Hey humans, Stacie Baird here! In this episode of the HX podcast, we're diving into a hot topic everyone's talking about: artificial intelligence. Yep, AI, or artificial intelligence, is everywhere, and while some folks are getting tired of the buzz, it's crucial to understand how it impacts our work in HR and the human experience within organizati…

In this episode, ASCY’s Kim Burns and Jacqueline Vignanello chat about what a parent or educator could do if they’ve noticed a child with some speech related red flags and what to do next. Jacqueline, shares information about the role of a Preschool Speech Language Pathologist and what speech and language programs are available in Hamilton. Kim sha…

This episode is a part of a series of podcast episodes that we’re having with the presenters from our December 2023 Embracing The Early Years Professional Learning Day. In this episode ASCY’s Nancy Baverstock and Paola Hohenadel have a deep and rich chat with Lorrie McGee Baird and Anne Marie Coughlin about the conversations, reflections and ideas …

Hey humans, in this final episode of our "Spectrum of Growth" series, we dive into the art of embodiment. Bri Morsa and I explore the challenging journey of assuming positive intent, the internal work it demands, and how it transforms our interactions. Discover why noticing and naming your feelings is just the beginning, and learn the powerful impa…

In today’s episode, we’re diving deeper into the complex world of narcissism with our incredible guest, Bri Morsa. This is the second part of our series on this topic. If you've missed our last episode I highly recommend taking a listen to it! We explore the spectrum of narcissism, from full-blown personality disorders to more subtle, everyday beha…

Today's episode is the first of a small three-part series that dives into the challenges of dealing with narcissism, both at work and in personal life. Joining me is the insightful Bri Morsa, who's been a close friend and collaborator for years. We'll explore the spectrum of narcissism, how to recognize it, and the importance of self-awareness and …

I'm diving into a topic that's particularly challenging yet incredibly relevant—narcissistic behavior. Have you ever dealt with someone who has an inflated sense of self-importance, craves admiration, and shows little empathy? If so, this episode is for you. Join me as I unpack how to identify these behaviors and share practical strategies to navig…

In this episode, I share a personal story from my early days and a tough week I recently had. Reflecting on these experiences, I discuss the Japanese art of Kintsugi, which beautifully repairs broken pottery with gold, making the item even more valuable. This metaphor extends to our lives—our scars and setbacks can contribute to our unique beauty a…

This episode is a part of a series of podcast episodes that we’re having with the presenters from our December 2023 Embracing The Early Years Professional Learning Day. In this episode, ASCY’s Kim Burns and Paola Hohenadel jump right back into the conversations, reflections and ideas that Emily and Rosalba shared at the EEY PL Day, around the feeli…

Hey humans, this is Stacie Baird and today we're diving into the all-too-familiar feeling of exhaustion and puzzle culture. Remember when wearing exhaustion like a badge of honor was seen as a rite of passage in our careers? I can relate—I used to think rest was a sign of weakness. But now, in my mid-forties, I've learned that exhaustion can stem f…

In this episode I explore the critical importance of self-compassion, self-regulation, and personal growth. Reflecting on experiences from my career and drawing inspiration from the film "Up in the Air," I discuss the concept of vicarious trauma and the emotional toll that difficult conversations can have on us. I'll also talk about some practical …

Hey humans, this is Stacie Baird and welcome to the HX Podcast! Yesterday was International HR Day, and to honor our amazing friends in HR, the next few episodes will be dedicated to you. As someone deeply entrenched in this space, alongside my team, I want to reflect on where we've been, what we've achieved, and offer you some valuable insights to…

In this episode “A Conversation With Karen Davis On The Student Of Today” you will hear ASCY’s Liz Soyka chat with Karen Davis about the college student of today in Mohawk College’s Early Childhood Education programs. Karen Davis is the Early Childhood Education Academic and Practicum Program Coordinator at Mohawk College in Hamilton. Karen is a pa…

In this episode, Holly Norton and I get into our personal journeys within the realm of HR, sparked by our attendance at the Workhuman Conference. We reflect on the evolution of our careers, from starting in HR to navigating various roles in consulting, private equity, and back to consulting again. Throughout our conversation, we emphasize the impor…

In this conversation, I sat down Dr. Nate Regier, Founder and CEO of Next Element, and author of Compassion Accountability: How Leaders Build Connection and Get Results. We talked about so many wonderful topics focused on the importance of compassion and accountability in leadership and organizations. We explored how it can be applied to create mea…

This episode is a part of a series of podcast episodes that we’re having with the presenters from our December 2023 Embracing The Early Years Professional Learning Day. In this episode “A Conversation With Dr. ABC about flourishing in all our idenities” you will hear ASCY’s Leslie Busija and Shanda Licop jump right back into the conversations, idea…

