Tired of feeling like your team is stuck in a cycle of frustration and miscommunication? What if the biggest blocker in your tech career isn’t your code, but your thinking? That’s the core premise of Systems Thinking, and in this episode, Diana Montalion (author of “Learning Systems Thinking”) shares the practical insights and mental models to help you make that essential shift. Key topics discussed: What systems thinking is and its core principles The difference between linear thinking (which w...
Jun 09, 2025•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 219
Understand the secret behind one of Amazon’s most powerful innovation tools and learn how you can use it to drive clarity, alignment, and better decision-making. In this episode, Marcelo Calbucci, author of “The PRFAQ Framework,” dives deep into the PRFAQ (Press Release & Frequently Asked Questions) framework, a unique approach that combines narrative storytelling and strategic FAQs to crystallize initiative vision and strategy. Key topics discussed: What the PRFAQ framework is — and why it’...
May 26, 2025•54 min•Ep. 218
(08:54) Brought to you by Swimm.io. Start modernizing your mainframe faster with Swimm . Understand the what, why, and how of your mainframe code. Use AI to uncover critical code insights for seamless migration, refactoring, or system replacement. Why do so many well-intentioned initiatives fail to move the needle? In this episode, Sriram Narayan, author of ‘Impact Intelligence,’ reveals how to ensure your efforts translate into real, measurable business impact. Stop shooting in...
May 19, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 217
(05:46) Brought to you by Swimm.io. Start modernizing your mainframe faster with Swimm .Understand the what, why, and how of your mainframe code.Use AI to uncover critical code insights for seamless migration, refactoring, or system replacement. Feeling uneasy about how your personal data is used, and wondering if companies are doing enough to protect it? In this episode, Katharine Jarmul, author of “Practical Data Privacy,” dives deep into one of the most critical and rapidly evolv...
May 12, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 216
(04:07) Brought to you by Swimm.io. Start modernizing your mainframe faster with Swimm .Understand the what, why, and how of your mainframe code.Use AI to uncover critical code insights for seamless migration, refactoring, or system replacement. Are too many meetings killing your productivity and making your team less effective? Discover a new approach to work where meetings are no longer the default and deep work takes the center stage. In this episode, Sumeet Moghe, the author of the ...
May 05, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 215
(03:59) Brought to you by Swimm.io. Start modernizing your mainframe faster with Swimm . Understand the what, why, and how of your mainframe code. Use AI to uncover critical code insights for seamless migration, refactoring, or system replacement. Stop fearing Friday and late-night deployments! Discover how the most painful part of software development—deploying to production—can become routine, safe, and even boring. In this episode, I sit down with Valentina Servile (ThoughtWorks lead dev...
Apr 28, 2025•59 min•Ep. 214
(05:57) Brought to you by Swimm.io. Start modernizing your mainframe faster with Swimm . Understand the what, why, and how of your mainframe code. Use AI to uncover critical code insights for seamless migration, refactoring, or system replacement. Are we looking at software engineering the wrong way? What if it’s less about writing code and more about making better decisions in an ever-changing system? Learn a revolutionary approach to understanding complex software systems in my conversati...
Apr 14, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 213
(07:40) Brought to you by Swimm.io. Start modernizing your mainframe faster with Swimm . Understand the what, why, and how of your mainframe code. Use AI to uncover critical code insights for seamless migration, refactoring, or system replacement. What if everything you’ve been taught about software architecture is fundamentally at odds with how the real world works? Dive into my conversation with Barry O’Reilly, a veteran architect and former Chief Architect at Microsoft, as we explore a r...
Apr 07, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 212
(03:43) Brought to you by Swimm.io. Start modernizing your mainframe faster with Swimm . Understand the what, why, and how of your mainframe code. Use AI to uncover critical code insights for seamless migration, refactoring, or system replacement. Are you feeling overwhelmed by the rapid pace of technological change? How do you not just survive, but thrive through decades of major changes in the tech industry? With 42 years experiencing the tech industry’s biggest transformations, Paula Pau...
Mar 31, 2025•59 min•Ep. 211
(05:29) Brought to you by Swimm.io Start modernizing your mainframe faster with Swimm . Understand the what, why, and how of your mainframe code. Use AI to uncover critical code insights for seamless migration, refactoring, or system replacement. Tired of API dependencies slowing down your development and testing? Dive into my conversation with Tom Akehurst, creator of WireMock, and discover the art of using API mocking to build successful software in complex distributed environments. Key t...
