Expert Intelligence with Paul Estes

Career coach and author Ozlem Brooke Erol spent years chasing the formula: good grades, impressive company name, solid title, only to feel completely hollow inside. In this candid conversation with Paul Estes, Brooke traces the history of work itself and makes the case that the systems are failing us, not the other way around. Her new book, You're More Than a Paycheck, is part permission slip, part workbook. If you've ever woken up Sunday night with dread already setting in, this episode is for you. You'll Learn: Why the 9-to-5 was a historical experiment, not a permanent design for human flou

Think about the last time you saw a company's marketing and actually felt something more than mild interest. Chances are you're struggling to come up with one. And that's not an accident. Vi Wickam has spent 30 years in digital marketing, helping companies fix this mistake. His premise is simple and kind of uncomfortable: honest marketing always wins, most companies aren't doing it, and AI is about to make the gap between the two a whole lot wider. But this conversation goes deeper than marketing. Vi and Paul get into something most people don't want to sit with: your creative thinking might b

I spent an hour with Diana Wu David, a top 10 global futurist who advises Fortune 500s on what's next. She told me 95% of workers see value in using AI, but they don't trust their companies to ensure positive outcomes for them. So people automate parts of their job in secret. They become what Diana calls "secret cyborgs." We've created an environment where being more productive is something you have to hide. And the organizations that are actually succeeding with AI aren’t the ones with the biggest budgets, they're the ones doing "job crafting"—redesigning work in partnership with employees, n

Kevin Henrikson has built and sold companies for hundreds of millions, scaled teams at Microsoft and Instacart, and now runs an AI healthcare startup—and he called complete bullshit on the productivity myth we've all been sold. The most unmovable meeting on his calendar? 8 PM: GO TO SLEEP. When people want late meetings, he says no. When he travels, his admin moves the sleep block. In his 20s, he was the "code until 2 AM" guy. Now? He protects his ability to think like his business depends on it. Because it does. But the biggest insight that stuck with me: "If you got in a car accident tomorro

In a world drowning in AI-generated content, Joe Lazer is betting his career on the one skill machines can't replicate: authentic storytelling. The author of The Storytelling Edge and creator of a popular Substack newsletter walked away from an executive role at a fast-growing startup to pursue what he calls humanity's most essential superpower. In this candid conversation with Paul Estes, Joe reveals why he left stability to write his second book, how he built and sold his first media company, and why the "vortex of mid" is sucking the soul out of modern content. Understanding which skills wi

What happens when you realize the career you're in isn't your future? For Alyson Griffin, that moment launched a three-decade journey from Silicon Valley PR agencies to becoming the marketing force behind State Farm's Emmy-nominated Super Bowl campaign and Intel's Cannes Lions-winning drone light show. In this revealing conversation with Paul Estes, Alyson shares how she navigated a dramatic career pivot, brought humanity to one of America's most iconic insurance brands, and is now leading her team through the AI revolution. From experimenting with AI-generated creative attempts that hilarious

While headlines scream about AI replacing call center jobs, Chris Dumpleton reveals a different reality. As an executive at Limitless Technology, he's spent 20 years in telecom and contact centers—today he shares why organizations struggle to implement AI cost-cutting measures and how the gig economy model can create better outcomes for both companies and customers. With a storied career that includes helping eBay increase seller revenue by 24% using peer-to-peer expert coaching, Chris discusses how Limitless Technology evolved from "taking the Uber business model to contact centers" to becomi

Tom Davenport has been watching technology transformations for over 30 years, and he's not joining the AI hype wagon. As a distinguished professor at Babson College and author of 27+ books, Tom brings hard-earned wisdom to the AI conversation that's refreshingly realistic. While Silicon Valley promises instant transformation and a job apocalypse, Tom reveals why real AI success requires the unglamorous work of process redesign, patient leadership, and years of persistent effort. In this eye-opening conversation, Tom debunks the myth that AI will eliminate 50% of white-collar jobs while sharing

Brea Starmer helped build the future of work out of necessity. As founder of Lions and Tigers, she's unlocking millions in economic opportunity for independent workers, particularly women navigating caregiving responsibilities. When Brea was laid off seven months pregnant, facing workplace discrimination, and having to choose between career ambition and family flexibility, she discovered that the traditional employment system simply wasn't designed for people like her. What started as personal survival—self-funding her own maternity leave by billing 60 hours a week for 13 weeks—evolved into a

