the Learn-It-All™ podcast

Are you launching great ideas only to watch them fall apart at the finish line?

Many organizations struggle with execution because they start with a creative idea rather than a foundational strategy. In this episode of The Learn-It-All™ Podcast, Damon sits down with Jamie Shaver, a strategic marketing leader who specializes in helping companies "get amped" and win. Jamie reveals why a "confused mind says no", whether it's a prospect on your website or an employee tasked with a new initiative. They discuss the critical internal-external alignment needed for success, why 95% of AI projects fail to get past the pilot phase, and how to stop "lollygagging" by implementing core values that actually drive accountability.

If you’re tired of mediocre marketing and inconsistent leadership messaging, Jamie shares her blueprint for flipping the script: starting with strategy to give birth to messaging that sticks.

📘 Get a FREE copy of The Learn-It-All Leader Book: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/3ingcx2pp5

In this episode, you’ll learn...

1. Why jumping straight to creative output creates execution gaps
2. How to use the same principles you use to win external clients, like identifying pain points and ideal profiles to gain internal buy-in for new initiatives.
3. How a lack of workflow integration and unaddressed employee fears about job security keep 95% of AI projects in "pilot purgatory."
4. How to move beyond generic values like "integrity" to descriptive behaviors that empower teams to tackle antiquated platforms and changing interfaces.
5. Jamie’s exact method for sussing out a victim mentality by asking candidates to finish the sentence: "I would be a better leader if..."
6. Why the best leaders learn to let the silence sit during an interview to truly understand a candidate's emotional maturity and intuition.
7. How to protect your team’s culture by exercising your option to give notice to clients who don't align with your core values.

Timestamps

• 00:00 — Introduction
• 01:13 — Why great ideas still fall apart
• 02:37 — The Slack message that creates chaos
• 04:21 — Why 95% of AI projects stall
• 07:24 — The questions leaders skip before launching AI
• 08:46 — Why slowing down makes teams faster
• 12:51 — The small things that build real trust
• 15:23 — The sentence every team needs to hear
• 18:22 — When flexibility starts creating confusion
• 19:37 — What to do when someone “crushes it” in less time
• 20:58 — The second question that reveals motivation
• 22:29 — Why canceling one-on-ones sends the wrong message
• 23:36 — Core values you can actually fire by
• 24:28 — Why “figure it out” became a core value
• 26:42 — The interview question that exposes ownership
• 28:21 — How to spot a victim mindset before hiring
• 29:38 — Why silence might be your best interview tool
• 31:19 — The belief Jamie has about every leader
• 34:44 — How AMPED keeps values off the wall
• 36:18 — The rebel value every company needs
• 39:16 — How leaders create safety for hard feedback
• 42:11 — The scoreboard that scares the wrong people
• 43:32 — When a client deserves to be cut
• 45:09 — Why mediocre marketing is everywhere
• 46:51 — The bicycle wheel lesson for better strategy
• 53:04 — Damon’s challenge for leaders and teams

About Jamie Shaver

Jamie Shaver is a strategic leader at AMPED, a full-service strategic marketing agency dedicated to eradicating marketing mediocrity. She works with mid-size B2B businesses, manufacturing companies, and global brands to build comprehensive strategies that drive measurable wins. Jamie is a proponent of "truth in love" leadership and believes that small things done consistently are what build lasting trust in any organization.

Resources and Mentions

Jamie Shaver’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-shaver-amped

AMPED’s website: https://ampedstrategy.com/

Podcast Contact Information:

Website: www.learnit.com

Email: [email protected]

Subscribe to the Learn-It-All Podcast: Youtube I Apple I Spotify

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What happens to a person, and to a company, when people stop believing their dreams can actually come true?

In this episode of The Learn-It-All™ Podcast, Damon sits down with Kate Volman, author, podcast host, and CEO of Floyd Consulting, for a powerful conversation about people-first leadership, employee development, dream management, workplace culture, coaching, creativity, and why helping your people become better versions of themselves may be one of the smartest business strategies a leader can build.

Kate explains why an organization can only become the best version of itself when its people are growing, too. Even in the age of AI, she believes people remain the driving force behind great companies. Damon and Kate explore The Dream Manager, a coaching-based program that helps employees identify personal dreams, create action steps, and grow physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually. Kate also shares real stories of skeptical employees who experienced breakthroughs after feeling seen, supported, and encouraged to dream again.

They also discuss why many people say they “don’t have dreams,” how leaders can reawaken curiosity through simple questions, and why pursuing a dream can be just as meaningful as achieving it. For CEOs, founders, executives, HR professionals, coaches, and business owners, this episode challenges the way we think about leadership, employee engagement, talent retention, coaching, and the future of work.

📘 Get a FREE copy of The Learn-It-All Leader Book: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/3ingcx2pp5

In this episode, you’ll learn...

