Meridian Point

Career Disruption as Strategy: Solving Problems & Moving On The Meridian Point Podcast Guest: Reha MalikHost: Kumar DattatreyanEpisode Date: February 2026Duration: ~45 minutes Watch on YouTube  THE MOMENT SHE SAID NO Lucrative CTO offer. Swedish company. Work from anywhere. Great compensation. Then Reha read the fine print: Hubstaff—employee monitoring software that tracks screen time, takes screenshots, monitors everything you do. She asked the CEO directly in the final interview: "Do you actually use this tool?" "Yeah," he said casually. "The previous guy liked it and we've kept it. We only use it where performance becomes an issue." Reha walked. Turned down the money. Returned her Amazon signing bonus to take a different role instead. Because six years into her career, she figured out something most people never do: money stopped being the motivator. Autonomy became everything. From basement database admin working night shifts to VP of AI & Machine Learning—Reha's built a 20-year career on one principle: solve the problem you were hired to solve, then move on. Not when you're bored. Not when it's convenient. When the mission is complete. WHAT YOU'LL HEAR The Swedish CTO offer: Why she walked away from great money over employee monitoring software—and what it taught her about non-negotiables "Stop sending people to Google": Her bosses told her to stop "losing" talent. She kept pushing interns to top-tier companies anyway. The international student story that proves why. The certification trap: Accumulating 12+ Agile certifications (CSM, CSP, SPC, IC Agile) before realizing they were pulling her away from what she actually loved Capital One near-miss: The best career move she almost didn't make—and how a rejected VP interview led to her most important mentor Discomfort as compass: Why she hated basements, night shifts, and Sybase databases—and how knowing what you DON'T want shapes better careers than chasing what you do Skill density vs. headcount: Fighting to hire one superstar instead of three people you'd have to micromanage—and why efficiency beats utilization every time Teaching GMU students: Bridging the gap between what textbooks say and what actually happens in American tech workplaces Outgrowing mentors: The conversation nobody has—why you need different mentors for different seasons and it's okay to move on The 2-3 year pattern: How to know when you've solved the problem and it's time to leave (hint: not when you're bored) KEY QUOTES On career strategy: "I don't leave because I'm bored. I leave because I've solved the problem I was hired to solve. When things become status quo, that's when I know I'm done." On autonomy vs. money: "You're trying to maximize utilization—focused on getting a seat warmer whose utilization you can maximize instead of focusing on efficiency. I can't do this. It's very against the principles I stand for." On developing talent: "I wanted to hire really smart, driven, motivated people and just push them. If you decide to stay, that's great. If you don't, that window is still open. My CTO said 'Reha, we need them here, not there.' I said, 'They deserve it.'" On discomfort: "Discomfort became my compass. I knew very early on that while I didn't know what inspired me, I really knew what I needed to eliminate. I hated basements. I loved people." On the certification trap: "I had 12+ Agile certifications. Then I realized they were pulling me away from tech toward pure coaching. I didn't want that. I wanted to stay technical." On mentorship evolution: "You don't need the same mentor for everything. As you move in your career and your aspirations change, your mentors also change. Nobody told me this. I had to figure it out for myself." On AI: "This generation has lived through a pandemic, a possible World War III, Y2K for the folks who remember. AI is nothing. We'll live through it." ABOUT REHA MALIK 20 years of technology leadership spanning Freddie Mac, Comscore, Fannie Mae, Capital One, and Alpha Omega Integration (VP of AI & Machine Learning). Started as a Sybase DBA working night shifts in a basement. Built a career on choosing principles over paychecks. 2024 WashingtonExec Pinnacle Awards Finalist for AI Executive of the Year. Current: Independent technology consultant specializing in AI/ML strategy, leadership coaching, and organizational transformation. Adjunct faculty at George Mason University teaching data science and big data analytics. Philosophy: Solve problems and move on. Develop people beyond organizational boundaries. Efficiency over utilization. Principles over paychecks. Discomfort as compass. Lives in Gainesville, VA. Currently based in India doing flexible consulting work. Daughter attending high school in India (10th grade boards—a critical year). Military family background (father and both grandfathers served). Advocates for Women in Technology and wrote influential blog post about outgrowing mentors that challenges conventional wisdom about mentorship relationships. CONNECT WITH REHA LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/reha-malik-48701361 Available for: Independent consulting (technology leadership, AI/ML strategy, transformation) Executive coaching and mentorship Speaking engagements Guest lectures (data science, leadership, career strategy) If you're an early-career engineer or international student feeling stuck—reach out. She might just push you to apply to Google when you think you're not ready. View Full Playlist: The Meridian Point TAKE THE NEXT STEP The Disruptor Method™ Assessment Find out how your leadership team actually collaborates (or doesn't). Discover where silos are bleeding your revenue and innovation. https://thedisruptormethod.com/quiz Subscribe to The Meridian Point New episodes every other Tuesday at 12:30 PM Eastern, live on LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube. Real conversations with people who've turned disruption into competitive advantage. #CareerStrategy #Leadership #AILeadership #TechCareers #Mentorship #WomenInTech #OrganizationalTransformation #DisruptorMethod

The Billion-Transaction Problem Everyone Ignores (Until Now) Guest: Ron Healy, Founder of EPAL Global Host: Kumar Dattatreyan Episode Date: January 27, 2026 Duration: ~40 minutes Watch on YouTube Why You Need to Listen to This Episode Ever see a massive business opportunity hiding in plain sight—in the last place anyone would look? Ron Healy found one. In regulations. While most executives spend millions trying to comply with cross-border tax rules, Ron built a company solving a problem that affects 2.4 billion transactions per year. He did it by cleverly combining three separate regulations into one streamlined solution. But this isn't just a startup story. Ron spent twenty years as a bus driver, sign language interpreter, computer science lecturer, and product innovation consultant. He coined the term "Minimum Compliant Product" in 2016. He calls himself an "anarchist with a small A." And he's brutally honest about agile fundamentalism: "I don't want my brain surgeon learning on the job." This is about reframing how you see constraints—whether they're regulations, methodologies, or the status quo everyone accepts without question. What You'll Learn in This Episode Regulation Isn't Red Tape—It's Rocket Fuel Most organizations panic when regulations change. Ron gets ahead by 3-5 years. You'll hear how one of his clients became the market leader by building products years before the regulation hit—while competitors scrambled. Minimum Compliant Product: The Missing Framework In 2016, Ron coined this term to fill the gap between MVP and reality. If your product isn't compliant, it's neither viable nor marketable. He explains how teams chase shiny features while ignoring the foundational requirements that actually create competitive moats. Why Agile Fundamentalism Is Killing Your Transformation "If it's not Scrum, it's not Agile." Ron calls BS. Agile is a continuum, not a methodology. Some situations demand waterfall (brain surgery, Mars missions), others demand pure agile. Most need something in between. The Three-Regulation Hack Ron explains exactly how he combined EU import rules, "reasonable method" standards, and German compliance definitions to create EPAL Global—solving the UK post-Brexit nightmare where businesses simply stopped selling into Europe. "What Would Need to Be True for That to Work Here?" Instead of accepting "that won't work here," Ron reframes it as an innovation opportunity. This single mental model shift changes everything. Innovation Without Profit Metrics Ron's working with Ireland's National Railway—an organization that doesn't care about profit, only public service. He shares how to drive innovation when traditional business metrics don't apply (Bluetooth beacons helping blind passengers navigate stations independently). The Bus Driver → Entrepreneur Path Twenty years. Ten different careers. From London Transport driver to sign language interpreter to computer science lecturer to startup founder. Ron shares what finally made him go back to college in his thirties—and how being in the "real world first" gave him an unfair advantage. Best Quotes from This Episode On Regulation: "I've always believed that if you understand the rules and you can apply them to your advantage, nobody can complain, particularly the regulators." On Agile: "Agile is not a methodology—it's about adapting to the real world, to the environment, to the outcomes, to the values." On Minimum Compliant Product: "If a product is not compliant, it's neither viable nor marketable." On Opportunity: "When everybody else is panicking, how do we sell them our product? Because change is going to happen." On AI: "It's not about what AI is going to do. It's about what can we do with AI that we couldn't previously do." On Status Quo: "If you have a thought in your head that's like, 'why is this this way?' Explore it. If the question still nags days later, that's an opportunity for innovation." On Corporate Innovation: When building an innovation lab at a conservative pension fund firm, Ron created a Jira status called "It's Ron's Fault"—removing the fear of failure by giving people a place to put blame. It became a company-wide joke that unlocked experimentation. The Lightning Round Q: Coffee or tea? Ron: "Italian coffee. Straight black." Q: Most overrated agile practice? Ron: "Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)—not because it's wrong, but it's oversold." Q: Next big regulatory change creating disruption? Ron: "Customs duties on digital products, and AI compliance regulations." Q: Decision that shaped your approach to innovation? Ron: "Going to college in my early thirties. It opened my eyes to how much I already knew from the real world, and how much could be innovated using technology." Q: Daily habit for spotting opportunities? Ron: "Never assume the status quo is right. If a question nags you for 2-3 days, explore it as an innovation opportunity." About Ron Healy Ron splits his time between Dublin, Ireland and Como, Italy. He's a product innovation consultant with a twenty-year career spanning bus driving, sign language interpretation, computer science academia, and product management. He coined "Minimum Compliant Product" in 2016. He advises Ireland's National Railway and Fortune 500 companies on regulation-driven innovation. He's self-described as an "anarchist with a small A" who believes the status quo should never be assumed correct. In 2025, he launched EPAL Global—a cross-border e-commerce tax calculation platform serving 2.4 billion transactions annually. It solves the problem British businesses faced post-Brexit: many simply stopped selling into the EU because compliance became too complex. Ron's philosophy: If you understand the rules, you can apply them to your advantage—and the regulators can't complain. Connect with Ron Healy EPAL Global: 🌐 Website: https://www.epalglobal.com 🎥 YouTube: @ePALGlobal (explainer videos) 📝 Sign Up: https://app.epalglobal.co/sign-up?ref=RH 🎁 Launch Offer: First €10,000 worth of cross-border transactions fee-free Professional: 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronhealy/ 📧 Email: ronhealyx@gmail.com If you're managing cross-border e-commerce, facing regulatory changes, or looking for product innovation consulting—Ron's your guy.

