Grand Slam Journey

In this episode, Klara Jagosova speaks with Susan Seilheimer Brennan, executive, operator, and author who has spent nearly four decades leading organizations through growth, transformation, and scale across automotive manufacturing, clean energy, and advanced materials.

Susan's journey spans growing up in a working-class steel town in Illinois, building her career from a plant floor in rural Iowa to VP Manufacturing at Nissan where she drove the first Nissan LEAF off the production line, to COO at Bloom Energy where she tripled headcount, cut unit costs by 70%, and took the company public, to CEO at Romeo Power and 5E Advanced Materials where she led turnarounds under extraordinary pressure, and now advising early-stage clean energy and tech founders at EnerTech Capital.

The conversation explores: 

• Why she walked away from a Ford executive pension to bet on the electric vehicle.
• How she moved her family from Nashville to Silicon Valley at 51, going from big fish to minnow, and why she did it anyway. 
• What the plant floor teaches about leadership that no MBA can. 
• How the Hoshin X Matrix connects individual work to company-wide goals. 
• How to break the constraints blocking progress when everyone is already working hard. 
• Why she believes innovation is the heart, and without it, even the strongest organization won't survive. 
• What made her write the whole truth rather than the Instagram version.
• Why she chose to bring light to things most people keep in the dark.

Get the book: Still Standing: From Self-Loathing to Self-Love by S. Jayne Brennan https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C3SZTHXZ

Connect with Susan:
susanbrennanleadership.com
[email protected]
linkedin.com/in/susanbrennan

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In this episode, Klara Jagosova speaks with Katie Calhoun, Founder and CEO of Two-Bridge Growth Insights and Managing Partner at ResonateLab, where she helps organizations use generative AI to facilitate human connections rather than replace them.

Katie's journey begins not in a boardroom but behind a camera lens. With a BFA from Cornell, she started as a photo editor and writer, worked her way up at Forbes, then deliberately walked away to learn the one discipline she hadn't yet mastered, sales, at Hearst. That decision led her to nearly 18 years at Getty Images, where she led a team of 110+ people, drove over $300M in annual revenue, helped take the company public, and played a key role in launching Generative AI by Getty Images.

The conversation explores:

• Why AI can't replace human instinct, storytelling, or genuine connection
• The AI bias problem: how generative models "reduce to the mean" and quietly erase diversity
• The Getty Images playbook: launching generative AI without losing the creative soul
• Building #ShowUs, Disrupt Aging, and the LeanIn Collection to challenge visual stereotypes across 170+ countries
• Lessons from Cannes Lions on moving from AI hype to intentional adoption
• Advice for women on negotiation, leadership, and using your voice

Whether you're a marketer, a founder, or someone navigating your own reinvention, Katie's journey is a masterclass in following curiosity, learning your gaps, and staying rooted in human insight in an increasingly automated world.

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In this episode, Klara Jagosova speaks with Stephen Rose, CEO of Render Networks, former Managing Partner at Nokia Bell Labs, and General Manager of Global Industries at IBM. A 25-year telecommunications and technology leader who served in the British Army 5 Airborne Brigade before building and leading businesses across four continents, Stephen brings a perspective on leadership, AI, and infrastructure that is anything but conventional.

Stephen's journey spans serving in the elite British Army 5 Airborne Brigade, building a consultancy from zero to €11M and 90 consultants, leading Nokia's largest ever services deal at over $1B, reskilling 40% of IBM's global headcount, and now leading Render Networks at the most consequential moment in American broadband history.

The conversation explores: 

• What the 5 Airborne Brigade actually teaches you about leading people under pressure. 
• Why most leaders get hierarchy completely wrong — and the distributed leadership model that works. 
• How Stephen navigated engineering boardrooms for decades without a formal engineering degree. 
• How radical transparency got 40% of IBM reskilled faster than any performance review ever could. 
• Why fiber and electric infrastructure builds are now one race — and what the next 24 months look like. 
• How AI is reshaping how field crews build and verify networks at scale.
• The fear bubble framework for separating real risk from perceived anxiety.

🎗️ Stephen is running the annual Para 10-miler to support veterans battling cancer and suicide. Donate here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-our-fight-against-cancer-and-veteran-suicides

Connect with Stephen:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/thestephenrose/
[email protected]

Rebel Rebel Newsletter:
https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/rebel-rebel-7415159371611086850/

The Fear Bubble:
https://a.co/d/04ouny37

Music — Karl Jenkins, The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace:
https://youtu.be/nslz63M70c0?si=9zKhwrBp4hE2NzJ7

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In this episode of the Grand Slam Journey Podcast, host Klara Jagosova speaks with Peter Linder, Head of Thought Leadership Americas at Ericsson, one of the world's leading voices in telecommunications and technology, ranked the #1 technology expert on LinkedIn in 2022, and a 35-year veteran of Ericsson, shaping the global narrative around broadband, 5G, and AI, and now sporting events.

