The Glow Up - Fabulous conversations with innovative minds.

By: Nathan C Bowser Awesome Future Studio
  • Summary

  • Almost every founder is in a league of their own. It’s lonely at the top for founders and product leaders. It’s lonely in innovation - few people really understand what you do or can share relatable examples or advice.


    Welcome to The Glow Up - Fabulous conversations with innovative minds. I'm your host - Nathan C - founder of Awesome Future.

    Here at The Glow Up, we're on a mission to uplift and humaninze the world of startups and innovaiton by focussing on what really matters in the long entreprenuerial journey of successfully taking an idea or technology to market.


    Most innovative ideas are ahead of their time, which makes staying on the playing field long enough for your idea to “hit” one of the most crucial skills for a founder or new business.


    The Glow Up talks with innovators about their big ideas, how they stay resilient in the face of change and how they find and build the value that will drive their future success.


    What is a glow up - you might ask?

    Glow up is defined as "a positive transformation, often involving significant changes in appearance, confidence, or lifestyle.


    We use "Glow up" to refer to the process of becoming a better version of oneself, more attractive, and more successful.


    If you're a founder or a product leader who's looking to have a glow up of your own - or if you're a seasoned entrepreneur who's stories can support others, we'd love to hear from you. Please add you name to the guest list with the link in the show notes.


    Each episode will also feature a community spotlight for innovative NGOs, non-proffits, and other organizations that are driving innovation and change in their communities. There's another link in our bio for community groups and sponsors to learn more!

    © 2025 The Glow Up - Fabulous conversations with innovative minds.
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Episodes
  • Using Data & AI to Expand Access to Care & Make Better Patient Experiences – Dr. Colin Banas
    Jan 30 2025

    Dr. Colin Banas is the Chief Medical Officer at DrFirst, a company focused on end-to-end medication management. Here's a summary of the key points from his interview:

    Key Takeaways:

    • DrFirst aims to get patients on therapy and keep them on therapy through frictionless medication management processes.
    • The company uses data and AI to personalize patient experiences and improve medication adherence.
    • DrFirst is focusing on optimizing the specialty medication experience, addressing challenges in prior authorization and transparency.
    • Dr. Banas emphasizes the importance of augmented intelligence to assist clinicians and tackle administrative burdens.
    • The company touches a quarter of all prescriptions in the United States, providing significant scale for impact.

    Dr. Banas's journey into healthcare technology began when he co-founded the Office of Clinical Transformation at his previous hospital, aiming to improve the electronic medical record system. He later joined DrFirst to have a broader impact on medication management.

    DrFirst uses data to measure the success of their interventions, tracking metrics such as adherence rates, time savings for healthcare providers, and improvements in patient safety. They're currently focused on addressing the growing complexity of specialty medications.

    Looking ahead, Dr. Banas envisions using augmented intelligence to improve transparency and reduce administrative burdens in medication management, particularly for specialty medications.

    About Dr. Colin Banas ----
    Colin is an Internal Medicine Hospitalist and former Chief Medical Information Officer for VCU Health System in Richmond, Virginia. He has testified before the U.S. Senate and the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) on health IT and the Meaningful Use program, and is a former Health IT Fellow for the ONC.

    His interests center on the role of big data and analytics on patient outcomes and on novel forms of clinical decision support that are outside the realm of traditional rules and alerts, including real-time dashboarding and intuitive usability designs. He also helped spearhead the VCU effort to participate in the Open Notes initiative, where patients have access to their clinical documentation in real time.

    In 2017, Colin received the HIMSS-AMDIS award for Physician Executive of the Year from his peers. He earned a bachelor’s degree from University of Virginia, his M.D. from Eastern Virginia Medical School, and a master’s in Healthcare Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University.

    A "glow up" signifies a positive transformation, reflecting the journey of becoming a better, more successful version of oneself.

    At The Glow Up, we humanize the startup and innovation landscape by focusing on the essential aspects of the entrepreneurial journey. Groundbreaking ideas are often ahead of their time, making resilience and perseverance vital for founders and product leaders.

    In our podcast, we engage with innovators to discuss their transformative ideas, the challenges they face, and how they create value for future success.

    If you're a founder or product leader seeking your own glow up, or a seasoned entrepreneur with stories to share, we invite you to join our guest list via this link.

    Show more Show less
    29 mins
  • XR Education & Creating Accessible Concerts - Adrian Rashad Driscoll
    Jan 23 2025

    Adrian Rashad Driscoll is the CEO of Collimation and a top 100 XR expert focused on storytelling through immersive technologies. Here's a summary of the key points from his interview:

    Key Takeaways:

    • Driscoll emphasizes using XR technology to create impactful, empathetic stories rather than just for gimmicks.
    • He developed "Footprints Through Time," an AR experience about the transatlantic slave trade, using volumetric capture and animation to create empathy.
    • Collimation focuses on making technology invisible to let stories have visibility.
    • Driscoll advocates for inclusive technology development and responsible AI use.
    • He's working on making concerts more accessible through XR, aiming to provide the energy of a mega concert with the intimacy of MTV Unplugged.

