Episodes

  • Episode 036 | Himanshu Palsule
    57 mins
  • Episode 35 | Why Most AI Productivity Claims Are Dangerously Misleading | Ben Waber
    Mar 27 2026
    MIT researcher and People Analytics author Ben Waber joins Amy and Meg for one of the most myth-busting conversations about AI, productivity, and what actually drives enterprise value. From a 23-year-old grad student who discovered that billion-dollar companies don't know how their own teams communicate, to the lunch table experiment that changed programmer productivity by 20%, Ben brings 15 years of behavioral data to challenge everything you think you know about how organizations work — and why most AI claims should make you very skeptical. ⏰ TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 What percent of your company is a dumpster fire? 00:11 Introduction to Ben Waber 01:11 From Philly to MIT: How Ben started measuring how humans work 04:35 A paper that made a billion-dollar bank reorganize 06:31 The Japanese minor, a bestselling book, and being recognized on the street 08:42 The Academic Run Playlist: 2,500+ talks and counting 13:07 The big idea: Where is the real value in AI? 14:37 Why AI vendors and economists are both getting it wrong 16:20 The calculation machines story: 20 years to get 20% cheaper 18:06 Amazon's box-packing metric and why "quantitative" doesn't mean "objective" 20:11 Jack Dorsey, Block, and the rude awakening ahead 22:11 Klarna's AI rollback and the nuance problem 24:33 "Spin up 100,000 agents doing nothing" — the meaningless metrics trap 27:17 The three things you need to understand before deploying AI 29:37 Tripwires: Building permission to be wrong 31:22 How do you actually model work? Amy's HRIS thesis 35:48 What we're really good at measuring: what's awful 37:12 From dumpster fires to board-level accountability 38:20 AI is a sugar rush — and profit predicts 1% of your future 39:06 If the cows are limping, it's bad 39:28 The lunch table story: a 20% productivity difference from a $50 decision 44:22 Leadership Corner: Breaking through when a peer team is gatekeeping 51:44 Wrap-up: What we learned from Ben 🔑 KEY INSIGHTS: - Most AI productivity claims are measuring activity, not value — "having a seizure on my keyboard outputs more lines of code" - Companies can't define what performance actually means — and that's the root problem - We can't predict what great looks like, but we're really good at identifying what's awful - The "dumpster fire" reframe: measure what percent of your company is broken and put a dollar value on it - AI adoption is a sugar rush — firing 40% of employees boosts quarterly profit but predicts nothing about the future - Current profit predicts only 1% of future profit — people metrics predict far more - A 20% difference in programmer productivity was driven by which cafeteria door people walked through - The financial industry is starting to use workplace behavioral data in investment decisions 📚 RESOURCES: Ben Waber's book, People Analytics: https://www.amazon.com/People-Analytics-Technology-Transform-Business/dp/0133158314 Ben's HBR piece on LLMs and organizational performance: https://hbr.org/2024/01/is-genais-impact-on-productivity-overblown Patty Azzarello, Move: https://www.amazon.com/Move-Decisive-Strategy-Obstacles-Setbacks/dp/1119348374 Nate B. Jones on Klarna: https://www.youtube.com/@NateBJones 🔗 CONNECT: Ben Waber: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminwaber/ Submit Leadership Questions: amywilsonadvisor@gmail.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megandamyshow/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-meg-amy-show #Leadership #AI #AITransformation #PeopleAnalytics #FutureOfWork #MegAndAmyShow
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    57 mins
  • Episode 34 | You're the Weak Link Now | The Bottleneck Has Shifted From Your AI to You
    Mar 20 2026