When Doing Scrum, Don't Do Scrum: Focus on Problems, Not Frameworks The Meridian Point - Episode Show Notes Guest: Sven de Koning Host: Kumar Dattatreyan Episode Date: January 2026 Duration: ~41 minutes Watch on YouTube Ever wonder why your certification didn't lead to that Scrum Master job? Meet Sven de Koning - who spent 11 years as a Scrum Master before doing something most coaches never do: he walked away to become a Product Owner. And he's got uncomfortable truths about why the Agile coaching market just collapsed. The Netherlands Paradox The Netherlands became the most certified Agile country per capita. The result? The market collapsed. Fresh grad + 2-day course + PSM-I certification = "Scrum Master" billing €100/hour. Companies figured out these folks couldn't articulate their value. When budgets tightened? Gone. And now organizations won't hire anyone, even the experienced ones. Sven lived through it. Now he's telling you why your certification might be worthless. The "Missing Your Conscience" Problem Picture this: You're both Scrum Master AND Product Owner for the same team. As Scrum Master, you want smooth flow. As Product Owner, you're screaming: "You said this would be done yesterday—WHY NOT?" Sven's verdict? "Your Scrum Master is your conscience. When you're both? You're missing your conscience." Kumar's solution back in the day? Literal baseball hats labeled PM/SM/PO so the team knew which version of him was talking. (Yes, really.) The Book Title That Broke Agile "Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time" - Sven calls it a terrible, terrible title. Why? It made everyone think Scrum is a speed hack. A "magic turbo boost for your software development conveyor belt." Now we're stuck with an industry focused on velocity instead of value. Scrum was supposed to be about delivering the right thing, not going faster. But good luck explaining that when the bestselling book says otherwise. The €37/Hour Law That Killed Consulting Here's how well-meaning regulations destroy markets: The Dutch government wanted to stop construction companies from exploiting carpenters (firing them, rehiring next day as contractors for €37/hour). Noble goal. Terrible execution. The law also caught consultants making €150/hour - who definitely weren't being exploited. Now companies won't hire ANY independents because of massive IRS fines. Sven's nightmare scenario? If this works in the Netherlands, the rest of the EU copies it. Your access to specialized talent? Gone overnight. Software is a Book, Not a Car Managers keep making this fatal mistake: "Give developers the parts, they'll build the car." Wrong. Completely wrong. Software development is like writing a book or painting. It's creative. It's complex, not complicated. Car assembly = complicated (lots of parts, specific order, but it's known) Software = complex (unknown unknowns everywhere, creative decisions at every turn) You can't make a wish list and expect it to magically appear. The Guard Dog at the Door "The moment you need the Scrum Master most is when stuff hits the fan." When there's a crisis, developers need to be at their A-game solving it. Your Scrum Master needs to be the "guard dog at the door" telling stakeholders: "Not now. We're putting out a forest fire." Can't do both at the same time. Part-time Scrum Master? Doesn't work. Rotating the role? Team focus stays internal, organizational connections vanish. The role needs to be full-time. Period. Skip the Sprint Review? Wait, what? Skip the ceremony everyone loves? Sven's point: If you're only talking to stakeholders at the Sprint Review, you've already failed. You should have constant contact throughout the sprint. By review time, nothing should surprise them. If stakeholders are shocked by what you show them, you did it wrong. The One Certification That Actually Matters Out of all Sven's certifications (and he's got them all - PSM I/II, PSPO I/II, the works), which gave him the most value? Professional Scrum with Kanban (PSK). Why? It shows you Scrum's gaps around flow optimization. The power isn't in Scrum OR Kanban - it's in combining them. Cherry-picking frameworks isn't heresy. It's pragmatism.   What You Need to Know If you're a Scrum Master: Stop collecting certifications. Start collecting coaching skills. Your value isn't knowing the Scrum Guide - it's solving team problems and speaking truth at the C-suite level. If you're hiring: That fresh grad with a 2-day PSM-I? Not ready. You need someone who's been in the trenches, who can be the guard dog during crisis, who won't crumble when a VP demands answers. If you're implementing "Agile": Stop making framework adoption the goal. Ask what problems you're solving, then cherry-pick what works. Sven introduced ONLY the ceremonies that solved actual communication problems. It worked. If you're in Europe: Watch the Netherlands. Well-intentioned labor laws are destroying independent consulting. If it spreads across the EU, specialized talent access vanishes. Connect with Sven de Koning LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/svendekoning Blog: https://medium.com/@ScrumRonin - "A Ronin is a Samurai not having a master" Scrum.org: https://www.scrum.org/user/173192 Philosophy: Solve problems first, frameworks second Current Role: Product Owner at Cadac Group Mission: "A happy solution for every problem" Subscribe & Never Miss This Every Tuesday at 12:30 PM ET, Kumar brings you practitioners who've lived through the hype - not framework evangelists. Take The Disruptor Quiz Find out if you're actually disrupting or just like the idea of change. thedisruptormethod.com/quiz For Organizations: Stuck in transformation theater? → agilemeridian.com For Practitioners: 10% referral commission for qualified introductions Licensed Practitioners: Deliver the Disruptor Method with our backing One Last Thing If Sven's philosophy resonates - solve problems first, frameworks second - hit subscribe. No framework evangelists. No certification salespeople. Just practitioners sharing what actually worked (and what spectacularly didn't). See you Tuesday at 12:30 PM ET. "When you're doing Scrum, don't do Scrum. It's not about Scrum, it's about solving problems." - Sven de Koning #AgileTransformation #ScrumMaster #ProductOwner #WhenDoingScrumDontDoScrum #FrameworksVsOutcomes #CertificationEconomy #ComplexVsComplicated

Show Notes: Cybersecurity as Culture Change - Why Tech Alone Won't Protect You Guest: Oksana Denesiuk, Product & Technology Transformation Leader, Cybersecurity Advocate Host: Kumar Dattatreyan Episode Date: January 13,2026 Duration: ~35 minutes Why You Need to Listen Right Now Your company probably has great cybersecurity tools. And you're still vulnerable. Why? Because cybersecurity isn't a technology problem anymore—it's a culture problem. And most organizations are fighting yesterday's war with tomorrow's threats. In this conversation, Oksana Denesiuk—who's witnessed cyber warfare firsthand in Ukraine—reveals why the biggest security threats aren't technical at all. She breaks down the AI arms race happening right now, shares a six-month transformation story that will change how you think about change management, and explains why your siloed security team is actually making you less secure. If you're responsible for transformation, product development, or organizational security, this episode will shift how you approach the problem. Meet Oksana Denesiuk Oksana brings a rare perspective to cybersecurity and transformation. With 15+ years driving enterprise-scale change across healthcare, high-tech, and Fortune 500 companies, she's presented at 15+ conferences on the intersection of innovation, security, law, and compliance. But here's what makes her unique: she's from Ukraine. She's watched the first modern war where cybersecurity became an actual battlefield—attacks on electric grids, infrastructure, state systems. This isn't theoretical for her. She's the founder of Innovation Frontier Newsletter, board advisor for ISSA (Information Systems Security Association), and holds a master's degree in Comparative Literature. Yes, literature. That background in humanities gives her an edge in understanding the human side of technical transformation that most security experts miss. What You'll Discover in This Episode The AI Arms Race You Didn't Know You Were In Oksana doesn't pull punches: if your organization isn't adopting AI, you're weakening your cybersecurity posture. Bad actors are already using AI to scale attacks that used to require entire teams. Single hackers can now do massive damage. If you're not using AI defensively, you're outgunned. The Six-Month War Story That Teaches Everything About Change A small team of six people. Managing releases across multiple business units. Working around the clock. Drowning in manual spreadsheets. Completely resistant to change. Oksana spent six months—six months—just getting them to try something new. But once they did? They became the catalyst for transformation across the entire organization. Their manager was so impressed he invited her to their team offsite. The lesson? Real transformation doesn't happen overnight. And sometimes the smallest teams unlock the biggest change. What Ukraine's Cyber War Teaches American Companies Oksana breaks down what happens when nation-states weaponize cyber attacks against critical infrastructure. Electric grids. Payment systems. Supply chains. She shares lessons from the front lines that U.S. companies need to hear right now. Why Siloed Security Teams Are Killing Your Business When your cybersecurity team sits isolated from the rest of the organization, they're not doing enough advocacy or change management. That means your product teams build features without understanding basic security concepts. The result? Products that don't protect your customers. And in today's market, that's a death sentence. Oksana makes the case for cybersecurity as an organizational goal—with board visibility, executive sponsorship, and cross-functional ownership. Culture Eats Security Tools for Breakfast You can have every technical control imaginable, but if you've got disgruntled employees, poor management, or toxic culture, you're vulnerable. Oksana draws a powerful parallel to aviation safety: most crashes aren't mechanical failures—they're human errors. Someone skipped a checklist. Someone didn't follow protocol. Your biggest insider threat isn't a hacker in a hoodie. It's the employee who doesn't feel engaged, doesn't understand the stakes, or operates without proper checks and balances. The Zero Trust Buzzword Problem "Zero Trust" gets thrown around in every security conversation. But what does it actually mean for your organization? Oksana calls out the buzzword abuse and pushes leaders to get specific: What are the measurable outcomes? How do you track it? Stop using jargon. Start defining real results. Lightning Round Highlights Kumar puts Oksana through rapid-fire questions: Best cybersecurity practice most orgs ignore? Organization-wide conversations with embedded security advocates across teams—not just the security team handling everything alone. Book recommendation? Poor Charlie's Almanac by Charlie Munger—about systems thinking and critical thinking, foundational for navigating complexity. Most overhyped trend? Zero Trust (because people use it as a buzzword without defining what it means for their specific context). Handling executive resistance? Ask "Why?" Understand the fears. Create safe environments for transparency. Staying relevant? Keep learning. Build systems-level thinking. Master critical thinking. You'll always be irreplaceable. Why This Matters Right Now AI is reshaping the threat landscape. The old playbook—buy tools, hire a CISO, call it done—doesn't work. Cybersecurity is now a culture problem. A communication problem. A change management problem. If you're driving transformation, building products, or leading teams, this conversation is required listening. Oksana shares real stories from the trenches—the six-month transformation, Ukrainian cyber warfare lessons, insider threat dynamics, AI governance frameworks that work. This is the conversation you wish you'd had before your last security incident. Connect with Oksana Denesiuk 📧 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/oksanadenesiuk 📰 Innovation Frontier Newsletter: Subscribe on LinkedIn for insights on innovation, cybersecurity, law, ethics, and compliance 🎤 Speaking: Available for conferences on cybersecurity, AI, product leadership, and transformation Subscribe & Share Subscribe to The Meridian Point Podcast for more transformation conversations Share this episode with colleagues struggling with cybersecurity or change management Comment with your biggest takeaway Take the Disruptor Quiz: thedisruptormethod.com/quiz Live every other Tuesday at 12:30 PM Eastern on LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube. Resources Mentioned ISSA (Information Systems Security Association) Poor Charlie's Almanac by Charlie Munger Zero Trust Security Framework About The Meridian Point Podcast Hosted by Kumar Dattatreyan, One of the creator of The Disruptor Method™. Real conversations with transformation leaders who've lived the change they talk about. No fluff. No jargon. Just authentic insights on disruption, innovation, and organizational transformation. Don't just read the show notes—listen to the full episode. Oksana's insights on organizational catalysts, executive resistance, and security-conscious cultures are worth every minute.

