Shows
Cruising AltitudeThe Ripple Effect: How Employee Experience Shapes Customer Relations with Matthew Owenby, Chief Strategy Officer at AflacThis episode of Cruising Altitude features a conversation with Matthew Owenby, Chief Strategy Officer and Corporate Services Executive at Aflac. Matthew and host Nicole Alvino discuss Aflac's commitment to fostering a supportive and respectful workplace culture, which translates into authentic and empathetic customer interactions. The discussion covers Aflac's hiring processes, their focus on dignity and respect, and how AI can enhance the employee experience.Quotes“ The employee experience here is built in the foundation and really a philosophy that if you take care of your employees, they're going to take care of the company and take...2025-07-3031 min
Latest Climate News23 June 2025 - Latest Climate NewsThe Top Climate News for Monday 23 June 2025:
- Telegraph Hotel installs solar panels to become 'one of the greenest'
- In London and Paris, we’ve experienced vicious backlash to climate action. But we’re not backing down
- FirstUp: Iran minister to meet Putin after US strikes, UN nuclear watchdog to hold emergency meet
- 11 Of The Most Reliable Electric Vehicles On The Market In 2025
- How bad can climate damage get? Worse than you imagine
- Iran moves to shut Strait of Hormuz: What it means for India and the world
- Economic policymaking needs to adapt to the...2025-06-2306 minCruising AltitudeBuilding a Culture of Support and Trust: Strategies for People Leaders with Jess Harrah, CPO at KinderCareThis episode of Cruising Altitude features a conversation with Jess Harrah, Chief People Officer at KinderCare, a leading provider in early childhood and school-age education and care. Jess and host Nicole Alvino discuss KinderCare's commitment to supporting its 35,000 employees and nearly 200,000 working families nationwide. They explore the importance of employee engagement, the impact of offering childcare benefits, and the strategies KinderCare implements to maintain a positive work culture.Quotes“ We really depend on our center directors and our district leaders who are the local leadership to really be there. And again, we're a relationship business. So t...2025-06-1127 minCruising AltitudeThe Power of Perspective: How Colgate-Palmolive Champions Diverse ThinkingThis episode of Cruising Altitude features a conversation with Sally Massey, Chief Human Resources Officer at Colgate-Palmolive. Sally and host Nicole Alvino discuss key strategies for building a stronger and more innovative workforce through upskilling, creating personalized employee experiences, and leveraging diverse perspectives. Sally shares her experiences and insights from her nearly 25-year tenure at Colgate, including the importance of communication, inclusion, employee trust, and adapting to changing employee expectations. The conversation also highlights how AI and continuous learning initiatives contribute to employee development and organizational growth.Quotes“ We upskilled everyone so that everybody understood the...2025-05-2827 minCruising AltitudeFrom Onboarding to Retire: Crafting an Exceptional Employee Journey at EYThis episode of Cruising Altitude features a conversation with Ginnie Carlier, Vice Chair of Talent for the Americas at EY. Together, Ginnie and host Nicole Alvino discuss strategies for creating extraordinary employee experiences. They discuss the importance of wellbeing, career agility, and cutting-edge technology in shaping these experiences. Ginnie shares innovative approaches such as the Vitality Index and customizable wellbeing funds, which cater to individual employee needs. The conversation delves into the impact of AI in the workplace, emphasizing AI training and development for both new and existing employees. Ginnie highlights the significance of empathetic leadership and human connection...2025-05-1435 minCruising AltitudeNavigating Transformation at Siemens: Leadership, AI, and the Human ElementThis episode of Cruising Altitude features a conversation with Alexander Senn, Head of People & Organization at Siemens Smart Infrastructure. Together, Alex and host Nicole Alvino discuss employee engagement and organizational culture. Alex shares insights about his role overseeing people and organizational development within Siemens' smart infrastructure division. Key topics include employee segmentation for improved experience, the role of leadership in transformation