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Navigating HR and Mental Health: Kyle Smith's Journey to Podcast Success

• Pedal Stomper Productions

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Join Josh from Pedal Stomper Productions for a fascinating conversation with Kyle Smith, an HR expert with a unique twist - he's also a mental health counselor!

Discover how Kyle's background informs his HR philosophy, his podcast, "The Guide Through the World of Work," and his approach to leadership.

In this insightful interview, you'll learn:

- Overcoming Podcast Challenges: Hear how Kyle navigated the initial hurdles of podcasting and found his groove.

- HR with a Heart: Discover Kyle's unique approach to HR, grounded in empathy and mental health awareness.

- Supporting Employee Well-being: Learn valuable strategies for leaders to foster a mentally healthy workplace.

- The Power of Connection: Explore how Kyle's personal journey and podcast have created unexpected connections.

- The Future of HR: Get Kyle's predictions for the changing landscape of HR in the years to come.

This interview is packed with actionable insights and inspiring stories!

Don't miss this incredible conversation with Kyle Smith!

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Speaker 1:

Forget everything you thought you knew about HR, and especially how many times they've told you not to do a podcast because they're worried about the liability with it. Today's guest is Kyle Smith, who's not only an expert in HR, but he's got a background in mental health counseling. So how's that, for a twist on this? He's a passionate podcast host and a true advocate for the underdog. So once again, I get sent to HR, and it's a conversation that you should probably listen to. So stay tuned, kyle. Thanks for coming on, thanks for having me. So you mentioned that, like in some pre-questions, there may have been some clumsiness in starting your own podcast. What were some challenges early on that you're like hmm, what's going to happen here and how did you get?

Speaker 2:

past it. Well, one of the first things I learned was don't close out the podcasting app until the podcast has fully loaded, because when you do that, you tend to lose everything that you just taped. So that was one of the first lessons that I learned right out of the gate and that was a big one. Getting past that was a huge step for me and as far as progress goes. But you know, just getting familiar with all the nuances of having a script and being prepared and getting things scheduled, and you know there's a, there's a lot that goes into it and I think you and I talked early on when I was was just getting started, and the easiest part is the interview. It's sitting like we are right now. The hard part is everything that happens outside the interview and that was all. Every bit of that was a learning experience the editing, the preparation, all the things. Afterwards it's like wow, and you've got the ball rolling. It's like I'm kind of stuck doing this. Now. I've made this commitment. I can't back out.

Speaker 1:

It's funny you say that because, first off, you mentioned prep a number of times. Yeah, I've walked into some where I haven't prepped as much, and it's pretty obvious. Do you feel the same way? A?

Speaker 2:

hundred percent and you learn where to put your prep too. You know early on it's full prep, it's the intro, it's the outro, it's the commercial. After a while that all is the same. You realize then you kind of get this laser focus that my prep needs to be, this interaction that I'm having with the person that's literally or figuratively across from me.

Speaker 1:

So your tagline and I want to read this to make sure I get this right your guide through the world of work. How do you translate that mission into your podcast content consistently?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, great question. So when you think about it, you know there's really two stakeholders. At a broad sense, the world of work is either the employee or the person that's hoping to be an employee and the employer. So those are the two stakeholders. So when you break it up by that, it really opens it up pretty wide as far as topics we talk about, because from the employee or prospective employee, that person could be at any stage in their employment cycle. They could be a young professional, they could be an intern, they could be anything they're up to and including someone who's ready to retire. The employer could be a small, medium, large employer. They can be in all these different segments or all these different industries and so on. So it really leaves a pretty broad topic area as far as where we can go with things.

