In this raw and transformative episode of Magic in the Cloud, host Joe welcomes Sonia Aleman—a technology leader who turned decades of corporate program management experience and personal trauma into a mission to revolutionize workplace wellness.

🎯 What You'll Learn:

Corporate Leadership Insights:

How to lead complex, multi-stakeholder technology projects with positivity and consistency

The power of reading the room: balancing assertiveness with authenticity

Why "leading with kindness" isn't soft—it's strategic and drives revenue

Communication strategies that turn resistant teams into engaged partners

Trauma-Informed Workplace Wisdom:

How childhood experiences create workplace triggers you don't even recognize

Why the "severance" between work and personal life is impossible (and unhealthy)

The intersection of professional stress and personal healing

Real strategies for work-life balance in 2025's always-on culture

🔥 Key Moments:

00:00 - Introduction: When corporate excellence meets personal healing

05:32 - Breaking into male-dominated tech: The aggressive approach that worked (and didn't)

12:45 - The candy-throwing UAT strategy: Finding your authentic leadership style

18:20 - The "whack-a-mole" project: Managing negativity across massive implementations

26:15 - Why emotional intelligence matters: The triggers hiding in plain sight

34:50 - The Costa Rica escape: A 16-year-old's survival project plan

43:10 - Redesigning HR: Why we need separate divisions for company and employee interests

51:25 - The transparency problem in hiring and toxic workplace cultures

58:40 - Advice to 16-year-old self: "You're loved, and it's going to be okay"

Employee retention is at an all-time low. Workplace stress is literally making people sick. Yet companies keep claiming "people are our greatest asset" while doing little to protect that asset. Sonia bridges the gap between what we say and what we do—offering practical wisdom from someone who's lived both the corporate grind and the healing journey.

📬 Connect with Sonia Aleman:

Email: soniacoachingk@gmail.com

Instagram: @sonia7_305 (link in bio for complimentary intro session)

Magic in the Cloud goes beyond technology to explore the human side of the tech industry—leadership, resilience, transformation, and the real stories behind professional success.

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In this episode of Magic in the Cloud, host Joe sits down with Jon Cline, founder of The People First Method, to explore how mastering soft skills can lead to hard results — in leadership, sales, and tech.

From over a thousand Salesforce projects to years of coaching experience, Jon shares how empathy, communication, and trust have become the new power skills that separate thriving teams from struggling ones.

Whether you’re leading an AI transformation, running a Salesforce team, or simply trying to build better relationships in your career, this conversation is packed with real-world strategies and stories that remind us: your people skills are your power.

⏱ Timestamps

00:00 – Intro: Turning soft skills into hard money

01:00 – How Jon’s early tech job revealed the power of patience and empathy

03:12 – Why the best technicians aren’t always the best teammates

05:40 – The “People-First” spark: helping others grow inside the Salesforce ecosystem

07:18 – From mentoring to entrepreneurship — monetizing what you love

09:45 – Teaching empathy and communication to technical talent

12:03 – Why soft skills outperform hard skills in real project outcomes

14:22 – How to overcome introversion and build confidence in communication

17:08 – What research says about why IT projects fail

20:15 – How “People-First” methods cut project failure rates and improve ROI

23:40 – The cost of skipping discovery in the Salesforce ecosystem

27:12 – Defining the “Why, What, and How” of every project

30:05 – Executive misalignment: why AI projects fail faster

33:10 – Who benefits most from the People First Method

36:00 – Soft skills as the secret sauce — empathy, small talk, and active listening

39:22 – Using small talk as strategy to build trust and reduce tension

43:30 – How to say “no” by saying “yes” and keep clients engaged

47:15 – The People-First approach to AI: putting empathy before automation

51:00 – Teaching leaders to introduce AI as empowerment, not replacement

54:44 – Jon’s farm roots, foster care, and how adversity built empathy

59:50 – From foster kid to founder — turning challenges into strengths

1:03:10 – Lessons from his foster dad: leading with love, connection, and purpose

1:08:22 – Empathy as the foundation of influence and leadership

1:12:00 – Final insights: why kindness is a competitive advantage

1:14:00 – Where to find The People First Method and free resources

1:16:20 – Closing thoughts: lead with heart, lead with purpose

🔔 Call to Action

If this episode inspired you to lead with people first:

✅ Subscribe to Magic in the Cloud for more episodes on tech, leadership, and growth.

💬 Comment your biggest takeaway or story about how soft skills helped you win.

📢 Share this episode with a colleague who’s ready to turn soft skills into hard success.

Together, let’s build smarter teams — and a more human future in tech. ☁️💡

What do wedding dresses and taxi accidents have in common? Meet Renee Rogers, the founder of ONO, a revolutionary SaaS platform transforming how fleet operators handle post-accident reporting worldwide.

In this episode of Magic in the Cloud, Renee shares her remarkable journey from selling bridal gowns in Kent to managing 500 fleet vehicles in London, and ultimately building a tech company that's solving a problem the industry has ignored for decades. Her story is filled with unexpected pivots, resilience, and the kind of grit that only comes from real adversity.

What You'll Learn:

• How fleet accident reporting is broken (think: scraps of paper, hour-long hold times, and 20% reduced brain capacity during stress)

• Why ONO is saving fleet operators 10+ hours per week and reducing vehicle downtime by 100+ hours annually

• The surprising connection between wedding sales skills and navigating male-dominated industries

• How childhood cancer shaped Renee's fearless approach to entrepreneurship

• The power of embracing vulnerability as a strength, not a weakness

• Practical insights on expanding from UK to US markets

Whether you're building a startup, navigating career transitions, or simply interested in stories of human resilience, this conversation delivers authenticity, wisdom, and actionable insights.

🔗 Connect with Renee Rogers: LinkedIn: Renee Rogers (tagline: "Let's not meet by accident") Instagram: @the_CEONo

🔗 Learn more about ONO and request a demo for your fleet

Chapters:

00:00 - Introduction: From Bridal to Fleet Management

03:12 - The Broken System: Current State of Fleet Accident Reporting

06:45 - How ONO Works: The Driver Experience

09:20 - Business Impact: Time Savings and ROI for Fleet Operators

13:18 - The Bridal Industry Origins: Selling Double Glazing to Wedding Dresses

17:34 - Reading the Room: Navigating Complex Sales Dynamics

20:15 - The Pivot: From Wedding Consultancy to Fleet Admin

23:42 - Growing the Fleet: From 44 to 500 Vehicles

26:50 - The Birth of ONO: When You Can't Find a Solution, Build It

30:28 - Leaving During COVID: Taking the Entrepreneurial Leap

33:15 - Collaboration Over Competition: The Fleet Tech Ecosystem

36:40 - Innovation Roadmap: Geofencing, Dash Cams, and Data Integration

40:22 - Breaking Into Male-Dominated Industries

44:35 - The Power of Authenticity and Embracing Support

47:50 - US Market Expansion: Differences and Opportunities

52:18 - 60 Seconds on a Camel: The Egypt Story

56:30 - Dealing with Doubt and Moving Forward Daily

59:45 - Childhood Cancer: Losing an Eye at Age Two

63:20 - Turning Adversity into Strength

66:40 - The Decision to Go Public: Advocating for Others

69:25 - Family Influence: Raised by a Village

72:10 - The Power of Appreciation and Gratitude

75:50 - Final Thoughts and How to Connect

Subscribe to Magic in the Cloud for more conversations with authentic leaders who are building lasting cultures and driving innovation through genuine care for both customers and employees. Like this episode if Quinn's journey from farm to factory floor inspired you, and share it with someone who could benefit from her insights on leadership and finding work-life integration.