People On Purpose®

Hosted by Kira La Forgia

Business Management

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Episodes

124

Latest episode

May 2026

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About the show

People On Purpose, the podcast that reminds you that your business doesn’t run on policies and processes alone... it runs on people. If you’ve been with us since the On The Up & Up! days, you probably remember the tactical HR tips, the “how-to hire” episodes, and my rants about I-9s and contractors vs. employees. And don’t worry, you’ll still hear the occasional HR compliance tip. But after years of working with hundreds of small businesses, I realized something big: It’s not the systems or the SOPs that make your business work. It’s the humans behind them. So this new chapter of the podcast is about the messy middle of building a team. Think: more purpose than payroll and more community than compliance. We’re talking about what it really takes to create a workplace where people actually want to show up, not because they have to, but because they believe in what you’re building… or at the very least, because it feels great to work there. Each week, we’ll explore the people-side of small business - from leadership and management, to community and culture - with best best practices, strategies, and the occasional leadership horror story - because we’ve all got ‘em.

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60 recent

May 27, 20261 hr 7 min

S2E10: The Secret to $500 Million in Client Revenue? Actually Caring. With Stacia of Switch It Up Designs

This week we're sitting down with Stacia, founder and CEO of Switch It Up Designs, a seven-figure digital marketing agency, and co-founder of authority.io — a DIY ad platform that lets small business owners run expert-level ads in four clicks. Her team manages over $8 million in annual ad spend and has helped generate over $500 million in client revenue. She's also one of our clients — so we can personally vouch for the culture she's built.Listen in to hear:How she went from a modern dance degree and a failed $99-a-year business to a seven-figure agencyWhy paid media is the only marketing channel that can actually guarantee your growthWhat authority.io is and why it's changing the game for small business ownersWhy the founders with the best retention are the ones who just genuinely give a shitThe AI conversation nobody is having honestly enough

April 15, 202635 min

S2E9: Your Team Already Knows Who Should Be Fired

Nobody wants to be in this position. But if you clicked on this one, you probably need it — and we're glad you're here.Nothing we say can make firing someone feel good, but this episode breaks down everything you need to know to ensure you're letting someone go with integrity, in a way that protects your business and lets you come out the other side with your culture intact. Because firing someone thoughtfully can actually strengthen your team's trust in you. Doing it poorly can destroy it.Listen in to hear:Why firing someone is not a failure of leadership — but avoiding it when it's necessary usually isThe mistakes leaders make that turn a clean exit into a compliance nightmareWhy most termination lawsuits aren't about the firing — they're about the story that doesn't add upWhat your team is actually watching for when someone gets let goThe things you should never say in a termination meeting — and what to say insteadWhy by the time you're ready to have the conversation, your team probably already saw it comingGet the Clean Exit Bundle: https://paradigmconsulting.thrivecart.com/clean-exit-bundle/

April 1, 202635 min

S2E8: Why the Best Teams Feel a Little Bit Like a Cult

Not an actual cult. But kind of. The teams that show up fully, carry the business when things get hard, and genuinely care about the mission all have something in common — and it has nothing to do with skill set.In this episode, we're getting personal about a really hard year, a team member who let us down, and what it taught us about what actually makes a team work. Spoiler: it's not the offer letter.Listen in to hear:What cult-like community actually means in a small business context — and what it definitely doesn'tWhy hiring someone you already know and trust can teach you everything about cultureThe real reason our best revenue year happened during our hardest personal yearWhy engagement has nothing to do with perks and everything to do with connectionWhy you can mess up the onboarding paperwork and still build an incredible team — and exactly when that excuse runs out

March 25, 202633 min

S2E7: The Real Reason Your Hires Aren't Working Out

If you've ever let someone go in their first 90 days and thought "another bad hire" — this episode is going to challenge that story. The real reason your hires aren't working out probably has less to do with them and a lot more to do with what's happening before they ever find their footing.Listen in to hear:The surprising parallel between your customer experience and your employee onboardingWhy the first 90 days are 100% your responsibility as a leader — and why that's actually good newsWhat most small business owners get wrong about onboarding talented peopleWhy the better the hire, the more onboarding they actually needHow to stop living in the echo chamber of "employees these days" and start taking ownership

March 18, 202650 min

S2E6: Evolution of Culture

If something feels off in your business and you can't quite put your finger on it — culture could be the culprit. Company culture doesn't collapse overnight. It drifts over time and by the time most founders realize there's been a shift, it can be difficult to get things back on track. In this episode we break down the four phases every small business culture goes through, how to identify which one you're in right now, and what to do about it before it gets expensive.Listen in to hear:Why culture is the root cause of most of the problems showing up in your business right nowThe four phases of company culture and what each one requires from you as a leaderWhy founders don't notice their culture is changing until something breaksWhat it actually means to let your culture evolve intentionally instead of accidentallyWhy addressing your culture is basically therapy for your business