Peter grew up in Anderstorp, Sweden. A small town of 5,000 people with 300 companies and a Formula One racetrack in its backyard. From competing as a skier and tennis player to working at 11 years old, Peter's upbringing forged a mindset of relentless curiosity, entrepreneurial grit, and the ability to thrive under pressure.

Including one unforgettable year in tennis where he lost 46 matches in a row — zero wins — and still came back.

The conversation explores:
🎾 How losing 46 straight matches built the grit that defined a 35-year career
🏎️ Growing up in the paddock of the Formula One and Swedish Grand Prix, and how motorsport sparked a passion for technology
🌍 From broadband to 5G to AI — 34 years of transformation at Ericsson across five continents
🤖 How AI is reshaping the live sports fan experience — and what's coming next
📡 The future of 5G connectivity and why rural digital inclusion matters
🎙️ Why storytelling is the last irreplaceable human superpower in an AI age
🧠 Pressure as a spring: the psychology behind performing in high-stakes moments

Whether you're an engineer, a leader, an athlete transitioning careers, or simply someone trying to build something meaningful. Peter's journey is a masterclass in never giving up and always finding the next frontier.

Connect with Peter:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterglinder/
Blog: Tweeterlinder.com
Email: [email protected]

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In this episode, Klara Jagosova speaks with Brian Modoff, founder and CEO of MC3 Ventures, Advisory Partner at Summit Partners, and former EVP of Corporate Strategy at Qualcomm. Brian's journey spans enlisting in the US Navy at 17, eight years of night school while working full time, 23 years as one of Wall Street's most consistently top-ranked technology analysts, a pivotal role at Qualcomm leading M&A and venture strategy, and now investing in the next generation of breakthrough companies as a venture capitalist.

From a cryptology-equipped destroyer off the coast of Iran to the boardrooms of Deutsche Bank and Qualcomm, Brian's path is a masterclass in persistence, pattern recognition, and never crawling under your desk when things go wrong.

The conversation explores:

• How Brian built a 23-year career on Wall Street, outlasting an average analyst lifespan of 8 years
• Spotting Qualcomm's rise before anyone else — and having the courage to put a sell rating on them first
• The $30 billion conversation with Steve Mollenkopf that led to joining Qualcomm as EVP
• Why the right idea matters more than the perfect founding team in early-stage investing
• Why putting a CFO in charge of a tech company is an automatic sell signal
• Why America's venture capital community is its most important economic asset
• The one piece of advice Brian would give every young person entering the workforce today

🎙️ Watch Brian's 6G Keynote (B6GS 2025): https://ieeetv.ieee.org/channels/communications/keynote-brian-modoff-summit-partners-b6gs-2025

Key themes: venture capital, Wall Street, Qualcomm, MC3 Ventures, Summit Partners, tech investing, startup investing, innovation, persistence, leadership, AI, engineering careers, wireless technology, mosaic theory, M&A strategy.

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In this episode of the Grand Slam Journey Podcast, host Klara Jagosova speaks with John Madura, mechanical engineer, 2x USA Rowing National Team Member, and robotics innovator at Dexterity. John's journey spans from being recruited into rowing over pizza in a college lunch line at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, to representing the United States at the World Championships in 2012 and 2015, earning a PhD at UC Berkeley, and now building physical AI and autonomous robots at the cutting edge of the industry.

From an unexpected lunch line recruitment to the USA National Team, John's path is proof that seizing unlikely opportunities — and refusing to let go of them — can lead to a life you never could have planned.

The conversation explores: 

• How John discovered rowing by accident and made it to the USA National Team
• The parallels between elite rowing and long-cycle hardware engineering
• Building physical AI and autonomous robots at Dexterity
• Why hardware is the unsung hero of the AI revolution
• Teamwork, ego, and the 2016 Olympics sculling miss
• How to spot opportunities and seize them before they disappear

Connect with John on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-m-madura-0651a82b/

Connect with Klara on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/klarajagosova 

Key themes: robotics, physical AI, mechanical engineering, elite rowing, USA Rowing, Dexterity, performance mindset, career transitions, STEM, discipline, opportunity, resilience.

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Klara Jagosova speaks with Josh Simons — musician, songwriter, entrepreneur, and CEO of Vinyl Group — about his journey from touring internationally with indie band Buchanan to leading Australia’s only ASX-listed music company. Josh shares lessons on creativity, performance, and building sustainable careers beyond the stage.

