PODCAST · business
The Leadership Exchange
by This Dot Labs
This is The Leadership Exchange, where we sit down with accomplished leaders and uncover the secrets of their success. Join us as we delve into their career journeys, discuss the challenges they faced, and explore the solutions they discovered along the way.Whether you're an aspiring leader or looking to enhance your leadership skills, this podcast offers valuable insights and inspiration from those who have navigated the path to success.
Episodes
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How AI Bots Are Becoming Your Personal Chief of Staff
Can AI agents actually run parts of your life and work for you? Tracy Lee sits down with Debbie O’Brien to explore her real-world GrokBot workflow: a personal “chief of staff” that coordinates specialized bots for research, shopping, fitness, travel, content publishing, job searching, and more....
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Inside IBM Bob: Building Secure AI Agents for Developers and Everyone Else
Tracy Lee sits down with Malcolm Adams, founder and CEO of Avid Solutions and nauticworks.io, to explore IBM Bob, an AI-powered development environment for creating and managing agents. They discuss real-world applications of agentic AI, from spatial perception and robotics to business…
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AI Transformation Is a People Problem First: Conversations on Scaling Organizational AI
In this episode of the Leadership Exchange, Rob Ocel and Elliott Fouts sit down with Dorren Schmitt to unpack what it actually takes to lead AI transformation inside a large organization. Drawing from Allen Media Group’s early adoption journey, Dorren shares how her team approached generative AI...
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How Should Business Leaders Approach AI Adoption Across Their Organization?
Tracy Lee sits down with seasoned CIO and AI executive Trude Van Horn, SVP & CIO at Cien.ai to unpack what it really takes for organizations to navigate the shift into AI-driven work.Drawing from decades of experience across industries, Trude shares why business leaders can’t afford to sit on the...
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Prisma Is Ditching Rust for TypeScript & Going All-In on AI-Native Dev
Tracy Lee sits down with Søren Bramer Schmidt and Will Madden from Prisma to unpack what’s changed with the launch of Prisma 7 and where they’re headed next. They talk about why Prisma is intentionally moving away from Rust and doubling down on TypeScript, how that simplifies the ORM’s...
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Leading Software Teams in a Zero Downtime Organization
Southwest Airlines Managing Director of Technology Priya Narayan joins Tracy Lee to unpack what it takes to lead engineering in a highly regulated, zero downtime environment. Priya traces her path from engineer to leader, balancing safety, union timelines, and customer experience while shipping...
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Data and Product Roles are Changing with Generative AI
In this episode of Leadership Exchange, Danny Thompson talks with Rossella Vital, VP of Engineering at Sprout Social. They map the shift from building single models to designing intelligent systems with agents, evaluation loops, and strong data governance. The conversation covers how roles are...
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React Wasn’t Supposed to Win. Here’s Why It Did.
In this episode of Leadership Exchange, Tracy Lee welcomes Tom Occhino, Chief Product Officer at Vercel and former leader of the React team at Meta. Tom shares the story of React’s early days, how incremental adoption and escape hatches gave it an edge, and why simplifying concepts was always…
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AI Wrote His Code While He Ran the Company
In this episode of the Leadership Exchange podcast, Tracy Lee sits down with Rich Walker, CEO of Quick, to explore the intersection of entrepreneurship, AI, and modern software development. Rich shares his unconventional journey from a finance graduate and self-taught coder to leading an…
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How to Scale Your Influence in an Engineering Organization
On this episode of the Leadership Exchange, Rob Ocel talks with Ivan Burazin, co-founder and CEO of Daytona. Ivan shares how his company is building “computers for agents,” what he’s learned from years of developer tooling and event organizing, and why trust, context, and long-term relationships...
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The Engineering Team Leadership Mindset for AI Readiness
In this episode of Leadership Exchange, host Rob Ocel speaks with Alfredo Lopez, VP of Engineering at Hearst, about what it really takes for leaders to guide their organizations through AI adoption. Alfredo shares insights from more than a decade at Hearst on how engineering leadership has…
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What Web Developers Can Bring to Artificial Intelligence at their Organizations
In this episode of The Leadership Exchange, Tracy Lee sits down with Sam Bhagwat, co-founder of GatsbyJS and now co-founder and CEO of Mastra AI. Sam shares his journey from building one of the most popular React frameworks to leading an open-source TypeScript framework for AI agents. The...
