Slackers

Jaime Solis & Jonathan Sasse

Slackers is a podcast for leaders, builders, and creators who want to make work better—more productive, more human, and a lot less frustrating. Hosted by longtime media and technology insiders Jonathan Sasse and Jaime Solis, the show blends candid stories, sharp insights, and practical lessons from decades spent navigating corporate life and creative industries. This isn’t a rant about what’s broken or a step-by-step playbook. It’s a conversation about what actually works; the small wins, the hard lessons, and the patterns that make better teams, better ideas, and better outcomes possible. Each episode connects dots across leadership, strategy, creativity, and culture, helping you think more clearly about how work gets done, and how to do it better. We call it “Slackers” because the heavy lifting happens outside the show. So think of us as a weekly companion on your path to better work and a better way of working.

Episodes

  1. 1D AGO

    Nobody Knows Anything

    The hardest part of building something meaningful is accepting how little control you actually have. In this episode, Jaime Solis and Jonathan Sasse unpack the idea popularized by screenwriter William Goldman: nobody knows anything. They challenge the belief that success can be neatly planned, predicted, or reverse engineered by copying what worked before. Looking backward makes patterns feel obvious. Living forward rarely is. They explore why builders get trapped chasing “the next big thing,” mistaking surface level traits for root causes. Cheap horror movies did not succeed because they were cheap. They succeeded because they solved a market need at the right moment. The same is true for products, careers, and creative work. Quality matters, but timing, context, and persistence matter just as much. The conversation reframes leadership in uncertain environments. Instead of pretending the path is straight, leaders should acknowledge that progress looks more like a jungle gym than a roadmap. Detours are not failures. They are information. When nobody knows anything, the only reliable anchor is a shared obsession with the customer and the discipline to stay in the game long enough for luck to show up. Because hits are not engineered. They are earned through stamina, humility, and the willingness to keep swinging. ––– 🎧 Listen and subscribe: Slackers Pod Homepage 💼 Connect with Jonathan and Jaime: Jonathan Sasse — LinkedIn | ForbesJaime Solis — Red Threads Newsletter | LinkedIn | Instagram | ThreadsWe want to hear from you! 🤔 Do you have a question you'd love to ask us, or a topic you think we should dive into on the show? You can leave us a voice message right here! ––– The Slackers Podcast is produced by Jaime Solis and Jonathan Sasse.Audio production by Stephen Kallao.Cover art by Jonathan Sasse   Connect with the Hosts   🎙️ Jonathan Sasse — Chief Strategy Officer and executive advisor.🔗 Connect on LinkedIn · Forbes Communication Council   🎙️ Jaime Solis — Music & Media executive, strategist, and creator of the Red Threads newsletter.🔗 LinkedIn | Newsletter | Website📱 Social: Instagram · Threads · LinkedIn   We want to hear from you!🤔 Do you have a question you'd love to ask us, or a topic you think we should dive into on the show? You can leave us a voice message right here!   Thanks for listening!If you enjoyed this episode, please follow or subscribe on your favorite podcast app—and leave a quick rating or review. It helps new listeners find the show.

    54 min
  2. DEC 23

    Floors and Ceilings

    When teams struggle, the management instinct is often to hire differently, restructure, or push harder. But those moves rarely fix the real issue. In this episode, Jaime Solis and Jonathan Sasse unpack a framework they have seen play out across companies of every size: floors and ceilings. High floor people bring reliability, consistency, and execution. High ceiling people bring vision, possibility, and step change growth. Problems emerge when leaders assume one is better than the other, or try to turn everyone into the same kind of performer. The conversation moves through real examples from tech, media, and leadership where teams stalled not because of lack of talent, but because of imbalance. They discuss why some people are happiest mastering a role, why others need space to explore big ideas, and how burnout often shows up when someone is pushed into a lane they never wanted to run in. At its core, this episode is about respect and clarity. Respect for different motivations. Clarity around roles, expectations, and growth paths. When leaders understand who their people actually are and stop forcing mismatches, teams move faster, trust deepens, and work becomes more effective and more enjoyable. ––– 🎧 Listen and subscribe: Slackers Pod Homepage 💼 Connect with Jonathan and Jaime: Jonathan Sasse — LinkedIn | ForbesJaime Solis — Red Threads Newsletter | LinkedIn | Instagram | ThreadsWe want to hear from you! 🤔 Do you have a question you'd love to ask us, or a topic you think we should dive into on the show? You can leave us a voice message right here! ––– The Slackers Podcast is produced by Jaime Solis and Jonathan Sasse.Audio production by Stephen Kallao.Cover art by Jonathan Sasse   Connect with the Hosts   🎙️ Jonathan Sasse — Chief Strategy Officer and executive advisor.🔗 Connect on LinkedIn · Forbes Communication Council   🎙️ Jaime Solis — Music & Media executive, strategist, and creator of the Red Threads newsletter.🔗 LinkedIn | Newsletter | Website📱 Social: Instagram · Threads · LinkedIn   We want to hear from you!🤔 Do you have a question you'd love to ask us, or a topic you think we should dive into on the show? You can leave us a voice message right here!   Thanks for listening!If you enjoyed this episode, please follow or subscribe on your favorite podcast app—and leave a quick rating or review. It helps new listeners find the show.

