Rephonic
Artwork for The Human Connection Podcast

The Human Connection Podcast

Karl Pontau
Leadership
Artificial Intelligence
Human To Human
Human Connection
Communication
Storytelling
Human To Human (H2H)
Burnout
Change Management
Linkedin
Culture
Organizational Culture
Employee Engagement
Psychological Safety
Customer Experience
Authenticity
Networking
Branding
Workplace Culture
Relationships

Is your business’s growth stalled? Employee churn eating into your profits? Struggling with customer retention?

You need stronger connections.

Every Tuesday and Thursday, connect with an expert who’s sharing actionable advice for building stronger relationships with your customers, clients, and stakeholders. Hosted by Karl Pontau, a storytelling super-connector, content system strategist, and su... more

PublishesDailyEpisodes243Founded2 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
ManagementBusinessMarketing

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for The Human Connection Podcast

Latest Episodes

"Not all mistakes are equal." — Shruti Rustagi

Shruti Rustagi spent two decades in Fortune 400 strategy roles, most recently at Amazon, before becoming a leadership coach and EQ speaker — and her new book landed the same week this episode drops. Her... more

"It's really not the words that you say, but it's how you made them feel that is what stays with you." — Michael Crane

Michael Crane spent five years running into other people's worst days as a firefighter before a blood clotting disorder forced him... more

"I say resiliency over perfection." — Joel Elfman

Every executive we've ever had on this show is trying to optimize themselves the same way they optimize their org chart. Joel Elfman — hypnotist, performance coach, and 25-year veteran of NLP, tai ch... more

YouTube

"The posts that I've felt most vulnerable or most exposed tend to be the posts that perform the best."

You've got a content team, a brand voice, and a library of talking points — and none of it moves anyone. Caitlin Bigelow, CMO at Blazil, has watch... more

YouTube

"If the change we desire is big enough, we are going to find all sorts of ways to sabotage that."

You've told your board the culture is strong. You've told your co-founder you're fine. You've told yourself the exhaustion is just the job. Mike Brcic ... more

YouTube

"Speed is actually a liability in pressurized situations."

You think moving fast in a crisis is what leadership looks like. Joe Buccino spent nearly three decades proving the opposite — and he's got the neuroscience to back it up. As a retired US Ar... more

YouTube

"If you're always chasing the trend, you're not ever going to set the trend."

You've got shiny object syndrome, and Ryan Vet will tell you he does too — the difference is he's built a career studying what it costs. As a USA Today bestselling author,... more

YouTube

"The grind will get you so far. It's just not sustainable — and certainly not once your business hits the ceiling."

You call it fuel. Aaron Hendon calls it what it actually is: an untrained nervous system running your company. After 30 years buildin... more

YouTube

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Recent Guests

Joe Buccino
Retired U.S. Army Colonel, former Pentagon spokesman and strategic communications leader
Former Pentagon/US Central Command
Episode: Joe Buccino on Why Speed Is the Enemy of Good Crisis Leadership
Ryan Vet
USA Today bestselling author, entrepreneur, and generational futurist
Episode: You Automated the Connection, And Removed the Reason People Stayed | Ryan Vet
Aaron Hendon
Author and entrepreneur focused on training the brain to manage anxiety and improve performance
Independent author/entrepreneur
Episode: Aaron Hendon on the Ceiling Every Grinding Founder Eventually Hits
Quinn Harwood
Professional certified coach, speaker, author of Growth Time and The Clear Path to Unlock Your Best Life and Leadership
Episode: Quinn Harwood on What Google's Project Oxygen Study Really Found
Thom Singer
CEO of the Austin Technology Council; keynote speaker, podcast host, and author
Austin Technology Council
Episode: Austin Technology Council CEO Thom Singer on Rebuilding Workplace Relationships
Eliot Vancil
Texas-based entrepreneur with leadership role at Fuel Logic; founder/ex-operator of multiple companies
Fuel Logic
Episode: Eliot Vancil on Building an Accountability-Driven Culture at Fuel Logic
Jennifer Doty
Former Fortune 100 VP, Speaker, and author who helps leaders and teams get unstuck by shifting beliefs that drive behavior and performance
Episode: Jennifer Doty (Former Fortune 100 VP) on Reducing Client Churn Through Better Metrics
Cheri Plantenberg
Writer, psilocybin facilitator, and couples coach
Cheri Plantenberg & Partners / Couple Studio
Episode: Cheri & Eric Plantenberg on Why Most Leadership Teams Confuse Alignment With Agreement
Eric Plantenberg
Founder in wellness and human potential, former entrepreneur
Home Kombucha / Couple Studio
Episode: Cheri & Eric Plantenberg on Why Most Leadership Teams Confuse Alignment With Agreement

Host

Karl Pontau
Host of The Human Connection Podcast

Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars from 5 ratings
  • What a brilliant concept!

