Podcasts about rto

Six companies, seven days, same playbook. Welcome to the modern age where the excuses are interchangeable, the points don't matter, and ALL the strategies are not-so-secretly the same! Listen or watch as Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Business Agility Leader Om Patel talk through this month's round of layoffs and expose why Cloudflare's AI-first cuts and Fidelity's RTO-to-layoff pipeline aren't strategic decisions at all!What Brian and Om get into:Why Cloudflare cut 1,100 workers the same day they reported 34% revenue growthHow mimetic isomorphism drives CEO herd behaviorIncentive structures that reward confident memosWhy your sprint reviews, OKRs, and retro actions MIGHT be running the same playA diagnostic for catching yourself performing response instead of executing changeBy the end of this episode, you'll be spotting these announcement-as-strategy patterns in real time, maybe even in your own meetings!#CorporateStrategy #TechLayoffs #ProductManagementCloudflare, Fidelity, Coinbase, Meta, Microsoft, Harris School at University of Chicago, Marty CaganLINKSYouTube: https://youtu.be/VTA_y38MXu8Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/362QvYORmtZRKAeTAE57v3Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/agile-podcast/id1568557596INTRO MUSICToronto Is My BeatBy Whitewolf (Source: https://ccmixter.org/files/whitewolf225/60181)CC BY 4.0 DEED (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)

Send us Fan MailAI is everywhere, but the shed industry doesn't get points for being first. Cord Koch goes solo for a candid, ground-level take on why slow adoption can be smart, especially when the hype cycle is louder than the results. If you've felt pressure to bolt an AI “solution” onto shed sales, customer service, or marketing just because everyone else is doing it, this is your permission to pause and think.We unpack the stats that should make any portable building business owner stop and re-check the math: widespread AI implementation across US organizations, but a much smaller share reporting real bottom-line impact. Cord connects that to what many of us see daily in shed leads and conversions: customers still want clarity, speed, and a real person who can listen, ask the right questions, and make a judgment call. That's where automated voice agents and generic chatbot flows can backfire, especially for first-time buyers who are still deciding whether to trust you.From there, we get practical about what large language models are actually good for in the shed industry: brainstorming campaign ideas, drafting and editing website copy, organizing messy thoughts into clean structure, summarizing information, and speeding up back-office work. We also get honest about the limits, including “strategy slop,” shallow advice that sounds polished, and the reality that AI is only as accurate as the data it can learn from. If shed standards, craftsmanship details, RTO explanations, and product differentiation aren't well documented, AI tends to remix the same generic content.If you want to grow with modern tools without losing the human edge that closes deals, hit play, then share this with a shed owner or sales manager who needs it. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us where you're using AI successfully and where you refuse to use it. What belongs with a human every time?For more information or to know more about the Shed Geek Podcast visit us at our website.Would you like to receive our weekly newsletter?  Sign up on our website: shedgeek.comFollow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube at the handle @shedgeekpodcast.To be a guest on the Shed Geek Podcast visit our website and fill out the "Contact Us" form.To suggest show topics or ask questions you want answered email us at info@shedgeek.com.This episodes Sponsors:Studio Sponsor: Shed ProIFABIdentigrowSolar BlasterCardinal ManufacturingVelocity 360

Send us Fan MailMost shed pro's don't have a work ethic problem, they have a money education problem. When margins tighten, inventory sits longer, and the cost of capital climbs, the small leaks get loud. We bring on Luke Miller from The Miliari Group, a former shed industry operator turned financial services educator, to translate personal finance and business finance into practical steps that actually fit how shed businesses run.We talk about why money feels so intimidating in the first place, from cultural stigma to the fear that every “financial talk” turns into a sales pitch. Then we get concrete: how to find the holes in your budget, why tracking spending for 45 to 60 days changes your decision-making, and how an emergency fund and a high yield savings account can protect your household or your business when the economy gets weird.From there, Luke breaks down compound interest with a simple paper-folding demo that makes exponential growth impossible to ignore, plus the rule of 72 as a quick way to estimate doubling time. We also zoom into shed industry realities: opportunity cost when you're tying up hundreds of thousands in a new sales lot, inventory, RTO contracts, and deliveries, and why smarter cash flow and tax planning can be the difference between stalled growth and steady expansion. We close with Luke's “risk pyramid” and why self-development is the most underrated investment in the shed industry.If you want your money to stop sitting still and start supporting your next move, listen through to the end. Subscribe, share this with a shed owner or salesperson, and leave a review so more people can build stronger businesses with better financial literacy.For more information or to know more about the Shed Geek Podcast visit us at our website.Would you like to receive our weekly newsletter?  Sign up on our website: shedgeek.comFollow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube at the handle @shedgeekpodcast.To be a guest on the Shed Geek Podcast visit our website and fill out the "Contact Us" form.To suggest show topics or ask questions you want answered email us at info@shedgeek.com.This episodes Sponsors:Studio Sponsor: Shed ProShed ChallengerLuxGuardMaking Sales Simple

Send us Fan MailRTO data can feel like a buzzkill until you realize it can answer the questions that decide your next decade: how fast customers actually pay off, where delinquency really comes from, what repossessions do to returns, and how confident you can be when you ask a bank or investor for capital. We dig into what it means to finally have access to payoff and repossession history at a granular level and how portfolio modeling changes when you stop relying on rough averages.We also connect the dots from analytics to the real world of selling sheds. Lot sets, inventory choices, and even paint and coatings aren't just “preferences” when you can track what moves in a market and what creates the best first impression from the road. The shed industry is getting more organized, and better systems make it easier to quote, contract, schedule delivery, and keep clean records that turn into usable reporting.Then we widen the lens into leadership and brand. We talk culture made visible, the power of listening, and why hard conversations are a feature, not a flaw. We also introduce Wild Belief Co and the idea that differentiation doesn't come from louder content, it comes from clarity, courage, and believing what you're building.If you got value from the conversation, subscribe to the show, share it with someone in the shed business, and leave a review so more builders, dealers, and RTO teams can find it. What's one metric or habit you want to improve this year?For more information or to know more about the Shed Geek Podcast visit us at our website.Would you like to receive our weekly newsletter?  Sign up on our website: shedgeek.comFollow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube at the handle @shedgeekpodcast.To be a guest on the Shed Geek Podcast visit our website and fill out the "Contact Us" form.To suggest show topics or ask questions you want answered email us at info@shedgeek.com.This episodes Sponsors:Studio Sponsor: Shed ProIdentigrowSolar BlasterCardinal ManufacturingDigital Shed BuilderPittsburgh Paints Co

Send us Fan MailQuiet failures are the ones that scare me most, and enterprise AI creates a brand-new way for them to spread. If a chatbot becomes the “trusted employee” everyone relies on, a slow drip of bad documents, outdated procedures, or deliberately manipulated data can poison decisions for months without a single red flag. We break down what that looks like in real organizations, why it differs from the Hollywood version of a hack, and how the business impact shows up as confident misinformation rather than obvious outages.We also dig into the difference between data poisoning (deliberate manipulation) and data pollution (accidental garbage at scale), then connect it to retrieval augmented generation (RAG). RAG is powerful because it answers from your internal knowledge base, but that same knowledge base becomes the attack surface and the “source of truth” the model won't question. I share practical steps you can take right now: audit what your AI actually trusts, map the full AI contact surface across workflows and repositories, treat the AI pipeline like an untrusted vendor, and assign a named owner for accuracy and security.Then we shift into CISSP Domain 1 practice with exam-style questions that force real trade-offs: using annual loss expectancy (ALE) to recommend a risk treatment to the board, applying NIST RMF guidance even when controls are inherited through FedRAMP, handling an ethics dilemma under the ISC2 Code of Ethics, spotting the biggest BCP gap when RTO and RPO targets collide with backup frequency, and explaining why HIPAA compliance does not automatically equal GDPR compliance for EU citizen data.If you're studying for the CISSP or you're building security controls around AI and cloud systems, this one is built to sharpen both your judgement and your test readiness. Subscribe, share this with a friend who's deploying AI internally, and leave a quick review so more CISSP candidates can find the show.Gain exclusive access to 360 FREE CISSP Practice Questions at FreeCISSPQuestions.com and have them delivered directly to your inbox!  Don't miss this valuable opportunity to strengthen your CISSP exam preparation and boost your chances of certification success. Join now and start your journey toward CISSP mastery today!

