In this episode of the Half Geek Half Human podcast, we are joined by Jennifer Poythress, Founder and Corporate Metaverse Advisor and Mitchell Poythress, Founder and Chief Futurist at The Rabbit Hole. Jennifer and Mitchell founded The Rabbit Hole VR, Tennessee's premier virtual reality provider in 2016. They later expanded to include The Rabbit Hole Virtual Marketing, a niche digital marketing agency specializing in all things metaverse.

Sit back and enjoy as we discuss the geek and human side of the metaverse – the technology behind it and its impact on the world.

This episode will cover:

• Defining the metaverse
• The difference between augmented and virtual reality
• History of The Rabbit Hole Marketing
• How to make money in the metaverse
• The Rabbit Hole Virtual Reality Gaming Arcade
• The future of arcade style VR
• Jennifer & Mitchell's background - what lead them to the metaverse
• What's next for the metaverse?

Website: https://www.rabbithole-marketing.com/

Metaverse Training: https://www.rabbithole-marketing.com/metaverse-training

VR Arcade: https://www.therabbitholevr.com/

In this episode of the Half Geek Half Human podcast, we are joined by Jen Spencer of SmartBug Media. Over Jen's career, she has built several demand generation and sales enablement programs from the ground up and has experience working within tech startups, publicly traded companies, mid-market organizations, and the not-for-profit space. Jen subscribes to the notion that "we're all in this together" and that great communication leads to great partnership. Outside of SmartBug, Jen is the mother of twin boys and two dogs, she loves football, good wine and scotch, and activating her mind and body through pilates. Weekends are spent listening to books on Audible and couch surfing with Netfix or Hulu.

This episode will cover:

• Jen's journey becoming an Elite Marketer starting as a client with Smartbug Media in 2013 and in 2017 becoming Vice President of Sales and Marketing - moving CEO in five years.
• As host of The Intelligent Inbound podcast Jen interviews C-Suite executives on growth, marketing, and sales strategies to improve companies.
• Who is Jen Spencer outside of being an Elite Marketer?
• SmartBug Media's mission helping client's grow revenue through technology, strategy, and creative.
• How SmartBug became HubSpot Elite Partner of the year in 2021.
• Importance of partnerships with HubSpot, SalesForce, Klaviyo and others.
• What inspired the Intelligence Inbound podcast and what sets it apart from other podcasts, lessons learned and advice to prospective podcasters.
• SmartBug's resource library for marketers.

www.smartbugmedia.com

www.linkedin.com/in/jenspencer

twitter.com/jenspencer

This episode features Angela Crane-Jones, CEO of the Nashville Business Incubation Center (NBIC) who is focused on cultivating the growth and development of small business owners for women, minorities, and veterans. Mrs. Crane-Jones has served NBIC since 2003, being appointed to this role, after progressive experience with the organization, in 2013. Previously, she served as Interim CEO, where she forged business relationships with the Small Business Development Center, U.S. Small Business Administration, IRS, Veterans Affairs, and Operation Stand Down among others to provide additional training and educational opportunities for the businesses at the Incubation Center and Entrepreneur community at-large. She began her tenure with NBIC as Assistant Director from 2003 – 2012, Mrs. Crane-Jones took an active leadership role in securing consulting services for the center's clients, developing community resources and developing programs supporting the needs of NBIC clients. Prior to joining the center's staff, Mrs. Crane-Jones was owner/operator of two Dairy Queen Restaurants where she gained valuable experience in retail and food operations, marketing and forecasting. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and Master of Arts degree from Tennessee State University.

This episode will cover:

• Angela's journey and what led her to a career cultivating young entrepreneurs.
• The Nashville Business Incubation Center (NBIC) and how it serves the community.
• How being the owner/operator of two Dairy Queen restaurants led her to wanting to help other entrepreneurs.
• NBIC's process of taking small acorns and growing them to mighty oaks.
• Examples of NBIC success stories including Christie Cookies, The Grilled Cheeserie and Slim & Husky's.
• Advice for budding entrepreneurs.
• The NBIC community and the tools they offer.
• Entrepreneurs' role in giving back to local communities.
• Shifting the entrepreneur's mindset from worker-bee to CEO mentality.
• What's next for the NBIC?

As it turns out, being half geek, half human runs in the family. In this episode we welcome Michael Rosen, Esq., Partner and Cofounder of Provider Trust, a company simplifying storage management and the ongoing monitoring of credential information. Michael also happens to be the cousin of Atiba's JJ Rosen. Learn how he turned publicly available information into a lot of money.