Laid Off at 40, New Dad, Grieving: How I Rebuilt My Life Guest: Kreisler Ng, Founder of Right at Home Long Beach Host: Kumar Dattatreyan Episode Date: January 06, 2026 Duration: ~35 minutes Watch on YouTube Why You Need to Listen to This Episode Ever wonder what happens when your entire life implodes in three months? Kreisler Ng lived it. He became a first-time father, lost the mother-in-law he'd been caring for during COVID, and got laid off from his corporate leadership role at C-Prime—all within ninety days. Most people would scramble back to corporate safety. Kreisler did the opposite. After twenty years coaching Fortune 500 executives on transformation, he walked away to honor his late mother-in-law's dying wish: "Stop working for corporations. Help people in a way that actually matters." Now he runs a home care franchise. He's not profitable yet. He's brutally honest about how hard it is. And he's still rebuilding. This isn't a polished "I found my purpose" story. It's about what happens when grief, circumstance, and a voice in your head converge—and you choose meaning over safety even when you don't have all the answers. What You'll Learn in This Episode When Life Forces Your Hand Kreisler didn't plan this career change—he tried going back to corporate during a brutal tech downturn. You'll hear about the three-month window when everything fell apart and the moment he realized he couldn't ignore his mother-in-law's voice anymore. "She Never Liked What I Did for a Living" For twenty years, his mother-in-law told him the same thing: "You deliver value to society, but I want you to help people from a healthcare perspective." After caring for her through COVID and losing her, those words became impossible to escape. From Corporate Structure to Absolute Zero No team. No paycheck. No clear objectives. Just him doing payroll, managing labor laws, and making every single decision. Kreisler shares what it's like going from twenty years of safety to "the ball ends with you." The Courage Everyone Sees (That You Don't Feel) Friends tell him, "You've got courage most of us don't have." But he's transparent about the fear, the financial pressure, and the ongoing struggle. This is what courage actually looks like—showing up every day while still figuring it out. What Actually Keeps Him Going Not vision boards or motivational quotes. Client feedback when he helps families navigate hospital chaos. And his late mother-in-law's presence: "She's always on my shoulder, reminding me this is meaningful work." Year One Reality: "Still Sucking, Still Learning" Everyone warned him the first 2-3 years would be brutal. He confirms: they were right. You'll hear the honest truth about operating a home care business while not being profitable, managing caregiver emergencies, and learning as you go. Best Quotes from This Episode "I thought I was going to go back to corporate. I'm just going to be honest. This is why it wasn't intentional." "She never liked what I did for a living. She was a person that, yes, you deliver value to society, but I really want you to help people from a healthcare perspective." "I know we titled this 'rebuilt'—I'm like, I'm still rebuilding my life. And I actually think everyone is going through that one way or another." "A good friend who's a fairly successful entrepreneur always says, 'You don't have to work. You just won't get paid.' It's just the way it is." "When I'm able to help clients in a bind... And going back to my late mother-in-law, she's always on my shoulder, reminding me this is meaningful work." "Whatever happens, even if it doesn't work out, you got some courage to do that because most of us don't have the courage to do that." The Lightning Round Q: Best business advice you've received since opening Right at Home? Kreisler: "Everyone's saying it's going to be one of the hardest things you're going to do. I knew it was going to be hard, but once you're in it, it's very different. Really think through what that means to yourself, your family, financially." Q: What keeps you going on tough days? Kreisler: "Clients—when I'm able to help them in a bind. And my late mother-in-law, she's always on my shoulder, reminding me this is meaningful work." Q: One thing to tell families about preparing for aging parents? Kreisler: "Be prepared emotionally." About Kreisler Ng Kreisler spent twenty years in corporate consulting and agile coaching at C-Prime, coaching leadership teams on organizational transformation. During COVID, he and his wife became full-time caregivers for his homebound mother-in-law while he balanced leadership responsibilities and new fatherhood. When she passed suddenly—five days from healthy to gone—Kreisler was left grieving with a one-year-old daughter. Three months later, C-Prime laid him off during the tech market downturn. His mother-in-law never approved of his corporate career. She consistently told him: "You should help people. Real people. Not corporations." So he did. He launched Right at Home Long Beach, providing in-home care for families navigating aging, decline, and the American healthcare system. He's operating with two employees, learning as he goes, and describes himself as "still rebuilding." Connect with Kreisler Ng Right at Home Long Beach: 🌐 Website: https://careinlongbeach.com Professional: 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kreislerng/ If you're navigating care for an aging loved one in Southern California, Kreisler and his team provide compassionate support during one of life's hardest transitions. Subscribe to The Meridian Point Don't miss future episodes! We bring you conversations with transformation leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators who are actually doing the work—not just talking about it. Subscribe now: 📺 YouTube 🔵 LinkedIn 🌐 Learn about The Disruptor Method: https://thedisruptormethod.com/quiz New episodes go live bi-weekly. Hit that subscribe button! Topics Covered #CareerReinvention #Entrepreneurship #HomeCare #PersonalTransformation #StartingOver #MeaningfulWork #CaregivingBusiness #LifeDisruption #SmallBusiness #CourageToChange #GriefAndGrowth #FirstYearReality #CorporateToStartup #AgingParents Hosted by Kumar Dattatreyan, founder of Agile Meridian and creator of The Disruptor Method—helping organizations and individuals navigate disruption and turn strategy into action.

Rising from the Ashes: Breaking Generational Patterns Through Radical Transparency The Meridian Point - Episode Show Notes Guest: Rafael Ribeiro Host: Kumar Dattatreyan Duration: ~45 minutes Watch on YouTube Why You Need to Watch or Listen to This Episode Rafael Ribeiro had everything on paper—successful agile coach, multiple ventures, respected in his field. But inside? He was drowning in financial collapse, identity crisis, and the weight of maintaining a perfect facade. For four generations, the men in his family followed the same destructive pattern: build something brilliant, neglect the boring administrative details, lose everything. Rafael was living the cycle again—until he made a radical choice. He killed the mask. Publicly. On LinkedIn. What happened next wasn't judgment or career suicide. Within 48 hours: new clients, donations, a major training contract, and hundreds of meaningful connections. This is the story of how vulnerability became his strategic advantage and how he's consciously breaking a generational curse while raising two daughters in Portugal. Perfect for: Entrepreneurs navigating financial hardship or feeling like frauds Creative professionals who excel at innovation but struggle with admin work Anyone caught in generational patterns they desperately want to break Leaders interested in the real cost of wearing masks at work Coaches and transformation professionals feeling constrained by their labels What You'll Discover The Computer Analogy That Explains Burnout Rafael ran two processes simultaneously: one showing the world he was crushing it, the other experiencing pure despair and financial freefall. Sharing his truth was like hitting Ctrl+Alt+Delete on the fake version. "When I shared, it was almost like going to task manager and killing the process of managing this mask." The Four-Generation Pattern He's Breaking Great-grandfather, grandfather, father, Rafael—all brilliant creators who neglected administrative work and lost everything. But Rafael's different: he's building automation tools that work WITH his creative brain instead of delegating everything away and hoping for the best. Why Scarcity Isn't the Enemy As a surf instructor, Rafael sees abundance and scarcity like the ocean: great wave days, flat days, storm days—all necessary. Right now he has zero money but is drowning in support and opportunities. "Scarcity provides clarity. Abundance can make you lazy." What Vulnerability Actually Creates Within 48 hours of his LinkedIn post: new coaching client, donations, training contract with major org, hundreds of messages. No judgment. Just connection. He shares the exact process: deal with emotional charge privately first, then share facts from a grounded place. The Surf Triangle That Transforms Teams Rafael teaches: 1) Safety first (if people don't feel safe, brains shut down), 2) Fun second (engagement), 3) Technique third. This is exactly what teams need—psychological safety isn't soft, it's foundational. For Creative Geniuses Who Suck at Admin Build automation. Use AI. Create systems for your ADHD-adjacent brain. But unlike previous generations, take ownership. Don't abandon responsibility—work with your wiring, not against it. Physical Strength = Mental Resilience Surf instruction, obstacle course racing, somatic work—Rafael credits his body's strength with giving him the resilience to survive. Most business leaders ignore this until disruption hits. "I felt strong in my body. I felt grounded. That's what saved me." Memorable Quotes "The fear of losing whatever respect my daughters had for me overcame my fear of what other people would think." "We give up when we lose hope, not when we despair. If you're trembling on your hope for better days, don't suffer alone. Reach out." "Every day, every minute, every millisecond is a moment for new beginnings." Key Takeaways Stop managing the gap. The distance between who you appear to be and who you actually are is exhausting. Deal with emotional charge privately, share facts publicly from a grounded place. Your body is data. Physical strength = mental resilience. If you're ignoring your physical state during disruption, you're fighting at half capacity. Scarcity teaches what abundance forgets. Use flat days for clarity. You're not broken, you're creative. Build systems that work with your brain's wiring. Automate ruthlessly. But don't abandon responsibility. Vulnerability opens doors. Rafael got clients, money, and connections by admitting struggle. What are you hiding that's costing you? Every rebuild includes your experience. You're not starting from zero—you're refactoring with knowledge. That's powerful. Connect with Rafael Main hub: LinkedIn - Rafael Ribeiro Rafael welcomes messages and has a call booking link on his profile. No justification needed—he genuinely loves conversations. Instagram: @rafadasilvarib What he does: Agile & transformational coaching Surf instruction + personal development (Abundance Flow program) Retreats in Portugal combining psychology, somatic work, and ocean experiences Software automation for creative entrepreneurs who hate admin work 2026 focus: Building frameworks for organization, planning Lisbon retreats, and documenting his journey breaking generational patterns. About The Meridian Point Hosted by Kumar Dattatreyan (ICF PCC), exploring disruption and innovation through real conversations with people actually living it. New episodes weekly on YouTube, Apple, Spotify Subscribe for more stories like Rafael's #Disruption #Entrepreneurship #PersonalTransformation #GenerationalPatterns #Vulnerability #AbundanceMindset #PhoenixRising #TheMeridianPoint

