The Peel

Join hosts Shelley McGuire and David Blackburn as they have one on one conversations with government and industry leaders on trends, challenges, and opportunities in GovCon.

The Peel is a government podcast hosted by thepeel, with 100 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

thepeel hosts The Peel, a government show with 100 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.

• 

  Episode #135

  More Than a Finish Line: Building Belonging Through Athletes Serving Athletes

  Sep 29, 202612 min

  What if crossing a finish line could mean more than completing a race? For Athletes Serving Athletes (ASA), it’s about creating community, belonging, friendship, and the opportunity for athletes with limited mobility to experience the excitement of accomplishing something together. On this episode of The Peel, Shelley McGuire sits down with Julia Kardian, Chief Operating Officer of Athletes Serving Athletes, to share the mission behind an organization that has spent 18 years helping individuals with disabilities participate in running events throughout Maryland, southern Pennsylvania, and Northern Virginia. From 5Ks to full marathons, ASA provides the specialized equipment, race registrations, practices, and volunteer “WingMen” needed to help its athletes get to—and across—the finish line. But ASA is about much more than running. Julia shares how the organization creates an inclusive community where athletes who may otherwise experience isolation are surrounded by people who know their names, celebrate their accomplishments, and make sure they know they belong. The conversation also offers a challenge to the GovCon community: get involved. ASA needs volunteer runners, joggers, and even those who prefer a slower pace to help more athletes participate. Speed doesn’t matter. As ASA’s tagline says, “Together We Finish.” ASA will also be featured as a giving-back organization at the upcoming Looking Ahead at CMS for 2027 event on October 21 in Columbia, Maryland. To connect with Julia, follow her on LinkedIn here . Learn more about ASA at their website here .

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #134

  Beyond the AI Hype: Turning Data Into Mission Value with REI Systems' Wagish Bhartiya

  Sep 15, 202618 min

  On this episode of The Peel, Shelley McGuire sits down with Wagish Bhartiya , Chief Growth Officer at REI Systems, to explore what federal agencies need to get right before AI can truly transform how they operate. At the center of the challenge is data. Agencies often have enormous amounts of information spread across disconnected systems—and AI can confidently deliver an answer even when it’s working with incomplete data. Wagish also shares how REI Systems is applying AI internally throughout the software development lifecycle, from requirements gathering and coding to testing, while learning firsthand why governance, standards, training and human expertise remain critical. But perhaps the biggest challenge is moving AI from pilot to production. Wagish explains why government AI must go beyond producing an answer—it needs to produce an answer that can be defended. That means explainability, traceability, and repeatability, because in government, as he says, “every answer needs a receipt.” To connect with Wagish, follow him on LinkedIn here . Learn more about REI Systems at their website here .

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #133

  Tilt the Table: Winning the FY-End GovCon Feeding Frenzy Eric Nusbaum

  Sep 9, 202624 min

  The end of the federal fiscal year is here—and in GovCon, that can feel a lot like a game of Hungry Hungry Hippos. The opportunities are moving fast, but simply chasing everything that hits the market isn't a winning strategy. In this episode of The Peel, Shelley McGuire and ENcompass Consulting Group's CEO, Eric Nusbaum, talk about how contractors can finish FY26 strong while positioning themselves for FY27. Eric shares practical strategies for tilting the table in your favor, from leveraging customer relationships and differentiating your capabilities to making it easier for government buyers to access what you offer. They also tackle the realities of quick-turn September bids, including how to spot opportunities that may favor an incumbent, prepare go-to teaming partners, use AI responsibly in proposal development, and add surge support when your internal team is stretched thin. Looking ahead, Eric breaks down what contractors should expect from OASIS+, MDA SHIELD and SEWP VI, along with three issues to watch closely in FY27: CMMC, increased use of OTAs and CSOs, and potentially significant changes to SBA small business size standards. If you're navigating busy season while trying to plan your next move, this episode offers a roadmap for closing out FY26 strategically and entering FY27 ready to compete. SBA proposed a new rule on SB sizes. Depending on how this turns out, it could have a massive impact on the entire federal contracting industry. Make sure you submit comments on this by Sept 21. Click here to provide your feedback. To connect with Eric, visit him on LinkedIn here . To learn more about ENcompass Consulting Group, visit their website here .

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #132

  Security by Design: Getting Cyber Involved Earlier with Kevin Spease

  Sep 8, 202616 min

  Cybersecurity can’t be something added at the end of a project. In this episode of The Peel, Shelley McGuire sits down with Kevin Spease , President and Co-Founder of ISSE Services, to talk about why security requirements need to be integrated much earlier in the systems development lifecycle. Kevin breaks down where friction often appears when teams try to translate frameworks like NIST and RMF into practical engineering requirements, why developers and cybersecurity teams can sometimes find themselves at odds, and what security professionals can do differently to become enablers instead of blockers. The conversation also explores what happens after a system goes live. How do organizations maintain compliance while continuing to respond to new vulnerabilities and emerging threats? And how can cybersecurity teams stay involved in change management without simply showing up with another “no”? For anyone working in cybersecurity, systems engineering, federal IT, or mission-critical environments, this episode offers a practical look at building security into the process from the very beginning. To connect with Kevin, follow her on LinkedIn here . Learn more about ISSE Services at their website here .

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #131

  Former State Department Acquisition Leader Matt Colantonio on How AlphaSix and Quantify Are Rethinking Federal Acquisition

  Sep 2, 202632 min

  AI is moving fast. Federal acquisition isn’t always built to. So what happens when the two collide? David recently connected with Matt Colantonio , Product Manager for Quantify at AlphaSix and a former senior Federal acquisition leader who brings more than 15 years of firsthand experience navigating the very challenges agencies are now looking to technology to help solve. Matt’s perspective matters. Before joining AlphaSix, he served as a Contracting Officer and held senior acquisition and digital transformation roles, including serving as Chief of Staff for the Senior Procurement Executive within the State Department’s Global Acquisition organization. He knows Federal acquisition from the inside. The processes, the pressures, the workforce challenges, and the realities that can make meaningful transformation difficult. Now he is bringing that experience to AlphaSix, helping translate years of Federal acquisition expertise into technology built around how government acquisition actually works. That makes for a timely conversation. David and Matt dig into what Matt sees differently now that he has worked on both sides of the acquisition equation, what AlphaSix is building with its Q-Suite and AI-powered Quantify platform, and what “AI-native” acquisition could mean in practice. They take on some of the biggest questions facing Federal acquisition leaders right now. Can AI become a trusted collaborator for the acquisition workforce? How should agencies think about buying versus building? What does workforce transformation actually require? And beyond the hype, what could agentic AI realistically do inside the acquisition process? For Federal acquisition and GovCon leaders trying to understand where this is going, this is a chance to hear from someone who spent more than 15 years inside the system and is now helping build what comes next. To connect with Matt, follow him on LinkedIn here . Learn more about AlphaSix at their website here .

  ListenShow Notes

Recent guests on The Peel. Study who booked and why before you pitch.

Based on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:

Industry fit is computed by PitchCentric using vector embeddings of the show's episode catalog.