Send us Fan MailThe shed rent-to-own world runs on numbers, but too many operators are forced to manage on guesses because the data shows up late, scattered, or trapped in legacy systems. We sit down with Duane and Leann Burkholder of Burkholder Management alongside Kyle Summers and Craig Felker to share the “why now” behind a new cloud-based RTO software platform called OWNLY and the partnership forming around it. If you've ever felt the pain of slow reports, duplicate entry, or having accounting and operations tell two different stories, this conversation will hit home. We get specific about what modern rent-to-own software should do for shed dealers, manufacturers, and RTO operators: real-time reporting you can actually build yourself, portfolio performance metrics that go deeper than averages, and clearer answers about term behavior and early payoffs. Duane explains how accounting integration changes the game, turning messy bucket transfers into mapped, trackable activity so you can see discounts, payoff decisions, and performance with accountability. Craig and Kyle connect those ideas to what leadership teams need most: speed, clarity, and control. Then we bring it down to the ground level, where the work happens: asset-level P&Ls that tie hauling, commissions, and revenue to a single building, plus tools for project management, collections workflows, and a branded customer portal for payments, autopay, contracts, and online payoff. We also talk about instant payment visibility for repo drivers in the field, so teams don't lose time to phone calls and “where's the payment?” confusion. This is Part 1 of a two-part series, and it sets up what could be a major shift in shed industry operations. Come back Friday for Part 2, share this with one RTO operator who's tired of spreadsheet chaos, and leave a review if you want more deep dives like this. What's the one report you wish your RTO system could show you today?For more information or to know more about the Shed Geek Podcast visit us at our website.Would you like to receive our weekly newsletter?  Sign up on our website: shedgeek.comFollow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube at the handle @shedgeekpodcast.To be a guest on the Shed Geek Podcast visit our website and fill out the "Contact Us" form.To suggest show topics or ask questions you want answered email us at info@shedgeek.com.This episodes Sponsors:Studio Sponsor: Shed ProPlayMor PlaysetsJ Money LLCCardinal LeasingIFAB

Dominik ist wieder zu Gast und erzählt, was seit der letzten Folge passiert ist – inklusive Eindrücke aus Costa Rica und verschiedenen Flughäfen. Danach geht es quer durch die Themen: von PRM-Anflügen und Seilrissübungen über Feedback und World Pilot Day bis hin zu neuen Kabinenkonzepten wie dem SkyNest. Im zweiten Teil sprechen sie über einen RTO in Delhi, alternative Kraftstoffe, eine B747 über Köln und mehrere historische Zwischenfälle. Zum Abschluss gibt es viele Hörerfragen, sowie eine Geschichte von Dominik, bevor die Folge mit eine Rap-Song endet.

As the University System of Georgia enforces a sweeping return-to-office mandate, staff members are facing a harsh reality: commuting costs are effectively gutting already poverty-level wages. In this episode, we sit down with David Hyde (UCW-GSU Chapter Chair) and Rachel Schrauben Yeates (Kennesaw State University Member-Leader) from UCW-CWA Local 3821. They reveal the staggering data behind the mandate—including a 100 percent increase in retirements at Georgia Tech—and discuss the irony of a Board of Regents that joins meetings via video call while denying those same remote options to their workforce. We dive deep into: How a "Right-to-Work" state organizes without collective bargaining rights. The "Defend Remote Work" campaign and the push for a $41,000 living wage. The upcoming legislative strategy to legalize public sector bargaining in Georgia. Why the RTO mandate is driving a "brain drain" across Atlanta's major universities.

I Was Thinking:  Katie Wilson says Housing is a Human Right // GUEST: King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn. King County workers return to the office — to protest RTO mandate // The Unexpected Joy of Talking to Strangers as I Get Older 

GUEST: Todd Meyers joins us for Earth Day // GUEST: King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn. King County workers return to the office — to protest RTO mandate // The Unexpected Joy of Talking to Strangers as I Get Older 

Send us Fan MailRent-to-own sheds can look like a numbers game from the outside, but the real differentiator is often painfully unglamorous: answering the phone, keeping your word, and treating people like humans. I'm joined by Titus Hofer and Josh Hosey to talk through the real story behind building an RTO operation in the shed industry, starting with Titus's pivot after the 2008 housing crash and the moment he realized he was turning away “how much per month?” customers who simply needed a workable path to ownership.We get into what changed as shed financing options exploded and competition tightened. Dealer premiums, kickbacks, rising interest rates, and pressure on yield are all part of today's rent-to-own landscape, but we keep coming back to the foundation: solid systems and processes for both technology and relationships. We also talk about the tension of scaling fast, the risk of letting calls roll to voicemail, and why being steady with dealers can matter more than chasing the loudest offer.A big turning point is how they solve bandwidth by partnering with Rosewood Management so customers can reach a live person and issues get handled by a team with clear roles. Along the way, Titus and Josh share the moments that stick with them most: second chances, hard conversations, and the joy of hearing someone make the final payment and truly own their portable storage building.If you work with sheds, portable buildings, or rent-to-own programs, subscribe and share this one with a dealer who cares about doing it the right way. After you listen, leave a review and tell me this: what's the one thing that should never be sacrificed when the market gets competitive?For more information or to know more about the Shed Geek Podcast visit us at our website.Would you like to receive our weekly newsletter?  Sign up on our website: shedgeek.comFollow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube at the handle @shedgeekpodcast.To be a guest on the Shed Geek Podcast visit our website and fill out the "Contact Us" form.To suggest show topics or ask questions you want answered email us at info@shedgeek.com.This episodes Sponsors:Studio Sponsor: Shed ProCardinal LeasingIFABIdentigrowSolar Blaster

Election mail found in Renton is under review / King County workers protest RTO mandate / Preschool director raises safety concerns over encampments near Mount Baker Transit Center / Alaska Air says fares will stay high / 'Clothing required' clarification reignites Denny Blaine Park nudity fight yet again // Does it suck to be middle-aged in America? // WE NEED TO TALK: You don’t have to uproot your life to make an impact

For this journal club episode we discuss the commonly made claim that knitting can reduce blood pressure. We discuss the origins of this claim in the research and look at a new paper which examines the impact of a creative handicraft group, which included knitting, on a group of older adults living in a residential home.You can find a link to the abstract and reference here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/psyg.70044?af=RTo find out more about Self-Care One Stitch at a Time: an audio course-------------

Jeff McCausland on the war in Iran and the US blockade on the Strait of Hormuz // Scott Sistek on April showers and a springtime forecast // Rob McKenna with an update on his legal challenge of the state's Millionares' Tax // Charlie Commentary on Washington's flawed bail system // James Lynch with the "Cold Case Project": Picking up a case of a tragic 2023 hit and run // Jeff McCausland and Patrick De Haan on the ceasefire with Iran and the impact on gas prices // Gee Scott on King County workers having issues with RTO orders

Send us Fan MailCash buyers are great, but they're not the whole market, and “cash only” is a fast way to watch good leads walk off your lot. We sit down with Joel Oney from J Money to get practical about shed financing and why the payment option you offer can matter more than the price tag. We break down where rent to own shines, where it hits real limits, and how unsecured consumer loans can help you close bigger projects like large storage sheds, post-frame buildings, and steel structures that don't fit the usual RTO model.We also talk directly to shed manufacturers who feel the squeeze on working capital. Scaling production means real money tied up in lumber, finished inventory, delivery capacity, and the manufacturing facility itself. Joel shares the two most common needs he sees in the field: inventory financing and facility financing, plus how lenders think about terms, collateral, and structure. We even get into bonus depreciation at a high level and why the way you finance a building can change how quickly you can expense parts of it, with the reminder to always confirm details with your CPA.Then we zoom out to the stuff nobody can control: uncertainty, consumer sentiment, oil prices, and the way a jump at the gas pump can freeze buying decisions. The takeaway is simple and challenging: keep improving, keep offering more solutions, and keep doing the right things repeatedly until the numbers turn. If this helps, subscribe, share it with a shed dealer or builder who needs it, and leave a quick review. What financing question do you want us to tackle next?For more information or to know more about the Shed Geek Podcast visit us at our website.Would you like to receive our weekly newsletter?  Sign up on our website: shedgeek.comFollow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube at the handle @shedgeekpodcast.To be a guest on the Shed Geek Podcast visit our website and fill out the "Contact Us" form.To suggest show topics or ask questions you want answered email us at info@shedgeek.com.This episodes Sponsors:Studio Sponsor: Shed ProShed SuiteThree Oaks Lumber Co.Shed ChallengerLuxGuardPittsburgh Paints Co

We Work Remotely's 2026 report outlines a stable but divided landscape between employer office mandates and worker demand for flexibility. With 55% of Fortune 100 firms requiring full-time office attendance, many policies are reshaping hiring and retention. Meanwhile, remote roles attract 60% of applications despite representing only 20% of postings. Hybrid work dominates but still results in most work happening outside offices. Productivity gains, lower burnout, and willingness to trade salary for flexibility continue to define worker preferences, giving distributed companies a measurable advantage in attracting and retaining experienced global talent. https://www.linkedin.com/in/remoteworklife/SOURCES  https://weworkremotely.com/wwr-state-of-remote-work-2026-trends-insights https://weworkremotely.com/blog https://www.linkedin.com/posts/we-work-remotely_remotework-futureofwork-worktrends-activity-7446997093715472385-RTSy https://www.facebook.com/weworkremotely/videos/964777759279823Looking for Remote Work?Click here remoteworklife.io to access a private beta list of remote jobs in sales, marketing, and strategy — plus get podcasts, real-world tips and business insights from founders, CEOs, and remote leaders. subscribe to my free newsletter Connect on LinkedIn 

