Just as AI innovations are redefining software as we know it, modern businesses are closing the gender gap and redefining leadership to match.  On this episode of Pure Signal, the team celebrates International Women’s Day by exploring the exciting momentum surrounding the gender shift felt throughout the industry alongside sobering realities still facing women in tech today.

Hosts Kevin Erickson and Ryan Medellin are joined by fellow Credera leaders Gail Stout Perry, Andrea Marshall Webb, and Slavina Racheva to hear their insights on these changing dynamics.

The discussion begins with reflections on the Women in Tech movement within Credera, including the creation of internal communities and a recent hands-on conference where technologists collaborated to prototype new solutions and build practical AI capabilities. From there, the conversation broadens to examine the structural challenges women continue to face in technology. You’ll hear about the “leaky pipeline” which still exists in tech careers, confidence gaps, representation in AI development, and the importance of mentorship and community in driving long-term change.

One big lesson from their conversations? Leaders throughout tech have the power today to shape diverse environments that will foster the next generation of talent while driving increased innovation and results for their businesses. The future of technology will be defined not only by new tools and platforms, but by who is empowered to build them.

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Quotes

“I want to encourage women to be very aggressive in this space. What we've seen over the last few years is really amazing momentum in women educating themselves about finance and investing, and we're seeing this gap being bridged. Once you give them the tools, they jump into it immediately because we are hungry for change. We want to see positive change in this space.” – Slavina Racheva

“I didn't really enter technology consulting until my late forties when I came back into work after having raised my family and taking care of my mother. I had women around me giving me the confidence that I could still do this job, and I could still be really good at it. I did have the support of people who had gone through a similar experience around me. Which was incredibly important because I had people that I could share my experience with.” – Andrea Marshall Webb

“We're really good at advocating when we do it on behalf of someone else. If you have others that you can draw upon, then you feel stronger. We're aiming to help our women figure out how to progress in their careers, to feel like they belong and to stay. Over 50% of women in tech leave their career between the 10th and 20th year. That's the leadership pipeline that's broken, right? So how do we get out ahead of that and prevent that? It's possible. It's been done in other areas of business, so let's do this for tech.” – Gail Stout Perry

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Time Stamps

00:00 Intro

00:25 Welcoming today's guests

03:50 Women in tech today

06:40 What's inspired this movement

11:30 Opening the door for others

16:45 The Women in Tech Conference

26:45 Results can already be seen

33:00 From risk to opportunity

43:00 Business transformation at large

44:55 Where ethics come into play

47:05 How to continue building momentum

51:55 Creating psychological safety across your enterprise

57:00 Closing thoughts

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Links 

Connect with the guest and hosts on LinkedIn!

• Gail Stout Perry

• Andrea Marshall Webb

• Slavina Racheva

• Kevin Erickson

• Ryan Medellin

• Jake Carter

Learn more about Credera

In today’s world, commerce has evolved from just a channel to the connective layer between CX, retail media, data strategy, and business growth.

On this episode of Pure Signal, the team is joined by Credera Partner and Global Commerce Lead Olin Moran to explore how modern commerce is now being redefined by robust orchestration, AI, and the rapid expansion of retail media networks. 

Hosts Kevin Erickson, Jake Carter, and Ryan Medellin kick off the conversation by diving into The Forrester Wave™: Commerce Services report, which positioned parent company Omnicom  as the highest ranked provider in the space. Olin connects this report back to why it matters for business leaders with the discussion centering around the power of unified data, aligned KPIs, and cross-channel coordination. You’ll also hear practical insights into retail media as a monetization engine, the growing importance of clean rooms and CDPs, and how brands can regain ownership of the customer relationship in an agentic-first world. 

For CMOs and commerce leaders navigating shifting search behavior, AI-driven discovery, and blurred lines between physical and digital retail, the message is clear: success in 2026 won’t come from optimizing individual channels but from orchestrating them around clean data, customer intent, and measurable business outcomes.

