In this episode of Lead Human, Jack Myers and Tim Spengler sit down with Jeanniey Walden to talk about trust, leadership, AI, momentum, and the human side of business transformation.

Jeanniey shares her path from earning $5.25 an hour at JCPenney to becoming a CMO, startup advisor, and founder of LiftOff Enterprises. She explains why the foundations of business have not changed—even as the tools have—and why trust is still the thing that creates belief, loyalty, and real growth. She also breaks down her AIR Method—Authenticity, Inspiration, and Relatability—and explains how leaders can use it to navigate change, communicate more honestly, and keep teams aligned when momentum slows.

They also explore how to learn AI by actually using it, why speed and alignment are often in tension, what marketers can learn from digital’s early days, and why work-life “blend” may be more realistic than balance in today’s world.

If you’re trying to lead through change without losing the human core of your company, this conversation is for you.

Lead Human is hosted by Jack Myers & Tim Spengler, produced by Wondir Studios (Desta Wondirad), in association with Acast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Lead Human, Jack Myers and Tim Spengler sit down with Rita Ferro, President of Global Advertising at Disney, for a conversation about leadership, trust, technology, and how to keep teams aligned when the ground is always shifting.

Rita shares what she learned directly from Bob Iger, including why technology should be treated as an enabler—not the core—and why the best leaders stay focused on their own game instead of chasing competitors. She talks about balancing data, automation, and programmatic buying with storytelling, human relationships, and long-term brand building, and explains why outcomes matter—but art and science still have to work together.

They also get into how to succeed under new bosses, how to lead through discomfort, why overcommunication matters, and how her experience in international markets taught her to stay calm even when everything feels “squishy.” It’s a sharp, grounded conversation about how to win in modern business without losing the human side of leadership.

Lead Human is hosted by Jack Myers & Tim Spengler, produced by Wondir Studios (Desta Wondirad), in association with Acast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From college NIL deals and the changing economics of the NCAA, to the rising power of live sports in a fragmented media world, to exploding ticket prices, gambling, streaming, and whether capitalism is reshaping fandom itself, this conversation asks a bigger question: are we losing the human side of sports just as its business value reaches an all-time high?

Jack and Tim also get into the emotional power of sports, the role of announcers, the globalization of fandom, the NFL’s outsized grip on media, and why live sports may be one of the last places where people still gather in real time around a shared experience. They close with a rapid-fire round on favorite teams, rivalries, jerseys, announcer calls, and sports memories.

If you care about sports, media, culture, and what still brings people together, this one is for you.

Lead Human is hosted by Jack Myers & Tim Spengler, produced by Wondir Studios (Desta Wondirad), in association with Acast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Lead Human, Jack Myers and Tim Spengler sit down with Kristine Stone, SiriusXM DJ and one of the most recognizable voices in rock radio, for a conversation about music, communication, authenticity, and what human connection sounds like.

Kristine opens up about the person behind the microphone, from being a single mom and raising twin boys to surviving difficult personal relationships and finding her own voice. She talks about why her on-air presence works because she’s simply being herself, why the best communication feels one-to-one instead of one-to-many, and why saying “you” instead of “everyone” changes how people feel when they listen.

They also dive into the future of radio in an AI-driven world, why SiriusXM still believes in the human DJ, how rock bands mirror leadership dynamics, and what artists like Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, Mick Jagger, and Pink Floyd can teach us about voice, control, conflict, and cultural influence.

If you care about communication, leadership, music, or what still feels human in a world of automation, this one’s for you.

Lead Human is hosted by Jack Myers & Tim Spengler, produced by Wondir Studios (Desta Wondirad), in association with Acast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Lead Human, Jack Myers and Tim Spengler sit down with Lindsay Jurist-Rosner, founder and CEO of Wellthy, to talk about caregiving, empathy, entrepreneurship, and what leaders need to understand about the people they manage.

Lindsay shares how years of caring for her mother shaped her identity, how that lived experience pushed her to leave a successful career in media and launch Wellthy, and why she believes caregiving is one of the clearest windows into the future of work. She explains how the medical part of care is often only a small fraction of the real burden families carry, and how leaders who understand that reality can unlock better performance, loyalty, and trust in their teams.

