PowerPlatform Podcast: Recent Episodes
Mark Christie and Iain Connolly
PowerPlatform Podcast is focused on people using the Power Platform and working in the Microsoft Business Applications/Power Platform community. Your hosts are Mark Christie (@themarkchristie) and Microsoft Biz Apps MVP Iain Connolly (@bearded365guy).
In this episode of the Power Platform Podcast, Mark and Malin are joined by Microsoft MVPCat Schneider—self-described chaos agent, community personality, and Power Platform enthusiast from Florida.
From accidentally interrupting a keynote at the Microsoft 365 Community Conference to running through events in a dinosaur costume, Cat has built a reputation for showing up in a way that’s impossible to ignore. But behind the sequins and stories is a deeply practical journey into tech.
The conversation dives into how curiosity and problem-solving can lead you into tech, the importance of mentorship, and why being memorable in the community can actually be a strength. Along the way, there are plenty of detours—Florida wildlife, hurricanes, conference outfits, and why sometimes the best way to connect with people is simply to be yourself.
If you’ve ever wondered how to break into the Power Platform space without a traditional path—or how to build a personal brand that actually sticks—this episode is for you.
In this episode of the Power Platform Podcast, Mark and Malin sit down with Microsoft MVP Melissa Hale, a Power Platform developer at Curve whose journey into tech is anything but typical.
Before writing apps and automations, Melissa studied zoology, worked in zoos, researched snake venom, and even spent time counting parasites in a veterinary lab. After a difficult period during her PhD, she decided to completely change direction—jumping into a coding bootcamp and landing her first developer role before the course was even finished.
The conversation covers Melissa’s fascinating career pivot, the realities of breaking into tech without a traditional computer science background, and how curiosity and community helped her build a successful career in the Power Platform ecosystem.
Along the way there are plenty of unexpected stories—from feeding reptiles at the zoo and teaching horseback archery at a Californian summer camp to becoming a Microsoft MVP and speaking at conferences.
If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s too late to change careers, or how people really find their way into the Power Platform world, this episode proves that the path into tech doesn’t have to be conventional.
This episode of the Power Platform Podcast dives into Mike’s journey through tech, community, and the slightly unpredictable road that got him where he is today. From early computing and factory-floor software to Dynamics, Power Platform, and community leadership, it’s a story full of sharp turns, hard lessons, and a few “that probably shouldn’t have worked” moments.
We get into how he found his place in the community, grew into speaking and organising, and became a strong voice for accessibility and inclusion across the Power Platform space. There’s honest talk about imposter syndrome, presentation nerves, mental health, and why helping just one person in a session is worth it — along with some behind-the-scenes stories and gentle trouble-making along the way.
It’s candid, energetic, a little bit cheeky, and packed with real experiences from a career built by curiosity, community, and saying yes to things that felt scary at the time. Perfect listening if you like your tech stories human, humorous, and genuinely inspiring.
After a very long break, the podcast returns with an episode that sets the tone for what's coming next: less polish, more honesty, and a lot more focus on the people behind the tech. In this episode, Mark and Malin are joined by special guest Will "Quad" McLendon for a wide-ranging, unfiltered conversation that goes well beyond platforms, features, or roadmaps.
Quad shares his story from growing up in Daytona Beach, discovering technology at a young age, and navigating a career that took detours through firefighting, system administration, and eventually into the Microsoft and Dynamics ecosystem. Along the way, the conversation explores what it really means to find your place in tech, how moving out of your comfort zone can change your perspective, and why community plays such a critical role in personal and professional growth.
There are plenty of laughs, cultural misunderstandings, football and basketball debates, and stories from conferences, speaking events, and international travel, including Quad's first experiences in Scotland and the slightly brutal reality of northern weather. Beneath the humour, though, is a genuine discussion about mentorship, being told "no," learning to back yourself, and the importance of being authentic rather than trying to fit a mould.
This episode is about the journey into tech, not the destination. It's about how people end up here, why they stay, and how community support can make all the difference when you're finding your voice
Where don't we go in this episode?
