Stop data being harvested and start sharing your story.

Grab your coffee (or goat latte, if you're fancy) and settle in—Biz Souls is back, and this time we're diving headfirst into the brave new world of AI with the one and only William Welser.

Forget robot overlords—and believe William when he says, “Believe me, large language modules aka AI, do not understand you!” AI might be a shiny tool, but it’s not in the right hands yet.

In this episode, hosts Rona Lewis and Jeffrey Hansler wander the story-scapes of data: what we’re tracking now, what we should be tracking, and how we can regain control.

Welser dissects the tech driven chaos and hands you a blueprint: your personal story is your new wealth. He riffs on his upcoming book, “The Story Economy: How Sharing Your Truth Can Be Your Most Valuable Asset,” revealing why you—not algorithms—will shape the ethical, economic, and emotional contours of our next era.

So, turn on, tune in, and claim your future—one story after another.

Grab your backpack, sharpen your pencils, and do not forget your sense of humor, because you’re going back to school! But this is not your average lecture hall with squeaky chairs and bad coffee. Nope. This time, it’s Carnegie Mellon University’s Entertainment Technology Center, and your professor is none other than Dr. Drew Davidson.

Dr. Drew had our Biz-Souls hosts, Rona Lewis and Jeffrey Hansler, so giddy with enthusiasm about play that they nearly turned the studio into a giant ball pit. (We’re still waiting for the invoice on the clean-up.)

So, who is this Drew Davidson wizard of play?

He’s a professor, producer, and player of interactive media. He doesn’t just talk games — he lives them. From comics to games to transformational experiences, Dr. Drew is out here showing us how play isn’t just fun and games… it’s a tool for collaboration, creativity, healthier lifestyles, and maybe — just maybe — saving the world.

And yes, we can all thank the classic CD-ROM game Myst for sparking Drew’s obsession with the deep power of play. (Raise your hand if you spent hours trapped in that world and loved every second!)

Tune in, laugh a little, learn plenty, and discover why play just might be the most serious business strategy of all.

Warning: Listening to this episode may result in spontaneous bursts of joy, increased collaboration, and uncontrollable urges to gamify your next staff meeting.

And subscribing may result in a longer and happier life.

Find out more about Dr. Drew Davidson at:

https://playstorypress.org/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewdavidson/

What do change, leadership, and storytelling have in common? Patti Sanchez, that’s what!

In this unforgettable episode, co-hosts Rona Lewis and Jeffrey Hansler welcome the consummate and articulate storyteller herself, Patti Sanchez. Known for her clarity, empathy, and transformative insight, Patti delivered a master class in business storytelling—with soul.

A fantastic guest with a gracious presence, Patti shared wisdom with warmth and intellect, leaving us (and our listeners) inspired and energized.

Together, we explore:

• Why storytelling is the essential tool for today’s business leaders and developers

• How stories reduce resistance, foster connection, and rally people behind bold ideas

• Patti’s entrepreneurial journey—what she’s learning 18 months into solopreneurship

From boardrooms at Apple and Salesforce to executive workshops at VMware and GE, Patti has helped visionary leaders turn complex ideas into compelling narratives that move people—and organizations—forward.

Whether you're leading a team, building a brand, or just trying to get your cat to listen (good luck with that, Jeffrey), this episode will reshape the way you think about influence, communication, and change.

Patti is the award-winning author of:

• Presenting Virtually: Communicate and Connect with Online Audiences

• Illuminate: Ignite Change Through Speeches, Stories, Ceremonies, and Symbols

Learn more about her work: https://pattisan.com

Connect with her: linkedin.com/in/pattisanchez

Related Episodes You Might Love

• Episode 164: Words Matter – Communicating Like a Human

• Episode 152: Building Bridges with Story: The Core of Connection

• Episode 139: Play for Better Living! Why Play Makes Every Life Better

Set your story free and let it soar.

