The Think Factory Podcast

The Think Factory Podcast

by The Think Factory

Management Marketing

Robin Senss, Chief Operating Officer, Friends Association For Care and Protection of Children

In this episode of the Think Factory Podcast, Robin Senss, Chief Operating Officer of Friends Association For Care and Protection of Children, discusses the realities of family homelessness and the community-based solutions needed to help families achieve lasting stability. Robin shares Friends Association’s long history and its work providing emergency family shelter, eviction prevention, legal support, and ongoing case management for families facing housing instability in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Drawing from her own childhood experiences with housing instability, Robin explains why homelessness can happen to families for many different reasons and why understanding the circumstances behind a housing crisis is essential to providing meaningful support. She also discusses Friends Association’s expansion from six shelter units to 16 private family apartments, which has helped eliminate the organization’s family shelter wait list, while emphasizing that safe housing must be paired with services that address employment, finances, disabilities, legal challenges, and other underlying issues. Robin explores eviction prevention, including free legal representation and assistance before, during, and after court proceedings, as well as the importance of advocacy, volunteers, community support, and flexible funding. She also shares her perspective on the Housing First model and why housing and case management need to work together to address the deeper challenges families face. Looking ahead, Robin emphasizes the power of empathy, community involvement, and treating housing as a basic need while remaining flexible enough to respond to changing needs and create opportunities for families to rebuild stability, dignity, and hope.

Alexis Crowell, CMO, Axelera AI

In this episode of the Think Factory Podcast, Alexis Crowell, General Manager of Americas and Global CMO at Axelera AI, discusses her unconventional career journey across finance, engineering, technology, marketing, and executive leadership. Alexis shares how taking on unfamiliar challenges, including leading a team of software engineers without an engineering background, taught her the value of curiosity, learning, and being comfortable saying, “I don’t know, but I’ll figure it out.” She also explores how her international experience across four continents shaped her adaptable leadership style and helped her understand different cultures and perspectives. Alexis discusses common misconceptions about AI, emphasizing the importance of using the right data and focusing on specific business problems rather than adopting AI simply for the sake of it. She also explains how Axelera AI is bringing AI inference to the edge, enabling faster, more private, and more power-efficient AI applications in areas such as healthcare, finance, and other regulated or remote environments. Looking ahead, Alexis shares her excitement about Axelera's mission and reflects on the twists and turns of her career, encouraging others to embrace uncertainty and trust that their path will unfold in ways they may not expect.

Pratik Bhadra, CEO-North America, Netcore

In this episode of the Think Factory Podcast, Pratik Bhadra, CEO of North America at Netcore Cloud and Unboxed, discusses his journey from software engineering to leading businesses across public, private equity-backed, venture-backed, and bootstrapped companies. Pratik shares how taking strategic leaps of faith and applying first-principles thinking helped him navigate different industries, scale businesses, and adapt his leadership approach to changing stages of growth. He also discusses the importance of understanding customer problems, learning from both successes and failures, and tailoring strategies to the people and circumstances within each organization. Pratik shares leadership lessons on building cross-functional teams, creating capacity by developing future leaders, asking for help, and becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable. He also explores the different leadership mindsets required across various ownership structures and growth models, while emphasizing the importance of taking initiative rather than waiting for permission. Looking ahead, Pratik discusses his interest in advising startups, angel investing, continuing to operate and scale businesses, and balancing future opportunities with being present for his family.

Amy Francis, Global HR Business Partner, GSK

In this episode of the Think Factory Podcast, Amy Francis, Global HR Business Partner at GSK, discusses her 25-year career within the organization and how working across HR operations, systems, global process ownership, and strategic business partnering shaped her approach to leadership. Amy shares how her experience leading global Workday processes across more than 100 countries taught her the importance of curiosity, understanding local practices, and listening before trying to change or standardize a process. She also explores the HR business partner’s role as a translator between business goals, employees, and leaders, emphasizing that trust and strong relationships are essential to influencing decisions and navigating change. Amy discusses the value of being a “jack of all trades,” explaining how broad experience builds judgment, helps leaders recognize what they do and do not know, and allows them to connect with the right experts. She also shares lessons from large-scale technology transformations and how organizations can approach AI by first mapping and understanding their processes, identifying where human judgment and empathy are needed, and then determining what can be automated. Looking ahead, Amy encourages professionals to step outside their comfort zones, raise their hands for opportunities, and recognize that even seemingly small assignments can build credibility, demonstrate potential, and open doors to future growth.

Zihla Salinas Arbit, CEO, Yes&

In this episode of the Think Factory Podcast, Zihla Salinas Arbit, CEO of Yes&, discusses how she leads an independent marketing agency through growth, change, and innovation. Zihla shares her experience managing organizational change and integrating eight agencies through mergers and acquisitions, emphasizing the importance of listening, building trust, and getting people on board before implementing major changes. She also reflects on her journey from hands-on client services and marketing into executive leadership, the value of diverse experience in making strategic decisions, and how motherhood reshaped her definition of success and leadership. Zihla also explores how AI is transforming the marketing industry and how Yes& has embraced AI through training, proprietary tools, and an AI-powered operating system while maintaining the importance of human creativity, critical thinking, and client relationships. Looking ahead, she discusses the changing skills needed for the next generation of marketers and YesAnd’s vision for expanding its national presence and becoming a more recognized name within the industry.

