Dr. Emily Brearley has spent 25 years inside the world’s most powerful institutions — the World Bank, USAID, and the Inter-American Development Bank — leading programs across Africa, Latin America, and Asia. She’s advised the Libyan Central Bank, fought corruption inside public finance systems, and chaired the Energy Working Group for the IDB, coordinating investment strategies on renewables, taxation, and infrastructure.

But what happens when institutions built to fight poverty start protecting themselves instead?

In this episode, Emily pulls back the curtain on the hidden incentives, quiet corruption, and moral decay inside the global aid industry. She shares stories from the field — from failed billion-dollar projects to the human cost of bureaucratic blindness — and explains how good people lose their integrity inside systems that reward silence over truth.

We explore what it really means to lead when the system itself is broken — and how courage, empathy, and realism can still exist inside the machinery of power.

If you’ve ever wondered why big institutions struggle to deliver on big promises, this episode is a masterclass in leadership, incentives, and the psychology of doing good in a world built for comfort, not truth.

What does it take to help build a $20B company, exit with significant wealth, and then start over again at one of the most competitive firms in Palo Alto?

In this conversation, I’m joined by Neboyša Omčikus, a former engineer, turned Head of Talent, turned Product Lead at Rubrik, where he helped scale the business from 15 to over 200 people, culminating in one of Silicon Valley’s most successful IPOs.

His next chapter? Head of Strategy at Glean, one of the fastest-growing AI startups on the planet (currently valued at $7.2B).

We explore:

• How to identify real talent in a world of noise
• The problem with hiring “brilliant jerks”
• Navigating imposter syndrome in high-growth environments
• The mindset required to leap from recruiting to product to strategy
• Why true closers start selling from the first conversation
• What makes a career-defining team and how to build one

If you're looking for:

• A playbook on how to make yourself indispensable, and thus earn shareholder status as a startup
• A guide on best practices for hiring and selecting people for your inner circle
• The right mindset for repeatable success

This one is for you.