Rona Lewis is done. Jeffrey Hansler is just getting started. And AI? It's not even in the same emotional zip code.

Jeffrey needs to get something off his chest – and it’s not just one of his cats. Rona on the other hand is done for the day and wants Jeffrey to be quick about it.

Hmmm, I see changes coming to Biz-Souls sometime in the future.

In this soulfully absurd episode of Biz-Souls, Jeffrey decides to spill his digital guts—right after shooing a cat off his chest—and delivers three stories (Delta Airlines, Milgard, and Learning and Development hypocrisy) about how humans can stay ahead of AI by doing what AI can’t: bring heart, soul, and genuine humanity into everything we do.

But wait, there's more! Mid-rant, Jeffrey insists he already explained who Milgard is. Rona calls him out.

Spoiler: She’s right. Again. (P.S. Milgard makes windows and doors. You're welcome.)

So, what does a misremembered brand and an emotionally intelligent podcast host have to do with beating the bots? EVERYTHING, says Jeffrey. If AI is logic and speed, then humans are nuance, creativity, and, well... the occasional podcast derailment.

Tune in for:

• A peek into the coming changes to Biz-Souls (we said it…)

• The soul-powered secret sauce AI just can’t replicate

• A masterclass in how not to win an argument with Rona

Subscribe. Share. Save this episode before the robots do.

Craving more episodes that bring soul to the biz? Check these out:

• Episode 125: How To Retrain Your Brain – Because AI isn’t the only one that can upgrade its programming.

• Episode 127: Tickled About Piccles! A Unique Way of Connecting Communities – Imagination meets doodles meets innovation.

• Episode 139: Play for Better Living! Why Play Makes Every Life Better – Learn how fun beats function in a world full of algorithms.

• Episode 143: Mature Gnome With Ego: Building a Strong Defense With Humor – Ego, AI, and why humor is the ultimate firewall.

Tell your friends. Tell your AI overlords. Just don’t tell Jeffrey he forgot something—again.

Can you hear me now? Ever wonder what happens when feedback and tension collide in today’s completely bonkers world?

Join your favorite Biz-Souls duo, Rona Lewis and Jeffrey Hansler, as they dive headfirst into the hot topic of giving and receiving feedback in a world constantly pinging with panic—from political rants to earthquake alerts to whatever your cousin just posted on Facebook. Because, let’s face it, feedback today isn’t just about performance—it’s about survival.

With social media and 24-hour news cycles amplifying events which cause stress and tension in everyone, it’s important to realize you can give feedback without having to duck objects being thrown at you.

First, a mea culpa!

In this episode, we mentioned a story we thought was about either GE or Goldman Sachs and we had enough sense to say it might have been a story about another organization. Well, it was a JP Morgan Chase story we to which we were referring. Where Nicolas Welch, a tech analyst questioned CEO Jamie Dimon. If you want further details, check out Fortune and The New York Post, which is where we learned of the incident.

What we did correctly is cover the good, bad, and outdated feedback models and their important elements —including one once-beloved method that’s now officially bunk.

While you may feel giving feedback in today’s tension-filled environment is like trying to meditate in a mosh pit, we suggest by adhering to a few productive elements anyone can provide exceptional and valuable feedback.

Whether it’s saying, “Let’s pick this up another time” or listening effectively, this episode is a masterclass of simple reminders which keep feedback in the effective and efficient columns of communication.

And if you like this episode, check out our related episodes:

• Episode 177: Biz-Souls with Margie Zable Fisher – on creativity, legacy, and getting it right (eventually).

• Episode 175: Just Say No! Maybe. – because saying “no” is feedback too.

• Episode 173: For Love and Money – workplace romance, tension, and what NOT to say during performance reviews.

Feedback. It’s messy. It’s powerful. And when done right? It just might change everything.

Tune in, laugh a little, squirm a bit—and maybe even rethink how you manage your next feedback conversation.

