It's About Payroll
Brian Escobar and Walter William Duncan III are the hosts of It’s About Payroll. Collectively, they have over 4 decades of experience in the payroll industry. This podcast was created with the intent of sharing their knowledge and attracting new talent to the payroll industry. ItsAboutPayroll.io You can access their LinkedIn profiles. https://www.linkedin.com/mwlite/in/escobarbrian https://www.linkedin.com/mwlite/in/william-duncan-477051187
Episodes
August 19, 2026 • 37 mins
Brian and Walt are back with another episode of It's About Payroll (not "all about payroll" 😂). This week's lineup:
💰 Financial Fitness Nugget — Walt breaks down why every business needs a payroll reserve fund (and what ChatGPT thinks is the ideal amount to keep in the bank).
📰 Payroll News — AbsenceSoft's new payroll calculation module is changing the game for leave administration, cutting one company's biweekly l...
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August 10, 2026 • 54 mins
In Episode 213 of It’s About Payroll, hosts Brian Escobar and Walter W. Duncan III explore what happens when work life and real life inevitably collide. They begin with two real payroll situations: an employee facing the attempted recovery of an overpayment in one paycheck and a payroll professional navigating personal ID.me credentials while setting up state tax accounts.
The conversation then turns to workplace wellness, b...
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July 31, 2026 • 35 mins
From clay tablets to crypto — how did we get HERE? 🧾
In Episode 212 of It's About Payroll, Brian and Walt take a deep dive into the history of payroll — from informal farm wages in early America to mainframe computers, WWII tax withholding, and the AI-powered systems of today.
In this episode:
What part of payroll has changed the LEAST in 100 years?
The FLSA (1938) — the law that changed everything
How WWII turne...
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July 21, 2026 • 50 mins
In Episode 211 of It’s About Payroll, Brian Escobar and Walt Duncan review the biggest conversations and lessons from Season 17 while examining where the payroll profession is heading next. Walt opens with an important reminder to continue helping and encouraging others, even while navigating personal and professional pressures.
The discussion then turns to payroll tax cleanup, late filings and the need to “trust but v...
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July 13, 2026 • 31 mins
In this episode, we sit down with Shala Druin — Founder of Strategic Payroll Solutions, Certified Payroll Professional, and one of the payroll industry's fastest-rising thought leaders — to have the conversation that every C-suite needs to hear.
Payroll isn't a back-office function. It's one of the most critical compliance and business risk drivers in your entire organization. And if you're still treating it as overhea...
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July 8, 2026 • 38 mins
Episode 209 of It’s About Payroll places co-hosts Brian Escobar and Walter W. Duncan III in the payroll hot seat. With no guests and no lifelines, Brian and Walt challenge each other with realistic payroll scenarios, difficult leadership decisions, and thought-provoking questions about the profession.
The conversation begins with an employee who was overpaid $18,000 during the prior year because an incorrect salary was enter...
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July 1, 2026 • 40 mins
What happens when the person processing your payroll is the fraudster?
In this episode of It's About Payroll, Brian and Walt break down a jaw-dropping real case out of Miami — a payroll manager at an orthopedic practice who allegedly stole over $1.5 million by increasing her own salary, issuing herself unauthorized bonuses as large as $25K, and racking up $400K+ in personal charges on the company credit card. Oh, and it wen...
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June 23, 2026 • 41 mins
In Episode 207, Brian Escobar and Walt Duncan examine one of the biggest questions facing the payroll profession: Is artificial intelligence an adversary, an ally, or simply the newest tool in the payroll toolbox?
The conversation explores how AI could reshape payroll departments by answering employee questions, detecting anomalies, researching compliance requirements, supporting tax-notice processing, and automating routine work....
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June 15, 2026 • 40 mins
In this explosive episode of It's About Payroll, we sit down with Jim O'Connor, President & Founder of Premier Health USA, to expose the hidden truths behind America's healthcare benefits crisis — and what employers, employees, and payroll professionals can do RIGHT NOW to fight back.
💥 What you'll learn in this episode:
✅ Why America's benefits system gets a D (and what it would take to earn an A)
✅ The "Insurance Hamst...
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June 1, 2026 • 45 mins
Is payroll still just a back-office function? Not anymore. In this episode, Walt and Brian break down how payroll has transformed from a purely administrative role into a strategic, compliance-driven, employee-experience powerhouse — and where it's headed next.
