James Terry shares how Indeed Flex is revolutionizing frontline staffing through AI-powered solutions, enabling 24/7 candidate interviews, same-day pay, and unprecedented workforce flexibility for hourly workers.

Topics Covered:

AI-Powered Recruitment:

• 24/7 AI interviews eliminate scheduling friction
• Recruiters now review 80+ interviews daily vs. conducting 7-12 manually
• Human oversight ensures quality and catches misuse

Operational Efficiency:

• One-click staffing requests distributed automatically via AI
• Data analysis identifies turnover root causes (overtime policies, transportation issues)
• HR teams transitioning from admin roles to strategic business partners

Worker Experience:

• 50%+ of sub-$20/hour workers juggle multiple jobs
• Platform enables seamless multi-assignment management
• Same-day pay provides financial flexibility for emergencies

Future Vision:

• Consumer-grade flexibility becoming workforce standard
• Simplified interfaces replacing complex dashboards
• Technology enabling location and schedule flexibility

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• Mark - www.linkedin.com/in/markedgarhr/
• Naomi - www.linkedin.com/in/naomititlemancolla/
• future foHRward - www.linkedin.com/company/future-fohrward/

And on Instagram - www.instagram.com/futurefohrward/

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This episode, Naomi was joined by Vaseem bAIg, otherwise known as “The AI Guy”, whose passion is making artificial intelligence accessible for everyone. Vaseem brings a wealth of experience in helping people and organizations navigate the world of AI, and he’s all about empowering you to make the most of these emerging technologies.

What We Talked About:

• Getting Started with AI: Vaseem shared some practical tips for beginners, including the importance of having a structured approach to prompting. He talked about starter templates that really help you get the conversation going with AI tools.
• Discovering Yourself through AI: One of Vaseem’s favourite insights is how interacting with AI can actually reflect your own personality and communication style. It’s a bit like holding up a mirror—sometimes you learn as much about yourself as you do about technology!
• Bringing AI to Work: We explored how organizations can implement AI strategies, with stories from trade shows and real-world examples. Vaseem’s frameworks make it easier to get everyone on board and spark meaningful change.
• Workshops that Work: Vaseem is big on hands-on learning, so he shared some approaches for running effective AI adoption workshops. His materials and guides help teams build confidence and get results.

Key Takeaways:

• Structured prompting is your best friend when starting out with AI—it helps you get reliable results and builds your skills.
• Your conversations with AI can shed light on your own habits and strengths, so it’s a great tool for personal growth.
• Organizations succeed with AI when they use clear frameworks and practical support, like those Vaseem uses in his consulting and workshops.

Blog posts: https://www.vaseemtheaiguy.com/ai-blog

You can learn more about the work Vaseem does here:

https://www.vaseemtheaiguy.com

And follow him on LinkedIn here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/vaseemtheaiguy

Don’t forget …

To sign up for our monthly newsletter foHRsight at http://www.futurefohrward.com/subscribe.

Follow us on LinkedIn:

• Mark - www.linkedin.com/in/markedgarhr/
• Naomi - www.linkedin.com/in/naomititlemancolla/
• future foHRward - www.linkedin.com/company/future-fohrward/

And on Instagram - www.instagram.com/futurefohrward/

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Jackie Hanson is CEO and Co-founder of Sprout Family, Canada's first end-to-end family building platform launched in 2024. Jackie was inspiried to build her mission based company following the experience of her own parents who went through IVF.

Having itnessed firsthand how fragmented and overwhelming the fertility space is, the mission of Sprout is to improve access to parenthood and support employees through challenging fertility journeys.