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Quotes

“Commerce isn't a channel anymore. It really is the layer that's connecting the customer experience to the business outcomes. And it's done across all of the channels. Before it used to be: here's a website, here's a marketplace or a retail presence, let's go sell. It has now shifted to: there’s a customer, where do they want to buy, what is it they’re looking for, and how do we orchestrate that across all of these different channels to improve their overall experience and lifetime value?” – Olin Moran

“If you're living in a world where you can't see exactly what the end state is going to be, the best thing that you can do is you can create options. And you can build the muscle that's going to give you the ability to react. That’s going to create agility.” – Jake Carter

“There's so much more excitement around the human element that's going to be empowered by AI. Not that long ago it was a very different fear, and it's just so encouraging for me to think about how you're going to really use human ingenuity, spark, curiosity…all of those things that we talk about to really continue to drive what we do.” – Kevin Erickson

“I feel like we've gone from a time where options were endless and loyalty may have fallen flat a little bit over the last five or so years. It was like, let me just find the cheapest, or let me just find the quickest way to do it. But it seems like there's now an initiative that the time is now to start really building back that loyalty and that relationship with the consumer.” – Ryan Medellin

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Time Stamps

00:00 Intro

00:55 Welcoming Olin Moran to the show

04:20 The Forrester Wave™: Commerce Services, Q1 2026

07:00 Creating unified experiences across channels

11:00 Building back customer loyalty

16:50 The goals commerce organizations need to hit

19:10 Defining retail media

21:55 Leveraging technology to unify experience

25:35 Ensuring success for the future

33:10 Humans still crave real experience

36:05 Aha moments from Olin's career

42:00 Closing thoughts

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Links 

Connect with the guest and hosts on LinkedIn!

• Olin Moran

• Kevin Erickson

• Ryan Medellin

• Jake Carter

Learn more about Credera

What and who will ultimately determine the real value and potential risks that follow the rise of AI? In this episode of Pure Signal, the team dives into why trust has emerged as a defining factor in AI adoption and reaction as organizations move from experimentation to scaling their real-world usage.

Joined by special guest and Credera Partner Ellen Gates, hosts Kevin Erickson, Jake Carter, and Ryan Medellin unpack the growing gap between what AI systems actually can do and what most customers believe they can do. Bringing in a wealth of marketing and end user expertise, Ellen speaks to what she’s seen out in the field as it relates to personalization, privacy, and governance. You’ll hear why the team believes misaligned signals, opaque models, and poor results can quickly erode confidence in newly deployed AI systems.

For leaders navigating AI-driven marketing, customer experience, and enterprise transformation, this episode offers a grounded perspective on how transparency, thoughtful design, and human accountability are becoming essential to building durable trust and sustainable AI strategies.

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Quotes

“You can get answers very quickly. The thing is, it doesn’t tell you that those answers are correct. The way that you can jump to an inference, and it can be wrong, is something that really matters. Trust takes a long time to build, once you lose that, you don’t really get it back.” – Ellen Gates

“Going back to basics, and that’s kind of the theme for us. How you treat people, how you run a company. If you actually are building unique elements of what you do, and you serve your customer right, that still matters.” – Kevin Erickson

“We all know this stuff is moving so fast, but even the idea of ‘How do I get my information to show up in a generative model?’ is not wholly dissimilar from how brands have thought about showing up in other platforms. That was really interesting to me. I actually think that could be comforting for a lot of people.” – Jake Carter

“When I think about trust and transparency and hearing about how brands are showing up and consumers doing their own research, it seems to me there’s this second level of validation or trust and transparency that can be built in. If I’ve come in and done all this research using these models, I want the opportunity to talk to a person about these things to double check and make sure what I’m hearing is accurate. To me there is an opportunity there for brands to leverage that human connection.” – Ryan Medellin

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Time Stamps

00:00 Intro

00:25 Warming up from all the snow

01:50 Introducing Ellen Gates to the show

04:50 Tackling trust and transparency

11:20 The future of data privacy and AI

13:25 Why showing your work is more important than ever

18:30 This third party problem isn't new

22:35 Businesses are still in the driver's seat

27:00 Where advertising fits into this equation

30:55 Control vs. collaboration

37:00 Merging cutting edge tech with seamless CX

39:00 Closing thoughts

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Links 

Connect with the guest and hosts on LinkedIn!

