In this insightful episode of the Throttle Up Leadership Podcast, host Dr. John Dentico sits down with Scott Geller, a fractional CFO who has carved out a powerful niche supporting staffing agencies with revenues under $30 million. Scott shares his journey from the rigid corporate world to the agile fractional model, explaining how he helps underserved firms bridge the gap between basic bookkeeping and high-level financial strategy. They dive deep into the "profitability illusion" many agency owners face due to the massive time gap between weekly payroll and client payments, highlighting why moving from cash to accrual accounting is a non-negotiable for long-term health.

The conversation shifts toward the future of work, exploring the critical role of AI and the shifting values of Gen Z in the workplace. Scott introduces his PathPredict framework, a six-step method designed to build "financial muscle" through continuous forecasting rather than static annual budgeting. Whether discussing the "human-in-the-loop" requirement for AI or the need for strategic clarity, this episode offers a masterclass in adapting leadership and finance to a hyper-dynamic world.

0:00 Hello again and welcome to the Throttle Up Leadership Podcast

1:58 The Fractional Model and the Future of Work

3:51 Solving the Employee Engagement Crisis

6:00 Unique Cash Flow Challenges in Staffing

7:28 Why Cash Accounting Fails Staffing Agencies

10:49 AI's Impact on the Staffing Industry

13:20 The Ultimate AI Hack: Humans in the Loop

14:41 Real-World Perspective vs. AI Generics

16:45 Integrating Financial Clarity with EOS

22:38 Beyond Budgeting: The Power of Continuous Forecasting

25:37 Strategic Thinking vs. Strategic Planning

28:19 Recruiting vs. Staffing: Key Differences

33:10 PathPredict: The Six-Step Financial Method

37:40 Gen Z: The Canaries in the Coal Mine

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What happens when a billion-dollar CIO decides the nonprofit world deserves better strategic planning tools? You get StratSimple — and one of the most honest conversations about strategy, leadership, and AI you'll hear this year. Mike Burns spent over two decades driving organizational transformation, including serving as CIO of Benco Dental. In 2023, he co-founded StratSimple, an AI-powered platform built to make high-quality strategic planning accessible to nonprofits and consultants who've long been priced out of the game.

In this episode, Dr. John Dentico and Mike dig into the critical difference between strategic thinking and strategic planning, why the five-year static plan is officially dead, and how AI is reshaping what it means to truly listen to your organization. They explore why leaders fail to operationalize their plans, the irreplaceable role of human facilitators, and why "context engineering" is the real skill of the AI era. If your organization has ever confused activity for strategy, this conversation is your wake-up call.

0:00 — Meet Mike Burns: From Army Brat to AI Strategist

2:30 — Why Nonprofits Are in an Existential Crisis Right Now

4:30 — The Death of the Five-Year Plan — and What Replaces It

6:15 — Strategic Thinking vs. Strategic Planning: A Critical Distinction

10:00 — Leadership as Process, Not Position

13:00 — The Fence Company Story: What a Salesperson Saw That the CEO Missed

15:00 — How AI Enables Real Listening at Scale

17:30 — Context Engineering: The Skill That Actually Matters

20:00 — Nonprofits Have Competitors — Whether They Like It or Not

23:00 — Why Having a Plan Means You're Just at the Starting Line

27:00 — Process Mapping, Deming, and the Power of the How-To

32:00 — Empowerment, Delegation, and Letting Go of the Seesaw

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In this episode of the Throttle Up Leadership Podcast, Dr. John Dentico interviews Steve McNicholas. Steve McNicholas failed education in working-class Liverpool, the city that gave the world The Beatles, yet became an executive in global banking before the 2008 crash forced brutal clarity. That failure catalyzed three decades investigating what works. Interviewing 100+ highly successful leaders nobody's heard of, Steve uncovered a repeatable pattern: Leadership Success Engineering. His devastating insight challenges everything: most organizational failures aren't strategy or talent deficits; they're execution gaps. The distance between what leaders say they'll do and what gets done destroys organizations. When every leader runs leadership their way, you don't get excellence. You get chaos.

Co-authoring with Jack Canfield and writing "Unlocking the Success Code," Steve's mission targets 1,000 leaders annually. His framework isn't another development event cluttering calendars; it's installing operating system behaviors and accountability standards making leadership predictable, scalable, effective. Currently writing book three, Steve remains most alive working with practitioners: sleeves rolled up, demanding proof leaders applied what they committed to. The accountability check-in 30 days later when leaders grow "a foot taller" having executed? Pure magic.

