The Frontier Leader Show – AI Strategy, Leadership & Decision-Making for Senior Leaders

What if the executive team you've always needed was already sitting in ChatGPT? Wendy Kier, founder of Empower AI, runs her business with 70 custom GPT agents. Twelve of them are strategic partners: a CEO called Lucas, a business coach, a marketing manager, a sales mentor. The rest handle task work like social media, newsletters, and client reports. It's the team most solo founders could never afford to hire, built inside one platform. Wendy joins Martin to explain her methodology, why she's stayed in ChatGPT while everyone else has been chasing Claude, and why she thinks vibe-coded agents aren't safe to sell commercially. They get into:✅ Building agents from a proper job description, with a 24-step master document and lock-in guardrails✅ Why the CEO agent is Wendy's favourite, and how solo founders use it for weekly founder reports✅ The AI Book Companion: turning a book into an agent so readers have an ongoing conversation with the author's thinking between coaching or therapy sessions✅ Using Projects as a "filing cabinet" rather than a prompted container, and why that makes ChatGPT smarter✅ The discipline of staying in your lane when every week a new model claims to be in the lead 🔑 Key takeaway: depth beats novelty. The operators getting real leverage from AI aren't the ones testing every tool. They're the ones building properly around the one that works for them. Connect with Wendy:Website: www.wendykier.com, LinkedIn Linkedinlinkedin.com/in/wendykierEmail: [email protected] Timestamps:00:00 Introduction to AI Leadership00:13 Wendy Kier's Journey with AI04:07 Empower AI: Bridging Gaps in Business06:22 Creating AI Agents for Business Efficiency09:08 The Role of AI in Decision Making11:42 ChatGPT vs Claude14:56 Setting Up Custom GPTs18:51 AI Book Companions: A New Frontier20:58 Enhancing Reader Engagement Through AI Book Companions25:42 Building AI Agents with Purpose27:58 Navigating the AI Landscape: Choosing the Right Tools29:32 Creating and Updating AI Agents32:58 Innovative Use of ChatGPT Projects36:02 Final Thoughts and Future Directions _____Get your copy of the Multiply Method ✖️ It's a FREE roadmap walking you through how to multiply the capabilities of you people and your business with AI. www.theaileaderlab.com/roadmapConnect with Martin:Websites: www.theaileaderlab.comLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/martinjwheatleySubscribe to The Frontier Leader Show wherever you listen to podcasts.

What happens when a founder can interrogate the collective knowledge of his entire company before walking into a customer meeting, without interrupting a single team member? Julian Schoemig, CEO and co-founder of Diesta, joins Martin Wheatley to talk about building a fintech platform at the awkward intersection of insurance and payments, and what scaling a 25-person startup actually looks like when AI is part of the operating fabric. They get into:✅ Why vibe coding gets you 80% of the way there, and why the final 20% is where leadership earns its keep✅ How Julian uses internal MCP servers to prep for client conversations and cross-check his own thinking against the team's documented reasoning✅ The hidden cost of interruption in hybrid teams, and how AI tooling protects deep work✅ Three waves of insurtech in 25 years, and why the cycles are now compressing into five✅ Where Diesta is heading next on payment initiation, and what "Rec and Roll" actually means 🔑 Key takeaway: AI can write 80% of the code, the design, and the first draft of almost anything. The 20% that's left is where judgement lives, and it's the part that cannot be delegated. If you're leading a scaling business and trying to work out where AI sharpens judgement rather than just speed, this one's worth the thirty minutes. Connect with Julian:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jschoemig/Website: https://diesta.co.uk/ Timestamps:00:00 Introduction to AI Leadership01:04 Introduction to Diesta and Julian Schoemig03:14 Daily Operations in a FinTech Startup04:47 Technology Transformation in the Insurance Industry08:43 Challenges of Legacy Systems and Scaling12:17 The Role of AI in Scaling and Governance15:42 Leadership Adaptations in a Growing Company22:28 Future Vision for Diesta25:05 Takeaways and Personal Insights_____Get your copy of the Multiply Method ✖️ It's a FREE roadmap walking you through how to multiply the capabilities of your people and your business with AI. Connect with Martin:Websites: www.theaileaderlab.com / www.rawsonellis.comLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/martinjwheatley Subscribe to The Frontier Leader Show wherever you listen to podcasts.

