Authenticity by Design: Building Mental Health Tools That Actually Work with Seth Micarelli of Volo Health
Release Date: 07/02/2025
Using Sales Insights to Guide High-Impact Product Decisions with April Palmer of Duckbill
Convergence.fm
April Palmer joins this episode of Convergence.fm to break down a practical, repeatable approach to product innovation that starts with customer conversations and ends with shipped improvements. We talk about why most innovation is actually “amelioration,” how to run a closed loop ladder from stories to product decisions, and how to earn buy-in from sales and frontline teams so innovation becomes a team sport. April is in charge of client relationships at Duckbill and teaches product innovation at VCU. She is a former top sales performer for Fortune 100 companies across various...
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Speed to Value, Solving a $200K Warehouse Problem With AI in 3 Days
Convergence.fm
In this episode, I walk through a real, high-stakes moment inside a warehousing and logistics operation, thousands of pallets of telecom cable, a hard year-end deadline, and a task nobody actually owned. The team was facing a potential six-figure hit, measuring precious metal content by hand with clipboards and micrometers, under serious time pressure. During a simple office hours session, we paused, reframed the problem, and realized this wasn’t a labor issue at all. It was a vision problem. What followed was a fast, scrappy sprint. Sales, warehouse staff, and engineers worked side by side....
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Product Discovery, Outcome Based Delivery, And Hiring for Product Thinking with MAC of Wednesday.is
Convergence.fm
Is your team writing code before they’ve actually validated the problem? In this episode, Ashok sits down with Mohammed Ali Cherwala (MAC), co-founder of Wednesday Solutions, to dismantle the traditional "build first" mentality. Mac explains why "Product Engineering" is distinct from simple software development and how his firm uses "Sprint Zero" to validate ideas cheaply using methods like fake door tests and prototypes—ensuring you don't waste capital on features nobody wants. We also dive into a radical business model shift: moving from hourly billing to outcome-based pricing, where...
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BUILD vs. BUY: The Software Math That Saved A CEO Millions
Convergence.fm
Are you stuck deciding between building custom software or buying an expensive SaaS solution? In this episode, Ashok breaks down a real-world workshop with a medical device CEO facing a costly operational bottleneck. You’ll learn how to size problems effectively to ensure they are worth the tech investment and why "renting" software might actually be the fastest path to owning your own high-value IP. Ashok challenges the common "tech-enabled" playbook—hiring a C-suite CTO immediately—and offers a leaner alternative: the "In-House Prototyper." Discover how using AI tools and low-code...
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Why Smart Companies Fail: Information Asymmetry Explained
Convergence.fm
Why do smart leadership teams with great strategies still fail to execute? The answer often isn't a lack of talent, but a hidden structural problem called Information Asymmetry. In this episode, host Ashok Sivanand breaks down a real-world case study of a CEO (Visionary) and COO (Integrator) who trusted each other implicitly but still struggled to drive change. You’ll learn why "scaling efficiency" often comes at the cost of "scaling understanding," and how to fix the gap between your boardroom strategy and your frontline reality. Ashok explores how world-class organizations like Toyota,...
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From Fortune 50 Strategy to AI Coaching Tools: Ben Perreau on Leading Better
Convergence.fm
Ben Perreau has helped CEOs of some of the world’s most influential companies define their next act. But instead of staying in the boardroom, he turned his attention to the managers on the front lines, the people who quietly make or break culture every day. In this episode, Ben joins Ashok to talk about why so many managers feel underprepared, how culture actually changes, and how his latest venture, Parafoil, is using psycholinguistics and AI to build better leaders in real time. From navigating billion dollar strategy shifts to coaching individual managers through difficult feedback...
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Stop Installing Copilot: The Real Way to Lead an AI Transformation in ANY Business
Convergence.fm
Learn how a garbage collection company saved millions by adopting AI without a tech team or a massive budget. This episode deconstructs how traditional businesses can bypass expensive $100k software contracts by using local devices and open-source models to generate massive ROI safely and quickly. Watch our full episode with Ryan Collins of Tahoe Truckee Sierra Disposal: Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in...
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Turning Trash into Tech: The Garbage Company Using AI to Save Millions with Ryan Collins
Convergence.fm
Ryan Collins calls himself a garbage man, but he's also the Managing Director at Tahoe Truckee Sierra Disposal (TTSD), a third-generation waste collection and recycling company in Northern California. After a stint in Silicon Valley, he came back to join the family business and walked into a world still powered by slide rulers, highlighters, and paper-heavy workflows. Today, his team is building in-house AI tools that are replacing expensive software and solving real operational problems across the business — all with a lean budget, limited tech experience, and a workforce that now regularly...
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Building Global Culture for Purpose and Profit: Lessons from Scaling Twitter with Maya Hari
Convergence.fm
In this episode, Ashok is joined by Maya Hari, global executive, board member, and now co-founder of Genie Health. Maya has led teams across Twitter, Google, Samsung, and other global companies, and now sits on the boards of public enterprises like Saint-Gobain. What makes her perspective rare isn't just her resume. It's her clarity around what culture really is, how to measure it, and how to build it intentionally. Maya shares the three signals she uses to assess culture inside a company, how she assembles high-performing, cohesive teams, and why purpose is at the core of sustainable culture....
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Top 5 Mistakes Leaders Make in AI & Data Strategy, And How to Fix Them with David Cohen
Convergence.fm
Leaders are under pressure to “do something with AI,” but many end up making the same preventable mistakes that derail their data strategy before it starts. In this episode, Ashok sits down with David Cohen, founder of Superposition Strategy, to run a live workshop identifying the top five strategic missteps leaders make—and more importantly, how to avoid them. If you're leading or supporting a data or AI initiative, this episode is your tactical blueprint for getting it right. You’ll hear David walk through an interactive exercise designed to prioritize problems and focus on...
info_outlineAI can make therapy more accessible—but only if it's done right. In this episode, ex-Google and Amazon product leader Seth shares his journey from panic attacks to building Volo Health, an AI-powered tool for anxiety, depression, and addiction. He breaks down how most therapy tools get it wrong, what makes human-centered AI actually safe, and how product teams can reconnect with the humans they serve—even at scale. Seth opens up about leaving Silicon Valley, his personal journey with emotional healing, and the limits of traditional therapy. Along the way, we explore the ethics of AI in mental health, the value of 12-step recovery models, and the risks of over-validating users with AI. If you're a founder, product lead, or designer thinking about building in healthcare, mental wellness, or with generative AI—this conversation is a must.
Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge.
In this episode...
Why AI validation isn't always helpful—and can sometimes be harmful
How Volo Health uses opinionated AI, clinical oversight, and anonymized data to personalize support
The difference between optimizing for scale vs. building for emotional impact
What Seth learned from working at Amazon, Google, and in recovery circles
How founders can build teams and products that don’t lose sight of the human
Mentioned in this episode...
Volo Health LangChain / LangGraph
ChatGPT / GPT-based therapy models
988 Crisis Line
SVS Subwoofers (yes, really)
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