1. Why people-first leadership matters even more in the age of AI, especially if you want your team to actually use new tools, collaborate, and grow with the business
2. How The Dream Manager program helps employees identify personal dreams like buying a home, improving their health, building stronger relationships, becoming financially free, or pursuing a creative goal
3. Why asking employees about their dreams can change how they show up at work, communicate with their team, take initiative, and build confidence
4. The power of dream storming and why Kate encourages people to create a list of 50 to 100 dreams across financial, emotional, spiritual, creative, physical, and relationship categories
5. How leaders can help high achievers see their own superpowers, especially when they downplay their skills or assume “this is what everybody does”
6. Why the pursuit of a dream is often just as valuable as achieving the dream because of the skills, confidence, relationships, and self-knowledge gained along the way
7. Why growth often requires getting through the “messy middle,” the uncomfortable part of the creative process where most people are tempted to quit

Timestamps

• 00:00 Introduction
• 01:09 What happens when dreams stop feeling possible
• 02:26 Why AI makes people-first leadership even more urgent
• 05:13 What a Dream Manager actually does
• 13:36 Why coaching unlocks what people keep buried
• 16:10 Should the CEO share their dreams too?
• 18:19 What if you think you have no dreams?
• 22:54 How dream storming works
• 24:17 The relationship people want to fix first
• 25:55 Why “start small” beats big promises
• 28:06 How leaders help people see their superpower
• 30:45 The mentor moment Kate never forgot
• 36:08 Who should become the Dream Manager?
• 40:21 A simple exercise to get your team dreaming
• 42:39 Why chasing the dream matters more than reaching it
• 44:40 The dream Kate abandoned, and why it still mattered
• 46:35 Why everyone is creative, even if they don’t think so
• 49:43 How curiosity opens a bigger world
• 51:09 Why dreams need a messy middle
• 54:57 Who needs a Dream Manager most
• 57:39 Damon’s challenge for every leader
• 58:49 Where to connect with Kate

About Kate Volman

Kate Volman is the CEO of Floyd Consulting, an author, coach, speaker, and people-first culture advocate who helps individuals and organizations reconnect with their dreams, creativity, and personal growth. Through The Dream Manager program, her book Do What You Love, and her podcast Create For No Reason, Kate helps leaders build cultures where people feel seen, supported, challenged, and inspired to become better versions of themselves at work and beyond.

Resources and Mentions

Do What You Love book: https://www.amazon.com/Do-What-You-Love-Creative/dp/1635823331

Kate Volman’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katevolman/

Kate Volman’s website: https://katevolman.com/

Create For No Reason podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/create-for-no-reason/id1534939856

The Dream Manager’s website: https://www.thedreammanager.com/

Books Mentioned:

Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon: https://www.amazon.com/Steal-Like-Artist-Things-Creative/dp/0761169253

The Art of Noticing by Rob Walker: https://www.amazon.com/Art-Noticing-Creativity-Inspiration-Discover/dp/0525521240

Podcast Contact Information:

Website: www.learnit.com

Email: [email protected]

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What if the thing driving your success is also the thing quietly keeping you stuck?

In this episode of The Learn-It-All™ Podcast, Damon sits down with former professional BMX athlete, X Games competitor, brain tumor survivor, and high-performance coach Josh Perry for a raw conversation about fear-based leadership, imposter syndrome, survival mode, and the invisible costs that often come with high achievement.

Josh breaks down how many leaders, entrepreneurs, athletes, and executives operate through three hidden stress lenses: inadequacy, insecurity, and scarcity. He explains how force can create results, but it can also lead to resistance, burnout, health issues, toxic relationships, and a deeper feeling of being stuck. Through his own story and coaching work, Josh challenges the idea that “working harder” is always the answer and invites high performers to ask what stories, fears, and survival patterns are really driving them.

Damon and Josh also explore how fear-based leaders fall into control, micromanagement, overperformance, and constant problem-solving when their teams, clients, or partners often need to feel seen, heard, and supported. This episode is for founders, executives, managers, coaches, athletes, and high performers who want to overcome imposter syndrome, lead with more self-awareness, shift out of survival mode, and create success without losing themselves in the process.

📘 Get a FREE copy of The Learn-It-All Leader Book: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/3ingcx2pp5

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

1. Why “force gets results,” but also creates resistance, pressure, and the kind of accumulated stress that eventually makes people ask, “Maybe I should do something different.”
2. Josh’s powerful question for new leaders who feel like they are failing: What story do you have associated with what is happening right now?
3. How to uncover the meaning you are placing on external problems, especially when a team does not trust you, a role feels overwhelming, or a challenge seems like proof that you are inadequate.
4. How to reframe hard things from “this means I’m not good enough” to “this is helping me learn, grow, and improve.”
5. Why Josh’s brain tumor diagnosis became the catalyst for deep self-awareness, learning, and shifting from survival-based growth to purpose-driven growth.
6. How leaders can support people through stress and change by seeing them first, instead of rushing to fix, solve, or deny their experience.
7. How shifting the energy behind performance can help athletes, executives, founders, and leaders unlock better outcomes without forcing everything.

Timestamps

• 00:00 Episode preview and introduction
• 01:48 The 3 stress lenses holding leaders back
• 03:11 When success becomes a coping mechanism
• 04:57 Why force gets results, but comes with a cost
• 06:20 The fear behind Josh Perry’s BMX career
• 08:41 The X Games moment that revealed everything
• 13:27 What if solving is the problem?
• 16:36 The first step to breaking a leadership pattern
• 18:53 Are you actually stuck, or just avoiding discomfort?
• 21:27 Why motivation is usually a values problem
• 26:56 Can you teach someone to be more motivated?
• 28:45 The question that exposes your blind spots
• 30:26 How a brain tumor became Josh’s wake-up call
• 32:54 Fear-based growth vs love-based growth
• 38:43 How to help someone through stressful change
• 41:14 Why leaders try to fix instead of listen
• 44:45 The hidden fear behind control
• 48:35 What it means to stop “needing” the sale
• 53:00 What fatherhood is already teaching Josh
• 54:56 Who should work with Josh Perry
• 55:31 The story you’re telling yourself

About Josh Perry

Josh Perry is a former professional BMX athlete, X Games competitor, brain tumor survivor, and high-performance coach who helps leaders, athletes, entrepreneurs, and executives move beyond performance and redefine success from the inside out. After leaving home at 17 to pursue BMX and facing a life-changing brain tumor diagnosis at 21, Josh was forced to challenge the stories, fears, and identity patterns that shaped his life. Today, he coaches high performers to uncover the deeper values, beliefs, and survival patterns driving their behavior so they can lead, perform, and live with greater clarity, alignment, and purpose.

