Subscribe at www.thisnewway.com to get the step-by-step playbooks, tools, and workflows.

In episode 6 of This New Way, Fredrik Thomassen and Phillip Maggs walk us through how Superside—a global creative services company—has fundamentally transformed its workflows using generative AI. From automating asset production to embedding AI directly into tools like Figma, Superside is pushing the boundaries of what's possible in creative automation. We also get a live demo of their “brief-to-draft” workflow and discuss how AI is reshaping the talent landscape.

TIMESTAMPS:

0:52 – What Superside does and its global scale

2:10 – Phil’s role and what “Director of Generative AI Excellence” means

4:08 – The turning point: DALL·E and Superside’s AI transformation

8:00 – How they approached AI experimentation via “shadow projects”

10:54 – Testing AI-created assets alongside human work

13:20 – How talent profiles are changing with AI

19:00 – Where AI is most disruptive: video production

22:00 – Live demo: from brief to hundreds of personalized assets

32:00 – In-tool editing and automation directly in Figma

36:00 – Image-to-video transformation with Runway

41:00 – What’s next for Superside and the creative industry

46:30 – Final thoughts: what Fredrik and Phil are most excited about

TOOLS AND TECHNOLOGIES MENTIONED:

DALL·E – AI image generation

MidJourney – Creative image ideation

Stable Diffusion – Open-source image gen

ChatGPT / GPT-3.5+ – Prompt writing and copy support

Figma – Design collaboration with custom AI plugins

Runway ML – AI video generation

Zapier – Workflow automation

Superspace – Superside’s internal platform

Foul – Model inference layer

Node-based AI orchestration – For prompt chaining and bulk generation

Subscribe at thisnewway.com to get the step-by-step playbooks, tools, and workflows.

In episode 5 of This New Way, Aydin sits down with Liam Martin, co-founder of Time Doctor and Running Remote, to explore how AI is reshaping team productivity, SaaS economics, and the future of work. Liam shares how his team replaced $40K/year worth of employee engagement software with open-source AI tools — and how their internal R&D lab, Chainsaw, is building the future of workforce analytics.

You’ll hear how Time Doctor uses AI to reclassify productivity metrics by job role, how AI has changed their approach to product-market fit, and why they’re betting on proprietary agents as the next evolution of workplace tools. Liam also shares his personal tech stack, insights on open-source AI models like DeepSeek, and how he's replacing Google with LLMs in his day-to-day workflow.

You’ll walk away with practical ideas for how to reduce SaaS spend, empower your R&D teams, and get ahead of AI's disruptive force in remote work and beyond.

Click here to check out the AI-generated timestamps, episode summary and transcript.

. . .

Like this episode? Be sure to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review and share the episode with someone who will benefit from listening.

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TIMESTAMPS

00:36 Liam’s McGill story and how he accidentally left academia

02:45 The early days of remote work and building Time Doctor

05:57 What Time Doctor actually does (and how AI is changing it)

08:08 How AI reclassified productivity by job type

11:03 Could product-market fit collapse due to AI?

13:44 Building the Chainsaw team

20:02 Replacing Google with LLMs

24:35 Why proprietary AIs might need to be “pushy,” not polite

28:03 Don’t wait for economics — just solve the problem

29:45 What’s coming next in the AI cost curve

35:58 GPT customizes slide decks based on personality types

39:07 Build complex no-code apps with just a prompt using Lovable

43:46 Engineers may be more disrupted by AI than customer service

TOOLS & RESOURCES MENTIONED

AI Tools & Models

DeepSeek OCR → replaced paid OCR tools, cutting costs by 90%

Do Browser (Chrome extension) → automates browser actions like a human

LM Studio → runs open-source LLMs like DeepSeek and Claude locally

Claude (Anthropic) → used for AI-based task delegation

OpenAI GPT-4 / Operators → tested against open-source alternatives

Internal Innovation & AI Systems

Chainsaw R&D Team → focused on building from scratch, not optimizing

Workforce Analytics with AI → redefining productivity dynamically by role

AI-driven feature decisions → testing new models before looking at ROI

OCR Video Analysis → used to assess best vs worst execution of tasks

Philosophies & Frameworks

“Build a chainsaw, not a sharper axe” → rethink, don’t just improve

“Solve one customer’s problem perfectly” → from Y Combinator playbook

Personal AI-first workflows → replacing search with LLMs

Subscribe at ⁠www.thisnewway.com⁠ to get the step-by-step playbooks, tools, and workflows.

