Humans of Telecom

Humans of Telecom
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Personal Journals
  • Updated Biweekly

A podcast that goes beyond our work lives to bring us closer to some of the brightest and most influential members of the telecom community!

  1. Episode 82: Wade & Koddi Dunn, Co-Founders of Love Mobile

    Jun 23

    Episode 82: Wade & Koddi Dunn, Co-Founders of Love Mobile

    "We didn't start a company and decide to give back. We decided to give back – and so we started a company!" – Wade & Koddi Dunn, Co-Founders of Love Mobile, in conversation with Anurag Aggarwal A single mom. A single dad. A nine-hour online conversation that lasted until sunrise Eighteen years of marriage, seven children, two companies, and one powerful idea – What if your monthly phone bill could change the world? That's the story of Wade and Koddi Dunn! In this episode of Humans of Telecom, Wade and Koddi open up about: 💕 How they met online before DMs were even a thing – and talked through the night until the sun came up 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Building a blended family of seven children spanning two decades – and why their favourite destination is the family group chat 📱 Love Mobile – the cell phone company built entirely on the belief that every phone bill should give back to the community 🏫 Four pillars of giving: education, the environment, community services, and pet adoption – hyper local, hyper meaningful 🌊 A first date at the aquarium – because when you've talked online for weeks across 600 miles, you make the first meeting count 🎬 A national TV appearance on House Hunters on Vacation – six kids, matching outfits across three days of filming, and memories they still laugh about today 🚗 Wonder trips – no destination, just a full tank of gas, an open road, and a conversation that solves the world's problems before they get back home 📺 Koddi's secret passion – international dramas watched only in their native language, subtitles and all, with their nine-year-old locked in right beside her ❤️ And their shared philosophy – don't just build a business, build a legacy that your children can point to and say, my parents saw a problem and tackled it head on! From a kitchen table conversation about the state of the world… to a telecom company that turns every subscriber's bill into an act of love – Wade and Koddi are proof that the most powerful businesses are built not on strategy, but on purpose, partnership, and an unshakeable belief that people come first! 🎧 Listen now on your favorite podcast platform, and follow Humans of Telecom for more extraordinary voices shaping the industry and inspiring the human spirit!

    37 min
  2. Episode 81: Veni Folta, Chief Happiness Officer at The Inspired Action Group

    Jun 9

    Episode 81: Veni Folta, Chief Happiness Officer at The Inspired Action Group

    “Life is an Adventure. Jump out of a Plane. Live your Ikigai. Find your Happy Place!” — Veni Folta, Chief Happiness Officer at The Inspired Action Group, in conversation with Anurag Aggarwal From Portuguese Macau to British Hong Kong to the United States… from a Category 5 hurricane that wiped out her dream job in a single day… to nearly three decades in telecom, two of them in international roaming… to becoming the Chief Happiness Officer helping leaders reclaim their lives — Veni's journey is unlike anything you've heard on this show before! In this episode of Humans of Telecom, Veni opens up about: 🌏 A life that began in Macau, moved through Hong Kong, and eventually landed in Seattle — shaped by colonial history, cultural richness, and remarkable resilience 📖 Her bestselling book "I QUIT: How To Lose Your Job and Find Your Dream Career" — and why losing your job might just be the best thing that ever happens to you! 🧠 How a decade of studying neuroscience and cognitive positive psychology became her second calling — and ultimately her life's purpose ✈️ The pandemic that stopped all roaming traffic — and paradoxically launched the most meaningful chapter of her career 🪂 Skydiving at 14,000 feet over a coral reef in Saipan at sunset — as a team building exercise — because why not? 🌊 Snorkeling between two tectonic plates in freezing Icelandic waters — and accidentally meeting the former president of Iceland, who had quietly become a park ranger 🚶 Walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain and the Kumano Kodo in Japan — because some journeys are meant for the soul, not the schedule 💔 The health crises — cancer, depression, a brain bleed from a concussion — that taught her the most important lesson of all: you cannot serve others from an empty cup ❤️ And her life's mission — helping people break old patterns, rewire their brains, reclaim their power, and finally come alive From roaming partnerships to the science of happiness — Veni is proof that sometimes the most extraordinary career pivots begin not with a plan, but with a crisis, a curiosity, and the courage to begin again! 🎧 Listen now on your favorite podcast platform, and follow Humans of Telecom for more extraordinary voices shaping the industry and inspiring the human spirit!

