The Tech Glow Up - Fabulous conversations with innovative minds.
Get an unprecedented front row seat to vulnerable founder conversations with innovation leaders from Blockbuster, Meta, Sony, Cisco, Nokia, and more. Join Nathan C, founder of Awesome Future, for authentic discussions with product leaders, CEOs, and startup founders who share the real challenges of bringing breakthrough ideas to market. Because having a good idea is only the first, easiest part of the entrepreneurial journey. Each episode delivers relatable stories and actionable strategies from people who've navigated the startup trenches. Discover the soft skills and mental resilience that separate successful launches from failed attempts—without getting bogged down in tech jargon. Perfect for founders, product leaders, and entrepreneurs seeking genuine advice on innovation, scaling, and surviving the long haul. These aren't polished product pitches, they're honest conversations about staying in the game until your idea hits. Subscribe to The Tech Glow Up and transform your approach to building successful companies. What is a glow up - you might ask? A "glow up" is defined as "a positive transformation, often involving significant changes in appearance, confidence, or lifestyle. We use "Glow up" to refer to the process of becoming a better version of oneself, more attractive, and more successful. If you're a founder or a product leader who's looking to have a glow up of your own - or if you're a seasoned entrepreneur who's stories can support others, we'd love to hear from you. Please add you name to the guest list with the link in the show notes. Each episode will also feature a community spotlight for innovative NGOs, nonprofits, and other organizations that are driving innovation and change in their communities. There's another link in our bio for community groups and sponsors to learn more!
Episodes
Please join me in celebrating the 44th, and final episode of Season 1, with a very, very special guest. We'll be back soon with more stories of innovation and entrepreneurship from founders, CEO's and Product Leaders of disruptive and innovative products. - Nathan C.
Leslie Shannon, Head of Trend and Innovation Scouting at Nokia, reveals how a 160-year-old company continues to lead by relentlessly adapting, trend-spotting...
With over a decade in XR and a career that began in marketing and product development, Thaisa Yamamura is dedicated to bridging the gap between complex engineering and creative user needs, bringing innovative 3D, XR, and spatial computing technologies from prototype to market.
Thaisa Yamamura is the Head of XR Products and Business Development at Sony Electronics, where she leads the creation and launch of XYN, Sony’s new end-to-end...
Aidan Wolf is the Co-Founder and CEO of DreamPark, a company reinventing the future of theme parks by bringing massive, multiplayer, mixed-reality experiences anywhere—malls, parks, or even your own backyard.
With a background spanning games, social apps, and AR, Aidan and his team are proving that immersive play can spark joy, community, and real-world revitalization.
Key Takeaways:
- Downloadable Theme Parks: DreamPark ...
Meet the humble leader who used AR to send women to the moon and saved millions along the way! (And that's just one of the impressive things she's done with XR and AI!) Shelley Peterson is the founder of Wizard Wells and a pioneering leader in applying augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), and AI to solve real-world enterprise problems.
Drawing from her deep experience in aerospace and immersive tech, Shelley focuse...
Dr. Diane Bowser is Senior Manager of Emerging Technologies at Lenovo and founder of CodeReal, bringing a rare blend of R&D leadership, arts background, and startup hustle to the world of XR (extended reality) and wearables.
Key Takeaways:
- Bridging Startup and Enterprise: Diane operates at the intersection of nimble startup energy (CodeReal) and scale-driven corporate innovation (Lenovo). She encourages founders to blend cre...
Christina Heller is an Senior Producer at Meta Reality Labs Entertainment and multimedia producer with over 11 years of experience in XR innovation.
From launching two startups—VR Playhouse and Meta Stage—to producing indie film "Unexpected Treasures," Christina embodies the creative spirit that drives breakthrough storytelling across emerging media platforms.
Key Takeaways:
- Technology as Enhancement, Not Escape: Christ...
Jim Keyes, bestselling author of “Education is Freedom” and former CEO of Blockbuster and 7-Eleven, is a living example of how access to knowledge can transform a life. Jim’s journey began in a tumultuous, disrupted household, where independence was forced on him at an early age.
Rather than letting these disadvantages define him, Jim embraced education—not to climb the professional ladder, but as the ultimate pathway to freedom: f...
Nils Pihl is the CEO and founder of Auki Labs, a deep-tech company redefining how augmented reality (AR) can power meaningful social and business experiences. What started in 2019 as a passion project to create AR overlays for tabletop games like Warhammer quickly evolved into a multimillion-dollar company at the forefront of spatial computing. Nils shares his conviction that new business models and decentralized technology will fu...
