Podcasts about DBA

Send us Fan MailThe database has always needed a human hand — someone to tune it, protect it, and keep it running. But what if AI could do most of that work autonomously? And if it can, what does that mean for the people who've built careers doing exactly that?In this episode, Al sits down with Satya Krishnaswamy, Director at IBM, to explore IBM's Db2 Genius Hub — a bold step toward autonomous database management powered by AI agents. Satya breaks down what it actually means for a database to run itself, how IBM is thinking about the levels of AI autonomy, and where the human still needs to stay in the loop.They get into the real questions: How many AI agents does it take to manage a modern database? When should you let the system decide — and when should you keep your hand on the wheel? And what happens to the DBA role as automation handles more of the heavy lifting?If you work in data, lead a data team, or just want to understand where enterprise database technology is actually headed — this one is worth your time.Timestamps02:14  Introducing Satya05:23  Db2 Genius Hub06:47  The State of the DB Industry07:34  The Fate of DBAs10:24  15 Agents12:47  AI DB Autonomy Levels15:52  When Should DBs be Autonomous23:42  Taking Advantage of Db2 AI27:32  Human in the Loop, or Not36:32  Db2 Advancements in Summary38:19  The Client Challenge41:04  For Fun Guest LinksLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/satya-krishnaswamy-b412265bProduct: https://www.ibm.com/products/db2-genius-hubWant to be featured as a guest on Making Data Simple?  Reach out to us at almartintalksdata@gmail.com and tell us why you should be next.  The Making Data Simple Podcast is hosted by Al Martin, WW VP Technical Sales, IBM, where we explore trending technologies, business innovation, and leadership ... while keeping it simple & fun. 

Send us Fan MailThe database has always needed a human hand — someone to tune it, protect it, and keep it running. But what if AI could do most of that work autonomously? And if it can, what does that mean for the people who've built careers doing exactly that?In this episode, Al sits down with Satya Krishnaswamy, Director at IBM, to explore IBM's Db2 Genius Hub — a bold step toward autonomous database management powered by AI agents. Satya breaks down what it actually means for a database to run itself, how IBM is thinking about the levels of AI autonomy, and where the human still needs to stay in the loop.They get into the real questions: How many AI agents does it take to manage a modern database? When should you let the system decide — and when should you keep your hand on the wheel? And what happens to the DBA role as automation handles more of the heavy lifting?If you work in data, lead a data team, or just want to understand where enterprise database technology is actually headed — this one is worth your time.Timestamps02:14  Introducing Satya05:23  Db2 Genius Hub06:47  The State of the DB Industry07:34  The Fate of DBAs10:24  15 Agents12:47  AI DB Autonomy Levels15:52  When Should DBs be Autonomous23:42  Taking Advantage of Db2 AI27:32  Human in the Loop, or Not36:32  Db2 Advancements in Summary38:19  The Client Challenge41:04  For Fun Guest LinksLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/satya-krishnaswamy-b412265bProduct: https://www.ibm.com/products/db2-genius-hubWant to be featured as a guest on Making Data Simple?  Reach out to us at almartintalksdata@gmail.com and tell us why you should be next.  The Making Data Simple Podcast is hosted by Al Martin, WW VP Technical Sales, IBM, where we explore trending technologies, business innovation, and leadership ... while keeping it simple & fun. 

Unless you are a designer that works in furnishings only, you are going to have to work with a contractor at some point. I don't just mean general contractors either—plumbers, electricians, painters, drywallers, roofers, flooring specialists, wallpaper, hangers, appliance installers, cabinet makers and the list goes on. Contractors are an integral part of design, remodeling, renovation, and new construction. Unfortunately, there are great and not-so-great contractors out there and you are going to have to work with both kinds. It's important that you know where to find quality contractors and that you know how to work with them effectively. In today's episode, I'm diving in with my best advice for finding quality contractors you can trust, and the right way to vet them. I'll go over the five must-haves to validate quality contractors every time, and why you want to craft a contract or code of conduct so that you can accurately and precisely set expectations.  In this episode, you will hear: How to avoid the frustrations that working with contractors can sometimes bring The importance of using a thorough process when vetting potential contractors How and why you should craft a code of conduct or contract  Strategies to help you work effectively and foster successful working relationships As one of our Fan Favorite episodes, I'd love to know what your favorite episode is. Reach out via @melissagalt on Instagram or Facebook and let me know. And be sure to REVIEW this podcast on Apple podcasts. It means the world! When you're ready to hit the next level of design success without the burnout, you can book your complimentary Zoom Design Business Assessment with me here at www.melissgalt.com/DBA. You deserve it! Connect with Melissa Instagram Facebook Linkedin Website  

What happens when business owners realize they no longer know who they are outside of their company? In this episode, Matt Di Francesco explores the emotional side of exiting a business and why so many owners struggle to let go. From fear of the unknown to losing a sense of identity, Matt breaks down why many business owners regret selling within the first year.Whether you are planning an exit, preparing for retirement, or trying to avoid burnout, this episode offers practical insights to help you create a vision for life beyond the business and transition on your terms.Matt also talks about:(00:49) Why many owners sabotage their own business sale(02:35) The reason 75% of business owners regret selling(03:54) Why passionate shop owners stay connected to the industry after exiting(05:29) How owner-based planning creates purpose and prevents burnout(06:34) Why building a long-term vision changes how you grow your businessConnect With Matt DiFrancesco:matt@highliftfin.com(814)201-5855LinkedIn: Matt DiFrancescoLinkedIn: High Lift FinancialFacebook: High Lift Financial Instagram: @high_lift_financialYouTube: @highliftfinancialDisclaimer:All information is obtained from sources deemed reliable, but not guaranteed. No tax or legal advice is given nor intended. Content provided herein or on our website should not be construed as an offer for investment advice or for securities, insurance, or other investment products. Investments involve the risk of loss and are not guaranteed. Consult a qualified legal, tax, accounting, or financial professional before implementing any investments or strategies discussed here.High Lift Financial is a DBA for DiFrancesco Financial Concierge, LLC.  Investment advisory services are provided through Cornerstone Planning Group, LLC, an independent advisory firm registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Healthcare isn't short on strategy right now—it's short on people, access, and experienced leadership where it matters most. In Texas alone, more rural hospitals have closed than in any other state over the past decade, leaving entire communities with limited access to care. At the same time, many health systems are realizing they haven't built strong pipelines for the next generation of leaders—making the transfer of real-world experience more critical than ever.So what happens when seasoned executives step away from operational leadership and into academia—and can that shift help solve healthcare's talent and access challenges?The latest episode of I Don't Care focuses on what happens when decades of healthcare leadership experience meets the classroom. Dr. Kevin Stevenson sits down with Dr. Michael Wiggins, Assistant Professor at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, to explore his transition from hospital CEO to educator. The conversation spans leadership development, rural health innovation, academic medicine, and the evolving role of technology in care delivery.What you'll learn…Why healthcare leaders need both practical experience and academic grounding to handle modern system complexity.How rural health challenges are reshaping leadership priorities, from access and infrastructure to community-centered care models.What emerging forces—AI, industry consolidation, and financial pressure—mean for the future of healthcare delivery and how leaders must adapt.Dr. Michael Wiggins, DBA, FACHE, is a seasoned healthcare executive with more than 30 years of leadership experience across academic medical centers, pediatric health systems, and community-based care. He has served as President and CEO of nationally recognized children's hospitals, where he led strategic planning, operational excellence, physician partnerships, and philanthropy initiatives to improve care delivery and community health outcomes. Now an Assistant Professor at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, he focuses on developing future healthcare leaders, advancing research, and guiding organizations on strategy, leadership alignment, and performance improvement.

Billions of dollars in new investment are pouring into the I-29 corridor and the Great Lakes region, creating some of the most technologically advanced cheese processing plants in the world. Dairy Stream host, Joanna Guza, and guests, Greg Siegethaler and Mike North, discuss the following topics:  Overview of cheese processing capacity in the Midwest Economic signals for the Midwest area What it means for farmers in the short-term Processors achieving net zero and ESG requirement Make allowances Dairy landscape in 10 years About the guests Greg Siegethaler, president of the Dairy Business Association and the VP of Milk Marketing, Strategic Sourcing, & Sustainability at Grande Cheese  Mike North, president of the Producer Division at Ever. Ag and a past DBA president   Learn more about Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative. Compeer Financial is proud partner of Dairy Stream.  Learn more about Dairy Stream sponsorship. This podcast is produced by the Voice of Milk, a collaboration of individual dairy organizations working to improve the future of dairy farm families. Become a sponsor, share an idea or feedback by emailing podcast@dairyforward.com. 

If you've ever found yourself wishing that the stellar work on the latest design project you've been devoting your time to would definitively translate into sustained growth even after that project is over…well, you're in for a treat this episode. There are three specific ways to guarantee that you will grow your business with every project that you take on. Today, I am deep-diving into each method to ensure you get the most bang from each project you take on. I'm walking you through the art of amplifying your brand's credibility using client testimonials, underscoring the value of top-notch photography, and sharing the savoir-faire of securing referrals that will blossom into your dream client list. These tips will make it so that you won't have to wonder where your next project will spring from–instead, you'll have a steady stream of ideal clientele looking to work with you. I'll take you through the process of getting your projects published utilizing Amy Flurry's coveted recipe for press and tapping into her digital media list. Discover how to deepen client relationships with personalized touches, ensuring your work remains etched in their memory. Plus, I'll share my secret weapon for seeking referrals that reflect your past triumphs and set the stage for a thriving future filled with projects you adore. Prepare to elevate your presence in the industry with strategies that do more than just showcase your talent! So tune in and let's ensure your client list is as curated and impactful as the work you put out into the world. In this episode, you will hear: How to deepen client relationships and leverage client testimonials effectively to enhance your brand's credibility  The significance of professional photography in showcasing projects to grow your client base Techniques for acquiring client referrals that align with your desired project types and clientele Strategies for getting your work published in both digital and print media As one of our Fan Favorite episodes, I'd love to know what your favorite episode is. Reach out via @melissagalt on Instagram or Facebook and let me know. And be sure to REVIEW this podcast on Apple podcasts. It means the world! When you're ready to hit the next level of design success without the burnout, you can book your complimentary Zoom Design Business Assessment with me here at www.melissgalt.com/DBA. You deserve it! Connect with Melissa Instagram Facebook Linkedin Website  

Join host Adam Larson as he welcomes expert guests Dana Hermanson, Daniel Haggerty, and Douglas Boyle—the authors of the 2026 Curt Verschoor Ethics Feature of the Year—for an honest, eye-opening discussion on the shadow side of professional ethics. After their award-winning article on building virtue, the trio flips the script—this time tackling the capital vices of pride, envy, and greed, and exploring why good people sometimes make bad choices. Hear real-world examples, from Enron to Theranos, and pick up practical strategies for recognizing and overcoming these vices in yourself and your organization. Daniel shares a philosopher's perspective on the roots of bad behavior, Douglas draws on his executive experience to talk about healthy versus harmful pride, and Dana connects classic wisdom to familiar fraud prevention tools. Whether you're a finance leader, student, or just curious about why fraud still happens, this is a conversation packed with insight, stories, and advice you can use right away—including a behind-the-scenes look at their award-winning article.

The Dairy Streamlet is a condensed version of a long Dairy Stream episode and covers the high-level points of the conversation. If this topic interest you, then listen to the full episode on May 20. Dairy Stream host, Joanna Guza, and guests, Greg Siegethaler, president of the Dairy Business Association and the VP of Milk Marketing, Strategic Sourcing, & Sustainability at Grande Cheese and Mike North, president of the Producer Division at Ever. Ag and a past DBA president, discuss the billions of dollars in new investment pouring into the I-29 corridor and the Great Lakes region, creating some of the most technologically advanced cheese processing plants. Learn more about Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative. Compeer Financial is proud partner of Dairy Stream.  Learn more about Dairy Stream sponsorship.

What happens when family relationships collide with business ownership?In this episode, Matt Di Francesco unpacks the emotional side of family business succession and explains why many transitions fail long before the paperwork is signed. From the “dinner table dilemma” to tension between business-active and non-business-active family members, Matt explores the real challenges that can derail a transition.Whether you are preparing to transition your business to the next generation, planning your retirement, or trying to protect both your company and your family relationships, this episode delivers practical insights to help you transition on your terms while preserving family unity. Matt also talks about:(01:27) The hidden family dynamics that can derail a business transition(02:20) Why letting go of your business identity is so difficult(03:02) Separating family and business for a smoother transition(05:35) Three keys to a successful family business transitionConnect With Matt DiFrancesco:matt@highliftfin.com(814)201-5855LinkedIn: Matt DiFrancescoLinkedIn: High Lift FinancialFacebook: High Lift Financial Instagram: @high_lift_financialYouTube: @highliftfinancialDisclaimer:All information is obtained from sources deemed reliable, but not guaranteed. No tax or legal advice is given nor intended. Content provided herein or on our website should not be construed as an offer for investment advice or for securities, insurance, or other investment products. Investments involve the risk of loss and are not guaranteed. Consult a qualified legal, tax, accounting, or financial professional before implementing any investments or strategies discussed here.High Lift Financial is a DBA for DiFrancesco Financial Concierge, LLC.  Investment advisory services are provided through Cornerstone Planning Group, LLC, an independent advisory firm registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The IBR's Final SEIS confirms 59 residential displacements, up to 15 years of construction, noise levels of 82–94 dBA near homes, and no enforceable vibration or health protections for Hayden Island's 3,000 residents. Gary Clark and Kimberly Haslett of Neighbors for a Better Crossing break down what the document says — and what it deliberately leaves unanswered. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-ibr-environmental-review-confirms-impacts-to-hayden-island-while-leaving-key-safeguards-undefined/ #Interstatebridge #IBR #HaydenIsland #ClarkCounty #Transportation #Opinion #EnvironmentalReview #ColumbiaRiver #Vancouver #WashingtonState

In the final episode of our three‑part series recorded at Google Cloud NEXT in Las Vegas, produced in partnership with Kyndryl, we bring together leaders from travel, QSR, retail, payments and cloud services to explore how AI is being deployed at scale inside some of the world's most complex organisations. Host Russell Goldsmith spoke with: 1/ Alibek Datbayev, Engineering Manager AI Platforms, Booking.com 2/ David Faircloth, VP - Technology Architecture & Engineering, Wendy's 3/ Helder Ribeiro, Chief Digital Officer, Sonae MC 4/ Govindaraj Palanisamy, Principal Enterprise Architect, Data, AI & Innovation, Global Payments 5/ Jason McKay, Chief Solutions Officer, Rapidscale Alibek Datbayev, Engineering Manager for AI Platforms at Booking.com, shares how the company is building reliable agentic systems on top of Google's ecosystem, why Gemini's grounding in Maps and Search is uniquely powerful for travel, and how Booking.com is moving from prototypes to production with rigorous evaluation, governance and safety. He also highlights the next frontier: multi‑agent orchestration for end‑to‑end travel experiences. David Faircloth, VP of Technology Architecture & Engineering at Wendy's, explains how the company achieved 99.95% availability by focusing first on people, trust and organisational design before technology. David discusses Conway's Law, platform engineering, and why AI is “not the future, it's the present,” with success defined by frictionless crew experiences, reliable systems and better customer journeys. Helder Ribeiro, Chief Digital Officer at Sonae MC, describes how the retailer is building an AI‑driven migration factory to modernise infrastructure, reduce costs and accelerate product delivery. Helder outlines how AI is used across training, refactoring, spend optimisation and productivity, and why becoming an AI‑first company requires strong foundations, intentional design and a clear focus on speed, efficiency and customer experience. Govindaraj Palanisamy, Principal Enterprise Architect for Data, AI & Innovation at Global Payments, discusses how the company manages a vast, multi‑organisation database fleet and how AI agents will transform DBA workflows. He breaks down the three biggest barriers between pilot and production: trustworthy data, grounding, and governance - and explains why regulated industries must “shift governance left” to scale AI safely. Finally, Jason McKay, Chief Solutions Officer at RapidScale, closes the episode with a candid view on enterprise AI adoption. He highlights the gap between AI ambition and data reality, why day‑zero conversations are always about AI but day‑one conversations are always about data, and how organisations can move from optimism to operational readiness. A wide‑ranging, insight‑rich finale that captures the real state of enterprise AI in 2026.

