The Human Connection Podcast

Ever feel like entrepreneurship is a lonely road? You're not alone! This week, host Karl Pontau sits down with Deanna Dammers, a self-proclaimed "Chief Connection Officer" who's turned relationship-building into an art form—and a superpower for startups.

What You'll Discover:

The Magic of Real Listening: Why looking someone in the eye at a networking event beats scrolling through your phone

The $Million Introduction: How Deanna connec...

What if the key to stronger professional relationships was hiding in plain sight? Marketing strategist Talia Solomon shares her game-changing "birthday practice" – a surprisingly simple habit that's transformed how she connects with colleagues, clients, and teams over her 15-year career.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why birthdays are psychological goldmines for meaningful connection
• How to turn a 30-second calendar entry into...

Ever feel like you're hitting an invisible barrier just when you're about to reach your biggest goals? You're not alone, and you're not broken – you might just be experiencing what legacy alchemist Markus Neukom calls "the glass ceiling above your head."

In this eye-opening episode, Karl sits down with Markus, a strategic force multiplier who's spent over two decades helping founders and CEOs break through their biggest bottlenecks....

Ready to transform how you network? This week, host Karl Pontau sits down with the incredibly dynamic Mark E Sackett—a creative powerhouse who owns 13 businesses, lives between San Francisco and seat 3E on United Airlines, and has completely revolutionized networking through his "Art of Active Networking" events.

Mark shares the game-changing philosophy behind his global networking movement that spans 17 cities and 5 countries. Forg...

Ready to transform your business relationships and boost your success rate? Join host Karl Pontau as he sits down with business development expert Sharyn Abbott, who shares her battle-tested strategies that helped over 2,500 clients achieve 25-50% growth in their first year!

What You'll Discover:

- The Power Partner Coffee Method - Turn networking into a 1-in-5 client conversion rate (vs. 1-in-20 at traditional events!)

- Speaking You...

Ready to transform your sales process? Join host Karl Pontau as he sits down with four-time CMO Sebastian Pistritto, who reveals the simple mindset shift that cut his client's sales cycle in half and boosted their average order value from $28K to $150K.

What You'll Discover:

Why "one-size-fits-all" customer approaches are killing your deals

The magic of the "Why" question technique that turns prospects into partners

How to speak differ...

Ever feel like you're terrible at reading the room or connecting with your team? You're not alone! This week, host Karl Pontau sits down with empathy coach Erin Thorpe to explore why so many leaders struggle with emotional connection—and how to fix it.

Erin breaks down the "emotionally constipated" leader phenomenon (yes, that's a real thing!) and shares practical tools to start flexing your empathy muscle. From the simple "1% more ...

Ever wonder why you'll drive 20 minutes out of your way for your favorite coffee when there's a perfectly good café next door? That's the power of branding, and it's exactly what Jolie Goodson unpacks in this episode.

With 30+ years in advertising and marketing, Jolie launched her top-rated podcast "Branding Matters" during the 2021 lockdown when she noticed everyone jumping online to sell without first figuring out their why. Now s...

Join host Karl Pontau for an eye-opening conversation with Chelsea Burns, CEO of The Marketing Psychologist, as she reveals why belonging isn't just "fluffy" business talk—it's actually as essential to human health as food itself!

What You'll Discover:

Why 95% of buying decisions happen in the subconscious (and how to tap into that!)

The surprising connection between belonging and physical health

Chelsea's brand-new BELONG Framework fo...

Ever feel like your business relationships are either too shallow or too complicated? Josh Tapp, founder of The Pantheon, joins host Karl Pontau to flip the script on how we think about professional connections.

In this candid conversation, Josh reveals why the loneliest entrepreneurs aren't actually alone – they're just surrounded by the wrong kind of relationships. He shares the counterintuitive truth that the best business friend...

Feeling buried under daily tasks and struggling to connect with customers? You're not alone! This week, Karl sits down with Rob Bedell, who specializes in liberating entrepreneurs from the burden of doing everything themselves.

What You'll Discover:

The $10 Test: A simple way to identify which tasks are eating up your valuable time

The Magic 3 Questions: What to ask your best clients to unlock explosive growth (one insurance company w...

What if the secret to building a thriving business culture starts with asking yourself three simple questions? This week, host Karl Pontau sits down with executive coach Chris Kenny to explore how authentic leadership begins from within.

Chris, a "recovering lawyer" turned leadership guide with 35+ years of experience, shares the three profound questions that changed everything for his high-achieving clients: Am I living authentical...

Ever wonder why so many promising startups struggle to get noticed by investors or customers? This week on The Human Connection, host Karl Pontau sits down with Kyle Kostesich, an executive creative director who's spent 20 years helping everyone from Ritz-Carlton to Pfizer nail their brand strategy.

Kyle drops some serious truth bombs about why early-stage companies think branding is just "nice to have" – spoiler alert: they're dead...

Ever feel like your phone is stealing your life, one scroll at a time? You're not alone – and Barcelona-based entrepreneur Clara Nafria has a brilliant solution that'll make you rethink how technology can actually bring us closer together.

In this episode, Clara shares how her platform Woop Do is flipping the script on social apps by getting people off their screens and into meaningful real-world experiences. Think of it as your per...

Join host Karl Pontau as he sits down with Todd Nilson, founder of Clocktower Advisors, to explore why your business needs genuine community—not just another social media following.

What You'll Discover:

The Community vs. Audience Game-Changer: Why treating customers like passive observers is leaving money on the table, and how real engagement transforms one-time buyers into lifelong advocates.

The Resilience Factor: How online commun...

In this eye-opening episode, host Karl Pontau connects with Todd Attridge, founder of The Studio, a team-based app that helps predict and reduce workplace stress before it happens. Todd reveals that a whopping 92% of workplace stress comes from the people we work with, not the work itself!

Discover why miscommunication, different perspectives, and feeling unvalued create friction points between colleagues, and learn practical strate...

In this episode, host Karl Pontau connects with Ashley Faus, a marketer, writer, and speaker whose work has been featured in Time, Forbes, and more. Ashley shares insights from her upcoming book on human-centered marketing, challenging businesses to move beyond spreadsheets and dashboards to focus on authentic human relationships.

Discover why the "learn more" CTA needs to die, how explicit communication builds trust, and why viewin...

In this eye-opening conversation, host Karl Pontau connects with Desmond Lomax, a senior consultant with the Harbinger Institute and licensed clinical therapist specializing in humanizing the workplace. With 20 years of experience in public safety, Desmond reveals how self-deception prevents us from building effective workplace relationships.

Discover how we often justify treating others as objects rather than humans, focusing only ...

Are you trapped in your own personal "Bermuda Keep-in-Touch Triangle"? In this heartwarming episode, host Karl Pontau connects with Jason Levin, founder of Ready Set Launch and author of "Relationships to Infinity."

Jason reveals why we're so bad at maintaining relationships (hint: guilt, fear, and worry are the culprits) and shares practical strategies for breaking free from these emotional barriers. Discover the power of "positive...