Grand Slam Journey

90. Josh Simons | From Musician to CEO: Building a Career Beyond the Stage

Klara Jagosova speaks with Josh Simons [https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonsjosh/] — musician, songwriter, entrepreneur, and CEO of Vinyl Group [https://vinyl.group] — about his journey from touring internationally with indie band Buchanan [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buchanan_(band)] to leading Australia’s only ASX-listed music company. Josh shares lessons on creativity, performance, and building sustainable careers beyond the stage. Drawing parallels between music and sport, the conversation explores: * Growing up in a music-driven family * Transitioning from artist to entrepreneur * Performance, discipline, and career longevity * The creative process behind songwriting * AI, leadership, and the future of music Whether you’re a creative, founder, or leader, this episode offers practical insights on reinvention, mindset, and long-term success at the intersection of music, business, and technology. 🔗 Connect with Josh: 🌐 Website [https://www.joshsimons.us]  ︱ 🔗 LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonsjosh/] ︱ 🎤 TEDx [ https://youtu.be/iIDmjfnD7TM?si=jBOO8YeHXfyMgP7K] ︱ 🎥 Final Investor Video of the Year (LinkedIn) [https://www.linkedin.com/posts/simonsjosh_for-the-final-investor-video-of-the-year-activity-7401123620938444800-WCcf?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAO7s2QBu6JGsKOcejFlFVNcPz3E6qQ9gQs] Send a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1166864/open_sms] 8 EIGHT SLEEP [http://refer.eight.sl/x6nwf86h] Save $200 on 8Sleep and get better quality and deeper sleep with automatic temperature adjustment LEORÊVER COMPRESSION AND ACTIVEWEAR [Https://leorever.com/gsj10] Get 10% off Loerêver Balanced Compression and Activewear to elevate your confidence and performance Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. This content is also available in a video version on YouTube. [https://www.youtube.com/@grandslamjourney] If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with someone who may enjoy it as well, and consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grand-slam-journey/id1539036819] or Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3G5xGGWcmK5rE2fd3Kr8VH?si=792011529c174d7a]. You can also submit your feedback [https://www.grandslamjourney.com/feedback] directly on my website [https://www.grandslamjourney.com]. Follow @GrandSlamJourney on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/grandslamjourney/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/grandslamjourney/], Twitter [https://twitter.com/GSJKlara], and join the LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/grandslamjourney] community.

89. Jurgen Arts︱From Court to CFO: Adaptability, AI & the Future of Telco Networks

Want a front-row seat to how a global CFO blends tennis-honed grit with people-first leadership to rethink telecom’s future? In this episode, Klara Jagosova sits down with Jurgen Arts [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jurgen-arts-ba808a3/], Vice President & CFO for Market Area Europe & Latin America at Ericsson, who brings nearly three decades of experience leading M&A, finance transformation, and cross-regional teams. We trace Jurgen’s path from an introverted Dutch tennis kid to a global leader known for transparency, curiosity, and balance — in business and in life. He shares how authenticity builds trust, how honesty early in a role prevents friction later, and how sports resilience fuels strategic decision-making. We explore: • How culture shapes leadership across regions • M&A lessons from integrating Cradlepoint and Vonage • The evolving role of AI as a practical co-pilot • Building connected global teams and financial agility • 5G network APIs and the shift to pay-per-use models • Continuous learning, mentorship, and curiosity as long-term success drivers 🎾 Plus: Jurgen’s reflections on cooking, running, padel, golf, and inspiring his two sons to carry forward the family’s love for tennis. Connect with Jurgen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jurgen-arts-ba808a3/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jurgen-arts-ba808a3/] Send a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1166864/open_sms] LEORÊVER COMPRESSION AND ACTIVEWEAR [Https://leorever.com/gsj10] Get 10% off Loerêver Balanced Compression and Activewear to elevate your confidence and performance 8 EIGHT SLEEP [http://refer.eight.sl/x6nwf86h] Save $200 on 8Sleep and get better quality and deeper sleep with automatic temperature adjustment Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. This content is also available in a video version on YouTube. [https://www.youtube.com/@grandslamjourney] If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with someone who may enjoy it as well, and consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grand-slam-journey/id1539036819] or Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3G5xGGWcmK5rE2fd3Kr8VH?si=792011529c174d7a]. You can also submit your feedback [https://www.grandslamjourney.com/feedback] directly on my website [https://www.grandslamjourney.com]. Follow @GrandSlamJourney on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/grandslamjourney/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/grandslamjourney/], Twitter [https://twitter.com/GSJKlara], and join the LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/grandslamjourney] community.