Send a textThe shed industry is changing fast—and the smartest operators are meeting buyers where they are with clearer pricing, tighter operations, and the right payment tool for each customer. We open the doors to our real office conversations: how dealer-side financing is rising, why RTO isn't going anywhere, and where the economics break if you don't know your true cost per unit. It's a frank look at kickbacks, consolidation, and the value of building lean habits that survive any market cycle.We also get practical. Paint is more than color—it's your first impression. Programs that bundle industrial-grade coatings with local stock, training, and on-site support cut rework and boost customer pride years after delivery. Pair that with integrated systems—inventory-synced websites, fast-response CRMs, clean quoting, and delivery scheduling—and you remove friction from lead to drop-off. Convenience matters as much as rate: buy-downs and 0% offers pull qualified buyers into finance at the lot, while RTO continues to unlock access for those who need no-credit-check options.Across nearly 500 releases, we've watched the market grow up. The data says a large slice of sales still flow through RTO, a smaller share through true finance, and a meaningful chunk via private lenders—leaving room for on-lot finance to expand. The winners will educate customers on total cost of ownership, match payment paths to profiles, and run playbooks that are simple, transparent, and margin-aware. The real takeaway: do right by the buyer, and the business follows.If you care about smarter financing, better margins, and tools that actually fit how you sell, hit play. Then tell us your mix—how are you balancing finance and RTO today? Subscribe, share with a colleague, and drop a review to help more builders and dealers find these conversations.For more information or to know more about the Shed Geek Podcast visit us at our website.Would you like to receive our weekly newsletter?  Sign up on our website: shedgeek.comFollow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube at the handle @shedgeekpodcast.To be a guest on the Shed Geek Podcast visit our website and fill out the "Contact Us" form.To suggest show topics or ask questions you want answered email us at info@shedgeek.com.This episodes Sponsors:Studio Sponsor: Shed ProPittsburgh Paints CoCardinal ManufacturingRTO SmartVelocity 360Shed Suite

In this episode of Uncover the Human, Cristina and Alex sit down with Matt Poepsel (former Marine turned leadership researcher) to unpack why so many teams feel more fragmented, exhausted, and disconnected than they should. Matt introduces a powerful lens—cultural entropy—the natural drift of any system toward disorder, especially as organizations grow, move faster, and stop reinforcing purpose. When leaders don't connect people to a clear “why,” even meaningful work turns transactional, and teams start burning precious energy on “corrective effort” (misalignment, friction, competing goals) instead of progress.From there, the conversation gets practical and unexpectedly hopeful: Matt shares the “gravity” that pulls teams back together—four forces leaders can strengthen without expensive programs or complicated overhauls: hope (agency + pathways), mutuality (fairness and shared benefit), commitment (real energy invested in the team), and synchrony (working in ways that make it easier for others to work). If you've felt the weird tension of AI adoption, RTO mandates, dashboard-driven busyness, or the “connected-but-not-connected” world we're living in, this episode gives language for what's happening—and a simple exercise to spot where your teams are tight vs. loose and what to tighten first.

Instagram introduced a strict return-to-office policy in February 2026 requiring U.S. employees with assigned desks to work from the office five days a week. The rule makes Instagram the most office-centric division inside Meta, where other teams still follow hybrid schedules. The decision arrives amid a broader wave of corporate RTO mandates across major employers. At the same time, distributed companies report increased job applications from workers seeking flexibility. Surveys show strong employee preference for hybrid or remote work, suggesting workplace models will continue diverging across companies while talent increasingly evaluates employers based on how and where work happens.Looking for Remote Work?Click here remoteworklife.io to access a private beta list of remote jobs in sales, marketing, and strategy — plus get podcasts, real-world tips and business insights from founders, CEOs, and remote leaders. subscribe to my free newsletter Connect on LinkedIn

Return-to-office mandates are being sold as “culture resets.” At the same time, AV Trust says our security practices “haven't kept pace.” So let's ask the uncomfortable question: are we demanding employees show up in person while the technology behind the walls still isn't fully ready or fully secure?The video version of this podcast can be found here.Host Tim Albright and his industry expert guests return with a focused AVWeek episode exploring the full spectrum of change in commercial AV, from the real-world impact of RTO on collaboration spaces and infrastructure planning to AV Trust's potential influence on cybersecurity standards, accountability, and vulnerability disclosure across an increasingly connected ecosystem.Host: Tim AlbrightGuests:Kelly Teel – TLDJustin Dawson – Dublin City UniversitySusan Wilhite – BluefinThis Week In AV:Inavate – Google Collaboration With Neat & TeamsrAVe Pubs – AWS Elemental Inference AI ServicesAurora – Aurora Partners with NETGEARResidential Systems – ISE Launches ISE FoundationAV Magazine – Clive Couldwell Steps Down From AV MagazineRoundtable Topics:AV Magazine – Newcastle United Enforcing Return to OfficeAVNation – AV Trust Launches nonprofit organizationSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARYIn 2026's 'forever layoff' era, women leaders who master continuous improvement leadership outperform peers, reduce their layoff risk, and accelerate promotions. Olaf Boettger's 27-year Kaizen framework — courage, humility, discipline — turns daily small improvements into extraordinary career results.Key stat: Toyota workers are 2x more productive than competitors using this same system.? QUICK TAKEAWAYS•       Continuous improvement leadership doubles your career productivity vs. peers who stop learning•       The 3 capabilities every woman leader needs: courage to name problems, humility to keep learning, discipline to stay consistent•       Kaizen's daily 15-minute team meeting is directly applicable to your own career self-management•       GE's turnaround under Larry Culp proves CI works in any industry — finance, tech, healthcare, or your own career•       In 2026's 'forever layoff' climate, CI skills signal indispensable strategic value to any organizationIf you're a woman leader in 2026, the job market has changed dramatically — and not in your favor. Glassdoor's Worklife Trends report calls it the 'forever layoff': small, rolling cuts that never make headlines but keep talented executives in a constant state of anxiety. Meanwhile, AI is reshaping roles at every level, and the competition for standout positions has never been fiercer.As an executive coach with over 30 years of experience (MA, MFT, PCC) and host of the Women's Leadership Success Podcast — ranked in the top 1.5% globally with over 750,000 downloads — I've interviewed more than 144 of the world's top leadership experts. When I heard Olaf Boettger's approach to continuous improvement leadership, I immediately knew this was the missing framework most women leaders had never considered.Olaf spent 27 years at Procter & Gamble and Danaher — two of the most operationally excellent companies on earth — mastering the Japanese Kaizen philosophy. What he discovered translates directly to career acceleration: the same system that doubled Toyota's worker productivity and powered GE's biggest turnaround in American history can supercharge your leadership brand and make you the candidate no one can afford to pass over. The 2026 Career Reality: Why 'Working Hard' Is No Longer Enough The data is sobering for women leaders right now. According to Glassdoor's 2025 Workplace Trends report, small layoffs — under 50 people — now represent 51% of all job cuts, up from just 38% in 2015. These 'forever layoffs' create cultures of anxiety where talented women question their value daily.At the same time, female manager engagement dropped seven percentage points in 2025 alone — the steepest decline of any group, according to Gallup research. Women leaders are being asked to do more with less, carrying teams through AI disruption and RTO mandates, while their own career advancement stalls.The traditional answer — work harder, be more visible, volunteer for every high-profile project — simply isn't scaling. In a market where 45% of employers rate the job outlook as 'fair' at best, you need a completely different strategy. You need continuous improvement leadership. ? Ready to transform your career trajectory?  Download our FREE Leadership Branding Blueprint Accelerator and discover:•       A proven system to document your impact and accelerate promotions•       How to build a leadership brand that makes you the obvious choice•       A measurable framework for expanding your organizational influence•       Strategic positioning for high-visibility, career-defining initiatives•       The same approach Sabrina uses with Fortune 500 executives to 3x their promotion speed? GET YOUR FREE LEADERSHIP BRANDING BLUEPRINT ACCELERATOR What Is Continuous Improvement Leadership? The Kaizen Framework Explained Continuous improvement — known in Japanese as Kaizen, meaning 'change for the better' — originated at Toyota nearly 90 years ago. After World War II, with limited resources and a need to compete globally, Toyota developed a system to extract maximum quality and efficiency from every process. That system, now called the Toyota Production System, became the foundation of what we know as Lean, Six Sigma, and the Danaher Business System.For women leaders, continuous improvement leadership means applying these same principles to your career, your team, and your organization. It is not a one-time initiative or a January resolution. It is a daily practice — a permanent operating system.The Three Foundation PrinciplesOlaf distills continuous improvement leadership into three core principles:Kaizen — The belief that there is always a better way. This is not about being self-critical; it is about being growth-oriented. Every interaction, presentation, and leadership decision is an opportunity to iterate and improve.Go to Gemba — Go to the real place. Stop relying on slide decks and secondhand reports. As a leader, this means visiting your stakeholders, understanding what your team actually experiences day-to-day, and staying close to the work that creates value.Customer focus — Always anchor to what your 'customer' values. In a career context, your customers are your executive stakeholders, your team, and the business outcomes you're hired to deliver. Everything you do should be filtered through: does this add value for them?The Three Capabilities That Determine SuccessAccording to Olaf, your mindset determines everything. Leaders who succeed with continuous improvement possess three non-negotiable capabilities:CapabilityWhat It Looks Like in PracticeWhy Women Leaders Need It NowCOURAGEHonestly naming when your performance or your team's is 'red' — even when the culture rewards positivity over truth.In 2026's performance-pressured environment, leaders who surface problems first are seen as strategic — not weak.HUMILITYStaying open to learning regardless of your experience level. As Olaf says: the best leaders he's known, including P&G's CEO A.G. Lafley, were the most humble.Imposter syndrome tempts women to prove they already know everything. Humility is the counterintuitive superpower.DISCIPLINEShowing up for improvement consistently — not just in January. Committing to the decade, not the quarter.Career advancement compounds. The women who stand out in 2026 are those who have been quietly improving for years. The Business Case: What Continuous Improvement Leadership Actually Delivers For skeptics — and Olaf acknowledges that many leaders initially resist this approach — the numbers make a compelling argument. Toyota, the originator of this system, generates roughly twice the revenue per employee compared to its nearest competitors. Danaher, where Olaf spent the bulk of his career, has sustained approximately 15–16% compound annual growth for 40 consecutive years.The most visible example is GE's transformation under Larry Culp — the former Danaher CEO who took over when GE was in deep financial trouble. Using continuous improvement as the operating backbone, Culp and his teams executed what many consider one of the greatest corporate turnarounds in American business history, eventually splitting GE into three highly successful independent companies.On a practical level, Olaf shared a specific case study from a Danaher acquisition: a company delivering orders on time just 50% of the time. Using CI methodologies, that number rose to 95%. For context, if Amazon delivered your packages on time half the time, you'd stop using Amazon. A 45-percentage-point improvement is not incremental — it's transformational. TRY THIS NOW (10 Minutes)Apply Olaf's Red/Green method to your career right now: Identify one goal you have for your career this quarter (promotion, salary increase, high-visibility project).Set a specific target. Write your current actual. Color code it: are you green (on track) or red (below target)? If red — write one sentence explaining why.Then write one action you will take this week to close the gap. That's continuous improvement leadership in action. Do this every Monday.  How to Apply Continuous Improvement Leadership to Your Career in 2026 The beauty of Kaizen is that it scales from a Toyota factory floor to your personal career strategy. Here's how to translate Olaf's framework into your daily leadership practice:The 15-Minute Daily Leadership HuddleAt every Danaher facility, teams hold a 15-minute standing meeting every morning. They review five metrics — safety, quality, delivery, inventory, productivity — and ask: are we red or green? If red, why? Who does what by when?For your career, your five metrics might be: stakeholder relationships, project delivery, skill development, visibility, and team performance. A daily or weekly 10-minute self-check asking those same questions creates the discipline of continuous improvement at the individual level.Visual Management for Your CareerOlaf emphasizes making performance visible. In organizations, this means color-coded boards. For your career, this translates to maintaining a simple achievement tracker — a running document of your wins, metrics, and impact — that you review weekly. This directly feeds your Leadership Branding Blueprint and becomes the evidence base for promotion conversations.The Growth Mindset + Kaizen ConnectionOlaf's PhD research connected him deeply to Carol Dweck's work on fixed vs. growth mindsets. Dweck's research demonstrates that individuals who believe abilities can be developed through dedication consistently outperform those who believe talent is fixed. Continuous improvement is the operational expression of growth mindset — it gives you the system that turns that belief into measurable career results. Your 7-Step Continuous Improvement Career Action Plan Step 1 (10 min): Define your career target.

