In this episode of The Talent Track Podcast, Oliver Feakins sits down with Jordan Tallman of Wayward Staffing for a raw, unfiltered conversation about building a modern staffing agency from the ground up.

Jordan shares his journey from working out of a garage in IT staffing to launching Wayward during COVID and now scaling with a bold goal of hitting $100M by 2030. But this isn’t a highlight reel—it’s a deep dive into the real challenges of entrepreneurship in travel healthcare staffing.

Together, Oliver and Jordan unpack what most agencies are still getting wrong: transactional recruiting, broken communication between recruiters and nurses, and the growing gap between automation and true relationship-driven staffing. Jordan breaks down his “radical candor” approach with both travelers and facilities, and why honesty—not hacks—is what actually builds long-term success.

They also dig into the messy reality of growth: hiring missteps, losing a major MSP relationship overnight, rebuilding from near-zero cash flow, and the brutal lesson of scaling too fast without the recruiting engine to support it.

On the flip side, they explore what’s working—agile small agencies, high-touch recruiter relationships, smart use of job boards like TNS, and why smaller teams can outmaneuver the giants when they lean into speed, grit, and authenticity.

If you’re in healthcare staffing, recruiting, or building anything in a competitive marketplace, this episode is a candid look at what it really takes to survive—and win.

Most recruiters don’t have a talent problem.
They have a training problem.

In this episode, Nora Frumento and Mo Fregia (aka “The HIPPIE Recruiter”) talk about something this industry doesn’t talk about enough:

👉 We’ve replaced real training with vibes, shadowing, and “figure it out as you go.”

And it shows.

Mo came into staffing by accident—but stayed because he realized something most agencies miss:

Great recruiters aren’t born. They’re trained. Reps, feedback, repetition.

Not:

• “Sit next to top biller and listen”
• “Here’s a script, go call”
• “Why aren’t your numbers up?”

Actual training.

The kind where:

• You practice conversations before they matter
• You break down calls right after they happen
• You run scrimmages, not just meetings
• You learn how to think, not just what to say

And maybe the biggest one…

If you sound like every other recruiter, you’ll get treated like every other recruiter.

In a world of automation, texts, and “quick touches” — the recruiters who can actually connect, ask better questions, and slow down… are the ones who are going to win when the market turns.

AI isn’t replacing recruiters.

It’s exposing the gap between average and great.

This episode is a must-listen if you care about:

• Improving close rates
• Building real relationships (not just transactions)
• Actually leveling up your team

Because the market will come back.

The question is—who’s ready when it does?

Check out our TalentTrack 2025 titled: What's Now and What's Next.

The boom is over. The dust hasn’t fully settled. And the rules of travel healthcare? They’ve changed—fast.

In this episode, Holly Bass and Kenny Kadar break down what’s actually happening in the travel healthcare staffing market right now—and where it’s headed next. From MSP dominance swallowing 70–80% of revenue, to margin compression, recruiter productivity struggles, and the quiet rise of offshoring and AI… this is the real state of the industry.

You’ll hear why “flat is the new up,” why jobs are still there but harder to close, and how the best agencies are adapting to survive (and even grow) in a down cycle. Plus: consolidation trends, shifting care delivery models, declining nurse quit rates, and the long-term supply/demand imbalance that still makes this space worth betting on.

If you're an agency leader, recruiter, or operator trying to figure out how to win in a tougher market—this is your playbook.

No fluff. Just what’s now… and what’s next.

Influencer marketing isn’t broken.
Your approach to it is.

From TalentTrack 2025 - After sitting in on a session with top creators in the travel healthcare space, one thing is crystal clear:

Most agencies don’t fail at influencer marketing because it “doesn’t work.”
They fail because they try to control it.

👉 Over-scripted content
👉 One-off partnerships
👉 Chasing vanity metrics
👉 Expecting $50K results on a $500 budget

That’s not strategy. That’s wishful thinking.

Here’s the reality:

• Creators don’t build trust by sounding like your brand guidelines
• Audiences don’t convert from polished perfection—they convert from truth
• And you don’t “control the message”… you borrow trust from someone who already has it

The agencies winning right now are doing a few things differently:

✔️ They treat creators like partners, not ad space
✔️ They invest in long-term relationships, not one-hit campaigns
✔️ They focus on community + connection, not just reach
✔️ They understand the difference between awareness and conversion

And maybe most importantly…

They let go.

