About — Tara Furiani
I help leaders get out of their own way.
Founder of SAIL for Leaders. Creator and host of Not the HR Lady. Twenty years in the rooms SAIL was built to replace.
The story behind SAIL
"The environment isn't something leadership development should have to overcome."
Twenty years inside the corporate world of work — designing, attending, and rebuilding leadership development. Same environment. Same smells. Asking leaders to think differently in conditions designed to make everyone think the same.
Is this really the optimal environment we've built for human growth? Black curtains. Blue lighting. A stage. Name tents. Hotel coffee. By day three, a room with its own smell. A room cold enough to keep presenters from sweating through their clothes.
I've spent fifteen years with the thing executives trust me with most — their growth. SAIL is what I built instead of that room: rigorous self-examination, real instruments, and enough space to finally think. Put the development on a ship. Get the leader out of the room.
Who I am
A few things, plainly stated.
Tap any one. No LinkedIn humble-brag, no inflated title slide — just the parts of me that are actually relevant to whether you should trust me with your growth.
Founder & CEO of Not the HR Lady — the multimedia company challenging outdated workplace norms — and the leadership-development practice behind SAIL.
Credentials & certifications
- Dale Carnegie
- FranklinCovey
- Myers-Briggs (MBTI)
- DiSC
- Predictive Index
- ICF-Certified Executive Coach
A trusted advisor, confidant, and coach to C-Suite leaders across the world.
Who I work with
CEOs to working couples. Large teams to a single person.
Fifteen years of building the strategies executives have trusted me with — their growth. Whoever you are in that list, the work is the same: help you get out of your own way.
CEOs
The person no one tells the truth to.
C-Suites
The team at the top, and the weight they carry together.
Leadership Teams
The handful of people who set the tone for everyone else.
Senior Leaders
Experienced leaders no longer impressed by conventional development.
New Leaders
Just got the title — and the weight that comes with it.
Entrepreneurs
Founders who are the company, and need it to stop depending only on them.
Working Couples
Two careers, one life — and a leadership conversation that runs through both.
Small Teams
The tight, high-stakes few.
Large Teams
The many — and the system that shapes them.
1:1
Private. Undivided. Only about you.
Verified press & appearances
Quoted, bylined, and profiled by the outlets you've heard of.
Every link below is a real, indexed article or profile — no fabricated logos, no guesswork. Click any one and read it for yourself.
29 verified appearances
The Wall Street Journal — via Mint
You're Good at Your Job, But Are You 'Fun' Enough?
Forced workplace fun, holiday parties, and life as a CPO.
View articleForbes
What The Activism Of Ben & Jerry's Can Teach Business Leaders
Authentic corporate activism — when commitment and consistency actually mean something.
View articleNew York Post
Women on LinkedIn Fed Up With Being Hit On by Men
Inappropriate messages on a professional network — and the boundaries women are enforcing. Tara is identified and connected to Not the HR Lady.
View articleFast Company
10 Reasons Why We Still Need Performance Reviews — and How to Improve Them
Behavior-focused feedback, bias, and continuous performance conversations for leaders.
View articleBusiness Insider
Great Resignation Burnout: The People Left Behind
Burnout among employees who stayed through the Great Resignation.
View articleNewsweek
Mumsnet Mum Dragged for Requesting Work From Home to Avoid Paying Childcare
WFH accommodations, discrimination, and inclusive workplaces.
View articleNewsweek
Toxic Boss Throws Away Employee's Food
A toxic boss, thrown-away food, and the internet debate.
View articleNewsweek
Woman Refuses to Pay Uninsured Driver
The workplace and legal angles of refusing to pay an uninsured driver.
View articleSUCCESS
How Employers Can Better Serve Neurodiverse Employees
Accommodations, flexible work, manager training, and empathy for neurodivergent employees — inclusive leadership.
View articleHR Brew
CAVA's CPO on Using Personality Assessments in the Workplace
Myers-Briggs, DiSC, Predictive Index — assessment bias and the appropriate use of behavioral instruments.
