Chaos isn’t a phase, it’s the environment. Market shifts, AI disruption, layoffs, global instability… uncertainty is now part of everyday leadership. And in moments like these, leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about how you show up.
In this episode, we look at what courageous leadership actually looks like when clarity is hard to find. Inspired by insights from Harvard Business Review and real-world leadership examples, this conversation focuses on leadership in practice—not theory—when things feel messy, loud, and unresolved.
Because here’s the truth: your team doesn’t need perfection. They need clarity, consistency, and calm.
In this episode:
💬 Connect with Kim: linkedin.com/in/frostkim
🌐 Learn more: frostconnections.com
What a year.
No one could have predicted the twists we saw in leadership, hiring, and the future of work—but here we are, closing out another unpredictable, enlightening, and wildly transformative year.
After 25 years in executive search and talent strategy, I thought I had seen it all:
the dot-com bust, the global financial crisis, a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, and the rewiring of how we work.
Yet 2025 still managed to surprise me.
In this episode, I’m wrapping up the year with candor, clarity, and zero sugarcoating:
what really happened in the job market, how leaders changed, which trends matter for 2026, and the invisible thread that connected every episode of this podcast.
And yes… I also talk about turning “that age,” my first year of podcasting, assumptions that blew up (in business and friendships), and why emotional intelligence is becoming the new currency of leadership.
In this episode:
💬 Connect with Kim: linkedin.com/in/frostkim
🌐 Learn more: frostconnections.com
Leadership transparency is a buzzword. “I’m an open book. Ask me anything.”
But here’s the truth: great leaders aren’t open books, they’re disciplined communicators.
In today’s episode of Hire Power, we’re breaking down the nuance of transparency:
When it builds trust, and when it quietly destroys it.
Harvard Business Review has written about this extensively, yet most leaders still get it wrong. Transparency isn’t about saying everything. It’s about saying the right things, at the right time, in the right way. And yes — even seasoned leaders make mistakes here.
You’ll learn the moments when transparency is non-negotiable, when it becomes dangerous, and why emotional intelligence is the leadership differentiator in an AI-driven world.
If you lead people, even one person, this episode will make you a stronger, clearer, more grounded communicator.
In this episode:
💬 Connect with Kim: linkedin.com/in/frostkim
🌐 Learn more: frostconnections.com
Most leaders say they want to hire people smarter than themselves… but when it comes to the reality of succession planning, many avoid it entirely.
In today’s episode, Kim Frost breaks down the leadership responsibility almost no one talks about — but that the strongest leaders quietly master: planning for their own replacement.
This conversation is bold, direct, and necessary. Because protecting your seat isn’t leadership. Protecting the future of the business is.
Kim unpacks the data, the risks, and the mindset shifts every leader, board member, and CEO needs to hear — especially as CEO turnover accelerates and organizations continue to operate without any formal succession plan.
If you care about leadership longevity, organizational stability, or building a legacy that outlasts you, this episode is non-negotiable.
In this episode:
💬 Connect with Kim: linkedin.com/in/frostkim
🌐 Learn more: frostconnections.com
Today we’re diving into one of the most overlooked, misunderstood, and high-ROI leadership practices: stay interviews.
Not performance reviews, not hallway check-ins, not annual conversations—true, intentional, proactive dialogues designed to keep your best people before they start imagining a future without you.
Here’s the reality:
Most leaders don’t know what a stay interview is.
Even fewer know how to actually run one.
And almost none understand the massive impact they have on retention, connection, and culture.
Great leaders?
They do stay interviews consistently—and it’s one of the reasons their high performers stay.
In this episode, we break down:
- Why stay interviews matter now more than ever
- Why your top performers (your HiPos) are actually the loneliest people on the team
- What you should be asking—and what you should never ask
- How stay interviews strengthen trust, reduce preventable turnover, and build real culture
- Why waiting for an exit interview means you’re already too late
You’ll also get a simple framework and four essential questions you can start using this week, plus a leadership challenge to put this episode into action immediately.
Because retention isn’t reactive.
💬 Connect with Kim: linkedin.com/in/frostkim
🌐 Learn more: frostconnections.com
Companies love to say they “hire for culture”… but most can’t define what their culture actually is. That’s why turnover stays high and hiring stays inconsistent.
In this episode, Kim breaks down why culture fit is not a hiring strategy—and what to build instead: a clear, behavior-based employee brand.
You’ll learn:
• What “culture fit” really means (and why it’s unreliable)
• Why gut-driven hiring leads to first-year turnover
• The difference between employer brand vs. employee brand
• Why interviewing for “vibe” creates chaos
• The 5–7 word culture clarity test
• How a fast-growing company cut turnover simply by defining their internal identity
If you want help defining your employee brand or building a culture interview scorecard, DM Kim. Her team specializes in clarity, alignment, and hiring systems that work.
