Heroes of HR is your backstage pass to the unsung champions of every workplace—the People Heroes. This limited-series podcast, brought to you by isolved, cuts through the fluff to highlight the real leaders, innovators, and change-makers redefining HR, payroll, and talent management.
Each short, bingeable episode hits the big questions head-on: What’s keeping you up at night? What’s got you fired up about 2025? How do you explain isolved to someone who’s never heard of HR tech? And how do you recharge when the grind gets real?
We’re talking bold insights, no BS, and stories that’ll stick with you. If you’re in the trenches of HR or just curious about the people shaping the future of work, this series delivers the goods.
Ready to meet the People Heroes redefining what’s possible? Hit play.
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Heroes of HR is your backstage pass to the unsung champions of every workplace—the People Heroes. This limited-series podcast, brought to you by isolved, cuts through the fluff to highlight the real leaders, innovators, and change-makers redefining HR, payroll, and talent management.
Each short, bingeable episode hits the big questions head-on: What’s keeping you up at night? What’s got you fired up about 2025? How do you explain isolved to someone who’s never heard of HR tech? And how do you recharge when the grind gets real?
We’re talking bold insights, no BS, and stories that’ll stick with you. If you’re in the trenches of HR or just curious about the people shaping the future of work, this series delivers the goods.
Ready to meet the People Heroes redefining what’s possible? Hit play.
Darlene Winfield and Yira Coleman on leading with purpose, humor, and heart in HR
Heroes of HR
12 minutes
3 months ago
Darlene Winfield and Yira Coleman on leading with purpose, humor, and heart in HR
Recorded live from the isolved booth at SHRM 2025, this episode brings together two voices who embody what it means to be a “people hero.” Darlene Winfield and Yira Coleman join William Tincup and Ryan Leary for a heartfelt—and often hilarious—conversation about impact, purpose, and the power of showing up for others.
Yira reflects on how encouragement drives her both personally and professionally. She shares the transcendent moment that led her to write a children’s book series inspired by the Fruit of the Spirit. Darlene channels her inner Wonder Woman, describing how she wields her “golden lasso” to pull people and processes together for good. The conversation flows from faith to fatherhood to the unexpected realities of managing HR in parks and rec—including graveyards. This one has range—and heart.
Timestamps
00:00 — Bald jokes and wedding stories set the tone
00:49 — The mic’d-up altar moment that made it to the family DVD
02:14 — What’s your superpower? Yira brings the encouragement, Darlene brings the lasso
03:55 — Behind the scenes of Darlene’s HR podcast “Connections”
04:21 — What it means to be a “people hero” from hire to expire
05:08 — Yes, Darlene’s team manages a real graveyard
05:50 — Yira names her ultimate people hero—and it gets spiritual
06:40 — Faith, fake-outs, and Fort Worth front desks
07:40 — The transcendent career moment that inspired Yira’s children’s book series
09:20 — Stellar Strawberry and Barnabas Banana—how characters teach core virtues
10:00 — Darlene shares the quiet HR wins that never make headlines
11:07 — Why advocacy at work changes everything
11:29 — Work as a place where encouragement matters most
11:52 — Closing out with gratitude and a reminder of the everyday impact of HR
This episode was recorded live with isolved at the SHRM Annual Conference in San Diego.
The Heroes of HR podcast is a limited series sponsored by isolved. isolved is an HCM platform that modernizes HR, benefits, and payroll across Healthcare, Hospitality, Manufacturing, and more.
Learn more about isolved: https://www.isolvedhcm.com/
Connect with Us:
William Tincup LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tincup/
Ryan Leary LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanleary/
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Heroes of HR
Heroes of HR is your backstage pass to the unsung champions of every workplace—the People Heroes. This limited-series podcast, brought to you by isolved, cuts through the fluff to highlight the real leaders, innovators, and change-makers redefining HR, payroll, and talent management.
Each short, bingeable episode hits the big questions head-on: What’s keeping you up at night? What’s got you fired up about 2025? How do you explain isolved to someone who’s never heard of HR tech? And how do you recharge when the grind gets real?
We’re talking bold insights, no BS, and stories that’ll stick with you. If you’re in the trenches of HR or just curious about the people shaping the future of work, this series delivers the goods.
Ready to meet the People Heroes redefining what’s possible? Hit play.
