Experience-Focused Leaders
Alex Shevelenko
Introducing Alex Shevelenko, CEO and founder of RELAYTO and the host of the Experienced-Focused Leaders Podcast. With a mission to empower seasoned business owners who recognize the critical role of customer experience in achieving success, Alex brings together a community of discerning listeners eager to explore new perspectives and strategies for enhancing their experience-centric approach.
In our thought-provoking podcast episodes, we dive deep into the stories and insights of accomplished business owners who have honed their expertise in delivering exceptional customer experiences. These industry veterans possess a wealth of knowledge and practical experience, making them valuable resources for our audience of seasoned professionals who are passionate about creating meaningful connections with their customers.
Our podcast serves as a platform for exchanging ideas, sharing best practices, and exploring innovative approaches to customer experience. We understand that our audience is composed of discerning individuals who have already achieved considerable success and are constantly seeking new ways to elevate their customer-centric strategies.
If you are a seasoned business owner with a profound understanding of the significance of customer experience in driving business growth, we invite you to join us as a guest on our podcast. Share your unique insights, success stories, and the strategies that have set you apart in your industry.
In our thought-provoking podcast episodes, we dive deep into the stories and insights of accomplished business owners who have honed their expertise in delivering exceptional customer experiences. These industry veterans possess a wealth of knowledge and practical experience, making them valuable resources for our audience of seasoned professionals who are passionate about creating meaningful connections with their customers.
Our podcast serves as a platform for exchanging ideas, sharing best practices, and exploring innovative approaches to customer experience. We understand that our audience is composed of discerning individuals who have already achieved considerable success and are constantly seeking new ways to elevate their customer-centric strategies.
If you are a seasoned business owner with a profound understanding of the significance of customer experience in driving business growth, we invite you to join us as a guest on our podcast. Share your unique insights, success stories, and the strategies that have set you apart in your industry.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Oct 24, 2025 • 1h 58min
11 – Owning the Problem: Christopher Lochhead on Why the Best Product Doesn’t Win
Your host Alex Shevelenko welcomes Christopher Lochhead, a three-time public company CMO, best-selling author of Play Bigger, Niche Down, and The Existing Market Trap, and host of Follow Your Different. Together, they explore what most businesses get wrong about growth, positioning, and innovation.Known as the godfather of category design and often called the Gordon Ramsay of business, Christopher doesn’t sugarcoat the truth. He explains why the idea that “the best product wins” is the biggest lie in business, how the most successful companies create new categories instead of competing in existing ones, and how to recognize whether you are solving a hard-to-solve or a hard-to-sell problem. He also shares why AI is replacing book-smart people, not street-smart ones.Christopher reveals the hidden force he calls “the existing market trap,” which keeps even great companies from breaking through, and explains how leaders can escape it before it kills their strategy.To continue the conversation with Christopher, connect with him on LinkedIn or learn more at lochhead.com. Think you'd be a great guest on the show? Apply HERE. To learn more about RELAYTO, visit relayto.com.
Oct 17, 2025 • 58min
10 – Rewriting the Rules: Innovation and Brand Performance in Healthcare and Beyond
Your host Alex Shevelenko welcomes Haider Alleg — strategist, entrepreneur, founder of Kaiju Marketing, and GP at Allegory Capital — to explore how innovation thrives even in the most regulated industries. With over 20 years of experience helping pharma, healthcare, and compliance-driven sectors evolve, Haider shows that following the rules doesn’t mean sacrificing creativity or connection.In this conversation, Haider shares why the old playbook no longer works (“You can’t say, ‘It’s bad, but it’s healthcare’”), how the Content Vortex strategy turns one big idea into dozens of engaging touchpoints, and why authenticity beats algorithms when building trust. He also discusses the safest ways to apply AI in regulated spaces—focusing on verified knowledge, not automated advice—and leaves us with a powerful reminder: every company, every brand, is a product, and every touchpoint should deliver care and delight.To continue the conversation with Haider, connect with him on LinkedIn. Think you'd be a great guest on the show? Apply HERE. To learn more about RELAYTO, visit relayto.com.
