Data plays a vital role in helping companies develop a competitive advantage, but it’s the data evangelist who gathers and leverages those insights to help organizations understand the story their data is telling them. Today, on Analytics on Fire, we discuss how to become a data evangelist with data storyteller, leader, and lifelong learner, Santosh Kanthethy. At the time of recording this episode, Santosh was the IT Technology Manager for NextEra Energy Resources. Now, he is Head of Data...

Not only will telling your unique story increase your confidence, grow your credibility, and establish you as a thought-leader in your space, it will ultimately allow you to share your expertise with a bigger audience and create an even bigger impact! Today, we discuss how to tell your unique story with none other than former MSNBC and CNN anchor, Lynn Smith. Lynn believes that your story is your superpower, and she wants to help you discover what makes you unique and unleash this superpower...

As many of you already know, data storytelling is one of the hottest non-technical trends in the tech-related space today. Today’s guest, Scott Taylor, ‘The Data Whisperer’ believes it’s time that we expand the realm of data storytelling to include the role of data management by telling stories about data! In this episode, you'll learn: [0:04:30] Why Scott believes that every enterprise has two kinds of data stories to tell and what they are. [0:07:56] Why he wrote Telling Your Data Story...

We have all seen massive shifts in the world of data literacy in the last few years, with the pandemic having undeniable and sometimes surprising effects on the professional landscape. Joining me to talk about these changes and the skills that can best serve data literacy in the contemporary climate is returning guest and one of the godfathers of data literacy, Jordan Morrow! Jordan was previously a guest on Episode 66, so I recommend listening to that masterclass first if you have not...

Hjalmar Gislason is the Founder and CEO of GRID.is, a BI notebook company that has been making big waves in the field in the last few years. He tells us all about GRID.is and the rise of data notebooks. In this episode, you'll learn: [0:05:50] Hjalmar explains exactly what a data notebook is and how it compares to other tools.  [0:11:52] Reasons to consider using a data notebook along with a range of other tools. [0:27:30] The 'living' quality of the models that can be created on GRID. ...

Data is a company’s most important asset, so why aren’t more companies turning their analytics departments into profit centers? In today’s episode, my guest took this concept to the next level by bringing a dedicated accountant on staff to manage their analytics profit center. When Derrick Louis says he is focused on the bottom line, he means it! Previously the Executive Director of IT at RaceTrac Petroleum, Derrick currently heads up IT at Cumberland Farms/EG America. As a business-driven IT...

This week we are joined by AoF alumni, David Dadoun to talk about data lakes, data oceans, data puddles, and data platforms, and why so many are confused about the topic. David is a leader, professor, global speaker, and recently transitioned to an exciting new role as Head of Enterprise Data and BI at BRP in Canada.  If you feel unsure about the definition of a data lake vs a data platform, you’re not alone. The concept continues to evolve, to where we are today which is a data platform. As...

Ryan Wade joins us on AOF today to talk about how to use advanced analytics in your organization! Ryan has been in the analytics game for the last 20 years and is now a Senior Solution Consultant at Blue Granite, based in Indianapolis, Indiana. He recently authored the amazing must-read book, Advanced Analytics in Power BI with R and Python, and in today's chat, we get to hear all about why he wrote the book, who it is for and how you can use it to accelerate your data journey! I met Ryan...

Today's guest is another day one as he’s been in my community for over a decade and attended my very first Xcelsius training class! Mark Bradley has been in IT for around 30 years and has such a huge amount of knowledge and enthusiasm for the intersection of data, metrics, and leadership, I promise that you are not going to want to miss this amazing data masterclass! If you are thinking about becoming a CIO (Chief Information Officer) or your company is going through a digital...

Hey AOF! Today I am joined by one of my first mentors in the BI industry, Rick Montgomery, to unpack why and how you can add the human element to digital transformation. Tune in as Rick shares how to identify, understand and map out the different personalities and parts of your digital transformation. In this episode, you'll learn: [0:09:12] What Rick learned from dropping out of MIT / Harvard. [0:19:39] How automation and analysis can lead to conversations with leadership. [0:21:38]...

Welcome to another exciting masterclass, taking you behind the scenes of how two female leaders on our BI Brainz team created not one, but two of our most downloaded database templates ever! Sharing these juicy details will be Raquel Seville, CEO of the BI Brainz Caribbean office, and Anna Ria, our very own Head of Design and well-known BI Data Accelerator trainer. In this episode, you’ll hear from Raquel as she explains how she used our BI Data storytelling framework to transform a 271-page...

Our focus for this inspiring episode of AOF is mindset, especially if you want to be a standout data analyst! I have brought one of my first ever followers and day ones! Trevor Tapscott is a VP and Analytics Consultant at Wells Fargo and has been in the game for 20 years and counting. We connected in 2008, when he was seeking help with a visualization tool called Xcelsius. In this knowledge bomb filled episode, Trevor shares his thoughts on what sets great data analysts apart, his framework...

