The Modern People Leader
The Modern People Leader is a bootstrapped Austin-based media and education platform that produces a weekly HR leadership podcast, newsletters, live events, and workshops, monetized through B2B sponsorship from HR tech vendors targeting senior HR practitioners at mid-size and large companies.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersAustin, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Modern People Leader does
The Modern People Leader is a privately held, bootstrapped media and education platform founded in 2020 in Austin, Texas, and operated by Modern People Leader LLC. The company produces The MLP Podcast, a weekly interview series featuring CHROs, Chief People Officers, and HR executives from companies such as HubSpot, Dropbox, Atlassian, Zapier, Zillow, Sprout Social, Ancestry, and Tyson Foods; it has published more than 233 episodes with over 236K cumulative downloads and a community of approximately 15K podcast subscribers, 13.8K newsletter subscribers, and 23K LinkedIn followers. The audience is concentrated in senior HR practitioners — 85% director level or above and 77% at companies with 500+ employees — with a primarily US-based (75%) and female (70%) readership.
The product portfolio extends beyond audio into a weekly newsletter, the MPL Build newsletter (focused on running people teams like product teams), the MPL Academy (live workshops), the MPL Insights blog, and MPL Live, a quarterly in-person event series that has rotated through San Francisco, New York, Austin, Toronto, Boston, and London. There is no proprietary technology platform; the business runs entirely on third-party infrastructure including Spotify for Podcasters, Apple Podcasts, Kit for email distribution, and Luma for event ticketing. The co-hosts are Stephen Huerta (former HR practitioner at Goldman Sachs and co-founder of acquired Workify) and Daniel Huerta.
Revenue is generated entirely through B2B sponsorship: sponsored episodes, vendor episodes, quarterly and annual podcast sponsorships, newsletter advertising, and MPL Live event sponsorship add-ons. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market is community-led, with content and events functioning as both audience-building and sponsor-acquisition mechanisms; there is no self-serve or product-led consumer offering.
The Modern People Leader firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Modern People Leader
- Legal name
- Modern People Leader LLC
- Website
- https://modernpeopleleader.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Modern People Leader is a bootstrapped Austin-based media and education platform that produces a weekly HR leadership podcast, newsletters, live events, and workshops, monetized through B2B sponsorship from HR tech vendors targeting senior HR practitioners at mid-size and large companies.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Modern People Leader industry classification
Industry- Product category
- HR Media and Education
- NAICS
- Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210), Other Sound Recording Industries (51229)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Podcast Networks & Studio Platforms (MPAIADAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Audio Production & Podcasting (BPAFAIAE), Podcast Hosting, Distribution & Listening Platforms (BPAMAJAD)
Keywords
Where The Modern People Leader is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Austin
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Modern People Leader business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Podcast Sponsorship: Sponsored episodes and advertising within the podcast content targeting HR professionals. Sponsorship packages include single episode, vendor episodes, quarterly, and annual sponsorship tiers with varying levels of ad placement, collaboration, and strategic alignment.
- Newsletter Sponsorship: Sponsored content and advertising within the weekly newsletter distributed to 13.8K+ subscribers.
- Event Sponsorship (MPL Live): Live event sponsorship opportunities including logo placement, event access, contact lists, and participation in the event experience. Sold as an add-on to podcast sponsorship packages.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | One time/ perpetual license | Single Episode Sponsorship - Ideal for target campaigns or brands new to podcast advertising |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
The Modern People Leader product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Modern People Leader produces and distributes original HR-focused media content, anchored by The MLP Podcast featuring interviews with CHROs and Chief People Officers (233+ episodes, 236K+ downloads). It supplements the podcast with a weekly newsletter (13.8K+ subscribers), the MPL Academy educational platform with live workshops, the MPL Build newsletter on product-led HR practices, MPL Live in-person events in rotating cities, and an HR insights blog, monetized through corporate sponsorship packages sold to HR technology vendors.
Product overview
The Modern People Leader is a media and education platform for HR leaders consisting of a core podcast (The MLP Podcast) with 233+ episodes and 236K+ downloads, supplemented by the MPL Academy offering live workshops and talks, a Weekly Newsletter with 13.8K+ subscribers, the MPL Build Newsletter focused on product-management approaches to HR, quarterly MPL Live Events in rotating cities, an Insights Blog with HR leadership articles, and corporate sponsorship packages. The platform positions itself as a resource for HR professionals to learn from CHROs and Chief People Officers about the future of work.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- MPL Live: Quarterly live podcast recording events held in rotating cities worldwide
- MPL Academy
- MPL Build
Products and services
- The MLP Podcast A weekly podcast featuring interviews with CHROs, Chief People Officers, and work experts on modern HR leadership, future of work, and people management; 233+ episodes published with 236K+ total downloads, available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
- MPL Academy An educational platform for HR leaders offering live workshops, talks, and learning resources from HR leaders transforming their organizations.
- MPL Weekly Newsletter A weekly newsletter delivering key learnings, career advice, and insights from top HR leaders, with 13.8K+ subscribers.
- MPL Build Newsletter A weekly DIY resource newsletter focused on running people teams like a product team, providing guides, templates, and resources for HR professionals.
- MPL Live Events Quarterly in-person live podcast recordings held in rotating cities (San Francisco, London, Austin, Toronto, NYC, Boston), featuring panel discussions and networking for HR leaders.
- Sponsorship Packages
Quantifiable outcome
- 236K+ total podcast downloads demonstrating content reach
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use The Modern People Leader
Customer profileNamed customers20 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Modern People Leader technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Modern People Leader partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- KunikminorHR tech company that has sponsored The Modern People Leader podcast and events.
