Ground Control: Sponsored by RocketDocs
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Podcast Overview
<p>Prepare for liftoff! Welcome to Ground Control, the podcast where we navigate the high-velocity frontier of enterprise innovation.<br /></p><p>Sponsored by RocketDocs and LUMA, we serve as your mission-critical link to the future. In a world where the "noise" of emerging tech can feel like a chaotic meteor shower, we provide the steady trajectory and expert navigation needed to keep your organization on course. We aren't just talking about what’s next; we’re analyzing the propulsion systems: AI, proposals, and governance, that will get you there.</p><p><br />Each episode, we strap in with industry pioneers and tech visionaries to explore the core pillars of your mission:</p><ul><li>The AI Stratosphere: Moving beyond the "blue sky" dreaming to the actual mechanics of enterprise AI and automation.</li><li>Proposal Trajectory: How to optimize your response engines to win more business at orbital speeds.</li><li>The Tech Stack Command Center: Auditing your digital infrastructure to ensure every tool is mission-capable and ready for scale.</li><li>Security & Governance Shields: Hardening your defenses against the atmospheric pressure of modern data risks and regulatory shifts.<br /></li></ul><p>Whether you’re a CTO overseeing a fleet of legacy systems or a proposal lead looking for a boost, Ground Control is your source for the intelligence, security, and strategy required to break through the status quo.<br /></p><p>The future is approaching at Mach speed. Don't let your mission drift.</p><p>Initiate sequence. This is Ground Control.</p>
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Publishing Since
5/1/2026
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Recent Episodes
July 3, 2026
Designing AI You Can Actually Trust, with Dr. Craig Kaplan
<p>What happens when guardrails aren't enough? </p><p></p><p>On this episode of Ground Control, host Perry sits down with Dr. Craig Kaplan, cognitive psychologist, AI researcher, and founder of <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://SuperIntelligence.com" target="_blank">SuperIntelligence.com</a>, for a wide-ranging conversation on why safety has to be built into AI's architecture, not bolted on after the fact.</p><p></p><p>Craig's path into AI started as an undergraduate studying psychobiology, which led him to Carnegie Mellon, where he worked alongside Nobel laureate Herbert Simon, one of the field's founding figures. From there he founded IQ Company in 1993 and, later, Predict Wall Street, a crowdsourced hedge fund built on a simple but radical bet: that the aggregated opinions of millions of everyday retail investors could outperform the best-funded quant researchers on Wall Street. It worked. The fund ranked in the top 10 of its class before Craig sold the company in 2020, having proven what he calls collective intelligence in the most competitive arena imaginable.</p><p></p><p>That experience became the foundation for how Craig thinks about AI safety today. He argues that the dominant approach to building large language models, pouring in more data and compute to create ever-larger "black box" systems, is fundamentally the wrong design. Guardrails added after training are a losing game of whack-a-mole: easy to jailbreak, impossible to fully patch. Instead, Craig makes the case for something closer to a democracy than a dictator: architectures built from many smaller, checkable intelligences that create transparency, checks and balances, and distributed power, the same qualities that make human institutions resilient to bad actors.</p><p></p><p>Perry and Craig also dig into what this means practically for businesses adopting AI: why companies should never rely on a single model for mission-critical decisions, how to make sure a company's own values and ethics get explicitly built into the systems it deploys, and what obligations companies have to be transparent with employees and customers about where their AI comes from and how it's being used. The conversation closes with a rapid-fire round covering Craig's revised AGI timeline, what Herbert Simon might make of his work today, and why Craig believes the data shows humanity's track record is better than the doomer narrative suggests, if we can just get AI to match our values.