1. Failed Education in Liverpool - 02:52

2. Working Class Roots to Global Banking - 03:18

3. 2008 Financial Crash Catalyst - 04:16

4. Private Equity Turnaround Expertise - 04:25

5. Interviewing 100+ Successful Leaders - 05:40

6. Leadership Success Engineering Framework - 06:12

7. The Execution Gap Problem - 08:30

8. When Leaders Say vs. Do - 12:45

9. Operating System Not Events - 15:20

10. Accountability Check-Ins That Work - 39:41

11. Writing Book Three - 38:40

12. Most Alive With Practitioners - 39:17

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In this episode of the Throttle Up Leadership Podcast, Dr. John Dentico interviews Karim Jaafar.

Karim Jaafar didn't just pivot from award-winning filmmaker to brand storytelling strategist; he decoded how the entire consumer landscape fractured beneath our feet. Born in Cyprus, raised across Canada, Egypt, and Lebanon, now headquartered in UAE, this Grithaus.me founder crafted narratives for Kellogg's, Pringles, Nestle, and Cartoon Network before recognizing the seismic shift: we're no longer one big population making decisions. We've become a community of communities, micro-tribes gathering around cars, keto diets, health kicks, shared values, each functioning as its own filtration system determining what enters and what gets rejected.

This isn't marketing theory; it's survival strategy. Communities of trust now decide brand fate, not mass messaging. Karim's 2026 resolution captures the zeitgeist: from doubting to doing. Years spent paralyzed by post-COVID fear and anxiety about capabilities taught him the Arabic wisdom "motion brings glory." Stop overthinking. Execute. The transition from filmmaker to marketing solutions owner wasn't risky, it was inevitable. In fragmented markets, only those who understand authentic community connection survive. Karim sees patterns others miss.

Cyprus to Canada to Lebanon Journey - 03:33

UAE Internship to Marketing Entrepreneur - 04:03

The Risky Transition: Film to Brand Storytelling - 04:26

Kellogg's, Pringles, and Global Brand Work - 06:45

Founding Grithaus.me - 09:30

Technology Connecting Brands with People - 12:15

Authentic Storytelling in Advertising - 15:40

Evolution of Consumer Behavior - 19:25

Communities as Filtration Systems - 27:27

Community of Communities Framework - 28:03

From Doubting to Doing: Motion Brings Glory - 29:02

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In this episode of the Throttle Up Leadership Podcast, Dr. John Dentico interviews Kimberly Collins Co-Owner of Collins Orthodontics and The Donut.

Kimberly Collins isn't just another personality assessment enthusiast, she's the multihyphenate who turned childhood road trips to Yellowstone into a leadership philosophy. Growing up in Montana with two musical sisters and a manager father obsessed with MBTI, young Kimberly took typology tests in the family car, never imagining those exercises would rescue her from crippling burnout years later. As co-owner of Collins Orthodontics and The Donut, a purpose-driven venture funding free orthodontic care for pediatric cancer survivors, this professional musician turned certified Enneagram and MBTI coach discovered that understanding personality systems isn't about boxing people in; it's about setting them free.

The conversation tackles the crushing weight leaders carry alone: imposter syndrome, burnout, and the exhausting game face they maintain while making decisions affecting others' livelihoods. Kimberly's hope? Leaders developing emotional intelligence not to better serve teams, but to lighten their own unbearable loads. As AI handles 75-80% of redundant work, the remaining 20%, authentic human connection, becomes exponentially more valuable. For leaders drowning in isolation, Kimberly delivers both empathy and actionable psychological insight wrapped in Montana wisdom.

Montana Upbringing with Musical Sisters - 01:52

MBTI Tests on the Road to Yellowstone - 02:26

Father's Influence as People Manager - 02:22

Professional Musician Turned Coach - 02:19

Burnout with Three Kids and a Team - 02:52

Discovering the Enneagram - 03:05

MBTI Preferences, Not Boxes - 03:28

The Donut: Orthodontics for Cancer Survivors - 12:30

Emotional Intelligence for Leaders - 18:45

Authenticity and Imposter Syndrome - 29:54

Leaders Need Support Too - 31:01

AI and the 20% That Matters - 32:32

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In this episode of the Throttle Up Leadership Podcast, Dr. John Dentico interviews Dave Chauhan.

Dave Chauhan didn't just study leadership, he lived it through two value systems. Born in Libya to Punjabi parents working in embassy health roles, young Dave was raised by his grandmother in India, creating an early identity crisis that became his secret weapon. Two sets of parents meant two conflicting value frameworks: disciplined professionalism from one, sage wisdom seeking deeper meaning from the other. This Australian leadership coach and co-founder of Purple Spark Advisory spent 17 years discovering that outdated control-based playbooks fail spectacularly in today's chaos.

