• Episode 023: Greg Toroosian - Founder of Samson Rose - Robotics, Hard Tech and AI Recruitment
    Mar 15 2026

    With over 18 years of experience in recruiting, Greg Toroosian is passionate about connecting top talent with meaningful and challenging opportunities in the fields of robotics, hard tech, and AI. As the founder and head of search at Samson Rose, a boutique search firm, he leads their efforts to deliver high-quality and personalized services to clients and candidates. They are not just recruiters - they are search partners who advise, support, and elevate the hiring process for both sides of the equation.

    In addition to running his own firm, he also has a podcast called Machine Minds, where founders, leaders, and investors from innovative robotics & AI companies join him to discuss their products, careers, and the industry.

    Samson Rose: https://samsonrose.com

    Machine Minds: https://linktr.ee/machineminds

    Connect with Greg: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregtoroosian

    Credits

    Music: ‪@Pumpupthemind‬

    Stock Footage: https://www.pexels.com/@edmond-dantes, https://www.pexels.com/@ketut-subiyanto, ‪@pixabay8237‬

    Background: ‪@freepik‬

    Logo: ‪@canva‬



    Get full access to Past Present Phuture: 3 Questions at pastpresentphuture.substack.com/subscribe
    Show More Show Less
    22 mins
  • Episode 022: Dontae Delgado - Staff Product Manager | Career & Business Transformation Coach
    Mar 5 2026

    Dontae Delgado is a Staff Product Manager at ServiceTitan with a career spanning Amazon, Compass, Outreach, and Microsoft; where he's led products affecting millions of users and managed initiatives at enterprise scale.

    Outside of his day job, Dontae coaches professionals navigating career pivots and helps service-based small business owners build systems that let their business grow without them. His coaching practice is built on a simple belief: action creates clarity and difficult transitions become manageable when you have the right framework and someone who's been in the room.💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dontaedelgado

    Credits

    Music: ‪@Pumpupthemind‬

    Stock Footage: https://www.pexels.com/@edmond-dantes, https://www.pexels.com/@ketut-subiyanto, ‪@pixabay8237‬

    Background: ‪@freepik‬

    Logo: ‪@canva‬



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pastpresentphuture.substack.com
    Show More Show Less
    24 mins
  • Episode 021: Annie & Michael Hedgpeth - Founders of People Work
    Mar 1 2026
    Annie and Michael Hedgpeth are the co-founders of People Work, a bootstrapped software company helping professionals get intentional about the relationships that drive their careers. Annie is the CEO, with a non-traditional path through casting directing, cloud engineering, and software engineering at HashiCorp. Michael is the CTO, with a background in engineering leadership at NCR and Splunk. Together, they're building a private, native platform that helps people turn relationship-building into a daily practice, because as AI takes over more technical work, the professionals who invest in trust and collaboration will be the ones who win.People WorkA way to be consistent with the most important relationships in your professional world• Website - https://people-work.io • LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/hedge-ops-software-llc• YouTube - thttps://www.youtube.com/@People-Work• X/Twitter - https://x.com/peopleworkio• Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/peoplework.bsky.social• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/peopleworkioAnnie HedgpethCo-Founder & CEO• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/annie-hedgpeth• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/anniewithaplan• X/Twitter - https://x.com/anniehedgie• Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/anniehedgie.bsky.socialMichael HedgpethCo-Founder & CTO• X/Twitter: https://x.com/michaelhedgpeth• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-hedgpethCreditsMusic: ‪@Pumpupthemind‬Stock Footage: https://www.pexels.com/@edmond-dantes, https://www.pexels.com/@ketut-subiyanto, ‪@pixabay8237‬Background: ‪@freepik‬Logo: ‪@canva‬ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pastpresentphuture.substack.com
    Show More Show Less
    37 mins
  • Episode 020: Nick Cook - Senior Technical Writer at NVIDIA
    Feb 10 2026

    Nick Cook is a senior technical writer and software programmer with 25+ years of experience creating clear, effective documentation. He has worked on developer documentation for Google Cloud Media APIs, Android OS, and the game mechanics of Tetris. He currently resides in San Jose, CA and works at NVIDIA on LLM documentation.

