Best Collisions Projects Podcasts (2025)

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The Apparent Meaninglessness of AI Benchmarks, plus How to Explain AI Opportunities to Others 34:14

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3h ago34:14

34:14

Every week brings a new AI benchmark. Higher scores. Bigger claims. Louder voices insisting this changes everything. And yet, when you put AI in front of a real business problem, none of that noise seems to help. In this episode, Rob and Justin dig into why AI benchmarks often feel strangely meaningless in practice and why that disconnect is the po…

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Sherry Phillips (CEO, Forbes Media)-Ep. 16 33:56

3d ago33:56

33:56

What does it take to break barriers, lead with vision and transform challenges into opportunities? For this episode of Withology, host Brian Tierney sits down with Sherry Phillips, Forbes Media's first woman CEO, to explore her extraordinary path from Philadelphia roots to media trailblazer. Together, they uncover how family values, community suppo…

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112. ‘Nebo Holiday Chorus and Orchestra’ and The Story Behind Handel’s Messiah and Performing It for the Community to Benefit Charity (with Manager and President Connie Manwaring) 33:12

9d ago33:12

33:12

Send us a text In this inspiring Christmas episode I sit down with Connie Manwaring, Manager and President of the Nebo Holiday Chorus and Orchestra, to explore the remarkable story behind Handel’s Messiah and the powerful tradition of using music to bless and uplift others. Connie shares the fascinating charitable history of Handel’s Messiah — incl…

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The Power BI Fundamentals Behind Expert Development and AI Simplicity, w/ Microsoft's Rui Romano 1:30:52

1h ago1:30:52

1:30:52

Everyone keeps asking whether AI kills Power BI or makes it stronger. Rui Romano flips that entire question on its head. As the Microsoft PM behind PBIP, TMDL, and all the file format work that rebuilt Power BI's foundation, he explains how the platform accidentally became one of the most AI-ready systems in analytics - and it wasn't by accident, n…

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111. ‘Lifting Hands International’ and Providing Humanitarian Aid to Refugees at Home and Abroad (with Founder and CEO Hayley Smith) 34:09

16d ago34:09

34:09

Send us a text In this powerful episode I sit down with Hayley Smith, founder and CEO of Lifting Hands International, a nonprofit dedicated to providing meaningful, needs-based aid to refugees around the world. Hayley shares the eye-opening story of how a two-week volunteer trip to Greece opened her eyes to the realities of the global refugee crisi…

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Why We Should Stop Paying Attention to the % of AI Projects which Fail (and Instead Learn Why the Others Succeed) 36:59

19d ago36:59

36:59

This episode starts with a familiar scene. A role opens, the applications pour in, and suddenly you're staring at a mountain of resumes that deserve real attention but arrive faster than anyone can process. The mix had everything… experienced candidates, newcomers trying to break in, and a growing stack of AI-generated submissions that looked sharp…

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110. ‘100 Women Who Care’ and Combining Charitable Gifts to Make a Meaningful Impact (with Chapter Founder Jessica Farnsworth) 29:14

25d ago29:14

29:14

Send us a text In this inspiring replay episode, I revisit one of the most impactful conversations I've had on the show — a deep dive into the giving-circle movement with '100 Women Who Care.' I personally joined my own local Utah Valley chapter after recording this episode over two years ago, and I've been attending quarterly meetings ever since. …

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S3E11 - Odette Mould: Turning Grief into a Lifeline for Bereaved Children 35:19

17d ago35:19

35:19

What do you do when the worst thing imaginable happens to your five-year-old, and the support you desperately need is 50 miles away? In this episode, Simon welcomes Odette Mould, founder of Harry’s Rainbow. When her son Harry died suddenly from an asthma attack, Odette didn’t set out to build a charity - she simply refused to let other families fac…

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Cat Negotiations, Dishonest Chatbots, AI vs AI in the Job Market, and More Real World AI Use Cases 44:33

1M ago44:33

44:33

Rob finally cracked his years long standoff with the podcast lair cat, and the fix was hilariously simple. That small victory ends up setting the tone for the whole episode, because everything that follows has the same energy: real problems that only make sense once you shrink the solution down. As Rob talks through the cat truce, Justin brings in …

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109. ‘Thanksgiving Heroes’ and Bringing Thanksgiving Dinner to Families Facing Food Insecurity (with Founder, Rob Adams) 30:37

