Sidecar Sync

Amith Nagarajan and Mallory Mejias
  • 5.0 (25)
  • NON-PROFIT
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Welcome to Sidecar Sync: Your Weekly Dose of Innovation for Associations. Hosted by Amith Nagarajan and Mallory Mejias, this podcast is your definitive source for the latest news, insights, and trends in the association world with a special emphasis on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its pivotal role in shaping the future. Each week, we delve into the most pressing topics, spotlighting the transformative role of emerging technologies and their profound impact on associations. With a commitment to cutting through the noise, Sidecar Sync offers listeners clear, informed discussions, expert perspectives, and a deep dive into the challenges and opportunities facing associations today. Whether you're an association professional, tech enthusiast, or just keen on staying updated, Sidecar Sync ensures you're always ahead of the curve. Join us for enlightening conversations and a fresh take on the ever-evolving world of associations. 

  1. Dolphins & DeepMind: Cracking the Code of Animal Language with Dr. Denise Herzing | 107

    1D AGO

    Dolphins & DeepMind: Cracking the Code of Animal Language with Dr. Denise Herzing | 107

    Send us a text In this episode of Sidecar Sync, Mallory Mejias is joined by marine biologist and behavioral researcher Dr. Denise Herzing for a one-of-a-kind conversation about dolphins, data, and deep learning. Dr. Herzing shares insights from her 40-year study of Atlantic spotted dolphins and how that lifetime of underwater research is now powering DolphinGemma—an open-source large language model trained on dolphin vocalizations. The two discuss what it means to label meaning in animal communication, how AI is finally catching up to the natural world, and why collaboration across disciplines is essential to understanding both language and intelligence—human or otherwise. Dr. Denise Herzing is the Founder and Research Director of the Wild Dolphin Project, leading nearly four decades of groundbreaking research on Atlantic spotted dolphins in the Bahamas. She holds degrees in Marine Zoology and Behavioral Biology (B.S., M.A., Ph.D.) and serves as an Affiliate Assistant Professor at Florida Atlantic University. A Guggenheim and Explorers Club Fellow, Dr. Herzing has advised the Lifeboat Foundation and American Cetacean Society and sits on the board of Schoolyard Films. Her work has been featured in National Geographic, BBC, PBS, Discovery, and her TED2013 talk. She is the author of Dolphin Diaries and co-editor of Dolphin Communication and Cognition.   🤖 Join the AI Mastermind: https://sidecar.ai/association-ai-mastermind 📕 Download ‘Ascend 3rd Edition: Unlocking the Power of AI for Associations’ for FREE https://sidecar.ai/ai 🛠 AI Tools and Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Wild Dolphin Project ➔ https://www.wilddolphinproject.org DolphinGemma ➔ https://deepmind.google/models/gemma/dolphingemma/ TIME AI 100 ➔ https://shorturl.at/OUQ2h Google DeepMind ➔ https://deepmind.google 🔎 Check out Sidecar's AI Learning Hub for Teams:https://sidecar.ai/lh4t 🚀 Help Us Grow Our Reach - Share With a Friend or Colleague! 👍 Like & Subscribe! https://x.com/sidecarglobal https://www.youtube.com/@SidecarSync https://sidecar.ai/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/sidecar-global/ Amith Nagarajan is the Chairman of Blue Cypress, a family of purpose-driven companies and proud practitioners of Conscious Capitalism. The Blue Cypress companies focus on helping associations, non-profits, and other purpose-driven organizations achieve long-term success. Amith is also an active early-stage investor in B2B SaaS companies. He’s had the good fortune of nearly three decades of success as an entrepreneur and enjoys helping others in their journey. https://linkedin.com/amithnagarajan Mallory Mejias is passionate about creating opportunities for association professionals to learn, grow, and better serve their members using artificial intelligence. She enjoys blending creativity and innovation to produce fresh, meaningful content for the association space. Mallory co-hosts and produces the Sidecar Sync podcast, where she delves into the latest trends in AI and technology, translating them into actionable insights. https://linkedin.com/mallorymejias

