In this episode of That Tech Pod, Laura and Kevin talk with Kevin's brother, Dr. Ross Albert, Medical Director of Hartford HealthCare at Home Hospice and Palliative Care, about one of the most unsettling trends in the digital age: health misinformation driven by AI. The conversation kicks off with a real case of a man hospitalized after following ChatGPT’s bad advice and spirals into the broader question of why people are so quick to trust AI over actual doctors.

Ross shares what it’s like when patients bring AI-generated “facts” into the exam room, how often he has to correct them, and what happens when politics, ideology, and misinformation collide with medicine. We get into the risks of fake medical citations, the line between bad advice and malpractice, and whether AI companies should be required to include stronger safeguards for health-related content. From hallucinations caused by bromide poisoning to the daily challenges doctors face correcting digital myths, this episode looks at what happens when artificial intelligence meets human vulnerability, and why it’s more important than ever to check your sources before taking medical advice from a chatbot.

Dr. Ross Albert, MD PhD is the Medical Director of the Hartford HealthCare at Home Hospice and Palliative Care teams. Over the last 15 years, he has practiced in primary care, hospital medicine, and palliative care roles across Connecticut. He holds board certifications in Family Medicine, Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Ross holds faculty positions with the UConn Internal Medicine and Quinnipiac Family Medicine residency programs. He has published numerous articles focused on evidence-based medical care for patients across the spectrum of disease.

Note: this episode is for informational purposes only. We talk about how medical misinformation spreads and what we can learn from it, but nothing you hear should be taken as medical advice. If you have questions about your health, talk to a doctor or another qualified healthcare professional. Also the views expressed by our guests are their own.

This week we sit down with Ben Wilcox, a tech leader who straddles two high-stakes worlds as both Chief Technology Officer and Chief Information Security Officer at ProArch. Ben shares how a teenage interest in “link lists” and web hosting turned into a 25-year career at the intersection of innovation and cybersecurity. We talk about what it really means to balance the drive to move fast with the need to stay secure, and whether those two priorities can truly coexist under one roof.

From high-profile AI prompt injection attacks targeting Microsoft Copilot to the growing sophistication of indirect exploits that manipulate corporate systems through AI agents, Ben breaks down what’s happening behind the headlines and how companies can protect themselves. He also opens up about his passion for car racing, a world that mirrors his approach to tech: fast, calculated, and always built with safety in mind. Ben then closes with some simple advice: say yes to new things, whether it’s tackling the next wave of AI risks or trying something unexpected outside of work, curiosity and courage are what keep you ahead of the curve.

Ben Wilcox is the Chief Technology Officer and Chief Information Security Officer at ProArch, a global IT consulting firm helping enterprises secure their data and accelerate digital transformation through strategic Microsoft partnerships. With more than 25 years of experience in technology leadership, Ben brings a rare dual perspective—driving innovation while protecting the business from ever-evolving cyber threats. Known for making complex topics approachable, he’s passionate about helping organizations move fast without breaking things, preparing their infrastructure for AI, and building security into the foundation of innovation. When he’s not guiding enterprises through digital change, you might find him on a racetrack, channeling the same balance of speed and precision that defines his work in tech.

Today on the pod, Laura and Kevin talk with Jamie Bernard, Vice President of Solutions Strategy and Head of Global Solutions at Valiantys, about what it really takes to turn technical capabilities into business results. Jamie has spent her career at the crossroads of product strategy, innovation, and AI enablement, helping companies move beyond buzzwords to create solutions people actually buy.

Jamie shares her approach to “turning chaos into cashflow,” how to spot real value in a world full of AI hype, and what makes a service offering more than just a well-designed PowerPoint deck. From building structured go-to-market strategies to helping global firms shift from implementation partners to transformation advisors, Jamie brings a practical, sometimes blunt perspective on where tech innovation meets business reality.

