WATCH: https://youtu.be/QDBe3Td7Sls Recorded live at Transform 2026, this episode features John Cove, Vice President at The Alterity Group — a third-party benefits and HR technology advisory firm that helps large and jumbo employers find, evaluate, and maximize their vendor relationships across benefits administration, HRIS, payroll, 401(k), and more. John spent 20 years on the in-house side — running benefits, payroll, and HRIS programs — before moving to the advisory world, giving him a perspective that's both deeply operational and genuinely independent. The conversation opens with a moment of real humanity: two working dads at the end of a long conference day, talking about presence, FaceTime, and what it means to be there for your kids when your career takes you on the road. That tone carries through an episode that's unusually personal for a benefits-focused conversation, with John sharing two stories that hit hard — a 2 AM telemedicine call that kept his croup-prone infant ...