They also get into entrepreneurship, resilience, building a company while wearing every hat, humor as a leadership tool, the rising cost of care, and why her biggest advice to caregivers is simple: stop striving for perfection.

Lead Human is hosted by Jack Myers & Tim Spengler, produced by Wondir Studios (Desta Wondirad), in association with Acast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Lead Human, Jack Myers and Tim Spengler sit down with Camille Fetter, CEO of TalentFoot, to talk about executive search, vulnerability, compensation, change leadership, and what companies are really looking for in the age of AI.

Camille explains why she sees empathy as the input and executive search as the output, why the goal is to find not just the best executive but the best human, and why leaders need to focus on being relatable, not performatively vulnerable. She also talks about measurable KPIs, how organizations are increasingly hiring for change-agent pedigrees, and why younger professionals should lean hard into AI fluency if they want to stay marketable.

The conversation also explores education, reinvention, and what it means to build a career that gives you what Jack calls “soul fuel.” If you’re navigating leadership, hiring, AI, or the future of work, this episode offers a grounded and very human perspective.

Lead Human is hosted by Jack Myers & Tim Spengler, produced by Wondir Studios (Desta Wondirad), in association with Acast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Lead Human, Jack Myers and Tim Spengler sit down with Joe Root, co-CEO and co-founder of Permutive, to talk about entrepreneurship, resilience, culture, privacy, and leading with purpose in the age of AI.

Joe shares what it was like starting companies straight out of university, why Permutive took years of wandering before the business really found its shape, and the two skills he believes matter most in the early founder journey: curiosity and resilience. He also explains the difference between building a great product and building a great company, and why founders have to learn how to build great teams—not just great ideas.

The conversation goes deep on psychological safety, multicultural teams, communicating vision differently to investors vs employees, and why advertising should respect consumer privacy instead of trying to work around it. Joe also lays out how AI could help create a healthier internet by automating repetitive work and giving people more room to make an outsized impact.

If you care about leadership, startups, AI, or building an organization where people can do meaningful work, this conversation is for you.

Lead Human is hosted by Jack Myers & Tim Spengler, produced by Wondir Studios (Desta Wondirad), in association with Acast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Lead Human, Jack Myers and Tim Spengler sit down with Contessa Brewer, CNBC correspondent and one of the sharpest interviewers in business news, for a conversation about leadership, journalism, listening, and the future of truth in an algorithm-driven world.

Contessa shares why the leaders she respects most are great listeners, how small signals like eye contact, follow-up questions, and even writing down a note can make people feel seen, and why that kind of validation creates real loyalty. She also talks about what she’s learned covering CEOs, how to communicate more effectively, and why curiosity might be the most underrated professional skill there is.

The conversation also goes deep on the future of journalism: social media, citizen reporters, hyperlocal news, paywalls, live events, and the uncomfortable but necessary question every news company has to answer — how are we going to make money without compromising the truth?

Along the way, Contessa opens up about a humiliating on-air mistake that turned into one of the greatest gifts of her life, the grace Jesse Jackson showed her afterward, and the lessons that shaped her as both a communicator and a human being.

If you care about leadership, media, communication, or what it means to stay ethical in public, this episode is for you.

Lead Human is hosted by Jack Myers & Tim Spengler, produced by Wondir Studios (Desta Wondirad), in association with Acast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Lead Human, Jack Myers and Tim Spengler sit down with Dan Callahan, Chief Revenue Officer of Spectrum Reach, to talk about hard work, culture, family, sports, and the future of media.

Dan shares how being a college athlete shaped his mindset around discipline, accountability, and showing up. He explains why great teams outperform their circumstances, why culture has to come before talent, and what it means to lead at scale when most of your organization isn’t in the same room.

They also dig into Dan’s path from early programmatic at Fox to leading revenue at Spectrum Reach, why “raise your hand” has been a defining principle in his career, and why the next era of winning teams will automate the routine while pairing data with empathy, technology with transparency, and solutions with purpose.

If you care about leadership, media, or building teams that can handle constant change without losing the human connection, this episode is for you.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Lead Human, hosts Jack Myers and Tim Spengler sit down with Carolyn Everson, former global ads leader at Facebook (Meta) and current board member at companies like The Coca‑Cola Company and The Walt Disney Company.