Speaker 1:

Sure, sure, that makes sense. So with that, how do you keep that informative and I guess I would say more so, engaging with people?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, you know, every episode kind of has a structure anymore and the first part of the episode is segment one, and that's where it's just me talking on a particular topic and I'm giving some background, I'm giving my experiences and so on and just setting the groundwork. And then segment two is where I have a guest who has expertise directly within whatever that subject area that I'm talking about, and then we have an interview afterwards. So in that sense it allows me to kind of give the intro, give some background, lay the groundwork, and then that leads really well into the interview where this expert can really dive into the topic more specifically and get guidance. And that leads really well into the interview where this expert can really dive into the topic more specifically and get guidance. And that format tends to work, makes sense.

Speaker 1:

I really like that and you've kind of mentioned you started the podcast to get the information out, but it's also helped you gain some clients. Yeah, is there a big memory where there was like the aha moment with that? Is there a big memory?

Speaker 2:

where there was like the aha moment with that. You know part of what started. It was, as you said, getting the message out, but getting it out on how I deliver it, because you know what's the differentiator as it relates to HR consulting and advising and so on. Well, it's what that individual person is bringing to it and it's not just about their experience level and I've been doing this for a long time. It's about you know their approach to things and everything that you undertake in HR. You should be coming from a philosophical standpoint and for me, I'm coming from what I found to be maybe a little bit different philosophical standpoint than a lot of people come from. So that's what I'm bringing to bear to those consulting relationships. But people are hearing that as they're listening to the podcast, so they're getting to know me and who I am and how I tend to approach situations, or, in other words, how I.

Speaker 1:

You know how I, where I come from, relative to philosophical that's an excellent segue, because you mentioned you have a different philosophy, because and correct me if I'm wrong this is because you have the background in mental health counseling. So with that, first off, I always have to say it always seems like HR causes a need for mental health counseling in so many cases.

Speaker 2:

But, how do those two merge?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, so for me, the way they merge is you start off in mental health, one of the premise there is and, whether it's stated or not, every one of us has a challenge.

Speaker 2:

You know, no one has the perfect life, no one has the perfect situation. So you start off with that premise that everyone in this world has a challenge. No one has the perfect life, no one has the perfect situation. So you start off with that premise that everyone in this world has a challenge, and the purpose of mental health is to help individuals navigate those challenges, whether it be to unsort them, to unpack them or whatever. Well, if you bring that same perspective to HR, it steers how you create benefit plans, how you create compensations plans, how you interact with employees relative to performance issues and so on, and how you give your supervisor's guidance and so on, because you start from this standpoint every one of us is flawed. Every one of us has challenges. People don't intentionally try to have challenges. That's the way life is. So it gives you that empathetic perspective that guides your interactions with your employees, with your colleagues and so on.

Speaker 1:

That makes sense. There's a lot of people, though, that think HR is not on their side, and I've been in situations where that's not the case. What is your thought on that? Because in the podcast that I've listened to, it's HR should be that bridge. Yes, is that your premise to it, or is that your attitude to it, or can you elaborate on that?

Speaker 2:

I guess I would say yeah, it's never this fine balance. I guess it's kind of like any other relationship if you're married, sometimes you're doing more than your spouse is and other times your spouse is contributing to the relationship more than you are. And the HR role has a lot of that same component to it, because there are times that you have situations to where you really need to be more leaning towards the employee side of the equation versus the company side, and then there are other times that you need to be leaning more towards the company side than the employee situation and there's others that you're kind of striking that balance. So it really does depend on the situation and what it calls for.

Speaker 1:

Interesting. So I'm sure you pull in experience. You've mentioned experience over the years. We're not going to talk age, because I don't want to talk about mine either. I started really young. I was a small child, right. I started this before I was even born, exactly. You said with the podcast, and it's one of the things that I love too. You said with the podcast, and it's one of the things that I love too. You said that you're always learning from your guests what is one big takeaway that surprised you, that came out of the blue from a guest.

Speaker 2:

There have been a few, I don't think of just one, I don't know if there is just one, but one thing that's become so apparent, and we sort of know this theoretically as we go through our lives, but I have yet to meet a person whose career path was linear, and I wouldn't say that I went into this thinking there are people that are, but I never realized how obvious it was and how rampant it is.

