TrailBlazer Consulting, LLC

What Counts?

A Management , Business and Education podcast

About the show

Welcome to What Counts? by TrailBlazer Consulting. The hosts, Maura Dunn and Lee Karas bring over 30 years of experience consulting with public and private organizations across industries including energy, biotech, manufacturing, and technology. We discuss proven solutions developed working with companies to solve their information and data management challenges. The typical What Counts? episode is around 15 minutes long, and each episode focuses on one aspect of information, data, or records management. We provide insight into practical ways to assess, evaluate, recommend, implement, and monitor records and information management programs – and we illustrate our ideas with anecdotes and case studies drawn from our clients. Look us up on the web at www.TrailBlazer.us.com. Or, send us an email at Info@TrailBlazer.us.com.

Newest episodes

Records Retention and AI: ARMA InfoCon 2026 Takeaways

Nov 4, 2026 16 min Video

Lee Karas and Maura Dunn close out their ARMA InfoCon 2026 coverage with a full debrief from Savannah, Georgia. AI ran through nearly every session, and so did the questions. How do you control it? What do you do with the prompts? Who decides how it gets used? This episode covers what they learned about records retention and AI, and where the profession goes next. Made for This Moment Many attendees saw AI as the moment information governance has prepared for. Accountability, transparency, retention, disposition, and traceability are the foundations AI needs to succeed. Without them, AI stays a shiny new toy instead of a game changer. Yet many practitioners also hit a wall. They know the principles matter, but they are not in the room where AI decisions get made. The episode returns to a show favorite: the King of Ur, who kept contracts on clay tablets around 3000 BC. Those tablets gave both parties to a transaction a version they could trust. Every organization still needs that today. AI makes it harder, because it can create convincing content out of nothing. Confidence Is Not Accuracy Speaker after speaker made the same point. AI is good at confidence. Whether the answer is right is a different story. Conflicting data and early drafts trip it up, because the tool lacks the context records managers bring. That context, along with traceability and accountability, gets lost when you turn AI loose on your content. Rethinking Retention and Disposition The most important question of the week had no answer yet. Can retention and disposition move from tight controls to a good faith effort based on confidence levels? Data volumes have outgrown the controls that worked for paper and well-mapped shared drives. AI adds even more. If the old level of control is no longer possible, the profession should stop promising it. Instead, practitioners should weigh what they give up and document the risk. That question sits at the center of records retention and AI. IT Secures...

InfoCon Update: AI and Information Governance

Nov 2, 2026 1 min Video

InfoCon Update: AI and Information Governance What Counts checks in from the convention center at ARMA InfoCon. After a weekend of pre-conference activities and leadership sessions for chapter and regional leaders and the board of directors, the educational sessions and exhibit hall are in full swing. One theme runs through all of it: AI and information governance. The message from day two is clear: IG professionals are critical to the success of AI in business, government, and every other kind of organization. This is a short update from the floor, with the full debrief to come once we are home. Why AI depends on the records behind it An AI tool is only as reliable as the content it reads. When that content includes superseded drafts, duplicate copies, and files kept long past their retention period, the model surfaces outdated answers with full confidence. Over-retained data also widens exposure in litigation and discovery, because anything an organization keeps, it may have to produce. The fix is work IG professionals already do. A records retention schedule defines what to keep and for how long. Defensible disposition removes what has met its retention period. Legal holds preserve what must not be destroyed. A clear line between records and non-records keeps convenience copies out of the retrieval set. Together, these controls give AI a smaller, cleaner, and more trustworthy body of content to work from. That is why the governance of information belongs at the start of every AI project, not at the end. We will share more of what we learned at InfoCon in an upcoming episode. Episode chapters 00:00 Welcome to What Counts 00:17 Day two at InfoCon 00:53 Why IG professionals matter to AI 01:10 More when we get home What Counts is produced by TrailBlazer Consulting, LLC and hosted by Lee Karas and Maura Dunn. Learn more or reach out directly at info@trailblazer.us.com. Explore compliance-ready corporate training programs at the TrailBlazer Learning Academy. Read...

Information Governance and AI: Live from ARMA InfoCON 2026

Oct 30, 2026 1 min Video

Lee Karas and Maura Dunn take What Counts on location for the first time. They recorded this episode live from ARMA InfoCon 2026 in Savannah, Georgia. In this short check-in, they explain why information governance and AI belong in the same conversation. Back to Our Information Management Roots For both hosts, InfoCon is a return to their information management roots. It is also their first InfoCon since ARMA adopted the name. Their goal for the week is simple. They want to talk with records and governance professionals and learn what those practitioners see in their own organizations. Then they will bring those lessons back to the show. Why Governance Comes First The core point of the episode is direct. Governance is the critical path to proving that AI output deserves trust. An AI tool can only leverage the content you give it. So you must prove that content first. Know which version is the record, where it lives, who owns it, and how long you must keep it. Records managers already own the disciplines that supply that proof. A records retention schedule ties content to the business process that created it. Defensible disposition clears out redundant, obsolete, and trivial (ROT) data. Legal holds preserve what must not change. Access controls keep sensitive material out of the wrong answers. Skip these steps, and your AI tools draw from more noise and repeat more risk. That is why we expect information governance to take off as AI adoption grows. Governance proves your information, and AI puts it to work. This is our first live shot. We hope you will join us for the next one. Episode Chapters 00:00 Welcome to What Counts, live from ARMA InfoCon 00:30 Back to our information management roots 00:51 What brought us here: governance in the world of AI 01:14 Why governance is the critical path to trustworthy AI 01:34 Our first live shot and sign-off What Counts is produced by TrailBlazer Consulting, LLC and hosted by Lee Karas and Maura Dunn. Learn more or reac...

