Unlocked Professional: AI and Future of Work

Most companies are stuck in "experimentation theater". Buying AI tools that go nowhere while their teams are exhausted by the hype. Welcome to The Unlocked Professional , where we stop playing with AI and start running it like a business operation. Hosted by Jeff Midland , we interview the visionaries from Chief AI Officers to Workforce Futurists. We give you the "Cheat Code" for staying relevant. Learn to move from being just a worker to an Architect of the future. We dive deep into Human-Centric AI, Agentic workflows, and the ADOPT method to ensure you remain irreplaceable. Stop the social grinding and start building a real strategy that works with AI, not against it.

Unlocked Professional: AI and Future of Work is a business podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 26 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Unknown Host hosts Unlocked Professional: AI and Future of Work, a business show with 26 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #26

  He's Not Selling Recruiting Tools. He's Teaching Recruiters to Build Their Own with AI | Jamie Lyons

  Sep 30, 20261h 7m

  Struggling to keep up with the fast-moving AI landscape in talent acquisition? Jamie Lyons, Founder of The Rec Lab, joins Jeff to share how recruiters can transition from passive users to active AI builders. In this episode, he breaks down his leap from finance into AI-driven recruitment, how self-built tools and automation scale candidate workflows, and why non-technical professionals can build impactful AI systems without writing traditional code. Key Topics Jamie's career transition from accounting to AI-driven recruitment Scaling candidate capacity through automated workflows and custom tools Building DIY recruiting tools without a developer background Establishing controlled AI adoption and standardization across teams Deploying Claude, GitHub, Vercel, and MCPs for recruitment ecosystems Creating interactive, dynamic candidate information packets Change management and position yourself as the AI go-to in your company Episode Timestamps 0:00 Jamie's transition from finance into AI-driven recruitment 2:25 Overcoming early career constraints through creative AI experimentation 5:13 How artificial intelligence empowers recruiters with unprecedented scale 6:11 Why organizations need controlled AI adoption and governance standards 8:53 Shifting from traditional recruitment to tech-heavy, high-volume operations 15:18 Developing self-taught AI tools without a traditional software background 22:25 How automation transforms recruiting roles without replacing human judgment 24:42 Connecting tools via MCPs for unified data and workflow cohesion 29:03 Building dynamic candidate packets and interactive interview guides 42:20 Leveraging GitHub and Vercel to host shareable recruitment assets 61:34 Strategic value of building internal AI solutions for career growth 64:02 Where to follow Jamie and get involved with The Rec Lab Guest Links Website: https://www.thereclab.ai/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamiejaylyons/ Keywords: Jamie Lyons, The Rec Lab, AI in recruitment, talent acquisition automation, recruiter enablement, non-technical AI tools, Model Context Protocol, recruitment technology, candidate experience, future of recruiting

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  Episode #25

  Banana Bread Recipes, AI, and the Future of Hiring Talent | Brady Green

  Sep 23, 202657 min

  Struggling with slow startup hiring, unrealistic candidate profiles, and low offer acceptance rates? Brady Green, Co-founder of Voyager Talent Solutions and former recruiting leader at Amazon, Twitter, and Square, joins Jeff to break down why most early-stage searches fail long before the first resume is submitted. In this episode, he explains how to calibrate founder expectations, why outbound sourcing habits from agency recruiting create corporate edges, and why AI can handle sourcing volume but human trust is required to close top candidates. Key Topics Why startup recruiting searches fail due to poor calibration rather than candidate scarcity Brady's transition from agency recruiting at Aerotek to scaling teams at Amazon, Twitter, and Square The pivotal moment at Amazon that forced a transition to data-driven, input-focused recruiting Contrasting enterprise talent systems with rapid, scrappy startup growth environments The Voyager model: calibrating expectations, hiring founding engineers, and building internal talent capability Overcoming the "purple squirrel" problem and helping founders define realistic hiring requirements Why technical talent uses filters to block automated AI outreach and how to stand out Balancing automation efficiency with human closing, relationship building, and candidate advocacy Episode Timestamps 0:00 Why startup searches fail before resumes ever arrive 0:24 Brady Green's recruiting leadership background at Amazon, Twitter, and Square 9:37 The Amazon data meeting that transformed Brady's approach to talent analytics 11:23 Building outbound sourcing capabilities inside enterprise recruiting teams 17:31 Key differences in recruiting culture when moving from Amazon to Twitter 19:23 Launching Voyager Talent Solutions to support seed through Series D founders 28:21 The "purple squirrel" problem and calibrating founder expectations 36:48 AI sourcing tools, automated candidate outreach, and message fatigue 43:50 Why effective talent acquisition requires a balance of automation and human connection 54:02 Where to find Voyager Talent Solutions and connect with Brady Green Guest Links Website: https://voyagertalent.com/ LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/brady-green-2304b7b/ Keywords: Brady Green, Voyager Talent Solutions, startup recruiting, talent acquisition, recruiting strategy, outbound sourcing, technical recruiting, hiring calibration, Amazon recruiting, Twitter recruiting, candidate experience, AI sourcing, talent strategy

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  Episode #24

  She Built AI Automations for Army HR — 1.4 Million People, Zero Jobs Lost | Kris Saling