Drawing parallels between music and sport, the conversation explores:

• Growing up in a music-driven family
• Transitioning from artist to entrepreneur
• Performance, discipline, and career longevity
• The creative process behind songwriting
• AI, leadership, and the future of music

Whether you’re a creative, founder, or leader, this episode offers practical insights on reinvention, mindset, and long-term success at the intersection of music, business, and technology.

🔗 Connect with Josh: 🌐 Website  ︱ 🔗 LinkedIn ︱ 🎤 TEDx ︱ 🎥 Final Investor Video of the Year (LinkedIn)

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Want a front-row seat to how a global CFO blends tennis-honed grit with people-first leadership to rethink telecom’s future? In this episode, Klara Jagosova sits down with Jurgen Arts, Vice President & CFO for Market Area Europe & Latin America at Ericsson, who brings nearly three decades of experience leading M&A, finance transformation, and cross-regional teams.

We trace Jurgen’s path from an introverted Dutch tennis kid to a global leader known for transparency, curiosity, and balance — in business and in life. He shares how authenticity builds trust, how honesty early in a role prevents friction later, and how sports resilience fuels strategic decision-making.

We explore:
• How culture shapes leadership across regions
• M&A lessons from integrating Cradlepoint and Vonage
• The evolving role of AI as a practical co-pilot
• Building connected global teams and financial agility
• 5G network APIs and the shift to pay-per-use models
• Continuous learning, mentorship, and curiosity as long-term success drivers

🎾 Plus: Jurgen’s reflections on cooking, running, padel, golf, and inspiring his two sons to carry forward the family’s love for tennis.

Connect with Jurgen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jurgen-arts-ba808a3/

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What if we could revolutionize healthcare and other industries by using the untapped computing power that sits idle in hospitals every night? Meet Rani Yadav-Ranjan, Chief AI Officer at Greycloud AI, who's pioneering a breakthrough approach to AI that respects both data privacy and urgency.

After watching her mother's medical journey, Rani had a revelation: doctors function as "databases" of knowledge, but these repositories remain isolated within individual hospitals. Her solution? A patented system that transforms existing computers in closed networks into distributed training devices, operating during off-hours to build sophisticated AI models without compromising sensitive patient data. "From six o'clock till six in the morning, that's twelve hours of computing power we could use," she explains, describing how her technology chunks and chains data through multiple nodes, each with a unique blockchain identifier to ensure validity.

This innovative approach reflects Rani's decades-long career at the intersection of emerging technologies. As one of the most influential women in tech, with over 20 patents, she pioneered mobile payments in the early 2000s, navigated cultural resistance to e-commerce in Japan, and continues to advocate for the ethical development of AI. Through personal anecdotes about balancing leadership with motherhood and observations about gender bias in corporate cultures, Rani offers a master class in resilience and strategic thinking.

Rani's perspective on AI's future is refreshingly nuanced. Rather than fearing job displacement, she sees AI as enhancing human capabilities while emphasizing the irreplaceable value of experience. "What I use AI for is code reviews," she notes. "It's awesome to say, 'here's 3,000 lines of code, tell me where the missing semicolon is." As she prepares to publish her book "Constitutional Democracy in the Algorithmic Age," Rani continues to champion responsible innovation that serves humanity's needs while respecting our rights and privacy.

Connect with Rani on LinkedIn to follow her groundbreaking work at the intersection of AI, healthcare, and ethical technology development.

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

https://yadav-ranjan.com/

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Noah Sturm, Senior Vice President of Sales and Revenue at Augment AI, shares his journey from an unstructured upbringing through professional golf aspirations to becoming a transformative sales leader building AI-powered relationship technology to transform and redefine how B2B sales are done.

• Raised in a dynamic, homeschooled environment that fostered creativity, resilience, and comfort with uncertainty
• Developed extraordinary resilience, helping his family through his mother's cancer battle and later his father's passing during his college years
• Transitioned from a potential professional golf career to sales excellence, starting at RR Donnelly, where he grew from $70,000 quota to multi-million dollar accounts
• Joined N3 and later Accenture, becoming a vice president at just 28 years old, by focusing on execution rather than conventional experience
• Now building Augment to transform B2B sales by focusing on durable relationships and addressing the 83% of buying decisions that happen without salespeople present
• Believes AI should enhance human relationships rather than replace them, focusing on making mid-performers act like top performers through situational awareness
• Advocates for kindness, empathy, and spending less time on social media to foster genuine human connection

Get in touch with Noah on LinkedIn at noah-sturm-augment or email him at [email protected]

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