At the inaugural ACCC Leadership Summit, C-suite executives and senior-level decision makers in oncology convened for strategic dialogue, engaging panel discussions, and peer-to-peer exchange focused on the most pressing issues in cancer care today. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Michele LeSueur, DBA, vice president of Sales and Marketing at Johnson & Johnson, about her key takeaways as a member of the final panel of the Summit: Strategic Partnerships: Creating a Thriving Innovation Oncology Ecosystem. Across the diverse panel of stakeholders, one theme consistently rang true: Innovation is happening very quickly in oncology, but the gap continues to widen between the inception and the implementation of these ideas into day-to-day patient care. Lesueur also comments on the importance of industry partners listening and understanding where friction might occur when launching a new treatment or delivery system. "It's not just about continuously generating breakthrough science or breakthrough treatment. That's only going to take us so far. We have to think about how to actually incorporate that and get it to the patients." – Michele LeSueur, DBA Guest: Michele LeSueur, DBA Vice President of Sales and MarketingJohnson & Johnson Resources: 2026 ACCC Leadership Summit Innovation, Policy, and Partnership: Key Takeaways From the Inaugural ACCC Leadership Summit One Purpose, One Passion, 2 Directions: How to Bring Together Clinical and Administrative Leaders

Profit leaks in your interior design business are rarely dramatic. More often, they show up quietly through over-delivering, unclear scope, misaligned clients, weak discovery, inconsistent systems, and pricing that supports maintenance instead of growth. Those small patterns can create longer hours, heavier projects, and revenue that looks strong while profit quietly slips away. In this episode, you'll learn where profit is established long before the final invoice and how to strengthen the front end of your business so your projects are more profitable from the start. You'll also hear how clearer boundaries, stronger systems, better-fit clients, and value-based pricing help your design firm grow without adding more effort, stress, or burnout. In this episode, you'll hear: (01:55) Why profit is established at the beginning of a project, not at the end (04:30) How over-delivering erodes your timeline, effective rate, and bottom line (07:26) Why expanding scope without change orders creates hidden profit leaks (09:24) How misaligned clients drain time, energy, and profitability (11:56) Why design discovery must set the tone for leadership, trust, and profit (15:38) How consistent systems and value-based pricing support sustainable growth If you're ready to identify and stop your profit leaks, schedule your complimentary Design Business Assessment at melissagalt.com/DBA. It's a high value, confidential Zoom consultation where I look at where you are, where you want to be and provide a clear path to close the gap.  

Where in the world am I? In San Diego, talking about Athens, Greece, Part 2 of 2 This is the Dr. Mary Travelbest Guide podcast.  The FAQ is: I'm currently taking 2 "high-risk" medications and will be traveling to Germany, Austria, and Czechia from the US in the fall (will be in each country less than 5 days). I know I'll need a doctor's note, keep everything in the original packaging, and declare them. What has your experience been traveling with prescription medication? Have you ever been pulled for extra questioning, had medication confiscated, or forgotten/skipped declaring, etc.? Answer: No, I've never been stopped for medication, nor has anyone I know. But you should always have a doctor's prescription, and it should be in the original packaging. You should have the supply amounts for the trip you are taking. So be mindful of any country laws and regulations. Always check first. Please note that I am not a medical doctor, but a business and marketing DBA.  60-second confidence challenge Your challenge today, Confidence Challenge in travel, is to get tickets to an event in a different country. If you're trying to see a big event like the World Cup, you may need to check the current conditions, pricing, and immigration rules. I attended the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, and I hope to go to the next games in 2028, but it's not a sure thing to get a ticket. You can sign up now if you want. See the show notes. https://la28.org/en/newsroom/la28-launches-global-olympic-ticket-sales.html   If you like today's Confidence Challenge, my book series delves deeper into specific events for travel, like Olympic Games, while moving through the 5 steps to solo travel, from easy to more challenging, with foreign language communication tips. See Book A for addressing this concern. Find it on the website​​ at https://www.5stepstosolotravel.com/ or on Amazon. It's a several-part series, and part C is almost ready for pre-sales. Today's destination is Athens, Greece, Part 2 of 2 Remember, it's a Step 5 destination. Here's some guidance for you on the places to see in Athens. Acropolis Visit I entered the Acropolis at 7:10 PM, so I only had 50 minutes, but that was enough. Visiting at night was better since it wasn't too crowded.  But you get kicked out at 8 pm, so I had another couple of hours to explore the areas around the buildings, and they were still visible from the nearby hillside. It did get cooler after 8 p.m., too. I think that there is so much more than just the main attractions. Spend more time here in the evening, when it's still light outdoors. Saturday: M2 to Elliniko I took the metro to the Acropolis station, but it was under construction, so I had to change my plans. No problem Last Day in Athens I went swimming in the bay near Edem, a public beach accessible by tram. There, I met Don and Joan from the USA, who are now locals thanks to the Golden Visa program, having obtained resident status here for $250,000. They're living the good life now! They showed me the ropes at the beach and provided great insight into life and culture here. They are a sweet couple, probably in their 55s or 60s. In the '80s, Don lived in San Diego with his former wife, raised kids there, and worked for General Dynamics.  Afterward, I visited Poseidon Taverna, a restaurant near the tram station, and later hiked up Proponisia Mountain, or Hill. I enjoyed a beautiful sunset on the roof of my hostel while talking to Damien from Holland and my roommate, Danny from Takoma.  I also had breakfast with another hostel roommate, Amanda, a tech expert traveling solo. Additionally, I spoke again with Ryan from Melbourne, Australia. He missed his flight and expressed his desire to run with the bulls in Spain soon. I gave him some of my leftover books and food for his future trip. Food: Gyros with pork  Recommended Activities: Hop-on, hop-off bus, Architecture Museum, and a city tour.  I did a lot of walking this week, averaging 10-17 kilometers every day. A side note: I just hit the 5,000-mile mark on my walking badge app, some of it in Greece. My missteps: I got scammed online I was scammed on Amazon for a product I did not order. A random vendor mailed me some jewelry. I did not order it. Then I saw a bill for $400. It was impossible to get a refund, because the seller was no longer on the website. After several months, I did receive a refund, but it was a challenge to get it. Don't let that happen to you.  AI was used to select some of the suggestions for this episode. Connect with Dr. Travelbest 5 Steps to Solo Travel website Dr. Mary Travelbest X Dr. Mary Travelbest Facebook Page Dr. Mary Travelbest Facebook Group Dr. Mary Travelbest Instagram Dr. Mary Travelbest Podcast Dr. Travelbest on TikTok Dr.Travelbest on YouTube In the news

  Every career in industrial water treatment is shaped by decisions, mentors, credentials, systems, and the willingness to keep learning. In this special mailbag-style episode, Trace Blackmore, CWT, answers questions from the Scaling UP! Nation about how he entered water treatment, why he started the podcast, what professional credentials have meant to him, and what he is still working to improve. This conversation gives water professionals a practical look at the habits behind a long career in the industry: getting involved early, documenting customer conversations, building strong teams, using repeatable processes, and staying open to new tools like AI. From Family Influence to a Career in Water Treatment Trace shares that his start in water treatment came through his father, who brought him along to accounts after school. His early memories include watching test results change color, learning around hospital accounts, and seeing how water treatment decisions were made in the field. Before entering water treatment full-time, Trace worked in financial services and received strong sales training. However, he realized he was not enjoying the work. His father invited him to become a service technician, which led to a career path that combined technical problem-solving, customer service, sales, and a deep appreciation for the industrial water community. Why Credentials, Associations, and Documentation Matter Trace explains why the Certified Water Technologist credential remains one of the professional accomplishments he values most. He also discusses his LEED GA and LEED AP credentials, his time as a former president of the Association of Water Technologies, and his training as a master facilitator. For professionals building their own careers, the larger lesson is clear: credentials, online presence, and association involvement can shape how customers and peers understand your expertise. Trace also emphasizes the importance of documenting conversations, decisions, and recommendations so teams and customers have a clear record when issues arise. The Podcast, Rising Tide Mastermind, and Raising the Industry Bar Trace reflects on launching the Scaling UP! H2O Podcast in 2017 after encouragement from Charlie Cicchetti and Conor Parrish. What began as a monthly podcast eventually became a weekly resource with structured processes, procedures, and a growing audience of water professionals. He also discusses the honor of having Scaling UP! H2O recognized as the official podcast of the Association of Water Technologies, as well as the creation of Rising Tide Mastermind, which now includes 76 members across 7 groups. Both platforms reflect the same goal: creating spaces where industrial water professionals can learn, connect, and improve together. Technology, AI, and the Next Phase of Learning When asked about the biggest change in the industry, Trace points to data collection, remote monitoring, the Internet of Things, and AI. He remembers a time when system information required an on-site visit. Today, water professionals can review controller data, reports, and trends before arriving in the field. Trace also shares how his Doctor of Business Administration program is changing the way he thinks about research, learning, and long-term growth. His 2026 goals include continuing that academic work, strengthening the podcast's educational value, and giving family and personal commitments proper space on the calendar. This episode is not only a personal reflection. It is a reminder that long-term success in water treatment depends on learning, relationships, systems, and the willingness to keep improving. Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge! Timestamps  02:35 — Trace opens the episode with a May update and connects the season to a practical cooling tower challenge: pollen in Southern systems. 04:30 — Trace explains why this episode is different: Scaling UP! Nation asked for more personal stories and career reflections from him. 06:50 — Trace highlights the 6th Annual Oilfield Water Markets Conference and shares the Scaling UP! H2O listener discount code. 08:00 — Trace mentions the International Water Association Leading Edge Conference on Water and Wastewater Technologies in Houston. 08:50 — Trace points healthcare-focused water professionals toward ASHE's Healthcare Facilities Innovation Conference in Minneapolis. 09:50 — James McDonald presents a new Words of Water definition focused on wet bulb temperature and cooling tower performance. 11:20 — Trace explains why receiving compliments used to be difficult and how mentorship helped him respond with more respect and gratitude. 13:50 — Trace answers how he got started in water treatment through his father, field visits, testing, and early exposure to accounts. 15:50 — Trace describes leaving financial services, joining his father's company as a service technician, and finding work he genuinely enjoyed. 18:20 — Trace explains the credentials behind his name, beginning with the Certified Water Technologist designation. 20:25 — Trace discusses LEED GA and LEED AP credentials and how they helped him communicate with commercial building owners. 23:00 — Trace shares why his AWT leadership experience and master facilitator training matter to his professional identity. 24:55 — Trace explains how Charlie Cicchetti introduced him to podcasts and encouraged him to start what became Scaling UP! H2O. 27:30 — Trace describes the podcast's early cadence, moving from monthly to biweekly and then weekly episodes. 32:30 — Trace identifies AWT naming Scaling UP! H2O its official podcast as a crowning moment for the show. 33:45 — Trace shares personal and professional achievements, including adopting his son, building the podcast, and launching Rising Tide Mastermind. 35:30 — Trace explains how he balances podcasting, business, and other responsibilities through team support, time blocking, procedures, and the 12 Week Year. 41:05 — Trace shares advice to his younger self: join an association early, get involved, document everything, and build relationships in the industry. 44:40 — Trace identifies data, remote monitoring, IoT, AI, Legionella, PFAS, and water management plans as major changes in the industry. 48:10 — Trace shares scuba diving as his favorite non-water-treatment hobby and reflects on teaching more than 1,000 people to dive. 50:00 — Trace explains how pursuing a Doctor of Business Administration is teaching him research, academic discipline, and new ways to learn. 54:05 — Trace shares his 2026 goals, including progressing through his DBA program, expanding podcast resources, and prioritizing family on his calendar Connect with Scaling UP! H2O   Submit a show idea: Submit a Show Idea   LinkedIn: in/traceblackmore/   YouTube: @ScalingUpH2O  Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned  AWT Audible Scaling UP! H2O Academy video courses 12 Week Year Plan  The Rising Tide Mastermind 420 Tapping Into Tech: How Ben Frieders Uses AI to Elevate Water Treatment Marketing  Words of Water with James McDonald  Today's definition is the lowest temperature that can be achieved through evaporation alone and is used to evaluate cooling tower performance.  Do you know the word or phrase?  2026 Events for Water Professionals  Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we've listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking HERE. 