💬 Connect with Kim: linkedin.com/in/frostkim
🌐 Learn more: frostconnections.com
Most leaders love to say, “I’ll know it when I see it.” But here’s the truth: hiring off your gut alone is not leadership, it’s luck.
In this episode of Hire Power, Kim Frost breaks down the difference between instinctive hiring and intentional hiring. She shares why relying solely on gut feelings or vague phrases like “not a culture fit” can lead to bias, poor decisions, and costly mis-hires, and how the best leaders learn to balance intuition with structure.
Kim pulls from her own corporate experience to show how instinct can both help and hurt your process. You’ll walk away knowing how to spot the difference between valid intuition and untested assumptions—and how to interview with clarity, consistency, and confidence.
In this episode:
💬 Connect with Kim: linkedin.com/in/frostkim
🌐 Learn more: frostconnections.com
How do great leaders move people, not just manage them? In this episode of Hire Power, I sit down with storytelling expert Mario Juarez, founder of StoryCo to unpack why story is one of the most essential leadership tools most leaders underuse.
We explore why your story isn’t just what you say about yourself, but what people experience with you.
Drawing from nearly 30 years inside Microsoft and his work with executives, Mario shares how story has the power to transform cultures, align teams, and redirect entire organizations. He also gets real about what most leaders get wrong and what it really takes to tell stories that feel authentic, grounded, and emotionally resonant.
Whether you run a small team or an entire company, this conversation will change how you think about the way you talk to and lead your people.
In this episode:
About Mario Juarez
Mario Juarez is the founder of StoryCo, where he helps leaders and organizations craft stories that move people to action. Before starting his firm, Mario spent nearly three decades at Microsoft in communications, marketing, PR, and executive communications. There, he developed his “Storytelling for Impact” framework and saw firsthand how story can reshape cultures, engage teams, and support major leadership transitions. Today, he teaches leaders how to use story as a strategic tool—not spin, but a way to connect, inspire, and lead with intention.
Connect with Mario: https://mario-juarez.com
💬 Connect with Kim: linkedin.com/in/frostkim
🌐 Learn more: frostconnections.com
After taking her first two-week vacation since 2018, Kim Frost is back, recharged, refocused, and reminded that real leadership requires rest.
In this episode of Hire Power, Kim unpacks what truly happens when you step away from the grind and give your brain, your relationships, and your business room to breathe. From the science of detachment and creativity to the leadership benefits of unplugging, this episode is your reminder that rest isn’t indulgent, it’s strategic.
In this episode:
Rest like a leader, and show others how it’s done.
💬 Connect with Kim: linkedin.com/in/frostkim
🌐 Learn more: frostconnections.com
Let’s flip the script on what makes a powerful leader. It’s not always authority, strategy, or a polished presentation... it’s humor.
In this episode of Hire Power, Kim Frost explores why humor is one of the most underrated yet most effective leadership tools. Drawing on insights from Harvard Business Review and her own experience coaching executives, Kim reveals how laughter isn’t just about fun, it’s a trust-building, retention-boosting strategy.
In this episode:
Connect with Kim: linkedin.com/in/frostkim
Learn more: frostconnections.com
When was the last time you truly unplugged? For me, it’s been since 2008, and that changes this month.
In this episode, I am sharing why I am taking a full month off, including her first two-week break in over a decade, and what it means for leadership.Here's the truth, if the person at the top never unplugs, the whole team learns that rest is weakness.
In this episode:
Take this as your own nudge: breaks aren’t just allowed—they’re smart leadership.
💬 Connect with Kim: linkedin.com/in/frostkim
🌐 Learn more: frostconnections.com
Most people groan when another meeting lands on their calendar, and honestly, for good reason. Too many meetings waste time, drain energy, and leave everyone wondering, what just happened? But here’s the truth: meetings can be one of the strongest signals of leadership strength—when they’re done right.
In this episode, Kim Frost breaks down how effective leaders transform meetings from time-wasters into powerful tools for clarity, alignment, and action. She shares the pitfalls that make meetings unbearable (no agenda, no outcomes, lateness, endless talking) and the simple shifts that turn them into high-impact moments where people leave energized and informed.
You’ll learn:
If 71% of meetings are unproductive, imagine the competitive advantage if yours are the exception. Meetings don’t have to suck—when you lead them well, they become one of your most powerful leadership tools.
💬 Connect with Kim: linkedin.com/in/frostkim
🌐 Learn more: frostconnections.com
Are you leading communication, or letting it lead you?
In this episode we are diving into one of the most overlooked leadership skills: communication protocols. With endless channels- email, text, Teams, Slack, DMs, WhatsApp, and more - it’s easy for leaders and teams to slip into chaos instead of clarity.
