Lead Human with Jack Myers and Tim Spengler

What actually drives growth in an AI-saturated world: better tools, or deeper trust?In this episode of Lead Human, Jack Myers and Tim Spengler sit down with Jeanniey Walden to talk about trust, leadership, AI, momentum, and the human side of business transformation.Jeanniey shares her path from earning $5.25 an hour at JCPenney to becoming a CMO, startup advisor, and founder of LiftOff Enterprises. She explains why the foundations of business have not changed—even as the tools have—and why trust is still the thing that creates belief, loyalty, and real growth. She also breaks down her AIR Method—Authenticity, Inspiration, and Relatability—and explains how leaders can use it to navigate change, communicate more honestly, and keep teams aligned when momentum slows.They also explore how to learn AI by actually using it, why speed and alignment are often in tension, what marketers can learn from digital’s early days, and why work-life “blend” may be more realistic than balance in today’s world.If you’re trying to lead through change without losing the human core of your company, this conversation is for you.Lead Human is hosted by Jack Myers & Tim Spengler, produced by Wondir Studios (Desta Wondirad), in association with Acast.

What does it take to lead 3,000 people through constant change at one of the most powerful media companies in the world?In this episode of Lead Human, Jack Myers and Tim Spengler sit down with Rita Ferro, President of Global Advertising at Disney, for a conversation about leadership, trust, technology, and how to keep teams aligned when the ground is always shifting.Rita shares what she learned directly from Bob Iger, including why technology should be treated as an enabler—not the core—and why the best leaders stay focused on their own game instead of chasing competitors. She talks about balancing data, automation, and programmatic buying with storytelling, human relationships, and long-term brand building, and explains why outcomes matter—but art and science still have to work together.They also get into how to succeed under new bosses, how to lead through discomfort, why overcommunication matters, and how her experience in international markets taught her to stay calm even when everything feels “squishy.” It’s a sharp, grounded conversation about how to win in modern business without losing the human side of leadership.Lead Human is hosted by Jack Myers & Tim Spengler, produced by Wondir Studios (Desta Wondirad), in association with Acast.

In this special Lead Human episode, Jack Myers and Tim Spengler skip the guest interview and go deep on one topic: sports.From college NIL deals and the changing economics of the NCAA, to the rising power of live sports in a fragmented media world, to exploding ticket prices, gambling, streaming, and whether capitalism is reshaping fandom itself, this conversation asks a bigger question: are we losing the human side of sports just as its business value reaches an all-time high?Jack and Tim also get into the emotional power of sports, the role of announcers, the globalization of fandom, the NFL’s outsized grip on media, and why live sports may be one of the last places where people still gather in real time around a shared experience. They close with a rapid-fire round on favorite teams, rivalries, jerseys, announcer calls, and sports memories.If you care about sports, media, culture, and what still brings people together, this one is for you.Lead Human is hosted by Jack Myers & Tim Spengler, produced by Wondir Studios (Desta Wondirad), in association with Acast.

What if the most important leadership skill isn’t strategy, vision, or execution—but care?In this episode of Lead Human, Jack Myers and Tim Spengler sit down with Lindsay Jurist-Rosner, founder and CEO of Wellthy, to talk about caregiving, empathy, entrepreneurship, and what leaders need to understand about the people they manage.Lindsay shares how years of caring for her mother shaped her identity, how that lived experience pushed her to leave a successful career in media and launch Wellthy, and why she believes caregiving is one of the clearest windows into the future of work. She explains how the medical part of care is often only a small fraction of the real burden families carry, and how leaders who understand that reality can unlock better performance, loyalty, and trust in their teams.They also get into entrepreneurship, resilience, building a company while wearing every hat, humor as a leadership tool, the rising cost of care, and why her biggest advice to caregivers is simple: stop striving for perfection.Lead Human is hosted by Jack Myers & Tim Spengler, produced by Wondir Studios (Desta Wondirad), in association with Acast.