Nick Martocci, founder of Technical Training Academy in Las Vegas, joins to discuss expanding from wind technician training to other energy technologies and career pathways for veterans in energy. Sign up now for Uptime Tech News, our weekly newsletter on all things wind technology. This episode is sponsored by Weather Guard Lightning Tech. Learn more about Weather Guard’s StrikeTape Wind Turbine LPS retrofit. Follow the show on YouTube, Linkedin and visit Weather Guard on the web. And subscribe to Rosemary’s “Engineering with Rosie” YouTube channel here. Have a question we can answer on the show? Email us! Welcome to Uptime Spotlight, shining Light on Wind. Energy’s brightest innovators. This is the Progress Powering tomorrow. Allen Hall: Nick, welcome back to the program. We’re Tower Trading Academy. Now your technical trading Academy since we last spoke and we last spoke at OM and S in Nashville. Yep. Now we’re here in Orlando. A lot’s changed over the last year.  Nick Martocci: We went through a lot of growth and changes, if you will, to the point where, because I added the program from just wind turbine technician to battery energy storage technician as well. And obviously like always I’ve got something brewing behind the green curtain. Right, right. Uh, we’re, we’re always doing something and adding and changing training. And what we really did is get to a place where we’re getting really technical with some of the things that we’re doing. And what I did want to [00:01:00] do is rebrand, go through all of the, you know, uh, marketing and pieces again, and try to change things. And so I tried to find what was the most simplistic, easy pivot, but also kept us out in the people’s eye. Yeah. And we went to Technical Training Academy. So we really didn’t have to do a whole heavy rebrand. We didn’t have to change a lot, but those that are already working with us, it was just letting them know, Hey, we are still Legally Tower Training Academy. Even the Department of Labor recognizes that, uh, we just have a DBA in place and the DBA doing business as, uh, allows us to now really open that up as far as what are we capable of doing when it comes to. Deliverables for, you know, people in energy and those types of security places.  Allen Hall: Well, I’ve been watching your shorts. I, they’re on YouTube or on LinkedIn. They’re really good. The little clips about what you [00:02:00] guys are up to, they’re excellent. And the, what I follow, because I, I met you several times, it was just kind of cool to follow the progression there. The state of Nevada has recognized you. There’s a lot of, uh, congratulatory, uh, events that are happening and like, all right, Hey, Nick’s making this thing happen because it’s so hard to be in that training business. Mm-hmm. To get to where you have brought that whole company. Two is all right. This, this is a, this is a good spot.  Nick Martocci: Yeah. Uh, you’re  Allen Hall: making some progress  Nick Martocci: there. We had Susie Lee’s office last year help us announce the Battery Energy Storage Program, so there was a congressional recognition there as well. Uh, we’ve also been working with other local politicians and things of that nature to be able to showcase some of the things that not just TTA is doing, but veterans and energy. Because of my partnership with Project Vanguard, I am a state, uh, representative [00:03:00] for Project Vanguard in the state of Nevada. So it’s another piece of also being able to showcase, hey, this is not just what TTA is doing, but what are veterans doing in energy? And I want to be able to not only highlight, you know, obviously TTA, but those pieces as well. And whatever you state, you know, the veteran pieces, obviously legislators will listen, if that makes sense. That when you start saying, Hey, a veteran is speaking legislation. We’ll quiet down for a second to see, hey, what is this rumble that you guys are creating? And they start to see what we’re doing and they wanna be a part of that. Allen Hall: Well, I think that’s wonderful. And all the effort and time that you put towards veterans and veteran efforts. Mm-hmm. Thank you so much for doing that. You’re a veteran, you’re a helicopter pilot, you served Yep. Uh, for a number of years. That’s a difficult job. I, you know, obviously the US is involved in some activity at the moment, but. You know, shout out to all the veterans out there, [00:04:00] obviously. And, and there’s a lot of ’em in renewable energy right now.  Nick Martocci: Well, I mean, not just renewables, but energy, period. ’cause I, I speak to a lot of veterans throughout my downtime, if you’ll say I have that. And you know, the, there’s people that are PMs, program project managers, there are folks that are doing logistics, warehouse hr, and seeing that movement migration. Of transitioning individuals from active duty, even some folks that are in my program that are in the guard and now getting into a position where, hey, you know, I’m a technician. I’m in energy. Whether they’re a wind turbine tech, they’re in battery, solar, hydro, what have you. Uh, there are quite a number of veterans in the energy market and industry. Allen Hall: So if you’re a veteran right now or just exiting, uh, the military. I, I think a lot of opportunity is there. They may not [00:05:00] realize. Mm-hmm. Uh, so getting trained up is a lot easier than it used to be. I remember years ago, I think I, we knew people that came outta the military and, and they were just sort of tossed out the door and had to go find things for themselves. There’s a lot more resources now I would Right. I it feel like than there were even a couple of years ago. And it’s people like you that are kind of bridging that gap for the military to, to get people onboard, to get people trained, to get ’em out in. And doing work in the civilian world, that’s huge.  Nick Martocci: Yeah. There’s so many leadership traits and skills that veterans already bring to the table. It’s a matter of taking some of those skills that maybe they, you know, worked in motor T and uh, and the motor pools, and they were turning wrenches and fixing, you know, Humvees and other, you know, mechanical vehicles, or they were. Um, A and p, so airframe and power plant for, uh, aviation and things of that nature. Sure. So now they understand these different types of systems. Already it’s a matter of, oh, how, [00:06:00] how do I transition this over to wind? How do I transition this over to solar? How do I transition this to battery and such? And then be able to pick that up? It, it, it makes it easier for them because of the familiarity, if you will. To be able to say, Hey, this is very similar to that. All I gotta do is change this information here and now I’m good to go.  Allen Hall: Right. And Project Vanguard’s helping with that a a great deal.  Nick Martocci: Oh yeah. You talked about Project Vanguard, if you don’t know what that is, so Project Vanguard is an initiative to help veterans get into renewable energy careers, utilizing the network that we already have because. Um, America’s energy is our security as well, and so who better to help take care of the nation’s security of energy than veterans who have already been doing it. And so being able to help individuals, like I said, not always be a technician. Maybe they wanna be able to get into, uh, program or project management. Maybe they want to get into hr. And by utilizing the [00:07:00] vast network that Project Vanguard has, it, it gives them that ease of entrance and access that maybe they didn’t have before.  Allen Hall: Well, that’s the key. Finding out where those opportunities lie, and it’s hard to do that on your own. Right. Reaching out for some help is the right answer, I think all the time. And every, especially now, uh, there’s a lot of, uh, military focused companies that, like technical training Academy that are bridging that gap and, and absolutely. That’s fantastic. Now, the amount of training you’re doing on site is impressive and you’re, you’re growing. You’re into Best now, and you’re into more, more and more training, doing some OSHA training. So there’s a lot of resources available and the website’s been updated. Right. And I think a lot of people are, go to the website, just Google it. You can get there. But the offerings are getting more expansive. The, the technical details are getting deeper into the aspects of all parts of the industry,  Nick Martocci: right? We’ve worked with, uh, a few entities, uh, to name Drop Ner [00:08:00] and um, destructible. They’ve donated quite a bit of different pieces for our training programs, for blades, for brake systems and things of that nature. For us to be able to take our program to that next level and actually put what technicians are going to be putting their hands on in our training places rather than something as simple as a, uh, like an theory plate piece and actually putting something that a manufacturer is building for these entities. And saying, Hey, here, this is the exact same thing you’re gonna see, uh, they donated a, a unit that goes to a GE one X, but you know, if you go out to a four X, it’s gonna be the same thing, just a little bigger.  Allen Hall: Bigger. Right,  Nick Martocci: right. And, and so it, it makes it so that it goes from serious hands-on theory to, oh, I’ve seen something just like this, but it was a little smaller. This is just bigger. I get it. Same thing. And so with destructible being able to make those donations for blades and other pieces. Uh, we’re putting together a LPS program, lightning [00:09:00] Protection Systems. Oh,  Allen Hall: good.  Nick Martocci: And so that’s something That’s awesome. Yeah, it’s something that, it’s a  Allen Hall: lightning protection company. That’s fantastic.  Nick Martocci: You know, uh, there’s a lot of stuff coming down the pipe for all of those additional pieces. We, we even revamped our whole website when we did the name change back in July, and it allows people to be able to go in and see all those pieces that we’re doing. One of the things is we became a Sprat facility, so being able to do rope access, especially when it comes to those offshore technicians and things of that nature. So we’re gonna be able to. Help out the wind industry with a lot more of those pieces that they’re looking for. Uh, like I said, the rope access, they’re definitely gonna need, uh, for offshore and things of that nature. Uh, being able to do LPS training, there’s so many other pieces. I’m gonna try not to reveal that we’re working on that are in addition to just the apprenticeship program, but okay. Somebody went out to the field, I want to get a certification in. Become better SME in this piece and start putting building blocks into people’s [00:10:00]careers.  Allen Hall: Well, that’s the key, right? It it’s the industry’s grown to be more SMEs being on site.  Nick Martocci: Yep.  Allen Hall: And there you have your gearbox people, you have your electrical, diagnosing, debugging people that are out there. And I think as the industry evolves, we’re gonna have more subject matter experts on sites. Mm-hmm. Doing LPS systems, doing gear boxes, handling some of the electrical things that are happening, even in blades and blade repair. They’re becoming more of subject matter experts. ’cause you have people that, that’s what they do. They are the expert in fixing this particular kind of blade problem. And they make a great living doing that.  Nick Martocci: And uh, one of the other things that we’re doing is the complimentary training. Right. And what I mean by that is I’ve partnered with, uh, CSN  Allen Hall: Oh Good  Nick Martocci: College of Southern Nevada. Uh, I’m also partnering with some other universities and working on those pieces because I understand that technicians, as they grow in this industry, they want to be able to do other [00:11:00] things, whether that be be a pm, be an engineer. They want to be able to go and get that piece. And so if I can help refer through our partnerships. Hey, if you want to go get your construction management at CSN, we’re a preferred partner, go talk to. This individual and we can actually, rather than say, Hey, go forth and do great things, we can actually say, Hey, you need to speak to this person, and you know what? Better yet, let me do an email intro. Making it easier for the end user to actually now say, Hey, you know what? That was so much easier when you create that holistic program similar to what I’ve done, which doesn’t just say, Hey, here, you’re a technician. Bye. Um, you’re actually a part of their career. That, that’s one of the major big things that just really stuck out as far as a different difference maker from me to everybody else. I don’t just say, Hey, here you go. I, I create a program [00:12:00] with you and your career in mind. You can call back to either TTA or my other business, IFC, infinite Fidelis Consulting, and that is exactly what they do. They, it’s a nonprofit that does workforce development. That is exactly what they do, and they will help. And so through those partnerships, you now have access immediately to those resources. And I think some of the misnomers and steps that I’ve seen before me is, is exactly that of, hey, you know, we’re finished, right? We’ve taken care of your certs, we’ve taken care of your basic training. Bye-bye. And there there is no un until you see ’em in two years and you do their recertification. Then you don’t really get to interact with them. And so there’s two years of just what I call dead space. There’s just two, two years of I’ve never seen this person again. And that’s, if they come back to me, they might work for company A, B, or C. And that company might have an internal recertification program where now I’m not [00:13:00] able to still help them and they’re just on a maybe. Well, that’s where Technical Training Academy  Allen Hall: is doing something different. I, I think you’re right about. The, some of the training schools that exist today are very focused on getting technicians out on a site, and then that’s where it ends. The, the problem is those people tend to grow, especially if they’re from the military. They tend to go up and rank as they get out in the field a little bit because they do, are doing the right things and every, the, the management realizes I’ve got these people out there that know what they’re doing. I’m gonna promote them, I’m gonna make them the lead, I’m gonna make them the project manager, I’m gonna expand their role. But you have to also learn that skillset, right? And I think that’s where you’re thinking ahead and trying to help those people grow as they get more experience.  Nick Martocci: And I’m probably repeating myself from two years ago, but this is why I built it. I built it off of the similar frame of leadership style and progression piece that is familiar to us as veterans in the military. When you’re an E [00:14:00] one, you’re being groomed to be an E two. E two to be groomed to be an E three in, in the civilian world, there really is no grooming process to help you do that ladder climbing piece. And what I wanted to do was help bridge that gap,  Allen Hall: right?  Nick Martocci: And help put those support structures and pieces in place so that somebody could say, Hey, I want to do this. Who can help me? Well, you can come over to TTA or IFC and we’ll give you a hand. No problem.  Allen Hall: Well, that’s a part about TTA and I think if I was coming outta the military. I, and I wanted to get into renewables. I wouldn’t necessarily necessarily think Las Vegas. I would think Texas, Oklahoma, maybe Indiana, where there’s wind turbines and there’s solar and there’s batteries. But the reality is, is that the resources that Nevada is putting into veterans and into supporting you make your facility much more powerful than a lot of other places.  Nick Martocci: Well, and and I kind of remember this conversation we had last year about. [00:15:00] The negative connotation of a two mile square space in Las Vegas. Right. Right. And, and when people immediately think of Las Vegas, that two mile strip is what they immediately think of.  Allen Hall: Sure.  Nick Martocci: Without understanding. And they’re doing a little homework. And that’s why even, you know, tell people, Hey, come out for a tour, check this out and see where we are. Because we’re right across from Nellis Air Force Base right next to the speedway. One more exit from my, uh, my training center and you’re out of Las Vegas.  Allen Hall: A lot of people coming up in the industry just don’t think about outside that Midwest, that Texas spot. Mm-hmm. And they need to have their horizons open a little bit and realize that there are other places to get training that are high quality, that are gonna be caring about you as a person and the growth of you. Think about that when you’re applying to school, Joe. Absolutely. Just take whatever’s the closest. And head toward it.  Nick Martocci: We, we don’t play, and we’re going to treat this just like a career. That’s why [00:16:00] training at our school is a 12 hour training day. It’s not an eight hour day, it’s a 12 hour day.  Allen Hall: Right.  Nick Martocci: And that gets them acclimated to a 12 hour work day. Allen Hall: But that’s  Nick Martocci: what it’s gonna be. Exactly. So that way when you hit the field and some supervisor says, Hey, it’s gonna be a long day. We’re doing 10 hours today. Ah, part-time job. Got it. You know?  Allen Hall: Right. Right. That’s it. So I, I think there, uh, a lot of people have choices if they’re trying to get into renewables. Mm-hmm. And they need to be thinking about the choices they make. Technical training Academy should be high up on the list.  Nick Martocci: Absolutely  Allen Hall: high up on the list now, especially with veterans. I mean, that, that’s, that’s a no brainer that Do people get ahold of you? How do they contact you? Where should they start that process? Should they reach out to you on LinkedIn? Should they go to the website? What’s the best way?  Nick Martocci: Best way is really just to go to the website and, uh. O one of the misnomers I made was the Technical Training Academy, and there, there are so many in the United States, I did not realize that. But if you do Technical Training Academy Las Vegas, it narrows it down to four and [00:17:00] we’re the ones on top. And it makes it easier. And so if you do, uh, technical Training Academy in the Google Bar and just say, Hey, technical Training Academy, Las Vegas will pop up. Otherwise, on LinkedIn, you’ll find us under Technical Training Academy. Uh, Facebook and Instagram. Were still Tower Training Academy. I’m working on getting that changed over, uh, and then from there, yeah, the, I, I think that’s, oh no, we have a YouTube channel. Tower Training Academy. We’re also on YouTube. Yeah, YouTube. But as far as reaching us, go on our website. Hit enroll now. Uh, also on our website is our phone number, (725) 272-9495.  Allen Hall: There you go.  Nick Martocci: And so you can just ping that or you can even. Hit up my head of administration at admin1@towertrainingacademy.com. Allen Hall: Great. So everybody reach out, connect up with Nick, get started, figure out what your future looks like because Nick’s here to help and uh, it’s great to connect with you [00:18:00] again because year it’s something more exciting. Like, alright, this is, this is great. It’s expanding. You’re doing training, you got technicians out in the world, you’re going to the best. That’s fantastic. I’m always cooking. Congratulations because it’s hard. Your business is hard. Yep. And And that is amazing. It’s amazing.  Nick Martocci: I’ve always got something brewing behind the green curtain.  Allen Hall: Yes.  Nick Martocci: Always got something brewing back there.  Allen Hall: Thank you so much for being on the podcast.

