Disruptive CEO Nation

  Leadership gets harder when the path forward is unclear, but knowing who you are can make the decisions in front of you much clearer. In this episode, I spoke with Jonathan David Lewis about leadership, brand identity, and what it means to rebuild organizations during seasons of uncertainty and change. We explored why decisiveness is such a critical part of leadership, how knowing who you a...

Great culture is not created by accident. It is built through consistent recognition, appreciation, and showing people what winning looks like. In this episode, I spoke with Alex Grande, CEO of Recognize, about why employee recognition has become such a critical part of building strong, resilient organizations. We explored how companies can improve engagement and retention by creating systems that...

The most expensive training may be the training your team forgets six months later. This week I spoke with Alex Mozes, CEO of Gravity Learning, about why so much corporate training looks successful on paper but fails to create lasting behavior change. We explored the difference between completing a course and actually learning a skill, why engagement scores and five-star ratings can miss the bigge...

What if feeling depleted as a leader isn’t a sign that something is wrong, but a signal that it’s time to develop new ways of leading? In this episode, I spoke with Rajesh Nagjee about what happens when successful founders and CEOs become the chief problem solver for everything in their business. We explored why leaders can feel depleted as their companies grow, the difference between capability a...

Fear isn’t something to eliminate, it’s a compass pointing to the next chapter of growth. In this episode, I spoke with Joze Piranian about his remarkable journey from living with a severe stutter to becoming a keynote speaker, comedian, and author. We explored his book Stop Holding Back: An Honest Guide to Turning Fear into Action, including the concept of the “inner stutter,” micro moments of br...

Small teams with smart AI can solve problems no one imagined before. In this episode, I spoke with Zhen Lu, CEO of Runpod, about the rapidly evolving AI landscape and the future of software development. Zhen Lu shared how Runpod is empowering engineers to train AI models tailored to specific business needs, improve efficiency, and reduce waste. We also discussed his founder journey, the power of c...

What if the future of aging isn’t just about safety, but about connection, and rethinking how technology supports both seniors and the people who care for them? In this episode, Tatyana Zlotsky discusses the evolving senior care landscape and how A Place for Mom connects families with over 15,000 senior care providers. She shares insights on leveraging technology and AI, supporting family caregive...

What if the future of aging isn’t just about safety, but about connection, and rethinking how technology supports both seniors and the people who care for them? In this episode, Tatyana Zlotsky discusses the evolving senior care landscape and how A Place for Mom connects families with over 15,000 senior care providers. She shares insights on leveraging technology and AI, supporting family caregive...

From a single San Diego location to 100+ stores nationwide, Jeff Fenster reveals how everbowl™ turned better-for-you food into a thriving, purpose-driven brand. Today we sit down with the founder and CEO of everbowl™! Jeff shares the journey of building a better-for-you superfood brand from a single location to over 100 stores across 32 states. He discusses the lessons learned from early mistakes,...

From a single San Diego location to 100+ stores nationwide, Jeff Fenster reveals how everbowl™ turned better-for-you food into a thriving, purpose-driven brand. Today we sit down with the founder and CEO of everbowl™! Jeff shares the journey of building a better-for-you superfood brand from a single location to over 100 stores across 32 states. He discusses the lessons learned from early mistakes,...

Cybersecurity is no longer just an IT issue. It is a business survival issue, and every leader needs to understand where the real risks are hiding. In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Dave “merk” Merkel, CEO and co-founder of Expel, about the evolving world of cybersecurity, AI, and business resilience. Dave shared the founder’s journey behind Expel, how the company grew by solvin...

Cybersecurity is no longer just an IT issue. It is a business survival issue, and every leader needs to understand where the real risks are hiding. In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Dave “merk” Merkel, CEO and co-founder of Expel, about the evolving world of cybersecurity, AI, and business resilience. Dave shared the founder’s journey behind Expel, how the company grew by solvin...

