PODCAST · business
People First Leaders
by Doug Utberg
The People-First Leaders podcast honors the Founders, CEO's and CFO's who prioritize customer value and growing their people first. (Global Top 2% on Listen Notes)The show is hosted by Doug Utberg - a 20+ year corporate and entrepreneurial veteran who been podcasting since 2020. He's published and recorded more than 300 episodes and is actively looking for new value-focused leaders to interview on his show.Our 20 to 30-min podcast episodes share the stories and strategies of leaders who prioritize their people. We are going to be talking about how you create value in your business and for the people who work for you.If this sounds like you or somebody you know, apply at: https://peoplefirstleaders.net/guest
Episodes
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Operational Pivot to ‘Seeing Through The Illusion’
This is Seeing Through the Illusion. Operational Restatement: Closing the Interview Loop. Over the past several years, this feed has published more than four hundred conversations. When I launched the show, the objective was standard: explore leadership, dissect operational success, and interview...
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When Your Systems Outgrow Your Business: Distributed Teams, Security, and the Cost of Complexity
What happens when the systems that helped your business grow become the things holding it back? For Rob Calvert, that question has become a central part of helping businesses navigate the realities of distributed teams. As companies moved from local offices to teams spread across states…
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Remembering Who We Really Are: Fear, Doubt, and the Game of Life
What happens when achieving the success you thought you wanted leaves you asking, “Now what?” For Kris Land, that question became the beginning of a much deeper exploration. After selling a company and making significant money, Kris found himself unexpectedly depressed. He had accomplished the...
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Rebuilding After Failure: The Psychology of Sustainable Growth
What happens when rapid success becomes unsustainable? For Colin Hodge, the answer came through a painful lesson. After building a startup that reached 1 million users in roughly three months, Colin found himself under enormous pressure—scaling infrastructure, recruiting a team, experimenting…
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Reinvention in the AI Era: Why Your Biggest Advantage Is Learning to Start Again
Ritam Gandhi joins the conversation to discuss why the next wave of AI disruption won’t just impact entry-level jobs—it will fundamentally reshape careers at every stage. The discussion explores how artificial intelligence is lowering the barriers to entrepreneurship while simultaneously…
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When Cheap Money Breaks Markets: Rethinking Capital, Innovation, and Risk
Nick Darragh joins the conversation to explore how today’s financial landscape has been shaped by years of cheap capital—and why the consequences are only now becoming impossible to ignore. The discussion examines how prolonged low interest rates fueled massive investment into technology…
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Healthcare Doesn't Have an Innovation Problem—It Has an Alignment Problem
Darryl Moon joins the conversation to challenge one of the biggest assumptions about healthcare: That rising healthcare costs are simply unavoidable. They aren’t. Drawing from decades of experience leading hospitals as a CFO, COO, and CEO, Darryl explains why many healthcare systems are built...
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Franchising Isn't a Shortcut—It's a Business Model That Still Demands Business Skills
Greg Moore joins the conversation to unpack one of the biggest misconceptions in entrepreneurship: That buying a franchise automatically reduces the risk of building a business. It doesn’t. A franchise can provide systems, brand recognition, training, and operational support—but none of those...
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Rethinking Food Systems: Why Agriculture Is Really About Health, Community, and Economic Transformation
Carl Manlan joins the conversation to explore a challenge most people rarely think about until food prices rise or health problems emerge: the relationship between agriculture, nutrition, and the systems that shape what ends up on our plates. We started with a simple observation. Food isn’t just...
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Reinventing for the Future Before the Future Reinvents You
Randal Thames joins me to explore a question that’s becoming harder to ignore: What happens when the skills, systems, and assumptions that built your success stop being enough for what comes next? We started with a simple observation. Most people think reinvention happens after disruption. But…
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Reinventing Yourself Ahead of the Future That’s Already Arriving
Matthew Le Merle joins the conversation to explore a different kind of leadership and life challenge—one that quietly shapes careers long before people realize it: the ability (and willingness) to reinvent yourself before disruption forces it on you. We started with a simple tension. Most people...
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The Inner Game Nobody Sees (Until Everything Starts Breaking)
Damon Flowers joins me to unpack something most founders and operators only discover after repeated failure: the real battle isn’t in the market—it’s in the mind. We started with a simple but uncomfortable pattern. People don’t usually fail because they lack skills. They fail because they can’t...
