Leadovation

About Kelly McDonald:

Kelly McDonald is an acclaimed speaker who specializes in consumer trends and changing demographics. She is the president of McDonald Marketing and has authored four bestselling books on the customer experience, leadership, and marketing -- all from the standpoint of working with people "not like you".  Her book, How to Work With and Lead People Not Like You has been on two bestseller lists.

In this episode, De...

About Chip Conley:

Chip Conley is a renowned entrepreneur, best-selling author, and dynamic speaker celebrated for his innovative approach to leadership and hospitality. He founded Joie de Vivre Hospitality, transforming a single boutique hotel into the second-largest boutique hotel brand in the United States. In 2013, he joined Airbnb as Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy, mentoring its Millennial founders and guiding the comp...

About Greg Shove:

Greg is the CEO of Section and a 6x founder and CEO of tech-powered companies that rode 3 previous tech waves—Internet, Cloud, and Mobile—with $250M in exits. He’s also a founder at Machine and Partners, an AI consultancy helping companies identify and prototype AI products, and Personal Math, a newsletter for professionals in their 30s and beyond.

In this episode, Dean Newlund and Greg Shove discuss:

• AI’s abili...

About Philippe Johnson:

Philippe Johnson is a retired United States Air Force officer and advocate for principled and ethical leadership in public service. The son of a language teacher and career United States Army officer, he was raised in the United States, France, and Germany. During his 24 years on active duty, Lieutenant Colonel Johnson served as a fixed- and rotary-wing pilot, intelligence officer, and diplomat (military atta...

About Hugh Massie:

Hugh Massie is the Executive Chairman and Founder of DNA Behavior International – the Behavior and Money Insights Company. As a Titan 100 CEO and renowned Behavioral Solutions Architect, he approaches every opportunity with the proven perspective that “behavior makes money.” Through his analytical approach and AI-driven technologies, Hugh helps growth-minded leaders build “category king” people-centric businesses ...

About David Hirschfeld:

David Hirschfeld is a 35-year veteran of the software startup world whose journey began as a physics student at UCLA. He spent his early career at Computer Associates and Texas Instruments, then led software projects at Intel and Motorola. He launched his first successful startup software company, which grew to 800 customers in 22 countries, and sold it in 2000. David founded Tekyz Inc. in 2007 and spent 17 y...

About Michael Barbarita:

Michael Barbarita has owned and operated retail, manufacturing, and service companies for over 30 years. One of the retail companies he operated, called “Ski Town USA,” grew from $2.5 million to $8.0 million in less than 5 years. One of the products he manufactured was “Cookies To Scoop Frozen Cookie Dough,” which was featured on the QVC Home Shopping Network and was selected as one of the top 20 products in...

About Eric Charran:

Eric Charran is a visionary technology executive, thought leader, and author of Have You Ever Had a Boss That...: Succeeding in a Dysfunctional Workplace. With 25+ years at Fortune 500 firms like Microsoft and Capital One, he bridges cutting-edge technology with effective leadership.

His book tackles workplace toxicity and difficult managers, offering actionable strategies for professionals at any stage. Eric empo...

About Pankaj Singh:

Pankaj Singh—"Sing"—is a visionary leader who’s spent over 20 years revolutionizing businesses and building high-performance teams. As a former C-suite executive, he's driven double-digit growth, streamlined operations, and transformed organizations worldwide. But his real power comes from something unexpected: Mindfulness. Raised in an affluent family in India, Sing mastered classical music by age 13 but was res...

About Joel Zeff:

Joel Zeff creates energy. His spontaneous humor and vital messages have thrilled audiences for more than 25 years. As a national speaker, work culture expert, author, and humorist, Joel captivates audiences with a unique blend of hilarious improvisational comedy and essential ideas on work and life. He has shared his experience and insight on collaboration, leadership, change, communication, innovation, fun, and pas...

About Maurice Jenkens:

Maurice Jenkens is the founder and host of The Intuitive Leader™ Podcast, where he explores the power of intuition in professional settings and equips leaders with tools to foster psychological safety and trust within teams. With over 23 years of experience in sales and leadership, he helps organizations create sustainable, positive workplace cultures that encourage risk-taking and employee appreciation. Mauri...

About Jamie Henriod:

Jamie Henriod is a seasoned people leader and company culture architect with over 20 years of experience shaping high-performing teams at Zappos.com and other innovative startups. A trusted advisor to CEOs and Boards of Directors, Jamie has led people strategy, organizational culture, and employee engagement programs that drive both business success and meaningful workplace connections. With a career rooted in b...

About Susannah Robinson:

Susannah Robinson is the President and Founder of Partnership for Talent LLC, a consulting firm supporting small and mid-sized organizations with strategic human resources and organizational design. In her practice, Ms. Robinson serves as a fractional HR leader, working with multiple companies to implement best practices and drive business objectives through HR solutions. She has over 20 years of experience ...

About Ken Schmidt:

Ken Schmidt is one of the business world’s most in-demand executive advisors and speakers, driven by the acclaim he earned leading Harley-Davidson Motor Company’s against-all-odds turnaround in the 1990s from the brink of financial ruin to global dominance. He’s the author of Make Some Noise: The Unconventional Road to Dominance, the host of the Tailgating with Geniuses podcast, and co-founder of Torque Sessions L...

About Vishal Gondal:

Vishal Gondal is a prominent Indian entrepreneur known as the pioneer and Father of the Indian Gaming Industry. He founded Indiagames at the age of 16, scaling it internationally before its acquisition by Disney in 2011 for approximately $100 million. Vishal then transitioned into health-tech, establishing GOQii in 2014—a groundbreaking company promoting holistic wellness through advanced wearable technology and...

About Isaac MacDonald:

In his eight-year tenure at Trepwise, Isaac has consulted with over a hundred organizations and initiatives, including the New Orleans Youth Master Plan, the Jazz & Heritage Festival & Foundation, and the Orleans Public Defender’s Office. He received his B.A. in Urban Studies at Brown University, where he started the Urban Journal, an annual publication focused on building and sustaining the urban environments...

About Michelle Prince:

Dr. Michelle Prince, founder of MPrince Consulting, is a global leadership coach, HR tech advisor, and human capital consultant. With 30+ years in HR, she’s been a certified leadership coach since 2006 and holds a doctorate in organizational leadership, bringing 20+ years of global leadership expertise.

Michelle empowers professionals and organizations to achieve transformational growth and navigate challenges ...

About Rebecca Macieira-Kaufmann:

Rebecca Macieira-Kaufmann, a former Fortune 50 Global Executive, has a proven track record in business turnarounds, scaling ventures, and global expansion. Most notably, she led Citibank California out of a headline-making crisis in 2008, launching a decade-long career at Citigroup. As the Founding Member of RMK Group, she advises CEOs on leadership and strategic HR. Co-author of FitCEO: Be The Leade...

About Matt Leta: 

Matt Leta is an entrepreneur, digital product innovator, and #1 bestselling author with 20+ years of experience. He founded his first startup at 19 and went on to build and exit Dropr (an artist platform) and TABLE (a future-of-work platform). He later established HOO KOO E KOO, a remote company that helped 150+ startups, mid-size, and Fortune 500 companies—including Apple, Google, and JLL—with digital innovation a...