Speaker 2:

I've yet to talk with a person who had this dream of what they wanted to be when they were in high school and then they went and got their degree in it and then they worked it in all these years and then they retired into that. I've yet to speak to a person I've spoke to plenty of people who had an idea of what they wanted to do. They got a degree in it. They did that for a while and then their path took them here to the left and it took them to the right and then it took them back over here. Every person I've spoken to not one has a linear career path.

Speaker 1:

That's interesting. So that brings up another point for me. Do you remember how many episodes you are into your podcast approximately?

Speaker 2:

Let's see I'm coming up on 50.

Speaker 1:

First off, congratulations. That's an awesome thing, thank you. Do you feel podcasting has been the same way as most people's career journey? Oh, 100%, 100% said it all, oh my gosh.

Speaker 2:

So, out of the gate, you know, you have this vision of what it's going to be and I had done plenty of presentations and trainings and so on, I thought, well, to start this off. You know I'm going to do these presentations and these trainings and that's what's going to. That's going to be the podcast and you know, pretty soon it's running 45 minutes and I've got the guest in there and so on. But what I've learned over time is it needs to. It's not me preaching to someone, it's me trying to engage the audience, give them information, give them something that's going to hook them in. And they're going to leave that podcast episode with one thing that they can take and they can use with them. And that's been the big learning lesson. Not so much me, you know putting information out there and they're just gobbling it all up. It's more how can I catch them? How can I give them something that they've got to use? Sure, that's.

Speaker 1:

It's funny I always like when we talk with like our clients on the podcast stuff, I always say I'm like what are they walking away with? That's actionable, what? What value are you adding to their day? Because if you're not adding value to their day, they ain't listening. That's right, and I mean it can be a combination of entertainment and information and it can be a combination of things, but they got to get something from it 100%. If you're just going to come in there and drone on, no one's going to care. 100%. Yep, how do you see? I mean AI is changing what we do all the time. I mean monthly, I am updating tools. We're looking at different stuff here in the studio. How do you see AI changing HR?

Speaker 2:

I get that question a lot and we're already starting to see it a little bit because we're seeing AI used, for example, in talent management. So we've got AI built into our talent management tools. So when someone applies, they send their application through their resume. It very well could be and it's becoming more prevalent to where you've got AI analyzing that resume to say, okay, is this person worth going through the next step? For You've got AI analyzing that resume to say, okay, is this person worth going through the next step? For You've got AI that is triggering questions based upon what it's seeing in the resume or what it's seeing in the application. So we're already seeing AI in these systems. In fact, one of my good contacts who I had on a couple of episodes back, they're using AI to even build these HR tools that are putting out there. So not only is AI in the tool, but AI is working to build these HR tools. So it's becoming more and more prevalent.

Speaker 2:

Now that's good and that's bad. Sure. The good is, you know, it's helping us be more efficient, it's taking out some of those tasks that are repetitive and it's being replaced by a system that can do it. So it frees up the HR professional to do the things that they're really good at. So that's a good. The bad is, and what we've really got to watch out for, is, you know, ai is only as good as you educate it. So if you're not educating it well, it's not going to work effectively. Not educating it well it's not going to work effectively. In fact, it may, you know, create more issues, because maybe it has biases in it, maybe it has some discrimination that's you know, built into it and we didn't even realize that. So you know we may be opening a Pandora's box here that, if we don't keep a close eye on it, you know we're going to be heading down a path that it's going to be very hard to to reel that back in.