Looking at all of the data and research, the challenges for HR professionals continue to rise. The latest study showed that HR, more than nearly any other career, has the highest rate of burnout and it’s not getting any better. In a study of 1,300 HR professionals, HR Executive sited 41% of CHROs said they would likely leave their roles or be looki…

We have some really interesting opinions and perspectives in store for you coming up centering around the human experience as well as the future of work, AI, and the human connection in general. I wanted to take this episode to give you a baseline for where we are going to explore. I reflected on how the Transform event (and others) affected me. No…

John Baldino is an HR pro with over 30 years of experience that includes strategic planning, organizational development, coaching, leadership development, training, and so much more. But what drew me to John was his focus on the real mission of our profession - the care for people. John talks about his background and what drew him to HR, and his ro…

Today is a short episode - it's based in part on an experience I encountered at the Transform conference at which I recently spoke. Are we having enough genuine, meaningful conversations? I ran into a friend and after the conversation, I realized how energizing and rewarding those conversations can be, especially when we can reflect on them, and th…

La conversation dans ce podcast entre Chantal Pelletier, Orthophoniste et Chelsea Plouffe Assistante Orthophoniste avec le service Premiers Mots, explorera les questions fréquemment posées sur le thème de l’apprentissage d’une langue seconde dans la petite enfance. In this episode you will hear, Chantal Pelletier, Speech Language Pathologist and Ch…

Today’s episode is a part of a series of podcast episodes that we’re having with the presenters from our December 2023 Embracing The Early Years Professional Learning Day. In this episode “A Conversation With Stacy Hill About Earth Based Wellness” you will hear ASCY’s Negin Zarifian have a conversation with Stacy Hill on earth based wellness in the…

During my experience at Transform I had the opportunity to speak with some great people - chief among them was Dan Michelson, CEO and founder of InCommon.com, and author of the book Holy Shift! Moving Your Company Forward to the Future of Work. We talked about the importance of work culture and how a lot of those lessons prompted him to want to wri…

The Transform event was amazing and I had the opportunity to meet so many interesting humans! The first of these was Michael Stafiej, CEO of ERIN, which stands for Employee Referral Invitation Network. ERIN is an app dedicated to employee referral networking. Mike talks about his journey, in particular over the last 6 years, and some of the challen…

Today’s episode is a part of a series of podcast episodes that we’re having with the presenters from our December 2023 Embracing The Early Years Professional Learning Day. In this episode “A Conversation With Rusty Keeler About The Outdoors” you will hear ASCY’s Leslie Busija have a conversation with Rusty Keeler about the outdoors, risky play and …

Diane Hare is the CEO of BizLove, a consultancy firm that focuses on adapting the core of what I talk about in the human experience journey, with the realization that as a company, you must make still make a profit! Often times we see this vision of changing how we operate in business as humans, but if we lose sight of the need to make a profit, we…

On today's episode I'm talking with Emilie Grombacher, a friend, colleague, and all around great human! Emilie is the Senior Director of Human Resources at The Kudelski Group, but most of our time is spent talking about the important connections we have as moms and partners. Emilie talks about yoga and how important it is in her life to find space …

What an unbelievable treat this was to talk with Tanner Gers. As some of you know I am going to speak at the Transform 2024 conference this year, and Tanner will be there as well. It's part of how we got introduced, and I'm so excited to share his story with you today. In this episode, Tanner shares an auto accident in 2004 that almost took his lif…

Today’s episode is a part of a series of podcast episodes that we’re having with the presenters that we had at our December 2023 Embracing The Early Years Professional Learning Day. In this episode “A Conversation With Drew Dudley on Leadership” you will hear ASCY’s Amanda Karr and Nicole Colterman have a conversation with Drew Dudley about the ele…

On today's episode, we'll continue in the spirit of my discussion last week with Stefanie Krievens, of The Change Architecture. I'll follow by suggesting some assignments that can help you navigate change in your organization. Step one - change your own mindset regarding your relationship to change; in step two I will talk about communicating with …

In this episode, “A Conversation About Working Through a Work Plan” you will hear ASCY’s Charlotte Edwards have a conversation with Nicole Hayes from Brightpath Waterdown Child Care Centre. Together they’ll share a community perspective and reflect on the year long journey of working through a work plan together.…

Today I am talking with a legendary voice in the space of the human experience. Stefanie Krievins leads a firm focused on the workforces of the future. She is the host of the Hot Mess Hotline (links below), a podcast for ambitious leaders who want to drive impactful change. I had the opportunity to sit down and hear her amazing journey. We talked a…

This episode has been one I've wanted to do for some time - it's an enormous part of why I've changed the brand of the podcast to encompass the broader human experience. My daughter, Jocelyn, is my very special guest today. She talks about her leukemia diagnosis over a year ago, and the battle that would take up all of 2023, and change the way she …

