The True Leadership Podcast

In this episode of The True Leadership Podcast, Jessy James speaks with senior technology leader Mohit Lal , whose three decades of global experience offer a grounded look at what leadership really demands. Mohit shares early lessons in integrity, hard work, and perseverance, and reflects on the demanding mentors and difficult moments that shaped his approach. He discusses leading by example, bala...

In this episode of The True Leadership Podcast, Ty speaks with revenue leader John Enns , whose journey spans high-growth startups, SaaS scaleups, and deep personal transformation. John shares how early lessons in work ethic, accountability, and resilience shaped his leadership — and how losing his brother became a defining moment in understanding the kind of person he wanted to become. He discuss...

In this episode of The True Leadership Podcast, Jessy speaks with engineering leader Jason Kehr, whose people-centered approach has shaped teams across Microsoft, Verizon, Smartsheet, and Kajabi. Jason shares the early mentors who believed in him and how their influence shaped his commitment to trust, clarity, and ownership. He reflects on learning the difference between being nice and being kind,...

In this episode of The True Leadership Podcast, Ty speaks with sales leader Justin Bullock, whose path from youth basketball courts to leading high-growth SaaS teams reveals how true leadership is built. Justin shares how early coaches taught him the gift of high expectations, how humility and feedback shaped his career, and why letting go of the need to be liked transformed his effectiveness. He...

In this episode of The True Leadership Podcast, Ty speaks with filmmaker and director Adrian Burks about the experiences that shaped his understanding of leadership. Adrian shares how his adopted mother provided the foundation for his resilience, how his definition of leadership evolved from the football field to the film set, and why letting go of ego became essential in directing teams and creat...

In this episode of The True Leadership Podcast, Jessy sits down with Lisa Mulyk, a strategic executive and servant leader with more than 30 years of experience building sales foundations, scaling organizations, and developing high-performance teams. In this conversation, Lisa reflects on the turning points that reshaped her leadership — learning to let go when holding on causes harm, recognizing b...

In this episode of The True Leadership Podcast, Ty sits down with Jennie Luke, a seasoned operations and delivery executive with more than 30 years of experience leading teams at the intersection of technology, people, and performance. In this conversation, Jennie opens up about the turning points that shaped her: confronting the fear of vulnerability, learning to own her mistakes publicly, breaki...

In this episode of The True Leadership Podcast, Ty sits down with Oakley Smith, Vice President of Operations at Vetty and a visionary operator whose career has been defined by service, adaptability, and a relentless commitment to elevating the human experience inside complex systems. Oakley reflects on the turning points that transformed her leadership — from the unexpected pivot she made during t...

In this episode of The True Leadership Podcast, Ty sits down with Ray Patalano, Vice President of Field and Partner Marketing at Ciena. Over nearly two decades inside one of the world’s leading networking companies, Ray has helped shape global go-to-market strategy, deepen partner ecosystems, and guide the business through multiple waves of industry transformation. In this conversation, Ray opens...

In this episode of The True Leadership Podcast, Ty sits down with Kevin Martinelli, Regional President of Sales for the West and General Manager of the Arizona Republic and azcentral.com at USA Today Co. Kevin opens up about the experiences that shaped him — from a high-school baseball coach who taught him humility, to the professional turning point that required deep ownership, to the ongoing jou...

In this episode of The True Leadership Podcast, Ty sits down with Patchen Noelke — a marketing innovator and tech strategist known for transforming how companies bring complex technology to market. As Acting CMO at Suplari, Patchen is leading a category-defining shift by reframing procurement around agentic intelligence and guiding the company from a traditional analytics platform to the industry’...

In this episode of The True Leadership Podcast, Justin sits down with Dr. Marc Gautreau — an emergency physician, educator, Air Force veteran, and one of the quiet architects shaping the future of EMS and pre-hospital care. Marc’s leadership journey began as a teenage fire dispatcher in Massachusetts and evolved through decades of frontline service as a firefighter, EMT, paramedic, flight surgeon,...

In this episode of The True Leadership Podcast, Ty sits down with Dr. Matt Poepsel — author, speaker, Marine Corps veteran, and widely known as The Godfather of Talent Optimization at The Predictive Index. Matt reflects on early lessons from the Marine Corps, the inner work required for effortless leadership, the courage to lead authentically, the impact of disciplined self-study, and his emerging...

