Pull the Chute - Grow your People, Grow your Company Podcast

Hosted by Jeff Sesol and Janna Landry

Business ManagementInterviews guests

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Episodes

355

Latest episode

Oct 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

The goal of this podcast is to interview business owners and/or C-level executives to get an understanding of how they built their culture, what worked, what failed, and what tips can they give new and upcoming business owners. Our goal over the next ten years is to help as many small to medium-sized businesses get to the next level by growing their people, which will grow their company. Through coaching and transformational leadership, Pull the Chute can guide company leaders to invest time to get to know their people and understand their roles, goals, and challenges to provide learning & growth opportunities - ultimately helping their people be the best they can be.

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60 recent

October 23, 2026Episode 12428 min

Stop Your AI Leak: Secure Data, Manage Agents & Control Costs with Dennis O’Shea

Send us Fan Mail How can businesses adopt AI without leaking confidential data or blowing up their IT budgets? In this eye-opening episode of the Pull The Chute Podcast , hosts Jeff and Jana sit down with Dennis O'Shea , founder of Mobile Mentor (rebranding to Mentor). Dennis shares his journey from Nokia to scaling a global IT services organization, revealing the hard-learned lessons behind enterprise AI integration. Whether you are implementing Copilot or wrestling with shadow AI use, this conversation delivers the strategic blueprint you need to avoid critical operational pitfalls. Why You Should Listen Discover why unguided AI adoption creates massive data privacy hazards—and how to fix them before a breach occurs. Learn the "5 Foundations" framework for rolling out enterprise AI safely and measuring real ROI. Gain foresight into the hidden costs of AI, including token consumption and multi-category spending risks. Key Highlights From 100-Day World Tour to Nashville: Dennis shares how a temporary 4-year stay turned into a 10-year permanent home. The Nokia Breakthrough: Leaving Nokia after a wake-up call in Switzerland and founding Mobile Mentor to bridge the gap between people and technology. The Real AI Threat: Why resourceful employees uploading company documents into public LLMs triggers immediate data breaches. Confessions of a Tech CEO: Dennis admits the 5 major mistakes his own team made during their early AI rollout and how they corrected them. Debunking AI Doomsday Hype: A pragmatic look at AGI hysteria versus practical regulatory and geopolitical challenges. The Copilot Mentoring Program: How to clean up "dirty data" across Microsoft applications and enforce secure guardrails. The 3 Imminent AI Crises: Why Data Security, Agent Governance, and Unbudgeted Token Spend are the real threats facing businesses in the immediate future. Join the Conversation! Facebook Group: Connect with other leaders and join the episode discussion in our Facebook Group. More Episodes: Tune in to past and future episodes of the Pull The Chute Podcast at www.pullthechute.net !

October 21, 2026Episode 12328 min

What Can the Battlefield Teach You About Leadership? Featuring Christopher Hossfeld

Send us Fan Mail What can the battlefield teach us about leadership? More than you might think. In this episode of Pull the Chute , we sat down with Chris Hossfeld to explore how lessons from military leadership and historical battles can translate into the business world. One lesson stood out: Great leaders don't just tell people what to do. They give them the purpose, authority, and trust to make decisions. Because when everything depends on the leader being available, the organization becomes the bottleneck. But when people understand the why , they can act with confidence—even when the leader isn't in the room. So here's the question: How well does your team understand the way you think, communicate, and make decisions? And… Have you given them enough trust and clarity to lead without you?

October 19, 2026Episode 12230 min

Your Words Can Build a Team… or Break One. Featuring Michael Neuendorff

Send us Fan Mail What if your next conversation could change the way your team works together? In this episode of Pull the Chute, we sat down with executive coach Michael Neuendorff to talk about something every leader needs to master: Communication. One of the biggest takeaways? “Words create worlds.” As leaders, we can't control how everyone responds — but we can become more intentional about the conversations we create. When a conversation starts going sideways, don't immediately react. Pull the chute. Pause. Ask questions. Get curious. And remember: strong teams aren't built on results alone. They require trust, healthy conflict, commitment, accountability, and results. Most importantly, great leaders recognize that they have blind spots. They ask for feedback — and then actually do something with it. Because leadership isn't just about having a title. It's about becoming someone people want to work with and follow.

October 16, 2026Episode 12134 min

Your Employees Aren’t Leaving For The Reasons You Think. Featuring Clark Ingram

Send us Fan Mail Your employees may already know exactly what’s wrong. The question is whether leadership is listening. In this episode of Pull the Chute , Clark Ingram shares a practical perspective on employee retention, recruiting, leadership, and engagement. One of the biggest takeaways? Don’t guess why people are leaving. Find the root cause. And when employees tell you what’s getting in their way, don’t just collect the feedback — act on it. Real engagement isn’t about ping-pong tables or perks. It’s about sincerity, trust, communication, alignment, and giving people the tools they need to succeed. Sometimes the solution to a major workplace frustration can be surprisingly simple. The bigger challenge is creating an environment where people feel safe enough to tell you what the problem actually is.