Trial by Fire: Building Leaders of SignificanceThe Meridian Point Podcast with Kumar DattatreyanGuest: Dr. Mosongo Moukwa Watch on YouTube --- THE MOMENT EVERYTHING CHANGED Fresh from his PhD, Mosongo expected to work in a lab creating patents. Instead, his VP called him in and said, "We're making you a manager." No training. No preparation. Just "You'll be fine, don't worry." That trial by fire launched a 30-year journey from accidental manager to VP at SC Johnson—and taught him that growth and comfort never coexist. In this conversation, Mosongo shares the story of choosing Jim for a project when his VP turned red and threatened his job. How he transformed a stuck paint company in India into an innovation powerhouse with 70+ patents. And why the leaders people remember aren't the ones with big titles—they're the ones who made them feel seen. --- WHAT YOU'LL HEAR The Jim Lozinski moment: Standing up to your VP when your job's on the line India transformation: Taking a plateaued company from stuck to 70+ patents, 20% productivity increase, and first green portfolio in the country Japan breakthrough: Finally succeeding at a technology transfer that failed for 15 years by doing one thing nobody else did—traveling there to build relationships Transactional vs transformational: Why employees don't remember your title—they remember how you made them feel Small engines of innovation: Creating environments where people feel they're contributing to something bigger than themselves The 80/20 secret: How one manufacturing client increased revenue 30% by letting go of draining customers --- KEY QUOTES "Growth and comfort will never coexist. If we close our eyes and think of when we learned the most, it was when we were in uncertain situations." "Leadership is not a solo venture. It's not about how far we progress, but how far we help other people progress." "People want to be seen. Don't just ask 'How's the project?' Take time for coffee and say 'How was your weekend? Did you watch the game? I heard your son was sick—how's he doing?'" "When you establish genuine relationships with people, you'll be welcome in whatever culture. Those small gestures are what people remember." --- ABOUT MOSONGO MOUKWA 30 years of senior R&D leadership at global companies including SC Johnson, Asian Paints, Reichhold, and others. Started as an accidental manager in Cleveland, became VP leading transformations across continents. Now runs Attaway Advanced Material and coaches small business owners. PhD from Université de Sherbrooke (Quebec), Postdoc at Northwestern University, MBA from Case Western Reserve. Has lived and worked in Congo, Canada, United States, India, and Japan. Author of "Be a Leader of Significance: Build Your Legacy, Leave an Impact"—filled with stories and practices from his journey transforming organizations through emotional connection. Currently developing a second book on small business growth, launching early next year. --- GRAB THE BOOK "Be a Leader of Significance" is available now. Each chapter includes practices and tips you can use immediately. Perfect gift for leaders, managers, or anyone building their leadership journey. -------- CONNECT WITH MOSONGO LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mosongomoukwa/ Coaching: Small business owners looking to uncover hidden revenue opportunities, particularly manufacturing businesses doing export Coming Soon: New book on small business growth (early 2025) --- START YOUR JOURNEY Mosongo's advice: Start with human connection. Don't just ask about projects—ask about their lives, what excites them, what they want to achieve. Take time for coffee. Remember details about their families. Make people feel seen. "Hey, Rajiv, don't think I haven't seen you. I didn't forget you." That one comment made an employee feel valued and part of something bigger. Those small gestures? That's where transformation begins. --- SUBSCRIBE New episodes every Tuesday at 12:30 PM EasternYouTube: @meridian_pointLive on LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube About The Disruptor Method: thedisruptormethod.com --- Share this episode with a leader who needs to hear that it's not about the title—it's about the connection. #Leadership #Transformation #Innovation #TheMeridianPoint

From Strategy to Action: How OKRs Transform Fortune 100 Organizations The Meridian Point - Episode Show Notes Guest: Sevak MarkarianHost: Kumar DattatreyanDuration: ~ 41 minutesWatch on YouTube Why You Need to Watch or Listen to This Episode Ever been in a strategy meeting where everyone nods along to a brilliant plan, only to watch it completely fall apart three months later? Most organizations don't fail because they have bad strategies. They fail because no one can figure out how to actually execute them. The C-suite has one vision, middle management is stuck translating it, and the teams doing the work have no idea how their daily tasks connect to the big picture. Sevak Markarian has spent his career solving exactly this problem with Fortune 100 companies like HP, AT&T, and Chevron. This conversation is packed with those "wait, rewind that" moments—like when he drops the surgery analogy that makes you rethink every project you've ever "successfully completed," or when he explains why a deer has a 74% chance of escaping a lion and what that has to do with your team's motivation. If you've ever wondered why your brilliant strategy turned into just another PowerPoint deck gathering dust, you need to hear this. The Moments That'll Make You Think "The Operation Was Successful, But the Patient Died" Sevak opens with this gut-punch: imagine a surgeon saying those words to a family. Yet this happens in businesses every single day. Leaders celebrate finishing projects on time, hitting activity targets, checking boxes—while completely missing that the actual business outcome never happened. This is the difference between output (we did the thing) and outcome (the thing created the impact we needed). When Goals Aren't Actually Goals Most organizations say things like "Build a fuel pump prototype" or "Reduce weight by 10%." That's just an activity with a number. When John Doerr worked with Google, he flipped them: "Reduce fuel consumption by developing a lightweight fuel pump prototype." See the difference? Now we're talking about why it matters to the customer. This one shift changes everything. The Lion, The Deer, and Your Team's Motivation A deer has a 74% chance of escaping a lion. Why? The lion hunts because it needs food. But the deer runs for its life—for purpose. When your team works just to finish tasks and keep their jobs, they're hunting out of need. When the work becomes purposeful, they're running with everything they've got. OKRs That Actually Work Real OKRs work bi-directionally. Leadership sets objectives, but teams create their own key results based on how they'll actually achieve those objectives. Maybe the C-suite thinks reducing weight is the answer, but the engineering team sees that optimizing process time is the path forward. When these perspectives collide, that's where you get real alignment and innovation—not just compliance. The Frameworks That Actually Work How to Structure OKRs So They Don't Suck Objectives are qualitative and purposeful—they answer "why does this matter to customers?" Key Results are the 3-5 measurable outcomes that tell you if you're winning. Numbers about impact, not activity. Actions are the actual work that supports key results. The kicker: you need regular check-ins—weekly or bi-weekly—for real transparency and adaptation. If you're only looking at OKRs quarterly, you're doing it wrong. Stop Measuring the Wrong Things Stop measuring story points, velocity, and burndown charts. Instead, measure things that tell you if you're creating value: How often are you deploying? How long to get changes into production? When something breaks, how fast can you fix it? These DORA metrics can't be gamed, and they'll tell you the truth about whether your transformation is working. Lines That Hit Different These are the moments where I had to pause the conversation and just let it sink in: On purpose vs. activity: "The lion hunts for need, but the deer runs for purpose. If you make work purposeful for your employees, there's a higher statistical chance you will succeed." On the future of work: "We're not asking AI to help us do different things. AI is asking us to do things differently." On what makes good OKRs: "A good OKR is like a hypothesis—it should be testable, it should have a clear expected outcome, and it should teach you something whether you succeed or fail." On leadership in the age of AI: "The leaders of tomorrow aren't the ones who know the most—they're the ones who can adapt the fastest." On celebrating the wrong things: "Having teams celebrate 'we finished all our user stories' is like the surgeon saying 'the operation was successful but the patient died.' We need to celebrate outcomes, not outputs." What You Can Actually Do About This 1. Audit your "goals" right now - For each goal, ask: "Does this explain WHY this matters to a customer, or just WHAT we're building?" If it's just what, rewrite it. 2. Start the bi-directional conversation - Ask your team: "Given this objective from leadership, what key results do YOU think would actually achieve this?" 3. Run small bets, not big transformations - Pick 5-10 small experiments with clear hypotheses. Run them simultaneously. Kill what doesn't work fast. 4. Change what you celebrate - Stop celebrating "we finished all our stories." Start asking "what actual business outcome did we create?" 5. Make your OKRs visible - If your team can't see how their daily work connects to company objectives, you don't have alignment—you have a wishlist. You Need to Watch This If... You've ever sat through a strategy meeting and thought "this sounds great, but how the hell are we actually going to do this?" Your team keeps "successfully" completing projects that somehow don't move the business forward You're a middle manager who feels like a human walkie-talkie between executives and your team You've tried OKRs before and they turned into just another tracking spreadsheet nobody looks at You're curious how companies with 50,000 employees actually align everyone to the same objectives You want to understand why some transformations work and most don't You're tired of celebrating activity while your competitors are winning on outcomes About Sevak Sevak has a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership, an MBA, AND a Master of Science in Engineering Physics. He's literally worked in nuclear reactors studying viruses. So when he tells you that getting a leadership team to collaborate is harder than solving complex physics problems, he's not guessing—he's done both. He's worked with Fortune 100 companies like HP, AT&T, Chevron, Blue Shield of California, Kaiser Permanente, and Farmers Insurance, helping them close the gap between "we have a strategy" and "we're executing on that strategy." Connect with Sevak: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sevakmarkarian/ He works with organizations on transformation consulting, executive coaching, and OKR implementation. If you're stuck between having a vision and making it happen, reach out. Fair warning: he's going to ask you hard questions about whether you're measuring outputs or outcomes. Related Episodes You'll Want to Check Out Dr. Michael Gerharz: The PATH Framework for Strategic Communication Liam O'Neill: Making Business Process Management Drive Innovation Roman Pichler: Product Strategy and Adaptive Leadership Andreas Wittler: Cultural Archeology and Organizational Patterns Don't Just Read This—Do Something With It You made it to the end. Now here's the question: are you going to do something different tomorrow, or let this be just another thing you consume and forget? Watch the full episode - The conversation goes way deeper than these notes can capture. Share this with someone frustrated with strategies that never materialize. You know who they are. Subscribe to The Meridian Point so you don't miss future conversations like this. Drop a comment with your biggest strategy-execution challenge. What gap are you trying to close? About The Meridian Point I'm Kumar Dattatreyan. I've spent over 20 years coaching everyone from startups to Fortune 50 companies. Before that, I ran McDonald's restaurants—which taught me more about operations and execution than any business school. I co-founded Agile Meridian and created The Disruptor Method, which helps leadership teams actually align around strategy instead of just nodding along in meetings. Connect: LinkedIn: [Your profile] | YouTube: @meridian_point We go live every other week with real transformation conversations. No fluff, no corporate jargon. Related Episodes Dr. Michael Gerharz: Why brilliant strategies fail when leaders can't communicate them Liam O'Neill: Making business processes drive innovation instead of killing it Roman Pichler: Balancing innovation with execution in product strategy #OKRs #StrategyExecution #Leadership #BusinessAgility #TheMeridianPoint

