Transformational Thinkers with Sara Sheehan

Artificial intelligence is changing business faster than almost any technology before it, but what if the biggest opportunity is not building smarter machines, but empowering smarter humans? In this compelling conversation, Sara Sheehan sits down with serial entrepreneur Rob LoCascio to explore why he believes AI should amplify human potential rather than replace it. After building LivePerson into...

What separates organizations that successfully leverage artificial intelligence from those that struggle to realize value? According to Andrew Brooks, the answer lies in moving beyond generic AI assistants and focusing on purpose-built AI solutions tailored to how a business operates. In this insightful conversation, Andrew shares lessons learned from decades of entrepreneurship building and scali...

What does it take to build category-defining companies, lead through massive technological change, and still maintain perspective on what matters most? In this inspiring episode of Transformational Thinkers , Sara Sheehan sits down with Maria Colacurcio, CEO of Syndio and co-founder of Smartsheet, to discuss the intersection of leadership, AI,  pay equity, and personal growth. Maria shares how her...

In this episode of Transformational Thinkers, Sara Sheehan welcomes Jeff Revilla, founder of the Infinite-Seat Theater concept and longtime podcast creator, to discuss how live podcasting is creating a new path forward for independent creators. Jeff explains that traditional podcast monetization through advertising often fails independent podcasters because only a small percentage of shows reach t...

In this episode of Transformational Thinkers , Sara Sheehan interviews Alan McLaren, a leadership strategist specializing in how executive presence and behavioral signals shape organizational outcomes. Alan introduces the concept of Leadership Signal Architecture, a framework designed to help leaders understand how others experience their leadership, and how that experience directly impacts trust...

In this episode of Transformational Thinkers , Sara Sheehan and guest Victoria Pelletier discuss what it takes to lead with strength, vulnerability, and clarity in today’s evolving business landscape. Victoria addresses a critical tension in modern organizations: the balance between people, process, and data. While data integrity is essential, she emphasizes that organizations cannot afford to wai...

In this episode of Transformational Thinkers , Sara Sheehan interviews Nick Jain, CEO of Eagle Rock CFO, an analytically driven firm leveraging AI to transform financial operations, HR functions, and strategic decision-making. Nick is a seasoned CEO known for his expertise in scaling businesses. Eagle Rock CFO is using AI as a central offering to drive client organizational growth.  Nick begins by...

In this thought-provoking episode, Sara Sheehan delivers a strategic and human-centered perspective on artificial intelligence and its impact on business, leadership, and society. She emphasizes that AI is not autonomous. It reflects the priorities and decisions of those who design and deploy it. The Transformation of Work Requires Human Leadership AI is reshaping how work is structured across ind...

What if the key to unlocking innovation and leadership performance is as simple as movement? In this compelling episode of Transformational Thinkers with Sara Sheehan, Sara welcomes Joel Heath, entrepreneur, innovator, and CEO of FluidStance, a company focused on creating products that bring movement into the workplace. Joel shares his transformative journey from concept to company, illustrating h...

What if the key to thriving in the age of AI lies not in reducing your workforce but in empowering it? In this solo episode of Transformational Thinkers with Sara Sheehan, host Sara Sheehan delves into the often-overlooked truth about the role of employees amidst the rise of agentic AI systems and AI oversight. Agentic AI systems do not simply automate tasks. They reshape the economics of work, sp...

In this episode, host Sara Sheehan welcomes Jed Ayres, the visionary CEO of ControlUp, a leader at the forefront of digital employee experience and autonomous IT operations. Jed reflects on his early years owning and operating a hotel and restaurant, where performance feedback was immediate and ruthless. These formative experiences shaped his servant leadership philosophy, which emphasizes empathy...

Susan brings a grounded, real-world perspective shaped by years of advising organizations through challenging employee relations, legal exposure, and leadership capability gaps. With the rise of wage and hour claims, understanding local laws has never been more crucial for companies expanding their workforce across state lines. This conversation is a clarion call for CEOs and CHROs to take proacti...

In this enlightening episode of Transformational Thinkers , host Sara Sheehan sits down with Brad Stewart, the visionary founder of Music Mogul AI and CEO of Stewart Entertainment Agency, to unpack why the traditional music industry business model is fundamentally broken and how technology is creating a more efficient, artist-first future. Throughout our conversation, we touched on the essence of...

