The Geek Within

Hosted by Jeremy Wood

Technology

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Episodes

274

Latest episode

Oct 2026

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About the show

Hi, I'm Jeremy Wood, and as someone who participates in several IT communities, I realized there are so many people with remarkable stories on how they happened to land in an IT job. So often these great individuals are the business owners, influencers, and event speakers where we hear about the latest products and services that can help us move our customers forward, but we don't hear about them, what they do, why they do it, and how they came to be where they are today. This podcast series will focus on the people behind the products and services and we will get to hear their unique stories.

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60 recent

October 21, 2026Episode 27041 min

Ep270: Rebecca Link

🎙️ In Episode #270 of The Geek Within, my guest is Rebecca Link. She is the Chief Growth Officer at OneGlobe, a GovCon veteran of almost 20 years, an AI enthusiast, an Orals Coach, a Trainer, and a Public Speaker. A fun fact to get the conversation started is Rebecca has the trademark for PromptSmart™. 🔗 You can engage Rebecca here: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-link83/ Trademark - https://tmsearch.uspto.gov/search/search-results/98216701

October 14, 2026Episode 26930 min

Ep269: Mariana Lungu

🎙️ In Episode #269 of The Geek Within, my guest is Mariana Lungu. She is the Founder and Data Architect at Archetype Core, a data and AI consulting company focused on reliable, governed systems for federal and regulated environments. Mariana is a also former senior data engineer supporting USCIS programs and the Founder of The Ferne, which is a quite creative art studio focused on sculpture, painting, and working with materials. 🔗 You can engage Mariana here: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariana-lungu/ Website - https://archetypecore.com/ Art Studio - https://theferne.com/

September 30, 2026Episode 26856 min

Ep268: Carolyn Hantz

🎙️ In Episode #268 of The Geek Within, my guest is Carolyn Hantz. She is the Chief Executive Officer and an Executive Coach at Hantz Executive Coaching. Carolyn is a former Senior Executive Service leader with more than 40 years of distinguished federal service. Rising from an entry-level administrative role to senior leadership, she spent 16 years as an executive within the Inspector General community and served in key positions at the Departments of Defense, Energy, and Labor. Carolyn's mantra of "Excellence Delivered" resonates deeply with me. 🔗 You can engage Carolyn here: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynhantz/ Podcast - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWU9HfxCTI5I&si=k0Q-M54cNPFdx7oP Meet - https://callwithcarolynhantz.com

September 23, 2026Episode 26742 min

Ep267: Shannon Howard

🎙️ In Episode #267 of The Geek Within, my guest is Today's guest is Shannon Howard. He is a Lead Information Technology Specialist at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Shannon is also a graduate of the ACT-IAC Voyagers program in 2025. 🔗 You can engage Shannon here: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-howard-pmp-b3443849/

September 9, 2026Episode 26625 min

Ep266: Cory Garrett

🎙️ In Episode #266 of The Geek Within, my guest is Cory Garrett. He is the Director of Growth at SMX with a focus on Federal Financials and positioning products to Federal Civilian and Department of War agencies. 🔗 You can engage Cory here: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/corygarrett/

August 12, 2026Episode 26544 min

Ep265: Virginia Huth

🎙️ In Episode #265 of The Geek Within, my guest is Virginia Huth. She is the President and Founder of The Vantage Point Partners, which is a boutique consulting firm delivering actionable intelligence and strategic guidance tailored to the federal marketplace. Virginia is the Fed Whisperer as she has spent over 20 years of her career as a federal leader at numerous agencies and starting this year she is an Adjunct Professor of Public Policy at the University of Texas DC campus where she teaches the fundamentals of the Federal rulemaking process. 🔗 You can engage Virginia here: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/virginiahuth/ Website - https://www.thevantagepointpartners.com/

July 22, 2026Episode 26442 min

Ep264: Kim Pack

🎙️ In Episode #264 of The Geek Within, my guest is Kim Pack. She is the Founder and CEO of Gray Lens Consulting, where they focus on developing growth strategies, subject matter expert facilitation, training, and workshops. Kim and I met through our interactions in the ACT-IAC community, including our work happening right now with Associates 2026. 🔗 You can engage Kim here: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-pack-b629801/ Website - https://graylensconsulting.com/

July 15, 2026Episode 26339 min

Ep263: Amanda Chavez

🎙️ In Episode #263 of The Geek Within, my guest is Amanda Chavez. She is the Vice President of Federal Strategy at Qualtrics. Amanda was recently honored as a 2026 Service to the Citizen Award Winner in Category One, for Building a Customer-Focused Culture. 🔗 You can engage Amanda here: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandachavez08/

July 8, 2026Episode 26133 min

Ep262: Joshua Seckel

🎙️ In Episode #262 of The Geek Within, my guest is Joshua Seckel. He is the Chief Solutions Architect at Coforma. Joshua was previously the CIO for the Center for Devices and Radiological Heath at the FDA, but has always been focused on how to make government IT better. 🔗 You can engage Joshua here: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-seckel/

June 3, 2026Episode 25948 min

Ep261: Helene Johnson

🎙️ In Episode #261 of The Geek Within, my guest is Dr. Helene Johnson. She is the President and CEO of Next Wave Workforce Consulting where she helps organizations navigate AI transformation without losing the institutional knowledge that makes them competitive. With 46 years in technology leadership, including serving as the Deputy CIO at the U.S. Department of Education and founding Bid2Win Consulting, Dr. Johnson brings a rare combination of technical depth and workforce strategy to the AI conversation. 🔗 You can engage Helene here: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenejohnson/