MTMG's IT Roundtable

MTMG’s Rosie Rewired with Cait Espe: Navigating Allyship and AI in Tech

Cait Espe explains how her transition from female-led salon operations to the male-dominated tech sector served as a catalyst for her advocacy for women in STEM. She provides clear distinctions between mentors who talk to you, sponsors who talk about you, and allies who stand with you to ensure your voice is heard. The episode also dives into the risks of gender bias in AI and why women must take an active role in prompting humanistic and inclusive values into large language models. Timeline: 🏢 01:12 Cait's 15-year background in salon and luxury spa operations💻 01:56 Transitioning into B2B Tech SaaS and facing culture shock🗣️ 04:58 Defining the differences between mentors, sponsors, and allies🤖 11:51 Addressing potential gender bias and human elements within AI📈 17:53 Advice for leveraging networks and embracing professional discomfort🎤 20:39 MTMG Questions Cait emphasizes that women in leadership should actively seek out diverse support systems and be vocal about their needs to build confidence in new environments. This proactive approach ensures that women not only have a seat at the table but also the necessary advocacy to be heard. Helpful Tip: Don’t shy away from having uncomfortable conversations or seeking help and advice, as engaging in these meaningful interactions is incredibly valuable for career growth. Music/Artists Mentioned: Olivia Dean YouTube Link [https://www.youtube.com/@oliviadean] - Cait enjoys her jazzy R&B voice and strong stage presence. 🔗 Connect with Us:✅ Check out our website: www.mtmg.eu ✅ Learn more about the amazing software we use to create these podcasts (Descript): https://get.descript.com/mtu0tl2zr3g7 [https://get.descript.com/mtu0tl2zr3g7] ✅ Want the same microphones we use? Get a discount (use coupon code “MTMG” for 10% off): https://www.maono.com/?ref=ulcbmcjk [https://www.maono.com/?ref=ulcbmcjk] 📧 Suggestions or want to appear on a future episode? Email: podcast@mtmg.eu 💡 Need expert help to maximize your IT investments? Reach out: info@mtmg.eu 🔔 Don’t forget to subscribe to the Podcast and follow us on LinkedIn! https://www.linkedin.com/company/mtmg-eu [https://www.linkedin.com/company/mtmg-eu]

MTMG’s Rosie Rewired with Emma Langford: Why Art Still Matters In The Age Of AI

Singer-songwriter Emma Langford joins the conversation tounpack how technology shapes modern music-making, why AI needs real guardrails, and what gets lost when we outsource human growth to machines. She shares whatit’s like building soundscapes for a stage adaptation of her partner’s novel Me, Myself and Them, and why studio experimentation is its own creative craft. Emma also reflects on writing an overt, rage-fueled response to the Natasha O’Brien court case and what it means to keep breaking glass ceilings when it would be easier to stay quiet.   Key Events Timeline 🎭 00:00 New Stage Project: Turning A Novel Into A Dark, Musical Soundscape 🎛️03:00 How Studio Tech Becomes Part Of The Songwriting Process 🤖05:00 AI, Power, And Why Admin Should Be Automated—Not Art ⚡11:00 Writing A Protest Track In Real Time After The Natasha O’Brien Case 🧱16:00 The Seduction Of Eve, Glass Ceilings, And Choosing Not To Stay Small   Books Mentioned: Me, Myself and Them by Dan Mooney — the novel Emma’spartner wrote (and that they’re now bringing to the stage). https://www.amazon.com/Me-Myself-Them-Dan-Mooney/dp/0778307778 Music/Artists Mentioned: Emma's Bandcamp site to find all of her music: https://emmalangfordmusic.bandcamp.com/ Emma Langford — Boys Will Be Boys (F* That)** — https://youtu.be/foHKwZSFt6w?si=9PIqMYrOFT5AYv8R Emma Langford — The Seduction of Eve — https://youtu.be/5Zs7Q26Nkjw?si=hXjaY7lF_cf_9F5U Emma Langford — Birdsong - https://youtu.be/HwcAzf9GUDo?si=tg9xogsWX5OQbgW- Emma Langford — Goodbye Hawaii – the origin of the “mouth horn” https://youtu.be/ZsgZQOGZqsM?si=3oqteXmx63egL2lF   🔗 Connect with Us: ✅ Check out our website: www.mtmg.eu [http://www.mtmg.eu] ✅Learn more about the amazing software we use to create these podcasts(Descript): https://get.descript.com/mtu0tl2zr3g7 [https://get.descript.com/mtu0tl2zr3g7] ✅Want the same microphones we use? Get a discount (use coupon code “MTMG” for 10% off): https://www.maono.com/?ref=ulcbmcjk [https://www.maono.com/?ref=ulcbmcjk] 📧Suggestions or want to appear on a future episode? Email: podcast@mtmg.eu 💡Need expert help to maximize your IT investments? Reach out: info@mtmg.eu 🔔Don’t forget to subscribe to the Podcast and follow us on LinkedIn! https://www.linkedin.com/company/mtmg-eu [https://www.linkedin.com/company/mtmg-eu]

