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People Strategy Forum

People Strategy Forum

By: Sam Reeve
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Every great leader inspires, motivates and rewards their people for performance.

Welcome to the People Strategy Forum podcast, a show that guides leaders to elevate the workforce.

People are at the heart of successful organizations. Team members’ well-being and career development are essential. This show discusses practical and effective leadership strategies for top executives, senior professionals, and talent managers.

Aligning employer and employee objectives is a must. Every team member needs to feel fulfilled and satisfied in order to be fully productive and accountable. This show helps leaders create an engaged workforce that is happily accomplishing daily responsibilities and committed to the organization’s future success. Episodes focus on innovative and integrated talent management tools, including employee recognition, compensation, and development, as well as strategies for building a healthy workplace culture and improving the workforce experience.

On a deeper level, the podcast centers around attracting, growing and retaining top talent. It addresses employee motivation, communication, performance, productivity and the genuine human connections that are essential for every successful organization. Each team member brings their own unique strengths, talents, interests, and passions. By touching on these personal areas, leaders create an environment where employees perform at their best.

Sam Reeve, Howard Nizewitz, and Sumit Singla host the podcast.

Sam has 20-years of diverse compensation experience at leading firms. His time at Barclays, BlackRock, and Automatic Data Processing (ADP) allowed him to see companies evolve from the startup phase to rapidly growing to mature organizations

Sumit has over 15 years of talent management practice across different sectors. His expertise in organizational framework, design thinking, performance management, and business storytelling is unparalleled. He is a favorite speaker at talent management conferences and events across the country.

With these three forward-thinking, passionate people professionals at the helm of the podcast, talent-centric organizations can find relevant and helpful advice.

Special guest co-hosts thought-leaders impart essential tips for making every workplace inspiring and rewarding. Beyond theoretical ideas, these experts share experiences as business leaders that shed light on overcoming challenges and celebrating wins.

Even with generous budgets and advanced tools, having the right team in place is crucial to achieving goals and succeeding. By putting effective programs in place, leaders can expect deeper connections that result in healthy working relationships that spell success across the organization.

Join Sam Reeve, Howard Nizewitz, and Sumit Singla on the People Strategy Forum podcast and learn the keys to elevating the workforce.

© 2026 People Strategy Forum Career Success Economics Leadership Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • Marlene Cosain - AI Without Layoffs

    Marlene Cosain - AI Without Layoffs
    Apr 22 2026

    What if AI adoption didn’t lead to layoffs, but instead created new opportunities for your workforce?

    In this episode of the People/AI Strategy Forum, Sam Reeve speaks with Marlene Cosain of Abbey Connect about how organizations can adopt AI without displacing employees by turning fear into upskilling, internal mobility, and long-term growth.

    As AI adoption accelerates, many organizations face a common challenge: employees fear replacement. That fear often slows adoption, limits innovation, and creates resistance to change. But it doesn’t have to play out that way.

    Marlene shares how Abbey Connect scaled its business while introducing AI in a way that strengthened its people, not replaced them. By investing in learning, creating space for experimentation, and building trust through transparency, they transformed AI from a threat into a growth opportunity.

    If your organization is navigating AI adoption and concerned about employee engagement, retention, or resistance to change, this conversation offers a practical and people-centered approach.

    In this episode we discuss:

    • Why fear of AI is one of the biggest barriers to adoption
    • How to introduce AI without triggering layoffs or disengagement
    • The role of training, education, and communication in building trust
    • How to create a culture of experimentation and curiosity
    • Why internal mobility is a key outcome of successful AI adoption
    • How to measure success beyond course completion
    • The importance of leadership transparency during transformation
    • Practical ways to turn workforce fear into momentum

    Key takeaway

    AI adoption does not have to reduce your workforce.

    It can strengthen it.

    When organizations invest in their people, create clear communication, and build learning into the process, AI becomes a driver of growth, not fear.

    Watch more People/AI Strategy Forum episodes!

    Subscribe to the People/AI Strategy Forum for weekly conversations with leaders and experts exploring people strategy, leadership, AI, and the future of work.

    YouTube:
    / @peoplestrategyforumpowered5106

    Follow the podcast:
    https://www.buzzsprout.com/2571923

    Podcast website:
    https://www.buzzsprout.com/2571923

    Listen on Apple Podcasts:
    https://podcasts.apple.com

    Listen on Spotify:
    https://open.spotify.com

    CompTeam podcast page:
    https://compteam.net/podcast/

    About CompTeam:
    The People/AI Strategy Forum is powered by CompTeam, a consulting firm that helps organizations design people-centered compensation and workforce strategies that attract, retain, and motivate top talent.

    Learn more:
    https://compteam.net/

    Follow CompTeam on LinkedIn:
    / compteam

    Connect with Sam Reeve:

    LinkedIn
    / samreeve

    Guest:
    Marlene Cosain
    Leader at Abbey Connect, helping organizations adopt AI in a way that builds trust, develops talent, and drives inter

    If you enjoyed this episode, follow the People/AI Strategy Forum on your preferred podcast platform and join the conversation!

    About the People/AI Strategy Forum
    The People/AI Strategy Forum explores how leaders navigate the intersection of people strategy, leadership, and artificial intelligence. Hosted by Sam Reeve, Founder & CEO of CompTeam, the Forum features conversations with executives, practitioners, and experts shaping the future of work.

    Learn more about CompTeam and the People/AI Strategy Forum at compteam.net.
    Show More Show Less
    27 mins
  • Dr. Rosina McAlpine - The Hidden Driver of Retention

    Dr. Rosina McAlpine - The Hidden Driver of Retention
    Apr 15 2026

    What if your retention problem isn’t compensation, flexibility, or career growth, but a hidden strain leaders rarely measure?

