Success starts as one thing - a number, a milestone, maybe even the ability to afford a massage every month and somewhere along the way, it becomes something deeper.

In this episode, we sit down with George Finney, CISO at the University of Texas System, bestselling author, and Co-Chair of the Cloud Security Alliance, to talk about purpose, leadership, and how our definition of success changes over time.

George shares how success evolved from financial stability to making a difference in a way only he could. From lessons inspired by Man’s Search for Meaning to a former student who chose IT because of his cybersecurity course, this conversation is a reminder that impact doesn’t always have to be massive to be meaningful.

Sometimes purpose is one person. One conversation. One moment that changes a path.

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A flawless-looking LinkedIn photo sparks a much bigger conversation about consent, control, and the digital doubles that follow us everywhere. In this episode, we sit down with Pegah K Parsi, JD, MBA Chief Privacy Officer at UC San Diego, to unpack why privacy is a fundamental right — and how that belief quietly shapes our everyday decisions online and at work.

Pegah introduces a deceptively simple framework with outsized impact: privacy across body, space, and data. From medical choices and physical boundaries to algorithms curating our feeds, she reframes privacy as the right to decide who gets access to what, for which purpose, and for how long. That lens turns scattered anxieties about filters, tagging, and creepy ads into one clear question: how do we reclaim control of our digital identity without opting out of modern life?

We also get practical about building real connection in remote and hybrid teams. Think agenda-free coffee chats, meetings that start with genuine check-ins, and yes — the occasional unannounced phone call just to say hello. The conversation doesn’t dodge the gray areas either: personalization versus manipulation, research benefits versus surveillance risks, and the ethics of editing or posting images of others on professional platforms.

If you’ve ever wondered why your phone feels like it’s reading your mind — or debated whether touching up a colleague’s photo crosses a line — this episode gives you language, principles, and habits you can use immediately. Expect a grounded take on data brokers, consent that’s more than a checkbox, and small rituals that make digital work feel human again.

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Ever wonder what it actually takes to keep government technology human, fast, and trustworthy? We sit with Nevada’s CIO, Timothy Galluzi, for a raw, no-prep conversation that moves from school drop-offs and Vegas trips to the real mechanics of growth, leadership, and culture in public sector IT. No scripts, no do-overs—just a candid look at how a state leader stays curious, builds teams, and keeps learning.

Tim shares how he treats discomfort as a signal for opportunity rather than a trigger for imposter syndrome. We talk about iterative self-improvement, staying close enough to the work to tinker and build, and the mindset shifts that help leaders adapt as technology and citizen needs change. You’ll hear how his team stands up a Leadership Academy to fix a common problem—promoting great individual contributors without teaching them to manage—and how a simple book club makes shared language and values stick. The current read, Begin with We, anchors principles like doing the right thing always and building integrity into daily habits.

We also dive into mentorship and trust. Tim’s deputies were once his supervisors, and now they operate as peers. That evolution shows how role changes can strengthen culture when respect runs both ways. Along the way, we tackle lifelong learning, public sector innovation, and practical ways to create psychological safety while shipping reliable systems. 

🎧 If you care about human-centered design, government CIO strategy, leadership development, and turning discomfort into growth, this conversation hits home.

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Seth, VP of Network Infrastructure at Major League Soccer, lives at the intersection of sports, scale, and systems that absolutely cannot fail. When millions are watching a live match, every replay, stat, and stream depends on networks most fans never see — and Seth is the one making sure they hold.

In this conversation, we pull back the curtain on the invisible infrastructure behind the beautiful game. From stadium Wi-Fi and league data centers to IP-based broadcast pipelines, Seth breaks down how modern networks deliver reliability at global scale — and what it really takes to keep live sports online when there’s zero margin for error.

Seth’s career path is as dynamic as the environments he’s supported: hands-on engineering in New York finance, founding and selling a VAR, jumping to an OEM during a rocket-ship growth phase, and ultimately running networks for both MLB and Major League Soccer. Along the way, he embraced a three-to-five-year rhythm — arrive, assess, fix, move on — a mindset that fuels growth without burning out.

