Agentic AI is transforming business faster than any previous enterprise technology, but most organizations are approaching it with outdated transformation strategies. In this solo episode of Transformational Thinkers, host Sara Sheehan shares why agentic AI is fundamentally different from ERP implementations, cloud migrations, and digital transformation initiatives, and what leaders must do to ensure success. Drawing on more than 30 years of leading enterprise transformations, Sara explains why failed AI initiatives are rarely due to technology. Instead, they result from underinvesting in change management, having weak executive sponsorship, poor governance, and a general lack of business ownership. Backed by research from BCG, McKinsey, Deloitte, PwC, Prosci, and John Kotter's change leadership framework, she outlines five critical imperatives every CEO, CFO, CIO, and executive leadership team should adopt before investing in agentic AI.

In this episode of Transformational Thinkers, host Sara Sheehan welcomes Cheryl Strauss Einhorn, founder of Decisive, former Barron's investigative journalist, and author of The Human Edge: Smarter Decisions in the Age of AI. Cheryl explains why the future of AI leadership is not about surrendering decision-making to technology. It is about strengthening human judgment, critical thinking, and executive accountability. Drawing on her investigative journalism background and decades of decision-strategy work, Cheryl introduces her AREA Method, explores the role of cognitive bias in executive decisions, and explains why leaders must remain the chief deciders as AI becomes increasingly embedded across organizations. Together, Sara and Cheryl discuss governance, values-based leadership, accountability, and practical frameworks that help CEOs harness AI without sacrificing human thinking.

What if the future of AI isn't beyond humans, but beyond any AI tool you currently use? What if its greatest potential is helping people become more fully themselves? In this episode of Transformational Thinkers, host Sara Sheehan welcomes Rob LoCascio, founder and CEO of uare.ai and former founder and CEO of LivePerson, where he spent 28 years building one of the world's leading customer communication platforms. Rob shares how his latest venture is redefining artificial intelligence by putting people, not machines, at the center. Drawing on decades of experience leading through the dot-com crash, the financial crisis, the pandemic, and multiple business transformations, Rob explains why the future of AI belongs to individual intelligence rather than generic models. He introduces uare.ai’s Human Life Model, a framework designed to capture an individual's identity, worldview, experiences, and expertise, enabling them to scale their knowledge while maintaining ownership of their data.

In this episode of Transformational Thinkers, host Sara Sheehan sits down with Andrew Brooks, entrepreneur, technology founder, and CEO of Contextual, to explore how purpose-built AI is reshaping the future of business transformation. Andrew shares his entrepreneurship journey from studying chemistry at Princeton to building and scaling multiple successful technology companies, including SmartThings, which was acquired by Samsung. Together, Sara and Andrew discuss why CEOs must move beyond viewing AI as simply an automation tool and instead embrace it as a strategic business capability. Andrew explains the concept of "owning your AI," why organizations should build AI solutions tailored to their unique processes and competitive advantages, and how AI can create entirely new revenue opportunities. This conversation offers a practical roadmap for leaders navigating AI adoption, digital transformation, and organizational growth.

In this episode of Transformational Thinkers, host Sara Sheehan welcomes Maria Colacurcio, CEO of Syndio, co-founder of Smartsheet, HYROX World Champion, and mother of seven. Maria shares her remarkable journey from building Smartsheet into a public company to leading Syndio’s evolution from pay-equity software to an AI-powered decision-intelligence platform for compensation. Together, Sara and Maria explore leadership, entrepreneurship, change agility, responsible AI, and the future of compensation strategy. Maria discusses why leaders must embrace change as a constant, how founders can navigate uncertainty, and why family, resilience, and perspective have shaped her leadership philosophy. She also explains how Syndio is helping organizations make smarter, more transparent, and more equitable pay decisions while maintaining human oversight in an increasingly AI-driven world. This conversation is packed with insights for CEOs, founders, HR leaders, and executives seeking to build innovative organizations that thrive through transformation.

What if the future of podcasting is not about chasing downloads, but is about building real communities in actual rooms and monetizing right from the start? In this episode of Transformational Thinkers, host Sara Sheehan sits down with entrepreneur and podcast innovator Jeff Revilla to learn how live podcasting and Infinite-Seat Theaters are reshaping the creator economy. Only 10% of shows reach the download thresholds required for ad revenue. After realizing this, Jeff identified a major gap in the podcasting industry: most creators will never generate meaningful income through traditional advertising models. Inspired by the movie “Moneyball”, he developed a scalable framework that helps podcasters monetize through live experiences, ticket sales, merchandise, community engagement, and hybrid audience participation. Sara and Jeff discuss entrepreneurship, audience psychology, community building, hybrid events, and the future of in-person experiences in an increasingly digital world. This episode is full of practical insights for podcasters, creators, entrepreneurs, and business leaders looking to build stronger communities, create sustainable monetization models, and embrace the next evolution of live content experiences.

In this episode of Transformational Thinkers, host Sara Sheehan sits down with Alan McLaren, leadership expert and co-creator of the Leadership Signal Architecture framework. Together, they uncover the hidden forces shaping organizational success, from trust and consistency to subconscious perception and emotional intelligence. Alan reveals why even the most sophisticated strategies fail without aligned leadership signals, and how incongruence between what leaders say and how they act creates friction and erodes trust across organizations. Drawing from decades of experience advising CEOs and executive teams, he introduces a powerful framework that helps leaders elevate their impact in every room they enter. This episode is essential listening for CEOs, founders, and senior executives seeking to unlock faster decision-making and sustainable business growth through transformational leadership.

What does it mean to lead with resilience in today’s high-pressure business environment? In this powerful episode of Transformational Thinkers, host Sara Sheehan sits down with Victoria Pelletier, corporate executive, board director, and transformational leader, to explore the intersection of leadership, emotional intelligence, culture, and personal evolution. Victoria shares hard-earned insights from decades of executive experience, revealing how leaders can balance performance with humanity, make high-stakes decisions with both data and intuition, and build cultures rooted in accountability. From navigating complex acquisitions to leading through personal adversity, Victoria offers a candid and deeply human perspective on what it takes to succeed at the highest levels.

What happens when artificial intelligence evolves from a support tool into a strategic decision maker? In this compelling episode of Transformational Thinkers, host Sara Sheehan sits down with Nick Jain, CEO of Eagle Rock CFO, to explore how AI is fundamentally reshaping back office functions and redefining how leaders scale businesses. Nick shares a powerful perspective on how AI-driven financial intelligence, risk quantification, and data-driven decision making are enabling companies of all sizes to operate with Fortune 500-level insight. From identifying early warning signs of business stagnation to building autonomous systems that act like a world-class CFO, this conversation challenges traditional leadership models and introduces a new paradigm for growth, efficiency, and competitive advantage.

In this compelling solo episode of Transformational Thinkers, host Sara Sheehan explores one of the most pressing leadership questions of our time: how humans must lead in an AI-driven world. Rather than viewing artificial intelligence as an uncontrollable force, Sara reframes it as a system shaped by human decisions, values, and leadership. She unpacks the five biggest concerns facing humanity today, including workforce transformation, economic design, human agency, meaning and purpose, and the ability to adapt to rapid change. This episode challenges CEOs, executives, and business leaders to take ownership of how AI is integrated into organizations and society. This conversation is a call to action. The future will not be determined by technology alone. It will be shaped by intentional leadership, human-centered strategy, and the choices we make collectively.