Carolyn shares why no one will remember the revenue she oversaw—but they will remember whether she cared about people. She talks about the pulse survey that forced her to change her leadership, the risks that shaped her career (including getting fired by fax after turning down every “safe” job), and why “not knowing is the new knowing” in the age of AI.

You’ll hear stories about Pets.com, Viacom, Microsoft, Facebook, Instacart, and her current “portfolio” life on boards and with entrepreneurs. Along the way, she gets real about missing small family moments, rebuilding her identity after leaving Facebook “blue,” navigating office politics, and why she still believes in hope and reinvention even as AI disrupts white-collar work.

If you’re leading a team—or trying to lead your own life—this conversation is a masterclass in caring leadership, culture, and courage.

Lead Human is hosted by Jack Myers & Tim Spengler, produced by Wondir Studios (Desta Wondirad), in association with Acast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Will shares what he's learned about building teams inside huge systems, why he went back for his MBA a decade after undergrad, and how he thinks about talent and education in today’s tech-driven world.

They also dig into:

• What “purpose-driven values” look like inside data- and AI-obsessed companies
• How he approaches ethics in local government and in business decisions
• Why the name “Razorfish” is a surprisingly good metaphor for modern leadership
• 
  

If you care about leadership, service, or keeping your values intact in a world of dashboards and algorithms, this conversation is a grounded, human perspective you’ll want to hear.

Lead Human is hosted by Jack Myers & Tim Spengler, in association with Acast, and produced by Wondir Studios (Desta Wondirad).

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Lead Human, hosts Jack Myers and Tim Spengler sit down with Adam Gerhart to talk about leadership, AI, and staying human in a career defined by constant change.

Adam shares how he spent 20+ years inside one company—starting as an assistant planner and eventually becoming global CEO of Mindshare—by following three simple principles: be curious, raise your hand, and take real risks. He talks about moving to London with “two duffel bags” having never left the U.S., what he learned from parents who modeled lifelong learning and resilience, and the Mark Twain quote that helped him discover his personal “why.”

They dig into:

• Why the real skill in the age of AI isn’t prediction, it’s preparation
• How to deal with disingenuous bosses, back-stabbing colleagues, and tricky team members
• Why clients today want two things above all: simplicity and assurance
• How to break down silos and lead in service of others, not the other way around
• The best mentoring advice Adam ever got: don’t take it personally—do your job and your career will manage itself

Credits

Lead Human is hosted by Jack Myers & Tim Spengler.

Produced by Wondir Studios (Desta Wondirad).

In association with Acast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Lead Human, Jack Myers and Tim Spengler sit down with Jennifer Rogers, EVP of Consumer & Corporate Marketing at TelevisaUnivision, to talk about thriving through constant change and leading teams in the age of data and AI.

Jennifer shares how she’s survived five or six CEOs and multiple bosses by aligning quickly with new strategic goals instead of resisting, and why she sees change as an opportunity rather than a threat. She explains what makes the U.S. Hispanic audience a “dream” for marketers, how emotional connection and culture give TelevisaUnivision its edge, and why the industry is swinging back from cheap impressions to content, context, and real engagement.

She also tells the story of how a semester abroad in Spain unexpectedly led to a career in Spanish-language media, how she thinks about staying 16 years at one company versus moving around, the kind of leaders she wants to emulate, and her philosophy on using AI as a complement to human creativity—not a replacement. As she puts it: if the job can be done by AI, the real question is, “What’s the job it can’t?”

New episodes of Lead Human every week. In a world of machines and dashboards, the real competitive advantage is still a human one. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Lead Human, Jack Myers and Tim Spengler talk with Aaron Walton, co-founder of Walton Isaacson and longtime partner of Earvin “Magic” Johnson, about what it really means to lead with precision, empathy, and service.