Resources and Mentions

Josh Perry’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshperrybmx/

Josh Perry’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshperrybmx/

Josh Perry’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JoshPerryBMX

Josh Perry’s website: https://www.joshperrybmx.com/

Books Mentioned

Drive by Daniel H. Pink: https://www.amazon.com/Drive-Surprising-Truth-About-Motivates/dp/1594484805

When by Daniel H. Pink: https://www.amazon.com/When-Scientific-Secrets-Perfect-Timing/dp/0735210624

Mindset by Carol Dweck: https://www.amazon.com/Mindset-Updated-Changing-Fulfil-Potential/dp/147213995X

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl: https://www.amazon.com.be/-/en/Mans-Search-Meaning-Viktor-Frankl/dp/0807014273

Podcast Contact Information:

Website: www.learnit.com

Email: [email protected]

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What does it actually take to build a championship culture when nobody believes you belong in the room?

For the 300th episode of The Learn-It-All™ Podcast, Damon sits down with a very special guest: legendary college baseball coach Andy Lopez. This episode is deeply personal because Andy was not only Damon’s coach at Pepperdine but also a major influence on his life, leadership style, and career. From telling Damon the hard truth as a young athlete to modeling what it means to lead with standards, discipline, faith, and care, Andy helped shape the way Damon thinks about business, accountability, and people.

In this conversation, Damon and Andy revisit the unforgettable 1992 Pepperdine national championship run, including the “Omaha” pencils, the College World Series banquet where Andy’s name was mispronounced, and the bus speech that helped turn disrespect into fuel. Andy also shares the leadership lessons behind building elite teams at Pepperdine and Arizona, why “be on time” and “do the right thing when nobody’s looking” were the only two rules in his program, and why leaders have to be willing to “motivate people with the truth.”

This episode is packed with hard-earned wisdom on championship culture, servant leadership, mental toughness, parenting, accountability, resilience, and the cost of chasing greatness without taking care of yourself.

📘 Get a FREE copy of The Learn-It-All Leader Book: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/3ingcx2pp5

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. Why Andy believed Pepperdine could win a national championship even when others thought the idea was ridiculous
2. Why Andy told his players, “Take care of tomorrow today,” and how that mindset shaped championship-level preparation
3. Why leaders cannot let top performers get away with toxic behavior, even when they produce results
4. How “one fly spoils the whole bottle of perfume” became one of Andy’s clearest lessons on culture, standards, and accountability
5. Why Andy believes great leaders must know what is happening in people’s lives outside of work, not just how they perform on the field or in the office
6. What Andy learned after open heart surgery about servant leadership, health, and the danger of becoming too consumed with yourself
7. Why Andy says leaders should never lower their standards, but they can learn to lower the volume
8. How telling the truth, even when it hurts, can be one of the kindest things a leader does
9. Why Andy challenged players to identify their own standards and become “a warrior under control”
10. What parents can do to help kids build identity, resilience, discipline, faith, and depth without living through them

Timestamps

• 00:00 Episode preview and introduction
• 01:42 Damon welcomes Andy Lopez for a very special 300th episode
• 03:27 The moment Andy realized people thought his championship goal was crazy
• 04:10 How “Omaha” pencils made an impossible goal feel real
• 06:04 Why Andy banned his players from wearing another team’s shirt
• 08:31 The “bad job” Andy almost turned down
• 13:53 The College World Series banquet that lit a fire under Pepperdine
• 15:21 What Andy felt when they called him the wrong name
• 17:14 What Andy remembers from the final out of the national championship
• 18:42 The moment Andy’s dad held the trophy and said, “I told you”
• 20:57 Where Andy’s two-rule leadership philosophy really came from
• 23:24 The only two rules Andy had for 38 years as a head coach
• 28:46 The “one fly” lesson every leader needs to hear
• 30:26 Damon shares the painful culture lesson he learned at Learnit
• 32:47 Why fair leadership does not mean treating everyone the same
• 35:24 The tragedy that changed how Andy thought about connection
• 37:11 Why people need leaders who actually listen
• 39:31 The health scare Andy almost ignored
• 43:27 What changed when Andy returned after open-heart surgery
• 45:50 The servant leadership lesson Andy learned the hard way
• 49:09 How intensity and stress nearly cost Andy his life
• 50:48 What Andy would change if he coached again today
• 56:06 The difference between being nice and being kind as a leader
• 57:05 Why telling the truth is one of the kindest things a leader can do
• 58:15 How Andy used the five whys to get to the real problem
• 59:06 The conversation with Andy that Damon never forgot
• 1:00:33 Why “life is difficult” became one of Andy’s core messages
• 1:01:47 Why impossible goals often get dismissed as luck
• 1:04:35 How Andy brought Reality City to Arizona baseball
• 1:06:50 Why great competitors need both the serpent and the dove
• 1:08:26 Could Andy survive coaching in today’s world?
• 1:13:37 Why Andy still believes in today’s athletes
• 1:15:43 How parents can help kids build resilience and accountability
• 1:16:31 Why Andy kept his awards out of the house
• 1:18:07 The daily message Andy still sends every morning
• 1:18:44 Why Andy wants people to have more depth
• 1:20:12 What winning at Arizona meant with his sons in uniform

About Andy Lopez

Andy Lopez is a legendary college baseball coach, national champion, mentor, and leadership figure whose career spans nearly four decades as a head coach. He led Pepperdine to the 1992 College World Series championship and later guided the University of Arizona to the 2012 national championship. Known for his intense standards, deep faith, fierce accountability, and commitment to developing young men beyond the game, Andy built championship cultures by demanding excellence in the small things. His coaching philosophy centered on discipline, truth, preparation, servant leadership, and helping players get ready for life, not just baseball.

