Lead The Machine Podcast

Kirstin Marr is a C-level exec and board member who has helped over 100 companies adopt transformative tech and data analytics for 25 years.

Lead The Machine Podcast explores the human side of AI at work. Join the conversation with today's leaders and tomorrow's about what it takes to make AI work for real people, in real organizations. leadthemachine.substack.com

  1. Everyone Has Access to AI. A Millennial Leader Explains What Matters Now.

    6 HR AGO

    Everyone Has Access to AI. A Millennial Leader Explains What Matters Now.

    Hi everyone, I love intergenerational conversations about AI and the future of work, especially with Millennial leaders like John Hyde, a real estate and hospitality project management consultant. AI brings us a rare opportunity to learn from each other, across generations and levels of an organization. John brings a Millennial perspective to questions many leaders are wrestling with right now: What is leadership supposed to look like when everyone has access to the machine? What happens to work when technology keeps promising more flexibility and efficiency, but people still feel stretched, blurred, and exhausted? John’s right on point. The Wall Street Journal published an article showcasing one of the biggest studies of AI’s effect on work. The ActivTrak study included 164K workers and 443 million work hours from 1,111 employers. The bottom line: · Rather than easing workloads, AI is intensifying activity across the board. · Focused work dropped 9%. · We’re getting caught up in the AI prompts of “Do you want to now consider this or that” at the end of most AI output. One of the ideas that stayed with me from this conversation is that leadership can no longer be about gatekeeping. For a long time, leaders often held power because they controlled access to information, tools, relationships, or decision-making. But in the age of AI, that model is eroding quickly. If everyone has access to powerful tools, then the real question becomes: what are you bringing that is unique and additive? John makes the case for people enablement. The leaders who matter most going forward will be the ones who help others grow, develop judgment, build confidence, and become more capable in how they use technology. A few of the themes we explored:🤝 what technology cannot replace in human work📈 why younger generations are rethinking identity, work, and success🛠️ how leaders can help people leave stronger than when they arrived At the heart of the episode is a simple but important idea: AI should make us more human, not less. As a deeply religious person, this reflects John’s interest in keeping humanity at the center. This conversation will resonate with anyone trying to lead well, adapt thoughtfully, and think clearly about what work should become from here. Thanks for reading, listening, and being part of the conversation. Kirstin Marr This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit leadthemachine.substack.com

    35 min
  2. The Problem With AI Recruiting Isn’t AI. It’s How We’re Using It.

    11 MAR

    The Problem With AI Recruiting Isn’t AI. It’s How We’re Using It.

    Hi everyone, What happens when recruiting becomes AI talking to AI? That is the question at the center of my newest Lead the Machine episode with Jessica Peskin, CEO of Global Recruiters of Denver. It is one of the most practical and timely conversations I’ve had on the show because it tackles a growing problem hiding in plain sight: companies are adding more AI to hiring, but that does not automatically mean they are getting better at identifying talent. In many cases, the opposite is happening. Candidates are using AI to write resumes. Employers are using AI to write job descriptions. Then automated systems are evaluating both sides and deciding who gets seen. The process may look efficient, but it often strips out the very thing that matters most in hiring: human judgment. Jessica brings a rare lens to this issue. She is a recruiter and two-time founder and experienced operator who has worked across real estate, insurtech, and insurance growth organizations. She has seen firsthand how businesses scale, how leaders hire, and how often the best people do not fit neatly into a keyword match. One of the most compelling ideas in this episode is the importance of the gray area. That is the space where transferable skills, resilience, judgment, and growth potential live. It is also the space many systems are designed to filter out. We talk about:🧠 How companies are over-automating one of the most human decisions they make📄 How candidates flatten their own story into polished but generic resumes🚫 The story of a hiring leader who applied for his own open role and was rejected by the system🎙️ Why leaders need to become better interviewers, not just better users of hiring tools Jessica also shares one of the most surprising pieces of advice from the episode: tell your story honestly, including failure. In a hiring market filled with sameness, that kind of authenticity can be the signal that sets someone apart. The bigger message is one I come back to often: AI can help organize, streamline, and scale. But it should not replace discernment and human connection where it matters most. If you are building a team, looking for your next role, or thinking about the future of work, this conversation will resonate. Thanks for reading and listening. Kirstin Marr This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit leadthemachine.substack.com