Iwo Szapar saw the future of work early—co-founding Remotely years before the pandemic transformed how we work. Now he's back with groundbreaking research through the AI Maturity Index, analyzing over 250,000 data points across 75 countries to reveal what's really happening with AI adoption in the workplace. The gap between AI winners and everyone else isn't just significant—it's shocking. In this conversation with Paul Estes, Iwo breaks down the stark reality behind AI adoption, from the top 1% who save 31 hours per week to the bottom 50% saving only six hours. He shares practical frameworks

Kelly Monahan, Managing Director of Upwork's Research Institute and co-author of Essential, reveals why 77% of employees feel AI makes work harder, not easier—and what leaders can do about it. In this eye-opening conversation with Paul Estes, Kelly breaks down the real forces behind today's labor market shifts, from inflation and capital costs to the pandemic's lasting impact on customer behavior. From her research on the frontlines of the future of work, Kelly shares practical frameworks for moving beyond resilience to "anti-fragility"—the ability to adapt and evolve when systems face stress

Generation X professionals are navigating an unprecedented perfect storm: young children at home, peak career responsibilities, and a business landscape in constant flux. Executive coach Samia Kornweibel joins Paul Estes to explore why so many mid-career leaders are experiencing what she calls "career meltdowns"—and how they can build resilience in an era where roles keep shifting. Fresh from completing her AI coaching certification, Samia shares how she's helping leaders navigate the ethical integration of AI tools while maintaining the human connection that drives real transformation. Using

Peter Relan, founder of the YouWeb Incubator and initial Discord investor, joins Paul to discuss how AI transforms math education through his latest venture, MathGPT.ai. Growing up in poverty with parents who believed in education's transformative power, Peter is now paying it forward by creating around-the-clock math coaching for students facing critical academic hurdles. In this eye-opening conversation, Peter reveals how his platform combines AI tutoring with human instructor oversight to address math numeracy challenges while maintaining academic integrity. From Peter's journey as a UCLA m

Christopher Bishop, a self-described "nonlinear multimodal careerist" who's navigated eight careers, joins Paul Estes to discuss his new book Improvising Careers: Succeed in Jobs That Don't Exist Yet (pre-order here). From touring rock musician opening for the Eagles to IBM executive to quantum technology expert, Christopher shares how to thrive in a world where the average person will have 8-10 jobs by age 38. In this compelling conversation, Christopher reveals his "Future Career Toolkit" featuring practical tools for identifying your strengths and finding opportunities in emerging fields. P

Adam Hofmann, leader of Elixirr's generative AI practice, joins Paul Estes to share insights on moving organizations from AI curiosity to implementation. Drawing from his journey from entrepreneur to AI strategy consultant, Adam reveals how shifting from technical experimentation to cultural engagement is key to successful AI adoption. Paul and Adam discuss the phenomenon of "present bias"—how our experiences with today's AI tools can limit our ability to envision their future potential. From boardroom directives to CFO-led initiatives, this episode examines who's driving AI adoption and how c

Pip Sanderson, from the National Institute of Teaching in England, brings a refreshingly balanced perspective from the front lines of AI and education. While many edtech enthusiasts rush to implement AI solutions, Pip challenges us to consider what's at stake in our pursuit of technological efficiency and how we might preserve the human essence of learning. In this thought-provoking conversation, Pip and Paul explore the real impacts of AI on students' cognitive development and the importance of preserving struggle in the learning process. From the ethical considerations of AI-powered teaching

Marcus Sawyer, EQ app CEO and former Adecco Group X president, is building the AI recruiting revolution he predicted five years ago. In this eye-opening conversation with Paul Estes, Marcus reveals how AI is transforming hiring and Paul shares an experiment where AI ranked his friend's "best" resume dead last. If you're job hunting in 2025, you need these insider tips on getting past AI gatekeepers to land your dream role. From Marcus's "Zero Admin Revolution" mission to his practical OTT framework for implementing AI agents, learn how AI is transforming recruiting while keeping human relation

Mark Heaps went from cutting out photos by hand to shaping AI’s future at Groq—and trust us, he’s got receipts. In this no-filter conversation with Paul Estes, Heaps drops the ultimate truth bomb: AI won’t replace humans, but humans who master AI will replace those who don’t. After a nail-biting story involving his son, a lionfish sting, and an LLM that saved the day, you’ll understand why this creative-turned-tech-exec is convinced we’re just scratching the surface of AI’s potential.   From building basketball team apps on the fly to transforming how we experience NBA games, Heaps breaks down