Available wherever you get your Biz-Souls Podcast fix.

What happens when you combine two decades of remote work experience with a deep passion for people and global business?

Our Biz-Souls host’s Rona Lewis and Jeffrey Hansler know! You get Leandro Cartelli!

Leandro provides a fantastic perspective of his world of remote-first success, strategic talent acquisition, and international economic transformation.

With 15+ years leading Talent Acquisition for global giants like Accenture, Boehringer Ingelheim, and DeliveryHero, Leandro brings a rare blend of corporate wisdom and entrepreneurial insight. Through his company, Lana Talent, he's helping small and medium-sized businesses scale smarter by connecting them with top-tier talent across Latin America while sharing his expertise of best practices for success.

In Leandro’s world, onboarding is more than an orientation, it’s an investment in people and culture for maximum success. With remote work proven to be a powerful and cost-effective differentiator, it’s critical to properly execute in each step of the process.

Argentina is seeing a rapid growth in edtech, marketing, and content creation industries. And because of beneficial economics, the role of global hiring is offering organizations opportunities for maximizing profits while enhancing the quality of services provided.

Leandro shows his clients how to hire right, develop the talent further, all the while building loyalty and increasing performance.

Whether you're a founder, people leader, or just enthusiastic about the future of work, this conversation will challenge assumptions, unlock strategies, and inspire a broader perspective.

Leandro Cartelli, who is easy to find on LinkedIn says, “We're not just filling roles—we're building futures.” A motto he lives by each and every day.

Spend a few minutes with Biz-Souls and gain a lifetime of returns.

Join our Biz-Souls hosts, Rona Lewis and Jeffrey Hansler, as we uncork an inspiring conversation with Margie Zable Fisher, co-author of The Cabernet Club—a novel born from a promise, polished over 20 years, and published in 2025.

Margie went from PR powerhouse to published author, with bylines in The New York Times, AARP, Fortune, and more. She ran a PR agency for 20 years, finished her first triathlon after 50, and still manages to beat the NYT Spelling Bee more often than not. Now she’s living her best chapter yet—on the page and off.

In this rich and funny episode, Margie shares:

• The story behind The Cabernet Club—written with her late mother and rewritten with 20,000+ new words, a developmental editor, and a whole lot of heart.

• Why “The Cabernet Club”? At final cut, Margie insisted—because every Sunday the two shared wine and conversation, sealing the bond reflected in the title.

• Why she’s already plotting Book Two and Three—and dreaming of a TV adaptation described as Schitt’s Creek meets The Golden Girls.

Explore the power of second acts, aging vibrantly, deep female friendships, and humor woven through real, relatable characters.

Grab a glass of Cabernet and join us—because this conversation is a tribute to legacy, laughter, and living boldly.

Hear ye, hear ye! Order in the podcast!

That’s right—he’s back on the bench, and the Biz-Soul mic, and bringing much-needed wisdom and wit to the wild world of leadership.

As you know, Judge Daren Margolin isn’t just any judge—he’s a retired U.S. Marine Corps Colonel, a former Staff Judge Advocate for Generals Jim Mattis and Dave Berger, and a man who’s handled everything from immigration cases to full-blown felony trials to 10,000 fresh-faced Marine recruits (talk about courtroom and combat readiness). Semper Fi, indeed.

Oh, and did we mention he built one of the most efficient immigration courts in the country from scratch? That’s right. 28,000+ cases a year, no excuses.

This episode, we bring Judge Margolin back for a deep dive into what it really takes to be a positive leader when the pressure’s on—from the battlefield to the bureaucratic backlog. He’s talking values, accountability, and calling people in—not out—to do what’s right.

Whether you're leading a team, a nation, or just trying to lead your Monday meetings without losing your cool, you need to hear this.

Tune in to Biz-Souls. Because leadership doesn’t have to be loud - it has to be real.