Oct 3, 2025 • 38min
9 – From Trulia’s $3.5B Exit to Virta Health: Rethinking Leadership That Lasts
Your host Alex Shevelenko welcomes Sami Inkinen — Co-Founder of Trulia and CEO of Virta Health — to discuss what sustains leaders beyond the big milestones. After scaling Trulia to a $3.5 billion IPO, Sami discovered that while he had trained his body and educated his mind, he had never truly trained his inner world. That realization sparked a 12-year practice that reshaped how he leads, motivates teams, and builds lasting companies.In this conversation, Sami shares why authentic leadership outperforms the “founder mode” playbook, the psychology behind sustainable motivation, and how to create self-driven teams without slipping into the role of therapist. He also explains why a single authentic story can inspire more than a thousand data points, how cultivating multiple identities builds resilience, and the surprising “unexplainable love” test every founder should apply before starting something new.For leaders building through rapid growth or aiming for long-term impact, this episode offers a fresh lens on what truly sustains founders and their teams.To continue the conversation with Sami, connect with him on LinkedIn or explore Virta Health at virtahealth.com.Think you'd be a great guest on the show? Apply HERE. To learn more about RELAYTO, visit relayto.com.
Sep 26, 2025 • 53min
8 – Mind Movies for Leaders: Persuade, Inspire, Connect
Your host Alex Shevelenko welcomes Melissa Reaves — Founder and CEO of Story Fruition — to discuss why stories work outperform data in business communication. Melissa's journey from advertising technology startups to creating her bestselling Mind Movie Method reveals why human brains are wired for narrative over data. In this conversation, she explains the neuroscience behind effective business storytelling, introduces the Wonder Wander Effect that causes audiences to mentally check out, and demonstrates her CROW framework for crafting memorable narratives. Melissa provides live coaching on converting technical content into visual stories, discusses her approach to building organizational story libraries, and shares insights on creating dynamic presentation formats that match today's communication standards. For business leaders seeking to connect with investors, customers, and teams through compelling stories rather than charts and graphs, Melissa offers practical methods for turning information into experiences that audiences remember and act upon. To continue the conversation with Melissa, connect with her on LinkedIn or visit storyfruition.com. Think you'd be a great guest on the show? Apply HERE. To learn more about RELAYTO, visit relayto.com.
Sep 19, 2025 • 30min
7 – Content That Sells: Short-Term Ammo, Long-Term Impact
Your host, Alex Shevelenko, sits down with Aaron Dunn — VP of Marketing at Thoroughpass — to explore the evolving world of interactive content in B2B marketing. Aaron’s career spans from the early days at SnapApp, a pioneer in turning static content into engaging experiences, to leading marketing initiatives that shape how businesses connect with audiences today.In this conversation, Aaron reflects on the challenges of transforming traditional formats like PDFs into dynamic, user-driven journeys and discusses how short-form content, AI, and social platforms like LinkedIn and TikTok have shifted the way marketers engage audiences. He shares his insights on building trust and authenticity in an AI-driven era, the potential of exclusive communities as engagement channels, and how cross-media experiences can provide meaningful connections without overwhelming users.For those looking to stay ahead in the content landscape, Aaron offers practical takeaways on creating interactive experiences that resonate and drive real engagement.To continue the conversation with Aaron, connect with him on LinkedIn HERE. Think you’d be a great guest on the show? Apply HERE. To learn more about RELAYTO, visit relayto.com.
Sep 11, 2025 • 1h 7min
6 - From Churn to 95% Retention: The New Agency Growth Playbook
Your host, Alex Shevelenko, sits down with Luke Tobin — serial entrepreneur and investor — to explore how to scale companies with staying power in industries where client loyalty is hard to win. Luke built Digital Ethos into the UK’s fastest-growing marketing agency before its acquisition by Cadastra, where he went on to co-lead EMEA operations with 900 employees and a $50M portfolio serving global brands like Samsung, Unilever, and the NHS.Today, as founder of Tobin Capital, Luke partners with high-potential businesses — with a portfolio that includes category-defining companies like SpaceX and RELAYTO — helping leaders accelerate growth without losing sight of culture and client relationships.In this conversation, Luke shares his perspective on building trust with clients, scaling teams through acquisitions, and what it takes to back the companies shaping tomorrow’s markets.To learn more about Luke’s work, click HERE. Think you’d be a great guest on the show? Apply HERE. To learn more about RELAYTO, visit relayto.com.
