A Geek Leader Podcast - inspiring technical and creative leaders around the world
A Geek Leader Podcast - inspiring technical and creative leaders around the world

A Geek Leader Podcast - inspiring technical and creative leaders around the world

John Rouda: technical leader, author, speaker, educator

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Episodes

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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.

Recent Episodes

AGL 447: Bogdan Micov
DEC 12, 2025
AGL 447: Bogdan Micov
<h2><strong>About Bogdan</strong></h2> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">Bogdan Micov is the go-to transformation expert for elite entrepreneurs, sales professionals, and leaders who want one thing: permanent emotional freedom &#8211; Fast. With deep mastery across NLP, Hypnosis, Timeline Paradigm techniques, Quantum Linguistics, and Polarity Integration, Bogdan created The BeRelentless Method™ &#8211; a surgical approach that deletes years of emotional baggage, identity friction, and subconscious sabotage in a single day. The Psychology of Calm Power: Why Cortisol Is Killing Your Performance From Overthinking to Overpowering: Deleting Your Emotional Brakes Stop Coping — Start Deleting: The End of Self-Help as You Know It Burnout Isn’t a Strategy Problem — It’s a System Glitch The Identity Reboot: Remembering Who You Were Before the Fear Set In After surviving a stroke at 33 and walking away from $50M+ in high-ticket sales, Bogdan rebuilt his life around one core truth: you don’t need more mindset work &#8211; you need deletion. Helped 300+ high-performers permanently eliminate internal blocks and friction Clients have collectively generated $25M+ in revenue post-transformation Survived a stroke and rebuilt his nervous system and performance from the ground up Creator of The BeRelentless Method™ and The Finger Snap Method™ His work is trusted by 300+ top performers across industries who were tired of managing their triggers, battling burnout, or hiding behind productivity hacks and finally wanting to feel clear, calm, and powerful from the inside out. This isn’t coaching. This is system re-coding</span></p> <hr /> <h2><strong>Today We Talked About</strong></h2> <ul> <li>Emotions</li> <li>Brain Chemicals</li> <li>Freedom</li> <li>Stroke</li> <li>Ownership of your emotions</li> <li>Results</li> <li>Emotions coming from our Thinking&#8230;. Our meaning making process</li> <li>Conditioning &#8211; learning from past experiences</li> <li>Cause and Effect</li> <li>Emporement.. get out of that victim&#8217;s mindset</li> <li>Perspective</li> <li>Lenses &#8211; Deleting, Distorting, Generalizing</li> <li>What are your limiting beliefs? limiting decisions? <ul> <li>Challenge the fruitfulness of your thoughts</li> <li>Weaken the belief</li> <li>Question how it serves you</li> <li>After it is removed, how would you feel</li> <li>Give examples</li> </ul> </li> <li>Karate</li> </ul> <hr /> <h2><strong>Connect with Bogdan</strong></h2> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/bogdan-micov-97a59bb4/">LinkedIn</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/micovbogdan/">Instagram</a> &#8211; DM Bogda &#8220;Podcast&#8221;</li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@bogdanmicov">YouTube</a></li> </ul> <hr /> <h2 style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>Leave me a tip $<br /> <a href="https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=HZVB8L5PWJ8Z6">Click here to Donate</a> to the show</strong></em></h2> <hr /> <h4 style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>I hope you enjoyed this show, please head over to <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/geek-leader-podcast-inspiring/id1043194456?mt=2&amp;ls=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Apple Podcasts and subscribe</a> and leave me a rating and review, even one sentence will help spread the word.  Thanks again!</strong></em></h4>
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52 MIN
AGL 446: Tamara Laine
DEC 5, 2025
AGL 446: Tamara Laine
<h2><strong>About Tamara</strong></h2> <div dir="ltr"> <div> <p class="v1gmail-p1">Tamara Laine is an Emmy Award-winning journalist, fintech founder, and business growth strategist. As the founder and CEO of MPWR, she is transforming how credit and capital are accessed by gig workers, women, and underserved communities through AI and alternative data. A former gig worker herself, Tamara brings lived experience to her mission of building a more inclusive financial system. She has launched and scaled eight-figure tech ventures, advised banks on equitable capital access, and is a recognized expert in financial inclusion, ethical tech, and economic innovation. Tamara also co-hosts <i>What the Frac?</i>, a podcast on startup growth.</p> </div> </div> <div> <div> <div id="v1m_5116804592324851191gmail-q_1822"> <hr /> </div> </div> </div> <h2><strong>Today We Talked About</strong></h2> <ul> <li>Ethical AI</li> <li>Innovative Leadership</li> <li>Journalism vs. Entrepreneurship</li> <li>Leadership</li> <li>Start with Why?</li> <li>Emotional Leadership</li> <li>Grounded in a good foundation</li> <li>Product first, then Vision</li> <li>Executive Coaching</li> <li>Empathy as a leader</li> <li>Empathy takes Time</li> <li>Being a Mentor</li> <li>Your network, and how you treat your community</li> <li>What the Fract show</li> </ul> <hr /> <h2><strong>Connect With Tamara</strong></h2> <ul> <li><a href="https://mpwr.money/">Website</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamaralaine/">LinkedIn</a></li> <li><a href="https://whatthefracshow.com/">Podacst &#8211; What the Frac?</a></li> </ul> <hr /> <h2 style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>Leave me a tip $<br /> <a href="https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=HZVB8L5PWJ8Z6">Click here to Donate</a> to the show</strong></em></h2> <hr /> <h4 style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>I hope you enjoyed this show, please head over to <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/geek-leader-podcast-inspiring/id1043194456?mt=2&amp;ls=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Apple Podcasts and subscribe</a> and leave me a rating and review, even one sentence will help spread the word.  Thanks again!</strong></em></h4>