• Ellen Gates

• Kevin Erickson

• Ryan Medellin

• Jake Carter

Learn more about Credera

What’s powering real progress in 2026? In this episode of Pure Signal, the team highlights the stark shift from AI experimentation to execution, and what that means for leaders navigating complexity, change, and transformation.

As Kevin Erickson, Jake Carter, and Ryan Medellin reflect on the early signals of the year, they explore how AI strategy is maturing, why MVPs have replaced pilots, and where leadership focus is shifting. From the return to fundamentals to the evolving role of the C-Suite, this conversation highlights how clarity, simplicity, and substance are becoming critical differentiators.

For leaders looking to drive meaningful business outcomes, this episode offers a grounded perspective on where to double down and how to move with intent.

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Quotes

"There are a lot of companies that are getting to the point of, ‘Yes, I care about the MVP, [but] I also want the system that's going to produce the next MVP and the one after that.’ Which, frankly, is where things get real. That's where you start moving from experimentation into actual enterprise momentum.” – Jake Carter

"I keep hearing the word ‘simple.’ You have to keep it simple at the beginning and focus on how do we best serve our client? How do we best serve our people? Then build out from there. What does that look like in practice across both of those lanes?" – Ryan Medellin

“We're becoming more comfortable operating a bit in that uncertainty. You're going back to the themes that we typically return to: do right by your customers, grow and innovate, care for your employees. Those themes are timeless. And now, if you can throw on this huge technological and process change, it gives you a moment to rethink your business in a way that's really fun."– Kevin Erickson

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Time Stamps

00:00 Intro

01:10 Stay safe Texas

05:05 Kicking off 2026

12:35 Where to focus efforts amidst an uncertain market

15:15 Pilots are out, MVPs are in

17:10 Is the C-Suite changing?

22:00 What are the themes of 2026?

29:05 Focus on empowering your team

34:10 Closing thoughts

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Links 

Connect with the hosts on LinkedIn!

• Kevin Erickson

• Ryan Medellin

• Jake Carter

Learn more about Credera

Pure Signal podcast hosts Kevin Erickson, Jake Carter, and Ryan Medellin are at CES this week bringing you special minisodes that feature insights into the latest tech innovations and key event takeaways. Check back throughout the week for more!

Pure Signal podcast hosts Kevin Erickson, Jake Carter, and Ryan Medellin are at CES this week bringing you special minisodes that feature insights into the latest tech innovations and key event takeaways. Check back throughout the week for more!

Pure Signal podcast hosts Kevin Erickson, Jake Carter, and Ryan Medellin are at CES this week bringing you special minisodes that feature insights into the latest tech innovations and key event takeaways. Check back throughout the week for more!

Pure Signal podcast hosts Kevin Erickson, Jake Carter, and Ryan Medellin are at CES this week bringing you special minisodes that feature insights into the latest tech innovations and key event takeaways. Check back throughout the week for more!

What will separate AI winners and losers in 2026? In this episode of Pure Signal, the team looks ahead to a year where human-AI collaboration, organizational redesign, and platform consolidation will define businesses looking to make the most impact.

As they prepare for CES in January, Kevin Erickson, Jake Carter, and Ryan Medellin reflect on what’s emerging across industries and what leaders need to act on now. From AI’s shift into core processes, to evolving expectations around talent, to the rising premium on authentic, human-centered experiences, this conversation explores where real transformation is taking shape.

For leaders charting their next move, this episode offers practical insight into where the real momentum is heading and how to align for it.

