The Corporate Life – Billion Dollar Conversations | Cinematic Stories of Tech CEOs, Multimillion-Dollar Entrepreneurs, and

Hina Siddiqui
  • 5.0 (15)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

🎬 Every life is a movie - and the Tech CEOs, multimillion-dollar entrepreneurs, and Leading Investors who come here reveal the real story behind their rise. The Corporate Life - Billion Dollar Conversations is a cinematic podcast hosted by Hina Siddiqui, CEO & Founder of Corporate Influence Media and creator of Capital-Stage Credibility Positioning. Every episode uncovers the human story underneath the success - the turning points, reinventions, identity shifts, and billion-dollar decisions that made extraordinary founders, investors, and leaders who they are. Because the story underneath the success is never the one on the headline. And that story is exactly where real authority lives. Every life is a movie. Here, we find the scene that changes everything. Heard in 94 countries · 800+ cities · Top 3% globally · 150+ episodes · 3 seasons. New episodes every week on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.

  1. 4d ago

    Peter Swimm: He Was About to Quit. Then Microsoft Called.

    Send us Fan Mail He was about to quit. Then Microsoft called. Peter Swimm built a Slack bot called Howdy — and Microsoft acquired it. But what happened inside that acquisition is not the story most founders expect to hear. Because Peter came out the other side with a perspective on AI that most CEOs have never been told. He is not here to tell you AI will save your business. He is here to tell you why the way you are using it right now is probably making things worse. Automating a broken process does not fix the process.  It just runs the problem faster. And most companies — right now — are integrating AI into exactly the wrong things. 🔔 Subscribe for new episodes every Wednesday and Friday — The Corporate Life: Billion Dollar Conversations What you will learn: Why automating a broken process just runs the problem fasterWhat actually happened when Microsoft acquired HowdyWhy most companies are integrating AI into the wrong thingsHow to know if your business is genuinely ready for AIWhat CEOs need to understand before going AI-firstTimestamps: 00:00 — Trailer  01:36 — Peter's unconventional path from library to tech consulting  01:51 — Why starting a career in a library builds better consulting instincts  05:47 — Building automation before it was a buzzword  07:10 — AI and the philosophical question of what work actually means  11:57 — The Slack bot Howdy and how the Microsoft acquisition happened  15:28 — What changes inside a product after a tech giant acquires it  20:44 — Why most companies are automating the wrong problems  23:38 — How to know if your business is actually ready for AI  27:07 — What CEOs need to hear before going AI-first  28:21 — This or That — open source, augmentation, engineers vs product thinkers  37:58 — Peter's life as a movie  39:30 — Where to find Peter About Peter Swimm: Peter Swimm is a technology consultant and founder who built Howdy — a Slack bot acquired by Microsoft. He now works with companies on how to think about AI, automation and what it actually means to be ready for what is coming. He is the founder of Toilville. Connect with Peter: Website: https://www.toilville.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterswimm/ Connect with Hina: Website: https://thehinasiddiqui.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/hinasiddiqui Instagram: @hinawithwings YouTube: @thehinasiddiqui Email: hina@thehinasiddiqui.com Subscribe for new episodes every Wednesday and Friday. #PeterSwimm #Microsoft #Howdy #AIStrategy #AIFounder #StartupAcquisition #TheCorporateLifePodcast #HinaSiddiqui #BillionDollarConversations #AIFirst #Automation #TechFounder #CEOMindset #AIIntegration #StartupToMicrosoft

  2. Sep 23

    Peter J. Burns III: 200 Companies. $1 Billion in Funding. Never Held a Job in 69 Years.

