211: Kira Shishkin - Redesigning the News Business for a Distracted World
Release Date: 08/05/2025
222: Peter Swimm - Building Responsible Automation Through Context, Care, and Human Insight
Business Mic
Peter Swimm, owner and consultant at Toilville, joined The Business Mic to explore how organizations can adopt AI and automation in ways that enhance — not erase — human expertise. With years of experience building conversational systems and workplace automation for major global companies, Peter now focuses on helping small and midsize organizations implement AI responsibly while preserving the value of human judgment, context, and organizational knowledge. Peter explains that while many businesses rush toward AI to reduce workload or increase efficiency, they often overlook the human...
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221: Kyle McDowell - The 10 WE Principles: A Framework for Purpose-Driven Leadership
Business Mic
Kyle McDowell, leadership expert, bestselling author of Begin With We, and former Fortune 10 executive, joins The Business Mic to discuss what it truly means to build a values-driven, people-centered culture in high-performance organizations. After leading tens of thousands of employees across major corporations, Kyle shares how he reached a turning point where traditional metrics of success — title, compensation, and results — were no longer meaningful without purpose, integrity, and team alignment. This realization led him to champion a new leadership philosophy rooted in shared...
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220: Jonathan Shroyer - The Future of Customer Experience in the Gaming Industry
Business Mic
Jonathan Shroyer is the CEO and Co-Founder of Quimbi, a customer experience technology company transforming how gaming brands engage players through AI-driven personalization. With more than 20 years in tech and customer service leadership — from Microsoft and Autodesk to Postmates and Kabam — Jonathan brings a unique perspective on how empathy, data, and automation can coexist to create next-level customer experiences. In this episode of The Business Mic, Jonathan discusses the evolution of customer support in the gaming industry and how Quimbi’s AI engine delivers hyper-personalized...
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219: Lateshia Pearson - Purpose Over Profit: Building a Legacy That Empowers Others
Business Mic
Lateshia Pearson is an entrepreneur, motivational speaker, and television personality on the Oprah Winfrey Network’s hit show Belle Collective. She joins The Business Mic to share her journey from humble beginnings in Mississippi to becoming a powerhouse of purpose-driven entrepreneurship — one who believes deeply in impact, authenticity, and empowering others to rise. As the founder of Women Brunch Mississippi, Lateshia is creating spaces where women connect, collaborate, and build businesses together. What began as simple networking brunches has evolved into a transformative movement —...
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218: Andrew Oxley - Building High-Performing Teams Through Trust and Accountability
Business Mic
Andrew Oxley is the founder of The Oxley Group, and he joins The Business Mic to explore what it truly takes to lead with purpose, clarity, and accountability. Drawing on years of experience coaching executives and teams across industries, Andrew shares powerful insights on how leaders can create alignment, drive performance, and inspire genuine commitment through self-awareness and communication. At the heart of his philosophy is The Three Roles of a Leader — the Villain, the Hero, and the Guide. Andrew explains how every leader moves between these roles and how the most effective ones...
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217: Jessica Volker - Why real empathy still matters in the age of AI-driven service
Business Mic
Jessica Volker, Director of Business Development at Responsive Answering Service, joins The Business Mic to explore how human connection, technology, and empathy intersect in modern customer service. Jessica shares how Responsive Answering Service — originally built to support the medical industry — has evolved into a 24/7 multi-industry call center serving clients across diverse sectors. Whether it’s managing after-hours calls for doctors or handling overflow for home service companies, the team’s focus is on ensuring no call goes unanswered and every customer feels heard. In the...
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216: Steven Seidel - How Purpose Transforms Leadership and Life
Business Mic
Steven Siedel, TEDx speaker, storyteller, and founder of The Siedel Agency, joins The Business Mic to explore the power of authentic connection — both in leadership and in life. Known for his talk “The Hidden Power of Grief,” Steven is helping individuals, brands, and executives tap into what he calls “connection as currency” — the idea that true fulfillment and growth come when we align with our purpose, our people, and our story. In this conversation, Steven explains how leaders and organizations can move from good to great by focusing on gratitude, ethics, accountability, and...
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215: Chris Hallberg - Building High-Performing Teams by Driving Discipline and Accountability
Business Mic
Chris Hallberg, founder of GoExpand and longtime EOS Implementer, shares how entrepreneurial teams can achieve breakthrough results by combining discipline, accountability, and the right operating system. Drawing on his background as a military leader turned business coach, he explained how commitment, team alignment, and hiring A-players form the foundation of high-performing organizations. At the heart of the conversation was the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) — a proven framework that helps leadership teams gain clarity on vision, execute with traction, and foster healthier...
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214: Kevin Wilkins - Turning Vision into Sustainable Impact
Business Mic
Kevin Wilkins, Founder & CEO of Trepwise, shares how purpose-driven organizations can achieve sustainable impact through strategic planning, systems thinking, and organizational effectiveness. With a background at Procter & Gamble and in financial services, Kevin recounted how his experiences in post-Katrina New Orleans inspired his shift toward supporting nonprofits, foundations, and mission-driven organizations. His work centers on helping leaders move beyond passion alone to build structures that enable long-term effectiveness. A key message Kevin emphasized is that vision without a...
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213: Jimi Gibson - Why Your Brand Voice Matters More Than Ever
Business Mic
Jimi Gibson is the Vice President of Brand Communication for Thrive Agency, a full-service digital marketing firm that has spent over 15 years helping businesses—from small local shops to large multi-location enterprises—navigate the fast-changing online landscape. In this episode of the Business Mic Podcast, he shares insights on adapting to the rise of AI in marketing, the importance of authentic brand voices, and how personal branding can drive meaningful business growth. While AI tools like ChatGPT and voice cloning are becoming more prevalent, Jimi warns against over-reliance on...
info_outlineKira Shishkin is the CEO and founder of Informed, a startup delivering concise, ad-free, and credible news summaries via SMS. In this episode of the Business Mic Podcast, he shares how a frustrating experience during an earthquake in San Francisco, where he struggled to find reliable information without hitting paywalls or popups, inspired him to create a smarter, simpler way to stay informed.
With Informed, users receive a single SMS each weekday, summarizing the most important global news in just a few clear, unbiased sentences. The service is intentionally minimalist—no apps, no login, no tracking—respecting users’ time and privacy while eliminating the noise of ads, clickbait, and endless notifications.
Currently live in North America via SMS and available worldwide via email, Informed focuses on the world’s most impactful stories, curated for global citizens, not localized feeds. For users seeking more context, the platform allows a two-way interaction, enabling them to request additional information on topics of interest.
Kira emphasizes accuracy over speed, blending AI with human editorial judgment to ensure every update is factual and trustworthy. The ultimate goal is to build a healthy news habit—one that makes users feel more informed in less time, without the overload and bias of traditional or social media.
To learn more or sign up, visit https://informed.now
Connect with Kira Shishkin: https://l.informed.now/kira