“I just bet on myself.” Bodie Nowak describes an unconventional decision he made while navigating the criminal justice system. He had the possibility of leaving jail earlier, but doing so would have meant remaining under supervision for a much longer period. Instead, he accepted the possibility of spending additional months…
Finish The Year Strong is live this week, September 28 through October 5. The final free virtual summit of 2026, built to help you close Q4 hard. Register: https://recruiters-finish-the-year-strong.heysummit.com/ Firm Leaders Summit runs November 16 through 18, presented by Crelate. Three days for owners and firm leaders. Register: https://firm-leaders-and-owners-recruiting-summit-2026.heysummit.com This…
Finish the Year Strong 2026 kicks off Monday, September 28. Free and virtual, September 28 to October 5. Register here: https://recruiters-finish-the-year-strong.heysummit.com/ This episode is brought to you by Atlas: https://recruitwithatlas.com/ Why do hard working recruiters stall at $300K, and what actually gets them past $500K? In one of the most…
Sometimes waiting until you feel completely ready is exactly what keeps you stuck. James Homer admits he did not have enough savings, certainty or guarantees when he decided to take a major risk. He simply went all in. That decision eventually took him from Birmingham to building a life and…
Sometimes the fastest way to improve as a recruiter is to slow down. Mary Huminski’s advice to rookie recruiters is simple: stop obsessing over activity for activity’s sake. Yes, effort matters. But instead of rushing through calls just to hit a number, focus on making each conversation better. Be more…
Mary Huminski failed the personality assessment at Hobson Associates. Her uncle, a career headhunter, told her to go to a big firm. So did Annie Colabella, the Pinnacle Society member who would become her boss. Mary ignored all of them, joined a two-recruiter boutique fully remote, inherited two desks from…
“Nobody’s coming to save you.” That lesson became real for James Homer when his business went nearly four months without cash coming in. After a strong Q2 and start to Q3, everything suddenly stopped. No invoices. No momentum. Nothing seemed to be working. And the stakes were no longer theoretical.…
Jay Veniard was the very first guest on the Elite Recruiter Podcast. This is his first summit talk, pulled from the Elite Recruiter Community Library ahead of Finish the Year Strong, and it's the one that hit the room hardest. He ran the numbers on his own career. One missed…
James Homer left a regional director job in Singapore with two young kids, a third on the way, and not enough savings to cover the risk. Eighteen months later his firm has billed just over a million dollars and takes retained searches off Korn Ferry, Egon Zehnder and Michael Page…
COVID gave the world a large-scale lesson in what happens when human connection is disrupted. Kevin Parker reflects on how, during the pandemic, screens became our primary way of maintaining relationships, and why that could never fully replace real human connection. He points to the rise in loneliness, anxiety, and…
Sometimes the best business idea comes from solving a problem you are experiencing yourself. April Ben-Sabat knew she wanted to start a business, but she had no idea what that business would be. After deciding to resign, she started helping her company search for someone to replace her. There was…
Not everything needs to be shared with everyone. Kevin Parker says a good rule is to ask: Do I know this person? Do I trust them? And will they respond in a way that actually helps? Sometimes the worst response to someone opening up is simply: “Move on.” A better…
He has no website. No social media. No digital footprint at all. On purpose. And some of the top billers in the recruiting industry call him when things get heavy. In his first podcast appearance ever, psychotherapist Kevin Parker sits down with Benjamin Mena to share what he actually sees…
What should recruiters refuse to automate? For April Ben-Sabat, the answer is simple: the human connection. Automation can help with efficiency, but once a conversation begins, candidates can immediately tell when the interaction feels generic or AI-generated. And in a crowded market, that matters. One candidate even responded after being…
April is speaking at Finish The Year Strong (Sept 28 - Oct 5) and her session has the most RSVPs of the entire summit. All live sessions are free. Register here: https://recruiters-finish-the-year-strong.heysummit.com/ Atlas, the CRM that actually understands context: https://recruitwithatlas.com/ 90% of April Ben-Sabat's business comes from referrals. She has…
Knowing your market can justify charging a premium. Ryan Sheppard shares how he priced his first retained search at 40%—higher than the usual 35% contingency fee—because he knew exactly how difficult the search would be. He understood the competitors. He knew the Japanese market. He had followed the space for…
He lost $500K in fees in six months. Then he went retained, wrote a book, and ran the launch like a search. Finish The Year Strong kicks off September 28 through October 5. All live sessions are free. Replays and VIP available. Register here: https://recruiters-finish-the-year-strong.heysummit.com/ This episode is brought to…
Sometimes the mess is the opportunity. Greg Benadiba shares the story of a candidate who stepped into a company with years of inefficient systems and processes. Instead of seeing the dysfunction as a reason to leave, he encouraged her to understand why the business had operated that way for so…
Rejected at 24, he came back, bought the firm, and wrote the 20 principles that make a recruiter irreplaceable in the age of AI. Finish The Year Strong 2026 kicks off September 28 through October 5. All live sessions are free. Register: https://recruiters-finish-the-year-strong.heysummit.com/ This episode is brought to you by…
A recruiter’s job is not to convince someone to take the job. It is to give them enough information to make the right decision for themselves. Dan Lambert explains why he prioritizes long-term placements over simply closing the deal. His approach is simple: be transparent, share the facts, and trust…
He never made a marketing call. He billed over a million dollars eight times and bought the firm. Here's the whole system. Register free for Finish The Year Strong 2026, September 28 to October 5: https://recruiters-finish-the-year-strong.heysummit.com/ This episode is sponsored by Atlas, the CRM that actually understands context. Atlas captures…
In an industry where everyone is trying to stand out, sometimes the best strategy is simply being yourself. Randee Staats believes people want to work with people they genuinely like and trust—which means your personality can become one of your strongest business advantages. But authenticity also requires honesty. What you…
Laid off at 5 weeks postpartum. 2.5 years later: $1.3M in revenue working 30 hours a week. Julia Arpag shares the 10 principles behind all of it. This episode is powered by Atlas, the CRM that actually understands context. Every call, email, and LinkedIn message captured automatically, plus the next…
Accountability can completely change the way you work. Randee Staats shares how she spends one hour every day on a Zoom call with Mike Ostria, simply dialing in, working, and staying productive together. It creates the feeling of being in an office with someone, even when you are working remotely.…