Shift & Thrive: CEO Insights on Driving Change

Natalie Nathanson
  • 5.0 (16)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

In today’s business world change is the only constant, and mastering transformation is the ultimate key to success. Welcome to Shift & Thrive! Each week, Host Natalie Nathanson will bring you conversations with CEOs, who delve into how they successfully drove critical change in their organization. This show is sponsored by Magnetude Consulting, bringing you the thinking power of a Growth Consultancy and the Getting-It-Done Power of a full-service B2B Marketing Agency.

  1. 12h ago

    How to Build & Rebuild Employee Trust During Transformation - Bree Katulak - Shift & Thrive - # 116

    What does it take to rebuild trust in an organization where most employees are disengaged? In this episode of Shift & Thrive, host Natalie Nathanson talks with Bree Katulak, President and CFO of RenoSys and host of the Unstoppable You podcast, about leading transformation in manufacturing and industrial businesses. A CPA by training, Bree shares how quarterly town halls, fireside chats, and a constant presence on the plant floor lifted employee engagement by 800 basis points and cut turnover from 65% to 15% at Polygon. She also covers reorganizing engineering into sales after pressure-testing the plan with her YPO forum, leading with curiosity instead of alarm when KPIs dip, walking away from unprofitable customers, and setting priorities across people, go-to-market strategy, and technology in her current role. Takeaways: Earn employee trust by staying visible and following up on every open question within a set timeframe. When someone pushes back on change, take it offline and ask what is driving it before deciding if they are a fit. Test major org changes with a peer group of CEOs and ask them to challenge every angle before you announce. When a KPI dips, ask questions from curiosity before stepping in, because early intervention can create stress across your team. Tie incentive plans to the metrics that drive valuation so employees share in the results they help create. Define which customers are not a fit, since every yes uses capacity you need for better ones.Decide which strategic priorities you are pausing and make that list visible so your team stays focused on what matters now. Quote of the Show:  “I may have good ideas, but working together as a group can make them way better, and it'll help get the buy-in, and we'll actually move faster.” - Bree Katulak Links: Bree’s Podcast: https://www.breekatulak.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bree-katulak-cpa-96b27122/ Website: https://renosys.com/  Ways to Tune In: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2D1YbT2QhKxIwbREpU7EMb Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shift-thrive-ceo-insights-on-driving-change/id1740828813 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/fa60b654-1955-4055-93df-fdd40c2a5c8f/shift-thrive-ceo-insights-on-driving-change iHeart Radio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-shift-thrive-ceo-insights-166792501 Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/podcast/shift-and-thrive-ceo-insights-on-driving-change/PC:1001086797  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClf9QxGUxZw_Sv8_4bZP34Q  This show is sponsored by Magnetude Consulting, bringing you the thinking-Power of a Growth Consultancy and the Getting-It-Done Power of a full-service B2B Marketing Agency.  Learn more at: https://www.magnetudeconsulting.com

    How to Build & Rebuild Employee Trust During Transformation - Bree Katulak - Shift & Thrive - # 116

  2. Sep 23

    Building a Culture of Trust in Sales & Business Transformation - George Sens - Shift & Thrive - Episode # 115

    What does it really take to turn a struggling sales organization into a growth engine, and can slowing down actually be the fastest path to results? In this episode of Shift & Thrive, host Natalie Nathanson talks with George Sens, President and CEO of Lurex Bio, about the current reality framework he used to transform go-to-market motions across multiple companies. George shares how shifting sales teams from pitching products to uncovering problems drove significant revenue growth, why he leads on three core principles of transparency, mutual accountability and mutual trust, and how a career setback taught him to ask blunt questions before joining a new organization. Takeaways: Slow down before you act. Observing current reality first builds the insight real transformation requires.Deepen discovery before pitching. Shallow discovery sells products, deep discovery sells outcomes.Treat transparency as a habit, not a crisis tool. Share financial context consistently, not just when news is bad.Lead people, manage processes. Tailor leadership to the individual while keeping processes standardized.Extend accountability to every function equally. Sales, product and legal all deserve the same standard.Ask blunt questions before entering a new partnership or role. Address red flags early rather than hoping they resolve.Fail fast when a role or partnership isn't working. Waiting only widens the gap you'll eventually have to close. Quote of the Show: "For me, it really is transparency, mutual accountability, and mutual trust as a leadership style. Once people start to realize that you're gonna adhere to those things, what happens? You create a dynamic work environment where people wanna participate." - George Sens Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgesens/ Website: https://lurexbio.com/  Ways to Tune In: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2D1YbT2QhKxIwbREpU7EMb Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shift-thrive-ceo-insights-on-driving-change/id1740828813 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/fa60b654-1955-4055-93df-fdd40c2a5c8f/shift-thrive-ceo-insights-on-driving-change iHeart Radio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-shift-thrive-ceo-insights-166792501 Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/podcast/shift-and-thrive-ceo-insights-on-driving-change/PC:1001086797  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClf9QxGUxZw_Sv8_4bZP34Q  This show is sponsored by Magnetude Consulting, bringing you the thinking-Power of a Growth Consultancy and the Getting-It-Done Power of a full-service B2B Marketing Agency.  Learn more at: https://www.magnetudeconsulting.com