88. Rani Yadav-Ranjan ︱ AI for Humanity's Sake

What if we could revolutionize healthcare and other industries by using the untapped computing power that sits idle in hospitals every night? Meet Rani Yadav-Ranjan [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryadavranjan/], Chief AI Officer at Greycloud AI, who's pioneering a breakthrough approach to AI that respects both data privacy and urgency. After watching her mother's medical journey, Rani had a revelation: doctors function as "databases" of knowledge, but these repositories remain isolated within individual hospitals. Her solution? A patented system that transforms existing computers in closed networks into distributed training devices, operating during off-hours to build sophisticated AI models without compromising sensitive patient data. "From six o'clock till six in the morning, that's twelve hours of computing power we could use," she explains, describing how her technology chunks and chains data through multiple nodes, each with a unique blockchain identifier to ensure validity. This innovative approach reflects Rani's decades-long career at the intersection of emerging technologies. As one of the most influential women in tech, with over 20 patents, she pioneered mobile payments in the early 2000s, navigated cultural resistance to e-commerce in Japan, and continues to advocate for the ethical development of AI. Through personal anecdotes about balancing leadership with motherhood and observations about gender bias in corporate cultures, Rani offers a master class in resilience and strategic thinking. Rani's perspective on AI's future is refreshingly nuanced. Rather than fearing job displacement, she sees AI as enhancing human capabilities while emphasizing the irreplaceable value of experience. "What I use AI for is code reviews," she notes. "It's awesome to say, 'here's 3,000 lines of code, tell me where the missing semicolon is." As she prepares to publish her book "Constitutional Democracy in the Algorithmic Age," Rani continues to champion responsible innovation that serves humanity's needs while respecting our rights and privacy. Connect with Rani on LinkedIn to follow her groundbreaking work at the intersection of AI, healthcare, and ethical technology development. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryadavranjan/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryadavranjan/] https://yadav-ranjan.com/ [https://yadav-ranjan.com/] Send a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1166864/open_sms] LEORÊVER COMPRESSION AND ACTIVEWEAR [Https://leorever.com/gsj10] Get 10% off Loerêver Balanced Compression and Activewear to elevate your confidence and performance 8 EIGHT SLEEP [http://refer.eight.sl/x6nwf86h] Save $200 on 8Sleep and get better quality and deeper sleep with automatic temperature adjustment Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. This content is also available in a video version on YouTube. [https://www.youtube.com/@grandslamjourney] If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with someone who may enjoy it as well, and consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grand-slam-journey/id1539036819] or Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3G5xGGWcmK5rE2fd3Kr8VH?si=792011529c174d7a]. You can also submit your feedback [https://www.grandslamjourney.com/feedback] directly on my website [https://www.grandslamjourney.com]. Follow @GrandSlamJourney on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/grandslamjourney/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/grandslamjourney/], Twitter [https://twitter.com/GSJKlara], and join the LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/grandslamjourney] community.

