Managing Energy, AI, and the Joyful Mess of Modern Talent

Chris Hoyt: Yes. Yes. Ready?

Lori Chartrand: I’m ready. I’m like, we just gotta—

Chris Hoyt: Rip—

Lori Chartrand: The band-aid. I think you’re our last one. Yeah. You’re our last one today.

Chris Hoyt: Yeah. This is good to go. We go out—

Lori Chartrand: With a bang.

Chris Hoyt: This is it. This is it. F word. F word. F word. That’s right. Yeah. Yeah. It’s all good. Yeah. Piece of cake. And we have notes if we forget.

Lori Chartrand: Yes, I know, right? Certain age. I’m a certain age.

Chris Hoyt: What was that? Where am I?

Lori Chartrand: Yeah, who, what is this? An event? Okay. Yes.

Announcer: Welcome to the Recruiting Community podcast, the go-to channel for talent acquisition leaders and practitioners. This show is brought to you by CXR, a trusted community of thousands connecting the best minds in the industry to explore topics like attracting, engaging, and retaining top talent. Hosted by Chris Hoyt and Jerry Crispin. We are thrilled to have you join the conversation.

Chris Hoyt: All right, everybody. Welcome. This is the CXR Recruiting Community podcast. We’re super excited to have you here—whether you’re watching live on LinkedIn or wherever you may be watching from, or maybe you’re on a treadmill. I don’t know. You’re just listening. So for that, we apologize—lots of visual gags in this one, and you’re gonna miss ’em.

If you’re interested in more of the podcast, you can go to cxr.org/podcast. We keep that pretty simple. We’re having a good time today. If you happen to be watching and you’re not on a treadmill, please be careful. You’ll notice we are not actually in our usual environment. We are at Unleash in Las Vegas today, and Shaker Recruitment Marketing has been nice enough to sponsor a little place for us to hang out and ask questions of people we want to talk with.

Lori Chartrand: Yes. Can we talk about how comfy the seats are? It’s hard to find that at conferences, so I’m happy.

Chris Hoyt: And this floor is not a real floor—it’s squishy and I love it.

Lori Chartrand: Yes! I’ve cut corners a few times and I’m like, “Yes, I’ll have to go back to that booth.”

Chris Hoyt: Do you know what else I’m really happy about in this booth? Can we talk about these pillows? Sorry if you’re on the treadmill—these pillows, if you hadn’t noticed, they’re faces, but they’re also the Shaker logo. This is brilliant. Unmatched pillows.

Lori Chartrand: Oh, you do match. This is great. Totally not planned.

Chris Hoyt: Oh my God. Where were we? Oh, yeah. Unleash! We’re at Unleash. We’re talking about AI. Everybody’s talking about AI. We do this podcast every week where we bring insights in what we think is a fun conversation. The listeners are probably miserable, but we’re happy. I have with me today Lori Chartrand from Edward Jones. Lori, it’s so good to see you.

Lori Chartrand: Thank you for having me here. Always a good time to come back.

Chris Hoyt: Yeah. Fun time. And I know you love the desert weather. Big fan of the Vegas heat, right?

Lori Chartrand: You know me and heat—we go hand in hand.

Chris Hoyt: Chef’s kiss. So why don’t you give us an overview, a lay of the land on the kind of work you do for a little context?

Lori Chartrand: I work at Edward Jones as the Director for our Home Office Talent Acquisition. I just moved into this role in February. Previously, I led field hiring for support roles, and now I oversee corporate roles, excluding executive—my friend Kirk handles that. I also manage university recruiting and our contingent workforce program, which we’ve branded “Flex Talent.”

Chris Hoyt: Oh, I love that. Very snappy! And how’s that going? New role, new learnings?

Lori Chartrand: It’s great. Typical info by fire hose, but it’s teaching me well. I have a great leadership team I can lean on to gut check ideas, and they give great feedback, which has made the transition a breeze.

Chris Hoyt: That makes all the difference.

Lori Chartrand: It certainly does.

Chris Hoyt: So, I have a couple of questions for you. You’ve been to some sessions, walked the floor—you’re in a new role, so a new lens. Anything stand out that you’d tell folks who couldn’t make it to Unleash?

Lori Chartrand: A couple of things: seeing how different technologies are incorporating AI—it’s certainly the hot topic. But what I’ve appreciated is the blend of information from both talent and TA perspectives. One of my favorite sessions was about managing anxiety—how to embrace it and turn it into a positive.

Chris Hoyt: There’s some softer content here that I hadn’t anticipated. I loved the presentation on deep fakes—while they’re often scary, there are really touching use cases, especially for those with disabilities or those unable to communicate clearly.

