Building Great Experiences

<p>In this episode, Drew sits down with Sal Perez, founder of Totem Wealth Management in Charlotte, to talk about what AI means for client experience. Sal grew up in Orlando, played soccer at Winthrop, started his career at Vanguard, and opened his own firm in 2023. They get into why AI note takers make advisors more present, why clients still want a person to hold accountable, and what a ha...

In this episode, Drew sits down with Brian Lafontaine, a working actor of over 30 years turned executive coach, to explore what actually differentiates a person or a brand once AI can produce a flawless email, pitch, or blog post in seconds. The conversation covers why two recent job candidates tried interviewing using an AI avatar, why vulnerability builds more trust than polish, and how founders...

In this episode, Drew sits down with  Tory Thompson , Head of School at  Elysium School of Innovation  — a hybrid micro school in Huntersville, NC. Students are in the classroom two days a week, learning remotely two days, and out in the world on "field experience" Fridays, at a 10-to-1 ratio. Tory's path to running a school started with her own son: one of the brightest kids she kne...

In this episode, Drew sits down with Ellie Holbert, Founder and Principal of Impact Advisory Services, to explore why psychological safety has become the most critical leadership skill in the age of AI. The discussion covers the neuroscience behind fear and performance, why 47% of employees can't explain their own job responsibilities, and how leaders can create high-performing teams even when...

In this episode, Drew sits down with Brett House, founder and CEO of High Signals, and Rio, leader of advertising and ad tech at Cradera (OmniCom), to explore how AI is fundamentally reshaping go-to-market strategy, customer experience, and the future of software. The discussion covers GTM compression, synthetic data for buyer simulation, the agentic commerce debate, and what happens when AI agent...

In this episode, Drew sits down with Webb Bostic, President and CEO of MessageBridge, to explore the evolving landscape of business text messaging and what happens when AI becomes the gatekeeper to your customers. The discussion covers the SMS ecosystem from carriers to platforms, the difference between good and bad text experiences, the upcoming RCS protocol shift, and a thought-provoking look at...

In this episode, Drew sits down with Michael Trivette, Co-Founder of College Transitions, to explore the evolving landscape of higher education in the age of AI, focusing on the role of College Transitions in guiding students through the college admissions process. The discussion highlights the importance of liberal arts education, the impact of AI on job markets and college admissions, and the si...

In this episode, Drew sits down with Rob Horton, Senior Vice President of Brand and Digital at the YMCA of Greater Charlotte, to explore the future of customer experience, modern marketing, and how AI is reshaping personalization. Rob’s background spans iconic CPG brands (Nestlé, Coca-Cola), a decade in architectural coatings, agency leadership, and economic development—before stepping into a miss...

In this episode Drew sits down with Justin O’Connor, AI leader at KPMG Advisory and founder of InfraCodebase, an AI-native platform reimagining developer experience and cloud delivery. From automating his first enterprise workflow out of pure frustration to now shaping agent strategy for one of the world’s largest consultancies, Justin’s career has been a masterclass in momentum, experimentation,...

We’re kicking off a new Fireside Chat series. These are shorter, behind-the-scenes episodes where Drew shares how StealthX thinks about the shifts shaping the next era of experience and growth. Each one blends perspective with practice, featuring quick takes, demos, and tools operators can use right away. Drew starts with the latest from OpenAI’s Dev Day, the new Apps SDK and Agent Builder, and wh...

In this episode, Drew sits down with  Mike Adams , Executive Director of Design at JPMorgan Chase. Mike brings nearly two decades of experience leading design inside one of the most complex, highly regulated industries and he’s now wrestling with how AI will reshape design, research, and the enterprise itself. From his roots in graphic design and animation to his superpower of uniting people to so...

Welcome back. In this episode, Drew sits down with Christina Goldschmidt, VP of Product Design at Warner Music Group and adjunct professor at NYU. Christina traces a 25-year path from early web design at Discovery Channel to leadership roles at AmEx, Morgan Stanley, Accenture, Etsy, and now Warner where she’s helping legacy organizations navigate the AI wave by blending anthropology, business, and...

Welcome back to the latest episode of season 2. In this episode, Drew sits down with Zach Spring, Founder & CEO of YourEkko, a startup born from Zach’s personal journey through cancer, loss, and resilience. Zach shares his powerful story of survival and how it led him to create a platform that helps people support loved ones through grief with scheduled messages, financial gifts, and meaningfu...