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Unlocking Growth Inside Family Businesses
David Hanner joins me to unpack one of the most difficult transitions any company faces: How do family businesses grow without losing the character that made them successful in the first place? We started with a simple reality. Growth creates complexity. And in manufacturing businesses—especially...
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From Investment Banker to Mission-Driven CFO
Scott Bowman joins me for a conversation that starts in finance—but quickly turns into something much bigger. We unpack the transition from high-pressure investment banking to leading mission-driven companies focused on sustainability, second chances, and long-term impact. Scott spent years…
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The Art of Saying No!
Lisa Leveille joins me to unpack a different kind of leadership challenge—one that quietly burns people out long before they realize it: the inability to create boundaries. We started with a simple observation. The more capable you are, the more responsibility people hand you. And in leadership...
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The Great Midwest Comeback (And Why People Always Come Back)
Cody Kopas joins me to unpack a different kind of pattern—one that doesn’t show up in headlines, but quietly shapes careers, families, and entire regions: why people leave the Midwest to grow… and then come back to build. We started with a simple observation. For decades, talent has flowed out of...
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The Life Advice Nobody Gives You (Until It’s Too Late)
Robin Goad joins me to unpack a different kind of failure—one that doesn’t show up on balance sheets, but shapes entire lives: the gap between what we’re told about success and how life actually works. We started with a simple observation. There are entire industries built around preparing you…
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Employee Disengagement, Failing Systems, and Why Leadership Is the Real Bottleneck
Enterprise systems leader Kevin Patrick joins me to unpack a problem most companies underestimate—and pay for heavily: employee disengagement. We started with a stat that should stop any executive cold. Roughly 70% of ERP implementations fail to hit their goals. At the same time, employee...
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Break the Mindset Funk & Rebuild Stronger
Entrepreneur and marketing strategist Kalen Cotto joins me to unpack what really happens when life, business, and identity all start collapsing at once—and how you actually rebuild from there. Most conversations about success focus on strategy, tactics, and growth curves. This one doesn’t. Kalen...
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Polarity, Power, and the Quiet Truths Leaders Avoid
Founders, operators, and executives talk endlessly about strategy, data, and execution—but avoid the deeper forces shaping every decision they make. In this episode of Second Life Leader, Doug Utberg sits down with Asha LaCount to explore what happens when leadership goes beyond surface-level...
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Grief, Work, and Rebuilding Meaning After Loss
Founder and creative professional Preston Zeller joins me to unpack a conversation most workplaces avoid—but everyone eventually faces: grief, and how it reshapes the way we work, lead, and live. This episode starts with a moment that changes everything. In early 2019, Preston lost his brother...
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This Isn’t the AI You Think—And That’s the Point
Commercial cleaning and AI don’t naturally belong in the same sentence. At least, not at first glance. But that’s exactly why this conversation matters. In this episode of Second Life Leader, Doug Utberg sits down with Adam Povlitz to break down what it actually looks like to build an AI-first...
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How Your Expertise Is Making You Unlikable (And Costing You Business)
Founder and PR strategist Bryce North joins me to break down a counterintuitive truth: the more you try to look like the smartest person in the room, the less people trust you—and the less business you close. Most professionals believe authority comes from showcasing intelligence, credentials…
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Enlightened Nihilism, Purpose, and the Freedom to Let Go
Entrepreneur and author Tero Moliis joins me to explore a deceptively simple idea: if nothing lasts, what actually matters? This conversation starts with Tero’s philosophy from his book Life Is a Sandcastle—the idea that everything we build eventually disappears. The question isn’t whether the…
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Preventing Capital Gains Tax “Armageddon” — And Why Inaction Is the Real Risk
Capital gains taxes don’t usually sound like the beginning of a collapse story—but in this episode, they are. Brett Swarts, founder of Capital Gains Tax Solutions, joins me to break down a hidden risk many investors and entrepreneurs overlook: getting trapped between tax exposure, debt, and…
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From Rock Bottom to Reinvention: Why Your Mindset Shapes Your Comeback
Entrepreneur and speaker Stephen Linton joins me to unpack what it really takes to climb out of the bottom—and why most people misunderstand what drives success in the first place. It’s easy to look at successful people and assume luck, timing, or some hidden advantage. What you don’t see is the...