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Leadership Mindsets to Promote High Performing, Profitable Businesses in the AI Age
Tracy Lee sits down with Charlie Cichetti, a leader in green building and workforce upskilling, to unpack what it really takes to run high-performing, healthy, and profitable buildings. Charlie shares lessons from years helping companies pursue LEED and WELL certifications, navigate...
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Promoting Cross Functional AI Adoption Across Your Organization
In this episode of the Leadership Exchange podcast, Tracy Lee sits down with Tanya Faddoul, VP of Strategy for Cisco’s Digital Resilience business. The two reflect on Tanya’s nonlinear journey from media sales to leadership roles at Amazon, DocuSign, and now Cisco. Tanya shares how she brings the...
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Tech Investor Explains What He Looks for in Great Founders
In this episode of the Leadership Exchange podcast, Tracy Lee sits down with Atlanta-based investor, coach, and creator Von Wright for an honest conversation about purpose, transformation, and building a better future for yourself both personally and professionally. Von shares his journey from...
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How to Score (& Keep) a Government Software Contract + Lead with Authenticity | Leadership Exchange
In this episode of Leadership Exchange, Rob Ocel sits down with John Aron, founder and CEO of Aronetics, to talk about authenticity in leadership, business, and government contracting. They explore what it takes to build trust and credibility as a small player in a space dominated by massive…
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Why Engineers Should Be Involved in Strategic Planning with Karyn Mullins, Fractional CTO
In this episode of Leadership Exchange, Tracy Lee speaks with Karyn Mullins, a Fractional CTO, about how engineers can increase their impact by becoming more business-savvy. They unpack what it really means to “stay close to the money,” how understanding a company’s business model unlocks…
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Understanding AI for the Business Leader in 2025
How should business leaders approach AI?In this episode of Leadership Exchange, Rob Ocel sits down with Dr. Priya Sarathy to unpack what it really takes for organizations to adopt AI successfully. Priya shares insights from her executive workshop and upcoming book The AI Leadership Compass,...
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How to Scale AI Initiatives That Deliver
Tracy Lee talks with Felicia Schwartz about how to scale AI the right way. They cover what actually works beyond the hype, how to pick the right use cases, and why getting buy-in from your team matters more than fancy models. Felicia shares her six-step framework for real AI adoption and lessons...
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Balancing IP Protection and Equitable Access in Healthcare Technology
In this episode of the Leadership Exchange, Danny Thompson sits down with Dr. Stephanie Adams, Director of Intellectual Property and Grants at Micron Biomedical, to explore how Micron’s groundbreaking microneedle patch is redefining drug delivery. Stephanie shares how this painless,...
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The State of the Biotech and Medtech Ecosystem: AI Impacts, Innovation Pipelines
In this episode of the Leadership Exchange podcast, Tracy Lee talks with Maria Thacker-Goethe, President and CEO of Georgia Life Sciences, to discuss the future of life sciences in Georgia and beyond. They talk about the growth of the local biotech and medtech ecosystem, the critical need for...
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Career Specialization in AI Software Engineering with Swyx
In this episode of The Leadership Exchange, Rob Ocel sits down with Shawn Wang—better known as Swyx—to explore how AI is reshaping the software industry from the inside out. Swyx shares his journey from parsing Bloomberg chat logs as a trader to co-founding the AI Engineer Summit and helping…
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How is AI Changing the Renewable Energy Industry?
In this episode of The Leadership Exchange, Danny Thompson sits down with Mike Davey, VP of Product at Raptor Maps, to explore the impact of AI on product design, team efficiency, and the renewable energy sector. Mike shares lessons from working across fintech, adtech, and now clean...
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How to Build a Tech Startup that Lasts
In this episode, Tracy Lee sits down with Trip Barnes from Insperity to talk about the winding paths of leadership, startup life, and personal growth. Together, Tracy and Trip unpack what it means to build something that lasts—whether that’s a business, a family, or a mini cheesecake company...
