Jason Lehmer joins Peter, Chad and Kyle as they recap their experiences at AWS Reinvent 2025. From navigating a packed conference and exploring the AI-driven Kiro IDE, to enjoying sumo wrestling and a Beck concert, the team dives into the latest trends in cloud technology, practical takeaways for developers, and the value of connecting with industry experts.
This episode takes a behind-the-scenes look at the journey of the Open Source North (OSN) conference. Founder Jeff Urban and veteran participants share how OSN grew from a niche Java meetup into a premier Midwest tech event. They reflect on OSN’s community-first focus, lessons learned, and how inclusivity and innovation shape a space for IT professionals to learn and connect.
You messed up, now what? Kyle, Peter, Chad, and Bennett share their biggest IT blunders—from vanishing inboxes to misfired emails—and the lessons that came with them. Tune in for honesty, recovery tips, and a few laughs along the way.
Join the podcasters as they explore the positive and negative aspects of pushing your boundaries and taking on new challenges, and how finding the right balance can lead to both personal and professional growth.
The podcasters discuss avoiding mediocrity. What types of people should you surround yourself with and what should you be doing to avoid being mediocre?
The podcasters share their personal experiences with job security, specifically in consulting. What is it, how do you market yourself and what can you do to stay relevant in an evolving industry?
Your comfort zone is a safe place to be, but you don’t learn, grow, and level up unless you step outside, into the unknown. Sometimes the willingness to embrace discomfort can differentiate a good consultant from a great one.
No one can do all of the things all of the time… so, whether you are a team of one or 100, how do you know when you need to add headcount and get some help?
The podcasters talk about their picks of books that have had a positive influence and them personally, as a tech, and as a consultant.
It’s all about connections! So how do you connect with your team, company, and coworkers? How do you maintain that feeling of connection? How do you maintain connections in a hybrid work setting? We discuss all of this and more!
Is attending a tech conference worth it? We talk to Jeff Urban about Tech Conferences from the perspective of an attendee, speaker, and organizer and share our experiences.