Change Agents: Inside Modern Insights

Devora Rogers · podesis.com

Change Agents is a podcast about how insights into human behavior drive real-world decisions and change. Through conversations with leaders in research, brand, and strategy, the show explores the moments when data challenges assumptions and leads to new ways of thinking. It focuses on the role of modern insights in shaping products, campaigns, and cultural impact, translating complex research into meaningful, actionable understanding.

11 episodes

10d ago latest

fortnightly cadence

English language

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Episodes 11

Swimming in the data with Katie Zmijewski
10d ago
Alter Agents Research Director Katie Zmijewski joins Devora Rogers to talk about the kind of complex, foundational research she loves most and what it takes to turn a mountain of data into something a business can actually use. Drawing on more than 15 years in research, Katie talks about the projects that have shaped the way she approaches her work, from large-scale consumer journey studies to segmentation and jobs-to-be-done research. She explains why a mathematically valid segmentation still needs to make sense for the brand and feel recognizable to the people who will use it, and what can h
Gaz Alushi of Whalar: Why creators deserve a place in the media mix
1mo ago
How should brands measure the impact of creator marketing? In this episode of Change Agents: Inside Modern Insights, Devora Rogers talks with Gaz Alushi, Global President of Measurement and Analytics at Whalar, about bringing measurement discipline to one of advertising's fastest-growing channels. Gaz explains why creator marketing should be evaluated using the same principles as any other media investment, shares the career lesson that changed how he approaches research and discusses why executives value uncomfortable truths more than reassuring data. The conversation also explores multimodal
Growing From Your Core: Super Consumers, Community, and AI with Brian Aucoin
1mo ago
In this episode of Change Agents: Inside Modern Insights, host Devora Rogers is joined by veteran marketer and strategist Brian Aucoin to explore how listening to the consumer drives massive brand growth. Brian shares the exact moment in 2007 when a surprising piece of data from a Pizza Hut pilot program (discovering that online ordering led to significantly larger ticket sizes) completely revolutionized the company's media strategy and shifted dollars to digital. Beyond the big wins, Devora and Brian tackle the very real challenge brands face when sudden, meteoric growth (like the COVID-19 bo
Rebecca Brooks on the trust recession: Why shopping feels like work now
2mo ago
On this episode of Change Agents: Inside Modern Insights, host Devora Rogers sits down with Rebecca Brooks to explore the growing "trust recession" reshaping consumer behavior. Drawing on years of Alter Agents consumer sentiment tracking research, Rebecca explains why shoppers are spending more time researching purchases, relying on peer validation, and approaching even routine buying decisions with skepticism. The conversation explores how economic uncertainty, information overload, AI-generated content, and declining institutional trust are creating a new era of consumer decision-making. Reb
Bringing humanity back to modern insights with Vanessa Hensler
2mo ago
In this episode of Change Agents: Inside Modern Insights, Devora Rogers sits down with neuroscientist and researcher Vanessa Hensler to explore how neuroscience, emotion and human intuition continue to shape better decision-making in the age of AI. Vanessa shares lessons from her work at Google, Pinterest and Reddit, including the insight that helped reshape a company’s growth strategy, why mixed methodologies often reveal what traditional surveys miss and why human-led research matters more than ever. The conversation also dives into the future of neuroscience in market research, the rise of
The data wrangler’s playbook for AI, insights and smarter decision-making
3mo ago
In this episode of Change Agents: Inside Modern Insights, Devora Rogers sits down with Julia Berk, Senior Director of Global Insights, Analytics and Research at Smartly, to explore how research leaders are navigating the AI era without losing sight of quality, context and human insight. Julia reflects on the breakthrough Gen Z research she led at Snapchat, why visual communication transformed social platforms and how AI is changing the way organizations synthesize, reuse and operationalize research. The conversation also dives into stakeholder management, data ethics, synthetic audiences, insi
From skeptic to believer: Why research still matters in the age of AI
3mo ago
In this episode of Change Agents, Devora Rogers sits down with Aarti Bhaskaran, global head of research and insights at Snapchat, to unpack the moment that shaped her career and why research remains a critical voice in business decisions. From early lessons in proving skeptics wrong to navigating AI’s growing role in the industry, the conversation explores what makes a great researcher, how to choose the right methodology and why human empathy and curiosity still sit at the center of meaningful insights. About the Guest: Aarti is a storyteller, strategic thinker and insights leader with nearly
Curiosity, connection and the real role of AI in B2B marketing
4mo ago
In this episode of Change Agents: Inside Modern Insights, Devora Rogers sits down with Vita Molis, head of editorial at the B2B Institute at LinkedIn, to explore how thought leadership and research can drive real business impact. Drawing on her experience building the global insights function at TikTok, Vita shares how insights teams can move beyond reporting to become true orchestrators of strategy across organizations. The conversation covers LinkedIn’s “drip effect” approach to brand building, the surprising role of curiosity in AI adoption and why B2B growth depends on long-term thinking,
What Is an “Insight”? A Human-Centered Intro to Market Research
5mo ago · 17:13
In this episode of Devora Rogers’ Change Agents: Inside Modern Insights podcast, Devora sits down with colleague Megan French to demystify market research and “insights” in plain language. Together they unpack how brands learn what people really think and do (from surveys and focus groups to modern mobile ethnography), why the work can get messy, and how a single insight can reshape products, messaging and strategy. About the Guest Megan French, Sales Enablement Specialist at Alter Agents Megan French is a Sales Enablement professional at Alter Agents with five years of experience helping sale
The Warm Blanket Insight: Why This Show Exists
5mo ago · 8:24
In the premiere of Change Agents: Inside Modern Insights, host Devora Rogers shares the personal moment that sparked the show: an unexpected MS diagnosis, a hospital stay, and a surprising obsession with one simple question: who decided warm blankets should always be available? From “blanket microwaves” to busted assumptions in market research (including a tuna brand growth story no one saw coming), Devora introduces the kind of curiosity-led insights that can reshape strategy, challenge myths, and change everything. To learn more, visit: https://alteragents.com/ Listen to more episodes on Mis
Welcome to Change Agents: Inside Modern Insights
5mo ago · 1:43
What actually drives change? In this trailer for Change Agents: Inside Modern Insights, host Devora Rogers, Chief Strategy Officer at Alter Agents, introduces a podcast that goes behind the scenes of the insights that reshape brands, challenge assumptions, and reveal what really drives human behavior. Through conversations with insight leaders from companies like TikTok, LinkedIn, Uber, and more, the show explores the research breakthroughs, unexpected discoveries, and strategic moments that force organizations to rethink what they thought they knew. Because real change doesn’t happen by accid