The Disruptor Podcast

John Kundtz

"The Disruptor Series," your blueprint for groundbreaking innovation, started as a periodic segment of the Apex Podcast.  This is not your standard conversation around Design Thinking or Product Market Fit; this is the series that dares to go beyond conventional wisdom, confronting the status quo and exposing the raw power of disruptive thinking.  Our journey begins with intensely provocative dialogues that set the stage for the unexpected.  With a focus on Experience Disruptors, Product Market Fit, and a range of other captivating topics, we bring you face-to-face with the ideas that are revolutionizing traditional buying and selling experiences.   But we don't stop at ideas; we dive into their real-world applications.  "The Disruptor" offers an unfiltered glimpse into the lives and minds of those who are being disrupted, creating disruption, or strategically navigating it.  Our guests range from industry veterans to daring newcomers, all willing to share their experiences in shifting the paradigms that define their stakeholders' experiences.  If you're tired of business as usual and eager to question the preconceived notions that hold back innovation, "The Disruptor Series" is your ticket to a transformative journey.  Tune in, disrupt yourself, and become an agent of change in an ever-evolving landscape....

  1. A Five-Step Strategy Blueprint For Nonprofits That Actually Gets Used

    MAY 20

    A Five-Step Strategy Blueprint For Nonprofits That Actually Gets Used

    Are you tired of pouring hours into strategic plans, only to watch them turn into dusty “shelfware” that your board never looks at again? Most organizations are treading water in a sea of “What”. They manage the day-to-day administrative tasks but lose sight of the overarching mission. If we want to disrupt the status quo, we have to stop managing the “what” and start leading the “why”. In this video, I break down The Five-Step Nonprofit Strategy Blueprint, a proven, agile framework designed specifically for 501(c)(3) Executive Directors and board members to move from outdated, static planning to active, human-centric leadership. What You Will Learn: The Double Diamond Approach: Why you need to pause and diverge (to deeply empathize with stakeholder needs) before you converge (to define the actual problem). The 5-Step Framework: A walkthrough of the exact steps to build a strategy your community will actually rally behind: The Cake Experience Roadmap: Why nonprofits need to abandon massive, expensive “waterfall” rollouts. Learn how to launch low-risk, low-cost “Cupcake” initiatives to deliver immediate value before scaling up to “Birthday Cakes” and “Wedding Cakes” 📚 Resources Mentioned: Get the Book: Dive deeper into these frameworks. Grab your copy of The Five-Step Nonprofit Strategy Blueprint: A Proven Playbook for Executive Directors to Drive Collaboration, Governance, and Growth.Read the Curated Primer: Check out The Disruptor’s Design Thinking Primer for Nonprofits to see the HBR, McKinsey, and Forbes research that backs up this approach.Call to Action: Are you ready to disrupt the boardroom? Watch the video, and let me know in the comments:  What is one “Cupcake” initiative your nonprofit can launch in the next 30 days? 👇 Don’t forget to subscribe (it’s free) to the Board Room Bound Substack to get more agile governance blueprints delivered straight to your inbox! Comments or Questions? Send us a text Support the show *** Engage, Share, and Connect! Spread the Word: Valuable insights are best when shared. Share this episode with peers who may benefit from it if you find it insightful. Your Feedback Matters: How did this episode resonate with you? Share your thoughts, insights, or questions. Your engagement enriches our community. Stay Updated: Don’t miss out on further insights. Subscribe: You can listen to our podcast, read our blog posts on Substack, and watch our YouTube channel. Collaborate with The Disruptor and connect with John Kundtz. Got a disruptive story to share?  We’re scouting for remarkable podcast guests.  Thank you for being an integral part of our journey.  Together, let’s redefine the status quo!