Speaker 1:

So that's the bad of it, that that all makes sense. That's it's interesting is AI is only as smart as we tell it to be A hundred percent. The other thing that I have heard in so many cases is right at this point, right, this very second, it is the worst AI you will ever have to use again. Yeah, it's also the best AI that it's ever been. Yeah, so that to me is very interesting. Your background in mental health I find that so interesting. So I mean, you said supervisors have a huge impact on the mental health of employees. Yeah, how do you address that with leaders?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, well, for one, you've got to get it out there, and I developed a training last year, initially introduced it at my employer. I've since made that part of the HR Kyle repertoire to where I've made some presentations on it, and the title of it is Supporting Employee Mental Health in the Workplace. And what it starts off with is data, because, especially in my world and you know this too, coming from an operations background you appeal to business leaders on data and when you have data that you can put in front of them that say you know these mental health issues, they happen, they happen to all of us. 87% of employees in a given year will have some sort of a mental health not a crisis, but a mental health challenge in their life. Here's another figure to remember An employee's supervisor has as much impact on their mental health as that person's spouse or significant other. So those data points alone, just those two, are how I get people's attention. That's how I get leaders attention to say whether we like it or not, it's here, whether we like it or not, it's impacting our work.

Speaker 2:

And then we start talking about here's what it looks like in the workplace. And they're like yeah, you know what? I have seen that and I have seen where an employee has excessive absenteeism, where they've got these other things. So I said, guess what? That's mental health, that's mental health kicking in here. And guess what, who has the biggest impact is you. And when you start presenting like that, you've got their attention Because you know now we're talking about bottom line dollars because employees that are unhappy on a job they're going to miss three times as much work as the employee that's happy on the job, employees that are unhappy on the job, or anywhere from 30 percent or more less productive, the employees happy on the job.

Speaker 2:

So now we're hitting the bottom line to say, ok, here's the real dollars in how this is impacting our work. And when you approach it that way, then you can pivot to say, ok, here's how we can overcome this, here's how we can work with this. And that's where it gets into the whole supporting employment and health. And there are a lot of resources out there. Currently, most companies that you'll encounter have an employee assistance program, but guess what? Most people don't know about them. So, right off the bat, it's equipping your supervisors when they recognize a situation that maybe the employee is dealing with something, one of the biggest things they can do is say Josh, it looks like you might be having some trouble with something in your life. We don't have to talk about it, but I've got a resource here that I can provide to you no cost. It's confidential. They're more than willing to help. That is a huge first step to overcome this.

Speaker 1:

That makes sense. Speaking of overcoming, you say challenges aren't obstacles, but opportunities, right when and I'm going to make this a little bit of a curveball for you, because it's going to be too easy for you to think of where? A challenge has become an opportunity in HR. That's your wheelhouse. Where has a challenge been an opportunity in the podcast A?

Speaker 2:

challenge. That's been an opportunity. You know, I think part of it is initially getting guests. Sure, you know you've part of it is initially getting guests. Sure, you know you've got kind of your close circle and you can get through them and there's a guest list right there. But if you're doing it every week, after a while that kind of runs dry a little bit. So the challenge becomes to incorporate that podcast into your everyday life, into your work life, that podcast into your everyday life, into your work life. And the other thing you do is and I learned to do is position this as something that could benefit the other person. This isn't about me anymore. I've reached a point, you know, 50 episodes in or just about to, where people reach out to me now and they wanted me on the podcast. They asked me can they be? So you know that's turning that challenge of saying gosh, you know where am I going to get my next guest to being like wait, hold on.

Speaker 2:

I only have you know we're going to have to tape this you know it'll be two months out before you hear it, so you know there's one right there, yeah, and it's allowed me to make some connections that I never thought that I would have. It's led to some business leads that you know otherwise wouldn't have happened, because it forced me to say I've got to get creative, I've got to be more proactive about this guest opportunity and I've got to make it appealing to them, not just serving my needs.

Speaker 1:

It's funny. You say the connections, because I have so many podcasters that we work with that. I mean talk to people that if they went up to them on the street and just said, hi, let's have a conversation, they would look at you like you're an idiot, right, when they go up to them, I mean there's someone I know that I mean CEOs, founders, congress people he has had on his podcast and he's like hey, I've got a podcast, I'd love for you to talk on it. And they're like great, yeah, it's amazing the connections you can get with that. You've mentioned the underdog in a couple of cases. Where did the underdog story?