journeys, and the use of AI for productivity and innovation. Alex also shares the concept of the 'Rhino View' to highlight different perspectives in decision-making, and stresses the importance of open communication and continuous leadership development. Lastly, the...2025-03-0531 minCruising AltitudeElevate Your Workforce: Insights from the ISS Americas C-SuiteThis episode of Cruising Altitude features a conversation with CIO Alice Fournier, CMO Marjorie McCarthy, and Head of People & Culture, CHRO Lisa Mitchell-Kastner of ISS Americas, hosted by Nicole Alvino, CEO and co-founder of Firstup. Together, they talk about how their collaborative efforts enhance the employee experience through technology and AI. The discussion covers the importance of personalized communication, data-driven decisions, and AI in recruitment and onboarding processes. The episode also explores the nuances of managing a diverse and extensive workforce and the role of continuous communication and change management in successful transformations.Quotes*” If we c...2025-02-1941 minCruising AltitudeEmpowering Healthcare Professionals with AI: Insights from VillageMD's CHRO, Meredith WilliamsThis episode of Cruising Altitude features a conversation with Meredith Williams, CHRO at VillageMD, hosted by Nicole Alvino, CEO and co-founder of Firstup. Together, Nicole and Meredith discuss the integration of AI to improve the digital employee experience in healthcare. They talk about how AI can take over mundane tasks, allowing healthcare providers to spend more time with patients, which increases both patient and physician satisfaction. Meredith outlines her role overseeing HR at VillageMD, the challenges of managing a diverse workforce, and the importance of personalized employee experiences using data collected from various feedback tools. The conversation also touches...2025-02-0527 minCruising AltitudeCisco’s Formula for Building Engagement in Complex Workforces with Joey Wilkerson, Sr. Manager, M&A Employee Experience and Change ManagementThis episode of Cruising Altitude features a conversation with Joey Wilkerson, Sr. Manager, M&A Employee Experience and Change Management at Cisco, hosted by Nicole Alvino, CEO and co-founder of Firstup. Together, Nicole and Joey discuss strategies for fostering an engaging and purposeful workplace, focusing on internal talent movement, onboarding, and integrating new employees post-acquisition. Joey shares insights on creating a connected employee experience through personalization, leveraging AI, and aligning with Cisco's culture. The conversation highlights successful practices in employee engagement, cultural integration, and future trends in employee experience.Quotes* ”We have to always think abou...2025-01-2235 min
Human Capital LeadershipThe Role of Communication in Boosting Employee Experience and Connection, with Nicole AlvinoIn this podcast episode, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with Nicole Alvino about the role of communication in employee experience, and how intelligent communication can be used to boost employee engagement and connection.
Nicole Alvino (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolealvino/) is a visionary entrepreneur and CEO with a passion for transforming the employee experience. As the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Firstup, a leading enterprise SaaS company, Nicole is responsible for driving innovation and growth in employee experience, engagement and communications. She believes that investing in employees is key to building high performance cultures that...2025-01-1424 minCruising AltitudeTaking Employee Engagement to New Heights with Elizabeth Bryant of Southwest AirlinesThis episode of Cruising Altitude features a conversation with Elizabeth Bryant, Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer at Southwest Airlines, hosted by Nicole Alvino, CEO and co-founder of FirstUp. Elizabeth and Nicole discuss the importance of employee engagement and its impact on organizational success. The conversation explores Southwest's employee-centered approach, leadership development strategies, and the link between employee treatment and customer experience. Bryant shares insights on creating a culture of learning, valuing employee contributions, and fostering an environment that supports growth and innovation across Southwest's 75,000-strong workforce. Listeners gain valuable lessons on personalized employee journeys and