Agile Without the Jargon: Coaching Executives Beyond IT Guest: Om Patel, Enterprise Business Agility Coach at ClearlyAgile & Co-host of Arguing Agile Host: Kumar Dattatreyan Episode Date: December 2, 2025 Duration: ~38 minutes Watch on YouTube Why You Need to Listen to This Episode Ever tried coaching a Type A executive who thinks collaboration is a threat to their authority? Om Patel has cracked the code—and he does it without ever saying the word "agile." In this conversation, Om reveals how he transforms leadership teams across finance, law, HR, and other "non-agile" domains by speaking their language, leading with data, and running tiny experiments that prove collaboration beats solo heroics every single time. You'll discover why construction workers naturally practice better agile than most tech teams, how a global bank shifted from individual KPIs to team-based OKRs (and survived the pushback), and why your daily stand-up is probably killing your team's momentum. If you're tired of the agile theater and want to know how real transformation happens—this is the episode for you. What You'll Learn in This Episode How to Actually Work with Type A Personalities Forget trying to strip away their control—that's a losing battle. Om shows you how to reframe collaboration as a performance multiplier and lead with hard data that proves teams beat solo stars. You'll learn the exact language to use (hint: say "risk mitigation" and "strategic leverage," never say "agile ceremonies"). The "What Keeps You Up at Night?" Strategy Stop trying to fix everything at once. Om walks through his approach: pick ONE problem, frame it as a small bet, and make it so low-risk they'd be crazy not to try. When it works, success becomes contagious and spreads sideways to other executives. Why Construction Workers Get Agile Better Than We Do Om shares his story of watching a construction crew naturally hold morning huddles, discuss contingencies ("What if it rains?"), and coordinate without a single Scrum Master in sight. It's a masterclass in what agile actually looks like when you strip away the jargon. The Real Reason Your Transformation is Failing: Reward Systems You can train people all day long, but if you're still rewarding individual heroics and hours worked, nothing changes. Om breaks down a real example from a global bank that shifted to team-based OKRs—including how they handled the pushback from high performers who feared their bonuses would get "diluted." How to Bring Agility to Finance, Legal, and HR These domains don't want your ALM tools or your Scrum vocabulary. Om reveals how he starts with spreadsheets (yes, really), introduces Kanban with finance-centric language, and gradually moves them toward better practices without the resistance. The Daily Stand-up is Broken (And You Know It) Om calls out the most misused agile practice: the daily stand-up that's become a status meeting where people wait 24 hours to raise blockers. Even worse? Offshore teams doing stand-ups at 9 PM their time. Learn what it should actually be. Best Quotes from This Episode "Type A leaders thrive on results. Show them data—don't just tell them teams that collaborate outperform solo talented individuals." "What keeps you up at night? Pick one thing. Let's make a small bet for a short period. If it doesn't work, we'll change." "I watched construction workers naturally doing daily huddles without knowing it was 'agile.' They discussed contingencies: 'What if it rains? Can electrical switch tasks?' I was impressed." "If you don't change incentives, you're asking people to behave against their own interests, which are often quite entrenched and political." "The biggest blocker to organizational agility isn't processes or tools—it's your own mindset." The Lightning Round Q: Fill in the blank—The biggest blocker to organizational agility isn't processes or tools, it's ___? Om: Your own mindset. Q: What's one popular agile practice that's overrated or misused? Om: The daily stand-up. It becomes a status meeting instead of a collaboration tool. Q: If you could eliminate one thing from corporate America to accelerate agility? Om: Politics. It would improve everything, not just agility. Q: What advice would you give your 2011 self when you first discovered agile? Om: "We're asking the orchestra to conduct music, but every member has different sheet music. Take the patience and time to ensure people understand WHY they're there—give them a common, shared sense of purpose first." About Om Patel Om started as a scientific programmer, discovered agile in 2011, and evolved into coaching executives on business agility—without ever mentioning "agile" by name. He's the co-host of Arguing Agile, a podcast with 220+ episodes since 2017 that debates real-world transformation challenges with his partner Brian Orlando. Om works at ClearlyAgile in Tampa, Florida, where he coaches leadership teams across IT, finance, law, HR, and other non-traditional domains. He's also an active community organizer, hosting Tampa Bay Agile's Lean Beer Meetups and co-organizing the Tampa Bay Product Group. Connect with Om Patel Arguing Agile Podcast: 🎙️ Website: https://arguingagile.com 📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@arguingagile 🎧 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/arguing-agile/id1568557596 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/362QvYORmtZRKAeTAE57v3 Professional: 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/agile-om/ 🏢 ClearlyAgile: https://clearlyagile.com Subscribe to The Meridian Point Don't miss future episodes! We bring you conversations with transformation leaders, agile practitioners, and innovators who are actually doing the work—not just talking about it. Subscribe now: 📺 YouTube 🔵 LinkedIn 🌐 Learn about The Disruptor Method New episodes go live bi-weekly. Hit that subscribe button! Topics Covered #AgileTransformation #ExecutiveCoaching #BusinessAgility #LeadershipDevelopment #OrganizationalChange #TypeAPersonalities #RewardSystems #ChangeManagement #TransformationLeadership #NoJargonAgile #CollaborativeCulture #TeamDynamics Hosted by Kumar Dattatreyan, founder of Agile Meridian and creator of The Disruptor Method—helping organizations turn strategy into action.

Guest: Alan Zucker, Founder of Project Management Essentials Host: Kumar Dattatreyan Episode Date: November 25, 2025 Duration: ~45 minutes Watch on YouTube Why You Need to Listen Right Now Ever feel like the whole "Agile vs Traditional" debate is just... exhausting? Alan Zucker was doing agile at MCI Communications in the 90s—before the manifesto even existed. He launched a 48-state product in 5 months with almost no bureaucracy. Then he went to Fannie Mae and watched what happens when you add too much process. Here's what he learned: The framework debate is a trap. And it's costing you time, money, and good people. If you're an agile coach wondering where your career went, or a PM tired of framework zealots on both sides, this conversation will reset your thinking. The Big Aha Moments 🔥 "Don't Blame Agile for Bad Agile" Organizations killed agile by implementing the ceremonies without changing the culture. Daily stand-ups and Kanban boards don't mean anything if you haven't changed how power and decisions actually work. 💡 The MCI Magic Formula "On any given day, anybody could do something amazing." That was the culture. Not because they had the right framework—because they gave people actual power to make decisions. 🎯 Bureaucracy vs. Governance There's a huge difference. Governance gives you visibility to manage. Bureaucracy is about control. Most organizations think they're doing one when they're actually doing the other. 📊 The 75% Failure Rate Three-quarters of change campaigns fall flat. But when leaders actually change their behavior (not just their speeches), trust scores jump 25%. Systems beat slogans every time. 🏢 The Physical Proximity Factor Alan watched collaboration break down when his team moved from one floor apart to two buildings apart—only 20 feet of distance. Remote work multiplies this problem unless you're super intentional about it. Best Quotes from the Episode On what made MCI special: "The great thing about the company is that on any given day, anybody could do something amazing." On what killed agile: "Organizations would completely invert 'Individuals and interactions over processes and tools'—and they implement agile processes. We have daily stand-ups, we've got a Kanban board, but we haven't changed the way we work." On empowerment: "A way we show empowerment is through decision making. When you join a company, your power shouldn't be stripped from you." On remote work's future: "It'll be really interesting in five years to see which companies brought people back versus which stayed remote. It's not that you can't be remote—it just adds a whole other level of complexity." The Three Simple Rules Most Organizations Ignore Psychological Safety - Can people speak up without fear? Real Empowerment - Do people closest to the work make the decisions? Autonomy - Or are there five layers of approval for everything? Sounds basic, right? Then why do most organizations fail at all three? For Everyone Asking "Where Do We Go From Here?" If you're an agile coach who got laid off: Learn to speak both languages. The future isn't about being pure anything—it's about knowing what tools to use when. If you're stuck in framework wars: Stop. Alan's doing a whole "Back to Basics" series because the fundamentals matter more than which camp you're in. If you think "project" is a bad word: Alan's take: "Language is great for communication, but words take on connotations. If you don't like 'project,' fine—but I'm still missing what word we'd use instead." The hybrid question everyone asks: Should agilists learn traditional PM? Should traditional PMs learn agile? Stop asking which side you're on. Start asking what actually works for your situation. What Got Mentioned PMBOK 8 - PMI's new guide that Alan says "actually doesn't suck anymore" (which is high praise) HBR Article - The one about how 75% of change campaigns fail but behavior change works University of Maryland PM Symposium - Where Alan's keynoting in May on "Back to Basics" Buurtzorg - Dutch nursing company that threw out traditional management (they discuss this model) Live Chat Gold Shoutout to Taz who was on fire in the comments: Q: "Many with agile experience have been laid off. Where do we go from here?" Alan: Focus on hybrid approaches. Learn what you don't know. Get back to basics instead of framework religion. Q: "Should agilists brush up on traditional PM skills?" Alan: Yes. And check out PMBOK 8—it's finally moved beyond rigid processes. Q: "HR often needs the most help in transformation. Thoughts?" Kumar & Alan: 100%. Agile got too IT-centric. Transformation is about people, and HR controls the levers that either enable or kill change. Why This Matters to You Project management is at a crossroads. Interest in both Waterfall and Agile has dropped. Everyone's talking about AI but nobody knows what it means yet. Instead of chasing the next framework, Alan's going back to what's always worked: culture, empowerment, and actually changing how decisions get made. If you're tired of: Framework wars that go nowhere Change initiatives that are all talk, no action Being told you're doing it "wrong" because you're not pure agile/traditional/whatever This conversation is for you. Connect with Alan Zucker Website: pmessentials.us LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alanizucker Alan teaches at UVA and University of Georgia, writes monthly articles, and works with organizations on what actually works. Follow him on LinkedIn to catch his "Back to Basics" series. Connect with Kumar & The Meridian Point Website: agilemeridian.com The Disruptor Method: thedisruptormethod.com | Take the quiz: Are you a disruptor or getting disrupted? LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kumardattatreyan Listen & Subscribe 🎧 Find us: Search "Meridian Point" on any podcast app 📺 Watch: YouTube - Meridian Point Channel 📱 Live: Tuesdays 12:30 PM ET on LinkedIn & YouTube New episodes every week featuring people who've actually done the work—not just read about it. P.S. If you've ever implemented "agile ceremonies" without changing anything else, this episode will hit different. Alan's seen it all, and he's not holding back. #ProjectManagement #AgileTransformation #DisruptionAndInnovation #BackToBasics #HybridPM

