Start At Zero
Start at Zero is a conversation-first podcast about what it actually takes to modernize technology, build a business from scratch, and make sense of AI without the hype. Episodes range from focused 15-minute interviews with government leaders and tech founders to longer deep dives where I walk through what I'm building in real time - the AI agents, the automation stack, the hard lessons from 20 years of consulting.
The tone is direct and honest. I don't do scripted questions or softball setups. I want the story behind the story - what went wrong, what you'd do differently, what nobody in the room was willing to say. Guests should expect a conversation that feels like two people working through a real problem together, not a performance.
Topics include government technology, AI in the real world, entrepreneurship, consulting, procurement, and the messy intersection of all of them. Some episodes are interviews, some are just me thinking out loud about something I built or broke that week.
If you've got a real story - something you built, something that failed, a lesson that cost you - you'll fit right in here. I'll send a loose topic outline beforehand, but the best episodes happen when we go off-script.
Start At Zero
From Practitioner to CIO: The Leadership Evolution No One Talks About
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A lot of government CIOs step into the role carrying years of technical experience — but almost no preparation for the executive expectations that come with it. The shift from practitioner to CIO is bigger than most people realize, and it has very little to do with technology.
In this Untangled episode, AV and former CIO Robert Kornovich unpack what the job actually requires: communicating without jargon, framing risk for non-technical leaders, navigating politics, aligning teams, managing expectations, and learning how to lead people instead of tasks. They also dig into why many IT professionals struggle with this transition and how mentorship, environment, and organizational culture shape someone’s ability to grow into a true executive.
If you're building a career in government IT — or trying to make sense of the leap into leadership — this conversation clears the fog.
#Leadership #GovernmentIT #CareerGrowth #CIOPath #UntangledPodcast
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