    40 min
  2. What to Expect at digitalNow 2025 & the App That Picks Your Sessions (Built Live!) | 106

    OCT 30

    What to Expect at digitalNow 2025 & the App That Picks Your Sessions (Built Live!) | 106

    Send us a text In this solo episode, Mallory Mejias takes the reins to unveil what digitalNow 2025 reveals about the current state of AI in associations—spoiler alert: we're officially in the "AI adolescence" phase. From cultural adoption to trust-building, she unpacks the four key insights her analysis surfaced from the event’s full schedule. But that’s not all—Mallory goes off-script to live-build a conference session recommender app on air, showing how even non-technical folks can leverage AI for rapid, practical innovation. Whether you're attending digitalNow or just AI-curious, this episode is packed with strategic takeaways and an extra dose of hands-on fun.    🤖 Join the AI Mastermind: https://sidecar.ai/association-ai-mastermind 📕 Download ‘Ascend 2nd Edition: Unlocking the Power of AI for Associations’ for FREE https://sidecar.ai/ai 🛠 AI Tools and Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Claude ➔ https://claude.ai Groq ➔ https://groq.com ChatGPT ➔ https://chat.openai.com digitalNow Conference Companion App (Bottom of Page) ➔ https://sidecar.ai/events 🔎 Check out Sidecar's AI Learning Hub for Teams:https://sidecar.ai/lh4t 🚀 Help Us Grow Our Reach - Share With a Friend or Colleague! 👍 Like & Subscribe! https://x.com/sidecarglobal https://www.youtube.com/@SidecarSync https://sidecar.ai/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/sidecar-global/ Amith Nagarajan is the Chairman of Blue Cypress, a family of purpose-driven companies and proud practitioners of Conscious Capitalism. The Blue Cypress companies focus on helping associations, non-profits, and other purpose-driven organizations achieve long-term success. Amith is also an active early-stage investor in B2B SaaS companies. He’s had the good fortune of nearly three decades of success as an entrepreneur and enjoys helping others in their journey. https://linkedin.com/amithnagarajan Mallory Mejias is passionate about creating opportunities for association professionals to learn, grow, and better serve their members using artificial intelligence. She enjoys blending creativity and innovation to produce fresh, meaningful content for the association space. Mallory co-hosts and produces the Sidecar Sync podcast, where she delves into the latest trends in AI and technology, translating them into actionable insights. https://linkedin.com/mallorymejias