Finding your dream job in the world of data and analytics might not be as hard you think! Our guest today, Kimberly Herrington stands as a testament to this idea and she joins us on AOF to talk about how you can go about identifying and capturing your ideal position in this fascinating space. Kimberly is a data journalist at a large healthcare company in Buffalo, New York, and is also the founder of Buffalo Business Intelligence. She is also a graduate of our BI Data Storytelling Accelerator...

Stakeholders often miss key insights that can be provided by data to drive action forward, due to the way the data is presented and communicated to them. My guest today believes that data storytelling is key to resolving this common pain point. Kam Lee, a BI Data Storytelling Mastery alumn and graduate who has used our framework to surface over $100M for the fintech company he works with! Kam is the Chief Data Scientist at his company Finetooth Analytics (specializing in marketing...

Here on the AOF podcast, I have often spoken about the issue of user adoption and the slow progress we have all been experiencing for a long time. Our guest today has so much to offer in relation to our approach to this challenge! I speak to Kevin Greene, the CEO of Logi Analytics, and we delve deep into why the mentality of product leaders is so valuable right now!  Kevin has a brilliant mind for the field of analytics, sharing how and where to get started with these parts of your...

Today we have a real data masterclass in store for you! I am joined by the wonderful and inspiring Valerie Logan from The Data Lodge, and we talk about the unique way she approaches data literacy through what she calls ISL or information as a second language. Valerie does an amazing job of unpacking exactly how this works and adds in loads of useful wisdom and examples that you can add to your existing data literacy program. I would call Valerie a data whisperer, and by the end of this...

Welcome back AOF! I’m so glad to be back after taking some time off over the holidays and having an amazing social media detox! I'm excited to kick-off Season 6. Today’s show is going to give you some super important updates and changes coming to the podcast, our academy platforms and groups, and everything else that matters to you. I will be riding solo on the podcast again this year, but you can still expect to hear more amazing guests who will deliver game-changing business intelligence,...

Excited to share the last and final part of my three-episode series on BI data storytelling accelerator lessons learned. We’ll be digging into the last but most exciting step in our BI Data Storytelling Mastery Framework, 'What you Draw'. Useless visualizations are everywhere! This episode will give you seven things to avoid and ways to fix them to ensure you bring your A-game when it comes to visualizing your storyboard. Tune in for knowledge bombs galore! [05:53] Never skip the mock-up...

Tune in as I recap lessons learned from our latest accelerator class. This part two in the series of three podcasts, which deep dives into our BI data storytelling framework, where we tackle three parts of storytelling. 1) What You Say, 2) What You Write, and 3) What You Draw. I dive into some of the biggest mistakes people make when working with users and writing down their requirements, including why so many get confused with the different story parts and how to fix it. Tune in to this...

Welcome to the first part of a three-part podcast, with each episode touching on the part of our data storytelling framework. You’ll find a deep dive into each part of the framework and find out what lessons were learned and the big takeaways from our last data telling accelerator workshop, which was a huge success. Even though there are other data telling stories schools of thought, one element our followers love is how we tackle the three parts of storytelling: what you say, what you...

Today’s episode features Tiankai Feng, Global Director and Voice of Consumer Analytics at Adidas. Tiankai is going to help you decide if you need an analytics Quarantune. A Quarantune is music or a song that is created for quarantine. The best part about this one is that it is all about data and analytics. Trust me - it’s not only fun but it literally speaks to our daily lives in this field!!   In this super fun episode, my amazing co-host Lillian Pierson and myself discuss Tiankai’s unique...

You don’t want to miss Vincent share the three steps he took after he left Lillian’s class that led to his success in 90 days.  He discussed how he chose the right problem to solve, and the challenges he faced while setting expectations, and most importantly how he measures success! Tune in and be sure to share with others that struggle with their data strategy. Knowledge bombs galore! [17:03] Vincent’s takeaways from Lillian’s course: “What I learned from the workshop really inspired...

Data isn’t just relevant in the US, it’s important all over the world. And currently, the Caribbean is experiencing something of a movement in relation to data. In today’s episode, you’ll hear from Raquel Seville, the CEO of BI Brainz Caribbean. Learn what’s happening in the Caribbean on the data scene, how data innovation is taking center stage, and how you can be a part of it. [13:49]  - What’s happening with data in the Caribbean right now [21:07]   - What the rest of the world...

Data literacy is one of the most sought after cultural transformations of 2020. In episode #47 we discussed ‘Why we should stop saying ’data literacy’. Today’s guest, Jordan Morrow, shared the episode on Linkedin sparking off some very interesting and even defensive responses from the data literacy social media mafia. Today, Jordan joins the podcast to share his unique point of view on the topic. Known as the pioneer of data literacy, tune in to learn how to start a data literacy practice,...