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All episodes

Records Retention and AI: ARMA InfoCon 2026 Takeaways

Nov 4, 2026 16 min Video

InfoCon Update: AI and Information Governance

Nov 2, 2026 1 min Video

Information Governance and AI: Live from ARMA InfoCON 2026

Oct 30, 2026 1 min Video

Data Lifecycle: The Cost of Keeping Everything Forever

Oct 19, 2026 9 min Video

Data Lifecycle: The Cost of Keeping Everything Forever In Episode 145, a lightning round that takes on the keeping everything forever mentality. Staff lose time every day hunting through duplicate versions. Eventually someone shares the wrong one with a counterparty. A data breach exposes far more than it needed to. In litigation or an audit, everything responsive that you still hold must be searched, reviewed, sometimes converted, and produced. That holds even when it hurts you, and even when a retention schedule would have allowed its disposal years earlier. Privacy laws add deletion requests on top, where you must state with certainty that the data is gone. Why keeping everything forever feeds AI hallucinations Lee raises AI, and Maura connects it to the old big data promise of a hidden gem buried in abandoned research. Point AI tools at neglected data, and you are more likely to get a confident, internally consistent answer built on old versions, mixed versions, and research you abandoned for good reason. Migration copies make it worse. When the same file appears 35 times across servers, an AI may treat repetition as relevance. The episode closes with Maura's verdict: keep everything forever, regret it forever. Episode chapters 00:00 Lightning round: should you keep everything forever? 00:35 Storage is cheap, so why not? 01:10 The daily cost of finding the wrong version 02:10 Search, wrong versions, and breach exposure 02:52 Discovery: review, conversion, and disclosing what hurts you 03:49 Privacy laws and deletion requests 04:23 Record keeping does not happen in a vacuum: the food bank test 05:11 AI hallucinations and the big data hidden-gem myth 06:51 Mixed versions, migration copies, and lost context 07:57 How duplicates inflate AI relevance scores 08:41 Keep everything forever, regret it forever 08:59 How to reach us Apps mentioned in this episode: TrailBlazer Tracker is available on the Microsoft Store, the App Store, and Google Play. TrailBlazer...

Training vs Automation in Information Governance

Oct 5, 2026 10 min Video

Training vs automation in information governance is a risk decision, not a technology preference. In this lightning round, Lee Karas and Maura Dunn explain why training alone rarely holds. At maturity level one, a program works only when individual people make heroic efforts. However, manual filing breaks down fast, because "I'll file that tomorrow" rarely turns into done. For a small company with low regulatory and litigation risk, training is often the right answer since it costs little. By contrast, a global company in a heavily regulated industry cannot afford inconsistent records. Then comes the regulator who called one records response "not good enough" while staff searched fifty years of paper. Finally, a pipeline example shows why weld inspections need a process that captures proof. So before you weigh training vs automation in information governance, start with risk assessment and policy. ## Training vs Automation in Information Governance: Episode Chapters 0:00 Training vs automation in information governance 0:45 When records programs ran on training 1:22 People vs process and the maturity model 2:17 Why manual filing breaks down 3:11 When training is the right answer 4:09 When your risk profile calls for automation 5:37 What happens when a regulator asks for proof 7:20 The cost of automation vs the cost of risk 7:45 Pipeline welds and materials traceability 9:13 Why risk assessment and policy come first This episode is brought to you by TrailBlazer Tracker. The contract you cannot find is also the contract that auto-renews without you. Tracker reads your PDFs, Word files, and scanned paper, pulls out renewal, cancellation, notice, and payment dates, and puts them on your calendar with lead-time alarms. Every date shows the exact source line it came from, so you can prove where it came from. Track your first document free, forever. Available on the [App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id6791267818), [Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/app...