    5 min
  2. The Immigrant Legacy of Theodor Kundtz

    MAY 13

    The Immigrant Legacy of Theodor Kundtz

    Originally broadcast on September 13, 2025, on The Hungarian Hour (WCSB Cleveland 89.3 FM) In this special rebroadcast of The Hungarian Hour* (WCSB Cleveland 89.3 FM), hosts Walt Mahovlich and Elizabeth Papp Taylor are joined by John M. Kundtz.  John shares the remarkable “rags to riches” American immigrant story of his great-grandfather, Theodor Kundtz.  Tune in to hear how Theodor arrived in Cleveland with nothing and went on to build a massive manufacturing empire that profoundly shaped the city’s early Hungarian community and the historic Irishtown Bend neighborhood. Key Topics & Highlights:  1️⃣ The Journey to America: Discover Theodor’s origins in Metzenseifen (modern-day Medzev, Slovakia) and his arduous 1873 journey across the Atlantic in the muddy, unsanitary lower quarters of the S.S. Denmark. 2️⃣ Building an Industrial Empire: Starting as an apprentice cabinet maker in the Flats, Theodor took his pay in equity when his employer struggled, eventually buying out the company and renaming it the Theodor Kundtz Company. He became the sole supplier of ornate cabinets for the White Sewing Machine Company and expanded into school desks (”Eclipse”), high-end wooden bicycle rims, automobile bodies for local car makers, and church furniture. 3️⃣ Shaping Irishtown Bend: To staff his growing factory at 122 & 124 Elm Street, Theodor sponsored workers from his home country, driving early Hungarian immigration to Cleveland’s near west side. 4️⃣ A Legacy of Philanthropy: Remembered as a “friend of the worker,” Theodor was heavily involved in the community. He founded the Hungarian Savings and Loan Company, financially backed Hungaria Hall, and helped fund a George Washington monument in Budapest. Community Call to Action: The Cleveland Municipal Stadium Seats. Theodor’s company manufactured all 62,781 of the original seats for the Cleveland Municipal Stadium. There is an ongoing community initiative to locate a few of these surviving seats for installation in the future Irish Town Bend Park as a memorial to Theodor and the Hungarian laborers who built them. Resources Mentioned in this Episode Tori in Amerika: The Story of Theodor Kundtz: A private biography of Theodor written by Christopher J. Eiben in 1994. While hard copies are rare, an audiobook version is currently in development and expected to be available in mid-2026. How to help: If you have any of these stadium seats (ideally 2 to 4) in your garage or attic - Message us 👇 Comments or Questions? Send us a text Support the show *** Engage, Share, and Connect! Spread the Word: Valuable insights are best when shared. Share this episode with peers who may benefit from it if you find it insightful. Your Feedback Matters: How did this episode resonate with you? Share your thoughts, insights, or questions. Your engagement enriches our community. Stay Updated: Don’t miss out on further insights. Subscribe: You can listen to our podcast, read our blog posts on Substack, and watch our YouTube channel. Collaborate with The Disruptor and connect with John Kundtz. Got a disruptive story to share?  We’re scouting for remarkable podcast guests.  Thank you for being an integral part of our journey.  Together, let’s redefine the status quo!

    26 min
  3. The Five-Step Nonprofit Strategy Blueprint

    TRAILER

    The Five-Step Nonprofit Strategy Blueprint

    Welcome to this trailer for another episode of Board Room Bound! Today, we are tackling one of the most frustrating challenges in the nonprofit world: strategic planning.  We all know the drill: a beautifully detailed document is created with high hopes, only to gather dust on a shelf as forgotten “shelfware”. In this brief preview, we introduce John M. Kundtz’s latest book, The Five-Step Nonprofit Strategy Blueprint, to discuss how nonprofit leaders can flip the script.  By shifting away from internal organizational assumptions and embracing a user-centric, design-thinking approach, you can create an agile, living roadmap that genuinely serves your stakeholders and drives impact. Key Highlights & Takeaways from the Upcoming Episode: The “Project Sedona” Epiphany: Hear the corporate cautionary tale of how focusing on your organization’s internal capabilities rather than understanding the users’ real challenges can stall your momentum. The Double Diamond Model: Discover how adopting the rhythm of “diverging” (exploring the problem without judgment) and “converging” (defining the core challenge) can revolutionize how your board approaches problems. The 5-Step Strategy Framework: We will walk through the exact, actionable steps to build your strategic plan: The Cake Experience Roadmap: Say goodbye to the overwhelming “waterfall” approach. Learn how to break your strategy down into deliverable chunks: low-risk “Cupcakes” for quick wins, medium-sized “Birthday Cakes”, and long-term “Wedding Cakes”. AI as Your Co-Facilitator: Learn how modern nonprofit leaders are utilizing tools like The Disruptor’s Custom GPT Facilitator to automate the heavy lifting of sorting data and generating insights. Other Books in The Disruptor’s Series: The Board Builder’s Blueprint: A Strategic Guide to Creating Exceptional Nonprofit LeadershipIntegrating Horses into Healing: Chapter 23 - The Key to a Successful Non-Profit BoardComments or Questions? Send us a text Support the show *** Engage, Share, and Connect! Spread the Word: Valuable insights are best when shared. Share this episode with peers who may benefit from it if you find it insightful. Your Feedback Matters: How did this episode resonate with you? Share your thoughts, insights, or questions. Your engagement enriches our community. Stay Updated: Don’t miss out on further insights. Subscribe: You can listen to our podcast, read our blog posts on Substack, and watch our YouTube channel. Collaborate with The Disruptor and connect with John Kundtz. Got a disruptive story to share?  We’re scouting for remarkable podcast guests.  Thank you for being an integral part of our journey.  Together, let’s redefine the status quo!

