Shows
Future Proof HRCo-Creating AI-Ready, Truly Human Workplaces: HR as Strategic Partner, Connector, and HumanistIn this episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Nicole Dessain, Founder of The Talent Imperative and curator of the HR Hackathon Alliance, to talk about what it really means for HR to co-create AI-ready, truly human workplaces. Nicole shares how a CEO survey calling CHROs the least AI-savvy in the C-suite sparked her own 30-day AI learning challenge, and how that personal reset turned into a practical blueprint any HR leader can use to build confidence and credibility with AI.The conversation looks at AI transformation as a people transformation, the ro...
2025-11-2237 min
HR unConfidentialThe Power of Design Thinking in HRIn the first episode of 2025, Gina & Turiya dig into the world of Design Thinking. They are joined by two pioneers of Design Thinking in the HR space, Nicole Dessain, founder of talent.imperative and author of the Design Thinking for HR newsletter, and Nancy Harris of Restart Consulting and the Intersection podcast. Listen as they breakdown what design thinking is and ways it can be used in HR to make life easier and enhance the employee experience. Design Thinking for HR LinkedIn Newsletter HR.Hackathon Alliance talent.imperative inc Book: Designing...
2025-01-2359 min
Talent Tales PodcastConnecting with Questions - A Conversation with Jessica HaazIn this episode of "Talent Tales" talentimperative.com founder Nicole Dessain is joined by Jessica Haaz. Jessica shares insights from her "100 Interesting Conversations" experiment and discusses how we can use questions to better connect with others.
2023-06-2333 minTalent Tales PodcastLeading with Care - A Conversation with Lynn DiBonaventuraIn this episode of "Talent Tales" talentimperative.com founder Nicole Dessain is joined by Lynn DiBonaventura. During the conversation they discuss the fact that most organizations’ caregiving and bereavement policies are not as human-centric as they could be and what leaders can do to fill in the gap.
2023-06-0630 min
The ChordHow HR can Shape a Future of Work StrategyIn this episode of The Chord, John Fitzgerald talks to Nicole Dessain, founder and Chief Employee Experience Designer at Talent Imperative.
Nicole helps companies like Apple, Cisco, Comcast, Edelman and McDonald’s create human-centered, inclusive talent programs.
In this episode, Nicole discusses how the role of HR is changing and how HR can shape a Future of Work Strategy. Nicole also explains her point of view on design thinking at the intersection of strategy, innovation, culture, and talent in 2022.
Hope you enjoy the show!
2022-10-1934 min
Talent Tales PodcastNarrating Change - A Conversation with Dr. Bruce Pereira
In this episode of "Talent Tales" talentimperative.com founder Nicole Dessain is joined by Dr. Bruce Pereira. Bruce shares how to use storytelling to impact organizational and culture change.
2022-08-2634 minTalent Tales PodcastCollaborating Across Functions - A Conversation with Change Healthcare’s Ashley Eisenberg & Rachel FrancoIn this episode of "Talent Tales" talentimperative.com founder Nicole Dessain is joined by Change Healthcare’s Ashley Eisenberg and Rachel Franco. Ashley and Rachel share how they collaborate cross-functionally to build design thinking muscle in the organization.
2022-04-1632 minTalent Tales PodcastInviting Inclusion - A Conversation with Chicago Public Media’s Dr. Valerie Toney Parker & Steve BynumIn this episode of "Talent Tales" talentimperative.com founder Nicole Dessain is joined by Chicago Public Media’s Dr. Valerie Toney Parker and Steve Bynum. Valerie and Steve share their experience in applying a human-centered approach to inclusion.
2022-03-1837 min
Unprofessionalism153 - Transforming HR with Design Thinking with Nicole DessainNicole Dessain is a consultant, Design Thinker, and proud ‘recovering perfectionist’ - and sees those three labels as closely related.Her work in HR consultancy is informed by her training in Design Thinking. In turn, this has taught her to value process over perfection.Through Design Thinking, Working Out Loud, and facilitation, Nicole has found brilliant insights into HR - some breakthroughs, some roadblocks.In this episode, Nicole eloquently explains her key learnings so far.Combining facilitation and HR can produce some fascinating results and has some surprising applications. I highly reco...
