Tech Scenes Unplugged with Brian Wang

Tech Scenes Unplugged with Brian Wang

“Recycling internally by complaining is a blind spot.” - Brian Wang In this episode of Tech Scenes Unplugged, Jeff Martin sits down with Brian Wang, a former venture-backed CEO turned executive coach who helps founders evolve into high-performance leaders. Brian brings a rare combination of operator experience and deep coaching expertise, having led companies himself and coached over 50 CEOs through the complexities of scaling. His focus is simple but powerful: helping leaders shift their mindset and behaviors to reduce friction, improve decision-making, and create teams that operate with clarity and alignment. The conversation explores the critical transition from builder to leader, the importance of systemic coaching and feedback loops, and how founders can identify blind spots that quietly limit their effectiveness. Brian also shares practical frameworks for reducing team chaos, improving communication, and creating environments where teams can perform at a high level with less stress and more confidence. They also dive into how AI is reshaping team dynamics, accelerating workflows, and increasing the need for strong leadership systems — not replacing them. Chapters: 00:00 The Importance of Difficult Conversations 01:06 Transitioning from Founder to Leader 03:02 The Role of Coaching in Leadership 06:40 The Need for Support Systems 08:08 Feedback and Learning Loops 11:22 Key Behaviors of High-Performing Teams 17:16 Identifying Blind Spots in Leadership 24:09 Aligning Team Goals and Revenue Expectations 26:26 The Importance of Context in Conversations 28:43 Creating a Safe Space for Open Dialogue 30:33 The Role of Technology in Team Dynamics 34:18 Navigating AI and Autonomous Workflows 41:17 The Intersection of Leadership and Jiu-Jitsu Watch now to learn how founders can lead with more clarity, reduce internal friction, and build teams that actually perform — especially as AI accelerates the pace of work. 📘 Learn more about the book Peak Teams – Mastering the Habit of Unstoppable Venture-Backed Companies 👉 https://a.co/d/hp5Jtnu 🌐 Visit Collective Genius™ to build your growth team with the Peak Operating System™ 👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/ ⏱️ Got 5 minutes? Take the Peak Teams Assessment to see where your team can level up 👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/peak-teams-assessment #TechScenes #Leadership #ExecutiveCoaching #Founders #Startups #TeamAlignment #AI #PersonalGrowth #PeakTeams

Tech Scenes Santa Barbara with Ryan Millner CEO and Cofounder of Unwrap

“What if we could read every piece of customer feedback, every single day?” In this episode of Tech Scenes Santa Barbara, Jeff Martin sits down with Ryan Millner, Co-founder & CEO of Unwrap, to explore how AI is transforming how companies truly understand their customers. Ryan’s journey spans early startup experience at Graphiq (acquired by Amazon) and years at Amazon helping scale Alexa’s intelligence systems — giving him firsthand insight into the power and limitations of natural language processing. That experience led to a simple but powerful idea: companies struggle to understand customer feedback at scale — what if AI could solve that? Unwrap was built to do exactly that. The platform ingests massive volumes of customer feedback — from support tickets, calls, surveys, and social channels — and turns it into clear, actionable insights for product, engineering, support, and executive teams. Companies like DoorDash, Stripe, and Southwest Airlines use Unwrap to stay in sync with what their customers are actually experiencing. The conversation dives into the rise of AI-native products, the acceleration of learning loops inside organizations, and the growing gap between those building with AI and those unaware of its capabilities. Ryan also shares insights on pricing, moving upmarket, and why the bar for product excellence is rising faster than ever. They also explore the realities of building in AI — from guardrails and data privacy to deciding when to build vs. buy — and why focusing on core competency is more important than ever in an AI-driven world. Chapters 00:00 The Rise of AI and Customer Understanding 01:28 What Unwrap Does and Why It Matters 04:40 The Evolution of AI Interfaces and Chat 07:48 Guardrails, Data Privacy, and Enterprise Complexity 10:43 Founder Journey and the Idea Behind Unwrap 13:20 Learning Loops in the Age of AI 15:16 Why This AI Moment Is Different 17:31 Build vs Buy in an AI World 20:19 What People Still Don’t Understand About AI 26:19 Startup Lessons: Pricing and Moving Upmarket 28:37 AI Coding and the Future of Product Development 29:29 The Ever-Rising Bar for Product Excellence Watch now to understand how AI is reshaping the feedback loop between companies and customers — and why the teams that learn fastest will win. 🌐 Visit Collective Genius™ to build your growth team with the Peak OS™ 👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/ 📘 Learn more about the book Peak Teams – Mastering the Habit of Unstoppable Venture-Backed Companies 👉 https://a.co/d/hp5Jtnu ⏱️ Got 5 minutes? Take the Peak Teams Assessment to see where your team can level up 👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/peak-teams-assessment #TechScenes #UnwrapAI #AI #CustomerExperience #ProductDevelopment #Startups #Leadership #NLP #Innovation #PeakTeams