30d ago30:37

30:37

Send us a text As Thanksgiving approaches, it’s easy to get caught up in meal prep and family plans—but this episode will inspire you to think about gratitude in action. I sit down with Rob Adams, Founder of 'Thanksgiving Heroes', a nonprofit that rallies over a thousand volunteers and hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations each year to deli…

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Customizing AI for Your Business is Crucial But It Isn't Hard 12:53

1M ago12:53

12:53

Everyone's talking about AI like it's plug-and-play. Spoiler: it's not. In this episode, Rob digs into why Big Tech's billions in AI R&D haven't yet turned into matching revenue — and what that means for the rest of us. The truth? The real business wins don't come from off-the-shelf models; they come from smart customization. Rob breaks down the "m…

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Rev. Luis Cortes (Founder and CEO, Esperanza)-Ep. 15 54:25

1M ago54:25

54:25

What inspires you to make a difference in your community? How can you turn faith into action? In this episode of Withology, host Brian Tierney dives into the remarkable journey of Reverend Luis Cortes, founder of Esperanza, a leading faith-based organization. He built a $111 million dollar organization with 800 employees that helps 35,000 people a …

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108. Why You Should Make Service Part of Your Family’s Holiday Traditions (and Ideas to Make It Happen) 30:08

2M ago30:08

30:08

Send us a text The holiday season can be busy and full—but it can also be deeply meaningful. In this solo episode I'm sharing why the holidays are the ideal time to build service into your family traditions, and how simple acts of kindness can bring more joy, connection, and purpose to this time of year. You’ll learn realistic, doable ways to serve…

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Is AI a Bubble? 9:50

1M ago9:50

9:50

When the bubble pops, what's left standing? Everyone's calling AI a bubble — and yeah, there's some wild stuff happening behind the scenes. Billions changing hands between the same few tech giants. Investments that look more like circular loans than innovation. But what if the real bubble isn't AI at all? Rob breaks down what's really inflating, wh…

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107. ‘Unified Sports’ and Promoting Social Inclusion Through Shared Sports Competition for Students With and Without Disabilities (with Teacher and Coach Haylee Whiteley) 29:09

2M ago29:09

29:09

Send us a text What if one program could transform an entire school’s culture—helping students with and without disabilities build real friendships, learn teamwork, and create a spirit of belonging? That’s exactly what Unified Sports is doing. It’s a high school program run through the Special Olympics that brings students with and without intellec…

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S3E10 - Patrick Kealey on Leading with Data and Heart for Transformation That Lasts 43:44

1M ago43:44

43:44

What if the key to driving lasting transformation isn’t more tools, but more belief? In this episode, Simon Crowther sits down with Patrick Kealey, Vice President of Global Operational Excellence and Quality at Benchmark’s Precision Technologies division. With decades of experience leading transformation across aerospace, energy, and electronics, P…

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Getting Specific with AI via Categories: Chat, Headless, and Embedded 36:07

2M ago36:07

36:07

Everyone's talking about AI. Almost no one's getting specific. And that's the problem. Rob and Justin break down the three categories that matter: chat agents you talk to, embedded assistants baked into your workflows, and headless systems running quietly in the background doing the grunt work nobody wants to do. This isn't theory. This is how AI i…

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106. 'Tabitha's Way Food Pantry' and Helping People Through Tough Times by Providing Temporary Food Assistance (with Founder and Executive Director Wendy Osborne) 31:07

2M ago31:07

31:07

Send us a text Food pantries and food banks across the United States are seeing record levels of demand right now for so many reasons — if you’ve ever felt that tug to volunteer, donate, or somehow get involved, now truly is the time. That’s why I’m resharing this meaningful episode that originally aired in February 2024 featuring 'Tabitha’s Way Fo…

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AI Agents for the Manufacturing Industry, w/ Interpak CFO Bill Krolicki 1:16:01

2M ago1:16:01

1:16:01

AI without the committee: Most manufacturers are still holding meetings about AI. Bill Krolicki just built it. As CFO of Interpak, he didn't wait for a strategy deck or a vendor pilot—he wired Power BI and Power Automate into a self-running operation. His bots read supplier emails, catch late shipments before they blow up production, and update the…

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105. ‘Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep’ and Providing Remembrance Portraits to Parents Experiencing the Loss of a Baby (with Coordinator and Volunteer Melanie Rodger) 37:44