Current Industry Challenges

Rising Infertility Rates driven by:

• Later childbearing (average first-time mother age now almost 32)
• Same-sex couples forming families requiring donors/surrogacy
• Cost of living delays (student debt, housing costs)
• Legal frameworks haven't kept pace with demand

Workplace Impact Statistics

• 40% delay treatment due to financial reasons
• Average fertility patient spends 160+ hours navigating care
• 72% would stay longer at companies offering fertility benefits
• Average IVF round costs $25,000+ ($5K drugs, $18-20K treatment)

Current Canadian Coverage Landscape

• 45% of employers offer fertility drug coverage (average $3,000)
• Less than 5% offer comprehensive coverage (treatments, preservation, surrogacy, adoption)
• US comparison: 50%+ offer $30-100K lifetime coverage

Three-Pillar Support Framework

1. Financial Assistance: Comprehensive coverage beyond just drugs
2. Digital Health & Navigation: Nurse support, provider network, virtual care
3. Leadership Culture: Creating safe spaces for employees to share needs

Business Case for Employers

• Retention: Replacing employee costs 1.5-2x their salary
• Productivity: Reduces distraction and unplanned time off
• Equity: Addresses barriers affecting women and LGBTQ+ individuals disproportionately

Future Vision

• Macro: More employer coverage creates demand, potentially driving down costs and expanding clinic infrastructure
• Sprout: Expanding to full family wellness platform (pregnancy, postpartum, parental leave, hormonal health)

Contact Information

• Website: www.sproutfamily.ca
• Signup for their newsletter signup available on website
• LinkedIn:

Sprout - https://www.linkedin.com/company/sproutfamily/

Jackie - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackie-hanson/

Don’t forget …

To sign up for our monthly newsletter foHRsight at http://www.futurefohrward.com/subscribe.

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• Mark - www.linkedin.com/in/markedgarhr/
• Naomi - www.linkedin.com/in/naomititlemancolla/
• future foHRward - www.linkedin.com/company/future-fohrward/

And on Instagram - www.instagram.com/futurefohrward/

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It’s New Years Day so perfect timing for this week’s episode to drop as co-hosts Mark and Naomi catch-up on their reflections on 2025 and predictions for 2026.

Key discussion topics include:

2025 Insights:

• Macro trends continued from previous year with advancement in all categories
• Erosion of trust worsened due to AI-related misinformation and deep fraud
• AI advanced significantly beyond initial expectations
• Increased nationalism and tariffs impacted global businesses
• Return-to-office mandates generated headlines vs. reality
• HR and IT functions began merging into "HI" ☺

Major Disappointments:

• CHRO role perceived as declining in C-suite value
• DEI initiatives faced significant backlash, making the topic difficult to discuss
• Return-to-office policies became overly restrictive, reverting to pre-2005 monitoring practices

Proud Moments:

• Approaching 10th anniversary in 2026
• Celebrated 150th podcast episode
• Successful collaborations, particularly "The Complete Leader" with Vanessa Chehlawi
• Community growth and strategic newsletter changes

2026 Hopes:

• Reduce divisiveness and find common ground
• Address entry-level job concerns related to AI
• Support the "tool belt generation" choosing trades over traditional academic paths
• HR operating model evolution with creative solutions
• AI integration becoming seamless in daily tools

We’re excited for many more episodes and guests in 2026!

Don’t forget …

To sign up for our monthly newsletter foHRsight at http://www.futurefohrward.com/subscribe.

Follow us on LinkedIn:

• Mark - www.linkedin.com/in/markedgarhr/
• Naomi - www.linkedin.com/in/naomititlemancolla/
• future foHRward - www.linkedin.com/company/future-fohrward/

And on Instagram - www.instagram.com/futurefohrward/

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This episode features Naomi Titleman meeting with Glain Roberts-McCabe, Founder & President of The Roundtable Inc.

They dive deep into high-potential talent research, exploring what engages top performers and what causes them to burn out. This episode features insights from Roundtable's latest research on high-potential leaders.