Sep 3, 2025 • 36min
5 – CEO Lessons from Scaling Meetup, Investopedia & More
Your host, Alex Shevelenko, sits down with David Siegel — former CEO of Meetup, Investopedia, and Seeking Alpha — to explore what it takes to lead organizations through growth, reinvention, and successful exits. With 7X and 5X outcomes under his belt, David has guided companies through pivotal transitions while keeping both culture and performance at the center.In this conversation, David shares the leadership principles from his bestselling book Decide and Conquer, including how to make tough calls under pressure, why transparency builds lasting trust, and the decision-making frameworks that separate thriving leaders from struggling ones.To learn more about David’s work, including Decide and Conquer, click HERE. Think you’d be a great guest on the show? Apply HERE. To learn more about RELAYTO, visit https://relayto.com/
Aug 25, 2025 • 1h 6min
4 – How to Build, Exit, and Build Again: Shane Neman’s Formula for Growth
Your host, Alex Shevelenko, sits down with Shane Neman — serial entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and real estate developer — to explore what it takes to build, scale, and exit businesses across industries. From dropping out of NYU Medical School to founding JoonBug, a nightlife digital events powerhouse, and later creating EZ Texting, the largest business SMS SaaS platform in the U.S., Shane’s journey is anything but ordinary.In this conversation, Shane shares the lessons he’s learned from building companies at the intersection of technology, media, and real estate. He explains how resilience and calculated risk-taking shaped his path, why failure can be the best teacher, and what founders often overlook when scaling a business.The discussion also dives into Shane’s perspective as an investor and developer — including how he identifies opportunities others miss, the principles guiding his real estate portfolio (with properties like the Santa Monica Pier), and his advice for entrepreneurs navigating today’s competitive landscape.To learn more about Shane’s work, including his book NightLife Lessons, click HERE.Think you’d be a great guest on the show? Apply HERE. To learn more about RELAYTO, visit https://relayto.com/
Aug 18, 2025 • 38min
3 – The Biggest Myths Holding Back Your Sales Team
Your host, Alex Shevelenko, sits down with Geoffrey Reid — former CEO of Marcus Evans Group and author of Revenue Catalyst: Mastering the Art of Sales — to explore what it takes to build a career from the ground floor to the top of a global organization. Over 25 years in the business world, Geoffrey has honed a deep understanding of revenue generation, leadership, and sales mastery.In this conversation, Geoffrey shares how early experiences shaped his approach to leadership, the lessons he learned scaling a major international company, and why mastering the art of sales is about much more than numbers. He explains how values-driven leadership drives long-term results, why adaptability is critical in a fast-changing market, and the mindset required to turn challenges into opportunities.The discussion also touches on the strategies that separate great leaders from good ones, the role of culture in driving performance, and practical insights that anyone in sales or business leadership can apply immediately.To learn more about Geoffrey and his book, Revenue Catalyst: Mastering the Art of Sales, click HERE. Think you’d be a great guest on the show? Apply HERE.To learn more about RELAYTO, visit https://relayto.com.
Aug 11, 2025 • 1h 1min
2 – Nobel Peace Prize Winner Oleksandra Matviichuk: How One Person Can Change the World
Your host, Alex Shevelenko, sits down with Oleksandra Matviichuk — Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Ukrainian human rights lawyer, and head of the Center for Civil Liberties — to explore what it truly takes to defend freedom when the systems around you fail. For over 15 years, Oleksandra has been on the front lines of the fight for dignity, justice, and human rights, earning global recognition from TIME’s 100 Most Influential People list to praise from leaders like Hillary Clinton.In this conversation, Oleksandra shares how ordinary people can have an extraordinary impact, why collective action is the most powerful force for change, and the hard truth that freedom is never guaranteed — it must be protected every day. She explains how values-driven leadership sustains progress, whether you’re safeguarding lives in Ukraine or safeguarding ideas in Silicon Valley.The discussion also touches on the resilience it takes to keep going in the face of systemic failure, the role of solidarity in high-stakes situations, and why doing what’s right is often far harder — and far more important — than doing what’s easy.To learn more about Oleksandra’s work at the Center for Civil Liberties, click HERE.Think you’d be a great guest on the show? Apply HERE. To learn more about RELAYTO, visit https://relayto.com./