- CandoriqminorHR tech company that has sponsored The Modern People Leader podcast and events.
- TransformminorHR tech company that has sponsored The Modern People Leader podcast and events.
- MetaviewminorHR tech company that has sponsored The Modern People Leader podcast and events.
- Marco (Marco Experiences)minorHR tech company that has sponsored The Modern People Leader podcast and events.
- WorkleapminorHR tech company that has sponsored The Modern People Leader podcast and events.
- ChartHopminorHR tech company that has sponsored The Modern People Leader podcast and events.
- PynminorHR tech company that has sponsored The Modern People Leader podcast and events.
- LeapsomeminorHR tech company that has sponsored The Modern People Leader podcast and events.
- AtlassianminorTechnology company featured as podcast guest and sponsor of The Modern People Leader podcast and events.
- Spotify for PodcasterscorePrimary podcast hosting and distribution platform used for publishing and distributing The Modern People Leader podcast to listeners.
- Kit (email platform)coreEmail marketing platform used for newsletter distribution and subscriber management for The Modern People Leader weekly newsletter.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The Modern People Leader competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Chad & Cheese Podcast: HR tech-focused podcast covering recruiting, talent acquisition, and HR technology vendors. Comparable to MPL as an independently produced HR podcast monetized via sponsorships from HR tech vendors like Jobvite, Lever, and others, though with stronger focus on the HR tech buyer rather than practitioner CHRO audience.
- DriveThruHR: Long-running weekly HR podcast with a casual panel format covering workplace, HR tech, and people leadership. Most directly comparable to The Modern People Leader as a flagship HR practitioner podcast monetized via sponsorship and live events, though with a different format and broader HR generalist audience.
- HR Brew: Daily HR newsletter and podcast media brand from the Brew Media Group, covering HR news and people-leader insights for a similar director+ audience. Directly comparable in monetization (B2B sponsorship) and audience targeting (HR decision-makers), with primary channel in newsletter rather than long-form podcast.
Broad incumbents
- Worklife with Adam Grant: TED-produced podcast on work and organizational behavior covering leadership, productivity, and people topics with research-driven guests. Comparable in targeting the same HR and people-leader audience with long-form interview format, though with celebrity host and TED platform backing.
- Bersin (Deloitte): Industry research and media platform for HR leaders featuring research reports, live events, and content targeted at large-enterprise HR functions. Comparable in audience and sponsorship model, but operates as a research-led content brand under Deloitte rather than an independent practitioner-led podcast.
- Harvard Business Review (HBR) IdeaCast: Flagship business podcast featuring interviews with C-suite executives and thought leaders, often covering HR, leadership, and management topics. Comparable as a long-form interview podcast monetized via sponsorship targeting professional decision-makers, though with much broader topical scope and incumbent brand recognition.
- SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management): Largest HR professional membership organization with its own podcasts, content platforms, events, and HR tech media arm. Comparable in audience (HR leaders) and monetization mix (membership, sponsorship, events), though operating at much larger scale and with significantly broader scope.
- HR Executive Magazine / HR Executive Online: Established B2B media brand for senior HR leaders, spanning digital content, newsletters, and live events. Broadly comparable because it competes for the same HR-leader audience and sponsorship dollars, but it operates as a multi-author enterprise media brand rather than a personality-driven podcast network.
Emerging players
- Lenny's Podcast: Product management-focused podcast and newsletter by Lenny Rachitsky with interviews covering product, growth, and AI in product management. Comparable as an independently produced B2B-focused long-form podcast with multi-channel monetization (podcast, newsletter, events) targeting senior practitioners, though focused on product management rather than HR.
- Recruiting Future Podcast: Independent TA/HR tech podcast focused on talent acquisition and HR technology trends with sponsorships from HR tech vendors. Comparable as an independently produced HR-focused podcast monetized via HR tech sponsorships, with narrower TA focus versus MPL's broader CHRO audience.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Modern People Leader social profiles
Digital presenceThe Modern People Leader financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Modern People Leader leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
The Modern People Leader funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Modern People Leader M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Modern People Leader
What does The Modern People Leader do?
The Modern People Leader produces and distributes original HR-focused media content, anchored by The MLP Podcast featuring interviews with CHROs and Chief People Officers (233+ episodes, 236K+ downloads). It supplements the podcast with a weekly newsletter (13.8K+ subscribers), the MPL Academy educational platform with live workshops, the MPL Build newsletter on product-led HR practices, MPL Live in-person events in rotating cities, and an HR insights blog, monetized through corporate sponsorship packages sold to HR technology vendors.
Is The Modern People Leader a public or private company?
The Modern People Leader is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Modern People Leader founded?
The Modern People Leader was founded in 2020. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Modern People Leader based?
The Modern People Leader is headquartered in Austin, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Modern People Leader make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Podcast Sponsorship is the primary driver. The others are newsletter Sponsorship and event Sponsorship (MPL Live).
Who are The Modern People Leader's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Chad & Cheese Podcast, DriveThruHR and HR Brew. Broad incumbents are Worklife with Adam Grant, Bersin (Deloitte), Harvard Business Review (HBR) IdeaCast, SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) and HR Executive Magazine / HR Executive Online. Emerging players are Lenny's Podcast and Recruiting Future Podcast.
Does The Modern People Leader have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Modern People Leader.
What industry is The Modern People Leader in?
The Modern People Leader's product category is HR Media and Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIADAC, Podcast Networks & Studio Platforms, with a secondary code of BPAFAIAE, Audio Production & Podcasting. Its NAICS code is 516210 and its SIC code is 7311.