    1h 7m
  3. DEC 16

    Failure IS an Option (Launch Day – Part 2)

    Most organizations say failure is not an option. That belief sounds strong, but it often leads to fear, hesitation, and brittle decision making. In this episode, Jaime Solis and Jonathan Sasse challenge that idea by reframing failure as a natural and necessary part of doing work that matters. They explore the difference between reckless failure and strategic failure, and why the real question is not whether failure might happen, but whether you are ready for what happens next. The conversation moves through real world scenarios leaders face when launching products, entering critical seasons, or deciding whether to hit the gas. They discuss why many teams only plan for the outcome they want, how that creates fragility, and why defining true catastrophe is one of the most important leadership exercises you can do. At its core, this episode is about preparedness, not pessimism. It is about building playbooks, narrowing the extremes, protecting teams from burnout, and creating cultures where risk is acknowledged rather than denied. Because the people who do their best work are not the ones who avoid failure. They are the ones who know how to recover, adjust, and keep going. ––– 🎧 Listen and subscribe: Slackers Pod Homepage 💼 Connect with Jonathan and Jaime: Jonathan Sasse — LinkedIn | ForbesJaime Solis — Red Threads Newsletter | LinkedIn | Instagram | ThreadsWe want to hear from you! 🤔 Do you have a question you'd love to ask us, or a topic you think we should dive into on the show? You can leave us a voice message right here! ––– The Slackers Podcast is produced by Jaime Solis and Jonathan Sasse.Audio production by Stephen Kallao.Cover art by Jonathan Sasse   Connect with the Hosts   🎙️ Jonathan Sasse — Chief Strategy Officer and executive advisor.🔗 Connect on LinkedIn · Forbes Communication Council   🎙️ Jaime Solis — Music & Media executive, strategist, and creator of the Red Threads newsletter.🔗 LinkedIn | Newsletter | Website📱 Social: Instagram · Threads · LinkedIn   We want to hear from you!🤔 Do you have a question you'd love to ask us, or a topic you think we should dive into on the show? You can leave us a voice message right here!   Thanks for listening!If you enjoyed this episode, please follow or subscribe on your favorite podcast app—and leave a quick rating or review. It helps new listeners find the show.

    1h 1m
  4. DEC 9

    Launch Day

    The launch is not the moment your work is judged. It is the moment your work begins. In this episode, Jaime Solis and Jonathan Sasse examine the emotional and psychological roller coaster of launch day: the fear, the pressure, the hope that people will like what you made, and the quiet voice that asks, “What if they don’t?” They highlight why creators often overvalue the moment of release and undervalue the consistency and curiosity that must follow. They explore why expectations can sabotage momentum, how to separate valid feedback from anxiety-driven assumptions, and why releasing your work into the world is an act of vulnerability that unlocks the door to everything that comes next. A launch is not proof of success. It is an invitation to learn. With stories about creative work, product releases, and the universal fear of being seen, they make the case that launch day is less about perfection and more about posture. The posture of showing up. Listening. Iterating. Declining to hide. Because the truth is simple: Anyone can launch once. The people who grow are the ones who keep showing up. ––– 🎧 Listen and subscribe: Slackers Pod Homepage 💼 Connect with Jonathan and Jaime: Jonathan Sasse — LinkedIn | ForbesJaime Solis — Red Threads Newsletter | LinkedIn | Instagram | ThreadsWe want to hear from you! 🤔 Do you have a question you'd love to ask us, or a topic you think we should dive into on the show? You can leave us a voice message right here! ––– The Slackers Podcast is produced by Jaime Solis and Jonathan Sasse.Audio production by Stephen Kallao.Cover art by Jonathan Sasse   Connect with the Hosts   🎙️ Jonathan Sasse — Chief Strategy Officer and executive advisor.🔗 Connect on LinkedIn · Forbes Communication Council   🎙️ Jaime Solis — Music & Media executive, strategist, and creator of the Red Threads newsletter.🔗 LinkedIn | Newsletter | Website📱 Social: Instagram · Threads · LinkedIn   We want to hear from you!🤔 Do you have a question you'd love to ask us, or a topic you think we should dive into on the show? You can leave us a voice message right here!   Thanks for listening!If you enjoyed this episode, please follow or subscribe on your favorite podcast app—and leave a quick rating or review. It helps new listeners find the show.