    Our guest had to cancel (get well soon, Ankur!). So instead of the episode we planned, you're getting something better — us, unfiltered, on everything that's been consuming our lives for the past month. Amy has 100+ hours of vibe coding under her belt and has things to say. Meg has been reading Dan Heath's Reset and watching Jason Lemkin slowly become the worst worker on his own team. And together we've landed on a thesis that might be uncomfortable: the bottleneck in AI transformation isn't capability anymore. It's judgment. It's you. ⏰ TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 The Episode That Almost Wasn't 02:30 Field Trip: Meg & Amy Visit John Sumser & Heather Bussing 04:53 Ethan Mollick Was Right: Complexity Is in the Workflow 07:05 Customer Onboarding as a Case Study 12:08 Don't We Still Need Human Connection in the Age of AI? 15:44 Dan Heath's Reset & Three Judgment Failures 18:52 Stop Doing All the Things With AI 22:38 Amy's Vibe Coding Journey: 100+ Hours In 23:05 The Beach Walk Epiphany 29:09 The Executive Reframe: You're Not Just a Manager of AI 32:46 Why Mid-Level Leaders Are Most at Risk 35:55 It's Not a Time Problem. It's a Nervous System Problem. 41:13 Jason Lemkin's Weak Link Problem — And Amy's 47:10 Nate B. Jones & the Open Brain Concept 58:19 We're Out of the Messy Middle 🔑 KEY INSIGHTS: - The bottleneck has shifted — it's no longer your AI's capability, it's your judgment - The complexity is in the workflow design, not the tools — Forward Deployed AI Engineers won't save you - After 100+ hours of vibe coding, the lesson is clear: your job is to set intent, not implement - When your AI team never sleeps, you become the weak link — and that's an emotional adjustment nobody prepares you for - Mid-level leaders are most at risk from AI: most squeezed for time, least supported, caught in a double bind - If you're procrastinating on AI, it's probably a nervous system issue, not a time issue - Your first vibe coding project should be a throwaway — that IS the curriculum - The "open brain": your intelligence shouldn't live inside someone else's walled garden 📚 REFERENCES: Building Agents People Actually Trust | Ankur Bhatt https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/building-agents-people-actually-trust-ankur-bhatt-ujltc Reset | Dan Heath https://www.amazon.com/Reset-Dan-Heath/dp/1982195851 Ethan Mollick on Forward Deployed AI Engineers https://x.com/emollick Open Brain Concept | Nate B. Jones https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JiMmye2ezg Amy's AI Transformation Maturity Model https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ai-transformation-maturity-model-amy-wilson 🔗 CONNECT: Submit Leadership Questions: megandamyshow@gmail.com Instagram: @megandamyshow LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-meg-amy-show Meg's Website: https://www.megbear.com #AITransformation #VibeCoding #Leadership #FutureOfWork #MegAndAmyShow
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    57 mins
  • Episode 33 | Marc Coleman on Why Nobody Has Budget for Theory Anymore
    Mar 13 2026
    UNLEASH founder and CEO Marc Coleman joins Amy and Meg for a conversation about what 5,000 HR leaders actually need right now — not in theory, in practice. From launching a disastrous first conference with tangled lanyards and no sleep to building one of the world's largest HR technology events, Marc shares how he reads market signals, why he shifted from benefit-led to decision-led content, and the L'Oréal "journey book” that changed how he thinks about the value of gathering. Plus: why companies winning with AI won't tell you how, the real tension between boards and HR, and Marc's Vegas wedding story. Leadership Corner: what happens when your promotion makes your peers not your peers anymore. ⏰ TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 "Repurposing humanity in the age of machines" 00:14 Introduction — what do 5,000 HR leaders actually need? 01:02 Building communities around big ideas 03:29 The UNLEASH origin story — Chelsea FC and sore heads 06:42 First event chaos: tangled lanyards and one hour of sleep 07:47 How to separate signal from noise as an insider 08:07 The politician effect — why HR leaders can't share secrets 11:26 "I leave the clothes of yesterday behind me" 13:42 "Everyone has the same data — the ones who win make different decisions" 14:37 The L'Oréal journey book — 100 HR leaders, 38 brands, one week of decisions 18:05 What does "good" look like for a conference speaker? 