    This podcast creates a space where leaders and business owners can come learn practical tools and tips to help fill in the missing piece that many are missing … the human connection. Keep up the good work!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Ginny 💎
    United States7 months ago
  • Human Connection with Judith Weigle

    What a great experience to be interviewed by Karl. And what a great concept, a podcast for human connection by way of storytelling.

Karl is well prepared for his guests and generous with time.

Love Karl’s guests. Love Karl’s spirit. And love Karl’s ability to make excellent conversation.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    JudithWeigle123
    United States2 years ago
  • Yes to Human Connection

    I love The Human Connect podcast. I was recently a guest and Karl couldn’t have been a more kind and gracious host.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Mego29940
    United States2 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

The show consistently emphasizes practical, human-centered tools for growth.
Hosts are well-prepared and generous with guests, creating engaging conversations.
Listening feels like meaningful, authentic conversations about business and people.
Guests are diverse and offer concrete frameworks and stories that are easy to apply.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Top Management Podcasts

We Fixed It, You're Welcome
We Fixed It, You're WelcomeWe Fixed It, You're Welcome
3 Takeaways™
3 Takeaways™Lynn Thoman
The Home Service Expert Podcast
The Home Service Expert PodcastTommy Mello: $200 Million Founder|Forbes, Inc., Entrepreneur Columnist
Omni Talk Retail
Omni Talk RetailOmni Talk Retail
Jocko Podcast
Jocko PodcastJocko DEFCOR Network
DO THE WORK • STAY THE COURSE • NO SHORTCUTS
DO THE WORK • STAY THE COURSE • NO SHORTCUTSDO THE WORK • STAY THE COURSE • NO SHORTCUTS™️

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Culture Over Skills - Building Teams That Actually Work Together with Laura Lorenz
Q: How can leaders keep their teams aligned as the business grows and priorities shift?
Regularly revisit the vision and core values, use short-term roadmaps (quarterly), and implement deliberate hiring for culture; maintain open channels with mentors or coaches who can help recalibrate when priorities change.
Culture Over Skills - Building Teams That Actually Work Together with Laura Lorenz
Q: What habits should entrepreneurs start with to make the jump from corporate to entrepreneurial life?
Start by defining a clear vision and purpose, then build a roadmap around core values and quarterly goals, while seeking mentors or accountability partners to maintain focus and provide guidance during inevitable distractions.
Slow Down to Speed Up: The Power of Including People in Your Process with Kate McRoberts
Q: What is the relationship between confident decision making and risk taking?
Kate explains that as traditional data becomes less reliable, leaders must balance risk by involving diverse stakeholders early, leveraging frontline insights, and maintaining a structured feedback loop to de-risk decisions and move forward with greater confidence.
Beyond Skills: Hiring for Values That Drive Long-Term Success with Lou Carter
Q: Tell me more about that.
Lou explains that leaders must start with a strong sense of self and a long-term vision, then hire to that culture rather than chasing quick skill fixes. He emphasizes clear values, the right environment, and ongoing dialogue about what the company stands for.
Work Should NOT Suck: How to Break Free from Soul-Crushing Workplace Culture with Ryan Steil
Q: What's the first practical step an owner should take to start fixing misalignments in their organization?
Start with why—understand the root causes, engage with those affected, and then identify the tools and changes needed to address those root causes, implementing the plan gradually.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About The Human Connection Podcast

What is The Human Connection Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The show features leaders, founders, marketers, and practitioners who explore human-to-human dynamics in business. Episodes often center on building customer trust, leadership, and practical strategies for growth through stronger relationships, blending personal storytelling with frameworks for improving cross-functional collaboration, sales, and organizational culture. Notable strengths include a consistent emphasis on human-centric approaches, actionable playbooks, and real-world anecdotes that illustrate how empathy, communication, and relationship-building drive measurable outcomes across industries.

Where can I find podcast stats for The Human Connection Podcast?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for The Human Connection Podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to The Human Connection Podcast and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does The Human Connection Podcast get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for four million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for The Human Connection Podcast, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for The Human Connection Podcast?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for The Human Connection Podcast, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does The Human Connection Podcast have?

To see how many followers or subscribers The Human Connection Podcast has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

How many episodes of The Human Connection Podcast are there?

The Human Connection Podcast launched 2 years ago and published 243 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact The Human Connection Podcast?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for The Human Connection Podcast?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for The Human Connection Podcast from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for The Human Connection Podcast?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of The Human Connection Podcast. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on The Human Connection Podcast?

Recent guests on The Human Connection Podcast include:

1. Joe Buccino
2. Ryan Vet
3. Aaron Hendon
4. Quinn Harwood
5. Thom Singer
6. Eliot Vancil
7. Jennifer Doty
8. Cheri Plantenberg

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.
Try it free for 7 days