Episode Show Notes: Management Myths Busted with Johanna Rothman Guest: Johanna Rothman, The "Pragmatic Manager" & Author of 20+ Books Host: Kumar Dattatreyan Episode Date: October 21, 2025 Duration: ~41 minutes Watch on YouTube Why You Need to Listen Right Now Ever look around your "agile" organization and wonder why nothing's getting faster? Got all the JIRA boards, daily stand-ups, and sticky notes but teams still can't ship? Johanna Rothman calls this the "Agile Veneer." And she doesn't hold back. She drops truth bombs like "performance management is theater applied to cost of goods sold" and "stand-ups are a crutch." She's not here to make you comfortable—she's here to make you effective. The Big Aha Moments 🎯 The Agile Veneer Test You've got it when managers focus on "who's the expert" and "who's doing what" for performance reviews. That individual focus kills agility. The fix? Johanna doesn't care if you use Scrum, Kanban, or something you invented last Tuesday. What matters: Can your team release something useful every day or two? That's real agility. ⏱️ Wait Time is Your Silent Killer Wait time in organizations outweighs work time. Managers spend forever getting estimates for unstarted work. Teams stop to create ballpark numbers. Then more meetings to decide priorities. Johanna's solution? Measure how long from thinking about a decision to actually making it. Most managers have no clue. 🪨 Inch Pebbles Changed Everything Johanna got stuck at 90% done on her first job. Then 92%. Then 93%. Her manager taught her "inch pebbles"—one or two day tasks that are either done or not done. She's used them for 30 years. Today they're one or two day stories. 🤖 We're Using AI All Wrong Johanna wants AI to auto-tag 30 years of website content and reconcile multi-currency spreadsheets. Practical stuff. But vibe coding? Creates messes programmers have to clean up. Her question: Why not vibe code with a human, use test-driven development, and include AI as a partner? 💀 Two Management Myths That Need to Die Myth #1: Everyone must work at 100% utilization Wrong. You need peak effectiveness, not peak efficiency. Myth #2: If you're not typing, you're not working Programming is mostly reading code, understanding problems, designing, testing. Typing is the smallest piece. 📊 Performance Management is Theater Direct quote: "Performance management is theater applied to cost of goods sold." People need feedback, not evaluation. Not stack ranking. Want better performance? Fix the environment. Want to reduce costs? Reduce wait time between process steps. Best Quotes "The more a manager focuses on an individual, the less agile the team can be." "Managers do not have to manage with cost accounting." "A stand-up is a crutch." Why This Matters to You If your agile transformation is all show and no results, this conversation explains why—and what to do about it. This is 30 years of consulting, 20+ books, and what actually works versus what just looks good. Bottom line: Leaders who focus on feedback loops, team collaboration, and effectiveness over efficiency will have an unfair advantage. Listen & Subscribe 🎧 Find us: Search "Disruption and Innovation Podcast" on any podcast app 📺 Watch: YouTube - Meridian Point Channel Trust us: This 44-minute conversation will change how you think about agile, management, and real organizational effectiveness. P.S. If you've ever been frustrated by fake agile theater, you need to hear this episode.  

Episode Show Notes: From Agile to AI - Avoiding the Same Transformation Mistakes Guest: Sanjiv Augustine, Founder & CEO of LitheSpeed Host: Kumar Dattatreyan Episode Date: October 2025 Duration: ~41 minutes Watch on YouTube Ever wonder why your company's AI initiative feels like that disastrous Agile rollout all over again? Meet Sanjiv Augustine - who's spent 30 years watching companies make the same mistakes with every shiny new thing. First Scrum. Then SAFe. Now AI. And he's got the receipts. The Number That Should Scare You 70-80% of AI pilots are failing. But here's the kicker - it's not because AI doesn't work. It's because we're doing it wrong. Again. Sanjiv worked with Capital One when they scaled Agile 15 years ago. In 2022, they laid off their entire Agile coaching unit. Why? They'd actually succeeded. Nationwide Insurance now has 500+ Agile teams - they just don't call them that anymore. It's just "how we work." And now we're repeating history with AI. The ChatGPT Moment That Changes Everything Picture this: A client walks in with ChatGPT answers, asking Sanjiv to validate them. Instead of freaking out, Sanjiv welcomes it. "Before, perhaps we could make up stuff and nobody would know. Now, perhaps it's ChatGPT that's making up stuff and we have to validate whether it's right or not." The consulting playbook just got rewritten in real-time. Jim Highsmith's Warning "If you fail at Agile, you're going to fail at AI." Companies are mindlessly adopting AI without considering people or context - exactly like they did with Agile frameworks. Different tech, same failures. The companies winning? They're subjugating AI to two things: business purpose and human beings. The Existential Threat Nobody's Talking About Here's where it gets sobering: Only 250,000 people globally are building AI tools that will affect all 7 billion of us. Sanjiv doesn't sugarcoat it. "AI is an existential threat. And the reason I'm a big advocate of AI is simply because of that existential threat." Leaders need to be inside the tent looking out, not outside looking in. Because with humanity's track record with powerful technology? This could go very wrong very fast. The Agile x AI Framework That Actually Works Sanjiv's proprietary solution combines three pillars: Iterative Development - Plan, do, check, act. Test, learn, repeat. Don't boil the ocean. Incremental Products - Break AI adoption into small pieces. One organization he works with is integrating AI into customer service one workflow at a time. Responsible AI - Check for bias. Consider human impact. Make it people-first, just like Agile should have been. This is how you land in that 20-30% of AI projects that actually succeed. The VMO Revolution Hiding in Plain Sight Sanjiv's book "From PMO to VMO" dropped four years ago, but it's more relevant now than ever. Stop measuring velocity. Start measuring customer satisfaction and revenue. Stop focusing on your teams. Start focusing on your customers. It's the shift from outputs to outcomes - and it's quietly transforming how forward-thinking companies operate. What You'll Discover: Why the entire Agile consulting industry has been disrupted How clients using ChatGPT is actually making consultants better The real reason Capital One laid off all their Scrum Masters (hint: they succeeded) Why only 250,000 people control AI's impact on 7 billion humans How to use Agile foundations to nail your AI implementation The existential threat argument that'll change how you see leadership What happens when teams get smaller but way more productive Why Sanjiv would let all three of his books burn in a fire Lightning Round Gold: Sanjiv's first job? Riding a moped delivering print materials for an ad agency. The lesson? How to marry creativity with hard deadlines and business outcomes. Which book would he save from a fire? None of them. "All learning is temporary" - he'd save something values-based instead. His AI toolkit? Perplexity for research, ChatGPT for daily use, Claude for validation. Connect with Sanjiv Website: https://lithespeed.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanjivaugustine/ His Podcast: Leadership in Flux - https://lithespeed.com/leadership_in_flux/ Free Tool: Agile VMO Chatbot on OpenAI Books: "From PMO to VMO: Managing for Value Delivery" | "Managing Agile Projects" | "Scaling Agile: A Lean JumpStart" Ready for More Conversations Like This? Subscribe to Disruption and Innovation - we're bringing you leaders who've lived through the hype cycles and have the wisdom to show what actually works. Hit subscribe and join the conversation. "AI is an existential threat. It'll become one unless leaders like ourselves understand what it's capable of and steer its trajectory towards positive outcomes, not negative outcomes." - Sanjiv Augustine #AgileTransformation #AI #DigitalTransformation #BusinessAgility #ValueManagement #ConsultingIndustry #FutureOfWork  

  Episode Show Notes: The Titanic Is Sinking (And Your Business Might Be Too) Guest: Todd Kamens, Reinvention Coach & Agile Transformation Expert Host: Kumar Dattatreyan Duration: ~ 32 minutes Watch on YouTube   Why Listen Right Now The Titanic had binoculars. Radios. Multiple iceberg warnings from nearby ships. They still hit the iceberg. Your company is doing the exact same thing right now. You're getting signals—AI announcements, market shifts, your best people quietly updating LinkedIn—and you're... waiting to see what happens? Todd Kamens learned Scrum from Ken Schwaber himself. Spent 20+ years doing agile transformations at Fortune 500s. Then he realized: We've been solving the wrong problem. It's not about the process. It never was. The Big Moments 🧠 The Unsolicited Advice Bomb "Unsolicited advice can be criticism in disguise." You show up as a coach ready to "help," and people hear: "Everything you've been doing is wrong." No wonder 65% of employees are disengaged. ⚕️ Medicine 3.0 for Business Modern medicine doesn't wait for the heart attack. It looks at genetics, bloodwork, trends—and prevents problems before they happen. What if we did that for businesses? Todd's building that framework. 📈 The S-Curve Truth Apple killed the iPod with the iPhone. Killed it BEFORE someone else could. The secret? Reinvent before you hit the peak, not after. When you're comfortable, not in crisis. 🚨 The 65% Problem Only 30-35% of employees are actually engaged. The rest are checked out or actively resisting. And you wonder why transformations fail? Best Quote "Unsolicited advice can be criticism in disguise." — Dr. Ryan Madigan What You'll Learn Why most transformations fail (you're solving the wrong problem) How to build early warning systems for disruption The quarterly signal review that actually works How to personally reinvent before you become obsolete The Framework Todd's 3-Phase System: Early Warning Detection (What signals matter?) Processing System (What do we do when they trigger?) Agile Implementation (How do we move fast?) Set 5 key signals. Review them quarterly. Act before crisis. Must-Read Books 📚 "Undisruptable" by Aidan McCullen 📚 "Outlive" by Dr. Peter Attia 📚 "Disrupt Yourself" by Dr. Whitney Johnson Connect with Todd Website: guidance-technology.com LinkedIn: Todd Kamens Connect with Kumar Website: Agile Meridian LinkedIn: Kumar Dattatreyan Listen & Subscribe 🎧 Search "Disruption and Innovation" on any podcast app 📺 [YouTube - Meridian Point Channel] P.S. If you're waiting to deal with disruption "when it happens," this episode will make you uncomfortable. Good. The Titanic had warnings. So does your business. Do you have a system to act on them?

Episode Show Notes: The Great Transformation Showdown - Top Down vs Bottom Up Guest: Glenn Marshall, Creator of Next Level Co-Creation Host: Kumar Dattatreyan Episode Date:  Duration: ~ 39 minutes Watch on YouTube Why You Need to Listen Right Now Ever been part of a transformation that felt like it was happening TO you instead of WITH you? Glenn Marshall and Kumar just discovered something incredible: they've both created transformation methods that seem completely opposite—but they end up in exactly the same place. Here's the thing: most transformations fail because they try to change everything at once. Glenn starts with whoever has energy and budget. Kumar starts with the C-suite. Both get results that will blow your mind. The Big Aha Moments 🎯 The Live Lightbulb Moment Halfway through, Kumar realizes: "Wait, we've been thinking about these as completely different approaches, but they're actually two sides of the same coin." You can literally hear the breakthrough. 💪 The Steel Thread Secret Start with one thin wire, keep wrapping until it's strong enough to handle anything. That's exactly how sustainable change works. 🏥 The Buurtzorg Revolution Dutch nursing company threw out traditional management. Created autonomous 12-person teams. Result? Better care, happier nurses, lower costs. They now dominate Dutch community nursing. 📈 The 33% Growth Secret Kumar's client grew EBITDA by 33% every year for three years using the top-down approach. Best Quote of the Episode "If you try and ram too much food down somebody's throat, they will choke. So just slow down and meet them where they are." - Glenn Marshall The Two Methods Kumar's Disruptor Method (Top-Down): Start with C-level (or VP, or Product Line), build alignment, create a steel thread down Glenn's Next Level Co-Creation (Bottom-Up): Start anywhere, prove in 2-week cycles, expand 1→2→4→8 teams Plot twist: They suggest you might need both. Why This Matters to You Tired of transformation theater? Both focus on "proof over persuasion." No more selling change—just show it works, one small step at a time. Connect with the Guests Glenn Marshall: Next Level Co-Creation | https://www.linkedin.com/company/next-level-co-creation-inc/Kumar Dattatreyan: The Disruptor Method | Take the quiz: Are you a disruptor or getting disrupted? Listen & Subscribe 🎧 Find us: Search "Meridian Point" on any podcast app 📺 Watch: YouTube - Meridian Point Channel P.S. If you've ever been frustrated by failed transformations, you need to hear Kumar's live realization about why both approaches work.

