Disruptive CEO Nation

What if the future of aging isn’t just about safety, but about connection, and rethinking how technology supports both seniors and the people who care for them? In this episode, Tatyana Zlotsky discusses the evolving senior care landscape and how A Place for Mom connects families with over 15,000 senior care providers. She shares insights on leveraging technology and AI, supporting family caregive...

From a single San Diego location to 100+ stores nationwide, Jeff Fenster reveals how everbowl™ turned better-for-you food into a thriving, purpose-driven brand. Today we sit down with the founder and CEO of everbowl™! Jeff shares the journey of building a better-for-you superfood brand from a single location to over 100 stores across 32 states. He discusses the lessons learned from early mistakes,...

Cybersecurity is no longer just an IT issue. It is a business survival issue, and every leader needs to understand where the real risks are hiding. In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Dave “merk” Merkel, CEO and co-founder of Expel, about the evolving world of cybersecurity, AI, and business resilience. Dave shared the founder’s journey behind Expel, how the company grew by solvin...

In a business that ships nearly half its orders the same day, speed is not just an advantage. It is the strategy. I sat down with Randy Carr, CEO of World Emblem, a 36-year-old family-owned company that manufactures more than one million emblems a day across multiple countries. Randy shared how technology, AI, and internally built systems have helped World Emblem compete globally by moving faster,...

What if the biggest deal of your life fails not because of the market but because you were never truly ready for it? In this episode, I sit down with Kyle Park, co-founder and Managing Director of Harvest Management Partners, to explore his journey from finance leader and IPO veteran to boutique M&A advisor in Silicon Valley.  Kyle shares how a frustrating acquisition experience unexpectedly led h...

What if the packaging around your product mattered just as much as the product itself? In this episode, I sit down with Jason Wong, founder and CEO of Paking Duck, to explore how packaging has evolved into a powerful brand experience. We discuss his journey from building consumer brands to launching a global packaging company, and how he leveraged relationships, creativity, and content-driven mark...

What separates a forgettable interview from a powerful one often comes down to a single overlooked skill: truly listening. In this episode, I sit down with Lisa Martin, a seasoned media strategist and tech correspondent, to unpack what it really takes to communicate complex ideas with clarity and impact. We explore the art of interviewing, the power of storytelling through the customer’s voice, an...

What if your startup isn’t failing because of the idea… but because no one is truly communicating clearly enough on the product development and build? Joel is the founder and CEO of Brewer Digital, and today we explore what really makes or breaks a startup in today’s fast-moving, tech-driven world. Joel shares why most startups don’t fail due to bad ideas, but because of breakdowns in communicatio...

What if the biggest bottleneck in your business isn’t your strategy—but the tasks you refuse to let go? In today's episode, I sit down with Christopher McShanag, founder and CEO of Virtual Teammate, for a thoughtful conversation about what it really takes to grow a business without burning out your team or yourself. Chris shares how business owners can buy back their time by delegating administrat...

What if the strongest leadership lessons for building the future were waiting for us on the front porch of our past?   In this episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Shanita Akintonde to talk about her book The Front Porch Leader and the deeper leadership lessons it offers for business builders, marketers, and mentors. We explored the importance of knowing where we come from, practicing...

What separates successful women leaders from the rest often comes down to curiosity, courage, and the willingness to use their voice. In this special episode honoring International Women’s Month, I had the pleasure of speaking with Maria Doughty, CEO of The Chicago Network, an organization made up of some of the most influential women leaders across Chicago’s business, nonprofit, healthcare, and g...

What if every interaction you have as a leader is silently answering one question for your team: Are you safe to follow? In this episode, I sit down with Alan McLaren, co-founder of Strata Originals, to explore the invisible signals leaders send in every conversation, meeting, and interaction. Alan shares the powerful concept of “leadership signal,” explaining how trust is built or lost in real ti...

What if being unmistakably human is your biggest competitive advantage in an AI-first world? In this episode, I sat down with Louis Carter, founder of Most Loved Workplace, to talk about why workplace culture is being tested and reshaped faster than ever. Louis shared how “most loved” isn’t a slogan, it’s a credibility signal grounded in real employee sentiment, and why being unmistakably human is...