What if the key to unlocking your true potential lies in setting audacious goals that stretch your capabilities beyond the ordinary? In this enlightening episode of Transformational Thinkers with Sara Sheehan, we dive deep into the transformative power of bold goal-setting and its pivotal role in driving organizational growth and business transformation. Sara Sheehan, an expert in leadership excel...

In this episode of Transformational Thinkers, host Sara Sheehan breaks down the core principles from Dr. Benjamin Hardy’s new book, The Science of Scaling . In two key parts, both contained in this episode, she reveals how founders can achieve 10X growth by transforming their mindset, identity, and leadership standards. Sara explores Hardy’s Frame–Floor–Focus framework: an evidence-based playbook...

Did you know that nearly 70% of large-scale transformation efforts fail? In this enlightening episode of Transformational Thinkers with Sara Sheehan, host Sara Sheehan, a seasoned change management consultant and executive coach, dives deep into the critical necessity of mastering change capability for CEOs and C-suite leaders. As the landscape of business transformation evolves, traditional model...

Are you ready to unlock the transformative power of artificial intelligence for your business? Join host Sara Sheehan in this enlightening episode of Transformational Thinkers with Sara Sheehan as she engages with AI expert Dilip Dubey, who unveils the profound impacts AI can have on leadership excellence and organizational growth. This episode is a must-listen for anyone navigating the complexiti...

What if the secret to unlocking unparalleled employee engagement lies not in metrics, but in the profound simplicity of respect? Join host Sara Sheehan as she dives deep into this transformative idea with author John Guaspari in the latest episode of Transformational Thinkers with Sara Sheehan. In his compelling book, "If Engagement is the What, Then Respect is the How," Guaspari challenges conven...

Are you ready to transform your organization's approach to innovation and intellectual property? Join host Sara Sheehan in this enlightening episode of Transformational Thinkers with Sara Sheehan, where she dives deep into the mind of Daniel Shulman, Intellectual Property (IP) Attorney at Vedder Price in Chicago, and a leading expert in intellectual property and innovation. Daniel is a former chie...

In this episode of Transformational Thinkers, Sara Sheehan welcomes Alykhan Jetha (AJ), the CEO of Marketcircle and Daylite, to the show. Daylite is a software that works in the Apple ecosystem, a productivity CRM that Alykhan is expanding to include time tracking and invoicing for a holistic package. He talks with Sara about how he funded Marketcircle, his company’s growth trajectory, and his tho...

In this episode of Transformational Thinkers, Sara Sheehan welcomes Balki Kodarapu, a fractional CTO, Gen AI advisor, and SaaS scale-up expert. Balki shares how he helps startups grow from $100K to $40M ARR, avoid the “feature factory” trap, and build outcome-driven engineering teams. His specialty is creating clarity out of chaos—turning bottlenecks, missed deadlines, and organizational confusion...

In this episode of Transformational Thinkers, Sara Sheehan welcomes Eduardo Briceño, a keynote speaker, behavior change partner, and co-founder and CEO of Mindset Works, to the show to discuss the performance paradox. Eduardo explains this as being so focused on performance that we lose sight of learning and asking questions about what makes our performance effective. He discusses his book “The Pe...

Sara Sheehan welcomes guest Mark Gordon, Founder and CEO of Integrated Go-To-Market Solutions, to the show for a conversation about blending psychology into scaling companies and how he positively re-energizes relationships with clients. Through his company, IGTMS, Mark helps startups and mid-market companies align scattered sales into one revenue-generating machine. He talks with Sara about his c...

Sara Sheehan welcomes guest Rashesh Doshi, Managing Director of Talent Corner, to the podcast to explore his HR business and the fantastic growth his business has experienced. Rashesh details the growth in numbers and explains how their franchise partners add to the growth and are supported. They also discuss how the Stanford Seed Transformation Program is positively impacting Talent Corner as a t...

Sara Sheehan welcomes guest Jim Carlough, a business strategist, author, and speaker with over 30 years of leadership experience, to the podcast for a conversation about how leaders are developed. Jim talks about his career journey and what makes for good leadership, highlighting insights from his book “The Six Pillars of Effective Leadership: A Roadmap to Success” . Sara and Jim focus on specific...