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Lessons from the Leap

Ghazenfer Mansoor

Welcome to the Lessons from the Leap podcast, where we showcase visionary entrepreneurs and leaders, sharing their incredible journeys and inspiring stories.

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October 7 · 41 min
The Future of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: Why Human Oversight Matters
Dr. Kashif J. Piracha, MD, FACP, is a board-certified internist and nephrologist whose work spans patient care, medical education, clinical writing, and digital health communication. With nearly two decades of experience in U.S. medicine, he serves as a hospitalist at Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital, caring for medically complex patients. As Internal Medicine Clerkship Director at Texas A&M University College of Medicine, he trains future physicians and creates clinical algorithms, journal publications, and continuing medical education programs. A medical entrepreneur and digital creator, he develops medical content through Piracha Consulting LLC for healthcare organizations, educational companies, physicians, and the public. In this episode... In this episode of Lessons from the Leap, host Ghazenfer Mansoor, CEO of Technology Rivers, known for AI, SaaS, and HIPAA-compliant HealthTech development, and author of Beyond the Download, talks with Dr. Kashif Piracha, a board-certified internist, nephrologist, medical educator, and digital health entrepreneur. After nearly 20 years in clinical medicine, Dr. Piracha expanded into teaching, medical content review, and health education on social media. He believes medicine can no longer be practiced only inside an office or hospital. The conversation explores artificial intelligence in healthcare and where it needs guardrails. Dr. Piracha warns against uploading personal health information to AI and argues that AI should disclose its sources. Ghazenfer explains how HIPAA compliant AI works, from BAAs with zero data retention to keeping a human in the loop. They also cover AI scribes, scheduling, and clinical workflows people will actually follow. For founders, the message is clear: build with domain experts, clean data, and simple workflows that improve patient outcomes. As Dr. Piracha puts it, even the best care only matters if people can access it.
September 23 · 37 min
AI in Clinical Research: 1 Platform for 30+ Fragmented Tools
Dr. Harsha Rajasimha is a serial entrepreneur and the Founder and CEO of Jeeva Clinical Trials, an AI-ready unified platform that supports the clinical trial process from protocol design strategy to database lock. Jeeva serves biopharma sponsors, CROs, academic medical centers, research sites, and patients. He is also Founder and Executive Chairman of IndoUSrare, which fosters rare disease collaboration across the US, India, and globally through its annual Indo US Bridging RARE Summit and Abbey Meyers Khushi Bridging RARE Awards Gala. A postdoctoral data scientist trained at NIH and FDA, Harsha brings 20+ years of precision medicine data research experience across academia, federally funded research, biopharma R&D consulting, and multiple startups. He holds an M.S. in Computer Science and a Ph.D. in Genetics, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology from Virginia Tech, and has maintained an academic affiliation with George Mason University since 2012. He has authored 20+ publications, book chapters, and patents, and was named to India Abroad's Impact 100 list of Indian Americans in 2025. In this episode… In this episode of Lessons from the Leap, host Ghazenfer Mansoor, CEO of Technology Rivers, known for AI, SaaS, and HIPAA-compliant HealthTech development, and author of Beyond the Download, sits down with Dr. Harsha Rajasimha, founder and CEO of Jeeva Clinical Trials and founder of the nonprofit IndoUSrare. Harsha made the leap from NIH and FDA trained data scientist and pharma consultant to founder of a unified, AI-powered platform built to replace the fragmented tools that slow down drug development. That shift became personal in 2012, when one of his three children was born with a rare disease, and his professional and personal experience converged into one mission: speeding up therapies for the 95 percent of rare diseases that still have no approved treatment. Harsha explains why clinical trials still run on at least thirty disconnected tools and systems, and how Jeeva pivoted once large language models matured. The team had already built a unified platform on a modern stack in AWS, and then added AI agents on top. One of those is Clintelligence, which analyzes about 600,000 past trials on clinicaltrials.gov to find the most similar studies by disease area, geography, phase, and modality, then flags costly protocol mistakes before a trial begins. Once a trial is running, AI agents check each new data entry against a patient's history in real time, catching errors like an age recorded as 5 one month and 15 the next. It's a practical look at AI in clinical research doing work that no human team could do at that scale. The bigger lesson reaches well beyond clinical trials. Harsha is candid that no AI platform is free of hallucinations, and that success depends on people, process, and technology together, not technology alone. For founders building in regulated healthcare, the conversation makes a strong case for keeping humans in the loop, building for compliance and electronic data from day one, and confirming product-market fit before going too far. It also shows why a single platform can do what a stack of point solutions never will.
