ADAPT or die

On this episode of Adapt or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations , former tech CEO-turned-executive coach Andreas Pettersson sits down with Ryanna Hammond—poet, author, and founder of All With Heart —to unpack the exact moment she realized she was building a life she didn’t want. Stuck in California traffic before sunrise and after dark, Ryanna asked a simple question: “Why am I doing this...

On this episode of Adapt or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations , former tech CEO–turned–executive coach Andreas Pettersson reconnects with Janne Jakobsen—Senior Vice President, mentor to rising leaders, and co-author of Power Without Permission . A results-oriented executive with over 25 years of international experience, Janne has led across product and portfolio management, brand strat...

On this episode of Adapt or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations , former tech CEO–turned–executive coach Andreas Pettersson sits down with Carolina Hernandez—entrepreneur, real estate investor, co-owner of Luis Gloria Painting, and co-author of Power Without Permission . Born in Mexico City and raised in the U.S., Carolina grew up translating for her parents and breaking generational cycl...

On this episode of Adapt or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations , former tech CEO-turned-executive coach Andreas Pettersson sits down with Alyssa Trenkamp, a fearless marketing executive who’s navigated five successful acquisitions in the high-growth B2B SaaS world. Now leading Americas Marketing for a global technology company, Alyssa shares how a chaotic startup office, a loyal CEO, and...

On this episode of Adapt or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations , Andreas Pettersson sits down with Marlene Braga, a dynamic creative executive whose career spans iconic organizations like ABC News, A&E, Azteca America, PBS, and now the Skirball Cultural Center, where she leads public programming. Born in Miami and “made in Havana,” Marlene is a Cold War kid whose family fled the Cuba...

On this episode of Adapt or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations , former tech CEO-turned-executive coach Andreas Pettersson sits down with Stephanie Hammerwold, Head of HR at the Skirball Cultural Center and a passionate advocate for humane leadership. With an HR career spanning warehousing, tech, the arts, and more, Stephanie has spent decades in service of people. But her journey reveal...

On this episode of Adapt or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations , former tech-CEO-turned-executive-coach Andreas Pettersson sits down with Cindy Chang, seasoned product leader and resilience-builder. Known for thriving in ambiguity and leading with empathy, curiosity, and conviction, Cindy’s journey is anything but conventional. After losing her father in a traumatic moment her senior yea...

On this episode of Adapt or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations , former tech-CEO-turned-executive-coach Andreas Pettersson sits down with Marina St. Cyr, Senior Vice President and operational powerhouse with over 20 years of experience scaling companies, leading cross-functional teams, and orchestrating $100M+ transformations. But Marina’s biggest pivot wasn’t strategic—it was internal....

On this episode of Adapt or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations , former tech-CEO-turned-executive-coach Andreas Pettersson sits down with Kana Waanders, Lead Senior Software Engineer and co-author of Power Without Permission . Kana blends technical expertise with empathetic leadership, having grown from an intern to a trusted team leader by fostering trust, owning her voice, and leading...

On this episode of Adapt or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations , former tech-CEO-turned-executive-coach Andreas Pettersson sits down with Michele Jewett—ICF-certified executive coach, longtime CEO facilitator, and founder of Q4 Leaders. With over 15 years helping high-performing leaders align performance with fulfillment, Michele shares the story of how her own life was rocked at 45: kid...

On this episode of Adapt or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations , former tech-CEO-turned-executive-coach Andreas Pettersson sits down with Julie Stone, Director of Human Experience at Milestone Systems and co-author of Power Without Permission . With over two decades of experience in human-centered business transformation, Julie has built her career on turning empathy into action—mentorin...

On this episode of Adapt or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations , Andreas Pettersson sits down with Cheryl Strizelka, a neurodivergent mother, wife, and thought leader in the HR field. Known for her gift of reading the room and making people feel seen, Cheryl shares the raw, honest journey from people-pleasing and self-doubt to calm, confident leadership. After two decades in HR and a per...

On this episode of Adapt or Die , executive coach Andreas Pettersson talks with Martha Chrisander—former journalist, B2B SaaS leader, and co-author of Power Without Permission . From quietly crying off-camera at a company-wide kickoff to winning “Employee of the Year” moments later, Martha takes us inside her transformation from insecure overachiever to confident leader. She shares how imposter sy...

