THE GIANT AI PODCAST

Growing with the GIANT.

Conversations with founders, leaders, and innovators about the real decisions, challenges, and breakthroughs behind business growth.

Explore episodes Listen to the latest

Latest Episode

Published through Riverside

November 11, 2026

Rough Around The Edges with Ellie Shoja

AI can help with writing, but when it takes over, it can erase the voice that makes a story yours. Ellie Shoja joins Christina Ona to talk about writing with intention and using AI without losing the human creativity at the heart of a book. Ellie is an author, story consultant, book coach and two-time TEDx speaker who helps people turn complex ideas and lived experience into books. Through Peace Unleashed, she brings a creative background spanning writing, speaking and production, including collaborations with the creators of Airplane! and Surely You Can't Be Serious, and with Kristen Butler on The Comfort Zone. Ellie shares how she uses AI in her writing process—not to generate story ideas, but to check whether the logic holds together. She explains why writers should treat AI as a tool that doesn’t know their work as well as they do, and why handing over too much can flatten a writer’s voice and creativity. The conversation also explores AI-generated “slop,” the value of human perspective, and how authors can use technology while staying true to their own ideas. The broader takeaway: AI can support creative work, but it can’t replace the perspective and lived experience that make a story distinct. This episode is for writers, aspiring authors, book coaches and creative professionals figuring out how to use AI without losing their voice.

Explore Every Conversation

New episodes are added from our Riverside publishing feed.

10 published episodes

November 10, 2026

Clarifying The Complex with Bruce Carnohan

AI can help teams move faster—but if the process is broken, it can help them get the wrong things done faster, too. Bruce Carnahan joins Godwin Ona to discuss how leaders can simplify work, use AI thoughtfully and build stronger collaboration. Bruce is a process improvement consultant and author of The Fix It Journal, as well as co-author of Improving Performance in Service Organizations. Drawing on experience across six countries, lean process improvement and quality auditing, he shares how cross-functional teams can uncover patterns and turn complicated work into simpler steps. Bruce explains why a clear strategy helps teams stay focused, how to sanity-check AI-generated answers and avoid speeding up bad processes, and why research and good judgment still matter. He also discusses the value of bringing together different perspectives, having difficult conversations without blame, and following through on the everyday basics of business communication: acknowledge, act and follow through. The bigger lesson: meaningful improvement starts with purposeful thinking, honest communication and a willingness to question how work gets done. This episode is for business owners, team leaders and professionals looking to improve processes, collaborate more effectively and use AI with intention.

November 10, 2026

Scammers At Scale with Mark Anthony Dyson

AI is making job scams easier to scale—and harder to spot. Mark Anthony Dyson explains how scammers impersonate employers and recruiters, exploit job seekers’ personal information, and use technology to make fake opportunities look real. Christina Ona sits down with Mark Anthony Dyson, career journalist, founder of The Voice of Job Seekers, and creator of The Job Scam Report. Mark has tracked job-search trends since 2011 and investigates deceptive hiring, ghost jobs, recruiter impersonation and the growing role of AI in fraud. You’ll discover the difference between a ghost job posted by a real company and a scam job created to steal personal information. Mark shares how scammers use public information and AI to reach people at scale, why job seekers should protect their data, and how to verify an opportunity through multiple independent sources. We break down practical ways to check a suspicious job or recruiter: contact the company through a verified channel, look for signs that a recruiter or employer isn’t who they claim to be, and disengage if the details don’t check out. Mark also explains why reporting scams can help protect the wider community, how deepfakes complicate verification, and why people need to stay alert even when a message looks polished. This conversation also explores how Mark uses AI in his own work: to fact-check writing, monitor job-scam news and help organize information while keeping his own judgment in charge. His guiding message for job seekers is to be strategic about finding work—and to stay safe while doing it. Essential listening for job seekers, career professionals, recruiters and anyone who wants to recognize and avoid online hiring scams.

November 8, 2026

Invaluable Valuations with Simon Zryd

What makes a small business valuable to a future buyer? Simon shares how owners can build toward their end goal by strengthening systems, reducing owner dependency and creating a business that can keep running without them. In this episode, Godwin Ona speaks with Simon about his journey as an entrepreneur and his work advising business owners. Simon explains why productivity matters most when it advances a clear goal, and how owners can work backward from the future they want for their company. They discuss what buyers look for, including predictable revenue, reliable financials, documented processes and a capable leadership team. Simon also shares how AI can help owners make sense of business data and improve repeatable tasks—while emphasizing that adopting technology doesn’t automatically mean eliminating jobs or improving results. For business owners thinking about growth or an eventual exit, this conversation offers practical perspective on building a stronger, more sustainable business.