There’s madness going on around the country—and especially in California—when it comes to immigration. Depending on which news channel you watch, it’s either a crisis, a circus, or both.

And who do our Biz-Souls hosts Rona Lewis and Jeffrey Hansler call when the headlines get hysterical and you can’t sort facts from fabrication?

Judge Daren Margolin.

That’s right. The man’s been on Newsmax, and now he’s stepped up in the world—to the Biz-Souls Podcast. Talk about career highs!

Daren Margolin isn’t just any judge. He’s a retired U.S. Marine Corps Colonel, a former Staff Judge Advocate for both General Jim Mattis and General Dave Berger, and a guy who’s presided over everything from immigration courts to felony trials to 10,000 new Marine recruits (talk about Semper Fi).

He recently served as Assistant Chief Immigration Judge for the Executive Office of Immigration Review, where he didn’t just run one of the busiest immigration courts in the country, he built from scratch! The Santa Ana Immigration Court, under his leadership, processed over 28,000 cases annually and was one of the top-performing courts in the country. That’s right, top-performing. We said it. We meant it.

And if that weren’t enough? He supervised dozens of judges (yes, judges need managing), ran courts at multiple locations during a pandemic, and somehow kept it all together while being bombarded with “urgent” memos from D.C. that had about as much relevance to real life as a screenplay rewrite of Gilligan’s Island.

From prosecuting gang members and war criminals to commanding emergency services at Quantico, to coordinating humanitarian efforts after a tsunami—Judge Margolin has done it all, and lived to tell the tale with humility, integrity, and a not-so-subtle side-eye for bureaucracy.

We’re talking:

• What really happens behind courtroom doors?

• What makes a Marine AND a good judge?

• And what kind of leadership actually works when the stakes are life-altering?

If you’ve ever wondered how a guy can keep his cool running a court full of type-A overachievers with legal authority and egos the size of California... Judge Margolin’s got stories for you.

Trust us—this episode is more than order in the court. It’s clarity in the chaos.

Tune in. Because anything’s better than leaving immigration reform up to Congress.

This week on Biz-Souls, we dive into the bold new world of human agency and digital autonomy with William (Bill) Welser IV, a man who shares coffee with goats on Thursdays and reshapes the future the rest of the week.

From his early career as a U.S. Air Force officer to building trailblazing teams at the RAND Corporation, to launching Lotic.ai, Bill has always had one mission: equip people with the power to shape their own stories through data, design.

Discover In this episode how your personal data, when owned and directed by you, becomes a tool for power not profit.

Explore the role of storytelling in personalizing technology and rebuilding trust in digital systems, and hear why the next wave of AI innovation must be rooted in ethics, empathy, and equity—and how it can help close socioeconomic gaps, not widen them.

Bill doesn’t just talk about tech, he talks about transformation. Whether he’s mapping ecosystems, future-casting industries, or helping behavioral scientists structure AI with soul, he brings a unique blend of heart, hope, and hardcore innovation to the conversation.

His Lotic Logic: You Deserve Better from Your Data!

Listen in because your future isn’t written by algorithms. It’s co-authored by you—if you take back the pen. Bill Welser IV shows us how.

Tune in now to Biz-Souls – where business meets humanity, and where data, dreams, and destiny converge.

Related Biz-Souls Episodes:

• Episode 126 – Complexity, Chaos, and Coffee: Systems Thinking with Michael Woudenberg

• Episode 132: The Future Is Fractal: Building Resilient Organizations

• Episode 135 – From War Rooms to Whiteboards: What the Military Taught Me About Business

• Episode 137 – Human Beings, Not Human Resources: A Tactical Guide to Empathy in Innovation

• Episode 140 – The Language of Systems: What You Say Changes What You Build

#BizSoulsPodcast #HumanAgency #DataPower #EthicalAI #StoryEconomy #AIWithSoul #DigitalFreedom #TechForGood #LoticAI #FutureCasting #OwnYourData #WilliamWelserIV