

A Geek Leader Podcast - inspiring technical and creative leaders around the world
John Rouda: technical leader, author, speaker, educator
The ultimate podcast for aspiring leaders in the creative or technology fields. John Rouda discusses leadership topics, interviews some of the greatest minds today and teaches you practical leadership tips, techniques, tricks and hacks to improve motivation, negotiation, and other much needed skills for leaders today.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 5, 2024 • 39min
AGL 359: AI Doctor with Dr. Ronald Razmi
About Dr. Ronald Razmi
RONALD M. RAZMI, MD is a cardiologist and the co-founder and Managing Director of Zoi Capital, a venture capital firm that invests in the applications of AI in healthcare. He completed his medical training at the Mayo Clinic and holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
Ron was one of the pioneers in application of MRI systems in managing cardiac patients. He built the software system, cardiovascularmri.com, to serve as a platform for education and training of cardiologists in using MRI in managing their patients. He is a co-author of the textbook “Handbook of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging.”
Ron was a McKinsey consultant with focus on investments and buyouts of medical technologies. In 2011, he founded a population health management software company at the dawn of digital health. He saw firsthand the confluence of clinical, technical, and business factors that need to come together for new technologies to gain adoption in healthcare. Much of what he learned is covered in his new book, AI Doctor: The Rise of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare, to educate innovators, buyers and investors about the roadmap of technology adoption in healthcare. AI Doctor has received international media coverage, including the World Economic Forum, Newsweek, ABC, and more. Ron has been one of the prominent voices in digital health over the last 15 years.
In 2021, he launched AI Doctor, one of the only blogs focused solely on the applications of AI in healthcare. He’s a frequent speaker at conferences, guest on podcasts, and author of medical and business articles.
Today We Talked About
Ron’s background
AI
Medicine
Digital Data Sharing
Data in the same language
Short-term, Mid-term, Long-term outlooks
The future
Challenges of AI in healthcare
Connect with Ron
LinkedIn
Website
Book
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Mar 29, 2024 • 32min
AGL 358: Elliott Parker on the Illusion of Innovation
About Elliott
Elliott is CEO of High Alpha Innovation, the leading venture builder that partners with organizations and entrepreneurs to solve big problems through startup creation. Prior to High Alpha Innovation, Elliott led business design at High Alpha, the Indianapolis-based venture studio; he has also worked in innovation and strategy consulting at Innosight, in corporate venturing, and as an entrepreneur to bring new ideas to market. Originally from California, Elliott has a deep entrepreneurial background as a founder, advisor, and investor. He earned a B.S. in Finance from BYU and an M.B.A. from the UCLA Anderson School of Management, where he was a Venture Fellow.
Today We Talked About
Elliott’s background
Digital Transformation
Scaling business
Start-ups
Efficiency vs Innovation
Facebook
Innovation in Nature
More Experiments
Faster, Cheaper, Weider.
Structure your experiments
Autonomy
Launch External Startups
Be surprised by what you learn
Learning Problem vs. Execution Problem
Connect with Elliott
LinkedIn
Website
X
Book
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Mar 22, 2024 • 37min
AGL 357: Alex Natskovich
About Alex
He is a seasoned engineering leader and CEO. Born in Belarus, he harbored a lifelong dream of becoming an engineer. After graduating from university, he moved to the USA.
During the initial years, he resided in New York, working as a software engineer in various companies. One of the most notable was the startup Conductor, where he joined as the 5th employee. It has now evolved into the leading global SEO and content intelligence platform. During his tenure there, Alex was responsible for building and maintaining an industry-leading link-building system. Simultaneously, he embarked on building his own company, MEV (named after the mega-electron-volt) – a strategic software development partner for fast-growing companies. Afterward, he decided to settle in the Bay Area.
While at the helm of his company, he assisted esteemed companies such as Cartier, Novo Nordisk, Daiichi Sankyo, and Avadel in overcoming complex business challenges through software solutions. Additionally, he aided numerous startups in developing stable and scalable digital products, making them attractive for acquisition.
Alex is passionate about empowering businesses with the right technology. He firmly believes in the power of teams. Building a high-performing team, in his view, necessitates being open-minded and always striving to thoroughly understand the team’s objectives and needs for success. This solution-oriented mindset and team focus form the cornerstone of his company.