    42 min
  3. Rethinking UX for the 50+ Crowd with Bryan Kelly | 105

    OCT 23

    Rethinking UX for the 50+ Crowd with Bryan Kelly | 105

    Send us a text In this episode, Mallory Mejias sits down with UX and content strategy expert Bryan Kelly to explore how the longevity economy—a massive shift toward a population dominated by adults over 50—is transforming digital experiences. Bryan dives into why designing for older adults is less about age and more about behaviors, values, and life stage. He breaks down the common UX mistakes organizations make and shares practical strategies for building trust, clarity, and confidence into every member interaction. The duo also discusses the powerful, and sometimes dangerous, intersection of AI and age bias, and how associations can prepare for a more nuanced, age-inclusive future. Bryan will also be keynoting at digitalNow 2025, so consider this your sneak preview!   Bryan Kelly is a UX and content strategy leader focused on creating digital experiences that work better for adults over 50. He’s delivered measurable results for brands like McAfee, Premera Blue Cross, EXPRESS, Home Depot, Orange Theory Fitness, and FedEx by transforming user insights into revenue-driving features. Blending product strategy, UX expertise, and business acumen, Bryan helps organizations better serve this experienced and influential audience.   More About Bryan Kelly: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankellynow/ 🤖 Join the AI Mastermind: https://sidecar.ai/association-ai-mastermind   🛠 AI Tools and Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Claude ➔ https://claude.ai ChatGPT ➔ https://chat.openai.com MIT AgeLab ➔ https://agelab.mit.edu Stanford Center on Longevity ➔ https://longevity.stanford.edu Curious if your content is ageist? Download: Identifying Age Bias: A Framework for Age-Inclusive Content Design 🔎 Check out Sidecar's AI Learning Hub for Teams:https://sidecar.ai/lh4t 🚀 Help Us Grow Our Reach - Share With a Friend or Colleague! 👍 Like & Subscribe! https://x.com/sidecarglobal https://www.youtube.com/@SidecarSync https://sidecar.ai/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/sidecar-global/ Amith Nagarajan is the Chairman of Blue Cypress, a family of purpose-driven companies and proud practitioners of Conscious Capitalism. The Blue Cypress companies focus on helping associations, non-profits, and other purpose-driven organizations achieve long-term success. Amith is also an active early-stage investor in B2B SaaS companies. He’s had the good fortune of nearly three decades of success as an entrepreneur and enjoys helping others in their journey. https://linkedin.com/amithnagarajan Mallory Mejias is passionate about creating opportunities for association professionals to learn, grow, and better serve their members using artificial intelligence. She enjoys blending creativity and innovation to produce fresh, meaningful content for the association space. Mallory co-hosts and produces the Sidecar Sync podcast, where she delves into the latest trends in AI and technology, translating them into actionable insights. https://linkedin.com/mallorymejias

    58 min
  4. Wuji’s Gripping Breakthrough, AI Literacy Goes Mandatory, & The AI Adoption Divide | 104

    OCT 16

    Wuji’s Gripping Breakthrough, AI Literacy Goes Mandatory, & The AI Adoption Divide | 104

    Send us a text In this episode of Sidecar Sync, Mallory Mejias and Amith Nagarajan dive into three seemingly distinct but tightly connected topics: a groundbreaking robotic hand from China that could redefine how machines interact with our world, the growing movement of mandatory AI literacy training sweeping through corporations and governments, and new data from Anthropic showing a widening economic divide in AI adoption. They explore what these trends mean for the future of work, equity, and innovation—and why every association leader should be paying close attention.   🤖 Join the AI Mastermind: https://sidecar.ai/association-ai-mastermind 📕 Download ‘Ascend 2nd Edition: Unlocking the Power of AI for Associations’ for FREE https://sidecar.ai/ai 🛠 AI Tools and Resources Mentioned in This Episode: ChatGPT ➔ https://openai.com/chatgpt Claude ➔ https://claude.ai Suno ➔ https://suno.com NotebookLM ➔ https://notebooklm.google Google Gemini Nano ➔ https://ai.google/discover/gemini Anthropic Economic Index ➔ https://shorturl.at/23b42 Citi AI mandate ➔ https://shorturl.at/DLXZY Wuji Tech Demo ➔ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXVV-oErD8s 🔎 Check out Sidecar's AI Learning Hub for Teams:https://sidecar.ai/lh4t 🚀 Help Us Grow Our Reach - Share With a Friend or Colleague! 👍 Like & Subscribe! https://x.com/sidecarglobal https://www.youtube.com/@SidecarSync https://sidecar.ai/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/sidecar-global/ Amith Nagarajan is the Chairman of Blue Cypress, a family of purpose-driven companies and proud practitioners of Conscious Capitalism. The Blue Cypress companies focus on helping associations, non-profits, and other purpose-driven organizations achieve long-term success. Amith is also an active early-stage investor in B2B SaaS companies. He’s had the good fortune of nearly three decades of success as an entrepreneur and enjoys helping others in their journey. https://linkedin.com/amithnagarajan Mallory Mejias is passionate about creating opportunities for association professionals to learn, grow, and better serve their members using artificial intelligence. She enjoys blending creativity and innovation to produce fresh, meaningful content for the association space. Mallory co-hosts and produces the Sidecar Sync podcast, where she delves into the latest trends in AI and technology, translating them into actionable insights. https://linkedin.com/mallorymejias