This episode will cover:

• The many pivots Michael has taken in his professional journey from trial attorney to his current venture with Provider Trust.
• How changes in the healthcare industry background screening requirements led to the genesis of Provider Trust.
• Using technology in the beginnings of the internet to transition from paper trails to online data and automation.
• Basic tenants of the "secret sauce" in monetizing data comes down to doing technology well and thinking critically.
• Importance of staying current with government data.
• Determining as an entrepreneur if are going to be a low-cost provider focused on volume or premium product focused on value and accuracy.
• Opportunities that come with regulated industries and certifications needed.
• Uncovering fraud, particularly in rural communities and why trust plays such a prominent role in hiring and for clients.
• Importance of company culture and values and how they drive success.
• The future for Provider Trust and how AI plays a part.

Introducing some of Atiba's best and brightest women in tech. Amy Rochelle is a Senior Software Engineer and Team Lead; Rachael Ghobrial is Director of Project Management and Website Services; and Ashton Bailey is a Software Developer at Atiba. Enjoy a candid conversation about their experiences in technology, some of the challenges they've encountered, and how they came into their roles at Atiba.

This episode will cover:

• What led our guests to a career in technology through education, chance encounters, real life, and professional experience
• Opportunities, challenges, and barriers women can experience in technology
• Advice for women wanting to pursue a career in technology
• Pushing past stereotypes of what a woman in tech looks like and how to be taken seriously by men and peers
• How patience, perseverance, proof, and persistence is key for women in technology
• Support of underrepresented groups to pursue education in technology
• Learning the proper vocabulary and terminology to talk to those resistant to women in technology
• Advice and benefits for young women wanting to pursue a career in technology
• The importance of more women in IT leadership positions
• How companies can support women in technology and the importance of work/life balance
• The difference Atiba plays supporting and promoting career growth for women in technology

Today we are joined by Janet Ivey, CEO and Creator of Janet's Planet – an organization committed to enriching the lives of children via education and live performances, TV, and online programming.

With over 25 years in the children's entertainment and education, Janet has captivated Nashville and beyond with her work. She has received 12 Regional Emmys and five Gracie Awards for her children's series Janet's Planet that airs on 140+ public television stations nationwide. Janet has won a STEM-FLORIDA Award for the "Exploring Microgravity," an educational video about gravity and microgravity that she wrote and produced for Space Florida.

Part artist, part scientist Janet believes that ART and SCIENCE deserve to be taught side by side in concert with one another which is why we knew she would be a perfect guest on the Half Geek Half Human podcast!

This episode will cover:

• Janet's background as a Cosmic Educator, STEM Champion, Guardian & Shepherdess of the Next Generation of Space Explorers; President at Explore Mars, CEO of Janet's Planet, a space show for kids that airs on PBS and is also an after-school club; a member of the National Space Society Board of Governors (alongside notable names like Buzz Aldrin, Tom Hanks, Hugh Downs and Lance Bass); Keynote Speaker, Emmy-Award Winning Actress, and Writer
• Having given 2 TEDx Talks, how did Janet you turn her hobby into a profession?
• What first inspired Janet to become involved in space
• Having a degree in the Arts and not something in science, what advice would Janet give to budding technologists about their paths
• What are some of the biggest barriers to inspiring this love of STEAM and developing more technologists?
• The next space event Janet is most excited about

Resources:

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

https://www.janetsplanet.com/about

https://styleblueprint.com/everyday/janet-ivey-janets-planet-faces-south/

We are joined by John Bass and Les Wilkenson, who are respectively CEO and Chief Development Officer of Hashed Health, an innovation firm focused on accelerating the meaningful development of blockchain and distributed ledger technologies for the industry. Hashed Health works to build solutions which leverage blockchain to solve some of the most important challenges facing this sector.

John and Les will be discussing Web3 which is being touted as the future of the internet. But what is Web3 exactly?

This episode will cover:

• John and Les' backgrounds in technology for the healthcare sector
• What is Web3, and why is it so hard for people to understand?
• Hashed Health and Venture Studio
• John and Les - then and now
• Technology in Healthcare
• The adoption/understanding of Blockchain/Web3 in Nashville

Who better to kick off Atiba's podcast than its founder JJ Rosen. In this episode, It's Not Business, It's Personal, JJ reveals his journey building Atiba and why in business, it is always personal.

JJ Rosen founded Atiba circa 1992 in Nashville, TN as a one-stop-shop for IT services, software development services, website design, and tech consulting. Since then they have worked for over 1600 clients of all types and sizes throughout the U.S. providing tech services for businesses ranging in size from one to over 10,000 employees. They have a dream team of IT professionals, software developers, web designers, UX specialists, digital marketers, and project managers to help you with all your tech needs.

JJ Rosen has been in the tech industry for decades. In that time, he's learned for clients and employees, business is personal.

Welcome to the Half Geek Half Human Podcast, powered by Atiba. Join us on our journey as we explore the intersections between technology, business, and life with Annakate Ross and Joey Baggott. Are you half geek, half human, or a little of both?