Mar 24, 2025•52 min•Ep. 210
Discover the secrets to early retirement and financial independence from a tech industry veteran! In this episode, we dive deep into the inspiring journey of Kristine Howard, who transitioned from a dynamic career in tech to a life of early retirement, reaching financial independence and personal fulfillment along the way. Key topics discussed: Learn why tracking your expenses is the key to financial freedom Master the balanced money formula for budgeting success Uncover smart investing strategi...
Mar 17, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 209
(07:37) Brought to you by Lemon.io Lemon.io is your go-to platform for hiring top-tier, pre-vetted software engineers from Europe and Latin America. You'll get matched with your developer in just 48 hours. Tech Lead Journal listeners get 15% off your first 4 weeks of work at lemon.io . Ever wondered what it takes to climb the tech leadership ladder from engineer to executive? In this episode, we follow the journey of Norman Noble, CTO of Mindvalley, as he shares his insights and expe...
Mar 03, 2025•49 min•Ep. 208
(04:44) Brought to you by Lemon.io Lemon.io is your go-to platform for hiring top-tier, pre-vetted software engineers from Europe and Latin America. You'll get matched with your developer in just 48 hours. Tech Lead Journal listeners get 15% off your first 4 weeks of work at lemon.io . Want to communicate more effectively and get your work the attention it deserves? Learn how to harness the power of storytelling in a business setting with Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic, the bestselling author o...
Feb 24, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 207
(06:49) Brought to you by Lemon.io Lemon.io is your go-to platform for hiring top-tier, pre-vetted software engineers from Europe and Latin America. You'll get matched with your developer in just 48 hours. Tech Lead Journal listeners get 15% off your first 4 weeks of work at lemon.io . Want to learn the key principles and future of DevOps that can help you ship code faster and more reliably? In this episode, I sit down with Yevgeniy Brikman, co-founder of Gruntwork and author of “Terraform: ...
Feb 17, 2025•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 206
(03:55) Brought to you by Lemon.io Lemon.io is your go-to platform for hiring top-tier, pre-vetted software engineers from Europe and Latin America. You'll get matched with your developer in just 48 hours. Tech Lead Journal listeners get 15% off your first 4 weeks of work at lemon.io . Ever wonder what a credit score for your codebase would look like? In this episode, Matt Van Itallie, founder of Sema, discusses how his company is revolutionizing the way we assess and understand code quality...
Feb 10, 2025•58 min•Ep. 205
Are you tired of cargo cult engineering leadership? In this episode, David Guttman, author of “The Superstruct Manifesto”, shares his intriguing manifesto on building and leading high-performing engineering teams. We explore: - Why daily standups are overrated and what to do instead - How to avoid the trap of the "10x engineer" myth - Why computer science riddles don't belong in your interviews - The importance of estimates (hint: it's not about the accuracy!) - How to treat yo...
Feb 03, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 204
Is your ML project stuck in POC hell and failing to deliver real value? In this episode, I sit down with David Tan and Dave Colls, co-authors of the book “Effective Machine Learning Teams” to discuss the complexities of building and deploying ML models, building and managing effective ML teams, and ensuring successful ML projects. Key topics discussed: - Learn the key differences between ML engineering and traditional software engineering. - Why so many ML projects fail to reach production or de...
Jan 27, 2025•59 min•Ep. 203
“ Looking at the development pace of this area, it’s just a question of when generative AI will take over larger parts of software engineering. It’s a leadership responsibility to ensure your organization is ready for AI and you are taking the right path. ” AI is changing EVERYTHING – including the way we build software. Are you READY for it? In this episode, we dive deep into the impact of AI on the future of work, particularly in the software development space. Join me and André Neubauer as we...
Jan 20, 2025•53 min•Ep. 202
“ Evolutionary architecture became a necessity, not because anybody wanted it to be, but because you didn’t have a choice. You have to be able to change your systems to keep up with changing business and consumer expectations, let alone regulatory frameworks. ” In this episode, I have an insightful conversation with Rebecca Parsons, coauthor of Building Evolutionary Architectures and ex-CTO of ThoughtWorks, on the topic of evolutionary architecture. Rebecca shares the definition and principles o...
Jan 13, 2025•57 min•Ep. 201
“Leadership is where you have, not necessarily a large organization, but increasing scope and increasing impact, while bringing lots of people along with you.” In this milestone episode of the podcast, James Stanier returns for the third time to discuss his latest book, “Become a Great Engineering Leader.” We explore the role of an engineering leader and delve deep into the nuances of engineering leadership. James explains the difference between an engineering leader and an engineering manager t...