Most AI pilots don't survive past the proof-of-concept stage. So is the problem the technology or what's underneath it? Neil Alderson (independent advisor to CFOs and finance leaders, 25+ years in finance and transformation) joins Martin to work through what actually has to be true before AI starts delivering returns inside a finance or operations function. We get into:✅ ⁠Why "speed to value" pressure is causing leaders to skip the groundwork that makes transformation stick✅ The difference between real transformation and "just a bit of change happening"✅ ⁠How dirty data and broken processes create noise that derails programme governance✅ ⁠Where AI tools like Copilot and Claude Cowork genuinely help and where the human element still comes at a premium✅ ⁠Why trust and authentic connection will matter more, not less, as AI scales 🔑 Key takeaway: AI is an enabler, not the answer. Get the data and the decisions right, then let the tools multiply them. Connect with Neil:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neilalderson/ Website: https://www.neilaldersonltd.com/ Timestamps:00:00 Introduction to AI Leadership02:09 The Evolution of Transformation and AI06:07 Understanding the Why Behind Transformation09:59 Best Practices for Initiating Change14:11 The Role of AI in Transformation17:59 Data Fundamentals in Transformation21:59 Balancing Speed and Data Integrity26:03 Scalability of Data Principles28:21 Aligning Data Structures with Business Goals32:28 The Importance of Holistic Reading and Learning37:33 Enhancing Creativity with AI Tools43:02 The Human Element in Business SuccessResources Mentioned:Let Them by Mel RobbinsDelivering Happiness by Tony HsiehHow to Make a Billion in Nine Steps by Sir Richard Harpin _____ Get your copy of the Multiply Method ✖️ It's a FREE roadmap walking you through how to multiply the capabilities of your people and your business with AI. Connect with Martin:Websites: www.theaileaderlab.comLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/martinjwheatley Subscribe to The Frontier Leader Show wherever you listen to podcasts.

Most AI consultants will tell you "AI won't take your job." Iain Morrison won't. He thinks that answer is too comfortable, and the real picture is more nuanced, more honest, and ultimately more useful. Iain is the founder of Enlightened People, an AI-enabled HR consultancy, a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD, and an ICF accredited coach. He helps HR teams and SME leadership groups figure out what AI actually means for their people. In this episode, Martin and Iain dig into why so many AI rollouts fail before they start, what "shadow AI" is doing to your data security right now, and why the organisations treating AI as an opportunity tool will be the ones that grow. You'll hear about:✅ The wild maturity gap✅ Why banning AI outright creates more risk than it prevents✅ "AI washing" and why some big redundancy headlines have very little to do with AI✅ Why your expertise is the irreplaceable last 20% that AI can't cover✅ How entry-level careers are about to look very different✅ Three practical starting points: be curious, pick one model and stick with it, and two books worth your time 🔑 Key takeaway: AI will reshape workforces. But leaders who empower their people with these tools, rather than strip headcount to the bone, will build more innovative organisations that grow faster. Connect with Iain:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iain-morrison-hr/ Website: https://www.enlightenedpeople.co.uk/ Timestamps:00:00 Introduction to AI Leadership02:08 The Evolution of HR Consulting with AI04:24 Demystifying AI for Leaders07:25 Engagement and Adoption of AI in Organizations10:00 Budgeting for AI Implementation12:25 The Role of AI in Small vs. Large Organizations15:13 Navigating AI Fears and Misconceptions17:20 The Future of Work and AI's Impact20:18 Entry-Level Careers in an AI World21:53 AI Washing and Its Implications22:55 The Rapid Evolution of AI Technology24:32 Where Companies Are Getting it Wrong27:31 How Should Experts be Using AI31:45 Three Things39:17 The Importance of Human Expertise in AI Resources mentioned:Supremacey by Parmy OlsenEmpire of AI by Karen HaoCo-Intelligence by Ethan Mollick_ Get your copy of the Multiply Method ✖️ It's a FREE roadmap walking you through how to multiply the capabilities of your people and your business with AI. Connect with Martin:Websites: www.theaileaderlab.comLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/martinjwheatley Subscribe to The Frontier Leader Show wherever you listen to podcasts.

Welcome to The Frontier Leader Show.In this quick trailer, host Martin Wheatley introduces the show: conversations with senior leaders and operators about what it actually takes to lead well in an AI-shaped world; where judgement, not technology, is the real differentiator.Every episode delivers practical frameworks, candid stories from the front line, and specific moves you can apply to sharpen decisions, lift team performance, and lead with confidence through uncertaintyNew episodes drop weekly.Subscribe now and never miss a conversation that could change how you lead, decide, and build what's next._ Connect with Martin:Websites: www.theaileaderlab.comLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/martinjwheatley Subscribe to The Frontier Leader Show wherever you listen to podcasts.