Experience Leadership - The Small Business Podcast

How to Use AI in Business Without Falling for the Hype with Dr. Fern Halper

How Business Leaders Can Create Real Value with AI

with Dr. Fern Halper

Business leaders everywhere are being told they need to “use AI” before they get left behind. Wonderful. Helpful. Not terrifying at all.

In this episode of Marc Haine Live, Marc sits down with Dr. Fern Halper, Founder of the AI Foundations Group, VP and Senior Research Director for TDWI, and author of Data Makes the World Go ’Round: The Data, Tech, and Trust Behind AI Success. Together, Marc and Fern explore why AI adoption is not just a technology issue. It is a leadership issue, a data issue, a trust issue, a workflow issue, and, yes, sometimes a “maybe we should stop clicking buttons and call this a strategy meeting” issue.

About Fern

Dr. Fern Halper is VP and Senior Research Director for TDWI and founder of the AI Foundations Group. She has spent more than two decades researching analytics, data management, governance, and artificial intelligence, and has been recognized as a Top 50 Thought Leader in Agentic AI. Fern is a widely respected industry speaker, researcher, and author who has written several well-known technology books, including Cloud Computing For Dummies and Big Data For Dummies. Her latest book, Data Makes the World Go ’Round, explores the organizational, operational, data, and governance foundations required for successful enterprise AI adoption.

Her book: Data Makes the World Go ’Round: https://zurl.co/ifEKL 

Connect with Fern

 www.aifoundationsgroup.com
LinkedIn - fbhalper (www.linkedin.com/in/fbhalper) 

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How to Uncomplicate Your Marketing and Attract the Right Customers with Sacha Awwa

Why Your Marketing Isn’t Working — And How to Fix It

with Sacha Awwa

Is your small business wasting money on marketing that is not generating consistent leads, customers, or revenue?

In this episode of Experience Leadership, Marc sits down with Sacha Awwa, Marketing Strategy Expert, founder of Sacha Awwa Marketing Group, co-founder of My Marketer Mentors, and host of the Uncomplicate It podcast.

About Sacha

Marketing strategist Sacha Awwa, founder of Sacha Awwa Marketing Group (SAMG) and host of the Uncomplicate It podcast, is on a mission to stop small businesses from wasting money on the wrong marketing strategies. Her podcast dives into the “why” behind founders’ journeys and explores the ever-changing marketing landscape with fellow experts.“Every day, I see brilliant entrepreneurs spending on strategies that were never built for them,” Sacha says. “They choose popular tools over the right ones for their stage of growth. That cycle ends now.”With a background in design and a sharp analytical mind, Sacha’s path took her from agencies to tech startups, where she mastered blending customer-focused strategy with real-world execution. She’s also the co-founder of My Marketer Mentors, a community built by small business owners for small business owners, helping them confidently navigate the marketing landscape.SAMG brings clarity, strategy, and results to businesses that need it most.

Connect with Sacha

www.mymarketermentors.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sachaawwa
https://www.instagram.com/uncomplicate__it

 

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How New Managers Accidentally Become Toxic at Work with Paul Leon

Manager Mistakes That Kill Team Trust

with Paul Leon

New managers don’t usually set out to become toxic. They don’t wake up, sip their coffee, and say, “Today, I shall destroy team morale before lunch.” But it happens.

In this episode of Experience Leadership, Marc sits down with Paul Leon, host of The Manager’s Mic Podcast, to explore the accidental habits that kill rapport between managers and their teams.

This conversation is especially valuable for newer people managers in sales, customer service, operations, hospitality, retail, and other people-facing businesses where relationships drive results. Because here’s the expensive problem: many team members don’t leave because of the company logo on the building. They leave because of the person they report to.

Need to brainstorm aspects of your business? Book your complimentary 30-minute brainstorm with Marc. Schedule a time that works for you at https://meetwith.marchaine.com

About Paul

Paul Leon is the host of The Manager’s Mic Podcast, where he helps managers, leaders, and business owners improve the way they communicate, sell, lead, and build trust with their teams.

Having worked with more than 500 companies, Paul brings a practical, real-world perspective to the challenges people managers face every day — especially newer managers who were promoted because they were great at the job, but were never really trained to lead people.

His work focuses on helping managers build rapport, strengthen team relationships, improve sales conversations, and create healthier workplace cultures without burning themselves out in the process.

Paul’s own story adds another layer to his message. Once a college dropout, he is now completing his MBA in April 2026, proving that growth is not about where you start. It is about what you are willing to learn, apply, and improve.

Through The Manager’s Mic, Paul gives leaders practical tools, honest insights, and real strategies to help them become the kind of managers people want to follow.

Connect with Paul

https://www.themanagersmic.com/ 

LinkedIn -   / paulleon   
YouTube -    / @managersmicpodcast   
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/share/14QTEM... 

