In this episode of The Talent Track Podcast, Oliver Feakins is joined by Andrew Mathis, Founder & CEO of Elite Sales Training, for a deep, no-fluff conversation on the future of sales, recruiting, and automation.

We break down:

• Why AI-first “no human recruiter” agencies may be missing the point
• The difference between speed tools vs trust-building tools
• Why emotional intelligence still wins deals (for now)
• How top recruiters actually control the sales process
• The real reason most deals die in text-based selling
• Why great recruiters don’t just “sell jobs” — they guide decisions

Andrew brings a frontline sales perspective from years in high-pressure environments, while Oliver challenges how recruiting, healthcare staffing, and automation are colliding in real time.

The healthcare staffing industry didn’t crash post-COVID—it normalized. But for a lot of agencies and recruiters, it feels worse than ever. Why?

In this episode of The Talent Track Podcast, Oliver Feakins sits down with industry veteran Peter Leibowitz (37 years deep) to unpack what’s really happening beneath the surface—and why this cycle is unlike anything we’ve seen before.

They break down:

• The “fat and happy” COVID era—and the brutal reality check that followed
• Why recruiters who thrived during the boom are struggling in today’s market
• The shift from order takers back to true relationship builders
• How AI, automation, and outsourcing are helping—and hurting—agencies
• The growing divide between transactional vs. relational recruiting models
• Why speed alone isn’t enough anymore—and how “strategic patience” wins deals
• The uncomfortable truth: most agencies are still measuring the wrong things

This episode is a masterclass in what it actually takes to succeed right now—when volume is down, competition is up, and the margin for error is gone.

If you're a healthcare staffing leader, recruiter, or founder trying to figure out why your playbook stopped working… this one hits hard.

In this episode of The Talent Track Podcast, Oliver Feakins sits down with Aaron Grossman, CEO of Praos Health, to break down what it really takes to modernize healthcare staffing in a post-COVID, hyper-competitive market.

Aaron shares how Praos is rethinking the entire hiring lifecycle—from sourcing to submission to compliance—through a clinician-centric model built around its “digital briefcase.” Instead of outdated, static databases, Praos is building a living, breathing talent ecosystem where clinician data is always up-to-date, jobs are matched proactively, and speed-to-submit becomes a true competitive advantage.

The conversation dives deep into:

• Why the traditional ATS database is broken—and what “Database 2.0” looks like
• How private marketplaces outperform public job boards in speed and efficiency
• The hidden cost of compliance and how automation can save agencies millions
• The real role of AI in staffing today (and where it’s overhyped)
• Why smaller, tech-enabled agencies may have the upper hand over industry giants
• The future of recruiters as high-value talent advisors, not task managers

Aaron also shares his journey from building and scaling staffing companies to exiting to Bullhorn—and how that vision ultimately led him to Praos and the healthcare space.

If you’re a healthcare staffing leader trying to do more with less, reduce friction, and compete in a VMS-dominated world, this episode is packed with practical insights and forward-looking strategy.

This isn’t theory—this is what the next generation of staffing looks like.

In this episode of The Talent Track Podcast, Oliver Feakins sits down with one of the true architects of modern healthcare staffing—Shane Jackson, President of Jackson Healthcare.

This isn’t just a conversation about staffing—it’s a masterclass in evolution, leadership, and building something that actually lasts.

Shane takes us back to the roots of the industry, starting with his father’s groundbreaking work in physician placement in the 1970s, and walks through the founding of Jackson Healthcare at the dawn of the internet era. From there, we dive into the real story behind building a 25+ year powerhouse—what worked, what didn’t, and what most people still get wrong.

And in a deeper turn, we explore the thinking behind his latest book on purpose, fulfillment, and leadership—why today’s workforce is craving more than just jobs, and how leaders can meet that moment.

If you’re running, scaling, or rebuilding a healthcare staffing firm in today’s post-COVID market, this episode is required listening.

No fluff. No theory. Just hard-earned insight from someone who’s seen every cycle—and is still building through it.

What if your back office never slept… and never made a mistake? In this episode of The Talent Track Podcast, Oliver Feakins sits down with Dries De Coster, co-founder of Meet Dwight, to break down one of the most practical—and disruptive—applications of AI in staffing today: the digital workforce.

Forget the hype around top-of-funnel AI. This conversation dives into where the real operational leverage is happening—compliance, credentialing, onboarding, VMS submissions, timecards, and invoicing. The stuff that slows agencies down, kills margins, and quietly caps growth.

Dries shares how “Dwight,” a 24/7 digital worker, is helping staffing agencies automate their middle and back office with deterministic precision—eliminating bottlenecks, reducing costs, and unlocking true scalability without adding headcount.

What happens when the easy wins disappear? In this episode, Rich Manuel of RTI Management Group brings a true operator’s perspective—built from 20+ years as an RN, agency founder, and advisor—on what it really takes to win in today’s healthcare staffing market.

From rebuilding pipelines and reviving database gold to balancing automation with real human connection, Rich breaks down why agencies must return to the fundamentals: relationships, follow-up, and relentless execution. This is a no-BS conversation on why reactive recruiting is failing, how to actually build a sustainable talent engine, and where agencies are missing massive opportunities right now.

If your team is stuck chasing leads instead of building a business, this one hits home.

Offshore recruiting isn’t about cheap labor—it’s about smarter growth. In this episode, Brett Williams of TalentRump breaks down the biggest misconceptions agencies have about outsourcing, why management (not cost) is the real differentiator, and how top firms are using offshore teams to increase speed, capacity, and ROI.

From hitting 3–6x returns in under six months to building a true sourcing engine that frees recruiters to focus on relationships, this conversation is a tactical look at how to scale without breaking your team—or your margins.

This was an awesome interview with Candace from Curately.ai . The conversation delves into the critical role of the first conversation in candidate conversion and the impact of AI on speeding engagement, handling candidate engagement during non-recruiter hours and the division of responsibilities between AI and recruiters.