    Building a Culture of Trust in Sales & Business Transformation - George Sens - Shift & Thrive - Episode # 115

  3. Sep 16

    Why You Shouldn't Sell Fear - Yossi Appleboum - Shift & Thrive - Episode #114

    What does it actually take to change how an entire market understands a problem it doesn't yet know it has? In this episode of Shift & Thrive, host Natalie Nathanson talks with Yossi Appleboum, co-founder and CEO of Sepio, about building a cybersecurity company around a category that barely existed when he started it. Yossi shares why he refuses to sell fear, how he can tell when a prospect's thinking has actually shifted, what it costs in time and money to educate a market from the ground up, and how the investor conversation changes entirely once a company moves from early traction into scale. He also opens up about leadership lessons from three decades of company-building, giving his co-founders and team room to grow, and how his family history shapes the way he thinks about bringing value to the world. Takeaways: Educate before you pitch. In less mature markets, walk buyers through the risk itself rather than assuming they already see the problem.Skip the fear-based pitch. Build trust through dialogue and honest questions instead of worst-case scenarios and pressure.Watch for buyers echoing your language back to you. It's an early signal the idea has landed, well before any deal closes.Match your investor search to your sales cycle. Companies selling to large enterprises need investors willing to accept a longer path to revenue.Give co-founders and senior hires room to lead. Avoid showing up as a unified front to every meeting so others can grow into the space.Simplify your message as you move down-market. What works with sophisticated early buyers won't land with less experienced ones.Keep helping the next generation of founders. Small, consistent mentorship compounds across an industry over time. Quote of the Show: "You don't sell fear, and you should not sell fear, because then you're losing credibility." Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yossi-appleboum-2019/ Website: https://sepiocyber.com  Ways to Tune In: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2D1YbT2QhKxIwbREpU7EMb Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shift-thrive-ceo-insights-on-driving-change/id1740828813 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/fa60b654-1955-4055-93df-fdd40c2a5c8f/shift-thrive-ceo-insights-on-driving-change iHeart Radio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-shift-thrive-ceo-insights-166792501 Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/podcast/shift-and-thrive-ceo-insights-on-driving-change/PC:1001086797  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClf9QxGUxZw_Sv8_4bZP34Q  This show is sponsored by Magnetude Consulting, bringing you the thinking-Power of a Growth Consultancy and the Getting-It-Done Power of a full-service B2B Marketing Agency. Learn more at: https://www.magnetudeconsulting.com

    Why You Shouldn't Sell Fear - Yossi Appleboum - Shift & Thrive - Episode #114

  4. Sep 14

    Why Alignment Beats Strategy When Growth Stalls - Mark Schwartz - Shift & Thrive - Episode # 113

