The Simple Talk Podcast

Steve is joined by Cindy Gross to discuss leadership coaching in the technology industry – what it is, how it works, and the many benefits it brings. Recorded on-site at PASS Data Community Summit 2025 in Seattle.
Cindy is an executive coach and Adaptive Leadership Expert with 25 years in the US tech industry. As a former SQL Server Master (MCM) and expert in cross-organizational navigation at Microsoft, she transformed her focus from complex technical systems to empowering leaders within systemic chaos.
Today, through Befriending Dragons, she guides indispensable Keystone Leaders struggling with burnout, equipping organizations with her Leadership Navigation System to befriend Leadership Friction and convert Leadership Debt into strategic leverage, thus ensuring critical talent retention. As a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and the Delaware Tribe of Indians, Cindy integrates the Cherokee principle of collective leadership, Gadugi, into her work.
Cindy's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindygross
Learn more about Befriending Dragons: https://BefriendingDragons.com
Befriending Dragons' schedule: https://befriendingdragons.com/meet
Cindy's email: [email protected]
Cindy's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/befriendingdragons
Listen or watch every episode of the Simple Talk podcast at https://www.red-gate.com/simple-talk/podcasts

Rollbacks act as an 'undo' for databases, but why are they important, what happens if you can't roll back, and how do you prevent even needing to in the first place? Steve, Kellyn, Grant & Pat try to answer these questions – and more. 

Recorded on-site at Redgate HQ in Cambridge, UK. 

Watch or listen to every episode of the Simple Talk podcast at: www.red-gate.com/simple-talk/podcasts

Steve, Kellyn & Grant are joined by new Redgate Advocate, Pat Wright, for a wide-ranging discussion about what to expect in the database world in 2026 – from AI and when the bubble may burst, to community events (including the upcoming rebrand of SQL Saturday), the importance of connection, and much more…
Recorded on-site at Redgate HQ in Cambridge, UK. 
Watch or listen to every episode of the Simple Talk podcast at: www.red-gate.com/simple-talk/podcasts

Steve Jones, Kellyn Gorman and Grant Fritchey discuss what surprised them most in the database/tech world in 2025, ruminate on the good, bad and ugly of AI, and ponder where it goes next. Recorded on-site at PASS Summit 2025 in Seattle.
Watch or listen to every episode of the Simple Talk podcast at:
www.red-gate.com/simple-talk/podcasts
Simple Talk is a free learning resource brought to you by Redgate Software, featuring thousands of articles covering databases, AI, Cloud, DevOps and much more:
www.red-gate.com/simple-talk

Ed Pollack (Microsoft Data Platform MVP and community champion) sat down with Steve Jones at PASS Summit 2025 to discuss many topics including:

Why change is good - but keeping on top of the fundamentals is still important
Data modeling
Recommended software/products to use
SQL Server 2025, which was just launched into General Availability at the time of recording
The process of testing & best practices
The importance of community, and how to bring people together
Running a marathon

Plus, find out what Ed's baking specialism is – and try it for yourself at the Capital Area SQL Server User Group event in Albany, NY!

Event information: https://www.meetup.com/capital-area-sql-server-user-group/

Ed's Simple Talk profile: https://www.red-gate.com/simple-talk/author/ed7alum-rpi-edu/

Ed's MVP profile: https://mvp.microsoft.com/en-US/mvp/profile/c7dc42d5-ff3e-ed11-bba3-000d3a197333

Ed on Sessionize: https://sessionize.com/edward-pollack/