    44 min
  5. DevDay 2025: No-Code App Development, ChatGPT Pulse, & The Trillion Dollar Infrastructure Play | 103

    OCT 9

    DevDay 2025: No-Code App Development, ChatGPT Pulse, & The Trillion Dollar Infrastructure Play | 103

    Send us a text This week on Sidecar Sync, Amith Nagarajan and Mallory Mejias dive deep into OpenAI’s biggest moves of the year—starting with how ChatGPT has evolved into a no-code platform capable of building full applications in minutes. They explore the implications of AgentKit, voice-first workflows, and whether associations should adopt or avoid these locked-in ecosystems. Mallory reveals how ChatGPT Pulse, a $200/month personal AI assistant, is reshaping expectations around newsletters and member engagement. Finally, they unpack OpenAI’s trillion-dollar infrastructure pacts with Nvidia, AMD, and Oracle—and what it means for cost, control, and the future of AI accessibility. Associations, take note: the AI platform war is accelerating, and your strategy matters more than ever.   🤖 Join the AI Mastermind: https://sidecar.ai/association-ai-mastermind 📕 Download ‘Ascend 2nd Edition: Unlocking the Power of AI for Associations’ for FREE https://sidecar.ai/ai 🛠 AI Tools and Resources Mentioned in This Episode: AgentKit ➔ https://openai.com/index/introducing-agentkit/ ChatGPT Pulse ➔ https://openai.com/index/introducing-chatgpt-pulse/ rasa.io ➔ https://rasa.io 🔎 Check out Sidecar's AI Learning Hub for Teams:https://sidecar.ai/lh4t 🚀 Help Us Grow Our Reach - Share With a Friend or Colleague! 👍 Like & Subscribe! https://x.com/sidecarglobal https://www.youtube.com/@SidecarSync https://sidecar.ai/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/sidecar-global/ Amith Nagarajan is the Chairman of Blue Cypress, a family of purpose-driven companies and proud practitioners of Conscious Capitalism. The Blue Cypress companies focus on helping associations, non-profits, and other purpose-driven organizations achieve long-term success. Amith is also an active early-stage investor in B2B SaaS companies. He’s had the good fortune of nearly three decades of success as an entrepreneur and enjoys helping others in their journey. https://linkedin.com/amithnagarajan Mallory Mejias is passionate about creating opportunities for association professionals to learn, grow, and better serve their members using artificial intelligence. She enjoys blending creativity and innovation to produce fresh, meaningful content for the association space. Mallory co-hosts and produces the Sidecar Sync podcast, where she delves into the latest trends in AI and technology, translating them into actionable insights. https://linkedin.com/mallorymejias

    45 min
  6. Claude Sonnet 4.5 Redefines Workflows, Sora 2 Transforms Video, & Early Movers Build the Future | 102

    OCT 2

    Claude Sonnet 4.5 Redefines Workflows, Sora 2 Transforms Video, & Early Movers Build the Future | 102

