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

Eileen Forrestal, having spent 20+ years as an Anesthesiologist ‘putting people to sleep’ with powerful drugs, embarked on a mission to ‘wake people up’ to the power of words.

Author of The Courage To Shine, her invitation is to encourage you to Find Your Voice and Discover The Healing Power of Your Words and to have the courageous conversations that will make a real difference, breaking free from fears that are holding you back from full self-expression and fulfilment in life.

Through her transformational Get Up and Go diaries and journals, and Shine Your Light Coaching and Consulting, Eileen is committed to inspiring, encouraging, motivating, and empowering you to live your best one-and-only life, right now.

Eileen, a certified coach, accomplished trainer and natural leader, is committed to lifelong learning and sees curiosity, personal development and contribution as access to wellbeing and success in all areas of life.

Her passions are for fostering connection, promoting collaboration and making meaningful contribution through self-expression, and delights in seeing others Shine in the Art of Living,

She counts summiting Kilimanjaro, trekking to Everest Base Camp, rafting the Zambezi, cycling the Mekong Delta, jumping from an airplane, riding an ostrich and hypnotizing a chicken as some of her more memorable life events.

The co-creator of the Genius Journal with Roger Hamilton, Eileen is a Flow Consultant with Wealth Dynamics, trained to help you get into your ‘entrepreneurial’ flow with fun, freedom and ease. As Co-founder of “Get Up and Go Publications Ltd, and her “Shine Your Light Coaching and Consulting,” Eileen ignites the spark within, inspiring, encouraging, motivating, and empowering individuals to live their best lives, helping them

She is passionate about encouraging young adults and teens, helping them prepare to navigate the uncertain waters of post school life with courage and confidence.

No stranger to ‘Intensive Care’ Eileen understands the importance of trust, support and encouragement as we face life’s difficulties. Eileen cares passionately that individuals discover their inner shine and express it freely in the world, lighting the way for others.

If you want a true and trusted coach in your corner and guide on your side, look no further than Dr Eileen Forrestal at Shine Your Light Coaching and Consulting.

David holds a Ph.D. in Applied Game Theory from the University of Cambridge, is the creator of the first multi-agent system framework with native support for distributed ledger technologies (https://aea.dev), and is a co-founder and the CEO at Valory.

He has conducted research on the Economics of Networks, strategy of conflict, political competition, and multi-agent systems.

He has created the first framework for the development and production deployment of agents in a decentralized multi-agent multi-stakeholder environment.

David has a proven track record of taking projects from concept stage to production as demonstrated at Yoyo Wallet, Azembly, Panopy and Fetch.ai.

Alex Heublein is the President of the U.S. division of Netsurit, where he leads efforts to help small and medium-sized businesses navigate the complexities of digital transformation. With over three decades of experience in IT and business strategy, Alex is passionate about demystifying technology for SMBs and providing actionable insights to drive efficiency and innovation.

At Netsurit, Alex works closely with business leaders to develop tailored strategies that not only enhance operational efficiency but also build resilience and adaptability in an ever-evolving digital landscape.

He is also a sought-after speaker and thought leader, frequently contributing to discussions on digital transformation, cybersecurity, and the strategic use of technology in business. His mission is to empower organizations to unlock their full potential and achieve sustained competitive advantage.

CEOs turn to Klaas when they need an unbiased peer who uniquely understands the lonely burden of leadership and the complexity of a today’s technology driven business. He brings a unique blend of expertise gained from engineering, corporate finance, and executive leadership roles.

Klaas is usually called on to map out a clear path forward when there are no easy decisions. He has set strategies for scaling teams during 10x growth as well as downsizing when needed. Klaas has led companies through both buy and sell sides of M&A, in startups and public companies. He brings accountability in leadership teams through data-driven clarity.

Above all Klaas is a versatile advisor, toggling between strategy and execution. CEOs rely on Klaas when ambiguity looms, leveraging his rational approach and proven frameworks. During his free time Klaas relaxes with online racing and strategy games. Sundays are for NFL.