Most leaders swear they have a revenue problem, but sometimes that belief is often the fastest way to stay stuck with “profititis.” In this episode of Disruptive CEO Nation, I sat down with Ben Hansen, the “Profitability Doctor,” to unpack why so many growing businesses still feel like they’re getting punched in the face every day. Ben explains his framework for diagnosing “profititis” (strong or...

What if the fastest way to win your market isn’t competing harder, but changing the category entirely? This week, I sit down with Kevin Maney, co-author of Play Bigger and founding partner of Category Design Advisors, for a deep dive into what it really takes to create and win a market category. Kevin shares the thinking behind his latest book, The Category Creation Formula, and explains why most...

Are AI employees the future of hiring and operations? In today’s episode, I sat down with Alok Kumar, co-founder and CEO of Cozmo AI, to explore the cutting-edge AI tools that are changing the game for enterprises. Alok takes us inside Cozmo AI’s platform, which enables businesses to build AI agents capable of seeing, speaking, thinking, and acting all while maintaining a human-like touch. From re...

From kitchen-table beginnings to revolutionizing waste management, Lainika’s journey proves that with vision and innovation, you can build a multi-million dollar business that tackles global challenges. In this heartfelt episode, Lainika Johnson, founder of Eco in the City, shares her inspiring journey from starting TrashLogic out of necessity to launching a tech-driven company that is transformin...

What started as a small side hustle in a basement has become a renowned success story, transforming the tech industry and the way we handle e-waste. In this episode, Christopher Hale, founder and CEO of SmartphonesPLUS, takes us behind the scenes of his company’s rapid growth. What started as a small operation buying and selling electronics has grown into a multimillion-dollar business that’s help...

Your home might be polluting more than your car, and the fix is closer than you think. In this episode of Disruptive CEO Nation, I’m joined by Stephen Lake, co-founder and CEO of Jetson Home, a company making home electrification simpler and significantly more affordable. We talk about why heating and cooling is one of the biggest decarbonization opportunities, what’s been holding heat pumps back...

What if buying a home could be more affordable and less stressful? That’s exactly what Ben Bear and TurboHome are making possible. In this episode, I’m talking to Ben Bear, co-founder and CEO of TurboHome, a game-changing platform that is reimagining the home-buying process. TurboHome cuts out unnecessary costs by offering a flat-fee model instead of traditional commissions, making it easier for p...

What if you could turn customer anxiety into confidence and boost conversions with just a few simple design changes? Today we talk about understanding user behavior through data science, and how it can dramatically improve your digital marketing strategy. Join me for a captivating conversation with Mia Umanos, founder of Clickvoyant, where she uncovers the magic behind data science and human behav...

What’s the secret to creating tech that people not only use but love?   In this episode, I have the pleasure of sitting down with Erin Rollenhagen, founder of People Friendly Tech, to discuss her journey of creating innovative tech solutions that drive real behavioral change. Erin shares the importance of emotional engagement in tech products, offering a fresh perspective on why technology should...

If you’re making tech decisions faster than your team can absorb them or you’re worried AI might erase the “human” from your business; this conversation will feel like a deep breath and a reset button. Today, I sit down with Kate O’Neill. She’s known as the “tech humanist,” founder and CEO of KO Insights, and newly named member of the Thinkers50 list of top management thinkers in the world. We unp...

Can love be a business strategy? In this episode, we talk about how leading with love can transform your team and your bottom line.   Frank Danna, a seasoned leader and marketing expert, brings his wisdom on building authentic connections in the workplace. We explore how AI can enhance, rather than replace, human creativity and the importance of creating a culture that values trust, inclusion, and...

If your product strategy stops at the download, you’re leaving impact—and revenue—on the table. In this conversation, I sit down with Ghazenfer Mansoor, CEO & founder of Technology Rivers, to talk about building software that actually gets used, loved, and shared. Ghazenfer has been in mobile since the pre-iPhone days and has led the build of nearly 60 apps, primarily in healthcare. We explore ide...