    Send us a text In this jam-packed episode of Sidecar Sync, co-hosts Amith Nagarajan and Mallory Mejias tackle five cutting-edge AI developments, all (mostly) fitting into three big buckets. From the powerhouse that is Claude 4.5 Sonnet to OpenAI's stunning new Sora 2 video model, this episode dives into real-world use cases, experiments, and emerging tools that are reshaping how associations can work smarter. They also break down the promise of computer use models, the future of AI-native browsers, and what "boring AI" really means for legacy software. Amith shares highlights from the Blue Cypress Leadership Summit and explains why early adopters might just lap the competition. Packed with demos, practical takeaways, and some existential questions for creatives, this is one you don’t want to miss.   🤖 Join the AI Mastermind: https://sidecar.ai/association-ai-mastermind 📕 Download ‘Ascend 2nd Edition: Unlocking the Power of AI for Associations’ for FREE https://sidecar.ai/ai   🛠 AI Tools and Resources Mentioned in This Episode  Claude 4.5 Sonnet ➔ https://www.anthropic.com  Claude Code ➔ https://www.anthropic.com  Otter.ai ➔ https://otter.ai  MemberJunction ➔ https://memberjunction.com ElevenLabs AI Voice Agents ➔ https://www.elevenlabs.io Perplexity AI ➔ https://www.perplexity.ai Sora 2 Demo ➔ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PaoWKvcJP  Neon AI Browser Demo ➔ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKQ98413RCI Learning Content Agent Episode ➔ https://shorturl.at/nxEry 🔎 Check out Sidecar's AI Learning Hub for Teams:https://sidecar.ai/lh4t 🚀 Help Us Grow Our Reach - Share With a Friend or Colleague! 👍 Like & Subscribe! https://x.com/sidecarglobal https://www.youtube.com/@SidecarSync https://sidecar.ai/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/sidecar-global/ Amith Nagarajan is the Chairman of Blue Cypress, a family of purpose-driven companies and proud practitioners of Conscious Capitalism. The Blue Cypress companies focus on helping associations, non-profits, and other purpose-driven organizations achieve long-term success. Amith is also an active early-stage investor in B2B SaaS companies. He’s had the good fortune of nearly three decades of success as an entrepreneur and enjoys helping others in their journey. https://linkedin.com/amithnagarajan Mallory Mejias is passionate about creating opportunities for association professionals to learn, grow, and better serve their members using artificial intelligence. She enjoys blending creativity and innovation to produce fresh, meaningful content for the association space. Mallory co-hosts and produces the Sidecar Sync podcast, where she delves into the latest trends in AI and technology, translating them into actionable insights. https://linkedin.com/mallorymejias

    1h 14m
  7. Scaling AI for Social Good with Wadhwani AI | 101

    SEP 25

    Scaling AI for Social Good with Wadhwani AI | 101

    Send us a text In this special interview edition of Sidecar Sync, Mallory Mejias sits down with Shekar Sivasubramanian, Head of the Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence, to explore how AI can be deployed at scale for social good. Shekar shares powerful stories of AI in action—from an oral reading fluency assistant helping millions of Indian children, to smartphone-powered pest detection for rural farmers. This episode dives into designing for deployment (not just innovation), building trust with limited data, and why humility and human-centered thinking are vital for transformative impact. It’s a conversation full of heart, hope, and hard-earned wisdom.   Shekar Sivasubramanian brings nearly four decades of experience in technology and business leadership, having scaled multiple startups to billion-dollar valuations. Now Head of the Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence, he leads a team delivering AI solutions in agriculture, healthcare, and education to underserved populations across India. An alum of IIT Bombay and the University of Missouri–Kansas City, Shekar also maintains deep technical expertise and a research affiliation with Carnegie Mellon University.   🤖 Join the AI Mastermind: https://sidecar.ai/association-ai-mastermind 📕 Download ‘Ascend 2nd Edition: Unlocking the Power of AI for Associations’ for FREE https://sidecar.ai/ai 🛠 AI Tools and Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Wadhwani AI ➡ https://www.wadhwaniai.org 🔎 Check out Sidecar's AI Learning Hub for Teams:https://sidecar.ai/lh4t 🚀 Help Us Grow Our Reach - Share With a Friend or Colleague! 👍 Like & Subscribe! https://x.com/sidecarglobal https://www.youtube.com/@SidecarSync https://sidecar.ai/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/sidecar-global/ Amith Nagarajan is the Chairman of Blue Cypress, a family of purpose-driven companies and proud practitioners of Conscious Capitalism. The Blue Cypress companies focus on helping associations, non-profits, and other purpose-driven organizations achieve long-term success. Amith is also an active early-stage investor in B2B SaaS companies. He’s had the good fortune of nearly three decades of success as an entrepreneur and enjoys helping others in their journey. https://linkedin.com/amithnagarajan Mallory Mejias is passionate about creating opportunities for association professionals to learn, grow, and better serve their members using artificial intelligence. She enjoys blending creativity and innovation to produce fresh, meaningful content for the association space. Mallory co-hosts and produces the Sidecar Sync podcast, where she delves into the latest trends in AI and technology, translating them into actionable insights. https://linkedin.com/mallorymejias

