Ep. 131: Kate McKinnon - Redefining Company Culture, Conversations on HR, Sports, and Empathy

May 14
40 mins

Episode Description

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Kate McKinnon is the former Head of Human Resources at Playfly Sports, a leading sports media and marketing company. There, she led the People function through a fast-paced, high-growth phase - helping the company earn recognition as both a Most Loved Workplace and one of the Best Employers in Sports

Today, she leads her own consulting practice focused on empowering organizations by prioritizing their most valuable asset: people. Her work centers on:

  • Leadership Development
  • HR Strategy & Culture Building
  • Personalized Career Coaching

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Quick Episode Summary:

Kate McKinnon shares Human Resource insights, Philly sports, and kindness stories.

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🔥 Torch Takeaways Include:

Kate shares hard-earned lessons on:

◼ Hilarious stories about being mistaken for the other Kate McKinnon

◼ Why exclamation points (and emojis!) matter in emails

◼ The myth that HR is just the “company police”

◼ Lessons from Philly sports, The Office’s Toby, and a memorable story of airline biscotti

◼ Her upcoming book, From Classroom to Career, for anyone navigating big career transitions

Plus: Kate’s advice for young professionals, her take on evolving workplace culture post-pandemic, favorite Maya Angelou & Mr. Rogers quotes, and why we all need to give each other a little more grace.

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Podcast Chapters:

00:00 Experience with Playfly Sports

06:11 Email communication in organizations

08:21 Corporate culture misconceptions

11:16 Communicating career growth expectations

13:49 Post-pandemic workplace challenges

17:13 Flight attendant shares snacks

20:25 Discussing favorite quotes and insights

25:08 First impression of Connor Barwin

27:10 Iconic game and Eagles parade

29:42 Being a passionate Philly sports fan

36:05 Importance of giving grace and Billboard Message

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Episode 90: Michelle 'MACE' Curran – How to Turn Fear into Fuel

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