Alison is the go-to person for career advice in the Microsoft business applications community.
Early in my community journey, I was told - 'If you speak to one person at Scottish Summit 2020, speak to Alison Mulligan'. Just do it! This episode is not to be missed.
Björn Zahnow is part of the organisation team that ran the legendary Color Cloud conference in Hamburg earlier this year.
This October, he will be joining us at Scottish Summit 2024.
Find out all about Björn's passion for Dynamics 365 pro-code and low-code in this episode of The Power Platform Podcast.
We went a little 'off-piste' on this episode but please bear with us as Ru Campbell shares valuable insights into his work as a cybersecurity expert and his involvement in Scottish Summit 2024.
In this episode, we catch up with pub quiz host Tricia Sinclair. We discuss the plethora of initiatives she is involved in to support the growth of the Microsoft business applications community.
Get ready for an inspiring episode of the Power Platform Podcast!
We’re sitting down with Ecosystem Engineer Craig White, a master of balancing it all—family, hobbies, a thriving blog, and leading countless community initiatives.
Want to know his secrets to stay on top while still enjoying life? You won’t want to miss this conversation!
Plus, don’t forget to grab your tickets for Scottish Summit 2024—available now! https://www.scottishsummit.com/tickets.
It's an episode packed full of revelations this time around!
Carl 'Cooky' Cookson has some news which will leave Ana shocked!
Also, stay tuned for news of another exclusive Scottish Summit charity initiative that will have the community lip-syncing for their lives.
In this episode, we caught up with Bülent Altinsoy about how he started his community journey and his upcoming session with Angeliki Patsiavou at Scottish Summit 2024.
Tickets for Scottish Summit 2024 are available here - https://www.scottishsummit.com/tickets/.
Join us for an electrifying conversation with Power Page Phenom Franco Musso as he speaks about his current projects, his role in Scottish Summit 2024 and what tunes get him pumped for his upcoming trip to Aberdeen in October.
In this episode, we are privileged to be joined by 16-time MVP Julie Yack!
We discuss her work in the Microsoft community, her big takeaways from Scottish Summit, and how she deals with the copious amounts of furry friends she finds in her back yard.
Julie is running a workshop at Scottish Summit 2024 on 17th October in Aberdeen.
Tickets are available at https://www.scottishsummit.com/tickets/
Rex de Koning and Mark Christie managed to catch up with these two community gems, Andrew Bibby and Areti Iles in person at Dynamics Minds in Slovenia.
Join us as they talk about their roles in Scottish Summit 2024.
In this episode, Paddy and Rex catch up with Matt and Zoe to discuss their involvement in Scottish Summit including taking the event on tour to Manchester in 2023.
With Scottish Summit 2024 approaching we spoke to community star and marketing mastermind Kelly Simpson about how she started her career and Microsoft community activity.
In this episode we chat with MCT and MVP Sarah Fennah about her involvment in Scottish Summit past, present and future.
And of course, the legendary pub quiz.
Scottish Summit is on 18th and 19th of October 2024
Get your tickets at https://www.scottishsummit.com/tickets/
This episode we are talking to @garyraife about rugby, chickens and his first time at #ScottishSummit.
Scottish Summit 2024 is happening on 18th and 19th October at Aberdeen P&J Live.
https://www.scottishsummit.com/
In this episode we speak to Triparna Ray about her extensive work in the Microsoft community including her journey towards becoming a public speaker and her highlights from Scottish Summit past.
Scottish Summit 2024 is happening on 18th and 19th October at Aberdeen P&J Live.
https://www.scottishsummit.com/
In this first episode of our Scottish Summit 2024 we talk to event founder Mark Christie and speaker, Thomas Sandsor about pyrotechnics, doplegangers, volunteering and and the impact Scottish Summit has on the community.
