School for Startups Radio

June 16, 2025 – Digital Disruption Leadership Mike Peterson and AI SEO Jordan Whelan

Mike Peterson – Founder & Managing Partner of Apex Consulting Partners and Author of Leading in the Age of Digital Disruption: Building Resilient, High-Performing Teams in a Rapidly Changing World
Mike Peterson, author of LEADING IN THE AGE OF DIGITAL DISRUPTION, is the founder and managing partner of Apex Consulting Partners LLC. With nearly two decades of experience in HR and IT, he has held global positions at BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc., Zogenix Inc., UCB, and Structure Therapeutics. Mike is a meticulous and versatile professional known for notable leadership capabilities, reliability, and dedication to high-quality work standards. Mike has a focus and interest in enhancing workforce performance and workflow efficiency within HR & IT-related roles and responsibilities across North America, Europe, and Asia. Mike possesses broad HR and IT experience with a proven track record in organizational change, workforce data analytics, and acquisition integration. His professional career includes being the Head of HR & IT at two global pharmaceutical companies and has practiced HR & IT in over 17 different countries around the world.Jordan Whelan – Founder & President of Grey Smoke Media
Jordan Whelan is the founder of Grey Smoke Media. With a background as a TV and radio producer and a publicist, he has managed over $3 billion in class action claims communications. He spent a decade mastering media buying (managing over $50 million in spend) and digital marketing, achieving the proverbial 10,000 hours of practice. Under his leadership, Grey Smoke Media helped Diamond and Diamond Lawyers grow from a small practice to Canada’s top injury and real estate law firm. Before rebranding Grey Smoke Media as a legal marketing agency, Whelan worked with publicly traded pharmaceutical companies, The Pan Am Games, Brookfield Asset Management, Intact financial corporation and crypto powerhouses such as Coinsquare. Whelan’s insights have appeared in over 100 international outlets, including The New York Post and Forbes. In his personal time, he is an accomplished Singer-Songwriter with over 3 million streams on Spotify. Uniquely, Whelan provides metaphysics based business coaching that blends mindset mastery, wealth expansion and energetic alignment to help his clients unlock their highest potential.

June 13, 2025 – Electric RVs Toby Kraus and Metal.Men CEO Will Henshall

Toby Kraus, Co-Founder and CEO, Lightship
Toby Kraus is the Co-founder and CEO of Lightship. He has devoted his career to advancing the electrification of vehicles—big and small—from the Tesla Model S to commercial vehicles like trucks and school buses. In co-founding Lightship, Toby was inspired to push electrification into a new segment and to reach demographics that haven’t previously been served by the electrification movement. Prior to co-founding Lightship, Toby spent five years at Tesla, where he held several roles, including leading Tesla’s finance team and overseeing product management for the Model S. In 2016, he brought his passion for vehicle electrification to Proterra, where he led the Proterra Powered business unit, responsible for deploying the company’s heavy-duty electric vehicle technology to a wide range of commercial vehicles. He also led Proterra’s finance and strategy team as the company scaled from initial customer deployments to over 100 customers across the U.S. and Canada. Toby began his career in investment banking at Morgan Stanley and holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and Economics from Duke University. His mission is to help create a more environmentally conscious world—so that his son and daughter can one day road trip through the Rocky Mountains and backpack the same trails he grew up loving.Will Henshall – CEO of METAL MEN
As the CEO of METAL MEN, Will Henshall hosts a group of heart-centered men from many diverse backgrounds who connect, support, and grow together. With over 30 years of experience as a creative entrepreneur, Will has a passion for building a global community of leaders who share a vision of positive impact and transformation. His background spans music/songwriting, software, and photography. He co-founded and fronted the UK pop soul band Londonbeat, which had two US #1 hits in the early 90s. He also co-invented and sold the Rocket Network technology, which networked audio recording studios and became part of Avid’s ProTools. Additionally, he ran a professional photography company in Los Angeles, specializing in people and food. Currently, he also run Focus At Will Labs, a neuroscience-based music technology company that delivers productivity on demand tools for working, studying, and reading. He leveraged his expertise in music, software, and neuroscience to create innovative solutions that enhance focus and attention span. Brotherhood, inspiration, adventure, making a difference! METAL MEN are from many different professional backgrounds including media, entertainment, technology, music, the arts, science, medicine, industry, law, manufacturing, robotics, space, and finance. Members live in 300 cities in 70 countries. Their core values are integrity, intelligence, authenticity, resilience, and kindness. They’re accountable to each other, which makes us better husbands, fathers, boyfriends, workmates, business partners and citizens.

