In this episode of HR in Action, Aaron Robbins sits down with Christina Cota-Donovan, founder and principal consultant at Cota Coaching and Consulting, to explore what it really looks like to build effective people practices in small and mid-sized organizations.

Christina brings decades of hands-on HR experience across organizations of all sizes and now partners with leaders who need strategic HR support—but don’t have it in-house. From navigating post-COVID workforce shifts to designing people strategies that actually support growth, this conversation dives deep into the practical realities HR leaders and business owners face every day.

Key topics include:
-Building people strategy alongside business growth strategy
-Why many organizations struggle with HR infrastructure—and how to fix it
-Culture by design vs. culture by default
-Turning values into observable, actionable behaviors
-Improving recruiting and onboarding to reduce early turnover
-Using employee listening (surveys, focus groups, stay interviews) to uncover real issues
-Creating growth, purpose, and clarity through skill and career pathways
-Helping leaders take ownership of the employee experience

Throughout the conversation, Christina shares concrete examples, common patterns she sees across organizations, and practical ways leaders can move from “winging it” to building intentional, scalable people practices.

This episode is especially valuable for HR leaders, consultants, and executives working in smaller or growing organizations who want to strengthen culture, leadership capability, and employee experience—without overcomplicating it.

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Check out ProACTr, a leadership conversation simulator that leverages new technology to bring proven role-play learning to life.
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In the first episode of our new one-on-one HR leader series, Aaron Robbins sits down with Frida Chavez, Senior HR Manager at Angry Chickz, a fast-growing restaurant brand expanding rapidly across California.

Frida shares what it’s really like to lead HR in a high-growth, high-turnover, frontline-heavy organization—where new locations are opening at a rapid pace and HR is often a department of one. From navigating evolving immigration concerns and attendance challenges, to standardizing processes at scale, to reshaping how HR is perceived across the organization, this conversation dives into the real-world complexity HR leaders face every day.

Key topics include:

• Managing HR during rapid growth and frequent store openings
• Navigating immigration-related fear, compliance, and cultural impact
• Standardizing HR processes without losing humanity
• Reducing risk through documentation and consistency
• Shifting the perception of HR from “corporate police” to true support partner
• Building culture through service, empathy, and leadership modeling
• Supporting managers with practical, proactive HR guidance

Frida also shares how Angry Chickz reinforces culture by leading from the top—where executives roll up their sleeves, HR acts as a service center, and collaboration is the norm. This episode is an honest, practical look at modern HR leadership in action and a great starting point for HR professionals looking to learn from peers facing similar challenges.

🎧 Whether you’re an HR team of one, leading through growth, or rethinking how HR shows up for employees and managers, this episode offers insights you won’t want to miss.

Looking for an innovative way to develop your leaders?
Check out ProACTr, a leadership conversation simulator that leverages new technology to bring proven role-play learning to life.
👉 https://proactr.com