</p><p></p><p><b>Guest:</b> Dr. Craig Kaplan, <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigakaplan/" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a> | <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://SuperIntelligence.com" target="_blank">SuperIntelligence.com</a></p><p>0:00 Introduction: Meet Dr. Craig Kaplan<br />0:50 From Psychobiology to AI: Studying Under Nobel Laureate Herbert Simon<br />3:06 Founding IQ Company in 1993<br />4:06 The Three Eras of AI: Symbolic, Machine Learning, and Reasoning<br />7:58 Quantifying the Pace of AI Progress<br />10:15 Predict Wall Street: Proving Collective Intelligence in the Markets<br />16:22 Why AI Guardrails Fail: An Ounce of Prevention<br />23:07 Designing Safer AI: Black Boxes vs. Democratic Architecture<br />29:13 Sovereign Intelligence and Owning Your Data<br />34:36 Bounded Rationality and the Case for Mixture of Experts AI<br />40:53 What Do Companies Owe Users About Their AI?<br />49:27 Rapid Fire: Predictions, Regrets, and Final Thoughts</p>
June 18, 2026
From the DOD to the Boardroom: Jonathan Maddock on Systems, Founders, and Scaling Smart
<p>What does it mean to be "suffocated by success" and how do you break free? In this episode of Ground Control, Perry Robinson sits down with Jonathan Maddock, a systems engineer turned program manager turned attorney with nearly 30 years inside the Department of Defense. Jonathan brings a rare perspective forged at the intersection of military leadership, government bureaucracy, and commercial enterprise, where competing priorities are the norm and alignment is the mission.<br /></p><p>Jonathan shares the thinking behind his book <i>Suffocated by Success</i>, exploring how founders and leaders unknowingly become the bottleneck in their own organizations. Drawing on his engineering and legal backgrounds, he breaks down why every business, no matter the size or industry, is a system of systems, and what happens when leaders fail to treat it that way.<br /></p><p>Perry Robinson and Jonathan dig into founder ego, the temptation to jump in and solve every problem, and why the fastest path to sustainable growth often requires slowing down first. Jonathan uses a simple but powerful analogy: letting your kids struggle through the wrong answer on their homework so they actually learn how to find their way back. The same principle applies to building a resilient team and a scalable business.</p><p><br />The conversation also covers the role of AI in managing complex systems, how RocketDocs and businesses like it can benefit from systems thinking, how to distinguish between self-imposed urgency and real constraints, and why patience is not the opposite of speed but the foundation of it.<br /></p><p>Jonathan closes with a message that goes beyond business strategy and operational efficiency: a reminder that each of us is our own system of mind, body, and soul, and that mental health awareness, including being kind to yourself, is part of operating at your best.</p><p></p><p>Chapters:</p><p>00:00 Introduction to Jonathan Maddock's Background<br />05:32 The Concept of Being 'Suffocated by Success'<br />11:12 Understanding Systems in Business<br />16:38 The Role of Founders and Ego in Business<br />22:17 Integrating Engineering and Legal Systems<br />23:35 Understanding Legal Systems Through Engineering Principles<br />26:22 Breaking Down Complex Problems into Manageable Components<br />28:55 The Role of AI in System Management<br />32:38 Navigating Fragility in Business Systems<br />35:13 The Importance of Patience in System Development<br />36:35 Learning Through Challenges: The Founder’s Journey<br />39:27 Balancing Speed and Systematic Growth<br />43:35 Mental Health Awareness in System Management</p><hr /><p>Connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn or visit <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://fortivianstrata.com" target="_blank"><b>fortivianstrata.com</b></a> to learn more about his work and pick up a copy of the book.<br /></p><p>Ground Control is sponsored by RocketDocs, the response management platform built for regulated industries and trusted since 1994. RocketDocs helps teams in financial services, healthcare, life sciences, and enterprise tech streamline RFP responses, DDQ automation, security questionnaires, and sales proposals using private AI. RocketDocs is designed to help teams win more business faster without sacrificing compliance or quality. Learn more at <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://rocketdocs.com" target="_blank">rocketdocs.com</a>.</p>
June 12, 2026
From Compliance to Contracts: Breaking Into the Government Space with Lori Crooks
