner can have
• Gabe's work supporting Oak Hill Academy in Dallas — a school serving students with unique learning needs — and the leadership lessons he has taken from executive director Brit Smart
• What 34 years in HR looks like when it is driven by genuine care for people and not just policy

This episode is essential listening for business owners navigating growth, change, or acquisition, and for HR professionals at any stage who want a clear-eyed, honest perspective on what separates the ones who last from the ones who don't.

Connect with Gabe Calhoun:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabe-calhoun-msm-2689757/

Book time with Nicole to talk about your HR needs:
https://mossconsulting.com/book-a-free-consultation

Learn more about Moss Consulting HR Services:
https://www.mossconsulting.com

Follow the show:
@TheMossHRMinute

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Healthcare costs are up. Your renewal is coming. And if you are not already having the conversation with your broker, you are six months behind.

In this episode of The Moss HR Minute, Nicole Moss, Co-Founder of Moss Consulting HR Services, sits down with Ford Clemons, Managing Director of Employee Benefits at Higginbotham, for one of the most practical and eye-opening conversations the show has had on what employee benefits actually cost, what drives those costs up, and what business owners can do to stay ahead of it.

Ford has spent his entire career at Higginbotham working with mid-market employers across the US, helping them build and sustain competitive benefits packages in an industry that has changed more in the last decade than in the previous three. From ACA compliance to self-funded strategies to population health management, he brings the kind of deep, healthcare-rooted knowledge that turns a confusing and expensive line item into a manageable and strategic investment.

Key topics discussed in this episode:

• What drew Ford to employee benefits from a pre-med background — and why the intersection of healthcare and business became his calling
• The compliance mistakes business owners make most often, and why not knowing is not an excuse when the penalties land
• Why employee benefits is the second largest line item on most balance sheets and how treating it like a business investment changes everything
• Population health management — what it is, why it matters, and how managing chronic conditions proactively prevents catastrophic claims
• How high cost claimants happen, what drives cancer and prescription costs, and where preventative care fits into the strategy
• The honest conversation about 30 to 50 percent renewal increases — what is causing them at a macro level and how Ford navigates those conversations with clients
• Why blaming your broker for a bad renewal is one of the most common and costly misconceptions in the industry
• Why the benefits strategy conversation needs to start at least six months before renewal — not 90 days out
• The value of pairing a strong outsourced HR partner with a benefits broker and why Ford finds it makes every client outcome better
• Ford's volunteer work with Genesis Women's Shelter, the Touchdown Club of Dallas, and the Ashford Rise School — and what keeps him committed to that work year after year

This episode is essential listening for any founder, operator, or HR leader who is tired of being surprised at renewal, wants to understand what is actually driving their costs, and is ready to treat their benefits program like the strategic business tool it is — within one Moss Minute.

Connect with Ford Clemons:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fordclemons/
Email: fclemons@higginbotham.net
Phone: +1 214-346-4159
Website: https://www.higginbotham.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@higginbothamins
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/higginbotham_ins/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/higginbothamins

Book time with Nicole to talk about your HR needs:
https://mossconsulting.com/book-a-free-consultation

Learn more about Moss Consulting HR Services:
https://www.mossconsulting.com

Follow the show:
@TheMossHRMinute

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What happens when you take a management major and throw them straight into live multi-state corporate compliance, complex HRIS acquisitions, and high-stakes performance improvement meetings on day one? In this episode of The Moss HR Minute, Nicole Moss, Co-Founder of Moss Consulting HR Services, sits down with summer intern Avery Walters to discuss her transformation from classroom business theory into hands-on human capital management.

Avery shares an inside look at sitting in as an HR witness during a sensitive Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) meeting, breaking down how thorough preparation, clear documentation, and gracious empathy eliminate misinterpretation.

Nicole and Avery examine the critical gap between academic business concepts and real-world employee relations, demonstrating why clear communication, fast-turnaround text-to-ticket accessibility, and multi-language support form the backbone of modern corporate support systems.

Key topics discussed in this episode include:

• The Reality of High-Volume Acquisitions: Navigating complex HRIS onboarding environments—like iSolved—during high-speed corporate expansion.
• The Architecture of a Performance Improvement Plan: Dismantling the stigma surrounding PIPs to treat them as collaborative tools for clarity, mutual expectations, and employee retention.
• Classroom Business Theory vs. Applied Execution: Why academic management studies must be paired with real-world experience to navigate unpredictable human behavior.
• Managing High-Tension Workplace Conflict: Recognizing when to step back and allow agitated employees the space they need rather than forcing rigid confrontation.
• Optimizing Efficiency with Text-to-Ticket Workflows: How providing workers with instant, direct text access resolves critical benefits and payroll issues in real time.
• Breaking Down Language Barriers in HR: The operational and emotional importance of providing direct, non-translated Spanish support to ensure every worker feels heard.

Nicole and Avery outline how standardizing your documentation and providing rapid, accessible communication channels takes the burden off business owners, proving that clear, empathetic HR infrastructure turns operational friction into long-term organizational success.

Contact Moss Consulting

Book time with Nicole to talk about your HR needs:

https://mossconsulting.com/book-a-free-consultation

Learn more about Moss Consulting HR Services:

www.mossconsulting.com

Follow the show: @TheMossHRMinute