Matt Ambrose, President & CEO, Ambrose Packaging

In this episode of the Think Factory Podcast, Matt Ambrose, president of Ambrose Packaging, shares how his third-generation family business has evolved from a traditional packaging distributor into a systems integration company focused on automation and innovative manufacturing solutions. Matt discusses how Ambrose works with customers across industries to design custom production lines, improve efficiency, increase throughput, and solve challenges related to labor, equipment uptime, and growth. Matt also explains how automation can improve the workplace by helping employees become more efficient, reducing repetitive and physically demanding work, and improving safety, morale, and retention. He shares examples of successful automation projects, including a multi-million-dollar packaging system with an eight-month ROI, and discusses how Ambrose evaluates technology investments based on each customer's needs and goals. Matt also highlights the importance of staying current with emerging technology while helping manufacturers understand the long-term value and ROI of automation.

Kyle Willis, VP of Growth at BELAY Solutions

In this episode of the Think Factory Podcast, Kyle Willis, Vice President of Growth at Belay Solutions, discusses how the company helps busy business leaders through remote and fractional staffing solutions. Kyle explains Belay’s approach to matching businesses with carefully vetted executive assistants, marketing assistants, bookkeepers, payroll specialists, and fractional CFOs. He also shares how COVID accelerated the adoption of remote work and how AI is helping fractional employees increase efficiency and deliver more value to business leaders. Kyle also shares lessons from his experience working with startups, growing companies, and established organizations, including the importance of making strategic hiring decisions when resources are limited. He discusses why sales and marketing teams need to work as one ecosystem, how strong relationships are built through trust and providing value, and why leaders should embrace opportunities even when they do not feel fully prepared. Looking ahead, Kyle highlights the importance of balancing business growth with family and keeping relationships at the center of both professional and personal success.

Elizabeth Carr, Clinical Psychologist/Founder, Kentlands Psychotherapy

In this episode of the Think Factory Podcast, Dr. Elizabeth Carr, founder and CEO of Kentlands Psychotherapy, shares her journey from serving as a Navy psychologist to building a thriving psychotherapy practice in the Washington region. Dr. Carr discusses how her military experience shaped her approach to servant leadership and why creating a supportive environment for clinicians is essential to delivering quality mental health care. She also explores the challenges of burnout, insurance requirements, and maintaining a healthy workload for therapists while continuing to meet the growing demand for mental health services. Dr. Carr also explains how Kentlands Psychotherapy has created a more connected, convenient experience for clients by bringing multiple mental health services together under one practice. She discusses the practice's therapist matching program, use of technology and AI, and its focus on helping clinicians work to their strengths while building a strong sense of community. Looking ahead, Dr. Carr shares her concerns about the growing corporatization of mental health care and emphasizes the importance of smaller practices supporting one another to protect quality care and preserve the human side of mental health services.

Walter Allen, Founder and CEO of Acumen Building Enterprise, Inc.

In this episode of the Think Factory Podcast, Walter Allen, founder, owner, CEO, and president of Acumen Building Enterprise, shares the journey that took him from engineering and military service to building a company focused on transportation systems and infrastructure. Walter discusses Acumen’s early work with BART, where the company developed one of the first systems designed to convert large bills into smaller denominations for transit passengers. That project became a foundation for Acumen’s expertise in fare collection, revenue systems, and transportation technology, leading to work with major transit systems including WMATA and Amtrak. Walter also explores the future of transportation, from digital fare collection and facial recognition to high-speed rail, autonomous vehicles, and mobility hubs designed to solve the first-mile and last-mile challenge. He shares his perspective on California’s high-speed rail efforts, the role of public-private partnerships, and the need to connect clean transportation with clean energy to reduce emissions. Looking ahead, Walter discusses Acumen’s work on mobility solutions and offers three lessons for the next generation of leaders: stay positive, remain a lifelong learner, and be flexible while staying humble.

Renee Brown, President and CEO of DePaul Community Resources

In this episode of the Think Factory Podcast, Renee Brown, President and CEO of DePaul Community Resources, discusses the organization’s work supporting children, families, and individuals with disabilities across Virginia. Renee shares how DePaul has grown from its origins as an orphanage in 1977 into a broad continuum of foster care, adoption, independent living, mental health, and disability support services, guided by a mission centered on creating hope and belonging. She also explores the importance of lived experience in leadership and why giving people a voice in decisions that affect them can lead to stronger, more effective programs. Renee also addresses common misconceptions around foster care and adoption, the importance of continued support for adoptive families, and how DePaul prioritizes the well-being of its own staff through self-care, work-life balance, and mental health resources. She shares how the organization identifies unmet needs in communities, including the creation of a kinship care program that helps relatives caring for children avoid unnecessary entry into foster care. Through her leadership and DePaul’s evolving programs, Renee highlights how connection, compassion, and a sense of belonging can help individuals and families build more hopeful futures.

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