Built by People Leaders

In this powerful episode, Pavel Kovsharov shares his inspiring business journey from a corporate executive to a successful entrepreneur in the family entertainment industry. Starting his first business at just 16, Pavel reveals how entrepreneurship became his life’s calling and what led him to leave corporate life after a pivotal vacation. Pavel dives deep into the realities of building and scalin...

In this episode, Sebastian Gerhardt, founder of Flee, shares his entrepreneurial journey and deep insights into improving developer experience in modern software organizations. He explains why developer productivity cannot be measured by output alone and how organizational structure, team culture, and feedback systems play a critical role in engineering success. The conversation explores how CTOs...

In this powerful episode, Davidson Oturu shares hard-earned insights from years of working with startups and first-time CEOs. He breaks down why having a great idea is not enough to run a successful business and highlights the most common mistakes new CEOs make in execution, operations, and financial management. David emphasizes the importance of understanding core business principles, building a...

In this insightful episode, Simon Mulder shares his journey from software engineering to becoming a global HR leader. He explores how leadership styles evolve across large corporations and fast growing scale-ups, the real challenges behind mergers and acquisitions, and why many organizations struggle with integration and alignment. Simon Mulder also draws powerful parallels between parenting and l...

In this episode, Veiko Valkiainen explores the concept of self-managed organizations and how they are reshaping leadership, decision-making, and workplace culture. The conversation breaks down the principles of self-management, the role of Holacracy, and why clear role boundaries are critical for success. We dive deep into decentralized decision-making, team dynamics, and the challenges organizati...

In this episode of Build by People Leaders, we’re talking about the seat at the table — and why it’s built, not given. For years, HR leaders have worked to be recognized as true business partners, not just support or administrative functions. While progress is happening, there’s still a critical gap — especially when it comes to AI. According to IBM’s 2025 CEO Report, only 1% of CEOs expect HR to...

Welcome to Build by People Leaders, a podcast brought to you by Aidra. AI, an AI coach for leaders in tech, and hosted by Darya Rudnik, team architect and executive leadership coach. This podcast is created for in-house HR leaders, people partners, founders, and executives who are building the people side of fast-growing organizations. On this show, you’ll hear real stories — not just frameworks —...