The Digital Project Manager

In a marketing landscape shaped by lean teams, rising expectations, and an ever-expanding stack of AI tools, many leaders are asking the same question: do agencies still have a role to play? In this episode, Galen Low sits down with Tammy Valentine, President of LuckyTamm Marketing Group, to explore how boutique agencies are evolving in the age of AI—and why human expertise, trust, and collaboration still matter.

Together, they unpack where AI genuinely adds value, where it falls short, and how marketing leaders can build stronger agency partnerships that help them achieve more with less. Along the way, they share practical lessons on experimentation, brand trust, onboarding, and the fundamentals that continue to drive marketing success regardless of technology shifts.

Resources from this episode:

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

What happens when AI stops being a tool you type into and starts becoming something you talk to? In this episode, Galen Low sits down with Oliver Shoulson, Agent Design and Engineering Lead at PolyAI, to unpack the surprisingly human problem at the heart of conversational AI: most AI conversations still feel weird.

From clunky chatbot scripts to overly polite “LLM voice” personas that sound like they were trained by a committee of HR robots, Oliver explains why good conversational design is less about mimicking humans perfectly and more about removing friction. The conversation explores the psychology of trust, the mechanics of social presence, and why the future of AI interfaces may depend less on visual design and more on understanding how people naturally speak, interrupt, hesitate, clarify, and collaborate.

Resources from this episode:

• Join the Digital Project Manager Community
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcasts
• Connect with Oliver on LinkedIn
• Check out Oliver’s website
• Visit PolyAI

Slide decks aren’t going away. Despite years of corporate eye-rolls, overloaded bullet points, and “this could’ve been an email” energy, presentations still sit at the center of how organizations align people around ideas. And now AI is crashing directly into that workflow.

In this episode, Galen sits down with Morgan Cornelius, Chief of Staff at Decky and founder of mrcantile, to unpack why presentations still matter, where most AI-generated decks fall apart, and how teams can use AI as a collaborative thought partner instead of a slop machine. They dig into the real purpose of slides—not transferring information, but creating resonance—and explore what happens when AI removes the production bottleneck but leaves humans responsible for the thinking.

Resources from this episode:

• Join the Digital Project Manager Community
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcasts
• Connect with Morgan on LinkedIn
• Check out Decky and use promo code DeckyDPM for one month free of Decky Pro
• Visit mrcantile

AI-powered PM tools promise everything from predictive risk alerts to automated status reports—but what happens when the tool you picked doesn’t actually deliver on the features that sold you in the first place?

In this episode, Galen Low sits down with Emmanuels Magaya, Director of Technology at Tech Legends and Founder & CEO of Project Managers Africa, to unpack what organizations should do when their AI-powered project management platform falls short. Drawing from his experience testing hundreds of AI tools, Emmanuels shares a practical framework for evaluating AI software, explains why organizations shouldn’t rely on one tool to do everything, and walks through how AI agents and automation workflows can augment existing PM ecosystems.

The conversation also dives into AI literacy, predictive PMOs, and why emerging markets have a unique opportunity to leapfrog traditional delivery models—if they approach AI strategically instead of reactively.

Resources from this episode:

• Join the Digital Project Manager Community
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcasts
• Connect with Emmanuels on LinkedIn
• Visit Project Managers Africa and Tech Legends

The pace of change in today’s workforce isn’t just fast—it’s compounding. In this episode, Galen sits down with higher education leaders Sasha Thackaberry-Voinovich and Charlotte Bencaz to unpack what it actually takes to stay relevant when roles, tools, and expectations are shifting in real time. From the decline of entry-level roles to the rise of AI-augmented “power workers,” this conversation challenges the idea that learning is a one-time investment—and reframes it as a continuous, strategic habit.

They also dig into what’s broken (and fixable) in traditional education, how to build skills without taking on massive debt, and why the real risk isn’t AI itself—but uneven access to it. If you’re trying to pivot, level up, or just keep up, this episode offers a grounded look at what’s actually working right now.

Resources from this episode:

• Join the Digital Project Manager Community
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcasts
• Connect with Sasha and Charlotte on LinkedIn
• Visit Newstate University

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