Welcome back to Building Great Experiences Season 2. In this episode, Drew sits down with Juan Garzón, Managing Director of Innovate Charlotte and a longtime startup ecosystem builder. Juan shares his winding entrepreneurial journey, from founding a mortgage marketplace during the early 2000s, to brand strategy in the corporate world, to becoming one of the most trusted connectors for founders in...

Welcome back to Building Great Experiences Season 2!  This season, we’re diving deep into the future of AI, design, and human-centered experiences. Episode Details: In this season opener, Drew sits down with Charles DeAndre, Managing Partner at Pattern 50 and fractional CTO for some of Charlotte’s fastest-growing startups. Charles shares his journey from gaming-obsessed kid to fintech leader to st...

Overview: Welcome to the *Building Great Experiences podcast, with your host ⁠⁠⁠⁠Drew Burdick⁠⁠⁠⁠, a 15-year veteran in Customer Experience and Managing Partner at StealthX⁠⁠⁠⁠.This is a show dedicated to sharing how brands are bringing insanely great human-centered experiences to life with strategy, design & technology. In this episode, Drew interviews Joel Puthoff, Founder & CEO of Linxy...

Overview Welcome to the Building Great Experiences podcast, with your host ⁠⁠⁠⁠Drew Burdick a 15-year veteran in Customer Experience and Managing Partner at StealthX⁠⁠⁠⁠. This is a show dedicated to sharing how brands are bringing insanely great human-centered experiences to life with strategy, design & technology. Episode Details In this episode, Drew interviews Jenn Grabenstetter, Consulting...

Overview Welcome to the Building Great Experiences podcast, with your host ⁠⁠⁠⁠Drew Burdick a 15-year veteran in Customer Experience and Managing Partner at StealthX⁠⁠⁠⁠. This is a show dedicated to sharing how brands are bringing insanely great human-centered experiences to life with strategy, design & technology. Episode Details In this episode, Drew interviews David Wachs, founder of Handwr...

Overview: Welcome to the Building Great Experiences podcast, with your host ⁠⁠⁠⁠Drew Burdick a 15-year veteran in Customer Experience and Managing Partner at StealthX⁠⁠⁠⁠. This is a show dedicated to sharing how brands are bringing insanely great human-centered experiences to life with strategy, design & technology. Episode Details: In this episode of the Building Great Experiences podcast, Dr...

Overview Welcome to the Building Great Experiences podcast, with your host ⁠⁠⁠⁠Drew Burdick a 15-year veteran in Customer Experience and Managing Partner at StealthX⁠⁠⁠⁠. This is a show dedicated to sharing how brands are bringing insanely great human-centered experiences to life with strategy, design & technology. Episode Details In this episode, Drew interviews Adam Iscrupe - Director of Pro...

Overview Welcome to the Building Great Experiences podcast, with your host ⁠⁠⁠⁠Drew Burdick a 15-year veteran in Customer Experience and Managing Partner at StealthX⁠⁠⁠⁠. This is a show dedicated to sharing how brands are bringing insanely great human-centered experiences to life with strategy, design & technology. Episode Details In this conversation, Andy Vitale shares his journey through th...

Welcome to the Building Great Experiences podcast, with your host ⁠⁠⁠⁠Drew Burdick a 15-year veteran in Customer Experience and Managing Partner at StealthX⁠⁠⁠⁠. This is a show dedicated to sharing how brands are bringing insanely great human-centered experiences to life with strategy, design & technology. Episode Details: In this episode, Drew interviews Jake Heberlie - Chief Experience Offic...

Welcome to the Building Great Experiences podcast, with your host ⁠⁠⁠⁠Drew Burdick a 15-year veteran in Customer Experience and Managing Partner at StealthX⁠⁠⁠⁠. This is a show dedicated to sharing how brands are bringing insanely great human-centered experiences to life with strategy, design & technology. Episode Details: In this episode, Drew interviews fellow StealthXer Wes Dews, Director o...

Welcome to the Building Great Experiences podcast, with your host ⁠⁠⁠⁠Drew Burdick a 15-year veteran in Customer Experience and Managing Partner at StealthX⁠⁠⁠⁠. This is a show dedicated to sharing how brands are bringing insanely great human-centered experiences to life with strategy, design & technology. Episode Details: In this episode Drew interviews Ronnie Batista, a leader in user experi...

Overview: Welcome to the Building Great Experiences podcast, with your host ⁠⁠⁠⁠Drew Burdick, a 15-year veteran in Customer Experience and Managing Partner at StealthX⁠⁠⁠⁠. This is a show dedicated to sharing how brands are bringing insanely great human-centered experiences to life with strategy, design & technology. Episode Details: In this episode, Drew interviews Michael Vandenstockt, Princ...