Michael Bull welcomes Max Sea, Senior Director of Strategy and Operations at VTS. They delve into the current state of the office market and discuss key insights from VTS's annual leasing prediction outlook.Discussions include valuable data on tenant demand trends in major markets like San Francisco and New York, highlighting expected growth rates and the influence of tech and finance sectors, and how the return to office (RTO) trends are shaping demand and the implications for landlords and tenants alike. Tune in for a comprehensive look at the evolving landscape of office leasing and what it means for the future.  TCN Worldwide Real Estate Services - A global network of over 1,500 leading commercial real estate professionals delivering integrated, expert sales, leasing, management and consulting services across 200 U.S. and global markets. https://www.tcnworldwide.com/ Buildout - Aconnected software platform built for commercial real estate brokerages—combining CRM, marketing, data, and back-office automation. https://www.buildout.com Bull Realty, TCN Worldwide - Commercial Real Estate Asset & Occupancy Solutions in Atlanta and throughout the Southeast U.S. https://www.bullrealty.com/ Commercial Agent Success Strategies - Twenty-one cloud accessed commercial broker training videos with slide deck action notes. Learn more at https://www.commercialagentsuccess.com/  

Atomic Eagle offers a compelling entry into the uranium bull market, backed by a proven team from Matador Capital—the original architects behind Boss Energy's success and Lotus Resources' recent mine restart. Through a strategic RTO of GovEx Uranium, they've acquired the advanced Muntanga project in mining-friendly Zambia: a 47.4M lb resource at 344 ppm U3O8, with a feasibility study showing robust economics at $90/lb uranium. But the current investment thesis is not that of a mine build story. Atomic Eagle's focus is on aggressive exploration to double resources via a current 50,000m drill program, targeting a 40-100M lb upside which conceptually could see a mega-mine producing 4-5M lbs/year through low-cost heap leaching (90%+ recovery with low acid consumption). Well-funded with ~A$20M cash, Atomic is undervalued when compared, on an enterprise value to pounds-in-the-ground basis, to ASX peers like Deep Yellow and Bannerman. Near-term catalysts: Resource upgrade (early March), feasibility re-release, and exploration drill results. Bonus optionality: Potential recovery of the world-class Madaouela asset in Niger (120M lbs at >1,300 ppm), if current talks with the Niger government are fruitful. In this MSE episode, listen to Atomic Eagle CEO Phil Hoskins explain the company's full investment thesis. https://atomiceagle.com.au/ ASX: AEU - OTCQB: AEUXF 00:00 Intro 00:34 Meet Atomic Eagle: ASX RTO of GoviEx & Who's Behind It 01:28 Matador's Uranium Track Record: Boss Energy to Lotus Restart Success 03:12 Why the GoviEx Deal Happened: ASX Valuation Comps & Timing 04:31 US OTCQB Listing: Tapping North American Uranium Investors 06:05 Friedland Connections & Geopolitics: US/China/Russia in Africa 08:26 The Muntanga Project Breakdown: Resource, Tenure & 2025 FS Context 10:08 Growth Strategy: New Drilling, Resource Upgrade & 4–5M lb/yr Heap Leach Concept 12:32 Funding & 2025 Drill Plan: 50,000m Program and Priority Targets 14:15 Zambia Advantage: Mining-Friendly Jurisdiction, Infrastructure & Export Route 17:12 The Niger Asset: Expropriation, Arbitration & Potential Upside 19:27 Near-Term Catalysts + Technical Upsides: Recovery, Acid Use, Permitting 21:42 Wrap-Up, Tickers, and Sponsor Coverage Ahead Sponsor Atomic Eagle pays MSE a United States dollar ten thousand per month coverage fee. The forward-looking statement disclaimer found in Atomic Eagle's most-recent company slide deck found at www.AtomicEagle.com.au applies to everything discussed in this interview. Mining Stock Education (MSE) offers informational content based on available data but it does not constitute investment, tax, or legal advice. It may not be appropriate for all situations or objectives. Readers and listeners should seek professional advice, make independent investigations and assessments before investing. MSE does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of its content and should not be solely relied upon for investment decisions. MSE and its owner may hold financial interests in the companies discussed and can trade such securities without notice. MSE is biased towards its advertising sponsors which make this platform possible. MSE is not liable for representations, warranties, or omissions in its content. By accessing MSE content, users agree that MSE and its affiliates bear no liability related to the information provided or the investment decisions you make. Full disclaimer: https://www.miningstockeducation.com/disclaimer/

Send a textSome sales advice hits like a fresh breeze on a hot lot. Meet Jerri Hayes—82 years young, razor-sharp, and the kind of pro who sells with heart, product knowledge, and a closer's calm. We're at Iguana Sheds in Florida with Peter Miller, unpacking how a relationship-first approach outperforms scripts, how rent-to-own opens doors for everyday buyers, and why knowing trusses, floor systems, and wind ratings turns skepticism into trust.Jerri walks us through her simple, strong process: greet with warmth, ask what they'll store, show more than they requested, and teach without jargon. We dig into the details that matter in Florida—southern yellow pine framing, 3/4-inch tongue-and-groove floors, hurricane strapping, and permitting that keeps getting tougher. Delivery is its own craft, so site checks, fence policies, and avoiding septic fields keep haulers happy and installs smooth. And when it's time to close, Jerri's line is clean and confident: “Cash, check, or card?” Then she lets silence work.We also explore the tension between CRMs and real human memory. Jerri's “original CRM” is names, stories, and consistent follow-up—“till they buy or die.” It's not bravado; it's service. For buyers who need a practical path to ownership, RTO offers flexibility and dignity, while sales teams who explain terms and limits clearly avoid headaches later. Add smart lot signage—RTO, financing, free delivery and setup—and keep inventory fresh and colors neutral to lower friction. Respect competitors, sell your strengths, and focus on fit.If you want actionable shed sales strategies, this conversation is packed: qualifying questions that reveal true needs, product specs that build credibility, clean delivery planning, and a fearless but friendly close. Subscribe, share with your team, and leave a review with your favorite Jerri-ism—what line will you use on your next lot walk?For more information or to know more about the Shed Geek Podcast visit us at our website.Would you like to receive our weekly newsletter?  Sign up on our website.Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube at the handle @shedgeekpodcast.To be a guest on the Shed Geek Podcast visit our website and fill out the "Contact Us" form.To suggest show topics or ask questions you want answered email us at info@shedgeek.com.This episodes Sponsors:Studio Sponsor: Shed ProThree Oaks Trading Co.Shed ChallengerLuxGuardMaking Sales Simple