    39 min
  3. AI Is Inevitable, Relevance Is a Choice

    25 FEB

    AI Is Inevitable, Relevance Is a Choice

    Hi everyone — This week on Lead The Machine, I’m truly honored to share my conversation with Brian Duperreault — former CEO & Chairman of AIG, and a leader who has shaped modern insurance through CEO roles at Marsh & McLennan, ACE (now Chubb), and Hamilton. He’s currently Executive Chairman of Cedar Trace. Brian and I begin where real transformation always begins: people. We talk about why talent remains a true C-suite priority, and why it becomes even more urgent in the age of AI. This is personal for me: Brian and I worked together through the Insurance Careers Movement (ICM), a CEO-led collaboration created to attract and develop the next generation of insurance professionals, including the Emerging Leaders Conference. I helped co-found ICM, now in its 11th year, which is led by the American Casualty Property Insurance Association, The Jacobson Group and AM Best. Over 1,000 companies from 20 countries participate each February for Insurance Careers Month. Be optimistic and pragmatic From there, we turn to AI as the next major technology shift leaders must navigate. Brian offers a grounded perspective: big tech transitions are often slower than we expect, deliver less than we assume early on, and cost more than planned. But they are still inevitable. “I’m an optimist,” Brian shares. The leaders who win are the ones who engage early, shape adoption responsibly, and keep their organizations relevant as the competitive bar rises. We also discuss how AI shows up in practical ways: augmentation over replacement, using technology to reduce drudgery, improve decision quality, and free people to focus on judgment and relationships — the parts of the work that actually differentiate. Finally, Brian shares a simple message for professionals coming up the ranks: do your job well, stay curious, raise your hand for the hard work, and become the person leaders can count on during change. In a world where tools evolve quickly, those habits are what keep you relevant. It’s not often we get to hear from a business titan in an informal setting. Brian’s broad view of AI, risk, and the leadership talent required to navigate AI offers perspective and forward-thinking ideas. His recent biography Faith & Purpose: The Life & Vision of Insurance Icon Brian Duperreault, written by Wendy Davis Johnson (also an ICM co-founder) is well worth reading. Thanks for engaging with Lead The Machine. — Kirstin This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit leadthemachine.substack.com

    23 min
  4. How to Build AI Products That Actually Scale

    11 FEB

    How to Build AI Products That Actually Scale

    Last week, nearly $300 billion in market value was wiped out across software companies. Because AI is accelerating faster than many businesses are ready for. AI-native products are forcing a reset because they’re built on cleaner data, tighter workflows, and clearer value propositions. When AI levels the playing field, weak foundations, technical and organizational, are exposed quickly. That’s why my recent conversation with Ivan Latanision, Chief Product and Marketing Officer at Allvue, is especially timely. Ivan has built products in highly regulated, private equity (PE)-backed environments where AI can’t just sound impressive, it has to earn trust, customers, and revenue. We talk candidly about why so many AI initiatives stall, and it often comes down to something deceptively simple: We don’t communicate the value of data well. Teams talk about models and architectures. Boards care about revenue, risk, and returns. But you can’t deliver to those expectations without high quality data. When those two conversations never connect, AI becomes an expensive experiment instead of a business advantage. The second critically important lesson from our discussion: New products fail when leaders lose direct contact with customers. We talk about why real AI ROI requires structured, ongoing customer feedback, and why that feedback can’t stop at the product team. CEOs, CFOs, and boards need to hear directly from customers about what’s working, what isn’t, and where AI actually creates value. We also dig into: * How AI must be embedded in real workflows, not bolted on * Monetization discipline matters as much as model performance (i.e. don’t give away AI for free) * How faster prototyping leads to new revenue streams If you’re leading through this moment and trying to move from AI curiosity to AI impact, this episode will resonate. You’ll learn how to reconnect strategy, execution, and customer reality before the market does it for you. Thanks for listening and being part of the Lead The Machine conversation. — Kirstin This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit leadthemachine.substack.com

    46 min
  5. Rethinking Food Security in the Age of AI with Richard Lackey

    28 JAN

    Rethinking Food Security in the Age of AI with Richard Lackey

    I sat down with Richard Lackey, CEO of the World Food Bank Group, to unpack a crisis that is both urgent and misunderstood. Nearly 40 million children are suffering from acute food shortages today, and more than 300 million people globally face chronic hunger. If we don’t turn this around, that number could grow by one billion within a generation. But Richard challenges a common assumption. This isn’t a food production problem. It’s a logistics, nutrition, and systems problem made worse by supply chains that are siloed and lack resilience. The human cost is devastating, stripping families not only of food, but of dignity. The World Food Bank opens up markets for small farmers to build economically sustainable farms that feed their families and communities. They bridge the gaps in agricultural trade that allow farmers to become “bankable” in the eyes of financiers and insurers who can help them grow their business. One of the core beliefs behind Lead The Machine is this: before you reach for technology, you have to understand the business problem. That’s exactly what this week’s episode does. From there, the conversation turns to what can change. This is where technology, and AI in particular, becomes a game changer. Used responsibly, AI enables hyper-local insight, faster response to risk, and new ecosystem models that support small farmers instead of isolating them. Richard explains how AI helps create virtuous cycles: healthier soil, lower risk, better access to markets, affordable insurance, and more stable income. This episode isn’t just about awareness. It’s a call to participate. There is real opportunity for technologists, builders, operators, and investors to apply leading-edge AI in agriculture and help solve one of the most important problems of our time. 🎧 Listen to the full episode here and let me know what stood out to you. — Kirstin This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit leadthemachine.substack.com

    46 min
  6. From Pilot Purgatory to Real Impact: How to Lead Successful AI Adoption

