

The Leader’s Commute Podcast reflects on the dynamic of recalling past experiences that persistently return to us over the “Commute of our Lives” and prompt us to acknowledge their influence on how we think about business and leadership today. The commute theme is intentional. Past episodes have referred to what we have collected, delivered, and mapped in our life’s journey.
This episode, “The Blind Leading the Dined”, addresses the potential blind spots in the vehicles we choose to drive to our objectives. Joining host Jess Villegas is Justin Kalvitz, President of Spatula Consulting.
Jess Villegas/Financial and Operations Executive, Business Performance Consultant, and Leadership Expert with ACUITY Business Consulting

ACUITY Business Consulting is a business performance consultancy working with leadership teams to translate their talent and resources into exceptional and sustainable organizational performance. They do this by surfacing actionable clarity and providing execution expertise in the areas of Strategic Design, Financial Management, Operational Excellence, and Leadership Development, so that leadership can confidently navigate their organizations toward next-level performance.
Jess Villegas is a Financial and Operations Executive, Business Performance Consultant, and Leadership Expert with track record of growing profitability in multi-site manufacturing, assembly, and distribution environments. He is skilled in the development of strong-accountability management teams, the design and execution of complex business strategies, and the optimization of resources to meet business objectives. Jess has managed in the roles of CEO, President, VP Operations, and Division Controller in diverse industries including water infrastructure technology, food-service packaging, and consumer products distribution. He’s recognized as an engaged and effective leader utilizing exceptional leadership and communication skills to achieve results.

The Leaders Commute podcast is presented by












Matt Blanton has built, sold and acquired multiple companies over the past 17 years. Coaching for the #1 transformational program for men, he’s developed the bridge of coaching the whole CEO from personal to professional.
Corwin Smith believes many CEOs are frustrated because it feels like they’re dragging their team uphill and they’ve hit an invisible growth ceiling. And the latest “hacks” or best practices have given short term relief and only a few weeks of improvement then back to chaos.








Alex Cole is the Founder/CEO of Cole Technologies. He is an accomplished IT and cybersecurity professional with extensive expertise in leading the implementation of next-generation IT solutions. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated exceptional leadership skills by successfully managing and delivering large-scale enterprise IT projects in the healthcare, defense, and manufacturing industries.
Jackie Shipley has over 30 years’ experience in the IT industry and is currently AccountabilIT’s Chief People Officer.
Will Davis is the Director of Data and Analytics for Slalom’s Phoenix office. He leads a large and growing team that helps clients unlock the value of their data through analysis, visualization, and overall business strategy.
Steve Zylstra serves as president and CEO of the Arizona Technology Council, a role he assumed in 2007. He is responsible for strategy, operations, finance and policy development. Zylstra is a vocal spokesman for the value technology can provide in raising social and economic standards in Arizona.
Karen Nowicki is a successful author, speaker and the creator of Deep Impact Leadership™ and SoulMarks Coaching™. She is a two-time recipient of the prestigious national Choice Award® for her book and personal development retreat. Karen was crowned the first-ever “Mompreneur of the Year” Award in 2010 for the southwestern states. She was recognized for her leadership, business acumen, and work-life balance.
Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Bianca Buliga is a trilingual first-generation American of Romanian ethnicity. A marketing professional with experience in both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors, Bianca currently works as Director, Marketing & Communications for the Arizona Technology Council.








Eric Whitmoyer is a highly accomplished “no-nonsense” executive, speaker, author, & business coach. He is an entrepreneur who has owned over a dozen different businesses and spent 20 years as an executive leader of two $100 million companies and been responsible for generating over $1.6 billion in sales during that time.
Jim Wilkerson, Founder of 