Miss the weekly updates? We used the break to clear clutter, rebuild our studio, and sharpen a plan that actually moves you forward. This episode brings recognition, strategy, and a hard look at the small choices that add up—good and bad.We start by celebrating discipline you can see: the annual Committed Club and three new names on our 2,000 Visit Club. Those banners represent ten-plus years of showing up, proof that simple habits compounded over time beat hacks every time. We also fix a blind spot—missed check-ins. Sign up and check in so your work gets counted, our classes stay safe, and you show up on the lists you've earned.Then we dive into performance. As a HYROX affiliate, we tested a practical blend: regular CrossFit classes plus two to three targeted runs each week. The result? Better engines without abandoning strength. We share what worked, how to pace, and how to stack training with real-life schedules. That same blueprint now rolls into the CrossFit Open and the Reno Tahoe Odyssey. Expect running tracks in SugarWOD, a WhatsApp coaching group, and one-on-one planning for leg-specific demands like Dog Valley, Emerald Bay, and Kingsbury. Whether you're aiming for a first Open score or prepping for an ultra relay, we'll help you train with purpose.House rules matter too. Cubbies are day use; if you need storage, recovery room members can grab a locker so the shared space stays clean and usable. Curious about our Friday banger photos? There's no secret list—wear the brand, move well, and bring either grit or joy. Want a specific shot for a milestone? Ask and we'll bring the camera to your class.We close with a bigger lens: many people don't quit on health in one move—they erode by a thousand paper cuts. One skipped workout, one extra drink, one late night at a time. Flip it. Build a thousand reps of discipline—hydrate early, eat real food, lift often, run honest, sleep hard. Surround yourself with people who pull you up. That's how we avoid the midlife health cliff and keep building strength into our 40s, 50s, and 60s.If you're ready to move with intention, jump into the Open, join the HYROX and RTO tracks, or book a one-on-one to map your week. Subscribe, share this with a teammate, and leave a review telling us the one habit you're committing to this month. We'll meet you there.Follow us on Instagram here! https://www.instagram.com/doubleedgefitness/

Liz Bronson, VP of People at Skimmer, joined us on The Modern People Leader to talk about intentionally “flatlining” her career for a period of time to prioritize parenting. ----  Downloadable PDF with top takeaways: https://modernpeopleleader.kit.com/episode282Sponsor Links:

In a podcast recorded at ITEXPO / MSP EXPO, Doug Green, Publisher of Technology Reseller News, spoke with Gregory Tellone, CEO of Cloud IBR, about simplifying disaster recovery (DR) testing and turning recoverability into a practical, recurring revenue opportunity for MSPs. Cloud IBR is a SaaS platform designed for organizations using Veeam backups. With a single click, the system provisions dedicated bare-metal cloud servers, installs operating systems, restores encrypted backup repositories, configures networking, VPN access, firewalls, and hands off a fully operational environment for either a live disaster or a scheduled recovery test. “Most backup products are great at backup,” Tellone explained. “The problem is knowing whether your backups are actually good and being able to test recovery easily.” The platform addresses a longstanding gap in the SMB market: the complexity and cost of maintaining secondary DR sites and conducting realistic recovery testing. Traditional DR requires duplicate infrastructure, bandwidth, replication management, and ongoing maintenance—often making full testing impractical. Cloud IBR automates that entire process in approximately 20 minutes of onboarding time, enabling monthly recovery testing by default and generating detailed PDF reports documenting every recovered server and recovery time objective (RTO). For MSPs, the opportunity is strategic. Starting at $299 per month, the service provides a low-barrier entry point into customer accounts while strengthening trust and expanding monthly recurring revenue. Tellone described it as a relationship builder: “It's always easier to sell to a customer than to a prospect. You start with something simple that works, and from there you grow.” With automated reporting suitable for cyber insurance applications and RFP responses, Cloud IBR transforms disaster recovery from a checkbox exercise into a demonstrable operational advantage. Visit https://cloudibr.com/

Welcome to the Daily Compliance News. Each day, Tom Fox, the Voice of Compliance, brings you compliance-related stories to start your day. Sit back, enjoy a cup of morning coffee, and listen in to the Daily Compliance News. All, from the Compliance Podcast Network. Each day, we consider four stories from the business world, compliance, ethics, risk management, leadership, or general interest for the compliance professional. Top stories include: Prediction markets v. casinos at war over gambling. (NYT) Banks want ‘pound of flesh' in RTO. (FT) Who gets to decide when athletes should not compete? (Reuters) Google staff call for the company to cut ties with ICE. (BBC) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Highguard has done the most amazing race to the bottom we've ever seen. It has managed to out-concord Concord!   But that's not all the drama for this week. Ubisoft has decided to Ubisoft all over themselves yet again, Xbox Wrapped didn't happen because apparently Microsoft ran out of money and people are still developing for the Xbox One... Welcome to the start of 2026, I suppose.   

Sara Daw is Group CEO of The CFO Centre and The Liberti Group, and the author of Strategy and Leadership as Service – How the Access Economy Meets the C-Suite, which explores the fractional leadership trend and the impact on employees. The remote vs in-office workplace debate continues to burden leaders. Return-to-office mandates are on the rise, with the idea that they will boost engagement, productivity and collaboration. But do they? Worryingly, the opposite can be true. A recent Gartner survey found that among high-performing employees, their intent to stay was 16% lower with strict RTO mandates. Conversely, Gallup's latest State of the Global Workplace report reveals that remote workers are the most likely to be engaged at work (31%). Employees Work' Matters Less Than 'How They Work' While it is important for each company to decide what work arrangements work best for them – whether remote, hybrid, or in office full-time – this misses the overarching point. Instead of arguing over the 'where' of work, leaders should be focusing more on the 'how'. This is where "psychological ownership" comes in – our ability to feel that our job belongs to us. When employees feel psychologically tied to their roles, the more likely they are to be engaged and perform at their best. So how can leaders develop psychological ownership in their staff, regardless of where they work from? The Three Roots of Psychological Ownership There are three roots that underpin a sense of psychological ownership – efficacy, self-identity and having a place: 1. Efficacy – leaders, employees and their team members must understand each other's needs and feel confident that the relationship is working to meet desired goals. 2. Self-identity – work isn't just about completing tasks; it's about expressing individual skills, values and purpose. Employees need to feel that their role fits their identity and reflects who they are. 3. Having a place – individuals fundamentally want to belong. When teams work together, individuals feel part of a group of like-minded people with a shared mission, strengthening their commitment and engagement. These three roots are particularly important for a blended workforce, with employees split between working in-office and from home. So, what steps can leaders take to nurture these roots of psychological ownership in their staff? Create Control When staff have a say over their work, they achieve a sense of control in their role. This helps them to feel ownership of their tasks, boosting their motivation, engagement and performance. To increase feelings of control in employees, leaders should: Clarify the purpose and goals of staff's work but let them choose the best way to achieve them. Encourage staff to share their knowledge and insights with others – this strengthens their feeling of control by demonstrating their competence and confidence. Foster open communication channels by determining when individuals are and aren't available Build Intimacy Intimacy is a key ingredient for creating a positive and fulfilling work environment, particularly in a blended workforce. Intimacy leads to a stronger sense of belonging with colleagues, increases collaboration and conflict resolution, and deepens our appreciation of our role, its purpose and its impact. Leaders can build intimacy with and between employees by: Scheduling regular one-to-one meetings and informal catch-ups to check in on each other's well-being, goals, and challenges Be empathetic, actively listen and ask open-ended questions to show interest and understanding Arrange social events and activities that promote getting to know each other outside of work Build trust via transparency, sticking to commitments, and being consistent. Encourage self-investment How much employees invest themselves personally in their work influences their sense of ownership over their jobs. Investment can take many forms – time, skills, ideas, physical and psychological, and intellectual ener...