    1h 11m
  5. DEC 2

    Customer Journeys

    Every customer is on a journey, but most businesses never stop to see it. In this episode, Jaime Solis and Jonathan Sasse explore why the customer journey is one of the most misunderstood parts of business. It’s not a map. It’s not a template. And it’s definitely not a funnel. The journey is the lived experience a customer has from the moment they discover your brand to the moment they stay, leave, buy again, or walk away forever. They unpack the difference between price and value, how broken promises create churn, and why over-investing in the top of the funnel often hides deeper problems. Using a real case from the lawn care industry, they show how teams can misdiagnose a pricing issue when the real problem is an experience problem: missed expectations, hidden friction, and unkept promises that erode trust long before the customer quits. You’ll hear how to spot weak links in your journey, how to design meaningful micro-interactions, and why the business you think you’re in might not be the business you’re actually running. The customer journey becomes the bridge between what the customer values and what the business needs—and when leaders understand that bridge, they stop managing transactions and start designing experiences. ––– 🎧 Listen and subscribe: Slackers Pod Homepage 💼 Connect with Jonathan and Jaime: Jonathan Sasse — LinkedIn | ForbesJaime Solis — Red Threads Newsletter | LinkedIn | Instagram | ThreadsWe want to hear from you! 🤔 Do you have a question you'd love to ask us, or a topic you think we should dive into on the show? You can leave us a voice message right here! ––– The Slackers Podcast is produced by Jaime Solis and Jonathan Sasse.Audio production by Stephen Kallao.Cover art by Jonathan Sasse   Connect with the Hosts   🎙️ Jonathan Sasse — Chief Strategy Officer and executive advisor.🔗 Connect on LinkedIn · Forbes Communication Council   🎙️ Jaime Solis — Music & Media executive, strategist, and creator of the Red Threads newsletter.🔗 LinkedIn | Newsletter | Website📱 Social: Instagram · Threads · LinkedIn   We want to hear from you!🤔 Do you have a question you'd love to ask us, or a topic you think we should dive into on the show? You can leave us a voice message right here!   Thanks for listening!If you enjoyed this episode, please follow or subscribe on your favorite podcast app—and leave a quick rating or review. It helps new listeners find the show.

    52 min
  6. NOV 25

    The Culture Advantage

    Culture happens whether you design it or not. In this conversation, Jaime Solis and Jonathan Sasse dig deep into the mechanics of culture—how it forms, how it spreads, and how it can either power your team forward or quietly tear it apart. Using stories from sports, music, and business, they explore what makes a team “punch above its weight,” why clarity of purpose matters more than perks, and how culture becomes a renewable source of energy when people trust one another. They share practical ways leaders and teams can cultivate a healthy culture—from defining roles and communicating the “why,” to spotting early signs of toxicity and addressing them before they spread. You’ll also hear how small actions—like recognition, curiosity, and clear signals of what’s valued—can shift entire organizations. Because culture isn’t a slogan or a ping-pong table. It’s the daily pattern of “people like us doing things like this.” (to swoop a Seth Godin line!) ––– 🎧 Listen and subscribe: Slackers Pod Homepage 💼 Connect with Jonathan and Jaime: Jonathan Sasse — LinkedIn | ForbesJaime Solis — Red Threads Newsletter | LinkedIn | Instagram | ThreadsWe want to hear from you! 🤔 Do you have a question you'd love to ask us, or a topic you think we should dive into on the show? You can leave us a voice message right here! ––– The Slackers Podcast is produced by Jaime Solis and Jonathan Sasse.Audio production by Stephen Kallao.Cover art by Jonathan Sasse   Connect with the Hosts   🎙️ Jonathan Sasse — Chief Strategy Officer and executive advisor.🔗 Connect on LinkedIn · Forbes Communication Council   🎙️ Jaime Solis — Music & Media executive, strategist, and creator of the Red Threads newsletter.🔗 LinkedIn | Newsletter | Website📱 Social: Instagram · Threads · LinkedIn   We want to hear from you!🤔 Do you have a question you'd love to ask us, or a topic you think we should dive into on the show? You can leave us a voice message right here!   Thanks for listening!If you enjoyed this episode, please follow or subscribe on your favorite podcast app—and leave a quick rating or review. It helps new listeners find the show.

