In this episode of the Secret Expert Podcast, we sit down with Yadi Caro, an organizational psychology expert who has spent over 15 years working with tech teams and US military organizations. Yadi is the host of the Hardcore Soft Skills podcast and the author of the recently published book, Hardcore Soft Skills: A Guide to Work with Humans.

We dive deep into why she transitioned from journalism into studying organizational psychology at Harvard, how to navigate toxic work cultures where team members constantly point fingers at each other, and why treating your creative projects (like writing a book) as a "Minimum Viable Product" is the key to finally getting them done. Yadi also reveals the most underestimated leadership skill in business today and shares the #1 step to building high-performing teams.

🔗 Connect with Yadi Caro:

• Website & Podcast: hardcoresoftskillspodcast.com

• LinkedIn: Yadi Caro

Hashtags

#YadiCaro #HardcoreSoftSkills #OrganizationalPsychology #Leadership #ConflictManagement #TeamDynamics #WomenInTech #Podcast #Harvard #WorkplaceCulture

In this episode of the Secret Expert Podcast, we sit down with Douglas Dedrick, the "Natural Resource Architect" behind American Grit and the co-founder of Pond and Peak. Douglas shares his incredible journey from experiencing homelessness and traveling the country to discovering the profound benefits of holistic healing and natural medicine.

Douglas pulls back the curtain on the supplement industry, revealing how he caught major brands lying about their Shilajit and Fulvic Acid content, which ultimately inspired him to start his own highly traceable, honest wellness brand. We also dive deep into the business side of things, discussing why authenticity beats "fluff," how he uses SEO to establish undeniable brand authority, and why stress is the ultimate productivity killer for early-stage founders.

🔗 Connect with Douglas Dedrick:

• LinkedIn: Douglas Dedrick

Hashtags

#DouglasDedrick #AmericanGrit #FulvicAcid #HolisticHealth #Shilajit #NaturalMedicine #SEOStrategy #StartupFounder #AuthenticMarketing #Podcast

In this episode of the Secret Expert Podcast, we sit down with Ellen Damaso, a Venture Capital Partner at Plus Ultra. Ellen’s background is incredibly diverse: she is a former electrical and systems engineer, a technical sales and marketing expert (with 15+ years of experience working with companies like Samsung), a TEDx speaker on fashion empowerment, and a certified yoga teacher who has practiced for over 20 years.

Ellen shares how being a single mother forged her resilience, how she integrates mindfulness into the high stakes world of venture capital, and why the toxic "996" hustle culture is actually a major red flag for investors. She also breaks down exactly what she looks for in a startup and the crucial mistakes first-time founders make when asking for capital.

🔗 Connect with Ellen Damaso:

• LinkedIn: Ellen Damaso

Hashtags

#EllenDamaso #VentureCapital #StartupFunding #MindfulnessInBusiness #WomenInTech #PlusUltra #SeriesA #GoToMarket #Resilience #Podcast

In this episode of the Secret Expert Podcast, we sit down with Amir Mohideen Bashir Khan, an XR Developer, technical instructor, and the creator of the Mindpool app. Frustrated by the limitations of 2D screens while writing his Master's thesis, Amir built an app that literally turns your physical room into a 3D, AI-powered workspace bringing Tony Stark’s Iron Man technology to life.We dive deep into how Amir leverages social media trends to build viral immersive experiences, including how his "Gorilla vs 100 Men" VR game attracted 66,000 users in just two weeks. We also explore his enterprise work with Knoxlabs, where he helps companies scale VR operations from a handful of devices to fleets of 1,500+ headsets using Mobile Device Management (MDM) software.

