Episode 182 - Taking AI to Another Level - with Gonzalo Vargas

You’ve probably seen AI getting a lot of attention, as many resilience professionals have been posting AI generated action figures and even bobbleheads (….Mark). That’s cute. But this week’s guest says it’s time to take AI to a whole new level. And that’s just what we do. Hello everyone, and welcome to episode 182 of the Resilient Journey podcast, presented by Anesis Consulting Group! This week, we are thrilled to be joined by long time friend Gonzalo Vargas to talk about one of the hottest topics in our industry – Artificial Intelligence. But we’re taking a different approach as we look at how we as resilience professionals can leverage AI in our day-to-operation. Gonzalo encourages us to load our BCP data into private AI tools to review your business continuity or crisis management plan, leverage AI to do scenario analysis and to automate testing functionality. Gonz and Mark explore the idea of using AI to monitor media and social media outlets to see what is being said about your company during a crisis and to analyze the tone of your statements. And stay tuned to the end to hear Gonz share an AI prompt idea to give you better results.   Be sure to follow The Resilient Journey!  We sure do appreciate it! Want to learn more about Mark? Click here or on LinkedIn or Twitter. Special thanks to Bensound for the music.   

When we think of the skills required to be a successful risk or resilience professional, we tend to think inside the walls of whatever organization we work for. But what if we applied those skills in ways that could change the world? Hello everyone, and welcome to episode 181 of the Resilient Journey podcast, presented by Anesis Consulting Group! This week, we’re joined by long-time resilience professional Patrick Dunn, who uses his background in technology, disaster recovery and business continuity to volunteer with an organization called Roots of Peace. Patrick helps Roots of Peace in their mission to transform war-torn lands into thriving farmlands, through a vision that establishes peace AND RESILIENCE through agriculture. There is a surprising level of similarity between the work we do each day and the approach Roots of Peace takes. In this episode, you’ll learn how to leverage your resilience skills to do bigger things.   Be sure to follow The Resilient Journey!  We sure do appreciate it! Want to learn more about Mark? Click here or on LinkedIn or Twitter. Special thanks to Bensound for the music.

This week’s guest encourages us to be proactive and adaptive. She works to help companies avoid “crisis mode” by resiliently working through a disruption. You may call it something else, but she calls is “Disruption Resiliency” Hello everyone, and welcome to episode 180 of the Resilient Journey podcast, presented by Anesis Consulting Group! This week, we’re joined by consultant and resilience program manager Claire Mechan who says the best way to bounce back fast is to never have to bounce back at all. She explains that disruption resiliency does four things: It protects our business continuity program, enhances our competitive advantage, protects our company’s reputation and mitigates financial loss. Claire’s goal is clear. Rather than reacting in crisis mode – resilient organizations operate from a position of preparedness. She says they have the ability to resist, absorb and adapt.   Be sure to follow The Resilient Journey!  We sure do appreciate it! Want to learn more about Mark? Click here or on LinkedIn or Twitter. Special thanks to Bensound for the music.

Many organizations have addressed their need for good security practices by implementing ISO Standard 27001. The problem is, we often miss how the application of this standard applies to us as resilience professionals. Hello everyone, and welcome to episode 179 of the Resilient Journey podcast, presented by Anesis Consulting Group! This week we’re joined by Carolin Hellestam and we’re talking about ISO 27001 and how it pertains to risk and resilience programs. Carolin reminds us that the Standard is Risk based, and it is tailored to meet your company’s overall requirements. Mark and Carolin walk through the major steps required to become certified, the benefits of certification and the threat of going through the process without actually changing any of your practices.   Be sure to follow The Resilient Journey!  We sure do appreciate it! Want to learn more about Mark? Click here or on LinkedIn or Twitter. Special thanks to Bensound for the music.   

We often talk about “soft skills” and their importance in our professional development. This week’s guest is committed to improving your emotional intelligence and this episode is committed to helping resilience professionals use these skills to advance our programs. Hello everyone, and welcome to episode 178 of the Resilient Journey podcast, presented by Anesis Consulting Group! This week we are joined by JD Walter, co-founder and President of Walteric LLC, JD tells Mark how important it is to be able to “read the room”. He calls collaboration our “competitive advantage” and they break down the four ingredients of Emotional Agility: Self Awareness, Self Management, Social Awareness and Social Management. Stick around because these skills will help you advance your career.   Be sure to follow The Resilient Journey!  We sure do appreciate it! Want to learn more about Mark? Click here or on LinkedIn or Twitter. Special thanks to Bensound for the music.