2022-02-231h 05Talent Tales PodcastTalent Tales SPECIAL - Design Thinking for HR in 2022In this episode of "Talent Tales", talentimperative.com founder Nicole Dessain brings back three former Talent Tales guests (Angela Howard, Elles Skony, and Steph Ryter) to discuss “Design Thinking for HR in 2022 - Predictions, Practices, and Pitfalls”.
2022-01-3045 min
The IntersectionCreating Equitable Workplaces: What White HR Leaders Can Do to Advance DEIAlthough 65% of HR is white and female, things like pay equity still haven’t been achieved because the organizational structure of companies was designed by white men for white men, Nicole Dessain claims. “This isn’t to blame HR; it’s to understand the context of why things are the way they are,” she adds.Nicole Dessain is Chief Employee Experience Designer at talent.imperative inc and the founder of the #HRvsRacism. She helps organizations craft human-centered, equitable workplaces. She has worked with large companies like Walmart, Apple and Capital One, as well as small but mighty organizations like Grubhub, Arity, and...
2022-01-1238 minTalent Tales PodcastReinventing Rituals – A Conversation with Zalando’s Adam CochraneIn this episode of "Talent Tales" talentimperative.com founder Nicole Dessain is joined by Zalando Senior Product Manager, Adam Cochrane. Adam shares his experience in designing workplace rituals.
2021-12-1929 min
People Business w/ O'Brien McMahonDesign Thinking w/ Nicole DessainNicole Dessain is the Founder and Chief Employee Experience Designer at Talent.Imperative Inc, an employee experience design company. During her 19-year career in human resources, Nicole discovered design thinking while collaborating on a client project. She became a student of the method and got certified by IDEO U and LUMA Institute and is now a SESP Lecturer at Northwestern University’s Masters in Learning and Organizational Change Program which explores how design thinking might be applied to innovation in organizational effectiveness. Nicole runs her own podcast, Talent Tales, where she features leaders who have pioneered design thinking in th...
2021-12-0759 minTalent Tales PodcastHumanizing Creativity – A Conversation with Pfizer’s Lee KimIn this episode of "Talent Tales" talentimperative.com founder Nicole Dessain is joined by Pfizer’s Global Congress Lead PIH & Innovation, Lee Kim. Lee shares her approach to bringing more humanity and creativity into the workplace.
2021-11-1730 min
Social Responsibility at WorkHR vs RacismGuests and Titles:
Nicole Dessain, Chief Experience Officer at Talent.Imperative, Inc.
Oneka Cornelius, Executive Director and Founder at Convergence Solutions, LLC.
Kendra C. Jackson, Group Director, Internal Communications & Change Management at Real Chemistry
Description:
Nicole, Oneka and Kendra, all co-founders of HR vs. Racism joined me on this heart-felt episode that’s near and dear to my heart. We talk about the community they built to help create safe spaces for processing the complex topic of racism through the 3 C framework - Building Competence, Confidence and Courage. We explore the HR vs Racism origin story and how the team has cre...
2021-07-2842 minTalent Tales PodcastGoing Hybrid - A Conversation with Snyk's Diana MarcheseIn this episode of "Talent Tales" talentimperative.com founder Nicole Dessain is joined by Snyk’s Director of People Experience, Diana Marchese. Diana shares how she has applied design thinking to the hybrid work transformation.
2021-07-2330 min
The Reset Show#23. HR vs RacismThis week we have three special guests on the show talking about HR vs Racism. We're joined by Nicole Dessain, Oneka Corneluis and Kendra Jackson.
2021-07-1454 minHR unConfidentialHR vs. RacismGina and Turiya are joined by Oneka Cornelius, Nicole Dessain, and Kendra Jackson, the founders and leaders of HR vs. Racism, a community that aims to create a space for HR professionals to heal, become courageous allies, and learn how to design equitable workplaces. You don't want to miss this insightful and vulnerable conversation about our personal journeys and combined commitment to reshape HR. Learn more about the HR vs. Racism community and join by visiting www.hrvsracism.org See below for other resources mentioned in the episode: Josh Bersin Elevating Equity Study ...