What if guilt—not ambition—is the real burnout driver for working mothers? In this powerful conversation, Ashish Kothari sits down with Mary Sheehan to unpack why high-performing women feel stuck in a no-win game—and how leaders and individuals can redesign work to truly flourish.This episode blends lived experience, leadership insight, and science-backed practices to help working parents move from exhaustion and self-blame to clarity, boundaries, and sustainable performance.Key Topics CoveredWhy guilt is the #1 struggle for working mothers—and how societal expectations amplify itValues-based decision making as a practical antidote to burnoutThe hidden cost of broken corporate systems: RTO mandates, inflexibility, childcare, and unpaid parental leaveLeadership's role in inclusion: why flexibility and outcomes-based work benefit everyoneMary's powerful concept of the “Minimum Viable Person (MVP)”—small daily practices that restore energy and identityMicro-practices for self-compassion, nervous system regulation, and resilienceHow leaders at every level can redesign teams to support parents without sacrificing performanceOnly ~20% of people are thriving at work—and working mothers are disproportionately paying the price. This conversation reframes flourishing not as a perk, but as a strategic leadership responsibility and a deeply human necessity.__________________________________________________Happiness Squad Website: https://happinesssquad.com/Ashish Kothari: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashishkothari1/YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@MyHappinessSquadLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/happiness-squadFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/myhappinesssquad/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myhappinesssquad

The return-to-office debate has been hijacked by the wrong conversation. In this episode, Josh and Bob cut through the noise to reveal what's really driving RTO mandates—and it's not what most leaders will admit.There are two clouds hovering over every in-office decision: the Control Cloud and the Innovation Cloud. The Control Cloud is about distrust, micromanagement, and leaders who feel uneasy when they can't physically see butts in seats. The Innovation Cloud is about something entirely different—creating the conditions where teams can do their absolute best work together.Drawing from decades of experience building high-performing teams at companies like iContact, Teradata, and EMC, Josh and Bob make the case that co-located teams aren't just a preference—they're an innovation multiplier. They share stories of conference rooms turned into collaboration bootcamps, cube walls torn down with power drills, and the simple magic of a room erupting in applause when someone moves a sticky note to "Done."But this isn't about forcing people back to the office for control. It's about understanding what gets lost when we optimize purely for individual convenience over team collaboration. The watercooler conversations. The yelps from a frustrated tester that bring immediate help. The face-to-face tension that drives real innovation.Josh, who has debated this question with himself for fifteen years, finally lands on an answer: if he were building a team from scratch today, he'd build a co-located team of collaborative problem solvers. Not because remote can't work, but because the magic of true team collaboration is worth the commute.The question isn't whether you should return to office. The question is: which cloud is driving your decision? Stay Connected and Informed with Our NewslettersJosh Anderson's "Leadership Lighthouse"Dive deeper into the world of Agile leadership and management with Josh Anderson's "Leadership Lighthouse." This bi-weekly newsletter offers insights, tips, and personal stories to help you navigate the complexities of leadership in today's fast-paced tech environment. Whether you're a new manager or a seasoned leader, you'll find valuable guidance and practical advice to enhance your leadership skills. Subscribe to "Leadership Lighthouse" for the latest articles and exclusive content right to your inbox.Subscribe hereBob Galen's "Agile Moose"Bob Galen's "Agile Moose" is a must-read for anyone interested in Agile practices, team dynamics, and personal growth within the tech industry. The newsletter features in-depth analysis, case studies, and actionable tips to help you excel in your Agile journey. Bob brings his extensive experience and thoughtful perspectives directly to you, covering everything from foundational Agile concepts to advanced techniques. Join a community of Agile enthusiasts and practitioners by subscribing to "Agile Moose."Subscribe hereDo More Than Listen:We publish video versions of every episode and post them on our YouTube page.Help Us Spread The Word: Love our content? Help us out by sharing on social media, rating our podcast/episodes on iTunes, or by giving to our Patreon campaign. Every time you give,...

Send us a textWhat if one click could clean customer info, correct fuzzy data, and quietly cut a third of your skips before they happen? That's the promise Dan Jobrack of DataTrue brings to the shed and RTO world, where risk is high, margins are thin, and recovery costs pile up fast. We go deep on how front-end verification and back-end skip tracing can transform operations without ever touching a credit bureau.Dan explains why blacklists are a trap for RTO companies that promise “no credit checks,” and how real-time verification checks names, addresses, phones, and references across 40 sources to standardize decisions. We explore the cost math most owners overlook—crew time, truck rolls, dead-end calls—and how eliminating fuzzy data upfront prevents expensive charge-offs later. When contracts go sideways, we unpack Pursue for locating skips through properties and relatives, plus Skip Find Plus, a long-term “watch” tool that surfaces new addresses and employers years later.We also tackle thorny questions that shed pros keep asking. Should you use geotags to track buildings, or will trespass limits and device removal make them less useful than data-led recovery? Is it wise to label a returned building as a “repo,” or does “previously rented” protect both customer dignity and your reputation? Along the way, we highlight ethical referral marketing from verified contacts, seamless integrations with RTO platforms, and free training that makes clarity the default.If you sell, rent, or recover sheds, trailers, or portable buildings, this conversation will sharpen your process and protect your bottom line. Subscribe, share, and leave a review so more builders and dealers can find the tools that keep promises honest and assets where they belong.For more information or to know more about the Shed Geek Podcast visit us at our website.Would you like to receive our weekly newsletter?  Sign up here.Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube at the handle @shedgeekpodcast.To be a guest on the Shed Geek Podcast visit our website and fill out the "Contact Us" form.To suggest show topics or ask questions you want answered email us at info@shedgeek.com.This episodes Sponsors:Studio Sponsor: Shed ProSolar BlasterCardinal ManufacturingDigital Shed Builder

They say it's about collaboration and face-to-face interactions - but you're still expected to join your virtual meeting in a private call booth.So, what's really behind these RTO mandates? If the research shows better work-life balance and productivity when employees have the option to work remotely, what's the big push for the big return? Does work-from-home still exist six years after the pandemic?Host Catherine Jette speaks to Kathy Chow, a Toronto-based writer who wrote a piece called "Welcome Back to the Office. You Won't Get Anything Done.". The two discuss corporate culture's inability to prioritize the employee, how women are disproportionately affected by RTO mandates, and how surrounding suburbs of big cities can fall victim to the return to the office. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

professorjrod@gmail.comIn this episode of Technology Tap: CompTIA Study Guide, we dive deep into the concept of cybersecurity risk and why it's a critical factor in your IT skills development. Forget common myths and technical jargon — this episode breaks down risk into understandable elements: threat, vulnerability, likelihood, and impact. Perfect for CompTIA exam candidates, we provide practical IT certification tips that turn abstract fears into concrete strategies to protect your digital assets. Whether you're prepping for your CompTIA exam or interested in technology education, this discussion equips you with essential knowledge for effective tech exam prep.We walk through inherited risk (your baseline exposure) and residual risk (what remains after controls), and explain why zero risk is a dangerous fantasy. From there, we unpack the four response strategies—avoidance, mitigation, transfer, and acceptance—using clear examples you can bring to your Sec+, Net+, or A+ studies and your day job. You'll learn when quantitative numbers help, when qualitative scales are more honest, and how heat maps can mislead when assumptions go unchallenged.Because modern exposure doesn't end at your perimeter, we dive into vendor risk management: evaluating partners before you sign, setting expectations with NDAs, MSAs, SLAs, SOWs, and rules of engagement, and keeping continuous oversight to match changing realities. We also connect the dots to business impact analysis, translating risk into recovery targets with MTD, RTO, RPO, and WRT so you prioritize mission essential functions instead of treating every system the same. Finally, we clarify the role of internal and external assessments and demystify penetration testing as a snapshot that challenges assumptions rather than a guarantee of safety.If you want security that aligns with real-world priorities, this conversation gives you the mental model and vocabulary to make better decisions under uncertainty. Subscribe, share with a teammate, and leave a review with one insight you're taking back to your org. What risk will you accept—and why?Support the showArt By Sarah/DesmondMusic by Joakim KarudLittle chacha ProductionsJuan Rodriguez can be reached atTikTok @ProfessorJrodProfessorJRod@gmail.com@Prof_JRodInstagram ProfessorJRod

Send us a textDemand isn't dead; it's different. After a year where unit volumes stayed flat and consumer wallets tightened, we break down how the best manufacturers and dealers still grew by focusing on strategy over chance. We share what we're seeing across hundreds of conversations—why diversification beyond storage, smarter financing, and story-led marketing are separating the leaders from the pack—and how to apply those moves without burying cash in inventory.We look at display-first lots that use a few high-impact models and cutaway demos to showcase options like ventilation, doors, windows, insulation, and finish-outs, while 3D configurators do the heavy lifting. We unpack the role of RTO and consumer financing side by side, with simpler terms and broader approvals that remove friction at checkout. We also tackle the dealer model question—consignment versus wholesale—and outline hybrid approaches that improve margins, brand control, and the ROI of your marketing spend.From SEO-driven content to podcasts, customer walkthroughs, and on-lot video, we explain why clear buyer avatars and narrative proof are outrunning generic ads. We share our own plans too: refreshed consulting with industry veterans, a next-gen media kit for sponsors, and a local display-first lot to keep our hands dirty and our insights sharp. If you want to win in 2026, tighten your offers, simplify the path to purchase, and tell your story everywhere your buyers look.Enjoy the conversation and then take action—subscribe, share with your team, and leave a review so more builders and dealers can find it. What move will you test first?For more information or to know more about the Shed Geek Podcast visit us at our website.Would you like to receive our weekly newsletter?  Sign up here.Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube at the handle @shedgeekpodcast.To be a guest on the Shed Geek Podcast visit our website and fill out the "Contact Us" form.To suggest show topics or ask questions you want answered email us at info@shedgeek.com.This episodes Sponsors:Studio Sponsor: Shed ProShed SuiteThree Oaks Trading CoShed Challenger

People in Power Episode 20: Abigail Sawyer talks with Carrie Simpson, vice president of markets for the Southwest Power Pool, about her experience in energy, which goes back to the early 2000s when she worked as an energy trader for Enron. Since then Carrie has been involved in power markets in both the Western and Eastern Interconnection. She is anticipating the expansion of SPP's RTO—which will be the first organized wholesale market to operate in both interconnections—and also preparing for SPP's day-ahead market offering, Markets+, which will begin serving entities in the Western Interconnection in October 2027.