Jamie Bernard, Vice President of Solutions Strategy and Head of Global Solutions at Valiantys, an Atlassian Platinum Solution Partner. With more than two decades of experience in product strategy, go-to-market design, and AI enablement, Jamie specializes in turning technical capabilities into scalable, sellable solutions. She has helped global IT services firms shift from implementation partners to transformation advisors by building structured offerings, commercial models, and vertical strategies across industries like automotive, financial services, and healthcare. Known for thriving in high-change environments, Jamie bridges the gap between technical delivery and business value, helping organizations translate vision into outcomes that drive growth.

On this week's episode, Laura and Kevin talk with James Terry, Head of US Revenue at Indeed Flex, about how AI is reshaping the staffing industry.

James breaks down how Flex fits into the larger Indeed ecosystem and how technology is changing the way companies find, match, and retain talent. We get into the opportunities and risks that come with AI-driven recruiting, from reducing bias to making sure workers aren’t treated like data points. James also shares practical advice for anyone struggling to land a job in today’s evolving job market and offers a grounded view on how HR tech can still keep people at the center. This one is a must listen!

James Terry, the Head of US Revenue at Indeed Flex, has worked in the HR and staffing sector for over 15 years and holds an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University. Throughout his career, James has built expertise in strategy, sales, and leadership, with a focus on driving high-performing organizations. His experience has broadened through assignments in multiple countries, delivering results in collaboration with local teams.

James adopts a client-focused approach to understand unique business needs and design relevant solutions to fulfill their business requirements. By concisely and accurately presenting the Flex value to clients, he provides consultative solutions that are responsive to industry trends, new innovations, so ultimately the company's solutions ensure the highest level of client satisfaction. He is involved in the process from implementation through service delivery to ensure targets are being achieved and that contracts focus on continuous improvement.

This week on That Tech Pod, Laura and Kevin are joined by Gilad Shoham, VP of Engineering at Bit, to talk about the future of AI-driven development, composable architecture, and the cyber risks that come with them. Gilad has spent his career at the intersection of startups, enterprise engineering, and open-source communities, and he brings a clear, practical perspective on how technology is evolving.

We start with what composable architecture actually means, why it matters, and how it’s shaping the way modern teams build software. From there, we get into AI’s growing role in development, how AI-generated and reused code could introduce vulnerabilities at scale, and whether AI will replace parts of a developer’s job or remain more of a “co-pilot.” Gilad also shares his take on the next big shift in developer workflows over the next five years. On the personal side, Gilad reflects on his path from Israel’s elite IDF programming unit, to founding startups, to leading teams at Sisense, and now scaling engineering at Bit. He talks about the lessons from his startup days that still influence how he leads, and how his experiences as a world chess champion and professional debater sneak into his everyday life.

To learn more about Gilad, check out gilad.dev
or connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shohamgilad. You can also explore Bit and try out Hope AI at bit.cloud.

Gilad Shoham is the VP of Engineering at Bit, where he leads the development team and focuses on composable architecture and AI-driven development. Before Bit, he was an architect and team lead at Sisense, and earlier founded several startups after graduating from an elite IDF programming unit. Gilad is a seasoned speaker, blogger, and podcaster who writes and talks about developer tools, composable software, AI code generation, and smart tech. Beyond his day job, he mentors startups and developers, contributes to open-source projects, and organizes two of Israel’s largest developer communities: MCP Israel and n8n Israel. A lifelong technologist, Gilad started coding as a child, won a world chess championship with his team at age 12, and has been a professional debater for more than a decade.

Bit.cloud is an open-source platform for building composable software. It lets developers break apps into independent, reusable components that can be shared, updated, and scaled across projects and teams. With Bit, teams can speed up development, reduce duplication, and adopt a more modular approach to software architecture.

This week Kevin and Laura sit down with Uma Subramanian, Founder and CEO of Limitless Leaders, Inc. Uma shares her journey from leading initiatives at Microsoft to building a global platform dedicated to helping tech professionals unlock their leadership potential.

