Wise Up with OpenWater

Artificial intelligence can make us faster, more productive, and more efficient. But what happens when we start outsourcing not just our work—but our judgment? In this episode, I speak with strategist and creative leader Carl Loeb about the growing risk of "cognitive surrender" and how professionals can use AI without losing the uniquely human capabilities that create real value. Drawing on resear...

What if the biggest threat to your business performance isn't market conditions, competition, or technology—but the gradual decline of your own capacity? In this episode, I speak with entrepreneur, coach, and former competitive athlete Denis Champagne about the connection between physical strength, mental resilience, personal alignment, and long-term success. Drawing on more than 35 years in busin...

What if the real secret to business development isn’t selling at all, but building genuine, friction-free relationships over time? In this episode, I speak with entrepreneur, implementation expert, and self-described “superconnector” Sharon Schanzer about the hidden mechanics of networking, execution, and sustainable business growth. Drawing on decades of experience spanning design, technology, co...

What if the fastest path to growth isn’t chasing new revenue, but improving the profitability already inside your business? In this episode, I speak with operations executive and cost optimization advisor Jeff Peduto about why cost optimization should be treated as a strategic growth lever—not just a reactive cost-cutting exercise. Drawing on decades of experience leading operational transformatio...

What if your organization’s margin challenges, client churn, or execution gaps aren’t operational problems at all, but leadership ones? In this episode, I speak with executive coach and fractional leader Jared Koesten about how aligning people, process, and strategy unlocks measurable business performance. Drawing on decades as a global CHRO and advisor to CEOs, Jared shares a practical framework...

Search funds may be one of the best-kept secrets in alternative investing. In this episode, I speak with veteran venture capitalist Jon Staenberg, managing partner of the Agate Hound Fund — the world’s first fund of funds dedicated to this asset class. We explore how search funds empower young entrepreneurs to buy and grow small businesses, why the model has delivered outsized returns for decades,...

Of the three major disciplines in global health, public health is both the least visible and the least well-funded. And yet, effective public health practices are critical to alleviating and even avoiding major health crises (think pandemics). In this episode, I chat about the future of public health with Dr. Jay Varma, who has led public health programs around the world for the past two decades....

How can mid- and late- career professionals break the mold that ageism and other cultural forces try to force us into? Could the OpenWater community play the modern role of a fractional Oracle of Delphi? In a fascinating and wide-ranging conversation, Karl Stewart shares wisdom acquired through a varied career spanning mathematics, dance, acting, HR management and leadership coaching.  We explore...

Every caterpillar goes through an incredibly messy transformation inside its chrysalis –  reduced to goo before eventually emerging as a beautiful butterfly. But this only happens once in their lifetime.  What about adults in mid-life or mid-career? How many periods of messy change might we encounter and endure during our lifetimes, and how can we emerge as transformed and beautiful as a butterfly...

Just a few weeks ago, the entire energy grid in Spain and Portugal went dark. This wasn’t the result of malicious activity, it was the consequence of one malfunction in a hugely complex and interoperable system built over several decades. Our world is full of interoperable systems for communications, energy and other elements of critical infrastructure. So how do we monitor these systems, manage t...

We’re all familiar with stories of brand successes and failures, but what should you do when that brand is your own? In a fun and informative discussion with brand and marketing leader Karen Rose Sommerich , we discussed the moments in your organization’s growth when brand thinking can matter most. Some of the topics covered in this podcast include: • How shift from a mindset of Product Market Fit...

There are a lot of technologies out there to improve the skills of doctors. But TruHealer, which is coming out of stealth, aims to use mixed reality headsets to help doctors improve their bedside manner. Founder Dave Lin talks about how TruHealer's approach creates lifelike patient scenarios, but sets them in your real environments (not virtual ones) and allows you to interact with other medical p...

Conflict, especially in the workplace, is something many of us like to avoid. But avoidance does not lead to resolution. Today's guest is Dr. Angela Nelson, an attorney and certified coach who helps individuals and teams work through their conflict issues.  Nelson uses an assessment tool called the Conflict Dynamics Profile, which helps people identify how they respond to conflict in various situa...