2M ago37:44

37:44

Send us a text In this tender and moving episode, I revisit my conversation with Melanie Rodger from the nonprofit organization Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep—a group that provides the priceless gift of professional remembrance portraits to parents grieving the loss of a baby. Melanie shares her own story of losing her infant son and how that heartbrea…

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AI is "Just" a New Faucet, plus the Value of Getting Specific 35:06

2M ago35:06

35:06

Last week we got a facelift—new name, new look, same deep data dives. This week? We prove the rebrand wasn't just cosmetic. Rob kicks things off with a time machine moment: his first gig at Microsoft in the '90s, building the Windows Installer. The running joke back then? "Installing yesterday's apps tomorrow." Cut to 2025, and that exact same code…

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104. The Power of an Invitation: Why Being an Inviter Matters and How to Do It 22:04

2M ago22:04

22:04

Send us a text Have you ever stopped to think about the power behind a simple invitation? In this episode I share why being an inviter—someone who reaches out, includes, and connects—matters more than ever in today’s lonely world. You’ll hear how small, sincere invitations can change lives, what often holds us back from inviting, and three simple w…

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YOU are the AI Cavalry 15:04

2M ago15:04

15:04

Everyone's talking like AI is coming for your job. Rob's here to tell you it's coming for your skill set. If you already think in tables, models, and relationships, congratulations—you're built for what's next. This episode is part pep talk, part reality check, and all proof that data people aren't getting replaced. We're getting promoted. Rob take…

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103. Spreading Encouragement and Inspiration Through Motivational Running (with @runnerguywithasign Ben Lyne) 32:45

3M ago32:45

32:45

Send us a text Ben Lyne is a runner and for over 2 years he kept having the thought that he could use those regular runs to inspire and motivate others…by holding a sign while he ran that says ‘I Believe In You’. He finally got the courage to act on those thoughts a few years ago, and the reaction and feedback he’s received has been tremendous. He’…

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S3E9 - Kate Leto - Self-Awareness as Strategy: Leading with EQ 31:30

3M ago31:30

31:30

What if the real driver of strategy wasn't frameworks - but emotional intelligence? In this episode, Kate Leto - product leader, coach, and author of Hiring Product Managers: Using Product EQ to Go Beyond Culture and Skills joins us. With over 20 years of experience at startups, scale-ups, and global brands like Yahoo and Moo.com, Kate has seen fir…

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Can AI Go Straight from Requirements to Power BI Models? 40:34

3M ago40:34

40:34

Nobody loves requirements docs. They're the corporate equivalent of writing a novel just so someone can skim the back cover. The real question is whether you can ditch all that and go straight from "here's what I need" to a working Power BI model. In this episode, Rob and Justin push AI into that role and see what breaks, what builds, and what actu…

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102. ‘The Wellness Farm’ and Providing a Unique Space to Support Individuals Walking Through Grief and Trauma (with Founder and Director, Camille Hawkins) 38:16

3M ago38:16

38:16

Send us a text Camille Hawkins is the Founder and Director of ‘The Wellness Farm’, a place that aims to provide tangible ways to support individuals walking through grief and trauma. This is Camille’s second nonprofit she’s started from the ground up, so she shares about the realities of working in the trenches of the nonprofit world. A trained the…

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AI Isn't Magic - It's Middleware (And That's Good News) 35:17

3M ago35:17

35:17

Large language models aren't magic. They're pivot tables for words. That's the real breakthrough — not a crystal ball, not a robot overlord, but a new way to roll up all the noise in your business into something you can actually use. And that's why AI belongs in the middle layer. Just like BI gave you visibility across systems, AI is becoming the c…

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101. Service 101: 3 Doable Ways You Can Add Service to Your Life Today, This Week, and This Month 27:00

3M ago27:00

27:00

Send us a text When it comes to service, the most important part is the doing! We have to be able to take the steps that actually lead to action and start serving and helping in the ways we feel called to do in our homes, neighborhoods, and communities. In this episode I am giving you very actionable items: one you can do today, one you can do this…

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What Exactly IS an AI Agent? We Propose a Friendly, Non-Gatekeeping Definition 40:46

3M ago40:46

40:46

This isn't another AI think-piece, it's a full-on data brawl. Copilot is out here plagiarizing Rob's pivot table crusade while the self-appointed nerd police try to lock down the definition of agentic AI. Meanwhile, thirty years of fantasy football become the unexpected proof that tuning beats buzzwords every single time. What starts as a slip from…