Resources and Mentions

The Road Less Travelled by M. Scott Peck - https://www.amazon.com/Road-Less-Travelled-Psychology-Traditional/dp/0099727404

Podcast Contact Information:

Website: www.learnit.com

Email: [email protected]

Subscribe to the Learn-It-All Podcast: Youtube I Apple I Spotify

Follow Damon Lembi: Linkedin I Instagram I Facebook I X

What if the biggest startup opportunities aren’t in the hottest markets, but in the “old, clunky” industries everyone else ignores?

In this episode of The Learn-It-All™ Podcast, Damon sits down with Garrett Larsson, founder and CEO of Rhombus, to unpack how founders can build massive B2B companies by looking where the hype isn’t. Garrett shares why industries that don’t attract the most venture capital or media attention can still produce category-defining businesses, especially when there is a major shift in technology, go-to-market strategy, or customer behavior.

Garrett also breaks down the lessons he learned across three startups, including why great products alone don’t win, why distribution may matter even more than product in the early days, and why founders must learn to sell before hiring a sales team. Damon and Garrett dig into founder-led sales, product-market fit, startup mistakes, board accountability, and how to build a leadership team that can challenge each other without letting ego wreck the company.

From AI security cameras and cloud physical security to robotics, computer vision, B2B go-to-market strategy, startup culture, and the future of engineering in the age of AI, Garrett brings a practical, no-fluff perspective on what it really takes to scale. His core message is simple: the best startups are not perfect. They are the ones that learn the fastest, move on from mistakes, and stay curious long enough to keep getting better.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. Why founders should pay attention to “unsexy” industries that don’t get all the venture money, but can still become massive companies
2. Why Tesla’s direct-to-consumer model is a powerful example of go-to-market disruption, not just product innovation
3. How Garrett and the Rhombus team used founder-market fit, old customer relationships, and direct outreach to land their first 10 to 20 customers
4. Why B2B founders should personally sell to 10 to 20 unrelated companies before hiring a single salesperson
5. How to tell the difference between smart startup risks and risks that can cause real damage, especially in security, data, and hardware businesses
6. Why every startup is “a different version of a shit show” and how the best teams learn from mistakes without blaming, dwelling, or repeating them
7. How Garrett thinks about founder relationships, open communication, letting go of grudges, and building trust across a long-term leadership team
8. Why curiosity, hunger, and lifelong learning may become even more important as AI makes great engineers dramatically more productive

Timestamps

• 00:00 Episode preview and introduction
• 01:09 The hidden upside of overlooked industries
• 02:35 How to spot an industry ready to break
• 04:05 The go-to-market lesson founders miss
• 05:14 Why the fastest learners win
• 06:37 How one founding team survived three startups
• 08:38 The founder conflict advice no one likes hearing
• 10:58 Every startup is a different version of chaos
• 12:51 When moving fast becomes dangerous
• 15:42 What Rhombus is really building
• 18:17 The hardware lessons software founders never expect
• 22:12 How Garrett landed his first customers
• 24:19 What good investors actually do
• 26:22 The VC advantage beyond the check
• 28:16 Should every founder stay CEO?
• 30:11 Why founders must sell before hiring sales
• 32:27 The warning signs inside sales and support
• 34:35 How bureaucracy quietly kills momentum
• 35:32 Will AI replace software engineers?
• 37:50 The culture Garrett refuses to compromise
• 42:10 Why busy founders cannot stop learning
• 44:38 Rhombus’ next big bet: robotics
• 46:46 Where AI-powered security matters most

About Garrett Larsson

Garrett Larsson is the founder and CEO of Rhombus, a cloud physical security company building AI security cameras, access control, IoT sensors, alarm monitoring, and guest management tools for businesses and large organizations. A computer science engineer by background, Garrett has started three companies and brings deep experience in B2B software, cybersecurity, hardware, AI, go-to-market strategy, and founder-led sales.

At Rhombus, Garrett and his team are helping modern organizations rethink physical security with cloud-based systems, computer vision, and AI-driven insights. Before Rhombus, Garrett built companies in mobile and cybersecurity, including Mojave Networks, and learned firsthand that product matters, but distribution, customer traction, and fast learning are what separate good ideas from scalable companies.

Resources and Mentions

Garrett Larsson’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garrettlarsson/

Rhombus website: https://www.rhombus.com/

Podcast Contact Information:

Website: www.learnit.com

Email: [email protected]

Follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram for updates.

Most leaders are moving too slowly for the world they’re trying to win in.

In this episode of the Learn-It-All™ podcast, Damon sits down with Keynote speaker and former Tesla executive Jay Abbasi to unpack why speed in business, leadership adaptability, and decisive action are becoming non-negotiable advantages in today’s AI-driven workplace. Jay shares how his time at Tesla taught him that in an environment full of change, chaos, and uncertainty, waiting on the sidelines means falling behind. The better move? Fail forward, take calculated risks, and trust that the first decision does not have to be perfect because you can always make another one.

