Disruptive CEO Nation

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...

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...

What separates successful women leaders from the rest often comes down to curiosity, courage, and the willingness to use their voice. In this special episode honoring International Women’s Month, I had the pleasure of speaking with Maria Doughty, CEO of The Chicago Network, an organization made up of some of the most influential women leaders across Chicago’s business, nonprofit, healthcare, and g...

What separates successful women leaders from the rest often comes down to curiosity, courage, and the willingness to use their voice. In this special episode honoring International Women’s Month, I had the pleasure of speaking with Maria Doughty, CEO of The Chicago Network, an organization made up of some of the most influential women leaders across Chicago’s business, nonprofit, healthcare, and g...

What if every interaction you have as a leader is silently answering one question for your team: Are you safe to follow? In this episode, I sit down with Alan McLaren, co-founder of Strata Originals, to explore the invisible signals leaders send in every conversation, meeting, and interaction. Alan shares the powerful concept of “leadership signal,” explaining how trust is built or lost in real ti...

What if every interaction you have as a leader is silently answering one question for your team: Are you safe to follow? In this episode, I sit down with Alan McLaren, co-founder of Strata Originals, to explore the invisible signals leaders send in every conversation, meeting, and interaction. Alan shares the powerful concept of “leadership signal,” explaining how trust is built or lost in real ti...

What if being unmistakably human is your biggest competitive advantage in an AI-first world? In this episode, I sat down with Louis Carter, founder of Most Loved Workplace, to talk about why workplace culture is being tested and reshaped faster than ever. Louis shared how “most loved” isn’t a slogan, it’s a credibility signal grounded in real employee sentiment, and why being unmistakably human is...

What if being unmistakably human is your biggest competitive advantage in an AI-first world? In this episode, I sat down with Louis Carter, founder of Most Loved Workplace, to talk about why workplace culture is being tested and reshaped faster than ever. Louis shared how “most loved” isn’t a slogan, it’s a credibility signal grounded in real employee sentiment, and why being unmistakably human is...

Most leaders swear they have a revenue problem, but sometimes that belief is often the fastest way to stay stuck with “profititis.” In this episode of Disruptive CEO Nation , I sat down with Ben Hansen, the “Profitability Doctor,” to unpack why so many growing businesses still feel like they’re getting punched in the face every day. Ben explains his framework for diagnosing “profititis” (strong or...

Most leaders swear they have a revenue problem, but sometimes that belief is often the fastest way to stay stuck with “profititis.” In this episode of Disruptive CEO Nation, I sat down with Ben Hansen, the “Profitability Doctor,” to unpack why so many growing businesses still feel like they’re getting punched in the face every day. Ben explains his framework for diagnosing “profititis” (strong or...

What if the fastest way to win your market isn’t competing harder, but changing the category entirely? This week, I sit down with Kevin Maney, co-author of Play Bigger and founding partner of Category Design Advisors, for a deep dive into what it really takes to create and win a market category. Kevin shares the thinking behind his latest book, The Category Creation Formula , and explains why most...

What if the fastest way to win your market isn’t competing harder, but changing the category entirely? This week, I sit down with Kevin Maney, co-author of Play Bigger and founding partner of Category Design Advisors, for a deep dive into what it really takes to create and win a market category. Kevin shares the thinking behind his latest book, The Category Creation Formula, and explains why most...

Are AI employees the future of hiring and operations? In today’s episode, I sat down with Alok Kumar, co-founder and CEO of Cozmo AI, to explore the cutting-edge AI tools that are changing the game for enterprises. Alok takes us inside Cozmo AI’s platform, which enables businesses to build AI agents capable of seeing, speaking, thinking, and acting all while maintaining a human-like touch. From re...

Are AI employees the future of hiring and operations? In today’s episode, I sat down with Alok Kumar, co-founder and CEO of Cozmo AI, to explore the cutting-edge AI tools that are changing the game for enterprises. Alok takes us inside Cozmo AI’s platform, which enables businesses to build AI agents capable of seeing, speaking, thinking, and acting all while maintaining a human-like touch. From re...

From kitchen-table beginnings to revolutionizing waste management, Lainika’s journey proves that with vision and innovation, you can build a multi-million dollar business that tackles global challenges. In this heartfelt episode, Lainika Johnson, founder of Eco in the City, shares her inspiring journey from starting TrashLogic out of necessity to launching a tech-driven company that is transformin...

From kitchen-table beginnings to revolutionizing waste management, Lainika’s journey proves that with vision and innovation, you can build a multi-million dollar business that tackles global challenges. In this heartfelt episode, Lainika Johnson, founder of Eco in the City, shares her inspiring journey from starting TrashLogic out of necessity to launching a tech-driven company that is transformin...

What started as a small side hustle in a basement has become a renowned success story, transforming the tech industry and the way we handle e-waste. In this episode, Christopher Hale, founder and CEO of SmartphonesPLUS, takes us behind the scenes of his company’s rapid growth. What started as a small operation buying and selling electronics has grown into a multimillion-dollar business that’s help...

What started as a small side hustle in a basement has become a renowned success story, transforming the tech industry and the way we handle e-waste. In this episode, Christopher Hale, founder and CEO of SmartphonesPLUS, takes us behind the scenes of his company’s rapid growth. What started as a small operation buying and selling electronics has grown into a multimillion-dollar business that’s help...

Your home might be polluting more than your car, and the fix is closer than you think. In this episode of Disruptive CEO Nation , I’m joined by Stephen Lake, co-founder and CEO of Jetson Home, a company making home electrification simpler and significantly more affordable. We talk about why heating and cooling is one of the biggest decarbonization opportunities, what’s been holding heat pumps back...

Your home might be polluting more than your car, and the fix is closer than you think. In this episode of Disruptive CEO Nation, I’m joined by Stephen Lake, co-founder and CEO of Jetson Home, a company making home electrification simpler and significantly more affordable. We talk about why heating and cooling is one of the biggest decarbonization opportunities, what’s been holding heat pumps back...

What if buying a home could be more affordable and less stressful? That’s exactly what Ben Bear and TurboHome are making possible. In this episode, I’m talking to Ben Bear, co-founder and CEO of TurboHome, a game-changing platform that is reimagining the home-buying process. TurboHome cuts out unnecessary costs by offering a flat-fee model instead of traditional commissions, making it easier for p...

What if buying a home could be more affordable and less stressful? That’s exactly what Ben Bear and TurboHome are making possible. In this episode, I’m talking to Ben Bear, co-founder and CEO of TurboHome, a game-changing platform that is reimagining the home-buying process. TurboHome cuts out unnecessary costs by offering a flat-fee model instead of traditional commissions, making it easier for p...

What if you could turn customer anxiety into confidence and boost conversions with just a few simple design changes? Today we talk about understanding user behavior through data science, and how it can dramatically improve your digital marketing strategy. Join me for a captivating conversation with Mia Umanos, founder of Clickvoyant, where she uncovers the magic behind data science and human behav...

What if you could turn customer anxiety into confidence and boost conversions with just a few simple design changes? Today we talk about understanding user behavior through data science, and how it can dramatically improve your digital marketing strategy. Join me for a captivating conversation with Mia Umanos, founder of Clickvoyant, where she uncovers the magic behind data science and human behav...

What’s the secret to creating tech that people not only use but love?   In this episode, I have the pleasure of sitting down with Erin Rollenhagen, founder of People Friendly Tech, to discuss her journey of creating innovative tech solutions that drive real behavioral change. Erin shares the importance of emotional engagement in tech products, offering a fresh perspective on why technology should...