September 9 · 38 min
The Winning Healthcare SaaS Founder Journey: Funded by Millions in Grants
Steve Waddell is the Founder, President, and CEO of Index HealthTech, an NIH-funded health technology company, and the author of the award-winning book Valuepreneurs. Before founding the company, he spent 25 years at Newport News Shipbuilding, where he developed the risk management process for the U.S. Navy's aircraft carrier construction program. He later joined his wife's government consulting business, Reed Integration Inc., helping grow it into a multi-million-dollar government consulting company. In 2018, Waddell founded Nasoni, a hardware startup that reinvented the bathroom faucet, before pivoting the company into Index HealthTech, which developed the Healthy Habits Index to measure functional and neurodegenerative decline through changes in daily activities. That mission is rooted in his own experience with his father-in-law's fall and his father's decline, and in his TEDx talk, "Start with Who, Not Why," which explores identifying who has the pain before deciding what to build. In this episode... In this episode of Lessons from the Leap, host Ghazenfer Mansoor, CEO of Technology Rivers, known for AI, SaaS, and HIPAA-compliant HealthTech development, and author of Beyond the Download, sits down with Steve Waddell, Founder, President, and CEO of Index HealthTech, to explore a healthcare SaaS founder journey from a bathroom faucet startup to a grant-funded health tech company. Waddell shares the personal origin story behind the pivot: watching his father-in-law fall in the shower and his father decline rapidly in assisted living, which revealed a gap in catching functional decline before it becomes a crisis. The conversation dives into the mechanics of funding health technology without giving up equity. Waddell discusses how a string of grants, a $314,000 Phase I award, a $75,000 Commonwealth Commercialization award, a $2.02 million NICHD grant, and a $2.58 million National Institute of Aging grant supported the transformation of the company into a health tech company, showing how non-dilutive funding can help advance a health tech startup from early product development toward commercialization. We also explore the Sense Radar, Sense Charger, and Sense Lamp devices, and how they score decline on the Healthy Habits Index. Join Ghazenfer Mansoor in today's episode of Lessons from the Leap as he speaks with Steve Waddell. Together, they explore the "painkiller versus vitamin" philosophy behind his TEDx talk, "Start with Who, Not Why," the shift from reactive to proactive health monitoring, and why building health technology for aging in place requires balancing grant-funded innovation with the discipline to keep pivoting.
August 26 · 36 min
Healthcare SaaS: What It Really Takes to Build in the AI Era?
Courtney Potter is the Founder & CEO of Peakality and a commercial real estate broker and advisor at Potter Real Estate Partners. She began her career in NYC advertising at BBDO and Scoppechio, shaping brand strategy for Fortune 100 names like Taco Bell, Doritos, and Gillette Venus. From there she built a 20-year career in commercial real estate across retail, industrial, multifamily, and residential development, closing a cumulative transaction volume approaching $1 billion for clients including Walmart, Sam's Club, and Publix. She is an alumna of the University of Kentucky. Across both careers, Courtney kept noticing the same gap: organizations invest heavily in land, facilities, and technology, but rarely measure how people actually perform inside them. That insight became Peakality, a behavioral intelligence infrastructure platform that helps coaches, clinics, hospitals, and enterprises run structured behavior-change programs and track longitudinal performance data. Peakality now serves sports and athletic training organizations, healthcare providers (including PTSD programs, clinics, and hospitals), and high-performance teams, positioning it as an emerging operating system for human performance. In this episode... In this episode of Lessons from the Leap, host Ghazenfer Mansoor, CEO of Technology Rivers, known for AI, SaaS, and HIPAA-compliant HealthTech development, and author of Beyond the Download, sits down with Courtney Potter, Founder & CEO of Peakality and a commercial real estate broker and advisor at Potter Real Estate Partners, to discuss the leap from closing nearly $1 billion in commercial real estate deals to building a healthcare SaaS platform for behavioral intelligence and human performance. After a personal loss made her rethink what she was doing with her life, Courtney set out to build Peakality, giving physicians, coaches, and enterprises the infrastructure to track how people actually behave and perform, not just measure the buildings and systems around them. Courtney walks through how her healthcare SaaS platform actually works: physicians assign behavioral protocols to patients between appointments, track outcomes across nine life domains, from spiritual to financial to emotional regulation, and use that data to help reduce hospital readmissions. She also details how the platform protects PHI by anonymizing patient data at the infrastructure level, so no individual can be traced back to their information. The conversation broadens into a deeper look at AI in healthcare adoption itself. Courtney offers a simple but sticky way to think about it: AI is a container, a soup, and it only ever gives back what you put into it. She and Ghazenfer dig into why so many companies fail at AI adoption before they've even defined the problem, why self-proclaimed "AI experts" make her nervous, and why she believes AI will never replace human wisdom and creativity, no matter how far the technology goes.
