The Breakthrough Hiring Show: Modern Recruiting, AI, and Talent Strategy

Hosted by James Mackey

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Episodes

222

Latest episode

Jun 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

Welcome to The Breakthrough Hiring Show: Recruiting, AI, and Talent Strategy, a podcast for leaders building better hiring systems and stronger teams. Hosted by James Mackey, the show features conversations with founders, CEOs, talent leaders, and recruiting experts on how great companies hire, scale, and adapt as technology changes the talent landscape. Episodes cover talent acquisition strategy, recruiting operations, AI, automation, candidate experience, hiring analytics, and executive decision-making. You will learn how to build scalable hiring systems, use AI and recruiting technology effectively, improve the hiring process, and make talent acquisition a competitive advantage. Built for founders, executives, talent acquisition leaders, recruiters, and hiring teams. Thank you to our sponsors, SecureVision and June , for making this show possible.

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60 recent

June 9, 20261 hr 11 min

EP 221: Why Generalists Win in a Fast-Changing Talent Market

What does it actually take to grow as a talent leader when the playbook keeps changing? Chelsea Kovak, Head of Global Talent Acquisition at TaskRabbit, shares how she thinks about AI, data, tooling, and the skills recruiters need to build in a market that’s moving faster than ever. Along the way, she reflects on her path from sales to talent acquisition, the value of being a connector, and why adaptability may be the most important skill in modern recruiting.Connect with host James Mackey on LinkedIn! Thank you to our sponsor, SecureVision, for making this show possible! Follow us:https://www.linkedin.com/company/82436841/SecureVision: #1 Rated Embedded Recruitment Firm on G2!https://www.g2.com/products/securevision/reviewsThanks for listening!

June 2, 202653 min

EP 220: Elephants, Lions & the Psychology of Talent Leadership

Growing up between Canada and East Africa, Michael Kieran’s childhood was shaped by international communities, close encounters with elephants and lions, and experiences that challenged the way he saw the world. He brings that same perspective to building high-performing recruiting teams grounded in consistency, ambition, and continuous growth as a Fractional Talent Leader. In this conversation, he shares why the best TA organizations think differently about performance, AI, and what it really means to become world-class.Connect with host James Mackey on LinkedIn! Thank you to our sponsor, SecureVision, for making this show possible! Follow us:https://www.linkedin.com/company/82436841/SecureVision: #1 Rated Embedded Recruitment Firm on G2!https://www.g2.com/products/securevision/reviewsThanks for listening!

May 28, 202645 min

EP 219: Building Talent Programs at Hulu, Activision, and Take-Two

Jessica Wheeler went from growing up in Vancouver, Washington to building talent programs at some of the biggest names in entertainment and gaming, including Hulu, Activision, and Take-Two Interactive. Now VP, Global Head of TA Strategy at Take-Two, she shares how scaling Hulu from 500 to 3,000 employees, leading through reputation challenges at Activision, and centralizing TA across 2K, Zynga, and Take-Two shaped her leadership style. Connect with host James Mackey on LinkedIn!Intro (00:00)Background (00:46)Career (06:52)Ta (29:22) Thank you to our sponsor, SecureVision, for making this show possible! Follow us:https://www.linkedin.com/company/82436841/SecureVision: #1 Rated Embedded Recruitment Firm on G2!https://www.g2.com/products/securevision/reviewsThanks for listening!

May 26, 202647 min

EP 218: Don't Hire

Adam Spector’s path has never been conventional, from leaving DC for boarding school to pivoting from law school into tech and startups. Now Founder & CEO of Chore, he shares how building companies, learning from early startup failures, and obsessing over AI shaped his belief that founders should rethink hiring entirely. His message is simple: don’t hire unless you absolutely have to.Connect with host James Mackey on LinkedIn!Intro (00:00)Background (00:46)Career (13:08)TA (20:49) Thank you to our sponsor, SecureVision, for making this show possible! Follow us:https://www.linkedin.com/company/82436841/SecureVision: #1 Rated Embedded Recruitment Firm on G2!https://www.g2.com/products/securevision/reviewsThanks for listening!

May 21, 202652 min

EP 217: How Every Chapter Builds the Next

Mary Price grew up as a first-generation American, learning early lessons in grit, integrity, and trust from her family and her uncle’s shoe repair shop. Today, as the founder of Penfield Talent, she brings that same people-first philosophy to talent leadership, executive search, and helping companies build high-trust teams. In this conversation, she shares how she balances empathy with high standards, what AI can and can’t replace in recruiting, and the inside story of leading GTM hiring at Slack through the Salesforce acquisition, when her team doubled the sales organization in one year during COVID.Connect with host James Mackey on LinkedIn!Intro (00:00)Background (00:46)Career (09:02)TA (37:38) Thank you to our sponsor, SecureVision, for making this show possible! Follow us:https://www.linkedin.com/company/82436841/SecureVision: #1 Rated Embedded Recruitment Firm on G2!https://www.g2.com/products/securevision/reviewsThanks for listening!

