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 PodcastLess Email. Shorter Copy. More Conversions. (Your Team Won't Believe It Either.) | Carolina McClanahan
"We have a direct line of communication with our customers. Why not use it effectively instead of spamming them?" — Carolina McClanahan Your marketing team…
The Human Connection PodcastWork-Life Balance Is Bullshit. Here's What Actually Works. | Kevin Rice
"When you disconnect from yourself, you disconnect from the people around you. If you don't have a relationship with yourself, how are you going to have a…
The Human Connection PodcastYour Team Isn't Resisting AI. They Don't Trust You Enough to Follow You Into It. | Patrick Reilly
"The technology is essential. But the main shifts — the real significant changes — occur within the leadership framework. It has to do with how do I learn…
The Human Connection PodcastCorey Rosen: Humanizing Leadership Communication for B2B Executives
"Think about your why — and the what you say then can have more impact because it's got what I like to call the story below the story. The why is the message…
The Human Connection PodcastYour Stakeholders Aren't Resistant. They Just Don't Trust You Yet. | Mallika Madakasira
"Spending time building those relationships is really important — because that's where you start to establish trust, and you're then able to reach that person…
The Human Connection PodcastBoy Hijnen: The Client Yield Methodology — Turn Existing Clients Into a Scalable Growth Engine
"Are we getting new clients just to paint over the fact that we're losing clients at the back end? That, to me, sounds not the smartest of ways — because…
The Human Connection PodcastYou're Not Failing at AI. You're Failing at Foundations. | Franck Ardourel
"95% of organizations fail at AI implementation because they're looking at the top of the iceberg. They don't look at what's below — and that's everything." —…
The Human Connection PodcastYour Pitch Deck Isn't the Problem. You Are. | Heather Lawver
"Every investment I've ever gotten was human to human. It baffles me that no one addresses 'know your investor' — because this is a relationship you're hoping…
The Human Connection PodcastLogan Yonavjak: Why Past Performance Does Not Equal Future Leadership Capacity
"Past performance does not equal future leadership capacity. Most hiring and promotion decisions are based on credentials — but they're not necessarily…
The Human Connection PodcastJ. Israel Greene on Relationship-Driven Leadership: Why Slowing Down Scales Teams Faster
"Connection doesn't necessarily fail because people don't care. It typically fails because people feel like they don't have time — and everyone's just…
The Human Connection PodcastYour Cold Outreach Isn't Failing Because of the Script | Ben Albert
"Instead of showing up to a networking event with a stack of business cards trying to sell everybody at the table — create the event, create the podcast…
The Human Connection PodcastYour Team Has the AI Tools. Do They Have the Human Skills to Actually Use Them? | Christopher Carter
"The real question people need to be asking about AI isn't whether it's going to take over the world. It's: which parts of my job are repetitive — and how do I…
The Human Connection PodcastHe Got 400 Business Cards. He Only Remembered One Person. | Olivija Sendžikė
"He brought around 400 different cards back from that exhibition. He told me — the only person I remember from this whole exhibition is you. We sent him…
The Human Connection PodcastAngela Parkinson on Why Most Business Owners Aren't Ready to Sell — And What to Do About It
"If an owner can't take 3 to 4 weeks away from his business because he fears that when he comes back, it's going to be a mess, then the buyer's not looking at…
The Human Connection PodcastStop Engaging Employees: The Human-Centric Leadership Framework Scaling Companies Need | Eryc Eyl
"You can't make people be engaged any more than you can make people fall in love with you — which is a creepy thing to try to do." — Eryc Eyl Your employee…
The Human Connection Podcast43% of Your Team Is Too Scared to Tell You the Truth | Janice Honeycutt Herring
"What you think about me is not my business — but how you experience me is all of my business." — Janice Honeycutt Herring Your team is passive-aggressive…
The Human Connection PodcastJanice in Accounting Already Knows Your Biggest Prospect. You Never Asked. | Drew Sechrist
"You can make it not just be an occasional lucky coincidence that you get an introduction to somebody that turns into a client — you can actually make that…
The Human Connection PodcastStop Building Someone Else's Dream on a Six-Figure Salary | Greg Mohr
"Most folks come to me saying there's just something missing in their daily lives. Money comes into play — but it's not necessarily one of the greatest factors…
The Human Connection PodcastThe DREAM Framework: Self-Audit for Startup Leaders Who Want Sustainable Growth | Shenita-Ann Grymes
"A part of living the dream and loving it starts with how you relate to yourself." — Shenita-Ann Grymes Most founders walk into a pitch room with their best…
The Human Connection PodcastFrom Burnout to Breakthrough: Self-Awareness Strategies for Startup Executives | Josh Perry
"Surrounded by all these people, they never felt lonelier. That's the paradox — they bring all these people in and they still feel alone." — Josh Perry What if…
