LeaderbookAI

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109

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May 2026

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About the show

LeaderbookAI is where leadership meets AI execution. Join Felicia Shakiba for candid conversations with CEOs, executives, investors, and operators making high-stakes decisions in real time. From enduring leadership principles and decision frameworks to practical AI strategies that drive measurable results, this podcast delivers the clarity leaders need to move faster — and create real value.

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May 5, 202630 min

Why Frazier & Deeter Walked Away From Lucrative Deals

Private equity portco CEO Jeremy Jones uses cultural alignment for due diligence in private equity — not financials — as the first filter in every acquisition. The result: Frazier & Deeter has grown from 530 to 850 people in seven months through three deals, with a fourth closing next week. Jones walks through the three-year decision process behind the firm's partnership with General Atlantic, why his CPO sat in all 25 to 30 PE meetings and called HR counterparts at existing portfolio companies, and what the first 24 hours post-acquisition actually looks like for employees who found out the night before. He also addresses the hardest question in people-first PE strategy: is culture a trade-off against financial performance, or the operating system that produces it? For PE operating partners, portfolio company CEOs, and leaders navigating acquisition, organizational design, and AI workforce strategy. 00:00 The Journey of Due Diligence in Private Equity 09:47 Cultural Alignment in Acquisitions 16:30 Day One Post-Acquisition 23:56 Defining Success Beyond Financials Subscribe to the LeaderbookAI Podcast for conversations with leaders shaping the future of work, leadership, and AI.

April 28, 202632 min

The Decision Every CEO Is Ducking | Tina Murphy, CEO of GHX

Tina Murphy, CEO at GHX, breaks down why talent is her top three priorities — not strategy, not capital — how GHX restructured its entire organization to get closer to customers and move faster, what she's looking for in leaders today that she wasn't three years ago, and why the companies that fail the AI transition won't fail loudly. They'll fail silently, quarter by quarter, until the gap becomes permanent. 00:00 The People Project: AI Transformation and Leadership 01:47 Lessons from the Startup Journey 05:48 The Art of Asking Questions as a CEO 08:40 Talent Over Technology: The New Priority 11:41 Creating a Culture of Psychological Safety 14:38 Identifying Future Leaders in the Age of AI 17:25 Speed and Decision-Making in Organizations 20:22 The Importance of Vulnerability in Leadership 23:22 Rebuilding Leadership for the Future 25:10 Customer-Centric Speed: Restructuring for Engagement 26:31 Revolutionizing Strategy: Insights from the Front Lines Subscribe to the LeaderbookAI Podcast for conversations with leaders shaping the future of work, leadership, and AI. We create high-performing powerhouses. Let's talk: https://leaderbook.ai/contact

April 21, 202638 min

Private Equity's Easy Era Is Over | Lee McCabe

Private equity has had it easy for forty years. Cheap money, expanding multiples, and a rising S&P produced returns almost regardless of what firms did with the assets they bought. That era just ended — and Lee McCabe, Partner at Claymore Partners, argues most firms haven't adjusted to what replaces it. Lee spent years inside eBay, Expedia, Facebook, and Alibaba before joining a New York PE firm as an operating partner, and he's now built the operational platform he believes PE actually needs. Chapters: 00:00 The Evolution of Private Equity 02:42 Digital Transformation in Private Equity 08:17 Data-Driven Decision Making 14:04 The Future of Private Equity 27:34 Building a Brand in Private Equity We create high-performing powerhouses. Let's talk: https://leaderbook.ai/contact

April 14, 202638 min

Why Are Most Leaders Still Getting AI Wrong?

Robin Goad, AWS executive, has been in the AI space since 2014—long before it was a boardroom priority. As Global Public Sector Industry Solutions GM at AWS, she's watched the hype cycles repeat, the barriers shift, and the use cases mature. Her read on where AI actually creates value for leaders is sharper—and more honest—than most of what you're hearing right now. Chapters: 00:00 Technical Difficulties: The Start of the Conversation 00:11 The Evolution of AI: From Hype to Reality 05:10 Understanding AI Cycles: Summers and Winters 06:36 Misconceptions About AI: What It Can and Cannot Do 09:43 Automation vs. AI: The Low-Hanging Fruit 11:40 AI in Business: Enhancing Leadership Insights 14:31 Calculating ROI: The Challenge of Measuring AI Impact 18:13 The Dark Spots: Uncaptured Processes in Organizations 20:58 AI and Job Displacement: Reality vs. Narrative 29:06 Unlocking Business Insights: The Future of AI in Leadership Subscribe to the LeaderbookAI Podcast for conversations with leaders shaping the future of work, leadership, and AI. 🎧 Listen to the podcast: https://leaderbook.ai/podcast We create high-performing powerhouses. Let's talk: https://leaderbook.ai/contact

April 7, 202635 min

This CEO is Winning the AI Race I Georg Ell

What do you mean, "I'm a CEO... and now I'm coding?" Georg Ell, CEO of Phrase, hadn't written code since he was 15. Then his CFO demoed a custom-built app — and Georg felt "utterly inadequate." That evening he downloaded Claude. Six weeks later: 200,000 lines committed, 8 apps built, and a radically different understanding of what leadership means in the AI era. Chapters: 00:00 The Awakening: Realizing the Need for Change 03:40 Starting the Journey: Overcoming Inadequacy 09:45 Building the Muscle: Skills for the Future 13:49 The Emotional Roller Coaster of Leadership 17:18 Navigating Uncertainty: Conversations Behind Closed Doors 20:51 The Future of Organizational Design 25:33 Balancing Innovation and Chaos 29:25 Encouraging the Wow Moment: A Call to Action Subscribe to the LeaderbookAI Podcast for conversations with leaders shaping the future of work, leadership, and AI. 🎧 Listen to the podcast: https://leaderbook.ai/podcast We create high-performing powerhouses. Let’s talk: https://leaderbook.ai/contact

