Derive Insights

What happens when we stop thinking about education as simply delivering information and start thinking about how people actually experience learning?

In this episode of Derive Insights, Etu Daniel sits down with Jackie Pelegrin, an award-winning instructional designer, college professor, consultant, author, and podcast host with nearly 20 years of experience creating engaging and effective learning experiences.

Jackie is the host of Design with Love, a weekly podcast exploring practical strategies, tools, and stories for creating meaningful learning experiences. She is also a co-host of seven podcasts with Daniel Lucas through the Universal Podcast Network and co-author of Bible Verses 101, Volume 2: Strength for Visioning.

In this conversation, we explore the intersection of learning, creativity, technology, and human-centered education. Jackie shares what inspired her to create Design with Love and how her experience teaching online students opened her eyes to the deeper human needs behind education.

We talk about what it really means to design learning with love, why thoughtful educational design matters, and how technology can be used to enhance not replace the human connection at the heart of learning.

This conversation goes beyond education. It invites us to think about how we create environments where people feel seen, supported, engaged, and empowered to learn and grow.

Because sometimes, the difference between simply teaching someone and truly helping them learn is the intention behind the experience.

Website: https://www.designingwithloveblog.com/

Personal WebsiteLinkedIn:⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackiepelegrinJackie, thank you for joining Derive Insights and for sharing your perspective on education, creativity, technology, and the human side of learning.

Your story is a beautiful reminder that learning is not just about what we teach, but about how we make people feel while they are learning. Designing with intention, empathy, and love can create experiences that stay with people long after the lesson is over.

Thank you for reminding us that the way we help others learn can also shape who they become.

As we learn, grow, and keep becoming, one conversation at a time.

What happens when life doesn't go according to plan but you choose to keep going anyway?

In this episode of Derive Insights, Etu Daniel sits down with Cheri Baugh Woods, a faith-based speaker, cancer survivor, and author of When Will Miracles Still Happen.

Cheri has walked through extraordinary seasons of adversity, including two forms of leukemia, a bone marrow transplant, two brain surgeries, divorce, widowhood, and financial struggles. Yet through each experience, she discovered that difficult circumstances don't have to determine who we are or where our lives can go.

In this deeply personal conversation, we explore hope, faith, resilience, identity, and purpose and what it means to keep believing in possibilities even when life looks completely different from what we imagined.

Cheri shares the perspective she gained through some of life's most difficult moments and how those experiences shaped her message to others: your circumstances may be part of your story, but they don't have to become your identity or define your future.

This is a conversation about finding strength in uncertainty, holding onto hope in difficult seasons, and discovering that even in the middle of chaos, there can still be purpose.

Website: https://www.authorcheribaughwoods.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cheri-woods-b9615845/

Cheri, thank you for joining Derive Insights and for being willing to share such a deeply personal part of your journey.

Your story is a powerful reminder that adversity can change our circumstances without having the final say over our identity, our hope, or our future.

Thank you for reminding us that even when life doesn't go according to plan, there can still be faith, purpose, resilience, and possibilities ahead.

As we learn, grow, and keep becoming, one conversation at a time.

What happens to human judgment, experience, and wisdom in an AI-driven world?

In this episode of Derive Insights, Etu Daniel sits down with Jon Wolheim, a talent and leadership executive who has spent more than 20 years building teams and talent functions across companies including Apple, Amazon, and two AI startups that reached billion-dollar valuations in under four years.

Jon built the talent function that helped take SoundHound AI public on the NYSE and served as the founding HR executive at a Cambridge AI unicorn now valued at more than $10 billion.

His journey took another significant turn in 2019, when he interviewed Jeff Bezos and asked what he would study if he were a college freshman today. Bezos' answer was machine learning—a response that helped redirect Jon's own career and deepen his focus on the future of work and AI.

Today, through Warham Group and Affluent, Jon helps accomplished executives become AI fluent without getting lost in the jargon.