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How to Unlock Hidden Talent in Your Organization with Allan Moore

How Leaders Can Spark Initiative Without Burnout

with Allan Moore

Most organizations are sitting on a gold mine of untapped talent—and they don’t even know it.

Employees feel boxed in. Managers are overwhelmed. HR can’t possibly uncover every hidden skill, curiosity, or ambition inside the building. The result? Motivated people slowly disengage… not because they lack drive, but because they don’t see a door worth walking through.

In this episode of Marc Haine Live, Marc sits down with international keynote speaker, storyteller, and unapologetic rule-bender Allan James Moore to tackle a deceptively expensive problem: how do you get people to take any step—no matter how small—toward their goals and purpose?

Al introduces his powerful WWPCD mindset — “What Would a Party Crasher Do?” A practical, human approach to career growth that encourages employees to explore opportunities horizontally and vertically without waiting for permission. Because growth doesn’t always come with an invitation.

Need to brainstorm aspects of your business? Book your complimentary 30-minute brainstorm with Marc. Schedule a time that works for you at https://meetwith.marchaine.com

About Allan

Allan James Moore is a safety and motivational keynote speaker like no other. A storyteller and career keynote speaker, Moore got his start doing open mics at comedy clubs. He would go on to lead one of the most unique, off-beat careers imaginable, including being an exotic dancer, a professional soccer player, a Mandarin interpreter and translator, a kindergarten teacher and even a hand model among other unique experiences and occupations. He holds a Master of Arts in Leadership degree and has travelled to over fifty countries and worked on four different continents, managing diverse workforces in both English and Mandarin, and has held leadership positions in safety for more than twenty years at Fortune 500 companies such as Stanley Black and Decker and Wood Group. 

Connect with Allan

allanjamesmoore.com 

About Your Host, Marc Haine

Author, Speaker, Facilitator and Coach, Marc Haine, will help your teams ignite their passions. Working with him, you'll be able to support your leaders to recentre their focus and drive continuous improvement through connected and engaged employees. You will realize your competitive advantage with a connected purpose and consistency of customer experience across your brand. 

 

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The Career Development Mistake Costing You Top Talent with Melissa Jenner

Why Leaders Must Rethink Talent Development in the Age of AI

with Melissa Jenner

Most organizations don’t have a retention problem… they have a misdirected growth problem.

In this episode of Marc Haine Live, we tackle one of the most misunderstood—and expensive—leadership challenges in business today: why the wrong people leave, and the wrong people stay.

Thrive HR on 12 May at 2pm MT a webinar on“How to adapt your workforce to AI” - all are welcome, here is link to register https://my.demio.com/ref/BYmTTlq6tTYf...  Attendees will have an opportunity to receive a free audit of their workforce and opportunities.

About Melissa Melissa

Jenner is the Founder of ACTVO®- the world’s first Ai-enabled Career Navigation System, designed for self-directed people and teams. The problem it solves? How to independently improve your performance, build new skills on the job, see what you’re next job or gig should be - and how to mobilize and move jobs & careers easily - in a workforce adapting to AI. She’s a former Global Leader in Fortune 500 companies including Microsoft and Barclays, based across 3 continents (US, UK & Australasia) with lived leadership experience in Fintech, Banking, Government Services, Design & Marketing. Latterly she has spent the past decade turning a ‘side-hustle’ into two successful businesses - Start Now and Actvo. Through these businesses she has worked with thousands of people worldwide - professionals and organizations on how to design effective career strategies, pivots, design new businesses, guided workforce transformation, and turned her highly effective methodology & IP for Career Design, into a fully digital, AI-guided process offered to the market to democratize access to career guidance/coaching - for a starting price of $10 per month. Melissa is also the Author of Emotional Leadership and a Leading voice on the intersection of careers, identity, and the future of work in the age of AI. She spends her time between the mountains of Queenstown in NZ’s spectacular Central Otago, and in Denver / Boulder - Colorado’s emerging Startup hubs.

Connect with Melissa

https://www.actvo.ai/

melissa@actvo.ai   / melissa-jenner-actvo   Website: https://www.actvo.ai/ Personal Website: http://www.meljenner.com/ Substack: https://meljenner.substack.com/

 

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The Real Cost of Leadership Drag in Growing Businesses with Allison Al-Khemia

You Didn't Hire the Wrong People. You're Just Destroying the Right Ones

with Allison Al-Khemia

Most leaders don’t have a hiring problem. They have a clarity problem.

In this episode of Marc Haine Live, I sit down with Allison Al-Khemia, Executive Advisor and creator of the Holographic Model of Leadership™, to unpack why team underperformance, disengagement, slow decision-making, and even revenue plateaus may have less to do with bad hires and more to do with unresolved leadership pressure.

