PODCAST

The Forward Slash Podcast

Callibrity

Curiosity is in our programming

business management

All Episodes

79:47

/coding culture: from nerd to necessary

The Forward Slash Podcast ·

2025/06/18

How did coding go from something niche and isolating to one of the most valuable skills in the modern workforce?In this episode of Forward Slash, we look at how the role of the developer has evolved—from outsider status to essential strategist. Drawing on decades of experience, Mark Stahl shares how the culture around coding has changed, and why understanding systems, context, and collaboration now matters more than syntax. We also explore the often-overlooked power of clear requirements—how they

75:44

/design culture: too many cooks

The Forward Slash Podcast ·

2025/06/11

How do you build user-centered digital products in a world obsessed with trends and AI hype?In this episode, UX researcher and digital psychologist Dr. Nick Fine joins James to share expert insights on human-centered design, behavioral science, and the real meaning of user experience. Learn how to apply UX research methods that drive product success, avoid common pitfalls in agile teams, and use AI tools without sacrificing product integrity.

54:44

/API sprawl: herding the chaos

The Forward Slash Podcast ·

2025/06/04

Wrangling APIs? Dreaming about AI agents that actually get your specs? This episode delivers. We chat with Dave Shanley (aka quobix)—a musician-turned-engineer with a sci-fi streak—about cutting through the noise of OpenAPI standards, building tools developers actually want to use, and how to stay grounded while navigating the fast-moving world of agentic AI.

47:39

/ML basics: learning by doing

The Forward Slash Podcast ·

2025/05/28

Curious how AI can turn messy, unstructured data into something actually useful? This episode, we dive into a real-world project that explores just that. Senior developer Azriel Alvarado shares how building a song recommendation tool based on lyrics led to deeper insights into embeddings, vector search, and working with natural language data. Whether you're in search, content tagging, knowledge management, or building smarter user interfaces—this episode is packed with takeaways for applying AI in

44:26

/technical storytelling: speak so they listen

The Forward Slash Podcast ·

2025/05/21

What separates teams that build features from those that solve problems? Ryan Donnelly, product leader and proud Callibrity alum, shares how his engineering roots shaped his approach to driving impact at scale. He unpacks the mindset behind modernizing in-house payments, building with empathy, and leading through storytelling. If you're navigating tech, product, or leadership—this one's for you.

40:36

/generative AI: beginner's guide

The Forward Slash Podcast ·

2025/05/14

Can you build a working AI chatbot without any prior AI knowledge? Rachel did—and here’s how. In this episode, senior software developer, Rachel Clifton joins James to share how she tackled her very first AI project—building a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) chatbot from scratch. Rachel breaks down the beginner-friendly tools that made it possible, including Spring AI, Apache Tika, and PGVector, and opens up about the challenges of chunking, hallucinations, and missing metadata. If you’ve been

36:37

/reinforcement learning: feedback is fuel

The Forward Slash Podcast ·

2025/05/07

What do toddlers learning to walk and robots learning to cook soup have in common? In this episode, data scientist Steven Nord joins James to explore the fundamentals of reinforcement learning (RL)—a key concept in machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI)—and its real-world applications in predictive maintenance, automation, robotics, and AI-powered systems. They explain the differences between supervised learning, unsupervised learning, and reinforcement learning, and how models like

47:37

/resilient systems: fail-proof by design

The Forward Slash Podcast ·

2025/04/23

Can your software handle failure—or write its own test code? In this episode, we dive into temporal workflows, agentic AI, and no-code automation tools like N8N to explore how developers can build resilient, scalable applications faster. Learn how to navigate unreliable APIs, implement AI-powered code generation, and prototype with no-code platforms to supercharge your software development process.

61:20

/quality assurance: test, don't check

The Forward Slash Podcast ·

2025/04/09

Is QA slowing you down? We unpack why traditional, siloed QA creates friction—and how a player-coach approach to test automation can embed quality across your team. Learn how shifting the mindset from “quality as a function” to “quality as a culture” leads to faster feedback, stronger collaboration, and better software.Perfect for CTOs, tech leads, and teams ready to level up their delivery.