    Send us Fan Mail He started his first business at 19 on Nantucket Island. He has never held a job. Not once. In 69 years. Over 200 companies built across five decades. More than $1 billion in unsecured funding facilitated for entrepreneurs. Ventures spanning luxury real estate, international government contracts, cannabis and alternative finance. And the LAPD showed up once. A $400 million government contract disappeared overnight. COVID wiped hundreds of millions off the table. He kept going. Because here's the thing Peter J. Burns III understood before most founders figure it out: The only way to lose as an entrepreneur is to quit. And he never learned how to do that. 🔔 Subscribe for new episodes every Wednesday and Friday — The Corporate Life: Billion Dollar Conversations What you will learn: How to access alternative funding when banks and traditional investors say noWhy having skin in the game is the non-negotiable first requirement for any capital conversationWhat most founders misunderstand about what investors are actually looking forHow to spot a business opportunity before the market knows it existsWhy the only way to lose as an entrepreneur is to quit — and what that looks like across 50 yearsTimestamps: 00:00 — Teaser: 200 companies and the personality type behind them  01:30 — Introduction: 50 years of entrepreneurship, never a job  04:16 — Why entrepreneurship is actually about freedom, not money  07:39 — Losing hundreds of millions — and what that actually feels like  14:54 — The Covid wipeout — luxury homes, Vietnam contract, and the LAPD raid  18:09 — The first business: mopeds on Nantucket and the Wall Street Journal  21:48 — How Burns Funding was created and what it does  22:39 — Crossing $1 billion in unsecured funding — what founders misunderstand about capital  25:44 — Instinct vs pattern recognition — how Peter spots opportunities  28:33 — This or That rapid fire  31:34 — What every founder needs to stop lying to themselves about About Peter J. Burns III: Peter J. Burns III has founded over 200 companies across five decades and has facilitated more than $1 billion in unsecured funding for entrepreneurs through Burns Funding. He has never held a job, having started his first business at 19 on Nantucket Island after serving in the US Army. His ventures have spanned luxury real estate, international government contracts, cannabis and alternative finance. He holds 30,000 first-degree connections on LinkedIn and fields over 200 inbound emails a day. Connect with Peter: Website: https://burnsfunding.com Book a discovery call: https://burnsfunding.com Connect with Hina: Website: https://thehinasiddiqui.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/hinasiddiqui Instagram: @hinawithwings YouTube: @thehinasiddiqui Email: hina@thehinasiddiqui.com Books: https://amzn.to/3B65Wz7 Subscribe for new episodes every Wednesday and Friday. #PeterJBurns #BurnsFunding #Entrepreneur #200Companies #AlternativeFunding #TheCorporateLifePodcast #HinaSiddiqui #BillionDollarConversations #StartupFunding #NeverGiveUp

  3. Sep 16

    Chris Gibson: He Left His EVP Title, Earned Nothing for 5 Years. Then Built a 500K Business

    Send us Fan Mail He had the title.  The salary.  The corner office. Executive Vice President. And he walked away from all of it. No plan. No safety net. No income for five years. Most people would have gone back. Chris Gibson didn't. Instead he built something nobody expected — a 500K-subscriber YouTube channel, his own skincare and supplement product lines, and a book on skin health that was ahead of mainstream science before mainstream science caught up. But this conversation isn't really about skincare. It's about what happens when a casting agent tells you your skin could end your broadcasting career — and you decide to build an empire around the very thing they said would stop you. And what five years of zero income actually teaches you about building something that lasts. 🔔 Subscribe for new episodes every Wednesday and Friday — The Corporate Life: Billion Dollar Conversations What you will learn: Why walking away from a senior corporate title without a plan was the best decision Chris ever madeWhat five years of zero revenue actually builds that no salary ever couldHow a casting agent's rejection became the foundation of a 500K audience categoryWhy the freedom entrepreneurship promises only arrives after the struggle nobody seesHow to turn the thing you were told would hold you back into the thing that sets you apartTimestamps: 00:00 — Teaser: the 5-year zero income period  01:30 — Who is Chris Gibson  04:40 — The casting agent rejection that changed his career  13:00 — Leaving television and the media frenzy behind  18:44 — The corporate career — EVP to entrepreneur  23:05 — Five years of zero income building the YouTube channel  27:25 — The moment the channel hit 100K — and then 500K  30:54 — Pro-aging vs anti-aging — the industry problem  36:44 — Botox, fillers and what the industry is actually selling  42:35 — This or That rapid fire  44:35 — The one message Chris would leave the world with About Chris Gibson: Chris Gibson rose from telephone operator to Executive Vice President before walking away from a corporate career to build independently. He is the founder of a YouTube channel with over 500,000 subscribers focused on skincare, wellness and anti-aging, and the creator of his own skincare and supplement product lines. He is the author of a book on skin health that was adopted ahead of mainstream science on gut health and autophagy. Connect with Chris Gibson: YouTube: search Chris Gibson TikTok: @skincarewithchris Facebook community: Skin So Fabulous Connect with Hina: Website: https://thehinasiddiqui.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/hinasiddiqui Instagram: @hinawithwings YouTube: @thehinasiddiqui Email: hina@thehinasiddiqui.com Subscribe for new episodes every Wednesday and Friday. #ChrisGibson #Entrepreneur #Skincare #ProAging #AntiAging #YouTubeGrowth #TheCorporateLifePodcast #HinaSiddiqui #BillionDollarConversations #FounderStory #500KSubscribers