    What does it take to reignite growth once it starts to flatten, and why do so many leaders assume their team already understands the plan? In this episode of Shift & Thrive, host Natalie Nathanson talks with Mark Schwartz, who co-founded and helped scale Fabrinet to over a billion dollars in revenue before taking on the CEO role at STAT. Mark walks through the wake-up call that came when an outside consultant revealed his leadership team had never clearly communicated the company's mission, and how fixing that alignment gap helped growth reemerge within three quarters. The conversation moves into leading through mergers and acquisitions, the role of humility when integrating an acquired team, and how Mark uncovered and corrected misaligned sales incentives at STAT. He also reflects on stepping into go-to-market leadership without a traditional sales background and why CEO visibility in sales meetings matters more than most leaders realize. Takeaways: Repeat your mission and strategic priorities constantly. What is clear in your head is not automatically clear to your team.Vary how you deliver key messages. People absorb information differently, so one format will never reach everyone.Give your extended leadership team visibility into senior decisions. It builds the confidence they need to cascade messages down.Lead M&A integration with humility. Ask what the acquired team does better before asking them to adopt your way.Bring acquired leaders into your executive team early. It reduces uncertainty and helps stabilize their people.Audit incentive plans regularly. A plan built for one behavior can quietly reward another.Stay visible in sales meetings even without a sales background. Your presence signals what matters to the whole team. Quote of the Show: "If the CEO doesn't know the strategic priorities, there's no possible way everybody else in the company understands them." Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markjosephschwartz/ Website: https://www.statrecovery.com/ Email: mark@statrecovery.com  Ways to Tune In: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2D1YbT2QhKxIwbREpU7EMb Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shift-thrive-ceo-insights-on-driving-change/id1740828813 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/fa60b654-1955-4055-93df-fdd40c2a5c8f/shift-thrive-ceo-insights-on-driving-change iHeart Radio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-shift-thrive-ceo-insights-166792501 Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/podcast/shift-and-thrive-ceo-insights-on-driving-change/PC:1001086797  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClf9QxGUxZw_Sv8_4bZP34Q  This show is sponsored by Magnetude Consulting, bringing you the thinking-Power of a Growth Consultancy and the Getting-It-Done Power of a full-service B2B Marketing Agency.  Learn more at: https://www.magnetudeconsulting.com

    Why Alignment Beats Strategy When Growth Stalls - Mark Schwartz - Shift & Thrive - Episode # 113

  5. Sep 2

    Thought Leadership 2.0: Why Authenticity Wins in B2B - Shift & Thrive - Episode # 112

    What does it actually take to build trust when AI has made it easier than ever to produce mediocre content? In this special compilation episode of Shift & Thrive, host Natalie Nathanson pulls together candid insights from a range of go-to-market leaders and CEOs on what is really driving attention and credibility in B2B today. The conversation moves through personal branding, employee advocacy, the brand versus demand debate, and the growing premium on authenticity as AI content floods every channel. Together, these voices make the case that the future of go-to-market is not less human, it is more human, powered by technology but proven by real people. Takeaways: Put your executive team's real voices forward, not just brand messaging. Personal branding across leadership builds trust faster than a single company voice.Revisit old-school tactics like handwritten notes and one-to-one outreach. They stand out precisely because everyone else has gone digital and generic.Train every employee, not just sales, to pitch your product with confidence. Their authentic voice on social media is free, credible publicity.Invest in brand even when ROI is not immediate. It quietly shortens the uphill climb your sales team faces on every first call.Commit to founder-led content for at least a year before judging results. Consistency beats chasing a single viral moment.Watch for AI-generated "slop." Audiences are increasingly rewarding authenticity over polish.Bring your whole team to customer-facing events, not just sales. Understanding the buyer firsthand changes how everyone builds and sells. Quote of the Show: "There's never been more noise in all of our ears or all of our screens. And so authenticity has become a real currency." — David Axler Guest Links: Kristina’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinamcmillan/ Stephen’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-ochs-mba-1681ba19/ David’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidaxler/Yossi’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yossicarmon/ Michele’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelejohnstonlash/ Christian’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christianhyatt/ Sneer’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sneer-rozenfeld-aa993a77/ Natalie’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalienathanson/  Ways to Tune In: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2D1YbT2QhKxIwbREpU7EMb Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shift-thrive-ceo-insights-on-driving-change/id1740828813 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/fa60b654-1955-4055-93df-fdd40c2a5c8f/shift-thrive-ceo-insights-on-driving-change iHeart Radio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-shift-thrive-ceo-insights-166792501 Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/podcast/shift-and-thrive-ceo-insights-on-driving-change/PC:1001086797  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClf9QxGUxZw_Sv8_4bZP34Q  This show is sponsored by Magnetude Consulting, bringing you the thinking-Power of a Growth Consultancy and the Getting-It-Done Power of a full-service B2B Marketing Agency.  Learn more at: https://www.magnetudeconsulting.com

    Thought Leadership 2.0: Why Authenticity Wins in B2B - Shift & Thrive - Episode # 112

  6. Aug 26

    Rethinking B2B Buying - Kerry Cunningham - Shift & Thrive- Go-to-Market Deep Dive - Episode # 111 (Re-Air)