🔗 Connect with Amir Mohideen Bashir Khan:

• LinkedIn: Amir Mohideen Bashir Khan

• YouTube: 10x VAR

Hashtags

#VirtualReality #SpatialComputing #Mindpool #10xVAR #Knoxlabs #AmirMohideenBashirKhan #VRDevelopment #TechPodcast #IronManWorkspace #ArtificialIntelligence #Oculus #MetaQuest

In this episode of the Secret Expert Podcast, we sit down with Richard Godfrey, the founder of Syncity AI and the author of Be The Five. Richard shares his sports-inspired philosophy of leadership, why a great manager never steps onto the "pitch" to do the work, and how solo founders and small businesses can leverage AI to level the playing field against massive corporations.

We dive deep into why treating AI as just an "email writer" is a huge mistake. Instead, Richard explains how to use AI as your strategic "backroom team." He breaks down his simple 5D Agile Framework, how Syncity AI's "AI Scouts" can build full business cases for you while you sleep, and why the future of business belongs to companies that can scale massively without ever hiring a human team.

🔗 Connect with Richard Godfrey:

• Company: Syncity AI

• LinkedIn: Richard Godfrey

#RichardGodfrey #SyncityAI #BusinessStrategy #AIForBusiness #LeadershipDevelopment #DigitalTransformation #Entrepreneurship #AgileFramework #FutureOfWork #Podcast

In this episode of the Secret Experts Podcast, we sit down with Charles McLachlan, the pioneer of the Portfolio Executive work style. Charles shares his fascinating journey from studying computer science at Cambridge to working as a business consultant at Arthur Anderson. After realizing the traditional consulting path wasn't for him, he designed a lifestyle where he works just 12 fee-earning days a month while taking responsibility for business functions across 5 to 6 different companies.

We dive deep into the critical transition from being a founder to a leader, why logic often fails in large or family-run organizations, and how to navigate today's VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous) world. Charles also breaks down why the old promise of a secure corporate job and a pension is a flat-out lie for today's youth.

🔗 Connect with Charles McLachlan:

• Website: portfolioexecutive.biz

  
  

  
  

Hashtags

#CharlesMcLachlan #PortfolioExecutive #FutureOfWork #VUCA #LeadershipDevelopment #CareerAdvice #ExecutiveCoaching #BusinessGrowth #WorkLifeBalance #SecretExpertsPodcast

In this episode of the Secret Expert Podcast, we sit down with Nicolas Jellab, a software engineering leader turned startup founder. Nicolas shares his journey from scaling the engineering team at Unibuddy during a massive COVID driven growth phase, to building his own startup, Nova Square.

Nicolas introduces us to Alicia, an AI-powered co host designed to help live streamers bounce ideas, crack jokes, and overcome the loneliness of solo broadcasting. We discuss how to build AI with "soul" and strong personalities, the danger of engineers over-aiming for perfection, and why getting a "good enough" V1 into users' hands fast is the only way to find true product-market fit .

🔗 Connect with Nicolas Jellab

• LinkedIn: Nicolas Jellab

Hashtags

#NicolasJellab #NovaSquare #LiveStreaming #AICoHost #SoftwareEngineering #StartupFounder #ProductMarketFit #ArtificialIntelligence #TechPodcast #CreatorEconomy

In this episode of the Secret Expert Podcast, we sit down with Duncan D. Bruce, the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of The Brand Conspiracy. With over 25 years of experience advising global, iconic brands, Duncan shares his secrets for unlocking teams and re-inspiring businesses to reconnect with their original heartbeat.

We dive deep into the concept of the "Brand Dream," why logical left-brain thinking often stifles true innovation, and how to harness right brain intuition to see around corners. Duncan also explains the philosophy behind his book, The Dream Cafe, drawing inspiration from the 1890s Parisian avant-garde to mix disciplines and spark radical ideas. Plus, we discuss the elephant in the room: why AI is an amazing tool for the "grunt work," but will never replace the initial human creative question.

🔗 Connect with Duncan D. Bruce:

• Website: thebrandconspiracy.com

Hashtags

#DuncanDBruce #TheBrandConspiracy #BrandStrategy #RadicalInnovation #TheDreamCafe #CreativeThinking #MarketingStrategy #Disruption #AIandCreativity #Podcast