The Peel

On this episode of the The Peel, host Shelley McGuire is joined by Alicia Sanchez , Chief AI Officer at MPF Federal LLC, for an engaging conversation on generative AI, human–AI partnerships, and what readiness really means in today’s federal environment. Drawing from a career that spans research psychology, defense education, innovation leadership, healthcare AI, and now federal consulting, Alicia...

In this episode of The Peel, Shelley McGuire sits down with Eric Nusbaum , CEO of ENcompass Consulting Group for a discussion about OASIS+ Phase II. Eric breaks down the top 10 most frequently asked questions following their recent OASIS Plus webinar. From teaming rules and small business set-asides to joint ventures, QP requirements, and the all-important question of when to submit, this conversa...

On this episode of The Peel, host Shelley McGuire kicks off the new year with two familiar leaders from the CMS and GovCon community who are stepping into entrepreneurship: Shelley Gold, CEO of Gold Business and Consulting Services, and Allyn Finegold, founder of Full Glass Consulting. Drawing on decades of experience across government consulting, healthcare, environmental work, and corporate lead...

David Blackburn, CEO of OrangeSlices, recently sat down with  John Nolan , Vice President of IT Operations at ISI, for a practical conversation on what defense contractors are facing right now.   ISI supports more than 900 defense contractors with CMMC and NIST compliance, FSO services, facility and personnel clearances, and managed IT and cybersecurity. Together, David and John cut through the no...

In this brief conversation, we sit down with  Jason Hunt , Vice President of AI Solutions at IntePros Federal, to dig deeper into Celios.ai, a purpose-built, next-generation AI platform designed for both federal and commercial environments.   Celios.ai stood out as a community-selected showcase platform winner at the recent Elev8 & Engage event, where more than a thousand attendees highlighted...

In this episode of The Peel, host Shelley McGuire speaks with Ted Rose , CEO of Rose Financial Solutions, a North Bethesda–based firm with more than 30 years of experience supporting financial operations for organizations with local and international reach.  Rather than treating AI as a trend, Ted redefines it through the lens of finance, questioning how long these capabilities have actually been...

In this episode of The Peel, Shelley McGuire sits down with Eric Nusbaum , CEO of ENcompass Consulting Group for a fast-moving breakdown of the forces that shaped federal contracting in 2025 and the trends set to define 2026. Together, they unpack how unexpected shocks like the DOGE initiative, a government shutdown, and sweeping procurement policies reshaped the market, from canceled IDIQs to new...

In this episode of The Peel Podcast, host Shelley McGuire chats with Andreas Schick , Director and Data Scientist at the FDA, for a candid conversation about how AI, machine learning, and GenAI are reshaping public health. The two dive into how emerging technologies are being used across FDA workflows, how leaders are interacting with data in new ways, and what it really takes for teams to adopt a...

In this episode of The Peel Podcast, host Shelley McGuire sits down with Kathy Dass , VP of Programs and Delivery, and Dion Trahan , VP of Growth at J29 Inc., for an energizing and candid conversation about what it really takes to align business development and delivery in federal contracting. Together, they break down how J29 has built a culture rooted in trust, transparency, and teamwork, where...

In this episode of The Peel, Shelley McGuire sits down with Eric Nusbaum , CEO of ENcompass Consulting Group, to unpack one of the hottest and most misunderstood topics in government contracting - CMMC (Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification). From defining what CMMC really is to breaking down acronyms, regulations, scoring systems, and certification levels, Eric takes listeners from the basic...

In this episode of The Peel Podcast, host Shelley McGuire sits down with Pablo Buitrago , Founder and CEO of Proveo Automation, for an eye-opening conversation on how small and emerging GovCon firms are outpacing industry giants through AI and automation. Pablo shares how Proveo is helping federal agencies and businesses work smarter by embracing speed, creativity, and culture-driven innovation, t...

In this episode, David Blackburn, CEO of OrangeSlices, connects with Kevin Cox , Executive Director at ShorePoint, for a conversation on advancing cybersecurity resilience across the Federal enterprise. After more than two decades in Federal service, including senior roles as Deputy CIO at FEMA and DOJ and leadership positions supporting DHS and CISA’s Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) p...