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100. Celebrating 100 Episodes (!!!) and Sharing Nuggets of Wisdom and Advice From Podcast Guests 14:41

3M ago14:41

14:41

Send us a text On this episode I'm celebrating 100 Episodes of the 'Do Something More' podcast! At the end of each episode, I ask my guests to give general advice for how people can serve, volunteer, and give back to their communities. I took eight of those nuggets of wisdom and rolled them all together to mark this 100th episode. Come and be inspi…

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Is CoPilot the End of Filters? (Plus a Cautionary Tale) 46:35

3M ago46:35

46:35

Pivot tables finally auto-refresh. Humanity wins, but our host Rob Collie is still annoyed. Why? Because he asked for it back in 2007 and got shot down. That little gripe kicks off a bigger conversation: what else in data is overdue for a shake-up? Copilot might be next. Forget filters. Forget dashboards. Rob put it to the test on his beer-league h…

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The "Steal My Money" Lever: A Timely Tale of Data Saving the Day 14:16

4M ago14:16

14:16

Every campaign has it: that shiny "more reach, lower cost" lever that looks like marketing gold but really just siphons your budget into digital quicksand. We pulled it. The metrics looked fantastic. And that's exactly how we knew we'd been had. In this episode, Rob breaks down a real-world lesson in false signals, phantom clicks, and why data disc…

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S3E8 - Martin Reeves - Reimagining Strategy with Biology and Creativity 45:02

4M ago45:02

45:02

What if imagination was the ultimate competitive advantage in business? In this episode of the Strategy Hero Podcast, Simon Crowther is joined by Martin Reeves, Chairman of BCG Henderson Institute and a biology-trained strategist with over 36 years at BCG. Martin draws from his background to frame companies as adaptive systems, discussing strategy …

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Even in the AI Era, Communication is the Central Theme 31:32

4M ago31:32

31:32

AI is rewriting the rules of analytics. Copilot can pull answers straight from your semantic model and bypass the dashboard entirely. But for all the tech fireworks, the same old truth holds: communication is still the hardest part. Stakeholders don't always know what they want, builders don't always know how to translate it, and requirements docs …

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Episode 200: The Road Ahead for Data and AI 28:07

4M ago28:07

28:07

Two hundred episodes in, and we're done with the warm-up! Episode 200 finds Rob flying solo and pulling zero punches on the question everyone's quietly asking: what's the future of data work? No anniversary nostalgia here, just uncomfortable truths about AI bootcamps at Starbucks, semantic models going naked, and why being "pretty good" at anything…

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The "Dobie Moment" (The Awesome Power of AI/CoPilot Frontends - AND a Cautionary Tale) 29:27

4M ago29:27

29:27

Most of us have been in the trenches long enough to know when something's about to flip the script. And brother, we're standing at the edge of a cliff most data folks don't even see coming. Rob Collie thought he had Power BI figured out. Then Copilot did something impossible; it cracked a question that should've left it scratching its digital head.…

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S3E7 - Rita McGrath - Innovation in a Shifting World 43:06

5M ago43:06

43:06

Ever wonder how to succeed in a world that’s always changing? Professor Rita McGrath from Columbia Business School is disrupting how many of us think about strategy. Rita shares why holding onto fixed plans or competitive edges doesn’t cut it anymore, with examples like Kodak’s missteps and how companies like Fujifilm stay agile by empowering small…

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The Million-Token Myth and the Magic of Digital Colleagues 29:08

5M ago29:08

29:08

AI looks unstoppable… until you hand it a hundred pages of meeting notes. Rob and Justin dig into why context windows and token limits quietly run the show. That "million-token" brag from Google? More like weighing the Titanic in bananas. From Shakespeare to SharePoint, this episode shows why AI remembers the Roman Empire better than your company h…

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Semantic Models Give You (and Microsoft) the AI Upper Hand - Plus a History Lesson on Why Frontends Matter 41:59

5M ago41:59

41:59

Back in 2010, Tableau beat smarter tools with a better demo. No brain, all charm and the market loved it. Fast-forward to now: same playbook, new costume. The AI dashboard crowd is selling "natural language BI" with zero semantic model, zero memory, and a whole lot of LinkedIn swagger. In this episode, Rob and Justin revisit why Tableau's empty-cal…

