Industry Ignited Podcast
Industry Ignited is a platform for bold conversations with leaders who are transforming the way business gets done. Each episode spotlights breakthrough stories from the industrial, manufacturing, biotech, chemical, and B2B sectors, giving you an inside look at how top executives, innovators, and changemakers tackle real-world challenges and drive meaningful growth.
Hosted by Dr. Leeanne Aguilar—entrepreneur, executive coach, and marketing strategist—Industry Ignited goes beyond surface-level discussions to uncover the strategies, mindsets, and lessons that fuel leadership at the highest level. From navigating complex operations and scaling companies to rethinking culture and preparing for the future of work, every conversation is designed to inspire, challenge, and equip you with fresh perspectives.
Whether you’re an executive, entrepreneur, or emerging leader, this podcast will spark ideas, expand your vision, and ignite the drive to lead with confidence in today’s evolving business landscape.
Episodes
87 episodes
The Startup Mistake That Kills Great Technology | Ep. 87 [George Boyajian]
Why do so many breakthrough technologies never make it into the real world? In this powerful conversation, Mussel Polymers CEO George Boyajian breaks down the hidden reasons most deep tech startups fail and what founders should be doing differe...
What Automakers Are Missing Inside EV Batteries | Ep. 86 [Efrat Avnet Steinberg]
What if the biggest problem in electric vehicles is something manufacturers can’t even see? In this fascinating episode of Industry Ignited, Dr. Leeanne Aguilar interviews Efrat Avnet Steinberg, the CEO of INNER, a company pioneering breakthrou...
How Better Tooling Creates Massive Profit | Ep. 85 [Kaci King]
What if the biggest advantage in manufacturing wasn’t a new machine, but a smarter tooling strategy?In this episode, West Ohio Tool CEO Kaci King explains how custom-engineered cutting tools are helping manufacturers slash downtime, incr...
The Untold Reality of Running a Defense Company | Ep. 84 [Pablo Ahumada]
What does it really take to lead in industries where timing, compliance, trust, and execution can determine success or failure?In this episode of Industry Ignited, Dr. Leeanne Aguilar interviews Captain Pablo Ahumada, CEO of NEXA Industr...
Why Hypersonic Missiles Need New Materials Now? | Ep. 83 [Ed Pope]
Hypersonic technology promises speeds beyond Mach 5, but there’s a critical problem most people overlook: the materials. In this deep-dive conversation, Dr. Ed Pope shares over 30 years of experience developing advanced ceramics and composites ...
Why Most Automation Projects Fail (And How to Fix It) | Ep. 82 [William Willard]
Thinking about investing in automation? Watch this first. In this episode, Bill Willard shares decades of experience helping manufacturers move from “shiny object” automation to scalable, real-world solutions that deliver results. He explains w...
The Untold Story Behind Aerospace Innovation | Ep. 81 [Damien Marc]
Damien’s journey is anything but ordinary. After losing his father, he stepped into leadership with little experience in the industry and a promise to keep the business alive. Today, he leads a company at the forefront of aerospace innovation, ...
How Manufacturing Can Rebuild the Economy | Ep. 80 [Connie Gunther]
The future of work is being rebuilt right now and manufacturing is at the center of it. In this episode, Connie Gunther shares how emerging technologies like AI are transforming workforce training, accelerating certification, and helping compan...
Why Bigger Wind Turbines Aren’t Always Better | Ep. 79 [Frank Gagnon]
In this episode of Industry Ignited, we challenge one of the biggest assumptions in renewable energy: that bigger is always better. Host Dr. Leeanne Aguilar speaks with Frank Gagnon of Wind-Do Energy about a new model for wind power, m...
The Chip That Makes Devices 10x More Efficient | Ep. 78 [Tom Trill]
In this conversation, we break down the technology behind a revolutionary GPS chip designed to overcome the limitations of traditional RF systems. By digitizing up to 90% of the radio frequency architecture, Tom Trill and his team have created ...
How One Decision Changed His Entire Life | Ep. 77 [Lindsay Gorrill]
What would make someone walk away from a secure, prestigious career path and risk everything to build something from scratch?In this episode of Industry Ignited, Lindsay Gorrill shares the pivotal moment that changed the course ...