August 12 · 35 min
Senior Care Solutions: How AI Is Tackling the Caregiver Burnout Crisis
About the guest: Dr. Joseph Vollaro is a neuropsychologist and entrepreneur with a Ph.D. in Psychology from the City University of New York (CUNY), specializing in Clinical Neuropsychology and Neuroscience. He has more than twenty-five years of experience in clinical practice and home-health operations, and is a Professor of Psychology at SCCC. He is Founder and CEO of RES Home Care Inc., based on Long Island, New York, serving Nassau and Suffolk Counties, and Founder and CEO of The Hub Central. In 2024, he received the Congressional Award and a Lifetime Achievement Award for outstanding community health service. The Hub Central is an AI-powered digital village infrastructure for aging and caregiver coordination. It uses assistive AI, remote monitoring, and friendly avatars, not to replace human judgment but to create a proactive, centralized digital village that addresses systemic clinical fragmentation and helps prevent caregiver burnout. It serves older adults, traumatic brain injury (TBI) survivors, family caregivers, and community healthcare providers. In This Episode... In this episode of Lessons from the Leap, host Ghazenfer Mansoor, CEO of Technology Rivers and known for AI, SaaS, and HIPAA-compliant HealthTech development, sits down with Dr. Joseph Vollaro, a clinical neuropsychologist and CEO of RES Home Care, to discuss senior care solutions and the leap from running a home care business to building a HIPAA-compliant AI platform. After years working with individuals who have complex medical needs and age-related disorders, Joseph set out to build Hub Central, connecting patients, families, caregivers, and healthcare professionals on one hub to help people age in place. Joseph walks through what they learned field-testing the beta: why the interface his team designed wasn't the one older users needed, why a voice-first interface matters for a population unused to typing, and why they're building separate, directive dashboards for users, caregivers, and physicians. Hub Central is HIPAA-compliant and consent-driven from the start, a partnership with Consolidated Health will pull in a patient's electronic medical records from multiple providers, and an idea from one home care agency, an avatar translating between aide and patient, is becoming part of the system. The conversation broadens into the bigger picture facing health tech and senior care solutions: the aging population, Medicaid funding gaps leaving many families paying for home care out of pocket, the role predictive AI could play helping a shrinking pool of healthcare professionals manage larger caseloads without losing care quality, and the costly lessons of building healthcare software, from unclear requirements to blown timelines and budgets. It's a grounded conversation for anyone building senior care solutions, or any regulated industry where the user, not the developer, drives the design.
August 3 · 34 min
5 Model Context Protocol Mistakes Killing Your AI Projects
Anuj Tyagi is a site reliability engineering (SRE) leader specializing in AI infrastructure, with over a decade of experience building and scaling large-scale cloud-native platforms, including the past year focused specifically on agentic AI infrastructure. He is a co-founder of AITechNav, a nonprofit mentoring people in AI, SRE, and cloud engineering, and is recognized as an AWS Community Builder, an IBM Champion, and a Platform Community Ambassador. Anuj has spoken at conferences including HashiConf, DevOpsDays, and DevConf.US, is an active open-source contributor to CNCF and other projects, writes on his dev.to blog and on LinkedIn, and describes himself on the show as an AWS Community Builder as well. In This Episode... Everyone is building something with AI right now, but very few of those projects reach production. In this episode, host Ghazenfer Mansoor, CEO of Technology Rivers and a podcast host known for AI, SaaS, and HIPAA-compliant HealthTech development, talks with Anuj Tyagi, a site reliability engineering leader whose years in AI infrastructure give him a clear view of exactly where that gap comes from. The conversation surfaces five recurring failure points that keep AI projects stuck in proof-of-concept: skipping caching and timeout handling, overloading agents with too many MCP tools, launching without guardrails, ignoring RAG faithfulness metrics, and building without a fallback gateway. Anuj explains the shift from probabilistic LLM output to the deterministic results real products need, and how Model Context Protocol (MCP) gives agentic AI infrastructure real access to outside tools and data. He also covers how teams keep AI costs under control with caching, guardrails, and gateway fallback, and breaks down RAG hallucination detection: how hallucinations happen, why confident-sounding wrong answers are so dangerous, and which metrics catch them early. Zooming out, the episode makes a case for engineering discipline as the real differentiator in the AI era. Prompting alone will not produce a reliable system. The teams that make it to production are the ones treating site reliability engineering for AI as a first-class problem, not an afterthought.
