The Leadership Exchange

In this episode of the Leadership Exchange podcast, Tracy Lee chats with Michael Kovacs, former co-founder of Open Channel (acquired by Stripe), about the realities of startup sales, the importance of saying no to the wrong customers, and the evolving role of AI in SaaS. Michael shares how sales is really about helping people make progress, the lessons he learned from “painful yeses,” and why qual...

AI is revolutionizing industries, but are businesses truly prepared for the risks that come with it? In this episode of Leadership Exchange, Tracy Lee sits down with Bart Layton, founder of AI Guardian, to discuss the often-overlooked challenges of AI governance, compliance, and security. Bart shares real-world stories of AI gone wrong, including fraud detection models that lost companies millions...

In this episode of the Leadership Exchange Podcast, host Tracy Lee sits down with pediatric urologist and medical device innovation consultant, Dr. Emily Blum. They explore the complex world of medical device development—from identifying real clinical needs to navigating FDA regulations, market fit, and reimbursement challenges. Emily shares insights on why 90% of medical devices fail, the importa...

In this episode of The Leadership Exchange , host Rob Ocel , VP of Innovation at This Dot Labs, sits down with Jason Williams , Chief Product and Technology Officer at HealthJoy, to explore what makes a great product leader. They discuss the critical difference between product management and project management, the importance of balancing innovation with sustainability, and why too many companies...

In this episode, Rob Ocel talks with Jason Abdo, founder of Product Protégé and author of The Product Protégé Guide, about the challenges and evolution of product management. They discuss why PMs are the glue between business, customers, and tech, the importance of storytelling and strategy, and how organizations often set up product teams the wrong way. Jason shares insights on building strong PM...

In this episode of The Leadership Exchange, host Rob Ocel hosts Bill Floyd, Chief Information Officer and Product Development Officer at Maxxsure. With over 35 years in the industry, Bill shares his insights on the cycles of tech innovation, the realities of AI hype, and the challenges of balancing remote and in-office work in today’s workplace. They explore how AI’s democratization is reshaping t...

In this episode of The Leadership Exchange, Rob Ocel talks with Andrew Norris, co-founder and CEO of DevCycle, to explore the challenges of adapting software to mee shifting market expectations. They discuss why feature flagging became a more compelling opportunity than standalone A/B testing, and how the team navigated a complete product transformation Andrew shares insights on making data-driven...

In this episode of Leadership Exchange, Rob Ocel speaks with Alex Yarotsky, CTO of Hubstaff, about the challenges and strategies of building and scaling high-performing engineering teams. Alex shares insights from his journey leading teams through rapid growth, emphasizing that great teams are built on chemistry, trust, and accountability. They discuss the importance of experience in shaping stron...

In this episode of The Leadership Exchange, Rob Ocel, VP of Innovation at This Dot Labs, speaks with Josh Tenenbaum, VP of Engineering at First Advantage, about improving release velocity. Josh shares practical strategies for achieving faster, smaller, and more frequent releases, emphasizing automation, intentionality, and robust testing. They discuss overcoming challenges like resistance to chang...

In this episode of The Leadership Exchange, host Tracy Lee chats with Vercel CTO Malte Ubl about shipping software faster, breaking down barriers in development, and fostering collaboration across teams. Malte shares lessons from Google, insights on iteration velocity, and how Vercel’s tools like feature flags and AI-driven prototypes are transforming workflows. They also discuss AI’s role in resh...

Rob Ocel sits down with Andrew Tunnell, Vice President of AI at CompuGroup Medical US, to explore the transformative potential of AI across industries. From reshaping U.S. manufacturing with AI-driven robotics to tackling identity challenges in the digital age, Andrew shares his bold predictions and insights on leveraging AI for problem-solving and innovation. The conversation also explore ethical...

In this episode of The Leadership Exchange, Tracy Lee chats with her longtime friend and coach, Noa Ronen, co-founder of The Coaching Connection. They explore how organizations can approach change fatigue, balance growth with emotional well-being, and create space for meaningful connection. Noa shares practical advice on fostering collaboration, empowering teams to solve problems, and building str...

In this episode of the Leadership Exchange Podcast, host Tracy Lee speaks with Sam Raghavachari, Head of Technology at Cabot, about the evolving role of technology in the commercial real estate (CRE) industry. They discuss the challenges of modernizing legacy systems, leveraging AI for administrative tasks and data optimization, and the critical importance of data quality and governance. Sam share...