Tech Scenes Malibu Canyon with Casey Allen of Enterprise Rising

“Start deep and narrow.” - Casey Allen In this episode of Tech Scenes Malibu, Jeff Martin sits down with Casey Allen, founder of Enterprise Rising, to talk about grit, failure, and building the Midwest startup ecosystem from the ground up. Casey’s journey didn’t start with privilege. Raised by a single mom and determined to create opportunity, he became an entrepreneur out of necessity — launching his first company at 18. He went on to start four more profitable companies, but without major exits. His reflection? Early success without mentors left him stuck below the $1M revenue ceiling. Now, he’s committed to changing that for the next generation of founders. The conversation dives into the rise of Midwest SaaS, the launch of Enterprise Rising as a focused room for enterprise tech founders, and why community matters more than hype. They explore the impact of AI on entrepreneurship, the increasing importance of unit economics, and why founders must raise their bar for metrics and discipline in today’s funding environment. Casey also shares candid lessons on failure, ego, and what it really takes to build something meaningful outside Silicon Valley — emphasizing that the future of innovation isn’t coastal, it’s distributed. Chapters: 00:00 The Midwest Startup Landscape 02:09 Enterprise Rising Conference: A Celebration of SaaS 04:50 The Impact of AI on Entrepreneurship 09:05 Unit Economics and the New Funding Landscape 11:48 The Importance of Metrics in Startups 16:16 Embracing Failure in Entrepreneurship 19:46 The Journey of a Founder 27:02 Creating Community for Entrepreneurs 32:29 The Art of Hosting Meaningful Events Watch now to hear why the Midwest startup ecosystem may be one of the most underrated forces in tech — and what founders must master to thrive in today’s environment. 📘 Learn more about the book Peak Teams – Mastering the Habit of Unstoppable Venture-Backed Companies 👉 https://a.co/d/hp5Jtnu 🌐 Visit Collective Genius™ to build your growth team with the Peak OS™ Software 👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/ ⏱️ Got 5 minutes? Take the Peak Teams Assessment to see where your team can level up 👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/peak-teams-assessment #TechScenes #EnterpriseRising #MidwestStartups #SaaS #Entrepreneurship #FounderJourney #StartupMetrics #CommunityBuilding #AI #PeakTeams

Tech Scenes Beverly Hills with Peter Brack

“Leadership isn’t about having fewer fears — it’s about learning how to lead with them.” - Peter Brack In this episode of Tech Scenes Beverly Hills, Jeff Martin sits down with Peter Brack, a trusted executive coach to some of the world’s most accomplished founders and CEOs. Peter works with high-performing leaders backed by firms like Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, General Catalyst, and Y Combinator, helping them build enduring companies while navigating the internal and external complexity that comes with growth. His career spans the full arc of company-building — from launching CNN and Turner Broadcasting in Asia at Time Warner, to serving as President of Time Inc. Asia Pacific, to co-founding and leading two companies through IPOs on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Now, as a credentialed executive coach (ICF), Coaching Fellow at the Institute of Coaching, and co-founder of an early-stage venture firm and startup studio, Peter brings rare perspective into what truly shapes great leadership over time. The conversation explores fear, confidence, and decision-making at the highest levels, the methodologies behind effective coaching, and how founders and CEOs can scale themselves alongside their organizations. They also dive into team dynamics, organizational growth, and why the inner work of leadership becomes more—not less—important as companies grow. Chapters 00:00 Leadership at the Highest Levels 04:12 The Role of Fear in Leadership 09:03 Confidence vs Certainty 14:27 Founder and CEO Dynamics 20:41 Coaching Methodologies That Work 27:18 Scaling the Leader as the Company Scales 33:56 Team Dynamics and Organizational Growth 41:02 Decision-Making in Complexity 48:15 Preparing for the Next Chapter Watch now to hear how elite founders and CEOs think about leadership beneath the surface — and what it really takes to build companies that endure. 📘 Learn more about the book Peak Teams – Mastering the Habit of Unstoppable Venture-Backed Companies 👉 https://a.co/d/hp5Jtnu 🌐 Visit Collective Genius™ to build your growth team with the Peak OS™ 👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/ ⏱️ Got 5 minutes? Take the Peak Teams Assessment to see where your team can level up 👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/peak-teams-assessment #TechScenes #Leadership #ExecutiveCoaching #CEOLife #Founders #TeamDynamics #BusinessStrategy #PersonalGrowth #PeakTeams

Tech Scenes Unplugged with Cody Bardo, CEO and Co-founder of Trust & Will

“Always be transaction ready.” - Cody BarboIn this episode of Tech Scenes, Jeff Martin sits down with Cody Barbo, Founder & CEO of Trust & Will, to explore how WealthTech, AI, and thoughtful design are reshaping one of the most overlooked — and most important — areas of financial life: estate planning.Cody shares the journey of building Trust & Will from the ground up, modernizing an industry that historically felt complex, expensive, and inaccessible. Since launching in 2017, Trust & Will has helped more than 1 million Americans start their estate plans, raised $83M+ in capital, completed the first electronic will in history, and partnered with institutions like AARP, UBS, Fifth Third Bank, Northwestern Mutual, and more.The conversation dives into the evolution of WealthTech, what it means to be AI-first in a highly regulated industry, and how Trust & Will’s newest platform, EstateOS™, is redefining how families and professionals plan, manage, and preserve legacies. Cody also reflects on scaling teams, staying transaction-ready as a startup, and balancing leadership, growth, and family as a founder and dad of two.Chapters00:00 The Evolution of WealthTech and AI Integration06:35 The Journey of Trust & Will: Founding Story13:28 Building a Digital Estate Planning Platform19:31 Scaling Operations and Team Dynamics35:07 Navigating Growth and Future Aspirations47:40 Personal Reflections and Future DirectionsWatch now to hear how Cody is transforming estate planning into a modern pillar of financial care — and why AI, trust, and experience design matter more than ever in building enduring companies.📘 Learn more about the book Peak Teams – Mastering the Habit of Unstoppable Venture-Backed Companies👉 https://a.co/d/hp5Jtnu🌐 Visit Collective Genius™ to build your growth team with the Peak Operating System™👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/⏱️ Got 5 minutes? Take the Peak Teams Assessment to see where your team can level up👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/peak-teams-assessmentMusic by: andrewapplepie.bandcamp.com#TechScenes #TrustAndWill #WealthTech #AI #EstatePlanning #StartupJourney #Leadership #FounderStories #DigitalTransformation #PeakTeams