Jay also breaks down why high-performing leaders need more than hustle. They need resilience, emotional awareness, mindfulness, and the ability to lead through discomfort without burning out. He explains why burnout is not caused by what you do, but by what you do not do to recharge. Using his “Fundamental Six” framework, Jay gives leaders a practical way to build energy, clarity, and well-being through better sleep, physical fitness, mental fitness, positive consumption, social connection, and healthier daily habits.

Damon and Jay also dig into what it really takes to lead in 2026 and beyond, especially as AI accelerates the pace of change. They cover how to give difficult feedback without avoiding discomfort, why concise communication builds confidence and credibility, how to influence without authority, and why adaptability may be the most important leadership skill of the next decade. If you want to become a faster, calmer, more effective leader in a world that refuses to slow down, this conversation is packed with practical leadership tools you can use immediately.

In this episode, you’ll learn...

1. Why Jay believes that “success loves speed” and how his time at Tesla taught him to take messy action, fail forward, and stop waiting for certainty before making decisions
2. How leaders can stop spiraling after failure by observing their emotions instead of becoming trapped by anger, frustration, or self-criticism
3. Why Jay recommends the 4-7-8 breathing technique as a simple one-minute starting point for overwhelmed leaders who think they are “too busy” to practice mindfulness
4. Why burnout is caused by what you do not do to recharge, and how Jay’s Fundamental Six framework helps leaders rebuild energy, clarity, and well-being
5. Why discomfort before a difficult conversation is often a signal that the conversation matters, not a reason to avoid it
6. Why adaptability is essential for AI-driven leadership, and what happens to leaders who cling to “this is how we’ve always done it”
7. Why concise communication is a future-proof leadership skill, and how “brevity is confidence, length is fear” can change the way leaders show up in meetings

Timestamps

• 00:00 - Episode preview and introduction
• 01:02 - Jay reveals why success actually loves speed
• 03:20 - How to stop spiraling after failure
• 05:19 - The inner voice test most leaders fail
• 06:40 - Why Viktor Frankl still matters for modern leadership
• 07:25 - The loss that pushed Jay into mindfulness
• 09:48 - The one-minute breathing practice busy leaders can actually use
• 12:23 - What to do when your thoughts won’t shut up
• 14:48 - How grief changed Jay’s health, habits, and curiosity
• 17:06 - Why burnout is caused by what you don’t do
• 18:43 - The “Fundamental Six” every leader should audit
• 20:35 - Why your workout does not need to be 90 minutes
• 25:27 - The hidden trap behind people pleasing
• 30:39 - How to face discomfort without beating yourself up
• 33:29 - The visualization trick that makes hard conversations easier
• 34:54 - Why adaptability will define AI-driven leaders
• 39:46 - The human advantage AI cannot replace
• 41:47 - How to become a more concise communicator
• 44:12 - The feedback move that gives you instant data
• 46:08 - Why your manager relationship matters more than you think
• 47:07 - Jay shares the leadership mistake that rebuilt trust
• 50:09 - Why specific public appreciation hits differently
• 52:01 - The story-first format behind Jay’s podcast
• 54:06 - The three leadership problems Jay is most focused on solving
• 55:43 - Damon’s final challenge for leaders who want to move faster

About Jay Abbasi

Jay Abbasi is a former Tesla executive, leadership coach, keynote speaker, and host of the Unstuck podcast. His work focuses on helping leaders thrive in high-demand, fast-changing environments without burning out. Drawing from his experience at Tesla, his personal journey through grief and growth, and his work coaching leaders, Jay teaches practical strategies for resilience, adaptability, mindfulness, effective communication, and influencing without authority. He is especially passionate about helping leaders manage change, lead their teams through uncertainty, and communicate with clarity and confidence in an AI-driven world.

Resources and Mentions

Jay Abbasi’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayabbasi/

Jay Abbasi’s website: https://jayabbasi.me/

Jay Abbasi’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jayabbasi_/

Unstuck with Jay Abbasi podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unstuck-with-jay-abbasi/id1757296131

Jay Abbasi’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jayabbasipodcast/videos

Man’s Search for Meaning book: https://www.amazon.com/Mans-Search-Meaning-Viktor-Frankl/dp/0807014273

Smart Brevity book: https://www.amazon.com/Smart-Brevity-Power-Saying-More/dp/1523516976

Mastering The Business of Storytelling: A Learn-It-All™ Mini-Series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8_Ed_2nZqU4riK9XSdblfgBi4p_0iDYi

Podcast Contact Information:

Website: www.learnit.com

Email: [email protected]

Follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram for updates.

What if your AI strategy is making your team faster, but not actually smarter?

In this episode of The Learn-It-All™ Podcast, Damon sits down with Christa Hill, Co-Founder of Tacit Edge and Learnit’s very own Chief AI Learning Officer, to unpack why so many leaders, teams, and organizations are still using artificial intelligence at what Christa calls “brochure-level.” Playing around with ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude, or Gemini might feel like progress, but Christa says real AI literacy starts when you stop treating AI like a shortcut and start using it to rethink strategy, decision-making, team workflows, and business value.