Tricia, Will, Musonda & Alexio join Iain & Mark to talk about their upcoming podcast, the Black Speakers Support Group and Black History Month
To find out more please see the following links
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1S5FpAE-ZejkySPuaVcCYAouTube
Twitter- https://twitter.com/thebssg?s=11
BHN - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/explainers-54522248 & https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tbojly-4z0Y
Mark and Iain talk to the first family of Power Platform Pro-Wrestling.
Nick Doelman, Matt Beard and Paddy Byrne join the podcast to talk about their passion for wrestling.
This is the longest podcast yet so enjoy
Mark and Iain welcome Samuel Smith onto the podcast.
Find out if we got the Tenor to sign the Wave 2 Release notes and listen to Sams journey into the world of consultancy.
Find Sam
Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuel-smith-a75561125/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/Samsingersmith
Mark & Iain have a chat with Thomas about Football, Futsal and Beech Soccer.
Why did he choose to play for Norway and not the USA?
Find Thomas here or Google Him
https://crmkeeper.com
https://twitter.com/crmkeeper
Mark and NEW Biz Apps MVP Iain chat with Elaiza Benitez & Alison Mulligan about their plant based diets and how they manage this at events.
https://twitter.com/benitezhere
https://twitter.com/AMulligan365
In this episode Mark and Iain are ambushed by members of the Virtual Power Group (VPG) of Scotland to discuss what led them to set up an online community for people who live or work in Scotland that have a shared interest in Microsoft Business Applications (e.g. Power Platform, Microsoft Dynamics). The group is open to all levels of experience and hopes to provide an entry point for those that are starting out on their career, as well as a discussion forum for more experienced members to understand the latest technology and industry trends.
The conversation includes a discussion on the current state of the Scottish market, how the group will use this exciting new forum to highlight career opportunities across Scotland, and offer night classes to those that are just starting out. Future discussion topics for the group will also include non-technical aspects such as the soft skills required to succeed in business.
The next meeting of the Virtual Power Group is on 28th April 2020. If you have an interest in building the Microsoft Business Applications community in Scotland, then please visit the following link for further information:
http://virtualpowergroup.co.uk/join
https://twitter.com/VirtualPowerGRP
Remember that time when we said we didn't do technical podcasts...
Well today we are breaking that rule (never set a rule you can't keep)
We have Emma D'Arcy, Dilyana Radulova & Malin Donoso Martnes with us to talk about Microsoft Dynamics Marketing & ClickDimensions.
You can find them here
https://twitter.com/dilyanaradulova
https://twitter.com/tattooedcrmgirl
https://twitter.com/MalinMartnes
Mark & Iain are joined by the one and only Jon Levesque.
Chats about First Consoles, Top Game Series & New Consoles
There is 100% no chat about Covid-19 or PowerPlatform on this podcast
Find Jon
https://jonlevesque.com/
https://twitter.com/JonJLevesque
Today we have Music Legend and Cook Skillet.....
Well close enough we have Dave Burrell with us to talk about his work in the community and the daily call he has setup while we are going through this Covid-19 stuff.
Find Dave here
https://DaveBurrell.co.uk
https://twitter.com/DaveBurrell
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCotnzTC2GzE70NO51oi9Yeg
and Join the meeting here https://lnkd.in/eYvKymJ
We chat about Scottish Summit, Working From Home, Virus' and everything in between
@TheMarkChristie & @Bearded365Guy
Our first speaker interview for Scottish Summit is Alison Mulligan from Maximus IT - Find out what she will be talking about in Scotland
Iain and Mark have moved back to their origins on https://PowerPlatformPodcast.com
Today the guys catch up on the last 2 months and tell us about the plans going forward
Mark & Iain today chat with Field Service Global Legend Ben Vollmer
We talk about all the travelling that Ben does for work, His favourite locations and where to avoid.
Also a few travelling tips in here as well
https://twitter.com/BenVollmer
Bearded365Guy and TheMarkChristie bring to you Flow_Joe_
We chat about falling in love with Microsoft Flow after a holiday with a Flow Superstar.
Bringing flow into his workplace and how he wants to progress his learning on the PowerPlatform.