June 11, 2025 – Disruptors Dr. Imamu Tomlinson and Kickstarter CPTO Mahesh Guruswamy

Dr. Imamu Tomlinson -CEO of Vituity and Author of Less Than One Percent: How Disruptors Defy the Odds
As an award winning CEO of a multi-billion dollar healthcare company, Dr. Imamu Tomlinson MD, MBA knows all about what it takes to succeed against all odds. With his unique narrative and analytic bent, he highlights how often times we misjudge the qualities necessary to succeed. Tomlinson’s passion is to inspire others to exceed their own expectations. Dr. Tomlinson is CEO of Vituity, a physician-owned and led multispecialty healthcare partnership. Vituity has a network of 6,000 clinicians who provide care at more than 690 practice locations. Prior to joining Vituity, Dr. Tomlinson was the Chief of Staff for the Adventist Health Central Valley Network, where he continues to practice as an emergency physician. He holds a medical degree from the University of Cincinnati and an MBA in Health Care Management from California Coast University.Mahesh Guruswamy – CPTO of Kickstarter and Author of How to Deliver Bad News and Get Away with It: A Manager’s Guide
Mahesh Guruswamy is a seasoned product development executive who has been in the software development space for over twenty years and has managed teams of varying sizes for over a decade. He is currently the chief product and technology officer at Kickstarter. Before that, he ran product development teams at Mosaic, Kajabi, and Smartsheet. Mahesh caught the writing bug from his favorite author, Stephen King. He started out writing short stories and eventually discovered that long-form writing was a great medium to share information with product development teams, resulting in his book How to Deliver Bad News and Get Away with It: A Manager’s Guide Greenleaf Book Group (January 14, 2025). Mahesh is passionate about mentoring others, especially folks who are interested in becoming a people manager and newer managers who are just getting going.

June 9, 2025 – #1 AI Book Rajeev Kapur and Wikipedia Expert Albin Guillaud

Rajeev Kapur – President and CEO at 1105 Media (B2B, B2C), 3 Exits and Author of AI Made Simple: A Beginner’s Guide to Generative Intelligence (2nd Edition)
Rajeev Kapur is a three-time CEO with three successful exits and extensive experience in high-tech and media. He has led innovation and strategic agendas for entrepreneurial startups, midsize companies, and Fortune 500 firms like Dell, where he managed P&Ls up to $1.6B. Rajeev holds a Global MBA from USC Marshall School of Business and Jiaotong University, and a dual AI certification from MIT. He is an accomplished keynote speaker, executive coach, and bestselling author of “Chase Greatness” and “AI Made Simple.” Recognized by being a Tech America CEO of the year finalist in 2012 and an Orange County Business Journal Entrepreneur of the Year finalist in 2013. Rajeev is also an experienced screenplay writer represented by The Rêve Agency.Albin Guillaud – Wikipedia Expert at Wikiconsult  
Albin Guillaud is a Wikipedia consultant within the Wikiconsult collective. He supports researchers, academics, institutions, companies, and public figures in creating, updating, and managing their presence on the encyclopedia, both in French and English. A volunteer contributor to Wikipedia since 2014, and professionally trained in Wikipedia editing by Wikiconsult, he has a deep understanding of the encyclopedia’s strict guidelines and ensures that every intervention is both transparent and sustainable. He holds a PhD in behavioral sciences and a Master’s degree in philosophy, bringing scientific expertise and editorial rigor to the service of professionals and non-profit organizations. He also oversees Wikiconsult’s English-language projects. Based in the French Alps, he is the father of two children and also works as a self-employed physiotherapist.