The Human Connection PodcastLarry Long Jr. on the 3-Minute Relationship Habit That Compounds Into Business-Changing Results
"People ask for a withdrawal from the relationship bank, but they've never made any deposits. They're on overdraft — and then they wonder why they're not…
The Human Connection PodcastMary Maloney, Brand Declaration: The Leadership Framework That Builds Executive Decision Confidence
"Every leader needs a filter — a true north — so they know when they're aligned and when they're out of alignment. I call it a brand declaration. And when you…
The Human Connection PodcastMatteo Turi on Building High-Retention Leadership Teams Before Your AI Investment Backfires
"AI doesn't act as a resolution to a business problem. It acts as an accelerant. If your business is strong with strong teams, AI has a very high chance to…
The Human Connection PodcastMichael Buzinski on Why Your Marketing, Sales, and Client Success Teams Are Killing Each Other
"Your marketing, sales, and client success teams aren't broken individually. The problem is they were never designed to work together — so why would they?" —…
The Human Connection PodcastYour Competitors Are Automating Everything. That's Exactly Why You Should Stop. | Stephen Rouse
"In business, they don't bet on the horse. They bet on the jockey. The more things you do to differentiate yourself — not just the product — the more that…
The Human Connection PodcastTanya Boyd on Why Curiosity Is the Most Underused Client Retention Strategy
"Life is this long bridge where you try not to burn the bridges — and maybe create new ones that not only you can cross, but that someone else can too." —…
The Human Connection PodcastStop the Feature Dump: How Transformational Storytelling Drives B2B Revenue | John Elbing
"You're not the hero of the story. Your customer is. And you're just there to help them." — John Elbing If your marketing leads with what you do, how long…
The Human Connection PodcastStop Trying to Sound Smart. Do This Instead. | Terry Bean
"We can only practice radical candor if we're also practicing radical kindness. And that changes everything." — Terry Bean Most leaders think they're great…
The Human Connection PodcastThe Real Reason Brilliant Teams Fall Apart | Jill McCauley
"Confidence doesn't always equate to self-awareness — and so you have people who are gifted at their skill or trade, but if they're not doing the work on…
The Human Connection PodcastYou Don't Have a Productivity Problem. You Have a Saying-Yes Problem. | Ginny Priem
"Saying no actually keeps the right people in your life and shows the wrong people the door. That's one of the biggest misperceptions about boundaries —…
The Human Connection PodcastNobody Wants Your Slack Channel. Here's What They Actually Want. | Brian Von Ancken
"Word of mouth is 20 times more likely to hit than a paid ad. But nobody wants another Slack channel, another WhatsApp group, another email. The only way you…
The Human Connection PodcastThe Hidden Cost of the Triple-Bid Process: What It's Really Doing to Your Vendor Relationships | Kevin Rapp
"The relationship and the way the system is set up to build and maintain those relationships is kind of broken — they're all under false pretenses, and they…
The Human Connection PodcastYou Don't Have an Accountability Problem. You Have a People Problem. | Chris Hallberg
"When you don't maintain a standard, you get the standard." Chris Hallberg didn't come to play nice — and that's exactly why this conversation hits different…
The Human Connection Podcast3% to 21% Conversion: The LinkedIn DM Strategy Nobody Is Doing | Troy Hipolito
"80% of the decision-making power is whether they like you. And people like things like you spending time to learn about them." That's Troy Hipolito — The Not…
The Human Connection PodcastYour Managers Are Getting Replaced by AI. Now What? | Dr. Nicole Scott
"You don't have to fix yourself. You have to fix the way we work." That's the battle cry of organizational psychologist and executive coach Dr. Nicole Scott —…
The Human Connection PodcastYou Can Sell to Anyone. The Question Is: Can You Keep Them? | Anika Zubair
"You can sell to everyone — trust me, there are buyers everywhere. But can you actually keep them? Long-term growth comes from the right customer fit and…
The Human Connection PodcastStop Pushing. Start Being Pulled. The Leadership Shift Nobody Talks About | Terry Wildemann
"A lot of leaders think the financial bottom line is the most important thing. But in fact, it's the human capital — because the human capital is what helps…
The Human Connection PodcastNeil Ateem on How Relationship-Driven Revenue Growth Beats Fundraising Every Time
"Every client I've worked with has been someone I knew, was friends with, or recommended by someone else I helped along the way. It's all been human to human —…
The Human Connection PodcastYou Can't See Your Own Blind Spots. That's the Whole Problem. | Tina Collins
"If everything's a priority, then nothing is a priority. It's a one-word oxymoron." — Tina Collins You're not burning out because you're not working hard…
The Human Connection PodcastAuthentic Client Connections That Drive Revenue — Larry Kaufman on Moving Beyond Transactional B2B
"You can't call in favors from transactional relationships. No one's going to want to help you." — Larry Kaufman You've been showing up and throwing up…