Episode Show Notes: He Acquired a Company - Now It's Disrupting 200+ Universities Guest: Samir Penkar, CEO of Simulation Powered Learning & Co-founder of RuckFit Host: Kumar Dattatreyan Episode Date: September 9, 2025 Duration: ~ 35 minutes Watch on YouTube Ever wonder what happens when you acquire a company that everyone else wants to shut down? Meet Samir Penkar - who went from Java developer to Agile trainer to education disruptor. And it all started with seeing potential in a dying simulation company. The Numbers That'll Break Your Brain Samir drops this reality check: Traditional classroom learning has a 10% retention rate. His simulations? 85%. He's not just talking theory here. After acquiring a simulation company in 2019 that was literally about to close, Samir transformed it into a platform now serving 200+ universities worldwide. Students don't just learn project management - they live it, fail at it, and never forget why those failures happened. The AI Plot Twist That Changes Everything Here's Samir's genius move: While professors panic about students feeding case studies to ChatGPT, his simulations fight back with built-in randomness that AI can't game. "Students can't just plug scenarios into these tools and get the output." He's using AI on the backend to generate scenarios that other AI can't solve. It's like watching the future of education unfold in real time. The Personal Story Behind the Business Why did a successful tech entrepreneur suddenly pivot to preventive health? Samir's mother battled triple negative breast cancer. His father has Parkinson's and dementia. His brother-in-law died from diabetes in his 40s. Sometimes business gets deeply personal - and that's when RuckFit was born. Weighted backpack walking with biomechanics optimization, because regular walking isn't enough. What You'll Discover: The "aha moment" that made him acquire a failing company How simulation-based learning achieves 8x better retention than traditional methods Why universities are ditching lectures for interactive experiences The surprising way competitive kite flying teaches business strategy How family health crises sparked a completely different startup Why AI is both the problem AND solution in modern education Lightning Round Gold: Samir's take on Agile vs Waterfall for kite flying, why Sundays with his dog generate his best ideas, and the first crisis he'd throw at new entrepreneurs. Connect with Samir LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/samirpenkar Simulation Powered Learning: https://simulationpl.com RuckFit: Contact Samir directly for movement analysis program Ready for More Stories Like This? Subscribe to Disruption and Innovation - we're bringing you entrepreneurs who spot opportunity where everyone else sees problems. Hit subscribe and join the movement. "If you make a mistake, you will remember that mistake very vividly. That is what really kicks in the learning process." - Just one of many insights that'll change how you think about education and business.

Episode Show Notes: From Dental Manager to Wealth Disruptor - Building Generational Wealth Beyond Your Business Guest: Amanda Taylor, Business Strategist & Wealth Mentor at Elevate365 Host: Kumar Dattatreyan Episode Date: August 26, 2025 Duration: ~ 40 minutes Watch on YouTube Ever wonder what happens when someone says "yes" to a random 5-hour-a-week paperwork job they know nothing about? Meet Amanda Taylor - who went from managing dental practices to disrupting the entire financial education industry. And it all started with that one "yes." The Story That'll Give You Chills 🎯 Amanda drops this bomb: "Wealth is not money. Wealth is a number of things that create a life that is worth living." She's not just talking theory here. After 15 years in dentistry, Amanda accidentally stumbled into real estate, built multiple revenue streams, and now helps entrepreneurs build generational wealth beyond their businesses. Why Your Financial Advisor Might Be Lying to You 😬 Here's Amanda's brutal truth: "Your financial advisor gets paid commission to give you this product and this advice. So be careful who you're taking advice from." She's completely agnostic about investments - no licenses, no products to sell - just raw education about everything from whiskey barrels to life insurance strategies that wealthy people use but nobody talks about. The One Thing That Separates Real Entrepreneurs Amanda believes there's a difference between people born with "the entrepreneur gene" and those who just don't want a boss. Her test? Curiosity. When she asks potential clients tough questions about their business and they can't answer, that tells her everything. Real entrepreneurs say "I don't know, but I'll find out." What You'll Learn: Why Gen X has less than $140K saved for retirement (and what to do about it) The "accidental" moment that changed Amanda's entire life trajectory How to move beyond traditional investments and think like the wealthy Why women are actually better investors (but don't know it) Amanda's lightning-fast advice on where to start if you're doing nothing Spoiler alert: She climbs mountains in Colorado and thinks the future of entrepreneurship is women in midlife taking over. We're here for it. Connect with Amanda LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-taylor-biz/ Website: www.metropolisbusinessdevelopment.com Ready for More Game-Changing Conversations? Subscribe to Disruption and Innovation - we're bringing you the entrepreneurs who are actually changing the rules, not just playing by them. Hit that subscribe button and join the movement. 🚀 "How dare we let an eighteen-year-old decide the rest of our lives?" - Just one of many mic-drop moments in this episode.

Episode Show Notes: How AI is Disrupting Leadership Communication & Executive Coaching Guest: Ash Seddeek, Founder of Mivante & Chief Excitement Officer at Executive Greatness Institute Host: Kumar Dattatreyan Episode Date: August 19, 2025 Duration: ~ 35 minutes Watch on YouTube Why You Need to Listen Right Now Ever send an "urgent" email that gets ignored for days? Or watch your brilliant ideas die in boring meetings? Ash Seddeek figured out why this happens—and his solution is blowing minds at companies like Cisco, Uber, and Google. Here's the thing: most workplace communication is completely backwards. We send messages the way WE like to receive them, not how the other person wants them. It's like texting someone who hates texting, then wondering why they don't respond. Ash is building technology that fixes this (it's called Mivante), but the real game-changer is his "Chief Excitement Officer" philosophy that's making leaders way more effective. The Big Aha Moments 🎯 The Communication Cheat Code What if, before sending any message, you got a little hint: "Hey, Sarah prefers bullet points and responds faster on Slack than email"? That's exactly what Ash is building. One leader told him that just making messages clearer led to way more responses and faster project completion. 🔥 Why Energy Beats Strategy Ash discovered something wild: companies with identical resources perform totally differently. The difference? Leaders who bring genuine excitement about the future. Not fake cheerleader energy—real, grounded excitement about where they're headed. 💡 The Meeting-With-Self Secret The most successful leaders Ash coaches do one thing religiously: they schedule weekly meetings with themselves to reflect. Sounds simple, but it's a game-changer. Best Quote of the Episode "The biggest communication mistake leaders make is assuming that sending a message is enough and it's going to be received very well—which is not always the case." Translation: Stop assuming people read your mind. Why This Matters to You If you've ever wondered why some leaders inspire teams to move mountains while others can't get a response to their emails, this conversation has the answer. Ash isn't sharing theory—he's sharing what actually works with executives at the world's most successful companies. Bottom line: In a world of endless Slack messages and Zoom fatigue, the leaders who master communication clarity and excitement will have an unfair advantage. Connect with Ash Website: communicatewithclarity.co Get his book: Strategic Leader Bluebook and Planner LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ashseddeek Email: ash@executivegreatness.com Listen & Subscribe 🎧 Find us: Search "Meridian Point" on any podcast app 📺 Watch: YouTube - Meridian Point Channel Trust us: This 35-minute conversation will save you hours of communication frustration and give you tools you'll use immediately. P.S. If you've ever been frustrated by unclear communication at work (spoiler: you have), you need to hear this episode.

Episode Show Notes: Why 75% of Innovation Fails - From Addiction to $M Exit Guest: David J. Greer, Entrepreneurial Coach & Author of "Wind in Your Sails" Host: Kumar Dattatreyan Episode Date: August 13, 2025 Duration: ~ 35 minutes Watch on YouTube What You're Missing About Innovation (And It's Costing You) Think innovation is all about the latest tech? Think again. David Greer just dropped some truth bombs that'll make you rethink everything about how businesses really grow. This isn't your typical entrepreneur interview. David's a 40+ year veteran who built and sold a global software company, then took two years off to sail the Mediterranean with his family. But here's the kicker—he's also 16 years sober and says that getting clean was the single biggest achievement of his life. And yeah, we go there. Who Is David Greer? David's the guy who joined a software startup at 22 and helped turn it into a global powerhouse over 20 years. After selling out, he did what most of us only dream about—bought a sailboat in France and homeschooled his kids while sailing 5,000 miles around the Mediterranean. Now he coaches entrepreneurs through their biggest challenges and wrote "Wind in Your Sails." But what makes him different? He's brutally honest about his struggles with alcohol and how recovery completely transformed the way he leads. The Big Aha Moments (Why You Need to Listen) The 75% Problem Everyone's Ignoring David drops this bombshell early: we're missing three-quarters of innovation opportunities because we're obsessed with shiny tech instead of fixing the basics—culture, people, and how we actually deliver value to customers. Want proof? He tells this incredible story about a security company that disrupted their entire industry with five simple words: "Five minutes to your door, your money back." Not through technology. Through a promise that forced them to completely reimagine how they operate. The Recovery Story That'll Hit You Hard Around minute 20, David gets real about his drinking. Twenty years of denial. High-functioning alcoholic. Used alcohol as "rocket fuel" to power through the highs and cope with the lows. Then 16 years ago, everything changed. What he learned in recovery—especially about listening and accountability—completely transformed how he shows up as a leader. The guy has been to over 2,000 twelve-step meetings, and he says those taught him listening skills you just can't get anywhere else. The Culture Wake-Up Call Here's something that'll make you squirm: David asks his clients what their culture is, and most have never written it down. Everyone has a different answer. Sound familiar? His solution is genius (and stolen from Jim Collins): Ask yourself who in your company you'd hire again in a heartbeat. Then dig into why. That's your real culture. The Accountability Truth Bomb Why do entrepreneurs suck at accountability? Because we started businesses to avoid having bosses! David nails this one. We're basically allergic to being held accountable, but that's exactly what kills innovation and growth. The Stories That'll Stick With You Providence Security: How "five minutes to your door, your money back" forced a company to innovate everything from key management to response protocols. The Rowing Boat: David's perfect analogy for misaligned teams—lots of splashing and noise, but you're just going in circles. Solo Sailing Insights: What nine days alone on the ocean teaches you about business that no boardroom ever could. Quotes You'll Want to Screenshot "We're missing 75% of innovation opportunities by obsessing over technology instead of focusing on culture, people, and processes." "Every industry has a deep, dark secret. Great companies call out that secret." "My listening skills are probably 10X what they were before recovery." "Skills are relatively easy to teach. Cultural fit is much harder to find." "You need alignment first, then you can do strategy and execution." What You'll Actually Do After Listening Stop chasing features and start focusing on how you deliver value post-sale Write down your culture using David's "hire again in a heartbeat" exercise Create brand promises with teeth—include real consequences for not delivering Get your team rowing in the same direction before worrying about strategy Hire for culture first, skills second Connect with David (He Actually Responds) David's old school—his phone number and email are right on his website because he believes in human connection. Plus, he offers a free one-hour coaching call to anyone who wants help. No catch. Website: coachdjgreer.com (phone and email right there) Book: "Wind in Your Sails" at coachdjgreer.com/book LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/davidgreer Instagram: @coachdjgreer Twitter: @djgreer Why You Should Subscribe Right Now This conversation went places most business podcasts are too scared to go. Personal transformation. Addiction. Real accountability. The messy truth about why innovation fails. David's not selling you some framework or system. He's sharing hard-won wisdom from 40+ years of building businesses and 16 years of rebuilding himself. If you're tired of surface-level business advice and want to hear from someone who's been through the fire and come out stronger, hit subscribe. Next week we're diving even deeper into how leaders create lasting change. P.S. We had some audio hiccups at the end, but the golden nuggets are all there. Sometimes the best conversations are a little messy—just like real business. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts Host: Kumar Dattatreyan | Show: Disruption and Innovation Podcast