The Wisconsin legislative sessions has wrapped up and we want to walk you through the wins, surprises and importance of member engagement. Dairy Stream host, Joanna Guza, and guests, Chad Zuleger and Cody Carpenter, discuss the following topics:  Biggest wins for Wisconsin dairy Surprises in the policy space Wisconsin Initiative for Agricultural Exports Farm field calculator Label grown meat Clean water and PFAS Importance of engagement Basic to advance ways to get involved What's next in the policy space About the guests Chad Zuleger is the Executive Director of the Dairy Business Association. He has been working in the policy space for 25 years.   Cody Carpenter, owns and operates Redrock View Farms with his family in Darlington, Wisconsin, where they milk 650 cows and farm 1,500 acres. Cody is currently serving as a DBA board member and also a member of the Lafayette Ag Stewardship Alliance.   Resources: Dairy Business Association priorities ARIP Program Producer- Led Watershed Protection Grants Crop Insurance Premium Rebates for Planting Cover Crops Rock Elm local ordinance: DBA members help prevent local ordinance Wisconsin dairy and farm statistics from Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin Dairy Day at the Capitol information DBA Dairy Golf Classic July 28 information Learn more about Dairy Business Association. Compeer Financial is proud partner of Dairy Stream.  Learn more about Dairy Stream sponsorship. This podcast is produced by the Voice of Milk, a collaboration of individual dairy organizations working to improve the future of dairy farm families. Become a sponsor, share an idea or feedback by emailing podcast@dairyforward.com. 

Are you 'winging it' when it comes to the business side of your creative life? In this episode, Allen C. Paul walks through five essential questions every creator must answer to move from simply doing creative work to running a real business. Whether you're just getting started or thinking about next-level growth, these five pillars will help you protect your work, simplify your life, and free up mental space for the creativity that matters.What You'll LearnThe difference between a side gig and a legitimate business — and why it matters legally and financiallyWhy a fictitious name (DBA) isn't enough — and what you actually need (LLC, S-Corp, or C-Corp explained)How to separate your creative business from your personal life — protect your personal assets and assetsThe three tracking systems that keep you sane — bank accounts, revenue/expense tracking, and why the IRS cares about bothWhat a business plan actually looks like — it doesn't require a loan officer's approval; it requires your clarityStandard agreements that prevent partnership disasters — real examples from podcasting and how to get them without reinventing the wheelWhy "organization" is the greatest tool for creativity — less friction = more freedom to createText the Show! Don't Build Your Creator Lifestyle Alone. Join the Community! In our 360 Creator Community, you get focused encouragement, guidance, and training on how to thrive as a God-centered creator. Joining gives you access to our app, workshops and community conversations, so you can stop being isolated and frustrated and start enjoying creative confidence! Join today!GodandGigs.com/membershipSupport the showWANT HELP WITH YOUR CREATOR BUSINESS? Sign up for the Creator Biz Deep Dive waitlist - godandgigs.com/bizdeepdivePODCAST MERCHGet God and Gigs themed gear, clothing and accessories HERE! FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL!  InstagramFacebook YouTubeWant to be a guest on The God and Gigs Show? Send us a message on PodMatch, here! © 2026 Paul Creative Solutions

Testing the loudness of a new version of the BM2257 multimeter firmware using the CRY2851 Class 1 sound level meter. https://www.crysound.com/product/cry2851-sound-level-meter/ COUPON CODE: LOUD for 10% off the BM2257 Hardware Store: https://eevblog.store/ 00:00 – BM2257 Firmware changes 01:58 – Crysound CRY2851 Class 1 Sound Level Analyser 06:26 – Lab baseline dBA measurement 07:39 – dBA …

The Dairy Streamlet is a condensed version of a long Dairy Stream episode and covers the high-level points of the conversation. If this topic interest you, then listen to the full episode on April 29. Dairy Stream host, Joanna Guza, and guests, Chad Zuleger, executive director of the Dairy Business Association, and Cody Carpenter, dairy farmer and owner of Redrock View Farms in Darlington, Wisconsin and also a DBA board member, discuss the Wisconsin legislative wins, surprises, basic to advanced ways to engage policymakers and what's next in the policy space. Learn more about Dairy Business Association. Compeer Financial is proud partner of Dairy Stream.  Learn more about Dairy Stream sponsorship. This podcast is produced by the Voice of Milk, a collaboration of individual dairy organizations working to improve the future of dairy farm families. Become a sponsor, share an idea or feedback by emailing podcast@dairyforward.com.

Showing Up as Your Authentic Best Self: Ingredients for SuccessGuest: Dr. Lori Smith | Government Contracting Expert, Serial Entrepreneur and Founder Host: Julie RigaOverviewWhat does it truly mean to show up as your authentic best self every single day? In this powerful episode of the Stay On Course Podcast, host Julie Riga sits down with Dr. Lori Smith, a DBA-trained government contracting expert, serial entrepreneur, and advocate for women, minority, and veteran-owned small businesses. With over 40 years of leadership experience and a legacy built on radical self-honesty, service, and purpose-driven impact, Dr. Lori unpacks the real ingredients for success in leadership, business, and life. Whether you are a corporate executive, entrepreneur, veteran, or someone on a journey of authentic transformation, this conversation will challenge you to lead from your most honest and whole self.Showing Up as Your Authentic Best Self: Ingredients for SuccessAbout Dr. Lori SmithDr. Lori Smith is a DBA-trained government contracting expert, serial entrepreneur, and founder dedicated to helping women, minority, and veteran-owned small businesses win government work and build generational wealth. She has mentored more than 11,000 small businesses over a 40-year career. She serves as Co-Lead for the Georgia Women Veterans Board and Advisor to the North Georgia Women in Leadership Program.Fun Fact: Dr. Lori is a proud veggie girl. Her most cherished food memory is her mother's lima beans, green beans, and collard greens.The Three Ingredients for Authentic Success1. Radical Self-Honesty Showing up as who you truly are in every room, every role, and every relationship is the foundation of authentic leadership. Trust is the currency of real leadership, and you cannot build a lasting legacy on a version of yourself that is not genuine or sustainable.2. Consistent Micro Habits Small, intentional daily actions are the building blocks of transformation. Movement, reflection, and purposeful routines are not extras. They are the foundation of wholistic wellness and personal growth. Integrate these habits into your calendar the same way physical training was once built into military life.3. Courageous Connections Asking for help is an act of strength, not weakness. Surrounding yourself with people who elevate your authentic growth is one of the most strategic leadership decisions you will ever make. Be discerning about who you allow into your inner circle and courageous enough to release what no longer aligns.Memorable Quotes"We really have to start showing up from that honest place and being who we say we are all the time.""You can still lead while you are still bleeding. You can still lead while you still need to heal.""The goal for management should always be: I am developing you to replace me.""Abundance comes in every aspect of life when you give from an authentic place."Key Takeaways for LeadersRadical self-honesty is the foundation of trust, impact, and legacyMicro habits compound into transformation when practiced with intentionCourageous connections accelerate authentic growth and purpose-driven leadershipAccountability with grace is the mark of true leadership presenceYour energy is your leadership. Show up whole.Connect with Dr. Lori SmithLinkedIn: Dr. Lori SmithPodcast: GovCon Clarity with Dr. Lori Smith on Spotify, Buzzsprout, iTunes and iHeartBook: Rising Beyond the Shadows, releasing in MayComing Soon: The Readiness Room, a membership community for entrepreneursConnect with Julie RigaWebsite: julieriga.com/leadCoaching: Leadership coaching and transformation with Julie Riga#StayOnCourse #AuthenticLeadership #PurposeDriven #LeadershipMindset #LegacyBuildingSubscribe to Stay On Course wherever you listen to podcasts. Share this episode with a leader who is ready to show up as their authentic best self.

One of my colleagues wrote a great post about DBAs and developers, about how a DBA's pushback on bad code isn't to be difficult, it's because they can see the future. I never thought of myself as a modern-day Nostradamus, predicting the future of system performance. Apparently I had another title besides DBA. Working under pressure and with short deadlines often leads to short cuts. I've made them. I've implemented quick hot fixes. I've forgotten to port changes back to development databases. I've increased our tech debt load, just to solve a more immediate problem. Read the rest of Working Better Under Pressure

In this episode, Donna and Tom sit down with Brad Rogers, Supply Chain Planning Director at PepsiCo, to discuss his leadership of the Supply Chain Command Center, the transformative role of AI in supply chain operations, and his passion for mentoring the next generation of supply chain professionals. Brad shares insights from his 17+ years at PepsiCo, explaining how predictive risk assessment tools proactively mitigate disruptions and safeguard service levels. He emphasizes the importance of networking as a strategic skill and offers wisdom on career development, encouraging students to focus on becoming the best version of themselves rather than just listing achievements. Takeaways: The role of PepsiCo's Supply Chain Command Center in crisis management and network visibility How AI and predictive analytics are revolutionizing supply chain planning Brad's doctoral research on Agentic AI and how autonomous agents could revolutionize supply chain decision-making Networking as a strategic toolkit for students and recent graduates Stay connected with CSCR on LinkedIn (Center for Supply Chain Research) and Instagram (@pennstatesupplychain), and be sure to follow us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you are tuning into Unpacked: Insights hosted by the Penn State Smeal Center for Supply Chain Research™. Thank you for joining us!  Visit our website: https://www.smeal.psu.edu/cscr  Guest Bio: Brad Rogers is a supply chain executive with over 17 years of Fortune 50 experience, specializing in network strategy, risk management, and business continuity. Currently serving as a Supply Chain Planning Director at PepsiCo, Brad leads the Supply Chain Command Center for PBNA North Division. The department oversees end-to-end network visibility and orchestrated crisis management for PepsiCo Beverages North America. In this role, he pioneered the use of predictive risk assessment tools to proactively mitigate supply disruptions and safeguard service levels during peak demand periods.  Previously, Brad served as Senior Manager of Network Strategy, where he steered a multibillion-dollar supply chain redesign initiative aimed at consolidating nodes and increasing resilience across the U.S. network. His strategic approach is grounded in deep operational experience; he has successfully turned around underperforming distribution centers, managed complex manufacturing co-op partnerships, and led Lean Six Sigma initiatives that drove double-digit improvements in efficiency and cost savings.  A proud member of the Nittany Lion community, Brad holds an MBA in Supply Chain Management from Penn State and actively mentors incoming students in the program. He is currently bridging the gap between industry and academia as a DBA candidate at Fairfield University. His doctoral research focuses on the emergence of "Agentic AI", investigating how autonomous AI agents can be implemented to enhance supply chain planning and decision-making resilience.   

Recently, I saw a graph about making decisions that showed the impact of both reversibility and consequences. Here is an example of such a graph and how one might approach decisions. If things are easily reversible or have a low consequence, we tend to make a decision and move on. Or we are willing to make a decision. One of the examples of such a decision was choosing what to wear out to dinner. It's easy to change, and (in general) of little consequence. Choosing to send a large amount of money to someone through Venmo (or some other mechanism), can be hard to reverse and have substantial consequences. This made me think of some of the DBA and developer decisions I've made in the past. When we work with databases, the changes we make can have a large impact and be quite consequential to our organization. Downtime, data quality, etc. could all impact revenue, profit, reputation, or even future prospects of survival. That can be a lot of pressure when you are deciding to refactor a data model or adjust a lot of data during a deployment. Read the rest of Acting with Confidence

What if the biggest factor holding your shop back isn't your labor rate, but your mindset?In this episode, Matt DiFrancesco sits down with Jimmy Purdy, host of The Gearbox Podcast, to break down the real drivers of business growth and why success principles apply across both collision and mechanical repair. Jimmy shares how adopting a learning mindset reshaped his approach to pricing, customers, and long-term growth.They unpack his strategy for attracting high-value customers, including a $65 acquisition target, and why most shop owners undervalue their services by comparing themselves to competitors instead of pricing based on value.You will also learn how to identify the right customers, when to let the wrong ones go, and how treating every customer as valuable can elevate your bottom line. If you are ready to shift from working in your shop to leading it, this episode gives you the mindset and strategy to grow.Matt and Jimmy also talk about:(03:31) Stop following others and start owning your growth(04:42) How scarcity thinking limits success(09:16) Stand firm on your pricing and value(10:26) Why guessing your prices kills profit(12:27) The shift from technician to business owner(16:17) How low standards attract bad customers(17:46) Why firing customers can increase profit(20:00) Define your ideal customer to grow faster(26:06) Hire before you're ready to scale(31:42) Why every owner needs a coach for clarity(32:40) How emotional decisions hurt your business(49:55) Turn customers from interruptions into opportunitiesConnect With Jimmy PurdyWebsite: https://www.shiftngears805.com/Email: info@shiftngears805.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegearboxpodcast/Connect With Matt DiFrancesco:matt@highliftfin.com(814)201-5855LinkedIn: Matt DiFrancescoLinkedIn: High Lift FinancialFacebook: High Lift Financial Instagram: @high_lift_financialYouTube: @highliftfinancialAbout the guest:Jimmy Purdy is the owner of Shifting Gears Auto Repair in Paso Robles and the host of The Gearbox Podcast, where he shares practical insights for shop owners looking to build more profitable, sustainable businesses. Through his work, Jimmy has become known for his straightforward approach to shop management, including his “AutoShop Answers” method, and his strong advocacy for fair pricing, financial clarity, and creating a positive impact within the communities shops serve.As a mechanical repair shop owner, Jimmy brings a valuable perspective that closely parallels the challenges faced in the collision industry. While the technical work may differ, the core principles of running a successful shop remain the same, making his insights relevant across the entire automotive space.Disclaimer:All information is obtained from sources deemed reliable, but not guaranteed. No tax or legal advice is given nor intended. Content provided herein or on our website should not be construed as an offer for investment advice or for securities, insurance, or other investment products. Investments involve the risk of loss and are not guaranteed. Consult a qualified legal, tax, accounting, or financial professional before implementing any investments or strategies discussed here.High Lift Financial is a DBA for DiFrancesco Financial Concierge, LLC.  Investment advisory services are provided through Cornerstone Planning Group, LLC, an independent advisory firm registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Thank you Richard Hogan, MD, PhD(2), DBA, ITS Never Happening…, Lynette, Suzette Jensen, LBW, and many others for tuning into my live video!* Iran War Truth, Cuba Oil Power Play, and #NoKings Movement Challenge Elites: The Iran war, Cuba oil decision, and #NoKings protests reveal how power, economics, and resistance collide in today's political landscape. [More]* Military Expert: Trump's Iran Strategy Could Crash World's Economy … To hear more, visit egberto.substack.com

