Shows / The Human Connection Podcast
The Human Connection Podcast
Is your business’s growth stalled? Employee churn eating into your profits? Struggling with customer retention?
You need stronger connections.
Every Tuesday and Thursday, connect with an expert who’s sharing actionable advice for building stronger relationships with your customers, clients, and stakeholders. Hosted by Karl Pontau, a storytelling super-connector, content system strategist, and survivor of two childhood brain tumors, this podcast’s mission is to fix the underlying cause of…
Episodes
The Human Connection PodcastAI Adoption Strategy: Why Human Agency Still Wins | Chris Heuer
“Measure twice, prompt once… if we’ve thought about this up front, we can actually get a better result in less time.” — Chris Heuer You rolled out AI to your…
The Human Connection PodcastMartyrdom Isn’t a Leadership Strategy | Josh Broward
“Many leaders have a low-level depression just because of the stress of leadership… It doesn’t keep you from doing stuff. It just makes it harder.” — Josh…
The Human Connection PodcastYou Hired for Skills. You Got a Culture Problem. | Stan Gibson
“Any strength that we have, if it’s overused… can become kryptonite.” — Stan Gibson Your team already knows your kryptonite. They’ve just never said it out…
The Human Connection PodcastAn AI Company That Refuses to Use AI Images | Jennifer Griffin Schaeffer
“Faster or more efficient is not better when you’re trying to make that quality connection with other humans.” — Jennifer Griffin Schaeffer Your mission…
The Human Connection PodcastNobody Wants to Talk About Your Problem. That’s the Answer. | Garrick Van Buren
“We’re gonna have to do that anyway, and that’s the hard part. So let’s do it first.” — Garrick Van Buren Your team spent six months building something nobody…
The Human Connection PodcastYou Forgot Why You Started This Company | David Mammano
“Have you gotten so wrapped up in making profits that you forgot about making purpose?” — David Mammano Your product has a feature-for-feature twin somewhere…
The Human Connection PodcastYour Happiest Champion Won’t Defend You to Her CEO | Andrea Mulligan
“They’re going to use the product until they don’t, and then they’re going to leave.” — Andrea Mulligan Your usage dashboard is green. Your NPS is fine. Your…
The Human Connection PodcastYour Customer Renewed for 10 Years. You Still Lost Millions. | Sandy Yu
“Be more interested than interesting.” — Sandy Yu, Founder of Revenue Retention Advisors Your customer just renewed for the tenth year in a row. That might be…
The Human Connection PodcastRelationship-Driven Revenue Growth: Why Community Is the New Moat | David Zeff
“Because there’s so much noise, the trust level’s never been lower.” — David Zeff, CEO of Whistle Your team can ship a product in a weekend now. So can 400 of…
The Human Connection PodcastYour Team Isn't Agreeing With You. They're Avoiding You. | Dr. Jonathan Thorp
"All too often, early-stage leaders assume silence is the absence of conflict. Much of the time, that silence is really evidence of avoidance." — Dr. Jonathan…
The Human Connection PodcastIf Your Company Died Tomorrow, Who Would You Be? | Mark Talaga
"We don't say we reach potential, because that doesn't make sense to me. You just golf the rest of your life and then you're done." — Mark Talaga You've been…
The Human Connection PodcastHuman Connection in B2B Relationships: What AI Should Actually Do | Jing Kuang
"When data is not an issue anymore, the final control and the privacy will become a huge defining moment." — Jing Kuang At a Series B–D company, your most…
The Human Connection PodcastStop Faking Scarcity | Barry Moline
"If the customer misses that sale, there's just gonna be another sale in a few months. And the customers know that, and we know that." Barry Moline has spent…
The Human Connection PodcastYour Hiring Team Agrees on 'Warmth.' Nobody Means the Same Thing. | Christina Seime
"It's easy, ironically, to forget the human in hiring." Christina Seime has spent 20 years moving from writing code to sitting in the room where hiring…
The Human Connection PodcastLeadership Presence: Your Team Knows You're Not Listening | Vikas Prasanna
"If I'm spending time with you, I'm going to be with you 100%." Vikas Prasanna learned this from his 11-month-old son. Then he noticed it was working on his…
The Human Connection PodcastThe Human Skills AI Can't Replace: A Leadership Advantage | Mohan Nair
"Be the place where the machine cannot reach, because the machine cannot read the future when it's unstructured. Because it looks at the future by defining the…
The Human Connection PodcastYou're Not Jensen Huang. Stop Pitching Like It | Jonathan Koifman
"Even if you have a big multi-million dollar or euro revenue company behind you, you're still not Jensen Huang. […] People are not coming to you. You've come…
The Human Connection PodcastYou Don't Need a New ERP (Yet). You Need Your Departments to Agree | Augie Santa Maria
"A lot of companies will think that they need to replace an ERP system. And when I go in and talk to them, I often find that there's a lot of misalignment…
The Human Connection Podcast77% of MedTech Startups Don't See Year 10. Here's the Root Cause Nobody Fixes. | Craig Ingram
"The sales reps are doing the work that should have been done before the product was launched. I call it rolling a boulder uphill versus rolling a pebble…