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What is “Industry 5.0”? Predictions on Human/ Machine Cooperation
In this episode of Leadership Exchange, Rob Ocel is joined by Eric Poon, Head of IT at Shoppa’s Toyota Material Handling, for a fascinating conversation on the future of industry, the evolving role of humans in automation, and the ethical responsibilities of computing.Eric shares his journey from...
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How AI is Impacting Healthcare and Changing the Medical Field
In this episode of Leadership Exchange, Tracy Lee chats with healthcare IT leader and WIT board member Monique Weeks about how AI is reshaping healthcare—and what that means for patients, professionals, and the future of work.They talk about the fear of AI replacing jobs, the need for human...
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What Engineers Get Wrong About Product Development
Join Tracy Lee, CEO of This Dot Labs, in this episode of Leadership Exchange as she sits down with Nachi Desai, a technology leader who has held CTO roles at Beckett Collectibles, Nothing Bundt Cakes, and Oriental Trading Company.In this conversation, Tracy and Nachi explore the challenges of...
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Revenue Quality Matters More than Closing Deals: Startup Sales Realities
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…
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Are AI Regulations Stifling Innovation or Safeguarding Human Rights?
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...
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How to Bring a Medical Device to Market (Why 90% of Products FAIL)
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...
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Product Management vs Project Management. Is there a difference?
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...
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Why You Should Become an Engineering PM in 2025
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...
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The Future of Hybrid Work: Leadership, AI, and the Dreaded Return to Office
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…
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The DevCycle Story: Moving Beyond A/B Testing to Smarter Deployments
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…
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Building and Scaling High-Performing Engineering Teams: Insights from Hubstaff CTO Alex Yarotsky
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...
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Boosting Software Release Velocity: Strategies for Reliable and Efficient Software Delivery
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...
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Shipping Faster: Vercel CTO Malte Ubl on Iteration Velocity, AI Tools, and Scaling Software
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...
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Reshaping U.S. Manufacturing with AI Software & Robotics
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...
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Managing Change Fatigue in Remote Organizations with Leadership Coach Noa Ronen
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...
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Data Optimization, Quality, and Governance: Aligning Innovation with ROI
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...
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Cultivating Startup Success: Jeremy Edberg on Vision, Motivation, and Dev Community Growth
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...
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Situational Awareness is the #1 Leadership Soft Skill in 2025 with Pat Clarke, Lumen Learning
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…
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Socially Responsible Leadership in the AI Age with Celest Hall
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,...
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People Problems vs. Tech Problems: Engineering Leadership’s Balancing Act with Ben Nadel
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…
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Launching a Healthcare Tech Startup in the AI Age: Lessons from CIO and Entrepreneur Bradley Dick, ZeroDivide.ai
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...
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How Workplace DEI Strategies Impact Team Culture and Customer Engagement with Nina Bryson Fleming
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...
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Data Privacy and Ethical Considerations for AI Adoption with Eric Doherty
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…
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Generative AI in the Global Payments Industry: Insights from Dondi Black, CPO of TSYS
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,...
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AI Leadership: Data-Driven Decision Making & Avoiding "Analysis Paralysis" with Jerry Reghunadh
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...
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Fostering a Culture of Optimization and Continuous Improvement with Scott Roehrenbeck
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+…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
This is The Leadership Exchange, where we sit down with accomplished leaders and uncover the secrets of their success. Join us as we delve into their career journeys, discuss the challenges they faced, and explore the solutions they discovered along the way.Whether you're an aspiring leader or looking to enhance your leadership skills, this podcast offers valuable insights and inspiration from those who have navigated the path to success.
HOSTED BY
This Dot Labs
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Leadership Exchange have?
The Leadership Exchange currently has 101 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Leadership Exchange about?
This is The Leadership Exchange, where we sit down with accomplished leaders and uncover the secrets of their success. Join us as we delve into their career journeys, discuss the challenges they faced, and explore the solutions they discovered along the way.Whether you're an aspiring leader or...
How often does The Leadership Exchange release new episodes?
The Leadership Exchange publishes regularly with 101 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to The Leadership Exchange?
You can listen to The Leadership Exchange 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 The Leadership Exchange?
The Leadership Exchange is created and hosted by This Dot Labs.
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