Christa explains why most people are still operating at a grade three or grade four level of AI literacy, why productivity wins eventually cap out, and why leaders cannot keep approving AI tools or projects they do not understand. She also breaks down one of the biggest mistakes companies are making right now: banning AI use and accidentally pushing employees into unregulated, risky “shadow AI” behavior. As Christa puts it, organizations do not really have AI problems. They have very human problems surrounding the technology.

Damon and Christa also dig into what the future of work actually looks like when every employee is augmented by AI. From “greenhouse meetings” that unlock better ideas to using transcripts and AI tools to spot trends across team conversations, Christa shares practical ways to build real AI capability without losing the human advantage. Because AI may have more IQ points than us, but it does not have our judgment, empathy, lived experience, or what Christa calls “your proprietary data set.”

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

1. What Christa means by “brochure-level” AI use, and why surface-level productivity hacks are not enough for real AI transformation
2. Why Christa calls ChatGPT “Captain Confidence,” and why leaders need to read, edit, and add the final 30% that makes AI-generated work actually sound like them
3. How to avoid wasting money on AI adoption by solving one or two business problems first, instead of trying to make one tool fix everything
4. Why productivity wins cap out if they are not connected to team goals, business strategy, and collective value
5. Why companies should stop running every day like “Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals” and give people room to think about the future of their work
6. Why recording meetings, using transcripts, and feeding team conversations into AI tools can help spot trends, risks, and new business opportunities
7. Why banning AI tools may be one of the riskiest moves a company can make, especially in regulated industries with confidential information
8. What Christa says is the true human advantage: your proprietary data set, your lived experience, your judgment, your empathy, your context, and your gifts

Timestamps

• 00:00 - Episode preview and introduction
• 01:22 - Why Copilot doesn’t make you AI literate
• 03:03 - The mistake self-taught AI users keep making
• 08:16 - The “Captain Confidence” problem with ChatGPT
• 10:30 - Why most people are still at a grade three AI level
• 14:12 - Productivity wins are not an AI strategy
• 16:52 - How one team bought back time with AI literacy
• 19:09 - Why your team needs “game one days”
• 23:15 - Why AI literacy makes people less afraid of being replaced
• 24:25 - Technical debt explained for non-technical leaders
• 27:01 - Why every meeting should become usable data
• 28:52 - The “yes, and” exercise that kills bad brainstorming
• 31:45 - Why people don’t have their best ideas on command
• 33:41 - How leaders can capture ideas before they disappear
• 38:21 - AI is a mirror, so what is it exposing?
• 39:37 - Why Christa doesn’t buy the AI replacement panic
• 42:18 - The question every leader should ask AI but probably won’t
• 45:13 - Why banning AI might be your riskiest move
• 54:09 - The executive AI questions leaders are afraid to ask
• 57:18 - Smash or pass: the AI tools Christa actually recommends
• 01:01:41 - The human advantage AI can’t copy
• 01:03:21 - How to know when you need real AI education

About Christa Hill

Christa Hill is the Co-Founder of Tacit Edge and Chief AI Learning Officer at Learnit, where she helps leaders, executives, and teams build practical AI literacy and develop a smarter approach to technology, people, workflows, and business strategy. With more than 20 years of experience in technology, product management, and business transformation, Christa teaches organizations how to move beyond basic AI tools training and start using artificial intelligence to solve real business problems. Her work focuses on helping people become builders, not just users, so they can understand AI’s limits, create stronger guardrails, reduce risk, and amplify the human skills that still matter most in the future of work.

Resources and Mentions

Christa Hill’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christajhill/

Tacit Edge’s website: https://tacit-edge.com/

Podcast Contact Information:

Website: www.learnit.com

Email: [email protected]

Follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram for updates.

What happens when people stop feeling seen at work, right as AI makes it easier than ever to avoid real human connection?

In this episode of The Learn-It-All™ Podcast, Damon sits down with Colleen Stanley, President of SalesLeadership, author, and one of Salesforce’s Top 7 Sales Influencers of the 21st Century, to talk about the workforce crisis hiding in plain sight: leaders know mentorship matters, but the pace of change, remote work, social media, AI, and the “tyranny of the urgent” keep pushing it to the bottom of the list. Colleen explains why mentorship may not show up as a clean line item on a profit and loss statement, but it absolutely impacts employee engagement, retention, leadership development, emotional intelligence, sales performance, and company culture.

Colleen also breaks down why AI will make human mentorship more important, not less. As younger professionals turn to AI tools for answers, judgment, and critical thinking, leaders have a bigger responsibility to pass down wisdom earned through real experience. From the power of a five-minute conversation to the danger of checking “one more message” during meetings, this conversation is a wake-up call for leaders who want to build mentorship cultures, strengthen workplace belonging, improve focus, and create teams where people don’t have to go it alone.

In this episode, you’ll learn...

1. How the “perfect storm” of remote work, social media, technology, and the pace of change is weakening the workplace community
2. Why AI makes mentorship more urgent, especially as younger employees turn to tools before turning to experienced leaders
3. Why Colleen believes focus is not just a productivity skill, but a relationship skill that affects trust, learning, and sales conversations
4. How to stop “managing from the suite” and become more intentional about spending real time with your people
5. Why empathy is a paying-attention skill, and how one five-minute mentor conversation stayed with Colleen for 25 years
6. Why getting to “100 no’s” can become a powerful sales leadership lesson instead of a confidence killer
7. How mentorship cultures accelerate learning, improve retention, build confidence, and turn individual experience into organizational advantage