    21 min
  3. Episode 80: Mike Mills, Managing Director (Service Providers) at Gamma

    May 26

    Episode 80: Mike Mills, Managing Director (Service Providers) at Gamma

    "I would tell my younger self – stop playing it safe. Be braver. Be bolder. And believe, really believe, that you are capable of more than you think!" – Mike Mills, Managing Director (Service Providers) at Gamma, in conversation with Anurag Aggarwal From handing out free internet CDs at a PC World store in the north of England… to discovering the company that built all the infrastructure behind those very CDs… to joining them and building a career that has spanned 25 extraordinary years – Mike's journey into telecom is fascinatingly brilliant! In this episode of Humans of Telecom, Mike opens up about: 💻 How a single day spent at an internet company during university changed the entire direction of his life 📈 Inheriting a declining, unloved division at Gamma – and growing it from £12M to £96M almost entirely through organic growth 🏆 Three consecutive wins at the Global Comms Awards for Best Sales Team – a feat that very few teams anywhere in the world can claim! 👯 The world of 'twincidents' – life with an identical twin brother Steve, who also works at Gamma, and the endless cases of mistaken identity that keep the industry on its toes! 🐕 Three Hungarian Vizslas who have made countryside walks a non-negotiable part of his daily life – and he wouldn't have it any other way 🏃 The 13-year-old who cleared over five metres in long jump and represented his county – until fate had other plans at 14 💪 Six Tough Mudders completed, electrocution and all – before finally drawing a very firm line in the mud ⚽ A lifelong Newcastle United fan – more heartbreak than glory, but last season gave him just enough reason to keep believing ❤️ And his quiet but powerful north star – be a good person, treat people with kindness, and invest genuinely in the success of others! From Newcastle to Surrey, from dial-up internet to UCaaS and beyond – Mike is living proof that staying curious, staying loyal, and daring to be bold can take you further than any shortcut ever will! 🎧 Listen now on your favorite podcast platform, and follow Humans of Telecom for more extraordinary voices shaping the industry and inspiring the human spirit! #HumansOfTelecom #Podcast #Telecom #HumanStories

    20 min
  4. Episode 79: Stephanie Lashley, VP Messaging at Bandwidth

    May 12

    Episode 79: Stephanie Lashley, VP Messaging at Bandwidth

    "I have never once walked into a room and thought — I wonder if I belong here. And I want every woman in this industry to feel exactly the same way!" — Stephanie Lashley, VP Messaging Strategic Alliances & Infrastructure at Bandwidth, in conversation with Anurag Aggarwal From a mother who came home and talked about telecom at the dinner table… to a young girl who grew up fascinated by the industry… to someone who has spent over two decades helping shape how the world messages — Stephanie's story is one of roots, reinvention, and remarkable impact! In this episode of Humans of Telecom, Stephanie opens up about: 📱 Working on RCS back in 2012 — over a decade before the world caught up — and what it feels like to finally see it come to fruition 📈 Joining Bandwidth when messaging was barely a side project — and helping build it into a full-blown AI-powered RCS platform over seven years 🏠 Her lifelong love for interior design — from repainting walls on a whim to refinishing hardwood floors with nothing but determination and YouTube 🦋 A little garden that attracts butterflies and hummingbirds — because some of the best recharging happens close to the earth 🗺️ Visiting all 50 US states — with just three left to go — and a travelogue that the world is waiting to read 🧬 98% Sicilian DNA, ancestry traced back to the 14th century, and a salt mine in Trapani named after her family ✍️ A book written in the fifth grade that won recognition at the Young Authors Convention — the first chapter of a lifelong love for writing 👩‍👩‍👧 And the Women in Messaging initiative — born as a dinner for five, now growing to 50 and beyond — because every woman deserves a seat at the table From Kansas City to Palermo to the global messaging stage — Stephanie is proof that when you lead with inclusion, show up with empathy, and never stop creating, the industry takes notice! 🎧 Listen now on your favorite podcast platform, and follow Humans of Telecom for more extraordinary voices shaping the industry and inspiring the human spirit!