As author of "Captain Set Sail" and creator of the Nautical Leadership Framework, Dave champions courage, clarity, and compassion over quarterly obsessions. His devastating metaphor cuts deep: leaders forget why they got in the car, becoming infatuated with traffic lights, fuel levels, and maintenance schedules, the rules of the game, while losing sight of the destination itself. When boardroom decisions chase 5% profit at the expense of stated values, actions reveal truth marketing can't hide. Dave argues leadership transcends KPIs; it's about unleashing talent that exceeds every metric leaders fixate upon.

Born in Libya, Raised by Grandmother - 02:30

Two Sets of Parents, Two Value Systems - 03:04

The Identity Crisis That Shaped Leadership - 03:16

Captain Set Sail and Nautical Leadership - 05:12

Purple Spark Advisory in Australia - 08:45

Courage, Clarity, and Compassion - 11:30

The Car Metaphor: Forgetting the Destination - 34:48

When Actions Don't Align with Purpose - 33:31

Falling in Love with KPIs - 35:14

5% Profit Versus Core Values - 34:18

Leadership Beyond Quarterly Results - 36:25

Unleashing Talent Beyond KPIs - 36:33

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In this episode of the Throttle Up Leadership Podcast, Dr. John Dentico interviews Andrew Ackerman.

Andrew Ackerman isn't just another VC with opinions; he's the startup whisperer who's lived every role in the ecosystem. This serial entrepreneur turned angel investor turned venture capitalist has invested in 70+ startups, mentored hundreds of founders, and built innovation programs that deliver. As strategic advisor and head of Reach Labs for Second Century Ventures, he brings battle-tested perspective to property tech and construction tech, though his hard-earned lesson surprises: being a successful founder doesn't automatically make you good at recognizing success in others at scale.

Born in Israel to American parents, raised around New York City, Andrew credits his entrepreneurial grandfather, who died when Andrew was twelve, as his biggest influence. The conversation cuts through startup mythology with surgical precision, tackling founder archetypes, pattern recognition failures, and AI hype versus reality. Andrew's hope? That we find the right balance between proven methods and shiny new tools, building wisdom while maintaining optionality. For his three daughters facing 40-year career horizons in radically uncertain times, he champions transferable talents over rigid job titles; advice that resonates across generations.

Born in Israel, Raised in New York - 02:13

Grandfather's Entrepreneurial Influence - 02:46

Every Hat in the Startup World - 03:27

Founder to Investor Transition - 03:42

Pattern Recognition Pitfalls - 04:03

The Entrepreneur's Odyssey Book - 08:15

Founder Archetypes and Success - 14:30

Property Tech and Construction Tech - 19:45

AI Hype Versus Reality - 35:20

Shiny Objects Versus Accumulated Wisdom - 46:47

Career Optionality for Next Generation - 47:14

Finding Balance in Uncertainty - 48:02

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In this episode of the Throttle Up Leadership Podcast, Dr. John Dentico interviews Sean Kling. Sean Kling doesn't apologize for being Gen X—he weaponizes it. As author of "Outwork Them All: A Gen X Guide to Business and Leadership," this former Marine and Pennsylvania native makes the provocative case that in a world drowning in viral trends and AI hype, old-school fundamentals like consistency, loyalty, and face-to-face relationship building have become rare competitive advantages. Raised on stories of his grandfather's World War II service and father's Vietnam tours, Sean absorbed community values that now power his nine-step business rebuilding blueprint and lean operation philosophy: run tight, stay human, outwork everyone.

The conversation tackles generational differences with nuance—Sean doesn't dismiss younger entrepreneurs but argues they're missing the power of boring consistency over exciting pivots. He champions building trusted advisor circles, maintaining in-person networks, and running businesses without overpriced software dependencies. His mantra "the work works if you work it" cuts through motivation culture noise. Dr. Dentico reinforces this by noting that as AI handles 75-80% of routine tasks, the remaining 20%—the human connection part—becomes exponentially more valuable. For leaders exhausted by productivity hacks and viral formulas, this episode delivers street-tested strategy wrapped in Marine Corps discipline.

Small Town Pennsylvania Roots - 02:15

Marine Corps Family Legacy - 02:50

Community Service Values - 03:23

Gen X Fundamentals That Still Win - 04:09

What Younger Entrepreneurs Miss - 04:26

Outwork Them All Philosophy - 06:45

Building Your Trusted Advisor Circle - 11:30

Nine-Step Business Rebuilding Blueprint - 15:20

Running Lean Without Software Bloat - 18:45

Two Podcasts: Travel and Life Stories - 28:12

Hope for Daughters' Success - 27:24

The 20% That Matters Most - 30:02

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