Kenneth K. Boyer combines a lifelong love of cars and engineering with a career focused on management and supply chain. He’s the Fisher designated professor of operations and business analytics at Fisher College of Business, Ohio State University./ He was coeditor-in-chief of the Journal of Operations Management, and served on the faculty at Michigan State and DePaul universities. Boyer is a member of the Academy of Management, Production and Operations Management Society, and the Decision Sciences Institute. Recently, he visited Vietnam to study Vinfast’s rise. He’s published numerous academic articles and two books. His latest is The Electric Vehicle Revolution: Five Visionaries Leading the Charge. He lives in Columbus, Ohio, and currently drives a Tesla Model 3. Learn more at gearschange.com.

Itamar Friedman is the CEO and Co-Founder of Qodo, a company dedicated to enhancing code integrity. Under his leadership, Qodo specializes in generating automated tests, providing code explanations, and conducting thorough code reviews. Their groundbreaking research in generating code solutions for competitive programming challenges has even outperformed Google DeepMind.

Eric Müller is the VP of Engineering and CISO at Presence, where he has led engineering teams and supported automated processes to deliver high-quality digital products for the past decade. With over 20 years of experience in engineering and security, Eric has worked across various industries including banking, social media, B2B, retail, fashion, and online gaming.

His extensive background includes significant roles at Wells Fargo Bank, Charles Schwab, Razorfish, and Mekanism, where he delivered award-winning projects for clients such as Samsung, eBay, and DKNY. At Presence, Eric fosters empathetic leadership and transparent communication to build resilient, high-performing tech teams.

An advocate for healthy agency-client collaboration, Eric involves partners early and often in the development process. His experience has proven that stronger client relationships result in better products. Beyond his professional achievements, Eric is an amateur photographer and baking enthusiast who loves discussing security.

John Conafay is a US Air Force Veteran and the CEO and Co-Founder of Integrate, building program management software with a systems engineering approach for the world’s most ambitious machines.

Previously he was an early employee at three space unicorns – Head of BD at ABL Space Systems, was one of the first ten employees at Astranis, and Interned at Spire Global early on. He also worked at the Office of the CFO NASA Headquarters while at BryceTech and was a Director of Business Development at Spaceflight.

Maximillian Naza is a prominent figure in the tech industry with a rich background in computer science, software engineering, and technology strategy. Having worked with leading companies such as T-Mobile, Google, and Kleiner Perkins, he founded PasciVite, a data-driven creative agency that leverages data analytics and artificial intelligence to give businesses a competitive edge.

Maximillian is known for his ability to bridge the gap between traditional industries and digital innovation, particularly in the entertainment sector, where he advocates for the integration of AI to enhance creativity. A frequent speaker, he offers insights into the intersection of technology, business, and innovation, drawing from his diverse experiences to mentor and inspire.

Squirrel creates constructive conflict to achieve astonishing productivity gains. His intensive coaching and advisory work gives executives and their teams the tools to create and align on business goals, discard good ideas that don’t fit the strategy, and deliver high-impact, customer-visible results. For instance, companies using his Insanely Profitable Tech methods deliver new software to customers every single day, with constant learning and improvement that keeps them way ahead of the competition. Squirrel has transformed product lines, company cultures, and technical skills at over 300 organizations on every continent except Antarctica, in industries from finance to biotech to music and many more. He co-authored the book Agile Conversations and has recently released Squirrel’s Tech Radar, a simple method for assessing any technology organization in under two hours with no background in tech required. Learn more about Squirrel at https://douglassquirrel.com, and check out his community of thousands of executives learning together at https://squirrelsquadron.com. Or feel free to ring him anytime on the Squirrel-Phone, +44 777 3794 491; you’ll probably reach him at his home in Frogholt, England, where he lives in a timber-framed cottage built in the year 1450.