Between Fires and Futures: Real Conversations for Tech Leaders Navigating What’s Now—and What’s Next

Between Fires and Futures: Real Conversations for Tech Leaders Navigating What’s Now—and What’s Next

Tonya Turrell

Episodes 22
Avg. Duration 41m
Activity Highly Active
Since May 2025
Latest Episode Mar 2026

Publishing Details

Schedule
Weekly
Format
Episodic
Consistency
32%
Hosting
feeds.buzzsprout.com

About This Podcast

Between Fires and Futures is the podcast for modern tech leaders caught in the constant tension of today and tomorrow.


It’s the space between daily firefights—cloud issues, AI hype, security breaches—and the visionary work of building scalable, resilient, future-ready organizations.

Each week, we talk with the strategists, technologists, and innovators doing the real work of leading change. These are unfiltered conversations that expose the tradeoffs, wins, and lessons no one puts in the case studies.


No spin. No fluff. Just pressure-tested leadership, real-world insight, and bold thinking.


https://www.technologymatch.com/ 


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Recent Episodes

Your AI ROI Lives or Dies on Adoption with Robyn Anderson

Mar 02, 2026 35m

If you are a CIO, CTO, or IT leader who secured the AI budget but still are not seeing meaningful ROI, this episode names the real issue: adoption is the constraint.In this conversation, Tonya sits…

The Human Blindspot: Why Employees Still Fall for Scams with Cybersecurity Expert Robert Siciliano

Feb 23, 2026 45m

If you are a CISO or IT leader who has invested in tools, training, and compliance programs yet still feels exposed, this episode confronts the uncomfortable truth: security doesn’t fail because of…

Leading IT Without Panic: Decisions, Security, and AI in a High-Pressure Era with Manuel Ruiz

Feb 16, 2026 49m

If you are an IT leader feeling buried under nonstop urgency, executive AI mandates, rising security risk, and shrinking capacity, this episode speaks directly to the tension you are carrying. In…

The Invisible Load of IT Leadership: Pressure, Clarity, and Decision-Making in the AI Era with Dave Zaron

Feb 09, 2026 1h 4m

If you are an IT leader carrying constant urgency, invisible pressure, and expectations that keep shifting faster than your organization can stabilize, this episode names what most leaders are…

AI Grew Up Fast: Reasoning Models, Agents, and What Leaders Do Next with Dell’s Allen Clingerman

Feb 02, 2026 1h 5m

If you still think AI is something your organization can “watch for another year,” this episode will change your mind.To open season two of Between Fires & Futures, Tonya welcomes back Allen…

Toxic MSPs: The Silent Threat Inside Your IT Strategy with Z7’s Zack Aleksic

Dec 01, 2025 32m

If you’ve ever renewed an MSP contract while thinking, “This partnership isn’t working…but I don’t have the energy to fix it,” this episode is the one you’ve been waiting for. In today’s…

Cool Again: What IBM’s Reinvention Signals for IT Leaders Right Now with IBM’s Josh Kropf

Nov 24, 2025 54m

If you think you know IBM, this conversation will change that. In this episode, Tonya sits down with Josh Kropf, Director for IBM Americas (Arrow), for a candid, energizing, myth-busting look at what…

Stop the AI Chaos: How to Start Where It Actually Matters with Sciata CEO, Michelle Tinsley

Nov 17, 2025 38m

In this episode, Tonya sits down with Michelle Tinsley, CEO of Sciata, to cut through the noise and finally get honest about what it really takes to do AI right inside a modern organization. With 30…

Inside the Hacker’s Mind: How IT Leaders Can Stay Ahead of Cyber Threats with Z7’s Zack Aleksic

Nov 10, 2025 40m

In this episode, Tonya sits down with Zack Aleksic, Founder and CTO of Z7 Solutions, to explore the evolving battlefield of cybersecurity—and what it really means to lead when attackers are already…

Getting Started with AI: What to Do First, What to Avoid, and How to Win Quick with Josh Einstein, ConRes