In episode 4 of This New Way, Aydin sits down with Andrew Waitman, CEO of Assent, to explore how a billion-dollar B2B SaaS company is transforming operations, product development, and team productivity with AI. Andrew shares how Assent went from under $1M to nearly $200M ARR, became one of the earliest adopters of GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT Enterprise, and how they now embed AI-driven OKRs across every team.

You’ll hear real use cases: from summarizing messy trip reports, generating synthetic bills of materials for secure testing, and accelerating supplier document reviews — to measuring impact on productivity and profitability. Andrew also offers actionable insights on how to drive AI adoption across teams, how CEOs should personally lead the AI charge, and which tools he uses daily to stay ahead.

You’ll walk away knowing how to start small, scale fast, and turn AI into a measurable force multiplier across your org.

⁠⁠Click here⁠⁠ to check out the AI-generated timestamps, episode summary and transcript.

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Like this episode? Be sure to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review and share the episode with someone who will benefit from listening.

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TIMESTAMPS:

00:35 Andrew’s background and Assent’s growth journey

02:37 The scale: 18,000 suppliers, 200 compliance topics

05:07 The post-ChatGPT transformation and Vista Equity OKRs

06:09 Early adoption of GitHub Copilot & ChatGPT Enterprise

08:51 Trip report improvements using AI synthesis

09:35 Generating synthetic bills of materials for safe testing

12:26 Where AI drives efficiency: entity resolution, part matching, document validation

13:12 Measuring AI’s impact: productivity, quality, and profitability

17:32 Expanding customer success capacity without adding headcount

20:37 How to drive company-wide AI adoption (hackathons, Slack, evangelists)

24:10 Andrew’s personal AI workflows & deep research routines

TOOLS & RESOURCES MENTIONED:

AI Tools & Platforms

• GitHub Copilot (Microsoft) → adopted early for engineering

• ChatGPT (OpenAI, including Enterprise license) → used across teams for synthesis, rewriting, summarization

• Perplexity AI (Pro) → used for deep research reports
  

Internal AI Use Cases & Systems

• Synthetic bills of materials → generated using AI to safely test software without exposing sensitive customer data

• Automated document review → handling millions of supplier documents for compliance

• Entity resolution → using AI to match the right supplier or part across massive datasets

• Part resolution & document validation → automating complex checks in the supply chain
  

Company-Wide AI Adoption Tools & Methods

• OKRs (Objectives & Key Results) → embedded AI goals at company, team, and functional levels

• AI hackathons → internal competitions to inspire creative use cases

• Slack channels → for sharing, evangelizing, and discussing AI applications internally
  

Personal CEO Tools & Workflows

• Perplexity deep research → running 12–15 deep research reports per day

• AI summarization & rewriting → e.g., turning multi-page trip reports into professional one-page summaries

Subscribe at Thisnewway.com to get the step-by-step AI workflows.

In episode 3 of This New Way, Aydin sits down with Philippe Dame, CPO of Recollective, to unpack how AI is transforming qualitative market-research, sales operations, internal knowledge-sharing, and day-to-day productivity.Phil walks through the product pivot that turned Recollective’s vast unstructured data into an “AI-first” insights engine, then demos a stack of no-code automations — from AI-powered lead scoring in Google Sheets to a self-serve Vertex AI search that makes every doc, deck, and Gong call instantly searchable.You’ll hear concrete play-by-plays, see cost breakdowns , and learn how to start small, scale fast, and turn AI into a force-multiplier across your org.

Timestamps:

00:35 Phil’s background and early web-tool days

01:44 Pivot to Recollective and focus on market-research tech03:18 Why hybrid qual + quant research matters

03:58 Unstructured data → perfect AI playground

04:50 “Roadmap reset” after ChatGPT pressure

06:00 How the team up-skilled on LLMs & vector DBs

08:12 First AI features: summarization → theme extraction → comparisons

09:05 Making space for AI work without derailing commitments

10:10 Company-wide AI wins: sales data mining & lead scoring

13:08 Relay + Google Sheets workflow for automated enrichment

16:18 Running internal “AI office hours” to drive adoption

17:05 Staying current: newsletters, trials, and cost control

20:25 Seat-based vs. usage-based pricing—Phil’s take

23:04 Perplexity as Phil’s go-to research sidekick

24:50 Cutting the “collaboration tax” with self-serve AI answers

27:24 Live demo: Recollective’s Ask-AI tab & verbatim citations

31:28 Segment @mentions for instant comparative analysis

37:04 Emotion tagging and drilling into negative feedback

38:30 Building an internal Vertex-AI search in one afternoon

42:23 Agent Builder setup walkthrough

44:34 Relay use-cases: lead workflows, news scraping, stand-up bot

53:23 n8n migrations: 4,000 Gong calls plus on-the-fly analysis

56:30 OpenAI Playground & Notebook LM for ad-hoc knowledgebases

1:02:20 Google AI Studio multimodal experiments (free)