May 19, 202635 min

EP 216: Grit, Resilience, and the AI-Driven Future of Talent Acquisition

Katie Potter, VP of Talent Operations at Healthie, grew up in upstate New York with a deeply competitive spirit — skiing by age three and racing against high schoolers before she was even a teenager. In this episode, she shares her unconventional path from studying forensic psychology to discovering Industrial & Organizational psychology, ultimately leading her into the world of talent acquisition and helping scale hiring at high-growth startups. She also discusses how she’s leveraging AI to build faster, more thoughtful, and more candidate-centric recruiting processes in today’s evolving hiring landscape.Connect with host James Mackey on LinkedIn!Intro (00:00)Background (00:46)Healthie (13:30)AI (17:06)TA (33:53) Thank you to our sponsor, SecureVision, for making this show possible! Follow us:https://www.linkedin.com/company/82436841/SecureVision: #1 Rated Embedded Recruitment Firm on G2!https://www.g2.com/products/securevision/reviewsThanks for listening!

May 14, 202638 min

EP 215: Building Human-Centered Talent Acquisition in the AI Era

Kelsey Hersh grew up between two completely different worlds: one grounded in structure, the other filled with artists, Burning Man gatherings, and weekly fire dancing circles. Now Head of Talent Acquisition at Hometap, she brings that same ability to navigate different environments into building values-driven teams and trusted hiring partnerships. In this conversation, she shares why adaptability, human connection, and long-term fit matter more than ever in an AI-driven hiring landscape.Connect with host James Mackey on LinkedIn!Intro (00:00)Background (00:46)Talent Acquisition (17:41)Advice/ Growth (32:48) Thank you to our sponsor, SecureVision, for making this show possible! Follow us:https://www.linkedin.com/company/82436841/SecureVision: #1 Rated Embedded Recruitment Firm on G2!https://www.g2.com/products/securevision/reviewsThanks for listening!

May 12, 202659 min

EP 214: Building TA Systems and Hiring Recruiters

Liam Naughton grew up in a hyper-competitive environment, from nonstop sports to a 35-day wilderness trip that pushed his limits early on. Now Head of Recruiting at Merge, he’s applying that same mindset to building scalable, AI-driven systems while stepping into a new chapter of leadership and fatherhood. In this conversation, he shares how discipline, system thinking, and learning to push through tough moments continue to shape how he operates.Connect with host James Mackey on LinkedIn! Thank you to our sponsor, SecureVision, for making this show possible! Follow us:https://www.linkedin.com/company/82436841/SecureVision: #1 Rated Embedded Recruitment Firm on G2!https://www.g2.com/products/securevision/reviewsThanks for listening!

May 7, 202656 min

EP 213: A Non-Traditional Path to a Ruthless Hiring Bar

Lauren Valencia grew up in a small town outside Seattle, where adventure, sports, and early problem-solving shaped a non-traditional path into recruiting. Now Head of Talent at Socket, she’s scaling teams quickly while rethinking org design, first-in hires, and what actually drives success in a startup. In this conversation, she shares why recruiters need to think like founders, how to evaluate real builders, and why picking your hires like you pick your inner circle is so crucial.Episode mentioned: EP 187 with Joe WilsonConnect with host James Mackey on LinkedIn! Thank you to our sponsor, SecureVision, for making this show possible! Follow us:https://www.linkedin.com/company/82436841/SecureVision: #1 Rated Embedded Recruitment Firm on G2!https://www.g2.com/products/securevision/reviewsThanks for listening!

May 5, 202659 min

EP 212: Managing Expectations in a Job You Can’t Control

Mallory Planck started her career in the middle of the 2009 recession, figuring things out in real time without a clear path. That grind took her from door-to-door sales into talent acquisition, where she now serves as Head of TA at Drata. She talks about managing expectations in a people-driven role, the pressure to keep up with AI, and why learning to slow down might be the hardest skill to build.Connect with host James Mackey on LinkedIn! Thank you to our sponsor, SecureVision, for making this show possible! Follow us:https://www.linkedin.com/company/82436841/SecureVision: #1 Rated Embedded Recruitment Firm on G2!https://www.g2.com/products/securevision/reviewsThanks for listening!