    How are shifting buyer behaviors and AI reshaping B2B go-to-market strategies? What happens when companies fail to adapt? In this Go-to-Market Spotlight episode of Shift & Thrive, host Natalie Nathanson talks with Kerry Cunningham, Head of Research and Thought Leadership at 6Sense, about the realities of modern B2B buying. With decades of experience, Kerry breaks down how outdated outbound tactics give way to smarter, signal-driven approaches, why "intent data" is often misunderstood as mere interest signals, and how AI is prompting buyers to engage sellers earlier without extending overall cycles. They explore alignment pitfalls, the dangers of "folklore debt" in scaling, and practical ways for CEOs to drive buyer-focused transformations that boost efficiency and trust between teams. Key Takeaways: Shift from cold outbound to signal-based targeting for better results. Identify in-market accounts through interest signals first, then use marketing to drive engagement before involving sales, transforming team productivity and relationships.Treat intent data as interest signals, not guaranteed buying intent. Avoid chasing short-lived spikes by contextualizing signals with sustained activity and engagement history to prevent sales frustration and false positives.Align sales, marketing, and customer success around buyer journeys, not just internal processes. Prioritizing how buyers actually research and decide creates more effective go-to-market motions than inward-focused calibrations.Adapt to AI's impact on buying cycles by engaging earlier. With buyers evaluating unfamiliar AI components, prepare for longer sales interactions while recognizing that overall decision timelines and preferences often remain unchanged.Evolve storytelling as your company scales to avoid folklore debt. Celebrate past successes but actively replace outdated narratives about "how we win" with new ones that support growth, freeing teams from limiting tactics. Quote of the Show: “We acquire debt from the stories that we tell ourselves about how we become successful. The stories about how we won in the past often are not the stories that will help us win in the future.” Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerrycunningham/ Website: http://www.6sense.com/  Ways to Tune In: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2D1YbT2QhKxIwbREpU7EMb Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shift-thrive-ceo-insights-on-driving-change/id1740828813 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/fa60b654-1955-4055-93df-fdd40c2a5c8f/shift-thrive-ceo-insights-on-driving-change iHeart Radio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-shift-thrive-ceo-insights-166792501 Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/podcast/shift-and-thrive-ceo-insights-on-driving-change/PC:1001086797  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClf9QxGUxZw_Sv8_4bZP34Q  This show is sponsored by Magnetude Consulting, bringing you the thinking-Power of a Growth Consultancy and the Getting-It-Done Power of a full-service B2B Marketing Agency.  Learn more at: https://www.magnetudeconsulting.com

    Rethinking B2B Buying - Kerry Cunningham - Shift & Thrive- Go-to-Market Deep Dive - Episode # 111 (Re-Air)

  7. Aug 19

    Why B2B Buyer Behavior Demands a New Marketing Strategy - Michele Johnston - Shift & Thrive - # 110

    If you can no longer draw a clean line from marketing activity to revenue, does that mean marketing isn't working, or does it mean you're measuring it wrong? In this episode of Shift & Thrive, host Natalie Nathanson sits down with Michele Johnston, Director of Digital Delivery and AI Lead at Magnetude Consulting, for a special internal conversation on how AI and shifting search behavior are upending buyer journeys. Michele explains why chasing the technology behind search and AI distracts marketers from the person on the other end of it, why attribution is becoming less reliable as buying gets less linear, and why brand and demand should be treated as a spectrum rather than a rivalry. The conversation closes with an unexpected parallel: what nearly two decades of endurance racing has taught Michele about consistency, patience, and trusting a process you can't always measure in real time. Takeaways: Focus on the person behind the search or prompt, not the technology driving it. Chasing platform mechanics distracts from solving the buyer's actual problem.Spend most of your effort on content that resonates, not technical optimization. Roughly 80 percent of SEO and AEO success comes from relevance, not schema and site fixes.Be skeptical of anyone who claims certainty about how search and AI behavior will evolve. Test, adapt, and get comfortable saying "we don't know yet."Evaluate marketing holistically instead of chasing perfect attribution. Look at top-line lead generation and quality rather than digging into channel-by-channel credit.Treat brand and demand as a spectrum, not competing budgets. Brand builds the trust that gets you on the shortlist before buyers ever contact sales.Use marketing to proactively answer the objections your sales team hears most. Removing those barriers publicly shortens the path to a real conversation.Apply an endurance athlete's mindset to marketing investment. Most of the work looks unremarkable day to day, but consistency compounds into results over time. Quote of the Show: “It is the consistency of doing that day after day, week after week, month after month, that gets you to completing an Ironman or a 10K swim. I really feel marketing's very similar to that, where we're doing a lot of different things, and not everything is immediately measurable, but if you don't do those things, it's gonna hinder your goals and your outcomes.” - Michele Johnston Links: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/michelejohnstonlash Website: https://www.magnetudeconsulting.com/  Ways to Tune In: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2D1YbT2QhKxIwbREpU7EMb Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shift-thrive-ceo-insights-on-driving-change/id1740828813 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/fa60b654-1955-4055-93df-fdd40c2a5c8f/shift-thrive-ceo-insights-on-driving-change iHeart Radio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-shift-thrive-ceo-insights-166792501 Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/podcast/shift-and-thrive-ceo-insights-on-driving-change/PC:1001086797  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClf9QxGUxZw_Sv8_4bZP34Q  This show is sponsored by Magnetude Consulting, bringing you the thinking-Power of a Growth Consultancy and the Getting-It-Done Power of a full-service B2B Marketing Agency.  Learn more at: https://www.magnetudeconsulting.com

