Britteny Dunson-Soto for the Culture

Britteny for the Culture

Better hiring starts with treating people like people.

I help organizations build transparent hiring processes, empower hiring managers, and create cultures where respect shows up in the way work gets done.

Director of Talent at Moxie | Speaker | People & Talent Leader

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About Britteny

Britteny Dunson-Soto is the Director of Talent at Moxie and a People and Talent leader whose experience spans technology, cannabis, consumer goods, and museums. She has built recruiting functions, supported growing organizations, and partnered with leaders to connect business priorities with thoughtful, inclusive people practices.

Her work centers on a straightforward belief: people deserve the information, trust, and respect they need to make informed decisions. She brings that philosophy to candidate experience, hiring manager development, and workplace culture, helping organizations turn good intentions into practical processes.

Recognized among Untapped’s Top 100 DEIB Leaders in 2022, Britteny brings a practical, humorous approach, deeply rooted in human-centered practices, to conversations about hiring, leadership, and careers. Audiences leave having laughed a little and with tools they can put to work right away. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Communication from Millikin University and serves as President of its Alumni Association Board.

Britteny’s writing and insights have appeared in HR Daily Advisor, Inc., Built In, ForceBrands, and Untapped, covering hiring, inclusion, and workplace practices.

  • Speaking stylePractical, humorous, and human-centered
  • IndustriesTechnology, cannabis, consumer goods, museums
  • RecognitionUntapped Top 100 DEIB Leaders, 2022
  • ServicePresident, Millikin University Alumni Association Board

Signature sessions

What if we just treated candidates like adults?

The superpower of transparent hiring

We ask candidates to bring their authentic selves to interviews. Then we withhold the salary, leave the evaluation criteria vague, and tell them we’ll “be in touch.”

What if we approached hiring as a conversation between adults who both have a decision to make?

Read the full session description

Transparency starts well before an offer. It means being clear about what the job actually requires, what each interview evaluates, where the challenges are, and when a candidate can expect a decision. It also requires hiring managers who are prepared to own those conversations.

In this practical, interactive session, we’ll explore how HR can empower hiring managers to become stronger interviewers and decision-makers while creating a process that respects candidates’ time, judgment, and ability to choose. We’ll tackle common friction points: shifting expectations, surprise assignments, vague feedback, and the endless search for “one more candidate.”

Attendees will learn how to establish shared commitments at kickoff, prepare candidates without compromising the assessment, and communicate honestly when timelines or priorities change.

Interactive exercise

A candidate has completed the agreed interview process, but the hiring manager wants another round because they are “not quite sure.” Participants identify missing evidence, decide whether another interview is justified, and draft a candid candidate update.

Because candidates can handle a difficult answer. We should be prepared to give them a clear one.

What attendees will learn

  • Identify gaps in a hiring process that prevent candidates from making informed decisions.
  • Establish a hiring manager agreement defining evaluation criteria, interview responsibilities, feedback deadlines, and ownership of candidate updates.
  • Apply a practical communication framework to explain role challenges, process changes, and hiring decisions with clarity and respect.

Session takeaways

  • A hiring manager kickoff agreement
  • A candidate transparency checklist
  • Conversation prompts for delays, role challenges, additional assessments, and next steps

Who it’s for

HR practitioners, talent acquisition professionals, HR business partners, and people leaders.

What if we just treated employees like adults?

Building trust into the policies, processes, and conversations that shape work

We hire people for their judgment. Then we make them ask permission to leave early for a dentist appointment, keep them guessing about how performance is measured, and announce changes after the decisions are already made.

What if the way we managed people matched the trust we say we have in them?

Read the full session description

Treating employees like adults doesn’t mean having no expectations. It means being clear about them. People can handle direct feedback, honest context about business decisions, and real accountability. What wears down trust is ambiguity: policies written for the one person who might misuse them, performance conversations that happen once a year, and open door cultures where the door only opens one way.

In this practical, interactive session, we’ll look at where well-intended people practices quietly signal distrust and how HR can partner with managers to replace control with clarity. We’ll dig into time off, performance expectations, feedback, and change communication, and what it takes for managers to own those conversations with confidence.

Interactive exercise

Participants review a restrictive policy excerpt and a manager’s announcement of a change, identify where trust breaks down, and rewrite both with clear expectations and honest context.

Because employees can handle the truth. They deserve leaders who are prepared to share it.

What attendees will learn

  • Identify policies and practices that signal distrust or create unnecessary ambiguity for employees.
  • Rewrite a people policy so it sets clear expectations and trusts employee judgment.
  • Equip managers to give direct feedback and explain business decisions with context and respect.

Session takeaways

  • A policy trust audit
  • A manager guide for expectation-setting conversations
  • Conversation prompts for feedback, change announcements, and hard news

Who it’s for

HR practitioners, HR business partners, people managers, and leadership teams.

More topics I speak on

For HR and people leaders

  • Hiring manager empowerment and shared accountability
  • Candidate experience and transparent recruiting
  • Inclusive hiring and practical DEIB
  • Building People and Talent functions in growing organizations
  • Workplace culture, trust, and leadership

For candidates and job seekers

  • Career transitions and pivoting with purpose
  • Positioning your experience for your next role
  • Advocating for yourself in interviews
  • Personal branding and a smarter job search
  • Understanding a job offer before you say yes

Each of these can be shaped into a keynote, workshop, panel conversation, or podcast episode, whether the room is full of HR leaders or people figuring out their next move.

Articles and appearances

Written by Britteny

Articles I authored.

Podcasts

Webinars

Panels

Planning a conference, career event, podcast, or leadership session?

I bring practical, human-centered conversations about hiring, leadership, culture, and careers, with a healthy dose of humor, to audiences who want to do better by the people they hire, lead, and work alongside. Tell me about your event, your audience, and what you want them to walk away with.

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Email: brittenyfortheculture@gmail.com