In this episode of The True Leadership Podcast, Ty sits down with Marni Carmichael, Vice President of Marketing at ImageSource. For nearly a decade, Marni has helped transform complex technology into clear, human-centered stories that resonate — driving aligned messaging, scaled SaaS growth, and lasting customer loyalty. Marni opens up about becoming self-sufficient at a young age, learning to ask...

In this episode of The True Leadership Podcast, Ty sits down with Marchelle Varamini, a visionary leader and storyteller shaping how organizations understand, communicate, and deliver value. Marchelle opens up about the formative influence of being the oldest of five, the Nordstrom leadership insight that changed her trajectory, the painful but pivotal moment that reshaped how she brings people wi...

In this episode of The True Leadership Podcast, Ty sits down with Darren Odom, a technology leader and entrepreneur working at the intersection of hardware, software, and design. Darren opens up about the early influence of a great teacher, the hard lessons of entrepreneurship, navigating a difficult acquisition, rebuilding with resilience, and why curiosity and human-centered innovation are essen...

In this episode of The True Leadership Podcast, Ty sits down with Mark Richtermeyer, a visionary executive and entrepreneur with more than 25 years of experience leading high-growth technology and professional services organizations. In this conversation, Mark opens up about early leadership forged under pressure, the role of values in hard decisions, the necessity of clarity and alignment, and wh...

In this episode of The True Leadership Podcast, Ty sits down with Eric Goldstein, a growth and platform leader in media and entertainment with a track record of scaling global streaming businesses and building the partnerships behind next-generation viewer experiences. In this conversation, he opens up about the coaches who shaped him, the power of integrity, the art of elevating others, and why p...

In this episode of The True Leadership Podcast, Ty sits down with Rik Walters — a fractional CMO, full-stack go-to-market strategist, and one of the sharpest operators in B2B SaaS. Known for transforming complexity into clarity, Rik builds the systems that turn strategy into predictable, scalable growth. Rik shares how a high-school baseball coach first taught him what it means to be entrusted wit...

In this episode of The True Leadership Podcast, Ty sits down with Joe Fox, President of Growave, where he is leading the charge to unify commerce through tech-stack consolidation and smarter retention strategies. With 15 years of global experience across e-commerce, SaaS, and digital innovation, Joe has worked with major brands including LEGO, Sony, and Crocs, and previously led partnerships at RE...

In this episode of The True Leadership Podcast, Ty sits down with Jim McFarlane, Executive Vice President of Strategic Robotic Systems in San Diego — a company pioneering specialized underwater vehicles known as Fusion. Jim has spent his entire life in the undersea world, first entering a submersible at age eight and later building a five-decade career shaping the future of subsea technology. Afte...

In this episode of The True Leadership Podcast, Ty sits down with Mariane Bekker — investor, entrepreneur, technologist, and a leading force for inclusive innovation in Silicon Valley. As Managing Partner at Founders Bay and founder of Women Founders Bay, Mariane supports a global community of more than 80,000 founders and VCs, creating pathways for underrepresented talent through curated events,...

In this episode of The True Leadership Podcast, Ty sits down with Adam Puckett, a systems-driven sales leader and strategist who has built and scaled high-performing teams across the technology sector. As the Vice President of Sales for North America at COS Systems, Adam is leading efforts to expand broadband access and modern infrastructure across the country. He offers a grounded, honest look at...

In this episode of The True Leadership Podcast, Ty sits down with Dan Cain, a proven go-to-market executive and Vice President of Sales at IMPLAN. With more than a decade of experience building and scaling high-performing sales organizations across technology and data-driven industries, Dan blends strategic clarity with a hands-on, people-first leadership style. He shares early experiences that sh...

In this episode of The True Leadership Podcast, Ty sits down with Matt Strauchon, a high-energy technical sales leader with more than 15 years of experience driving growth across SaaS and AI solutions. Known as “the head nerd,” Matt blends deep technical expertise with a human-centered leadership style that builds teams people want to join and organizations that consistently deliver. He shares the...