Collaboration is essential for the success of all businesses. Companies are more likely to succeed with a collaborative culture; therefore, business owners need to collaborate with talent to grow their company and preserve their resources. Gig models are a great way for businesses to work with freelancers and contractors without the hassle of finding and managing employees. They are also more cost-effective in the long run. Join this conversation with Tim Sanders and learn more about the future of an outcome-based world where entrepreneurs will only hire on demand. Learn more about the importa

Gigging the Gap: Navigating the Future of Workforce Shortages with Jason Radisson" The gig economy, also known as the on-demand or freelance economy, is a rapidly growing sector of the global workforce. It is an economy that allows people to work independently in short-term, freelance jobs instead of traditional long-term employment. The gig economy is now seen as an effective solution to the global shortage of skilled front-line workers. By taking advantage of this new way of working, companies can access a larger pool of talented individuals willing to take on short-term projects or assignme

The Future of Hiring: How SkillGigs is Revolutionizing Staffing with Brad Hill The traditional brick-and-mortar staffing agencies have inefficient and biased ways of connecting employers with talent. Online platforms are beginning to disrupt this gig economy industry by providing a more efficient way to find the right people for the job. In this conversation, we are joined by Brad Hill from SkillGigs to talk more about their approach to effectively matching employers with the right talent for a job. Skillgigs is a technology that simplifies hiring and alleviates staffing shortages by placing t

The Future of Work: Navigating the Pivot with Heather McGowan The times of relying on outdated methods of working your way up the corporate ladder are ending, ushering in a new era of work that requires leaders to prepare their people and organizations for unprecedented changes. The gig economy is rising, with independent contractors filling labor shortages and creating opportunities for more flexible working arrangements. Automation and artificial intelligence are transforming the way we work, shifting the balance of power between employers and employees. To stay competitive in this changing

The Gig Economy: Why it's Faster, Cheaper, and Better with Rob Beiderman The gig economy is not just about freelancing. It can be used for any contract work that requires talent. It also applies to organizations that want to outsource their work to save on costs but want to retain control over their brand and culture. The gig economy helps companies save on labor costs and acquire talent at scale by tapping into a global marketplace free from geographical restrictions or regulations. Join this conversation with Rob Beiderman and learn why companies need to pivot from a traditional talent netwo

Building Elite Teams with Raphael Ouzan: Insights from the Founder & CEO of A.Team   In today’s competitive world, it is essential to have an elite team of highly skilled professionals to help your company grow and achieve its goals. When building an elite team, it’s important to set a clear mission. Moreover, hiring the best people is not enough; you need to ensure they are all working towards the same goal. In this incredible episode, Paul Estes interviews Raphael Ouzan, the Founder & CEO at A.Team. Raphael shares; what prompted him to go stealth for A.Team, the birth of the builder economy

We always hear about the big names in the gig economy, such as Uber, Grubhub, TaskRabbit, Fiverr, UpWork, and TurboTax Live. We never really get to hear from the people who provide the services on these platforms.   Today, we’re hearing from Abbi Perets, freelance writer and Founder of Successful Freelance Mom. We talk about taking on freelancing as a lifestyle choice, juggling freelancing with being a mom, building culture, balancing automation and human touch, and getting Abbi’s Top 5 Tips for working with freelancers.   Timestamps [02:11] Freelancing as a lifestyle choice. [03:16] Abbi’s fr

Today, we sit down with Steve Rader, who leads NASA’s efforts to leverage crowd-based platforms for open innovation and bring value to NASA’s programs, as well as innovation efforts in the U.S. government.   Steve is also the Founder and CEO of Crowd Resources Consulting, where he speaks and consults on innovation, crowdsourcing, and the future of work.   Listen in as Steve explains how open innovation at NASA around mitigating human risks in space “came out of necessity” a little over a decade ago due to budget cuts. He speaks in particular about the often underestimated value of tapping into

We are all part of the Gig Economy   Author, TEDx speaker, LinkedIn expert, and creator of the 4-Step Bulletproof Your Career Methodology— Patricia Romboletti is on a mission to fundamentally change our relationship with our careers.  Moving from a world where we ask, "what do you want to become when you grow up?" to "what kind of life do you want to live ?"   Pat affirms that we are all part of the gig economy today – that operates flexibly, despite any uncertainty, and is the new future.    She points out, however, that some of us are still in denial. "That (the transition to a gig environme