What does practical AI adoption actually look like inside a growing enterprise software company?

In this episode of the Growth Elevated Leadership Podcast, Julian Castelli sits down with John Peebles, CEO of Administrate, to explore how a former AI skeptic found real business value in Claude Code, agentic coding, and internal workflow automation.

John shares how Administrate’s enterprise onboarding process became increasingly complex as the company moved toward larger customers. With project managers, solution consultants, legacy systems, manual configuration, and “wild spreadsheets” all part of the process, implementation work had become slow, repetitive, and difficult to scale.

Rather than starting with a flashy AI product feature, John focused on a painful internal bottleneck. Using AI, his team helped turn complex configuration decisions into a structured, reviewable workflow that could import setup data in about 30 seconds.

This is a grounded conversation about where AI can create real operational leverage: not by chasing trends, but by solving the manual work teams already know is holding them back.

🔑Key takeaways:

• Why John was initially skeptical of AI

• How Claude Code changed his perspective

• Why coding is powerful because it can be tested

• How internal AI automation can improve speed, quality, and customer experience

• Why CEOs should start with practical workflows before chasing AI hype

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Have you been told that great leaders need to constantly fix their weaknesses?

In this episode of the Growth Elevated Leadership Podcast, Julian Castelli sits down with Michael Guymon, CEO of SQA Services and former leader at SpaceX and Rocket Lab, to challenge that idea.

Michael shares why trying to turn every weakness into a strength is not just inefficient, it is a leadership trap. As companies scale, the role of a CEO shifts dramatically. You cannot do everything yourself, and trying to will slow your growth and burn you out.

Instead, Michael explains why the best leaders build around their gaps by hiring people with complementary strengths. From navigating imposter syndrome to creating a culture that encourages real debate over artificial harmony, this conversation dives into what it actually takes to lead at the next level.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• Why fixing weaknesses is an uphill battle

• Hiring for strengths and building balanced teams

• The difference between right person and right seat

• Why conflict driven cultures outperform passive teams

• How first time CEOs evolve their leadership style

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Are you a $500/hour executive stuck doing $5/hour work?

Most founders who scale past the $5M mark eventually hit a growth ceiling, not because of product or market, but because they’re still buried in the day-to-day noise of the business.

In this episode of the Growth Elevated Leadership Podcast, Julian Castelli sits down with GetLevrg CEO Jamie Shanks to unpack what he calls the “founder’s trap”.

Jamie is a serial entrepreneur who has trained over 250,000 sellers and built three seven-figure agencies. In this podcast, he shares the framework he uses to help leaders shift from low-value execution to high-impact decision-making by trading $5 tasks for $500 outcomes.

We explore his “Three Ps” framework: Principle, Process, and Platform, and how offshore talent and AI can be combined to remove operational friction and accelerate growth.

Jamie also breaks down his “DSO Zero” strategy, which allowed him to scale a 115-person global team starting with nothing more than a credit card and a disciplined approach to cash flow.

If you’re navigating the messy middle of scaling, or trying to step out of execution and into real leadership, this episode offers a clear, practical blueprint.

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In this episode of the Growth Elevated Leadership Podcast, Julian Castelli sits down with Jay McEntire, founder and CEO of ARVA Intelligence, to unpack a hard truth: modern farming is under serious pressure, and many farmers are struggling to survive.

For decades, agriculture has been optimized for one thing: producing cheap calories at scale. But that model is breaking down under rising input costs, volatile markets, and unsustainable practices.

Jay shares how AI is transforming key decisions in farming, from fertilizer use to soil management. By leveraging data at the field level, farmers can optimize inputs more precisely, reducing costs while improving yields and resilience.

The conversation also explores how regenerative practices are turning farms into carbon assets, creating new revenue streams through environmental impact and carbon markets.

If you are interested in how AI is reshaping agriculture and unlocking new economic opportunities, this episode offers a clear perspective on the future of farming, sustainability, and long-term profitability.