  Sep 16, 202646 min

  Struggling to navigate the complexities of enterprise AI adoption and workforce transformation? Kris Saling, Director of Workforce Transformation and former Chief Technology Advisor for the Assistant Secretary of the Army, joins Jeff to share how she approaches large-scale talent management. In this episode, she breaks down her "AI Driver's Ed" framework for executive leadership, why traditional resumes are breaking in an AI-heavy hiring environment, and how organizations can eliminate millions in operational overhead without removing human judgment. Key Topics Kris Saling’s 25-year U.S. Army career and transition into enterprise workforce transformation The "AI Driver's Ed" framework: guiding leaders to use AI safely, effectively, and responsibly Why resumes fail in modern talent acquisition and how performance-based assessments replace them Military-scale talent matching lessons: navigating data quality, job analysis, and change management The Durable Core, Middleware, and Disposable Edge mental model for skills and system architecture Eliminating transactional administrative friction to create space for high-impact strategic work Evaluating AI tools and candidates by focusing on the core decision rather than the technology Building custom internal agents for research, contract review, budgeting, and institutional memory Episode Timestamps 0:00 Kris Saling's tech background and talent management approaches 0:28 Why executive leadership requires AI "Driver's Ed" over basic adoption hype 4:33 How AI application volume is breaking traditional resume screening 6:00 Lessons from military record briefs and direct commissioning pipelines 13:32 Overcoming data quality and adoption hurdles in large-scale modernization 17:20 The Durable Core, Middleware, and Disposable Edge skills architecture 22:24 Identifying genuine AI capability versus polished buzzword fluency 25:42 Starting with human decisions to design effective AI workflows 28:22 Developing custom internal agents for research, contracts, and budgeting 33:29 Using AI calendar audits to reduce executive meeting overload 42:41 Where to follow Kris and track her workforce transformation work Guest Links Website: https://kristinsaling.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kris-saling Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kcsaling Keywords: Kris Saling, workforce transformation, AI in talent management, defense innovation, executive leadership, AI adoption, skills-based hiring, agentic workflows, change management, operational efficiency

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  Episode #23

  AI Doesn't Just Screen Resumes. It Can Kill Your Useless Meetings Too | Chiara Barden

  Sep 9, 202647 min

  Struggling to get your team to meaningfully adopt AI beyond basic prompt generation? Chiara Barden, Founder of Better by Design AI and former HR leader at Capital One, joins Jeff to share why AI adoption is fundamentally a people challenge rather than a tech issue. In this episode, she breaks down how to structure high-impact prompts, why treating AI as a coworker changes output quality, and how stacking specialized AI personas can turn non-technical professionals into builders. Key Topics Why successful AI adoption requires solving human behavior before software setup Moving past simple prompting to embrace iterative refinement and testing Treating AI tools as collaborative coworkers to produce higher-quality outputs Training executive recruiting teams to integrate custom AI agents into HR workflows Using stacked personas to simulate an entire software development team Building functional AI applications without a traditional engineering background Navigating personal and professional transitions by leveraging AI to save time Episode Timestamps 0:00 Why AI adoption is a people problem rather than a technology problem 0:29 Chiara’s background in HR, enterprise AI training, and knowledge management 0:52 Launching Better by Design AI and developing practical adoption frameworks 5:08 Why most users stop at initial prompting instead of iterating 8:56 The mental model of treating AI systems like a digital coworker 11:04 Building custom AI agents for specialized talent acquisition workflows 16:53 Transitioning from tactical HR tasks to strategic, AI-driven project management 25:03 How stacking AI personas creates multi-disciplinary team simulations 29:48 Developing the AI Treasure Hunter app without a software background 41:45 Understanding how your specific role creates value in an AI-driven economy 44:10 Where to connect with Chiara and join her Free Fridays sessions Guest Links Website: https://betterbydesignai.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chiaralb Keywords: Chiara Barden, Better by Design AI, AI adoption, prompt engineering, HR technology, custom AI agents, stacked personas, talent acquisition, workplace productivity, future of work, AI training

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  Episode #22

  The Career Lattice: How AI is Reshaping Talent Mobility | Carisue Bench

  Sep 2, 202647 min

  Overwhelmed by how AI is disrupting traditional business models and team dynamics? Carisue Bench, Executive Coach and Workforce Strategy Advisor at NarrativeShift Coaching & Advisory, joins Jeff to challenge how leaders navigate the future of work. In this episode, she breaks down why AI adoption is fundamentally a business transformation issue rather than an IT rollout, how leaders can cultivate trust through organizational shifts, and why human capabilities like curiosity, communication, and adaptability matter more than ever. Key Topics Moving from high-volume recruiting into executive workforce strategy and consulting Viewing AI adoption as a systemic business transformation rather than a technical tool The essential role of human skills: curiosity, adaptability, and clear communication Guiding executive teams through organizational change while maintaining culture and trust Actionable career strategies for entry-level professionals entering corporate environments Why deep functional expertise and human judgment remain vital in automated workplaces Episode Timestamps 0:00 Carisue’s trajectory in enterprise workforce strategy and talent consulting 1:05 Why AI integration requires business model transformation over tech fixes 3:13 Growing up in Cupertino and transitioning from recruiting to regional executive roles 7:12 Moving into enterprise human capital advisory and executive coaching 12:02 Case study: Future-of-work shifts in financial services during pandemic disruptions 16:46 How an innovative HR leader automated her routine tasks using AI 19:37 Deploying AI to identify organizational patterns, refine strategy, and frame better questions 22:25 Aligning C-suite AI discussions with concrete, core business challenges 27:03 Why successful organizational change requires visible executive sponsorship 38:41 Overcoming corporate hesitation: How younger professionals can build confidence 43:43 Final advice on continuous learning and taking agency over your career path Guest Links Website: https://www.narrative-shift-coaching.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carisuebench/ Keywords: Carisue Bench, workforce strategy, AI transformation, future of work, executive coaching, talent advisory, organizational change, leadership development, human skills, change management, career growth

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