Why Cheap Refrigeration Costs More in the Long Run | Ep. 76 [Marcos Pordeus de Paula]
In this episode of Industry Ignited, Dr. Leeanne Aguilar sits down with Marcos Pordeus de Paula, CEO of Frigo King and Power Mobile, to explore what truly drives competitive advantage in transport refrigeration. While many companies co...
How Great Leaders Turn Engineering Into Growth | Ep. 75 [Bill Kleftis]
What separates leaders who simply manage engineering from those who turn it into a true engine for growth, margin, and shareholder value?In this episode of Industry Ignited, Dr. Leeanne Aguilar sits down with Bill Kleftis, CEO o...
Innovation Is Not Enough: How to Turn Ideas Into Profitable Businesses | Ep. 74 [Nigel Marc Roberts]
Why do so many brilliant innovations fail? Often it’s not the technology, it’s the lack of a clear path to commercialization.In this episode of Industry Ignited, host Dr. Leeanne Aguilar sits down with Nigel Marc Roberts...
How to Modernize Defense Manufacturing Faster | Ep. 73 [Dr. Dean Bartles]
What if the biggest barrier to faster, safer, and more cost-effective defense manufacturing isn’t technology, but the path to deploying it?In this episode of Industry Ignited, Dr. Leeanne Aguilar sits down with Dr. Dean Bartles...
The Human Skills AI Can’t Replace | Ep. 72 [David Powell]
As AI accelerates and the pace of change intensifies, the biggest question facing organizations today is this: what human skills will determine who thrives and who struggles in the future of work? In this episode of Industry Ignited, D...
The Renewable Revolution Has a Supply Problem | Ep. 71 [Mike Riley]
Clean energy has a supply problem and almost no one is talking about it. As governments push electrification and AI drives power demand higher than ever, the materials required to build batteries and upgrade the grid remain concentrated in the ...
Why Failure Makes Better Engineers | Ep. 70 [Dr. Rashid Ali]
What does it really take to become a great aerospace engineer?In this episode of Industry Ignited, Dr. Leeanne Aguilar speaks with Dr. Rashid Ali, aerospace educator, UAV designer, and flight control expert, about the mindset that separa...
Why Delayed Decisions Cost You Millions | Ep. 69 [Meher Billimoria]
What separates high-performing manufacturing leaders from everyone else? It’s not just automation, AI, or bigger facilities. It’s the ability to build disciplined systems, develop strong teams, and make decisive moves under pressure.In t...
Luxury Design Without the Designer Fees | Ep. 68 [Salman A Rahman]
In this episode of Industry Ignited, Dr. Leeanne Aguilar sits down with Salman A. Rahman, Chief Technology Officer of Decorate AI, to explore how artificial intelligence is transforming the $290 billion interior design industry....
Your Device Works… So Why Won’t Anyone Buy It? | Ep. 67 [Lisa Voronkova]
In this episode of Industry Ignited, host Dr. Leeanne Aguilar sits down with Lisa Voronkova, CEO of Ova Solutions and author of Hardware Bible: Build a Medical Device from Scratch, to unpack the real reasons...
Building Hydrogen Fueling Stations: Cost, Safety and Scale Explained | Ep. 66 [Salim Rahemtulla]
Hydrogen is often talked about as the fuel of the future, but what does it actually look like in practice?In this episode of Industry Ignited, host Dr. Leeanne Aguilar sits down with Salim Rahemtulla, President and CEO of PowerTap Hydrog...
Why Lighter Ammo Can Hit Harder Than Heavier Bullets | Ep. 65 [Gary Ramey]
What if the most misunderstood part of a product category isn’t the product people obsess over, but the one that actually determines performance?In this episode of Industry Ignited, host Dr. Leeanne Aguilar sits down with <...
The Secret to Making Aortic Surgery Safer: Inside Vestec’s Breakthrough Technology | Ep. 64 [Joseph Rafferty]
What does it really take to turn breakthrough medical innovation into real-world impact when lives are on the line and the system isn’t built for speed?In this episode of Industry Ignited, host Dr. Leeanne Aguilar ...
Innovation in Medicine: Solving Problems No One Else Could | Ep. 63 [Perter Bonutti, MD]
What does it take to turn an idea into a life-changing medical device? Peter Bonutti, MD explains how mentorship, curiosity and patient-driven innovation led to over 500 patents and 700 licensed products. Learn the importance of persistence, pr...