Season 1

Oct. 15, 2025

Why Playing It Safe in a Recession Could Kill Your Business

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...

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Oct. 9, 2025

Why Inclusion is the Secret to High-Performance Teams

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...

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Oct. 1, 2025

Why Your OKRs Aren’t Working, and What to Do Instead

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 me...

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Sept. 24, 2025

Why Soft Skills Are Now a Hard Requirement for Tech Leaders

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 pote...

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Sept. 17, 2025

How to Sell Without Chasing: Ari Galper’s One Call Sales Method

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 ...

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Sept. 11, 2025

How a $128K Bet Sparked a $1B Biotech Breakthrough

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, th...

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Sept. 3, 2025

EQ vs IQ vs AI: What Really Matters in Tech Leadership?

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 navi...

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Aug. 27, 2025

Why 90% of Business Teams Fail, And What to Do About It

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 Philosoph...

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Aug. 20, 2025

The Myth of Work-Life Balance, and What to Do Instead

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 y...

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Aug. 13, 2025

How to Turn Chaos into Opportunity and Lead Through Radical Disruption

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 ...

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Aug. 6, 2025

Why Is Your Messaging Failing, and How Can You Fix It Today?

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 ...

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July 30, 2025

The Secret Sauce to Winning Teams—Coach Vermeil Tells All

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with the legendary NFL coach and Hall of Famer, Dick Vermeil—a Super Bowl champion, Rose Bowl champion, and one of the most respected leaders in footba...

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July 23, 2025

Stop Waiting, Start Leading: How to Take Back Control

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan dives deep into the core leadership principle of extreme ownership. In this solo episode, Avetis, a seasoned entrepreneur and tech leader, delivers a powerful an...

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July 16, 2025

Why Your Startup's Marketing Isn’t Working (And How to Fix It)

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Mark Donnigan, a seasoned virtual CMO and go-to-market strategist known for helping post-Series A tech companies scale with precision. With a back...

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July 9, 2025

How to Know When It’s Time to Pivot—And What to Do Next

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Russ Hawkins, a seasoned three-time CEO renowned for reviving and scaling struggling startups into profitable, exit-ready companies. With a backgr...

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July 2, 2025

Scaling Without Burnout: Why Doing Less Is the CEO Superpower

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan welcomes Pete Steege, B2B growth strategist, founder of B2B Clarity, and author of the bestselling book Radical Clarity. With decades of experience across startu...

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June 25, 2025

Inside the Mind of a 6,000-Person Team Leader

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, we sit down with Michel Langlois, former Cisco and Juniper executive and author of Beyond the Code. From growing up on a chicken farm in rural Quebec to leading 6,000+ global eng...

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June 18, 2025

How to Build Wealth and Joy by Living Intentionally

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan interviews Jon Staenberg, a three-time Stanford graduate and founder of Agate Hound Fund. They discuss John's unconventional journey through entrepreneurship and...

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June 11, 2025

What Does It Take to Lead Through Chaos and Still Win?

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan interviews Philip Merrick, a seasoned technologist and CEO of pgEdge. They discuss Merrick's journey in the tech industry, the evolution of leadership styles, th...

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June 4, 2025

Inside Private Equity: How to Scale, Sell & Build Wealth Strategically

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Adam Coffey, a seasoned private equity expert, shares his insights on the dynamics of private equity and its impact on entrepreneurs. He discusses the importance of understanding...

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May 28, 2025

Climate Innovation That Actually Sells: No Green Premium Required

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan interviews Josh Dorfman, a serial climate entrepreneur, about his journey into sustainability and the founding of Planted, a company focused on creating sustaina...

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May 22, 2025

Why Good Execution Always Beats Big Ideas

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan interviews Alfred Miranda, a seasoned CTO with extensive experience across various industries including cannabis, fashion, and technology. They discuss the impor...

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May 14, 2025

Why Most Leaders Are Running the Wrong Race

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Tammy Alvarez discusses the intrinsic link between business success and career fulfillment, emphasizing the need for individuals to align their personal ambitions with organizati...

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May 7, 2025

Toxic Ambition: Why Overachieving Leaders Burn Out (And How to Stop)

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Keren discusses the concepts of toxic ambition and workaholism, exploring how they manifest in leadership and personal life. She shares her journey to becoming a coach and author...

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