Oleg Bolotnov is the founder of Gradual and PitchMonster.

Two AI-powered sales training platforms that help managers coach their teams while saving time and money.

With Oleg, we talked about sales, AI, and what's in store for the future.

00:00 Intros
00:21 Oleg's first job
03:52 Oleg's career progression
08:59 Tips for people starting their career in sales
14:08 Kitty invasion 🐱
15:22 What are Gradual and PitchMonster
23:15 Finding your customer's needs and pain points
25:55 How the war in Ukraine affected Oleg's life and business
31:24 How does Oleg use AI in his day-to-day job
35:17 Oleg's favourite AI tools
41:50 Oleg's predictions about the future of AI
47:50 What's one major challenge for humanity that you would fix with AI?

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AI To Go Podcast - Bringing you the humans behind AI!

Don't be shy and come say hi:

👋 Lucia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamluciapiseddu/
👋 Johannes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johannesdeubener/

Follow us on:

✨ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/135tavsp8mEBYftLGOv02x
✨ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ai-to-go-podcast/
✨ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aitogopodcast/

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Connect with Oleg here:

👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/olegbolotnov/

And check out Gradual and PitchMonster:
👉 https://www.gradual.io/
https://www.pitchmonster.io/

Pär Edin, who leads AI transformation at KPMG, and host Johannes Deubener discuss the evolution of human intelligence and its implications for AI adoption. They explore the psychological barriers that hinder organizations from embracing AI, the importance of creating a culture of psychological safety, and the role of behavioral science in driving change. Pär also provides insights into overcoming resistance to change, the economic implications of AI, and the challenges organizations face in moving from pilot projects to full-scale deployment.

Chapters

00:00 The Journey of Pär Edin: A Unique Career Path

04:01 Lessons from the European Space Agency

06:47 Embracing the Unexpected: Career Decisions that Changed Everything

09:12 Cultural Insights: AI and Technology Adoption Across Organizations

12:10 The Human Element: Overcoming Barriers to AI Adoption

18:01 The Stone Age Brain: Evolution and Survival Mechanisms

26:13 Fear and Resistance to Change in the Modern Workplace

29:40 The Role of AI in Transforming Work Dynamics

32:49 Overcoming Psychological Barriers to AI Adoption

38:15 Practical Strategies for Leaders to Foster Change

46:23 The Exponential Growth of AI Adoption

56:09 Navigating Pilot Purgatory to Full-Scale Deployment

01:01:09 The Future of Hybrid Workforces and AI Integration

01:08:05 Embracing Change: Advice for Navigating AI Transformation

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Don't be shy and come say hi:

Connect with Johannes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johannesdeubener/

Follow Pär: https://www.linkedin.com/in/p%C3%A4r-edin-42b756/

Read about more about Pär's work at KPMG in Magnate View Magazine's cover story which recently named him one of five "Pioneering Leaders shaping the future in 2025": https://magnateview.com/top-5-pioneering-leaders-shaping-the-future-in-2025-dec25-6/

Check out KPMG: https://kpmg.com/us/en.html

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More about AI To Go:

✨ Watch more Episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiL3_cC9nmXALQiaqlYs2Kw
✨ Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ai-to-go-podcast/id1866997458

✨ Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5X9XgIv1qtCYtExziNMyXK
✨ Receive all Updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ai-to-go-podcast/

In this conversation, Alex Sherman, CEO at Bluefish AI, and host Johannes Deubener explore the seismic shift happening in marketing right now, and why 2026 is make-or-break for every CMO and marketer.

00:00 Introduction: AI Marketing Channel Revolution

00:59 Welcome and Introduction of Alex Sherman

01:23 Alex's Origin Story

03:30 The Evolution of Technology

04:34 From European History to Enterprise Software

05:20 An "Accidental" Entrepreneur: His Path to Startups

06:47 Alex's "Pirate" Philosophy: Building Against the Odds

08:54 Flying Through the Storm: Leadership in Uncertainty

11:45 Leadership in the AI Age: Absorbing Stress and Filtering Noise

12:47 AI Marketing: The New Content Paradigm

16:41 The Wake-Up Call: 66% of Shoppers Use AI

17:03 From Novel Idea to Essential Channel

20:20 How Alex used Deep Customer Discovery to get started

23:17 The Bluefish Platform: Visibility and Influence Across the AI Ecosystem

26:13 The Attribution Problem: Tracing Marketing Impact in AI

29:47 Alex's Message to CMOs

33:21 Early Mover Advantage: Data Quality and Learning Curves

36:47 The Attention Economy vs. Agent Economy

40:19 The Future of Brand Storytelling in an AI World

45:09 Regaining Control: Putting Brands Back in the Driver's Seat

47:57 Real-Time Marketing: From Planned Campaigns to Continuous Optimization

51:59 The End of Paid Ads?

55:13 Alex's Advice for AI Founders

57:23 Closing Remarks

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Don't be shy and come say hi:

Connect with Johannes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johannesdeubener/

Follow Alex: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alsherman/

Check out Bluefish AI: https://www.bluefishai.com/

--------------------------------------------------------------

More about AI To Go:

✨ Watch more Episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiL3_cC9nmXALQiaqlYs2Kw
✨ Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ai-to-go-podcast/id1866997458

✨ Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5X9XgIv1qtCYtExziNMyXK
✨ Receive all Updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ai-to-go-podcast/

Tags: #AIMarketing #EnterpriseAI #MarketingStrategy #CMO #ChatGPT #Podcast #Leadership #Innovation #BusinessStrategy