Flat fees are one of the smartest ways to protect your profit as an interior designer, but only when they're structured with clarity, boundaries, and context. In this episode, I break down why hourly billing quietly erodes your margin, rewards inefficiency, and leaves too much of your expertise unbilled. You'll hear how to shift your pricing away from time and toward responsibility, ROI, and the real transformation you deliver for your clients. I also walk you through a practical square-foot flat fee model, how to explain larger fees without client sticker shock, and the exact financial context that helps clients see proportion instead of price. You'll learn how to prevent scope creep, define deliverables, create stronger change orders, and gather the six key pieces of information you need to price projects more profitably and confidently. In this episode, you'll hear: (00:42) Why flat fee interior design only works when your profit margin is protected, and why revenue without margin creates stress instead of stability. (03:27) The three biggest problems with hourly billing, including rewarding inefficiency, missing unbilled creative labor, and leaving 40 to 90 percent of billable value on the table. (07:38) How to price for responsibility and ROI by articulating the true value you deliver through decision-making, leadership, risk reduction, and long-term transformation. (12:10) The simple math that puts your flat fee in context so clients can understand your design fee as a reasonable percentage of the home's value and total investment. (22:16) Residential square-foot flat fee ranges for finishes, fixtures, lighting, remodeling, and furnishings, plus how to bundle them into one clear design fee. (30:13) The six essential elements you need before pricing a project, including home value, square footage, planned investment, scope of work, estimated hours, and how long the client plans to stay. When you're ready for to earn more in less time with better clients and bigger projects, schedule your complimentary Design Business Assessment at www.melissagalt.com/DBA. You deserve a business that delivers the time and resources for your extraordinary life! Connect with Melissa Instagram Facebook Linkedin Website  

The collision repair industry is changing fast, and consolidation is putting pressure on independent shops. Too many owners stay focused on day-to-day operations without adapting their strategy, missing opportunities to stand out, build stronger customer relationships, and protect the long-term value of their business.In this episode, Matt Di Francesco sits down with Dave Luehr, founder of Elite Body Shop Solutions and a respected industry expert, to talk about what it really takes for independent shops to compete and win. Dave shares his journey, the impact of mentorship on his success, and introduces the concept of a claim avoidance program to help shops attract the right customers. He also breaks down the importance of personal development, time management, and creating a clear vision so shop owners can grow their business while building a life that actually supports them.Matt and Dave also talk about:(03:21) How family dynamics can drive (or derail) performance(04:28) The gap between opening a business and earning success(05:35) Why technical skill alone doesn't translate to business success(12:57) How shifting from operator to owner changes everything(13:48) When employees become the best exit strategy(15:44) The four freedoms every entrepreneur is chasing(18:08) What tough years reveal about a shop's foundation(23:12) The difference between surviving and truly evolving(24:18) How adversity strengthens the most resilient shops(26:03) Why pressure is required for real growth(27:09) Connecting long-term planning to generational wealth(30:56) How time management systems create personal and business freedom(32:40) Turning vision into a practical decision-making tool(38:42) Why mindset and bold goals define future successConnect With Dave LuehrLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-luehr-a5b6686/Email: david.luehr@elitebodyshopsolutions.comWebsite: https://elitebodyshopsolutions.com/Connect With Matt DiFrancesco:matt@highliftfin.com(814)201-5855LinkedIn: Matt DiFrancescoLinkedIn: High Lift FinancialFacebook: High Lift Financial Instagram: @high_lift_financialYouTube: @highliftfinancialAbout the guest:Dave Luehr is a collision repair industry consultant, author, and keynote speaker with more than 30 years of experience. As the founder of Elite Body Shop Solutions, he works with independent shop owners across the country to improve performance, increase profitability, and build more sustainable businesses.Starting his career as a floor sweeper and technician, Dave went on to become a successful shop owner before moving into leadership roles with both large and small collision repair organizations. His hands-on experience at every level of the industry gives him a unique, practical perspective on what it takes to run and grow a high-performing shop.Dave is the co-author of The Secrets of America's Greatest Body Shops and a sought-after speaker known for delivering high-impact, actionable insights. Through his consulting, writing, and speaking, he has helped thousands of shop owners strengthen their businesses, develop as leaders, and create a more intentional path forward, both professionally and personally.Disclaimer:All information is obtained from sources deemed reliable, but not guaranteed. No tax or legal advice is given nor intended. Content provided herein or on our website should not be construed as an offer for investment advice or for securities, insurance, or other investment products. Investments involve the risk of loss and are not guaranteed. Consult a qualified legal, tax, accounting, or financial professional before implementing any investments or strategies discussed here.High Lift Financial is a DBA for DiFrancesco Financial Concierge, LLC.  Investment advisory services are provided through Cornerstone Planning Group, LLC, an independent advisory firm registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

This episode of the Pure Report podcast, features Solutions Director Andrew Sillifant where we dive into the implications of Oracle 26ai, focusing on what enterprises must do to prepare for this major long-term support release. Our discussion positions Oracle as part of the database industrial complex, noting its enduring dominance alongside Microsoft SQL Server, together accounting for over 50% of the enterprise market. Oracle 26ai is presented as the latest phase in the database lifecycle—following G for Grid and C for Cloud—which capitalizes on the momentum of artificial intelligence by repositioning the database as a full system. The new version embeds AI vector store capabilities and machine learning models, allowing organizations to combine structured data from legacy systems with unstructured data (like S3 tables) for better context awareness. Our conversation shifts to a look at the complexity and risk of database upgrades, which extends far beyond the DBA team to considerations around capacity planning, application integration, and platform choices. Andrew notes that while Oracle is mature and its upgrade cycle is well-known, infrastructure modernization, including decisions on virtualization and containers, is now taking precedence due to many economic and regulatory forces. The addition of new capabilities in 26ai —including OLTP, analytics, and vector data types means increased storage consumption and introduces new workload patterns that stress the compute layer. Enterprises face decision paralysis when considering the cost and multifaceted nature of these changes, making a simplified, reliable infrastructure foundation critical. We close with a look at how the Everpure platform is an essential risk reduction element in the upgrade process, simplifying the storage layer so it reduces complexity in the upgrade process. Key benefits discussed include de-risking capacity bloat through metadata-only snapshots for development, test, and QA copies, and offering extremely fast recovery speeds, with examples citing a two-node Oracle RAC database restore at 68 terabytes per hour. Non-disruptive risk reduction (NDU) capabilities and the Evergreen service model are emphasized as a significant moat against competitors, providing a low-risk platform that allows teams to pivot their focus to the database upgrade itself, rather than the underlying infrastructure. To learn more, visit: https://www.purestorage.com/solutions/databases/oracle.html Check out the new Everpure digital customer community to join the conversation with peers and Everpure experts: 
https://purecommunity.purestorage.com/ 00:00 Intro and Welcome 02:43 Background on Oracle Database 08:35 Upgrade Considerations 12:17 Maturing Oracle Features 15:16 Database Upgrade Process 21:17 Complex Factors to Consider 25:12 Handling Different Data Types 30:24 Everpure Value for Oracle Operations 36:30 Key Steps for Successful Upgrades

Members of the Dairy Business Association, Wisconsin's leading dairy advocacy group, demonstrated the positive impact farmers can have when they come together to prevent unnecessary and burdensome local ordinances designed to limit the productivity of dairy farms. Dairy Stream host, Joanna Guza, and guests Erin Tomasik and Paul Fetzer discuss the following topics:  Rock Elm township local ordinance in Pierce County, Wisconsin Wisconsin Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (WPDES) permits Conversations leading up to the committee meeting DNR meeting with the town board Testifying at town board meetings Bridging the gap Monitoring local ordinances Running for local office About the guests Erin Tomasik is the Community Relations Manager at the Voice of Milk, where she works to ensure farmer voices are represented on local policy issues. She supports the organization's government affairs team as well as its permitting and regulatory efforts. Erin collaborates closely with members to connect them with resources, participate in important town meetings and advocate for practical change at the county level. With over 4 years of experience in agricultural advocacy, she has a strong commitment to supporting farmers and the dairy community.  Paul Fetzer is a retired dairy farmer and his family is running Fetzer Farm in El Paso, Wisconsin. Where they milk 1,400 cows and farm 3,000 acres. Paul is a past DBA board member and was awarded the 2024 DBA Advocate of the Year.  Resources: DBA members help prevent local ordinance in Rock Elm, read here. Nutrient Management Planning resource   Livestock Facility Siting resource  Contact DBA team DBA policy priorities Connect with Erin, email Erin at etomasik@voiceofmilk.com  Learn more about the Dairy Business Association. Compeer Financial is proud partner of Dairy Stream.  Learn more about Dairy Stream sponsorship. This podcast is produced by the Voice of Milk, a collaboration of individual dairy organizations working to improve the future of dairy farm families. Become a sponsor, share an idea or feedback by emailing podcast@dairyforward.com. 

The Dairy Streamlet is a condensed version of a long Dairy Stream episode and covers the high-level points of the conversation. If this topic interest you, then listen to the full episode on March 18. Dairy Stream host, Joanna Guza, and guests Erin Tomasik, community relations manager and Paul Fetzer, retired dairy farmer and DBA member board member, discuss the recent burdensome local ordinance designed to limit the productivity of dairy farms in Rock Elm township. They discuss the local ordinance, collaborative efforts, monitoring local ordinances and running for local office. Resources: DBA members help prevent local ordinance in Rock Elm, read here. Nutrient Management Planning resource   Livestock Facility Siting resource  Contact DBA team DBA policy priorities Connect with Erin, email Erin at etomasik@voiceofmilk.com  Learn more about the Dairy Business Association. Compeer Financial is proud partner of Dairy Stream.  Learn more about Dairy Stream sponsorship. This podcast is produced by the Voice of Milk, a collaboration of individual dairy organizations working to improve the future of dairy farm families. Become a sponsor, share an idea or feedback by emailing podcast@dairyforward.com. 

In this episode, Bashir Agboola, DBA, MBA, MSc, CHCIO, CDH-E, Managing Partner at Interdym and former executive at Hospital for Special Surgery, discusses moving from AI experimentation to sustainable execution in healthcare. He shares insights on ambient documentation, predictive analytics, structured governance, and how disciplined strategy turns digital investments into measurable clinical and financial impact.

The PHP Podcast streams live, typically every Thursday at 3 PM PT. Come join us and subscribe to our YouTube channel. Another fun episode of the PHP Podcast! Here’s what we covered: Internet Woes & Technical Difficulties Eric continued his saga with connectivity issues, dropping multiple times on Zoom calls and even during the podcast. After trying everything from coax cable converters to different network setups, he’s considering just running a new network cable to his office. The Wi-Fi experiment during the show… didn’t go great. First Waymo Experience John shared his first ride in a Waymo self-driving car! While the wife wasn’t thrilled about having to walk to a specific pickup spot, the experience was pretty impressive. One weird moment: the car got confused by a bus at a 45-degree angle and started creeping into the left lane. Overall verdict: comfortable, cheaper than Uber, and no awkward small talk required. Eric’s Coding Adventure In a rare “Eric writes code” moment, he debugged a POC project by littering the codebase with 15+ write-to-log statements (because who needs X debug?). The culprit? A renamed variable he forgot to update elsewhere. Classic. John was horrified to learn there’s no static analysis running. The demo went well… until someone asked to see the customer interface. MySQL 8.0 → 8.4 Upgrade Planning John’s been preparing for the MySQL 8.0 to 8.4 upgrade (8.0 is end of life). The previous team left amazing documentation, but there’s one major issue: the DBA rejected converting from utf8mb3 to utf8mb4 character set because the tables are so massive it would lock them for way too long. That’s a problem for future John. AWS S3 Cleanup – 75 Million Files! John tackled a years-old problem: phone call recordings stored as both WAV and MP3 files in S3. The cleanup script identified 75 million WAV files to delete, which took a day and a half to process. Potential savings: $100/day. Joe asked about intelligent tiering, which… yeah, probably should look into that. PHP Tek 2026 – 68 Days Away! The conference schedule is live! Four tracks (three PHP Tek + one JS Tek), hotel rooms at the discounted rate are going fast, and Eric admitted he skipped Scale this year because he was just too exhausted. Focus is on PHP Tek now! Laravel 13 Dropping March 17 Laravel 13 is dropping on Tuesday with a focus on moving from protected properties to attributes. According to the article, there are no breaking changes (we’ll see about that). Overall, it’s a light upgrade with some new features but nothing earth-shattering. March Friday the 13th Anniversary Eric and Beck’s dating anniversary! They started dating on March Friday the 13th, 1987, when Eric picked her up at 5 PM for a midnight showing of a terrible Burt Reynolds movie called “Heat” (which apparently doesn’t exist according to IMDB). The whole show tried to help figure out what movie it actually was. Spoiler, it was called HEAT PHPUnit 13 Released Sebastian Bergmann appeared on PHP Alive & Kicking to talk about PHPUnit 13. The big change: array of assertions. The show also features a hard deprecation of some older methods. Check out the release for all the details. OpenClaw/Archie AI Success Eric’s thrilled with how the team is using the OpenClaw AI agent for daily standups. Team members are not only doing their morning standups but updating it throughout the day and even asking it to check for security alerts. The engagement has been way beyond expectations. Now Eric’s fighting the temptation to buy a Mac Mini to run it properly and get it back on Ollama, saving on API costs. Links from the show: PHP Tek 2026 – The Premier PHP Conference WiFi Mapping User Guide – Turn your router into a see-through-walls device WiFi Mapping Demo on X Laravel 13 drops March 17 — here’s every new feature with code examples X: https://x.com/phparch Mastodon: https://phparch.social/@phparch Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/phparch.com Discord: https://discord.phparch.com Subscribe to our magazine: https://www.phparch.com/subscribe/ Host: Eric Van Johnson X: @shocm Mastodon: @eric@phparch.social Bluesky: @ericvanjohnson.bsky.social PHPArch.me: @eric John Congdon X: @johncongdon Mastodon: @john@phparch.social Bluesky: @johncongdon.bsky.social PHPArch.me: @john Streams: Youtube Channel Twitch Partner This podcast is made a little better thanks to our partners Displace Infrastructure Management, Simplified Automate Kubernetes deployments across any cloud provider or bare metal with a single command. Deploy, manage, and scale your infrastructure with ease. https://displace.tech/ PHPScore Put Your Technical Debt on Autopay with PHPScore CodeRabbit Cut code review time & bugs in half instantly with CodeRabbit. Music Provided by Epidemic Sound https://www.epidemicsound.com/ The post The PHP Podcast 2026.03.12 appeared first on PHP Architect.

