The Brand Called You

Join us for an enlightening episode of TBCY, where host Fritz Bussemacher sits down with Mariella Erkens, an acclaimed tea connoisseur, educator, and former chef.

Discover:

• What it means to be a tea professional

• The difference between pure teas and herbal infusions

• Expert tea and food pairing techniques

• Mariella’s inspiring career journey

• The importance of cultural awareness in tea traditions

Join Ashutosh Garg as he welcomes Byron McFarland, respected author of The Bankable Buyer, for an insightful conversation on leadership transitions, succession planning, and protecting your business legacy. Byron shares his journey, the inspiration behind his book, and practical advice for founders who want to ensure their management team can successfully buy the business—while allowing the owner to get paid in full.

In this episode, you’ll learn why so many founders delay succession planning, the emotional complexities of exiting a business, how to build a bankable management team, and the common pitfalls to avoid in management buyouts. Byron also explains why staged transactions are important and how leaders can effectively manage internal politics during ownership transitions.

Whether you are a founder, an aspiring leader, or someone interested in business succession, this episode offers valuable insights and actionable strategies to help you navigate one of the most significant milestones in your professional journey.

Join Ashutosh Garg as he speaks with Mel Blackwell, author of Uncommon Sense: The Fight to Fix Your Workplace Culture in the Wild West of Business.

In this engaging conversation, Mel shares his journey from humble beginnings to C-suite leadership and unpacks powerful insights on workplace culture, leadership, and organizational health.

• Why culture often trumps strategy

• Early warning signs that your company’s culture may be collapsing

• The dangers of “culture bandits” and problem worship

• Practical steps leaders can take to transform toxic workplaces

• How to leverage staff, systems, and personal leadership for real change

Welcome to this episode of The Brand Called You, featuring Amanda Spann, America’s leading app educator and author of “I Have an App Idea.”

Hosted by Ashutosh Garg, this episode explores Amanda’s journey as a non-technical founder, her mission to empower everyday innovators, and practical insights into building scalable, income-generating apps—even without a coding background.

Amanda shares lessons from working with over 30,000 entrepreneurs, debunks myths about app development, and introduces her ID3 framework, a step-by-step process designed to help domain experts turn ideas into viable products.

Whether you’re a teacher, doctor, entrepreneur, or community leader, this episode reveals how to transform your ideas into real digital solutions.

If you’ve ever thought, “I have an app idea, but I don’t know where to start,” this conversation will inspire you to move from rumination to execution.

In this episode of The Brand Called You, host Ashutosh Garg speaks with Marc Seitz, Founder of Papermark—an innovative open-source platform transforming secure document sharing and data rooms.

Marc shares his journey from studying physics and economics to becoming a tech entrepreneur and explains how Papermark empowers startups, VC firms, and enterprises with modern, analytics-driven document management.

Discover the challenges of building in a competitive market, the importance of design and trust in digital dealmaking, how AI can optimize workflows, and practical advice for founders venturing into open source.

Whether you’re a founder, investor, or tech enthusiast, this conversation offers unique insights into the future of digital collaboration and security, including what’s missing in legacy data rooms and how Papermark’s open-source, customizable approach is setting new standards for transparency and innovation.

Join us for an insightful episode of “The Brand Called You” as Ashutosh Garg sits down with Tim Vipond, Co-Founder and CEO of the Corporate Finance Institute (CFI).

Discover how CFI bridges the gap between theoretical finance education and practical, job-ready skills. Tim shares the story behind building a global, practical finance education platform, the philosophy behind the FMVA certification, and why adapting to evolving industry needs—like AI—is critical for today’s finance professionals.

• The key gap between academic finance learning and actual job requirements

• How CFI builds trust and scales practical education globally

• Why real-world application and feedback matter more than memorization

• Navigating global regulations, essential soft skills, and the future of finance certifications

• Lessons on leadership, scaling company culture, and staying connected with learners

In this episode, you will learn:

In this episode of The Brand Called You, we welcome Erez Avramov, a Resilience & Communication Expert with an extraordinary journey of overcoming adversity and transforming lives.

From serving in Israel’s elite commando units to founding multiple businesses in Canada, Erez shares powerful insights on resilience, decision-making under pressure, and the art of adaptive leadership.

His story includes near-death experiences, elective amputation, and personal rebirth, resulting in the creation of the Resilience Edge Operating System, now helping leaders and organizations globally navigate uncertainty and change.

Tune in to discover actionable strategies for building personal and organizational resilience, and learn how Erez is training for the Paralympics as a para-archer.

If you’re facing challenges or seeking growth, this episode is for you!

In this episode of The Brand Called You (TBCY), host Stephen sits down with Bill Wisotsky, Principal Quantum Systems Architect of R&D at SAS, to uncover the journey behind one of quantum technology’s leading innovators. Bill shares his captivating career path—from an early fascination with law enforcement to a life-changing pivot into neuroscience, and eventually, the frontier of quantum computing. Discover how hands-on experiences, curiosity, and embracing new technology shaped his approach to solving modern-day challenges.

Dive into Bill’s insights on quantum SDKs like Qiskit, PennyLane, D-Wave’s Ocean, and his exploration of quantum hardware platforms ranging from superconducting qubits to photonics. Learn how SAS leverages its powerful analytics platform as a meta-layer to simplify quantum adoption for clients, and why hybrid quantum-classical orchestration is key to future-proofing enterprise AI and optimization.

Whether you’re a tech leader, quantum enthusiast, or simply fascinated by breakthrough innovation, this episode offers a practical look at the technologies, trends, and strategies driving quantum’s evolution—and how you, too, can get started.

Key Topics Covered:

• Bill Wisotsky’s turning points and inspirations

• The convergence of neuroscience and quantum physics

• Quantum SDKs: Qiskit, PennyLane, D-Wave Ocean, Tket

• Quantum hardware: superconducting qubits, trapped ions, neutral atoms, photonics

• SAS’s quantum integration approach and client solutions

• The future of quantum: hybrid orchestration and fault tolerance

• Guidance for organizations and individuals entering quantum

Welcome to The Brand Called You! In this episode, Ashutosh Garg speaks with Mo Rousso, author of How to Build an AI-Powered Business Without Losing Control, Trust, or Your Mind. Mo shares his journey as a founder of seven companies, his approach to leadership and clarity, and insights on adopting AI without compromising trust or control.

You’ll learn:

• Why AI acts as a stress test for leadership.

• How to avoid common pitfalls in AI adoption.

• Best practices for successful AI integration in SMBs.

In this inspiring episode of The Brand Called You, host Ashutosh Garg interviews Ann Lopez, Founder and CEO of Studio 790 Interior Design, Miami. Discover how she transitioned from a 20-year luxury hospitality career to launch a multi-seven-figure interior design firm, starting from her dining room table.

Ann shares her journey of overcoming imposter syndrome, leading with faith, building high-performance teams, and scaling beyond herself. She reveals practical strategies for growth, the importance of marketing and PR, and mindset shifts needed for women entrepreneurs to build wealth.

Whether you’re thinking of starting, scaling, or reinventing your career at 40 or beyond, this episode is full of actionable wisdom! ✨