By Sarah Nicastro, Founder and Editor in Chief, Future of Field Service

After hosting more than 320 podcasts, I’ve grown quite comfortable interviewing individuals of all walks of life. It isn’t too often I appear on the other side of the mic, and I’ll admit being the guest versus the host is an experience I find enjoyable but far less comfortable. I had an opportunity recently to exercise those muscles as a guest on the Bytes and Banter podcast.

Bytes and Banter is created by HDI Local Chapters, a non-profit volunteer organization committed to empowering the tech community through knowledge and innovation. The host, Rocky McGuire, Head of North America Service Desk & Experience Evangelist at Unisys, is a fellow HDI Top 25 Thought Leader of 2025. He has interviewed a variety of guests in the IT space discussing topics ranging from employee experience and the skills gap to cybersecurity and imposter syndrome, among many others. Moreover, as is the case with UNSCRIPTED, the guests often share their own inspiring stories that leave a lasting impact.

Storytelling as a Core Leadership Skill

Despite my uncharacteristic nerves as we got the conversation started (seriously, you’d have thought I’d never used a microphone before!), we ended up having a lively discussion that delved into quite a few topics. I first shared the story of my foray into field service, and then Rocky asked some great questions that prompted discussion around:

• A humbling experience from my very early career that sparked my commitment to curiosity and quelled my fear of seeming “not smart enough”
• How and why I fell in love with service and my passion for what service represents in the broader business realm
• The importance of being yourself and believing in yourself
• My observations on both the power and complexity of change and what shift in mindset is essential for leaders today
• The criticality of authentic leaders in the AI era & what mindset I believe is most productive as leaders carve their AI strategies
• Storytelling as a core leadership skill and what I’ve learned is the basis of every good story
• How a leader will know whether they’ve created a good culture among their team
• My investment in and gratitude for community

If any of this sparks your interest, I’d love for you to tune in to my episode of Bytes and Banter, which you can find on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube.