Project management certifications have become the industry’s favorite shorthand for competence—but what are they actually signaling? In this candid panel, Galen Low sits down with Crystal Richards, Dave Prior, and Karthick Nivas Ramdoss to unpack what certifications do (and just as importantly, what they don’t). From PMP to CSM to emerging AI-focused credentials like CPMAI, the conversation cuts through the alphabet soup and gets to the real question: are we hiring for capability, or just filtering for compliance?

What emerges is a more uncomfortable truth. Certifications can open doors, create shared language, and signal commitment—but they’re also being misused as blunt instruments in hiring systems that are already overwhelmed. The result? Talented people get filtered out, hiring managers get false confidence, and organizations end up chasing “unicorn” candidates that don’t exist. This episode is a reality check—and a practical guide—for anyone trying to make smarter decisions about project talent.

Resources from this episode:

• Join the Digital Project Manager Community
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcasts
• Connect with Crystal, Dave, and Karthick on LinkedIn
• Visit MindsparQ, The Agile Network, and PMI
• Check out these books:
  • PMP Exam Prep For Dummies (2nd Edition) By Crystal Richards
  • No One Is Coming to Save You: The Power-Ups to Help Surf the Chaos By Dave Prior

Most AI tools weren’t designed with kids in mind—but kids are using them anyway. That tension sits at the heart of this conversation with Aderonke Akinbola, where the question isn’t if we should build AI for children, but how we do it responsibly. From digital playgrounds that shape behavior to the long-term implications of data exposure, this episode explores why the stakes are fundamentally different for younger users—and why product teams can’t afford to treat child safety as an afterthought.

Galen and Ade dig into what it really means to design AI experiences that protect, educate, and develop young users. They unpack practical ways teams can introduce ethical friction, rethink data handling, and advocate for safer systems—while also looking ahead to a future where AI itself may act as a guardian for children navigating an increasingly intelligent digital world.

Resources from this episode:

• Join the Digital Project Manager Community
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcasts
• Connect with Aderonke on LinkedIn

Soft skills are having a moment—but they’re still widely misunderstood, undervalued, or dismissed as “nice to have.” In this episode, Galen sits down with Yadi Caro to unpack why that perception persists—and why it’s costing teams more than they realize. Drawing from her experience working with elite technical teams in the defense sector, Yadi reframes soft skills as something far more rigorous: essential capabilities that enable collaboration, decision-making, and ultimately, results.

Together, they explore what it actually looks like to apply these skills in high-pressure, highly technical environments—and why, in the age of AI, they’re becoming even more critical. From onboarding new team members mid-project to navigating conflict and driving alignment, this conversation makes a strong case: soft skills aren’t soft—they’re the work.

Resources from this episode:

• Join the Digital Project Manager Community
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcasts
• Connect with Yadi on LinkedIn
• Check out SAIC
• Yadi’s book: Hardcore Soft Skills and podcast

AI transformation isn’t just a tech upgrade—it’s a human one. In this episode, Eric Porres (Chief AI Officer at Logitech) pulls back the curtain on what year two of an enterprise-wide AI transformation actually looks like. From shifting mindsets to scaling real adoption, this conversation gets into the messy middle: where curiosity turns into capability, and experimentation starts becoming systems.

What stands out is how much of this journey has nothing to do with picking the “right” model—and everything to do with behavior change. Eric shares how Logitech moved from AI curiosity to AI competency, what it takes to build a culture of creators (not just users), and why thinking of AI as a teammate—not a tool—changes everything.

Resources from this episode:

• Join the Digital Project Manager Community
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcasts
• Connect with Eric on LinkedIn and Substack
• Check out Logitech

AI is moving fast—but the underlying challenges aren’t new. In this episode, Galen sits down with Eugina Jordan to unpack what today’s AI boom can learn from past transformations like 5G. From tool overload to shaky business models, they explore why the winners of this wave won’t just be the biggest players—but those who can turn AI into real, usable value for everyday people.

They also dig into what AI actually unlocks for small and medium-sized businesses, why “ordinary people” may be the biggest beneficiaries, and how the next wave of innovation might already exist—just waiting for the tech to catch up.