We explore what “limitless” leadership really means, the behaviors that often hold people back, and why she set out to build a program that looks different from traditional leadership training. Uma opens up about pushback she’s faced, lessons learned from her own failures, and how vulnerability shapes stronger leaders. The conversation also tackles today’s pressing challenges: navigating layoffs and uncertainty, addressing burnout, and building trust in an era of AI, deepfakes, and misinformation. Uma offers a candid perspective on what AI can and can’t replace in leadership coaching and what kind of leaders the next generation of tech professionals will need. Finally, Uma shares why investing in better leadership now is critical for the future of tech.

Uma Subramanian is on a mission to inspire and empower tech professionals to achieve their full leadership potential. As the Founder and CEO of Limitless Leaders, Inc., she has launched a global initiative that provides transformative learning experiences to professionals in tech and related fields.

With over two decades of experience in the tech industry, Uma has worked for one of the world's leading tech companies, Microsoft, where she led high-performing initiatives that drove impactful outcomes. Drawing on her own experiences, she has devoted her life to empowering others to achieve their full potential in all aspects of life. Uma is a leader committed to adding value to the lives of others. She is an Executive Director, certified coach, trainer, and speaker with Maxwell Leadership. She is also a founding Maxwell Leadership Corporate Facilitator Program member and a certified DISC Behavioral Analysis Consultant.

This week, Laura and Kevin are joined by Mike Maynard, CEO and Managing Director of Napier, a B2B PR and marketing agency helping tech companies turn awareness into opportunities. Mike started his career as an electronics design engineer before moving into marketing, and that technical background still shapes how he builds and measures campaigns today.

We talk about what real success looks like beyond clicks and leads, how Napier decides which industries to focus on, and why some sectors spark more excitement than others. Mike also shares his perspective on AI in marketing, from copyright questions around image generation to how automation can coexist with campaigns that still feel human and engaging. And of course, we ask what keeps him curious about technology after decades at the intersection of engineering and marketing.

On the lighter side, Laura gets a little weird by asking Mike what number he’d be, and in the outro we get into the Dax Prescott/Jalen Carter spitting incident in the Week 1 NFL opening game, the Eagles’ sportsmanship (or lack of it, depending who you ask), and Laura’s campaign for a new Super Bowl halftime band. This episode has it all!

Mike Maynard is the CEO and Managing Director of the Napier Group, a $7M PR and marketing agency for B2B technology companies. Mike specializes in increasing the speed prospects travel through clients’ sales and marketing funnels, generating opportunities more quickly, building integrated campaigns that focus on the important tactics, whether clients need to increase awareness, generate leads or engage contacts to create opportunities.

In this episode of That Tech Pod, we sit down with Josh Meier a Senior Generative AI Author at Pluralsight, where he helps professionals cut through the hype and learn how to use AI responsibly and effectively. With a background in software engineering, data engineering, and data science, Josh has built his career around translating complex ideas for both technical and non-technical audiences. We talk with Josh about what it really means to teach AI in a world where anyone can ask ChatGPT for an instant answer. He explains why structured learning still matters, how to separate casual tinkering from business-ready skills, and why human guidance is essential in a space that changes every few weeks. We also dig into some of the more controversial headlines—AI “lying” to users, models “trying to escape,” and facial recognition being used for both good and harm—and ask how society should weigh innovation against the risks of misuse. Finally, Josh shares his take on what the next big wave of AI innovation might look like. In the outtro, we discuss if we've finally made it because Laura saw someone in our swag "in the wild." You don't want to miss this episode!

Josh Meier (Meyer) is a Senior Generative AI Author at Pluralsight who helps professionals make sense of a fast-changing AI landscape. With a background in software engineering, data engineering, and data science, Josh has built a career around digging into data, uncovering insights, and translating complex concepts for both technical and non-technical audiences. Outside of work, he’s passionate about teaching and even finds inspiration in astronomy. In this conversation, we’ll dive into his work on generative AI, the hype around “AI gone rogue,” the unique challenges of AI security testing, and the ethical line between innovation and misuse.