What if empathy isn’t a soft skill at all—but the foundation of better leadership, hiring, and performance?In this episode of Lead Human, Jack Myers and Tim Spengler sit down with Camille Fetter, CEO of TalentFoot, to talk about executive search, vulnerability, compensation, change leadership, and what companies are really looking for in the age of AI.Camille explains why she sees empathy as the input and executive search as the output, why the goal is to find not just the best executive but the best human, and why leaders need to focus on being relatable, not performatively vulnerable. She also talks about measurable KPIs, how organizations are increasingly hiring for change-agent pedigrees, and why younger professionals should lean hard into AI fluency if they want to stay marketable.The conversation also explores education, reinvention, and what it means to build a career that gives you what Jack calls “soul fuel.” If you’re navigating leadership, hiring, AI, or the future of work, this episode offers a grounded and very human perspective.Lead Human is hosted by Jack Myers & Tim Spengler, produced by Wondir Studios (Desta Wondirad), in association with Acast.

What does it really take to build a company that people actually want to work at?In this episode of Lead Human, Jack Myers and Tim Spengler sit down with Joe Root, co-CEO and co-founder of Permutive, to talk about entrepreneurship, resilience, culture, privacy, and leading with purpose in the age of AI.Joe shares what it was like starting companies straight out of university, why Permutive took years of wandering before the business really found its shape, and the two skills he believes matter most in the early founder journey: curiosity and resilience. He also explains the difference between building a great product and building a great company, and why founders have to learn how to build great teams—not just great ideas.The conversation goes deep on psychological safety, multicultural teams, communicating vision differently to investors vs employees, and why advertising should respect consumer privacy instead of trying to work around it. Joe also lays out how AI could help create a healthier internet by automating repetitive work and giving people more room to make an outsized impact.If you care about leadership, startups, AI, or building an organization where people can do meaningful work, this conversation is for you.Lead Human is hosted by Jack Myers & Tim Spengler, produced by Wondir Studios (Desta Wondirad), in association with Acast.

What makes someone worth following?In this episode of Lead Human, Jack Myers and Tim Spengler sit down with Contessa Brewer, CNBC correspondent and one of the sharpest interviewers in business news, for a conversation about leadership, journalism, listening, and the future of truth in an algorithm-driven world.Contessa shares why the leaders she respects most are great listeners, how small signals like eye contact, follow-up questions, and even writing down a note can make people feel seen, and why that kind of validation creates real loyalty. She also talks about what she’s learned covering CEOs, how to communicate more effectively, and why curiosity might be the most underrated professional skill there is.The conversation also goes deep on the future of journalism: social media, citizen reporters, hyperlocal news, paywalls, live events, and the uncomfortable but necessary question every news company has to answer — how are we going to make money without compromising the truth?Along the way, Contessa opens up about a humiliating on-air mistake that turned into one of the greatest gifts of her life, the grace Jesse Jackson showed her afterward, and the lessons that shaped her as both a communicator and a human being.If you care about leadership, media, communication, or what it means to stay ethical in public, this episode is for you.Lead Human is hosted by Jack Myers & Tim Spengler, produced by Wondir Studios (Desta Wondirad), in association with Acast.

What does it take to lead 1,400 people across 91 markets while the media business keeps reinventing itself?In this episode of Lead Human, Jack Myers and Tim Spengler sit down with Dan Callahan, Chief Revenue Officer of Spectrum Reach, to talk about hard work, culture, family, sports, and the future of media.Dan shares how being a college athlete shaped his mindset around discipline, accountability, and showing up. He explains why great teams outperform their circumstances, why culture has to come before talent, and what it means to lead at scale when most of your organization isn’t in the same room.They also dig into Dan’s path from early programmatic at Fox to leading revenue at Spectrum Reach, why “raise your hand” has been a defining principle in his career, and why the next era of winning teams will automate the routine while pairing data with empathy, technology with transparency, and solutions with purpose.If you care about leadership, media, or building teams that can handle constant change without losing the human connection, this episode is for you.