UNSCRIPTED

Hosted by Future of Field Service

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403

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Nov 2026

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About the show

The UNSCRIPTED podcast takes an honest look at how business leaders are evolving, innovating, and overcoming today’s biggest challenges. With discussions focused on the firsthand perspective of leaders across industries and around the globe, you gain a front row seat to the tales of the trials and triumphs they experience as they modernize their businesses – and themselves. This podcast is hosted by Sarah Nicastro, who has more than 15 years’ tenure covering business transformation, technology, and leadership trends.

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November 11, 2026Episode 38232 min

How Does AI Change the Servitization Landscape? | Ali Bigdeli, Aston Business School

Ali Bigdeli — Professor of Industrial Service Innovation at Aston Business School and Co-Director of the Advanced Services Group — joins Sarah Nicastro to talk about where AI is actually moving the needle for manufacturers exploring outcome-based services. Fresh from Field Service Next Europe in Amsterdam, Ali shares his take on the three trends reshaping advanced services, what it really takes to shift from product to service-led business models, and why the moment to act is now. They also get into the four forces and trigger points that shape a servitization journey, why guaranteeing outcomes has historically felt too risky, and how industrial AI is changing that calculation. The conversation wraps on something Ali feels strongly about: the technology only works if the people and culture are ready for it. New episodes of UNSCRIPTED drop every Wednesday.

November 4, 2026Episode 38136 min

6 Lessons from Field Service Next Europe 2026

Sarah Nicastro attended Field Service Next Europe 2026 in Amsterdam and is sharing the six moments that stood out. From Patricia Sabera of Unisys on shifting from SLAs to XLAs, to Carolyn Hagstrom Markland of Vattenfall on what people-first transformation actually looks like in practice, to the question dividing the industry right now: should technicians sell? A technician arrives with an S on their chest, but is it Superman or a dollar sign?

October 28, 2026Episode 756 min

Wired Differently: Finding Your Fit in Field Service with Mitch White, Schneider Electric

Mitch White didn’t follow the expected route. He left college, discovered field service through a cable and internet company, spent six years in the U.S. Coast Guard, and eventually landed at Schneider Electric - where he’s now a Territory Manager leading a team in Tennessee. Along the way he picked up a bachelor’s in electrical technology and a master’s in business. Not in that order. In this episode of Frontline UNSCRIPTED, Mitch talks with Sarah Nicastro about what it really means to be “wired differently” for field service, how organizations can better recognize and retain frontline talent, why removing roadblocks is his core job as a manager, and what senior leaders need to do to stay connected to the people doing the work. If you’re thinking about field service as a career, leading a frontline team, or trying to figure out how to hold on to your best people - this one’s worth your time. New episodes every Wednesday. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

October 22, 2026Episode 929 min

Crossing the T's and Dotting the I's - An IFS Unleashed 2026 Recap

Berend goes solo to recap IFS Unleashed 2026, working from notes on a phone that nearly didn't survive the week.He structures his takeaways around five T's and five I's — Trust, Time, Tempo, Talent, Teamwork, Intelligence, Investment, Integrity, Insincerity and Innovation — drawing on moments with Mark Moffat, Tom Brady, Chamath Palihapitiya, Badi Narasimhan from William Grant & Sons, and Sarah Nicastro.Why does trust decide whether frontline teams adopt AI at all? What does a whiskey distillery teach us about time as a business strategy? Can AI actually close a 1.9 million-worker skills gap in manufacturing? And when a machine takes an action, who owns the outcome?This episode covers the launch of IFS Intelligence, the tension between "speed is life" and Dario Amodei's AI warnings, the robot that might need its own airline seat, and what Tom Brady's take on teamwork has to do with getting an industrial operation to perform at its best.Future of Assets is a platform for asset management leaders. Find more at futureofassets.com.