MTMG’s Rosie Rewired with Janice Marquardt: The Value of E-Auctions

Procurement leader Janice Marquardt shares how moderne-auction programs drive clarity, speed, and transparency—without devolving into “race to the bottom” pricing. She lays out the right order of buy-in (executives → procurement → technical teams → suppliers) and how language andexpectations shape outcomes. Janice also walks through a real rollout that delivered $2M in value within 12 weeks across ~60 auctions on ~$58M in spend, plus why municipalities can succeed when quality and safety are front-and-center. Key Events Timeline 🟣 00:00:00 Janice’s path from engineering to procurement and launching her consultancy 📘00:04:00 E-auctions 101 and why she wrote Transform Procurement: The Value of E-Auctions 🚦00:07:00 Myth-busting: not a race to the bottom—scope clarity, speed, and market transparency 🧭00:11:00 Change management: the exact buy-in sequence that makes programs stick 🚀00:14:00 Fast start: 12-week rollout, ~$2M value, ~60 auctions on ~$58M spend ❓00:19:00 MTMG Questions Helpful Tip: Secure executive buy-in first, thenalign your procurement team before looping in technical stakeholders and suppliers. A smart e-auction program begins with executive alignmentand continues by equipping procurement to tell the value story—before engaging technical teams or suppliers. Done this way, e-auctions become a negotiation superpower rather than a blunt cost hammer. Notable ReferencesBooks Mentioned: Transform Procurement: The Value ofE-Auctions — Janice Marquardt (Amazon):https://www.amazon.ie/Transform-Procurement-Auctions-Janice-Marquardt/dp/B0F8BDR69X Podcasts Mentioned: Dare to Lead — Brené Brown(Spotify): https://open.spotify.com/show/3oEPsPKDhPVoNNL7pH5db6 [https://open.spotify.com/show/3oEPsPKDhPVoNNL7pH5db6?utm_source=chatgpt.com] Dare to Lead — Emily & Amelia Nagoski on Burnout (Spotify episode): https://open.spotify.com/episode/5n3wvqU0Tt9eKWAZZX9Vww [https://open.spotify.com/episode/5n3wvqU0Tt9eKWAZZX9Vww?utm_source=chatgpt.com] Music/Artists Mentioned: “Into the Unknown” — IdinaMenzel & AURORA (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIOyB9ZXn8s [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIOyB9ZXn8s&utm_source=chatgpt.com] 🔗 Connect with Us: ✅ Check out our website: www.mtmg.eu [http://www.mtmg.eu] ✅ Learn more about the amazing software we use to create these podcasts (Descript): https://get.descript.com/mtu0tl2zr3g7 [https://get.descript.com/mtu0tl2zr3g7] ✅Want the same microphones we use? Get a discount (use coupon code “MTMG” for 10% off): https://www.maono.com/?ref=ulcbmcjk [https://www.maono.com/?ref=ulcbmcjk] 📧Suggestions or want to appear on a future episode? Email: podcast@mtmg.eu 💡Need expert help to maximize your IT investments? Reach out: info@mtmg.eu 🔔Don’t forget to subscribe to the Podcast and follow us on LinkedIn! https://www.linkedin.com/company/mtmg-eu [https://www.linkedin.com/company/mtmg-eu]

MTMG’s Rosie Rewired with Melinda Kinney: Future-Proofing Hospitality & Telecom Spend