Kijuan Amey served in the United States Air Force until he sustained major polytraumatic injuries in a motorcycle accident. Now, he motivates others through his recovery journey and says that even though he lost his sight, he never lost his vision. Hello everyone, and welcome to episode 177 of the Resilient Journey podcast, presented by Anesis Consulting Group! Prepare to be inspired and get ready to share this episode with your network. This week, we introduce you to Kijuan Amey, the head of Amey Motivation. After a tragic accident in 2017, Kijuan found his true calling: serving others. Now a motivational speaker, mentor, and resilience coach, Kijuan joins Mark to discuss his accident, his recovery, his spiritual journey, and the profound response he received when he questioned God. Kijuan wants you to know that there IS life at the end of whatever tunnel you’re going through. And to cap it all off, stay to the end to hear what Kijuan chose as his walk-up song.   Be sure to follow The Resilient Journey!  We sure do appreciate it! Want to learn more about Mark? Click here or on LinkedIn or Twitter. Special thanks to Bensound for the music.

We get it. Many of you are sick and tired of paying attention to the news coming out of Washington. There are days that we feel the same way. But there are things we need to understand. Things we need to pay attention to. Welcome to part two of Conquering the Chaos. Hello everyone, and welcome to episode 176 of the Resilient Journey podcast, presented by Anesis Consulting Group! This is part two of our mini-series on conquering the chaos and we’re joined by Dan Stoneking, who has 25 years experience in the US Army and 15 years experience with FEMA. Dan and Mark talk about the Emergency Management External Affairs Association and then they get into the issues at hand: how federal job cuts will impact emergency management. Dan asks, “If programs disappear, who picks up the effort?” He says response efforts will drill down to the states, ultimately affecting you and your business.   Be sure to follow The Resilient Journey!  We sure do appreciate it! Want to learn more about Mark? Click here or on LinkedIn or Twitter. Special thanks to Bensound for the music.

Let’s be clear. This episode is not about politics. It’s about chaos, flooding the zone, the impact on business and what we as resilience professionals globally should be focusing on. Join us now for part one of a two-part series on conquering the chaos. Hello everyone, and welcome to episode 175 of the Resilient Journey podcast, presented by Anesis Consulting Group! This week we’ve reached out to someone with 43 years of experience who is perfectly suited to gives us advice on conquering the chaos – as we’re joined once again by Regina  Phelps. Regina re-emphasizes that we as resilience professionals, now more than ever, must have situational awareness. And she urges us to get our information from un-biased, reliable sources. She also tells us that in our industry, now is the time for us to stand up, make some noise, have good data and ask good questions. You cannot afford to miss this episode.     Be sure to follow The Resilient Journey!  We sure do appreciate it! Want to learn more about Mark? Click here or on LinkedIn or Twitter. Special thanks to Bensound for the music.

It seems that tariffs are part of the ‘new normal’ of international trade in 2025.  Today we’re talking about what they are, how they impact global trade, and what we as resilience professionals should be doing to help mitigate the risk. Hello everyone, and welcome to episode 174 of the Resilient Journey podcast, presented by Anesis Consulting Group! This week we’ve engaged our resident supply chain expert Betty Kildow to talk with us about tariffs. Betty and Mark explain how tariffs work. Betty provides tips on how to report tariffs to your executive team – AND – how to protect yourself when you report on a topic that is constantly changing. She offers advice on how to mitigate the impact of tariffs, and shares what your supply chain teams should be doing with your suppliers. She says it’s helpful to have a single person focus on gathering details on pending tariffs – and you’ll want to listen to find out who that person should be!   Be sure to follow The Resilient Journey!  We sure do appreciate it! Want to learn more about Mark? Click here or on LinkedIn or Twitter. Special thanks to Bensound for the music.   

One of the things we like to do at the Resilient Journey is chat with guests who are making a difference in our industry. This week we’re going to explore some real-life lessons and insights from a wide-variety of topics, all related to business continuity. Hello everyone, and welcome to episode 173 of the Resilient Journey podcast, presented by Anesis Consulting Group! This week we’re joined by emcee of DRJ Spring, Melissa Muniz about a series of articles she’s writing called BCDR Unplugged: Real-Life Lessons & Insights. Melissa explains what prompted her to write the series, and her use of the old school “BCDR” title. She and Mark talk about why BCDR matters, key takeaways from natural disasters, a fascinating conversation about digital twinning – and they have a great chat about fatigue, personal resilience and self-care. And Melissa shares a sneak-peek into what else is coming in her exciting series.   Be sure to follow The Resilient Journey!  We sure do appreciate it! Want to learn more about Mark? Click here or on LinkedIn or Twitter. Special thanks to Bensound for the music.