It's time for an assignment! Based on last week's podcast, I'll talk about putting those ideas into action. Last week was called Do the Hard Thing: Being Comfortable with Discomfort. I talked about a podcast by Andrew Huberman, who talks about the aMCC (anterior anterior mid cingulate cortex), and it's function in the brain. There are some great no…

In this episode we'll look at tenacity. What makes us strive for more; and more specifically, to be uncomfortable in that striving. Does doing things we don't want to do make us stronger? And how? I talk about some of the areas from my recent experiences (and going back to my childhood) that have helped me charge forward through discomfort. We've t…

Four minutes - for you! Today we'll continue the work we started with last week's episode titled Abundance is the Answer and Love is the Way. How do we find abundance? How do we shift our focus. What do we do when fear comes? I talk about the steps it takes and how to list your gratitude, shift your mindset, and turn those doubts into beliefs. Enjo…

This episode kicks off a series of podcast episodes that we’re having with the presenters that we had at our December 2023 Embracing The Early Years Professional Learning Day. In this episode “A Conversation With Mary Gordon About Roots and Seeds of Empathy” you will hear ASCY’s Susan Lepore have a conversation with Mary Gordon about how to build a…

Abundance is the answer and love is the way. This was my mantra for 2023, and after only a little thought I knew it needed to be the same for 2024. In this episode, I talk about some of the unique challenges we all face and how that mantra can work for you. What brought this into focus personally (as some of you know) was my daughter's Leukemia dia…

Welcome to the NEW version of the podcast, The HX Podcast! Similar in so many ways, but designed to focus on broader stories of the human experience (HX) to inspire all of you who listen! To start the new year, I thought about how wonderful it would be to talk to two friends. How they met, their focus on the gift of being human, and their journey (…

In our last official episode of the season, we conclude this small 5-part series. And again, it would be helpful to listen to the previous three episodes. You can find them at the bottom of these notes. But what we need to do is take the summary of what we cultivated in those episodes. First, in episode 34, we looked backward to moments in 2023 whe…

In this episode you will hear ASCY’s Nicole Colterman have a conversation with Shannon Elfner and Nicole Bloomkvist from Mary Poppins Co op Preschool in Caledonia. Shannon and Nicole will ask us to think about the celebrations that we typically acknowledge and celebrate in child care programs, and how and why we may consider celebrating something e…

In this episode, we combine the work from episodes one, two, and three. We'll use these prioritized lists and pick the top four (or whatever number feels right to you). Then, using principles found in James Clear's book, Atomic Habits, we'll talk about using morning or evening habit stacking. One week at a time (in January), we'll talk about adding…

In this episode, we combine the work from episodes one and two - and for those who haven't listened... they are short, but important to this week. In episode 34, I asked you what the elements were for you that helped you feel the most light, love, joy, whatever that feeling is for you in 2023. In episode 35, I asked you to curate the opposite - wha…

In this, part two of this small series to wrap up 2023, I'll expand on last week's work of reflection. I talk about shifting focus to the present day as well as the future. I personally went through two incredible challenges - my daughter's leukemia diagnosis in January and subsequent treatment, and the work I'm involved with at CMS, and the buildi…

I am putting out this episode, a first in a brief series before the end of the year (and end of the season), and before a wonderful change to the podcast that will begin at the start of 2024. Each of the episodes will be a small exercise - each can be as easy or involved as you want them to be. This one is about looking backward. Think about a week…

In this episode, “A Conversation About Exploring the Earth and Gardening Outdoors”, you will hear ASCY’s Nicole Colterman have a conversation with Lynn Sheridan and Susie Dyck from Calvary Daycare in Simcoe who discuss the outdoors, gardening and the transformation of their outdoor environments through their earth exploration project. The conversat…

On this episode we have Sally Loftis, an expert in supporting humanity in the workplace. Sally has worked in the industry for 25 years, and runs her own consulting firm called Loftis Partners. She specializes in strategy pieces of human resources, including pay equity and building trust and transparency within the workplace. During the episode, we …

In this episode, “A Conversation About Being in Relationship with the Outdoors”, you will hear ASCY’s Kim Burns have a conversation with Kaylee Talbot and Amelia Pratt from Village Treehouse Childcare, who share their views on outdoor environments and how they work with children and families on creating a respect for the outdoors, through gardening…

I'm so excited to share this episode with you! Meredith Fish. We talked about her extensive experience in HR, and how she's tackling the new post COVID culture when it comes to the workplace. Meredith's approach starts with Work 2.0 and using this new time as an opportunity to build trust by encouraging open dialogue. We talk about the day-to-day p…

"Now I know exactly what beautiful looks like". Those were the words from a dear friend in one of the hardest times of my daughter's life (and mine). This is a second episode of a 2 part series on our daughter's journey battling cancer. If you haven't heard the first episode, click here. I talk about her decision to shave her head, her bravery thro…