Jeremy Duncan is a cloud platform solution architect with 20+ years of experience, Fortune 500 engagements, and a reputation that precedes him — green glowing shoes and all. But behind the accolades is a story built on grit. Raised by a single mom working three jobs, Jeremy grew up watching hustle from a bar stool at a Nashville watering hole and turned that into fuel. In this episode, Jeremy takes us from a maraschino-cherry childhood to a 10-year run as a reserve police officer — all while building a career at the top of the ServiceNow ecosystem.

We get into his work connecting Ukrainian war refugees to American sponsors through the Goldman Sachs-backed welcome.us platform (later the subject of a Tribeca film), his unsanctioned mentorship cohort turning nurses and veterans into tech professionals, and his honest, grounded take on AI, workforce transformation, and how leaders should navigate the noise. He closes with two words that say it all: Choose joy.

✅ KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Grit is inherited — Jeremy's drive traces directly to watching his mom hustle across three jobs. The foundation of his work ethic wasn't a college campus, it was a bar stool.
• Intangibles over credentials — When mentoring, Jeremy doesn't look for degrees or certifications. He looks for people who are already the "go-to" for computers, who lean in naturally, who want to sit behind a screen.
• Technology with a human center — His most meaningful career moment wasn't a Fortune 500 deployment. It was connecting Ukrainian refugees to American families, one platform, one family at a time.
• Imposter syndrome is universal — Even the most decorated architects feel it. The answer isn't to ignore the change — it's to ride it.
• AI will change IT, not destroy it — Marketing is ahead of engineering. The pendulum will correct. The skill of the 21st century is prompt engineering, not just tool mastery.
• Don't let leaders swing the pendulum too far — The C-suite mistake Jeremy sees repeatedly: wholesale pivots instead of bite-sized, thoughtful AI adoption that starts with the soul-crushing work nobody wants anyway.
• Faith and family are the real grounding agents — When the stakes are highest, Jeremy doesn't look at the spreadsheet. He looks up.

🔑 KEYWORDS / TAGS
ServiceNow, Cloud Architecture, AI and the Future of Work, Mentorship, Workforce Transformation, Human-Centered Design, Prompt Engineering, Imposter Syndrome, Tech Leadership, Faith and Career, Origin Story, Reserve Police Officer, Ukrainian Refugees, welcome.us, Grit and Resilience, Choose Joy

CHAPTERS

• Jeremy Duncan's Origin Story
• Mentorship and Paying It Forward
• Meaningful Projects and Humanitarian Impact
• The Future of Technology and AI
• The Economic Impact of AI on Employment
• Trust and Security in Technology
• Navigating Change in Leadership
• Personal Grounding in a Tech-Driven World
• The Human Element in Technology

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s1e33 Who's Building Your Software Now? IT, the Business, or the AI?

This episode of The Wired Garage with Pops digs into how software delivery is being fundamentally restructured — not just accelerated. Pops and Steele walk through the evolution from traditional IT-led development to a multi-persona development model, where business users (citizen developers), professional developers, platform teams, and AI agents all share responsibility across the app lifecycle.

The conversation starts with the "why" behind citizen development — IT backlogs, understaffed teams, frustrated users waiting months for simple solutions — then moves into how governed, low-code platforms let business users get in the game without blowing up the architecture. They draw sharp lines between citizen development (process-governed, platform-scoped) and Shadow IT (your cousin's 99-cent app running on Bill's laptop).

From there they transition into agentic AI — what separates a chatbot from an agent, how AI agents plan and execute autonomously or with a human in the loop, and why governance applies to machine personas just like human ones. The episode wraps with a live screen share walkthrough of ServiceNow Studio and App Engine Studio as real-world examples of governed sit-dev platforms, plus a broader call to action for teams to start experimenting now.

Keywords: citizen development, multi-persona development, agentic AI, low-code no-code, Shadow IT, ServiceNow App Engine, ServiceNow Studio, governance, blast radius, human in the loop, AI agents, workflow automation, platform ROI, digital transformation, pro-code vs low-code, guardrails, two-lane highway, delivery velocity, compliance by design, enterprise AI

Key Takeaways

• Multi-persona development is the new operating model — business users, pro devs, admins, and AI agents all contribute on the same governed platform
• Citizen dev ≠ Shadow IT — the difference is process: a pipeline from idea to production vs. winging it with whoever knows somebody
• The "Two-Lane Highway" principle — how much breadth you give someone reflects trust, character, and risk tolerance; guardrails build confidence, not restriction
• Risk, Complexity, and Blast Radius — three filters to determine whether a task belongs to a citizen dev, a pro dev, or an AI agent
• Agentic AI is a governed persona on the platform, not a side experiment — it plans, executes, and can operate autonomously or human-in-loop depending on stakes
• Executives want ROI proof before scaling AI — excitement is real, but accountability, decision rights, and governance have to come with it
• Pro devs should be advancing the ball, not building email management workflows — free them up for what actually moves the business
• The workforce shift is already in motion — IT pros have always had to evolve; this is just the next lane change, and language/prompting skills are now table stakes
• Low-code tools like Make.com, Zapier, and AI assistants are accessible entry points for anyone wanting to get started today

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s1e32 Cloud-Managed Security Without the Headache with Kyce Poya

In this episode of The Wired Garage, host Pops interviews Kyce Poya, founder of Apex IT and Security. They discuss the complexities of IT security, the importance of simplifying technology, and the innovative solutions Apex offers. Kyce shares his journey into the IT world, the challenges of building a business, and the evolving landscape of security technology, including the role of AI and analytics. The conversation emphasizes the need for proactive security measures and the value of partnerships in delivering effective solutions.

Keywords: IT security, cybersecurity, technology partnerships, physical security, AI in security, fleet management, IT leadership, business growth, customer experience, security solutions

Takeaways:

• Kyce Poya emphasizes the importance of simplifying technology for better user experience.
• Building Apex IT was driven by a desire to serve customers better.
• Partnerships with technology providers are crucial for effective security solutions.
• AI is transforming physical security through advanced analytics.
• Proactive security measures can prevent incidents before they occur.
• Understanding customer needs is key to delivering effective solutions.
• The security industry has evolved significantly beyond traditional systems.
• Installation services are an integral part of Apex IT's offerings.
• IT leaders should ask critical questions about their current security measures.
• Patience and strategic thinking are essential for success in business.

Sound Bites
"How do you keep people safe?"
"We do installation as well."
"Be patient and take your time."

Chapters

• Introduction to IT Security Challenges
• Kyce Poya's Journey into IT and Security
• Building Apex IT: A New Approach
• Streamlining Security Solutions for Clients
• Key Considerations for Retail Security
• The Role of AI in Physical Security
• Innovations in Fleet Operations and Management
• Future Directions for Apex IT
• Mindset Shifts in Security Leadership
• Lessons Learned as a Business Founder
• Advice for Aspiring IT Professionals

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