Because the second your content feels like an ad—
the scroll wins.

If you’re in travel healthcare staffing and still ignoring this channel, you’re not being cautious…

You’re falling behind.

Featuring CEOs from TrackFive and Vettted Health:

We just wrapped “Job Board Confessional: What We Wish Our Clients Knew” and here’s the uncomfortable truth nobody wants to say out loud 👇

🚨 Agencies aren’t losing because of job boards
🚨 They’re not losing because of lead volume
🚨 They’re losing in the last mile of execution

Here’s what actually came up:

→ 80% of inbound candidate calls go unanswered
→ 15–20% of nurses don’t show up to assignments
→ Most candidates get contacted… once (if that)
→ Recruiters are acting like marketers, not salespeople

And the kicker?

Everyone thinks their data is “good enough”… while making decisions on top of broken attribution, messy systems, and half-truth reporting.

Meanwhile, the agencies quietly winning right now are doing the unsexy stuff:

• Calling leads within minutes (not hours)
• Submitting candidates to 5–7 jobs, not 1–2
• Building actual relationships (not just texting sequences)
• Training recruiters to SELL, not just process
• Treating candidates like humans… not pipeline entries

And here’s the twist nobody saw coming:

In a world flooded with automation…

👉 Manual outreach is now the competitive advantage
👉 Authenticity is now the differentiator
👉 A real phone call is now the outlier

Let that sink in.

We spent years optimizing for speed and scale.

Now the agencies pulling ahead are optimizing for connection and execution.

Not revolutionary.

Just rare.

In this Talent Track ( 2025) session, top voices in healthcare staffing break down what it really takes to turn social media into a consistent pipeline of quality candidates—not just likes and empty engagement.

Featuring experts from Primetime Healthcare, OneStaff Medical, ARM Staffing, and beyond, this panel dives into the real strategies behind social recruiting that actually converts. From Facebook groups still dominating the game to the rise of video, influencers, and authentic content—this is a no-BS look at what’s working right now.

Inside this episode:

• The biggest mistakes agencies make when starting social recruiting (and how to fix them fast)
• Why “post and ghost” is killing your pipeline
• How to balance job posts with content that actually builds trust
• The role of authenticity—and why candidates can smell fake a mile away
• What metrics actually matter (hint: it’s not just impressions)
• Platform breakdown: where nurses actually engage (and why Facebook still wins)
• How to stand out without a massive brand or budget

Plus—real talk on what flops (giveaways ≠ quality candidates) and why consistency beats creativity when it comes to long-term results.

This isn’t about going viral.
It’s about building a recruiting engine that works while you sleep.

Because in 2025…
Your next placement is probably already scrolling.

Check out one of our sessions for Talent Track's 2025 Conference.

In this high-impact session from Talent Track, industry leaders from Atlas Med Staff, Coast Medical Service, Thrive Staffing, and Orange Staffing break down what it actually takes to compete in today’s market. Spoiler: chasing “normal” is a losing strategy.

This episode dives deep into the uncomfortable truth—too many agencies are hiding behind tech, over-automating, and creating transactional experiences in a business that still runs on trust. From the rise of the “order-taker” recruiter to the illusion of AI replacing human connection, this panel pulls no punches.

You’ll hear:

• Why agencies stuck trying to “get back to normal” are already behind
• The real difference between tech that helps vs. tech that hurts
• How recruiter training (or lack of it) is quietly killing performance
• Why speed matters—but relationships still close deals
• The shift from recruiters to true candidate advocates
• How to balance automation without losing the human edge

If you’re running a healthcare staffing agency—or building one—this is your reality check.

Because the agencies that win next won’t just be more efficient…
They’ll be more human.

In this episode of The Talent Track Podcast, Oliver Feakins is joined by Andrew Mathis, Founder & CEO of Elite Sales Training, for a deep, no-fluff conversation on the future of sales, recruiting, and automation.

We break down:

• Why AI-first “no human recruiter” agencies may be missing the point
• The difference between speed tools vs trust-building tools
• Why emotional intelligence still wins deals (for now)
• How top recruiters actually control the sales process
• The real reason most deals die in text-based selling
• Why great recruiters don’t just “sell jobs” — they guide decisions

Andrew brings a frontline sales perspective from years in high-pressure environments, while Oliver challenges how recruiting, healthcare staffing, and automation are colliding in real time.