    Credits

    Music: ‪@Pumpupthemind‬

    Stock Footage: https://www.pexels.com/@edmond-dantes, https://www.pexels.com/@ketut-subiyanto, ‪@pixabay8237‬

    Background: ‪@freepik‬

    Logo: ‪@canva‬



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pastpresentphuture.substack.com
    Show More Show Less
    19 mins
  • Episode 019: Philippe Routhier - ESG Practitioner & Former Chef
    Jan 30 2026

    Philippe Routhier is an ESG and sustainability practitioner with a non-traditional path into the field. He began his career in professional kitchens, where he learned discipline, failure, and how to lead under pressure, before transitioning into tech and corporate operations.Today, his work focuses on building practical ESG programs, navigating imperfect systems, and helping teams understand not just what needs to be done, but why. Philippe is especially interested in how setbacks, regulatory gaps, and lived experience shape more resilient approaches to sustainability over time.

    Credits

    Music: ‪@Pumpupthemind‬

    Stock Footage: https://www.pexels.com/@edmond-dantes, https://www.pexels.com/@ketut-subiyanto, ‪@pixabay8237‬

    Background: ‪@freepik‬

    Logo: ‪@canva‬



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pastpresentphuture.substack.com
    Show More Show Less
    26 mins
  • Episode 018: Manu Cornet - Cartoonist & Occasional Engineer
    Jan 23 2026

    After spending way too much time acquiring a master's in physics and another in applied math, Manu worked at Google (15 years) and Twitter (1.5 years) as a software engineer, while spewing a constant flow of satire through his cartoons. Since the day Elon Musk fired him for being too much of a troublemaker, he decided to step away from tech and now spends most of his time drawing.

    You can find Manu’s work across software, art and music at: ma.nu.

    Credits

    Music: ‪@Pumpupthemind‬

    Stock Footage: https://www.pexels.com/@edmond-dantes, https://www.pexels.com/@ketut-subiyanto, ‪@pixabay8237‬

    Background: ‪@freepik‬

    Logo: ‪@canva‬



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pastpresentphuture.substack.com
    Show More Show Less
    25 mins
  • Episode 017: Christopher Smith - Digital Strategist & WordPress Developer
    Dec 27 2025

    After bouncing around the IT world for a few years, Chris started a new journey in SEO and web marketing, then spent nearly a decade at Automattic as a support engineer and payments systems developer for WordPress.com and WooCommerce. That journey from technology to marketing to support to code shapes how he works today: asking the right questions, connecting the dots, and focusing on what's actually broken. He loves helping growing businesses turn an underperforming digital presence into something that delivers.

    Connect with Chris by visiting his site or on LinkedIn.

    Credits

    Music: ‪@Pumpupthemind‬

    Stock Footage: https://www.pexels.com/@edmond-dantes, https://www.pexels.com/@ketut-subiyanto, ‪@pixabay8237‬

    Background: ‪@freepik‬

    Logo: ‪@canva‬



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pastpresentphuture.substack.com
    Show More Show Less
    18 mins
  • Episode 016: Azhar Imanakunova - Senior Manager Enterprise Affiliate Partnerships @ Liquid Web
    Dec 11 2025

    Azhar Imanakunova is a performance and growth marketing leader with 10+ years of experience accelerating growth, scaling affiliate channels, and optimizing revenue for tech companies. She has managed $100M+ acquisition portfolios, exceeding ROAS goals and improving cost efficiency through strategic negotiation and data-driven experimentation. Alongside her corporate work, she leads She’s New to America Pro, a community focused on empowering immigrant women to thrive in U.S. corporate environments through networking, support, and career development. Connect with Azhar on LinkedIn.

    Credits

    Music: ‪@Pumpupthemind‬

    Stock Footage: https://www.pexels.com/@edmond-dantes, https://www.pexels.com/@ketut-subiyanto, ‪@pixabay8237‬

    Background: ‪@freepik‬

    Logo: ‪@canva‬



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pastpresentphuture.substack.com
    Show More Show Less
    20 mins