In this conversation, we explore the intersection of AI, leadership, talent, experience, and the future of work. We talk about what AI is changing, what humans still bring to the table, and why experience, judgment, wisdom, and the ability to think critically may become even more valuable as technology advances.

This is not simply a conversation about learning AI. It's about understanding how we can evolve with technology without losing the uniquely human qualities that make our experience meaningful.

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

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

Jon, thank you for joining Derive Insights and for sharing your perspective on AI, leadership, talent, and the future of work.

This conversation offered an important reminder that becoming AI fluent isn't only about understanding technology. It's also about understanding ourselves, recognizing the value of our experience, and learning how to bring human judgment and wisdom into a rapidly changing world.

Thank you for helping us think more deeply about what it means to remain human while adapting to what comes next.

As we learn, grow, and keep becoming, one conversation at a time.

What if compliance was more than simply following rules?

In this episode of Derive Insights, Etu Daniel sits down with Tom Fox, a leading voice in compliance, business ethics, leadership, and podcasting.

Tom is the founder of the award-winning Compliance Podcast Network, a podcast network dedicated to compliance, and a co-founder of the Texas Hill Country Podcast Network. With more than 30 podcasting awards and decades of experience, Tom has built a unique career at the intersection of compliance, business, culture, communication, and media.

He is also an award-winning blogger and the author of more than 30 books covering compliance, business ethics, and leadership, including The Compliance Handbook, now in its fourth edition.

In this conversation, we explore why compliance should not be viewed simply as a collection of rules and regulations. Done properly, compliance can strengthen organizational culture, reduce risk, improve efficiency, support better leadership, and ultimately help businesses perform better.

We also dive into Tom’s journey in podcasting and how the medium has become a powerful tool for education, building authority, creating meaningful relationships, and growing a business.

From corporate culture and ethical leadership to risk management, communication, and the power of consistently sharing valuable ideas, Tom offers lessons that extend far beyond compliance.

This is a conversation about doing business the right way—but also about how the right culture, the right message, and the willingness to educate others can create lasting impact.

Website: http://compliancepodcastnetwork.net/

Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasfox13/

Tom, thank you for joining Derive Insights and for sharing your experience across compliance, business, leadership, and podcasting.

This conversation was a great reminder that compliance isn't simply about avoiding what can go wrong. When approached intentionally, it can help organizations build stronger cultures, make better decisions, reduce risk, and create better businesses.

Thank you as well for sharing your perspective on podcasting and the power of using your voice to educate, build relationships, and create opportunities.

As we learn, grow, and keep becoming, one conversation at a time.

What can more than 100,000 business conversations teach us about people?

In this episode of Derive Insights, Etu Daniel sits down with Tom Vander Well, CEO of Intelligentics, customer experience researcher and trainer, author of the international Amazon bestseller This Call May Be Monitored: This Taught Me About Business and Life, writer, actor, speaker, and host of The Wayfarer Podcast.

For more than 30 years, Tom has listened closely to recorded conversations between customers, salespeople, support teams, and everyday people. But somewhere along the way, those conversations became about much more than business.

Behind the words, Tom began hearing fear, trust, insecurity, ego, hope, conflict, leadership, and one of the most universal human desires of all: the desire to be heard.

In this conversation, we explore what customer interactions can reveal about human behavior, why communication is often more important than the words we choose, and how the way we listen to people can shape our businesses, relationships, leadership, and lives.

Tom also shares perspectives shaped by decades of experience, storytelling, faith, workplace culture, personal growth, and his own journey of continually learning from the people and conversations around him.

This is a conversation about business—but more importantly, it is a conversation about people.

https://tomvanderwell.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-vander-well-intelligentics/

Tom, thank you for joining Derive Insights and for sharing the perspective you have gained from decades of listening to people so closely. Your ability to find the human story behind everyday business conversations made this a truly meaningful conversation.

Thank you for reminding us that sometimes, the most important thing we can do for another person is simply listen and genuinely hear them.

As we learn, grow, and keep becoming, one conversation at a time.

Having a great product isn't enough.