    20 min
  5. Episode 78: Deepesh Trivedi, CEO at UIB.ai

    Apr 28

    Episode 78: Deepesh Trivedi, CEO at UIB.ai

    "I stumbled into sales. I stumbled into Facebook. I stumbled into Singapore and met my wife. And somehow, every stumble took me somewhere better!" — Deepesh Trivedi, CEO at UIB.ai, in conversation with Anurag Aggarwal From a small town in North London called Watford… to employee number 20 at Facebook's London office… to the front row of WhatsApp's global expansion… to now leading a conversational AI company in Singapore — Deepesh's journey is one of instinct, courage, and beautiful timing! In this episode of Humans of Telecom, Deepesh opens up about: 🚀 How a recruiter's phone call in 2008 changed everything — and why joining Facebook was the best career decision he ever made 💬 What it was really like working at WhatsApp before it made a single dollar — and helping shape how it monetized for the first time 🎸 The teenage band that almost made it — and the guitar he's been playing since he was eight years old 🌏 How moving to Singapore for a year turned into 15 years — all because of one person he met in the office on week three ⚽ Sundays with his almost-three-year-old son at football — and why fatherhood has been the most rewarding pivot of his life 🏃 A 5 to 7k run around Singapore when the mind gets too loud — and how movement brings him clarity like nothing else can ❤️ And his core belief as a leader — invest in people, do the right thing, and the rest will follow From Watford to WhatsApp to the world — Deepesh is proof that the best decisions in life and career are often the ones you stumble into with an open mind and a willing heart! 🎧 Listen now on your favorite podcast platform, and follow Humans of Telecom for more extraordinary voices shaping the industry and inspiring the human spirit!

    21 min
  6. Episode 77: Natalia Derkach, Director of Carrier Relations & Sales at Nuetech Stack

    Apr 14

    Episode 77: Natalia Derkach, Director of Carrier Relations & Sales at Nuetech Stack

    "I've worked in telecom, in modeling, in hairdressing. Every single one taught me the same thing — show up, stay calm, and finish the job!" — Natalia Derkach, Director of Carrier Relations & Sales at Nuetech Stack, in conversation with Anurag Aggarwal From the snow-covered streets of Novosibirsk, Siberia… to the neon-lit corridors of Seoul, South Korea… to the fast-moving world of carrier relations and CPaaS — Natalia's journey is one of courage, curiosity, and quiet power! In this episode of Humans of Telecom, Natalia opens up about: 🌍 How she accidentally walked into telecom 15 years ago — and never once looked back 💡 The bold move of building an international department from scratch — with nothing but LinkedIn, good English, and sheer determination 🔮 Her secret life as a rune reader — the ancient art of predicting the future, with a 90% accuracy rate to back it up 👠 The runway fall that taught her the most important lesson of her modelling career — and of her life ✂️ The hairdressing practice session that ended with a cut ear — and a very important lesson in staying calm under pressure 🐱 The rescue cat she gave a home to when no one else would — because that's just who she is 🧘 How yoga, meditation, and travel keep her grounded in a world that never stops moving ❤️ And her life philosophy — connecting business and humanity, logic and intuition, strength and empathy From Siberia to Seoul to the global telecom stage — Natalia is proof that when you lead with integrity and follow your truth, the world has a way of finding you! 🎧 Listen now on your favorite podcast platform, and follow Humans of Telecom for more extraordinary voices shaping the industry and inspiring the human spirit!