November 8, 2026

Human In The Loop with Ashley Price-Horton

Your experience may already count for more than you think, and AI works best when a human stays in charge. Ashley Price-Horton reveals how she helps people turn what they've already done into cybersecurity careers, and how she uses AI without giving up judgment or trust. Christina Ona sits down with Ashley Price-Horton, founder of CyberCareer Advancement and the entrepreneur behind CyberTribe and GRC Nerds. A former software engineer, Ashley helps aspiring and current governance, risk and compliance (GRC) professionals build the skills and confidence to take their next step. Her clients have collectively secured more than five million dollars in job offers. She has been featured in SECON's speaker lineup, and MoneyWise has quoted her on protecting job seekers. You'll discover how Ashley finds GRC experience in unexpected places, from cashiers to security officers to investigators. She explains how she uses NIST publications to help clients see what they've already done and close the gap with what employers want. She also shares why she builds B2B income alongside coaching and how she finds flexible contract work helping AI companies improve their models. We break down how Ashley uses AI in her business, and where she draws the line. She explains why AI can hallucinate, why reading terms and conditions matters, and why AI job-application tools can put people at risk. She also covers how AI-generated ads and influencers can mislead people, and why a little due diligence goes a long way.This conversation also gets personal. Ashley opens up about a career she never planned, balancing motherhood and business, and why she keeps CyberTribe small, at around 50 members, so she knows every person. Her guiding principle is helping her clients win. Essential listening for job seekers, career changers, cybersecurity and GRC professionals, small business owners, and anyone who wants to use AI to open doors without giving up their judgment.

November 5, 2026

Under the Umbrella with Kerri Garbis

AI can polish your message, but it can't replace the human skill of connecting with an audience. Kerri Garbis explains why communication matters even more as work moves online, and how actors' training in preparation and self-awareness can help any professional show up with confidence. Christina Ona sits down with Kerri Garbis, CEO and founder of Ovation Communication and author of Presentation Skills for Managers, published by McGraw Hill. Ovation's coaches and trainers are all professional actors. The company supports corporate learning and development programs, prepares speakers for conferences, and puts Kerri on stages and podcasts as a keynote speaker herself. You'll discover why actors make strong communication coaches, and why Kerri says preparation and knowing how you show up are the heart of it. She shares the National Institute of Mental Health statistic that 74% of people fear public speaking, and why she still rehearses, records and gets feedback before every talk. She also explains Bravo, Ovation's AI-driven rehearsal platform. People can record themselves between coaching sessions and get feedback on their visual, vocal and verbal skills, practice follow-up questions, and track their progress. We dig into where AI helps and where it falls short. Kerri argues that AI hasn't made communication training less important. With more of our time spent in front of screens, the moments we're in front of real people have to count. Christina and Kerri also talk about cognitive atrophy and why humans must stay in charge. Kerri then walks through the AI bot she's building to take over a workflow that has been a bottleneck for her company: turning a client request into the finished training materials. This conversation also gets personal. Kerri speaks openly about stepping away from her business after her husband died, caring for her daughter, and coming back to find the one problem she needed to fix. It's a candid look at running a company, and adapting, through hard times. Essential listening for leaders, L&D and HR professionals, speakers, business owners, and anyone who wants to communicate with confidence in the AI era.

November 2, 2026

Bred To Be The 1% with Jim Petersen

The skills that make a great salesperson aren't always the ones that make a great leader. Jim Petersen explains how to tell the difference, and why adaptability may matter more than IQ or EQ as AI reshapes business. Godwin Ona sits down with Jim Petersen, PhD, a retired Navy Captain, submariner and Naval Academy graduate. Jim is CEO and owner of Diversified Professional Coaching and president and owner of the Professional Business Coaches Alliance. He is the author of seven books and a frequent speaker on leadership, with a doctorate in financial and retirement planning. You'll discover how Jim's years on submarines taught him that being a people person matters as much as technical skill. He shares two stories of top performers who were put in the wrong roles, and why strong leaders aren't always strong salespeople. He explains the adaptability quotient (AQ), the ability to unlearn and relearn, and the assessment tools his coaches use to help leaders find their strengths and gaps. We also get into the coaching industry itself. Jim explains why business coaching is often misunderstood, and why great coaches, like those of Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan, don't need to be better than the people they coach. He talks about his book Who Let the Dogs Lead, which uses nine dog breeds to show that teams do best when they combine different talents. He also shares where he sees leadership coaching going as AI changes the workforce, and how he brings in senior military officers, entrepreneurs and PhDs to teach the practical application of leadership theory. This conversation also gets personal. Jim talks about launching his company right before COVID and building it back from a lost contract. He tells the story of a friend who spent six and a half years as a POW in Vietnam, the subject of his book The Spirit to Soar. He also reflects on how the moments that stop us in our tracks end up defining us. Essential listening for business owners, executives, sales leaders, coaches, and anyone preparing to lead through change.

