#8 - Desiree Goldey, Ashley King, Daniela Herrera, and Tejal Rives: LIVE from RecFest 2025 Day 1

Recorded live on Day 1 at RecFest 2025, brings four rapid-fire conversations that mix heat-wave humor with real talk on burnout, community, AI, and the wildest recruiter stories. Mike Peditto opens each chat with his signature question, as the Nashville sun turns up the temperature and the energy stays high.

Desiree Goldey (host, “Talentless”)
Why in-person events reset careers, how last year pushed her to launch a podcast and rethink her path, and a reality check on the current market where resilience matters. She caps it with a classic recruiter horror story about a candidate arriving drunk to an interview.

Ashley King (co-host, “Talentless”)

Day 1 highlights like the Shaker Booth and money-grab machine, plus people-first leadership tactics including weekly “peaks and pits,” holding space for teams without forcing it, and remembering that people come before headcount. She adds a clear PSA on conference safety based on a past incident she had to manage.

Daniela Herrera

Spotlights sessions on neurodiversity and a purpose-built bot that beat generic chat tools for onboarding and performance prompts. Uses that example to urge leaders to vet AI carefully, question the ethics behind tools, and confirm the problem they actually solve before buying the buzzword.

Tejal Rives (Product Marketing Manager, Amazon, former recruiter)

Explains a TA-adjacent role and the vendor attention that comes with a recognizable badge. Closes with durable lessons: have a burnout plan before you burn out, and show up as your true self to attract the right community.

Four quick hits from RecFest Day 1, equal parts sweaty, candid, and useful.

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