STRATA Originals

About STRATA Originals

The mic is on. The masks are off. UNMASKED: The CEO Files explores the leadership journeys you don’t see on LinkedIn. The turning points, the real pivots, the moments that shaped who these leaders became beneath the title. We sit with executives as they talk candidly about building trust at scale, shaping culture, and staying visible without selling out who they are. Why it matters In a world of curated content and algorithm-chasing brands, UNMASKED offers something rare: a human signal that resonates. These are the stories behind the success. The decisions made in uncertainty. The moments that rewired how a leader shows up.

Publisher

Leanne Bucaro, Alan McLaren

Category

business · business · education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

4 Apr 2023

Latest episode

3 Nov 2026

Latest episodes

1 of 76 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   3 Nov 2026

   Outside Capital Comes With Inside Pressure With Guest Kyle York

   What does it really take to raise capital, scale a technology company, and build lasting enterprise value? In this episode of UNMASKED: The Capital Raise Files, host Alan McLaren sits down with Kyle York, Co-Founder, CEO and Managing Partner of York IE, to uncover the realities of fundraising, venture capital, and building enduring technology businesses. Drawing on his experience scaling Dyn from $3M to $100M in ARR before its $600M acquisition by Oracle, Kyle shares candid insights from both sides of the capital table. They explore what investors really look for, why founders matter more than ever, the importance of capital efficiency, navigating leadership transitions, and why raising money should be about building a better business—not simply chasing the next funding round. In this episode, discover: ➡️ What investors really want to see in a startup pitch. ➡️ Why enterprise value matters more than fundraising milestones. ➡️ The realities of venture capital and investor expectations. ➡️ How to scale teams, navigate governance, and prepare for growth. ➡️ Why founder-market fit and execution can make or break a company. ➡️ How to build a successful business without losing sight of your values. Whether you're a startup founder, entrepreneur, CEO, technology executive, or investor, this conversation offers practical advice on raising growth capital, scaling strategically, and building a business that lasts. Connect with Kyle York and York IE: 🌐 Website: https://york.ie 🔗 Social: @YorkGrowth | @KyleYork20 🔗 Connect with Kyle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyork20/ 📚 Check out Kyle's E-Book, "How to Become the CEO of Your Career" here: https://york.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/York_IE_Become_the_CEO_of_your_career.pdf _____ UNMASKED: The Capital Raise Files: Real stories from CEOs who have raised capital, so other leaders can move through the process with more clarity, confidence and fewer wasted rooms. In this special series of Unmasked: The CEO Files, we sit down with CEOs and founders who have actually lived through a capital raise to uncover what happened behind the deck, the numbers and the polished story. Why was the money needed? How did they approach the market? How many investor rooms did it take? What questions created pressure? Where did trust form, and where did resistance show up? Most importantly, what would they do differently if they had to raise again? Because raising capital is never just about the business opportunity, the financial model or the pitch deck. Investors are evaluating the leader in the room, too. How clearly can a CEO communicate under pressure? Can they build trust? Can they respond when challenged? And how does the way they show up influence the outcome? The Capital Raise Files goes beyond fundraising advice to explore the lived experience of raising capital, giving CEOs and founders practical insight they can take into their own investor rooms. If you’re preparing to raise capital, considering M&A or moving toward an IPO, these are the real stories worth hearing. We’re researching why some capital raises move quickly in fewer investor meetings while others drag through extra meetings and follow-up. If you’ve raised capital, we’d value your input. It takes under a minute and all responses are aggregated and never attributed. Click here: https://tally.so/r/68yyZB If you are interested in the findings let us know at alan@strataoriginals.com 🔗 Connect with STRATA Website: www.strataoriginals.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/80453987 Subscribe for more candid conversations with the people behind the capital, companies, and decisions shaping the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

2. 

   3 Nov 2026TRANSCRIPT

   What Makes or Breaks a CEO Transition With Guest Navid Nazemian and Host Alan McLaren

   A new CEO role can make or break a career. So why do so many executives enter their next leadership transition without a roadmap? In this episode of UNMASKED: The CEO Files, Alan McLaren sits down with award-winning executive coach and international bestselling author of Mastering Executive Transitions to uncover what it really takes to succeed in a new leadership role. Discover the Double Diamond Framework, the critical first 90–120 days, and the 5 Cs of successful leadership transitions. From building credibility and navigating organizational politics to knowing when to listen, act, and inspire change, this conversation offers practical insights every CEO and senior executive needs. Plus, discover the one question every CEO should ask before accepting their next role. The takeaway? Invest in preparedness, not prediction. 🎧 Watch now and learn how to turn leadership transitions into lasting success. ______ UNMASKED: The CEO Files. The mic is on. The masks are off. UNMASKED: The CEO Files explores the leadership journeys you don’t see on LinkedIn. The turning points, the real pivots, the moments that shaped who these leaders became beneath the title. We sit with executives as they talk candidly about building trust at scale, shaping culture, and staying visible without selling out who they are. Why it matters: In a world of curated content and algorithm-chasing brands, UNMASKED offers something rare: a human signal that resonates. These are the stories behind the success. The decisions made in uncertainty. The moments that rewired how a leader shows up. If investor trust isn’t building fast enough, your raise may require more conversations than it should. Try the Capital Room Scan: https://stratacapitalroomscan.s.gy/origRm 🔗 Connect with STRATA Website: www.strataoriginals.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/strataoriginals/posts/?feedView=all

3. 

   3 Nov 2026

   Easy to Believe: How Leaders & Organizations Earn Trust - With Guests Leanne Bucaro & Dave Sutton

   Trust isn't built through messaging. It's built through leadership, decisions, and the way a business operates. In this special episode of UNMASKED: The CEO Files, Alan McLaren and Leanne Bucaro are joined by entrepreneur, investor, and former public company CEO Dave Sutton to explore how leaders build trust, navigate uncertainty, and turn trust into a competitive advantage. In this episode, we explore: ➡️ Why trust must be built into business operations, not just messaging. ➡️ How leadership behaviour shapes team dynamics and decision-making. ➡️ Why transparency and vulnerability matter during times of uncertainty. ➡️ How AI, layoffs, and corporate communications can impact trust. ➡️ How CEOs can make trust a lasting competitive advantage. 🔗 Connect with Dave Sutton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marketingscientists/ ______ UNMASKED: The CEO Files. The mic is on. The masks are off. UNMASKED: The CEO Files explores the leadership journeys you don’t see on LinkedIn. The turning points, the real pivots, the moments that shaped who these leaders became beneath the title. We sit with executives as they talk candidly about building trust at scale, shaping culture, and staying visible without selling out who they are. Why it matters: In a world of curated content and algorithm-chasing brands, UNMASKED offers something rare: a human signal that resonates. These are the stories behind the success. The decisions made in uncertainty. The moments that rewired how a leader shows up. If investor trust isn’t building fast enough, your raise may require more conversations than it should. Try the Capital Room Scan: https://stratacapitalroomscan.s.gy/origRm 🔗 Connect with STRATA Website: www.strataoriginals.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/strataoriginals/posts/?feedView=all

Inside a recent episode

What Makes or Breaks a CEO Transition With Guest Navid Nazemian and Host Alan McLaren

Published 3 Nov 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] So, you know, stack rank them against what is the most common, the second most, and the third most. And what I can share with you is that The ninth most common, which is, you know, an 11% of the cases, it's actually down to the lack of the technical or functional company. Oh, wow. Right. […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

11,734

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Spotify

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 43 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

42

Social presence

0

YouTube

85

Engagement

27