The People Playbook with Coach Cora

Values aren’t defined by what leaders say—they’re revealed in the decisions they make when the stakes are high. In this episode of The People Playbook with Coach Cora, Coach Cora sits down with Preston Atkinson, President and CEO of Trestleworks and former CEO of Whataburger, to explore what it really means to lead through values.

Drawing on decades of leadership in legacy, community-rooted organizations, Preston shares how leaders drift when they prioritize being right over being aligned—and how that erodes trust inside teams. When values are consistently modeled, people stay engaged, extend grace, and remain committed to the organization’s long-term success.

Leadership is not defined by what you say—it’s proven by the decisions you make when it matters most.

In this episode of The People Playbook with Coach Cora, Coach Cora is joined by Col Edward Irick, Deputy Commander of the Air Force Special Warfare Training Wing, to explore what it truly means to lead with purpose, trust, and care in high-stakes environments.

Drawing on 27 years of leadership experience, Col Irick shares how trust is built—or broken—through decisions under pressure, and why leaders often misunderstand the balance between caring for people and holding high standards. The conversation highlights how purposeful leadership shows up in real time and what it takes to rebuild credibility with teams that are tired or skeptical.

Strong hiring isn’t about offering more—it’s about offering what actually aligns with the people you want to lead and keep. In this episode of The People Playbook with Coach Cora, Coach Cora is joined by Blanca Abbud, Vice President of Sales at Engage PEO, to explore how leaders can use benefits strategically rather than reactively when attracting talent.
Drawing from her work with organizations across industries, Blanca shares what candidates are really responding to in today’s market and where leaders often miss the mark with benefits design and communication. The conversation unpacks how life stage, flexibility, wellbeing, and clarity around total compensation influence candidate decisions, and why copy-and-paste benefits often attract the wrong fit. 
If you’re a small business owner, executive, or people leader trying to attract the right talent without entering a costly perk arms race, this episode offers timely insight into how benefits can work for your business instead of against it.

Leadership teams don’t develop talent through instinct alone—they develop it through shared clarity about performance, readiness, and potential. In this episode of The People Playbook with Coach Cora, Coach Cora speaks with the Senior Director of Field Enhancements at Whataburger about what leaders actually learn when they begin using a talent matrix in a complex, field-based organization.

Drawing from real operational experience, the conversation explores how a structured talent framework changes the way leaders discuss high performers, identify potential, and challenge assumptions about their teams. The matrix itself isn’t the value—the value is the clarity it creates about development priorities, succession readiness, and where leaders may be overlooking or misjudging talent across the organization.

Retention isn’t driven by rewards alone — it’s driven by clarity around what success actually looks like. On this episode of The People Playbook with Coach Cora, Coach Cora sits down with Gerry Bower, President of TLC Total Lawn Care, to explore why onboarding and retention succeed only when expectations, hiring, and rewards are intentionally aligned.

Drawing from decades of experience in a labor-intensive, seasonal industry, Gerry shares what leaders often miss when teams struggle to stay engaged and committed. The conversation unpacks how unclear KRAs, inconsistent rewards, and misaligned hiring practices quietly erode trust; and how defining real contributions creates focus, fairness, and accountability across the organization.

If you’re a small business owner, executive, or people leader navigating retention challenges and wondering why good employees keep leaving, this episode will help you rethink how clarity (not perks) keeps teams together right now.

Hiring decisions don’t improve by removing judgment — they improve when leaders understand how to apply it more responsibly.  On this episode of The People Playbook with Coach Cora, Coach Cora is joined by Amy Leslie, CEO of Perspective Inc., to explore how leaders can use data-driven hiring tools without losing the human insight that makes good decisions possible.

Drawing from her work with organizations implementing assessments and selection tools, Amy shares where leaders often misunderstand what hiring data is meant to do, how tools can clarify fit rather than create certainty, and why role definition and context matter more than the tool itself.

If you’re a business owner, executive, or people leader trying to hire more confidently without outsourcing judgment to a tool, this episode will help you make smarter, more accountable hiring decisions right now.

Hiring isn’t about convincing candidates to say yes — it’s about demonstrating that your leadership is worth committing to.  On this episode of The People Playbook with Coach Cora, Coach Cora is joined by Katy Barger, Senior Technical Recruiter at Beacon Hill Recruiting, to explore what candidates are really saying.  

Katy shares how top talent is evaluating roles through the lens of flexibility, salary transparency, and values alignment, and why outdated job descriptions and rushed decisions quietly undermine hiring success.   

If you’re a small business owner, executive, or people leader who wants to attract capable talent — and keep them — this episode will help you rethink how your hiring process speaks before you ever make an offer.

Hiring gets harder when the talent pool doesn’t match the work that needs to be done. In this episode of The People Playbook with Coach Cora, Coach Cora uses a live-coaching conversation to explore how strong specialty retail leaders adapt when the challenge isn’t leadership quality — it’s labor market reality.

Together with a seasoned retail owner, she works through real hiring constraints in real time, focusing on how redefining the work, adjusting role design, and making intentional tradeoffs can protect both the business and the customer experience. This episode offers a grounded look at how to make smart, sustainable people decisions without lowering standards or burning yourself out.

Don’t build your business around the people — build the people around the business. In this episode, Coach Cora goes solo to unpack why understanding and defining the work itself should come before hiring. She breaks down how analyzing the work up front creates clearer roles, stronger performance, and smoother growth, and offers concrete questions leaders can use to shape work that aligns with business outcomes. If you’re hiring, scaling, or leading a team, this episode will help you rethink how you approach roles, expectations, and people strategy.

Strong retention isn’t sustained by perks or pay—it’s driven by leadership. In this episode, Coach Cora explores how clear leadership capabilities shape daily employee experience and why including leadership development at the front line level is part of a reliable long-term retention strategy.

https://www.leadingedgeteam.co/

Clear, consistent communication is one of the strongest predictors of engagement and retention. In this episode, Coach Cora explores how everyday feedback and communication habits shape trust, performance, and motivation—and why leaders who avoid or mishandle feedback often lose good people without realizing why.

toastmasters.org

Retention starts long before an employee’s first performance review. In this episode, Coach Cora explores how hiring and onboarding shape trust, confidence, and commitment—and why getting the first 90 days right is one of the most powerful retention tools leaders have. Specific and actionable tips are provided for your onboarding process! 

http://coachcora.com/bamboohr

Every leader’s philosophy is shaped by experience. In this first episode, Coach Cora shares the moments that shaped her passion for learning and development and why she’s committed to giving business owners and leaders a practical playbook for building strong teams and productive workplaces. Her insights on focus are easily transferable! 

coachcora.com