The Digital Executive

In this episode of The Digital Executive, host Brian Thomas sits down with Katie Fortunato, co-founder and EVP of Platform Innovation and Strategy at Hire Innovations. Katie shares her unconventional journey from aspiring actress to tech innovator, highlighting how her early experiences in media, brand marketing, and entrepreneurship shaped her mission to fix a broken hiring system. Katie dives into how Hire Innovations is transforming talent acquisition through its ecosystem of platforms—Recruitics, Talivity, and the newly launched Jobstream—by combining AI-powered tools with a deeply human-centered approach. She explains how these platforms help organizations modernize recruitment, improve candidate experience, and better align talent strategies with business needs. A key focus of the conversation is Jobstream, described as the “ShopMy of career content,” which leverages social media and the creator economy to connect job seekers with opportunities in a more authentic and trusted way. By enabling influencers to share vetted job opportunities and earn through affiliate monetization, Jobstream aims to reduce friction, eliminate job market inefficiencies, and create a more transparent hiring ecosystem. Katie also explores major challenges in today’s hiring landscape, including job board inefficiencies, application overload driven by AI, candidate ghosting, and the growing importance of referrals and networks. She emphasizes the need to reframe rejection into opportunity and build better pathways for job seekers. Looking ahead, Katie shares her perspective on the future of work—where AI, social platforms, and creator-driven ecosystems reshape how people find jobs, build careers, and generate income. She highlights emerging trends such as the rise of skilled trades, the decline of traditional career paths, and the growth of creator entrepreneurship and side hustles as viable full-time careers. This episode offers valuable insights for business leaders, recruiters, and job seekers navigating the rapidly evolving world of talent, technology, and work. If you liked what you heard today, please leave us a review - Apple or Spotify. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of The Digital Executive, host Brian Thomas speaks with Ian Baer, founder and CEO of Sooth, reveals why traditional marketing is fundamentally flawed—relying too heavily on demographics and past behavior while ignoring the emotional drivers behind decisions. He introduces his “emotional blueprint” method, powered by AI, which analyzes millions of real-time signals to predict why people buy with up to 91% accuracy. Ian explains how emotional connection—not data volume—is the true driver of customer value, often increasing it fivefold. He also explores why most marketing is becoming commoditized, how AI can either accelerate failure or unlock insight, and why brands must shift from targeting audiences to understanding them in motion to stay competitive. If you liked what you heard today, please leave us a review - Apple or Spotify. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of The Digital Executive, host Brian Thomas speaks with Kevin Ray, CTO and co-founder of Nomo SmartCare, shares how his 25-year career in gaming and consumer electronics shaped a new approach to connected healthcare. Drawing parallels between gaming and health tech, he highlights the importance of security, scalable infrastructure, and intuitive user experience—especially for aging populations. Inspired by personal family experiences, Kevin built Nomo to passively monitor daily activity and detect when something’s wrong—answering a simple but critical question: “How’s mom?” He also discusses startup pitfalls, the importance of product-market fit, and how continuous innovation and consumer-grade experiences will define the future of in-home care. If you liked what you heard today, please leave us a review - Apple or Spotify. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of The Digital Executive, host Brian Thomas speaks with Chris Hauth, CEO of air up, shares how a university concept evolved into a nine-figure global brand redefining how we drink water. He explains the science behind Scentaste—flavoring water through scent alone—and how it tackles hidden sugar consumption, a major driver of health issues. Chris also reveals key lessons from scaling during hypergrowth, navigating COVID, and expanding across diverse international markets. Looking ahead, he explores the shift toward science-driven, functional consumer products and how air up aims to make healthier hydration accessible to the mass market through breakthrough innovation and lower price points. If you liked what you heard today, please leave us a review - Apple or Spotify. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of The Digital Executive, host Brian Thomas speaks with Anshuman Yadav, founder of NeuraCraft, shares how fragmented financial systems are holding leaders back—and why traditional FP&A is too reactive for today’s pace. He explains how his AI-native CFO platform, StratiqAI, unifies data, embeds institutional memory, and enables real-time decision-making. Drawing on global experience across the U.S., India, and Canada, Anshuman highlights how capital allocation strategies vary—and why the future belongs to leaders who combine speed with discipline. Looking ahead, he explores how AI will transform finance from backward-looking reporting into a proactive decision architecture that drives smarter, faster business outcomes. If you liked what you heard today, please leave us a review - Apple or Spotify. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of The Digital Executive, host Brian Thomas speaks with Jim Kras, CEO of Edible Garden, shares how controlled environment agriculture is reshaping the future of food. Drawing on his background in consumer brands and advertising, Jim explains how consistency, freshness, and trust are critical in today’s supply chain—and why traditional farming struggles to deliver all three. He dives into how Edible Garden uses ag-tech, patented systems, and local greenhouse operations to ensure transparency, food safety, and over 98% fulfillment rates. Looking ahead, Jim explores how climate change, consumer demand for cleaner food, and supply chain volatility will accelerate the shift toward indoor, tech-driven farming as a reliable way to feed a growing global population. If you liked what you heard today, please leave us a review - Apple or Spotify. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of The Digital Executive, host Brian Thomas speaks with Dr. Peter McAllister who shares his journey from early programming to leading data and AI initiatives across mining, healthcare, and supply chain industries. He explains why storytelling—through his sci-fi novel The Code—is a powerful way to explore real-world AI risks and ethical dilemmas. Peter dives into the challenges leaders face as AI evolves faster than governance, warning against blindly automating flawed processes and emphasizing the importance of trust, strong business foundations, and human oversight. Looking ahead, he compares AI’s trajectory to the rise of automobiles, urging leaders to consciously shape a future where innovation and accountability coexist. If you liked what you heard today, please leave us a review - Apple or Spotify. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of The Digital Executive, host Brian Thomas speaks with Angel Tuccy, media expert, bestselling author, and creator of the Pod-licity Method, shares how a podcast she launched for fun turned into a 10-year award-winning radio career—and a platform that now helps entrepreneurs amplify their message. Angel explains why podcast guesting is one of the most underutilized growth strategies today, offering unmatched reach, flexibility, and long-term visibility without the need for travel or large budgets. She highlights powerful success stories of clients who’ve landed major media features, grown massive audiences, and scaled their businesses through consistent exposure. Looking ahead, Angel emphasizes that in an AI-driven world, authentic human connection and real voices will be more valuable than ever, making podcasting a critical tool for building authority, trust, and lasting impact. If you liked what you heard today, please leave us a review - Apple or Spotify. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of The Digital Executive, host Brian Thomas speaks with Boomer Anderson, CEO of Troscriptions, shares how a personal health scare at age 30 reshaped his mission from finance to health optimization. Now leading one of the fastest-growing healthcare companies in the U.S., he’s tackling the flaws of the supplement industry with physician-formulated, precision-dose solutions designed for real results. Boomer explains why today’s system is built around disease management—not true health—and how education, transparency, and proactive care can change that. Looking ahead, he explores a future driven by AI, personalized testing, and practitioner-guided insights, where healthcare shifts from reactive treatment to real-time, individualized optimization. If you liked what you heard today, please leave us a review - Apple or Spotify. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of The Digital Executive, host Brian Thomas speaks with Omar Sarieddine, co-founder of Ticmint, shares how his journey from community event organizer to tech entrepreneur led him to rethink the entire ticketing ecosystem. Frustrated by fragmented platforms and lack of control for creators, Omar built Ticmint as a “Shopify for ticketing”—giving organizers full ownership of their audience, data, and revenue streams. He explores how blockchain can bring transparency, reduce fraud, and enable programmable features like royalties and price controls, while emphasizing that true innovation starts with better infrastructure. Looking ahead, Omar envisions a shift from transactional ticket sales to ongoing audience relationships, unlocking new opportunities for creators to build, scale, and monetize their communities. If you liked what you heard today, please leave us a review - Apple or Spotify. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of The Digital Executive, host Brian Thomas speaks with Joanne Frederick, founder of Government Market Strategies, shares insights from 30+ years in federal healthcare. She explains how decades of incremental policy changes have created overwhelming complexity—and why true progress requires rethinking system design, not just fixing parts. Joanne discusses aligning incentives, improving access and continuity of care, and simplifying operations to deliver real outcomes for patients, military families, and providers. Looking ahead, she highlights the need for bold, intentional reform to build a more effective and resilient healthcare system. If you liked what you heard today, please leave us a review - Apple or Spotify. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of The Digital Executive podcast, host Brian Thomas speaks with David Balan, co-founder of Selluna.ai, shares how he scaled an Amazon agency to over $1B in managed revenue—and why product imagery is the most misunderstood driver of e-commerce growth. He explains how optimizing a single main image can dramatically increase clicks, conversions, and long-term sales performance. David also dives into how AI is transforming e-commerce by unlocking massive datasets, enabling continuous optimization of listings, ads, and content. The result: faster growth, lower costs, and a new era where even small teams can compete with enterprise-level marketing power. If you liked what you heard today, please leave us a review - Apple or Spotify. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of The Digital Executive, host Brian Thomas speaks with Tim Thomson, founder of Cyber Trends, shares hard-earned lessons from scaling an MSP to $7M in recurring revenue. He explains why many owners become the bottleneck—and how ego, lack of delegation, and weak processes hold businesses back. Tim emphasizes the power of simple, repeatable systems, strong leadership, and operational maturity to unlock real growth. He also explores how AI is reshaping the MSP landscape, separating those who embrace efficiency and outcomes from those who risk falling behind. If you liked what you heard today, please leave us a review - Apple or Spotify. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of The Digital Executive, host Brian Thomas speaks with Dr. Wendy Lynch—researcher, author, and analytic translator—explores why organizations struggle to turn data and AI into meaningful decisions. She reveals that the disconnect between business leaders and data teams is systemic, driven by misaligned communication, goals, and expectations. Wendy shares practical strategies for closing this gap, including focusing on purpose over outputs and asking better questions from the start. She also highlights the growing role of analytic translators as trusted intermediaries who bridge understanding, guide collaboration, and help organizations unlock the real value of analytics and AI. If you liked what you heard today, please leave us a review - Apple or Spotify. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of The Digital Executive podcast, host Brian Thomas speaks with Andrew Thomas, VP of Marketing at Acclaro, explores how localization has evolved from simple translation into a strategic growth driver. He explains why sustainable growth depends on delivering consistent, high-quality outcomes—not just volume—and how localization directly impacts global revenue. Andrew highlights where AI is transforming the industry through scale and automation, while emphasizing the continued importance of human expertise for cultural nuance, accountability, and accuracy. Looking ahead, he shares how companies must embrace content intelligence and outcome-driven strategies to compete globally in an AI-powered world. If you liked what you heard today, please leave us a review - Apple or Spotify. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of The Digital Executive Podcast, host Brian Thomas speaks with Rahul Powar—serial entrepreneur and technologist behind Shazam and Red Sift—explores the evolving challenges of internet security. He shares how today’s internet was never designed for modern threats, leaving organizations exposed to complex, layered vulnerabilities. Rahul explains why AI is both a powerful defense tool and a growing risk, creating an arms race between attackers and defenders. Looking ahead, he outlines a shift from reactive cybersecurity to proactive, architecture-driven protection—where trust, automation, and intelligent systems become the foundation for a safer digital future. If you liked what you heard today, please leave us a review - Apple or Spotify. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of The Digital Executive Podcast, host Brian Thomas speaks with Garth Coleman, who shares how decades of experience in enterprise software, 3D visualization, and AI led him to tackle one of industry’s biggest challenges: translating complexity into clarity. He explains why the real gap in modern enterprises isn’t technology—but how knowledge is delivered to people. Garth introduces the concept of a “visual execution layer” to connect engineering, manufacturing, and frontline workers with dynamic, interactive content. He also explores how generative AI can capture institutional knowledge, empower the next-generation workforce, and transform the way organizations communicate, collaborate, and execute in an increasingly complex digital world. If you liked what you heard today, please leave us a review - Apple or Spotify. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of The Digital Executive Podcast, host Brian Thomas speaks with Arjun Arora, founder of Advisor AI, an AI-native platform transforming how educational institutions support student success and workforce readiness. Drawing from his own experience as a first-generation immigrant navigating complex systems, Arjun shares how access to the right guidance and resources can dramatically accelerate personal and professional growth. Arjun explains that today’s education landscape faces mounting challenges—from declining enrollment and low retention rates to increasing pressure to demonstrate real economic outcomes for students. Advisor AI addresses these issues by scaling high-quality, personalized advising through AI, enabling institutions to guide students more effectively from enrollment to graduation and into the workforce. A key theme of the conversation is the role of AI as an enabler—not a replacement—for human relationships. By automating time-consuming planning and information-gathering tasks, AI allows advisors to focus on deeper, more meaningful interactions with students. This human-centered approach is especially impactful for first-generation and underserved learners, helping them create clear, actionable pathways toward their goals in a fraction of the time. Looking ahead, Arjun envisions AI dramatically simplifying and accelerating the student journey—turning what once took weeks into minutes—while empowering institutions to deliver more strategic, data-driven support. As education continues to evolve, platforms like Advisor AI are poised to bridge gaps in access, improve outcomes, and unlock greater economic mobility for learners worldwide. If you liked what you heard today, please leave us a review - Apple or Spotify. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of The Digital Executive Podcast, host Brian Thomas welcomes Nicolas Genest, serial founder and CEO of CodeBoxx. A former multi-exit CTO who has helped build technology organizations generating over $1 billion in annual revenue, Nicolas shares the key insight that shaped his entrepreneurial journey: great technology companies are ultimately built by great people. Nicolas discusses how his experience leading development teams taught him that talent and motivation matter more than traditional credentials. At CodeBoxx, he’s proving that technologists can come from anywhere—from baristas to nurses to rideshare drivers—if they are given the right training, tools, and opportunity. The company’s AI-first education model focuses on teaching practical skills quickly, helping learners master modern development tools and launch into tech careers in as little as eight to sixteen weeks. The conversation also explores how AI-native development tools are changing the speed and economics of building software. By teaching platforms and tools such as OpenAI Codex, Cursor AI, and Google Gemini, CodeBoxx helps both developers and business leaders rapidly turn ideas into working products. Nicolas also highlights a unique human-in-the-loop coaching model where developers can quickly connect with experienced mentors to overcome technical roadblocks and keep projects moving. Looking ahead, Nicolas believes the rapid acceleration of AI will create a growing divide between organizations that embrace AI-native development and those still building software the old way. CodeBoxx aims to bridge that gap by equipping individuals and companies with the tools, training, and mindset needed to thrive in an AI-driven future—ensuring fewer people are left behind in one of the most transformative technological shifts of our time. If you liked what you heard today, please leave us a review - Apple or Spotify. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of The Digital Executive Podcast, host Brian Thomas speaks with Trevor Colhoun, Founder and CEO of TPN Health, a national clinician network and care navigation platform focused on improving the quality, accessibility, and accountability of behavioral healthcare. Drawing from personal experiences with a family member navigating addiction treatment, Trevor shares how he discovered just how fragmented and analog the behavioral health system remains—and why that realization inspired him to build a better infrastructure. Trevor explains that one of the biggest barriers in behavioral healthcare isn’t just stigma or access—it’s the lack of a clear value proposition. Patients, providers, and payers often lack transparency around treatment paths, outcomes, and costs. TPN Health was designed to address this challenge by building a digital network that verifies and connects clinicians, providing real-time insight into provider availability, specialties, geographic reach, and credentials. By aggregating and digitizing this data, the platform helps bring much-needed transparency and connectivity to a historically disconnected market. The conversation also explores the importance of clinical credibility and trust when introducing technology into sensitive areas like mental health and addiction care. Rather than prioritizing technology first, TPN Health focuses on building trusted relationships with providers while digitizing essential processes such as credentialing, education, and referral networks. Trevor emphasizes that while AI can help optimize operational workflows and connectivity, therapeutic care itself must remain human-centered. Looking ahead, Trevor outlines a future where behavioral healthcare becomes more structured, data-driven, and accessible. By directly connecting providers, payers, and patients—and simplifying processes like credentialing, payment, and care navigation—TPN Health aims to reduce costs, improve provider compensation, and deliver better outcomes for patients. As the behavioral health crisis continues to grow, platforms like TPN Health could play a crucial role in transforming the system into a more transparent, efficient, and patient-focused ecosystem. If you liked what you heard today, please leave us a review - Apple or Spotify. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.