Aaron shares:

• What he learned spending 18 months on the road with Michael Jackson, watching him rehearse “Billie Jean” for more than an hour until every detail was perfect
• How Magic Johnson changed the way he thinks about investing in diverse communities and using his influence to open doors
• The moment a client said “we’re colorblind here,” and why he replied, “when is being blind a good thing?” — plus what Millennials, Gen Z, and Gen Alpha expect from brands now
• How losing his mother forced him to rethink being “busy,” start monthly family Zooms, and rediscover the value of rest and doing nothing
• Why he believes arts education is a necessity, not a luxury, and how his board work with organizations like Alonzo King LINES Ballet and Young Audiences New York keeps him grounded
• The way his agency uses “Kaizen” sessions after big projects to ask what worked, what didn’t, and how to do it better next time
• 
  

If you care about leadership, culture, or building brands that actually reflect the world we live in, Aaron’s stories are a masterclass in leading human — on stage, in the boardroom, and at home.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Lead Human, Jack Myers and Tim Spengler sit down with Lauren Weinberg – former CMO of Peloton, global CMO of Square, and longtime marketing leader – to talk about grit, energy, and choosing work that actually fills you up, not empties you out. Lauren shares how she thinks about the fork in the road between entrepreneurship and big-company leadership, why relationships are everything inside large organizations, and how she tries to lead with listening, not ego.

She unpacks her idea of “energy vampires” at work and in life, how COVID forced her to reset her priorities as a mom of two teenage boys, and why she now sets unapologetic boundaries around the moments she refuses to miss. Lauren also explains why she avoids the old “brand vs performance” fight and instead talks about creating and capturing demand, including how she partners with CFOs to get on the same page about timelines, metrics, and risk.

From leading Peloton’s marketing through a turnaround, to learning from Jack Dorsey’s blend of confidence and humility, to her own AI learning journey, Lauren offers a grounded, practical playbook for anyone trying to grow a career, a team, and a life at the same time.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Lead Human, Jack Myers and Tim Spengler sit down with Dave Penski, Global CEO of Connected Media, Publicis Groupe, to talk about leadership at massive scale, three-part happiness at work, and why “winning at work means nothing if you lose at home.”

Dave breaks down how he thinks about his career in thirds (pay, the work itself, and how it fits your life), why he refuses to sacrifice his family for more travel, and how his job didn’t really change from leading 1,000 people to overseeing 65,000—so long as the right 12–15 leaders are in the right seats.

He shares the inside story of the COVID decision not to lay off thousands of people, how that became a long-term advantage, and the simple culture mantra he uses to run a giant organization: “No silos. No solos. No bozos.”

Dave also explains his “Take Four” mentoring program for diverse talent, why he answers every hard question in town halls, and what he thinks leaders owe the people who bet their careers on them.

If you’re a manager, executive, or ambitious human trying to grow without losing yourself, this conversation is a masterclass in leading big while staying human.

New episodes of Lead Human every week.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Lead Human, Jack Myers and Tim Spengler talk with Evan Shapiro – producer, professor, and “media cartographer” – about how to navigate a media world where every kid with an iPhone is your competition.

Evan opens up about:

• Growing up resisting control and why he’s always in a “constant search for change”
• How he uses real data (earnings reports, not just headlines) to speak truth to power
• Why traditional media mistook a rising bubble for brilliance – and what happens when it pops
• How we went from limited competition to “infinite competition” overnight
• Why he tells young people to work at small companies first if they actually want to learn
• His simple philosophy: “the happiest person wins,” and how that changes how you build a life and career
• What it really means to be a creator today: “a writer writes, a creator creates” – every day, like a job

Along the way, Jack and Tim dig into what leaders can steal from Evan’s approach: using facts instead of fear, representing the audience inside broken systems, and building a career that isn’t just successful on paper, but livable.

If you’re a leader, creator, or ambitious human trying to make sense of a collapsing old model and a chaotic new one, this episode is part warning, part playbook, and very human.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Media ecologist Jack Myers and industry leader Tim Spengler talk with CEOs, creators, founders, veterans, and culture builders about how they actually lead through disruption. They dig into navigating AI without losing your soul, building teams and cultures people want to stay in, making hard calls when the data is messy but the stakes are human, and living your values on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

No performative hot takes—just candid conversations and practical ideas you can use with your team next week.

New video episodes every Wednesday. In an age of machines, the real competitive advantage is still a human one.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.