October 14, 2026Episode 12031 min

Your marketing doesn't need to be complicated--It needs to cut through! Feat. John Dwyer

Send us Fan Mail Marketing has changed dramatically over the years. But according to JD, the fundamentals haven’t changed nearly as much as we think. The channels are faster. The technology is smarter. AI can create in minutes what once took days. But at the core, great marketing still comes down to understanding your customer’s problem and presenting a compelling solution. And one of the biggest opportunities today? Using AI as a partner — not a replacement for creativity and human judgment. JD also shared a powerful concept: sampling. Instead of simply telling people how great your product or service is, give them a reason to experience it. A sample. A free trial. A valuable bonus. A useful piece of content. A taste of what you can actually do. Because sometimes, the best marketing isn’t telling people what you can deliver. It’s letting them experience it. And when you’re ready to turn that attention into action, remember the 5-step formula: Problem → Agitate → Solution → Proof → CTA The last one is where many businesses fall short. Don’t just tell people what their problem is. Tell them what to do next.

October 12, 2026Episode 11929 min

AI Shouldn’t Replace Your Thinking. It Should Make It Better. Featuring Don Kurz

Send us Fan Mail AI is changing the way we work—but using AI doesn't automatically make you innovative. In this episode of Pull The Chute, Don Kurz shares how his agency, Omlet, has integrated AI into its creative and strategic processes. The key difference? They don't treat AI as a replacement for people. They treat it as a partner. AI can help generate ideas, process information, develop strategic briefs, and accelerate the creative process. But human judgment is still needed to determine what is relevant, original, strategic, and worth pursuing. And that's especially important when everyone has access to the same tools. AI may help you move faster. Human insight helps you stand out. The goal isn't to let AI do everything. It's to learn how to work with it.

October 9, 2026Episode 11833 min

YOU’RE NOT JUST A MIND. You’re a whole system Featuring Mark Divine

Send us Fan Mail What if your next level of leadership isn’t about learning more—but becoming more integrated? On this episode of Pull The Chute , Mark Devine shares a powerful perspective on human development: we can’t separate the physical, mental, emotional, intuitional, and spiritual parts of ourselves and expect to operate at our highest level. When we develop only in fragments, we leave potential on the table. The work is about bringing everything back together—training your body, quieting your mind, processing your emotions, developing awareness, and creating space to listen to what’s happening within. And it doesn’t have to happen all at once. Start with today. A few minutes of intentional practice. A moment of stillness. A breath. A reflection. A conscious choice to become more aware. Because, as Mark puts it: “You only have today.” What part of yourself are you intentionally training today?

October 7, 2026Episode 11727 min

AI Won’t Fix Your Broken Process Featuring Marvin Martinez

Send us Fan Mail AI is powerful — but it’s not magic. One of the biggest takeaways from our conversation with Marvin Martinez is that you shouldn’t start with the technology. Start with the process. If your process is broken, AI won’t magically fix it. First, map out what you’re doing, identify where the friction is, and then determine what can actually be automated. Even a simple automation that saves you 30 minutes a day can compound into hours of saved time every week . The goal isn’t to automate everything. The goal is to automate the right things.

October 5, 2026Episode 11628 min

Are You A Thermometer Or A Thermostat? Featuring Mark Coleman

Send us Fan Mail What if leadership isn't about reacting to the temperature—but having the courage and self-awareness to help change it? In our conversation with Mark Coleman, we explored his powerful “thermometer vs. thermostat” metaphor. A thermometer can tell you what's happening. A thermostat can help change the conditions. And when tensions rise, leaders have a choice: add to the noise or create the conditions for better conversations. That can mean pausing before responding. Choosing restraint. Listening instead of reacting. And leading with conviction while still making room for others to engage. Because leadership isn't simply about having the loudest voice. It's about creating an environment where people can think, learn, contribute, and move forward together. 🌡️ So, when the temperature rises—are you a thermometer or a thermostat?

October 2, 2026Episode 11530 min

What if the biggest transformation in your life starts with breaking yourself? Featuring Scott Lackey

Send us Fan Mail Sometimes transformation doesn't look like adding more. Sometimes it looks like letting go. In this episode of Pull the Chute, Scott Lackey shares a powerful perspective on what it means to “break yourself” so you can become a better version of yourself. He talks about the “fiery middle”—that uncomfortable place where you're too far from who you were, but not yet where you want to be. The way forward? Start small. Keep the promises you make to yourself. Rebuild self-trust one step at a time. Forgive yourself. Release what no longer serves you. And focus on becoming who you're meant to be. Because sometimes, the greatest transformation begins when we stop trying to fix everything around us—and start working on ourselves.