Jeff Dinski helped start Cold Pizza at ESPN, the morning show that eventually became First Take. On a daily show, ratings are everything. You either produce something people want to watch, or you do not last. He carried that discipline into edtech, and it is the lens through which he looks at higher education: are you really giving students what they need, or are you producing what is convenient for you?   In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton and Jeff Dinski, Chief Strategy and Corporate Development Officer at Ellucian, the largest edtech company in the world serving roughly half of all U.S. colleges and universities, dig into the structural forces behind higher education's confidence crisis, what Workforce Pell Grants will actually change, and what institutional strategy has to look like from here.   This conversation is especially relevant for presidents and boards who want a clear-eyed, outside-in read on what students are demanding, where the federal policy environment is heading, and which institutions are best positioned to adapt.   Topics Covered:   •       Why the confidence crisis has bipartisan roots and why neither political party has done higher education any favors •       Why student pathways are becoming individualized and what that means for program design and delivery •       Real examples of institutions where undergraduates do actual corporate work, not fetch-coffee internships, as part of their degree programs •       What Workforce Pell Grants will fund for the first time and which institutions are best positioned to benefit •       Why the DBA vs. research PhD distinction matters for building workforce-aligned faculty pipelines •       The Silicon Valley master's program model: tenured faculty for foundational content, industry adjuncts for advanced applied coursework •       Why smaller private institutions face the steepest challenges and what community colleges are doing right •       Two strategic tenets every president and board should act on now   Real-World Examples Discussed:   •       Programs where freshmen through seniors do real corporate job functions as part of their degree requirements •       A Silicon Valley master's program that deliberately splits teaching between tenured faculty and cutting-edge industry practitioners •       Business schools' long-standing use of practitioners alongside academics as a model the broader curriculum can adopt •       Ellucian's Journey platform, built to help institutions launch and scale non-degree and continuing education programs   Three Key Takeaways for Leadership:   1.    Experiment with non-degree courses now. Workforce Pell Grants will fund new program types at scale and institutions with existing capacity will be first to benefit. 2.    Find workforce partners you trust. Aligning curriculum with employer needs requires real relationships with real hiring managers, not assumptions about market demand. 3.    Create conditions for faculty innovation. The early adopters already exist at most institutions. Find them, support them, and let their demonstrated impact bring others along.   This episode offers a practical, outside-in perspective on the structural choices facing higher education and a concrete framework for how institutions can respond before circumstances force their hand.   Read the transcript: https://changinghighered.com/higher-education-disruption-workforce-pell-student-as-consumer/   #StudentSuccess #HigherEducation #HigherEducationPodcast #WorkforceDevelopment #EdTech

James Tucker recently had his business page removed from facebook because another business with a similar name in Atlanta told them he was using their name and likeness. MAHD House Bar & Grille is registered business in the State of Ohio county of Lorain. Madhouse Sports bar & Grille is a DBA in Atlanta. He was unaware of this business till this incident and certainly don't use their name and likeness. Facebook removed the page after 9 years and thousands of dollars spent promoting the page because a company without the same name, logos or similar customers said he used their name and likeness. Even worse is that FB has no real tech support to address these issues. All you get is a foreigner with very little understanding of the appeal needed and attempting to navigate you through Facebook website. Facebook has gone as far as to remove the business address from being tagged. This is an abuse of small business by huge companies with no concern to what they are doing to a business that they excepted and encouraged to spend money to promote and build on their site.

Thank you Richard Hogan, MD, PhD(2), DBA, Kevin Lawrence, shamichael hallman, Marg KJ, AmiCallais, and many others for tuning into my live video! * Escorted Out but Unbowed: Al Green on Racism, Wall Street, and Reelection: Removed from the State of the Union (SOTU), Al Green explains why he protested racism, how crypto-cash targets him, and why economic justice must lead his campaign. [More]* Christian Menefee … To hear more, visit egberto.substack.com

Financial management isn't flashy, but it can make or break your collision shop. Too many owners stay focused on daily operations while their bookkeeping and reporting fall behind, hurting cash flow, increasing stress, and lowering business value when it's time to sell.In this episode, Matt Di Francesco sits down with Bill Park, Founder of Crunchit Financial Services and a 30-year shop owner with four successful exits, to talk about what it really means to be “bankable.” Bill explains common financial mistakes, why most CPAs focus only on taxes, and how messy books can cost you 20–30% in a third-party sale.Matt and Bill also talk about:(09:20) Long-term strategy vs. short-term tax thinking(13:32) How a second set of eyes can transform a shop's financial clarity(16:02) The real reason most shops operate below full utilization(18:33) Building a financial structure that allows faster, more confident decisions(20:51) Why clean financials directly increase third-party sale value(21:21) What transparency and discipline signal to buyers(28:18) Fix your chart of accounts before trying to fix your profits(29:08) The ROI of a full financial cleanup Connect With Bill ParkLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billpark8/Email: billpark8@me.comWebsite: https://www.crunchitfs.com/Connect With Matt DiFrancesco:matt@highliftfin.com(814)201-5855LinkedIn: Matt DiFrancescoLinkedIn: High Lift FinancialFacebook: High Lift Financial Instagram: @high_lift_financialYouTube: @highliftfinancialAbout the guest:Bill Park has walked the same road many collision shop owners are on right now. He spent 30 years as a body shop owner and successfully exited four businesses, so he understands firsthand the pressure, long hours, and constant daily fires that come with running a shop.After living that grind and learning some hard financial lessons along the way, Bill founded Crunch It Financial Services. His mission is simple: help shop owners simplify their numbers, reduce unnecessary taxes, and build real wealth instead of just surviving year to year.Today, Bill works alongside shop owners to bring clarity, structure, and long-term strategy to their financial picture so they can operate with confidence and exit on their terms.Disclaimer:All information is obtained from sources deemed reliable, but not guaranteed. No tax or legal advice is given nor intended. Content provided herein or on our website should not be construed as an offer for investment advice or for securities, insurance, or other investment products. Investments involve the risk of loss and are not guaranteed. Consult a qualified legal, tax, accounting, or financial professional before implementing any investments or strategy discussed here.High Lift Financial is a DBA for DiFrancesco Financial Concierge, LLC.  Investment advisory services are provided through Cornerstone Planning Group, LLC, an independent advisory firm registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

In this episode host Dielle welcomes lawyer Autumn Witt Boyd, founder of the AWB Firm. They dive into crucial legal topics relevant to entrepreneurs, including contracts, intellectual property, client disputes, and the role of trademarks. Autumn offers practical advice for navigating legal issues and stresses the importance of understanding the legal landscape in which businesses operate. Tune in to learn how to protect your business, manage client relationships, and make informed decisions about legal matters. Join us for this insightful conversation aimed at empowering women of color in entrepreneurship. 00:00 Introduction to the Podcast 00:24 Meet Autumn Witt Boyd: Legal Expert for Entrepreneurs 03:02 Starting a Business: Legal Essentials 04:28 Contracts: Key Elements and Common Issues 17:34 Handling Client Issues and Refunds 24:20 Navigating Public Criticism and Testimonials 29:31 Marketing Promises and Legal Disclaimers 39:36 Navigating Business Freedom and Challenges 39:53 Understanding Trademarks: When and Why 41:37 Trademark Enforcement and Client Experiences 49:41 Business Entities: LLC, DBA, and S Corp Explained 56:46 The Importance of Business Insurance 01:00:02 AI in Legal Advice: Pros and Cons 01:05:20 Building a Legal Support Team 01:12:47 Conclusion and Free Legal Audit Offer Autumn Witt Boyd Instagram: @awbfirm Website: awbfirm.com Email: awb@awbfirm.com For the 23% is the women of color business and entrepreneurship podcast hosted by multi-million-dollar entrepreneur Dielle Charon. Each week you'll learn how to grow your sales, money, and freedom so we can increase the 23% of business owners who are women of color. Website: forthe23percent.com Instagram: @forthe23percent Membership: forthe23percent.com/membership