Check out Allison's session on April 29th: What Got You Here Will Cripple You There™" on how to grow effectively without working harder: https://www.alchemywithallison.com/wh...

Need to brainstorm aspects of your business? Book your complimentary 30-minute brainstorm with Marc. Schedule a time that works for you at https://meetwith.marchaine.com

About Allison

Allison Alkhemia is an executive advisor to founders and senior leaders navigating complexity, growth, and high-stakes decision-making. With 22 years of coaching under her belt, she is the creator of the Holographic Model of Leadership™ — a framework built on the principle that whatever is unresolved in a leader gets distributed outward through everything they touch, and amplified by growth. Her work focuses on reducing leadership drag, helping organizations clarify authority, distribute decision-making, and move forward without sacrificing standards or control. Since 2021, Allison has advised leaders across professional services, medical, finance, fintech, and nonprofit environments. She lives in Fort Collins, Colorado with her three sons.

Connect with Allison

www.allisonalkhemia.com
Allison Carney Baker (Al-Khemia) - LinkedIN
@alchemywithallison - IG

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The Secret to Scaling a Business Without Burning Out with Scott Abbott

Why Systems Matter More Than Talent in Business Growth

with Scott Abbott

Most businesses don’t fail overnight—they slowly drift into inconsistency, misalignment, and stalled growth.

In this episode of Marc Haine Live, Marc sits down with Scott Abbott, founder, CEO, executive coach, and 4X best-selling author, to unpack how leaders can build, run, and scale a great company—while still living a fulfilling life.

Need to brainstorm aspects of your business? Book your complimentary 30-minute brainstorm with Marc. Schedule a time that works for you at https://meetwith.marchaine.com

About Scott

Scott likes to think of himself as an architect, builder, and custodian of prosperous and resilient companies, leadership, and growth. With regard to his skills and credentials, he has 35+ years of experience and expertise launching, operating, buying, and selling great companies. Along the way, Scott has raised $35M+ in venture capital (with 3 successful exits) and has been honoured to lead teams that generate billions in sales, serve thousands of clients, and hire hundreds of employees. 

He is honoured to be a finalist for an E&Y Technology Entrepreneur of the Year Award, Inc. 5000 Winner, Entrepreneur in Residence at Indiana University, Kelley School of Business, Fast Company Executive Board Member, and authored 4 best-selling books: BOS-UP, BOS-UP Moments, Level-UP, and The Co+Factor. As for his current vocations: he has the joy and privilege for being a Founder & CEO, Business and Executive Coach, Angel Investor, and Board Member. Through his companies Straticos and BOS-UP, Scott has personally consulted and advised 100s of organizations, and facilitated 1000s of individual coaching sessions.

Connect with Scott

What is your website URL? 
 www.leadwithscott.com 
@scottabbottabc

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The 4 Forces that Drive Business Growth with Kevin Lawrence

Episode 296: Why Your Business Stopped Growing (And You Didn’t Notice)

with Kevin Lawrence

Most businesses don’t fail because they make one big mistake. They fail because they slowly drift.

One quarter looks okay. Then another. Then suddenly—growth stalls, momentum disappears, and nobody can quite explain why.

 In this episode of Marc Haine Live, I sit down with Growth Advisor Kevin Lawrence to unpack why companies stop scaling—even when they have smart leaders, strong teams, and solid products.

We explore the hidden forces that quietly pull organizations off track, the early warning signs most leaders miss, and the psychology that derails growth long before the numbers show it.

Kevin shares practical frameworks from his work with companies scaling from tens to hundreds of millions, including the powerful “4 Forces of Growth” model, and what it truly means to operate as a Growth CEO.

Need to brainstorm aspects of your business? Book your complimentary 30-minute brainstorm with Marc. Schedule a time that works for you at https://meetwith.marchaine.com

About Kevin

KEVIN LAWRENCE has spent three decades cracking the code on how to keep companies growing. Working side-by side with CEOs and leadership teams across North America, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, and Europe, he has developed a proven approach to help companies go from tens of millions to hundreds of millions in revenue. His insights are born from hands-on experience. Kevin is the author of Your Oxygen Mask First, a book that equips high-performing executives with seventeen powerful habits to drive sustainable growth while managing stress, protecting their mental health, and staying resilient under relentless pressure. He was a key contributor to Scaling Up (Mastering the Rockefeller Habits 2.0). His latest book, The 4 Forces of Growth: Defy the Odds and Keep Your Company Scaling, is the must have guide to becoming a leader with impact far beyond the balance sheet, helping you to keep your company evolving and create a legacy that matters. Based in Vancouver, Canada, he leads Lawrence & Co, a boutique firm of growth advisors.

