Advertise on podcast: Stare Down the Bull with Susan Hunt

On this episode of Stare Down the Bull, Susan Hunt sits down with Cortney Jonas Burnos for an honest conversation about leadership, AI, motherhood, burnout, and the pressure to appear “fine” in corporate environments. Cortney shares her journey from working in a Disney call center to becoming a VP of AI, while also opening up about foster parenting, career pivots, and the hidden emotional costs of trying to balance ambition with authenticity.  Connect with Susan:  LinkedIn Website  Connect with Cortney LinkedIn Website

In this episode of Stare Down the Bull, Susan Hunt talks with Jared Eisenlohr to challenge the traditional image of a successful salesperson. From managing high-pressure Vegas restaurants to navigating hypergrowth and AI-driven enterprise sales, Jared shares why calm, steady, and authentic operators consistently outperform the loudest voices in the room. The conversation explores how to cut through AI hype, build real trust, and win in complex environments.  Connect with Susan:  LinkedIn Website  Connect with Jared LinkedIn Website

Susan Hunt sits down with Gary Clayton to explore the intersection of AI, creativity, and human experience. Drawing from his background in music, technology, and storytelling, Gary shares how taste, timing, and empathy shape great products and why AI’s rapid evolution is forcing leaders to confront deeper questions about ethics, control, and what it really means to build for humans. Connect with Susan:  LinkedIn Website  Connect with Gary LinkedIn

On this episode of Stare Down the Bull, Susan Hunt talks with Bruce Eidsvik, Chief Growth Officer at Servion, to explore what it really takes to challenge industry giants and win. From early voice tech battles against entrenched telecom players to today’s AI transformation wave, Bruce shares hard-earned lessons on perseverance, partnerships, and turning innovation into real enterprise outcomes. Connect with Susan:  LinkedIn Website  Connect with Bruce: LinkedIn Website

In this episode of Stare Down the Bull, host Susan Hunt sits down with AI pioneer Roberto Pieraccini to explore the gap between what we expect from artificial intelligence and what it can actually deliver today. Drawing on decades of experience at Bell Labs, Nuance, Google, and Jibo, Roberto breaks down why AI progress is often misunderstood and what it really takes to turn invention into meaningful innovation. Connect with Susan:  LinkedIn Website  Connect with Roberto LinkedIn

Susan Hunt sits down with Lacey Wean of Carahsoft to unpack what it really takes to bring emerging technologies into the federal government. From drones and smart cities to AI in public safety, Lacey shares how mission alignment, trust, and long-term strategy determine which innovations actually scale beyond pilot programs. Connect with Susan:  LinkedIn Website  Connect with Lacey LinkedIn Website

Technology sales veteran Tim Walsh joins Susan Hunt to trace the journey from Wildfire’s pioneering virtual assistant to today’s AI-driven customer experience platforms. They unpack what AI actually does well, why implementation is so hard for enterprises, the ethical moments that defined better CX, and the career pivots required when the market changes faster than your product. Connect with Susan:  LinkedIn Website  Connect with Tim LinkedIn

In this episode of Stare Down the Bull, host Susan Hunt talks with CX strategist Chris Arnold to explore what it really takes to build customer experience that works in the age of AI. Drawing on two decades leading CX at enterprise scale and his current work at the intersection of automation and empathy, Chris explains why the future of customer experience is not humans versus AI, but humans and AI working together. The conversation also turns deeply personal as Chris shares how a profound life tragedy reshaped his perspective on leadership, resilience, and what truly matters both at work and in life. Connect with Susan:  LinkedIn Website  Connect with Chris LinkedIn

Susan Hunt sits down with speech recognition pioneer Mike Phillips to explore what it really takes to turn breakthrough research into global industries. From the early days at MIT and DARPA to founding SpeechWorks and Vlingo, Mike shares how voice technology moved from lab experiment to call centers to smartphones. The conversation also dives into his next chapter building Sense, applying AI to the energy grid, and the hard lessons of leadership, competition, and staring down the bull when survival is on the line. Connect with Susan:  LinkedIn Website  Connect with Mike LinkedIn

In this episode of Stare Down the Bull, Susan Hunt sits down with chief communication and marketing leader Rick Mack to explore how companies communicate under pressure. From 100 acquisitions at Nuance to navigating a global malware crisis and shaping conversations on Capitol Hill, Rick shares what separates confident leaders from reactive ones. The conversation dives into authenticity, the power of the “why,” AI’s impact on marketing leadership, and Rick’s personal mantra for staying steady when everything is on the line. Connect with Susan:  LinkedIn Website Connect with Rick: LinkedIn Website

AI isn’t magic — it’s math, scale, and intention. On this episode of Stare Down the Bull, Susan Hunt sits down with AI engineer Justin Chiu to explore what artificial intelligence really is, where it’s headed, and what should genuinely concern us. From enterprise AI and reinforcement learning to AI-powered scams, misinformation, and defense applications, Justin breaks down complex concepts into plain English — and challenges the hype around “conscious machines.” This is a grounded, honest conversation about AI’s real-world impact — both promising and dangerous. Connect with Susan:  LinkedIn Website  Connect with Justin: LinkedIn

In this episode of Stare Down the Bull, Susan Hunt sits down with enterprise sales veteran Tony Janusky to explore how sales has evolved—from the early days of speech recognition and IVR to today’s AI-powered selling environments. Tony shares lessons from nearly two decades at Nuance, why long-term relationships remain a competitive advantage, and how sales leaders can embrace AI without losing the human connection that closes complex deals. Connect with Susan:  LinkedIn Website  Connect with Tony LinkedIn

In this episode of Stare Down the Bull, host Susan Hunt sits down with Tim Delisle, founder of 514 and former Head of Development at Nike. Tim shares his journey from being rejected from an engineering program to leading massive teams at one of the world’s most iconic brands. The conversation explores resilience, leadership under pressure, the realities of acquisition, building effective teams inside complex organizations, and what it truly means to stare down the bull as a founder and executive. Connect with Susan:  LinkedIn Website  Connect with Tim: LinkedIn Website

In this deeply moving episode of Stare Down the Bull, host Susan Hunt sits down with longtime friend Trish Straine as the country approaches the 25th anniversary of September 11. Trish shares her experience of losing her husband, Jimmy in the World Trade Center attacks just days after giving birth to their second child. Together, Susan and Trish reflect on grief, resilience, motherhood, faith, community support, and the long arc of healing. Trish also discusses co-founding Stephy’s Place, a free community-based grief support center, and how loss shaped her strength, perspective, and purpose. Connect with Susan:  LinkedIn Website  Connect with Trish: Website

What does it really take to scale businesses, shift venture capital norms, and create opportunities for underrepresented founders? In this episode, Susan Hunt sits down with venture capitalist, former Obama Administration advisor, and ImpactX co-founder Eric Collins for a wide-ranging conversation on capital access, inclusive investing, AI-driven growth, and what happens behind the scenes in venture capital.  From living in Washington D.C.’s historic Watergate to advising the Small Business Administration, building venture-backed companies across the U.S. and UK, and presenting awards at Buckingham Palace, Eric shares rare insights on power, proximity, and how doing good and doing well can coexist. Connect with Susan:  LinkedIn Website  Connect with Eric LinkedIn