20:44 One sentence can change your career — and a Vegas wedding 22:35 The gap between what boards want and what HR delivers 23:23 Why the hardest part of transformation is always the people 25:12 Boards want capital efficiency. HR manages human complexity. 26:45 Doing your homework — Ethan Mollick and the jaw on the floor 29:17 Why companies succeeding with AI won't share how 31:05 2026 is the year — doing nothing is very costly 32:24 "The execution lives and dies in HR" 33:11 Areas of hope — SAP, Walmart, and pioneering CHROs 34:20 The power of in-person learning and serendipity 37:40 UNLEASH America — March 17–19, Caesars Forum, Las Vegas 39:01 Leadership Corner: Promoted past your peers — now what? 42:23 Build your org structure first, then map the people 46:01 "This is a new job — not a step function of your old one" 47:10 Wrap-up: What HR leaders should focus on in 2026 🔑 KEY INSIGHTS: - Everyone has the same data — the winners make different decisions, not luckier ones - L'Oréal sends 100 HR leaders to UNLEASH annually with a custom "journey book" mapping decisions to sessions — the future of how organizations extract value from learning - AI capability is outpacing organizational design — companies think it's about tools when it's actually about human beings - The "politician effect": companies succeeding with AI treat it as competitive advantage and won't share publicly - Boards optimize for capital efficiency while HR manages human complexity — the leaders who win translate between both worlds - The execution of AI transformation lives and dies in HR — it's not a side initiative, it's the competitive advantage - Workforce transformation is a team sport — you can't do it alone behind a closed door - After a promotion: soothe your heart, then build your org completely separate from the relationships in place- A promotion isn't a step function — it's a new job requiring fresh onboarding and relationship building 📚 RESOURCES: UNLEASH America 2026: March 17–19, Caesars Forum, Las Vegas https://www.unleash.ai/ Ethan Mollick: https://www.oneusefulthing.org/ Jess Von Bank: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessvonbank/ Kirstin Ferguson Episode (Season 1): https://youtu.be/lceHtsbNAcs?si=rlOuV3HwrFk9r1lx 🔗 CONNECT: Marc Coleman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marccoleman/ Submit Leadership Questions: amywilsonadvisor@gmail.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megandamyshow/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-meg-amy-show #Leadership #AITransformation #UNLEASH #FutureOfWork#HRLeadership #DecisionMaking #MegAndAmyShow
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    51 mins
  • Episode 32 | Kim Scott on Radical Candor, Courage, and Leading When Nobody Has Answers
    Mar 6 2026
    Radical Candor author Kim Scott joins Amy and Meg for one of the most candid conversations about leadership, courage, and what it really means to care in an era of AI disruption and rising authoritarianism. From managing diamond cutters in the Soviet Union to coaching CEOs at Google, Apple, and Twitter, Kim shares the personal stories behind her frameworks — including the moment a colleague's feedback made her rethink everything and write Radical Respect. Plus: what Kim would tell Workday's returning founder Aneel Bhusri, why Steve Jobs argued against himself, and how to give feedback when AI did half the work. ⏰ TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Radical candor is about praise, not just criticism 00:47 From Moscow diamond cutters to first management lessons 02:59 How Kim discovered Kieran Snyder and the power of candid praise 06:15 Silicon Valley's silence: Kim's New York Times op-ed 10:44 "Too much money in too few hands" — what history tells us 13:41 Courage and wealth are negatively correlated right now 14:12 The competence-likeability story: tight pants and a demotion 17:10 The ROI of speaking up vs. staying silent 19:27 Susan Fowler, regret, and the cost of going quietly 22:03 "Casually cruel in the name of being honest" — radical candor misused 26:49 The dog story: "It's not mean, it's clear" 28:48 Andy Grove's cab ride and the two-minute conversation 34:51 The four realizations that led to Radical Respect 39:10 Leadership skills vs. leadership qualities in the AI era 42:23 The Compass: AI role-play for practicing radical