Remote First Innovators

What does burnout look like in someone who seems to have it all together? That question sits at the heart of this episode of Remote First Innovators, with Dr. Kate Rodriguez, Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor and Founder and Clinical Director of My Healing Center. Kate grew up as the daughter of an attorney and a judge, switched from pre-law to psychology, and built her practice out of a...

What if a single photo of the back of your eye could flag diabetes, heart disease, or Alzheimer's years before you ever felt a symptom? In this episode of Remote First Innovators, Jake Gump sits down with Dr. Rupe Hansra, Optometrist and Vice President of Professional Affairs at Topcon Healthcare, for a practical conversation about oculomics, AI in healthcare, remote eye exams, connected care plat...

Brandie Delarosa spent more than 25 years in IT and business consulting, working remotely long before it became common. Today, as Chief Executive Officer at E3inspire, she uses her professional and personal experiences to help companies better understand trauma, psychological safety, emotional intelligence, and the human side of work. In this conversation, we explore why remote work can improve fo...

Can you build a successful career, lead distributed teams, and help healthcare organizations use technology more effectively while working remotely? According to Paul McRae, the answer starts with discipline, clear outcomes, strong communication, and the ability to adapt. In this episode of Remote First Innovators, hosts Robert Phelps and Jake Gump sit down with Paul McRae, Founder & CEO of Tr...

What happens when a Hollywood TV producer becomes a paramedic, nearly goes to medical school, and ultimately helps some of the world’s biggest companies deploy VR, AR, and smart glasses? In this episode of Remote First Innovators, Devin Marble shares an incredible career journey—from working in Hollywood on shows like Project Runway to emergency medicine, digital education, and enterprise technolo...

Can you fix the U.S. healthcare system while leading a fully remote team? According to Bhargav Raman, the answer is yes, but only if you build mission alignment, strong systems, and access to the right information. In this episode of Remote First Innovators, hosts Robert Phelps and Jake Gump sit down with Bhargav Raman, Cofounder, Clinical Strategy & Analytics at Ten Ten Ten. Bhargav shares ho...

What makes a virtual meeting or webinar truly effective? In this episode of Remote First Innovators, Bernie DeSantis, President of Insignia Training Partners, shares practical lessons from producing more than 6,000 virtual events. Bernie explains why virtual presentations can't simply copy the format of in-person meetings, how to keep remote audiences engaged, and why thoughtful planning, audience...

Can a hard tech startup succeed with a fully remote team? Bill Walker proves that it can. PhD biomedical engineer, five-time founder, inventor with 35+ patents, and Co-Founder of Boundless Science—to discuss what it really takes to build groundbreaking medical technology while leading a distributed workforce. Bill shares the remarkable story behind launching Boundless Science during the COVID-19 p...

Healthcare is entering a new era—and telehealth is leading the transformation. Eric Doherty, CEO of My Pediatric Doctor, explains how technology, artificial intelligence, and remote-first healthcare are making pediatric care faster, more accessible, and more efficient for families nationwide. From reducing wait times and improving physician workflows to expanding healthcare access in underserved c...

James Martucci joins Remote First Innovators to discuss building successful remote organizations through intentional leadership, hiring, and culture. Drawing from experience at Apple, Oscar Health, robotics startups, and his own company, Sidekicks, James explains why culture is the foundation of long-term business success.

Titus Kariuki shares his experience as a Data Analytics Business Analyst supporting enterprise analytics solutions while leading nonprofits, building a personal brand, and exploring AI-powered workflows. Learn practical strategies for hybrid work, productivity, leadership, AI adoption, personal development, and career growth in today's evolving workplace. 

What separates successful remote companies from those that struggle? In this episode of Remote First Innovators, HR strategist and author Leslie Speas shares practical strategies for creating a thriving remote culture built on trust, communication, accountability, and connection. Learn how leaders can improve onboarding, performance management, employee engagement, and retention while avoiding com...