Lori Chartrand: Find those bright spots.

Chris Hoyt: Yeah. So let me ask you—big piece of advice for TA leaders in the year ahead. Anything top of mind?

Lori Chartrand: I’d say developing your people. Understanding their career paths—whether mastering their craft, moving into new roles, or preparing for leadership. It’s about breaking things down into reasonable steps.

Chris Hoyt: That’s easier said than done. A lot of leaders want to do that work, but it’s a heavier lift than they realize.

Lori Chartrand: It is. Listening well and asking good questions is key. What someone thinks is their career path might shift when you dig deeper. And growth doesn’t always require big changes—sometimes it’s as simple as improving response times or communication.

Chris Hoyt: I love that. We get asked a lot—how do I get to the next level? A cornerstone of advice I always give is that a true leader isn’t just getting things done—they’re taking people with them.

Lori Chartrand: 100% agree. A close friend of mine says, “We thrive by lifting others.” Another peer once told me that sometimes the best thing a leader can do is get out of the way—even if that means stepping into a new role to create space for someone else.

Chris Hoyt: That’s such a selfless and powerful approach. Leaders say, “Take me, not my team,” but this goes even further.

Lori Chartrand: Exactly.

Chris Hoyt: Tactic or shift people are underestimating right now? Doesn’t have to be AI.

Lori Chartrand: Two things in AI: First, encouraging curiosity instead of fear. I recently showed my dad how to use AI to solve a business issue—it gave him a spreadsheet, a plan, and he’s hooked now! Second, I dream about how AI will democratize opportunity. Instead of relying on degrees or certifications, we’ll look at problem-solving, communication, and human-machine interaction.

Chris Hoyt: There’s a leveling happening—broadening the pool of candidates we consider.

Lori Chartrand: Exactly. The challenge is how to assess that in a non-biased way. Lots of questions still to answer.

Chris Hoyt: And there’s no shortage of startups trying to tackle those questions here. It’s great. Super exciting.

Lori Chartrand: It really is.

Chris Hoyt: Talent attraction strategy—any recent shifts in your new role?

Lori Chartrand: Two things. First, our associate value proposition—refreshed and refocused on the sweet spot between two different skill sets. It clearly defines what it feels like to work at Edward Jones. Second, our HCM system overhaul. It’ll make us smarter, faster, and create better experiences for candidates, recruiters, and hiring leaders. I’m a dreamer—I know it won’t fix everything, but it’s a big step forward.

Chris Hoyt: Here, here. Total side note—this is why I love talking with you. Whether the mic is on or not, it’s clear you’re doing what you’re meant to do.

Lori Chartrand: TA is my jam. I tell people all the time—I probably need to get it tattooed.

Chris Hoyt: Big arm tattoo? “TA is my jam”?

Lori Chartrand: Maybe like a “Mom” style tattoo—classic.

Chris Hoyt: Like a quote in cursive?

Lori Chartrand: Could be! Maybe upside down for fun.

Chris Hoyt: Princess Bride DVD cover style? We haven’t even had a drink yet—this is absurd.

Lori Chartrand: We’re behaving.

Chris Hoyt: All right—if you were gonna write a book about everything you’ve got going on, what would you title it?

Lori Chartrand: Given all that’s happened—and not all of my TA experience—there’s always a joyful mess. I’ve been focused on managing my energy, so I’d call it Managing Your Energy and the Joyful Mess of Modern Talent.

Chris Hoyt: Joyful Mess. That sounds like a second tattoo.

Lori Chartrand: It could be!

Chris Hoyt: Bonus round: Present company excluded, who gets the first signed copy of your book?

Lori Chartrand: My partner, Jesse. She helps manage my energy and contributes to everything I work through. I’d definitely give her the first copy.

Chris Hoyt: Love that. Good move. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t say—it’s my mom’s birthday today. Happy birthday, Mom!

Lori Chartrand: Happy birthday!

Chris Hoyt: And she’s also into GPT.

Lori Chartrand: Maybe we can start a parent GPT club.

Chris Hoyt: A club! I love it. Lots of planning, lots of fun stuff. I know you’re super busy—thank you so much, Lori!

Lori Chartrand: Thank you, Chris!

Chris Hoyt: Big thanks to Shaker for the space today. If you want to see more of the podcast, head to cxr.org/podcast. We’ll see everyone next week. Thanks again!

Announcer: Thanks for listening to the Recruiting Community Podcast, where talent acquisition leaders connect, learn, and grow together. Visit cxr.org/podcast to explore past episodes, see what’s coming up next, and find out how to join the conversation. If you’re interested in becoming a CXR community member, visit www.cxr.works. We’ll catch you in the next episode.