1:04:04 Start simple—one use-case, one stakeholder, iterate

Tools & Resources Mentioned:

AI / LLMs & Model-Playgrounds

• ChatGPT (OpenAI)
• OpenAI Platform & Playground
• Claude (Anthropic)
• Perplexity Pro- Google Gemini (Workspace)
• Google AI Studio

KnowledgeBase & Search

• Vertex AI Agent Builder / Search (Google Cloud)
• Notebook LM (Google)
• Internal Vertex-powered “ask-AI” portal

Automation & Workflows

• Relay (no-code workflow tool with AI steps)
• Zapier (reference point)
• n8n (open-source automation + AI agents)

Data, CRM & Sales Enablement

• Google Sheets
• Salesforce
• Outreach
• Gong (call recordings)

Collaboration & Productivity

• Slack (AI channel, human-in-the-loop flows)
• Notion (company intranet)
• Google Drive & Google Calendar
• RSS feeds + custom “Article Extractor” scraper

Core Product

• Recollective (Phil’s qualitative-research platform with built-in AI features)

Developer / Engineering Utilities

• Cursor IDE (AI-assisted coding, briefly cited)

Subscribe at Thisnewway.com to get the step-by-step AI workflows.

In episode 2 of This New Way, Felipe Izquierdo, CEO of Quest, explains how a small, boot-strapped team runs both an educational game studio and a cohort-based learning program by leaning on AI for almost every function — prototyping multiplayer math games in hours instead of weeks, automating high-touch parent emails, and even building a 24/7 “executive-coach” phone agent from scratch.

Along the way he shares the exact stacks (Cursor, Replit, Zapier, Anthropic, Twilio, 11 Labs) and design choices that let three people operate like fifty.

Timestamps

00:00 Felipe’s path from non-technical founder to AI-assisted coder

01:28 What Quest does and why AI keeps the team lean

03:28 How AI shrinks game-prototype cycles from weeks to hours

08:34 Daily workflow: Cursor, Replit, Super Whisper voice coding & Mac dictation

14:00 Learning to code faster via screenshot-driven ChatGPT tutoring

16:58 Show & Tell #1: Zapier + Anthropic email-drafting pipeline (live demo)

30:59 Show & Tell #2: Building and calling “Maximo,” a voice executive-coach agent

41:48 Future bets: voice as the primary UI and AI-only workflows

Resources & Tools Mentioned:

Coding & Prototyping: Cursor, Replit, Devin (reference), GitHub PR reviews

Voice / Dictation: Super Whisper (Mac), macOS built-in dictation, 11 Labs Voice & Conversational AI, OpenAI Real-Time API

Automation & LLMs: Zapier (Zaps), Anthropic Claude, Google Sheets / Airtable, Twilio (SMS & voice)

Products & Links:

Quest math & strategy games – joinquest.com

AI executive coach “Maximo” – meetmaximo.com

Subscribe at Thisnewway.com to get the step-by-step AI workflows.

Welcome to the very first episode of This New Way. We’re kicking things off by flipping the mic and letting Manuela Bárcenas interview Aydin Mirzaee, our podcast host, about why we’re retiring Supermanagers and launching this new, AI-centric show. 

In this episode, Aydin describes how adopting AI feels like onboarding a new teammate, how he steered Fellow’s pivot from manual meeting workflows to an AI meeting assistant, and demos two of his favorite tactics:

• Turning a 60-second voice memo into a polished board-report section with ChatGPT
• Using Fellow’s Ask Fellow and Copilot to auto-draft mandates and PRDs straight from meetings and customer calls

You’ll also hear the cultural plays — company-wide hackathons, “show & tell” town halls, and even a ChatGPT-every-new-tab browser hack — that helped Aydin get the whole team moving faster with AI.

We wrap up with a teaser of future guests who are smashing targets and reinventing product management with AI tools.