    14 JAN

    From Pilot Purgatory to Real Impact: How to Lead Successful AI Adoption

    Hi everyone, This week on Lead The Machine, I had the opportunity to sit down with Colleen Campbell, Founder and CEO of A-Human-I. Colleen is one of the most grounded, practitioner-oriented leaders I’ve spoken with about AI adoption. Colleen has spent decades leading large-scale transformation efforts across industries and complex enterprises. She’s been in the room where strategy meets reality, and where AI ambition collides with organizational friction, cultural resistance, and unclear accountability. Why We Stall Colleen is refreshingly direct about why so many AI initiatives stall. It’s not because the technology doesn’t work. It’s because organizations treat AI like a software deployment instead of what it really is: an enterprise change that reshapes how people work, how decisions get made, and how value is created. In our conversation, she breaks down why involving employees early and often isn’t a “nice to have”, it’s the difference between momentum and resistance. When people feel AI is happening to them, adoption slows. When they’re invited to help shape it, trust builds and capability grows. We also tackle one of the biggest misconceptions in AI: that governance slows innovation. Colleen explains why the opposite is true. Clear governance, aligned leadership, and defined decision rights actually enable speed by preventing tool sprawl, disconnected pilots, and wasted investment. This episode is packed with practical insight for leaders who are tired of experiments that never scale and are ready to turn AI into real impact. As always, thanks for being part of this community. — Kirstin This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit leadthemachine.substack.com

    41 min
  7. AI, Ag, and the Future of Food: Increasing Healthspan, Not Just Lifespan

    18/12/2025

    AI, Ag, and the Future of Food: Increasing Healthspan, Not Just Lifespan

    Hi everyone, Welcome to a purpose-driven conversation with Laston Charriez, a longtime CPG marketing leader turned educator and advocate for transforming how we grow food, nourish people, and undo bad practices. Laston shared something that takes real courage to say out loud:“I was part of the problem, and now I can be part of the solution.” After decades working inside food systems optimized for cost, scale, and efficiency, he began asking harder questions about what those systems were actually delivering to consumers. Longer lifespans, but not healthier ones. That realization led him to focus on healthspan, and on how agriculture, CPG, and technology are evolving together. In this episode, we talk about how AI has real promise in helping drive that transformation. Not in abstract ways, but through practical applications already taking shape, from improving soil health and crop yields, to reducing waste, to enabling more nutritious food at scale. This will help us avoid a global food shortage anticipated by 2050. We also dig into the hard part: adoption. Farmers operate on thin margins. One failed experiment can put an entire year at risk. Data infrastructure and connectivity aren’t evenly distributed. And trust can’t be rushed. We talk about how status quo carries risk too — climate volatility, degraded soil, and rising costs make inaction just as dangerous. This conversation is about leadership, accountability, and systems-level change. It’s about recognizing when incentives are misaligned, having the humility to help fix them, and seizing the opportunity when technology brings positive change within our grasp. 🎧 Listen to “AI, Ag, and the Future of Food: Increasing Healthspan, Not Just Lifespan” Laston Charriez is an Assistant Professor and Industry Liaison at Colorado State University. He previously held executive marketing roles at Proctor & Gamble, Charmin & Puffs, Sara Lee, and Western Union. Thanks for being part of this community and for leaning into these bigger questions with me. — Kirstin This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit leadthemachine.substack.com

    52 min
  8. The New AI Reality: From Care to Code to Careers

    11/12/2025

    The New AI Reality: From Care to Code to Careers

    Hi everyone, This week’s episode of Lead The Machine digs into one of the most important truths emerging: the future of industry, software, and work are now deeply intertwined with what emerges in the era of AI. And few people understand that intersection better than Tim Griffin. Tim has spent his career helping companies rethink workflows, redesign software systems, and automate what’s broken. His perspective is unusually broad, from his early days at Accenture where he helped pioneer low-code software to co-founding a healthcare tech company, ALN Medical Management, to real estate investing. He’s seen how systems fail, how people adapt, and why AI is forcing each of us to confront uncomfortable questions about cost, fairness, and the future of our jobs. We talk about a lot in this episode, but three themes stood out: 1. AI in healthcare is inevitable, and insurers will drive much of the adoption.Tim explains why payers will use AI for denials, risk prediction, and quality scoring whether providers are ready or not. And if insurers move faster than clinicians, patients will feel the friction. 2. Software as we know it won’t survive this era.Tim breaks down why legacy systems can’t keep up. Not because companies don’t want to change, but because the logic embedded inside those systems locks everything in place. AI will eventually rewrite the model itself. 3. The future of work belongs to people who stay close to the customer.Tim is blunt: some jobs will be displaced. The safest careers will be held by those who reduce friction, integrate systems, and understand real-world problems deeply. This is a wide-ranging, honest conversation about what’s coming, and what leaders need to prepare for now. Thanks, as always, for being part of this community. — Kirstin This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit leadthemachine.substack.com

    49 min
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Lead The Machine Podcast explores the human side of AI at work. Join the conversation with today's leaders and tomorrow's about what it takes to make AI work for real people, in real organizations. leadthemachine.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Kirstin Marr is a C-level exec and board member who has helped over 100 companies adopt transformative tech and data analytics for 25 years.
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    16
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Kirstin Marr
  • Show Website
    Lead The Machine Podcast