June 6, 2025 – Focus.CEO Founder David Ian Wood and Celebrity Make-up Artist Tayelor

David Ian Wood – Founder and High-Performance Coach at Focus.ceo
Our happiness does not need to be linked to what happen externally. 
David Wood is an international life coach, Founder of Focus.ceo, former Consulting Actuary to Fortune 100 companies, and one of the foremost voices in online marketing and lifestyle design. David left his cushy Park Avenue job 20 years ago to explore both the outer world, and his own inner world. Along the way he’s coached thousands of hours in a dozen countries around the globe. He built the world’s largest coaching business, becoming #1 on Google for life coaching, building an email following of 150,000 business owners, and selling $330,000 of product from the stage in 15 minutes. David was voted into the Transformational Leadership Council, along with such thought leaders as Stephen M.R. Covey, Jack Canfield, John Gray, and Marianne Williamson. David is no stranger to overcoming challenges himself, having survived a full collapse of his paraglider and a fractured spine, witnessing the death of his sister at age seven, anxiety and depression. With foreword by Jack Canfield, David is also the author of Get Paid For Who You Are, where he offers insight into creating a life of freedom by following five simple steps. 
Tayelor Kennedy – Celebrity Make-up Artist
Tayelor Kennedy is a highly accomplished master aesthetician, celebrity makeup artist, and author, bringing a unique blend of artistry and business acumen to the beauty and wellness industry. With a Master’s in Business Administration, she combines her technical skills with a strategic mindset, making her a sought-after figure in both skincare and aesthetics. In addition to her makeup artistry, Tayelor holds a Master’s in Business Administration and is the founder of Holistic 360™, a wellness brand that integrates Ayurvedic principles with modern skincare and self-care practices. Her approach emphasizes the connection between inner health and outer beauty, offering clients personalized routines that promote long-term vitality and confidence. Tayelor’s innovative contributions to wellness education have earned her the 2025 Global Recognition Award for Excellence in Wellness Innovation. Through digital courses, workshops, and her best-selling publications, she empowers individuals to embrace holistic self-care as a sustainable lifestyle. Her work has been featured in prominent publications such as Grazia, L’Officiel, FHM UK, and Cosmopolitan, establishing her as a leading voice in the intersection of beauty and wellness

June 5, 2025 – Building an Influencer Business with Coaster Studios

Taylor Bybee & Sarah Anderson – Founders of Coaster Studios YouTube Channel
Taylor Bybee and Sarah Anderson are a dynamic duo known for their work in the theme park industry, particularly as the owners and creators of Coaster Studios. Coaster Studios is a variety channel that produces roller coaster and theme park content from across the globe. Sarah and Taylor travel the world, providing ride and park reviews, rankings, vlogs, breakdowns, discussions, documentaries, tours, and more. With new videos uploaded daily, they’ve grown to over 300,000 followers on YouTube. They also produced a movie called That’s How We Roll. Taylor has ridden over 1,300 different coasters! In this interview, they share valuable insights into growing a brand and channel—and how to become an influencer.

June 3, 2025 – How To Become an Influencer Steve & Candi Noble and Customer Experience Dave Stubberfield

Steve & Candi Noble – Founders of The Noble Way – YouTube Influencers
Steve and Candi Noble are the dynamic duo behind The Noble Way, a YouTube channel dedicated to demystifying the theme park experience. Balancing their careers in real estate and advertising, they’ve channeled over 30 years of Orlando vacationing expertise into creating content that offers viewers insider tips, tricks, and fun facts to enhance their vacations. Their mission is clear: to make theme park visits easy, stress-free, and magical. Their channel doesn’t just stop at theme parks; it extends to comprehensive restaurant reviews, ensuring travelers know what’s worth their time and money. Their adventures have taken them to renowned destinations such as Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, Disneyland Paris, SeaWorld, and many more. At the heart of their content is a commitment to authenticity and joy. As they put it, “The Noble Way is the easy way!” They believe in doing something noble—humble, magnificent, charitable, honorable, extraordinary, tolerant, or kind. Through their videos, they aim to spread love and joy, encouraging others to enjoy life and make the most of their adventures.Dave Stubberfield – Author of Supercharging the Customer Experience: How Organizational Alignment Drives Performance
Dave Stubberfield, author of Supercharging the Customer Experience: How Organizational Alignment Drives Performance, is Director & Principal Consultant at NOVA. With over a decade’s worth of experience in business transformation, has been involved with and managed complex and comprehensive projects to improve a variety of businesses with a customer-centric focus. By empowering people from the ground up and gaining total sponsorship from senior leaders, Dave ensures complete coverage of the transformation across the organization. He applies his expertise in continuous improvement, customer experience and change management to create bespoke implementation solutions for businesses of all sizes and reach their goals, embedding and sustaining these methodologies. Stubberfield has enabled the transformation of a cloud contact centre organization from an NPS score of -11 to +76 over a five-year period through detailed and meticulous project management, ensuring that tasks and assignments are scoped appropriately with the correct level of resource and training across all levels of the business. He has a natural ability to lead by example, showcasing behaviours through role-modeling and a hands-on approach to gain buy-in and traction with all stakeholders creating natural momentum, engagement and enthusiasm.

