

The Breakthrough Hiring Show: Recruiting and Talent Acquisition Conversations
James Mackey
Welcome to The Breakthrough Hiring Show! We are on a mission to help leaders make hiring a competitive advantage. Join our host, James Mackey, and guests as they discuss various topics, with episodes ranging from high-level thought leadership to the tactical implementation of process and technology. You will learn how to:- Shift your team’s culture to a talent-first organization.- Develop a step-by-step guide to hiring and empowering top talent.- Leverage data, process, and technology to achieve hiring success.Thank you to our sponsor, SecureVision, for making this show possible!
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 14, 2026 • 1h 9min
EP 206: Where Parisian Roots Meet Intuitive Hiring
Victoire Marty grew up in Paris, surrounded by art, history, and a culture that values intuition, which later shaped her approach to hiring for potential rather than pedigree. After studying art history, she went on to become a Talent Acquisition Lead at Lemlist, helping the company scale rapidly while managing an ambitious hiring load with a lean team. This conversation explores how trusting your gut, maintaining high standards, and staying hands-on can drive real impact as teams grow fast.Connect with host James Mackey on LinkedIn! Thank you to our sponsor, SecureVision, for making this show possible! Follow us:https://www.linkedin.com/company/82436841/SecureVision: #1 Rated Embedded Recruitment Firm on G2!https://www.g2.com/products/securevision/reviewsThanks for listening!

Apr 9, 2026 • 52min
EP 205: Neat CVs Don’t Equal Potential, Look Beyond the Resume
Growing up as the oldest of five, Tristan Mackrory was a teacher long before the classroom, a dynamic that still shapes how he leads today. That path took him from teaching into talent acquisition, and now into his role as VP of People & Talent at Almedia, where he’s helped scale teams through hypergrowth. In this conversation, he shares what breaks first at 100+ employees, what to build early to avoid it, and why unconventional talent often outperforms the expected path.Connect with host James Mackey on LinkedIn! Thank you to our sponsor, SecureVision, for making this show possible! Follow us:https://www.linkedin.com/company/82436841/SecureVision: #1 Rated Embedded Recruitment Firm on G2!https://www.g2.com/products/securevision/reviewsThanks for listening!

Apr 7, 2026 • 51min
EP 204: Scaling Yourself, Then Scaling the Business
Rona Shoaienia, grew up in Toronto after moving from Munich, and being surrounded by diverse cultures shaped how she sees people and potential. She studied psychology, traveled widely, and later experienced anxiety, an experience that reshaped how she leads and shows up at work. Now, as Head of Talent at Nue.io, she’s focused on building a well-oiled talent machine in hyper-growth where speed and quality have to coexist.Connect with host James Mackey on LinkedIn! Thank you to our sponsor, SecureVision, for making this show possible! Follow us:https://www.linkedin.com/company/82436841/SecureVision: #1 Rated Embedded Recruitment Firm on G2!https://www.g2.com/products/securevision/reviewsThanks for listening!

Apr 2, 2026 • 1h 12min
EP 203: How Competitive Sailing and Global Perspective Shape Creative Hiring
Growing up in a small NYC apartment taught him resilience early, but traveling through Brazil and South Africa reshaped how he sees people and the world. From competing in sailing across countries to living nomadically, those experiences shaped a distinctive perspective on risk, trust, and opportunity. Colin Murphy now leads recruiting as Director at Method, where he focuses on what truly breaks through in hiring today by balancing process with creativity.Book mentioned: The Road to Character by David BrooksConnect with host James Mackey on LinkedIn! Thank you to our sponsor, SecureVision, for making this show possible! Follow us:https://www.linkedin.com/company/82436841/SecureVision: #1 Rated Embedded Recruitment Firm on G2!https://www.g2.com/products/securevision/reviewsThanks for listening!

Mar 31, 2026 • 1h 30min
EP 202: The Difference Between Filling Roles and Building Teams
A bad environment can make someone shut down fast. The right one can change everything. Kenzie Hoelscher, Leading Recruiting at AssemblyAI, saw that shift early and it still shapes how she thinks about people and performance today. We dive into what truly makes a great recruiter stand out, why chasing volume can quietly undermine quality, and how top candidates think differently. It’s a practical conversation on modern hiring, from product obsession to blending AI with human judgment and why staying close to leadership can be a real edge.Connect with host James Mackey on LinkedIn! Thank you to our sponsor, SecureVision, for making this show possible! Follow us:https://www.linkedin.com/company/82436841/SecureVision: #1 Rated Embedded Recruitment Firm on G2!https://www.g2.com/products/securevision/reviewsThanks for listening!

