Testimonials & Media

Keri Tietjen Smith is a Human Systems Architect, Applied Psychology Practitioner, and Talent Strategy expert whose work has been featured in leading media outlets and professional publications. She writes about identity, reinvention, workforce transformation, and the future of hiring in the AI era.

Testimonials

 

“Keri is a rock star. Versatile yet specialized in manager and candidate experience. Hi TA IQ with operational chops and appreciation. Team player yet self-guided with excellent remote/independent results. She should be on anybody's shortlist if looking to start or add to a high-performance TA team.”

~Kurt Rochlitz

Global Senior Director of Talent Acquisition, NetSuite

“Keri is an absolute pleasure to work with, is a great communicator and always has her client’s best interests at heart. She is always available and ready to assist. Her enthusiasm and professionalism are outstanding. I highly recommend Keri as someone to work with.”

~Rachael Henne Coppola,

Executive Coach, HR Tech Guru

“Keri started our NetSuite recruiting Operations team and she supported our team during an explosive time of hiring. I recall Keri's passion to accelerate our team. Keri put our team in a place where we could experience success. Keri is passionate, hungry, trustworthy and holds herself accountable.”

~Greg Freed

Talent Acquisition, Zoom Communications

PUBLICATIONS

PUBLICATIONS

For collaborations, sponsors or general inquiries:

Brainfood Live with Hung Lee
Talent Strategy — beyond hiring plans and tools

January 2026

In this episode, Keri Tietjen Smith, Founder and Principal of The Wildfire Group, joins Hung Lee to break down what talent strategy actually is—and why most companies confuse it with execution.

They unpack the difference between hiring plans and real strategy, where recruiting genuinely creates value, and how AI is reshaping the science of talent acquisition while leaving the art—persuasion, trust, judgment, and timing—squarely in human hands.

This conversation is a practical reset for TA leaders, founders, and operators navigating uncertainty, automation, and shifting labor markets—focused less on tactics, and more on how organizations decide who matters, when, and why.

If hiring feels busy but disconnected from outcomes, this episode explains what’s missing.

PODCASTS

PRESS RELEASES

Keri Tietjen Smith Announces AI-Ready Hiring System to Help Companies Scale and Reduce Risk

  • December, 2025

  • Keri Tietjen Smith, Founder of The Wildfire Group, unveils a new approach to talent acquisition designed to help organizations navigate AI integration, operational maturity, and workforce transformation in high-stakes environments.

  • Syndication on NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX Affiliates

Navigating the Future of Hiring: Keri Tietjen Smith’s Game-Changing AI-Ready System for Scaling Talent Acquisition

  • December, 2025

  • Keri Tietjen Smith, Founder of The Wildfire Group, introduces the AI-Ready Hiring System to help organizations navigate AI integration, scale talent acquisition, and reduce risks. Her audit evaluates compliance, operational breakdowns, and AI vulnerabilities, ensuring ethical, efficient, and human-centered hiring practices for future growth.

  • Syndication on NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX Affiliates

The Leader Report

Publication: Reinvention Isn’t Disruption, It’s Evolution: Keri Tietjen Smith on the Psychology of Becoming
USA News Staff — December 2025

Description: A feature exploring Keri Tietjen Smith’s work on the psychology of becoming and why reinvention is better understood as identity evolution rather than disruption.

FEATURED MEDIA

USA News

Publication: The Art of Breaking Open: Keri Tietjen Smith and the Psychology of Becoming
USA News Staff — December 2025

Description: Keri Tietjen Smith’s approach to reinvention challenges old narratives, offering clarity and guidance to those navigating identity evolution in a world that no longer follows predictable paths.

Influential Women Guest Blog

Publication: Influential Women
Description: A guest post on Influential Women Blog, Women Aren’t Lacking Confidence: The Real Barrier to Women's Leadership Isn't Confidence—It's Workplace Systems That Punish It
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Influential Women Feature — Keri Tietjen Smith

Publication: Influential Women
Description: Keri Tietjen Smith, Founder and Co-Principal of The Wildfire Group, was featured on InfluentialWomen.com for her global perspective on work, identity, and human systems. The profile highlights her decades of experience modernizing talent strategy, navigating liminality, and helping organizations and individuals adapt to evolving work dynamics. It also showcases her global travels across 40+ countries and her work integrating psychology, AI decision-making, and culture into hiring systems. Influential Women
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FEATURED ESSAYS

Click On Any Box to Read Publications Below:

The job market didn’t collapse — the hiring system did. A deep look at what’s really changed in recruitment, opportunity, and workforce dynamics.
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Gen Z in the workforce — embracing new values, changing expectations, and reshaping what work means for the next generation
Rebuilding clarity, confidence & employability for the AI era — actionable insights to future-proof your career in a changing hiring landscape
The psychological pain of long-term unemployment — exploring how joblessness impacts identity, self-worth, and mental health
A raw look at mental health, burnout, and resilience — staying sane, grounded, and human under pressure
How to stop over-functioning in relationships — setting boundaries, getting real about emotional labor, and reclaiming balance and agency
Exploring how to maintain mental health and resilience under pressure — honest reflections about burnout, self-care, and survival
Why modern talent acquisition is shifting — prioritizing experience over age to redefine hiring, workforce value, and opportunity.
How work is changing in the collapse era — why AI, economic instability and identity disruption are reshaping how we feel about jobs, stability, and self-worth
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The quiet brutality of modern hiring — a frank look at gatekeeping, rejection culture, and what’s really broken in the job market
Long-term unemployment isn’t a skills gap — it’s a system design failure. Analyzing why people stay jobless and what needs to change
The 40-Year-Old Digital Nomad: Redefining Work, Mobility, and Meaning
Keri Tietjen Smith transforms corporate culture through empowerment, purpose-driven leadership, and collective growth