Tom Davenport has been watching technology transformations for over 30 years, and he's not joining the AI hype wagon. As a distinguished professor at Babson College and author of 27+ books, Tom brings hard-earned wisdom to the AI conversation that's refreshingly realistic. While Silicon Valley promises instant transformation and a job apocalypse, Tom reveals why real AI success requires the unglamorous work of process redesign, patient leadership, and years of persistent effort. In this eye-open...
Sep 02, 2025•32 min•Ep. 23
Brea Starmer helped build the future of work out of necessity. As founder of Lions and Tigers, she's unlocking millions in economic opportunity for independent workers, particularly women navigating caregiving responsibilities. When Brea was laid off seven months pregnant, facing workplace discrimination, and having to choose between career ambition and family flexibility, she discovered that the traditional employment system simply wasn't designed for people like her. What started as personal s...
Aug 05, 2025•25 min•Ep. 22
Iwo Szapar saw the future of work early—co-founding Remotely years before the pandemic transformed how we work. Now he's back with groundbreaking research through the AI Maturity Index, analyzing over 250,000 data points across 75 countries to reveal what's really happening with AI adoption in the workplace. The gap between AI winners and everyone else isn't just significant—it's shocking. In this conversation with Paul Estes, Iwo breaks down the stark reality behind AI adoption, from the top 1%...
Jul 15, 2025•31 min•Ep. 21
Kelly Monahan, Managing Director of Upwork's Research Institute and co-author of Essential, reveals why 77% of employees feel AI makes work harder, not easier—and what leaders can do about it. In this eye-opening conversation with Paul Estes, Kelly breaks down the real forces behind today's labor market shifts, from inflation and capital costs to the pandemic's lasting impact on customer behavior. From her research on the frontlines of the future of work, Kelly shares practical frameworks for mo...
Jun 18, 2025•31 min•Ep. 20
Generation X professionals are navigating an unprecedented perfect storm: young children at home, peak career responsibilities, and a business landscape in constant flux. Executive coach Samia Kornweibel joins Paul Estes to explore why so many mid-career leaders are experiencing what she calls "career meltdowns"—and how they can build resilience in an era where roles keep shifting. Fresh from completing her AI coaching certification, Samia shares how she's helping leaders navigate the ethical in...
Jun 03, 2025•30 min•Ep. 19
Peter Relan, founder of the YouWeb Incubator and initial Discord investor, joins Paul to discuss how AI transforms math education through his latest venture, MathGPT.ai. Growing up in poverty with parents who believed in education's transformative power, Peter is now paying it forward by creating around-the-clock math coaching for students facing critical academic hurdles. In this eye-opening conversation, Peter reveals how his platform combines AI tutoring with human instructor oversight to add...
May 20, 2025•26 min•Ep. 18
Christopher Bishop, a self-described "nonlinear multimodal careerist" who's navigated eight careers, joins Paul Estes to discuss his new book Improvising Careers: Succeed in Jobs That Don't Exist Yet ( pre-order here ). From touring rock musician opening for the Eagles to IBM executive to quantum technology expert, Christopher shares how to thrive in a world where the average person will have 8-10 jobs by age 38. In this compelling conversation, Christopher reveals his "Future Career Toolkit" fe...
May 06, 2025•27 min•Ep. 17
Adam Hofmann, leader of Elixirr's generative AI practice, joins Paul Estes to share insights on moving organizations from AI curiosity to implementation. Drawing from his journey from entrepreneur to AI strategy consultant, Adam reveals how shifting from technical experimentation to cultural engagement is key to successful AI adoption. Paul and Adam discuss the phenomenon of "present bias"—how our experiences with today's AI tools can limit our ability to envision their future potential. From bo...
Apr 22, 2025•26 min•Ep. 16
Pip Sanderson, from the National Institute of Teaching in England, brings a refreshingly balanced perspective from the front lines of AI and education. While many edtech enthusiasts rush to implement AI solutions, Pip challenges us to consider what's at stake in our pursuit of technological efficiency and how we might preserve the human essence of learning. In this thought-provoking conversation, Pip and Paul explore the real impacts of AI on students' cognitive development and the importance of...
Apr 08, 2025•41 min•Ep. 15
Marcus Sawyer, EQ app CEO and former Adecco Group X president, is building the AI recruiting revolution he predicted five years ago. In this eye-opening conversation with Paul Estes, Marcus reveals how AI is transforming hiring and Paul shares an experiment where AI ranked his friend's "best" resume dead last. If you're job hunting in 2025, you need these insider tips on getting past AI gatekeepers to land your dream role. From Marcus's "Zero Admin Revolution" mission to his practical OTT framew...