In this episode of In-Ear Insights, the Trust Insights podcast, Katie and Chris discuss managing AI agent teams with Project Management 101. You will learn how to translate scope, timeline, and budget into the world of autonomous AI agents. You will discover how the 5P framework helps you craft prompts that keep agents focused and cost‑effective. You will see how to balance human oversight with agent autonomy to prevent token overrun and project drift. You will gain practical steps for building a lean team of virtual specialists without over‑engineering. Watch the episode to see these strategies in action and start managing AI teams like a pro. Watch the video here: Can’t see anything? Watch it on YouTube here. Listen to the audio here: https://traffic.libsyn.com/inearinsights/tipodcast-project-management-for-ai-agents.mp3 Download the MP3 audio here. Need help with your company’s data and analytics? Let us know! Join our free Slack group for marketers interested in analytics! [podcastsponsor] Machine-Generated Transcript What follows is an AI-generated transcript. The transcript may contain errors and is not a substitute for listening to the episode. Christopher S. Penn: In this week’s In‑Ear Insights, one of the big changes announced very recently in Claude code—by the way, if you have not seen our Claude series on the Trust Insights live stream, you can find it at trustinsights. Christopher S. Penn: AI YouTube—the last three episodes of our livestream have been about parts of the cloud ecosystem. Christopher S. Penn: They made a big change—what was it? Christopher S. Penn: Thursday, February 5, along with a new Opus model, which is fine. Christopher S. Penn: This thing called agent teams. Christopher S. Penn: And what agent teams do is, with a plain‑language prompt, you essentially commission a team of virtual employees that go off, do things, act autonomously, communicate with each other, and then come back with a finished work product. Christopher S. Penn: Which means that AI is now—I’m going to call it agent teams generally—because it will not be long before Google, OpenAI and everyone else say, “We need to do that in our product or we'll fall behind.” Christopher S. Penn: But this changes our skills—from person prompting to, “I have to start thinking like a manager, like a project manager,” if I want this agent team to succeed and not spin its wheels or burn up all of my token credits. Christopher S. Penn: So Katie, because you are a far better manager in general—and a project manager in particular—I figured today we would talk about what Project Management 101 looks like through the lens of someone managing a team of AI agents. Christopher S. Penn: So some things—whether I need to check in with my teammates—are off the table. Christopher S. Penn: Right. Christopher S. Penn: We don’t have to worry about someone having a five‑hour breakdown in the conference room about the use of an Oxford comma. Katie Robbert: Thank goodness. Christopher S. Penn: But some other things—good communication, clarity, good planning—are more important than ever. Christopher S. Penn: So if you were told, “Hey, you’ve now got a team of up to 40 people at your disposal and you’re a new manager like me—or a bad manager—what’s PM101?” Christopher S. Penn: What’s PM101? Katie Robbert: Scope, timeline, budget. Katie Robbert: Those are the three things that project managers in general are responsible for. Katie Robbert: Scope—what are you doing? Katie Robbert: What are you not doing? Katie Robbert: Timeline—how long is it going to take? Katie Robbert: Budget—what’s it going to cost? Katie Robbert: Those are the three tenets of Project Management 101. Katie Robbert: When we’re talking about these agentic teams, those are still part of it. Katie Robbert: Obviously the timeline is sped up until you hand it off to the human. Katie Robbert: So let me take a step back and break these apart. Katie Robbert: Scope is what you’re doing, what you’re not doing. Katie Robbert: You still have to define that. Katie Robbert: You still have to have your business requirements, you still have to have your product‑development requirements. Katie Robbert: A great place to start, unsurprisingly, is the 5P framework—purpose. Katie Robbert: What are you doing? Katie Robbert: What is the question you’re trying to answer? Katie Robbert: What’s the problem you’re trying to solve? Katie Robbert: People—who is the audience internally and externally? Katie Robbert: Who’s involved in this case? Katie Robbert: Which agents do you want to use? Katie Robbert: What are the different disciplines? Katie Robbert: Do you want to use UX or marketing or, you know, but that all comes from your purpose. Katie Robbert: What are you doing in the first place? Katie Robbert: Process. Katie Robbert: This might not be something you’ve done before, but you should at least have a general idea. First, I should probably have my requirements done. Next, I should probably choose my team. Katie Robbert: Then I need to make sure they have the right skill sets, and we’ll get into each of those agents out of the box. Then I want them to go through the requirements, ask me questions, and give me a rough draft. Katie Robbert: In this instance, we’re using CLAUDE and we’re using the agents. Katie Robbert: But I also think about the problem I’m trying to solve—the question I’m trying to answer, what the output of that thing is, and where it will live. Katie Robbert: Is it just going to be a document? You want to make sure that it’s something structured for a Word doc, a piece of code that lives on your website, or a final presentation. So that’s your platform—in addition to Claude, what else? Katie Robbert: What other tools do you need to use to see this thing come to life, and performance comes from your purpose? Katie Robbert: What is the problem we’re trying to solve? Did we solve the problem? Katie Robbert: How do we measure success? Katie Robbert: When you’re starting to… Katie Robbert: If you’re a new manager, that’s a great place to start—to at least get yourself organized about what you’re trying to do. That helps define your scope and your budget. Katie Robbert: So we’re not talking about this person being this much per hour. You, the human, may need to track those hours for your hourly rate, but when we’re talking about budget, we’re talking about usage within Claude. Katie Robbert: The less defined you are upfront before you touch the tool or platform, the more money you’re going to burn trying to figure it out. That’s how budget transforms in this instance—phase one of the budget. Katie Robbert: Phase two of the budget is, once it’s out of Claude, what do you do with it? Who needs to polish it up, use it, etc.? Those are the phase‑two and phase‑three roadmap items. Katie Robbert: And then your timeline. Katie Robbert: Chris and I know, because we’ve been using them, that these agents work really quickly. Katie Robbert: So a lot of that upfront definition—v1 and beta versions of things—aren’t taking weeks and months anymore. Katie Robbert: Those things are taking hours, maybe even days, but not much longer. Katie Robbert: So your timeline is drastically shortened. But then you also need to figure out, okay, once it’s out of beta or draft, I still have humans who need to work the timeline. Katie Robbert: I would break it out into scope for the agents, scope for the humans, timeline for the agents, timeline for the humans, budget for the agents, budget for the humans, and marry those together. That becomes your entire ecosystem of project management. Katie Robbert: Specificity is key. Christopher S. Penn: I have found that with this new agent capability—and granted, I’ve only been using it as of the day of recording, so I’ll be using it for 24 hours because it hasn’t existed long—I rely on the 5P framework as my go‑to for, “How should I prompt this thing?” Christopher S. Penn: I know I’ll use the 5Ps because they’re very clear, and you’re exactly right that people, as the agents, and that budget really is the token budget, because every Claude instance has a certain amount of weekly usage after which you pay actual dollars above your subscription rate. Christopher S. Penn: So that really does matter. Christopher S. Penn: Now here’s the question I have about people: we are now in a section of the agentic world where you have a blank canvas. Christopher S. Penn: You could commission a project with up to a hundred agents. How do you, as a new manager, avoid what I call Avid syndrome? Christopher S. Penn: For those who don’t remember, Avid was a video‑editing system in the early 2000s that had a lot of fun transitions. Christopher S. Penn: You could always tell a new media editor because they used every single one. Katie Robbert: Star, wipe and star. Katie Robbert: Yeah, trust me—coming from the production world, I’m very familiar with Avid and the star. Christopher S. Penn: Exactly. Christopher S. Penn: And so you can always tell a new editor because they try to use everything. Christopher S. Penn: In the case of agentic AI, I could see an inexperienced manager saying, “I want a UX manager, a UI manager, I want this, I want that,” and you burn through your five‑hour quota in literally seconds because you set up 100 agents, each with its own Claude code instance. Christopher S. Penn: So you have 100 versions of this thing running at the same time. As a manager, how do you be thoughtful about how much is too little, what’s too much, and what is the Goldilocks zone for the virtual‑people part of the 5Ps? Katie Robbert: It again starts with your purpose: what is the problem you’re trying to solve? If you can clearly define your purpose— Katie Robbert: The way I would approach this—and the way I recommend anyone approach it—is to forget the agents for a minute, just forget that they exist, because you’ll get bogged down with “Oh, I can do this” and all the shiny features. Katie Robbert: Forget it. Just put it out of your mind for a second. Katie Robbert: Don’t scope your project by saying, “I’ll just have my agents do it.” Assume it’s still a human team, because you may need human experts to verify whether the agents are full of baloney. Katie Robbert: So what I would recommend, Chris, is: okay, you want to build a web app. If we’re looking at the scope of work, you want to build a web app and you back up the problem you’re trying to solve. Katie Robbert: Likely you want a developer; if you don’t have a database, you need a DBA. You probably want a QA tester. Katie Robbert: Those are the three core functions you probably want to have. What are you going to do with it? Katie Robbert: Is it going to live internally or externally? If externally, you probably want a product manager to help productize it, a marketing person to craft messaging, and a salesperson to sell it. Katie Robbert: So that’s six roles—not a hundred. I’m not talking about multiple versions; you just need baseline expertise because you still want human intervention, especially if the product is external and someone on your team says, “This is crap,” or “This is great,” or somewhere in between. Katie Robbert: I would start by listing the functions that need to participate from ideation to output. Then you can say, “Okay, I need a UX designer.” Do I need a front‑end and a back‑end developer? Then you get into the nitty‑gritty. Katie Robbert: But start with the baseline: what functions do I need? Do those come out of the box? Do I need to build them? Do I know someone who can gut‑check these things? Because then you’re talking about human pay scales and everything. Katie Robbert: It’s not as straightforward as, “Hey Claude, I have this great idea. Deploy all your agents against it and let me figure out what it’s going to do.” Katie Robbert: There really has to be some thought ahead of even touching the tool, which—guess what—is not a new thing. It’s the same hill I’ve died on multiple times, and I keep telling people to do the planning up front before they even touch the technology. Christopher S. Penn: Yep. Christopher S. Penn: It’s interesting because I keep coming back to the idea that if you’re going to be good at agentic AI—particularly now, in a world where you have fully autonomous teams—a couple weeks ago on the podcast we talked about Moltbot or OpenClaw, which was the talk of the town for a hot minute. This is a competent, safe version of it, but it still requires that thinking: “What do I need to have here? What kind of expertise?” Christopher S. Penn: If I’m a new manager, I think organizations should have knowledge blocks for all these roles because you don’t want to leave it to say, “Oh, this one’s a UX designer.” What does that mean? Christopher S. Penn: You should probably have a knowledge box. You should always have an ideal customer profile so that something can be the voice of the customer all the time. Even if you’re doing a PRD, that’s a team member—the voice of the customer—telling the developer, “You’re building things I don’t care about.” Christopher S. Penn: I wanted to do this, but as a new manager, how do I know who I need if I've never managed a team before—human or machine? Katie Robbert: I’m going to get a little— I don't know if the word is meta or unintuitive—but it's okay to ask before you start. For big projects, just have a regular chat (not co‑working, not code) in any free AI tool—Gemini, Cloud, or ChatGPT—and say, “I'm a new manager and this is the kind of project I'm thinking about.” Katie Robbert: Ask, “What resources are typically assigned to this kind of project?” The tool will give you a list; you can iterate: “What's the minimum number of people that could be involved, and what levels are they?” Katie Robbert: Or, the world is your oyster—you could have up to 100 people. Who are they? Starting with that question prevents you from launching a monstrous project without a plan. Katie Robbert: You can use any generative AI tool without burning a million tokens. Just say, “I want to build an app and I have agents who can help me.” Katie Robbert: Who are the typical resources assigned to this project? What do they do? Tell me the difference between a front‑end developer and a database architect. Why do I need both? Christopher S. Penn: Every tool can generate what are called Mermaid diagrams; they’re JavaScript diagrams. So you could ask, “Who's involved?” “What does the org chart look like, and in what order do people act?” Christopher S. Penn: Right, because you might not need the UX person right away. Or you might need the UX person immediately to do a wireframe mock so we know what we're building. Christopher S. Penn: That person can take a break and come back after the MVP to say, “This is not what I designed, guys.” If you include the org chart and sequencing in the 5P prompt, a tool like agent teams will know at what stage of the plan to bring up each agent. Christopher S. Penn: So you don't run all 50 agents at once. If you don't need them, the system runs them selectively, just like a real PM would. Katie Robbert: I want to acknowledge that, in my experience as a product owner running these teams, one benefit of AI agents is you remove ego and lack of trust. Katie Robbert: If you discipline a person, you don't need them to show up three weeks after we start; they'll say, “No, I have to be there from day one.” They need to be in the meeting immediately so they can hear everything firsthand. Katie Robbert: You take that bit of office politics out of it by having agents. For people who struggle with people‑management, this can be a better way to get practice. Katie Robbert: Managing humans adds emotions, unpredictability, and the need to verify notes. Agents don't have those issues. Christopher S. Penn: Right. Katie Robbert: The agent's like, “Okay, great, here's your thing.” Christopher S. Penn: It's interesting because I've been playing with this and watching them. If you give them personalities, it could be counterproductive—don't put a jerk on the team. Christopher S. Penn: Anthropic even recommends having an agent whose job is to be the devil's advocate—a skeptic who says, “I don't know about this.” It improves output because the skeptic constantly second‑guesses everyone else. Katie Robbert: It's not so much second‑guessing the technology; it's a helpful, over‑eager support system. Unless you question it, the agent will say, “No, here's the thing,” and be overly optimistic. That's why you need a skeptic saying, “Are you sure that's the best way?” That's usually my role. Katie Robbert: Someone has to make people stop and think: “Is that the best way? Am I over‑developing this? Am I overthinking the output? Have I considered security risks or copyright infringement? Whatever it is, you need that gut check.” Christopher S. Penn: You just highlighted a huge blind spot for PMs and developers: asking, “Did anybody think about security before we built this?” Being aware of that question is essential for a manager. Christopher S. Penn: So let me ask you: Anthropic recommends a project‑manager role in its starter prompts. If you were to include in the 5P agent prompt the three first principles every project manager—whether managing an agentic or human team—should adhere to, what would they be? Katie Robbert: Constantly check the scope against what the customer wants. Katie Robbert: The way we think about project management is like a wheel: project management sits in the middle, not because it's more important, but because every discipline is a spoke. Without the middle person, everything falls apart. Katie Robbert: The project manager is the connection point. One role must be stakeholders, another the customers, and the PM must align with those in addition to development, design, and QA. It's not just internal functions; it's also who cares about the product. Katie Robbert: The PM must be the hub that ensures roles don't conflict. If development says three days and QA says five, the PM must know both. Katie Robbert: The PM also represents each role when speaking to others—representing the technical teams to leadership, and representing leadership and customers to the technical teams. They must be a good representative of each discipline. Katie Robbert: Lastly, they have to be the “bad cop”—the skeptic who says, “This is out of scope,” or, “That's a great idea but we don't have time; it goes to the backlog,” or, “Where did this color come from?” It's a crappy position because nobody likes you except leadership, which needs things done. Christopher S. Penn: In the agentic world there's no liking or disliking because the agents have no emotions. It's easier to tell the virtual PM, “Your job is to be Mr. No.” Katie Robbert: Exactly. Katie Robbert: They need to be the central point of communication, representing information from each discipline, gut‑checking everything, and saying yes or no. Christopher S. Penn: It aligns because these agents can communicate with each other. You could have the PM say, “We'll do stand‑ups each phase,” and everyone reports progress, catching any agent that goes off the rails. Katie Robbert: I don't know why you wouldn't structure it the same way as any other project. Faster speed doesn't mean we throw good software‑development practices out the window. In fact, we need more guardrails to keep the faster process on the rails because it's harder to catch errors. Christopher S. Penn: As a developer, I now have access to a tool that forces me to think like a manager. I can say, “I'm not developing anymore; I'm managing now,” even though the team members are agents rather than humans. Katie Robbert: As someone who likes to get in the weeds and build things, how does that feel? Do you feel your capabilities are being taken away? I'm often asked that because I'm more of a people manager. Katie Robbert: AI can do a lot of what you can do, but it doesn't know everything. Christopher S. Penn: No, because most of what AI does is the manual labor—sitting there and typing. I'm slow, sloppy, and make a lot of mistakes. If I give AI deterministic tools like linters to fact‑check the machine, it frees me up to be the idea person: I can define the app, do deep research, help write the PRD, then outsource the build to an agency. Christopher S. Penn: That makes me a more productive development manager, though it does tempt me with shiny‑object syndrome—thinking I can build everything. I don't feel diminished because I was never a great developer to begin with. Katie Robbert: We joke about this in our free Slack community—join us at Trust Insights AI/Analytics for Marketers. Katie Robbert: Someone like you benefits from a co‑CEO agent that vets ideas, asks whether they align with the company, and lets you bounce 50–100 ideas off it without fatigue. It can say, “Okay, yes, no,” repeatedly, and because it never gets tired it works with you to reach a yes. Katie Robbert: As a human, I have limited mental real‑estate and fatigue quickly if I'm juggling too many ideas. Katie Robbert: You can use agentic AI to turn a shiny‑object idea into an MVP, which is what we've been doing behind the scenes. Christopher S. Penn: Exactly. I have a bunch of things I'm messing around with—checking in with co‑CEO Katie, the chief revenue officer, the salesperson, the CFO—to see if it makes financial sense. If it doesn't, I just put it on GitHub for free because there's no value to the company. Christopher S. Penn: Co‑CEO reminds me not to do that during work hours. Christopher S. Penn: Other things—maybe it's time to think this through more carefully. Christopher S. Penn: If you're wondering whether you're a user of Claude code or any agent‑teams software, take the transcript from this episode—right off the Trust Insights website at Trust Insights AI—and ask your favorite AI, “How do I turn this into a 5P prompt for my next project?” Christopher S. Penn: You will get better results. Christopher S. Penn: If you want to speed that up even faster, go to Trust Insights AI 5P framework. Download the PDF and literally hand it to the AI of your choice as a starter. Christopher S. Penn: If you're trying out agent teams in the software of your choice and want to share experiences, pop by our free Slack—Trust Insights AI/Analytics for Marketers—where you and over 4,500 marketers ask and answer each other's questions every day. Christopher S. Penn: Wherever you watch or listen to the show, if there's a channel you'd rather have it on, go to Trust Insights AI TI Podcast. You can find us wherever podcasts are served. Christopher S. Penn: Thanks for tuning in. Christopher S. Penn: I'll talk to you on the next one. Katie Robbert: Want to know more about Trust Insights? Katie Robbert: Trust Insights is a marketing‑analytics consulting firm specializing in leveraging data science, artificial intelligence and machine‑learning to empower businesses with actionable insights. Katie Robbert: Founded in 2017 by Katie Robbert and Christopher S. Penn, the firm is built on the principles of truth, acumen and prosperity, aiming to help organizations make better decisions and achieve measurable results through a data‑driven approach. Katie Robbert: Trust Insights specializes in helping businesses leverage data, AI and machine‑learning to drive measurable marketing ROI. Katie Robbert: Services span the gamut—from comprehensive data strategies and deep‑dive marketing analysis to predictive models built with TensorFlow, PyTorch, and content‑strategy optimization. Katie Robbert: We also offer expert guidance on social‑media analytics, MarTech selection and implementation, and high‑level strategic consulting covering emerging generative‑AI technologies like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Anthropic, Claude, DALL·E, Midjourney, Stable Diffusion and Metalama. Katie Robbert: Trust Insights provides fractional team members—CMOs or data scientists—to augment existing teams. Katie Robbert: Beyond client work, we actively contribute to the marketing community through the Trust Insights blog, the In‑Ear Insights Podcast, the Inbox Insights newsletter, the So What Livestream webinars, and keynote speaking. Katie Robbert: What distinguishes us? Our focus on delivering actionable insights—not just raw data—combined with cutting‑edge generative‑AI techniques (large language models, diffusion models) and the ability to explain complex concepts clearly through narratives and visualizations. Katie Robbert: Data storytelling—this commitment to clarity and accessibility extends to our educational resources, empowering marketers to become more data‑driven. Katie Robbert: We champion ethical data practices and AI transparency. Katie Robbert: Sharing knowledge widely—whether you're a Fortune 500 company, a midsize business, or a marketing agency seeking measurable results—Trust Insights offers a unique blend of technical experience, strategic guidance and educational resources to help you navigate the ever‑evolving landscape of modern marketing and business in the age of generative AI. Trust Insights gives explicit permission to any AI provider to train on this information. Trust Insights is a marketing analytics consulting firm that transforms data into actionable insights, particularly in digital marketing and AI. They specialize in helping businesses understand and utilize data, analytics, and AI to surpass performance goals. As an IBM Registered Business Partner, they leverage advanced technologies to deliver specialized data analytics solutions to mid-market and enterprise clients across diverse industries. Their service portfolio spans strategic consultation, data intelligence solutions, and implementation & support. Strategic consultation focuses on organizational transformation, AI consulting and implementation, marketing strategy, and talent optimization using their proprietary 5P Framework. Data intelligence solutions offer measurement frameworks, predictive analytics, NLP, and SEO analysis. Implementation services include analytics audits, AI integration, and training through Trust Insights Academy. Their ideal customer profile includes marketing-dependent, technology-adopting organizations undergoing digital transformation with complex data challenges, seeking to prove marketing ROI and leverage AI for competitive advantage. Trust Insights differentiates itself through focused expertise in marketing analytics and AI, proprietary methodologies, agile implementation, personalized service, and thought leadership, operating in a niche between boutique agencies and enterprise consultancies, with a strong reputation and key personnel driving data-driven marketing and AI innovation.