Ready to take your leadership to the next level?

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In this episode of the Growth Elevated Leadership Podcast, host Julian Castelli sits down with Aaron Ross, bestselling author of Predictable Revenue, to discuss how sales and go-to-market strategies are evolving in the age of AI.

Aaron reflects on the original ideas behind his book predictable revenue and explores whether those principles still apply in today’s rapidly changing business environment. While AI and automation are transforming sales tactics, Aaron explains why the core principles behind building a pipeline and driving growth remain relevant.

The conversation also explores a broader shift toward nonlinear growth. As technology accelerates change, companies and individuals are moving beyond rigid, spreadsheet-driven models toward more adaptive strategies built on relationships, trust, publishing, and referrals.

If you’re a founder, sales leader, or operator navigating the future of go-to-market, this episode offers practical insights on building sustainable growth in the AI era.

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Let’s grow together!

In this episode of the Growth Elevated Leadership Podcast, host Julian Castelli sits down with Laura Frances Merin, a talent leader who helped scale a company from 43 employees to more than 200 during a period of hypergrowth.

Laura shares lessons from over a decade of building recruiting systems at fast-growing startups and explains why great hiring isn’t about chasing resumes from big-name companies. Instead, it’s about recognizing entrepreneurial traits, building structured hiring processes, and trusting conviction when you see exceptional potential.

She also discusses how authenticity and transparency with candidates can improve recruiting outcomes, including how her approach helped her achieve an extraordinary close rate when hiring top talent.

If you’re a founder or leader responsible for building a team, this episode offers practical insights on identifying exceptional talent and building a hiring strategy that scales.

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📲 Follow us on LinkedIn for daily leadership inspiration and updates.Let’s grow together!

In this episode of the Growth Elevated Leadership Podcast, host Julian Castelli explores how AI is reshaping SaaS pricing and monetization. Drawing on insights from Bessemer Venture Partners’ AI Pricing and Monetization Playbook, Julian examines why traditional seat-based subscription models are increasingly under pressure.

For years, SaaS thrived on predictable per-seat pricing with high margins and minimal variable costs. AI changes that equation. With compute costs tied to tokens, inference, and GPU usage, margins can compress if pricing isn’t aligned with value creation.

Julian breaks down the shift from selling access to aligning pricing more closely with outcomes. He explores copilots, AI agents, and AI-enabled services, and discusses the implications of the coming 2026 renewal cycle for founders and buyers alike.

If you’re building or investing in AI-powered software, this episode offers a practical lens on pricing strategy, margins, and long-term sustainability.

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Let’s grow together!

In this episode of the Growth Elevated Leadership Podcast, host Julian Castelli talks with Sean Behr, CEO of Fountain AI. Sean shares his journey from Fountain’s first angel investor to CEO, leading the company through a 10x revenue increase in just five years.

Fountain AI automates hiring and management for high-volume frontline teams. Sean highlights the distinction between traditional desk-based employees and the frontline workforce, which represents 70% to 80% of people globally. He points out that most frontline workers lack resumes or LinkedIn profiles, making mobile-first communication essential for a population often overlooked by standard technology.

The conversation explores Sean’s Zero-Based Leadership framework, which challenges leaders to evaluate every meeting and tactic from scratch to ensure they drive the business forward. Sean also discusses growing a suite of 12 successful products and the importance of intentional communication during rapid scaling.

Together, they break down what makes a leadership transition work, from maintaining historical context to evolving personal styles as a business expands. Sean explains how mobile-first automation and rigorous internal product hurdles helped Fountain strengthen its execution while serving millions of workers worldwide.

If you are interested in how zero-based thinking can turn operational complexity into scalable growth, this episode offers a practical look at evolving as a tech leader.

Ready to take your leadership to the next level?

👉 Visit us at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GrowthElevated.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
📲 Follow us on⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for daily leadership inspiration and updates.