In today’s business world change is the only constant, and mastering transformation is the ultimate key to success. Welcome to Shift & Thrive!
Each week, Host Natalie Nathanson will bring you conversations with CEOs, who delve into how they successfully drove critical change in their organization.
Magnetude has helped numerous companies move from concept to growth. Our senior marketing team delivers innovative strategy, paired with flawless execution, so you can embark on your next transformational initiative with confidence.
What does it actually take to reach buyers in a world where AI has flooded every inbox, gated white papers have lost their pull, and generic personalization is table stakes? In this special compilation episode of Shift & Thrive, host Natalie Nathanson brings together five of the sharpest go-to-market minds from previous episodes to tackle one of the biggest disruptions in B2B today.
Kerry Cunningham dismantles the "blank slate fallacy" and explains how LLMs are reshaping mid-funnel evaluation. Kristina McMillan shares how one portfolio company used deep research AI to deliver CEO-to-CEO custom market reports at scale. Jacki Leahy makes the case that the bar for outreach has been permanently raised and argues for visceral empathy over automation. Sajag Chikarsal walks through how to build custom GPTs that compress days of BDR research into minutes, and Yossi Carmon makes a bold prediction: the next go-to-market frontier is authenticity, and old-school, high-touch tactics are making a comeback.
April 22, 2026 / 25:48 / Read the Transcript
What does it take to transform a venture-backed startup into a profitable, predictable business after acquisition by a public company? In this episode of Shift & Thrive, host Natalie Nathanson sits down with David Axler, CEO of Occupier and seasoned tech executive, to unpack the mechanics of leading high-stakes transformation. David draws on his experience guiding Wave through its post-acquisition evolution under H&R Block, where he orchestrated a simultaneous shift in business model, strategy, and company culture. He and Natalie explore how leaders can build the right diagnostic team, make courageous bets without complete data, and balance consensus with decisive action. They also dig into David's current work at Occupier, a venture-backed proptech company modernizing commercial lease management, and how his team is deploying AI not as a replacement for expertise, but as a force multiplier for a small, high-output team.
April 15, 2026 / 58:00 / Read the Transcript
What does it take to step into the CEO role at the exact moment your industry faces its most turbulent period in history? In this episode of Shift & Thrive, host Natalie Nathanson speaks with Brandon Muniz, CEO of HeiTech Services, a veteran-founded government contracting firm with 26 years of legacy behind it. Brandon shares how he navigated DOGE cuts, a historic government shutdown, and the pressures of a rapidly consolidating market all within his first year of leadership. The conversation covers his military-rooted approach to decentralized decision-making, how he and his team used uncertainty as a catalyst to modernize the company's brand and AI capabilities, and the personal resilience required to lead through compounding change.
April 8, 2026 / 37:56 / Read the Transcript
What does it actually take to survive a business crisis and come out the other side a better leader? In this episode of Shift & Thrive, host Natalie Nathanson sits down with Vaughn Thurman, CEO and Founder of HighGear Software, and a seasoned entrepreneur with nearly 30 years of experience building and scaling technology businesses. Vaughn opens up about the moment his company was simultaneously threatened by a bank calling in its loans, the IRS showing up at his door, and the sudden loss of 60% of revenue. What follows is a candid conversation about how radical transparency and hard-earned humility transformed not just his failing business, but his entire philosophy of leadership. From rebuilding broken trust with customers to engineering a values-driven culture at HighGear, Vaughn shares what it really looks like to navigate change from the inside out.
April 1, 2026 / 48:32 / Read the Transcript
What does it take to reinvent a company not once, but multiple times, while keeping your team aligned, motivated, and moving in the same direction? In this episode of Shift & Thrive, host Natalie Nathanson sits down with Sam Ziman, CEO of Global CI, a data scientist turned operator who has led his organization through a series of deliberate transformations. The business has transformed from federal staffing to managed services and now into commercial SaaS products targeting the healthcare market. Sam shares the mindset shifts, leadership philosophies, and hard-won lessons that have shaped both his company and himself as a leader, including why radical transparency became a cornerstone of how he leads, and why knowing when to stop talking can be just as powerful as anything you say.
March 25, 2026 / 33:52 / Read the Transcript