2021-04-151h 11Talent Tales PodcastScaling Capability – A Conversation with IBM’s Damon DeanerIn this episode of "Talent Tales" talentimperative.com founder Nicole Dessain is joined by IBM’s Director of Employee Experience & Design, Damon Deaner. Damon shares how he has built design thinking capability within the HR organization.
2021-04-0226 minTalent Tales PodcastActing Agile - A Conversation with Dr. Oetker's Maike KueperIn this episode of "Talent Tales" talentimperative.com founder Nicole Dessain is joined by Dr. Oetker Culture Development Agile Coach Maike Kueper. Maike shares how she is combining agile and design thinking mindsets in a culture development context.
2020-12-2830 minThe IntersectionReason to Hope - The Power of Design Thinking in DEIThis week, I’m speaking with Nicole Dessain, who is the founder and Chief Employee Experience Designer of talent.imperative inc, an award-winning employee experience design consultancy. talent.imperative inc uses the power of design thinking to make organizations more people-centric. They are trusted by notable corporations like Apple, McDonald’s, and Ford, and have been featured in the Chicago Tribune and HuffPost. Nicole is also the founder of DisruptHR Chicago, and HR.Hackathon. She joins me today to share insights about how companies and HR can benefit from design thinking. One such insight is that a lack of diversity and...
2020-10-2335 minTalent Tales PodcastNavigating Through Crisis - A Conversation with UChicago Medicine's Tyler CarrollIn this episode of "Talent Tales" talentimperative.com founder Nicole Dessain is joined by UChicago Medicine's Executive Director Organizational Climate, Tyler Carroll. Tyler shares how she is applying a design thinking mindset to navigating through times of crisis.
2020-10-1029 minTalent Tales PodcastBlueprinting Service - A Conversation with Intel's Shira Ben CohenIn this episode of "Talent Tales" talentimperative.com founder Nicole Dessain is joined by Intel’s Global Experience Designer, Shira Ben Cohen. Shira shares how she is applying design thinking to Talent Acquisition at Intel.
2020-08-0819 minTalent Tales PodcastBuilding Belonging – A Conversation with Corgan’s Halima McWilliamsIn this episode of "Talent Tales" talentimperative.com founder Nicole Dessain is joined by Corgan’s People Operations and Culture Leader, Halima McWilliams. Halima shares how she is applying design thinking to her talent and culture work at Corgan.
2020-07-2429 minTalent Tales PodcastFailing Forward - A Conversation with GE's Christopher LindIn this episode of "Talent Tales" talentimperative.com founder Nicole Dessain is joined by GE Healthcare's Head of Global Digital Learning, Christopher Lind. Chris shares how he is applying design thinking to learning & development at GE Healthcare.
2020-07-0527 minTalent Tales PodcastHumanizing Change - A Conversation with Eurobank's Stella IoannidouIn this episode of "Talent Tales" talentimperative.com founder Nicole Dessain is joined by Eurobank's IT Workforce Management Lead, Stella Ioannidou. Stella shares how she is applying design thinking to change management at Eurobank.
2020-05-3130 min
Future-Focused with Christopher LindSolving Business Problems by Hacking People Problems with Nicole DessainAll of us in learning, talent and HR functions are being faced with what can often feel like impossible challenges as a result of the coronavirus. We haven’t even had time to fully establish a steady state for the current situation and are already being challenged with predicting the ‘new normal’ and how we’ll manage that.
Trying to solve for these monumental challenges in an environment where it’s easy to feel isolated from the very people we need to solve them only adds insult to injury.
So, how do we rapidly solve for these...
2020-05-151h 01Talent Tales PodcastNudging For Benefit - A Conversation with GreenPath's Danielle CraneIn this episode of "Talent Tales" talentimperative.com founder Nicole Dessain is joined by GreenPath's Chief Talent Officer, Danielle Crane. Danielle shares how she is applying design thinking to benefits design at GreenPath.
2020-04-1230 minTalent Tales PodcastTalent Tales SPECIAL - 10 Design Thinking Resources & HacksIn this episode of "Talent Tales", talentimperative.com founder Nicole Dessain shares ten design thinking resources and hacks she learned from past Talent Tales guests.
