Breaking barriers between technology, leadership, and the human condition.
Hosted by Amanda Mercier — technologist, strategist, and storyteller — this podcast explores what it means to lead, grow, and build in complex systems. From the battlefield to the boardroom, Amanda shares lessons on transformation, creative discipline, and personal resilience — drawn from years of leading AI, data, and modernization efforts across government and industry.
Each episode begins with a story — about leadership, health, or the creative process — and ends with a call to action you can use right away. Whether you’re scaling a team, writing your next big idea, or just trying to see your own progress more clearly, this show helps you bridge the gap between thought and action.
Themes:
Leadership and self-awareness
Technology, AI, and the people behind it
Creative process, burnout, and recovery
Building cultures of accountability and impact
Transformation in large systems
Because thinking deeply is only half the battle — the real change comes when you act.
Amanda Mercier is the Chief Digital and AI Officer at U.S. Army Special Operations Command with a history of experience leading technical teams in government and industry. The views expressed here are her own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of War.
In this first installment of Digital Dominance, we are opening up the hood. We will explore the basic hardware components so that you can understand the foundation for everything that follows. The digital kit you need will include a brain, a workbench, and a rucksack. There are more components, but you will have a good understanding if you know the most basic gear. Subscribe at www.AmandaMercier.com
1 Mar 2026
The AI Brain: How Machines Learn to Recognize Patterns
Hardware gives us capability. AI gives us pattern recognition at scale. But there is no silver bullet. There is no single algorithm that dominates every battlefield. There is only: The right toolFor the right taskTrained on the right dataDeployed by the right teamSubscribe at www.AmandaMercier.com
16 Feb 2026
Beyond Silicon Valley
The best of Army Special Operations Forces knows how to adapt, endure, and execute under pressure. The best of big tech knows how to build, iterate, and innovate at scale. Together, we can create a model of leadership and collaboration that transcends sectors. Whether you wear a badge, a hoodie, or a beret, the mission is the same: learn fast, serve others, and build something that lasts. Subscribe at www.AmandaMercier.com
16 Feb 2026
Metrics are the Message
In every organization, what you choose to measure quietly sets the tone for what you truly value. If you claim to value transformation but cannot point to how it is measured, you are signaling aspiration without commitment. Metrics are the bridge between intent and outcome. If transformation matters, measure participation in training, the acquisition of new skills, the adoption of modern tools, and the velocity at which teams learn. Promotions determine who rises, but metrics determine how th...
21 Jan 2026
Promotion is Policy
Most organizations believe culture is shaped by values, messaging, and leadership intent. In reality, culture is shaped by incentives: promotions, ratings, awards, prestige, visibility, and protection. Transformation fails when the incentive system punishes the very behaviors transformation requires. Subscribe at www.AmandaMercier.com
16 Jan 2026
The Middle Moves the Machine
Most transformations don’t fail because leaders lack vision or because frontline teams resist change. They fail in the middle where identity, incentives, and fear collide. At the top, transformation feels logical. At the edge, it feels helpful. In the middle, it feels existential. Subscribe at www.AmandaMercier.com
7 Jan 2026
Difficult By Design
Sometimes it’s not the person who is difficult; it’s the role. Transformation leaders are often designed to be disruptive. The role exists to challenge legacy processes, to inject technical rigor into decisions that were once made relationally or politically. That shift creates friction. When data replaces intuition, someone loses power. The role becomes “in the way.” And so the role gets labeled difficult. That label is often a signal that transformation is working Subscribe at www.Ama...
5 Jan 2026
The Real Value is in the Seams
Stop hiring for silos. Start hiring for seams. You need translators, connectors, and polymaths, the ones who see the through-lines others miss. These are the people who can match talent to task, simplify complexity, and build bridges between brilliant but disconnected communities. Because in modern organizations, value doesn’t live inside the boxes on your org chart. It lives in the white space between them. Subscribe at www.AmandaMercier.com
24 Dec 2025
Just Start
You don’t need permission to start. You just need to begin. And sometimes, when you do, life starts conspiring in your favor one small moment at a time. Subscribe at www.AmandaMercier.com
17 Dec 2025
Setting Traps
Setting traps isn’t about tricking yourself. It’s about designing your environment to protect your best self. If you tend to forget, create triggers. If you struggle to focus, guard your deep-work time. If you want to nurture relationships, schedule love. It’s not self-discipline. It’s self-design. You’re not punishing your weaknesses; you’re architecting your strengths. Subscribe at www.AmandaMercier.com
10 Dec 2025
The Sugar Diet
Discipline builds endurance. Joy builds momentum. You need both. If you’ve been running your professional life on pure grind, try the sugar diet for your soul. Introduce something light, bright, and enjoyable, something that reminds you that you love what you do. Subscribe at www.AmandaMercier.com
3 Dec 2025
Feedback is a Gift
Feedback can hurt. It exposes gaps you’d rather not see. But it also shines a light on dark corners you didn’t know existed. Treat it like a delicate, unexpected gift. You don’t have to love it right away. But unwrap it. Study it. Decide what you can use and discard what doesn’t fit. Subscribe at www.AmandaMercier.com
26 Nov 2025
Insecurity The Professor
Insecurity is the best professor. She’s ruthless. Subscribe at www.AmandaMercier.com
19 Nov 2025
False Summit
False summits aren’t failures. They’re checkpoints. They’re proof you can make it this far and a reminder that “this far” isn’t all there is. So set your sights higher. Aim for the goal that scares you. The one you’re not sure you can reach. Subscribe at www.AmandaMercier.com
12 Nov 2025
Change Your Focus
Finding Beauty (and Growth) in What You Resist The moments we resist — the projects that frustrate us, the chores that bore us, the people who test us — often hold the greatest potential for joy and growth. Subscribe at www.AmandaMercier.com
5 Nov 2025
Separation
Separation is a superpower. It gives you perspective, objectivity, and peace. If you’re stuck — in art, in work, or in life — step back. Breathe. Let time do some of the thinking. Subscribe at www.AmandaMercier.com
29 Oct 2025
The Mommy Daddy Problem
When roles blur, relationships suffer. When boundaries are clear, teams thrive. It’s tempting to think that friendship or goodwill can compensate for lack of clarity — but it can’t. The best leaders don’t assume harmony will hold; they design it through definition. Subscribe at www.AmandaMercier.com
26 Oct 2025
I Got Receipts
As leaders, it’s our duty to communicate: clearly, consistently, and respectfully. But it’s also our duty to recognize when the burden of listening belongs to someone else. Don’t confuse silence for failure or assume someone’s ignorance means you didn’t do your job. Keep the receipts. Protect your energy. And remember, clarity isn’t control, it’s kindness, with a timestamp. Subscribe at www.AmandaMercier.com
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