Today We Talked About
Alex’s background
Software Development
Master Purpose Autonomy
Motivation 3.0
Values
Empathy
In-house and Outsourced Teams
Full integration
Aligned autonomy
Culture of Ownership
Eliminate Toxic Cultures
Ukraine vs. Russia War
Focus on what you can control
Take
Connect with Alex
LinkedIn
Website
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Mar 15, 2024 • 45min
AGL 356: John Fisher
About John
John has worked for a wide variety of companies including BPP, GP Strategies (on the HSBC contract), Training 2000 Ltd, Balfour Beatty Utility Solutions and BAe Systems designing and delivering leadership and personal Development interventions, coaching and Project Management. He is experienced at operating at all organizational levels providing, not only development training but also coaching and Boost Growth business consultancy Background John designs, develops and facilitates learning in a highly interactive environment, based on participants own experience. His sessions involve group activities and facilitate discussion to elicit key points. This is to allow participants to gain a thorough working knowledge, with constructive feedback, in a safe environment. John is an experienced coach and trained counsellor who works from a Constructivist perspective that encourages individuals to explore their own solutions.
Today We Talked About
John’s background
Soft Skills
Coaching
IF/THEN
“Leadership is what you lack when you don’t know what to do.”
George Kelly
Change Curve
Fear, Threats, Anxiety
Change is hard
Make Windows from Walls
Managing The Horizon
Timeline Therapy
Hypnotherapy
Connect with John
Website
LinkedIn
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Mar 8, 2024 • 35min
AGL 355: Krishna Bala
About Krishna
Krishna Bala, is currently Sr. VP of Engineering at Proscia, a leading provider of digital and computational pathology solutions, where he oversees the development of its enterprise pathology platform. He is an experienced healthcare technologist with more than 20 years of experience in software development, data engineering and AI/Machine-Learning. He is also an entrepreneur with several successful exits including an IPO as CTO/Founder. Krishna has a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University in New York.
Today We Talked About
Krishna’s past
Data and Healthcare
Going from Product to Platform
AI in Pathology
Scrum of Scrums
Conway’s Law
Breaking down Silos
Product Management
Robust Dialog
Transparency
Prioritization
Quarterly Business Review (Retrospective)
Connect with Krishna
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kbala97/
Pathology Software for the Modern Digital Laboratory | Proscia
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Mar 1, 2024 • 37min
AGL 354: Hannah Ryu and Veronica Shelton
About Hannah and Veronica
Hannah Ryu is the Co-Founder of Oak Theory alongside her other half, Veronica Shelton. Oak Theory is a design studio specializing in UX/UI, web and application design. Their resumés have names on them like Disney, HBO, Salesforce, Estée Lauder, Oprah, Unilever, Sephora, Subaru, and MAC cosmetics, where Oak Theory now currently works with industry giants like Google and the University of California.
Leading with a human-centered yet deeply analytical approach, Hannah’s strategic know-how shapes Oak Theory’s mission to transform diverse perspectives into robust digital designs. Growing Oak Theory as one of the 0.1% of agencies founded by women of color posed its own challenges, but in just 3 years Hannah, alongside Veronica, has built a team that delivers exceptional, inclusive, and human-centered design.
“Our cultural backgrounds and unique perspectives as a collective of diverse creatives help our clients show up in a more authentic, impactful, and purposeful way. It’s been a joy to enable that transformation for them.”
Hannah’s career trajectory has been anything but ordinary. Starting out in a nonprofit, she then took on the role of a magazine assistant (think “Devil Wears Prada”), and ultimately ascended to a product manager position in a tech company. Her journey has given her perspective and clarity, making her uniquely equipped her to shape a workspace that prioritizes psychological safety, and promotes a culture that combines open-ended curiosity with solution-driven thinking.
To put it simply, Veronica’s brain is literally built for design. Being a neurodivergent person, she has a knack for capturing complex concepts and ideas with visuals that anyone can relate to. Over the past 10+ years, she has partnered with brands of every size, from startups to Fortune 500 conglomerates, using her abilites to build impactful experiences across every medium, from print, to social media, to entire rebrands for top organizations.
Her work is more than a profession; it’s a reflection of her life. Whether she’s exploring new technologies, mastering programming languages, or indulging in her gaming life with Apex Legends, Veronica’s hobbies are a testament to her dedication to her craft. A true globetrotter at heart, she eagerly anticipates the opportunity to draw fresh inspiration from her travels.
The inception of Oak Theory, co-founded with Hannah during the pandemic, marked a pivotal moment in her career. Their mission: to forge a space where inclusivity is not just a goal, but the cornerstone of design philosophy. This endeavor is about more than creating sharp visuals and frustration-free navigation; it’s about making every user feel seen and accounted for.