June 2, 2025 – One of AIs only Women Amanda Levay and Self or Prestige Publishing Wayne Elliott

Amanda Levay – CEO of Redactable
Amanda Levay is CEO of Redactable, a digital information risks reduction platform. Redactable is approaching this from a new angle, using AI to fundamentally change how redaction works at scale. Amanda was recently named to Inc.’s 2025 Female Founders 500 List. Her journey, from loan consultant to tech founder, reflects a broader shift across industries: real-world experience shaping practical, high-impact technology. She built Redactable from the ground up and has led it through key milestones, including: leveraging machine learning and NLP to automatically detect and permanently redact sensitive content, going far beyond black bars or static overlays, embedding SOC 2 and HIPAA compliance into the platform to eliminate friction for legal, healthcare, and government users, Securing $5.5M in funding from Gradient Ventures, FIS Ventures, and other leading investors, and winning a $1.9M U.S. Air Force contract to support critical data privacy infrastructure. As one of the few female founders in the AI space, Amanda brings a sharp, grounded perspective on where privacy tech is headed, and what it takes to build real solutions in a high-stakes data environment.Wayne Elliott – Ship Recycling and Strauss Naturals Advocate
Wayne Elliott has been in the ship recycling business for 40 years. His company can take a 1000-foot-long ship and reduce it to a pile to reusable materials. He has grown into other areas such as battery recycling. He recounts his life-changing experience with SHD, a health supplement he stumbled upon after battling angina and its debilitating symptoms. Struggling with leg cramps, shortness of breath, night sweats, and chest pains, Wayne also grappled with anxiety and a lack of energy, resigning himself to the fate of heart-related issues that plagued his family. However, upon learning about SHD through a friend in Vancouver and being inspired by studies from renowned institutions like Harvard, Wayne decided to give it a try. Astonishingly, within two weeks of taking SHD, he noticed improvements in unexpected ways – his hearing returned, and his respiratory system cleared, leading to a significant boost in energy. Over the course of three months, Wayne transformed into a revitalized version of himself, feeling as energetic as he did decades ago. This transformation propelled him into a new phase of life where he actively engaged with others, becoming a spokesperson for Jim Strauss, the creator of SHD. Wayne’s involvement extended to radio shows and lectures, allowing him to share his incredible journey with thousands of people suffering from various health issues. His enthusiasm and dedication to natural health solutions led him to become a regular guest on radio networks in the USA and Canada, where he continued to spread the word about his positive experiences with SHD and its miraculous effects on individuals dealing with diabetes, heart disease, low energy, and clogged arteries. Wayne’s story highlights the power of painless, safe, and affordable health products, emphasizing the beauty of solutions that genuinely work. His gratitude towards Jim Strauss and the Strauss Heart Drops is profound, as he believes that without this intervention, he might not have been alive today, reinforcing the transformative impact of natural health remedies in the face of life-threatening conditions. Strauss Naturals is sponsoring the show with support for our radio-minute segments. Wayne says very simply that their products saved him. He became an advocate for the company and has been working with them for 29 years.