In today's crowded B2B technology landscape, companies can build exceptional products and services yet still struggle to become visible, trusted, and remembered by the people who actually make buying decisions.

In this episode of Derive Insights, I sit down with Richard Cook, founder and Managing Director of Champion Communication, an award-winning B2B PR consultancy.

With more than two decades of experience in communications, including more than 17 years helping B2B technology companies build their reputations, Richard has worked with businesses ranging from fast-growing distributors to major international brands. His work focuses on helping companies gain meaningful media coverage, establish thought leadership, and become visible to the audiences that matter most—their buyers.

We explore why genuinely good B2B companies can remain invisible, what it takes to build credibility in a crowded marketplace, and how businesses can use PR, social media, podcasts, and emerging AI tools to influence the way potential customers discover and evaluate them.

Richard also shares his perspective on how AI is changing business discovery, particularly as people increasingly rely on AI tools to research companies, products, and solutions before making purchasing decisions.

As the host of Crossing the Pond, Richard also brings valuable insight into how B2B companies can successfully enter and grow within the UK market.

This conversation is a reminder that being good at what you do isn't enough if the people who need you can't find you, trust you, or remember you.

LinkedIn:

Thank you for listening to another episode of Derive Insights.

If Richard's insights on B2B visibility, PR, thought leadership, and the changing role of AI resonated with you, continue the conversation by exploring his work through the links above.

Because in a world where everyone is competing for attention, the goal isn't simply to be louder. It's to become meaningfully visible to the right people for the right reasons.

As we learn, grow, and keep becoming, one conversation at a time.

What happens when the patterns we've carried for years begin to shape the way we experience stress, fear, relationships, and even ourselves?

In this episode of Derive Insights, I sit down with Sophia Torrini, a certified Clinical EFT practitioner, transformational catalyst, and advocate for personal empowerment.

Sophia's journey into this work began through her own experience with a life-threatening chronic illness. What she went through eventually led her away from a career in healthcare administration and toward helping others explore new approaches to emotional and personal healing.

Together, we explore the relationship between thoughts, emotions, beliefs, and the patterns that influence the way we experience our lives. We discuss what it means to recognize limiting core patterns, respond differently to stress and fear, and develop greater awareness of the beliefs that may be holding us back.

Sophia also shares her perspective on Clinical EFT, a practice she uses within her trauma-informed and compassionate approach to help people work toward greater clarity, calm, empowerment, and joy.

At the heart of this conversation is a powerful reminder: sometimes transformation begins when we become curious about the patterns we've accepted as simply “who we are” and start asking whether a different way of responding is possible.

Website:https://www.tapintoyourbestself.com/

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/anastasia-nicolaidis/

Thank you for listening to another episode of Derive Insights.

If Sophia's story and perspective resonated with you, continue the conversation by exploring her work through the links above.

And remember, becoming more aware of ourselves gives us an opportunity to become more intentional about how we respond to life.

As we learn, grow, and keep becoming, one conversation at a time.

Personal WebsiteLinkedInThank You / Follow-Up Note

What if the setbacks you've experienced aren't the end of your story, but the beginning of another chapter?

In this episode of Derive Insights, I sit down with Darren Williams, an author, resilience expert, coach, and mental health advocate whose life and work are centered around overcoming adversity and helping others discover what is still possible after difficult seasons.

With more than 20 years of experience across sales, marketing, coaching, and mental health, Darren has helped people from different backgrounds recognize that challenges don't have to become permanent barriers. They can also become opportunities for growth, learning, and transformation.

Darren is the author of Overcoming and Beating the Odds: Turning Each of Life's Lessons Into Blessings, where he shares practical principles for developing resilience, building a winning mindset, and turning life's struggles into stepping stones toward a more meaningful future.

Together, we explore what it means to keep moving when life doesn't go according to plan, how to rebuild confidence after setbacks, and why your current circumstances don't have to determine the rest of your story.