Speaker 2:

come from. You know the origin of that goes way back. So my parents were both born in the Depression. So my dad was born in 32, and if you know anything about history, that's the worst year of the Depression. My mom was born in 36, and it was getting a little better then, but not for her family. So I always joke, but there's some truth to it. They lived in depression longer than anybody because their depression they were living in probably didn't end until the late 40s.

Speaker 2:

So very humble beginnings and I can remember, even just even before I grew up, you know my dad was always for the underdogs. So you know, really big on equity, equality in this world, and my mom was very outspoken on that and really took the lead even during her time to be a woman that was in the workplace and doing things. So you know, kind of growing up around those stories, hearing those stories. Even from a sports perspective, if you know anything about football, you know to a point there was the National Football League and there was the American Football League and the American Football League was the newer league. Well, that was my dad's favorite league. He enjoyed watching the AFL because they were the quote unquote underdog. So you know, that was just kind of the mindset around our house, that you know, that you know we're going to cheer for the underdog. That's just who we cheer for and that's who we root for. And I think, I don't think I know. That's where it all started.

Speaker 1:

And then here I am today when did you finally reach this turning point where you said HR is it?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, so that goes back to about 26 years ago. So I was going through undergrad at that point and I was majoring in psychology right, and I had a couple of different options. I could go the academic route and go IO psychology, or I was told that I could go this other route that was business oriented and I already had a business background, that I could go into human resources. So I did an internship over the summer and found that I loved it. I mean, it was. It was for me. It had everything that that I wanted it to be. There was a people component and you could be extroverted, but there was also a point where there was administrative and you could appeal to your introverted side. So for me, that was a good balance. That was all the things that I like to do and I enjoy doing. And again, here we are, 26 years later and I'm still at it.

Speaker 1:

It's funny how things like that work, isn't it Like it's?

Speaker 2:

only 26 years. Who'd have thought it's?

Speaker 1:

funny how things like that work, isn't it Like it's only 26 years. Who'd have thought, with that 26-year background, where do you see HR? Or what do you see changing in HR in the next five years?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, this is going to surprise you a lot, because we talk a lot about technology, but I think what we're going to see as a shift is a shift back to more about the people. You know, over the past decade or so, we've seen a big shift towards technology. Technology that's going to make us more effective, but what I think we're going to begin to realize is it's still all about the people and, whether it's a candidate or an employee or a retiree or whatever, that's where our focus needs to be. Yes, we have the technology and that's going to support us, but ultimately, it's got to support us to better service those people who are our quote unquote customers.

Speaker 1:

Makes sense. What is a goal that you have over the next year for the podcast?

Speaker 2:

I kid you not. Ever since you and I met and it's been a long time ago when we first met, almost a year, just about Close One of the things I thought was at a point I've got to start working with Josh, because it's going to be a lot easier to have him doing this podcast with me than me doing it on my own. So I tell you what I kid you not. That has been one of the things that's been on my mind.

Speaker 1:

I like it. We'll have to work on that one together. As far as I mean, you've always valued connecting with people, and I mean it's people, people, people and the teamwork aspect of that. How does that manifest in your personal life, also in terms of your connections there?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I've got a mantra and I'm using it more and more called life is a team game, because it ultimately is. In fact, I just recorded my own podcast last night around that topic and it's just about how you live your life, realizing that none of us live in a vacuum. We rely on our success, our happiness, and all this really does rely on other people, whether we like it or not. And all this really does rely on other people, whether we like it or not. So it helps me, ideally, to stay a little bit more grounded, to approach life with a little bit more ease maybe not quite as serious, ideally looking to help other people, hoping to see other people reach their goals and their aspirations, be a little bit happier, be a little bit more gentle. And that's where it really manifests itself to just kind of say you know what? Everybody's got a struggle, you me, the next person. Maybe let's take it a little easier on that person.