    57 min
  8. 100 Episodes Later: A Look Back at What We’ve Learned—and What’s Coming | 100

    SEP 18

    100 Episodes Later: A Look Back at What We’ve Learned—and What’s Coming | 100

    Send us a text In this special 100th episode of Sidecar Sync, co-hosts Amith Nagarajan and Mallory Mejias take a celebratory stroll down memory lane, unpacking the journey from the show’s inception in 2023 to today. They reflect on five distinct podcast eras, distill the top 10 AI insights echoed across episodes, and get candid about the surprising speed of tech transformation in the association space. You’ll hear how Mallory used Claude and Google Colab to distill hundreds of transcripts, which past guests left a mark, and what the future holds for episode 200. Plus, an exclusive giveaway for loyal listeners and one golden use case every association should adopt today.  🤖 Join the AI Mastermind: https://sidecar.ai/association-ai-mastermind 📕 Download ‘Ascend 2nd Edition: Unlocking the Power of AI for Associations’ for FREE  https://sidecar.ai/ai 🛠 AI Tools and Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Claude ➡ https://claude.ai Google Colab ➡ https://colab.research.google.com Zapier ➡ https://zapier.com Groq ➡ https://groq.com Sidecar AI Learning Hub ➡ https://learn.sidecar.ai 🔎 Check out Sidecar's AI Learning Hub for Teams:https://sidecar.ai/lh4t 🚀 Help Us Grow Our Reach - Share With a Friend or Colleague! 👍 Like & Subscribe! https://x.com/sidecarglobal https://www.youtube.com/@SidecarSync https://sidecar.ai/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/sidecar-global/ Amith Nagarajan is the Chairman of Blue Cypress, a family of purpose-driven companies and proud practitioners of Conscious Capitalism. The Blue Cypress companies focus on helping associations, non-profits, and other purpose-driven organizations achieve long-term success. Amith is also an active early-stage investor in B2B SaaS companies. He’s had the good fortune of nearly three decades of success as an entrepreneur and enjoys helping others in their journey. https://linkedin.com/amithnagarajan Mallory Mejias is passionate about creating opportunities for association professionals to learn, grow, and better serve their members using artificial intelligence. She enjoys blending creativity and innovation to produce fresh, meaningful content for the association space. Mallory co-hosts and produces the Sidecar Sync podcast, where she delves into the latest trends in AI and technology, translating them into actionable insights. https://linkedin.com/mallorymejias

    48 min
See All (107)

5
out of 5
25 Ratings

About

Welcome to Sidecar Sync: Your Weekly Dose of Innovation for Associations. Hosted by Amith Nagarajan and Mallory Mejias, this podcast is your definitive source for the latest news, insights, and trends in the association world with a special emphasis on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its pivotal role in shaping the future. Each week, we delve into the most pressing topics, spotlighting the transformative role of emerging technologies and their profound impact on associations. With a commitment to cutting through the noise, Sidecar Sync offers listeners clear, informed discussions, expert perspectives, and a deep dive into the challenges and opportunities facing associations today. Whether you're an association professional, tech enthusiast, or just keen on staying updated, Sidecar Sync ensures you're always ahead of the curve. Join us for enlightening conversations and a fresh take on the ever-evolving world of associations. 

Information

  • Creator
    Amith Nagarajan and Mallory Mejias
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2025
  • Episodes
    107
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Sidecar Sync
  • Show Website
    Sidecar Sync

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