#3- Unlocking the People Strategy: Fractional HR, Employee Experience & The Power of Wellness

Описание: Episode Summary
In this foundational episode of The Within Podcast, hosts Nicky Wallace and Ali Payne pull back the curtain on what makes The People Co such a transformative partner for businesses. With decades of combined experience, they break down their approach to aligning people strategy with business growth, starting with fractional HR and recruiting, expanding into deep employee experience work, and culminating in their passion project, The Potential Within summit.

Nikki shares how she began her journey in recruiting before launching The People Co, offering fractional HR support to small and scaling companies who desperately needed strategy without the overhead of a full-time HR team. Ali, meanwhile, highlights her work designing employee experiences that actually engage, educate, and retain talent. They discuss the realities leaders face, from overpaying for ineffective job ads to not knowing what resources their employees have (or need), and how The People Co bridges that gap.

The episode culminates with a deeply personal story from Nikki about her own health crisis, and how it inspired The Potential Within, a wellness-centered summit designed to educate and empower employees with real-life tools and community. It’s a must-listen for anyone building a people-first organization or trying to.

Time-Stamped Highlights
00:00 - Meet The People Co
01:30 — What Is Fractional HR (And Why It Matters)
05:30 — Transitioning Into Fractional Recruiting
08:45 — The Case Against Indeed
10:15 — Designing Employee Experience
13:00 — The Resource Gap
16:00 — Building Better Trainings
18:00 — Introducing The Potential Within
22:30 — Why Wellness at Work Is Non-Negotiable
27:00 — Community, Education, and Reset Rooms


About Within
Within is a podcast hosted by Nicky Wallace and Ali Payne, founders of The People Co. It explores what happens when organizations stop chasing surface-level solutions and start doing the real work from within. Each episode unpacks stories of leadership, burnout, growth, culture, and the messiness of being human at work. Whether you’re in HR, leading a team, or just rethinking how work fits into your life, Within offers a candid and refreshing look at how people-first business gets built.

Connect with them on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/nwallace515/ or www.linkedin.com/in/alipayne/