  4. Sep 9

    Aditii Handa: The Woman Behind Forttuna Group: The Untold Story Nobody Saw

    Send us Fan Mail Most people see the title. The platform. The recognition. Nobody sees the 80% that came before it. Aditii Handa is the Chairperson of Forttuna Group — one of the most recognisable names in global awards and recognition. But before any of that existed, there were sleepless nights, relentless rejection, and a decision that most people would have walked away from. This is the story she rarely tells. From watching her father build his legacy to becoming a female executive in a male-dominated industry — Aditii reveals why failure isn't the opposite of success. It's the foundation of it. And why the women who make it aren't the ones who avoided the hard moments. They're the ones who stayed in them longest. What you will learn: Why 80% of the journey to success is invisible — and why that's exactly how it should beHow to navigate societal expectations as a woman in business without losing yourselfWhat delayed gratification actually looks like when everything around you is saying give upWhy a father's legacy and a mother's progressive belief can shape everythingHow to dust yourself up after failure and keep building when nobody is watchingTimestamps:  00:00 — Introduction to Aditii and the essence of failure  05:30 — The reality of entrepreneurship: sleepless nights and coffee jars  12:15 — Navigating societal expectations as a woman in business  18:45 — The importance of delaying gratification for long-term goals  25:00 — Final thoughts on legacy and leaving a mark on the world Connect with Aditii Handa: Website: https://www.aditiihanda.com Forttuna Group: https://forttuna.com/home Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aditiihanda/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aditii-handa/ Connect with Hina: Website: https://thehinasiddiqui.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/hinasiddiqui   YouTube: @thehinasiddiqui Email: hina@thehinasiddiqui.com   Subscribe for new episodes every Wednesday and Friday.

  5. Sep 2

    Michele Brissoni: Coma, Cancer, Titanium Spine, and the AI He Built After

    Send us Fan Mail He survived a coma. Cancer twice. More than 40 surgeries. His spine is reinforced with titanium. And then — Michele Brissoni built an AI company. Together with Alessandro Di Gioia, Michele co-created nWave — an open source AI framework released to the world for free on Valentine's Day 2026. Not because the market told them to. Because after three decades in software — they knew what was broken. Most companies are adding AI on top of broken systems. Michele and Alessandro are fixing the foundation first. What you will learn: Why AI is an amplifier — and what happens when you amplify dysfunctionHow two Italians gave their life's work to the world for freeWhat surviving a coma teaches you about building a companyWhy the red pill for enterprise AI is not about technology — it's about peopleABOUT THE GUESTS Michele Brissoni is co-founder of nWave, an open source AI-powered software development framework built on nearly three decades of engineering experience across enterprise and startup environments. He has survived a near-fatal accident including a period in a coma, rebuilt from a wheelchair, and brings a human-centred philosophy to AI development that has been tested at Ferrari, Ducati, and across multiple enterprise engagements. Alessandra Di Gioia is co-founder of nWave and brings a complementary engineering and product background built entirely outside Italy, with a focus on structured, disciplined software delivery. Together they released nWave as open source on Valentine’s Day 2026 with an enterprise tier for organisations requiring governance and advanced features. TIMESTAMPS  00:00  Teaser — why they gave 20 years of work away for free 00:13  How Michele and Alessandro found each other — two Italians, same obsession 01:40  What Alessandro sees in Michele that the world doesn’t 04:39  How they challenge each other — the visionary and the craftsman 07:18  Why they released nWave as open source on Valentine’s Day 09:26  What nWave actually does — AI as amplifier, not replacement 14:55  The Renaissance analogy — human-centred software and what it means 17:12  The red pill — the uncomfortable truth most organisations can’t face 20:22  Why putting AI on broken systems makes dysfunction worse 24:08  This or That rapid fire 28:01  The body that failed or the mind that didn’t — Michele’s coma story 34:55  What every founder should do differently tomorrow morning IMPORTANT LINKS www.nwave.ai Book your complimentary Narrative Audit at thehinasiddiqui.com LinkedIn: Michele Brissoni & Alessandro Di Gioia Connect with Hina EMAIL I hina@thehinasiddiqui.com WEBSITE I https://thehinasiddiqui.com/ LINKEDIN I / hinasiddiqui INSTAGRAM I @hinawithwings YOUTUBE I / @thehinasiddiqui Check out Hina's books: https://amzn.to/3B65Wz7