Oct 13, 2025 42m

In this episode, Tonya sits down with Josh Einstein, Cloud Architect, Software Developer, and AI Engineer at ConRes IT Solutions. With over two decades of experience spanning the dot-com boom,…

Cybersecurity Won’t Save You. Resilience Will with CTO Justin Young

Oct 06, 2025 33m

In this episode, Tonya sits down with Justin Young—Chief Technology Officer at Commercial Tool Group. With more than 25 years in IT leadership, Justin has navigated both large enterprise environments…

Leadership vs. Management: What IT Leaders Must Master with Maxwell Leadership's Mike Lyles

Sep 29, 2025 46m

In this episode, Tonya sites down with Mike Lyles—Head of IT at Maxwell Leadership, keynote speaker, certified coach, and author of The Drive-Thru Is Not Always Faster. With more than 30 years of…

Leading with Presence in the Age of AI with Leslie Ann Keeler

Sep 22, 2025 1h 3m

In this episode of Tonya sits down with leadership visionary Leslie Ann Keeler to explore what it means to lead in an era defined by rapid AI innovation and constant change.With nearly two decades of…

Stop the Budget Bleed: How IT Leaders Can Unlock Hidden Dollars with Leslie Bonsett

Sep 15, 2025 41m

Is your IT budget quietly bleeding while you’re too busy putting out fires to notice?In this episode, Tonya welcomes back Leslie Bonsett of Global Consulting Group for a deep dive into IT cost…

Power Is the New Currency: AI Adoption vs. Infrastructure Reality for CIOs with Joel St. Germain

Sep 09, 2025 47m

AI is moving faster than the infrastructure that powers it. While headlines focus on breakthrough models and business outcomes, CIOs and IT leaders are running into the real bottleneck: data centers,…

Why Women Are Essential to Transforming IT Leadership in the Age of AI with Leslie Bonsett, April Armijo, Lara Mayes

Aug 13, 2025 1h 9m

In this powerful and candid conversation, host Tonya Turrell sits down with three trailblazing women from GCG — Lara Mayes, April Armijo, and Leslie Bonsett — to explore how female leaders are…

From Firefighting to Forward Thinking – Automation for the Modern IT Leader with Chris Miller, Advizex

Jul 14, 2025 44m

Want to know what automation strategies are actually working for real enterprise teams?Automation may be one of the most overused buzzwords in IT—but it’s also one of the most underutilized…

The IT Leader Has Evolved – Are You Still Just a Technologist? with Jason Frame, Southern Nevada Health District

Jul 07, 2025 40m

Is your IT leadership evolving fast enough to meet the demands of today’s human-first, AI-driven future?In this episode, Tonya sits down with Jason Frame, CIO of the Southern Nevada Health District,…

The Cost of Complexity – How IT Leaders Can Rein in Cloud Spend without Killing Innovation with Martin Hauskrecht, Labyrinth Labs

Jun 30, 2025 33m

Is your cloud bill out of control—despite doing “all the right things”? You’re not alone.In this episode of Tonya sits down with Martin Hauskrecht, Head of Engineering at Labyrinth Labs and curator…

IT Can’t Do it Alone – Solving the AI Adoption Gap with Steve Grosso & Danny Jones, Advizex

Jun 24, 2025 43m

Are your AI pilots technically successful—but still not going anywhere? You’re not alone. So what’s really holding back AI adoption in enterprise environments?In this episode of Between Fires and…

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does Between Fires and Futures: Real Conversations for Tech Leaders Navigating What’s Now—and What’s Next have?

Between Fires and Futures: Real Conversations for Tech Leaders Navigating What’s Now—and What’s Next has published 22 episodes since May 2025, covering topics in News, Tech News.

Is Between Fires and Futures: Real Conversations for Tech Leaders Navigating What’s Now—and What’s Next still active?

Between Fires and Futures: Real Conversations for Tech Leaders Navigating What’s Now—and What’s Next is currently highly active with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 41m.

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