A farm kid who showed sheep for 4-H doesn’t usually end up leading community engagement for Microsoft, but that’s exactly why this conversation hits. We sit down with Taya Spelhaug, Fargo site director and TechSpark engagement leader, to unpack how a non-linear career can become a leadership advantage when it’s guided by values, curiosity, and the willingness to start before everything is clear. Along the way, we talk about the unglamorous skills that actually compound: controlling the controllables, staying steady in change, and building trust without positional authority.

We get specific about rural innovation and economic development, including what TechSpark set out to do after the 2016 election and what it takes to build partnerships in places that don’t look like Seattle. Taya also shares the reality behind ag tech and digital transformation in agriculture through Grand Farm, why a big early investment was worth the risk, and how to keep momentum when progress takes years instead of weeks.

From there, we go inside the human side of big tech: employee culture work, morale after layoffs, and why “business decisions” don’t have to erase care for people. We also dig into responsible AI using the “tools vs weapons” frame, plus one of the wildest examples of applied AI today: the Teddy Roosevelt Presidential Library experience, where you can literally ask questions and hear TR respond.

If you care about leadership, authenticity, networking vs real relationships, rural broadband and tech equity, AI ethics, or energy management that actually lasts, you’ll walk away with practical ideas and a lot to think about. Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

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