    7 min
  4. The Donor-Driven Playbook: Engagement, Qualification, and Stewardship Done Right

    MAR 4

    The Donor-Driven Playbook: Engagement, Qualification, and Stewardship Done Right

    Heart without execution remains aspirational … … and systems without heart won’t scale In Part 2 of this two-episode series, John Kundtz sits down with Greg Warner, CEO & Founder of MarketSmart, to discuss bridging “Start with the Heart” from philosophy into an operating system. Greg argues that most nonprofits are still running outdated, transaction-first fundraising playbooks. Measuring activity instead of building trust, surfacing intent, and earning the right to have a major-gift conversation. The fix isn’t “more asks.” It’s a donor-driven approach built on signals, relevance, and disciplined follow-up, so engagement scales without losing the human element. WHAT YOU’LL LEARN 1️⃣ Why transactional fundraising fails (and why donors disengage when they feel managed vs. known)  2️⃣How to use donor intent signals to prioritize the right supporters at the right time  3️⃣ Why major gifts behave like enterprise decisions, and what those changes in qualification and stewardship are 4️⃣ How to shift from organization-centric messaging to donor-driven engagement that earns meetings  5️⃣ The leadership discipline required to make “heart” repeatable, measurable, and scalable LINKS & RESOURCES ➡️Connect with Greg Warner on LinkedIn   ➡️ Check out Greg's (free) Fundraising Report Card and ➡️ Greg's (free) DAF Widget  ➡️ Visit the MarketSmart website Comments or Questions? Send us a text Support the show *** Engage, Share, and Connect! Spread the Word: Valuable insights are best when shared. Share this episode with peers who may benefit from it if you find it insightful. Your Feedback Matters: How did this episode resonate with you? Share your thoughts, insights, or questions. Your engagement enriches our community. Stay Updated: Don’t miss out on further insights. Subscribe: You can listen to our podcast, read our blog posts on Substack, and watch our YouTube channel. Collaborate with The Disruptor and connect with John Kundtz. Got a disruptive story to share?  We’re scouting for remarkable podcast guests.  Thank you for being an integral part of our journey.  Together, let’s redefine the status quo!

    31 min
  5. Start With the Heart: Why Transactional Fundraising Is Failing Leaders, and What Comes Next

    FEB 24

    Start With the Heart: Why Transactional Fundraising Is Failing Leaders, and What Comes Next

    In this episode of The Disruptor Podcast, John Kundtz sits down with Bill Crouch, CEO of BrightDot Fundraising Advisors and former college president, to discuss why traditional development tactics are failing leaders, and what replaces them:  ➡️Trust,  ➡️Relevance,  ➡️Relationship, and  ➡️Mattership (the discipline of making supporters feel seen and valued, so philanthropy becomes relational, not transactional.) Bill shares the origin story behind his “start with the heart” philosophy (including the dinner that failed), why major donors evaluate leadership before the mission, and the practical disciplines nonprofit CEOs can use to build momentum without burning themselves or their teams out. What you will Learn: 1️⃣Why transactional fundraising is failing—and how donor expectations have changed 2️⃣What “start with the heart” looks like in real donor conversations 3️⃣How major donors assess leadership, credibility, and trust before committing 4️⃣The difference between targeting donors and earning a relationship 5️⃣A simple weekly cadence leaders can use to build a sustainable fundraising engine About our Guest: Bill has spent 40 years helping nonprofits and higher education leaders shift fundraising from transactional activity to transformational impact through BrightDot’s “Art of Fundraising” approach—blending strategy with human connection, storytelling, and leadership presence. Connect with Bill on LinkedIn Contact Bill Crouch: bill@thebrightdot.com Buy his book: Start with the Heart Visit BrightDot's Website  Comments or Questions? Send us a text Support the show *** Engage, Share, and Connect! Spread the Word: Valuable insights are best when shared. Share this episode with peers who may benefit from it if you find it insightful. Your Feedback Matters: How did this episode resonate with you? Share your thoughts, insights, or questions. Your engagement enriches our community. Stay Updated: Don’t miss out on further insights. Subscribe: You can listen to our podcast, read our blog posts on Substack, and watch our YouTube channel. Collaborate with The Disruptor and connect with John Kundtz. Got a disruptive story to share?  We’re scouting for remarkable podcast guests.  Thank you for being an integral part of our journey.  Together, let’s redefine the status quo!