In a business that ships nearly half its orders the same day, speed is not just an advantage. It is the strategy. I sat down with Randy Carr, CEO of World Emblem, a 36-year-old family-owned company that manufactures more than one million emblems a day across multiple countries. Randy shared how technology, AI, and internally built systems have helped World Emblem compete globally by moving faster,...

In a business that ships nearly half its orders the same day, speed is not just an advantage. It is the strategy. I sat down with Randy Carr, CEO of World Emblem, a 36-year-old family-owned company that manufactures more than one million emblems a day across multiple countries. Randy shared how technology, AI, and internally built systems have helped World Emblem compete globally by moving faster,...

What if the biggest deal of your life fails not because of the market but because you were never truly ready for it? In this episode, I sit down with Kyle Park, co-founder and Managing Director of Harvest Management Partners, to explore his journey from finance leader and IPO veteran to boutique M&A advisor in Silicon Valley.  Kyle shares how a frustrating acquisition experience unexpectedly led h...

What if the biggest deal of your life fails not because of the market but because you were never truly ready for it? In this episode, I sit down with Kyle Park, co-founder and Managing Director of Harvest Management Partners, to explore his journey from finance leader and IPO veteran to boutique M&A advisor in Silicon Valley.  Kyle shares how a frustrating acquisition experience unexpectedly led h...

What if the packaging around your product mattered just as much as the product itself? In this episode, I sit down with Jason Wong, founder and CEO of Paking Duck, to explore how packaging has evolved into a powerful brand experience. We discuss his journey from building consumer brands to launching a global packaging company, and how he leveraged relationships, creativity, and content-driven mark...

What if the packaging around your product mattered just as much as the product itself? In this episode, I sit down with Jason Wong, founder and CEO of Paking Duck, to explore how packaging has evolved into a powerful brand experience. We discuss his journey from building consumer brands to launching a global packaging company, and how he leveraged relationships, creativity, and content-driven mark...

What separates a forgettable interview from a powerful one often comes down to a single overlooked skill: truly listening. In this episode, I sit down with Lisa Martin, a seasoned media strategist and tech correspondent, to unpack what it really takes to communicate complex ideas with clarity and impact. We explore the art of interviewing, the power of storytelling through the customer’s voice, an...

What separates a forgettable interview from a powerful one often comes down to a single overlooked skill: truly listening. In this episode, I sit down with Lisa Martin, a seasoned media strategist and tech correspondent, to unpack what it really takes to communicate complex ideas with clarity and impact. We explore the art of interviewing, the power of storytelling through the customer’s voice, an...

What if your startup isn’t failing because of the idea… but because no one is truly communicating clearly enough on the product development and build? Joel is the founder and CEO of Brewer Digital, and today we explore what really makes or breaks a startup in today’s fast-moving, tech-driven world. Joel shares why most startups don’t fail due to bad ideas, but because of breakdowns in communicatio...

What if your startup isn’t failing because of the idea… but because no one is truly communicating clearly enough on the product development and build? Joel is the founder and CEO of Brewer Digital, and today we explore what really makes or breaks a startup in today’s fast-moving, tech-driven world. Joel shares why most startups don’t fail due to bad ideas, but because of breakdowns in communicatio...

What if the biggest bottleneck in your business isn’t your strategy—but the tasks you refuse to let go? In today's episode, I sit down with Christopher McShanag, founder and CEO of Virtual Teammate, for a thoughtful conversation about what it really takes to grow a business without burning out your team or yourself. Chris shares how business owners can buy back their time by delegating administrat...

What if the biggest bottleneck in your business isn’t your strategy—but the tasks you refuse to let go? In today's episode, I sit down with Christopher McShanag, founder and CEO of Virtual Teammate, for a thoughtful conversation about what it really takes to grow a business without burning out your team or yourself. Chris shares how business owners can buy back their time by delegating administrat...

What if the strongest leadership lessons for building the future were waiting for us on the front porch of our past?   In this episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Shanita Akintonde to talk about her book The Front Porch Leader and the deeper leadership lessons it offers for business builders, marketers, and mentors. We explored the importance of knowing where we come from, practicing...