<p><b>Breaking Into Government Contracts: What You Need to Know Before You Start</b><br /></p><p>Selling to the government sounds like a dream. Steady clients, long-term relationships, and reliable revenue. But the path to becoming a government-approved vendor is anything but simple. In this episode, Bryan and Perry sit down with Lori Crooks, founder and CEO of Cadra, a compliance consulting firm helping small and mid-sized businesses navigate the complex world of government contracting.<br /></p><p>Lori breaks down the alphabet soup of compliance frameworks (FedRAMP, GovRAMP, CMMC, NIST) and explains what they actually mean for your business. She shares why starting with compliance early is the single most important thing a company can do, how FedRAMP authorization can open doors far beyond federal agencies, and what continuous monitoring really looks like once you're approved.<br /></p><p>Whether you're a small business curious about government contracts or already knee-deep in the process, this conversation is packed with honest, practical guidance on what it takes to get in and stay in the government contracting space.<br /></p><p><b>In this episode:</b></p><ul><li>The difference between FedRAMP, GovRAMP, and CMMC</li><li>Where to start if you're new to compliance frameworks</li><li>Why policies and procedures matter more than most companies realize</li><li>How AI is reshaping both cybersecurity threats and compliance tools</li><li>The hidden business benefits of compliance beyond winning contracts<br /></li></ul><p><b>Connect with Lori:</b> <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://cadra.com" target="_blank">cadra.com</a> | <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="mailto:lori.crooks@cadra.com" target="_blank">lori.crooks@cadra.com</a> | LinkedIn: Lori Crooks<br /><br />00:00 Introduction to Government Contracting<br />02:28 Navigating Compliance Frameworks<br />05:12 Understanding FedRAMP and GovRAMP<br />08:02 Starting Your Journey in Government Contracts<br />10:48 The Importance of Early Engagement<br />13:31 Maintaining Compliance and Continuous Monitoring<br />16:10 Automation in Compliance Processes<br />18:50 Organizing Information for Audits<br />21:39 Utilizing Tools for Compliance Management<br />22:55 Navigating Compliance Standards<br />24:06 Assessing Readiness for Compliance<br />25:32 The Importance of Comprehensive Policies<br />27:41 The Role of Documentation in Compliance<br />29:44 How to Reach Out for Compliance Help<br />32:06 Understanding the Rewards of Compliance<br />35:42 The Impact of AI on Compliance Standards<br />38:36 Future Changes in Compliance Landscape<br />40:58 Starting with Compliance Early</p>
9 total episodes available
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Frequently asked questions
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- What is Ground Control: Sponsored by RocketDocs?
<p>Prepare for liftoff! Welcome to Ground Control, the podcast where we navigate the high-velocity frontier of enterprise innovation.<br /></p><p>Sponsored by RocketDocs and LUMA, we serve as your mission-critical link to the future. In a world where the "noise" of emerging tech can feel like a chaotic meteor shower, we provide the steady trajectory and expert navigation needed to keep your organization on course. We aren't just talking about what’s next; we’re analyzing the propulsion systems: AI, proposals, and governance, that will get you there.</p><p><br />Each episode, we strap in with industry pioneers and tech visionaries to explore the core pillars of your mission:</p><ul><li>The AI Stratosphere: Moving beyond the "blue sky" dreaming to the actual mechanics of enterprise AI and automation.</li><li>Proposal Trajectory: How to optimize your response engines to win more business at orbital speeds.</li><li>The Tech Stack Command Center: Auditing your digital infrastructure to ensure every tool is mission-capable and ready for scale.</li><li>Security & Governance Shields: Hardening your defenses against the atmospheric pressure of modern data risks and regulatory shifts.<br /></li></ul><p>Whether you’re a CTO overseeing a fleet of legacy systems or a proposal lead looking for a boost, Ground Control is your source for the intelligence, security, and strategy required to break through the status quo.<br /></p><p>The future is approaching at Mach speed. Don't let your mission drift.</p><p>Initiate sequence. This is Ground Control.</p> - How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates daily.
- Where can I listen to this podcast?
This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
- Does this podcast accept guests?
Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.
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