Key discussion topics include:

Defining High Potentials:

• Balance between driving results and maintaining cultural alignment
• Core motivational drivers: helping others, excelling, adaptability
• Behavioral expectations vs. underlying motivational energy

What Engages High Potentials:

• Clarity: Clear priorities and understanding of goals
• Transparency: Honest career conversations and realistic expectations
• Quality career discussions: Beyond linear promotion paths
• Cross-functional opportunities:Leveraging adaptive strengths across organization

Major Barriers & Burnout Risks:

• Firefighting mode: 45% of respondents stuck in reactive work
• Unclear priorities: Moving goalposts without context
• Resource constraints: Ambitious targets without adequate support
• Development crowding: Operational demands overshadowing growth opportunities

Evolving Leadership Requirements:

• Strategic thinking: Increased emphasis on forward-thinking capabilities
• Technical depth: Leaders need subject matter expertise, not just general management

Cooperation: Willingness to trade individual agendas for organizational benefit

You can learn more about the research here:

https://goroundtable.com/the-2026-roundtable-report-on-high-potential-leaders/

And follow Glain on LinkedIn here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/glain/

Don’t forget …

To sign up for our monthly newsletter foHRsight at http://www.futurefohrward.com/subscribe.

Follow us on LinkedIn:

• Mark - www.linkedin.com/in/markedgarhr/
• Naomi - www.linkedin.com/in/naomititlemancolla/
• future foHRward - www.linkedin.com/company/future-fohrward/

And on Instagram - www.instagram.com/futurefohrward/

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This episode of features Mark Edgar interviewing Greg Stewart, a counselor, executive coach, and consultant at Becoming More. Greg is the author of books on harnessing negative emotions.

Greg shares his path from ministry to counseling to organizational development, personal experience with emotional challenges that inspired the work and how he uses his combination of counseling, coaching, and consulting to support clients.

He shares insights on the current challenges at work and introduces his I³ (IQ) Model:

• Information: Gather complete information before forming opinions
• Interpretation: Consider multiple perspectives and challenge assumptions
• Intensity: Manage emotional energy appropriately

You can learn more about Greg’s work here:

https://www.becomingmore.com

Don’t forget …

To sign up for our monthly newsletter foHRsight at http://www.futurefohrward.com/subscribe.

Follow us on LinkedIn:

• Mark - www.linkedin.com/in/markedgarhr/
• Naomi - www.linkedin.com/in/naomititlemancolla/
• future foHRward - www.linkedin.com/company/future-fohrward/

And on Instagram - www.instagram.com/futurefohrward/

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This week podcast co-host Mark Edgar connects with the co-founders of Maturn, Jen Murtagh and Sonja Baikogli Foley to talk about the incredible work they do to support women through life-stage transitions at work including fertility, maternity leave, motherhood, and perimenopause/menopause.

They share their inspiration behind Maturn and talk about the common barriers to supporting women at work and how HR leaders can support better conversations at work.

You can follow Maturn on LinkedIn here:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/maturn/

And find out more at their website:

https://maturn.com

Don’t forget …To sign up for our monthly newsletter foHRsight at http://www.futurefohrward.com/subscribe.

Follow us on LinkedIn:

• Mark - www.linkedin.com/in/markedgarhr/
• Naomi - www.linkedin.com/in/naomititlemancolla/
• future foHRward - www.linkedin.com/company/future-fohrward/

And on Instagram - www.instagram.com/futurefohrward/

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In this week’s episode, Mark Edgar connects with author and business consultant Alan Gregerman who shares insights from his latest book “The Wisdom of Ignorance”. Alan provides his perspective on the dynamic world of work and what organizations should be doing to prepare their people to identify new and innovative approaches.

He shares the six skills tied to “not knowing” that can be used to help navigate uncertainty and create breakthroughs. They include being purposeful, curiosity, humility, respect, being future focused and being paranoid!

You can learn more about Alan’s work here:

https://alangregerman.com/about-alan/

And you can follow her on LinkedIn here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alan-gregerman-a33b236/

Don’t forget …

To sign up for our monthly newsletter foHRsight at http://www.futurefohrward.com/subscribe.

Follow us on LinkedIn:

• Mark - www.linkedin.com/in/markedgarhr/
• Naomi - www.linkedin.com/in/naomititlemancolla/
• future foHRward - www.linkedin.com/company/future-fohrward/

And on Instagram - www.instagram.com/futurefohrward/

Support the show