#1- Burnout, Reinvention, and Building The People Co from Within
Summary In this debut episode of Within, hosts Nicky Wallace and Ali Payne unpack the deeply personal journeys that led them to create The People Co, a consultancy born from burnout, bold pivots, and a shared belief that real transformation starts from the inside out.
Nicky shares how motherhood, corporate disillusionment, and health challenges led her to quit her high-performing sales job with no backup plan. What started as a break turned into a booming recruitment business, which she later sold after realizing she wanted more meaningful impact. Ali, meanwhile, details her own professional unraveling in the corporate wellness space, questioning surface-level fixes and pushing organizations to truly invest in their people. After losing her job for challenging the status quo, she teamed up with Nicky to build something different.
Together, they walk through how The People Co was born, what it means to build people-first strategies, and why so many HR professionals are stretched too thin to solve real organizational problems. This is more than a consulting story, it's a conversation about career rebirth, rethinking workplace wellness, and helping companies do better by their people.
About Within Within is a podcast hosted by Nicky Wallace and Ali Payne, founders of The People Co. It explores what happens when organizations stop chasing surface-level solutions and start doing the real work from within. Each episode unpacks stories of leadership, burnout, growth, culture, and the messiness of being human at work. Whether youā€™re in HR, leading a team, or just rethinking how work fits into your life, Within offers a candid and refreshing look at how people-first business gets built.
Connect with them on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/nwallace515/ or www.linkedin.com/in/alipayne/