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Losing Everything in 90 Days—and Rebuilding from the Inside Out
Entrepreneur and leadership pioneer Robert White joins me to unpack what happens when success doesn’t just slow down—it collapses all at once. Most business conversations celebrate scale, status, and wins.This episode goes in the opposite direction. Robert White built one of the largest…
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A Thousand Setbacks, One Decision to Keep Going
Call center entrepreneur Richard Blank joins Doug Utberg to unpack what it really takes to build—and survive—25 years in one of the most volatile industries in business. This isn’t a clean success story. It’s a conversation about attrition, lost clients, rebuilding from zero, and making the...
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Taking Control of Your Narrative on the Crazy Train
Storytelling strategist and pitch expert Donna Griffith joins me to unpack how leaders, founders, and professionals can take control of their narrative during moments of chaos—and why the ability to rewrite your story may be the most valuable skill in the AI era. Most conversations about…
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Why Smart People Become Narcissist Magnets — and How to Break the Pattern
Psychologist and relationship specialist Dr. Sage Breslin joins me to unpack a question many successful people quietly ask themselves: Why do I keep attracting the same destructive personalities? Most conversations about narcissistic relationships focus on blaming the narcissist or shaming the...
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If You Get Dead, Walk It Off — Military Transitions, Sales Pressure, and Reinventing Your Career
Marine veteran and recruiting entrepreneur Bob Howard joins me to unpack a simple but brutal metaphor: “If you get dead, walk it off.” It’s a line Marines joke about with each other — part dark humor, part survival mindset. But it’s also an accurate description of what career transitions often…
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Developing the Right to Lead in an AI World
Healthcare executive and leadership author Jim Carlo joins me to unpack a deceptively simple idea: leadership isn’t granted by a title — it’s earned through trust. In many organizations, the path to management still looks the same. A strong individual contributor performs well, gets promoted, and...
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AI in Factories: Betting the House on Intelligence That Actually Works
Renan Delonier joins me to unpack what happens when you stop talking about AI as a buzzword—and start putting it into real factories with real consequences. Most conversations about artificial intelligence live in demos and slide decks. This one lives in production environments, broken trust,...
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Creativity Is a Business Asset: Life Lessons from the Arts
Executive producer and creative entrepreneur Diane Strand joins me to unpack a question most operators overlook: What if the arts teach the exact skills leaders need to survive volatility? We talk about discipline, rejection, resilience, visibility, and why creatives may be better prepared for...
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From Terminal Diagnosis to Total Ownership — Health, Identity, and Survival Value
Wellness entrepreneur and former Mr. America Dr. Chris Zaino joins me to unpack what happens when your body collapses—and how that crisis can become the catalyst for a completely different life. At 23, Chris had just won Mr. America. Magazine covers. A fitness career taking off. His identity was...
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AI at the Edge, Power Limits, and Why the Future Won’t Live in Data Centers
BrainChip CEO Sean Hehir joins me to unpack where artificial intelligence is actually headed—and why the dominant “everything in the data center” narrative is incomplete. Most AI conversations fixate on massive models, GPU farms, and trillion-dollar infrastructure bets. This episode shifts the...
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Beating the Machines, and Whether You Should Even Try
Investor and entrepreneur Kevin Steuer joins me to examine whether Main Street investors can compete in a market dominated by algorithms—and whether competing is even the right goal. Most investing conversations reduce themselves to slogans: “Just buy index funds” or “Learn to trade like the…
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The Struggle Never Ends — And That’s the Point
Entrepreneur and EOS implementer Sid Joshnani joins me to unpack what really happens when a business grows fast, becomes dangerously dependent on one client, and nearly collapses under its own fragility. Most business stories skip the middle — the sleepless payroll nights, the rejected credit...
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Confessions of a Reformed Chemist, and Why IP Strategy Determines Who Gets Funded
Patent attorney and former chemist Josh Goldberg joins me to unpack how intellectual property strategy determines whether innovation gets funded—or quietly dies. Most startup conversations focus on product, growth, and pitch decks. This episode focuses on what founders often ignore until it’s too...
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Jazz, Peace, and Raising Human Consciousness in a Fractured World
Jazz musician and humanitarian Rick DellaRatta joins me for a different kind of conversation — one that steps outside traditional business failure narratives and into culture, conflict, and human consciousness. Rick is the founder of Jazz for Peace, a movement that began as a poem written on the...
