The Brand Called You

Welcome to another episode of The Brand Called You’s “Leaders Who Care” series!

In this insightful conversation, host Mark Sadovnick speaks with Charles “Chip” Whitney Webster Jr., Founder of Unity in Service, about his journey from overcoming childhood challenges with dyslexia and ADD to becoming an entrepreneur, business leader, and advocate for community engagement.

Chip reflects on the values of discipline, hard work, fairness, and service that shaped his life. He shares lessons from his early career in retail, his experience building an independent phone book business, and his leadership journey with Vistage Florida.

The conversation also explores how businesses can create both economic and social value, why people remain an organization's most important asset, and how meaningful human connections can strengthen communities.

Chip discusses his mission through Unity in Service to encourage civic participation, volunteering, and national unity. He explains why building a stronger society requires more than words: it calls for empathy, shared responsibility, and active involvement.

In this episode, discover:

• How early challenges can build resilience and determination.

• Why listening, gratitude, and teamwork are essential leadership qualities.

• How businesses can combine commercial success with community impact.

• Why volunteering and civic engagement can strengthen social connections.

• How individuals can contribute to a more united and compassionate society.

How can organizations turn scientific knowledge into meaningful innovation? And what does it take to move from a closed innovation model to one that embraces global collaboration?

In this episode of The Brand Called You (TBCY), host Frits Bussemaker speaks with Graham Cross, Senior Lecturer at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam, and former Global Director of Innovation at Unilever.

Drawing on more than 30 years of experience at Unilever, Graham shares his journey from chemistry to innovation leadership. He explains how understanding customer needs, challenging organizational silos, and collaborating with external partners can transform the way businesses innovate.

The conversation also explores the challenges of organizational change, the value of learning from setbacks, and why practical experience is essential for future leaders.

• Graham’s journey from chemistry to global innovation leadership.

• Lessons from driving innovation at Unilever.

• The transition from closed to open innovation.

• Organizational change, collaboration, and leadership.

• The role of suppliers and external partners in innovation.

• Why practical experience matters more than theory alone.

• Advice for young managers and aspiring innovators.

How can technology make justice more accessible to everyone?

In this episode of The Brand Called You (TBCY), host Stephen Ibaraki speaks with Marcin Maciejewski, Founder and CEO of DelayFix, about his journey from law to entrepreneurship and his mission to make consumer rights more accessible through technology and artificial intelligence.

From his multicultural upbringing in Lebanon and Poland to his legal career and entrepreneurial ventures, Marcin explains how personal experiences and a strong sense of justice inspired him to help consumers exercise their rights.

Discover how DelayFix supports passenger rights, how AI is transforming legal services, and why Marcin believes scalable justice infrastructure can help millions of people access meaningful legal remedies.

In this episode, we explore:

• The experiences that shaped Marcin’s worldview and passion for justice.

• The creation of DelayFix and the fight for passenger rights.

• How AI and legal technology can improve efficiency and accessibility.

• Consumer protection challenges in aviation and banking.

• Litigation finance and success-based models for legal assistance.

• The role of advocacy in strengthening consumer protections.

• Marcin’s vision of building justice infrastructure with the potential to reach one billion people.

• The importance of defining a personal mission and creating a lasting impact.

In this inspiring episode of The Brand Called You (TBCY), host Stephen Ibaraki speaks with Yan Solihin, Pegasus Professor, Director of Cybersecurity in the Privacy Cluster, and Charles Millican Professor of Computer Science at the University of Central Florida.

Recently recognized as an ACM Fellow, Yan shares his remarkable journey from humble beginnings in Indonesia to becoming a leading researcher in computer architecture, cybersecurity, and privacy.

Discover the pivotal moments that shaped his career, his contributions to computer security—including cache fairness, secure processors, and homomorphic encryption—and his perspectives on the rapidly evolving fields of AI, education, and societal impact.

Yan also discusses emerging cybersecurity research, privacy-preserving computation, the challenges posed by AI, and the importance of lifelong learning in a world of accelerating technological change.

Whether you are a student, technology professional, researcher, educator, or simply curious about innovation, Yan’s experiences and insights offer valuable lessons for the future.

• Yan’s early life in Indonesia and the influence of his father.

• The importance of curiosity, resilience, and lifelong learning.

• His academic journey from NTU in Singapore to the United States.

• Research into cache fairness, secure processors, and memory encryption.

• Patent strategy, intellectual property, and industry innovation.

• Emerging research in homomorphic encryption, memory pooling, and generative AI privacy.

• AI safety, responsible governance, and the future of education.

Join us for an insightful conversation with Dr. Yuping Huang, Chairman and CEO of Quantum Computing Inc. (QCI), as he shares his remarkable journey from growing up on a small farm in southern China to leading innovation in quantum photonics and practical quantum technology.

Dr. Huang reflects on the pivotal moments that shaped his career, his commitment to first principles, and his mission to make quantum technologies more accessible and affordable. He also discusses the challenges of commercializing quantum research and the importance of developing solutions that address real-world needs.

Discover his perspectives on quantum applications in areas such as cybersecurity, AI, advanced sensing, and optimization, along with his vision for scalable manufacturing, open ecosystems, and customer-driven innovation.

Whether you are a business leader, investor, scientist, or technology enthusiast, this episode offers insights into the opportunities, challenges, and commercial potential of quantum technology.

Watch the full conversation to discover how practical quantum innovation could shape the future.

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In this episode of The Brand Called You (TBCY), we speak with Dr. Maryam R. Aliabadi, CEO and Co-Founder of Kids Shield Services Inc. A computer scientist, cybersecurity expert, educator, and innovator working at the intersection of AI and cloud architecture, Dr. Aliabadi shares her inspiring journey, from early influences to her mission to make the digital world safer for children.

Discover how her personal experiences—including immigrating to Canada, overcoming adversity, and witnessing her son’s online experiences—inspired her commitment to child online safety.

Learn how Kids Shield combines game-based learning, AI-driven protective technology, and digital literacy to help children and families navigate the online world more safely.

Dr. Aliabadi also shares valuable lessons on resilience, impact-driven innovation, and the importance of learning from setbacks.

Whether you are interested in technology, cybersecurity, education, or purpose-driven entrepreneurship, this conversation offers valuable insights into building a safer digital future for the next generation.

Discover the pioneering journey of Dr. Jason Moore, Chair of the Department of Computational Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, in this episode of The Brand Called You (TBCY).

Explore how Dr. Moore has advanced the fields of complex genetics, open-source AI, and biomedical research while contributing to innovative research programs and interdisciplinary education. He shares insights into agentic AI, biomedical data analytics, knowledge-grounded AI, and the democratization of machine learning in healthcare.

From his early passion for biology and computing with vintage computers to his work on high-performance computing infrastructure and machine learning at Vanderbilt, Dartmouth, and the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Moore discusses the development of influential tools such as TPOT and EcoXAI.

He also explains why transparency, open-source platforms, and responsible AI development are essential in medicine.

Discover how agentic AI can support drug-repurposing research for Alzheimer’s disease, learn about the development of a hospital-embedded Health AI PhD program, and explore Dr. Moore’s views on the future of quantum computing in biomedical research.

Dr. Moore concludes with valuable advice for professionals and students interested in agentic AI, emphasizing the importance of developing practical skills while questioning AI’s implications for privacy, fairness, safety, and society.

Explore the YouTube chapters below to jump directly to the topics that interest you most.

In this insightful episode of The Brand Called You, host Stephen Ibaraki welcomes Ryan Breslow, Founder and CEO of Bolt, to discuss his entrepreneurial journey, from his formative years in Miami to building and scaling technology ventures.

Ryan shares insights into the challenges of building Bolt, pioneering one-click checkout, and developing mission-driven ventures, including The Movement, Eco, Love.com, and Family. The conversation also explores conscious company culture, founder support, leadership through adversity, and the growing role of artificial intelligence in accelerating product development and business execution.

Discover practical lessons on startup growth, team building, resilience, and purposeful leadership. Ryan also shares his perspectives on AI-powered productivity, learning from failure, and the importance of staying committed to a meaningful mission.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• How early experiences can shape an entrepreneurial mindset.

• The challenges of building and scaling a technology company.

• Why company culture and hands-on execution matter.

• How AI can help teams work more efficiently.

• What founders should consider when choosing investors and building teams.

• Why perseverance, purpose, and continuous learning are essential to entrepreneurship.

• How spirituality and personal values can inform business decisions.

In this episode of The Brand Called You (TBCY), Dr. Estarellas discusses her unconventional career path across chemistry, physics, and quantum computing. She explores the limitations of classical computing, the potential of analog quantum computing, and Qilimanjaro’s hybrid approach, which integrates analog, digital, and classical computing.

Discover how Qilimanjaro is exploring quantum applications across industries, advancing a flexible quantum computing ecosystem, and contributing to Europe’s quantum technology ambitions.

Whether you are a quantum computing enthusiast, a business leader exploring emerging technologies, or simply curious about the future of computing, this conversation offers insights into the opportunities, challenges, and potential applications of quantum technology.

Why do ambitious projects fail even when teams work hard? In this episode of The Brand Called You, host Ashutosh Garg speaks with Norwegian author Kent Thoresen, author of Donecraft, about how to structure complex work, make better decisions, and turn ambitious ideas into measurable results.

Drawing on 27 years of experience across startups and industrial projects, Kent shares practical approaches to overcoming the challenges that prevent teams from achieving their goals.

In this episode, discover:

• Busywork vs. real progress: Why completing tasks does not always mean moving closer to a goal.

• The Backform approach: How to start with the desired outcome and work backward to identify what must be true for success.

• Measurable goals: Why vague objectives undermine accountability and how clearly defined outcomes improve decision-making.

• Unknowns and dependencies: How identifying unanswered questions early can prevent costly delays and project failures.

• The OPIR framework: How Output, Process, Input, and Revision can help teams structure work and reassess their plans.

• The template trap: Why polished reports can create the illusion of progress without solving the underlying problem.

• AI in project management: Where AI can support research and analysis—and why human judgment remains essential.

• Getting started: How a pen and paper can help define what “done” looks like before work begins