In Great Company

The Messy Middle: Where Real Work Actually Gets Done

Akansha Aggarwal is the Senior Vice President of Commercial Strategy, Marketing, and Solutions Architecture at Uber Freight, a leading logistics technology company modernizing global supply chains. At Uber Freight, she leads cross-functional initiatives to strengthen commercial offerings and customer impact. Akansha brings over 15 years of experience driving go-to-market strategy and revenue growth across Amazon (AWS), Google, and Meta, contributing to over $1B in growth. In this episode… The "messiness of the middle" — the stretch between bold strategy and real-world results can trip up even the most ambitious organizations. Leaders often struggle to turn vision into execution while keeping teams engaged and adaptable. How can organizations navigate this complex, high-stakes space and transform ambiguity into lasting growth? As a seasoned leader with experience shaping strategy and operations at Amazon, Google, Meta, and Uber Freight, Akansha Aggarwal knows that tackling complex organizational challenges requires more than strategy; it demands turning potential failure points into opportunities for growth. She emphasizes that systems reach their full potential only when paired with human insight, transparency, and trust. Akansha highlights how signal-driven commercial engines, rapid decision-making, and dynamic feedback loops can align teams around customer value while fostering resilience. By combining rigor with empathy, she shows how organizations can transform ambiguity into lasting, high-impact results. In this episode of In Great Company, Sindhu Srivastava and Kelsey Dube visit with Akansha Aggarwal, Senior VP of Commercial Strategy, Marketing, and Solutions Architecture for Uber Freight, about mastering the "uncomfortable middle" and building resilient, human-centered growth engines. Akansha discusses navigating ambiguity, aligning strategy with execution, and creating feedback-driven systems. She also offers strategies for scaling teams, leveraging AI, and fostering trust across organizations.

Connection Is Capital: Doug Heske on Purpose-Driven Wealth and Leadership

Doug Heske is the Founder and CEO of Newday Impact Investing, a vertically-integrated, technology-enabled asset manager and registered investment advisor. Under his guidance, Newday supports more than 50 mission-aligned nonprofit partners through its Causeway participatory platform for values-driven investing. With over three decades of leadership in wealth management and impact investing, Doug previously led the private client services at Stone & Youngberg/Stifel Financial Corp., served as President and CEO of NCPI, and launched Piper Jaffray's wealth business in California. In this episode… Purpose-driven wealth, transparent investing, and community-centered leadership are becoming essentials rather than ideals. These shifts are redefining how financial systems can generate both profit and positive impact while pushing leaders to cultivate deeper trust in a world where investors expect more meaning from their money. Most importantly, what happens when the connection itself becomes a form of capital? From Doug Heske's perspective as a pioneering impact investor, meaningful financial change begins when money is treated as a tool for alignment rather than simple accumulation. Wealth becomes more powerful when paired with values, action, and transparency, creating outcomes that benefit both people and the planet. Doug also highlights that culture, community, and long-term thinking fundamentally reshape how investors influence businesses and the world around them. This shift, he notes, is accelerating as younger generations inherit unprecedented wealth and demand measurable impact. By tying financial decisions to purpose, Doug shows how individuals can drive large-scale change through even small acts of engagement. In this episode of In Great Company, Sindhu Srivastava and Danielle Thieret sit down with Doug Heske, CEO of Newday Impact Investing, to discuss why connection is the engine of purpose-driven wealth. They explore how impact investing aligns values with returns, how Causeway builds trust through transparency, and why culture is a financial strategy. Doug also shares his personal path toward mission-led leadership.

The 15-Minute QBR: Turning Customer Success Into a Revenue Powerhouse With Andrea Bumstead

