Silver Creek Insights

Hosted by Silver Creek Insights

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Mar 2026

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Conversations with business leaders designed to humanize their work, and inspire your own.

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60 recent

March 20, 202642 min

30. Can Social Media Fix Loneliness? The Kornerz Story | Mental Health Tech Startup

What if social media actually helped people feel less alone? In this episode of the Silver Creek Insights Podcast, host Felisa Wiley sits down with Khalil Jezini, Founder of Kornerz Social Network, and Rich Dornisch, Chief Operating Officer at Kornerz, to explore a bold mission: building a mental-health-focused social platform designed to create real connection instead of digital loneliness. Kornerz is rethinking what a social network can be — shifting from attention-driven algorithms to community-driven experiences that prioritize authenticity, mental wellbeing, and meaningful interaction. In this conversation, we explore: • The rise of digital loneliness in modern social media • Why community-driven platforms are the future of online interaction • Building a values-first tech startup in a crowded social media landscape • The challenge of subscription fatigue and sustainable platform models • How founders design technology that supports mental health • The intersection of entrepreneurship, community, and digital wellbeing Khalil shares the entrepreneurial journey that led to Kornerz, while Rich brings perspective on scaling technology, operations, and community platforms. If you're interested in startup innovation, social platforms, mental health technology, or community-focused entrepreneurship, this episode offers valuable insights into the future of social connection. 🚀 Want to turn your data into actionable insight? Explore Silver Creek’s analytics and AI solutions: 👉 https://silvercreek.ai

March 6, 202648 min

29. CIO Leadership in the Age of AI, Cloud & Cybersecurity

What does modern CIO leadership look like in an era defined by AI, cloud migration, cybersecurity threats, and enterprise transformation? In Episode 29 of Silver Creek Insights, we sit down with Praveen Kamsetti, CIO and digital transformation leader, to explore how today’s technology executives must balance operational excellence with empathetic leadership. This conversation covers: • CIO digital transformation in complex global enterprises • Cloud migration challenges and hybrid infrastructure lessons • AI governance in enterprise environments • Cybersecurity resilience and disaster recovery leadership • Operational excellence at scale • Breaking down silos through shared support models • The role of empathy and accountability in executive leadership Praveen shares powerful real-world lessons—from leading post-9/11 disaster recovery operations to integrating 20 facilities across nine countries, to driving Oracle ERP modernization at one-third of projected vendor cost. He also discusses his newly published book: “The 4L Framework for Modern Leadership.” Leadership has evolved. Have you? In today’s landscape of rapid disruption, the methods that worked yesterday can cause failure tomorrow. Success is no longer about choosing between people or profits—it requires mastery of both. In The 4L Framework for Modern Leadership, Praveen introduces a practical and human-centered model for tech leaders: • Lead with empathy • Lead for business results • Lead by example • Lead with emotional intelligence The book provides a tangible toolkit to harmonize business growth with human connection—equipping leaders in the boardroom or the breakroom to lead with confidence, agility, vision, and accountability. If you are a CIO, CTO, enterprise architect, IT executive, or aspiring technology leader, this episode is a masterclass in resilient and responsible leadership. 🌐 Learn how Silver Creek supports enterprise digital transformation and AI governance atwww.silvercreek.ai 🎧 Subscribe for more conversations on data, AI, and tech leadership.

February 25, 202635 min

28. Building Modern Data Systems: Spark, Delta Lake, and Data Governance

In Episode 28 of the Silver Creek Insights Podcast, we sit down with Sergio Cuoto, Senior Data Engineer at Adevinta (Spain), to explore what modern data engineering really looks like in practice. Sergio breaks down the realities of building scalable data systems with Apache Spark and Delta Lake, why data governance is no longer optional, and how organizations must rethink culture, education, and career growth to successfully adopt new technologies. We also dive into the human side of data engineering—teaching, mentorship, and the mindset shifts required for teams to evolve alongside rapidly changing tools. This episode is a must-listen for data engineers, analytics leaders, and anyone navigating the intersection of technology, governance, and people in modern data platforms. 🎧 Listen now and explore how we help organizations build reliable, future-ready data systems atwww.silvercreek.ai

February 17, 202644 min

27. Design, Data, and Buy-In: Inside Digital Transformation with Yigit Karanfil

Digital transformation in architecture isn’t just about adopting new tools — it’s about aligning people, process, and creativity. In Episode 27 of the Silver Creek Insights Podcast, Yigit Karanfil, Director of Technology at INSTUDIO, joins us to unpack what design technology leadership looks like in the real world. From automating creative workflows to earning leadership buy-in, Yigit shares lessons from working at the intersection of architecture, engineering, and technology. We dive into change management in creative organizations, the importance of soft skills in tech leadership, and how multidisciplinary career paths shape better outcomes for teams navigating digital transformation. This episode is for design leaders, technologists, and anyone trying to bridge creativity and technology without losing either. 🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube 🌐 Learn how Silver Creek helps organizations lead digital transformation with clarity and confidence atwww.silvercreek.ai