Mar 25, 2025•30 min•Ep. 14
Mark Heaps went from cutting out photos by hand to shaping AI’s future at Groq—and trust us, he’s got receipts. In this no-filter conversation with Paul Estes, Heaps drops the ultimate truth bomb: AI won’t replace humans, but humans who master AI will replace those who don’t. After a nail-biting story involving his son, a lionfish sting, and an LLM that saved the day, you’ll understand why this creative-turned-tech-exec is convinced we’re just scratching the surface of AI’s potential. From build...
Mar 10, 2025•33 min•Ep. 13
Collaboration is essential for the success of all businesses. Companies are more likely to succeed with a collaborative culture; therefore, business owners need to collaborate with talent to grow their company and preserve their resources. Gig models are a great way for businesses to work with freelancers and contractors without the hassle of finding and managing employees. They are also more cost-effective in the long run. Join this conversation with Tim Sanders and learn more about the future ...
Mar 17, 2023•37 min•Ep. 10
Gigging the Gap: Navigating the Future of Workforce Shortages with Jason Radisson" The gig economy, also known as the on-demand or freelance economy, is a rapidly growing sector of the global workforce. It is an economy that allows people to work independently in short-term, freelance jobs instead of traditional long-term employment. The gig economy is now seen as an effective solution to the global shortage of skilled front-line workers. By taking advantage of this new way of working, companies...
Feb 08, 2023•26 min•Ep. 7
The Future of Hiring: How SkillGigs is Revolutionizing Staffing with Brad Hill The traditional brick-and-mortar staffing agencies have inefficient and biased ways of connecting employers with talent. Online platforms are beginning to disrupt this gig economy industry by providing a more efficient way to find the right people for the job. In this conversation, we are joined by Brad Hill from SkillGigs to talk more about their approach to effectively matching employers with the right talent for a ...
Feb 08, 2023•28 min•Ep. 9
The Future of Work: Navigating the Pivot with Heather McGowan The times of relying on outdated methods of working your way up the corporate ladder are ending, ushering in a new era of work that requires leaders to prepare their people and organizations for unprecedented changes. The gig economy is rising, with independent contractors filling labor shortages and creating opportunities for more flexible working arrangements. Automation and artificial intelligence are transforming the way we work, ...
Feb 08, 2023•27 min•Ep. 8
The Gig Economy: Why it's Faster, Cheaper, and Better with Rob Beiderman The gig economy is not just about freelancing. It can be used for any contract work that requires talent. It also applies to organizations that want to outsource their work to save on costs but want to retain control over their brand and culture. The gig economy helps companies save on labor costs and acquire talent at scale by tapping into a global marketplace free from geographical restrictions or regulations. Join this c...
Feb 01, 2023•24 min•Ep. 5
Building Elite Teams with Raphael Ouzan: Insights from the Founder & CEO of A.Team In today’s competitive world, it is essential to have an elite team of highly skilled professionals to help your company grow and achieve its goals. When building an elite team, it’s important to set a clear mission. Moreover, hiring the best people is not enough; you need to ensure they are all working towards the same goal. In this incredible episode, Paul Estes interviews Raphael Ouzan, the Founder & CE...
Nov 30, 2022•27 min•Ep. 4
We always hear about the big names in the gig economy, such as Uber, Grubhub, TaskRabbit, Fiverr, UpWork, and TurboTax Live. We never really get to hear from the people who provide the services on these platforms. Today, we’re hearing from Abbi Perets, freelance writer and Founder of Successful Freelance Mom. We talk about taking on freelancing as a lifestyle choice, juggling freelancing with being a mom, building culture, balancing automation and human touch, and getting Abbi’s Top 5 Tips for w...
Oct 24, 2022•24 min•Ep. 3
Today, we sit down with Steve Rader, who leads NASA’s efforts to leverage crowd-based platforms for open innovation and bring value to NASA’s programs, as well as innovation efforts in the U.S. government. Steve is also the Founder and CEO of Crowd Resources Consulting, where he speaks and consults on innovation, crowdsourcing, and the future of work. Listen in as Steve explains how open innovation at NASA around mitigating human risks in space “came out of necessity” a little over a decade ago ...
Oct 24, 2022•24 min•Ep. 2
We are all part of the Gig Economy Author, TEDx speaker, LinkedIn expert, and creator of the 4-Step Bulletproof Your Career Methodology— Patricia Romboletti is on a mission to fundamentally change our relationship with our careers. Moving from a world where we ask, "what do you want to become when you grow up?" to "what kind of life do you want to live ?" Pat affirms that we are all part of the gig economy today – that operates flexibly, despite any uncertainty, and is the new future. She points...
Sep 15, 2022•26 min•Ep. 1
