Chaitra Vedullapalli from Women in Cloud discusses the future of local commerce, the impact of AI, and the importance of adaptive leadership in the economic landscape. Chaitra discusses a topic that should be on every business leader's radar: the shift toward local commerce and how AI, community partnerships, and economic access are reshaping the way we buy, sell, and connect.

Key Takeaways

• Women in Cloud's mission and accomplishments
• The shift towards local commerce and trust-building
• The role of AI in personalization and scalability
• Ecosystem orchestration and powered marketplaces
• Responsible AI use and human element in technology

Chapters

00:00
Introduction to Chaitra and Her Mission

02:36
Women in Cloud: Empowering Women in the AI Economy

05:16
The Next Trillion Dollar Opportunity: Local Commerce

08:06
Community Powered Marketplaces and Economic Engagement

10:58
The Role of AI in Local Commerce

13:59
Human Element in AI and Commerce

16:39
Hot Takes on Current Trends and Future Opportunities

22:13
Closing Thoughts and Call to Action

Connect with Chaitra and Women in Cloud

https://www.linkedin.com/in/chaitrav/ https://in.linkedin.com/company/women-in-cloud

Brent Peterson sits down with Michelle Donnelly, Chief Revenue Officer at Crescendo, to explore how AI-native customer experience solutions are transforming the way brands interact with their customers. The conversation covers everything from autonomous digital agents to the critical role humans still play in customer support. Michelle brings a wealth of experience from her time at Salesforce and the AI chip industry, and she shares fascinating real-world examples of how Crescendo's approach is turning traditional cost centers into profit centers. If you care about customer experience, this episode deserves your full attention.

Key Takeaways

• AI agents must work seamlessly with human agents. A digital-only approach without a human fallback creates frustrating loops that drive customers away.
• Customer support is becoming a revenue channel. By combining personalization, memory, and business context, AI agents can turn a simple support interaction into an upsell opportunity.
• Speed to value matters. Crescendo deploys in under four weeks, a dramatic improvement over traditional SaaS implementations that can take months.
• Outcome-based pricing changes the game. Rather than selling seats, Crescendo charges based on outcomes, aligning their success with the customer's success.
• Multimodal interactions let customers choose. Whether through chat, voice, WhatsApp, or email, the customer decides how they want to engage, and the AI adapts accordingly.
• Quality assurance reveals powerful patterns. Analyzing interactions across the customer base surfaces product issues and opportunities that brands would otherwise miss.
• Knowledge bases improve over time. The AI learns from every interaction and actually enhances the brand's existing knowledge base rather than relying on static content.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Crescendo and Michelle's Journey
03:53 The Role of AI in Customer Experience
09:30 Seamless Integration of Digital and Human Agents
15:02 Multimodal Customer Interactions
18:52 Quality Assurance and Content Relevance
22:26 Transforming Customer Support into Profit Centers
28:22 Democratizing AI for All Businesses

Connect with Michelle on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelledonnelly/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/crescendocx/

Brent is joined by Paige Kosinski, co-founder of Odyssey Entertainment Group, an influencer talent management company that has grown from a boutique operation into a mid-size powerhouse. The conversation covers the evolution of the creator economy, the art of matching talent with brands, and the practical steps aspiring creators need to take to build sustainable careers. Whether you are a merchant looking to leverage influencer marketing or a creator hoping to monetize your platform, this episode delivers real-world guidance from someone who lives and breathes this space every single day.

Key Takeaways

1. Consistency beats follower count. Algorithms reward creators who show up regularly, and brands now prioritize engaged communities over raw follower numbers.
2. Start with one clear focus. Creators should establish expertise in a single area before expanding into lifestyle content. That focus gives audiences a reason to stick around.
3. Brand partnerships drive the bulk of creator revenue. Beyond one-off deals, long-term collaborations with aligned brands create stability for both the creator and the company.
4. AI-generated content can backfire. Audiences are quick to spot avatar-driven or AI-produced material, and brands are even adding contract clauses to limit AI use in creative deliverables.
5. The creator economy welcomes every generation. Gen X influencers are thriving on social platforms, proving that audience-building has no age requirement.
6. Personal branding comes first. Monetization follows naturally when a creator invests in building a genuine, recognizable brand with clear content pillars.
7. Cross-platform presence matters. Successful creators post across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Pinterest depending on where their audience lives.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Odyssey Entertainment Group
01:53 The Evolution of Influencer Management
05:11 Matching Influencers with Brands
09:03 The Importance of Community and Niche
10:07 Engaging Older Audiences
11:11 Navigating Different Platforms
12:39 Building a Personal Brand
13:31 Public Speaking and Influencer Opportunities
14:33 The Role of AI in Content Creation
17:21 Getting Started as an Influencer
18:55 Closing Thoughts and Promotions

Resources

Odyssey Entertainment Group - https://www.odysseyentertainmentgroup.com
Erica Ver - PianyandHoney - https://www.instagram.com/pianyandhoney
Wall Blush Modern Manor Collection - https://wallblush.com/collections/modern-manor