Peggy Smedley Show

Peggy Smedley and Duygu Alptekin Gürsu, international executive leadership and team coach, and author, Empowering Women on the Way to the Top, talk about why she wrote the book. She explains how she has faced firsthand the systemic barriers women face and that they have not changed much. They also discuss: How organizations can help empower women. Why we need women at the top—and how to help them...

Peggy Smedley talks about Construction Safety Week and National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls Week, sharing the objectives for these initiatives. She explains where this culture of safety must start, highlighting the importance of everyone being involved to ensure greater safety. She also: Shares the startling statistics about how many construction workers die on the job. Gives her own toolbo...

Peggy Smedley and Yung Shin, Donald A. and Nancy G. Roach distinguished professor of advanced manufacturing, Purdue University, talk about additive manufacturing and why it has been getting so much global attention. He describes additive manufacturing, explaining how it works and how it can form 3D parts and 3D objects. They also discuss: Why it is getting so much hype today. The applications that...

Peggy Smedley and Brian Cury, CEO and founder, EarthCam, talk about jobsite innovations, narrowing in on how technology such as AI (artificial intelligence) can help improve construction safety. He says it used to be all about making beautiful photos, but now it is about the information in the photos. They also discuss: The history of construction cameras and the rise of AI in the last decade. How...

Peggy talks about how technology can help with distracted driving, sharing some examples. She talks about the opportunities to improve our behavior in the car, all with the help of new technologies. She also discusses: How many drivers report being distracted by their personal mobile devices. Three technologies that can help. Her thoughts on what needs to happen next to reduce the number of deaths...

Peggy Smedley and Julia Kite-Laidlaw, senior program manager, Road To Zero, National Safety Council, talk about how prevalent distracted driving is today. She says new data out reports that 3,275 people died in distraction-related crashes in 2023, which is 8% of all road deaths in the United States, and if you do the math it comes to about nine people per day.  They also discuss: Who is really res...

Peggy Smedley and Mehri Mohebbi, program director, Transportation Equity Program, University of Florida Transportation Institute, discuss distracted driving risk from an equity perspective, sharing which populations are at the most risk for injuries. She says generally the numbers at the federal level hid the sharp local spike, and in low-income corridors, phone-related crashes cluster 40% above t...

Peggy talks about what the insurance companies and other organizations have to say about the impact of distracted driving on auto insurance. She says it is not very consistent across the board, with different states taking different actions and different insurance companies having different tools and resources available. She also discusses: The total estimated cost of all motor vehicle crashes in...

Peggy Smedley and Paul Atchley, professor, Dept. of Psychology, University of South Florida, talk about some of the latest news on traffic statistics and the role distracted driving is playing in these numbers. He says the statistics change year over year, but the trends have not been positive. They also discuss: Why people continue to engage in these behaviors even though they will tell you these...

Peggy Smedley and Dan McGehee, professor of engineering, medicine, public health and director of the Driving Safety Research Institute, University of Iowa, talk about distracted driving research. He says it is an important thing more than ever. They also discuss: The history of distracted driving in vehicles. The physiological changes that happen with smartphones. The most dangerous type of distra...

The market is changing! Peggy talks about everything we need to know for supply chains. She says we must make, build, and grow together, while also innovating and considering how the next generation will lead the way. She also discusses: A historical perspective. Present-day data. How supply chains can prepare for a stronger tomorrow. peggysmedleyshow.com   (4/15/25 - 916) What You Might Have Miss...

Peggy Smedley and Despina Stavrinos, director, Institute for Social Science Research, chief human factors research and development officer, Alabama Transportation Institute and professor of psychology, The University of Alabama, unpack the science behind distracted driving. She says when we look at the number 1 contributing factor to distracted driving, it is driver behavior. They also discuss: Th...

Peggy Smedley and Elad Inbar, founder and CEO, RobotLAB and author, Our Robotics Future, talk about robotics and a book that can serve as a guide for business owners looking to embed robotics into their business. He says robots are very mission specific. He also shares the reason business owners are automating tasks. They also discuss: The topic of robots potentially replacing humans. The impact o...