  6. Aug 26

    Charles Yeomans: 14,000 Investors, No VC — How He Built a Community Around a Cap Table

    Send us Fan Mail Charles Yeomans has raised over $50 million from more than fourteen thousand investors - not a handful of VCs, but a crowdfunded community he communicates with multiple times a week. In this episode, he explains why treating that many backers like a movement instead of a cap table has changed how he builds trust, why he refuses to promise exact dates even when he's confident in the plan, and the one thing he tells every founder pitching for money: nobody cares about your technology. What You Will Learn You'll learn how Charles manages investor trust at a scale most founders never encounter, and why he deliberately avoids specific dates even when a milestone is basically locked in. You'll hear the story of the mistake early in his investment banking career that still shapes how carefully he communicates today, and why he believes technical founders lose pitches by talking about how their product works instead of the value it creates. He also breaks down what his AI platform actually does - compressing data so devices can send four times more of it without expensive hardware upgrades - and who's already lining up to use it. Timestamps  00:00 - How do you manage fourteen thousand investors?  04:38 - Building trust at scale with a crowd, not a boardroom  06:38 - Why Charles never promises an exact date  08:32 - $50M raised and the shift to institutional money  09:11 - Why he came back for one more startup  11:21 - What NerPac actually does, and who needs it  16:19 - The unfair advantage of an investment banking background  17:59 - The story that still keeps him careful  26:43 - The number one mistake founders make when pitching  22:56 - "It's not a straight line" - the title of his story About the Guest  Charles Yeomans built his career across investment banking, insurance, and Navy intelligence before founding the company behind NerPac and PCM, AI-driven data compression technology used in satellite communications, defense, and connected vehicles. He has raised over $50 million from a crowdfunded base of more than fourteen thousand investors - a structure he manages through frequent, direct communication rather than a traditional handful of board-seat VCs.  Important Links https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-yeomans-4507a17/?skipRedirect=true Connect with Hina LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/hinasiddiqui Instagram: @hinawithwings YouTube: @thehinasiddiqui Check out Hina's books: https://amzn.to/3B65Wz7 Production Credit: Produced by @the32collective_ / https://www.the32collective.co/

