Nomad Futurist

In this episode of the Nomad Futurist Podcast, co-hosts Nabeel Mahmood and Phillip Koblence are joined by Lovisa Tedestedt, Strategic Account Executive for Cloud & Service Providers at Schneider Electric. Lovisa shares her unique journey from studying economics in Sweden to building a career that spans textiles, entrepreneurship, and leading complex technology accounts globally. Lovisa opens up about the importance of following your passions while embracing unexpected career pivots. She reflects on how her early experiences — studying textiles, interning at APC, and later moving to China — shaped her approach to business and leadership: "Very rarely in life do we get a chance to press the stop button or pause button and rediscover what we want to do in life." Her story highlights the value of cross-industry learning. Lovisa explains how the skills she developed running her own small fashion business translated seamlessly into managing large-scale accounts in the tech sector: "The way I approached the job was the same way I approached growing a small fashion company. It's all about scaling, it's all about resources, it's about understanding the customer, understanding the business." Lovisa also emphasizes the need for purpose and continuous learning. After years in corporate leadership, she recently returned to school to deepen her technical knowledge in data center systems, enhancing her ability to authentically connect with customers: "If I could deepen my knowledge of everything I talk about every day with customers, that would give me purpose, that would kind of give me a sense of achievement." Finally, Lovisa offers practical advice for young people entering the workforce, urging them to consider trades and technical fields as viable and lucrative career paths. She stresses the combination of skill, opportunity, and entrepreneurship in shaping meaningful, high-impact careers. This episode is a fascinating exploration of adaptability, lifelong learning, and bridging diverse experiences to create professional success. To stay connected with Lovisa Tedestedt and learn more about her work, follow her on LinkedIn.

In this Nomad Futurist episode, GEICO’s Head of Infrastructure — and newly appointed Nomad Futurist Foundation Ambassador — Rebecca Weekly joins co-hosts Nabeel Mahmood and Phillip Koblence to share how a curious kid dismantling gadgets grew into a leader shaping large-scale infrastructure and AI-driven environments. Through stories of early experiments, career pivots, and lessons in adaptability, she offers an authentic blueprint for the next generation of technologists, particularly young women in STEM. Rebecca traces her path from taking apart transparent phones and building her first server at age 12 to overseeing power, cooling, connectivity, data centers, and cloud operations across GEICO’s 349 sites and expansive multi-cloud footprint. She distills her responsibilities with clarity: “Everything that we own, every site that we own, I own power, cooling, connectivity. I own all of the logical assets and physical assets at those locations.” Raised in a non-engineering family in Sacramento, Rebecca found a sense of belonging in the computer lab, where tech-minded counterculture kids and musicians helped root her in engineering. She reflects on that formative moment: “I found my people in the nerds. It had nothing to do with family... The tech came in from the nerds hanging out in the school.” Throughout the conversation, Rebecca underscores the importance of adaptability, long-term thinking, and focusing on the “so what” behind technology — capabilities she developed across roles in banking, fabs, semiconductors, EDA, and product management before moving into large-scale infrastructure leadership. Her advice for her younger self, and for today’s emerging technologists, is both simple and profound: “Stay curious. Hang out with the nerds… It is absolutely who you surround yourself with and where you focus your energy that defines your outcomes, especially in the world of AI.” Rebecca also speaks candidly about navigating male-dominated environments in finance, fabrication, and high-tech engineering, explaining how being an outsider ultimately became a leadership asset. She urges listeners not to let the experience of being “the only one” diminish their voice: “Being an outlier early, the hardest part is your own mental load. Worry less about what [people] think of you or that you think differently. Worry more about just asking the question.” In the end, Rebecca’s story is a testament to curiosity, resilience, and the power of community. Her journey demonstrates how embracing difference, seeking out passionate peers, and staying focused on meaningful impact can shape not just a career, but the future of technology itself. To learn more about Rebecca Weekly, connect with her on LinkedIn.

