Tess James on why AI isn't just threatening your job. It's threatening your identity.

After 20 years in occupational psychology and corporate talent across three continents, Tess saw the fractional work revolution coming in 2019. Now she's building the platform to make it real: connecting domain experts into AI companies before those experts become obsolete. In this conversation: why she predicts full-time contracts disappear by 2030, the identity crisis white-collar workers don't see coming, and what the "marketplace of opportunity" actually looks like for people on the right side of AI.

Justin Cram's founder story starts with a parody post that went viral and ended with real clients like the George Romero Foundation and Spotify. After 20 years in advertising and a nervous breakdown, this entrepreneur posted a fake agency launch on LinkedIn to make two friends laugh. Hollywood called. Strangers volunteered. It became Shit Show Creative.

In this conversation, Justin shares the life lessons behind building something real from nothing: why creating a new category beats competing in an existing one, how rejection immunity fuels the founder mindset, and why human connection, not strategy decks, drives inbound clients. Built for entrepreneurs and creatives who are done performing and ready to build.

Jay Latta’s founder story is one of resilience and innovation, shaped by his early life in communist Czechoslovakia where art was the secret language of truth. After escaping to Germany and navigating diverse careers, Jay embodies the authentic leadership and founder mindset essential to building groundbreaking ventures. In this episode, we explore startup struggles through his creation of Future Perfect, a DAO funding ideas traditional VCs avoid. Jay shares profound life lessons including his "three sheets of paper" exercise that helped him find purpose and the rare entrepreneurial skill of knowing "when it's enough." This conversation highlights the power of human connection and founder tales that inspire beyond conventional paths.

Danilo spent multiple years in Swiss banking, surviving the 2008 financial crisis at age 18 by fielding calls from furious clients. Then his wife said four words that changed everything: "We will not starve."

In this conversation, the CEO of The Miracle breaks down how he pivoted twice before landing integrations with MetaMask and Solflare wallets. He shares the journaling framework that helped him pattern-recognize his way out of 50+ daily cold call rejections, why he said no to 3 potential co-founders who weren't aligned, and the exact moment a founder saw his product and said "this has to be in the wallet."

Built for founders navigating the gap between "safe route" and startup risk.

In this episode of The MikeyG Podcast Experience, entrepreneur and enterprise architect Joe Kristiansen shares his unique journey from 13 years in Canadian military search and rescue to creating CMEF, a model-agnostic measurement layer designed for large language models. Joe dives deep into the challenges startups face when implementing AI, emphasizing why founders need transparency and audit trails rather than just trusting outputs. Discover how Joe’s framework tackles the startup struggles of relying on AI decisions that can 'sound right when they're actually wrong.' This conversation shines a light on founder mindset, authentic leadership, and the importance of human connection in navigating life lessons within the tech and AI space.

Matt Williams, the former CEO behind GEICO's iconic campaigns and so many more explains why most advertising is cultural pollution, why the best brands focus on keeping promises instead of making them, and what happens when you let a job define who you are. Strap in, this convo is absolutely fantastic!

One month before competing for a USA World Qualifier, AJ Green couldn't move. The paralysis lasted a month. What he built next—AI Collective—now runs 120-150 free events monthly across 50+ countries with partners including Google, Nvidia, and Microsoft. Learn why he chose AI specifically because it terrified him, the "1% daily improvement" equation he swears by, and why community is the only solution to big tech's trust problem.

Join us for an inspiring founder story featuring Toufic, whose journey from seeking conditional love to authentic leadership shapes his mission to transform the world through DAOs, AI, and blockchain. This episode dives deep into the founder mindset—how personal experiences and societal challenges intersect with entrepreneurial drive. Toufic’s story highlights how dystopia is a current reality, and explores why embracing authentic leadership and volunteering as a transformation framework can empower founders to create impactful change. Discover the emotional and mental layers behind building a mission-driven startup and why true founder stories matter in today’s digital world.

In this episode, discover powerful founder stories through Austin's journey from a lower middle-class upbringing to pioneering authentic leadership in Web3. Austin challenges traditional extractive patterns, showcasing a founder mindset focused on community impact and innovative AI-driven creative studios. He shares insights from his experience at UNC, Amazon, and Doodles, revealing strategies that have shaped successful token launches and brand collaborations. Tune in as Austin breaks down the blueprint for Web3 projects that truly serve their communities, inspiring founders to lead with purpose and authenticity.

In this insightful episode, Shannon Smith, former Microsoft and entrepreneur, shares her founder story and reveals how authentic leadership can transform sales success for founders and entrepreneurs. Drawing from her extensive research on the neuroscience of trust and rejection, she explains why mastering your mindset is crucial for thriving in today’s competitive landscape. Listen in to learn how psychological safety fosters creativity, why building immunity to rejection is essential, and how trust becomes the most valuable product in any founder or sales journey. This conversation is a must-listen for anyone looking to deepen their understanding of authentic leadership and sales through the lens of neuroscience and genuine human connection.