In this episode of the Leadership Exchange Podcast, Tracy Lee welcomes back Jeremy Edberg, co-founder of DBOS, former Chief Architect at Reddit, and veteran startup investor. Together, they look into the realities of building and scaling startups, from the myth of "overnight success" to practical strategies for maintaining motivation through the slog of slow growth. Jeremy shares valuable insights...

In this episode of The Leadership Exchange, host Rob Ocel is joined by Pat Clarke, Director of Engineering at Lumen Learning, to discuss his framework for balancing coaching, directing, and "choreographing" as leadership modes, explaining how situational awareness helps leaders adapt their approach to meet team and project needs. Follow Pat Clarke on Social Media Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com...

In this episode of the Leadership Exchange , Tracy Lee, co-founder and CEO of This Dot Labs, talks with Celest Hall, founder of Shining Opus, about navigating the AI innovation wave and preparing for a tech-driven future. They discuss how businesses can stay competitive through upskilling, operational readiness, and making bold strategic bets. Celest shares insights on balancing technological prog...

On this episode of the Leadership Exchange , Tracy Lee chats with Ben Nadel, Principal Engineer and co-founder of InVision. They explore Ben’s journey building InVision, lessons on scaling, staying connected to customers, and the challenges of closing a company after 14 years. They also discuss team structures, microservices vs. monoliths, and reevaluating "best practices" in software development....

Join Tracy Lee as she talks with Bradley Dick, co-founder and CEO of ZeroDivide.ai, about his journey from CIO to tech entrepreneur. In this episode, Bradley shares why he left a stable healthcare CIO role to launch a startup focused on AI-powered tools for individuals with developmental disabilities. Discover the challenges he faced, the lessons he learned about leadership, and how Zero Divide AI...

In this episode of The Leadership Exchange , Tracy Lee talks with DEI expert Nina Bryson Fleming, founder of Inclusive Ideas, about how Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs can affect positive transformations in workplaces. Drawing from her 15 years of experience, Nina shares actionable strategies for building inclusive cultures, improving employee morale, fostering innovation, and enha...

In this episode of The Leadership Exchange , Tracy Lee chats with healthcare and AI expert Eric Doherty about how AI is transforming industries like healthcare, finance, and manufacturing. Eric shares his insights on generative AI, digital twinning in drug development, and the ethical considerations of AI adoption, drawing parallels to Google’s rise in the tech world. They discuss regulatory chall...

Dondi Black, Chief Product Officer of Issuer Solutions at TSYS, to explore the transformative journey of innovation, cultural shifts, and emerging technologies in the payments industry. Dondi shares her insights from three decades in the field, discussing how her organization leverages synergies, empowers teams, and implements measurable strategies to drive innovation and transformation. The conve...

In this episode of Leadership Exchange , host Rob Ocel chats with Jerry Reghunadh, Senior Director of Enterprise Architecture at Data Nimbus, about leadership, AI adoption, and data-driven decision-making. Jerry shares his career journey, insights on leveraging tools like ChatGPT and Copilot, and strategies for building effective data pipelines. They explore how companies can avoid "analysis paral...

In this episode of The Leadership Exchange , host Rob Ocel, VP of Innovation at This Dot Labs, sits down with Scott Roehrenbeck, CTO of Apptegy, for an in-depth discussion on leadership, process improvement, and the role of people in building effective teams. Scott shares insights from his 20+ years in tech, reflecting on the evolution of his leadership style, the importance of balancing process w...

Matt Biilmann, CEO and co-founder of Netlify, for an in-depth discussion about the company's incredible growth journey—from a bootstrapped two-person startup to a global platform serving over 5 million developers and powering sites for major companies like Unilever and Asana. Matt reflects on the key lessons he’s learned while scaling Netlify, including raising $212 million in venture capital and...

In this episode of the Leadership Exchange, host Tracy Lee welcomes Jeremy Edberg, CEO of DeVos and former first employee at Reddit, to discuss leadership, engineering culture, and team building. They review Jeremy's career journey from Reddit to Netflix and beyond, sharing insights on scaling engineering teams, the impact of culture on development practices, and hiring strategies. Jeremy reflects...