The HR Connection Podcast with Sabrina Baker

Eight years in the making. In this episode, Sabrina and Marie pull back the curtain on the HR Department of One Cohort which is a 10-week live program built specifically for HR professionals running solo inside small and growing companies.
They talk through why they built it, what the survey data told them, and what makes this different from every webinar or self-paced course you've already forgotten to finish. You'll hear the full curriculum breakdown, why they're capping it at 15 to 20 people, and what they actually want participants to walk away feeling.
If you're managing HR alone at a company with 10 to 500 employees, this episode is for you.
Enrollment is open now. Early bird pricing ($247 with code EARLYBIRD) expires March 21st. Standard pricing is $297 and enrollment closes April 4th. Cohort kicks off April 17th at 11 AM Pacific. Registration link is www.acaciahrsolutions.com/cohort

Documentation is one of the most overlooked habits in small business HR, but it’s also one of the most important. In this episode, Sabrina and Marie break down what HR documentation actually means, why it protects both employees and employers, and the four situations that must always be documented. They also share practical tips for building a documentation habit without creating unnecessary bureaucracy. Templates and resources mentioned in this episode are available on our website.

If you’ve ever stepped into an HR role and felt like everything was a mess, you’re not alone. In this episode, Marie and Sabrina share how to recognize when HR is truly “broken” and what to do next.
They walk through the exact framework they use with overwhelmed clients to move from chaos to stability: Stabilize → Streamline → Build. You’ll learn why you can’t fix everything at once, where to begin, and how small, focused actions can create real progress.
If you’re stuck in reactive mode, this episode will help you take the first step toward rebuilding HR in a way that actually lasts.Visit www.acaciahrsolutions.com to access the tools and downloads mentioned in this episode to help you get started.

Why does HR always end up being the “bad guy”?
In this episode of The HR Connection, Sabrina and Marie dig into a reality almost every HR professional in a small organization knows too well: being asked to deliver bad news you didn’t decide, enforce unpopular policies you didn’t create, and step into tough conversations leaders avoid.
From benefit changes and return-to-office mandates to performance conversations and terminations, HR often becomes the default messenger—and the one who takes the blame. Sabrina and Marie break down why this dynamic is especially common in 1–500 employee organizations, how immature leadership and close working relationships make it worse, and the real cost this takes on HR’s credibility, trust, and burnout.
Most importantly, they share practical ways to shift out of the “enforcer” role and reposition yourself as a strategic partner and trusted advisor—through better boundaries, clearer communication, and coaching leaders to handle their own hard conversations.
If you’re an HR department of one (or feel like one), this episode will feel very familiar—and hopefully a little relieving. You’re not alone, and you don’t have to stay stuck as the messenger everyone wants to blame.

Do You Actually Need a SHRM Certification to Run HR Well?
If you’ve ever felt pressure to get a SHRM certification just to prove you belong in HR, this episode is for you.
Marie and Sabrina get honest about why certifications like SHRM-CP are treated as a requirement and why that logic often breaks down in small employer HR and HR departments of one.
Marie shares her own experience earning the SHRM-CP and realizing that, in years of hands-on small business HR work, it rarely made a real difference. Together, they unpack what certifications miss, what actually makes someone effective in HR, and when (if ever) getting certified makes sense.
Bottom line: You don’t need a SHRM certification to run HR well.You need experience, adaptability, curiosity, and community.
If you’ve ever questioned whether you’re “HR enough,” this conversation is for you.

This episode is about the invisible work of leadership: the days you’re tired, unmotivated, and still decide to show up anyway. Marie reflects on a year of growth and the ripple effect that comes from staying with what matters.

If you removed every HR process, system, and tool… what’s the one lesson that would still hold everything together?
This episode breaks that down through one story, one truth, and one question to carry into any year:
People don’t burn out because they’re doing too much; they burn out because they’re doing too much that doesn’t make sense.
In small businesses where priorities shift fast, and everyone is juggling multiple roles, clarity becomes the quiet force that shapes performance, engagement, and growth. Today’s episode explains why and gives you a simple way to test whether your people actually know what matters most.
 

Every small business says they want an HR strategy, but most don’t realize their “strategy” is really just a list of HR tasks. In this episode, Sabrina walks through five diagnostic questions that reveal what’s actually standing between your business goals and your people, your real people dependency.
You’ll learn how to identify where your growth is stalling because of capacity, capability, retention, management consistency, or alignment, and how to turn that insight into an actionable HR plan.
Whether you’re a founder, HR department of one, or growing leader trying to connect HR to business results, this episode will help you stop guessing and start building strategy that moves the bottom line.