Public sector leaders are sitting on a wealth of valuable data. But too often, they can’t act on it.

In this episode, Jess Carter talks with Jeremy Bhatia, founder and CEO of Eddi, about how his platform helps government-funded organizations make sense of scattered financial and performance data.

Jeremy shares what led him to start Eddi, how the pandemic brought long-standing issues in grant funding and reporting to the surface, and why the focus should be on outcomes, not just compliance. He explains how Eddi is supporting better decisions around budgeting, reporting, and impact.

Jess and Jeremy also discuss what it takes to build trust with users, utilize AI in thoughtful ways, and navigate the practical challenges of working in the public sector. They provide a candid look at how data and AI are being leveraged to address challenges in complex public systems.

In this episode, you will learn:

• The role AI can play in making complex data easier to use

• Why motivation and culture matter more than technical readiness

• How flexible tools can improve grant management and support long-term outcomes
  
  

Things to listen for:
(00:00) Introduction to the episode with Jeremy Bhatia

(02:46) Eddi’s role in helping organizations make data-driven decisions

(05:21) How the pandemic created funding challenges and new opportunities

(06:01) Overcoming data integration hurdles in public sector organizations

(08:51) Jeremy’s lessons from Eddi’s first year in business

(13:22) The importance of flexibility in grant management

(21:55) How Eddi helps match grants with the right organizations

(30:02) Measuring outcomes and lessons learned from the pandemic

From writing better emails to helping her son learn the alphabet, Jess Carter is using AI in unexpected ways.

In this Q&A episode, Jess shares how she’s integrating AI into both her professional and personal routines, with real examples that span leadership, data storytelling, parenting, and everyday problem-solving. She offers practical advice for getting started with AI, from building stronger prompts to identifying the tasks where it saves the most time and adds the most value.

Along the way, Jess answers listener questions about increasing data literacy without a technical background, working effectively with consultants, and determining what actually works in digital engagement. If you're curious about how to use AI and data more confidently and more creatively, this episode is a great place to begin.

Jess also references a few favorite resources throughout the episode, including:

• Data Literacy: A User’s Guide by David L. Herzog

• storytelling with data: a data visualization guide for business professionals by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic

• How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff

• The study Double-blind test of the effects of distant intention on water crystal formation by Dean Radin, Dail Hayssen, Masaru Emoto, and Takashige Kizue

In this episode, you will learn:

• Ways to begin using AI in your daily work

• How to build confidence in data analysis without a technical background

• What to look for when bringing in a consultant to support your team

Things to listen for:

(00:00) Introduction to the episode with Jess Carter

(01:54) How Jess uses AI as a parent, leader, and executive coach

(05:19) Simple ways to get started with ChatGPT in your daily work

(08:57) Books and tools to improve your data literacy

(13:49) When to bring in consultants and how to get real results from them

(24:27) Jess’s go-to method for making sense of messy data

(26:52) Jess’s reflection on cancer and story of resilience

Most people know Duolingo as the fun language app with the green owl, but behind the scenes, it’s a data science team using AI and analytics to transform how we learn.

In this episode, Jess Carter sits down with Bilal Zia, head of data science and analytics at Duolingo, to discuss what it takes to lead with data within one of the world’s most popular edtech platforms.

Bilal shares how his team builds trust through accurate forecasting and why embedding data scientists into cross-functional teams has changed how Duolingo operates. Drawing on his past roles at the World Bank and Amazon, he reflects on the mindset shift required to move fast without sacrificing rigor and how AI helps them achieve new possibilities while maintaining a focus on the human experience at the heart of learning.

In this episode, you will learn:

• How to structure data teams to increase influence

• Why fast-growing companies need different data strategies

• How to build trust through data accuracy

Things to listen for:
(00:00) Introduction to the episode with Bilal Zia
(02:58) Why intrinsic motivation guided Bilal’s career
(06:12) How Bilal turned a struggling data team into a high-performing one
(08:15) Adapting data strategy to the S-curve model
(11:39) The moment Bilal’s team earned leadership’s trust with a single forecast
(16:57) What happens when data scientists are treated like product leaders
(20:21) Tracking fluency and learner progress in the app
(27:40) A look at the AI tools helping Duolingo move faster without losing control