89:32

Guy Royse: Being a Developer Advocate

The Forward Slash Podcast ·

2025/03/26

In this episode of The Forward Slash, James sits down with Guy Royse, Developer Advocate at Redis, Guy shares insights into what it means to be a developer advocate—helping engineers solve problems, teaching new technologies, and building communities. He and James dive into the world of conferences, discussing the value of in-person events, networking, and staying ahead of industry trends.

76:34

Aaron Tyler: Elevate your teams

The Forward Slash Podcast ·

2025/02/26

Are soft skills the secret weapon of high-performing technologists? In this episode, we sit down with Aaron Tyler, Senior Staff Consultant at Callibrity and a Full-Stack & iOS Polyglot Programmer, to explore how mastering soft skills can sharpen technical execution, improve collaboration, and elevate engineering teams to new levels of efficiency.

87:24

Tracy Beeson: Stop talking about Agile

The Forward Slash Podcast ·

2025/02/12

In this episode of The Forward Slash Podcast, James and Aaron sit down with special guest Tracy Beeson, Director of Transformation at Health Alliance Plan. They explore shifting Agile methodologies, new frameworks, and evolving industry demands, and ask the big question: Is Agile dead, or has it simply transformed?

70:41

Tyler Welton on software supply chain security

The Forward Slash Podcast ·

2025/01/29

This week, James and Aaron explore modern security challenges and opportunities with Tyler Welton, a 15+ year InfoSec expert. They discuss open-source vulnerabilities, confusion attacks in third-party tools, and how security products can help developers stay productive while staying protected.

78:17

Joel Vasallo on Platform Engineering

The Forward Slash Podcast ·

2025/01/15

In the latest The Forward Slash podcast episode, we’re diving deep into this game-changing discipline with Joel Vasallo, Senior Director of Platform Engineering at TAG - The Aspen Group. From redefining workflows to tackling unique challenges in healthcare and beyond, this conversation is a must-listen for anyone passionate about building better systems and better developer experiences.

58:18

Nat Pollack working at an industry leader

The Forward Slash Podcast ·

2025/01/01

On this episode, we dig into the (maybe not so) unique challenges and opportunities of building cutting-edge technology at scale for Microsoft. Nat Pollock, Principal Software Engineer at Microsoft, joins Aaron and James this week, to chat about navigating the complexities of software development at a global tech giant.

59:01

Episode 19 - Inside The Forward Slash: Lessons from...

The Forward Slash Podcast ·

2024/12/25

This week on The Forward Slash, James and Aaron dive into more than just a reflection of 2024. They uncover the stories, challenges, and breakthroughs that defined the IT world—and share what it’s really been like creating and hosting this podcast along the way.But they don’t stop there! Get ready for bold predictions and key trends to watch as we step into 2025. Whether you're in tech or just curious about the future, this episode is packed with insights you won’t want to miss.

90:45

Episode 18 - Rich Schramm on the entrepreneurial spirit

The Forward Slash Podcast ·

2024/12/18

In this episode, we sit down with Rich Schramm, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of vizabli, to explore the essence of entrepreneurship. Rich dives into the complexities of working in highly-regulated industries like medical technology, highlighting how to balance creativity with compliance. Discover the drive it takes to embrace your inner entrepreneur!

91:33

Episode 17 - Steve Berardelli on finding the core...

The Forward Slash Podcast ·

2024/12/11

In this episode, we sit down with Steve Berardelli, leader of Callibrity's Foundations practice, to explore the art of uncovering the why behind every client need. With over 20 years of experience developing enterprise-level software and building strong cross-functional relationships, Steve shares his expertise on how understanding the core problem sets teams up for success—and why creating a thoughtful plan doesn’t mean you abandon the need to be agile

103:08

Episode - 16 Erica Price on the importance of empathy...

The Forward Slash Podcast ·

2024/12/04

Yum! Brands UX Manager Erica Price joins Aaron and James today. They talk about using empathy with users, brand managers, and subject matter experts to make sure everyone feels heard. They also discuss user-forward design, UX testing, and and how AI can support all of this work.

85:45

Episode 15 - Matt Coatney on the evolution of AI and...

The Forward Slash Podcast ·

2024/11/27

James and Aaron welcome Matt Coatney, a seasoned technology executive and AI expert, to explore the evolving role of artificial intelligence in business. They discuss the critical data foundations companies need to prepare for AI/ML, the “jagged frontier” of generative AI and its strengths and weaknesses, and real-world examples of how AI/ML adds value for businesses.

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