On this episode of Adapt or Die , executive coach Andreas Pettersson sits down with Theresa Bassett, CEO of The Diamond Group—a digital marketing and sales strategy firm that’s helped clients generate over $550 million in revenue. Theresa recounts a defining moment in 2015 when a legal settlement demanded she grow revenue by 80% in under 100 days—or risk losing everything. From launching 27 websit...

On this episode of Adapt or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations , Andreas Pettersson sits down with award-winning educator, consultant, and podcast host Scott J. Allen, Ph. D.—a leadership expert who’s trained organizations like NASA, Cleveland Clinic, and Toyota. Scott unpacks why most leaders fail not because of change, but because they cling to control. From psychological safety to ada...

On this episode of ADAPT or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations , tech CEO-turned-coach Andreas Pettersson sits down with Michel Langlois, one of the most respected CTOs in the U.S. and author of Beyond the Code . Michel shares how he helped transform Calix from a struggling hardware company into the #1 rural fiber provider in America. With zero safety nets and a bold vision, he led the c...

On this episode of Adapt or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations , Andreas Pettersson welcomes Spencer Horn, President & CEO of Altium Leadership & Coaching and former NASDAQ company executive. Spencer reveals the hard-earned leadership lessons behind his “Delegate to Elevate” philosophy—helping overwhelmed leaders escape bottleneck mode and build high-functioning teams that think,...

On this episode of Adapt or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations , Andreas Pettersson sits down with Nicolas Pokorny, neuroscientist, global executive, and Founder & CEO of Mammoth Leadership Sciences. With over 30 years of experience leading multicultural teams, Nicolas unpacks a pivotal leap: moving from managing a small group of direct reports to guiding a large, layered organizatio...

When COVID shut down every client contract and wiped out his production pipeline, Graeme Watt—Principal and Lead Strategist of the award-winning agency Anthem Creative—faced an unthinkable leadership moment. On this episode of Adapt or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations , host Andreas Pettersson unpacks how Graeme chose purpose over panic and commissioned a self-funded storytelling proje...

On this episode of ADAPT or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations , Andreas Pettersson speaks with Tom Galido—5x founder, 3x CEO, and heart transplant survivor—about what it really takes to scale businesses and survive life-altering adversity. From collapsing in the CEO seat to rebooting his life during COVID lockdown, Tom shares raw truths about operational risk, startup culture traps, and...

On this episode of ADAPT or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations , former tech-CEO-turned-executive-coach Andreas Pettersson sits down with Bill Weathersby, 8-time founder and Chairman of Next Stage Trajectory. Bill shares raw, battle-tested lessons from 40+ years of building, scaling, and selling founder-led businesses—offering sharp insight into when to fire a salesperson, how to acceler...

On this episode of ADAPT or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations , former tech-CEO-turned-executive-coach Andreas Pettersson sits down with Rick Williams—physicist-turned-CEO, board advisor, and author of the Amazon #1 best-seller Create the Future . With decades of cross-industry leadership experience, Rick distills a lifetime of insight into one radical premise: Success is a choice . Fro...

On this episode of ADAPT or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations , former tech-CEO-turned-executive-coach Andreas Pettersson sits down with Alex Kuhn, founder of Born to Lead®—one of the fastest-growing coaching companies in the world. From NCAA swim coach to serial entrepreneur, Alex shares why most business models crush true leaders—and how ditching $200K worth of “expert advice” helped...

On this episode of ADAPT or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations , former tech-CEO-turned-executive-coach Andreas Pettersson sits down with Ryan Schonfeld, a former police officer and the founder & CEO of HiveWatch—a SaaS security platform reshaping how enterprises protect their people and assets. Ryan shares how frustration with outdated security systems pushed him to leave a Fortune...

On this episode of ADAPT or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations , executive coach and former tech CEO Andreas Pettersson speaks with Marius Vygantas, founder of Soling Partners and former Project Manager in the Executive Office of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. From Chicago to Dubai and back, Marius shares how trusting his gut—and preserving his integrity—shaped a 20-year glo...