business
Hosted by Niel Nickolaisen, Mike Linton · business · EN
CIO Unscripted brings together CIOs, CTOs, and senior tech leaders for honest discussions about what it actually takes to lead in technology today. No scripted talking points, no polished case studies. Just candid stories from the trenches: the wins, the missteps, and the lessons learned along the way. Each episode digs into the topics that matter most to tech leaders, from building high-performing teams and navigating boardroom dynamics to evaluating emerging technologies, managing vendor relationships, and driving digital transformation that actually sticks. Whether you're a seasoned CIO, an aspiring tech leader, or somewhere in between, you'll walk away with practical insights you can apply on Monday morning. Tune in for straight talk on leadership, strategy, and the realities of modern IT.
Required Pod Score for this podcast. PitchCentric checks your profile against host openness, topical fit, and audience signals before you generate a pitch.
Contact path
Public web form
Booking probability
36%
Guest openness
Selective
Sign up to generate a grounded pitch for CIO Unscripted.
Signup to Generate a PitchCIO Unscripted brings together CIOs, CTOs, and senior tech leaders for honest discussions about what it actually takes to lead in technology today. No scripted talking points, no polished case studies. Just candid stories from the trenches: the wins, the missteps, and the lessons learned along the way.
CIO Unscripted is hosted by Niel Nickolaisen, Mike Linton. The show has published 12 episodes to date.
Recent episodes include "Sell, Support, Ship: Startup Lessons and Using AI with Jeremy Brown" (28 October 2026, 35 minutes), "Felix Quintana on Becoming a People Leader and Managing AI Agents" (20 October 2026, 38 minutes), and "Dean Sapp on AI's Speed Advantage in Cybersecurity and Legal Tech" (17 September 2026, 49 minutes).
CIO Unscripted publishes roughly every two weeks, with episodes averaging 36 minutes across 12 episodes.
Booking probability for CIO Unscripted is 36%, and the host is rated Selective on guests. CIO Unscripted requires a Pod Score of 80 or higher. CIO Unscripted's contact route on record: public web form.
The strongest fits for CIO Unscripted are IT Services & Software Development and Business & Management Consulting. CIO Unscripted has a business audience.
Niel Nickolaisen, Mike Linton hosts CIO Unscripted, a business podcast with 12 episodes published.
Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.
CIO Unscripted
Nothing happens until that first customer signs, and nothing happens after that unless you keep them happy. In this episode of CIO Unscripted, Niel Nickolaisen talks with Jeremy, a technology leader who has spent his...
CIO Unscripted
Being great at the technical work doesn’t automatically make you great at leading people. So what does? In this episode, Niel sits down with Felix Quintana to talk about moving from hands-on infrastructure work into...
Episode #11
Niel sits down with Dean Sapp, CISO at Filevine, to talk about how AI has changed both sides of the cybersecurity equation. Dean walks through how AI-driven exploit chaining is finding vulnerabilities that have sat...
Episode #11
<p>Niel sits down with Dean Sapp, CISO at Filevine, to talk about how AI has changed both sides of the cybersecurity equation. Dean walks through how AI-driven exploit chaining is finding vulnerabilities that have sat...
Episode #10
Niel Nickolaisen sits down with Todd Thompson, SVP of Technology at Extra Space Storage, for a conversation that spans more than 22 years of leading technology across JetBlue Airways, Starwood Hotels, Vivint, doTERRA...
Episode #10
<p>Niel Nickolaisen sits down with Todd Thompson, SVP of Technology at Extra Space Storage, for a conversation that spans more than 22 years of leading technology across JetBlue Airways, Starwood Hotels, Vivint...
Episode #9
In this episode, Sarah talks through her unconventional route to the CIO seat at ARUP Laboratories, one of the largest reference labs in the country. She and host Niel Nickolaisen explore what it means to lead...
Episode #9
<p>In this episode, Sarah talks through her unconventional route to the CIO seat at ARUP Laboratories, one of the largest reference labs in the country. She and host Niel Nickolaisen explore what it means to lead...
Episode #8
Mary's path into technology started with seven years as an accountant. On today's episode, she joins Niel to talk about how that finance background shaped her into a business-first technology leader, why she thinks...
Episode #8
<p>Mary's path into technology started with seven years as an accountant. On today's episode, she joins Niel to talk about how that finance background shaped her into a business-first technology leader, why she thinks...
Episode #7
Niel Nickolaisen sits down with Jeff Stott, CIO of Welltower and former CIO of Extra Space Storage, to talk about the technology bet that turned into one of the company's biggest advantages. Jeff spent several years...
Episode #7
<p>Niel Nickolaisen sits down with Jeff Stott, CIO of Welltower and former CIO of Extra Space Storage, to talk about the technology bet that turned into one of the company's biggest advantages. Jeff spent several years...
Episode #6
Niel Nickolaisen chats with Eric Hawley, CIO of Utah State University, for a conversation that covers a lot of ground. Eric shares how his career started by accident, and how nearly every opportunity since has come by...
Episode #6
<p>Niel Nickolaisen chats with Eric Hawley, CIO of Utah State University, for a conversation that covers a lot of ground. Eric shares how his career started by accident, and how nearly every opportunity since has come...
Episode #5
Niel Nickolaisen once micromanaged his way to a perfect ERP rollout. On time, on budget, on scope. Then his handpicked team told him they never wanted to work with him again. In this episode of CIO Unscripted, Mike...
Episode #5
<p>Niel Nickolaisen once micromanaged his way to a perfect ERP rollout. On time, on budget, on scope. Then his handpicked team told him they never wanted to work with him again.</p><p></p><p>In this episode of CIO...
Episode #4
In this episode of CIO Unscripted, Niel Nickolaisen and Mike Linton sit down with Lisa Gardner, CIO at MTC, to talk about what it actually takes to lead technology for an organization that runs Job Corps programs...
Episode #4
<p>In this episode of CIO Unscripted, Niel Nickolaisen and Mike Linton sit down with Lisa Gardner, CIO at MTC, to talk about what it actually takes to lead technology for an organization that runs Job Corps programs...
Episode #3
Niel Nickolaisen and Mike Linton sit down with BJ Vander Linden, CIO of the Larry H. Miller Group, for a wide-ranging conversation about what the technology leadership journey can actually look like. BJ shares how he...
Episode #3
<p>Niel Nickolaisen and Mike Linton sit down with BJ Vander Linden, CIO of the Larry H. Miller Group, for a wide-ranging conversation about what the technology leadership journey can actually look like. BJ shares how he...
Recent guests on CIO Unscripted. Study who booked and why before you pitch.
PitchCentric classifies CIO Unscripted under these industries. Guests from them are the closest fit, and each links to the best podcasts in that industry.
Shows with the most semantically similar episode content. Pitch one, pitch all; producers cluster.
Uncharted Leader
CTO Confessions Brought to you by IT Labs
The CIO In The Know Podcast
The IT Masters
The CTO Compass
The Insight-Driven CIO Podcast
Is this podcast yours and you'd like to remove or correct details? Request removal or email privacy@pitchcentric.com.
Questions about the free trial? See the pricing FAQ