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What happens when a Division I athlete turns a gaming refuge into a playbook for inclusive growth and human-centered marketing? We sit down with Erin Ashley Simon to trace her path from family-fueled passion to industry leadership and explore what truly earns trust in a noisy digital world.

Erin shares how her time at the University of Kentucky sharpened her storytelling instincts, why she helped create a scholarship that treats gaming as education, and how access—hardware, broadband, mobile—still defines who gets to compete.

We discuss Gen Z and Gen Alpha’s shifting habits: a preference for real faces over faceless brands, skepticism born of privacy breaches, and a growing return to minimalism and offline connection. For marketers, it means community first, content second. Emotional storytelling beats polish; generosity builds trust.

AI shows up as both accelerator and caution—it streamlines work but can’t replace intuition or soul. Erin explains how creators can stay authentic while using AI wisely, including her own pivot helping a local comic shop triple profits through grounded storytelling.

If you care about esports inclusion, youth culture, and the next era of brand trust, this conversation points the way forward.

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Healthcare breaches aren’t news anymore—they’re routine. I sat down with IEEE’s Maria Palombini to unpack how connected devices multiply risk, where vulnerabilities hide, and how “security by design” can harden medical tech without slowing innovation. From pharma operations to launching a blockchain media venture to leading healthcare and life sciences at the IEEE Standards Association, Maria brings a rare 360° view of how to build safe, interoperable digital health.

We trace the data journey from a wearable on your wrist through networks and the cloud into hospital systems. Along the way, the usual culprits appear: unpatched software, weak passwords, and products that add security too late. Maria explains how consensus-based standards give manufacturers a blueprint to embed cybersecurity at design, smooth regulatory approval, and cut rework—just as Wi-Fi’s 802.11 standard once unlocked smartphones, telehealth, and remote monitoring.

We also explore how IEEE standards are built: market-driven, inclusive of engineers, clinicians, regulators, and patients. That collaboration strengthens rigor and adoption. Looking toward 2030, Maria sees a more inquisitive, patient-driven system—one that expects connected care to be secure by default and interoperable by design.

If you work on medical devices, compliance, or digital health strategy, this conversation delivers clear, usable insights.

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What if the fastest way to innovate is to protect what matters most — people, trust, and purpose? That’s the thread in our conversation with product leader Josette Simon, who moved from global finance to a high-velocity AI startup to build tools that solve real customer pain and deliver measurable impact.

We explore how large enterprises can modernize without losing their soul, and why the idea that “AI remembers what humans forget” captures the true power of augmentation. Josette shares how to cut weeks of busywork into hours while preserving the expertise that makes organizations distinct. The payoff isn’t fewer people — it’s faster cycles, higher quality, and more creative space for meaningful problem-solving.

Education and ethics take center stage as we discuss AI literacy, diverse learning styles, and the value of rewarding curiosity over rote memorization. Josette makes the case for innovation with conscience: building guardrails, anticipating impact, and treating society as a stakeholder. Responsible design and transparent data practices don’t slow growth — they earn lasting trust.

For intrapreneurs and startup founders alike,Josette offers a practical playbook: read the culture, map stakeholders, secure buy-in, and tie every idea to real outcomes — revenue, cost, risk, and speed. Her closing advice is blunt and inspiring: make your own seat, pair empathy with edge, and turn “no” into “not yet.”

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