Timestamps

• 00:00 Episode preview and introduction
• 01:13 Why leaders still avoid mentorship even when they know it works
• 02:35 The invisible workplace problem that quietly destroys retention
• 05:24 The “divine download” that became Be the Mentor Who Mattered
• 07:18 The three forces making mentorship more urgent than ever
• 10:09 How leaders can pull teams out of self-absorption
• 11:27 The “one more message” habit that makes people feel invisible
• 13:42 When distraction becomes a values problem
• 17:43 How mentorship can make leaders more empathetic
• 19:21 Why you do not need a big title to become a mentor
• 20:37 The power of one person believing in you
• 21:39 The five-minute conversation Colleen still feels 25 years later
• 25:20 Why giving someone your time can build their confidence
• 27:17 Why AI makes human mentorship even more important
• 29:53 The lesson Colleen believes AI probably cannot teach
• 32:31 How a mentor can turn rejection into momentum
• 34:42 The question that helps people see a better story
• 36:50 How mentorship cultures accelerate learning and results
• 38:49 What the Vagabonds can teach modern leaders about peer mentoring
• 40:19 Why Colleen wants leaders to stop waiting for mentees to ask
• 42:35 How to find 30 minutes for mentorship
• 44:19 Where to connect with Colleen Stanley

About Colleen Stanley

Colleen Stanley is the president of SalesLeadership, a sales development firm specializing in emotional intelligence, sales, and sales leadership. She is the author of Emotional Intelligence for Sales Success, Emotional Intelligence for Sales Leadership, Growing Great Sales Teams, and Be the Mentor Who Mattered. Known for connecting EQ with real-world leadership and sales performance, Colleen helps leaders build disciplined, focused, emotionally intelligent teams that communicate better, sell with more value, and create stronger cultures.

Resources and Mentions

Be The Mentor Who Mattered book: https://www.amazon.com/Be-Mentor-Who-Mattered-Difference/dp/1962834573

Colleen Stanley’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colleenstanleysli/

SalesLeadership’s website: https://www.salesleadershipdevelopment.com/

The Learn-It-All Leader book: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/3ingcx2pp5

Reclaiming Conversation book: https://www.amazon.com/Reclaiming-Conversation-Power-Talk-Digital/dp/0143109790

What Happened to You? book: https://www.amazon.com/What-Happened-You-Understanding-Resilience/dp/1250223180

The Harvard Study of Adult Development: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2017/04/over-nearly-80-years-harvard-study-has-been-showing-how-to-live-a-healthy-and-happy-life/

Gallup Workplace Engagement Research: https://www.gallup.com/workplace/285674/improve-employee-engagement-workplace.aspx

Podcast Contact Information:

Website: www.learnit.com

Email: [email protected]

Follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram for updates.

AI is not just changing the future of work. It is exposing which parts of your job were never the real work to begin with.

In this episode of The Learn-It-All™ Podcast, Damon sits down with Andrea Iorio, keynote speaker and best-selling author of Between You and AI, to break down how leaders can use artificial intelligence without losing the human skills that make them irreplaceable. Andrea reframes the fear around AI replacing jobs by showing how AI is really coming for repetitive tasks, data analysis, reports, meeting recaps, emails, and the “work about work” that keeps people busy but not always productive.

Andrea shares the nine human skills leaders need in an AI-powered workplace, including prompting, data sense-making, reperception, augmentation, antifragility, adaptability, empathy, trust, and agency. He also explains why asking better questions matters more than having all the answers, why leaders need to “empty the cup” and unlearn old assumptions, and why 93% of HR leaders in his research said they would rather hire for soft skills than hard skills.

Damon and Andrea also dig into the real reason many companies struggle with AI adoption: they bought the “Ferrari,” but their teams do not know how to drive it yet. From building antifragile teams to keeping humans in the loop, verifying AI outputs, and managing future hybrid teams of humans and AI agents, this conversation gives leaders a practical roadmap for using AI to build skills, protect trust, and create work that is more human, not less.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn

1. The nine human skills Andrea believes matter most in the AI-powered workplace
2. Why asking better questions is now more valuable than having all the answers, especially when AI can produce information faster than any human can memorize it
3. Why “reperception” means emptying the cup, unlearning what used to work, and giving up past decisions when the market, customer, and technology have changed
4. Why 93% of HR leaders in Andrea’s research preferred the candidate with stronger soft skills over the candidate with better hard skills
5. Why Andrea believes resilience is not enough, because leaders should not just “bounce back” from mistakes, they should improve because of them
6. How AI can damage customer trust when companies automate too much, and why augmentation often beats full automation when empathy and personalization matter
7. How companies can avoid the “AI Ferrari” problem by training teams to actually drive the tools instead of just buying expensive technology

Timestamps

• 00:00 – Episode preview and introduction
• 00:58 – Challenging the fear that AI is coming for your job.
• 03:13 – The first leadership tasks that should probably be handed to AI.
• 05:17 – Why leaders still need discernment before shipping AI-generated work.
• 07:34 – The human skills that matter most in an AI-led workplace.
• 13:35 – The HR study that changed how Andrea thinks about hard skills and soft skills.
• 18:04 – How AI can make leaders better at asking questions to other humans.
• 21:17 – Why leaders need to “empty the cup” before they can adapt.
• 25:17 – How reverse mentoring helped leaders at L’Oréal rethink old assumptions.
• 28:30 – What Tinder learned from Candy Crush and why leaders should look outside their industry.
• 32:51 – Andrea explains why antifragility is one step beyond resilience.
• 37:40 – Andrea uses Giannis Antetokounmpo’s viral answer to reframe what failure really means.
• 44:10 – The difference between automating humans away and augmenting humans with AI.
• 52:25 – Why companies are buying the AI Ferrari before teaching teams how to drive it.
• 59:03 – Why the future of work will not be fully human or fully AI.
• 01:05:54 – Where listeners can connect with Andrea and learn more about Between You and AI.
• 01:07:35 – Andrea leaves leaders with the question that reveals whether they are still growing.

