Jessica Holst, Principal Consultant at Aligned HR Consulting

In this episode of the Think Factory Podcast, we sit down with Jessica Holst of Aligned HR Consulting for a thoughtful conversation about crisis management, workplace culture, and the evolving role of HR leadership in growing organizations. Jessica shares how her firm specializes in stepping into companies during moments of operational or organizational crisis — from compliance failures and employee relations investigations to leadership breakdowns and sudden separation from professional employer organizations (PEOs). Drawing on more than 25 years of HR experience, she explains how strategic HR leadership goes far beyond policy management and becomes a critical driver of business resilience, employee trust, and long-term organizational success.Throughout the discussion, Jessica offers practical insights into the warning signs companies often ignore before a crisis escalates, the importance of psychological safety in leadership, and why culture is ultimately shaped by the behaviors organizations reward and tolerate. She also reflects on how her early experience in corporate immigration helped shape her people-first approach to HR, compliance, and workforce strategy. The episode explores the growing importance of fractional executives and consultants for startups and scaling businesses, emphasizing that founders do not need to navigate complex HR, finance, and compliance challenges alone. Packed with actionable advice for executives, founders, and business leaders, this conversation highlights how thoughtful HR infrastructure and strong leadership practices can help companies build healthier, more sustainable workplaces from the ground up.