The Human Connection PodcastYou Started Marketing Your Raise the Day It Went Live. That Was Too Late. | Jason Fishman
"If a capital raise is gonna take place next year, start building relationships now... it always amazes me how so many founders, so many CEOs, so many teams…
The Human Connection PodcastYou Built a Company So You'd Never Feel Alone. You're Still Alone. | Mark Platten
"We're told the lone wolf is the most powerful person out there — that's what we're aspiring to be. I think it's done us more disservice as men than almost…
The Human Connection PodcastYou're a Lot Easier to Fire Than You Think | Jared Harman
"We're a lot easier to fire if you don't have a personal connection to who we are." That's Jared Harman naming the quiet math behind every churned account…
The Human Connection PodcastDrew Albrecht: How Employee Benefits Became a Culture Strategy (Not Just a Cost)
"I wouldn't necessarily say there's a way for employers to win." That's Drew Albrecht's honest read on the health benefits market — and it's not a reason to…
The Human Connection PodcastYou Decided What She Wanted Before You Asked Her | Mary O’Connor
"We're not anti-surgery. We're just anti-inappropriate surgery." That's Dr. Mary O'Connor's mission statement in one sentence — and it's also the best…
The Human Connection PodcastYour Executive Team Never Learned to Lead People. AI Just Proved It | Adam Johnson
"Surveillance is power over people. Visibility is power with people." Adam Johnson has led AI strategy work inside Microsoft and Amazon, and now spends his…
The Human Connection PodcastDr. Liz DuBois Erskine: Why Only 4% of Million-Dollar Companies Are Run by Women
"Aggressive is assertive. Men are assertive and women are aggressive. Same behavior." Dr. Liz DuBois Erskine has a PhD in conflict resolution and has coached…
The Human Connection PodcastSuzanne Spencer: Building Resilience Rep by Rep After Two Brain Surgeries
"We build resilience rep by rep." Suzanne Spencer isn't talking about willpower. She's talking about the small, unremarkable moments — the car trouble, the…
The Human Connection PodcastYou Recorded the Episode, But Missed the Actual Opportunity. | Marlen Kakkori
"The leverage is what happens afterwards." — Marlen Kakkori Marlen Kakkori has built her entire business around a topic most founders get wrong the moment they…
The Human Connection PodcastBriana Brugh: Why Being Polished Is Killing Your Brand
"When you use AI for everything... you've basically put on a costume." — Briana Brugh Briana Brugh spent a decade in marketing doing the buttoned-up LinkedIn…
The Human Connection PodcastNobody Wants to Follow a Leader Who Sounds Like a Script | Aaron Smalls
"The room will always tell you where it is and how it feels." — Aaron Smalls Aaron Smalls has spent 20 years reading rooms for a living — from his start at…
The Human Connection PodcastYou Speak First in Every Meeting. That's the Problem. | Shruti Rustagi
"Not all mistakes are equal." — Shruti Rustagi Shruti Rustagi spent two decades in Fortune 400 strategy roles, most recently at Amazon, before becoming a…
The Human Connection PodcastYou Closed the Deal. You Just Started the Hard Part. | Michael Crane
"It's really not the words that you say, but it's how you made them feel that is what stays with you." — Michael Crane Michael Crane spent five years running…
The Human Connection PodcastYou Told Your Team You're Fine. Your Body Told Them Something Else. | Joel Elfman
"I say resiliency over perfection." — Joel Elfman Every executive we've ever had on this show is trying to optimize themselves the same way they optimize their…
The Human Connection PodcastCaitlin Bigelow | Blazil CMO on the Content Litmus Test That Actually Works
"The posts that I've felt most vulnerable or most exposed tend to be the posts that perform the best." You've got a content team, a brand voice, and a library…
The Human Connection PodcastYour Team Isn't Fine. You've Just Trained Everyone to Say They Are. | Mike Brcic
"If the change we desire is big enough, we are going to find all sorts of ways to sabotage that." You've told your board the culture is strong. You've told…
The Human Connection PodcastJoe Buccino on Why Speed Is the Enemy of Good Crisis Leadership
"Speed is actually a liability in pressurized situations." You think moving fast in a crisis is what leadership looks like. Joe Buccino spent nearly three…
The Human Connection PodcastYou Automated the Connection, And Removed the Reason People Stayed | Ryan Vet
"If you're always chasing the trend, you're not ever going to set the trend." You've got shiny object syndrome, and Ryan Vet will tell you he does too — the…
The Human Connection PodcastAaron Hendon on the Ceiling Every Grinding Founder Eventually Hits
"The grind will get you so far. It's just not sustainable — and certainly not once your business hits the ceiling." You call it fuel. Aaron Hendon calls it…
The Human Connection PodcastQuinn Harwood on What Google's Project Oxygen Study Really Found
"The worst thing they can do is leave you... but they're still showing up on your payroll." — Quinn Harwood Corporate trust just hit 17%. Most executives read…
The Human Connection PodcastAustin Technology Council CEO Thom Singer on Rebuilding Workplace Relationships
"We've created a workplace filled with efficient strangers." — Thom Singer Your team hits every metric. Projects ship on time. Nobody's underperforming. And…