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Everything's Real, Everything Matters, and Everyone Knows It w/ Quadrant Concrete CFO Joseph Graziano 1:06:20

5M ago1:06:20

1:06:20

Let's say your business runs on sun, sweat, and schedule precision. You've got crews in the field, materials that don't wait, and about 90 minutes to get it right before the product turns into a thousand-pound paperweight. That's the world Joseph Graziano lives in. He's the CFO of Quadrant Concrete and also the guy keeping the trucks moving, the fo…

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99. ‘Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah’ and Creating and Supporting Mentoring Relationships to Empower Youth (with President and CEO, Jill Sundstrom) 27:28

6M ago27:28

27:28

Send us a text 'Big Brothers Big Sisters' began over 100 years ago as an alternative to the juvenile justice system when a group of adults realized they could help vulnerable kids by giving them connection and meaningful relationships. Now with over 230 chapters in the United States, they have many programs to help youth reach their full potential …

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S3E6 - Neil Jurd OBE - Leading Through Chaos and Change 39:12

6M ago39:12

39:12

What does it take to lead with clarity in chaos? Neil Jurd OBE, former British Army officer, Sandhurst instructor, and LeaderConnect founder, shares how he guides global organisations. Shaped by high-stakes military operations, Neil’s philosophy hinges on connection and clear direction. In this episode, we unpack why leadership feels complex, how p…

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It's Time to Start Giving Power BI CoPilot a Serious Look (For End User Interaction) 25:25

6M ago25:25

25:25

It started as a side project. Rob Collie built a Power BI model for his rec league hockey team. Just for fun. Just to see what the data could say. But something weird happened. The dashboards were solid. The data model was solid. But, the users still had questions. And lots of them. And that's when it clicked: people don't think in slicers. They th…

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Connecting AI to Your Company's Internal Information 43:44

6M ago43:44

43:44

AI wants your data, but it can't handle the truth . . . "We'll just plug our data into ChatGPT." Sure. Sounds easy. Rob thought so too, right up until he hit token limits, had to install Python, and discovered that even two megabytes of transcripts was too much for the world's smartest models to handle. In this episode, Rob and Justin break down wh…

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98. ‘Royal Family Kids Camp’ and Hosting Fun and Uplifting Summer Camps for Children in Foster Care (with Camp Director, Kenra Keddington) 29:33

7M ago29:33

29:33

Send us a text Kenra Keddington has been a Camp Director for Royal Family Kids Camp for 22 years. These are week-long summer camps for 7 to 11 year old foster kids. Kenra says their main goal every year is to pour love and connection into each participant and give them the chance to just be a kid again. The camps are 100% volunteer run, with some o…

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An Inflection Point in AI? Understanding MCP and Multi-Agent 25:25

7M ago25:25

25:25

For a while, you could pretend AI was still a someday problem. Not anymore. Rob Collie and Justin Mannhardt are back, and this time they are tackling Model-Context-Protocol (MCP) and Multi-Agent Systems, two shifts that could finally put an end to the human copy-paste Olympics. This isn't about shinier tools. It is about AI that plugs in without th…

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S3E5 - Ray Collis - Reframing Transformation with Super Projects 43:14

7M ago43:14

43:14

What drives a project to transform an organization? In this episode, Ray Collis, co-founder of Growth Pit Stop, shares his “super projects” formula—blending ambition, confidence, alignment, complexity, and collaboration. You’ll learn how successful leaders manage bold initiatives by embracing uncertainty and fostering seamless team alignment. Ray’s…

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97. ‘I Love You, Bro Project’ and Supporting Men Through Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Programs (with Founder and CEO, Joe Tuia'ana) 37:50

7M ago37:50

37:50

Send us a text The story of Joe Tuia’ana’s nonprofit begins after he had the opportunity to help a man in a suicide crisis and literally love him off the ledge. After that experience, he learned that there weren’t any resources for men’s mental health and suicide prevention where he lived, so he decided to start creating them. Now he runs his nonpr…

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Confessions of a Data Gener w/ Sakiko Stickley 1:02:18

7M ago1:02:18

1:02:18

Sakiko Stickley joins Raw Data to share a story that is part inspiration, part revelation, and a whole lot of truth-telling. From the first moment she discovered Power Pivot, Sakiko did not just learn data. She lived it. She rewired reporting systems, survived micromanagers, and navigated the strange realities of big consulting firms, all while qui…