Tony and Steve talk to Kate Thompson for a fresh take on HR.  Tony rambles on about perfume, and Kate drops some fantastic wisdom. They talk about the benefit of being required to solve problems, self care, finding out who's perfume is overpowering the office, and the definition of boring/bad HR.  Steve coins the phrase "Cold Played", and the jokes just never stop coming.  

And yes... the email to the podcast is thehrlifepodcast@gmail.com... no matter what Tony says at the end.  Send us your guest ideas, topic ideas, and how you first met Steve.  

Kate Thompson is an HR Generalist with a strong background in employee relations, ADA/FMLA, and benefits. She currently works at Mountain Land Physical Therapy, supporting 70+ locations in multiple states. She especially enjoys helping managers approach tough conversations with clarity and confidence, and turning feedback into real growth.  Kate earned her bachelor’s degree in Human Resource Management from Utah Valley University. Her early experience was focused in onboarding, compliance, and benefits before growing into more employee-facing work. Outside of the office, she’s a lifelong skier and endurance athlete. Kate finished a full Ironman in November 2024 and still chases big goals (and powder days) any chance she gets.

Learn more about Kate Thompson at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate--thompson/
Learn more about Tony "Two Weeks Notice" Benjamin at: https://www.thegrangellc.com/
Learn more about Steven "Big Deal" Smith at: https://thehiringtreebook.com/