  7. Aug 19

    Gavin Lawton: Why His AI Agents Get Performance Reviews

    Send us Fan Mail While most founders are still deciding whether to trust AI with a single task, Gavin has given his AI agents formal performance reviews. In this episode, he breaks down why he treats AI like a first-year employee rather than a tool, how CROWD Now built an internal HR system for its own AI agents, and why staying self-funded has shaped nearly every product decision he's made since. What You Will Learn You'll learn why treating AI like a fresh-out-of-college intern - talented but inexperienced - changes how you manage it, and why giving agents a tiered approval system prevents costly mistakes from repeating. You'll hear how CROWD Now runs nightly memory reviews on every AI interaction so agents learn from their own behavior, and why the most successful enterprise AI use cases are often the smallest ones, not the flashiest. Gavin also walks through why he's stayed self-funded rather than raising outside capital, the biggest mistake he sees founders make about AI risk, and where he still won't let AI near the work. Timestamps 00:00 - Why AI should be treated like an intern, not a tool 02:15 - Giving AI agents performance reviews and an HR system 04:16 - Building AI "employees," not just agents 07:59 - Who CROWD Now is really built for 09:09 - The AI use case Gavin didn't expect to win 10:01 - Building a platform that's 90% AI-coded 15:11 - Why Gavin has stayed self-funded 18:26 - The biggest mistake founders make about AI risk 23:09 - This or That with Gavin 32:32 - The Elon Musk comparison 33:11 - Gavin's nonprofit ambitions 34:33 - The title of Gavin's movie About the Guest Gavin is the founder of CROWD Now, an AI platform built to give founders and lean teams enterprise-level infrastructure without enterprise headcount. He's built the majority of the platform himself - CROWD Now is roughly 90% AI-coded - after years of building software out of necessity, from an early Etsy-style bracelet business in high school to internal tools built for a library and a Starbucks where he worked. Gavin has kept CROWD Now self-funded, financing product development through consulting work rather than raising outside capital. Important Links Connect with Gavin https://www.linkedin.com/in/gavin-lawton-892ab4192/ Connect with Hina Connect with Hina - https://thehinasiddiqui.com/ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/hinasiddiqui Instagram: @hinawithwings YouTube: @thehinasiddiqui Production Credit: Produced by @the32collective_ / https://www.the32collective.co/

  8. Aug 12

    Joel Trammell: Most CEOs Are Winging It - Here's the Operating System That Fixes That

    Send us Fan Mail After 30 years running companies and multiple nine-figure exits, Joel Trammell noticed something no one else was building: software for every function of a business except the one running all of them. In this episode, he breaks down why the CEO seat has operated on instinct for decades, the five things only a CEO can actually do, and how he's built an AI platform designed to finally give CEOs the operating system every other role already has. What You Will Learn You'll learn why CEO failure follows a predictable pattern, and why founders who scaled by doing everything themselves eventually hit a wall they can't out-work. You'll hear why trust starts with communicating vision clearly rather than control, and why most CEOs are using AI the wrong way entirely. Joel also walks through what he built into Chat CEO - the first AI platform designed specifically for the CEO role - and where he draws the line on what AI should never replace. Timestamps  00:00 - Why the CEO seat has run on instinct for 20+ years  00:55 - The moment Joel realized the role needed a system  02:52 - Why the real CEO challenge is deciding what to do, not how to do it  05:25 - The most common pattern behind CEO failure  06:58 - The five things only a CEO can do  09:49 - Trust, but verify: building a team you don't have to control  13:37 - The stress no one warns you about  15:19 - Why most CEOs are using AI wrong  20:03 - Inside Chat CEO: the first AI platform built for CEOs  25:45 - This or That with Joel Trammell  28:16 - Joel's advice to CEOs chasing their first billion  29:44 - The title of Joel's movie About the Guest Joel Trammell has spent over 30 years as a CEO, leading multiple companies to nine-figure exits. He's the founder of Chat CEO, the first AI platform built specifically for the enterprise CEO role, combining coaching, chief-of-staff support, and communication guidance in one system. Joel writes on CEO best practices in his newsletter, Managing the Future, and is the author of multiple books on the discipline of running a company.  Important Links Connect with Joel https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeltrammell/ https://xpertloop.ai/ Connect with Hina LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/hinasiddiqui Instagram: @hinawithwings YouTube: @thehinasiddiqui Check out Hina's books: https://amzn.to/3B65Wz7 Production Credit: Produced by @the32collective_ / https://www.the32collective.co/

See All (183)

Trailer

5
out of 5
15 Ratings

About

🎬 Every life is a movie - and the Tech CEOs, multimillion-dollar entrepreneurs, and Leading Investors who come here reveal the real story behind their rise. The Corporate Life - Billion Dollar Conversations is a cinematic podcast hosted by Hina Siddiqui, CEO & Founder of Corporate Influence Media and creator of Capital-Stage Credibility Positioning. Every episode uncovers the human story underneath the success - the turning points, reinventions, identity shifts, and billion-dollar decisions that made extraordinary founders, investors, and leaders who they are. Because the story underneath the success is never the one on the headline. And that story is exactly where real authority lives. Every life is a movie. Here, we find the scene that changes everything. Heard in 94 countries · 800+ cities · Top 3% globally · 150+ episodes · 3 seasons. New episodes every week on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.

Information

You Might Also Like