The People-Driven CEO Podcast

shanejjamesgroup
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The People-Driven CEO Podcast features candid and in-depth conversations with founders and CEOs who prioritize people in every aspect of their businesses, culture, and lives. Hosted by Shane Jeremy James, known as S1H—an entrepreneur, speaker, and creator of human-centered companies! This show highlights leaders challenging outdated practices and building organizations where humanity is not just a value but a core strategy. These discussions go beyond the surface. Each episode uncovers how top leaders manage hiring, culture, leadership, and scaling their organizations without compromising their values. We explore topics ranging from emotional intelligence to conscious systems, from high performance to psychological safety, and into the heart of effective leadership. We also delve into how these CEOs operate, the systems they utilize, how they address some of their biggest business challenges, and what it truly takes to build a sustainable company driven by people, not just profit. If you are a founder, CEO, or builder of people-centered companies, this podcast will inspire you to rethink your leadership, operations, and growth strategies. The future of business is human. New episodes are released weekly on all major platforms. Subscribe now. Lead better. Be human.

  1. 4h ago

    Episode #73: Building Healthybud: Kyle Feigenbaum on Gut Health, Resilience & Scaling With Purpose

    In this episode of The People-Driven CEO Podcast, Shane sits down with Kyle Feigenbaum, Co-Founder and CEO of Healthybud, to talk about health, entrepreneurship and the realities of building a fast-growing pet wellness brand. Kyle shares how his own experience with Crohn’s disease forced him to rethink his lifestyle, nutrition and career. Not long after, the sudden loss of his dog to cancer pushed him to question what people were feeding their pets. Those experiences eventually became the foundation for Healthybud and its gut-first approach to dog nutrition. The conversation goes deep into the founder journey: leaving finance, learning ecommerce from scratch, surviving cash-flow pressure, scaling into retail and understanding how ambition can coexist with being present for the people you love. Kyle and Shane also talk about AI, personal growth, founder resilience and why building something meaningful should never come at the cost of your relationships.

  2. 5h ago

    Episode #72: Building Skipper Otto: Sonia Strobel on Fair Fisheries, Human Connection & Redesigning Food Systems

    In this episode of The People-Driven CEO Podcast, Shane sits down with Sonia Strobel, Co-Founder and CEO of Skipper Otto, to explore how a simple idea for connecting fishing families directly with consumers grew into one of Canada’s leading community-supported fisheries. Sonia shares how Skipper Otto built a completely different business model by asking customers to commit to seafood before the fishing season begins. That upfront commitment gives independent harvesters a reliable market, helps fishing families earn fairer value for their catch and allows the company to remain independent without sacrificing its mission for outside investment. What began with one fishing family and 40 members has grown into a network of dozens of independent harvesters serving Canadians across the country. The conversation goes beyond seafood into leadership, trust and the future of human-first business. Sonia and Shane discuss why relationships are difficult for competitors to replicate, how technology can remove friction without removing humanity, and why growth should protect the people, communities and ways of life at the heart of a company rather than replace them.

  3. 1d ago

    Episode #71: Building I Love Chamoy: Annie Leal on Family, Culture & Scaling With Purpose

    In this episode of The People-Driven CEO Podcast, Shane sits down with Annie Leal, Founder and CEO of I Love Chamoy, to talk about family, culture, entrepreneurship and how one deeply personal problem became the foundation for a fast-growing consumer brand. I Love Chamoy began after Annie’s father was diagnosed with diabetes and could no longer enjoy many of the Mexican flavours he grew up with. What started as a sugar-free chamoy made for her dad quickly grew through social media into a larger community of customers who saw their own families and experiences reflected in the brand. Annie and Shane talk about scaling the business, navigating retail, appearing on Shark Tank and building a loyal audience through authentic founder-led storytelling. Throughout it all, Annie has stayed grounded in the reason she started: creating culturally familiar products that help more people feel included.

