Rookies to Rockstars
GovCon is full of rules, red tape and make-or-break moments—but how do you go from a rookie struggling with acronyms to a rockstar closing deals and leading strategy? "Rookies to Rockstars" is the podcast where industry experts share the advice they wish they had starting out.
Co-hosts Amanda Ziadeh and Camille Tuutti bring on GovCon leaders who get real about the lessons, missteps and strategies that shaped their success. In 20-minute episodes, guests break down what they’ve learned about winning contracts, building relationships and navigating the GovCon world.
Whether you’re figuring out your next career move or setting your sights on the C-suite, these leaders share the hard-won advice they wish they knew earlier—how to manage risk, lead with confidence and make decisions that drive real impact in GovCon.
Episodes
10 episodes
What Happens When You Mix a Technologist with a Soldier? You Get a CIO Like John Pisano
Few CIOs can say their careers grew in two worlds at once. For John Pisano, building an IT career while serving in the Army Reserve shaped a leadership style rooted in structure, resilience and a drive to solve hard problems with purpose.
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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33:52
Be Bold, Seen & Invaluable: Garry Schwartz Transforms his Military Mission to Industry Success
Garry Schwartz didn’t begin his career in a boardroom, or even at an intern's desk, for that matter. He joined the military just in time to spend his 18th birthday at boot camp as a kid seeking structure and a purpose beyond himself. Turned out...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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23:41
From Airman to Intel Leadership: How David Guffey Built the Knowledge Base for a Career in GovTech
David Guffey's trajectory wasn't necessarily thought out. In fact, he mostly searched "for that next opportunity." Once an Airman, guardsman and reservist, what began as a way to serve and see the world in the U.S. Air Force turned int...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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29:48
How an $18K Job and a Missed Deadline Shaped Microsoft’s Heidi Kobylski into a Federal Tech Leader
Heidi Kobylski didn’t start out in tech or business. She started out helping women rebuild their lives in transitional housing in Baltimore. The work was meaningful, but it also revealed something else: She wanted to create impact in a differen...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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31:30
'Your Career Is Your Own': How Amy Foy Learned to Lead, Ask & Grow
Amy Foy didn’t wait for someone to hand her a career plan.Fresh out of college, she joined a leadership program that promised structure and direction. But when it ended, she realized no one was going to chart the next step. If she wanted...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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24:07
What 'Suits' Gets Wrong About the Law (and What Saul Goodman Gets Right), According to Jim Rittinger
Don’t believe everything you see on TV. Courtrooms aren’t stages for finger-pointing theatrics — and if you try that in real life, you’ll probably get tossed out.On this week’s "Rookies to Rockstars," Amanda Ziadeh and Camille Tuutti sit...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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32:47
Fail Fast, Lead Bold: What Andrzej Gorski Learned as Employee One
Quit the safety net.Andrzej Gorski walked away from a stable job to become employee one at a brand-new startup — no contracts or guarantees.That leap taught him the mindset he still has today: Fail fast, fail often, and keep movin...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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32:19
Confident Connections: John Hart Conquers Imposter Syndrome Through Networking
What happens when a finance analyst bets on himself and pivots into business development leadership?In this episode of "Rookies to Rockstars," Amanda Ziadeh and Camille Tuutti sit down with John Hart, executive vice president and chief g...
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21:06
Beyond the Beakers: Michael Polmar Merges Science with Strategic Success
Michael Polmar didn’t plan on GovCon. He started as a chemistry major who loved science, broke more than a little lab glassware, and thought research was his future. Four years in, he swapped experiments for programs — and discovered he liked l...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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16:40
Breaking the Code: How Aimee Dalton Built a Career in GovCon Starting with a Spiral Notebook
Aimee Dalton didn’t picture herself in defense. She came in as a junior analyst with a fresh MBA, a spiral notebook and zero clue what GovCon acronyms meant. Promotions didn’t silence the doubt — every new role started with I ca...
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Season 1
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Episode 1
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25:23