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38 MIN
AGL 445: Len Ward
NOV 28, 2025
AGL 445: Len Ward
<h2><strong>About Len</strong></h2> <p>Len, a former Wall Street VP on the institutional equity trading desk, transitioned from the high-stakes world of finance to become a digital marketing expert—and now leads the AI revolution at Commexis, an AI consulting and product development firm.</p> <div id="v1m_-3744155222212095585replybody1"> <div dir="ltr"> <div id="v1m_-3744155222212095585v1gmail-:1nx"> <p dir="ltr">His career began at Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse during the dot-com boom, where he saw how emerging technologies transform industries. That experience sparked his shift into entrepreneurship, launching an e-commerce business and self-teaching SEO, paid media, and digital growth.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>With a rare blend of financial insight, entrepreneurial experience, and AI expertise, Len brings practical, forward-thinking guidance to today&#8217;s business leaders.</strong> He&#8217;s a sought-after voice for business leaders ready to understand how AI is changing marketing, operations, and growth—and what it takes to stay ahead.</p> <hr /> <h2 dir="ltr"><strong>Today We Talked About</strong></h2> <ul> <li>Len&#8217;s bcakground</li> <li>Build custom GPTs</li> <li>Run reports for you</li> <li>AI for Marketing</li> <li>The Power of AI</li> <li>AI Chatbot</li> <li>Analytics</li> <li>AI leadership</li> <li>What is Commexis?</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr /> <h2 dir="ltr"><strong>Connect With Len</strong></h2> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lenward/">LinkedIn</a></li> <li><a href="https://commexis.com/">Website</a></li> </ul> <hr /> <h2 style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>Leave me a tip $<br /> <a href="https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=HZVB8L5PWJ8Z6">Click here to Donate</a> to the show</strong></em></h2> <hr /> <h4 style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>I hope you enjoyed this show, please head over to <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/geek-leader-podcast-inspiring/id1043194456?mt=2&amp;ls=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Apple Podcasts and subscribe</a> and leave me a rating and review, even one sentence will help spread the word.  Thanks again!</strong></em></h4> </div> </div> </div>
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36 MIN
AGL 444: Steven Werley
NOV 21, 2025
AGL 444: Steven Werley
<h2><strong>About Steven</strong></h2> <p dir="auto">Steven Werley is a father, husband, brother, son, former Army Ranger, marketer, and entrepreneur on a quest for purpose, hope, and growth. There is no singular theme to his work. Some pieces are geared toward business owners and marketing executives, while others speak to individuals like him who are still discovering their path in life.</p> <p dir="auto">For Werley, writing serves as a form of therapy. He pursues it not for celebrity status, a book deal, or any ulterior motive, but simply as an outlet for his thoughts. If those thoughts happen to help others along the way, he views it as a welcome side effect.</p> <p dir="auto">Werley has long considered the sharing of knowledge a rather primitive aspect of humanity. Wisdom and experience circulate widely, yet society often fails to prepare its children for life&#8217;s challenges—not from a lack of collective experience, but from an inability to prioritize the lessons imparted by parents, teachers, business leaders, scientists, doctors, and even politicians.</p> <p dir="auto">He champions transparency above all. Those seeking hidden tricks to amass overnight millions, become beloved leaders, master parenting, or unlock the meaning of life may depart feeling unfulfilled. At the time of this writing, Werley is no world-renowned expert in any field, including parenting or business.</p> <p dir="auto">As he has noted from the outset, growth remains one of his core goals. He aims to foster it by documenting his knowledge, goals, and learnings. If there is a single force to propel progress, it is the commitment to learn something new each day and to infuse love into every interaction. Among the most enduring lessons is that simple acts of kindness can unleash tidal-wave chains of events, rippling through the lives of countless others.</p> <hr /> <h2 dir="auto"><strong>Today We Talked About</strong></h2> <ul> <li>Military background</li> <li>Entrepreneurship</li> <li>Sales</li> <li>AI&#8217;s help with Sales</li> <li>Feedback loops</li> <li>&#8220;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@stevewerley">This is The Play</a>&#8220;</li> <li>Stoacism</li> </ul> <hr /> <h2 dir="auto"><strong>Connect with Steven</strong></h2> <ul> <li dir="auto"><a href="https://www.stevenwerley.com/">Website</a></li> <li dir="auto"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenwerley/">LinkedIn</a></li> <li dir="auto"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@stevewerley">Podcast</a></li> <li dir="auto"><a href="https://closable.ai/">Closable AI</a></li> </ul> <hr /> <h2 style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>Leave me a tip $<br /> <a href="https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=HZVB8L5PWJ8Z6">Click here to Donate</a> to the show</strong></em></h2> <hr /> <h4 style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>I hope you enjoyed this show, please head over to <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/geek-leader-podcast-inspiring/id1043194456?mt=2&amp;ls=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Apple Podcasts and subscribe</a> and leave me a rating and review, even one sentence will help spread the word.  Thanks again!</strong></em></h4>
