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Build Your Edge

Build Your Edge

By: Jeremy Burns
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Build Your Edge is the podcast for ambitious people in tech who want to think sharper, lead with more confidence, and deliver more. Every episode is built entirely around you, the listener. They’re planned around a single topic and structured to give you practical, usable advice you can apply straight away, not a guest chatting about themselves. Each guest leaves behind one free tool or template, ready for you to download and put to work. This isn’t talk for talk’s sake. It’s a focused, practical playbook for anyone serious about building their edge in tech.

2026 Jeremy Burns Career Success Economics
Episodes
  • Why Engineers Struggle as Tech Leads

    Why Engineers Struggle as Tech Leads
    Jul 21 2026
    Getting promoted to Tech Lead should feel like a step forward. So why do so many brilliant engineers struggle the moment they get there? Pat Kua — former N26 CTO, ThoughtWorks technical principal and founder of the Tech Lead Academy — explains the hardest transition in software engineering: going from being the person who does the work to the person who makes everyone else better at it. What you’ll learn: • Why the move from Software Engineer to Tech Lead is so much harder than it looks • The shift from a maker mindset to a multiplier mindset, and how to make it • How new Tech Leads become the bottleneck without ever noticing • Why meetings, coaching and communication become your highest-value work • How to build leadership skills without losing your technical credibility • Measuring your impact by what your team ships, not what you ship For senior engineers eyeing their first leadership role, new Tech Leads finding their feet, and Engineering Managers who want more impact from the same hours. Free download Maker to Multiplier: 5 Questions Every Tech Lead Should Ask: https://www.buildyouredge.org/tools/maker-to-multiplier-5-questions-every-tech-lead-should-ask No email address required — no sign-up of any kind. Episode notes: https://www.buildyouredge.org/podcast/episodes/why-engineers-struggle-as-tech-leads Pat Kua on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patkua/ Build Your Edge helps ambitious people in tech think smarter, lead better and deliver more. One focused topic per episode, one guest who has done the job, and a free tool every time. New episode every other Tuesday.
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    57 mins
  • Have the Conversation You’re Avoiding

    Have the Conversation You’re Avoiding
    Jul 7 2026
    The conversation you keep putting off is the one costing you the most. Small problems rarely stay small. Tom Day, Partner at PA Consulting, draws on 25 years of leading teams, building businesses and raising a family to explain why conflict is almost always a symptom of poor communication — and how to prevent it rather than react to it. What you’ll learn: • Why difficult conversations feel so uncomfortable, and why avoiding them makes things worse • How to prepare for a conversation that actually matters • Why clarity builds trust, and vagueness destroys it • The Manual of Me: helping your team understand how you work before friction starts • The Manual of Us: aligning a team on roles, values and ways of working up front • How to handle the same conversations at home, not just at work For leaders, managers, parents, and anyone sitting on an awkward conversation they know they need to have. Free downloads The Manual of "Me": https://www.buildyouredge.org/tools/the-manual-of-me The Manual of "Us": https://www.buildyouredge.org/tools/the-manual-of-us No email address required — no sign-up of any kind. Episode notes: https://www.buildyouredge.org/podcast/episodes/how-to-have-difficult-conversations-before-they-blow-up Tom Day on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomfday/ Build Your Edge helps ambitious people in tech think smarter, lead better and deliver more. One focused topic per episode, one guest who has done the job, and a free tool every time. New episode every other Tuesday.
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    55 mins
  • Where Did My Day Go?

    Where Did My Day Go?
    Jun 9 2026
    The meetings happened. The emails got answered. And the work that actually mattered didn't get touched. Again. Zahra Saleh, Director of MindTactics Consultancy, draws on neuroscience, psychology and years of running complex technology programmes to explain why this happens — and why it isn't a personal failing. What you’ll learn: • What constant interruption actually does to your brain's ability to focus • The Mental Stage: why your attention keeps getting hijacked • How to build focus blocks that survive contact with a real working day • Habit loops that make deep work automatic rather than heroic • Setting boundaries without becoming the difficult one • Simple planning techniques that create calm instead of more admin If you have ever reached the end of the day wondering where it went, this will help you take it back. Free download The MindTactics™ Focus Framework: https://www.buildyouredge.org/tools/the-mindtactics-focus-framework No email address required — no sign-up of any kind. Episode notes: https://www.buildyouredge.org/podcast/episodes/where-did-my-day-go Zahra Saleh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zahra-saleh/ Build Your Edge helps ambitious people in tech think smarter, lead better and deliver more. One focused topic per episode, one guest who has done the job, and a free tool every time. New episode every other Tuesday.
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    1 hr and 16 mins
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