  4. 2d ago ·  Video

    Episode #70: Building Anya & Niki: Niki Hoaglund & Laura Cashill on Partnership, Retail Growth & Human Connection

    In this episode of The People-Driven CEO Podcast, Shane sits down with Niki Hoaglund and Laura Cashill, the co-founders of Anya & Niki, to talk about partnership, retail growth and what it takes to build a lifestyle brand around how women actually live. After decades in fashion and retail, Niki and Laura brought their complementary strengths in merchandising, sourcing, design, marketing and sales together to grow Anya & Niki from a digital-first accessories brand into apparel, luxury hotel boutiques and physical retail. They share how their 30-year relationship became one of the company’s greatest strengths, why trust and healthy disagreement matter, and what they have learned about wearing multiple hats while building a growing business. The conversation also explores customer connection, documenting the founder journey and why staying close to real people continues to shape their products and decisions. At the heart of their approach is a simple belief: transactions may create revenue, but relationships are what build a brand. For Niki and Laura, growth is not only about expanding channels. It is about creating products that fit real life while building a company people feel connected to.

  5. Oct 28

    Episode #69: Building Friday Sock Co.: Adam Thompson on Focus, Growth & Giving Back

    In this episode of The People-Driven CEO Podcast, Shane sits down with Adam Thompson, Founder of Friday Sock Co., to talk about entrepreneurship, growth, leadership and what it takes to turn a simple idea into a lasting consumer brand. Adam started Friday Sock Co. in Calgary in 2015 while still working a full-time job. With $5,000 on a credit card, some self-taught design skills and a purposely mismatched sock concept, he began selling at local markets. What started in a one-bedroom condo has grown into a company with a 15-person team, manufacturing in Italy, distribution through more than 800 independent retailers, direct-to-consumer sales and a custom sock business serving hundreds of companies. Adam and Shane explore the different stages of growing a business, from making every decision yourself to hiring a team, building systems and eventually learning how to let go. Adam shares why focus has become increasingly important as Friday Sock Co. has grown and how stepping away from too many competing ideas helped the core business regain momentum. They also discuss hiring, documentation, AI, wholesale growth and the founder’s responsibility to spend more time thinking about where the business should go next. The conversation also gets into Friday Sock Co.’s commitment to giving back. Over the years, the company has supported food banks, the Canadian Down Syndrome Society and numerous community initiatives, raising more than $300,000. For Adam, business is not only about growth. It is about creating something distinctive, treating people well and using the opportunity you have to leave things a little better than you found them.

  6. Oct 28

    Episode #68: Building All Y’alls Foods: Brett Christoffel on Purpose, Persistence & Compassionate Business

    In this episode of The People-Driven CEO Podcast, Shane sits down with Brett Christoffel, Founder and CEO of All Y’alls Foods, to talk about purpose, entrepreneurship, building a consumer food brand and what happens when personal conviction becomes the foundation of a business. Brett’s journey began with a major personal shift. After growing up on a meat-centred diet, his perspective on animals changed completely and he stopped eating meat more than a decade ago. That experience eventually inspired him to create All Y’alls Foods, a Texas-born company making plant-based jerky designed to deliver the flavour and chew people love while offering an alternative built around people, animals and the planet. The brand has since sold more than 600,000 bags and expanded into hundreds of retail locations. Brett and Shane get candid about how difficult it is to build a consumer packaged goods company. They talk about capital, retail margins, distribution, Amazon, customer lifetime value and the lessons Brett has learned from growing the company without the massive funding available to many larger brands. Brett also shares why staying capital-efficient, understanding the numbers and continuing to move forward through uncertainty have been essential to keeping the company alive and growing. Underneath the business strategy is a much deeper mission. For Brett, All Y’alls Foods has never simply been about creating another snack company. It is about using business to make a positive difference and showing that enjoyment, compassion and better choices can exist together. His approach to entrepreneurship reflects the same values he brings to being human: gratitude, imperfection, kindness, compassion and connection.