2020-03-3033 minTalent Tales PodcastHacking Diversity - A Conversation with Sittercity's Kelli KoschmannIn this episode of "Talent Tales" talentimperative.com founder Nicole Dessain is joined by Sittercity's VP of People, Kelli Koschmann. Kelli shares how she is applying design thinking to Diversity & Belonging at Sittercity.
2020-03-0126 minTalent Tales PodcastCrafting HR Strategy – A Conversation with Centro’s Elles SkonyIn this episode of "Talent Tales" talentimperative.com founder Nicole Dessain is joined by Centro's VP of Talent Management, Elles Skony. Elles shares how she is applying design thinking to HR Strategy Design at Centro.
2020-01-2931 minTalent Tales PodcastDesigning Your Career - A Conversation with BASF's Jennifer DeweyIn this episode of "Talent Tales" talentimperative.com founder Nicole Dessain is joined by BASF's Global Talent Management Lead, Jennifer Dewey. Jennifer shares how she is applying design thinking to career development programs at BASF Colors & Effects.
2019-11-2331 minTalent Tales PodcastWorking Out Loud - A Conversation with Bosch's Katharina KrentzIn this episode of "Talent Tales" talentimperative.com founder Nicole Dessain is joined by Bosch's Sr. Consultant New Work & Digital Collaboration, Katharina Krentz. Katharina shares how she is using the Working Out Loud method to accelerate organizational collaboration and co-creation.
2019-10-1132 minTalent Tales PodcastCo-Creating Employee Experience - A Conversation with cleverbridge's Laura WinegardnerIn this episode of "Talent Tales" talentimperative.com founder Nicole Dessain is joined by cleverbridge's Employee Experience Manager, Laura Winegardner. Laura shares how she has leveraged design thinking to co-create the employee experience across functions.
2019-09-2227 min
Talent Tales PodcastElevating Employee Experience - A Conversation with Kaiser Permanente's Angela HowardIn this episode of "Talent Tales" talentimperative.com founder Nicole Dessain is joined by Kaiser Permanente's Director or Talent Management & Culture, Angela Howard. Angela shares how she has leveraged design thinking to elevate the employee experience.
2019-08-1130 min
The Experience DesignersNicole Dessain - Turning HR into superheroes!In this episode, you’ll meet Nicole and learn more about her passion for HR, innovation, talent and design thinking. We talk about her mission to turn HR into superheroes, exploring the emergence of design sprints and the opportunities they bring for organisations large and small.
2019-07-2951 minTalent Tales PodcastSharing Stories - A Conversation with University of Salford's Robert RitchieIn this episode of "Talent Tales" talentimperative.com founder Nicole Dessain is joined by University of Salford's Head of Organizational Development, Robert Ritchie. Robert describes how sharing stories can drive a human-centered approach to Human Resources.
2019-07-1030 minTalent Tales PodcastCultivating Customer Obsession - A Conversation with Soumee DeIn this episode of "Talent Tales" talentimperative.com founder Nicole Dessain is joined by Soumee De. Soumee advocates a customer obsession mindset in the way we approach design thinking in Human Resources.
2019-06-1428 min
Talent Tales PodcastEmbracing a Growth Mindset – A Conversation with Christina ChateauvertIn this episode of "Talent Tales" talentimperative.com founder Nicole Dessain is joined by Christina Chateauvert. Christina highlights how embracing a growth mindset can help Human Resources leaders get started with design thinking.
2019-05-0630 minTalent Tales PodcastLeading with Empathy - A Conversation with Arity's Steph RyterIn this episode of "Talent Tales" talentimperative.com founder Nicole Dessain is joined by Arity's Creative Culture Leader, Steph Ryter. Steph outlines how leading with empathy is the key to infusing design thinking into Human Resources.
2019-04-2630 min
TalentTalk PodcastLucy Adams and Nicole DessainLucy Adams, the CEO of Disruptive HR talks about why she started Disruptive HR and how she helps companies deliver HR in different and innovative ways. Nicole Dessain, the CEO of Talent Imperative and President of DisruptHR, Chicago talks about design thinking, and how this model will become a game changer for HR and talent leaders. She also shares about her work with the HR Hackathon and DisruptHR, Chicago.This show is brought to you by Talk 4 Radio (http://www.talk4radio.com/) on the Talk 4 Media Network (http://www.talk4media.com/).
2018-06-2646 min