In this episode of The Peel Podcast, host Shelley McGuire sits down with Mike Finkel , CEO of Sparksoft, to talk about the real value and potential pitfalls of forming Joint Ventures under the SBA Mentor-Protégé Program. From lessons learned in failed partnerships to advice on finding the right cultural and strategic fit, Mike pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to make a JV work. Think...

In this episode of The Peel Podcast, host Shelley McGuire sits down with Natasha Williams, Chief Operating Officer, and Angela Cook, Program Director of Client Delivery, both from IntegrityM, to unpack one of today’s hottest (and most misunderstood) topics - Generative AI. Together, they explore what GenAI really is (and isn’t), why so many organizations get it wrong, and how to move beyond the “g...

What does it really take to build a thriving federal contracting business from the ground up? In this episode of The Real Deal, Cy Alba talks with Cesar Nader .  From U.S. Marine to GovCon CEO, Cesar Nader has steered X Corp Solutions (XCorp) through a bold evolution; starting with language services and expanding into intel, IT, cyber, and now AI and Disruptive Technologies. In this no-nonsense co...

What does it really take to build a thriving federal contracting business from the ground up? In this episode of The Real Deal, Sarah Djamshidi and David Blackburn chat with Alex Duan , co-founder and CEO of Dynamo, who pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to build and scale a government contracting company. From launching out of personal necessity with a newborn on the way, to navigatin...

In this episode of The Peel, David Blackburn sits down with Nicole Rockett , Chief Human Resources Officer at ERP International, to explore how a people-first culture fuels one of GovCon’s top workplaces. Nicole shares her own journey to ERP, what drew her to a high-growth, mission-driven organization, and how the company’s values of courage, trust, innovation, and community continue to shape its...

Welcome to this M&A focused podcast series, Mastering the Business Exit Journey, featuring Adam McNair . Designed for leaders on both the buy-side and sell-side of government contracting, the series offers real-world insights, strategies, and lessons learned for scaling, selling, or acquiring businesses. Whether you’re just beginning to plan or actively navigating a deal, this series meets you...

What does it really take to build a thriving federal contracting business from the ground up? In this episode of The Real Deal, Sarah Djamshidi and Cy Alba sit down with Ganesh Natarajan , CEO of Ennoble First, to uncover the realities behind growing a government contracting company. Ganesh shares his journey from leaving a senior role at Lockheed Martin to bootstrapping his own firm, starting wit...

Welcome to this M&A focused podcast series, Mastering the Business Exit Journey, featuring Adam McNair . Designed for leaders on both the buy-side and sell-side of government contracting, the series offers real-world insights, strategies, and lessons learned for scaling, selling, or acquiring businesses. Whether you’re just beginning to plan or actively navigating a deal, this series meets you...

On this episode of The Peel, Shelley McGuire chats with Jon Lipsky, founder and CEO of J Michael Consulting (JMC), to celebrate the company’s 14th anniversary and talk about what it really takes to build a business that can thrive beyond its founder. Since its founding in 2011, JMC has made a mark on public health informatics, working with APHL, CDC, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and pub...

Listen in as David Blackburn has a conversation with Katrina and Chris Koomey, CEO and COO of Thorben Consulting, who share the origin story and evolution of their company, a 100% woman-owned small business helping government agencies transform enterprise systems. From Yellowstone family road trips to two decades of federal IT modernization, they dive into Thorben’s early SAP projects, the company...

Welcome to this M&A focused podcast series, Mastering the Business Exit Journey, featuring Adam McNair . Designed for leaders on both the buy-side and sell-side of government contracting, the series offers real-world insights, strategies, and lessons learned for scaling, selling, or acquiring businesses. Whether you’re just beginning to plan or actively navigating a deal, this series meets you...

In the third episode of The Real Deal: Winning, Growing, and Exiting in GovCon, Sarah Djamshidi , CEO and Managing Partner of SpeedShift Ventures, and David Blackburn sit down with Gary Daigle from RealmOne to unpack the real playbook behind sustained growth, strategic acquisitions, and seamless integrations in the federal contracting space. Gary shares RealmOne’s journey from a lean startup in 20...

In this episode of The Peel, Shelley McGuire sits down with Dee Bowden ,  author and creator of Collect the Cash, to talk about the often-overlooked world of accounts receivable and government contract closeouts. Dee shares her story of recovering $6 million in 60 days for a small IT firm to building a proven four-step framework that helps small and medium-sized businesses solve cash flow problems...