    Why B2B Buyer Behavior Demands a New Marketing Strategy - Michele Johnston - Shift & Thrive - # 110

  8. Aug 12

    The Hidden Cost of Change: What Leaders Miss - Kelley Hippler - Shift & Thrive - Episode # 109

    What does a reduction in force actually cost you once the client relationships start to unravel? In this episode of Shift & Thrive, host Natalie Nathanson sits down with Kelley Hippler, Chief Revenue Officer at Thought Industries and former Global Chief Sales Officer at Forrester, where she led a team of over 800 and grew revenue by 51 percent. Kelley draws on decades of go-to-market transformation experience, from modernizing sales motions inside a traditional legal services firm to building AI-powered enablement into her sales org today. She and Natalie dig into how CEOs chronically underestimate the downstream cost of layoffs on customer trust, why leaning on early adopters beats trying to win everyone over at once, and how AI is reshaping seller productivity in ways that finally feel like a genuine unlock rather than another management tool. Takeaways: Don't try to win everyone over at once during change. Focus on early adopters, build momentum with their wins, then let peer pull bring the rest along.Factor relationship disruption into the true cost of layoffs. Account churn spikes when clients get handed off, and few leaders calculate that risk upfront.Give reassigned teams room to absorb new accounts properly. Strip administrative work off their plates so they have bandwidth to rebuild trust with clients.Treat employee experience as your best lever for customer experience. How you treat your team is how they will ultimately treat your customers.Lead from the front on AI adoption. Leaders who use the tools themselves set the pace and credibility for the rest of the organization.Expect smaller, thinner pipelines and more stakeholders per deal. Multi-thread every opportunity early to avoid late-stage surprises.Revisit your growth story as you scale. Past success narratives can quietly become "folklore debt" that no longer serves where you're headed. Quote of the Show: "The way you treat your employees is, in the end, how they will treat your customers. That's always been fundamental to how I like to lead and manage teams" - Kelley Hippler Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelley-hippler/ Website: https://www.thoughtindustries.com/  Ways to Tune In: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2D1YbT2QhKxIwbREpU7EMb Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shift-thrive-ceo-insights-on-driving-change/id1740828813 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/fa60b654-1955-4055-93df-fdd40c2a5c8f/shift-thrive-ceo-insights-on-driving-change iHeart Radio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-shift-thrive-ceo-insights-166792501 Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/podcast/shift-and-thrive-ceo-insights-on-driving-change/PC:1001086797  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClf9QxGUxZw_Sv8_4bZP34Q  This show is sponsored by Magnetude Consulting, bringing you the thinking-Power of a Growth Consultancy and the Getting-It-Done Power of a full-service B2B Marketing Agency.  Learn more at: https://www.magnetudeconsulting.com

    The Hidden Cost of Change: What Leaders Miss - Kelley Hippler - Shift & Thrive - Episode # 109
See All (117)

Trailer

5
out of 5
16 Ratings

About

In today’s business world change is the only constant, and mastering transformation is the ultimate key to success. Welcome to Shift & Thrive! Each week, Host Natalie Nathanson will bring you conversations with CEOs, who delve into how they successfully drove critical change in their organization. This show is sponsored by Magnetude Consulting, bringing you the thinking power of a Growth Consultancy and the Getting-It-Done Power of a full-service B2B Marketing Agency.

Information

You Might Also Like