Parallel to her role at Oak Theory, Veronica is the driving force behind ChunkyBones, a mobile game development company. Here, her focus is on infusing mobile puzzle games with a feminine flair and bringing better representation to women of color in emerging media. Whether it’s through game development or her broader design work, Veronica’s vision is clear: to create experiences that resonate universally, transcending audience differences and showcasing the power of inclusive design.
In everything she does, Veronica embodies the essence of a designer who not only captures complex concepts with ease but also paves the way for greater diversity and representation in the world of design and beyond.”
Today We Talked About
Hannah’s background
Veronica’s background
AI
Diversity in Design
Leadership
Creativity
Solving Problems
Showing up
Data-Driven UI/UX
UI/UX
Ecosphere
Connect with Hannah
LinkedIn – Hannah
LinkedIn – Veronica
Website
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Feb 23, 2024 • 27min
AGL 353: Vitaly Gerko
About Vitaly
Vitaly is the Chief Business Development Officer of the global Adtech video platform for publishers Viqeo. During his career, he managed to work with Google, META, Amazon Ads as well as the largest publishers & advertisers. He is also an Investor, Limited Partner at True Global Ventures (16+ projects). Vitaly has 15+ years of experience in AdTech, MarTech and project oversight, and 5+ years of experience in mentoring startups in AdTech and unit economics.
Today We Talked About
Vitaly’s background
AI in Ads
Privacy
Hiring Soft Skills and Hard Skills
ad performance
Connect with Vitaly
LinkedIn
Website
X
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Feb 16, 2024 • 38min
AGL 352: Sean Falconer
About Sean
Sean Falconer has a lofty goal: to make the digital economy safer. And he’s doing so one API at a time. A former competitive programmer, entrepreneur, and expert storyteller, his many accomplishments include designing the software used to create ICD-11 at the World Health Organization, founding Proven.com, and leading developer relations teams at Google. When he’s not interviewing industry insiders as one of the hosts of the popular Software Engineering Daily podcast or diving into all things data security and privacy on Partially Redacted, you can find this world-class tech talent serving as Head of Marketing and Developer Relations at Skyflow, the world’s first and only data privacy vault delivered as an API.
Today We Talked About
startups
teaching
developer advocacy
data manipulation
privacy
abstracting privacy away from engineering
Connect with Sean
Podcast
LinkedIn
Substack
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Feb 9, 2024 • 39min
AGL 351: Lisa Nestor
About Lisa
Lisa Nestor, a seasoned strategist in the financial services industry, is the Chief of Strategy at Airtm, an innovative online platform that provides financial services to people around the world. With her guidance, Airtm has facilitated over 26M transactions and helped hundreds of thousands of individuals access financial markets.
Passionate about building solutions that empower individuals by improving their financial capabilities, Lisa believes that everyone should have access to the tools they need to manage their finances effectively and participate in the global economy. Lisa has a strong background in digital assets, payments, and ecosystem development. An early employee of the Stellar Development Foundation, she led partnerships and ecosystem strategy from 2016 – 2020. She has played a crucial role in Airtm’s success and has been instrumental in creating a platform that offers low fees and quick transaction times for users.
Lisa Nestor’s dedication to empowering individuals and improving financial markets has helped to make Airtm a leader in the online financial services space, and her insights and expertise will undoubtedly continue to shape the industry.
Today We Talked About
Lisa’s background
Micro Finance
Blockchain
Stellar Blockchain
Connect with Lisa
LinkedIn
Website
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Feb 2, 2024 • 34min
AGL 350: Nick Schrock from Dagster
About Nick
Nick is the Founder and CTO of Dagster Labs, the company behind Dagster, a popular open-source data orchestration platform. Before Dagster Labs, he was a Principal Engineer and Director at Facebook from 2009 to 2017, where he founded the Product Infrastructure team and co-created GraphQL.
After cutting his teeth at Facebook, he pursued his passion for working on engineer pain points after hearing that data infrastructure was a big issue. He founded Dagster to address this issue, highlighting how quickly open-source projects were able to make an impact at legacy companies.
Dagster couldn’t come at a more critical time as data and ML engineering are beginning to drive both human and business decision-making.
Today We Talked About
Nick’s background
Dagster’s start
Hiring Pete?
GraphQL
Productivity in Software
Data Pipelines
Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence
Dagster University
Connect with Nick
LinkedIn
Website
X
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I hope you enjoyed this show, please head over to Apple Podcasts and subscribe and leave me a rating and review, even one sentence will help spread the word. Thanks again!


