The Covert Code

This week on The Covert Code Podcast, the topic is: Why Qualified Isn't Enough: How to Stand Out and Land Executive Opportunities My special guest is Gina Riley, executive career strategist, LinkedIn Top Voice, keynote speaker, and author of Qualified Isn't Enough. Today's job market looks dramatically different than it did just a few years ago. Artificial intelligence is reshaping recruiting, Lin...

This week on The Covert Code Podcast, the topic is: Selling Your Business in Style: How to Maximize Value Before You Exit My special guest is Marty Fahncke, Certified Merger & Acquisition Advisor, growth strategist, business investor, and Managing Partner of Westbound Road. With more than three decades of experience helping companies grow, acquire competitors, and successfully exit, Marty has work...

This week on The Covert Code Podcast, the topic is: The Future of Healthcare: How AI and Regenerative Medicine Are Changing Medicine Forever My special guest is Dr. Annu Navani, founder and Chief Medical Officer of Le Reve Wellness, Chief Medical Officer at Boomerang Healthcare, Stanford adjunct faculty member, and author of the upcoming Forbes Books title Health Recoded: A Physician's Guide to In...

This week on The Covert Code Podcast, the topic is: Why Human Experiences Will Thrive in an AI World My special guest is Charlene Rose, entrepreneur, actor, hand model, choreographer, Airbnb host, and founder of Living Room to Ballroom and Old Hollywood Lodge. As artificial intelligence continues transforming industries around the world, many people are asking what kinds of businesses, careers, an...

This week on The Covert Code Podcast, the topic is: Founder-Led Selling: Why Faceless Brands Are Losing My special guest is Dave Gulas, entrepreneur, podcast host, and co-founder of EZDC 3PL. With over 20 years of experience in sales and marketing leadership, Dave believes that today's founders can no longer hide behind their company name. Customers want to know who they're buying from, what they...

🎙️ This week on The Covert Code Podcast, the topic is: Why Small Businesses Hit Growth Ceilings and How to Break Through Them My special guest is Rob Aquino, CEO of JBS Corp and Entrepreneur Books, author of The Small Business Money Game: Hidden Strategies That Turn Survival into Scale. Rob comes from a deep background in finance, entrepreneurship, wealth management, and business strategy. Having...

🎙️ This week on The Covert Code Podcast, the topic is: The AI Experience Economy My special guest is Lou Chatta, founder of Pin Tours, an AI-powered platform transforming how people experience travel, tours, transportation, events, and local discovery. Lou is building an orchestration layer behind the experience economy — combining travel, transportation, attractions, restaurants, events, and loca...

🎙️ This week on The Covert Code Podcast, the topic is: How Curiosity Is the Secret Sauce to Success My special guest is Rodney Adkins — former Senior Vice President at IBM, chairman of Avnet, engineer, philanthropist, and author of the Forbes bestselling book *Curiosity Redefines the Limits*. After spending 33 years helping shape some of the world’s most important technology innovations at IBM, Ro...

🎙️ This week on The Covert Code Podcast, the topic is: Brand Reinvention And my special guest is Terri Eagle — Forbes bestselling author of *The Champagne CEO*, sought-after speaker, and founder of Terri Eagle Group, a consulting and business advisory firm helping organizations scale, transform, and navigate major transitions. In this episode, Anna and Terri discuss leadership, reinvention, mentor...

-Ready to elevate your authority? Click the URL for a free digital copy of The Authority Advantage, available now for Covert Code listeners: https://books.forbes.com/free-resources/the-authority-advantage/?rpaname=annacovert In this final episode of Authority as a Growth Strategy, a Forbes Books series presented by The Covert Code, Anna Covert sits down with Terry Stanton, Director of Integrated S...

What if success isn’t the problem — but ego-driven success is? In this episode of The Covert Code Podcast, Anna Covert sits down with Shaoqing Sun, founder of C&C Reservoirs, scientist, and Forbes author of From Burnout to Bliss: Dissolve Your Ego, Fuel Your Success, and Find True Fulfillment. After more than three decades helping global energy leaders make smarter, lower-risk decisions, Shaoqing...

Ready to elevate your authority? Click the URL for a free digital copy of The Authority Advantage, available now for Covert Code listeners: https://books.forbes.com/free-resources/the-authority-advantage/?rpaname=annacovert In Episode 3 of Authority as a Growth Strategy, a Forbes Books series presented by The Covert Code, Anna Covert sits down with Tyler LeBleu, senior publishing leader at Forbes...