February 3, 202626 min

26. The Human Side of AI Strategy, Governance, and Deployment

AI isn’t just a technical challenge — it’s a societal one. In Episode 26 of the Silver Creek Insights Podcast, Julian Plotnick, Founder of 4 Day Philly, joins us to unpack what it really takes to deploy AI responsibly in the real world. From agentic AI models and data infrastructure to public policy, governance, and workforce impact, this conversation explores how technology decisions ripple far beyond engineering teams. We dig into how organizations can balance innovation with regulation, why human-centered design matters more than ever, and what leaders need to understand as AI moves from experimentation to production. This episode is for builders, policymakers, and executives thinking seriously about the future of AI and the people it affects. 🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube 🌐 Learn more about our work atwww.silvercreek.ai

January 27, 202634 min

25. From Policy to Production: Building AI That Actually Works

AI doesn’t live in a vacuum — it lives inside systems, policies, and real people’s lives. In this episode of the Silver Creek Insights Podcast, we sit down with Oren Gruber, a technology leader with over 20 years of experience driving digital transformation across transportation and federal sectors. Oren shares a grounded perspective on what it really takes to move AI from strategy decks into production environments. We explore agentic AI models, the realities of data infrastructure at scale, and why governance, regulation, and public policy are inseparable from modern AI deployment. Oren also breaks down what human-centered technology actually means when systems affect safety, mobility, and public trust. This conversation is for leaders, builders, and policymakers navigating the intersection of AI innovation and societal impact. 🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube 🌐 Learn more about how we help organizations deploy AI responsibly at www.silvercreek.ai

January 20, 202638 min

24. Beyond the Hype: Building Reliable AI in the Real World

What happens when artificial intelligence leaves the lab and enters real products? In this episode of the Silver Creek Insights Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Ross Turner, former academic and founder in the AI space, to unpack how AI actually gets built, deployed, and trusted in business environments. We explore the real differences between Natural Language Generation and modern LLMs, why AI hallucinations remain a serious challenge, and how teams are thinking about agentic AI and automation beyond the hype. Ross also shares practical insights on applying machine learning in products, the trade-offs leaders face, and how reliability becomes a business problem — not just a technical one. If you’re building, buying, or leading with AI, this conversation offers clarity where there’s usually noise. 🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Music, or YouTube 🌐 Learn more atwww.silvercreek.ai

January 13, 202647 min

23. Data you can trust: Building reliability at scale

Can you scale trust if you can’t see what’s breaking underneath? In this episode of the Silver Creek Insights Podcast, Barr Moses, Co-Founder and CEO of Monte Carlo, joins us to talk about data reliability, observability frameworks, and what infrastructure at scale really demands from modern data leaders. Barr breaks down how AI is changing the future of BI, why observability must span the full data lifecycle, and how monitoring agents can accelerate data stewardship without replacing human judgment. We also explore how organizations can move beyond dashboards and toward conversational, trustworthy data experiences. Whether you’re building analytics platforms, AI products, or enterprise data systems, this episode offers practical insights into designing infrastructure that lasts. 🎧 Subscribe for more conversations on data, AI, and leadership 🌐 Discover how Silver Creek helps teams build reliable data systems atwww.silvercreek.ai

August 15, 202540 min

22. Built to Last: IoT Innovation with Jake Blair

Jake Blair has built IoT systems that don’t just live in the cloud, they touch the real world. From his early days in industrial settings to building smart hardware at Bastille Networks and other companies, Jake has lived the full spectrum of what "Made in America" tech means today. In this episode, he shares hard-won lessons on hardware, data pipelines, and designing for environments where things must work. Listen for insights on engineering resilience, navigating failure, and why empathy matters even in firmware. 🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube 🌐 Explore more at www.silvercreek.ai

July 31, 202549 min

21. AI with Empathy: Designing the Future of Medicine

In this episode of the Silver Creek Insights Podcast, we sit down with Brian Green, chief AI ethics officer at Health Vision AI and founding CEO of Envision Health AI. From building tools that assist clinicians to designing data systems that prioritize empathy, Brian shares what it really takes to design the future of medicine—responsibly. 🔍 In this episode, we explore: How AI is being integrated into healthcare workflows The importance of empathy-driven design in medical tools Challenges of AI implementation in high-stakes clinical environments The role of cross-functional collaboration between data teams and medical professionals Why ethical AI development in healthcare must balance innovation and trust Whether you're a health tech founder, data scientist, or clinician exploring AI in medicine, this conversation offers real insights into designing AI systems that improve care, not just efficiency. 🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube 🌐 Dive deeper into our work at www.silvercreek.ai