View articleSHRM
Transferring Professional Skills to the Cannabis Industry
Transferable skills, compliance, and talent moves into an emerging industry — quoted multiple times as an HR thought leader.
View articleYahoo Finance — via GOBankingRates
6 Things Baby Boomers Need To Understand About the Job Market Today
Personal branding, flexible work, hierarchy, and DEI.
View articleYahoo Finance — via GOBankingRates
5 Tips Only Delta Insiders Know, According to Frequent Flyers
Delta meal preorders, family seating, Medallion status, and Delta Vacations.
View articleWorkLife
Calling in Sick Because of the Super Bowl? Here's What Your Boss Has to Say
Sick leave and what a former CPO actually says — leadership judgment in practice.
View articleThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution
UAW Targeting South, Georgia in New Union Drive
Rising worker interest in collective bargaining and employee voice — quoted as a human-resources consultant.
View articleInsider
How to Prepare for Having Twins, According to Parents
The working-parent side of the story.
View articleBusiness.com
The End of Rank and Yank: Management Practices Revisited
Why forced-ranking systems breed self-protection instead of innovation — and what to do instead.
View articleHigh Times
What and Where Is Cannabis Culture Today?
Cannabis, alcohol, and the working professional.
View articleExecutive Function Magazine
The Importance of Taking a Break: Not the HR Lady's SAIL Approach
A bylined feature by Tara — taking a break, the SAIL approach, and F*ck Your Office Snacks.
View articleShapiro Negotiations Institute
Tara Furiani — Facilitator & Expert
Establishes expertise in negotiation, influence, DEI, and leadership.
View articleSessionize
Tara Furiani — Speaker Profile
A verified public speaker profile for keynotes and leadership events.
View articleWomen's Media Center
SheSource — Tara Furiani, Expert Profile
Identifies Tara Furiani → Not the HR Lady → CEO → Austin, TX.
View articleQwoted
Tara Furiani — Media Expert Profile
Connects Tara to her media commentary and Not the HR Lady.
View articleVoyage Austin
Community Highlights: Meet Tara Furiani of Not the HR Lady
Full profile — career, Not the HR Lady, and the work behind it.
View articleIndieWire — via Yahoo
Fantastic Fest Reborn: Rebuilding a Beloved Festival After Scandal
Organizational reform at Alamo Drafthouse — covered as an executive mention in national entertainment media.
View articleGlass Ceilings & Sticky Floors
The Sticky Floor of Alcohol — with Tara Furiani
Podcast: a full guest interview on limiting beliefs and redefining success.
View articleThe Team Check-in
The Problem With Pizza Parties — feat. Tara Furiani
Podcast: HR trends, creative work, and workplace culture.
View articleMoney
How to Ask for a Raise in 2021
COLAs, compensation analysis, and employee leverage — quoted throughout.
View articleGoCo
Top DEI Influencers in HR 2022
A dedicated Tara Furiani feature — credentials and HR philosophy.
View article
This is a curated selection. View the full verified media record — every article, interview and byline, linked to its original source.
Year Four — Now open to everyone
Three private rounds, one small circle. This year, the doors open wider.
SAIL has run quietly — by referral and curated invitation, for the people who already knew. This is the fourth year, and for the first time it's open to everyone. The struggling leader. The tired executive. The growth-eager graduate. The leader who keeps choosing everyone else's growth over their own.
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Years of executive trust
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LinkedIn followers
The testimonials speak for themselves
They sent me their people. On purpose.
Real, verifiable professionals — not actors, not stock-photo strangers. Read the recommendations any time, straight from LinkedIn.
inView recommendations60,000+ followers · linkedin.com/in/notthehrlady“Tara is the epitome of what a People and Culture leader can and should be. She challenges the systems that hold people back — and she does it with real care.”
This is what you've been searching for
The testimonials
Real professionals. Verifiable on LinkedIn any time.
The ship
Virgin Voyages — one of the most celebrated new ships at sea. Adults-only. Grown-up.
The price
$6,500 all-in. Cabin, meals, beverage, assessments, and 1:1 coaching. It cannot be beat.