Shopping... who doesn’t enjoy shopping? My latest guest on the LEADERS podcast, Michelle Madhok, founded a company all about shopping called SheFinds Media. In a world where Amazon seems to be taking over and new rumors about the death of traditional brick and mortar retail pop up everyday, I wanted to pick Michelle's brain about the evolving retail ecosystem. We also discuss her journey as a founder, the benefits of email over social media, and more.

You may know Randi Zuckerberg from her time at Facebook working alongside her brother as the Director of Market Development and Spokeswoman. She left in 2011 to found her own company "Zuckerberg Media." She's an angel investor, she authored several New York Times Bestsellers, she's the creator of "Dot.", a children's book that was made into a TV series on CBS, the producer of two Broadway shows that are up for a combined 22 nominations, and she even performed on Broadway for the "Rock of Ages." We dive into her new book "Pick Three," discuss the impacts of technology today and in the future and more.

In this episode, I talk to Rand Fishkin, Moz and SparkToro Founder, about what he calls the web marketing apocalypse and what marketers can do to survive and thrive in the ever evolving digital marketing ecosystem. If you are not familiar with Rand, I highly recommend listening to some of our past interviews where we talk about how he founded Moz SEO and his new venture SparkToro. Rand is an authoritative and trusted voice in the Digital Marketing and SEO world.

What would you do after closing a life changing deal? Our guest on this episode of the "LEADERS" podcast, Charity Huff, has the answer. After selling her digital marketing company in 2013, Tru Measure, she picked up her kids and got milkshakes. We start our conversation there and then unpack the aftermath, her leadership style, and the digital transformation of the media industry.

Moz is hands down one of the best, if not the best resource online for SEO (Search Engine Optimization). I had the privilege of talking with the CEO of Moz, Sarah Bird. We took a deep dive on why this is the “Golden Age of SEO” and we discussed Sarah's dynamic leadership style. Our conversation kicks off with women in tech and why she prefers not to be called a "Woman CEO." Please enjoy my insightful conversation with Sarah Bird.

Dave Isbitski is the Chief Evangelist for Alexa at Amazon. Chances are you have a smart speaker in your home today. If you’re like me, you have an Amazon Echo with Alexa. I always tell people Alexa is one of those things that you didn’t know you need until you have it, and once you do, you’re not sure what you ever did without it. But what does the future hold for voice? And how can brands leverage this channel to build deeper connections with their customers? From beginners to voice experts this interview is jam-packed with thoughtful insights. Please enjoy my entertaining conversation with Dave Isbitski.

On the season finale of the LEADERS Podcast James talks to Laura Rich, the former CEO and Co-Founder of a media company called StreetFight, a regularly updated online trade publication covering hyperlocal business, local commerce, mobile, location-based companies, and services. Laura started StreetFight because she noticed a trend and a need, so she filled it. She focused on storytelling and the drama behind the local marketing industry to build StreeFight into an attractive acquisition opportunity for another company. A large part of the interview focuses on what happens after the sale of StreetFight. So if you're just starting a business, or you're looking to exit your current one this is the episode for you. They also dive into mentorship, women in business, and much more, enjoy our interview with Laura Rich.

On this episode of Leaders, James talks to Chris Bolte. Chris is the Founder and CEO of a company called Paysa. What is Paysa? It's a personalized career platform whose goal is to enable employees to optimize the value of their careers, across the full career arc. In other words, they help people understand what they are actually worth in the market today, and how to meet or exceed their worth. If you think we're going to talk about money in this episode you are right, but before we do, James talks to Chris about taking risks. More specifically the risks Chris took to get to the point in his career that he is today. If you're someone who is waiting to take a leap of faith, then this might just be the episode for you. Enjoy our interview with Chris Bolte.

Ben Gold is the president of QuickBridge, which offers working capital financing. He’s also a natural leader. He lives by a simple rule - discipline is freedom. Toward the end of our conversation, he shares a paradigm switching thought that I wanted to highlight for anyone listening to this show between the ages of 24 and 40. There’s a whole world of successful leaders out there that want to pass down knowledge to the younger generation. They’re just very selective about who they share it with.

On this episode of Leaders, Nathan Pettyjohn. Have you ever had an idea? Like a really good one that kept you up at night? Have you ever gotten to point where you said “I can’t let anyone else takes this idea? I’m the only one that can make it work.” If you have then you have a lot in common with today’s guest, Nathan Pettyjohn. He’s the CEO and Founder of Aisle411. They leverage virtual and artificial reality to help brands sell products. Nathan and James met a few years back at a conference and when Nathan started talking about VR and AR technology he lit up. It’s no wonder that his company has raised over $15 Million in venture capital funding. His journey from cushy salary job to budding entrepreneur might sound familiar to you, it’s a common founder story “I had the car, the money, etc.” But it might be identical to the crossroads you are standing at right now. Enjoy my far-ranging conversation with Nathan Pettyjohn.