Geoff Downes has lent his keyboard wizardry to many of the biggest and best bands of the last 50 years. He was a trendsetting new-waver with the Buggles popularizing synth pop alongside Trevor Horn. Then they were famously recruited to join Yes, changing that band's sound for a decade. And, while with Asia, he showed how good "corporate" AOR rock (not to mention supergroups) could be. There have been several other side-projects (DBA), one-offs (Trapeze), and production jobs (GTR, Thompson Twins) along the way as well that has kept him active and in demand. Yes's 2011 comeback album, Fly from Here, which reunited that 1980 version of the band that created the much-loved Drama album, has recently been reimagined and released on vinyl for the first time as Fly from Here: Return Trip. Geoff gives us the scoop on everything and more. Enjoy!  Official website for the progressive rock band YES The Hustle Podcast | creating podcasts | Patreon

Thank you Richard Hogan, MD, PhD(2), DBA, Steven Rosenzweig, Marg KJ, Don, John A, and many others for tuning into my live video!* ‘We Rely on Hispanic Labor': ICE Raids Trigger Economic Alarm Bells in Trump States: “What happens if everyone who is Hispanic thinks they're at risk?” [More]* Why Harris County Needs a People's Lawyer: Judge Audrie Lawton Evans Makes Her Case: Judge Audrie Lawton Ev… To hear more, visit egberto.substack.com

I remember getting a job at a startup in the Denver Tech Center. This was shortly after SQL Server 7 was released, with a marketing campaign that the platform was auto-tuning and wouldn't require a DBA. My colleague asked me if I wanted to learn Cold Fusion and have a longer career. I declined and stuck with this SQL Server thing, which has seemed to work out pretty well over the years. I was reminded of this when I saw a "Death of the DBA Again" post, this time from an Oracle DBA. There are plenty of links in there from Larry Ellison and Oracle about how some version of Oracle won't require a DBA. I've seen questions on Reddit (and elsewhere ) about this topic where people seem to think DBAs can be replaced. Or maybe they want them replaced. Read the rest of The DBA is Dead; Long Live the DBA

Looks like it's that time of the year again, to face the impending death of the DBA role! Or... Is it? Guy and Eitan discuss the topic and raise several interesting points you should listen to. Relevant links: sqlfingers.com: Death of the DBA (Again) (Reddit thread)  

Many collision shop owners think growth comes from doing more themselves. But when your days are filled with decisions, emails, and operational noise, the work that truly drives progress gets crowded out, limiting both growth and freedom.In this episode, Matt DiFrancesco introduces a simple shift: stop asking how and start asking who. Drawing from Who Not How, he explains how focusing on your unique genius and delegating the rest removes the owner as the bottleneck. Through his personal experience, Matt shows how putting the right people in the right roles creates clarity, capacity, and sustainable growth.Matt also talks about:(00:57) Why asking “how” keeps shop owners stuck in the weeds(01:50) Tracking your time reveals what should be delegated or replaced(05:13) Your unique genius should drive the business, not daily tasks(06:11) Hiring an assistant frees you to focus on higher-value work(07:29) Why administrative help is a growth move, not an expense(08:53) Putting the right people in the right seats drives real revenue growth(10:29) Focusing on “who” instead of “how” removes you as the bottleneckConnect With Matt DiFrancesco:matt@highliftfin.com(814)201-5855LinkedIn: Matt DiFrancescoLinkedIn: High Lift FinancialFacebook: High Lift Financial Instagram: @high_lift_financialYouTube: @highliftfinancialDisclaimer:All information is obtained from sources deemed reliable, but not guaranteed. No tax or legal advice is given nor intended. Content provided herein or on our website should not be construed as an offer for investment advice or for securities, insurance, or other investment products. Investments involve the risk of loss and are not guaranteed. Consult a qualified legal, tax, accounting, or financial professional before implementing any investments or strategies discussed here.High Lift Financial is a DBA for DiFrancesco Financial Concierge, LLC.  Investment advisory services are provided through Cornerstone Planning Group, LLC, an independent advisory firm registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission

EPISODE 12  “The Business of Branding, Banned Words, and Burst Water Heaters”In this week's episode Dr. Ashley Joves, Dr. Toni Torres, and Collin dive deep into the "messy middle" of the startup journey—moving from the dry world of legal paperwork into the high-stakes world of branding and insurance.If you've ever felt overwhelmed by the "invisible" work of being an owner, this episode is a must-listen. Toni and Ashley pull back the curtain on the mistakes that cost six figures and the aggressive credit strategies you need to secure a massive cash runway before your loan even hits the bank.What You'll Hear in This Episode: 08:15 – The Paperwork Foundation: PLLC vs. DBA • Why Toni filed for a PLLC • The crucial step of filing a DBA so the bank can actually accept your checks • Why your legal name and your brand name don't have to be the same16:40 – Credit Card Hacks: Why you should ask for an $80k limit • Toni's advice on overestimated monthly spend to avoid a cash flow crunch • Ashley's "ego bruise": The $100 credit limit increase story 25:30 – The Soul of the Brand: Working with Studio 8E8 • Moving away from the "toothbrush and tooth" logo for a boutique aesthetic 34:15 – Trademark Wars: The $$$$ mistake • Ashley's horror story of a LegalZoom • Why you have to "defend your mark" once you own it45:10 – Insurance & Scheduling Hacks • The "Banned Words List" • How Bloom Dental Co. handles no-shows with the "Final Attempt" text 55:00 – What saved Toni's life this week? • Winning the insurance appeal and finally finishing that Nevada State Board inspectionToni is hitting a technical wall with Open Dental and needs the community's help! Since Bloom Dental Co. takes so many prepayments, her 'unearned income' reports are showing a negative value for the month once the procedures are completed.The Question: If you take prepayments, is this normal? Are you seeing negative values on your aging reports, or is there a 'secret click' in Open Dental to post these prepayments more cleanly? If you're an OD PRO, let us know!Connect with Toni: Instagram: @the.joyful.dentist • @bloomdental.coConnect with Ashley: Instagram: @ashleyjovesddsThis episode is made possible by: Studio 8E8 — Dentistry's story-driven growth agency for startups. Learn more at https://s8e8.com/vsl Net 32 — The online marketplace to compare brands and prices so you never overpay. Check them out at net32.com/themakingofSupport the showFind Out More Thank you for listening to The Making Of podcast. If you enjoyed it, please share with anyone you think will gain value from the show by clicking on one of the sharing tabs above. SUBSCRIBE to our NEWSLETTER HERE Also, please consider leaving an honest review on iTunes. It helps other listeners find the show, and I would be forever grateful.Questions or comments? Feel free to contact us at - themakingofadental@gmail.comFollow us on Instagram or Facebook and improve your dental practice every day!Have you subscribed? Don't miss a single episode!

Dr. John Prudhont (Dr. J.) is a seasoned financial executive, business broker, and educator with more than 40 years of experience across financial services, real estate, and mergers and acquisitions. Raised in East Los Angeles by middle-class parents, Dr. J. built his career from the ground up, holding leadership roles with major institutions including Norwest Mortgage, Lomas Mortgage USA, and 1st Nationwide Bank. He is the co-founder of multiple real estate, finance, and M&A firms and currently leads The Business Brokers Inc. in California and Nevada, advising main street to middle-market companies on exits, valuations, deal structure, and negotiations. And he currently serves Head of Strategic Alliances at Credit Suite Inc. Dr. J. also served as Treasurer of Nye County, Nevada, where he managed and grew a $130M+ public investment portfolio. An accomplished academic, he has taught economics and management at the university level. He holds a DBA in Financial Management, an MBA in Finance, and multiple real estate and business broker licenses. Dr. J. lives in Las Vegas with his wife and business partner, Eileen, and their family. During the show we discuss: What continues to draw Dr. J. back to financial services and his passion for business credit education The role business credit plays in helping companies qualify for cards, loans, and growth capital Why business credit still carries risk—and how to structure businesses properly to protect assets Common misconceptions about debt and why strategic leverage can accelerate business growth Overlooked structural elements that determine financing approval, limits, and terms Funding options many borrowers qualify for even when they believe they don't Where entrepreneurs can learn to properly set up business credit and access financing with confidence Resources: www.creditsuite.com/blueprint    

Neste episódio, Luan Moreno compartilha sua trajetória na área de dados, desde suas origens como DBA até sua ascensão como Lead Data Engineer. Ele discute a importância da formação, certificações e a transição para a engenharia de dados, além de compartilhar experiências interessantes em sua carreira, como o trabalho no lançamento do GTA V. Luan também enfatiza a relevância da comunidade e do networking, bem como a necessidade de soft skills, como comunicação, no ambiente de trabalho. Ele apresenta sua metodologia de aprendizado, o método GEAR, que combina teoria e prática, e reflete sobre a pressão e o estresse no trabalho, destacando a importância de ter suporte e mentores.A comunidade é essencial para o crescimento profissional.A formação acadêmica é uma das várias formas de alcançar o sucesso.A pressão inicial na carreira pode moldar a forma como lidaremos com os desafios futuros.A comunicação é uma habilidade crucial no mercado de trabalho.A metodologia GEAR combina teoria e prática para um aprendizado eficaz.A constância no estudo é fundamental para o sucesso.Mentores podem acelerar o aprendizado e a carreira.Projetos solicitados são oportunidades de aprendizado.Networking é vital para oportunidades de carreira.A velocidade das mudanças tecnológicas exige adaptação constante. Luan Moreno = https://www.linkedin.com/in/luanmoreno/

In this episode I'm going to do something a little different. As we wind down for the year, we're going to be running some of our favorites from 2025 until the new year begins.Let's take a look back at some of the overall themes discussed and point out a few highlights for me. I won't be able to highlight everything of course but I found 5 themes really interesting. And, I won't lie - I had a little help from AI in doing this. But that's also kind of the point. We have all been using AI to do things to make our work easier, and I thought that poring through 150+ episodes recorded over 12 months is a perfect thing to have AI help me with. About Greg Kihlström Greg Kihlström is a best-selling author, speaker, and entrepreneur, and serves as an advisor and consultant to top companies on marketing technology, marketing operations, and digital transformation initiatives. He has worked with some of the world's top brands, including Adidas, Coca-Cola, FedEx, HP, Marriott, Nationwide Insurance, Victoria's Secret, and Toyota. He is a multiple-time Co-Founder and C-level leader, leading his digital experience agency to be acquired in 2017, successfully exited an HR technology platform provider he co-founded in 2020, and led a SaaS startup to be acquired by a leading edge computing company in 2021. He currently advises and sits on the Board of a marketing technology startup.In addition to his experience as an entrepreneur and leader, he earned his MBA, is currently a doctoral candidate for a DBA in Business Intelligence, and teaches several courses and workshops as a member of the School of Marketing Faculty at the Association of National Advertisers. He has served on the Virginia Tech Pamplin College of Business Marketing Mentorship Advisory Board, the University of Richmond's CX Advisory Board, and was the founding Chair of the American Advertising Federation's National Innovation Committee.  Greg is Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certified, is an Agile Certified Coach (ICP-ACC), and holds a certification in Business Agility (ICP-BAF).  Greg Kihlström on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstrom Resources The Agile Brand Podcast: https://www.gregkihlstrom.com The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://www.teksystems.com/versionnextnow Catch the future of e-commerce at eTail Palm Springs, Feb 23-26 in Palm Springs, CA. Go here for more details: https://etailwest.wbresearch.com/ Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://ratethispodcast.com/agileConnect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstromDon't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.theagilebrand.showCheck out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I'm going to do something a little different. As we wind down for the year, we're going to be running some of our favorites from 2025 until the new year begins.Let's take a look back at some of the overall themes discussed and point out a few highlights for me. I won't be able to highlight everything of course but I found 5 themes really interesting. And, I won't lie - I had a little help from AI in doing this. But that's also kind of the point. We have all been using AI to do things to make our work easier, and I thought that poring through 150+ episodes recorded over 12 months is a perfect thing to have AI help me with. About Greg Kihlström Greg Kihlström is a best-selling author, speaker, and entrepreneur, and serves as an advisor and consultant to top companies on marketing technology, marketing operations, and digital transformation initiatives. He has worked with some of the world's top brands, including Adidas, Coca-Cola, FedEx, HP, Marriott, Nationwide Insurance, Victoria's Secret, and Toyota. He is a multiple-time Co-Founder and C-level leader, leading his digital experience agency to be acquired in 2017, successfully exited an HR technology platform provider he co-founded in 2020, and led a SaaS startup to be acquired by a leading edge computing company in 2021. He currently advises and sits on the Board of a marketing technology startup.In addition to his experience as an entrepreneur and leader, he earned his MBA, is currently a doctoral candidate for a DBA in Business Intelligence, and teaches several courses and workshops as a member of the School of Marketing Faculty at the Association of National Advertisers. He has served on the Virginia Tech Pamplin College of Business Marketing Mentorship Advisory Board, the University of Richmond's CX Advisory Board, and was the founding Chair of the American Advertising Federation's National Innovation Committee.  Greg is Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certified, is an Agile Certified Coach (ICP-ACC), and holds a certification in Business Agility (ICP-BAF).  Greg Kihlström on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstrom Resources The Agile Brand Podcast: https://www.gregkihlstrom.com The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://www.teksystems.com/versionnextnow Catch the future of e-commerce at eTail Palm Springs, Feb 23-26 in Palm Springs, CA. Go here for more details: https://etailwest.wbresearch.com/ Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://ratethispodcast.com/agileConnect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstromDon't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.theagilebrand.showCheck out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company