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31 MIN
AGL 443: Product Driven with Matt Watson
NOV 14, 2025
AGL 443: Product Driven with Matt Watson
<h2><strong>About Matt</strong></h2> <p><a href="https://amzn.to/46tBjDs"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-21824" src="https://www.ageekleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/product-200x300.jpg" alt="product driven" width="200" height="300" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.ageekleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/product.jpg?resize=200%2C300&amp;ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/www.ageekleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/product.jpg?resize=97%2C146&amp;ssl=1 97w, https://i0.wp.com/www.ageekleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/product.jpg?resize=33%2C50&amp;ssl=1 33w, https://i0.wp.com/www.ageekleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/product.jpg?resize=50%2C75&amp;ssl=1 50w, https://i0.wp.com/www.ageekleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/product.jpg?w=348&amp;ssl=1 348w" sizes="(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px" /></a></p> <p data-start="66" data-end="141">Matt Watson learned the power of product-driven development the hard way.</p> <p data-start="143" data-end="639">In 2003, at just 22 years old, he founded VinSolutions with exceptional technical talent but little product focus. The team built flawless features—yet few customers wanted to use them. Everything changed when the company shifted its mindset from “coders” to true product owners. By transforming its development culture, VinSolutions cut cycle times in half, dramatically increased feature adoption, and scaled to $35M in recurring revenue before being acquired by AutoTrader for $150M in 2011.</p> <p data-start="641" data-end="942">He carried those lessons to Stackify, where a product-first culture was embedded from the very beginning. Developers weren’t just writing code—they were innovating by deeply understanding user problems. That approach fueled another success story, leading to Stackify’s acquisition by Netreo in 2021.</p> <p data-start="944" data-end="1209">Today, as founder of Full Scale, Matt helps other technical leaders make the same transformation. With a team of more than 300 developers serving 60+ clients worldwide, Full Scale demonstrates that a product-first approach works across time zones and geographies.</p> <p data-start="1211" data-end="1326">This isn’t theory—it’s battle-tested experience from building and scaling multiple successful software companies.</p> <hr /> <h2><strong>Today We Talked About</strong></h2> <ul> <li>Background</li> <li>Coding</li> <li>Product Driven</li> <li>Empathy</li> <li><a href="https://www.ageekleader.com/create-purpose-to-motivate-and-spark-creativity-my-tedx-talk/">Purpose</a></li> <li>Leadership</li> <li><a href="https://www.ageekleader.com/fieldtrips/">Field Trips</a></li> <li>Feedback loops</li> <li>Product Managers could become the bottle neck</li> <li>Getting engineering involved in product</li> <li>Learn to say NO</li> <li>What if we &#8220;don&#8217;t do it&#8221;</li> <li>One way Door, or Two way Door Decisions</li> <li>Don&#8217;t stress about 2 way door decisions</li> <li>How you communicate every day</li> <li>Courage</li> <li>Thank and reward people for sharing</li> <li>Delegate</li> <li> Hire people you <a href="https://www.ageekleader.com/agl-034-trust-doesnt-come-from-a-title/">trust</a></li> <li>learn to let go</li> <li>don&#8217;t be the bottle neck</li> <li>Create Personal Relationships to build Trust</li> <li>Know the <a href="https://www.ageekleader.com/agl-088-the-5th-why/">Why</a>?</li> </ul> <hr /> <h2><strong>Connect with Matt</strong></h2> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattwatsonkc/">LinkedIn</a></li> <li><a href="https://productdriven.com/">Website</a></li> <li><a href="https://amzn.to/46tBjDs">Book</a></li> <li><a href="https://fullscale.io/">Full Scale</a></li> <li><a href="https://productdriven.com/pod">Podcast</a></li> </ul> <hr /> <h2 style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>Leave me a tip $<br /> <a href="https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=HZVB8L5PWJ8Z6">Click here to Donate</a> to the show</strong></em></h2> <hr /> <h4 style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>I hope you enjoyed this show, please head over to <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/geek-leader-podcast-inspiring/id1043194456?mt=2&amp;ls=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Apple Podcasts and subscribe</a> and leave me a rating and review, even one sentence will help spread the word.  Thanks again!</strong></em></h4> <p>&nbsp;</p>
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38 MIN