4pm: On this day in 2007, Steve Jobs debuts the iPhone // Microsoft layoff rumors ‘100 percent made up,’ exec says // Microsoft scoops up Redmond office space before RTO deadline //  ‘An incomprehensible nightmare’: grief turns to anger over Swiss bar fire as Le Constellation owner arrested // ‘Worst in Show’ CES products include AI refrigerators, AI companions and AI doorbells 

6pm: On this day in 2007, Steve Jobs debuts the iPhone // Microsoft layoff rumors ‘100 percent made up,’ exec says // Microsoft scoops up Redmond office space before RTO deadline //  ‘An incomprehensible nightmare’: grief turns to anger over Swiss bar fire as Le Constellation owner arrested // ‘Worst in Show’ CES products include AI refrigerators, AI companions and AI doorbells 

Send us a textBuyers don't want homework; they want a simple way to say yes. We sat down with finance veteran Joel Oney to unpack how point‑of‑sale financing helps shed, post‑frame, and steel builders close more deals, protect margins, and keep sales moving through winter without slashing prices. From six‑month no interest, no payment promos to fast soft‑pull decisions at the lot, we break down the practical playbook that turns “I'll wait for my tax refund” into “Let's get it scheduled.”We get honest about the role of RTO and where it shines, then zoom in on the growing segment that prefers traditional loans—especially for bigger, anchored projects up to $100k. Joel shares why loans reduce repossession headaches, how underwriting tailored to this industry improves approvals, and what makes financing a true value add instead of an afterthought. If you're expanding into steel or post‑frame, this is your roadmap to funding complex builds and site prep with clarity.Macro matters, too. Housing has cooled and mortgage rates follow the bond market, not Fed headlines. That shift affects backyard storage demand and consumer confidence, which means your sales team needs better tools, not deeper discounts. We talk liquidity, price discipline, and leading through uncertainty—plus the simple sales flow that sets payments early, positions RTO and financing side by side, and removes friction at checkout. Walk away with concrete strategies to boost conversions, preserve margin, and stand out when every shed starts to look the same.Want more episodes like this? Subscribe, share with a teammate, and leave a quick review to help others find the show. Got a question about adding financing to your lot? Drop us a note and tell us what you want us to cover next.For more information or to know more about the Shed Geek Podcast visit us at our website.Would you like to receive our weekly newsletter?  Sign up here.Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube at the handle @shedgeekpodcast.To be a guest on the Shed Geek Podcast visit our website and fill out the "Contact Us" form.To suggest show topics or ask questions you want answered email us at info@shedgeek.com.This episodes Sponsors:Studio Sponsor: Shed ProMaking Sales SimpleCALIFAB

Send us a textThe shed business isn't simple anymore—and that's a good thing if you know how to harness it. We take you behind the scenes of our five-year arc, share the wins and stumbles that pushed us to relaunch Shed Geek Marketing, and get practical about what actually moves revenue when buyers start online and finish on their terms.We dig into a hard question that reshapes everything: what is a lead for your model? If you run a high-volume, SEO-driven engine, a name and phone number can be enough when you have a team ready to engage within minutes. If you're a lot-based closer handling walk-ins and custom builds, you need richer context at the first touch—budget, timeline, use, and site constraints. Either way, speed-to-lead matters, but so does tone. Reaching out in thirty seconds can feel helpful or pushy, and the difference is your script, your offer, and whether the buyer asked for that help.You'll hear how we're aligning marketing and sales in a 2025 reality: clean websites with analytics, 3D configurators that convert, buyer guides that educate without pressure, and CRMs that automate qualification while keeping humans available when stakes rise. We talk partner tools that make proof visible—local delivery maps, photo galleries, and reviews tied to neighborhoods—because credibility is a growth multiplier. We also get honest about dealer economics: margin is thin, so disconnected tools are expensive. That's why we moved away from a pure white-label model to manage the customer experience in-house, coordinate specialists, and make sure ads, pages, and follow-up all point to the same goal.If you sell sheds, you're guiding one of the biggest purchases your customer will make. Clarity wins: pricing that makes sense, financing and RTO explained in plain English, timelines you can keep, and support that's one click away by phone, text, or live video. Ready to rethink your funnel, define your lead, and build a system that closes more of the right buyers? Follow the show, share this with your team, and leave a review with the one change you'll make this week.For more information or to know more about the Shed Geek Podcast visit us at our website.Would you like to receive our weekly newsletter?  Sign up here.Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube at the handle @shedgeekpodcast.To be a guest on the Shed Geek Podcast visit our website and fill out the "Contact Us" form.To suggest show topics or ask questions you want answered email us at info@shedgeek.com.This episodes Sponsors:Studio Sponsor: Shed ProThree Oaks Trading CoShed ChallengerLuxGuard

As an aging grid faces rising demand, increasing complexity, and more frequent stress events, one thing has become clear: we don't just need more power, we need power that can show up at the right time, in the right place, and at the right price. What's far less settled is how we get there. Should large energy users build their own power? Should they treat the grid as something to work around rather than work with? Or is there a way for new load to actively strengthen the grid by contributing capacity when it's needed most?This moment is being shaped by real market signals. Just two weeks ago, PJM, the largest power market in the U.S., cleared its latest capacity auction at the market cap yet again, underscoring how tight supply has become and how quickly affordability pressures are building. As data center demand accelerates, those pressures are no longer abstract, they're showing up in prices, planning decisions, and who ultimately pays.These questions have been a throughline for us this year on Watt It Takes. We've talked with founders working across the grid, from storage and interconnection to transmission and large-scale development. Today's conversation brings many of those threads together.Dana Guernsey and her team at Voltus are tackling that challenge at the intersection of demand and supply, turning customer-side flexibility into dependable grid capacity. Voltus sits between energy users and grid operators, aggregating flexible demand from sources like demand response, EV charging, batteries, and onsite generation, and translating it into dispatchable capacity that markets value and pay for. Voltus's business model is a value-share: the company monetizes that flexibility in energy markets and shares the resulting value with the customers providing it.Voltus operates across all major North American power markets, even in an industry where each ISO and RTO plays by different rules. Today, the company manages more than eight gigawatts of flexible capacity and supports tens of thousands of customer sites, with resources dispatched thousands of times each year.On this last episode of the year, I spoke with Dana Guernsey, Co-Founder and CEO of Voltus. We talked about her journey, from growing up in Queens, New York and coming of age around 9/11, to discovering energy markets during her time at EnerNOC, to founding Voltus while starting a family. That path shaped how Dana thinks about complexity, customers, and reliability, and ultimately led her to build Voltus into a platform designed to help make clean, affordable, and reliable power something we don't have to trade off against growth.About Powerhouse Innovation and Powerhouse VenturesPowerhouse Ventures backs seed stage startups developing innovative software to advance clean energy, mobility, and industry. If you are thinking about building something in this space, get in touch with our team.Powerhouse Innovation is a best in class consulting firm, powered by the strongest energy innovation network, data and team in our industry. We partner with world's leading corporations, investors, and utilities to source and evaluate disruptive startups shaping the future of energy and industry.To hear more stories of founders building our energy abundant future, hit the “subscribe” button and leave us a review.

Send us a textWhat does it take to turn three‑a‑day shed builds into a software platform that runs an entire industry? We sit down with Jason Graber to unpack that journey—starting in a Pickens, South Carolina shop and scaling to Shed Suite's vision of becoming the operating system for shed and carport businesses. Jason shares why you don't need to be a programmer to build meaningful software, how to turn field pain into product clarity, and why systems—not endless processes—unlock speed as you grow.We get tactical about the playbook: do the hard work manually first, then automate what you fully understand. Use AI not as a search engine, but as a thought partner to sharpen requirements, surface edge cases, and accelerate decision quality. From dispatch to e‑commerce and dealer management, we explore how openness and reliability beat feature lists, and why the true moat is a team's ability to innovate precisely and support customers relentlessly.You'll also hear what's next. Shed Suite is pushing into CAD‑driven configuration, material resource planning, and real per‑shed cost accounting—modeling components, labor, and consumption timing to deliver automatic job costing at scale. On the rental side, RTO Suite aims to replace legacy tools with an open API approach that closes the lifecycle loop: delivery, returns, repos, and resale routed cleanly through driver apps and inventory. Add in pragmatic features like order mapping for sharper marketing, and a services arm reserved for existing customers, and you get a focused path to modernize without chaos.If you lead a shed brand, carport operation, or RTO provider, this conversation offers a practical roadmap: think in systems, measure what matters, build for openness, and let innovation—not noise—set your pace. Subscribe, share this with a teammate who owns operations or finance, and leave a review telling us which workflow you're automating next.For more information or to know more about the Shed Geek Podcast visit us at our website.Would you like to receive our weekly newsletter?  Sign up here.Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube at the handle @shedgeekpodcast.To be a guest on the Shed Geek Podcast visit our website and fill out the "Contact Us" form.To suggest show topics or ask questions you want answered email us at info@shedgeek.com.This episodes Sponsors:Studio Sponsor: Shed ProThree Oaks Trading CoNewFound SolutionsCardinal ManufacturingShed Suite