May 30, 2025 – Franchise Matchmaking Alex Smereczniak and Homeless to AI Roommate Founder Kal Merhi

Alex Smereczniak – Founder of Franzy, Helping aspiring entrepreneurs find & fund the right franchise and Creating 1M business owners through smarter franchise matchmaking
Alex Smereczniak is a serial entrepreneur and the Founder and CEO of Franzy, a platform designed to help people find and fund the right franchise—essentially, the “Zillow” for franchising. Before launching Franzy, he co-founded and scaled 2ULaundry and LaundroLab into multi-market, venture-backed businesses, gaining deep insights into the rewards and challenges of franchising. With experience as a co-founder, franchisor, and now a tech operator, Alex brings a unique perspective to modernizing the $800 billion franchise economy. Through Franzy, he aims to make entrepreneurship more accessible, with the ambitious goal of helping one million people become business owners. Along his journey, he has raised over $30 million, built scalable systems, and developed teams across multiple markets—driven by a firm belief that franchising is one of the most overlooked paths to business ownership. Alex frequently shares insights on franchising, small business trends, startup alternatives, and how to simplify entrepreneurship for the next generation of business owners.Kalil Merhi – Founder of iROOMit
Kal Merhi is the Founder and CEO of iROOMit, an innovative online platform that simplifies the process of finding roommates and rooms for rent across the USA and Canada. Driven by a deep passion for helping others, Kal created iROOMit to offer safe, affordable, and convenient co-living solutions. The platform stands out for its robust features, including ID verification, credit reports, secure payments, and a smart matching algorithm that connects users based on lifestyle preferences—making the search for roommates more efficient and reliable. Kal’s inspiration to build iROOMit stems from his own challenging upbringing, during which he and his family lived in abandoned homes, constantly moving in search of stability. These experiences instilled in him a profound understanding of the importance of secure and affordable housing. As a serial entrepreneur and professional coach, Kal now dedicates his life to creating impactful solutions and mentoring aspiring leaders. Under his leadership, iROOMit has gained strong traction, marked by organic growth, positive user feedback, and returning customers. The platform’s success was further boosted by rising housing costs, positioning iROOMit as a much-needed solution in the rental market. Key to the company’s growth has been its focus on solving real problems, listening to user feedback, doubling down on effective acquisition channels, and ensuring a seamless and secure user experience. With strategic partnerships and a commitment to innovation, Kal continues to lead iROOMit in its mission to make shared housing more accessible, trustworthy, and community-focused.

May 28, 2025 – Being Promoted Noel Massie and Master Restauranteur Paul Nishiyama

Noel Massie – Retired Vice President of US Delivery Operations for UPS and Author of Congrats! You’ve Been Promoted: An Essential Guide for Helping New Leaders and Their Teams Succeed
Noel Massie began working for UPS part time during college and rose through the ranks to become vice president for UPS’s US Delivery Operations. Before his retirement in 2019, he oversaw 200,000 employees who were led by 12,000 supervisors. In this role, Noel supported and guided the package delivery and logistic services in the United States. He continues to mentor young leaders and supervisors. Noel is currently a member of numerous boards: the Annenberg Foundation, which holds a $1.7 billion endowment and where Noel serves on their investment committee that guides the foundation’s investment strategy; the Los Angeles Urban Leagues Executive Committee, where Noel served as chairman for nine years; Chapter ONE US, an organization that seeks to enhance elementary school literacy; and the Asian American and Pacific Islander Legal Center. He has received over a dozen awards, including the Peter Drucker School of Management Leadership Award, the Whitney M. Young Award, the Admiral Samuel L. Gravely Award, the Civic Leadership Award of Los Angeles, and the Civic Leadership Award of Chicago for serving for five years on the Chicago Workforce Board. He currently mentors young leaders and private organizations on values-based leadership principles. He and his family reside in Oak Park, Illinois, with a secondary residence in Southern California.Paul Nishiyama – Chief Growth Officer of Better Buzz Coffee
Paul Nishiyama is a seasoned executive with extensive experience in the restaurant industry, currently serving as the Chief Operating Officer at Better Buzz Coffee since January 2023. Prior to this role, Nishiyama held various leadership positions at Rubio’s Restaurants, Inc., including Chief Operating Officer, Senior Vice President of Operations, and Vice President of Information Technology. Nishiyama also served as Vice President of Operations at Burger Lounge and held key roles at Johnny Rockets, culminating as Executive Vice President of Operations. Nishiyama’s early career at Rubio’s began in 1987, where Paul progressed from Director of Information Technology to District Manager. Educational background includes studies at San Diego Mesa College.