Episodes

For more thoughts, clips, and updates, follow Avetis Antaplyan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/avetisantaplyan In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Marcus East—Tech Executive and Author of Working with Dinosaurs—for a candid and thought-provoking conversation on the realities of digital transformation. With a career spanning leadership roles at Apple, Google, National Geographic, and more, Marcus brings a rare dual perspective from both Big Tech ...

For more thoughts, clips, and updates, follow Avetis Antaplyan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/avetisantaplyan In this compilation episode of the Tech Leaders Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan brings together three powerhouse voices from the world of elite sports and leadership: Rex Kalamian, assistant coach in the NBA and head coach of the Armenian National Basketball Team; Dr. Jen Welter, the first female NFL coach and a pioneer in sports psychology; and Dick Vermeil, Super Bowl-winning NFL c...

For more thoughts, clips, and updates, follow Avetis Antaplyan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/avetisantaplyan In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Drew Sechrist, an early Salesforce leader who helped scale the company from its earliest days into a multi-billion-dollar enterprise, and the founder of Connect The Dots. Drew brings listeners inside the chaos of Salesforce’s zero-to-one phase, sharing firsthand stories from a time when cloud software...

For more thoughts, clips, and updates, follow Avetis Antaplyan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/avetisantaplyan In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Isabelle Tashima, a growth equity investor at Volition Capital, to cut through the AI hype and unpack what truly drives breakout success in internet and consumer technology companies. Isabelle brings a unique perspective shaped by her experience across Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo, KKR, and now Volition...

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Vijay Rajendran, investor and venture builder at gAI Ventures, UC Berkeley instructor, and author of the bestselling book The Funding Framework. Vijay brings a deeply grounded perspective on how the next generation of AI companies will actually be built, not through hype or speed alone, but through domain expertise, thoughtful leadership, and disciplined execution. The conversation explores why domain experts now have...

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Allison Shapira, a Harvard faculty member, global keynote speaker, former opera singer turned communication expert, and author of AI for the Authentic Leader. Together, they explore what it truly means to lead with authenticity, clarity, and energy in an era shaped by artificial intelligence and constant uncertainty. Allison shares her journey from the world of opera to advising executives, founders, and government le...

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Tamara Laine, investigative journalist turned two-time tech founder and the CEO and co-founder of MPWR. Tamara brings a rare blend of storytelling, emotional intelligence, and problem-spotting instincts into the world of AI and financial innovation — and in this conversation, she unpacks how those experiences shape the products she builds today. Tamara shares how her investigative background sharpened her ability to d...

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Melanie Nabar, Vice President at Volition Capital, to uncover what truly makes a company fundable—and what silently kills deals. With a background in growth-stage investing, Melanie brings sharp insight into founder dynamics, product-market fit, and the capital efficiency required to scale in today’s AI-driven market. They dive deep into the evolving expectations of Series A investors, the dangers of inflated valuatio...

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan welcomes back bestselling author and communication expert Chris Fenning, whose latest book Effective Meetings offers leaders a refreshingly simple framework to cut meeting time by 30% or more. Chris unpacks the hidden cost of poorly-run meetings—billions in wasted dollars, lost morale, and decision fatigue—and explains why the real issue is a lack of training, not bad intentions. Together, Avetis and Chris break down the deceptively...

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Valerie Jackson — Harvard College and Georgetown Law alum, former securities lawyer turned C-suite people leader — to explore what it really takes to scale companies without breaking leaders or culture. Valerie traces her journey from advising public companies and serving at the U.S. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board to building one of the first law-firm diversity departments and leading people operations acro...

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Erik Huberman, founder and CEO of Hawke Media, to unpack why the old marketing playbook is broken—and what actually scales in 2025. Erik shares how AI has collapsed the product moat, making distribution, brand, and go-to-market the real advantages. He explains the “vibe” behind breakout brands (think Liquid Death) and why software companies must now win on trust, positioning, and partnerships rather than feature lists...

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Sam Goodner, the serial entrepreneur and former CEO of Catapult Systems — Microsoft’s top-ranked consulting partner at the time of its acquisition. Sam shares his 30-year journey from starting a small IT consulting firm in 1993 with just $17,000 in the bank to scaling multiple companies to eight- and nine-figure exits, including turning a parking tech startup into a unicorn. Through vivid stories and practical lessons...

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan is joined by Christian Ulstrup, founder of Powerline, to explore how AI is transforming business practices. Christian, with over a decade of experience in applied AI, discusses the evolution of AI technologies and their real-world impact on industries ranging from startups to the U.S. federal government. He shares insights on moving from experimentation to impactful applications of AI, stressing the importance of cultivating a cultu...

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan lays out a wartime CEO playbook for thriving in downturns, drawing on the same strategies his team used to scale HIRECLOUT and help clients grow through multiple recessions. He argues that recessions do not kill companies, timid leadership does, and makes the case for buying market share when others freeze. Avetis explains why momentum dies faster than cash burns, how to reinforce your core and double down on your edge, and where “t...

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Jossie Haines—executive coach, fractional engineering leader, and former engineering leader at Apple, Zynga, Tile, and Life360—to unpack how great leaders build inclusive, high-performing teams and adopt AI with intention. Jossie shares pivotal moments from leading Siri teams at Apple (including award-winning Apple TV work) and scaling engineering at Tile, where she helped double the org and architect a culture people...

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Radhika Dutt—MIT-trained engineer, entrepreneur, and author of Radical Product Thinking, to rethink how high-growth companies set direction and measure progress. Radhika explains why traditional goal systems (KPIs/OKRs) often incentivize “performance theater,” tracing their lineage from Drucker’s MBOs to Andy Grove to today’s playbooks—and why they’re mismatched to modern, creative work. She introduces OHLs (Objective...

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Dr. Reece Akhtar, CEO and founder of Deeper Signals — a leading organizational psychologist and data scientist helping companies unlock human potential through AI-powered talent insights. Together, they explore how the future of leadership is being shaped by behavioral science, soft skills, and the rise of AI in the workplace. Dr. Akhtar breaks down what defines high-caliber leaders today, emphasizing the evergreen tr...

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Ari Galper, the world’s #1 authority on trust-based selling and creator of the One Call Sale methodology and Ari AI, an AI-powered sales coaching platform built on decades of proven frameworks. Together, they explore why traditional relationship-building and persuasion tactics often fail in today’s crowded marketplace—and what tech leaders can do instead. Ari shares how to transition from solution-centric pitching to ...

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Susan Ruediger, Founder and Chief Mission Officer of the CMT Research Foundation (CMTRF), and Laura MacNeill, the organization’s CEO. Together, they explore how patient-led research is revolutionizing drug development and catalyzing billion-dollar outcomes. Susan shares the remarkable story of CMTRF’s $128,000 seed investment in DTX Pharma that led to a $1 billion Novartis acquisition — a masterclass in strategic risk...

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Andrew McVeigh, veteran technology leader and Chief Architect, whose career spans transformations at Hulu, Riot Games, and beyond. Andrew has navigated multi-billion-dollar shifts across industries from finance to gaming and healthcare, leaving behind architectures that still power companies today. The conversation dives deep into some of the most pressing questions in modern tech leadership: What matters most—EQ, IQ,...

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Chris Hallberg, entrepreneur, business coach, and former military and police leader, known for creating the Business Sergeant Leadership Philosophy. Chris brings decades of experience transforming teams, sharpening execution, and implementing EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) to help companies achieve breakthrough performance. From his formative years in the Army National Guard and law enforcement to his career a...

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Michelle Niemeyer, a former high-powered attorney turned burnout expert, certified health coach, and creator of The Art of Bending Time. With 33 years in law and a personal journey of reinvention, Michelle shares her path from the pressures of litigation and entrepreneurship to becoming a sought-after advisor on sustainable leadership and resilience. The conversation dives into the pitfalls of chasing “work-life balan...

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Mark Monchek, founder and Chief Opportunity Officer of Opportunity Lab. A seasoned author, speaker, and advisor, Mark has guided leaders from top global organizations through times of radical disruption. Drawing from his books Culture of Opportunity and the forthcoming Opportunity Intelligence, Mark shares how to unlock growth through collaboration, mindset shifts, and purpose-driven leadership. The conversation explo...

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Joel Benge, a strategist, author, and the mind behind "Message Therapy." With a rich and unconventional background that spans theater, video game testing, cybersecurity, and federal communications, Joel helps technical founders transform complex jargon into messaging that actually connects. Joel unpacks the biggest reason messaging falls flat: it’s too cerebral and not nearly human enough. Drawing from Aristotle, Masl...