July 24 · 41 min
AI in Radiology: How SimonMed Is Revolutionizing Imaging
Dr. Sean Raj, MD, MBA, is Chief Medical Officer and Chief Innovation Officer of SimonMed Imaging, one of the nation's largest outpatient medical imaging providers, where he leads clinical strategy, technology integration, and innovation across nearly 200 imaging centers coast to coast. He has spearheaded several industry-first, direct-to-consumer AI and longevity programs, including SimonMed's Mammogram Plus Heart initiative, and oversees one of the largest real-world deployments of clinical AI in radiology. Board-certified in Diagnostic Radiology with subspecialty training in Breast Imaging, Dr. Raj trained at NYU, Baylor College of Medicine, and Harvard Medical School, earned his MBA from Emory University's Goizueta Business School, and is a nationally recognized thought leader with over 30 peer-reviewed publications and 50+ national presentations. In This Episode... Join Ghazenfer Mansoor in today's episode of Lessons from the Leap as he speaks with Dr. Sean Raj, Chief Medical Officer and Chief Innovation Officer at SimonMed Imaging, the largest exclusively outpatient radiology practice in the United States. The conversation explores how AI in radiology is reshaping the field, not by replacing radiologists, but by acting as a force multiplier that helps them read faster, catch more, and perform at a higher level for longer. Dr. Raj walks through SimonMed's approach to building trust in AI-powered diagnostics, from in-house testing of vendor claims to the layered progression of AI capabilities, from triage and detection to risk stratification and automated reporting. He also shares how SimonMed is turning medical imaging into a proactive health platform through programs like Mammogram Plus Heart, and how personalized, Instagram-style patient reports are driving real behavior change rather than insights that go unused. The discussion closes with a broader look at where healthcare is headed, including the coming surge in imaging volumes as cancer rates rise, the persistent gaps in radiology's tech stack, and what founders building medical AI tools need to understand to become enterprise-ready. It's a candid, forward-looking conversation about the future of preventive medicine and the role AI will play in getting patients from insight to action.
July 15 · 38 min
Cognitive Health Technology Meets Senior Care: AI & Biomarkers
Eric Collett is CEO of A Mind For All Seasons, a Boise, Idaho-based company building cognitive health technology for long-term care professionals, executives, and private clients who want to optimize brain health. After 16 years running assisted living communities, Eric partnered with Randy Vawdrey, NP-C, to develop The Enhance Protocol a research-based framework combining cognitive testing, biomarker data, and detox science, now used to help assisted living providers shift from managing residents' decline to actively improving it. A licensed residential care administrator and nationally recognized speaker on dementia and brain health, Eric also teaches at the College of Western Idaho. In this Episode... In this episode of Lessons from the Leap, host Ghazenfer Mansoor sits down with Eric to unpack how biomarker tracking software, detox protocol technology, and a healthy dose of skepticism about AI in healthcare are converging to change what's possible in brain health for aging seniors and high-performing executives alike. It's a conversation about what cognitive health technology looks like when it's built around a person's actual data, not a generic wellness checklist. The conversation dives into the mechanics of The Enhance Protocol®, a four-step framework measure, learn, apply, adjust that combines cognitive testing, biomarker tracking software, and detox protocol technology to uncover the specific factors driving each person's decline. Eric walks through a striking case study of a client whose tremor, cognitive decline, and personality changes reversed once a genetic detox impairment and years of mercury exposure were identified and addressed, and explains why genetics load the gun while lifestyle choices pull the trigger. Join Ghazenfer Mansoor in today's episode of Lessons from the Leap as he speaks with Eric Collett. Together, they explore the hard truths behind why modern healthcare defaults to managing symptoms over root causes, Eric's deliberately limited use of AI in healthcare, and why designing for real behavior change requires giving people knowledge and agency not just data.
April 15 · 28 min
Healthcare SaaS & Operations: GPS Tracking, Franchising, and AI-Driven Care
Ramzi Rihani is the co-founder of Options for Senior America and a strategic authority on healthcare expansion who built a premier home care organization across 15 states. A businessman with a lifelong penchant for the arts, Ramzi bridges the gap between Organization Behavior and high-touch human service, transforming a 35-year legacy of clinical care into a masterclass in franchising and operational discipline. As a former music critic, global traveler, and published author, he brings a unique cross-cultural precision to the healthcare industry, utilizing rigorous vetting systems and GPS logistics to ensure every care provider becomes a trusted extension of the family home. In this episode... In this episode of Lessons from the Leap, Ghazenfer Mansoor sits down with Ramzi Rihani, the co-founder of Options for Senior America, to explore a 35-year journey of scaling a home healthcare empire from a single "niche" idea to a 15-state powerhouse. Ramzi shares the deeply personal origin story of the company: a desperate search for live-in care for his mother in 1989 that revealed a massive gap in the Washington Metro market. What began with a piece of paper and a living room interview evolved into a premier group that redefined the standards of senior care. The conversation dives into the mechanics of long-term business growth, particularly the pivot from organic expansion to a successful franchising model in 2005. Ramzi discusses how his academic background in Organization Behavior became the primary engine for his success, proving that the heart of a premier healthcare service business is managing human resources with discipline rather than medical expertise alone. We also explore the evolution of technology in care, from early Microsoft Access databases to sophisticated GPS-enabled tracking systems that ensure caregiver punctuality and accountability. Join Ghazenfer Mansoor in today's episode of Lessons from the Leap as he speaks with Ramzi Rihani. Together, they explore the "hard truths" of managing remote teams, the evolution of GPS Logistics in home care, and why building a Defensible Healthcare Platform requires balancing technical innovation with high-touch human empathy.
April 10 · 45 min
Scaling Freedom: The 360-Degree Success Framework and AI Productivity
Linh Podetti is a strategic outsourcing expert, founder of Outsourcing Angel, and the creator of the 360° Success Framework. With a career rooted in the philosophy of "Human First" leadership, Linh has transformed the traditional BPO model into a Double Bottom Line engine that prioritizes both client freedom and global impact. After building a successful marketing agency from the ground up as a single mother, she now serves as a bridge for entrepreneurs looking to reclaim their time through high-impact remote teams. In this episode... Mastering the 360-Degree Success Framework and AI Productivity is the cornerstone of building a business that scales without consuming your personal life. In this episode of Lessons from the Leap, Ghazenfer Mansoor sits down with Linh Podetti, the visionary founder of Outsourcing Angel, to discuss her remarkable journey from struggling as a single mother at age 20 to becoming a global leader in Offshore Staff Delegation. Linh shares the raw reality of her early ventures including a nail polish business that taught her the fundamentals of marketing and the pivotal moment she realized that "working harder" was simply a faster track to burnout. The conversation dives deep into the strategic shift from a traditional marketing agency to a scalable Outsourcing Strategy centered on the Philippines BPO industry. Linh pulls back the curtain on the Linh's Life System, a framework designed to help entrepreneurs outlast the "rat race" by prioritizing human connection over pure automation. We explore how she integrates AI Productivity tools to empower her remote teams while maintaining a "Human First" philosophy that drives Double Bottom Line Impact, ensuring that business growth directly fuels social good through clean water and solar projects. Join Ghazenfer Mansoor in today's episode of Lessons from the Leap as he speaks with Linh Podetti, founder of Outsourcing Angel and creator of the Linh's Life System. Together, they explore how to bypass the "entrepreneurial rat race," the high-impact systems for managing Philippines Offshore Staff, and why building a 360-Degree Success Framework is the only way to achieve sustainable freedom in an AI-driven world.
April 1 · 36 min
The FedRAMP Easy Button: Scaling HealthTech SaaS & Remote Patient Monitoring
Brendan Coughlin is a versatile serial entrepreneur and high-impact executive who has spent over 35 years redefining the intersection of healthcare and scalable technology. A seasoned veteran in business management and start-ups, Brendan has successfully launched, acquired, or turned around multiple ventures across diverse sectors, including manufacturing, energy, and digital marketing. Currently, he serves as a lead executive at Global Telehealth Services (GTS), where he spearheaded the development of GTS VirtualHealth the only Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) SaaS platform in the global marketplace to achieve the "gold-standard" FedRAMP Moderate authorization. Dedicated to technical excellence and mission-driven growth, Brendan specializes in bridging the gap between advanced healthtech and the essential human need for secure, accessible wellness at a global scale. In this episode... Building a FedRAMP Authorized Remote Patient Monitoring platform in the most regulated industry in the world requires more than just innovation; it requires a mastery of operational discipline. In this episode of Lessons from the Leap, Ghazenfer Mansoor sits down with Brendan Coughlin to pull back the curtain on the arduous four-year journey to obtaining FedRAMP Moderate authorization for GTS VirtualHealth. Brendan shares the raw reality of navigating federal bureaucracies and the strategic decision to pivot away from commercial hospital systems toward the Veterans Administration (VA). He explains how GTS transformed a tedious compliance process into a massive competitive "easy button," creating a unique "technical moat" in the global marketplace. This shift underscores how Regulatory Compliance as a Competitive Advantage can redefine HealthTech SaaS Scalability. Join Ghazenfer Mansoor in today's episode of Lessons from the Leap as he speaks with Brendan Coughlin, serial entrepreneur and lead executive at Global Telehealth Services, about the intersection of Healthcare Innovation, Government Contracting Strategies, and the future of Defensible Healthcare Platforms. Together, they explore the future of AI in Healthcare and why the ability to "outlast your assumptions" is the most critical trait for any Serial Entrepreneur navigating a high-stakes pivot.
March 25 · 49 min
The Relationship Growth Engine: How Founders Turn High Trust into High Leverage
Kevin Thompson is a strategic partnership expert, host of the Million Dollar Relationships podcast, and founder of the Impact & Legacy Collective. With a career rooted in the philosophy of generosity and integrity, Kevin has personally generated over $16.1 million in revenue exclusively through high-value relationships. After scaling a million-dollar, one-person business, he now serves as a "Conduit of Trust" for elite entrepreneurs who offer high-ticket services (typically $50K+). By collapsing the time it takes to bypass digital noise and superficial networking, Kevin facilitates high-trust introductions that lead to 6 and 7-figure collaborations. Featured in Forbes and other top publications, he focuses on helping mission-driven leaders move beyond the "BS" to create 8 and 9-figure long-term impact through authentic human connection. In this episode... What happens when founders treat networking like a transaction instead of a predictable Relationship Growth Engine? In this episode of Lessons from the Leap, Ghazenfer Mansoor sits down with a strategic partnership expert to uncover why most business connections fail and how High Trust is the ultimate leverage in an increasingly digital world. From building a million-dollar, one-person business to facilitating over $16.1 million in revenue, our guest shares the philosophy of generosity and integrity that fuels his success. He pulls back the curtain on his own pivotal "leap" transitioning from a 12-year career in publishing to launching a global collective centered entirely on high-impact introductions. Join Ghazenfer Mansoor in today's episode of Lessons from the Leap as he speaks with Kevin Thompson, host of the Million Dollar Relationships podcast and founder of the Impact & Legacy Collective. Together, they explore how to bypass "digital noise," the "Family Dinner" test for vetting partners, and why building a Relationship Growth Engine is the only way to thrive in an AI-driven world.
March 18 · 40 min
Beyond the $10B Engagement Crisis: Using Dance Floor Theory to Build Deeply Connected Teams
Tom Krieglstein is the creator of Dance Floor Theory™, a revolutionary engagement framework designed to solve the $10 billion employee engagement crisis by treating community-building as a "full-contact sport." A global authority who has trained over one million leaders and sold 500,000 books, Tom combines the high-octane energy of an 8-time National Speaking Title holder with the strategic precision required to scale Fortune 500 culture. As the Founder of Swift Kick, he bridges the gap between digital isolation and authentic human connection, helping organizations transform passive bystanders into active contributors who show up, stay, and lead. In this episode... What happens when employee engagement hits a 10-year low despite companies spending billions to fix it? In this episode of Lessons from the Leap, Ghazenfer Mansoor sits down with the creator of Dance Floor Theory™ to uncover why traditional leadership is failing and how to rebuild the "Human Connection" in an age of isolation. From being named after a farm cat to training over a million people at Apple, Nike, and the U.S. Military, our guest shares the pivotal moments that shaped his journey. He pulls back the curtain on the most significant "leap" of his career: relocating his entire life to New York City to launch a tech venture and later being asked to step aside as a minority shareholder. Tom talks about how these moments brought him back to speaking and shaped the work he does today. Join Ghazenfer Mansoor in today's episode of Lessons From The Leap as he speaks with Tom Krieglstein, global speaker, author, and founder of Swift Kick. Together, they explore the intersection of social biology, the raw reality of navigating high-stakes pivots, and the "human moat" needed to thrive in an AI-driven world.