Andrea Bumstead is the Founder and CEO of CS Impact, a fractional leadership consultancy that helps SaaS companies build customer-centric growth engines. With over 15 years of experience leading customer success teams at multiple organizations, she specializes in delivering exceptional retention, expansion, and advocacy outcomes. Known for her viral 15‑Minute QBR framework, Andrea revolutionizes executive engagement by condensing value conversations into impactful, time‑efficient sessions. As a fractional leader, she launched CS Impact after scaling revenue from $15 million to $150 million in her previous roles. In this episode… Many companies face challenges transforming customer success from a support function into a true revenue driver. Teams face pressure to reduce churn, justify renewals, and generate expansion without burning out or losing executive attention. How can organizations turn post‑sale relationships into measurable growth without overcomplicating the process? Andrea Bumstead, a customer success and revenue growth expert, shares how she pivoted from a traditional VP role to fractional leadership to address these challenges. Andrea recommends adopting a 70% certainty rule to avoid analysis paralysis, using small experiments to test ideas quickly, and implementing her viral 15‑Minute QBR to secure executive attention. She also highlights strategies like real‑time market feedback, pricing adjustments, and trust‑building exercises to uncover hidden revenue and strengthen team alignment. In this episode of In Great Company, Sindhu Srivastava interviews Andrea Bumstead, Founder and CEO of CS Impact, about scaling SaaS growth through customer‑led strategies. Andrea also discusses building a business in public, uncovering $1.4 million through strategic pricing, and using the "Best of Me" quadrant exercise to foster team trust.

I Am Not for Everybody—And That's Why I Drive Revenue With Randi-Sue Deckard

Randi-Sue Deckard is the Senior Vice President of Client Engagement at BESLER, which combines broad healthcare finance expertise with cutting-edge technology to help hospitals enhance and protect their revenue. With over 20 years of experience in healthcare, Randi-Sue has become a standout figure in strategic growth and GTM leadership, recognized as one of Sprout's 25 women in GTM to watch for 2025. She is also an active member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) and serves on the advisory board of American Hospital & Healthcare Management. In this episode… Many ambitious professionals struggle to balance strategic leadership with day-to-day execution, especially when they are responsible for both growth and team development. It's a constant juggling act of driving performance, fostering innovation, and maintaining authenticity while navigating resistance, limited resources, and occasional bias. How can leaders rise above these challenges and build cultures that thrive on accountability, connection, and impact? Randi-Sue Deckard, a seasoned expert in go-to-market strategy and leadership development, offers a roadmap grounded in curiosity, data, and authenticity. Randi-Sue shares how her scientific background shapes her data-driven decision-making and how she leverages automation and AI to free up time for "peopling" — prioritizing relationships with customers and teams. She emphasizes understanding each team member's "why," creating vision-based coaching programs, and tailoring leadership approaches to individual needs. Randi-Sue's approach advocates taking calculated risks, earning influence through action, and building referral-based communities that generate real revenue and connection. In this episode of In Great Company, Sindhu Srivastava interviews Randi-Sue Deckard, SVP of Growth at BESLER, about leading with authenticity while scaling business growth. Randi-Sue discusses the power of data and experimentation, how to build high-performing, cross-functional teams, and her philosophy on coaching individuals toward personal and professional breakthroughs.

From $7 To Multimillion-Dollar Exit: Sarah Bundy's Story of Resilient Entrepreneurship

Sarah Bundy is the Co-founder, CEO, and Chair of the Board of Athena Collective, a membership-based platform empowering women in business, leadership, and innovation. She also hosts the For Female Founders podcast, a community dedicated to supporting female entrepreneurs at every stage of their journey. Additionally, Sarah founded All Inclusive Marketing (AIM), a leading digital marketing agency recognized for delivering innovative, experience-driven results. Her work has earned her accolades, such as being named among Canada's Top 100 Female Entrepreneurs. In this episode… Building a successful business is never easy, but the journey is especially steep for many women. Limited access to funding, lack of networks, and the pressures of balancing personal responsibilities can make entrepreneurship feel isolating and overwhelming. How can women build thriving companies without burning out or sacrificing their values? Sarah Bundy, an award-winning strategist and advisor, shares her path from launching a business with just $7 to achieving a multimillion-dollar exit. Sarah emphasizes the importance of grounding your business in personal values, crafting a clear vision, and fostering a team culture rooted in empathy. She outlines how embracing the DIG (Delight, Innovate, Grow, and Give Back) mindset helped her attract top talent and create organizational resilience — even during crises like the pandemic. By investing in the right systems, such as CRMs and project management tools, prioritizing flexibility, and continuously engaging high performers, leaders can scale sustainably. In this episode of In Great Company, Sindhu Srivastava and Danielle Thieret interview Sarah Bundy, Co-founder, CEO, and Chair of the Board of Athena Collective, about the value of leading with purpose. Sarah discusses her journey from bootstrapped beginnings to a successful exit and shares insights on values-driven growth, authentic leadership, and why empathy outperforms ego. She also explores parenting while building a company, the power of strategic partnerships, and redefining legacy beyond metrics.