Silicon Heartland Sessions

🎙️ Episode 45: From Curiosity to CEO - Rehgan Bleile’s Journey Into AI

🎙️ Episode 45: From Curiosity to CEO - Rehgan Bleile’s Journey Into AIIn this episode of Silicon Heartland Sessions, we sit down with Rehgan Bleile, CEO and visionary leader who turned early curiosity about technology into a career at the forefront of artificial intelligence. Rehgan pulls back the curtain on the leaps, pivots, and human insights that powered her rise - from her first encounters with tech to building teams, shaping culture, and leading innovation in an era where AI is rewriting what’s possible.This conversation goes beyond strategy and tools. Rehgan talks about the mindset that separates “doing tech” from leading with purpose, the importance of empathy in decision-making, and how staying curious doesn’t just spark ideas - it sustains leadership through change.Listeners will walk away with real, actionable takeaways - from how to build credibility as a young leader, to the art of synthesizing technical opportunity with business impact, to the role of human judgment in an AI-driven world.🔑 What You’ll Hear in This Episode • How Rehgan’s curiosity became a career compass • The human skills that fuel leadership in AI environments • Real talk on navigating ambiguity and rapid change • The importance of blending tech fluency with empathy and business insight • How teams and leaders can thrive as AI evolves workplaces⸻🙌 Special Thanks to Our SponsorsBig Kitty Labs – A Columbus-based software design and development partner helping bring ideas to life with mobile, web, and custom solutions. Glean – Work AI that works — bringing enterprise knowledge and AI-powered search together to make teams more productive. Expedient – A full-stack cloud and managed services provider empowering organizations with secure, scalable infrastructure and multi-cloud solutions. Sigma Computing – A cloud-native analytics and BI platform that empowers business users to explore and act on data without complexity. ⸻🎧 Now streaming on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and wherever you listen.

🎙️ Episode 44: Live from Cloud Nirvana Cleveland - Tech Meets Humanity

🎙️ Episode 44: Live from Cloud Nirvana Cleveland - Tech Meets Humanity Recorded live at Cloud Nirvana Cleveland, this powerful panel dives deep into the intersection of emerging technology and the human experience. Moderated by Sean Erikson, this vibrant discussion features a dynamic lineup of leaders: * John Paganini, CEO @ CrewTracker Software * Aud Jucaitis, SVP, NextGen Enterprise Transformation @ KeyBank * Nicole Stika, Director, Sustainability Advisory @ World Kinect * Tracey Forde Weaver, Lead Director, Product Management & Innovation @ CVS Health Together, they explore how AI is reshaping workforces, guiding strategic build-vs-buy decisions, redefining the role of human ingenuity, and challenging organizations to think differently about sustainability, trust, transparency, and upskilling. Their insights are practical, grounded, and deeply human. Whether you’re an enterprise leader, startup innovator, or tech practitioner navigating AI’s rapid evolution, this conversation offers powerful takeaways for your journey. 🙌 Special Thanks to Our Sponsors: • Rackspace Technology – We advise, design, build, and manage solutions across multicloud, applications, data, and security. • Varonis – The leader in data security and insider threat detection. • Trace3 – AI to help your business run, grow, and transform. • Sigma Computing – Business intelligence built for the cloud. Live, collaborative analytics for data-driven teams. 🎧 Available now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you listen.

🎙️ Episode 43: Live from Cloud Nirvana Columbus - Tech Meets Humanity

🎙️ Episode 43: Live from Cloud Nirvana Columbus - Tech Meets HumanityRecorded live at the Cloud Nirvana conference in Columbus on September 3, 2025, this special episode brings together an extraordinary panel of leaders to explore how AI can elevate - not replace - human potential.Our guests include: • Robin Barbacane, Global Chief Talent Development Officer, Rackspace Technology • Manisha Mahawar, VP TPM, AI Tooling at OpenTable • Kelly Wilson, VP Talent Management, Cardinal Health • Jen Dunlap, Director at Turnberry Solutions • Lacey Picazo, CEO & Founder of Zoco DesignTogether, they dive into the real-world challenges and opportunities at the intersection of AI, talent development, human behavior, and culture. From AI onboarding to internal Tinker Labs, from team empowerment to rethinking career paths, this episode is packed with honest insights, practical wisdom, and contagious optimism.Whether you’re an enterprise leader navigating change or a technologist redefining your role in the age of AI, this conversation will leave you inspired - and equipped.Tune in and share with your network - because the future of tech is human.🙌 Special Thanks to Our Sponsors: • Rackspace Technology – We advise, design, build, and manage solutions across multicloud, applications, data, and security. • Varonis – The leader in data security and insider threat detection. • Trace3 – AI to help your business run, grow, and transform. • Sigma Computing – Business intelligence built for the cloud. Live, collaborative analytics for data-driven teams.🎧 Available now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you listen.

🎙️ Episode 42: Remote, Resilient, Real - The Culture That Actually Works

🎙️ Episode 42: Remote, Resilient, Real - The Culture That Actually WorksIn this episode, Warner Moore shares how his remote-first companies stay connected and intentional - not through office mandates, but through values, empathy, and smart rituals.From virtual lunch-and-learns to people-first decision making, Warner shows that great remote cultures aren’t an accident - they’re designed.💬 “It’s just being thoughtful in how we work together and making sure that we’re enabling people to be collaborative and support each other.”🔑 Highlights:– How to keep distributed teams aligned and connected– Rituals that reinforce culture, even across time zones– Why values only matter if you live them– Building trust without a physical office🎧 Subscribe and follow for more conversations with the innovators shaping the Silicon Heartland.🙌 Special Thanks to Our Sponsors: • Rackspace Technology - We advise, design, build, and manage solutions across multicloud, applications, data, and security. • Varonis - The leader in data security and insider threat detection. • Trace3 - AI to help your business run, grow, and transform. • Sigma Computing - Business intelligence built for the cloud. Live, collaborative analytics for data-driven teams.

🎙️ Episode 41: Resilient Leadership in the Real World

🎙️ Episode 41: Resilient Leadership in the Real WorldIn today’s episode, Warner Moore gets real about what leadership actually looks like - especially when things get messy.From navigating high-pressure situations to fostering psychological safety, Warner shares the lessons he’s learned leading technical teams, founding companies, and building communities. If you’ve ever wondered how strong cultures are created - or how to lead through failure - this one’s for you.💬 “If you can’t be replaced, you can’t be promoted.”🔑 Highlights:– How to regulate your emotions as a leader– Why blameless postmortems matter– Creating safety and trust in fast-moving environments– Building people-first cultures in the real world🎧 Subscribe and follow for more conversations with the innovators shaping the Silicon Heartland.🙌 Special Thanks to Our Sponsors: - Rackspace Technology - We advise, design, build, and manage solutions across multicloud, applications, data, and security. - Varonis - The leader in data security and insider threat detection. - Trace3 - AI to help your business run, grow, and transform.- Sigma Computing - Business intelligence built for the cloud. Live, collaborative analytics for data-driven teams.