  7. Oct 28

    Episode #67: Building CheckMark Dermatology: Dr. Sabrina Nurmohamed on Access, Innovation & Human-Centred Care

    In this episode of The People-Driven CEO Podcast, Shane sits down with Dr. Sabrina Nurmohamed, dermatologist and Co-Founder of CheckMark Dermatology, to talk about healthcare access, entrepreneurship and what it takes to rethink the way patients receive specialist care. Working as a community dermatologist in British Columbia, Sabrina saw firsthand how difficult it could be for patients to access timely dermatology appointments. Thousands of people could be waiting while some skin concerns only required a brief specialist assessment. That experience helped inspire CheckMark Dermatology, a skin cancer assessment service designed to give patients faster access to a dermatologist through participating local pharmacies. Sabrina and Shane explore what it means to move from practising medicine into entrepreneurship. They discuss building a sustainable healthcare business, working with multidisciplinary teams, navigating unfamiliar operational challenges and finding ways to use technology to improve care without simply adding more complexity. For Sabrina, innovation only matters if it ultimately helps patients get meaningful answers sooner. At the centre of the conversation is the human experience behind healthcare. Sabrina speaks about the vulnerability people bring into a medical appointment and the importance of feeling heard, understood and cared for. As CheckMark grows, her goal is not simply to make healthcare faster. It is to create a better front door to dermatology while preserving the trust and human connection patients need most.

  8. Oct 28

    Episode #66: Building Rehab With Roni: Dr. Roni Glassman on Entrepreneurship, Personal Branding & Designing a Life That Fits

    In this episode of The People-Driven CEO Podcast, Shane sits down with Dr. Roni Glassman, Doctor of Physical Therapy and Founder of Rehab With Roni, to talk about entrepreneurship, personal branding, physical therapy and what it means to build a business around the life you actually want to live. Roni shares how thinking ahead to motherhood helped change the direction of her career. She knew she wanted to continue treating patients while having greater ownership over her time, so she stepped away from the traditional corporate outpatient model and built her own cash-based physical therapy practice in Chattanooga. Today, Rehab With Roni serves athletes and active adults while Roni continues growing the clinic, virtual rehabilitation services and her online community. The conversation explores the realities of moving from practitioner to business owner, including hiring, scaling, deciding what kind of company you actually want to build and learning when not to follow the traditional growth playbook. Roni and Shane also dive into personal branding and content creation, and how showing the real day-to-day experience of entrepreneurship has helped her connect with people far beyond the walls of her clinic. At the centre of Roni’s approach is a desire to make movement, health and entrepreneurship feel more accessible. She believes technology can help small businesses become more capable, but the human side of care still matters deeply. For Roni, the goal is not simply to grow for the sake of growth. It is to build something meaningful, continue progressing and use her work to make the world around her a little better.

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About

The People-Driven CEO Podcast features candid and in-depth conversations with founders and CEOs who prioritize people in every aspect of their businesses, culture, and lives. Hosted by Shane Jeremy James, known as S1H—an entrepreneur, speaker, and creator of human-centered companies! This show highlights leaders challenging outdated practices and building organizations where humanity is not just a value but a core strategy. These discussions go beyond the surface. Each episode uncovers how top leaders manage hiring, culture, leadership, and scaling their organizations without compromising their values. We explore topics ranging from emotional intelligence to conscious systems, from high performance to psychological safety, and into the heart of effective leadership. We also delve into how these CEOs operate, the systems they utilize, how they address some of their biggest business challenges, and what it truly takes to build a sustainable company driven by people, not just profit. If you are a founder, CEO, or builder of people-centered companies, this podcast will inspire you to rethink your leadership, operations, and growth strategies. The future of business is human. New episodes are released weekly on all major platforms. Subscribe now. Lead better. Be human.

Information

  • Creator
    shanejjamesgroup
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    73
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The People-Driven CEO Podcast