candor 44:59 "We don't know what's going to happen — that's it" 47:15 The SaaSpocalypse: What Kim would tell Workday's CEO 48:34 "You are not your stock price" 50:52 Steve Jobs argued against himself — and saved Apple 54:30 Leadership Corner: Giving feedback when AI did the work 🔑 KEY INSIGHTS: - Why self-censorship is the real goal of authoritarianism — and it's happening in tech - The difference between radical candor and obnoxious aggression in the "founder mode" era - Kim's four realizations that transformed Radical Candor into Radical Respect - How to evaluate and develop people when AI is producing their work - Why the best leaders argue against their own positions - "You are not your stock price" — leading vs. lagging indicators for founders in crisis - The Compass tool: using AI to practice hard conversations, not replace them 📚 RESOURCES: - Radical Candor Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@RadicalCandor/ - Compass AI Role-Play Tool: compass.radicalcandor.com - Lenny's Podcast: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/podcast - Kieran Snyder Episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFqdGDylL6I - New York Times Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/03/opinion/trump-silicon-valley-state-meda-putin.html - Andy Grove: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Grove - TED Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/kim_scott_how_to_lead_with_radical_candor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmxHUiiHgNk 🔗 CONNECT: Kim Scott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimm4/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megandamyshow/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-meg-amy-show #RadicalCandor #Leadership #AI #AITransformation #FounderMode #SiliconValley #FutureOfWork #MegAndAmyShow
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • Episode 31 | Five Major Threads Shaping the Future | Season 2 Kickoff
    Feb 27 2026
    We're back! In our Season 2 opener, we dig into everything that's happened since we wrapped Season 1 — and there's a LOT. Amy's been vibe coding an app for her mom (with a full AI development team), Meg's been having her brain broken by AI agents, and the business landscape has shifted dramatically. We introduce five interlocking threads that will guide Season 2 — think of them as a rope, not a listicle — covering the SaaSpocalypse, context as the new moat, the high agency imperative, the AI agent explosion, and the great reshuffle. Plus: Leadership Corner tackles what to do when you're carrying all the emotional weight on your leadership team. ⏰ TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Welcome to Season 2 02:00 Why We Do This Podcast 06:00 Viewer Appreciation & Leadership Corner CTA 08:30 Ricursive Intelligence Shout-Out 10:00 Amy's Vibe Coding Journey 18:00 The Five Threads Introduction 19:00 Thread 1: The SaaSpocalypse 25:00 Thread 2: Context Is the New Moat 31:00 Thread 3: The High Agency Imperative 38:00 Thread 4: AI Agents Got Scary Fast 44:00 Thread 5: The Reshuffle 46:00 Leadership Corner: Carrying the Emotional Load 🔑 KEY INSIGHTS: - The SaaSpocalypse isn't just software — every legacy business model is under fire - Context is emerging as the new competitive moat, but people are incented to withhold it (strategic opacity) - The trifecta for thriving: AI fluency + domain expertise + understanding what the business actually needs - AI agents went from automation tools to genuinely high-agency problem solvers almost overnight - Getting really fast without getting really good is a new kind of problem - Sometimes doing hard things is how you build self-esteem — don't give that away to AI 📚 REFERENCES: Episode 12 | Can You Transform from LegacyCo to NewCo in the AI Era? | Usman Sheikh https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9WFX85Im2I Episode 18 | The Winning AI Strategy: Reshuffling Systems, Not Adding Smarts | Sangeet Paul Choudary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaSZhRkk2NU More or Less Podcast https://www.youtube.com/@MoreorLessPod/videos Meg Bear's LinkedIn Post https://www.linkedin.com/posts/megbear_how-ai-is-learning-to-think-in-secret-activity-7421328223759654912-CgdE?