October 21, 2026Episode 38031 min

My Top 10 IFS Unleashed 2026 Highlights (Part 2) | UNSCRIPTED

Sarah Nicastro spent the week at IFS Unleashed in Orlando and is sharing the second half of her top 10 personal highlights from the event. This episode picks up where Monday’s article left off — if you want the first five highlights, head to the Future of Field Service website: https://www.futureoffieldservice.com/my-top-10-highlights-ifs-unleashed-2026-part-1/ Highlights #6–10 cover some of the conversations and moments that stood out most — including how industrial AI is accelerating the servitization journey, why trust becomes more valuable as AI takes on more, and genuinely inspiring perspectives on leadership, community, and what it means to be a role model. Tom Brady, Chamath Palihapitiya, Alexis Ohanian, and Chelsea FC Women’s CEO Aki Mandar all made an impression. Topics covered: How is industrial AI reshaping the path to outcomes-based services? Why does trust become a competitive advantage in an AI-heavy business environment? What Chamath Palihapitiya said about encoding tribal knowledge and de-levering from power Tom Brady on shielding yourself from failure and what leadership responsibility actually looks like Alexis Ohanian on community as a “Trojan horse” in a world full of AI-generated content What a “mini legacy” looks like and why it matters Aki Mandar on role models, doing the right thing, and holding power to account Host: Sarah Nicastro, Creator and Editor in Chief, Future of Field Service

October 14, 2026Episode 641 min

What the Frontline Needs From Its Leaders | Frontline UNSCRIPTED Ep. 6

Nick Richards spent more than 13 years as a field service engineer at Cubic Transportation Systems before stepping into management. That experience sits close to the surface in everything he talks about in this episode. He joins Sarah Nicastro to discuss what leaders get wrong about the frontline, why recognition so often misses the mark, and what a genuine commitment to knowing your team actually looks like in practice. He also talks about how Cubic is approaching diversity in hiring — including neurodiversity and women in engineering — and why he believes field service managers, not HR departments, should own the recruitment process. This is a conversation for anyone leading a frontline team, or anyone trying to understand what today's field service workforce actually needs to stay and grow. Topics covered: - What top-level leadership consistently misses about the frontline role - Why a simple "thanks" isn't always enough — and what actually lands - Why Nick refuses to be called "boss" - How Cubic is building more diverse field service teams - Neurodiversity in field service hiring — seeing strengths, not risks - Getting more women into field engineering roles - What a better recruitment process looks like in practice - Why managers should own hiring, not just HR - What younger and more experienced engineers want from their leaders - The changing nature of pride in the field service role Guest: Nick Richards, Interim Head of Field Services, Cubic Transportation Systems Host: Sarah Nicastro, Creator & Editor in Chief, Future of Field Service

October 7, 2026Episode 37924 min

Honeywell's AI-Powered Service Evolution | Yasir Sheikh | Standout UNSCRIPTED Ep. 379

Yasir Sheikh, Global Service Transformation Leader at Honeywell Technologies and 2026 Stand Out 50 leader, joins Sarah Nicastro to explore how AI is changing service delivery - from predictive to prescriptive maintenance, why change management is the part of transformation most organizations get wrong, and the analogy for getting transformation right that Sarah says she won't forget.

October 1, 2026Episode 845 min

Why Does Your Win Need to Come from AI? | Ashley Gross, The Alliance | Ep. 8

When a CEO tells Ashley Gross they need an AI win, her first question is always: why does the win need to come from AI? In this episode of Assets UNSCRIPTED, host Berend Booms sits down with Ashley, founder and CEO of The Alliance and author of The AI Workweek, to explore what actually makes AI pay off in the day-to-day work of an organisation. Ashley rebuilt her 80-hour work week down to 15 hours before ChatGPT existed, has since helped Fortune 500 companies figure out what AI is genuinely worth doing, and now describes herself as a business therapist between IT and business teams. The conversation covers AI fatigue among frontline workers, why AI is putting more pressure on senior leaders than entry-level staff, and whether Dario Amodei's call to slow AI development is a valid concern or smart timing.

September 30, 2026Episode 37828 min

Podcast Takeover: Future of Field Service Live London Highlights | Berend Booms | UNSCRIPTED Ep. 378

Berend Booms, Associate Editor of Future of Assets, takes over the mic to share his key takeaways from Future of Field Service Live London. Session by session, he covers what stood out, what surprised him, and what he will carry with him. And in a nod to Rob Stevenson's keynote on music and energy, he picks a song to go with every part of the day.

September 23, 2026Episode 37720 min

5 Takeaways from the Service Council Symposium 2026 | Sarah Nicastro | UNSCRIPTED Ep. 377

Sarah Nicastro is just back from the Service Council Symposium in Chicago. In this solo episode she shares her five personal takeaways — from why the employee experience conversation is finally going deeper than the talking point, to "digital rocks not digital popcorn," to the empathy insight from EchoStar's Melissa Perkle Bailey that she says she'll come back to time and time again.