In the latest episode of the Nomad Futurist Podcast, co-hosts Nabeel Mahmood and Phillip Koblence sit down with Chris Pruitt, Senior Director of Data Center Operations at CoreSite, and a seasoned veteran of the digital infrastructure world whose personal journey offers a masterclass in resilience, curiosity, and transformation. Once a behind-the-scenes part of the tech ecosystem, data centers are now in the spotlight, sparking conversations in local communities and capturing public interest like never before. As Chris puts it: "Our worlds have officially collided with the rest of the outside world, more acutely, I think, in the last 12 months than in the previous 29 years.” Chris’s story begins in Tennessee, marked by early manual labor, a detour in college, and a pivotal turn through the U.S. Navy. Instead of letting early setbacks define him, he turned them into stepping stones, propelled by strong mentorship and relentless drive. His advice to anyone finding their way in tech rings clear: “Look for a mentor. If you find something you’re passionate about, a mentor can help guide you." And it's not just talk. Chris’s career proves that failure isn’t final, but rather often the foundation of future success: “Just because you failed doesn’t mean you can’t make it.” For newcomers curious about the industry, Chris offers one of the simplest — and most powerful — pieces of advice: ask questions. "If you want to ask [an industry veteran] something, they're more than happy to tell you all you want to know... That’s the thing kids, you got to start asking. Start probing.” Whether you’re a student, a career changer, or a technologist looking to deepen your impact, Chris Pruitt’s story is a blueprint for building a meaningful career in digital infrastructure. His message is timeless: resilience, mentorship, curiosity, and openness are the keys to thriving in an industry that’s evolving faster, and mattering more, than ever. Stay connected with Chris Pruit on LinkedIn to learn more.

In this special live edition of the Nomad Futurist Podcast, recorded at the Data Center Frontier Trends Summit, co-hosts Nabeel Mahmood and Phillip Koblence sit down with industry veteran Doug Recker, founder of Duos Edge AI, for a conversation that traces his remarkable journey through the evolving world of digital infrastructure. From his beginnings as a U.S. Marine to building and selling multiple data center companies, Doug’s career is a masterclass in grit, intuition, and purpose-driven innovation. Over more than three decades, he’s helped shape — and reshape — some of the most successful edge computing models in the industry. At the heart of Doug’s mission lies a deep belief in opportunity and education, especially for those too often overlooked. Inspired by a high school teacher who recognized his natural gift for connecting with people, Doug has built his career around opening doors for others. That teacher once told him: “You interact with people. You know how to treat people. And if you have a product, you can tell you’re passionate about it.” Today, through Duos Edge AI, Doug and his team are deploying modular “pods” across Texas school districts, bringing compute and connectivity closer to rural communities while helping schools cut costs and strengthen their networks. “We’re showing them about a 30% savings — while giving them redundancy, better connectivity, and even new ways to generate revenue.” But his vision goes far beyond infrastructure. Doug is working to install training pods directly on school campuses, giving students hands-on experience in data center operations, from racking and stacking to integration and design. It’s not just about building pipelines into the industry; it’s about creating pathways to lasting opportunity. Doug’s story is also one of humility and integrity. He’s experienced the highs of major exits and the lows of failed launches, yet his principles have never wavered: “When you owe somebody, you’ve got to pay them back — and you’ve got to give it 110%.” That mindset has earned him not only success, but deep trust from investors, partners, and peers alike. As Doug puts it: “I’m not the smartest guy in the room, but I surround myself with people who are smart in their own ways. Cancel all the outside noise. Do what you’re going to do — and do it until you hit the finish line.” Doug Recker continues to empower the next generation through education and opportunity, a mission that closely aligns with the Nomad Futurist Foundation’s vision of inspiring future leaders in digital infrastructure. To stay connected with Doug, follow him on LinkedIn.

In this deeply inspiring episode of the Nomad Futurist Podcast, Emil Sayegh — visionary CEO, innovator, and data center industry trailblazer — joins co-hosts Nabeel Mahmood and Phillip Koblence for a powerful, personal conversation that bridges war, entrepreneurship, and the human side of technology. Emil shares how growing up amid Lebanon’s civil war shaped his perspective, leadership, and passion for innovation. From escaping a war zone by boat to leading transformative cloud and cybersecurity companies, his journey is a testament to courage, adaptability, and relentless optimism. Reflecting on his childhood during the conflict, Emil draws a profound connection between surviving chaos and thriving in high-stakes business environments: “When things are kind of dark, there’s always a sliver of hope… you’ve got to figure out what that light is and then chase it hard.” That spirit of resilience permeates both his life and leadership. Even in moments of crisis, Emil stresses perspective: “As long as nobody’s dying, you’re going to live another day — and you’re going to be stronger because of the experience.” His outlook on hardship offers timeless guidance for entrepreneurs navigating uncertainty and change. As Emil recounts his evolution from engineer to CEO of leading technology firms, he distills what separates truly impactful leaders: “Always behave like an owner, not an employee.” This mindset, he explains, transforms how people approach decision-making, accountability, and innovation. At the heart of Emil’s philosophy is a belief that leadership is ultimately about service and impact. In his forthcoming book, Make a Difference, he distills decades of experience into actionable insights for the next generation: “The way that you bring value to this short life that we live is by adding value to others.” From mentoring emerging professionals to championing ethical innovation, Emil’s message is both simple and profound: technology must elevate humanity. His story reminds us that greatness isn’t measured by titles or valuations, but by the people and communities we uplift along the way. To stay connected with Emil Sayegh, follow him on LinkedIn.