    32 min
  6. When Biology Becomes Compute, Energy Becomes Abundance

    JAN 28

    When Biology Becomes Compute, Energy Becomes Abundance

    The AI Energy Crunch: Why FinalSpark Thinks Neurons Are the Answers  In this episode of The Disruptor Podcast, host John Kundtz sits down with Dr. Ewelina Kurtys, Strategic Advisor at FinalSpark, to discuss a hard truth most AI leaders are starting to feel: the next wave of AI scale will be constrained less by algorithms and more by energy, cooling, and infrastructure limitations. While much of the industry is still running the traditional playbook, more GPUs, bigger clusters, and ever-larger data centers, FinalSpark is pursuing an entirely different path: biocomputing built from living neurons.  Ewelina explains why biology may offer a credible route to radically lower-power computing, what FinalSpark is actually building today, and why the biggest breakthrough isn’t just hardware, it’s understanding how neurons encode information. You’ll also hear how FinalSpark is opening the door for universities and private-sector R&D teams to experiment now through its remote Neuroplatform, why this moment feels like the early days of quantum computing, and what it will take to move biocomputing from lab credibility to commercial adoption. Together, they explore what it means to stop brute-forcing scale and start rethinking compute from first principles, before the grid, the water, and the economics make the decision for us. In this episode, you’ll learn: 1️⃣ Why the AI “energy crunch” is bigger than electricity—and increasingly about cooling and water 2️⃣ Why “just add more GPUs” is a short-term fix with long-term structural risk 3️⃣ What FinalSpark’s neuron-based biocomputing approach is—and what it can (and can’t) do today 4️⃣Why the hardest problem is decoding neural information, not simply measuring neural activity 5️⃣How R&D teams can start experimenting now via FinalSpark’s remotely accessible Neuroplatform About our guest: Dr. Ewelina Kurtys is a neuroscientist-turned-entrepreneur and Strategic Advisor at FinalSpark, working at the intersection of neuroscience, frontier computing, and commercialization. She has built a career translating complex science into market-facing strategy, bridging lab reality with business adoption. Visit FinalSpark: finalspark.com Connect w/ Ewelina on LinkedIn:  Comments or Questions? Send us a text Support the show *** Engage, Share, and Connect! Spread the Word: Valuable insights are best when shared. Share this episode with peers who may benefit from it if you find it insightful. Your Feedback Matters: How did this episode resonate with you? Share your thoughts, insights, or questions. Your engagement enriches our community. Stay Updated: Don’t miss out on further insights. Subscribe: You can listen to our podcast, read our blog posts on Substack, and watch our YouTube channel. Collaborate with The Disruptor and connect with John Kundtz. Got a disruptive story to share?  We’re scouting for remarkable podcast guests.  Thank you for being an integral part of our journey.  Together, let’s redefine the status quo!

    19 min
  7. Seeq and You Shall Find: Killing the Directory Era

    10/20/2025

    Seeq and You Shall Find: Killing the Directory Era

    In this episode of The Disruptor Podcast, host John Kundtz sits down with Jon Levesque, Founder and CEO of Seeq, to explore why the age of static directories such as Google, Yelp, and star ratings is officially over. Jon shares how Seeq, the world’s first Experience Network, transforms social content into living, bookable experiences. Instead of endless scrolling and fake reviews, Seeq turns creator videos into AI-assisted, mappable, and shoppable itineraries, bridging intent and action in one click. You’ll hear how Jon transitioned from setting up Microsoft stages to speaking on them, why he left corporate life to build something truly human-centered, and how his team is helping creators earn a real income while empowering users to get back out into the world again. Together, they discuss what it means to turn your phone from a prison into a compass and why the next digital revolution is rooted not in attention, but trust. In this episode, you’ll learn: 1️⃣ Why the “directory era” is dying—and what replaces it. 2️⃣ How Seeq lets creators monetize their content without chasing views. 3️⃣ Why the future of discovery is human-led and AI-assisted. How digital platforms can move us from an attention economy to a trust economy. About our guest: Jon Levesque is the Founder and CEO of Seeq, a first-of-its-kind experience network that connects discovery, storytelling, and real-world action. A former Microsoft and DocuSign executive, Jon has built global communities, led Fortune 500 engagement strategies, and now focuses on empowering creators to build trust-based economies where authenticity, not algorithms, wins. 👉 Learn more at seeq.ing or Connect with Jon on LinkedIn or follow him on Substack: Jon J. Levesque Comments or Questions? Send us a text Support the show *** Engage, Share, and Connect! Spread the Word: Valuable insights are best when shared. Share this episode with peers who may benefit from it if you find it insightful. Your Feedback Matters: How did this episode resonate with you? Share your thoughts, insights, or questions. Your engagement enriches our community. Stay Updated: Don’t miss out on further insights. Subscribe: You can listen to our podcast, read our blog posts on Substack, and watch our YouTube channel. Collaborate with The Disruptor and connect with John Kundtz. Got a disruptive story to share?  We’re scouting for remarkable podcast guests.  Thank you for being an integral part of our journey.  Together, let’s redefine the status quo!