The Human Connection PodcastEliot Vancil on Building an Accountability-Driven Culture at Fuel Logic
"A team of average players with great core values will outwork an all-star any day." — Eliot Vancil Most executives say they hire for culture fit. Then they…
The Human Connection PodcastJennifer Doty (Former Fortune 100 VP) on Reducing Client Churn Through Better Metrics
"Stop worrying about what matters to you. Instead, worry about what it means from the customer's angle." Your customer success team has a dashboard full of…
The Human Connection PodcastCheri & Eric Plantenberg on Why Most Leadership Teams Confuse Alignment With Agreement
"Alignment doesn't mean we agree. It means we're all supporting the decision that actually got made." Most leadership teams think they're aligned because…
The Human Connection PodcastSreedhar Peddineni (Gainsight Co-Founder) on Reducing Client Churn Through Context, Not Charm
"We're not personally friends. We are talking about an exchange of value." Your CSMs think they're building relationships. What they're actually building —…
The Human Connection PodcastYou're Reporting to Your Team. You're Not Connecting With Them. | Lee Baucom
"You're either expanding a relationship — growing — or shrinking and dying." — Lee Baucom Most executives think pausing a relationship keeps it in place until…
The Human Connection PodcastYour Team Can Feel Your Money Stress Before You Say a Word | Sandra Simmons
"Accounting is a recording tool. It was never designed to function as a coach to tell you what to do next." — Sandra Simmons Most business owners read their…
The Human Connection PodcastDavid Kreeger: Why Trust Breaks Down Between Leaders and Teams
"Alignment has to come from them. It can't come from the top down." — David Kreeger Most CEOs think trust gets built by casting a clear vision. David Kreeger…
The Human Connection PodcastJonathan Reynolds: The Leadership Podcast for Startup Executives Who Are Burning Out
"You're not running a sprint, you're running a marathon." Jonathan Reynolds gets it — because he's spent years watching leaders burn themselves out trying to…
The Human Connection PodcastMegan Robinson on the 7 Leadership Skills AI Can't Replace
"People don't leave jobs because of the organization. They leave it because of their manager." That's Megan Robinson, founder of eLeader Experience, and she's…
The Human Connection PodcastYour Performance Review Process Assumes the Worst. Jeff Pearson's Boss Never Did
"Assume the best until somebody proves themselves that their intentions aren't the best. Everybody knows what happens when you assume." You've built an org…
The Human Connection PodcastAdarsh Varghese: How to Close the Context Gap Between Marketing Strategy and Real-World Results
"So much of good marketing is listening and observing and seeing how a strategy needs execution. Very often, that's the gap." — Adarsh Varghese You hired the…
The Human Connection PodcastYour Team Is Busy. Nobody Knows If It's On the Right Things. | Jon Dario on the AIM System
"Nobody wakes up in the morning and decides they're going to sabotage their employer's workplace." — Jon Dario Your team is busy. Extremely, visibly…
The Human Connection PodcastYou're Not Training Your People Because You're Afraid They'll Leave. Coach Jim Johnson Has Notes.
"Leadership isn't arithmetic and writing. It's relationships, relationships, relationships." — Coach Jim Johnson Your culture values are on the wall. Your best…
The Human Connection PodcastSheevaun Thatcher: How to Build a Culture of Accountability Where People Actually Take Risks
"When things go sideways, I will take full responsibility for it. And when things go really well? I'm telling everybody. I'm putting them on stage. I'm sending…
The Human Connection PodcastSarah Magana: How to Reduce Client Churn 56% — The Proactive Retention System That Actually Works
"If a client ever has to ask how we're doing, the account manager is already a few steps behind. And that's not going to go well." That's Sarah Magana —…
The Human Connection PodcastLisa Riegel: How to Lead Through Change Without Burning Out the People You Need Most
"A missed opportunity in a lot of organizations is for true collective shared decision making. The problem is we ask people for their feedback on things we've…
The Human Connection PodcastDeepak Bhootra: How to Stop Being a Vendor and Start Being a Trusted Advisor
"Trust is never given. It is earned through repeated proof of intent. And you need to be competent — because you cannot earn trust by simply showing proof of…
The Human Connection PodcastYour Team Nodded. They Had No Idea What You Said. That's Not on Them. | Myke Wilder
"You have to pay attention to the fact that you're speaking to people for whom English is not their first language. We do that all the time — but we don't…
The Human Connection PodcastCharlene Li: Your AI Rollout Is a Leadership Problem, Not a Technology Problem
"AI is not just a technology problem that you have. It's going to be a human talent retention issue — if you don't get your act together on this." That's…
The Human Connection PodcastLincoln Bleveans on Change Management as the New Leadership Superpower
"The only reason I can do what I do is because 100 other people do what they do — up and down and across the org chart." — Lincoln Bleveans Your company just…