🔑 What We Cover:
How payroll evolved from processing checks to influencing company strategy
The real story behind payroll cutoffs (and why we need to stop usin...
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May 28, 2026 • 47 mins
In this episode of It’s About Payroll, Brian and Walt sit down with Andy Valentine, Key Account Director at Ebury, to talk about the often-overlooked side of payroll: making sure people actually receive their money. Andy explains that payroll accuracy is only half the battle. Once gross-to-net is calculated, companies still have to manage payment timing, banking data, foreign exchange, local payment rails, compliance checks, ...
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May 18, 2026 • 50 mins
Brian and Walt are back with a (much-anticipated) Season 16 review!
In this episode, the hosts reflect on what made this season groundbreaking — from game-changing guests to major milestones for the Payroll Universe brand.
In this episode:
Word of the season: "Groundbreaking" vs. "Impactful" — and why both fit
The biggest surprise: just how many payroll-adjacent businesses are shaping the industry
The episode that c...
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May 4, 2026 • 41 mins
🔥 Is your payroll career stuck on autopilot? In this episode of It's About Payroll, Brian and Walt break down the real payroll career arc — from entry-level grind to strategic leadership — and the stage nobody talks about: the waiting period.
Whether you're just starting out, feeling stagnant, or ready to level up, this episode is your roadmap.
In this episode, we cover:
✅ The 4 stages of the payroll career journey
✅ ...
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April 28, 2026 • 55 mins
In Episode 204 of It’s About Payroll, Brian welcomes two powerhouse voices in payroll leadership: John Bernatovicz, founder of Willory, author, keynote speaker, podcast host, and HR/payroll leader, and Tammy Gillenwater, CPP, senior consultant at Willory, speaker, and advocate for the payroll profession. Together, John and Tammy discuss their upcoming book, Payroll Like a Boss, scheduled for release on April 28, 2026, during ...
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March 30, 2026 • 36 mins
In Episode 202 of It’s About Payroll, Brian and Walt unpack a growing trend they are seeing across the profession: more HR and payroll professionals publicly sharing that they are open to work. They connect that observation to a softer 2026 labor market, slower hiring, longer job searches, and the pressure companies are feeling to stay lean. The conversation explores how payroll teams are being asked to do more with fewer peo...
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March 23, 2026 • 47 mins
It's About Payroll – Episode 201 | Book Release, Payroll Myths & Economic Uncertainty
🎙️ We hit 201 episodes AND dropped a book — and we're not slowing down! In this milestone episode, Brian and Walt celebrate the release of It's About Payroll, share insider tips for self-publishing on Amazon KDP (including why you should buy your own ISBN numbers), and dive deep into what payroll really means for employees, compa...
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March 17, 2026 • 46 mins
In Episode 200 of It’s About Payroll, Brian and Will celebrate a major milestone while sharing several big announcements tied to the future of Payroll Universe. The conversation centers on the recent launch of their book, which they describe as an empowering introduction to payroll careers for new grads, career pivoters, and even seasoned professionals looking for renewed perspective. They also discuss feedback from payroll l...
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March 9, 2026 • 32 mins
🎙️ It's About Payroll Episode 199: True Payroll Crime Story & Book Announcement 📚
Big news! We announce our new book "It's About Payroll: Your Blueprint to Start, Grow and Lead from Entry Level to Leadership" – created to change the narrative that people just "fall into" payroll. This is a career path worth choosing intentionally!
In This Episode:
✅ Book announcement & why the payroll industry needs career resourc...
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March 3, 2026 • 57 mins
In Episode 198 of It’s About Payroll, Brian Escobar and Walt Duncan III welcome Christopher Bylone, founder of Innovation Unbiased and host of I Know I Belong When, for a practical conversation on pay equity, belonging, and the role data plays in both. Christopher explains that pay equity is often misunderstood as only a men-versus-women issue, when in reality it must also account for race, ethnicity, disability, tenure, job ...
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February 23, 2026 • 36 mins
Join us for an incredible conversation with Hayley Paterson, founder of The Payroll Guide and author of "The Value of Payroll"! Hayley shares her mission to transform how businesses view payroll—from a mundane transaction to a strategic business asset.
In this episode, we dive deep into:
✅ Hayley's journey from accidentally falling into payroll to becoming a leading voice in the industry
✅ The Three Ps of Payroll: Process, ...
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