    59 min
  7. NOV 18

    AI: The Worst or The Best?

    AI isn’t the end of work. It’s the beginning of a new kind of work. In this conversation, Jaime Solis and Jonathan Sasse challenge the extremes surrounding AI—the panic and the hype—and reframe it as a once-in-a-generation shift in how we create, communicate, and collaborate. They break down what AI actually is in practice (and what it’s not), why critical thinking and curiosity have become the most valuable skills in the workplace, and how leaders can use these new tools to extend human capability rather than replace it. The discussion spans everything from photography to music, code to culture, and explores what it means to be a creative professional in an era where everyone can create. From the rise of “conductors” leading small, high-output teams, to the future of curation as an act of service, this episode makes the case for optimism—and responsibility—in the age of AI. Because when everyone has a million-dollar studio at their fingertips, the real differentiator isn’t the tools. It’s taste, judgment, and purpose. ––– 🎧 Listen and subscribe: Slackers Pod Homepage 💼 Connect with Jonathan and Jaime: Jonathan Sasse — LinkedIn | ForbesJaime Solis — Red Threads Newsletter | LinkedIn | Instagram | ThreadsWe want to hear from you! 🤔 Do you have a question you'd love to ask us, or a topic you think we should dive into on the show? You can leave us a voice message right here! ––– The Slackers Podcast is produced by Jaime Solis and Jonathan Sasse.Audio production by Stephen Kallao.Cover art by Jonathan Sasse   Connect with the Hosts   🎙️ Jonathan Sasse — Chief Strategy Officer and executive advisor.🔗 Connect on LinkedIn · Forbes Communication Council   🎙️ Jaime Solis — Music & Media executive, strategist, and creator of the Red Threads newsletter.🔗 LinkedIn | Newsletter | Website📱 Social: Instagram · Threads · LinkedIn   We want to hear from you!🤔 Do you have a question you'd love to ask us, or a topic you think we should dive into on the show? You can leave us a voice message right here!   Thanks for listening!If you enjoyed this episode, please follow or subscribe on your favorite podcast app—and leave a quick rating or review. It helps new listeners find the show.

    1h 18m
  8. NOV 11

    Empathy Driven

    You can’t fake empathy. In this conversation, Jaime Solis and Jonathan Sasse explore how empathy shapes everything from company culture to customer experience—and why it’s one of the most undervalued competitive advantages in business today. They discuss what empathy really means in practice, how to build it inside teams, and why it has to start with curiosity rather than comfort. You’ll hear stories about fractured partnerships, repaired relationships, and how simple acts of understanding can unlock trust, loyalty, and better outcomes for everyone involved. From a tech project saved by shared understanding between developers and ranchers, to a used-car dealership redefining customer service through compassion, this episode reframes empathy as a high-performance skill for leaders, creators, and builders in any field. It’s not about being nice. It’s about being effective. ––– 🎧 Listen and subscribe: Slackers Pod Homepage 💼 Connect with Jonathan and Jaime: Jonathan Sasse — LinkedIn | ForbesJaime Solis — Red Threads Newsletter | LinkedIn | Instagram | Threads ––– The Slackers Podcast is produced by Jaime Solis and Jonathan Sasse.Audio production by Stephen Kallao.Cover art by Jonathan Sasse   Connect with the Hosts   🎙️ Jonathan Sasse — Chief Strategy Officer and executive advisor.🔗 Connect on LinkedIn · Forbes Communication Council   🎙️ Jaime Solis — Music & Media executive, strategist, and creator of the Red Threads newsletter.🔗 LinkedIn | Newsletter | Website📱 Social: Instagram · Threads · LinkedIn   We want to hear from you!🤔 Do you have a question you'd love to ask us, or a topic you think we should dive into on the show? You can leave us a voice message right here!   Thanks for listening!If you enjoyed this episode, please follow or subscribe on your favorite podcast app—and leave a quick rating or review. It helps new listeners find the show.