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Living in the Zone of Discomfort, and Redefining Success Beyond Validation
Executive leader and transformation strategist Victoria Pelletier joins me to talk about what happens when success stops feeling like success — and why growth requires stepping into discomfort intentionally. Most career narratives celebrate upward mobility, titles, and financial wins. This…
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Losing Everything, Finding Your Edge — Why the Comeback Is the Real Credential
Speaker, author, and entrepreneur Danny Brassell joins me to unpack what happens when collapse isn’t theoretical — it’s personal. Most conversations about success start at the breakthrough. This one starts at the bottom. After falling victim to a real estate scam that wiped him out financially,...
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Rallying Through Adversity, and Why Community Is the Real Safety Net
Leadership advisor and author Greg Morley joins me to unpack what it actually takes to rebound from setbacks—and why resilience isn’t an individual trait as much as a relational one. Most conversations about adversity focus on grit, mindset, or personal toughness. This episode doesn’t. Greg and I...
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Why Failure Is a Feature, Not a Bug—and What Boring Gets Right
Physician, healthcare entrepreneur, and founder Dr. Vivek Aranki joins me to unpack why most real success is built through failure—and why the willingness to iterate beats chasing innovation for its own sake. Most business conversations treat failure as something to avoid, minimize, or hide. This...
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From Bankruptcy to Building Opportunity — Reinvention After the 2008 Crash
After losing his business in the 2008 financial collapse, Doug Thorpe didn’t pivot to another startup or chase the next trend. He went bankrupt — and then built a nonprofit to help hundreds of people find jobs in one of the worst labor markets in modern history. In this episode of Second Life...
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Be Different or Be Dead, and What Happens After You Get Knocked Down
Entrepreneur, author, and former telecom executive Roy Osing joins me to talk about what it really means to survive getting the s**t kicked out of you—and why meaningful differentiation is the only durable way back. Most business conversations focus on growth tactics or recovery platitudes. This...
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Burned Down to Built Up: Resilience, Risk, and Rebuilding from Zero
Entrepreneur and martial arts instructor Gary Engels joins me to unpack what it really means to rebuild when everything is stripped away—and why modern resilience requires more than grit. Most stories about reinvention soften the edges. This episode doesn’t. Gary and I walk through what happens...
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AI, Health Insurance, and Reclaiming Power from Broken Systems
Healthcare innovator Neal Shah joins me to unpack how artificial intelligence is being used against patients—and how it can be used to fight back. Most conversations about AI in healthcare focus on efficiency, cost savings, or shiny tools. This episode goes deeper. Neal Shah and I examine how...
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Growing Through Loss, Leadership After Grief, and Staying Human in Collapse
Executive coach Tracy Meyer joins me for a conversation most leadership shows avoid: what happens when life doesn’t politely wait for your business calendar. After losing her father shortly before our originally scheduled recording, Tracy and I talk openly about grief, disruption, and how leaders...
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Twenty-One Years of Whiplash: Building Through Chaos, Technology, and Constant Reset
Staffing entrepreneur Bill Kasko joins me to unpack what it actually takes to survive—and adapt—through decades of economic shocks, technology shifts, and human volatility. Most business stories compress time and smooth the edges. This one doesn’t. Bill and I walk through his 21-year journey...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
The People-First Leaders podcast honors the Founders, CEO's and CFO's who prioritize customer value and growing their people first. (Global Top 2% on Listen Notes)The show is hosted by Doug Utberg - a 20+ year corporate and entrepreneurial veteran who been podcasting since 2020. He's published and recorded more than 300 episodes and is actively looking for new value-focused leaders to interview on his show.Our 20 to 30-min podcast episodes share the stories and strategies of leaders who prioritize their people. We are going to be talking about how you create value in your business and for the people who work for you.If this sounds like you or somebody you know, apply at: https://peoplefirstleaders.net/guest
HOSTED BY
Doug Utberg
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does People First Leaders have?
People First Leaders currently has 304 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is People First Leaders about?
The People-First Leaders podcast honors the Founders, CEO's and CFO's who prioritize customer value and growing their people first. (Global Top 2% on Listen Notes)The show is hosted by Doug Utberg - a 20+ year corporate and entrepreneurial veteran who been podcasting since 2020. He's published and...
How often does People First Leaders release new episodes?
People First Leaders publishes regularly with 304 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to People First Leaders?
You can listen to People First Leaders on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts People First Leaders?
People First Leaders is created and hosted by Doug Utberg.
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