I'm joined by Brian Turner and Kathleen Staks to unpack the details of the newly authorized Regional Organization for Western Energy (ROWE), a unique “à la carte” RTO designed to unify the western US grid without trampling on state independence. We discuss the transition from the existing imbalance market to a full day-ahead market, the safeguards built into the bylaws to protect state clean-energy policies, and the politics of getting 38 separate balancing authorities to cooperate. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.volts.wtf/subscribe

Strap in, kids — this week on The Chad & Cheese Podcast, the gang returns from skiing, globetrotting, and loudly judging their Spotify Wrapped to break down a blockbuster week in TA. First up: VONQ drops its biggest launch in years, rolling out its shiny new “Echo” platform like they're gunning for an Apple keynote. Did they finally build something the industry actually needs? Did they actually stick the landing? And is this the opening move in a coming acquisition play? We've got thoughts… lots of them. Then: Indeed pulls the ladder up — again. Anonymous job alerts? Gone. New walls? Higher. Data grabs? You bet your ass. We're diving into why job seekers are about to get screwed and why employers should be panicking yesterday. We're also hitting Instagram's five-day RTO mandate (spoiler: it's not about “saving employees from depression”), Australia's crackdown on under-16s on social media, and one of the most creative protest videos to hit Home Depot's parking lot. Plus: whiskey, fantasy football standings, union-staffing détente, and enough holiday chaos to make Santa call HR. It's spicy. It's snarky. It's peak Chad, JT, and Lieven. You've been warned.

December 4, 2025: In today's episode of Future Ready Today, I break down six major stories shaping the future of work. Nvidia's Jensen Huang pushes back on AI job doom while Geoffrey Hinton warns that massive unemployment may be unavoidable. AI is quietly restructuring the rhythm of the workweek, RTO mandates are tightening as employees turn to "microshifting," Microsoft moves aggressively toward an AI-native workforce, and Accenture partners with OpenAI to transform consulting at scale. Each story includes a futurist lens to help leaders decode the signals behind the headlines and build a truly future-ready organization.

Send us a textWant the truth about RTO, hybrid, and remote without the noise? We cut straight to the work: define how value is created, then choose the model that best serves it. With guest Nahed Khairallah, a veteran HR and scaling leader who's supported 150+ companies from seven to nine figures across multiple regions, we dismantle assumptions, expose the traps leaders fall into, and lay out a practical path to better outcomes.We start by flipping the debate. Instead of arguing over office days, we map work to value chains and ask which activities truly benefit from co-location and which thrive async. That lens reveals when hybrid can deliver leverage—and when it becomes an expensive way to sit on Zoom. We get specific: design collaboration rituals, align space and calendars to those rituals, and be transparent about why some roles are location-flexible while others must be anchored. We also unpack the perception risks of vague policies—how fairness gaps echo through morale, Glassdoor, recruiting, and even sales.Then we tackle hiring. Nahed shares repeat failure modes: rushing when overwhelmed, redefining roles mid-search, and running inconsistent interviews that can't compare candidates. We offer a concrete fix you can use today: gather stakeholders, define the role's place in your value chain, set observable success criteria for 30/90/180 days, separate must-haves from teachable skills, and build a structured assessment with a work sample and shared rubric. For roles outside your lane, bring in a subject matter expert to test depth and execution so you avoid buzzword hires and shrink ramp time.Finally, we talk culture—the compounding force most likely to make or break your growth. Culture isn't a handoff to HR. It's what leaders model, what they measure, and what they tolerate. Reverse a remote commitment or mandate office days without logic, and you teach the org that opinion beats evidence. Codify principles, connect them to planning and feedback, and keep decisions tied to outcomes like cycle time, quality, and revenue per head.If you're building fast and want your people practices to move faster, this conversation gives you a clear playbook. Subscribe, share with a founder who needs it, and leave a review with your biggest RTO or hiring myth—we'll tackle it in a future episode.Support the show

Send us a textUseful beats clever, every time. We open with the hard truth about why most content and sales conversations miss: they're built for the creator, not the customer. From there we get tactical. Shannon and Cord map the journey from problem unaware to purchase-ready, sharing practical ways to qualify buyer knowledge, read heat, and design messages that fit each stage. If you've ever watched a good lead go cold after a feature dump, this conversation offers a cleaner path: serve first, sell second, and match your offer to what the buyer is ready to hear.Cord's background adds weight to the playbook. Raised on a working farm, sharpened in big-agency work in Chicago, and proven through scaling a national franchise footprint, he brings an operator's eye to marketing. We talk about turning seasonal spikes into steady pipelines, finding adjacent offers your customers already want, and raising lifetime value by simply being more useful. One standout example: shifting “spring service” outreach to fall, bundling pickup, tune-ups, and trickle chargers to smooth demand and increase trust. Small changes in timing and framing can unlock meaningful revenue without more noise.We also share where Shed Geek is headed next. Expect more topical, timely episodes that spotlight what matters now, live ad reads that keep promotions current, and sponsored newsletter segments that deliver value first. We're bringing more consumer-facing moments into a B2B space so manufacturers, RTO partners, and suppliers can speak directly to shed buyers' real questions. As AI reshapes search and discovery, teams that educate clearly and show outcomes will win the clicks—and the customers.If this conversation sparked an idea you can use this week, tap follow, share it with a teammate, and leave a quick review. Your feedback helps us build more content that serves you.For more information or to know more about the Shed Geek Podcast visit us at our website.Would you like to receive our weekly newsletter?  Sign up here.Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube at the handle @shedgeekpodcast.To be a guest on the Shed Geek Podcast visit our website and fill out the "Contact Us" form.To suggest show topics or ask questions you want answered email us at info@shedgeek.com.This episodes Sponsors:Studio Sponsor: Shed ProCardinal ManufacturingSolar BlasterThree Oaks Trading CompanyNewFound Solutions

Is return to office really about “culture”—or is it quietly draining families, energy, and trust?In this episode, I unpack what's actually happening in your mind and brain when RTO policies shrink your choices, stretch your days, and turn Sunday nights into dread. You'll learn why lost autonomy registers as threat, how that shows up as jaw tension, irritability, and exhaustion, and why none of this makes you weak or “not a team player”—it makes you human.We'll walk through the science of motivation (autonomy, competence, and connection), allostatic load, and how your brain's stress chemistry changes when your work rhythm stops matching your life rhythm. Then I'll show you how to use the 5-step Neurocycle to translate “return to office rage” into practical redesigns: small, repeatable choices that protect family rituals, restore a sense of control, and rebuild culture based on trust instead of attendance. This episode is for parents, new grads, managers, and leaders who feel torn between policy and people—and who want a healthier way forward for both work and home.

This month's Policy Pulse episode with Traci and co-host Bryan Driscoll is packed with the compliance updates every HR leader needs heading into 2026. With new EEOC leadership officially in place, federal enforcement is shifting, state protections are becoming more critical, and workplace culture decisions are getting harder to navigate.Spoiler alert: You're about to feel major whiplash as protections from the past four years (DEI initiatives, pregnancy accommodations, gender identity policies, and more) face rollbacks. But state laws might be your lifeline.This conversation covers everything from DEI audits and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act to religious and gender identity protections, reverse discrimination claims, and a cultural reality check about office returns. You'll hear why one company's Halloween costume mishap revealed their broken culture, what managers actually need to know about anti-harassment training, and the single question every HR leader should ask before mandating people back to the office. Plus, Bryan walks through the most pressing questions he's getting from clients right now about navigating these changes without losing employee trust.What We CoverNew EEOC leadership and the anticipated rollbacks to DEI programs, pregnant workers protections, and gender identity policiesWhy auditing your DEI initiatives now isn't optional (it's survival)The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act: expanded protections facing the axe and what state laws might save youReligious and gender identity conflicts: expect stronger protections for religious objections and narrower interpretations of gender identityWhen federal law disappears, state law is your safety net and some states have serious teethThe culture-killing move: mandating office returns without a legitimate business reasonHow convincing employees signals distrust and guarantees compliance theater instead of real engagementWhy one Halloween costume revealed everything wrong with a company's cultureAnti-harassment training for managers vs. company-wide training: why you need both and why most companies miss thisThe real question HR leaders should ask before sending that RTO mandate: would I come in for that reason?Key Quote"Your response or lack of response when someone crosses a line in your organization, that is your culture." - Bryan DriscollConnect with Bryan here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryanjohndriscoll/ Connect with Traci here: https://linktr.ee/HRTraciDisclaimer: Thoughts, opinions, and statements made on this podcast are not a reflection of the thoughts, opinions, and statements of the Company by whom Traci Chernoff is actively employed.Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products or services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode.