In this episode, Kyle Coleman shares how resilience shaped his career and why AI should accelerate execution, not dictate strategy. He offers practical examples of how sales and marketing teams can use AI to move faster, market the problem, and stay focused on what truly drives growth. Drawing from his experience at Looker and Clari, Kyle talks about how to build teams that trust each other, work efficiently, and stay aligned during change. He also reflects on parenting, staying present, and creating a work rhythm that keeps what matters most in focus.

• 00:00 Cold open: AI isn’t your strategy

• 00:27 Intro & Kyle’s background

• 02:11 Resilience from mom; embracing hard problems

• 04:03 Creativity, iteration, and no silver bullets in marketing

• 05:25 What ClickUp is: the converged workspace vision

• 07:28 ClickUp as SMB-friendly CRM & flexible platform

• 09:12 How AI changes campaigns & execution velocity

• 11:41 Don’t outsource strategy to AI; quality vs. volume

• 14:39 Sales: AI handles routine, humans connect strategy

• 16:08 Careers: be an AI native; show your POV and workflows

• 19:02 Process thinking: automate segments, save hours

• 20:26 Engineering gains; judgment still required

• 21:39 Weekly AI-use-case ritual; lead scoring example

• 24:18 Removing stigma around using AI

• 25:39 Culture: trust, autonomy, accountability, high standards

• 28:20 Decide with 80% info; iterate

• 28:49 Looker & Clari: market the problem, then the solution

• 32:12 Team stages; generalists → specialists

• 33:31 Hiring signals for curiosity

• 35:33 Performers vs. durable operators

• 37:07 Career advice: run toward the fire

• 39:59 Parenting, presence, and east-coast schedule

• 41:50 Close

In this episode, Tracy Young chats with Gaurav Bhattacharya, co-founder and CEO of GVA, about his incredible journey from a blue-collar childhood in New Delhi to leading a fast-growing AI startup in the U.S. Gaurav shares his early love for coding, the lessons learned from bootstrapping and pivoting, and how his background in aerospace engineering shapes his approach to building complex AI systems.

The conversation spans topics like tech debt, full-stack sales reps, the role of AI in sales, and the enduring importance of human connection in business. Gaurav also reflects on his personal definition of success, the long road to U.S. citizenship, and the mentors who shaped his leadership.

Whether you’re a first-time founder, an operator navigating change, or just AI-curious, this episode is packed with candid insights and practical wisdom.

Highlights:

• Growing up in New Delhi and finding purpose through coding

• Lessons from bootstrapping and exiting his first startup

• Pivoting GVA and going from $0 to $5M ARR in 7 months

• Why AI won’t replace great salespeople

• How to manage tech debt without losing velocity

• The human side of leadership during a crisis

• Gaurav’s vision to create a million jobs

In this episode of Path to Growth, Tracy sits down with Dave Boyce, Executive Chairperson and EVP of Product at Winning by Design. Dave shares insights from a diverse and accomplished career spanning startups, scale-ups, and public companies—and dives into the growth frameworks that guide high-performing teams today.

The conversation begins with a personal reflection on how formative experiences shaped both Tracy’s and Dave’s values around hard work and resilience. From there, Dave introduces the concept of “growth architecture,” emphasizing the importance of designing intentional systems at every stage of a company’s life cycle—from product-market fit to long-term optimization.

A major highlight of the discussion is Winning by Design’s “bow tie” model, which reimagines the traditional sales funnel to account for the entire customer journey, from acquisition to expansion. Dave underscores that effective growth comes from structured handoffs, strong communication, and, most of all, deep empathy—both in product design and marketing.

The episode also explores why most acquisitions fail, and Dave outlines the two integration models that tend to succeed: full and immediate absorption into the parent company or complete operational independence. Anything in between, he argues, is usually doomed to underperform.

On the topic of AI, Dave shares lessons from the recent AI GTM conference, calling out practical use cases that are actually working today—from AI-powered sales agents to onboarding frameworks for agents as hybrid teammates. He encourages professionals to become “AI native,” stressing that the most valued go-to-market professionals will be those who embrace AI as a force multiplier rather than a threat.

The conversation wraps with reflections on crisis leadership, the importance of alignment across teams, and parting advice for emerging leaders: pursue fit and happiness first, and let everything else—career opportunities, compensation, and recognition—follow from that alignment.

A thought-provoking and human-centered discussion, this episode is a must-listen for anyone navigating growth in a rapidly evolving business landscape.