Timestamps:

01:01 Looking back – 5 years of Supermanagers and why a change is needed

01:41 New revolution – From remote-work disruption to the AI era

02:26 Big reveal – Retiring Supermanagers and launching This New Way

03:03 Format upgrade – Video, YouTube/Spotify, and on-air show-and-tell demos

03:58 Why it matters – Managing humans and AI agents will soon be core leadership skill

05:35 About Aydin – Founder background & current role as CEO of Fellow

06:38 Fellow’s AI pivot – Turning a manual meeting tool into an AI meeting assistant

08:59 CEO advice – Hackathons and cross-functional learning to kick-start adoption

10:31 Creating AI culture – Weekly town-hall demos normalize AI-assisted work

11:31 Personal hacks – ChatGPT-on-new-tab, screenshot explainers, and habit breaking

14:44 Demo 1 – Voice memo ➜ board-report section via ChatGPT “Projects” workflow

20:38 Demo 2 – One-on-one recap ➜ company-wide mandate memo with Fellow AI

23:46 Demo 3 – Customer interview ➜ detailed PRD/requirements doc in minutes

26:46 Impact – Better communication, higher expectations, and faster output

28:35 Future outlook – Doing “1,000 % work” with 100 % resources

Resources and Tools mentioned:

• ChatGPT desktop app (voice mode) & GPT-4o-01 model
• ChatGPT “Projects” for reusable style guides
• Chrome extension that opens ChatGPT on every new tab
• Fellow AI Meeting Assistant: Ask Fellow, Copilot, Redaction features
• CrewAI – multi-agent orchestration platform (via Greg Eisenberg video)
• Slack – channel posts of AI-generated memos
• YouTube creators (e.g., Greg Eisenberg) for discovering new AI workflows

In episode 26 of season 2, we sit down with Topaz Adizes, award-winning filmmaker, founder of The Skin Deep, and author of 12 Questions for Love. Topaz has spent years exploring the transformative power of deep human connection and asking the right questions. In this episode he shares how leaders can create safe spaces for authentic conversations, build trust within teams, and harness group dynamics to unlock creativity.

Topaz emphasizes the importance of “the space between humans” - the emotional gaps and differences that AI cannot replace. He also introduces practical tools to foster open dialogue and strengthen workplace relationships. Through powerful stories and a five-act framework for structuring conversations, Topaz shows leaders how to cultivate vulnerability, navigate conflict, and drive meaningful collaboration.

Tune in to discover how asking better questions and creating intentional spaces can elevate your leadership and bring your teams closer together. 

Whether you’re a new manager or a seasoned executive, this episode offers actionable advice for building resilient, human-centered organizations.

. . .

Like this episode? Be sure to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review and share the podcast with your colleagues.

. . .

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

[03:17] From filmmaker to exploring the emotional human experience

[05:47] Creating space and asking better questions for transformative conversations

[08:30] How humans can differentiate themselves from AI in the workplace

[12:28] A five-act framework for designing deeper conversations

[17:17] Building trust in new teams by creating safe spaces

[19:47] Using The AND card deck to improve team communication and connection

[22:27] The role of physical and virtual spaces in shaping team dynamics

[25:40] The future of relationships in an AI-driven workplace

[32:47] Balancing creativity by separating brainstorming, execution, and analysis

[37:18] Why leaders must “prime vulnerability” to foster openness in teams

👉 Check out the resources mentioned here: 

https://fellow.app/supermanagers/topaz-adizes

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Connect with Topaz on LinkedIn

Check out Topaz’s films

Check out The And card decks

Read Topaz’s book: 12 Questions for Love

Read Arthur Aron’s 36 Questions to Fall in Love study

Check out The Skin Deep

Join the Supermanagers Slack community

Connect with Aydin on LinkedIn
Follow Fellow on LinkedIn

In this episode of the Supermanagers podcast, we sit down with Zabeen Hirji, former Chief Human Resources Officer at RBC, to explore the evolving role of organizational purpose and leadership in modern times.

Zabeen shares insights from her extensive experience managing a global workforce of 80,000 employees across 40 countries. She emphasizes the importance of regularly revisiting an organization's purpose to align with shifting internal and external environments.

Aydin and Zabeen discuss how AI is reshaping the workplace, and AI's potential to augment human capabilities, automate mundane tasks, and enhance productivity. They also touch on the increasing importance of maintaining a base knowledge alongside AI adoption, advocating for a blend of human employees and AI agents managed with enhanced skills.

Tune in to explore these valuable insights and more, as Zabeen Hirji and Aydin Mirzaee provide a roadmap for thriving in a rapidly transforming work landscape. Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe to the Supermanagers podcast and share it with your friends and fellow managers.

. . .

Like this episode? Be sure to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review and share the podcast with your colleagues.