About Andrea Iorio

Andrea Iorio is a keynote speaker, author, and AI leadership expert focused on helping organizations build the human skills needed to thrive in the future of work. He is the best-selling author of Between You and AI, published by Wiley, where he explores how leaders can adapt to artificial intelligence through skills like prompting, data sense-making, reperception, adaptability, antifragility, empathy, trust, and agency. Drawing from his experience as Chief Digital Officer at L’Oréal and his work with global companies, Andrea helps leaders use AI not just to increase productivity, but to rethink how teams work, make decisions, and stay human in an AI-powered world.

Resources and Mentions

Between You and AI book: https://www.amazon.com/Between-You-AI-Unlock-AI-Driven/dp/1394357982

Andrea Iorio’s website: https://andreaiorio.com/en/

Andrea Iorio’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreaiorio/

Andrea Iorio’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aiorio_br/

Podcast Contact Information:

Website: www.learnit.com

Email: [email protected]

Follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram for updates.

What if your team isn’t underperforming because of talent, strategy, or effort, but because they’re mentally falling apart under pressure?

In this episode of The Learn-It-All™ Podcast, Damon sits down with clinical psychologist and Oklahoma City Thunder’s team psychologist Wayne Chappelle to break down the emotional, social, and behavioral habits that separate good teams from elite teams. Drawing from his work with special operations, professional athletes, executives, and high-performance organizations, Wayne explains why talent and physical stamina matter, but are never enough on their own.

Wayne shares the 4 warning signs that leaders and teams are starting to break down: blindness, complacency, distraction, and despair. He also explains why every leader needs a “wingman,” why difficult feedback is a sign of investment, and why the best performers learn how to compartmentalize emotion when pressure gets high. As Wayne puts it, if your emotional IQ is low, it does not matter how smart, talented, or experienced you are because eventually, it will hurt the team.

This conversation is a masterclass in high-performance leadership, mental toughness, team accountability, growth mindset, emotional resilience, and building a culture that can handle the crucible before it arrives.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

1. Why natural talent and physical capability are important, but not enough to build an extraordinary team
2. The 4 warning signs your team is mentally falling apart: blindness, complacency, distraction, and despair
3. How elite teams use debriefs to normalize feedback, even after a successful mission or project
4. How to compartmentalize emotion under pressure so you can make decisions based on facts, logic, and objective data
5. Why past success does not earn you a permanent seat on the team, and why Wayne says you have to earn your place every day
6. How elite performers visualize worst-case scenarios so they are ready before chaos shows up
7. Why even the worst losses, failures, and painful experiences can become “diamonds” if you sift through them the right way

Timestamps

• 00:00 – Episode preview and introduction
• 01:29 – The real difference between talented teams and extraordinary teams
• 02:40 – Why the best performers prepare for the crucible before it arrives
• 04:11 – The wingman rule: no one becomes their best alone
• 07:21 – The 4 warning signs leaders start mentally breaking down
• 09:27 – Why feedback feels personal when you’re not built to receive it
• 12:37 – How to stop fearing failure and start fearing stagnation
• 15:23 – The top 1% skill most people never train: emotional compartmentalization
• 18:52 – The mindset shift that kills victim mentality
• 20:23 – What Oklahoma City Thunder players can teach leaders about earning their spot
• 21:36 – Why ordinary success under ordinary conditions means nothing
• 23:16 – The visualization mistake most people make under pressure
• 25:18 – Why elite performers rehearse the worst-case scenario
• 27:14 – Past wins don’t matter when today’s pressure hits
• 28:35 – Why who you were last year can’t be who you are now
• 31:38 – How to tell the difference between calculated risk and reckless risk
• 33:39 – What PsyOptimal measures that most leaders never see
• 35:54 – The blind spots that show whether you’re struggling, surviving, or thriving
• 37:29 – Why low compliance can poison even a talented team
• 39:33 – How the Thunder built a culture where everyone pushes everyone
• 42:20 – How to turn tragedy into triumph instead of a pity party
• 45:29 – Damon’s final challenge: are you making diamonds or staying soft?

About Wayne Chappelle

Wayne Chappelle is a team psychologist and high-performance expert who has worked with elite teams and individuals across special operations, professional sports, business, and leadership. His work focuses on emotional, social, and behavioral functioning, including resilience, adaptability, composure, teamwork, confidence, and mental toughness under pressure.

Through Psyoptimal, Wayne helps individuals, teams, and organizations better understand where they are struggling, surviving, or thriving so they can build the habits required to perform at an elite level. He is also the co-author of the New York Times bestselling book Heal Your Hurting Mind.

Resources and Mentions

Heal Your Hurting Mind book: https://www.amazon.com/Heal-Your-Hurting-Mind-Depression/dp/0310366747

Wayne Chappelle’s website: https://www.drchappelle.com/

Wayne Chappelle’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wayne-chappelle-3990b6185/

PsyOPTIMAL website: https://psyoptimal.com/

Learn-It-All Press: Book a discovery call at www.learnitallpress.com

Podcast Contact Information:

Website: www.learnit.com

Email: [email protected]

Follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram for updates.