It’s been a whirlwind of a season!

In this special wrap-up episode, Bethany and Brandon look back on the last ten weeks of The Operations Room — the highlights, lessons, and chaos that shaped Season 2 — and share a sneak peek of what’s coming in Season 3.

We reflect on:

• What it really feels like to step into a CEO role (and why it’s lonelier than expected).
• The intensity of leading through change — and learning to switch off when the buck stops with you.
• The balance between growth, leadership, and staying human.
• The power (and pain) of performance reviews done right.
• Why our next season will dive deep into AI, leadership, and rethinking operational strategy.

Plus, we reveal our guest line-up for Season 3 — including returning favourites like Keith Wallington and Cameron Herold, and new voices exploring AI, sales, and the future of strategy.

Love The Operations Room? Please support us by rating and reviewing it here.

You can also share your guest suggestions — one slot left for next season!

Summary

00:00 – Welcome and season recap

02:00 – Bethany’s first 90 days as CEO

07:30 – The reality of responsibility and loneliness at the top

11:50 – Brandon’s reflections on scaling a high-growth team

15:40 – Lessons from performance and salary reviews

20:00 – What’s coming next: AI, leadership, and puzzles vs OKRs

26:00 – Behind the scenes: planning the next season

28:00 – Our Substack

To learn more about Beth and Brandon or to find out about sponsorship opportunities click here.

In this episode we discuss: AI employees. We are joined by Matt Lhoumeau, Cofounder & CEO at Concord

Love The Operations Room? Please support us by rating and reviewing it here.

We chat about the following with Matt Lhoumeau:

1. How do you balance the need for structure with the chaos of fast-growing operations?
2. What happens when marketing becomes a true conversation rather than a one-way message?
3. Why are standards and expectations so critical to building trust in a growing team?
4. How can leaders create clarity without stifling creativity?
5. What’s the real difference between being busy and being effective?

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattlhoumeau/
• https://www.concord.app/
• https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0lMWln0

Matt Lhoumeau is the CEO and co-founder of Concord, the leading provider of AI-powered Agreement Intelligence solutions. With over a decade of experience transforming how businesses manage contracts, Matt helps operations leaders unlock strategic value from their agreements and turn contracts from cost centers into profit drivers.

To learn more about Beth and Brandon or to find out about sponsorship opportunities click here.

04:05 – AI tools and operational leadership.

08:05 – The power of systems thinking in AI bots

12:01 – Using AI to challenge you

15:16 – AI-first mantra

19:40 – Legal department AI substitutes

22:36 – Being a systems owner

24:30 – ChatGPT as a therapist

27:37 – Using AI to evolve and be durable

31:34 – How tools and frameworks are used over time.

34:58 – The balance between AI and human intervention

35:19 – Evolving with AI

37:05 – The right inputs

In this episode we discuss: What scale up founders go through. We are joined by Jonny Burch, Designer turned Founder.

Love The Operations Room? Please support us by rating and reviewing it here.

We chat about the following with Jonny Burch:

• How can rethinking the office itself completely change how people connect, collaborate, and feel part of a company?
• What happens when leaders stop managing people — and start designing environments where people can do their best work?
• Is your company culture something you say — or something you can feel when you walk through the door?
• What’s the real cost of ignoring the “unwritten rules” that shape how your team communicates and collaborates?
• How do you balance flexibility, belonging, and performance when your team is spread across screens and cities?

• Https://linkedin.com/in/jonnyburch
• Https://jonnyburch.com
• hackweeks.com
• toy.studio
• foundupnorth.com

Jonny Burch is a designer and exited founder exploring AI through a product lens. He scaled Deliveroo’s consumer design team and went on to found Progression, a platform focused on skills, personal development, and career growth. After raising over $6M from US and UK investors and successfully exiting in 2024, he's now taking time to reflect, supporting teams with AI adoption at hackweeks.com as well as incubating future products under his personal software practice toy.studio.

To learn more about Beth and Brandon or to find out about sponsorship opportunities click here.

06:30 – Maximizing time as a CEO

08:30 – Office culture and space design

10:30 – The CEO Roundtable Retreat

17:00 – Building trust as a COO and CEO

19:30 – Force multipliers and structure

21:00 – Why growth makes CEOs feel disconnected

22:30 – The SaaS Flywheel and diagnosing business health

26:30 – Delegation done right

27:30 – Becoming the CEO

30:00 – The emotional weight of leadership

31:45 – How leadership changes your brain

32:30 – The paradox of influence and isolation

33:30 – Knowing your limits

34:30 – Lessons for leaders

36:00 – Final reflections