North Star Leaders

Can company culture be engineered as intentionally as a product roadmap - and should it be? In this episode, Lindsay sits down with Robert Wahbe, CEO of Highspot, to explore how purposeful leadership, clear guiding principles, and a bias toward action fuel both performance and purpose. Robert shares how Highspot created a culture that values speed, detail, and humanity - and why having more values, not fewer, might be the secret to making them stick. You’ll hear them discuss: * How Highspot built its culture through 11 guiding principles - and why quantity matters * Why vague company values are "great for a poster" but useless in daily decision-making * What it means to lead with urgency while still inspiring trust and deep respect * How to balance bold innovation with attention to detail - and why those ideas often clash * The real reasons product launches fail, and how to close the gap between vision and execution * Why constraints drive creativity, and how purpose can act as a powerful constraint * How AI powers insight at Highspot by helping companies amplify what works and fix what doesn’t Resources: Robert Wahbe on the Highspot [https://www.highspot.com/] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertwahbe] Lindsay Pedersen - Contact me to tell me who you'd like to hear as a guest! [https://ironcladbrandstrategy.com/contact] | Connect with me on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsaypedersen/]

What does it really mean to build a business where purpose and profit don’t just coexist—but actively fuel each other? Can you scale without selling out, especially in a creative industry being disrupted by AI? In this episode, Lindsay speaks with Kakul Srivastava, CEO of Splice, a leading platform used by music creators worldwide. Drawing from her experience at values-driven companies like Flickr and GitHub, Kakul shares how she leads with clarity, protects artistic integrity in the age of AI, and makes space for creativity in both product and culture. This conversation explores what it really takes to build a purpose-centered business that scales without losing its soul. You’ll hear them discuss: * How Splice’s subscription model creates mutual accountability with users and reinforces the company’s commitment to quality and trust * Why Kakul and her team drew a clear ethical line when integrating AI - training only on content they have rights to, out of deep respect for creators * What makes music a uniquely visceral art form, and how it shapes the raw, emotional nature of the music creators Splice serves * How Kakul leads with care, high standards, and an obsession with data - not for metrics alone, but as signals of customer needs and behaviors * The identity struggle many artists face balancing creativity with commercial demands, and how Splice supports both personal expression and livelihood * Why scaling a purpose-driven company demands just as much internal growth from leaders as it does from teams, products, and systems * The shift from simply providing creative tools to becoming a true partner in the music-making process - and why that’s where the magic happens Resources: Kakul Srivastava on Splice [https://splice.com/] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kakul/] Lindsay Pedersen - Contact me to tell me who you'd like to hear as a guest! [https://ironcladbrandstrategy.com/contact] | Connect with me on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsaypedersen/]

Is being the smartest person in the room holding you — and your business — back? What if the biggest leadership flex isn’t personal brilliance, but building a team that outshines you? In this episode of North Star Leaders, Lindsay Pedersen sits down with Joe Davy, CEO of Banzai — a high-growth SaaS company giving marketers AI-powered “superpowers” through tools like Demio, OpenReel, and Create Studio. Joe opens up about his evolution from an ambitious solo founder to a leader who believes the smartest move is surrounding yourself with people who are better than you. From organizational behavior to AI-driven marketing, Joe shares candid insights on how he learned to let go of ego, embrace complexity, and scale both his company and his mindset. You’ll hear them discuss: * People-first leadership  - Why building a team you enjoy and trust is more powerful than being the hero with all the answers. * Letting go of ego - How Joe stopped trying to outsmart people problems and started hiring people who outsmarted him. * Soft skills supremacy - Why emotional intelligence, motivation, and communication aren’t “nice to have” — they’re mission-critical. * The education gap - How traditional schooling trains us to win alone - and why that’s a dangerous setup for future leaders. * Learning through fire - Joe’s belief that the best way to grow is to get thrown into the rapids — and sometimes fall in. * Athletics and leadership - The surprising ways team sports prepare you better for leadership than most MBA programs. * AI in marketing - How Banzai is creating seamless, scalable tools that give marketers an edge in an attention-fractured world. Resources: Joe Davy on the Banzai [https://www.banzai.io/] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joedavy/] | X (Twitter) [https://x.com/jpdavy] Lindsay Pedersen - Contact me to tell me who you'd like to hear as a guest! [https://ironcladbrandstrategy.com/contact] | Connect with me on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsaypedersen/]

What if Olympic-level care wasn’t just for athletes—but for every woman navigating midlife health? In this energizing episode, Lindsay speaks with Olympic gold medalist turned tech entrepreneur Jennifer Heil, founder and CEO of Rya Health. From standing at the top of a ski slope under global pressure to building a health platform set to revolutionize women's care, Jenn shares the mindset shifts and lived experiences that fuel her mission. They talk resilience, redefining success, and how AI can unlock a more empowered healthcare future for women everywhere. You’ll hear them discuss: • Courageous decision-making as Jenn took a full year off from elite skiing at 19, despite national criticism • Burnout and heartbreak as powerful signals for transformation—not failure • Systemic gaps in women’s healthcare and how Raya Health is designing a new paradigm • Self-advocacy as a skill honed in Olympic sport—and critical for women managing their health • AI and accessibility in scaling elite care to every woman, not just the privileged few • Redefining success by shifting from outcomes like medals to being fully prepared and regret-free • Leadership balance between bold vision and daily execution, and the power of complementary co-founders • Midlife health challenges from fatigue to hormonal shifts—and the medical system’s current blind spots • Working in your superpowers and the goal of spending 70% of your time where you're at your natural best Resources: Jenn Heil on the Rya Health [https://www.ryahealth.ai/] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-heil/] Amazon: The Red-Haired Woman by Orhan Pamuk [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Red-Haired-Woman-Orhan-Pamuk/dp/0571330304] Lindsay Pedersen - Contact me to tell me who you'd like to hear as a guest! [https://ironcladbrandstrategy.com/contact] | Connect with me on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsaypedersen/]

What if sticking to your guns—not chasing the buzz—was the boldest, and most successful, strategy of all? In this episode of North Star Leaders, Lindsay talks with Doug Winter, CEO and co-founder of Seismic, the category-defining sales enablement platform. Doug shares what it takes to build something enduring in a world obsessed with fast wins—revealing why commitment, clarity, and consistency are more than just leadership traits; they’re competitive advantages. Whether you're creating a category, scaling a team, or building a brand that customers swear by, this conversation will recalibrate your view on what sustainable success really looks like. You’ll hear them discuss: * The uphill battle of category creation — how Doug and the Seismic team turned “enablement” from a fuzzy buzzword into a widely respected discipline * Why staying consistent builds trust — and how resisting the urge to rebrand or chase trends can actually create lasting market leadership * How leaders serve as emotional counterweights — showing calm through chaos and perspective through celebration to keep teams grounded and resilient * Why Seismic chose San Diego over Silicon Valley — and how that decision helped attract the right talent, shape company culture, and signal long-term thinking * How customer obsession built Seismic’s brand — from million-dollar multi-year deals to customers who bring Seismic with them to every new job * What makes culture stick when you scale — and how Seismic evolved from “unwritten values” to rituals that reinforce what matters most * The growth edge Doug’s navigating now — shifting from a startup mindset to running a mature, efficient business without losing the spark Resources: Doug Winter on the Seismic [https://seismic.com/] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/doug-winter/] Lindsay Pedersen - Contact me to tell me who you'd like to hear as a guest! [https://ironcladbrandstrategy.com/contact] | Connect with me on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsaypedersen/]