    Driscoll's journey into XR began 12 years ago as a contractor for Oculus. He founded Collimation to tell impactful stories using immersive technologies. A key project, "Footprints Through Time," uses AR to educate about the transatlantic slave trade, emphasizing empathy and understanding over confrontation.

    Driscoll stresses the importance of narrative-first approaches in XR projects, often advising clients that photorealism isn't always necessary for impactful experiences. He aims to keep technology invisible, letting the story take center stage.

    Looking ahead, Driscoll wants to scale up initiatives like the Scale Up Immersive program, which helped 30 companies enter the XR space. Collimation has recently opened its seed funding round after five years of bootstrapping.

    About Adrian Rashad Driscoll Social Alchemist, VR Nerd, Executive Troublemaker

    From the small city of Barstow CA, (yeah, the pitstop on the way to Vegas) Adrian Rashad Driscoll followed his dream of becoming a professional actor and moved to Los Angeles. Shortly after that, he was woken up. After 15 years of great weather and bad traffic, he now makes his living as a filmmaker
    and Immersive Media creative.

    He has had the privilege of working with large companies such as CBS, NBC, KTLA, The CW, Paramount, Facebook, Microsoft, United Way, and more to push the boundaries of immersive media whilst producing great XR titles and experiences.

    In 2020, Adrian partnered with music legend Gimel “Young Guru” Keaton to form the immersive media production house, Collimation with a dedication to bridge entertainment with emerging media. In addition, Adrian teachesin multiple education programs around the world to bring more people into
    immersive media.

    He also teaches at the OYA & EAST education programs on multiple XR initiatives
    geared towards education, entertainment, and medical research. His goal is to create opportunities for under-served communities and using said opportunities, to change their current trajectory. “French
    fries” are the key to his heart.

    A "glow up" signifies a positive transformation, reflecting the journey of becoming a better, more successful version of oneself.

    At The Glow Up, we humanize the startup and innovation landscape by focusing on the essential aspects of the entrepreneurial journey. Groundbreaking ideas are often ahead of their time, making resilience and perseverance vital for founders and product leaders.

    In our podcast, we engage with innovators to discuss their transformative ideas, the challenges they face, and how they create value for future success.

    If you're a founder or product leader seeking your own glow up, or a seasoned entrepreneur with stories to share, we invite you to join our guest list via this link.

    Show more Show less
    36 mins
  • Creating the Marketing of Tomorrow with Emergence Platforms – Nic Hill
    Jan 16 2025

    Nic Hill is the co-founder and head of the interactive department at Sawhorse Productions, a creative agency that focuses on innovative brand storytelling through immersive and interactive technologies.

    Key Takeaways:

    • Sawhorse evolved from a traditional film production company to a creative agency specializing in branded content and immersive experiences.
    • The company leverages platforms like Roblox and Fortnite to create engaging, interactive brand experiences.
    • Immersive technologies offer deeper engagement and longer interaction times compared to traditional marketing methods.
    • Nic emphasizes the importance of providing value and authenticity in branded experiences, especially for younger audiences.
    • Sawhorse's approach includes rapid prototyping and real-time feedback through community engagement.

    Nic's journey began as a filmmaker in his youth, evolving through documentary production to founding Sawhorse Productions. The company transitioned from traditional video production to creating immersive brand experiences, particularly during the pandemic. Sawhorse now focuses on building 3D worlds and interactive experiences for brands, aiming to tell stories in more engaging and persistent ways.

    Nic highlights the shift in marketing approaches, especially for younger audiences who value authenticity and engagement over traditional advertising. He emphasizes the importance of creating experiences that provide value to users, rather than just pushing brand messages.

    Looking ahead, Nic aims to continue pushing the boundaries of brand storytelling through emerging technologies like augmented reality. He sees Sawhorse as a leader in this space and is committed to exploring new ways to connect brands with their audiences.

    About Nic Hill

    Nic Hill is the Co-founder and Head of Interactive at Sawhorse, a leading agency specializing in branded content and gaming. During his tenure, Nic has cultivated a dynamic team of leaders in the innovation space and has created immersive interactive experiences for some of the biggest brands, studios and agencies in the world.

    He strives to push the envelope on interactive storytelling by blurring the line between film and gaming. Before this role, Nic was an independent film director / editor and created internationally acclaimed documentarie films. In his spare time he enjoys DJing, biking and spending time with his wife and two kids in Los Angeles.

    A "glow up" signifies a positive transformation, reflecting the journey of becoming a better, more successful version of oneself.

    At The Glow Up, we humanize the startup and innovation landscape by focusing on the essential aspects of the entrepreneurial journey. Groundbreaking ideas are often ahead of their time, making resilience and perseverance vital for founders and product leaders.

    In our podcast, we engage with innovators to discuss their transformative ideas, the challenges they face, and how they create value for future success.

    If you're a founder or product leader seeking your own glow up, or a seasoned entrepreneur with stories to share, we invite you to join our guest list via this link.

    Show more Show less
    29 mins

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