What comes after a decade at BCG?

I sat down with Michael Stutts to talk about his path from consulting to executive leadership—and how personal branding and clear communication shaped the journey.

We also touched on his book, There's No Room Service at the Psych Ward, and why mental health deserves more airtime in the business world.

👉 Get a copy of his book: https://www.amazon.com/Theres-Room-Service-Psych-Ward/dp/1955026890

Troy Ruemping has spent his career asking the question most consultants skip: what problem are we actually solving?

He's done it at McKinsey, at the Big Four, and now while splitting his time between independent consulting and building his own food tech venture.

In this conversation, Troy breaks down the discipline behind great strategy work — and what happens when you take those skills into an entirely new field.

We've always been told the same story about building a business: network hard, move fast, say yes to every opportunity. 

Sudeshna Sen believed it too – until she left corporate and tried to build something of her own. 

That’s when she realized the playbook we know isn’t always the answer. 

What she found, after slowing down and actually listening to other founders, was that their problem ran deeper than tactics. Women founders were surrounded by communities, events, and connections – but still felt completely alone when things got hard. 

Because support wasn't there when it counted. That gap is what Pionyr is built to close. 

In this conversation, Sudeshna talks about what it really took to build something you’re proud of – and why going slow was never the setback people thought. 

👉 Join Pionyr: https://joinpionyr.com/

There’s a version of indie consulting that isn’t talked about openly. 

Not the glamorous ‘build your personal brand and land dream clients.’ But the actual mechanics of how many consultants find work: through hiring companies and curated networks that connect talent with clients. 

And depending on who you ask, those companies are either a shortcut or great opportunities – or middlemen taking cut of your revenue. 

The truth is much more nuanced than that. 

How do you keep a product relevant when the market won’t sit still?

I sat down with Kris Hardy to talk about product refresh cycles, why customer insights matter more than ever, and how smart collaboration between product and sales teams can drive real innovation.

The more your money you make, the more complicated it gets to manage it.

Think taxes, structure, payroll – and a whole set of decisions no one teaches you how to make.

But Lorie Jones, founder of Fearless Financial Advisors, has built her career helping founders manage what comes next financially.

In this conversation, we go deep into the three stages every founder goes through – and how to navigate each one. 

I get the same questions over and over from people starting out.

And I get it – because I asked all of them too. Only I had to figure things out on my own, either by Googling things, asking around, or trying out stuff to see if they stick.

So instead of overcomplicating it, I’m just going to walk through the ones that matter most and give you the straight answers I wish I had when I started. 

Parm Sidhu is what most consultants say they want to be: an operator and an advisor at the same time.

While working at Deloitte, Parm built Student Storage into a 20-campus business across Canada. It’s an impressive feat, especially this early in his career.

And it’s also why my conversation with Parm matters.

Because once you’ve run something yourself, you don’t think – or advise – the same way again. 

What if your AI avatar works, while you enjoy life?

I sat down with Natalie Monbiot to talk about digital twins, how they differ from deep fakes, and what a virtual human economy might look like.

We got into the ethics, the tech, and how AI clones could reshape communication and expand what’s possible in business.

Nothing is ever 'just data.'

Last year, we started featuring the worst charts and visuals the internet has to offer.

We've racked up a fair amount in our collection, so we invited chart champ Amelia Waters to critique some bad charts and give us a few pointers on how to do it right.

Watch the full episode in our YouTube channel next week: youtube.com/channel/UC5DlEn-4CszFJw-aCTcTopQ/