What happens when a 24-year-old former Division I basketball player walks away from a corporate engineering path and bets on herself? She builds a global cybersecurity education company with 50+ interns, a custom-built operating system, and a management philosophy that lets roles grow around people.   Adaora joins Jake Gump to talk about remote team structure, time zone challenges, leadership less...

Alyssa Lundy has worked with 200+ clients across industrial, automotive, and healthcare — running marketing remotely before remote work was a strategy. In this conversation with host Jake Gump, she shares the patterns she sees in businesses that consistently win, how she structures remote marketing teams with zero chaos, and why chasing viral content is keeping most B2B brands broke. Plus: the dee...

What does entrepreneurship really look like when things get hard? In this episode, Juming Delmas shares why he fired three clients, how he handles pressure, and what separates real entrepreneurs from business owners. From sleepless nights to tough client decisions, this conversation highlights the realities most people do not talk about. You will learn: - Why firing clients can be necessary - What...

This episode explores health as a holistic system and how small, intentional daily wins compound into lasting transformation. Michael Levy, CEO of the Digital Health Institute for Transformation and co-founder of Blue Door Group, shares frameworks developed across 20+ years of healthcare leadership. The conversation covers practical strategies for remote professionals and leaders seeking to optimi...

A former employee breach exposes critical security gaps in a remote company. Wesley Hoang shares a real incident where team accounts were deleted and systems compromised, and what he changed to prevent it from happening again. Learn practical lessons on remote team security, access control, and leadership under pressure.

In this episode of Remote First Innovators, Jake Gump speaks with Angela Liu, a fractional CEO and strategic advisor who helps startups and small businesses strengthen their operations, leadership systems, and team culture. Angela explains how fractional CEOs provide executive leadership to companies that need strategic guidance but are not ready to hire a full-time executive. The conversation exp...

Jake Gump interviews Lynn Daniel about building a remote-first customer research company long before remote became mainstream. This episode covers hiring discipline, call quality, AI integration, AWS migration, cybersecurity, and leadership lessons from scaling distributed teams. Practical insight for founders and operators.

Most business growth problems are not caused by lack of effort. They are caused by the wrong strategic decisions. This episode explores how operational changes, marketing strategy, and leadership decisions combine to drive measurable growth. Learn how businesses recover from failed SEO strategies, rebuild digital visibility, and generate consistent inbound demand. You will also hear how scaling te...

In this episode of Remote First Innovators, we sit down with Tristan Van Aken, Founder and Creative Director of Vava Graphics, a design and branding agency that’s been fully remote since 2012. Tristan shares what it really takes to build and scale a remote creative business—long before remote work was mainstream. From international hiring and contractor management to cybersecurity threats, ransomw...

In this episode, Josh Oliver joins the show for a candid conversation about leadership, entrepreneurship, and building companies with intention rather than ego. Josh shares his journey through startups, acquisitions, and high-growth environments, offering honest reflections on what it takes to scale responsibly while staying grounded. He speaks openly about decision-making, learning through failur...

In this episode of Remote First Innovators, host Jake Gump sits down with Brian K. McNeill, sales coach, keynote speaker, and author of nine books including Timid Entrepreneurs Have Skinny Kids and Mastering Sales Language. With over 30 years of experience teaching entrepreneurs how to sell without pitching, Brian breaks down why traditional sales tactics no longer work — especially in a remote-fi...

In this episode of Remote First Innovators, Jake sit down with Cameron Bolinger of CytraCom — a leader in unified communications built for modern, distributed teams. From overnight phone-system migrations to the evolution of VoIP, AI, compliance, remote-work connectivity, and what it really takes to keep teams running smoothly, Cameron reveals how companies can stay connected without complication....

When remote work exploded overnight, most leaders scrambled to adapt. Liam Martin helped shape the playbook. In this conversation, we dig into the realities of scaling distributed teams, what compliance really costs you, why trust is breaking inside hybrid workplaces, how AI is rewriting the rules of work, and the uncomfortable truths leaders need to confront in 2025. No fluff—just honest stories,...