Written by Turiya Gray

Turiya Gray is a dynamic HR executive with 20+ years of experience building workplaces where people and performance actually thrive. Turiya is obsessed with making work better for everyone and known for her sharp insights, impactful leadership, and passion for helping organizations get people and culture right. She is also the cohost of the top-rated HR unConfidential podcast that launched in 2018. Currently, Turiya serves as Senior Partner & Fractional Chief People Officer at FXG Partners, partnering with midsize companies to deliver thoughtful, high-impact HR leadership.

Connect with Turiya on LinkedIn.

Almost eight years ago, my cohost (and dear friend) and I hit the “record” button for the first time and launched the HR unConfidential podcast. When we started HR unConfidential, we were just two HR pros pulling back the curtain on the often messy, complicated, human side of work. No podcasting experience. No fancy studio. No perfect plan. We simply had a couple of mics, lots of opinions and curiosity, and a desire for a space to have real conversations about life in HR and hopefully enlighten others on how to make the workplace better for all. 

Almost 100 episodes later, HR unConfidential has been one of my most rewarding and humbling life experiences. We’ve covered so many topics and had the privilege of talking with some amazing guests. Each episode has taught me more about what it means to build workplaces that actually work for people than any conference or textbook ever could. They’ve also pushed me to get comfortable putting my voice out there (literally) and to challenge some of my own long-held beliefs about what HR “should” be.

So as we near the 100-episode milestone, I wanted to share reflections from my podcast journey and why I’ve never been more convinced that the world of work needs brave, curious HR leaders.

The real voices of HR matter more than ever.

There’s no shortage of opinions about HR; everyone seems to have one. Scroll through LinkedIn or attend a conference, and you’ll find plenty of “hot takes” on what HR should be doing. Too often those takes come from people who haven’t actually worked in HR or even been in an actual workplace for a long time.

Don’t get me wrong — researchers, consultants, and thought leaders bring valuable perspectives. But sometimes, those big-stage insights miss the messy, nuanced reality of what it really takes to lead people, drive performance, and build cultures that last.

When we started HR unConfidential, one of our biggest goals was to elevate the voices of actual HR practitioners who are doing the work, making the tough calls, and balancing humanity with business impact every single day. For example: 

• When we wanted to discuss the power and risks of assessments in the workplace, we went straight to an Organizational Development expert (Oneka Cornelius) to hear real-life examples of how assessments might be misused and how HR professionals can ensure proper use. 
• When I wanted to learn more about HR in a global environment, we brought on two actual global CHROs to give us the real scoop about what’s alike and what’s different when leading a global team.

I’m happy to note that I’ve seen a shift in recent years. More and more real HR pros are using their platforms to share what’s working, what’s not, and what they’re learning in real time. My LinkedIn and podcast feeds are full of bold, insightful, and unapologetically honest voices who are reshaping the conversation about work from the inside out. 

That’s the movement I want to be part of; one where HR leads the dialogue about the future of work, not just reacts to it.

The “future of work” is already here.

We’ve been talking about the “future of work” for what feels like forever, and here we are, living it in real time. Work is changing faster than most organizations are built to handle, and HR sits right in the middle of that storm as part architect, part anchor.

Lately, every conversation about the future of work circles back to AI. Here’s what I’ve learned: most companies are still figuring out what AI actually means for their business strategy, people, processes, and culture. 

From helping people understand AI (and not fear it), to making sure it’s used ethically and responsibly, to rethinking how we upskill and reskill the workforce; this is HR’s lane and we are best positioned to lead the charge in our organizations. HR can help connect the dots between people and technology in ways that create real strategic advantage, not just efficiency. A couple of examples might be:

• Run an AI readiness scan: HR can lead a companywide AI readiness assessment that surfaces employee sentiment, fears, literacy gaps, and real use-case ideas, then turn those insights into a responsible AI framework that sets clear guidelines, privacy expectations, and transparent guardrails for how AI will (and won’t) be used.
• Build a skills engine: HR can use AI to mine job descriptions, performance data, and strategic priorities to build a living skills inventory that shifts performance and career development from static, role-based models to dynamic, skills-based frameworks that strengthen workforce agility and future-proof talent planning.

The future will belong to companies and HR pros that treat this moment as more than just a tech shift. It’s an opportunity for an organizational reset that calls for ongoing change management (vs. event-based), agile org design, culture transformation, and skills-based talent models that allow people to grow, move, and adapt as fast as the work around them.

Not sure where to start on your AI journey? Check out the episodes we’ve had on this topic: “Befriending AI” and “All In With AI.”

Human-centered design is the upgrade HR has been waiting for.

One of my favorite episodes of HR unConfidential is “The Power of Design Thinking in HR” (January 2025). It hits on something we don’t say out loud often enough: HR was never really trained to bring in other perspectives. We’ve been taught to prioritize control over curiosity and compliance over collaboration.

We talk about empathy all the time, yet so much of our work still happens in silos. 

COE colleagues and specialists design programs without checking in with HRBPs. 

HRBPs roll out initiatives disconnected from what the business really needs. 