Hospitality and telecom expert Melinda Kinney breaks down how hotels and small businesses can audit their current technology, eliminate waste, and redirect spend into future-proofed solutions. She explains why RFPs must look beyond the next three to five years, how AI is reshaping requirements, and where leaders commonly overspend on legacy services. With nearly 30 years in telecom, Melinda outlines a simple three-step path: inventory what you have, align to business needs, then source smarter options—delivered with a “heart of hospitality.” Helpful Tip: A quick way to unlock savings is to map your invoices to actual usage, retire anything you no longer need, and replace outdated tools with modern equivalents that support where your business is headed. Start with a line-by-line audit of telecom/IT invoices, cut unused legacy services, and reinvest the savings into future-proofed solutions. Key Events Timeline🎙️ 00:00:00 Welcome & who Melinda helps (hospitality + small business). 🧭 00:03:00 RFPs and true future-proofing beyond 3–5 years. 🤖 00:05:00 AI’s rapid impact on tech planning and budgets. ✂️ 00:06:30 Immediate wins: cut unused legacy services to reduce spend. 📋 00:08:00 The three-step approach: audit → business needs → market options. ❓ 00:10:00 MTMG Questions Notable References Books Mentioned: How to Do the Work by Dr. Nicole LePera — self-help on meaningful change Podcasts Mentioned: Huberman Lab — science-based tools for health & performance Music/Artists Mentioned: “Home” by Michael Bublé — go-to mood boost Connect with Us✅ Check out our website: www.mtmg.eu✅ Learn more about the amazing software we use to create these podcasts (Descript): https://get.descript.com/mtu0tl2zr3g7✅ Want the same microphones we use? Get a discount (use coupon code “MTMG” for 10% off): https://www.maono.com/?ref=ulcbmcjk 📧 Suggestions or want to appear on a future episode? Email: podcast@mtmg.eu 💡 Need expert help to maximize your IT investments? Reach out: info@mtmg.eu 🔔 Don’t forget to subscribe to the Podcast and follow us on LinkedIn!https://www.linkedin.com/company/mtmg-eu

MTMG’s Rosie Rewired with Anne Mitchell: Marketing That Actually Works

Fractional CMO Anne Mitchell breaks down how small andmidsize B2B firms can stop doing random acts of marketing and build a simple, end-to-end system that actually produces pipeline. She explains why only a small slice of your market is ready to buy right now and how a nurturing engineturns the rest into future revenue. You’ll hear a practical framework for sharpening positioning (think: becoming the UCaaS leader in your city), keeping websites aligned to your message, and using AI without sounding like everyoneelse. Real, workable advice—no fluff—plus examples from the channel and growth-stage teams.   Key Events Timeline 🟢 00:00:00 Welcome + why “random acts of marketing” fail 🚀00:01:00 Founding ChannelSpring to serve underserved partners 💼00:03:00 Fractional CMO value: Fortune-100 expertise in ~10 hours/month 🔁00:05:00 Holistic system: 5% in-market, nurture the other 95%; fix the website first 🎯00:09:00 Nail the niche: one offering, multiple buyers; UCaaS-in-St. Louis example ❓00:16:00 MTMG Questions   Notable References When in doubt, return to the buyer. Anne’s go-to move is the“So what?” test—ask it five times until the benefit is unmistakably clear for each decision-maker (CIO, CFO, CRO).   Books Mentioned: Well-Oiled Operations™: HowBusiness Owners Scale Up While Scaling Back — Stacy Tuschl (Amazon; practical systems for delegating). Amazon [https://www.amazon.com/Well-Oiled-OperationsTM-Business-Owners-Scaling/dp/0996810447?utm_source=chatgpt.com]   Connect with Us ✅ Check out our website: www.mtmg.eu [http://www.mtmg.eu] ✅ Learn more about the amazingsoftware we use to create these podcasts (Descript): https://get.descript.com/mtu0tl2zr3g7 [https://get.descript.com/mtu0tl2zr3g7] ✅ Want the same microphones we use? Get a discount (use coupon code “MTMG” for 10% off): https://www.maono.com/?ref=ulcbmcjk [https://www.maono.com/?ref=ulcbmcjk] 📧 Suggestions or want to appear on a future episode? Email: podcast@mtmg.eu 💡 Need expert help to maximize your IT investments? Reach out: info@mtmg.eu 🔔 Don’t forget to subscribe to the Podcast and follow us on LinkedIn! https://www.linkedin.com/company/mtmg-eu [https://www.linkedin.com/company/mtmg-eu]