    In this episode of the People/AI Strategy Forum, Sam Reeve speaks with Dr. Rosina McAlpine, Workplace Wellbeing Expert and Founder of Win Win Parenting, about why supporting working parents is one of the most overlooked drivers of retention, engagement, and performance.

    Many organizations invest in benefits, flexibility, and wellbeing programs. But when the realities of parenting stress go unaddressed, those efforts often fall short. Working parents experience some of the highest levels of burnout, stress, and turnover, yet most organizations lack the systems to support them effectively.

    Dr. Rosina shares a practical framework for how leaders can move beyond good intentions and build real systems that support both performance and wellbeing.

    If your organization is seeing burnout, disengagement, or retention challenges that don’t seem tied to compensation alone, this conversation offers a new lens to understand what’s really happening.

    In this episode we discuss:

    • Why working parent stress is a hidden driver of turnover and disengagement
    • The connection between parental burnout and workplace performance
    • How lack of support creates retention risk hiding in plain sight
    • The five-step framework to support working parents effectively
    • Why managers play a critical role in employee wellbeing and retention
    • How to design targeted wellbeing programs that actually work
    • The importance of building a truly family-friendly workplace culture
    • How to measure ROI and impact of wellbeing initiatives over time

    Key takeaway

    Retention is not just a compensation issue.

    It’s a support system issue.

    When organizations recognize and address the real pressures employees face outside of work, performance doesn’t decline, it strengthens.

    Watch more People/AI Strategy Forum episodes!

    Subscribe to the People/AI Strategy Forum for weekly conversations with leaders and experts exploring people strategy, leadership, AI, and the future of work.

    YouTube:
    / @peoplestrategyforumpowered5106

    Follow the podcast:
    https://www.buzzsprout.com/2571923

    Podcast website:
    https://www.buzzsprout.com/2571923

    Listen on Apple Podcasts:
    https://podcasts.apple.com

    Listen on Spotify:
    https://open.spotify.com

    CompTeam podcast page:
    https://compteam.net/podcast/

    About CompTeam:
    The People/AI Strategy Forum is powered by CompTeam, a consulting firm that helps organizations design people-centered compensation and workforce strategies that attract, retain, and motivate top talent.

    Learn more:
    https://compteam.net/

    Follow CompTeam on LinkedIn:
    / compteam

    Connect with Sam Reeve:

    LinkedIn
    / samreeve

    Guest:
    Dr. Rosina McAlpine
    Workplace Wellbeing Expert and Founder of Win Win Parenting, helping organizations reduce burnout.

    If you enjoyed this episode, follow the People/AI Strategy Forum on your preferred podcast platform and join the conversation!

    About the People/AI Strategy Forum
    The People/AI Strategy Forum explores how leaders navigate the intersection of people strategy, leadership, and artificial intelligence. Hosted by Sam Reeve, Founder & CEO of CompTeam, the Forum features conversations with executives, practitioners, and experts shaping the future of work.

    Learn more about CompTeam and the People/AI Strategy Forum at compteam.net.
    Show More Show Less
    46 mins
  • Jeannine DeLoche - The AI-Enabled People Leader

    Jeannine DeLoche - The AI-Enabled People Leader
    Apr 8 2026

    What if AI didn’t replace HR but finally gave leaders the time to lead?

    In this episode of the People/AI Strategy Forum, Sam Reeve speaks with Jeannine, a seasoned Head of People, about how AI is actually being used across HR and where it’s creating real value versus noise.

    AI is everywhere right now, but most organizations are still only using it at the surface level. Many leaders feel overwhelmed by the number of tools, unclear on where to start, and concerned about losing the human side of leadership.

    Jeannine shares insights from reviewing over 100 HR tech platforms, breaking down what’s working, what’s hype, and how leaders can thoughtfully integrate AI into their organizations without eroding trust.

    If you’re trying to modernize your HR function while staying grounded in people-first leadership, this conversation offers a clear and practical path forward.

    In this episode we discuss:

    • Why AI adoption in HR is still lower than expected
    • The difference between AI hype and real operational value
    • How onboarding automation can improve experience and reduce manual work
    • Using AI to handle repetitive HR questions and reduce team workload
    • The role of AI-powered coaching in developing managers
    • Where AI supports compensation, performance, and bias reduction
    • How people analytics tools are evolving with predictive insights
    • What leaders should evaluate before implementing AI tools

    Key takeaway

    AI is not replacing HR.

    It’s removing friction.

    The real opportunity is not using more tools.
    It is knowing where automation belongs and where human leadership matters most.

    Watch more People/AI Strategy Forum episodes!

    Subscribe to the People/AI Strategy Forum for weekly conversations with leaders and experts exploring people strategy, leadership, AI, and the future of work.

    YouTube:
    / @peoplestrategyforumpowered5106

    Follow the podcast:
    https://www.buzzsprout.com/2571923

    Podcast website:
    https://www.buzzsprout.com/2571923

    Listen on Apple Podcasts:
    https://podcasts.apple.com

    Listen on Spotify:

    If you enjoyed this episode, follow the People/AI Strategy Forum on your preferred podcast platform and join the conversation!

    About the People/AI Strategy Forum
    The People/AI Strategy Forum explores how leaders navigate the intersection of people strategy, leadership, and artificial intelligence. Hosted by Sam Reeve, Founder & CEO of CompTeam, the Forum features conversations with executives, practitioners, and experts shaping the future of work.

    Learn more about CompTeam and the People/AI Strategy Forum at compteam.net.
    Show More Show Less
    31 mins
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