March 31, 202647 min

Trust, Crisis & Why Elon Left Money on the Table

Spencer Penn evacuated his engineer from Ukraine the day before Russia invaded. What he did next — and why it worked — reveals more about leadership trust than most books on the subject. Penn is CEO and co-founder of LightSource, a procurement AI company that grew from two people in a garage to 64 employees. In this episode, he traces the company's origin to a $30 billion problem he watched firsthand at Tesla — car parts sourced via spreadsheets and email — and the moment he hired a Ukrainian developer off GitHub who would later need to get out of the country overnight. Penn and Felicia Shakiba debate whether Elon Musk could have been even more successful with a different leadership approach, what separates mature from immature leadership mindsets, and a reframe on strengths that most leaders get completely backwards: the capability that comes easiest to you is almost certainly your highest ROI — and most people are blind to it. Chapters: 00:00 The Genesis of LightSource 04:35 Finding the First Believers 14:45 Building Trust Through Adversity 19:15 The Gift of Opportunity 21:54 Balancing Leadership Decisions 24:15 The Importance of Values in Leadership 25:58 New vs. Experienced Leaders 29:15 The Complexity of Leadership Traits 31:55 The Impact of Leadership Style 36:30 Strengths vs. Weaknesses in Leadership Subscribe to the LeaderbookAI Podcast for conversations with leaders shaping the future of work, leadership, and AI. Subscribe to the LeaderbookAI Brief: https://leaderbookai.substack.com/ 🎧 Listen to the podcast: https://leaderbook.ai/podcast We create high-performing powerhouses. Let's talk: https://leaderbook.ai/contact Connect with Felicia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/feliciashakiba

March 24, 202657 min

How to Find AI Unicorns Before Everyone Else

How do top venture capitalists find AI unicorns early? In our 100th episode 1-hour special, Marina Davidova, Managing Partner at Silicon Valley's DVC, shares how her team uses AI agents, community-driven diligence, and sharp founder pattern recognition to identify breakout startups before the market catches up. From repeat founders and engineering mindset to distribution, adaptability, and founder energy, this conversation reveals what VCs are really looking for — and how AI is changing the investment process. Chapters 00:00 How should venture firms automate with AI? 00:48 Why Marina believed in AI early 03:42 Moving to Silicon Valley and standing out as an investor 06:31 Four unicorns in four years 08:49 What Marina looks for in unicorn founders 12:49 Can entrepreneurial mindset be taught? 15:18 How DVC’s investor community drives the funnel 18:27 How AI agents screen startup deal flow 20:24 What happens in the community discussion process 25:05 Red flags, green flags, and difficult decisions 29:31 The founder who looked perfect on paper 31:17 Adaptability vs. consistency in startups 34:32 How fast DVC makes investment decisions 37:26 What founders actually spend early rounds on 41:42 The patterns Marina sees in breakout founders 45:46 Why some technical founders struggle to sell 48:00 The responsibility of choosing future AI leaders 52:13 Why founders need a trusted tribe Subscribe to the LeaderbookAI Podcast for conversations with leaders shaping the future of work, leadership, and AI. 🎧 Listen to the podcast: https://leaderbook.ai/podcast We create high-performing powerhouses. Let’s talk: https://leaderbook.ai/contact

March 17, 202631 min

The AI Transformation Most Leaders Get Wrong

What does it really take to lead a successful AI transformation inside an organization? Many companies focus on implementing AI tools. But according to Glenn Mathis, Former CEO of Integris, the real challenge isn’t technology — it’s trust, clarity, and culture.

March 10, 202634 min

The Biggest Mistake Revenue Leaders Make With AI

What’s the biggest mistake revenue leaders make with AI? Companies everywhere are racing to automate sales—research, outreach, forecasting, and pipeline management. But according to JD Miller, many organizations are about to make a critical mistake: automating processes that were already broken. JD Miller, CRO Operating Partner in Residence at Rothschild & Co. / Five Arrows Capital, shares how private equity-backed companies should approach AI in sales, why trust and human connection still drive revenue, and how leaders can experiment with AI without increasing risk. His conclusion: AI should make sellers more human—not replace them. ⸻ Chapters 00:00 The Role of AI in Sales Transformation 08:26 Measuring AI’s Impact on Revenue 13:23 Real-World Applications of AI 21:18 Leadership’s Role in AI Adoption ⸻ Subscribe to the LeaderbookAI Podcast: https://leaderbook.ai/podcast We create high-performing power houses. Let’s talk: https://leaderbook.ai/contact

March 3, 202634 min

AI Trained on Love

Can AI learn love—or at least empathy? Cory Lopes-Warfield, CEO of Lovings, shares his unconventional founder journey from homelessness and hospitality to building Lovings AI. We discuss Nova, an AI agent trained to respond from a “love” framework, and what empathetic AI really means in practice. Cory explains the real risks of AI, how agents are reshaping entrepreneurship, and why the future may belong to leaders who combine human judgment with intelligent machines. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Personal Background 00:46 The Journey from Homelessness to Entrepreneurship 07:29 Transitioning to Tech and Learning to Code 12:45 The Concept of Empathetic AI 17:49 The Development of Nova and Its Unique Features 26:21 Growth Strategies and Future Vision 28:44 The Philosophy of Love in AI Subscribe to the LeaderbookAI Podcast: https://leaderbook.ai/podcast We create high-performing power houses. Let’s talk: https://leaderbook.ai/contact