Talent Wars: A Podcast By DCI – Details, episodes & analysis

Talent Wars continues season two by exploring an often-overlooked talent pipeline: America's 200,000 annual military-to-civilian transitions. Host Patience Fairbrother sits down with Jason C. Anderson, Founder and CEO of PreVeteran, to discuss why traditional veteran hiring approaches fall short and how communities can better support this valuable talent pool.

Jason brings a unique perspective as both a 24-year Air Force veteran who experienced the transition challenges firsthand and an entrepreneur solving the problem systematically.

Join Patience and Jason as they dive into the hidden challenges veterans face when entering civilian careers, from the generalist-to-specialist mindset shift to navigating consensus-driven business processes, and how companies and communities can better support them. This episode reveals why veterans need specialized transition training and how smart communities and employers can create competitive advantages by properly supporting this talent pipeline.

Listen to the full episode to learn how your community can become truly veteran-friendly and turn military transitions into long-term economic wins.

Talent Wars: A Podcast by DCI is back for season two with a story about what happens when a city stops chasing outside talent and starts investing in the people already there. Host Patience Fairbrother sits down with Morgan Almeida, director of talent development at the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, to talk about how Baton Rouge is taking a new approach on talent retention. As a Baton Rouge native and former InternBR participant who once considered leaving, Morgan brings personal insights and a unique perspective to this discission.

Join Patience and Morgan as they dive into why the Better in BTR campaign is focused on honesty, collaboration and real stories. From shifting the narrative around staying local, to inviting businesses and organizations to make the brand their own, to investing in quality-of-life initiatives that matter to young professionals—this episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at a community-wide effort to turn local pride into long-term commitment.

Listen to the full episode to learn how Baton Rouge is reshaping its talent strategy, as well as what your community can borrow from Better in BTR's bold, homegrown approach.

On this episode of Talent Wars, we dive into a bold strategy that's turning the narrative on Buffalo, New York's infamous weather "from a punchline into a lifeline." Host Patience Fairbrother sits down with Invest Buffalo Niagara's Communications Manager Greg Pokriki to learn how they embraced Buffalo's unique climate as a strength rather than a weakness by positioning themselves as a climate refuge city and building off the success of their "Be in Buffalo" talent attraction campaign. Tune in to discover the tactics behind this innovative strategy and how the campaign is successfully reshaping perceptions of Buffalo as a city.  

On this episode of Talent Wars, host Patience Fairbrother interviews San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation's Director of Communications and Community Engagement Bree Burris to discuss the "San Diego: Life. Changing." campaign. Bree shares insights on the EDC's two-pronged approach that encompasses talent attraction and retention and how a focus on authenticity and owning San Diego's narrative has played a major role in the success of the EDC's talent initiatives. Tune in for inspiration from San Diego and insights on how to know when it's time for a rebrand, understanding the importance of owning your community's challenges and best practices when it comes to equipping your employers with the tools and messaging they need to attract and retain talent. 

On this episode of Talent Wars, host Patience Fairbrother is joined by Action Greensboro Executive Director Cecelia Thompson to share why Greensboro, NC is doubling down on family-friendly workplaces as a talent attraction initiative. Building off the momentum of its successful Boomerang Greensboro campaign, Action Greensboro's latest initiative is  Future Ready Greensboro, which aims to increase the city's share of family-friendly workplaces to improve quality of life and talent attraction and retention. During this episode, Patience and Cecelia go in-depth on this effort, touch on the successes of the Boomerang Greensboro campaign, and share insights on how to pilot a new talent initiative, plus the importance of using data to develop a successful talent strategy.   

On this episode of Talent Wars, host Patience Fairbrother is joined by the Upstate SC Alliance's Talent & Strategic Projects Manager, Tiffany Tate, to discuss why talent programs should engage with college and university career offices - and specifically why they should treat them like VIPs. The Upstate SC Alliance, the organization behind the MoveUpstateSC talent campaign, spearheaded an initiative that is likely a first of its kind - a familiarization tour for college and university career office professionals. In many ways, career offices are like the site selectors of the talent world. These professionals impact the post-grad career decisions or hundreds or sometimes thousands of students. During this episode, Patience and Tiffany will discuss why rolling out the red carpet for career office professionals should be a no-brainer, the process to build and implement this program, and lessons learned. 

On this episode of Talent Wars, host Patience Fairbrother is joined by Amanda Ellis, Editor in Chief at Livability, a media company dedicated to providing information about the best places to live, work and visit in the United States. Livability has been publishing its "Top 100 Best Places to Live in the U.S." list annually since 2014. This list is widely recognized and has become a trusted resource for individuals and families considering relocation. Join Amanda and Patience as they delve into the methodology behind the rankings, standout cities and the crucial roles of affordability and community in fostering livability. 

On this episode of Talent Wars, host Patience Fairbrother sits down with Dominique Clarke, Director for Member and Alumni Experience at Tulsa Remote, the nation's leading remote worker incentive program. Tulsa Remote offers a $10,000 grant to remote workers to relocate to Tulsa, OK. The program has welcomed over 3,000 members and has a 90% retention rate. Patience and Dominique discuss the success of the program, long-term impacts on Tulsa's economy and what other communities considering implementing an incentive program can learn from Tulsa. 

On this episode of Talent Wars, host Patience Fairbrother is joined by DCI's SVP of Research Robyn Domber to discuss the research study that is this podcast's namesake: Talent Wars. DCI recently unveiled the 8th edition of the Talent Wars report, a research study that ultimately seeks to understand what the path to purchase looks like for relocation and how communities can influence relocation decisions. Patience and Robyn discuss what really motivates relocations, changes in the data over the last eight years and what's new in this year's report.

On this episode of Talent Wars, host Patience Fairbrother sits down with Rebecca Gehman, a noted thought leader and consultant specializing in working with nonprofits focused on talent and economic mobility. They explore how communities can leverage the 70 million+ US workers who are skilled through alternative routes rather than a bachelor's degree.