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAAVeN8BrXyqZRtd37eT9lCYDRykSAdLh5A Why the Biggest AI Career Opportunity Just Appeared - and Almost Nobody Sees It https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6r0UeMQE66I High Agency in 30 Minutes https://www.highagency.com/ AI's trillion-dollar opportunity: Context Graphs https://foundationcapital.com/context-graphs-ais-trillion-dollar-opportunity/ The 5 Levels of AI Coding (Why Most of You Won't Make It Past Level 2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDcgHzCBgmQ How to build AI product sense https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-to-build-ai-product-sense 🔗 CONNECT: Submit Leadership Questions: megandamyshow@gmail.com Instagram: @megandamyshow LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-meg-amy-show Meg's Website: https://www.megbear.com #SaaSpocalypse #AITransformation #Leadership #HighAgency #VibeCoding #MegAndAmyShow
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    59 mins
  • Episode 30 | WAR STORIES: The Corporate Scars That Made Us Stronger | Season 1 Finale
    Dec 26 2025
    Amy and Meg get brutally honest about the toxic workplace archetypes every leader faces - and share the real stories that shaped their careers. This isn't just storytelling; it's a masterclass in pattern recognition, strategic response, and hard-earned wisdom. These are REAL experiences from two executives who've navigated decades in corporate America. We're not just sharing war stories - we're breaking down what was actually happening, how we handled it (the good, the bad, and the ugly), and what we'd tell our former selves now. ⏰ TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Cold Open - "Airing of Grievances" 00:44 Book Club Anniversary & PeopleSoft Legacy 04:51 The Caregiving Burden During The Holidays (Women in the Workplace Reality) 08:39 Amy's "Undercover Man" Confession 15:11 Season 1 Finale Announcement 17:01 The Credit Thief - When Ideas Get Stolen 22:36 The Diminisher - Toenail Polish & Power Games 40:34 The Gatekeeper - Controlling Access & Visibility 53:01 The Saboteur - Coordinated Workplace Attacks 1:09:01 The Narcissist & The Proxy War - When You're a Pawn 1:18:42 The Wins - How We Became a Force of Two 1:31:50 Season 2 Vision & 2026 Predictions 1:35:11 Thank You & Madison's Maternity Leave 🔑 KEY INSIGHTS & HARD-EARNED WISDOM: - Why some executives have an invisible "unfair advantage" (Amy's stay-at-home husband revelation) - How to recognize when someone is diminishing you - and why it's about their insecurities, not your worth - The crucial difference: gatekeepers you can work around vs. narcissists you must exit from - Why workplace sabotage is often a twisted compliment - you've struck a chord - How to identify proxy wars (when you're collateral damage in someone else's battle) - Strategic advice: "Don't let your enemies know who they are" - The middle schooler test: advise yourself like you'd advise your kid about bullies - Why investing in your own professional development can't depend on your employer - When credentials get weaponized: "If they have to explain how important they are instead of discussing ideas, that's a red flag" - The power of documentation: timestamp your ideas, save your receipts - Sometimes the only winning move is to walk away (and that's not failure) - How gratitude and appreciation unlock more than demands ever will 📚 RESOURCES: Jess Von Bank on The Women in the Workplace 2025 Report | https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jessvonbank_the-women-in-the-workplace-2025-report-is-activity-7404939453028274176-HR6Y/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAAVeN8BrXyqZRtd37eT9lCYDRykSAdLh5A Charlotte Otter’s LinkedIn Post | https://www.linkedin.com/posts/charlotteeliseotter_no-one-gets-badges-for-being-a-good-parent-activity-7406374962317594624-xpbB/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAAVeN8BrXyqZRtd37eT9lCYDRykSAdLh5A Festivus Airing of the Grievances | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1l8Eag9CAFk 🔗 CONNECT: Amy's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-wilson-insight/ Meg's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megbear/ Meg’s Blog: https://www.megbear.com/blog Special thanks to our