The actual humans on the receiving end of the initiatives are often an afterthought.

That’s where design thinking changes the game. It’s about co-creating with your end users (aka the employees and leaders), testing ideas early, learning fast, and iterating based on real feedback. It’s about being willing to set aside the tried and (not so) true HR playbook and building HR practices that actually work for humans AND drive the business forward. 

HR doesn’t need more processes, policies, and frameworks. We need human-centered design grounded in empathy, experimentation, and humility. The biggest limitation in our field isn’t capability; it’s perspective. We’ve got to look beyond our own walls, invite challenge, and design with people, not for them.

The future of leadership won’t be taught in a classroom.

Across almost 100 episodes, one theme has been a constant: leading people is hard and getting increasingly harder. Constant change, information overload, the pressure to deliver results, all while caring for the needs of diverse team members — it’s a lot! Yet, most leaders are being trained like it’s 1999.

Traditional manager training and leadership development programs don’t work. They’re too slow, too abstract, and too disconnected from the realities of work. We send leaders to hours- and days-long workshops full of frameworks and buzzwords, but once they’re back in the whirlwind of their day jobs, what they learned rarely sticks. The 2025 Global Leadership Development Study by Harvard Business Impact confirms that “post-program sustainment” is a top challenge, with nearly 49% of companies saying that keeping learning alive after training is their biggest hurdle.

We need a different way to support managers and leaders. An approach that’s more agile, more continuous, and more human. Think learning labs, micro-experiments, communities of practice, regular coaching, and real-time feedback, not binders full of slides and leadership theories.

This clicked for me during our 2023 episode, “Leadership Trends,” with the brilliant author and leadership coach, LaTonya Wilkins. As we unpacked the skills leaders need for the future workplace, one truth rose to the surface: leadership isn’t developed through the information transfer of traditional training. It’s forged through iterative behavior change and real-world practice. 

The good news??? HR and talent development professionals are perfectly positioned to make this shift happen. Not as the trainers running programs, but as the creators of modern learning ecosystems who design experiences that help managers and leaders evolve within the flow of work, not outside of it. 

Connection is the cure.

HR can be lonely work, especially the higher your job level. When we started HR unConfidential, one of our hopes was to simply help HR professionals feel seen, heard, and a little less alone. We wanted to create a space where the conversations could be unfiltered, we could share practical ideas and insights, and folks could laugh a lot (and maybe curse a little). 

The past several years have tested the resilience of HR professionals like never before (it’s why we have multiple episodes about burnout!). We’ve been at the center of crisis after crisis, supporting others while quietly burning out ourselves. Yet, every time we chat with a guest, I get a LinkedIn message from a listener, or I’m forced to leave the house and attend a networking event, I’m recharged and reminded that connection is what keeps us going.

Community isn’t a “nice-to-have” for HR; it’s survival. When we share honestly, challenge each other thoughtfully, and learn out loud, we become better practitioners and better humans. HR doesn’t have to be lonely work. In fact, the more we connect, the stronger and more resilient we all become.

Bonus insight: Do it scared (and do it anyway).

When Gina and I started HR unConfidential, I was terrified. Terrified that no one would listen and equally terrified that a lot of people would.

Starting a podcast pushed me far outside my comfort zone. I worried about getting it wrong, not sounding “smart enough,” or saying something that makes people raise an eyebrow. I had to learn new tech, get comfortable hearing my own voice (still not there), and embrace a bit of self-promotion (which just isn’t my vibe). 

Then I reminded myself that impact doesn’t come from waiting until everything is perfect, and to just do it anyway! When you lean into your passion, even when it’s scary, it can ripple out in ways you don’t expect. Almost eight years in and our podcast is listened to in 37 countries, has beaten the odds as they relate to podcast longevity stats, and has been featured on several top HR podcasts lists.

Additionally, I’ve seen how one honest conversation or one shared insight can inspire someone or activate them to try something different: from the LinkedIn message from a listener/HR professional who shared how they started using data differently after our “HR vs. Racism” episode to the leader who told me they’d never thought about sobriety in the workplace until they heard our “Recovery in the Workplace” episode. And that’s what helps me set aside my fears every time we press record.

So my two cents: whatever you’ve been thinking about starting (a project, a business, a bold idea) just do it. You’ll figure it out as you go. Courage isn’t the absence of fear; it’s hitting “record” in spite of it.

In closing …

Looking back on my podcast journey, I’m filled with deep gratitude for every listener who tuned in, every guest who showed up with honesty, courage, and heart, and the global community that has supported and grown with HR unConfidential over the years.

I’m excited about what’s next. Life in HR is messy, meaningful, and full of possibility, and there’s so much more to explore, question, and create together. So please stay tuned, and if you haven’t already, subscribe to HR unConfidential wherever you get your podcasts and be sure to leave us a rating and review. 

Have ideas for topics? Want to be a guest? Just want to say hi? Follow HR unConfidential on LinkedIn and feel free to connect with me directly. Let’s keep learning out loud, pushing boundaries, and shaping the future of work one real, unConfidential conversation at a time.