Nov 25, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 200
“As an engineer, you don’t have to drop your technical skills, but you need to communicate like an executive. The more you communicate this way, you will have more opportunities and more impact on your job.” Pramoda Vyasarao is an engineering leader turned coach with two decades of experience at Oracle and Meta, and the author of “Beyond Your Limits”. In this episode, Pramoda shares his insights on the importance of communication for engineers, as well as his inspiring journey of achieving 52 lo...
Nov 18, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 199
“Now more than ever, engineering leaders are being asked to be more transparent with how their work is getting done. Every single thing that an engineering team works on needs to benefit the business.” Laura Tacho is the CTO of DX and a leading voice in the world of developer experience and productivity. In this episode, we explore the ever important role of aligning developer experience with business goals and discuss the DX Core 4, a new developer productivity framework recently published by D...
Nov 11, 2024•59 min•Ep. 198
“Input, Output, Outcome, and Impact. It’s an escalating way of where to spend my time as an engineering leader, and more importantly, where my engineering team is spending their time on.” Balki Kodarapu is the VP of Engineering at Lōvu Health and a seasoned engineering leader with a wealth of experience from startups to large organizations. In this episode, Balki shares his valuable insights on how to build and lead high-performing engineering teams that go beyond just churning out code. We go d...
Nov 04, 2024•56 min•Ep. 197
“The OOOps methodology from the science of happy accidents are optionality, opportunism, and optimization.” Stephen Fishman and Matt McLarty are the authors of “Unbundling the Enterprise: APIs, Optionality, and the Science of Happy Accidents”, a book from IT Revolution. In this episode, we discuss the transformative power of APIs, the importance of optionality in technology and business, and the intriguing science of ‘happy accidents’. We delve into the “OOOps” of the science of happy accidents,...
Oct 21, 2024•56 min•Ep. 196
“Legacy code is a code without tests. If you have code, and it has lots of tests, it’s relatively easy to change. But if you don’t have the tests, you’re really in serious trouble.” Do you dread working with legacy code? Michael Feathers, renowned software expert and author of the classic “Working Effectively with Legacy Code,” joins me to discuss the challenges and strategies for working with legacy code, a topic that remains highly relevant even after 20 years! Michael explains why he defines ...
Oct 14, 2024•56 min•Ep. 195
“Product marketing’s purpose is to drive product adoption by shaping market perception through strategic marketing activities that align with business goals.” Are you making the mistake of focusing too much on product and not enough on the market? In this episode, Martina Lauchengo, a partner at Costanoa Ventures and the author of the SVPG book “LOVED: How to Rethink Marketing for Tech Products”, discusses the often-overlooked importance of marketing in the success of tech products. Martina chal...
Oct 07, 2024•1 hr•Ep. 194
“We should always learn intentionally. And the best learning is by doing. Extra time used to practice something is always worth it." Dr. Milan Milanović is a seasoned CTO and the author of the popular “Tech World with Milan” newsletter. In this episode, Milan shares his insights on what it takes to become a great software engineer. Milan emphasizes that technical skills, while crucial, are just one part of the equation. Soft skills, a product-focused mindset, and a commitment to continuous learn...
Sep 30, 2024•55 min•Ep. 193
“The four common obstacles that are stopping engineers in progressing in their journey are the imposter syndrome, burnout, trouble dealing with other people, and self marketing struggles." Dagna Bieda is an engineer turned coach and the author of “Brain Refactor”. In this episode, Dagna discusses the common obstacles that prevent engineers from progressing in their careers. She also introduces her latest book, “Brain Refactor,” which offers strategies for overcoming these obstacles and achi...
Sep 23, 2024•1 hr•Ep. 192
“One key highlight of the report is that there’s a massive disconnect between engineering leaders and engineers about developer experience." Andrew Boyagi is a DevOps Evangelist at Atlassian. In this episode, Andrew shares the key findings of the State of Developer Experience Report 2024, including the disconnect between engineering leaders and engineers, the impact of AI on developer experience, and the importance of measuring and improving developer productivity. Andrew shares practical a...
Sep 16, 2024•55 min•Ep. 191
“The three core expectations of a Staff+ engineer are having a high blast radius impact, able to do multi-scale planning & influence, and having high ownership & autonomy level.” What does it take to become a Staff+ engineer? Thiago Ghisi, an experienced engineering leader and a Director of Engineering at Nubank, reveals the secrets in this episode. We discuss the path to becoming a Staff+ engineer and explore the attributes that set successful Staff+ engineers apart. Thiago emphasizes t...
Sep 09, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 187