March 11 · 36 min
Scaling for Acquisition: Building High-Impact Systems and Navigating the AI Hype
William Lee Mapp, III is a powerhouse engineer, inventor, and executive whose tech solutions have reached over 1 billion people worldwide. A seasoned "maker" and author of Seven Brief Lessons on Computing, Will combines deep technical expertise with a sharp media presence. From holding patents to speaking on global stages, he is dedicated to building high-performance systems that bridge the gap between human needs and technical excellence for the benefit of all mankind. In this episode… Building a boutique studio into a strategic asset for a global giant requires more than just clean code; it requires a mastery of abstract problem-solving. In this episode of Lessons from the Leap, Ghazenfer Mansoor sits down with Will Mapp to pull back the curtain on the acquisition of Studio Codeworks by Qlarant. Will shares the raw reality of the exit process, a feeling he describes as "never feeling more naked" and explains how he turned technical expertise into massive business leverage by "chunking" abstract problems into solvable parts. From stripping away the AI hype to tracing computing's history back to the Silk Road, Will breaks down why utility must always outrank "cool features." Join Ghazenfer Mansoor in today's episode of Lessons From The Leap as he speaks with Will Mapp, technologist, author, and former founder of Studio Codeworks, about the intersection of technology, problem-solving, and human impact.
March 6 · 40 min
How AI and Empathy Are Shaping the Future of Education
Andrew Sachs is the Founder and CEO of Nobel Navigators, a global social learning network that connects youth internationally to build technical, soft, and leadership skills. Under his leadership, the company has grown from six youth leaders to a global community reaching thousands of young people across more than 140 countries. Andrew has experience as a tech entrepreneur and has also held leadership roles at tech firms. In this episode… How can we prepare today's youth to thrive in a world defined by AI, automation, and constant change? Traditional education systems focus on memorization and compliance, leaving young people ill-equipped for creative problem-solving and collaboration. What would it take to reimagine learning so it builds adaptable, empathetic leaders ready for the future? According to entrepreneur and educator Andrew Sachs, the key lies in transforming how we learn instead of what we learn. He advises teaching curiosity, teamwork, and critical thinking as essential 21st-century skills. Andrew also suggests creating environments where students lead, teach, and collaborate on real-world projects to foster confidence and competence. In this episode of Lessons From The Leap, Ghazenfer Mansoor talks with Andrew Sachs, Founder and CEO of Nobel Navigators, about redefining education for the innovation age. Andrew discusses how empathy and people skills drive change, why AI should empower rather than replace human creativity, and how hands-on leadership training can unlock youth potential.
March 4 · 52 min
Health by Design: Redefining Modern Healthcare for the Next Generation
Dr. Dusty Hess is a functional medicine doctor, speaker, and founder of Upstream Health, a faith-centered platform focused on helping families move beyond symptom management toward root-cause healing. Through his clinical work, national speaking engagements, Upstream+ membership, and Upstream Magazine, he equips families with practical strategies to realign their health with foundational principles of physiology, lifestyle, and stewardship. Dr. Dusty integrates science, faith, and systems thinking to make complex health concepts actionable for individuals seeking long-term, sustainable wellness. In this episode… As chronic illness continues to rise and families feel overwhelmed by conflicting health advice, many are left wondering whether modern healthcare is truly designed to create long-term wellness, or simply manage symptoms. What does it really mean to pursue root-cause healing, and how can families reclaim leadership over their health in an age of shortcuts, quick fixes, and data overload? Dr. Dusty Hess, founder of Upstream Health and a functional medicine doctor, challenges the conventional acute-care model and explains why true healing requires stepping back to see the whole person. He explores the difference between acute and chronic care, why personalization matters more than protocols, and how faith, physiology, and lifestyle intersect in building transgenerational health. From detoxification myths and IV therapies to multivitamins, blood-type diets, and the role of AI in healthcare, Dr. Dusty reframes health as stewardship rather than longevity chasing. In this episode of Lessons From The Leap, Ghazenfer Mansoor sits down with Dr. Dusty Hess to discuss root-cause medicine, transgenerational health, the cultural future of healthcare, and where AI should, and should not, replace the human relationship between doctor and patient. Dr. Dusty also shares practical guidance for families who feel discouraged in their health journey and want to realign their lives with simplicity, intention, and long-term impact.
February 25 · 36 min
Building Responsible AI: From Research to Real-World Impact in Healthcare & Finance
Dr. Swati Tyagi is an AI and machine learning professional with experience across research and industry, focused on building reliable, production-ready AI and large language model systems. Her work centers on AI evaluation, governance, and responsible deployment at scale. She is also an active speaker, known for bridging advanced AI capabilities with real-world enterprise needs. In this episode... As generative AI becomes more powerful and widely adopted, issues like hallucinations, bias, and unsafe deployment are becoming harder to ignore, especially in high-stakes industries like healthcare and financial services. How can organizations build AI systems that are innovative, yet reliable and responsible? Dr. Swati Tyagi, an AI and machine learning professional with experience across research and enterprise, explains why evaluation, governance, and guardrails are essential for real-world AI. She breaks down how hallucinations occur, where bias is introduced during model training, and why GenAI must follow the same rigor as traditional machine learning before reaching production. In this episode of Lessons From The Leap, Ghazenfer Mansoor sits down with Dr. Swati Tyagi to discuss responsible AI, LLMs, RAG, Graph RAG, and the challenges of moving AI from experimentation to production. Dr. Swati also shares advice for young professionals, especially women, looking to build meaningful careers in AI.