Speaker 1:

Makes sense. I love it If you're going to give advice to someone that's looking to start a podcast. First off, what would be?

Speaker 2:

your advice to them? Well, first off, don't choose HR, because I've got that covered. But beyond that, you know, the biggest thing I say is take the leap. It's not going to be perfect, it's going to be clumsy, you're going to stutter, all those things are going to happen. You're going to make mistakes. But the only way you get better and again, this sounds so cliche, but it's true the only way you get better is just dive in, learn from your mistakes, be a little critical of yourself, do a post-show, post-mortem, every time and say, ok, I did this well, I didn't do this well, how can I improve it?

Speaker 1:

And you'll get there. It's funny, I heard it on another podcast Be willing to suck at something If you're willing to be terrible at something you will get better, Exactly, and you reach a certain age and I think you and I are about that same boat.

Speaker 2:

Where does it really matter? My ego is not that delicate anymore. Okay, it sounded terrible, oh well.

Speaker 1:

And as much time as I have spent on camera in my life, I have zero dignity. None the dignity is completely gone. That machine right there has sucked all the dignity out of my life. If someone is thinking of starting a career in HR, what's two pieces of advice that?

Speaker 2:

you would give to them. You know internships. I'm a huge advocate of internships in any career. I think if you're in your undergrad and you're considering HR, do some internships. If you're before that, do your research. Talk to people such as myself and do an informational interview with me and say what's your job like, even if you're in high school. Do that. Are you going to get a few no's? Maybe, but I guarantee you'll get one yes.

Speaker 2:

From someone like myself who would love to talk with a student who's considering it as a career, I'd say that would be the first thing. And secondly, once you get into it, I always say go the generalist route first, and what I mean by that is allow yourself to work in HR and get exposure to all the different pieces employee relations, the law piece, the benefits, the compensation early on and then see if you've got a niche there and if you don't, you know what. That also tells you your past a little bit. You're going to approach it from, maybe become a business professional from there and then so on and so forth, or you may find that one of those areas catches your attention and then you veer off there. So it really is those two things. Talk to someone that's already doing the job and they're where you want to be. And two, allow yourself to be a generalist, to just learn about HR early on.

Speaker 1:

What's something you think people should know about HR?

Speaker 2:

We always mean well, I like that. I've never met an HR professional who didn't choose the profession because they wanted to help people.

Speaker 1:

Makes sense. Yeah, I love it. Is there anything else that you want to add?

Speaker 2:

Well, how much more time do we have? No, it's been great to be here today. Thank you for having me. I have to give you credit for really getting me on the right path with the podcast journey for your audience early on. I'm not sure how we connected. I think I saw something. It was LinkedIn. Yeah, it was LinkedIn, which I use a lot, and I think I just kind of reached out and said, hey, good to meet you. And before I knew it, you were inviting me down here. You gave me a tour. We talked for a good half an hour 45 minutes and you know that was huge and I will never forget that and I really appreciate it.

Speaker 1:

I'm I always love helping people. Anytime that we get the chance to do that, I'm super happy to do that. So thank you and I'm glad to see that you have continued on the journey. And it's funny when I go back and I look at, like episode one and look at episode 50, they are vastly, vastly different in the way they sound, appear and everything like that and something else. Some numbers came out just a couple of weeks ago. If you're on episode like 50, most podcasts, 85% of podcasts do not make it past episode 15.

Speaker 2:

No kidding. Yeah, so you are well, well ahead of the curve, my friend. I'm in the top 15 percent. Thank you, you got it. I had no idea. This is a big boost. You got it, thank you, perfect.

Speaker 1:

That all being said, I've made another visit to HR. I have come out unscathed. I have come out educated, as I hope you have also. That being said, do yourself a favor, take care of yourself, and if you can, take care of someone else too. I will see you guys very soon.

People on this episode

Head Shot

Josh Troche

Host
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Kyle Smith

Guest