the significance...2024-10-2536 minCruising AltitudeHR Innovation at Diageo: A Conversation with Brittany PolancoThis episode of Cruising Altitude features a conversation with Brittany Polanco, Director of HR Innovation at Diageo, hosted by Nicole Alvino, CEO and co-founder of FirstUp. They discuss the critical role of leadership in shaping the energy and attitude of work, whether in-person or remote. Brittany shares insights on the importance of empowering leaders, co-creating employee experiences, and driving organizational innovation. They also explore the integration of AI in HR and the future of the HR function. Brittany, who has over 10 years of HR experience including roles at Hilton Worldwide and PepsiCo, emphasizes the need for leaders to have...2024-10-0233 min
INNOV-8 Presents: Entrepreneurs in TechGregory Shove on the Realities of Building a Business & Overcoming Tech Industry ChallengesIn this episode, Gregory Shove, CEO of Section and serial entrepreneur, shares his journey through the tech industry. He opens up about his experiences with building companies, finding product-market fit, and navigating the challenges of entrepreneurship. Greg also touches on his past ventures like FirstUp, the realities of pivoting, and balancing personal well-being with business success. Plus, he shares his insights on AI and the misconceptions many organizations face when adopting it. Don’t miss his thoughts on the importance of relationships, passion, and hard work in building a successful business!2024-09-2352 min
I Hate It HereS4 E10: From Quiet Quitting to Active Leaving, with Q Hamirani“If you dislike the company so much, then why don’t you just leave?”At some point, we’ve all been given that advice from a friend or a loved one about a job we couldn’t stomach. Yet, chances are good, we probably kept it for several months after that advice was doled out.So why don’t employees leave when they’ve overstayed their welcome? And when is it time for HR to give them a nudge in the right direction?Q Hamirani, an executive coach and advisor talks with Hebba about what hap...2024-06-2447 minI Hate It HereS4 E9: Getting Personal: How Individualized Communications Boost Morale, with Nicole Alvino of FirstupIf anyone preaches to you about the power of authenticity in the workplace, pay attention when it’s coming from an ex-Enron employee who has a few thoughts about how a little honesty can go a long way for a company. Needless to say Nicole Alvino knows a thing or two about the value of authentic leadership, thanks to her early Enron experience. As the current CEO and Founder of Firstup, she’s on a mission to revolutionize intelligent, personalized employee communication and to deliver a phenomenal employee experience.She chats with Hebba about how perso...2024-06-1744 minI Hate It HereS4 E8: The Real Reason New Hires Don’t Stick Around, with Rhona PierceWith grandiose job descriptions, and rose-tinted portrayals of the workplace, is it really any wonder there are a lot of problems in recruiting boiling underneath the surface??A lot of retention problems actually start in the recruiting process.. Is it that far of a stretch to understand why new hires are noping out of fresh jobs in the first six months?Def not. In the quest to find the perfect hire, job descriptions and interview tactics often portray a false image of what the position actually entails. So why aren’t recr...2024-06-1046 minI Hate It HereS4 E7: I Wish I Knew How to Quit You: RyanMae McAvoy on Leaving HRIn HR, quitting is a part of the job. But no one talks about what happens when HR is ready to quit HR. RyanMae McAvoy, Senior Director of People Operations at Blackthorn.io, joins Hebba to unpack quitting from an HR-centric point of view. When is it time to call it quits? And what factors are the primary motivators behind discontentedness in HR? RyanMae and Hebba break down the emotional aspects of leaving a job, explain why community is pivotal in decision-making, and reveal the greatest challenges faced by HR professionals on a day-to-day basis. Th...2024-06-0357 minI Hate It HereS4 E6: Is Constant Change Why Employees Quit?Change doesn’t come easy— in fact, it can be downright disruptive, And worse yet, it’s often at the forefront of employee turnover. So how can HR leaders prevent change from becoming an unmanageable force? Keynote speaker Tiffany Lanier drops by to chat with Hebba about the widespread impact of organizational change, and to