We were lucky to catch up with Traci Chernoff recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Traci, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear from you about what you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry and why it matters.

My life’s mission, other than being a wonderful wife and mother, is to bring humanity back to the workplace and I do this by focusing on bringing the human back to human resources, which is both my mantra and the name of my podcast. In most cases, Corporate America believes that people are numbers, that HR is a cost-center, and that cutting costs increases profitability. What Corporate America needs to realize, however, is that people drive numbers, strong HR teams and processes drive productivity, and profitability increases when organizations believe in the power of their people.

I started my podcast nearly 4 years ago to shine a light on this misunderstanding and to destigmatize HR. HR is often seen as a function of the business that doesn’t authentically support people or effectively drive business goals. In reality, HR can and does fundamentally impact both employees and businesses – positively when the processes and practitioners are committed to driving productivity and engagement, and negatively when they’re not.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am the creator and host of the globally ranked podcast “Bringing the Human back to Human Resources,” and a dedicated career coach offering expert services in resume writing, design, and editing, interview skills preparation, career coaching, and LinkedIn curation.

My passion for HR and career coaching ignited in college, where I assisted friends and family with their resumes and interview preparations. With a B.A. in English Rhetoric from Binghamton University and a Master’s in Public Administration from Rutgers University, I embarked on a dynamic HR career.

Over the past decade, I have held pivotal HR leadership roles for Big-Box and Luxury retailers, driving strategic initiatives, managing employee relations, talent planning, and core HR processes across North America. Transitioning from retail, I took on a senior leadership role in the tech/workforce management software industry, supporting teams across North America, EMEA, and India.

On my podcast, “Bringing the Human back to Human Resources”, I aim to revolutionize HR by aligning employee demands with business needs, and dismantling the misconceptions and stigmas that often cloud the HR field. My mission is to empower and educate my audience, ensuring they leave with newfound confidence, knowledge, and insight.

Through my podcast and career coaching, I provide invaluable perspectives on HR, offer strategic guidance on HR processes, and assist clients in navigating their career paths with clarity and confidence.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

My career coaching was always a side hustle for me – from college onward, and once I launched my podcast in 2020, that was just another side hustle to add to the list. I never thought these would become full-fledged businesses for me; ones that have allowed me to bring on a team to support me in managing the volume of work that comes with running a business. In some ways I think I had a sprinkle of imposter syndrome mixed with a narrow vision in thinking that these side hustles were not viable full-time businesses. Thanks to my husband, I realized just how much potential my businesses had and how much potential I had. Sometimes all it takes is someone seeing in you what you don’t see in yourself. 4 years later, I’m grateful to my team who keep my businesses moving and growing; and a population of listeners of my podcast who are deeply engaged in the content I share.

One of the most notable milestones for me was when I had my first long-term sponsor for my podcast. It allowed me to see that what I was putting so much energy into had a return, even if that wasn’t the reason for starting my podcast. That sponsor empowered me to think bigger and do more with my businesses.

Any advice for managing a team?

My advice is simple because it’s one of my mantras: meet people where they are. What I mean by that is to think about your audience, relate to them, and focus on what their needs are above your own. Especially as teams grow and managers elevate in seniority, it can be difficult to remember who is the recipient of your decision-making or your problem-solving, but when you meet people where they are, you keep your audience in mind at every turn, ensuring that decisions and solutions aren’t esoteric to those who are most deeply impacted. This directly impacts morale because when people feel and see that their leaders hear them, they feel understood and that drives a sense of belonging and accountability, which reverberates throughout an organization.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://hrtraci.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/HRTraci
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HRTraci
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/HRTraci/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1UcnER4OypLpVYYz5DoKrw