Peggy talks about the impact of the IoT (Internet of Things) on the manufacturing industry, sharing the opportunities that exist to transform business. She explains how manufacturers can best prepare for what comes next. She also discusses: What challenges exist in manufacturing today that technology can help solve. How many industrial manufacturers globally are planning to increase their technolo...

Peggy Smedley and Lily Elefteriadou, distinguished professor of civil engineering, University of Florida, talk about the major innovations shaping transportation. She says AI (artificial intelligence) is impacting transportation including the autonomous vehicle and infrastructure—but the creativity will still need to come from humans. They also discuss: How AI and autonomous vehicles will come tog...

Peggy Smedley and Matthew Weinzierl, professor, Harvard Business School, and Brendan Rosseau, strategy manager, Blue Origin, talk about an upcoming NASA space mission and the impact on the space industry. Rosseau says things are moving fast in the space industry and shares about returning to the moon to spark a permanent lunar presence. Weinzierl says going to the moon in the 1960s was inspiration...

Peggy looks at the history of distracted driving in the United States—and shares her thoughts on the most dangerous form of distracted driving and what needs to happen next. She says distracted driving is dangerous and far too many lives have been lost. She also: Explores research that was done in the 1960s. Discusses some hard numbers related to distracted driving. Identifies what we can all do t...

Peggy Smedley and Reddy Mallidi, AI strategist, COO, chief AI officer, and author of AI Unleashed, talk about three use cases for AI (artificial intelligence): manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and city financials. He says he hears a lot of big companies are still only nibbling on the edges of AI. They also discuss: The value, benefits, and major takeaways from these examples. The importance of star...

Peggy Smedley and Aimee Cox, research scientist, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, talk about how big of a problem distracted driving is on U.S. roads. She says distracted driving could be any secondary task that takes our mind or focus off of safe driving. They also discuss: The challenges of distracted driving. The most effective ways to reduce distracted driving. How technology can help f...

Peggy shares the 2025 Infrastructure Report Card, including three things we need to do to continue to raise the grade up. She says innovation is needed now more than ever before and she gives her thoughts on how we can achieve this. She also discusses: The history of the report card. Where we are today, including how many categories are still in the D range. What needs to happen next to ensure suc...

Peggy Smedley and Laura O'Neill Kaumo, president and CEO, American Concrete Pavement Assn., talk about the state of paving and infrastructure investment today, including some of the challenges state highway agencies will be facing in the near future. She says infrastructure investment from the federal government used to be this automatic bipartisan space that was reliable, and it was viewed as bei...

Peggy Smedley and Matthew Weinzierl, professor, Harvard Business School, and Brendan Rosseau, strategy manager, Blue Origin, talk about how the space industry is changing. Rosseau says the biggest change is the model for how we did space activities has fundamentally changed. Weinzierl says it is natural to worry as we shift from NASA to startups and other companies. They also discuss: Opportunitie...

Peggy talks about how we can spark new curiosity and innovation, looking at how to equip the next generation to step up and find solutions to the problems that exist today. She says we need to encourage our children and our children's children. She also discusses: Workforce trends and what today's worker really needs. A new report on the mental state of the world. Three things to consider as you m...

Peggy Smedley and Adam Bogobowicz, senior director, global industrial marketing, Microsoft, talk about what we can expect at Hannover Messe 2025 and key concerns for manufacturers today. He says it is one of the most important manufacturing trade shows and this year we will see gen AI (artificial intelligence)—along with other key considerations—play a big role. They also discuss: What technologie...

Peggy talks about the biggest trends shaping how we build infrastructure in 2025 and beyond. She says we need to bring curiosity to construction to spark new innovation to help build more resilient and secure infrastructure. She also discusses: A U.S. infrastructure history lesson. Four areas shaping infrastructure today. How to spark innovation in 2025. peggysmedleyshow.com   (3/11/25 - 911) IoT,...