February 5 · 54 min
The Future of Ethical Tech: AI Adoption, Focused Growth, and Building for Good
Sheryle Gillihan is the Co-owner and CEO of CauseLabs, a Texas-based web and digital strategy agency that partners with nonprofits, social enterprises, and purpose-driven organizations. With over 25 years of experience in leadership, operations, and technical management, she has leveraged technology to bridge cultural gaps and drive social impact across military, corporate, and nonprofit sectors. Sheryle has been recognized as a 2022 Great Women of Texas honoree and was a Dallas Business Journal 40 Under 40 winner. In this episode… With technology evolving, leaders are challenged to build companies that are innovative and grounded in values and purpose. From digital transformation to AI adoption, the choices businesses make today will shape the industry in the future. How can entrepreneurs stay focused while creating meaningful impact? As a technology strategist and mission-driven business leader, Sheryle Gillihan emphasizes the importance of aligning work with personal values, measuring impact instead of guessing, and making smart investments in tools that serve customers. She also encourages leaders to bring their teams into major shifts like AI through education and transparency. Through intentional decisions, entrepreneurs can build with purpose and clarity. In this episode of Lessons From The Leap, Ghazenfer Mansoor sits down with Sheryle Gillihan, Co-owner and CEO of CauseLabs, to discuss purpose-driven technology leadership. Sheryle talks about her transitions from corporate work, what she learned from acquiring companies, and how she guides clients through AI adoption and impact-focused innovation.
January 29 · 35 min
How Behavioral Science Is Changing Hiring, Leadership, and Team Performance
Jason Carroll is the Founder of Aptive Index, a company that leverages AI-driven behavioral science tests to assign individuals to the right roles. As a serial entrepreneur and leadership strategist, he scaled Champion National Security from $20M to $80M before its acquisition. Jason is also a trained leadership consultant specializing in people-centric business practices. In this episode… What drives business growth when strategy, talent, and pressure collide? Behind every breakthrough is a series of bold decisions, painful lessons, and moments of self-awareness that force leaders to rethink how they hire, lead, and grow. What separates leaders who scale from those who stall? According to leadership and behavioral assessment expert Jason Carroll, growth starts with a deeper understanding of human behavior. Leaders must look beyond resumes and surface-level traits to uncover the core drivers that shape performance. Jason emphasizes using self-awareness to adjust leadership impact, placing people in roles aligned with how they're wired, and being curious rather than judgmental when conflict arises. These practices build stronger teams, drive informed decisions, and enable sustainable growth. In this episode of Lessons From The Leap, Ghazenfer Mansoor sits down with Jason Carroll, Founder of Aptive Index, to discuss leadership, hiring, and human behavior at scale. Jason shares his hiring mistakes that sparked a new approach to assessments, how self-awareness reshapes leadership impact, and how putting people first fuels rapid company growth.
January 22 · 32 min
How To Build HIPAA-Compliant Healthcare Software
Ghazenfer Mansoor is the Founder and CEO of Technology Rivers, a software company developing HIPAA-compliant web, mobile, and cloud-based healthcare software applications. As a seasoned advisor and investor in technology and healthcare, he has fulfilled roles as an architect, programmer, software engineer, user experience specialist, product developer, growth hacker, and chief technology officer. In this episode… Developing software in regulated industries presents both opportunities and risks. Founders and leaders are pressured to innovate while protecting sensitive data, meeting compliance standards, and delivering adoptable products. How can you balance speed, innovation, and long-term performance without compromising trust or usability? Mobile software developer Ghazenfer Mansoor urges leaders to start with clear requirements, workflows, and compliance guardrails before writing a single line of code. He also recommends focusing on retention over features, using AI to empower teams rather than replace them, and reducing friction through UX and conversational interfaces. Through these approaches, teams can build secure, scalable, and valuable software for users. In this episode of Lessons From The Leap, Chad Franzen of Rise25 hosts Ghazenfer Mansoor, Founder and CEO of Technology Rivers, to discuss building scalable, compliant, and user-focused software. Ghazenfer talks about HIPAA compliance challenges, why retention matters more than launch, and how AI and conversational UI are reshaping modern product design.

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