Connect with Kevin

 www.lawrenceandco.com
kevin@lawrenceandco.com
  / coachkevinlawrence  
Twitter: @lawrenceandco1
Instagram: @lawrenceandcoadvisors

 

 

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PR vs Publicity: What Business Owners Get Wrong with Steve Turner

PR for Small Business: What Actually Works

with Steve Turner

Most businesses think PR means getting featured in the media.

And that misunderstanding is costing them thousands.

In this episode of Experience Leadership, Marc sits down with public relations expert Steve Turner to unpack the real role of PR—and why most companies get it completely wrong.

If you’ve ever invested in publicity, hired a PR firm, or tried to “get your name out there”… only to see little or no return, this conversation will hit close to home.

Steve shares what effective PR actually looks like, why publicity alone doesn’t build trust, and how even small businesses can create strategic campaigns that generate long-term credibility and growth.

With over 30 years of experience and clients ranging from small businesses to global brands like Northwestern Mutual and Tony Robbins, Steve breaks down the five must-haves of a successful PR strategy—and the costly mistakes most leaders don’t even realize they’re making.

If you’re serious about building a brand people trust—not just recognize—this episode is a must-watch.

Need to brainstorm aspects of your business? Book your complimentary 30-minute brainstorm with Marc. Schedule a time that works for you at https://meetwith.marchaine.com

About Steve

Steve Turner is the Principal and Owner of Solomon Turner PR, an award-winning public relations firm based in St. Louis that has been recognized as one of the top PR firms in the region for 17 consecutive years. With more than 30 years of experience, Steve has helped organizations of all sizes—from small businesses to global brands—build credibility, strengthen their messaging, and achieve meaningful, long-term results through strategic public relations.

Over the course of his career, Steve has worked with notable clients including Northwestern Mutual, Coldwell Banker, SSM Healthcare, and Tony Robbins. He is a frequent contributor to major media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, PR Week, NPR, and the Los Angeles Times, and has been recognized as a “Rockstar Publicist” by Authority Magazine. His work consistently bridges the gap between smart strategy and real-world execution—something many organizations struggle to achieve.

Steve is also the author of PR That Works: Real Strategies. Real Campaigns. Real Results., a practical guide built on real case studies from his career. Through his writing, speaking, and consulting, he helps business leaders understand how to use PR the right way—not as a quick hit of publicity, but as a long-term strategy to build trust, credibility, and brand strength.
 

Connect with Steve

https://solomonturner.com, https://getprthatworks.com 
  / steveturnerpr  ,  
  / steveturnerpr  , 
Steve Turner (@steveturnerpr) / X

 

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Stop Managing—Start Transforming Your Business with Ash Seddeek

How Great Leaders Build the Next Version of Their Business

with Ash Seddeek

Most leaders are stuck… not because they lack talent, but because they’re too busy managing today to design tomorrow.

They’re optimizing processes, tweaking systems, and sitting in back-to-back meetings—while the future of their business quietly drifts further out of reach.

🛎 In this episode of Marc Haine Live, we tackle one of the most expensive blind spots in business: the inability to clearly envision—and execute—the next level of transformation.

My guest, Ash Seddeek, a Leadership Communication Strategist and Executive Presence Expert, shares powerful frameworks that help leaders break out of reactive mode and step into visionary leadership.

We explore:
 • The Tension Index and how it reveals the gap between where you are and where you should be
 • The TIE Model to uncover transformational opportunities across your business
 • The concept of Exponential Value Moments (EVMs)—small shifts that create massive impact
 • And why the best leaders become Chief Excitement Officers, not just operators

If you’ve ever felt like you’re working harder but not moving forward… this episode will show you how to stop managing the present—and start building the future.

Need to brainstorm aspects of your business? Book your complimentary 30-minute brainstorm with Marc. Schedule a time that works for you at https://meetwith.marchaine.com

About Ash

Ash Seddeek is the Founder and CEO of the Executive Greatness Institute, where he helps executives,
founders, and leadership teams communicate with conviction, clarity, and presence. A two-time Fulbright Scholar, Marshall Goldsmith Certified Executive Coach, and bestselling author, Ash has coached leaders at Cisco, Google, Uber, HPE, and Sprinklr to deliver powerful strategic narratives that inspire action and accelerate transformation. He holds an MBA from Santa Clara University with executive education from Harvard Business School and Stanford GSB. Ash also founded Intelligent Context AI, an incubator for AI-driven ventures, including YamaPay and Mivante. His mission: help leaders find their voice, tell their story, and realize their boldest ambitions.

Here is the info about the strategic leader planner https://www.lulu.com/shop/ash-seddeek...

Connect with Ash

www.executivegreatness.com
www.communicatewithclarity.co
www.leadeffectively.co 

ash@connectwithash.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ashseddeek

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