What if everything you’ve been told about digital advertising… is only half the story? In this episode of The Covert Code Podcast, I sit down with Carly Foy, Senior Technical Account Manager at StackAdapt, to break down what’s really happening inside programmatic advertising—and where it’s going next. With over a decade of experience, Carly shares how the industry has evolved from basic media buyi...

Ready to elevate your authority? Click the URL for a free digital copy of The Authority Advantage, available now for Covert Code listeners: https://books.forbes.com/free-resources/the-authority-advantage/?rpaname=annacovert In this episode of Authority as a Growth Strategy, a Forbes Books series presented by The Covert Code, Anna Covert sits down with Natalie Mazzarella, Vice President of Authorit...

Ready to elevate your authority? Click the URL for a free digital copy of The Authority Advantage, available now for Covert Code listeners: https://books.forbes.com/free-resources/the-authority-advantage/?rpaname=annacovert In this episode of Authority as a Growth Strategy, a Forbes Books series presented by The Covert Code, Anna Covert sits down with Beth LaGuardia Cooper, President and CMO of Fo...

What if your team’s biggest communication issues aren’t visible? In this episode of The Covert Code Podcast, Anna Covert sits down with Maria Garaitonandia, leadership coach, communication strategist, and author of Untangling Communication, to explore how communication breaks down before anyone notices. With over 20 years of experience working with global teams across the U.S., Latin America, and...

What if your business could give you more freedom—not less? In this episode of The Covert Code Podcast, Anna Covert sits down with Michael Walsh, founder of Walsh Business Growth Institute and author of Freedom by Design, to break down how to build a business that actually works for you. With over 30 years of experience helping companies scale across North America and Europe, Michael shares the th...

How do you build a brand that stays authentic while growing over time? In this episode of The Covert Code Podcast, Anna Covert sits down with Kai Cowell, founder of Kai Spices, to talk about entrepreneurship, wellness, and building a purpose-driven brand. Kai shares the story behind her spice company, the inspiration behind her blends, and the lessons she’s learned from years of building a busines...

Real estate investment isn’t just about buying property—it’s about strategy. In this episode of The Covert Code Podcast, Anna Covert sits down with Bryan Watkins, Strategic Real Estate Advisor at Trans-Pacific Realty and Co-Founder of UNYQE Fitness Honolulu, to explore real estate investment strategies and exit planning for business owners and investors. Bryan brings a global perspective to the co...

What if growth didn’t have to feel so complicated? In this episode of The Covert Code Podcast, Anna Covert sits down with Sam Frentzel-Beyme, Founder of Stellant, to explore how organizations can simplify growth by aligning brand strategy, marketing execution, and technology into a unified system. With a background that includes working alongside companies like Google, Pepsi, and Johnson & Johnson...

This week on The Covert Code Podcast, we’re unlocking what truly drives team performance. In this episode, Anna Covert sits down with Jan Kaeo, Principal, Owner, and Master Trainer at Dale Carnegie Training Hawaii & Guam, to explore how leaders can unlock their team’s potential using time-tested leadership principles that still work in today’s fast-changing workplace. With over 14 years of experie...

What happens when authenticity beats algorithm strategy? In this episode of The Covert Code Podcast, Annika sits down with Luke Hillman, social media manager for Altitude Water, to unpack how an unscripted sustainability video exploded to 7.7 million views — and what it means for the future of clean water, off-grid living, and viral content. We dive into: • How Luke Hillman built organic traction...

What if the next wave of world-changing innovation doesn’t come from Silicon Valley? In this episode of The Covert Code Podcast, I sit down with David Blivin, founder and managing director of Cottonwood Technology Funds and author of Crossing the Cactus, to unpack why great ideas don’t need Silicon Valley to succeed—and what it actually takes to commercialize innovation in under-resourced regions....

Before we were all talking about AI, Ashton Cudjoe was already using it to change education. In this episode of The Covert Code Podcast, I sit down with Ashton Cudjoe, founder and CEO of Hawaii Medical College, to explore how AI workflows are revolutionizing education—and how Ashton is pioneering its use at HMI. Ashton discusses how his school has implemented AI-driven chatbots and voice assistant...

Why isn’t being qualified enough to land a job anymore? In this episode of The Covert Code Podcast, I sit down with Gina Riley, executive career coach, international speaker, Forbes Coaches Council member, and author of Qualified Isn’t Enough: Develop Your Story, Land the Interview, Win the Job. Gina Riley is the creator of the Career Velocity® System, a proven framework helping professionals navi...