The Human Connection Podcast

Is your business’s growth stalled? Employee churn eating into your profits? Struggling with customer retention?

You need stronger connections.

Every Tuesday and Thursday, connect with an expert who’s sharing actionable advice for building stronger relationships with your customers, clients, and stakeholders. Hosted by Karl Pontau, a storytelling super-connector, content system strategist, and survivor of two childhood brain tumors, this podcast’s mission is to fix the underlying cause of workplace and societal dysfunction: the lack of human connection.

person handing over paper

Business Beyond the

Bottom Line


From visionary leaders to behavioral scientists, our guests share powerful insights and practical strategies to help you:

  • Build unshakeable business relationships

  • Create genuine connections in a digital age

  • Transform your company culture

More than just another business podcast, this is your guide to rebuilding the human fabric of our society, one conversation at a time.

About the Host

Storyteller and Super Connector

man sitting on blue bean bag usinglaptop

Karl Pontau

Overcoming two brain tumors when I was 15 taught me the power of human connection and compassion. My life's mission is to use storytelling to catalyze positive change for humanity.

I’m a Content System Designer for growth stage Health/Med Tech companies and nonprofits, telling difficult stories with compassion that connect humans and accelerate growth.

Featured Guests

Ashley Amber Sava

Ashley Amber Sava is a recovering journalist with the scars (and stories) to prove it—courtesy of Mizzou’s no-mercy J-School. She has now worked in content marketing for eight years where she crafts words that hit harder than a mid-90s power chord.

She’s navigated the wilds of employee comms and B2B tech, leaving her mark on scrappy Austin startups and global HR tech giants. Currently, she’s a senior writer at Manychat, where she wrestles bland messaging into submission and makes automation sound, well…human.

Off the clock? Ashley’s raising a gloriously spunky eight-year-old, Delia, with her Romanian husband who (she swears) is not a vampire. Her two cats, Cleo and Mufasa, run the household with iron paws. Distract her with 90s grunge or book recommendations that will wreck her emotionally for weeks.

She’s not here to whisper sweet nothings about KPIs. If you want real, unfiltered and maybe a little unruly—Ashley’s your person.

FAQs

Get quick answers to your common questions about the podcast.

Why did you start this podcast?

The lack of human connection has eroded society. Businesses are feeling the strain. One of the forecasted trends for 2025 is a focus on brand and relationship building because those have eroded over the past decade and left companies vulnerable to disruptions.

So, my goal is to interview 50 to 100 experts on Human Connection to compile a resource for rebuilding human connection in business and society.

Why do you spend most of the podcast on storytelling?

Storytelling makes us human. It's how we best share ideas and wisdom. It humanizes your brand, creates emotional engagements with your audience, enhances memory recall about your products or services, and differentiates you from competitors by showcasing unique values and propositions.

Is your podcast relevant for my businesses?

Yes. No matter if your business is B2C or B2B, it's really H2H.

Human to Human.

And, all of your employees, vendors, and stakeholders are humans.

The better your relationships are with them, the stronger your business will be.

How can I meet a guest of your podcast?

I love connecting people, and would be happy to make an intro for you -- if said guest is open to it. I need to respect their time and wishes.

So, I'll ask them first. If they approve, I'll connect you.

Please use the contact me page or reach out on LinkedIn to ask me.

Where can I find episodes?

Apple Podcasts, Spotify, LinkedIn

What is your area of expertise?

I combine storytelling, empathy, and my understanding of human behavior and decision making to create content systems and strategies that evoke the right emotions in the right people at the right time.

This generates personalized content.

At scaleor less.

And, accelerates growth.