With a lifelong background in operational improvement and talent development, Kat offers a unique perspective on the hiring challenges today’s employers face. From their early days improving training and processes on the railyard to leading a manufacturing company and consulting firm, Kat has seen firsthand the impact of effective hiring and leadership strategies across industries.
Kat will introduce the Smart Hire calculators, developed to solve critical gaps in understanding hiring costs, break-even timelines, and optimal pay structures. Attendees will gain insights into making data-driven hiring decisions that support sustainable growth. But success requires more than metrics—Kat will also cover the essential soft skills and EQ practices needed to foster a premium employer brand. Learn how to lead with empathy, empower teams, and cultivate an environment where talent thrives. This talk is a must for managers and leaders building high-performing teams in a competitive landscape.
Learning Objective 1: Participants will learn to use calculators to accurately assess hiring costs, break-even timelines, and set competitive pay rates relative to their organization, something rarely done. Optimize hiring that align with THIER goals and talent needs.
Learning Objective 2: Attendees will uncover ways to quantify aspects of workplace culture that most directly impact talent and retention. Identify key areas of culture that can be influenced most effectively, allowing them to address issues that are typically elusive.
Learning Objective 3: Participants will understand the elements that contribute to a premium employer reputation. They’ll leave with actionable strategies to strengthen their employer brand, enhance their ability to attract, retain, and develop talent in today's market.
|
Kat Frey-Johnson
Founder/ CEO
Oxygen Coaching
Connect Online with this Speaker
|
Kat Frey-Johnson is the owner and founder of Oxygen Coaching Group and The Thalassa Group, speaker, author, and coach.
What started as Oxygen Equestrian, her brainchild of helping business professionals learn more about their body language and relationship styles through hands-on work with horses has turned into an elite training and coaching company where her experience in the intermodal transportation industry (BNSF & UP Railroads), industrial manufacturing industry, and wireless communication industry (Verizon Wireless) allows owners, managers, and business professions to learn more about how their actions affect every part of their results and how they contribute to their lives.
OCG has built programs such as the Tie Game Theory, Conflict to Growth, and the online calculator to determine the optimal rate of pay, SmartHire/ B.L.I.S.S. ©™
Brought up in a family-owned business, the best lesson Kat learned was to stretch and risk which led to her being co-owner of multiple companies before developing OCG. This diverse background helps business owners and their teams see outside the box when looking to take their business and personal relationships to the next level. She is a Lean 6 Sigma Green Belt. She has post-secondary education in engineering, human resources, manufacturing engineering, and project management along with CAD/CAM.
Kat is the ChairWoman of Ohio Western Reserve Ladies, a non-profit that ensures No Veteran is Buried Alone within the National Cemetery system, and also advocates for the American Lung Association. She is a frequent volunteer with the young people in her community through programs like Sources of Strength, Girls on the Run, and the Just Keep Living Foundation.
Her passions include her two adult children, reining horses, rescuing Great Danes, gardening, and long-distance running.
Kat’s daily goal is to take on life’s experiences, good and bad, and all that they teach you.