87. Noah Sturm︱How Augment Redefines B2B Sales with Relationships, Empathy & AI

Noah Sturm [https://www.linkedin.com/in/noah-sturm-augment/], Senior Vice President of Sales and Revenue at Augment AI, shares his journey from an unstructured upbringing through professional golf aspirations to becoming a transformative sales leader building AI-powered relationship technology to transform and redefine how B2B sales are done. • Raised in a dynamic, homeschooled environment that fostered creativity, resilience, and comfort with uncertainty • Developed extraordinary resilience, helping his family through his mother's cancer battle and later his father's passing during his college years • Transitioned from a potential professional golf career to sales excellence, starting at RR Donnelly, where he grew from $70,000 quota to multi-million dollar accounts • Joined N3 and later Accenture, becoming a vice president at just 28 years old, by focusing on execution rather than conventional experience • Now building Augment [https://www.augment.co] to transform B2B sales by focusing on durable relationships and addressing the 83% of buying decisions that happen without salespeople present • Believes AI should enhance human relationships rather than replace them, focusing on making mid-performers act like top performers through situational awareness • Advocates for kindness, empathy, and spending less time on social media to foster genuine human connection Get in touch with Noah on LinkedIn at noah-sturm-augment [https://www.linkedin.com/in/noah-sturm-augment/] or email him at noah@augment.co Send a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1166864/open_sms] LEORÊVER COMPRESSION AND ACTIVEWEAR [Https://leorever.com/gsj10] Get 10% off Loerêver Balanced Compression and Activewear to elevate your confidence and performance 8 EIGHT SLEEP [http://refer.eight.sl/x6nwf86h] Save $200 on 8Sleep and get better quality and deeper sleep with automatic temperature adjustment Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. This content is also available in a video version on YouTube. [https://www.youtube.com/@grandslamjourney] If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with someone who may enjoy it as well, and consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grand-slam-journey/id1539036819] or Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3G5xGGWcmK5rE2fd3Kr8VH?si=792011529c174d7a]. You can also submit your feedback [https://www.grandslamjourney.com/feedback] directly on my website [https://www.grandslamjourney.com]. Follow @GrandSlamJourney on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/grandslamjourney/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/grandslamjourney/], Twitter [https://twitter.com/GSJKlara], and join the LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/grandslamjourney] community.

86. Josh Payne⏐Coframe: The AI-Powered Future of Digital Experiences

Josh Payne [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshpxyne/] shares his unique journey from musician to tech entrepreneur, exploring how AI is creating a more personalized, adaptive internet experience that could revolutionize how we interact with the internet, websites, and overall digital experiences.  • Personalization is fundamentally changing the internet, making it more contextual and adaptive to individual users • Josh sees personalized experiences becoming essential, predicting A/B testing will eventually be obsolete  • Founding multiple startups, including AccessBell, Autograph with Tom Brady, and now Coframe • Coframe uses AI to transform website testing from months-long processes to minutes or hours • Working with major brands like OpenAI and The Economist to drive millions in incremental revenue through personalization • Finding balance through music, playing with the SF Philharmonic, and using flotation tanks for deeper thinking • Partnering directly with OpenAI to train specialized models for website code generation • The importance of choosing founding team members based on working relationships rather than friendship alone • Josh's perspectives on AI's rapid advancement and the need for responsible governance while embracing its creative potential Learn more about Josh and Coframe:  https://www.coframe.com/ [https://www.coframe.com/] josh@coframe.com [jost@coframe.com] https://x.com/joshpxyne [https://x.com/joshpxyne] Send a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1166864/open_sms] LEORÊVER COMPRESSION AND ACTIVEWEAR [Https://leorever.com/gsj10] Get 10% off Loerêver Balanced Compression and Activewear to elevate your confidence and performance 8 EIGHT SLEEP [http://refer.eight.sl/x6nwf86h] Save $200 on 8Sleep and get better quality and deeper sleep with automatic temperature adjustment Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. This content is also available in a video version on YouTube. [https://www.youtube.com/@grandslamjourney] If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with someone who may enjoy it as well, and consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grand-slam-journey/id1539036819] or Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3G5xGGWcmK5rE2fd3Kr8VH?si=792011529c174d7a]. You can also submit your feedback [https://www.grandslamjourney.com/feedback] directly on my website [https://www.grandslamjourney.com]. Follow @GrandSlamJourney on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/grandslamjourney/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/grandslamjourney/], Twitter [https://twitter.com/GSJKlara], and join the LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/grandslamjourney] community.