Mar 26, 2026 • 1h 1min
EP 201: How Culture Quietly Shapes Every Career Decision
What if the way people think about jobs, risk, and “security” has less to do with personality and more to do with the country that raised them? In this episode, Alison Eastaway, VP of People and Culture at Push Security, connects how Australia, France, and the US shape the way people make career moves, weigh startup risk, and decide whether to say yes to an offer. It’s part global perspective, part recruiting masterclass, with a memorable detour through a Paris wine shop that reveals something deeper about burnout, community, and choosing the right problems.Connect with host James Mackey on LinkedIn! Thank you to our sponsor, SecureVision, for making this show possible! Follow us:https://www.linkedin.com/company/82436841/SecureVision: #1 Rated Embedded Recruitment Firm on G2!https://www.g2.com/products/securevision/reviewsThanks for listening!

Mar 24, 2026 • 1h 5min
EP 200: What Most TA Leaders Get Wrong About Influence
Gabrielle Mellon grew up in a big, competitive family that shaped her instinct to act, adapt, and figure things out fast. She carried that mindset into bold career moves and high-stakes roles, eventually leading Talent Acquisition and HR Operations at Axon through a period of rapid growth. In this conversation, she tackles what most leaders avoid: why being liked can hold you back, how to be direct without losing trust, and what it really means to develop people.Connect with host James Mackey on LinkedIn! Thank you to our sponsor, SecureVision, for making this show possible! Follow us:https://www.linkedin.com/company/82436841/SecureVision: #1 Rated Embedded Recruitment Firm on G2!https://www.g2.com/products/securevision/reviewsThanks for listening!

Mar 19, 2026 • 1h 8min
EP 199: Leading with Speed, Structure, and Self‑Awareness
Rebecca Palmer lived in multiple places growing up, an experience that taught her to adapt fast and focus on finishing what she starts. Those instincts now shape her work as co-founder and head of financial guidance at Fruitful, where she helps people turn good intentions into automatic progress.Connect with host James Mackey on LinkedIn! Thank you to our sponsor, SecureVision, for making this show possible! Follow us:https://www.linkedin.com/company/82436841/SecureVision: #1 Rated Embedded Recruitment Firm on G2!https://www.g2.com/products/securevision/reviewsThanks for listening!

Mar 17, 2026 • 52min
EP 198: Why Context Matters More Than Hiring Templates
Esra Huseyinzadegan grew up in Istanbul, a city that quickly teaches you to adapt, question assumptions, and see the world from multiple perspectives. Those instincts carried her from academic success in Turkey to leading Global Talent Acquisition at Namecheap, where she builds recruiting strategies for a truly global organization. In this conversation, she shares why context beats templates, how great leaders listen deeply, and what it means to practice “minimal leadership” in fast-growing companies.Connect with host James Mackey on LinkedIn! Thank you to our sponsor, SecureVision, for making this show possible! Follow us:https://www.linkedin.com/company/82436841/SecureVision: #1 Rated Embedded Recruitment Firm on G2!https://www.g2.com/products/securevision/reviewsThanks for listening!

Mar 6, 2026 • 1h 25min
EP 197: This TA Power Couple Shares How They Raise the Bar to Excellence
Darien May, Head of Global Talent Acquisition at Eventbrite, and Jasmin May, Head of Talent at Verse, share how growing up in a military family shaped their perspective on excellence. The conversation connects disciplined standards, putting people first, and staying close to what matters most. In addition to sharing their story, they share their top TA takeaways from working in TA roles at startups and at Google. Book mentioned: Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm GladwellConnect with host James Mackey on LinkedIn! Thank you to our sponsor, SecureVision, for making this show possible! Follow us:https://www.linkedin.com/company/82436841/SecureVision: #1 Rated Embedded Recruitment Firm on G2!https://www.g2.com/products/securevision/reviewsThanks for listening!