Cathy Hackl, renowned futurist and CE “Godmother of the Metaverse,” is at the forefront of exploring how AI and immersive technologies are transforming human relationships, intimacy, and connection. In this episode, Cathy shares her personal experiments dating AI “boyfriends,” her vision for the future of dating, and why she believes technology can enhance—not diminish—our capacity for meaningful relationships.
Key Takeaways:
- Int...
Alex Rühl is an award-winning immersive creator, technologist, and innovation leader whose career spans VR content creation, enterprise consulting, and emerging technology strategy. As founder of Cats Are Not Peas and former Head of Emerging Tech at PwC, Alex has helped shape how global organizations adopt and scale immersive technologies.
Key Takeaways
- Roots in Innovation: Alex’s journey began with a fascination for new tech, in...
Megan Moseley is a somatic therapist and embodiment coach at BodyWise, with a 36-year background in physical therapy and extensive training in somatic psychology, interpersonal neurobiology, nervous system resiliency, trauma release exercise, and embodiment coaching.
She integrates these disciplines to help individuals and organizations shift from surviving to thriving by regulating the nervous system and fostering authentic self-a...
Part Two:
Charlie Fink is a veteran of the extended reality (XR) and tech media industries, known for his Forbes column, the AI/XR Podcast, having attended AWE (Augmented World Expo) nine times, written three books, and taught as a professor at Chapman University. His work now blends XR, AI, and storytelling, with a focus on what’s new and breaking in technology.
Key Takeaways:
- Shift to AI: Charlie’s focus has moved from XR to AI...
Charlie Fink is a leading voice in the world of innovation, extended reality (XR), and technology storytelling. Best known for his Forbes column, the AI/XR Podcast, and a decades-long career spanning Disney Animation, AOL, and multiple startups, Charlie shares his insider’s journey from the VHS era of Disney classics to the frontlines of AI-generated media.
Key Takeaways:
- Decades in Innovation: Charlie started in Hollywood as a p...
Dwayne King is the CEO and Co-Founder of Rutabaga, a startup building a decision intelligence engine that turns fragmented, unstructured customer insights into actionable knowledge accessible across the organization.
Rutabaga’s mission is to help companies become genuinely customer-centric by eliminating the barriers between scattered data, institutional memory, and daily decision-making.
Key Takeaways
- From Data to Action: Rutaba...
Johnny Hartman is the founder and CEO of Vision Systems, a company pioneering the use of advanced 3D visualization and neurotechnology to better understand the brain and unlock human performance.
Drawing on his background in both neuroscience and immersive technology, Johnny is building tools that allow researchers, clinicians, and athletes to visualize brain activity in real time, optimize training, and accelerate recovery.
Key Tak...
Patty Hayward is the General Manager of Healthcare and Life Sciences at Talkdesk, where she leads innovation at the intersection of AI, technology, and patient experience for healthcare organizations.
Key Takeaways
- Deep Personal Motivation: Patty’s passion for patient experience stems from her family’s struggle navigating complex healthcare for her mother. This drives her mission to simplify and humanize patient journeys.
- Tra...
Julie Smithson is the CEO of MetaVRse and co-founder of 6ix Ventures, a mission-driven family of companies building an ecosystem for the next generation of educational innovation. Recognized as a pioneering entrepreneur, Julie brings a unique blend of hands-on experience from launching 200+ immersive projects and a personal commitment to preparing future leaders to thrive in a world shaped by emerging technology.
Key Takeaways:
- F...
Ashley Coffey is the CEO of Coffey and Consult and host of the Coffey and Code podcast. She specializes in bridging the gap between technology and people, helping small and medium-sized businesses—especially in Oklahoma and the Midwest—leverage emerging technologies like AI for efficiency, profitability, and empowerment.
Key Takeaways:
- Making Tech Accessible: Ashley founded Coffey and Consult to bring innovation and technology co...
Melissa Hollis is the CEO and co-founder of Taylor Street Collective, a marketing and go-to-market strategy firm focused on helping startups and startup-adjacent service providers clarify their messaging and accelerate their growth.
With a background as the “vicarious entrepreneur,” Melissa has built her career by becoming the first marketing hire at numerous startups, driving foundational brand strategy, and working directly with ...
Dr. Jane Harrington is the CEO and Co-founder of Med Micro Maps, a company developing virtual reality experiences to teach microbiology and infectious disease concepts.
Key Takeaways:
- Med Micro Maps uses VR to create immersive, mission-based games for life science learners to explore viruses and bacteria.
- The company's approach combines color-coding, 3D visualization, and gamification to make learning microbiology m...
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