We also Talk Ice Hockey, Donuts & Fertilisation
Find Joe here:
https://twitter.com/flow_joe_
https://www.flowjoe.io/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv4gsiyRjfB9NlvPPBd2a3g
Iain and Mark talk to Ana Demeny about:
- Moving to a new country
- Anxiety
- Workplace Policies
- Workplace Stigmas
Find Anna on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/anademeny
Find Anna on Twitter https://twitter.com/anademeny
Mark and Iain have a chat with ClickDimensions Emma D'Arcy:
- Tattoos
- Community Events
- New Job
- Socks
- ClickDimension's New Interface
Find Emma on
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/msemmadarcy/
Twitter https://twitter.com/TattooedCRMGirl
Website https://tattooedcrmgirl.com/
Iain and Mark talk to Microsoft’s own Carissa Allen about:
- Mentorship
- Diversity
- Workplace Policies
- Gender Pay Gap
- Workplace Stigmas
Find Carissa on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/carissaa/
Salesforce Pay Gap https://www.salesforce.com/blog/2018/04/2018-salesforce-equal-pay-assessment-update.html
Iain & Mark Chat with Matt Collins about his first presentation in Amsterdam at CRMUG and his special guest.
You can find Matt here:
https://twitter.com/Zyber
https://d365geek.co.uk
Mark & Iain Chat have a quick bleather with Matt Beard about his XRMToolBox Tools, Speaking at Conferences and what he does day to day in his job.
https://twitter.com/Mattybeard
https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-beard-669940a5
http://mbeard.co.uk
Overview
In this episode (brought to you by Kingswaysoft), Iain and Mark chat with Brett Rogers about the subject of Mental Health in consultancy, We talk about our experiences and what has helped us cope with the stresses of life on the road and working from home.
*Warning” This episode does cover topics that may not be suitable for everyone. If you ever need to reach out please let someone know or find your local Mental Health Organisation.
Topics discussed in this episode
- Mental Health
Show Resources
- https://twitter.com/mosesofcrm
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettrogers-dynamics-365-crm
-
https://www.gofundme.com/miraclemackenzie&rcid=r01-155224266466-b7a3dedff10243ca&pc=ot_co_campmgmt_m
-
Your hosts:
-
- Mark Christie:
-
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/themarkchristie/
- https://twitter.com/themarkchristie
- Iain Connolly:
-
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/iain-connolly-99481b55/
- https://twitter.com/beardedcrmguy
In this episode (brought to you by DocumentsCorePack), Iain and Mark chat with Samit Saini about his meteoric rise to PowerPlatform stardom, We talk about his upbringing, the change in his role at Heathrow Airport and his love for the dynamics community. We also recap the Dynamics365Scotland event we held last month.
Topics discussed in this episode
- Samit’s Background in IT….. Or Lack of it
- Seeing a problem and Fixing it
- Hanging out with Satya in Vegas
Show Resources
- https://twitter.com/SamitSaini01
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/samit-saini-017ba7144/
- https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/10-change-makers-who-inspired-me-2018-satya-nadella/?published=t
Mark & Iain have a chat with Tricia Sinclair & MVP Antti Pajunen about D365 Saturday Scotland
Today Mark & Iain chat with Jim Novak. Jim & Mike are running the D365 Saturday Boston event Tickets and Speakers are here http://365saturday.com/dynamics/boston-2019/
Mark & Iain Chat with Rosie Brotherwood, Ana Demeny & Mark Smith (NZ365Guy) about a range of topics and their upcoming session at Dynamics 365 Saturday Scotland
Mark Christie & Iain Connolly chat with Ryan Maclean, Reece Campbell and Microsoft MVP Jonas Rapp about their upcoming sessions at #D365SatSco
Mark Christie chats with Janet Robb, Lucy Muscat and Sara Lagerkvist about the upcoming Dynamics365 Saturday event in Glasgow
Mark Christie and Chris Huntingford Interview Event Speakers Julian Sharp, Megan Walker & Ben Vollmer (Audio Partially Cuts out 15 seconds)