October 30, 2026

On The Horizon with Awatif Yahya

Great leadership and strong results aren't a trade-off, yet too many workplaces still mistake bullying for strength. Awatif Yahya shares how leaders can build healthier teams and use AI to sharpen their thinking instead of replacing it. Christina Ona sits down with Awatif Yahya, founder of Awe Horizons, Fulbright scholar and leadership educator. Her career bridges technology, international business and HR, including a decade with British American Tobacco and assignments in Dubai, Hamburg, London and Algiers. She is also the author of Embracing Leadership, Not Dictatorship. You'll discover what pushed Awatif to rebel against conventional leadership, and how she closes the gap between how leaders see themselves and how they come across. She asks leaders and employees the same question separately, then shows each side what the other said, before any training begins. She also explains why personality assessments should be repeated as we grow, and why communication is the top pain point she hears from clients today. We break down her approach to AI: use it to help you learn, not to do the thinking for you. Awatif explains why she writes her own emails before asking AI to refine them, how clear prompting has sharpened her communication, and how she's building a game-like leadership assessment tied to her book and her Sharp Leadership Framework. This conversation also gets personal. Awatif opens up about the vulnerability of putting a book into the world when it can't be taken back, what her coach taught her about taking feedback while staying authentic, and why the real work starts after launch. Essential listening for HR and L&D leaders, executives, aspiring leaders, and anyone who wants to lead with intention and use AI to grow rather than coast.

October 27, 2026

Shots Worth Taking with Cindy Miller

Being told "you're not good enough" can break you, or it can become fuel. Cindy Miller shares how a painful childhood turned into a drive to prove people wrong, and why she believes it is never too late to take another shot at business, golf, or life. Christina Ona sits down with Cindy Miller, LPGA Professionals Hall of Fame member, former LPGA Tour player, veteran of five U. S. Women's Opens and recipient of the 2026 Ellen Griffin Rolex Award for Teaching Excellence. Cindy is also a TEDx speaker, corporate trainer and author of Take Another Shot at Business, Golf, or Life. After roughly 40 years of coaching, she brings a rare mix of elite competition, teaching expertise and straight talk to the question of how people unlock their potential and perform under pressure. You'll discover what Cindy calls "the committee of they," the critics on the sidelines who tell you what you can't do, and why she uses them as motivation. She explains why golf mirrors life ("you're the one holding the club"), how she adapts her coaching to four behavior styles, from the competitive "D" to the detail-driven "C," and why balanced teams need every one of them. She also shares why she's excited about AI and remote coaching, from a home simulator and Top Tracer to lessons over Zoom. We break down Cindy's "It Box," the three-step framework from her book: get off the nail, look in the mirror, and plant a seed. She walks through how it applies to anyone who wants to make a change, reflect, or start the next chapter of their career or life. This conversation also gets personal. Cindy opens up about her late-night path from the reality show The Big Break to the Legends Tour, how she worked to rewire her belief that she didn't deserve to win, and the seed of advice that helped her and her husband Alan through their hardest season. Her story is about forgiveness, faith, and the courage to keep going. Essential listening for coaches, leaders, athletes, and anyone who has ever been told to sit down and decided to stand up instead.

October 21, 2026

The Wisdom Protocol with Bob Eckert

AI can make your team sharper - or slowly outsource the very thinking that keeps it competitive. Bob Eckert reveals why the real risk isn’t robot takeover, but human cognitive atrophy, and what leaders must do now to use AI without losing wisdom, creativity, and judgment. Christina Ona sits down with Bob Eckert, CEO of New and Improved, to unpack a career built around one mission: facilitating great change for the health of humanity. With three decades of global work spanning Intel, General Electric, Johnson & Johnson, Mercedes-Benz, and public-health and humanitarian projects, Bob brings a rare mix of organizational development, facilitation, and futurist thinking to one of the biggest questions in business today: how do we integrate AI wisely? You’ll discover why Bob believes most companies are asking the wrong question about AI adoption, how his team uses a wisdom protocol to challenge thinking instead of flattening it, and why a user-side AI harness could help people grow their cognition rather than replace it. He explains the difference between using AI to accelerate mundane work and using it in ways that quietly weaken critical thinking, pattern recognition, and innovation over time. We break down the creative problem-solving framework Bob uses with senior teams, including how to define the right goal, gather the right data, identify the real problems, and build implementation plans that actually hold up. He also shares why leaders should pay attention to AI 2040, the strategic roadmap he says every executive should read, and why responsible AI governance may need auditable standards before companies can truly scale the technology safely. This conversation also gets personal. Bob opens up about the process that helped him define his lifelong mission, the wisdom traditions that shaped his thinking, and the simple but profound idea that there is no such thing as a grown-up - only growing ups and stuck people. It’s a powerful lens for anyone trying to lead, learn, and stay adaptable in a world that is changing faster than most organizations can keep up. Essential listening for founders, executives, operators, and anyone who wants to use AI to expand human capability - not erode it.

STAY IN THE CONVERSATION

Good conversations move businesses forward.

Listen directly above, or find Growing with the GIANT in your favorite podcast app. Episodes and descriptions come from Riverside; episode thumbnails come from YouTube.

Spotify Apple Podcasts YouTube

NEXT STEP

Continue the Conversation

Curious what smarter systems could do for your business? Schedule your complimentary Automation Discovery below.

Open scheduler in new tab