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

Send us Fan Mail 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 - Quick Episode Summary: Kate McKinnon shares Human Resource insights, Philly sports, and kindness stories. - 🔥 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. - 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 Support the show Connect with Passing The Torch : Facebook and IG: @torchmartin More Amazing Stories: Episode 41: Lee Ellis – Freeing You From Bond That Make You Insecure Episode 81 : Kurt Warner – Perseverance, Humility, and Lighting the Way Episode 90 : Michelle 'MACE' Curran – How to Turn Fear into Fuel ------------ © 2026 TORCH LEAP®, LLC. All rights reserved.

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Ep. 131: Kate McKinnon - Redefining Company Culture, Conversations on HR, Sports, and Empathy is an episode from Passing The Torch by Martin Foster.

This episode is 40:55 long.

This episode was published on May 14, 2026.

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