It’s probably safe to say that most of us want to be empathetic. And it’s also probably safe to say that most of us want empathetic leaders in the workplace. It’s not just about being nice. Fostering empathy in the workplace can boost productivity and positively impact the bottom line. This week’s guest is Patricia Bravo, Founder of The Empathetic Leader . In this chat, Patricia breaks down what e...

Sleep. Everybody needs it. 1 in 3 adults don't get enough of it. Megan Mazzocco has written a book on it called Sleep System: 28 Days to Better Sleep. In it, she uses design thinking when thinking about sleep. In this interview, we cover: Examining all our sensory inputs before we go to bed What the glymphatic system is, and why it's so important Things you can do right now to help improve your sl...

If you've ever dreamed of having a home in the south of France, then fractional ownership might be for you. Dewey "Don" Spradlin has been a real estate broker for forty years and recently launched Joie de Vivre Homes, a new service that helps people buy partial ownership of French homes. This isn't a time share, you are a part owner of the property. It can get pretty complex pretty quick, especial...

This is a special edition of the Wise Up! Podcast. We had such a great chat with Phyl Terry about job searching that we wanted to include it in our regular podcast feed. Take a listen, you won't regret it.  Looking for a job sucks. That’s why Phyl Terry says you should never search for one alone. Phyl is the author of  Never Search Alone: The Job Seeker’s Playbook , and founder of the Job Search C...

As Executive Coach and fractional software leader, Jossie Haines explains it, a “portfolio career” is similar to consulting — but it allows you to pursue many of your interests instead of just focusing on one. Portfolio careers offer mix of project and fractional work across your skills and passions. But this path isn’t for everyone! In this interview, we discuss: -What makes a portfolio career -H...

Sara Hart, PhD has been fighting for gender equity for decades. As the Founder of Prime Spark , Hart now focuses on helping women in their fifties and older eradicate gender ageism. Gender ageism can take many forms, from the blatant exclusion at work, to condescension, to even the greeting cards people pick up that make big jokes out of getting old. In this chat, Hart talks about what gender agei...

Dr. Adam Dorsay is psychologist and author of the forthcoming book, " Super Psyched: Unleash the Power of the 4 Types of Connections and Live the Life You Love ." But what is connection? How do you know when you have it? How does it change? Learn how connection can bring rejuvenation and more fulfillment to your life as Dr. Adam answers these questions and more. KEY TAKEAWAYS The four different ty...

When you're a leader at a company, creating room for a diversity of opinions and psychological safety in your teams is critical to your success. But how do you establish those mechanisms? Today we chat with , former tech exec and now a speaker and author of "The Boldly Inclusive Leader." In this discussion we talk about issues like building true diversity of thought, inclusion and creating psychol...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly on its way to becoming ubiquitous, and Justin Simpson wants to make sure everyone benefits from its power -- not just the entrenched, big players.  Justin is Co-Founder & Publisher of Here. Now. AI , the self-described "go-to guide for everyday, practical AI tools and innovations." In this chat, Justin breaks down why it's so important for small and medi...

There are business leaders that take a company from zero to one - your classic out of the garage story. But the person who gets from zero to one isn't necessarily the same person who can take that company from one to one million and beyond.  Transitioning between those two phases can be tricky, and as our guest, veteran tech exec Dave Zinman, explains, there's a lot of time care and effort that go...

You may not have heard of him before, but has been at the center of more than a few big disruptions in business. Whether it was converting a hotel video operation into mini cable service, getting information screens up in major subway systems or helping convert movie theater chains from film to digital projection -- Andy has a knack for shifting businesses in bold new directions. In this Q&A,...

t's fair to say that happiness is something most people strive for. But all too often, happiness is something businesses overlook. As Valerie Alexander, Founder and CEO of Speak Happiness , businesses do so at their own peril. Having happier employees deliver all kinds of benefits to a company including reduced turnover, less shrinkage and better customer service. In this talk, Alexander breaks do...