We get practical, too. Seth shares why LinkedIn recommendations are portable credibility, how technologists can pair deep expertise with clear storytelling in sales, and why mentoring becomes the most rewarding leadership skill on the “back nine” of your career.

The conversation also explores how broadcast is converging on IP and Ethernet, mirroring the shift from PBXs to VoIP. COVID accelerated remote production from “nice-to-have” to table stakes, reshaping how content is created and distributed. We debate what good outreach really looks like from the buyer’s seat and tie it back to a core StoryBrand truth: the customer is the hero — the brand is the guide.

 🎧 If you care about sports technology, network reliability, career reinvention, or building real relationships in a digital world, this episode delivers grounded insights and memorable stories.

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Blake Hodges, Deputy CISO at Albemarle, brings a rare blend of military discipline, enterprise leadership, and disarming honesty to the world of cybersecurity. His path from Army cyber operations to consulting, defense, a global nonprofit, and now one of the world’s leading lithium manufacturers gives him a vantage point few technologists ever experience.

In this conversation, Blake pulls back the curtain on what he’s learned across those worlds: why the most expensive tool won’t fix a broken culture, how communication and emotional intelligence beat complexity every time, and what really determines whether a system becomes beloved… or quietly sabotaged.

He also shares a line that lingers: only IT and drug dealers call their customers “users.” It’s funny with a sting — a reminder that adoption starts with humanity, not hardware.

We explore everything from the lithium supply chain powering modern batteries to the shifting expectations of today’s technologists, who now need sales acumen, stakeholder fluency, and the confidence to explain value without hiding behind jargon. Blake’s perspective on where AI is headed — and why IT may soon function as “HR for AI” — offers a grounded roadmap for the next decade of transformation.

🎧 Tune in for a thoughtful, practical conversation about culture, communication, and why technology only works when people do.

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Tracey Mills brings fearless authenticity to her role as Vice President of Public Sector at CrowdStrike, where she leads with equal parts grit, empathy, and strategic focus. Her journey in cybersecurity isn’t just about defending networks - it’s about earning trust, empowering teams, and redefining what leadership looks like in government tech.

In this candid conversation, Tracey shares how her roots shaped her resilience, how she’s learned to lead with vulnerability in high-stakes environments, and why she believes credibility in cybersecurity is built long before a crisis ever happens.

From navigating the nuances of public sector partnerships to championing women in tech, Tracey’s story is one of intentional leadership, where relationships and results go hand in hand.

🎧 Tune in for a powerful reminder that in cybersecurity and beyond, how you show up is just as important as what you deliver.

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Jay Moran brings a refreshingly candid perspective to tech leadership as SVP and Distinguished Engineer at Fiserv, the global financial infrastructure company powering payments across 100+ countries. What makes his insights particularly valuable is the fascinating contrast between his public-facing leadership persona and his self-described introverted nature.

"I will come across extroverted," Jay explains, "but I would much rather not talk to anybody... be in my basement lab, just talking to people through emails." This honest acknowledgment of the tension many technical leaders face – needing to be visible while preferring to work behind the scenes – opens up a crucial conversation about authentic leadership in technology.

Jay's career journey spans from AOL's early days through VistaPrint to his current role building critical financial infrastructure, giving him a unique vantage point on how technology has transformed daily life. But what truly sets him apart is his approach to leading teams. He regularly tells his people, "Do as I say, not as I do," acknowledging that his personal work habits might not be healthy for everyone. When sending weekend emails, he deliberately adds notes like "do not reply until Monday" to maintain boundaries and respect his team's need to recharge.

Perhaps most compelling is Jay's perspective on diversity in tech. As a self-described "middle-aged white guy with gray in my beard," he recognizes he represents the demographic that has historically dominated technology leadership. Yet rather than being defensive, he actively works to change this reality through his involvement with Women in Tech initiatives, particularly their single mothers program. His personal connection – being raised by a single mother who had to get her GED after his father's death – drives his belief that "the best ideas often come from people who don't think the same way."

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