February 18, 202636 min

S2E5: Having Difficult Conversations 2.0

If you're the one always delivering bad news, rejecting PTO requests, and handling every performance issue — even for people who don't directly report to you — there's a problem. Your managers are avoiding the hard conversations by passing the uncomfortable stuff up to you, which means you're stuck doing everyone's job instead of actually leading your business. This episode is about why difficult conversations keep landing on your desk, and how to shift that responsibility back to where it belongs: with your managers.Listen in to hear:Why copying someone else's leadership style makes you less effective in the moment.The three questions every manager should be able to answer without hesitation.Why PTO approvals are a capacity planning tool, not an admin task. What bottom-up accountability actually looks like in practtice.The real cost of managers who dodge difficult conversations.

February 11, 202625 min

S2E4: Stop Treating HR Like a Necessary Evil

Most founders think HR = legal protection. A compliance checkbox. Something you have to “deal with” when a problem pops up — and something you try not to think about the rest of the time. But if you’re constantly putting out fires with your team, drowning in management conversations, or second-guessing every business decision because you don’t know how it will land, HR might not be the solution — it’s more likely the root of the problem. In this episode we flip the script about HR and help you dig into what it should actually be: the engine that drives growth, profitability, and a team that doesn’t want to leave.Listen in to hear why:The “call me when you need me” approach to HR is keeping you stuck in reactive mode, always plugging holes instead of building systems that grow with you.Your brilliant ideas might be unprofitable — and how strategic HR can help you find out for sure.Proactive support helps you adapt to organizational changes quickly and efficiently. Compliance is the gateway, not the destination — the real work is in leadership development and communication.You need a partner who filters every decision through the lens of “How will this actually work with our team?”

January 14, 202635 min

S2E3 Is Your Need for Control Costing You Money?

Let’s talk about how the fear of letting go is often the exact thing keeping founders stuck, whether it’s at a revenue plateau, in team chaos, or just straight-up exhausted. This episode talks about why your business can’t be built on “cement” (aka rigid control) when the world is built on constant change (market shifts, team changes, and yes… vibes). You’ll hear the difference between relinquishing control and relinquishing accountability, and why confusing those two will sink you in founder quicksand. Listen in to hear why:Control isn’t a growth strategy, it’s usually a fear response wearing a blazer.Relinquishing control does NOT mean relinquishing accountability.Your advisors should evolve with your business, because the people who got you to $100K might not be the ones who get you to $1M.Autonomy is a culture feature. If your managers can’t make decisions, your company can’t grow (and your inbox becomes a war zone).

December 17, 202526 min

S2E2: Falling In Love With Your Business

If the idea of “falling in love” with your business makes you roll your eyes a little…same. But hear us out:In this episode, Kira talks through what that phrase actually means: building a business that feels worth showing up for, especially when life is doing the absolute most.This episode is part pep talk, part leadership reality check, and part “hey girl, your mission statement can’t just live in a Canva deck.” We’re talking all about mission & vision, trust, leadership identity, and how to build a team culture that’s unified, bought-in, and honestly… a little cult-like (in the best, non-creepy way).Key Takeaways:Your mission and vision aren’t “set it and forget it”. They need revisiting as you evolve.Trust on a team is more than just you trusting them, it’s you building systems that help them trust you.The strongest leadership doesn't involve copy/paste from LinkedIn or Shark Tank, but rather owning who you are and leading from that.A “cult-like” team culture comes from shared commitment to the mission (not surface-level perks and vibes).Your business will reflect back what you put into it, and alignment + authenticity are what make itThis one’s your reminder that you don’t need a new personality to lead well...you just need to lead on purpose!

December 10, 202522 min

S2E1: The Wake-Up Call That Shattered My Leadership Identity

Take a peek behind the curtain of the podcast’s brand-new direction that’s less “HR rulebook,” more “let’s talk about the wonderfully unpredictable humans running your business.” Kira shares the personal burnout story that cracked her leadership wide open, why mental health and real support systems aren’t optional, and what authentic leadership actually looks like when you stop white-knuckling through it.Kira’s story sets the tone for this new era and is an open invitation for returning listeners and fresh arrivals to buckle up and align with the honest, human-first conversations that will guide every episode from here on out.We're so glad you're along for this ride!