    17 min
  7. Episode 76: Santiago Marquez, CEO at Wholesale Congress Series

    Mar 31

    Episode 76: Santiago Marquez, CEO at Wholesale Congress Series

    "I want to learn early to slow down and enjoy the journey. Sometimes we spend many years focused on moving forward — and only later do you realize how important it is to pause, appreciate the process, and enjoy the moment." — Santiago Marquez, CEO at Wholesale Congress Series, in conversation with Anurag Aggarwal From selling ad space in a telecom magazine… to attending his first wholesale industry event with wide eyes and a curious mind… to building the world's largest gathering for the global messaging ecosystem — Santiago's journey is one of vision, patience, and people! In this episode of Humans of Telecom, Santiago opens up about: 🌍 How a chance encounter with the wholesale telecom world in 2006 sparked an idea that would take years to become reality 🎤 The story behind Wholesale World Congress — from dreaming of 500 attendees, to welcoming over 2,000 today 🤝 Why his customers literally convinced him to take over a struggling event — and how that became LAWC in Buenos Aires 🥃 His deep love for whiskey — not just the taste, but the craft, the tradition, and the storytelling behind every bottle 📦 And yes — over 1,000 unopened bottles in his collection. Yes, you read that right! 🖨️ The night shift at a printing press that taught him more about design and detail than any classroom ever could 👨‍👧‍👦 Two sons, Felipe and Vicente — his other world, his greatest anchor ❤️ And his simple but powerful life philosophy: treat others the way you'd like to be treated! From Uruguay to Madrid to Buenos Aires to every corner of the telecom world — Santiago is proof that when you build with humility and lead with heart, an entire industry shows up for you! 🎧 Listen now on your favorite podcast platform, and follow Humans of Telecom for more extraordinary voices shaping the industry and inspiring the human spirit!

    21 min
  8. Episode 75: Gina Perini, Chair of the Board and CEO at SOMOS

    Mar 17

    Episode 75: Gina Perini, Chair of the Board and CEO at SOMOS

    "I consider myself an artist! And early in my career, I realized — art and strategy have a lot in common. Both are about creativity, solving problems, conveying a vision, and making something interesting... or even beautiful!" — Gina Perini, Chair of the Board and CEO at SOMOS, in conversation with Anurag Aggarwal What happens when a sharp intellectual property lawyer… gets handed a "boring" project nobody wanted… and ends up building a company that protects the trust and integrity of communications for millions? You get a story like Gina's! In this episode of Humans of Telecom, Gina opens up about: ⚖️ How a circuitous path from corporate law led her to reimagine how phone numbers are managed as digital identities 🎨 The secret artist in her — oil painting, gardening, and why she brings a creative eye to everything, including strategy! 🚴 That time she cycled over 4,000 miles across the United States — with the man who would become her husband of 25+ years 🏠 Life in a 200-year-old home she and her husband have lovingly restored — because old things deserve to be made new again! 💪 Why weight training and Pilates aren't just about fitness — they're about feeling grounded and ready to take on the world 🌍 A life-changing trip to rural Tanzania, and a phrase on a classroom wall that stopped her in her tracks: "I am because we are" 🔄 Her agile approach to life — running personal retros, staying in continuous improvement mode, and learning to focus outward ❤️ And why the greatest shift of her career wasn't a promotion or an award — it was moving from 'me' to 'we'! From Boston to the boardroom to the back roads of America — Gina's journey is a masterclass in reinvention, purpose, and the quiet power of showing up with both heart and conviction! 🎧 Listen now on your favorite podcast platform, and follow Humans of Telecom for more extraordinary voices shaping the industry and inspiring the human spirit!

    26 min
See All (83)

About

A podcast that goes beyond our work lives to bring us closer to some of the brightest and most influential members of the telecom community!

Information

  • Creator
    Humans of Telecom
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    83
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Humans of Telecom
  • Show Website
    Humans of Telecom