explain how massive restructuring can impact employee well-being. Having helped thousands of leaders develop systems of support during intense change, Tiffany reveals why change management is a core skill for HR professionals. She explains how, by embracing change, employees can improve...2024-05-2852 minI Hate It HereS4 E5: Dear Hebba: HR’s Juiciest Questions Answered, with Erica SpitaleHow can you help employees when a company is small and has limited growth opportunities? What happens when an employer insists there’s a dress code… but only for curvier employees? Hebba and talent strategist/culture connoisseur Erica Spitale tackle some super juicy questions submitted by listeners. From navigating terminations without legal repercussions to encouraging CEOs to offer more health benefits, they’re tackling a wide range of topics that any HR professional or leader can relate to.Tune in as Hebba and Erica break down the importance of trust in the workplace, go over the chal...2024-05-2056 minI Hate It HereS4 E4: Top Tier Retention Strategies, with Stephen and Daniel HuertaRetaining top talent looks easy on paper. So why then, do so many companies have difficulty with their retention strategies? Hebba chats with “Modern People Leader” podcast hosts Daniel and Stephen Huerta about personalization in the age of information, the rise of AI, and the best ways companies can boost their retention strategies. Having spoken to over 200 people leaders on their pod, Daniel and Stephen understand a thing or two about the importance of a great people ops team.They break down why trust is so important in the workplace and explain how it can help...2024-05-1359 minCruising AltitudeData Empowerment and Positive Culture: Insights from Tim Gerend at Northwestern MutualThis episode of Cruising Altitude features an insightful conversation with Tim Gerend, President at Northwestern Mutual. He previously served as Northwestern Mutual's Executive Vice President and Chief Distribution Officer. The discussion with host Nicole Alvino highlights the critical role of data in understanding and improving the employee experience, drawing a direct correlation to business success. Gerend shares his journey and the various leadership roles he's taken on at Northwestern Mutual, emphasizing the company's mission-driven culture and the focus on providing exceptional employee and client experiences. The conversation also explores the importance of technology, including AI, in creating efficiency and...2024-04-1723 minCruising AltitudeMatching the Employee Experience to the Customer Experience with Shaelyn Otikor, SVP & Head of Global Digital Workplace Strategy at Northern Trust Asset ServicingThis episode features an interview with Shaelyn Otikor, Senior Vice President and Head of Global Digital Workplace Strategy at Northern Trust in the Asset Servicing business unit. The Asset Servicing business unit contains 15,000 of the company's 25,000 employees across 20 countries. Shaelyn has been with Northern Trust for over 28 years. And today, our host Nicole Alvino is talking with Shaelyn about re-engineering digital employee processes for greater efficiency, empowering employees to drive their own career at Northern Trust. and not being afraid to get in the weeds.Quotes*”As we think about digital employee experience, we have to...2024-04-0331 min
The Rubber Boots Podcast"Snake Charmer" (S11E12)This week we are introduced to a new member of the pod, Sean the Snake Charmer. Jimmy has a very Jimmy-type incident at the supermarket, continues to boast about his 'V', and recaps his best physical yet. Sean notices something about Jimmy's hair, Stoff finds a slithery hypothetical, and Lester warns against the dangers of maple syrup. #ShoppingCartThief #GreatHair #RichHair #JimmysPhysical #Diddy #PorterGate #Cobra #SnakeCharmer#GamblingInSport #Ohtani #GeorgeClooney #Finito #TravisKelce #TaylorSwift #Swiftie #KellyAnneStitts #Euro #CopaAmerica #Poutine #Syrup #MapleSyrup #FirstUp2024-03-291h 04