. . .

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

[00:00] Purpose-driven leadership: Insights from Zabeen Hirji

[05:48] Promoting transparency and experimentation in organizations

[11:08] Convergence of human and AI agents

[14:01] Revolutionizing knowledge work: Streamlined data processing

[20:03] Balancing profits and sustainability: A purpose-driven approach

[25:29] Aligning roles with organizational purpose and values

[33:58] Empowering leaders for impactful third act journeys

[35:09] Creating impactful opportunities through wisdom and connections

[38:39] Embracing lifelong learning for personal growth

In episode 24 of season 2, we sit down with Alan Todd, an entrepreneur, executive learning expert, and advocate for cohort-based leadership development. Alan brings decades of experience in helping organizations build learning cultures that harness collective intelligence and foster team resilience. He is known for his work in developing innovative leadership programs and creating environments where individuals and teams thrive through meaningful dialogue and psychological safety.

In this episode, Alan discusses the principles behind building effective cohort-based learning teams and how this approach leverages collective intelligence for organizational success. He explains the importance of balancing System 1 and System 2 thinking to enhance decision-making and team problem-solving. Alan also delves into the concept of connecting people to their purpose and creating sustainable competitive advantages through continuous learning and development.

With real-life examples and actionable takeaways, Alan outlines how leaders can inspire curiosity and embed psychological safety into team dynamics, encouraging open dialogue and diverse perspectives. He also shares his insights on “team-of-teams” leadership and how facilitating conversations across departments can lead to more cohesive and innovative organizations.

Tune in to gain valuable insights from Alan’s strategies on fostering learning cultures, building resilient teams, and leading with empathy.

This episode is ideal for leaders and team members who are passionate about creating environments where everyone can actively learn, grow, and succeed.

. . .

Like this episode? Be sure to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review and share the podcast with your colleagues.

. . .

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

[03:15] The transformative effect of cohort-based learning

[06:48] System 1 vs. System 2 thinking and their roles in decision-making

[09:34] Psychological safety 

[12:50] The importance of “teaching them to long for the sea” 

[16:27] Diverse thinking and leveraging interaction 

[20:41] Build learning organizations 

[24:03] The “team-of-teams” leadership approach 

[29:15] Unanimous consensus is rare 

[34:50] Connecting people to purpose 

👉 Check out the resources mentioned here: https://fellow.app/supermanagers/alan-todd-udemy

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Connect with Alan on LinkedIn

Check out cohort based learning on Udemy Business

Join the Supermanagers Slack community

Connect with Aydin on LinkedIn
Follow Fellow on LinkedIn

In episode 23 of season 2, we sit down with David Weiss, CEO of Weiss International, an expert in leadership development, innovation, and navigating complex organizational challenges. David’s experience as an author, speaker, and executive coach has equipped him with unparalleled insights into how leaders can thrive amid uncertainty and foster team environments that drive innovation and engagement.

In this episode, David dives into the essential qualities leaders need today, focusing on the power of emotional intelligence and how to lead effectively when ambiguity is the norm. He explores how fostering open dialogue and creating collaborative spaces can unlock a team's creative potential. David also shares practical strategies for helping leaders at all levels develop the resilience and agility needed to adapt to ever-changing business landscapes.

With actionable takeaways and real-world examples, David explains how leaders can close leadership gaps, inspire their teams, and harness the collective intelligence of their organizations to solve complex problems. He emphasizes the importance of developing emotional maturity and facilitating conversations that lead to impactful decision-making.

Tune in to learn David’s proven frameworks for leading through change, building innovative cultures, and enhancing your leadership toolkit for the future.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone committed to expanding their leadership capacity and fostering team success.

. . .

Like this episode? Be sure to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review and share the podcast with your colleagues.

. . .

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

[05:22] The importance of emotional intelligence and why it’s essential for modern leadership

[08:15] Building resilient teams 

[12:38] Strategies for facilitating open dialogue 

[16:45] Closing leadership gaps and empowering leaders at every level

[21:10] How to approach leadership when faced with ambiguity

[26:07] Embedding innovation into team culture

[30:23] Real-life examples of leaders successfully navigating complex challenges

[32:50] The role of emotional maturity in making decisions

👉 Check out the resources mentioned here: https://fellow.app/supermanagers/david-weiss-weiss-international 

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Connect with David on LinkedIn

Check out Weiss International

Check out David’s books

Join the Supermanagers Slack community

Connect with Aydin on LinkedIn
Follow Fellow on LinkedIn