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Quotes

“If you had asked me coming into 2025, ‘Who are the leaders going to be in AI?’ I would've pointed straight to the expected candidates. What I would not have pointed to, would've been DeepSeek, the R1 model out of China. I would not have picked that up. That was surprising.” – Jake Carter

“To me what was probably the most surprising was towards the beginning of 2025 it was all focused on tech, data, and getting your house in order. But then in the back half when things started moving really quickly, it's like, ‘Oh wait, we've gotta get our people up to speed. We've gotta get our processes up to speed.”’ – Ryan Medellin

“ As someone who comes from a strategy, management consulting perspective, it's just a really fun time to be alive and a fun time to be in a craft and fun time to be able to be thinking about stuff. And you know, I find that we're able to be innovative in ways today that it's just bigger. It's broader. It's not just simply, ‘How do we roll out a new product or think about a certain tangential element.’ It's really around, ‘How do you think about your business in a different way? How do you think about your partner ecosystem in a different way?”’ – Kevin Erickson

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Time Stamps

00:00 Intro

01:50 Today's topics

04:10 Kevin's journey with Credera and the podcast

08:45 Jake's perspective and surprises over the past year

11:35 How the world is reacting to AI

15:40 Preparing for the next wave of innovation

22:00 A technology tangent

23:40 Pure Signal at CES 2026

34:00 Closing thoughts

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Links 

Connect with the hosts on LinkedIn!

• Kevin Erickson

• Ryan Medellin

• Jake Carter

Learn more about Credera

The Pure Signal team has been busy this week in Las Vegas at AWS re:Invent 2025, and today they’re back to wrap it all up with a recap and reflection. Kevin Erickson and Ryan Medellin are joined by Credera’s Global Chief Digital Officer, Phil Lockhart to talk about what they loved from the event and how it sets us all up for 2026.

This episode unpacks a week of conversations with clients, partners, and AWS leaders from executive roundtables to hallway strategy sessions. The takeaway? Tech is only as transformative as the people, culture, and processes built around it. This episode explores the shift from tools to outcomes: how AI is accelerating process velocity, why use cases matter more than capabilities, and how to grow the next generation of talent in an environment moving faster than ever.

Whether you're building cloud strategy, leading AI transformation, or just trying to make better decisions faster, this is a grounded look at how to lead with clarity in an increasingly complex tech landscape.

Thanks to everyone who made it out to AWS re:Invent 2025 and for those behind the scenes making it one to remember. 

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Quotes

"Ten years ago it was on-prem to cloud, it was all about pipes. Now you're sitting there and yes, it's AWS, but it's really around a whole ecosystem of products and tools. It’s no longer just a technical backbone or a tool for developers. You can see a world where this becomes the hub of how you run your business. That shift is huge." – Kevin Erickson

"I'm excited that we're actually starting to get value out of AI. There was a lot of experimentation, some of it gimmicky, but now it's becoming more mainstream and part of the process. We're getting back to solving problems, not just doing cool stuff. Useful trumps innovative any day." – Phil Lockhart

“Everybody is talking about how tech is gonna take over the human element, and it seems like the whole year has been spent learning about this tech. But towards the end of the year, all these companies are starting to shift and think about the people impact, not from a standpoint of jobs, but how people interact with this technology. The tech is impressive, but what stuck out to me at re:Invent was how much the human side came through in every conversation. That part was fascinating.” – Ryan Medellin

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Time Stamps

00:00 Intro

02:35 Welcoming Phil Lockhart to Pure Signal

03:35 Putting together a great event

07:00 Reflecting on AWS re:Invent

14:05 Back to the business

17:10 Changing expectations

19:55 Life beyond the conference

22:50 Recruiting and fostering top talent

29:00 Closing thoughts

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Links 

Connect with the hosts on LinkedIn!

• Kevin Erickson

• Ryan Medellin

• Phil Lockhart

Learn more about Credera