The Human Connection PodcastYour Best Managers Are Burning Out Because of a Design Flaw — Not a People Problem | Rory Sylvia
"It's not a leadership problem — it's a design problem." — Rory Sylvia If your manager is the glue holding everything together, you don't have a team — you…
The Human Connection PodcastGreg Workmon on Why Human Connection — Not Strategy — Is What Scales Companies
"As soon as I start to say 'we made it' — that's when I know it's over." — Greg Workmon, Founder & CEO, Load Up Technologies Greg Workmon built Load Up…
The Human Connection PodcastFrom Expert to Authority: How Christine Blosdale Uses Storytelling to Build Trusted Business Relationships
"The simpler we can make our concepts, and the more that person can absorb and understand it — that's the success right there." — Christine Blosdale You've…
The Human Connection PodcastStop Promoting the Wrong People: Laurie Maddalena on Revolutionizing Leadership as a Profession
"The barista at Starbucks often gets more training than people in leadership roles — and we wonder why teams are struggling." — Laurie Maddalena What if the…
The Human Connection PodcastYour Team Isn't Quiet Quitting. They Just Don't Feel Safe. | Andy Proctor
"If you reverse that — if you make it a psychologically safe situation where people feel like they belong, have a voice, and feel like their ideas matter —…
The Human Connection PodcastYou're Not Burned Out From Working Too Hard. You're Burned Out From Lying to Yourself | Adrian Jones
"If you're not doing something that lights you up, why not? You've got one trip around this track called Life — and it might end at any moment." — Adrian Jones…
The Human Connection PodcastSmall Talk Isn't Wasting Time. It's Where Deals Actually Get Made | Sylvia Rhode-Liebenau
"The reason why we spend time in small talk is not because we want to waste time — it's because that's where trust is being created." — Sylvia Rhode-Liebenau…
The Human Connection PodcastShmuel Saklad: Building High-Performance Teams Through Two-Way Communication | Contact Center Leadership
"People are everything. They're your brand protectors—those are the people we need to support and empower so they're giving that great experience to your…
The Human Connection PodcastJosh Kosnick: Building Authentic Leadership Through Self-Accountability | Strategies for Scaling Companies
"There is no hack to building relationships. It's just simply leaders that care more win more." Josh Kosnick cuts through the noise with a truth most…
The Human Connection PodcastJesse Stafford: Why Assumptions Are Burning Out Your Best Employees | Leadership Strategies for Tech Teams
"I expect your best every day you show up here, but I don't expect your best to be the same every day." Jesse Stafford drops truth bombs about why your highest…
The Human Connection PodcastLeadership Communication Strategies: Authentic Connection Over Pretense | Michael Allosso
"People think acting means to pretend—but actors don't pretend to be the role. They become the person and become the role. I'm not looking for you to pretend…
The Human Connection PodcastAI Implementation Strategies for Scaling Companies That Actually Work | Jonathan De Collibus
"The way to stand out today is to give yourself the ability to free your people up to be able to spend that 80% of their time face to face. How rare is that…
The Human Connection PodcastEmotional Maturity in Leadership: Responding vs Reacting | Jennifer K. Hill
"When I was a little girl, it was like you got a book on how to be human. And when I opened mine, it was blank. That led to decades of broken relationships…
The Human Connection PodcastLeslie Shreve on Workload Management: Task-ology Framework for Leadership Efficiency
"A happier person is a more productive person, and a more productive person is a happier person." – Leslie Shreve Your leadership isn't failing because you…
The Human Connection PodcastDylan Cornelius: Transforming Company Culture Through Authentic Leadership and Hiring
"People don't hire us for the scripts we can use mostly. Usually they hire us for who we are. Do they want to work with us? Is this the person we want in the…
The Human Connection PodcastYou're Networking Wrong: Joel Bash on the Position to Win Strategy
"There's a huge difference between networking and business development. Networking is I went to this event, I got 40 cards. Business development is I met my…
The Human Connection PodcastThe Cracked Guitar That Sparked a Customer Experience Revolution | Ken Rapp
"We all buy products, and when we get that product, we're on our own to kind of unbox it. We may hear like, 'hey, would you leave us a review?' But really…
The Human Connection PodcastStop Solving Problems, Start Reverse-Engineering Wins | Gordon Sheppard
"Do you have a wins list?" – Gordon Sheppard Gordon Sheppard, business advisor and host of the Executive Wins Podcast, reveals why most leadership teams spend…
The Human Connection PodcastSustainable Business Expansion: Balancing Data with Intuition | Chelsea Fournier on Leadership
"My intuition and my body were literally screaming no! But I was saying yes." – Chelsea Fournier Chelsea Fournier, former lawyer turned intuitive business…
The Human Connection PodcastCompany Culture Transformation Through Values-Based Leadership | Hanna Bauer
"When you are on purpose, you don't need to be as good as somebody on the left or right. You just need to be operating in the purpose of you." Hanna Bauer…