Whether you're facing disappointment, questioning yourself, or simply wondering whether life can get better, this conversation is a reminder that there is still hope, there is still purpose, and there may still be another chapter waiting to be written.

Website:https://www.amazon.com/gp/f.html?C=2YZ91DPTDXIF1&K=15O5KVHOSQK89&M=urn:rtn:msg:20240630052500a8d36a54134c44c7a17ce7ec7790p0na&R=2B850S8YNQJX&T=C&U=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fauthor%2Fdcwilliams2455159%3Fref_%3Dpe_2466670_811284380&H=PKT0ZSHP6AAU7CN2Y8ONDXAJYWUA&ref_=pe_2466670_811284380

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/darren-williams-16a28615a?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app

Thank you for listening to another episode of Derive Insights.

If Darren's story and perspective resonated with you, continue the conversation by exploring his work through the links above.

Whatever chapter you're currently living through, remember that it doesn't necessarily define the whole story. Keep moving, keep learning, and keep believing that another chapter is possible.

As we learn, grow, and keep becoming, one conversation at a time.

Should you write a book?

Knowing you have a book inside you is one thing. Actually writing it, publishing it, and turning it into something that creates opportunities for your business is another.

In this episode of Derive Insights, I sit down with Kristin Clark, founder of Elite Content Creation, a boutique ghostwriting and publishing firm that helps executives, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders transform their expertise into books and content that build real authority.

Through Elite Content Creation and its publishing imprint, Shepherd Press, Kristin and her team have guided founders and thought leaders through the publishing process, helping clients achieve bestseller status, book awards, speaking opportunities, and business growth.

Kristin is also the bestselling author of Written, Published, Sold: The Complete Guide to Bring Your Big Idea to Life. Her ghostwriting work has appeared in publications including Forbes, Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, and Rolling Stone.

Together, we explore what prevents people from turning their ideas into books, how to discover and protect your authentic voice, the role of AI in modern content creation, and what it really takes to transform knowledge and experience into authority.

If you've ever thought, “I have a book inside me,” but haven't known where to start, this conversation will help you think differently about your story, your expertise, and the opportunities that can come from sharing what you know.

Website:https://elitecontentcreation.net/

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristin-clark-content/

Thank you for listening to another episode of Derive Insights.

If Kristin's insights inspired you to think differently about your own ideas, expertise, or the possibility of writing a book, continue the conversation by exploring her work through the links above.

Your knowledge may already be valuable but sometimes, putting it into words is what allows it to reach the people who need it.

As we learn, grow, and keep becoming, one conversation at a time.

What if stewardship isn't primarily about money, but about how we manage every part of the life we've been entrusted with?

In this episode of Derive Insights, I sit down with Larry O’Nan, a stewardship mentor, author, and advisor whose work explores purpose, generosity, leadership, and intentional living.

Along his journey, Larry discovered a perspective that fundamentally changed how he understood wealth and stewardship: everything we have—including our time, abilities, relationships, opportunities, and resources—is something we are entrusted to manage well.

That insight became the foundation of his latest book, Intentional Living and Giving, where he shares principles for living with greater purpose, overcoming confusion, embracing generosity, and becoming what he calls an “authorized wealth distributor.”

Larry has also developed numerous stewardship assessment tools, written more than 300 funding proposals for non- profit organizations, and continues to mentor leaders around the world.

Together, we explore what it means to live intentionally, redefine our relationship with wealth, become better stewards of what we have, and recognize that generosity isn't simply about giving money, it's about becoming the kind of person who uses what they've been given to create meaningful impact.

This conversation is a reminder that a meaningful life isn't measured only by what we accumulate, but by how intentionally we manage what has been entrusted to us and what we choose to give back.

Website:https://larryonan.com/

Thank you for listening to another episode of Derive Insights.

If Larry's perspective on intentional living, stewardship, generosity, and purpose resonated with you, continue the conversation by exploring his work through the links above.

Perhaps the question isn't simply “What do I have?” but “What am I doing with what I've been given?”

As we learn, grow, and keep becoming, one conversation at a time.