Why Your Best Relationship Advice is Actually Destroying Your Connections Episode: "Disrupting Relationships - How Conflict Creates Innovation in Love & Leadership" Guest: Raquel Reis, Relationship Coach You know that feeling when you're trying SO hard to make a relationship work, but everything you do seems to backfire? Yeah, we've all been there. Turns out, most of us are doing relationships completely wrong. And I mean completely wrong. My guest Raquel Reis dropped some serious truth bombs that honestly made me question everything I thought I knew about conflict, communication, and connection. This Brooklyn-based relationship coach has this wild philosophy: "Conflict is growth wanting to happen." Wait, what? Conflict is... good? Here's What Blew My Mind Raquel shared research from Harvard's longest-running study (we're talking decades here) that proves relationships are the #1 predictor of literally everything - your health, success, how long you live, all of it. But here's the kicker: happy couples aren't the ones who never fight. They're the ones who maintain 20 positive interactions for every 1 negative. Twenty to one! I was doing the math in my head during our conversation thinking about my own relationships. Yikes. And get this - when that ratio drops to just 4:1? You're already heading toward divorce territory. Four to one! That's still way more positive than negative, but apparently it's not enough. The Part That Hit Different We got into this thing called "relationship poisons" - basically the toxic behaviors we all do with the best intentions. Raquel had this list of 10 common ones, and I'm not gonna lie, I was mentally checking boxes left and right. Talking over people, trying to prove your point, pointing out everything they're doing wrong... Sound familiar? The crazy part? We do this stuff because we want MORE connection, but it creates the exact opposite. It's like our survival brain is sabotaging our own happiness. Why This Matters for Your Career Here's where it gets really interesting. Raquel works with business leaders who are crushing it professionally but their personal relationships are falling apart. And she's seeing this pattern where the skills that make you successful at work - being direct, results-focused, always pushing - can absolutely destroy your marriage. But flip it around? When people fix their relationship patterns at home, their workplace communication immediately improves. They start taking better care of themselves. Everything gets better. It's all connected, people. The Lightning Round Got Real I asked Raquel what she tells people who say "relationships are hard," and her answer was perfect: "Relationships can be so much easier than you think. We're struggling so unnecessarily." That hit me. How much energy are we wasting fighting battles we don't need to fight? She also shared this gem about going "from furious to curious." Instead of getting defensive when someone's upset, ask yourself: what are they actually trying to tell me? What do they need right now? Game changer. The Book Thing Oh, and she's contributing to this collaborative book called "Confident You: Raw Conversations" that's launching soon. Her chapter is all about how one person can change an entire relationship dynamic. Which honestly sounds impossible, but after our conversation... I'm starting to believe it. Why You Need to Listen Look, I've interviewed a lot of coaches and experts, but this conversation was different. Raquel brings actual science to relationships - not just feel-good advice, but research-backed strategies that work. Whether you're an entrepreneur juggling a crazy schedule, a leader trying to build better teams, or just someone who wants to stop walking on eggshells around the people you love, this episode will shift how you think about conflict forever. Plus, Raquel offers free hour-long consultations. Like, actually free. No catch. She just wants to help people stop suffering in their relationships unnecessarily. Connect with Raquel: Website : Raquel Reis Coaching Booking link for a  Free Consultation Email to get on the waitlist for women group coaching or book updates and related events:  info@raquelreiscoaching.com Subscribe to Meridian Point for more conversations that'll make you rethink everything you thought you knew about success, leadership, and life. Because honestly? Your relationships might be the most important business strategy you're not working on.

Episode Show Notes: From Microsoft Executive to Fractional CTO - Why This Move Changed Everything Guest: Arunansu "Arun" Pattanayak, Founder & CEO of Tipsora Host: Kumar Dattatreyan Episode Date: July 29, 2025 Duration: ~ 40 minutes Watch on YouTube Why You Need to Listen to This Episode Ever wondered what makes someone walk away from a secure Microsoft job to start their own company? Arun did exactly that, and what he discovered about the fractional executive space will blow your mind. If you're a startup founder struggling with tech decisions, or a seasoned professional thinking about going solo, this conversation is pure gold. We dive deep into why small companies are ditching the idea of hiring full-time CTOs and how the smartest entrepreneurs are getting Microsoft-level expertise for a fraction of the cost. Plus, Arun drops some serious knowledge bombs about AI strategy that could save your company thousands of dollars. The Big Revelations That'll Make You Think Differently The Real Reason He Left Microsoft (It's Not What You Think) You'd assume it was about money, right? Wrong. Arun was frustrated by corporate red tape that prevented him from actually helping clients the way he wanted to. Picture this: you have the perfect strategy to solve someone's problem, but you need approval from three different teams who might just say "no" because that's not how they do things. Sound familiar? The breaking point? He kept meeting small business owners at conferences who desperately needed help but couldn't get it through Microsoft's traditional channels. That's when the lightbulb went off. The Fractional CTO Sweet Spot (And Why It's Genius) Here's the math that'll make you reconsider everything: Instead of paying one company $300K for a full-time CTO, five companies can each pay $60K for 20% of Arun's time. Everyone wins. The companies get enterprise-level expertise they could never afford, and Arun makes more money with way more variety in his work. But here's the kicker - there's a specific size company where this works best, and Arun breaks down exactly what that looks like. The AI Strategy That Actually Works for Small Companies Forget trying to build your own ChatGPT. Arun explains why that's a fool's errand and shares the real secret: use the giants' tools but apply them to problems only you understand. He gives a perfect example with Gamma.ai - they didn't reinvent AI, they just made it stupidly easy to create presentations. This section alone could save your startup from wasting months and thousands of dollars on the wrong AI approach. Why Smart Companies Don't Go 100% Cloud (Even Though It's Cheaper) Plot twist: Big banks avoid full cloud migration not because of cost, but because of control. Arun shares the hybrid strategy that lets companies get cloud benefits while keeping their most sensitive stuff in-house. If you're torn between cloud and on-premises, this part will give you a clear roadmap. The Moments That Made Us Go "Whoa" When Arun explained his team-building philosophy: He uses Google's PageRank algorithm for people instead of traditional org charts. Imagine ranking your employees by expertise through internal Q&A rather than just job titles. Mind. Blown. The speaking-to-consulting pipeline revelation: Arun doesn't get paid much for speaking, but every talk generates consulting clients worth tens of thousands. He's basically turned conferences into his personal lead generation machine. His answer about letting developers do marketing: "Developers can also go speak at conferences on your behalf and get you sales leads." Why didn't we think of this sooner? Questions From Real Listeners (That You're Probably Wondering Too) "At what company size does fractional CTO make sense?" Arun's answer: Under 100 employees, less than $100M revenue. There's a sweet spot where you're too big for the founder to handle everything but too small to afford a full-time exec. "How do you compete with Microsoft and Amazon on AI?" His response will change how you think about competition entirely. Spoiler: You don't compete - you use their weight against them. "What about hybrid cloud strategy?" This wasn't just theory - Arun spent seven years convincing companies to move to cloud, so he knows exactly why some still resist and how to bridge that gap. Why This Matters Right Now The fractional executive trend isn't just some Silicon Valley fad - it's becoming mainstream. Forbes just ran an article about interim CEOs (which is basically fractional leadership). Smart companies are realizing they don't need full-time everything. If you're a founder, this could solve your "we need expertise but can't afford the salary" problem. If you're a consultant or executive, this might be your path to higher income and more interesting work. Connect with Arun (Because You're Going to Want To) Website: www.arunansupattanayak.com - His speaker demo reel is right on the homepage and it's worth watching Company: www.Tipsora.com - Where he does all the fractional CTO magic LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/arunansuspeaks/ - He's super active and responds to messages What He Can Do for You: Fractional CTO services (if you fit his ideal client profile) Speaking at your company or conference AI strategy consulting One-on-one career coaching calls Pro tip: He mentions being active on social media and happy to do one-on-one calls. This guy is approachable - don't be shy about reaching out. The Bottom Line This isn't your typical "I left corporate to start a business" story. Arun found a gap in the market that benefits everyone - small companies get access to top-tier talent, and executives get more freedom and potentially higher income. The fractional model is disrupting traditional hiring, and you need to understand how it works whether you're hiring or thinking about this career path yourself. Listen if you want to: Understand the fractional executive trend before your competitors do Learn AI strategy that actually works for smaller companies Get insider perspective on cloud migration from someone who sold it for seven years Hear how speaking can become your most effective marketing channel Subscribe because: We're covering the trends that are reshaping how business gets done, with guests who are actually doing it, not just talking about it. Next week: Another entrepreneur who's disrupting their industry in ways you haven't thought of yet. Don't just listen - engage. Drop questions in the comments, connect with Arun on LinkedIn, and let us know what disruption story you want to hear next. P.S. - If you're thinking about fractional work or need technical leadership, this episode just gave you a playbook and a potential solution.