I share real stories from my own career and from clients who’ve struggled with notification overload, unclear expectations, and constant interruptions. I also breaks down how setting clear rules for communication can improve productivity, reduce stress, and protect your team from burnout.
You’ll learn:
The takeaway? Effective communication isn’t about adding more tools. It’s about more discipline. Leaders set the tone, and when you establish clear protocols, you create focus, protect priorities, and build a healthier culture.
💬 Connect with Kim: linkedin.com/in/frostkim
🌐 Learn more: frostconnections.com
Hiring doesn’t end when the offer letter is signed, it begins with onboarding. In this episode of Hire Power, we break down why onboarding is not a “nice to have” but the launchpad for every new hire’s success.
I share a story from my time in global consulting, where one small change in onboarding practices dropped turnover from double digits to single digits. And joining me is Laura Poepping of Plum Coaching and HR Consulting, who brings her expertise and practical best practices for building an onboarding experience that truly works.
In this episode:
Whether you’re running a small business or leading a large team, this episode will change the way you think about onboarding—and show you how to turn it into a powerful tool for engagement, performance, and retention.
Connect with Laura: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorapoepping/
💬 Connect with Kim: linkedin.com/in/frostkim
🌐 Learn more: frostconnections.com
One of the biggest myths I hear from small business owners is: “We’re too small to attract top talent.” The truth? You’re never too small for a great hire... in fact, it matters even more at your stage of growth.
In this episode of Hire Power, I’m breaking down why small companies actually have an edge when it comes to leadership hires—and why waiting until you’re “big enough” could cost you everything.
In this episode:
💬 Connect with Kim: linkedin.com/in/frostkim
🌐 Learn more: frostconnections.com
Is chasing the biggest paycheck really the best career move? In this episode of Hire Power, we’re diving into one of the biggest traps professionals fall into: focusing on compensation before culture.
From toxic leaders to unrealistic job expectations, money can’t fix a poor environment, and the data proves it. In fact, employees are 10x more likely to quit over culture than pay. So why do so many smart professionals still fall for the lure of the “golden handcuffs”?
In this episode:
💬 Connect with Kim: linkedin.com/in/frostkim
🌐 Learn more: frostconnections.com
In this episode of Hire Power, Kim Frost tackles one of her biggest hiring pet peeves: professionals who judge an opportunity by its title alone.
Drawing from decades of executive search experience, Kim breaks down why titles are often meaningless outside of your current company and how they can vary wildly in scope, responsibility, and impact. She shares a powerful real-life example of a candidate who looked beyond the job title, seized a high-growth opportunity, and retired a multimillionaire.
You’ll learn why focusing on the actual responsibilities, leadership potential, and long-term growth of a role will get you further than chasing a “VP” or “Director” label—and how being open-minded in your career can lead to life-changing opportunities.
In this episode:
If you’ve ever been tempted to pass on a role because it “didn’t sound senior enough,” this episode will change the way you look at career opportunities.
💬 Connect with Kim: linkedin.com/in/frostkim
🌐 Learn more: frostconnections.com
Hiring the right people is only the beginning. The real magic happens when you use behavioral tools to build trust, develop leaders, and create a culture where everyone can thrive. Insights are power, and behavioral tools are a perfect way to find insights!
In this episode of Hire Power, Kim Frost sits down with Rachel, a communications and employee development leader, to explore what it really looks like to implement a behavioral assessment tool across an entire organization, from the executive suite to the production floor.
Rachel shares:
Whether you’re a CEO, HR leader, or manager looking to strengthen your team, this conversation will challenge you to think beyond the interview and invest in tools that shape your company’s future.
💬 Connect with Kim: linkedin.com/in/frostkim
🌐 Learn more: frostconnections.com
What does your candidate experience really say about your company culture? Kim Frost dives deep into a topic that’s often treated as an afterthought: the interview process. Spoiler alert, it’s not just a way to vet candidates; it’s your first leadership moment.
Kim shares real-world stories and practical tips on how small gestures can leave a lasting impression, how Gen Z candidates are reading between the lines, and why the interview is a two-way street. From creating a welcoming environment to giving honest feedback, this episode is your wake-up call to rethink the hiring experience from the ground up.
You’ll Learn:
Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frostkim/
Learn more at: https://www.frostconnections.com
Giving feedback is one thing, but receiving it? That’s where real leadership starts.In this episode Kim Frost explores what it means to truly lead with humility and intention.
Following last week’s conversation with her client, Robert, on giving tough feedback, Kim flips the script and shares why receiving honest feedback is one of the most important (and overlooked) skills a leader can build.
If you have not listened to last week's episode, please be sure to do that!
You’ll learn:
💬 Connect with Kim on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/frostkim
🌐 Learn more at: frostconnections.com