What does it really take for an HR leader to decide that change is the right move? In this episode, Jeff Bettinger shares the real story behind multiple corporate relocations, career pivots, and the hard-earned lessons that shaped how he evaluates opportunity. From moving his family across states to weighing financial growth against personal trade-offs, Jeff pulls back the curtain on what those decisions actually look like — not just on paper, but around the dinner table. He talks about knowing yourself first, recognizing when growth requires discomfort, and understanding when staying put is the right call. Jeff also reflects candidly on a role he regrets taking — and the red flags he missed because he was distracted by the upside. For HR leaders considering a change, he offers practical guidance on how to interview the company as rigorously as they interview you — including asking about unwritten rules, power dynamics, turnover patterns, and the conversations no one wants to have. Because deciding when to change roles isn’t just about compensation or title. It’s about fit, growth, timing, family, and the courage to ask the questions that reveal what’s really going on beneath the surface.

In this episode of We’re Not Recording, Matt Taylor, VP of Global HR at Endpoint Clinical, reflects on what it really means to stay curious as an HR leader in the middle of complexity. From earning a pilot’s license to navigating global people strategy, Matt shares how curiosity—not titles or promotions—has shaped his leadership journey. He explores why the best HR leaders learn to sit in the tension between empathy and accountability, how leadership is less about pleasing people and more about guiding them through ambiguity, and why holding complexity without losing compassion is the real work. Along the way, Matt unpacks lessons from commission-based recruiting, boundary-setting, lifelong learning, and why HR ultimately teaches you more about leadership than people. This conversation is a grounded, honest look at leading through uncertainty—by asking better questions, staying human, and never stopping the learning process.

Integrity isn’t a slogan in this conversation—it’s a decision that comes with real risk. In this episode, Valerie Workman recounts the moment she walked into a meeting with Elon Musk fully expecting to be fired—and walked out leading Tesla’s 700-person HR organization. What began as speaking up about what the company needed turned into a defining leadership moment: when integrity opened the door, courage demanded she step through it. Valerie and Melanie unpack the invisible leadership calls no one prepares you for—taking responsibility instead of seeking permission, choosing the work over the title, and leading without a playbook during moments of real uncertainty. Valerie reflects on resisting the need to be liked, building the right team before crisis hits, and why excellence—not roles—is what actually transfers across careers. This conversation goes beyond career advice. It’s about what happens when you tell the truth in the room where decisions are made—and are brave enough to take the wheel when the road suddenly becomes yours to drive.