The Forward Slash Podcast

What separates teams that build features from those that solve problems? Ryan Donnelly, product leader and proud Callibrity alum, shares how his engineering roots shaped his approach to driving impact at scale. He unpacks the mindset behind modernizing in-house payments, building with empathy, and leading through storytelling. If you're navigating tech, product, or leadership—this one's for you.

Can you build a working AI chatbot without any prior AI knowledge? Rachel did—and here’s how. In this episode, senior software developer, Rachel Clifton joins James to share how she tackled her very first AI project—building a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) chatbot from scratch. Rachel breaks down the beginner-friendly tools that made it possible, including Spring AI, Apache Tika, and PGVect...

What do toddlers learning to walk and robots learning to cook soup have in common? In this episode, data scientist Steven Nord joins James to explore the fundamentals of reinforcement learning (RL) —a key concept in machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) —and its real-world applications in predictive maintenance, automation, robotics, and AI-powered systems . They explain the difference...

Can your software handle failure—or write its own test code? In this episode, we dive into temporal workflows, agentic AI, and no-code automation tools like N8N to explore how developers can build resilient, scalable applications faster. Learn how to navigate unreliable APIs, implement AI-powered code generation, and prototype with no-code platforms to supercharge your software development process...

Is QA slowing you down? We unpack why traditional, siloed QA creates friction—and how a player-coach approach to test automation can embed quality across your team. Learn how shifting the mindset from “quality as a function” to “quality as a culture” leads to faster feedback, stronger collaboration, and better software. Perfect for CTOs, tech leads, and teams ready to level up their delivery.

In this episode of The Forward Slash , James sits down with Guy Royse , Developer Advocate at Redis , Guy shares insights into what it means to be a developer advocate—helping engineers solve problems, teaching new technologies, and building communities. He and James dive into the world of conferences, discussing the value of in-person events, networking, and staying ahead of industry trends.

Are soft skills the secret weapon of high-performing technologists? In this episode, we sit down with Aaron Tyler , Senior Staff Consultant at Callibrity and a Full-Stack & iOS Polyglot Programmer, to explore how mastering soft skills can sharpen technical execution, improve collaboration, and elevate engineering teams to new levels of efficiency.

In this episode of The Forward Slash Podcast , James and Aaron sit down with special guest Tracy Beeson, Director of Transformation at Health Alliance Plan. They explore shifting Agile methodologies, new frameworks, and evolving industry demands, and ask the big question: Is Agile dead, or has it simply transformed?

This week, James and Aaron explore modern security challenges and opportunities with Tyler Welton, a 15+ year InfoSec expert. They discuss open-source vulnerabilities, confusion attacks in third-party tools, and how security products can help developers stay productive while staying protected.

In the latest The Forward Slash podcast episode, we’re diving deep into this game-changing discipline with Joel Vasallo , Senior Director of Platform Engineering at TAG - The Aspen Group. From redefining workflows to tackling unique challenges in healthcare and beyond, this conversation is a must-listen for anyone passionate about building better systems and better developer experiences.

On this episode, we dig into the (maybe not so) unique challenges and opportunities of building cutting-edge technology at scale for Microsoft. Nat Pollock, Principal Software Engineer at Microsoft, joins Aaron and James this week, to chat about navigating the complexities of software development at a global tech giant.

This week on The Forward Slash , James and Aaron dive into more than just a reflection of 2024. They uncover the stories, challenges, and breakthroughs that defined the IT world—and share what it’s really been like creating and hosting this podcast along the way. But they don’t stop there! Get ready for bold predictions and key trends to watch as we step into 2025. Whether you're in tech or just c...

In this episode, we sit down with Rich Schramm, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of vizabli, to explore the essence of entrepreneurship. Rich dives into the complexities of working in highly-regulated industries like medical technology, highlighting how to balance creativity with compliance. Discover the drive it takes to embrace your inner entrepreneur!

In this episode, we sit down with Steve Berardelli, leader of Callibrity's Foundations practice, to explore the art of uncovering the why behind every client need. With over 20 years of experience developing enterprise-level software and building strong cross-functional relationships, Steve shares his expertise on how understanding the core problem sets teams up for success—and why creating a thou...

Yum! Brands UX Manager Erica Price joins Aaron and James today. They talk about using empathy with users, brand managers, and subject matter experts to make sure everyone feels heard. They also discuss user-forward design, UX testing, and and how AI can support all of this work.

James and Aaron welcome Matt Coatney, a seasoned technology executive and AI expert, to explore the evolving role of artificial intelligence in business. They discuss the critical data foundations companies need to prepare for AI/ML, the “jagged frontier” of generative AI and its strengths and weaknesses, and real-world examples of how AI/ML adds value for businesses.

Ocean Eiler joins the team to talk about core philosophy: Everything is design. In this wide ranging discussion, Ocean, James, and Aaron talk about the importance of the DIY spirt in design and development, having empathy for your users, and so much more. Our guest turns the tables on the hosts as he brings some lightening round questions of his own. Ocean is currently the Associate Director of De...

Callibrity's AI Practice Lead joins the podcast to talk about the past, present, and future of generative AI. Recorded live September 2024 at Callibrity's Annual Team Summit.

James and Aaron are joined this episode by David Imhoff. David is the Director of DevSecOps and Product Security at Kroger. They dive deep into application security, and how to champion security within your organization. 

Erik Przekop joins James and Aaron today to talk about different personal productivity methods, team dynamics, and what it means to be a consultant versus just filling a role. They dive deep into practical productivity tips, and team safety. 

James and Aaron are joined by Adam Barrett to discuss software rewrites and web front end development. After almost 2 decades of web development, and over a decade of consulting at companies from large enterprises to tiny startups, Adam has learned a thing or two about the business of the web.

John Kimball joins the podcast to talk with the team about Dev Ops, Agile, and mistakes companies make when adopting Agile. 

In this episode James Carman and Aaron Chesny discuss AI and how it will change how coders will work and learn in the future. 

This episode James and Arron are joined by Assistant CIO of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati to talk about how to discover your own talents, and how to see them in others. 

Today James and Aaron are joined by test automation expert Jonathan Thompson who talks about how companies can make deployment pipelines stronger with test automation.