Resources from this episode:

• Join the Digital Project Manager Community
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcasts
• Connect with Eugina:
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • TikTok
  • YouTube
  • YOUnifiedAI

AI isn’t just another layer of tooling—it’s becoming the operating system for how professional services teams plan, deliver, and scale their work. In this conversation, Tim Fisher sits down with Joe DiPaulo (CEO of Accelo) to unpack how AI-native PSA platforms like Forecast are shifting teams from reactive firefighting to proactive, data-driven delivery.

They explore what’s actually changing on the ground: from margin leakage and spreadsheet chaos to predictive resourcing and AI-assisted decision-making. The throughline is clear—AI isn’t about replacing people, it’s about helping teams scale smarter, with better visibility, stronger utilization, and more consistent outcomes.

Resources from this episode:

• Join the Digital Project Manager Community
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcasts
• Connect with Joe:
  • LinkedIn
  • Accelo
  • Forecast

Capacity planning can feel like a tug-of-war between sales, delivery teams, and leadership—especially when growth goals collide with a team that already feels stretched. In this episode, Galen Low sits down with Brandon Llewellyn, Head of Delivery at Cirface, to unpack how delivery leaders can use data to diagnose real capacity issues, make smarter resourcing decisions, and avoid the trap of “just squeezing in one more project.”

Brandon shares how his team approaches capacity planning using simple but powerful metrics, why top-down planning often beats granular task estimates, and how productized services, deal size, and role clarity can dramatically change how “busy” a team feels. They also explore how AI is influencing operational efficiency—and what leaders should actually do with the time it frees up.

Resources from this episode:

• Join the Digital Project Manager Community
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcasts
• Connect with Brandon:
  • LinkedIn
  • Cirface

When AI hype is shouting “anything is possible,” it’s easy for teams—especially in regulated, risk-aware orgs—to feel like innovation is either reserved for the “creative people” or only happens in labs behind closed doors. JoAnn Stonier makes the case that innovation isn’t a personality type—it’s a muscle. You can train it, but you also need permission, constraints, and a shared way of working so the results don’t devolve into chaos (or a pile of half-baked agents someone tries to “just unplug”).

This episode is a practical look at how to balance innovation with risk without turning your org into a two-headed “push-me pull-you” that never goes anywhere. The throughline: design thinking isn’t a tired framework—it’s the operating system that helps organizations create consistent, values-driven guardrails as AI becomes increasingly democratized across every function.

Resources from this episode:

• Join the Digital Project Manager Community
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcasts
• Check out this episode’s sponsor: Toggl
• Connect with JoAnn:
  • LinkedIn
  • The Cantellus Group

Emotional intelligence has always mattered in project work—but in the age of AI, it’s becoming a differentiator. In this episode, Galen sits down with Nadja El Fertasi, founder of Thrive with EQ and former NATO leader, to unpack how EQ shows up in high-stakes digital transformation—and why it may be the most overlooked risk mitigation strategy in your toolkit.

Drawing from nearly two decades inside NATO’s cyber and digital transformation initiatives, Nadja shares how stakeholder engagement, influence, and emotional resilience directly impact everything from project delivery to cybersecurity. As AI accelerates automation and amplifies both opportunity and risk, the real question isn’t whether EQ still matters—it’s whether we’re investing in it fast enough.

Resources from this episode:

• Join the Digital Project Manager Community
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcasts
• Check out this episode’s sponsor: Toggl
• Connect with Nadja:
  • LinkedIn
  • Thrive with EQ

In a job market that’s already shaky, it’s easy to see AI-led automation as salt in the wound. But Wade Foster flips that framing: pushing into AI is actually one of the kinder things organizations can do—because it strips away the “mysticism” and replaces it with something more useful: a pragmatic understanding of what AI can save you from (tedious, brain-draining tasks) and what it can’t replace (problem-solving, judgment, taste).

What comes through in this conversation is a more grounded promise: AI doesn’t erase the job—it helps in the “messy middle.” And when you use it as a thought partner (not just a shortcut), it can actually increase the time you spend on meaningful work… because it makes the process more enjoyable and the output better.

Resources from this episode:

• Join the Digital Project Manager Community
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcasts
• Connect with Wade on LinkedIn and X
• Check out Wade’s website and Zapier
• Zapier MCP (Model Context Protocol)
  • Zapier MCP Documentation & Setup (Quickstart)
  • Zapier MCP Guide: Use with Your AI Client
  • Zapier MCP with Anthropic (Claude)
  • Zapier Agent Skills for Claude (Blog)