Kevin Stevick, CEO of RH Shepard joins Deborah Fell and shares hard-won wisdom from 40 years in manufacturing: your people aren't a cost center—they're your competitive advantage. Kevin breaks down why the most successful private equity leaders treat workforce investment exactly like capital equipment purchases. Clean up the shop floor. Improve benefits. Increase wages. These [...]
After getting flooded with AI-generated guest pitch emails, Susan and Lany decided to remind everyone what Rooted in Revenue is really about. It's not just about making money. Everything you do impacts your revenue: your sleep patterns, your workspace, your team, even that specific spot on your couch where you always fall asleep. The podcast [...]
Tessa Burg sits down with Michael Ditter, Director of Artificial Intelligence Strategy and Emerging Technology at Diageo, to explore the transition from AI experimentation to scalable enterprise integration. With 15 years at the intersection of consumer goods, strategy, and technology, Michael shares how Diageo shifted from small pilots to a capability-led transformation focused on three [...]
Tessa Burg sits down with Irina Kulikova, Global Business Leader at Estée Lauder, to explore what it truly means to be customer-centric in 2026. With over two decades of experience spanning strategic consulting and beauty industry leadership, Irina reveals how AI is transforming every aspect of retail—from product formulation to consumer insights to creative asset [...]
Alan Kipust joins Leader Generation to discuss the massive shift happening in marketing organizations right now. As Mod Op's newest Executive in Residence, Alan brings decades of product leadership experience from Amazon, Chewy, Ford, and Uber to tackle how marketing teams can survive—and thrive—through AI transformation. The conversation cuts through the hype to address what's [...]
This Week's Playlist: Understanding GEO and AEO Christmas week brings something different—a single compilation episode that addresses one of the biggest marketing shifts happening right now. Leader Generation host Tessa Burg compiled insights from five experts on generative engine optimization and answer engine optimization. The compilation format allows you to hear multiple perspectives on the [...]
The United States of the mid 19th century is ripe with stories of timeless legends and colorful characters who defined the Great American West. Cowboys, lawmen, and men in black hats clashing at the O.K. Corral or dueling in the dusty streets of Virginia City continue to capture our imagination. When we picture the Wild [...]
Every marketer has asked themselves the same question: Is AI coming for my job? In this episode of Leader Generation, Host Tessa Burg and David Berkowitz, Founder of High Caliber AI and the AI Marketers Guild, explore how marketers can start viewing AI as a collaborative tool instead of a threat to their careers. David [...]
If you’ve been watching AI tools race into marketing and tech, but aren’t sure what’s hype and what’s actually useful, this episode is for you. Mod Op’s Head of Technology in Calgary, Derek McBurney, unpacks how generative AI, code assistants and “vibe coding” are really changing the way digital experiences get built. He explains in [...]
John Powers, former CIO and Chief Transformation Officer at Deloitte and now Executive in Residence at Mod Op, shares practical ways to turn AI, data strategy, and governance into a real competitive advantage. He explains why smaller, more nimble companies can finally “punch above their weight,” how to spot the fastest wins, and where custom, [...]