    22 min
  8. Creating Blue Oceans After the Sale: Ken Rapp’s Product Experience Revolution

    10/02/2025

    Creating Blue Oceans After the Sale: Ken Rapp’s Product Experience Revolution

    Can you create blue oceans after the sale? In this episode of The Disruptor Podcast, host John Kundtz sits down with Ken Rapp, CEO and co-founder of BluStream, to discuss how to escape pre-sale “red ocean” battles by winning the ownership moment.  Born from a cracked acoustic guitar and a missing post-sale experience, Ken’s Product Experience (PX) playbook shows how to activate, engage, and nurture customers across the unboxing, usage, and care phases. You’ll hear why e-commerce commoditizes pre-sale behavior, why the first 30–90 days decide retention, and how two-way, context-aware journeys lift repeat purchase, customer satisfaction, and revenue. In this episode, you’ll learn: 1️⃣ Why the post-purchase window is where growth (and churn) really happens. 2️⃣ The three phases of product ownership: activation (unboxing/onboarding), engagement (usage), and nurturing (care/renewal). 3️⃣ How to design two-way, personalized journeys that time education, prompts, and offers to real usage. 4️⃣ Why asking for reviews too early backfires and what to do instead. About our guest: Ken Rapp is the CEO and co-founder of BluStream. He’s a commercialization leader and repeat founder focused on unmet needs, now helping D2C and subscription brands reduce churn and drive revenue by “owning” the product experience after the sale. Want a Deeper Dive? 👉 Connect with Ken on LinkedIn 👉 Visit BluStream.io for blogs, white papers, and access to the platform Buyer Experience Mini-Series: The Disruptor's Practical Steps to move from the Red Ocean to the Blue Ocean. 🎥 “Become an Experience Disruptor”  🎥 “Swimming in the Blue Ocean.”  Comments or Questions? Send us a text Support the show *** Engage, Share, and Connect! Spread the Word: Valuable insights are best when shared. Share this episode with peers who may benefit from it if you find it insightful. Your Feedback Matters: How did this episode resonate with you? Share your thoughts, insights, or questions. Your engagement enriches our community. Stay Updated: Don’t miss out on further insights. Subscribe: You can listen to our podcast, read our blog posts on Substack, and watch our YouTube channel. Collaborate with The Disruptor and connect with John Kundtz. Got a disruptive story to share?  We’re scouting for remarkable podcast guests.  Thank you for being an integral part of our journey.  Together, let’s redefine the status quo!

    26 min

Trailers

About

"The Disruptor Series," your blueprint for groundbreaking innovation, started as a periodic segment of the Apex Podcast.  This is not your standard conversation around Design Thinking or Product Market Fit; this is the series that dares to go beyond conventional wisdom, confronting the status quo and exposing the raw power of disruptive thinking.  Our journey begins with intensely provocative dialogues that set the stage for the unexpected.  With a focus on Experience Disruptors, Product Market Fit, and a range of other captivating topics, we bring you face-to-face with the ideas that are revolutionizing traditional buying and selling experiences.   But we don't stop at ideas; we dive into their real-world applications.  "The Disruptor" offers an unfiltered glimpse into the lives and minds of those who are being disrupted, creating disruption, or strategically navigating it.  Our guests range from industry veterans to daring newcomers, all willing to share their experiences in shifting the paradigms that define their stakeholders' experiences.  If you're tired of business as usual and eager to question the preconceived notions that hold back innovation, "The Disruptor Series" is your ticket to a transformative journey.  Tune in, disrupt yourself, and become an agent of change in an ever-evolving landscape....