Fractional CPO Kate Kruizenga joins me to swap 9:9:6 math for a more human ledger, one a mentor summed up as “dollars and days.” We trace her arc from Kaiser and Dropbox to startup whiplash, a deliberate pause, and the “recklessly generous” strategy that reoriented her business (and doubled her income) without sacrificing faith, family, or integrity. We get practical about her approach to fractional People Ops (why early-stage teams need strategy, not just HR triage), motherhood as a leadership lab, and the Hebrew idea of avodah – work as worship – that helps Kate design days she actually wants to live and help companies build teams that bless people instead of burning them out. Timestamps 00:00 Intro 04:42 Kates’s career in 60 seconds: “chasing challenge and impact” → people-first operator. 06:00 Kaiser leap: designing people strategy for 14k 06:57 Dropbox era: learning the business, then a BD tour to understand revenue engines. 07:46 Startups & the first layoff: loving the mission… and putting her own name on the list. 10:02 Hard-won lessons from misaligned roles: believe the org chart (and the soft signals). 15:35 The retreat + the reset: “All we have is dollars and days.” 18:28 The fractional “aha”: early-stage founders need strategic People Ops, not just HR. 19:27 Avodah : work as worship; designing days that make room for faith and family. 22:09 The pause in practice: unlearning the compulsion to “check Slack” before saying yes. 23:33 First fractional turnaround: testing the thesis in part-time hours. 25:00 “Let’s try fractional on for size” + why a willing partner matters. 36:07 Redemptive vs. exploitative frames: building cultures people choose to give to. 43:48 Belief fuels effort: why people once slept on factory floors (and what leaders miss). 45:21 The Recklessly Generous playbook (theology → philosophy → tactics). 52:28 Find your sweet spot: joy × purpose × what others say you’re great at. 54:01 Seasons & grace: wholeness over perfection as the operating system. 54:47 Sign-off + where to find Kate (Phero Collective). Follow Practically on PurposeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/practically_on_purposeFollow Kate KruizengaInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/katekruizengaLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katekruizengaLearn more about Phero Collective: https://www.withphero.co/ About Kate: Kate Kruizenga is a Fractional Chief People Officer passionate about solving thorny problems, exploring the outdoors, and building community. She lives in Oakland, California with her husband and son. Before launching her fractional practice, Kate worked in operating roles at Parallel Domain, Dropbox, Kaiser Permanente, and Teach For America. Kate now leads Phero Collective, a group of fractional people and operations professionals who partner with founding teams to cultivate thriving People and Operations practices that unleash businesses. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alliecanton.substack.com