    1h 1m
  9. NOV 4

    We're All Marketers

    We’re all marketers now. In this first full episode of Slackers, Jaime Solis and Jonathan Sasse dive into how marketing has evolved from an isolated department into the core operating system of any modern organization. Drawing from decades in media and technology, they explore why the most effective builders, leaders, and creators think of marketing not as advertising, but as everything—every interaction, product decision, and cultural signal that tells the world who you are and why it matters. They cover how companies like Harley-Davidson built identity-driven brands that transcend products, what it means to design with empathy, and how the customer journey extends far beyond the first sale. You’ll hear stories from their days at Slacker Radio, lessons from product and brand strategy, and a reminder that great marketing starts with listening, ownership, and purpose. If you’ve ever wondered how to build something people actually care about—or how to make your work stand out without shouting—this conversation will give you a new lens for how marketing really works today. ––– 🎧 Listen and subscribe: Slackers Pod Homepage 💼 Connect with Jonathan and Jaime: Jonathan Sasse — LinkedIn | ForbesJaime Solis — Red Threads Newsletter | LinkedIn | Instagram | Threads ––– The Slackers Podcast is produced by Jaime Solis and Jonathan Sasse.Audio production by Stephen Kallao.Cover art by Jonathan Sasse   Connect with the Hosts   🎙️ Jonathan Sasse — Chief Strategy Officer and executive advisor.🔗 Connect on LinkedIn · Forbes Communication Council   🎙️ Jaime Solis — Music & Media executive, strategist, and creator of the Red Threads newsletter.🔗 LinkedIn | Newsletter | Website📱 Social: Instagram · Threads · LinkedIn   We want to hear from you!🤔 Do you have a question you'd love to ask us, or a topic you think we should dive into on the show? You can leave us a voice message right here!   Thanks for listening!If you enjoyed this episode, please follow or subscribe on your favorite podcast app—and leave a quick rating or review. It helps new listeners find the show.

    1h 8m
  10. SEASON 1 TRAILER

    Coming Soon: Slackers - A Podcast for Better Work

    What if work could feel a little more human, and a lot less frustrating? In this short trailer, Slackers hosts Jaime Solis and Jonathan Sasse invite leaders, builders, and creators into a new kind of conversation about work. With decades spent inside the tech and media industries, they’ve seen what helps teams thrive—and what gets in the way. This isn’t another rant about broken systems or a paint-by-numbers guide to leadership. It’s about the small wins, the hard lessons, and the patterns that make better teams, better ideas, and better outcomes possible. Each week, Slackers connects dots across leadership, strategy, creativity, and culture to help you think more clearly about how work gets done, and how to do it better. Think of it as your weekly companion on the path to better work, and a better way of working. ––– 🎧 Listen and subscribe: Slackers Pod Homepage 💼 Connect with Jonathan and Jaime: Jonathan Sasse — LinkedIn | ForbesJaime Solis — Red Threads Newsletter | LinkedIn | Instagram | Threads  ––– The Slackers Podcast is produced by Jaime Solis and Jonathan Sasse.Audio production by Stephen Kallao.Cover art by Jonathan Sasse   Connect with the Hosts   🎙️ Jonathan Sasse — Chief Strategy Officer and executive advisor.🔗 Connect on LinkedIn · Forbes Communication Council   🎙️ Jaime Solis — Music & Media executive, strategist, and creator of the Red Threads newsletter.🔗 LinkedIn | Newsletter | Website📱 Social: Instagram · Threads · LinkedIn   We want to hear from you!🤔 Do you have a question you'd love to ask us, or a topic you think we should dive into on the show? You can leave us a voice message right here!   Thanks for listening!If you enjoyed this episode, please follow or subscribe on your favorite podcast app—and leave a quick rating or review. It helps new listeners find the show.

    1 min

Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Slackers is a podcast for leaders, builders, and creators who want to make work better—more productive, more human, and a lot less frustrating. Hosted by longtime media and technology insiders Jonathan Sasse and Jaime Solis, the show blends candid stories, sharp insights, and practical lessons from decades spent navigating corporate life and creative industries. This isn’t a rant about what’s broken or a step-by-step playbook. It’s a conversation about what actually works; the small wins, the hard lessons, and the patterns that make better teams, better ideas, and better outcomes possible. Each episode connects dots across leadership, strategy, creativity, and culture, helping you think more clearly about how work gets done, and how to do it better. We call it “Slackers” because the heavy lifting happens outside the show. So think of us as a weekly companion on your path to better work and a better way of working.