In nearly 15 years, Wade has grown Zapier from a side project at a Missouri hackathon into one of the most capital efficient software companies ever built. Essentially bootstrapped, Zapier now helps millions of customers automate their work by connecting the thousands of apps and tools that businesses use every day.

In this conversation, Darren seeks to understand Wade as a leader: a man who grew up in Jefferson City, Missouri with no entrepreneurial blueprint, who built something genuinely countercultural by trusting what he knew to be true before the evidence arrived. They talk about the “Code Red” Wade declared in March of 2023, the prescient decision to enact a company wide pause that has led to 100% AI adoption across the organization, what it takes to lead people through that kind of change, and the critical distinction between personal and institutional AI adoption.

Find out more about the Trium Group at triumgroup.com

One of One is produced by Darren Gold, Emily Shaw, and Karen Welsh. Engineering by Aja Simpson.

In this episode of One of One, Darren speaks with Wendy McMahon, former CEO of CBS News & Stations.

Wendy McMahon is one of the most influential leaders in modern broadcast journalism. Over the course of her career, has led two of the most important institutions in American media, first as president of the ABC-owned television stations, and later as president and CEO of CBS News and Stations. She began her career in local television, working in branding, marketing, and storytelling across local stations around the country. From those early roles, she developed a deep conviction about the purpose of journalism, especially local journalism, as a public service and a cornerstone of civic life.

Throughout this conversation, Wendy reflects on the realities of leading institutions through transformation and uncertainty. She shares how leaders build momentum during change, why visible signals of leadership matter, and what it means to steward an organization whose mission extends far beyond the business itself.

She also introduces a powerful leadership idea that has shaped her thinking, the concept of mettle: the courage to stand in the storm when the stakes are highest and the world is watching. This is a conversation about purpose-driven leadership, navigating complexity, and the character required to lead when it matters most.

Find out more about the Trium Group at triumgroup.com

One of One is produced by Darren Gold, Emily Shaw, and Karen Welsh. Engineering by Aja Simpson.

In this episode of One of One, Darren speaks with Frank Blake, former chairman and CEO of The Home Depot.

Frank stepped into the CEO role at Home Depot at a moment of profound uncertainty. It was early 2007, the housing market was beginning to unravel, and culturally, the company had lost touch with the values that once defined it. Frank had never aspired to be a CEO, and yet he was asked to lead one of the largest retailers in the world through one of the most turbulent periods in its history.

Over the next eight years, Frank restored Home Depot's customer first culture. He paused new store openings to reallocate capital toward improving the customer experience, and led with a deeply unconventional philosophy that the CEO belongs at the bottom of the organization, pushing purpose upward rather than letting authority cascade down. This episode explores how to lead in crisis, the truth revealed by capital allocation, the discipline of focus, and what it really means to serve an organization.

Find out more about the Trium Group at triumgroup.com

One of One is produced by Darren Gold, Emily Shaw, and Karen Welsh. Engineering by Aja Simpson.