Scale with Strive Podcast'Crossing the $100m ARR Chasm' with Joe Marcin Welcome to the Scale with Strive podcast, the place where you come to listen to some of the world’s most influential leaders of the SaaS industry. 🚀I am your host, Adam Richardson and on today’s episode, I am excited to welcome Joe Marcin, CRO at FirstUp!With other 25 years’ experience in the Software Sales world, Joe is a 3 times CRO who has spent the last 10 years focussed on scaling companies across the $100m ARR chasm.Some of my key takeaways from our conversation were: 💡 How your Hiring Profile...2024-03-261h 06Cruising AltitudeFizzing with Wisdom: PepsiCo’s HR Strategies for Success with Andrea FerraraThis episode features an interview with Andrea Ferrara, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer for PepsiCo Beverages North America. PBNA is PepsiCo’s $21 billion beverage business and Global Foodservice with a portfolio that includes Pepsi, Gatorade, Rockstar Energy Drink, and more. Andrea is a 30-year veteran of PepsiCo and currently leads the HR function for their 60,000 employees across 400 locations in the U.S. and Canada. In this episode, host Nicole Alvino and Andrea discuss forming a psychological contract with employees early on, balancing standardization and customization of the employee experience, and building a change practice to agilely me...2024-03-2030 minCruising AltitudeIntroducing Our New Host, Nicole Alvino!This episode features an interview with Nicole Alvino. Nicole is a visionary entrepreneur and CEO with a passion for transforming the employee experience. As the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Firstup, a leading enterprise SaaS company, Nicole is responsible for driving innovation and growth in employee experience, engagement and communications. She believes that investing in employees is key to building high performance cultures that improve the top and bottom lines of any business, and is proud to call 40 of the Fortune 100 customers. In this episode, Nicole talks about how the employee experience starts with the pre-hire motion all...2024-03-0619 minCruising AltitudeWelcome to Season 3 of Cruising Altitude! Welcome to Season 3 of Cruising Altitude, the podcast to help you deliver exceptional employee experiences at scale. This season, we’re introducing our new host, Nicole Alvino, founder and CEO of Firstup.The mission of our podcast is to help you deliver irresistible employee experiences so you are empowered to retain and grow your top people, deliver a high performance organizational culture, and ultimately move your business forward.This is hard at any size organization, but for those organizations with 30,000 employees or above, this brings additional challenges and opportunities to really elevate that employee experience. ...2024-02-2801 min
Pipeline VisionariesScaling Success: Breaking Down Organizational SilosThis episode features an interview with Andy Nester, CMO at Firstup, the world’s first intelligent communication platform.In this episode, Andy gives us the scoop on why Firstup is the best in the business at delivering information to individual workers, how he and his team help large organizations personalize experiences for their workers, and his approach to in-depth problem solving for customers. Andy also shares about his work breaking down organizational silos and how that helps scale success for businesses. Key TakeawaysBuild communities based on who you’re specifically trying to serve. The mo...2023-10-3145 min
FiredUp! - The Startup Marketing PodcastThe Role of the Fractional CMO with Alison MurdockIn many cases, fractional CMOs come into play when a CMO leaves a company and there is a gap to fill for someone that can continue leading the team and directing the strategy. The roles and responsibilities of a fractional CMO largely depend on the needs of a company and although intended to be a temporary fill, often lead to companies adopting a new structure with just a fractional CMO in place. Today, Alison Murdock of Trusted CMO is here to share the unique outsider perspective a Fractional CMO can bring to a business. This week, episode 03 of the...2023-09-2845 min
The HR HuddleSpilling the Tea on HR Tech - Navigating HR tech drama: Acquisitions, data-driven insights, and return-to-work policies.Send us a textIn this episode of Spilling the Tea on HR Tech, Sapient Insights Group Chief Research Officer and Managing Partner, Stacey Harris, and Sapients Insights Group Director of Research, Cliff Stevenson, discuss the drama surrounding Deel's interest in acquiring Papaya Global, highlighting the significance of aligning tech partners with your organization's values and reputation. Lastly, they reflect on the growing importance of data-driven decision-making in HR and its impact on employee work-life balance.Key points covered include:↪️ Deel, a San Francisco-based HR company, acquires Papaya Global, shed...2023-09-2137 min