Executive Producer Madison Harney - enjoy maternity leave! And to our book club celebrating 20 years of badass women supporting each other. These stories shaped us. They don't have to break you. We'll be back March 2026 for Season 2. #Leadership #CorporateToxicity #WorkplaceArchetypes #ExecutiveLeadership #CareerAdvice #WomenInLeadership #ToxicWorkplace #WorkplaceBullying #ProfessionalDevelopment #CareerStrategy #WorkplaceWisdom #LeadershipLessons #CorporateLife #WorkplacePolitics #ExecutiveCoaching #CareerGrowth #WorkplaceResilience #LeadershipSkills #WomenInBusiness #CareerSuccess #WorkplaceCulture #LeadershipDevelopment #ExecutiveInsights #WorkplaceStrategy
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    1 hr and 37 mins
  • Episode 29 | Jason Averbook on 4 Forces Reshaping Work: Why AI Transformation Isn't About Technology
    Dec 19 2025
    🚀 Jason Averbook reveals the 4 forces creating the biggest change HR has ever seen—and why 95% of AI projects are failing. This isn't about technology; it's about trust, engagement, and fundamentally rethinking how work gets done. ⚡ THE 4 FORCES RESHAPING WORK: 1. Engagement is slipping (trust in companies at all-time lows) 2. Jobs and skills are changing rapidly 3. Early career on-ramp is broken 4. AI is being pushed into unprepared organizations 🔑 KEY INSIGHTS: - We're asking people to change while wearing "uniforms they don't trust" - AI transformation is a people problem, not a technology problem - Most companies are trapped in task optimization vs. workflow revolution - Early talent needs to challenge assumptions, not just fill roles - "Proof of work" beats "proof of education" in today's job market - Unlearning matters more than skill development 💡 FRAMEWORKS REVEALED: - Jason's 4 Sets: Mindset, Heart Set, Skill Set, Tool Set - Amy's AI Transformation Maturity Model - The FAFO Philosophy (Fool Around and Find Out) - AI Enablement Centers vs. traditional training 🎯 TACTICAL TAKEAWAYS: - Build proof of work without a job (18-year-old built 5 apps example) - Use LinkedIn to access networks, not just contact people - Start with workflows, then add technology (not the reverse) - Invest in unlearning before upskilling - Create "challenge partners" across age groups 🏢 THE PEOPLESOFT CONNECTION: Jason, Meg, and Amy share insights from their days as young professionals disrupting the status quo at PeopleSoft—and why today's organizations need that same fresh perspective. Jason Averbook is Senior Partner and Global Leader of Digital HR Strategy at Mercer, guiding 1,000+ organizations through transformation. This conversation bridges cutting-edge AI strategy with timeless leadership principles. ⏰ TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Introduction & The 4 Forces Framework 07:55 Trust Crisis: Why Engagement Matters 17:00 AI Enablement Centers vs. Traditional Training 28:37 Early Career Crisis: Proof of Work vs. Education 41:09 Diversity Redefined: Age, Context & Experience 42:43 Amy's AI Transformation Maturity Model 44:45 Jason's 4 Sets Framework 47:40 Leadership Corner: Merging Dysfunctional Teams 📚 RESOURCES: Jason's Now to Next Podcast | https://open.spotify.com/show/1zrFUr0dBTUG2EUcK8ca5g How HR Took Over the World | https://www.economist.com/business/2025/11/10/how-hr-took-over-the-world The Palantir Model | https://blog.palantir.com/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-palantir-forward-deployed-software-engineer-45ef2de257b1 Meg Bear on WTF Is a Forward-Deployed Engineer? by Thomas Otter | https://thomasotter.substack.com/p/wtf-is-a-forward-deployed-engineer/comment/110916540 Amy's Transformation Maturity Model | https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ai-transformation-paradox-why-todays-innovation-tomorrows-amy-wilson-8adqf/ 🔗 CONNECT: Jason Averbook: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonaverbook/ Amy Wilson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-wilson-insight/ Meg Bear: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megbear/ Instagram: @megandamyshow #AITransformation #Leadership #HRStrategy #DigitalTransformation #FutureOfWork #EmployeeEngagement #EarlyCareers #WorkflowOptimization #MegAndAmyShow
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    55 mins