Information Governance Policies: The Three That Matter Most

Sep 21, 2026 18 min Video

Why You Need Information Governance Policies Why do you need information governance policies? In this lightning round of What Counts, Lee Karas and Maura Dunn explain how policy turns records into dependable evidence. First, Maura shows how a written policy sets expectations for your team and for everyone who relies on you. Next, they tackle a hard question: is a policy you ignore worse than no policy at all? In court, it can lead to an adverse inference. Outside court, food recalls and a bank incentive scandal show the same gap between policy and practice. Then Maura ranks the three information governance policies that matter most. They are the retention schedule, legal hold, and electronic communications. Finally, they discuss why Teams, Slack, texts, and even AI prompts create records that need clear rules. Episode Chapters 00:00 Welcome to the lightning round 00:53 Consistency, and policy versus process 01:32 Why records exist: evidence and compliance 02:39 How information governance policies set expectations 03:55 Because it says so? How policy protects you 05:21 Is an ignored policy worse than none? 06:49 Food recalls and policies nobody followed 09:49 When a bank's incentives beat its policy 10:48 Too many policies, and what matters most 11:00 First policy: the retention schedule 12:01 Second policy: legal hold 13:37 Third policy: electronic communications 16:10 Finally, where AI prompts fit 17:33 Closing and how to reach us This episode is brought to you by TrailBlazer Tracker. The contract you cannot find is also the contract that auto-renews without you. Tracker reads your PDFs, Word files, and scanned paper, pulls out renewal, cancellation, notice, and payment dates, and puts them on your calendar with lead-time alarms. Every date shows the exact source line it came from, so you can prove where it came from. Track your first document free, forever. Available on the App Store, Google Play, and the Microsoft Store. Details at trailblazer.us.com/tracker....

Information Governance Risk: Breach vs Access Loss

Sep 7, 2026 19 min Video

Most people hear "information governance risk" and think immediately of a data breach. In this lightning round, Lee Karas and Maura Dunn argue that the breach is only one risk on the list, and often not the one that costs you most. They work through the risk of not being able to reach your own information, using the New England PBS stations whose seventy years of program archives went dark when their cloud provider failed; the risk of ransomware, where nobody wants your data and simply locking you out of it is enough to stop the business; and the risk of the single hard drive or the single box of paper. From there they get practical about scaling risk to the organization: the one-person mechanic shop with three record types that matter (employment, hazardous materials disposal, and financial records supporting the tax return) against the charter school carrying accreditation, curriculum, teacher credentialing, facilities, and student transcripts that graduates ask for fifty years later. They then take on age as its own risk factor, since a company that has kept everything has both a volume problem and an exposure problem: underwriting records written under rules that changed decades ago, or environmental records from an era when the answer was to dump it in the ground. The through line is that a risk assessment is not an academic exercise. It is the input to the retention schedule you build, the repositories you pick, the providers you trust with fiduciary-level responsibility, and whether you are ready to put an AI system on top of any of it. Episode chapters 00:00 Cold open: the lightning round 00:14 Welcome to What Counts 00:29 What is information governance risk? 00:48 The breach answer: financial records and PII 01:53 A second definition: you cannot find it when you need it 02:55 The PBS archive that disappeared inside a cloud provider 03:53 Why inaccessibility goes straight to the bottom line 04:24 Sizing breach risk: are you actually a target? 05:34 Ransomwa...

Records vs Non-Records: What Counts as Evidence

Aug 24, 2026 9 min Video

Records vs Non-Records: What Counts as Evidence Records vs non-records is the first distinction any information governance program has to get right, and most organizations never make it explicitly. In the opening episode of our lightning round series, Lee Karas and Maura Dunn answer both halves of the question: what is a record, and what is not. A record is any data, in any format, that is recorded or capable of being recorded and that provides evidence of a transaction, a decision, a policy, a process, an obligation, a contract, an agreement, a legal right, or an ownership interest. Format is irrelevant. Structured data, photographs, and recordings qualify; an unrecorded conversation does not, which is why "did you get that in writing" has survived as advice. Maura draws the line at evidence: discarded drafts, background reading, and abandoned research are recorded and are not records, because they are not where the organization landed. Published material you cite belongs to whoever originated it, so your record is the citation, not the source. We close with a Sarbanes-Oxley example that makes the principle concrete: in vendor verification, the record is not the tax identification number you looked up, it is the documented fact that you checked it.

Records Metadata vs Keyword Search: Making Records Findable

Aug 10, 2026 21 min Video

Records findability starts at the point of creation Trustworthy information has four attributes. It must be accurate, reliable, timely, and findable. Last episode covered the first two. This week, Lee Karas and Maura Dunn take on the other two. The rule does not change. Capture the record where the work happens. Capture it when it happens. Capture it from the people doing the work. As a result, timeliness and findability follow along. Why your file dates cannot be trusted Open a shared drive and sort by date. The dates look authoritative. However, they are not. Sometimes opening a document changes the date. The created date gives way to the modified date. Meanwhile, that modified date may only mean someone glanced at the file. Auto-save makes it worse. Word saves before you rename your copy. Your manual version scheme then breaks quietly. It never runs at all in Microsoft Project or Visio. Even in Excel, it can miss when OneDrive has not finished logging in. Timeliness is proof, not a timestamp An approval date proves timeliness. So capture it deliberately. A workflow engine already knows who drafted, who commented, who approved, and when. Record that context anyway, because property values alone will not carry it. Maura describes a client who did this on paper. Every requirements document carried five or six signature blocks. Each reviewer initialed and dated in ink. Then the team scanned it. An e-signature process gets you the same result today, with less effort. Traceability at every step Business requirement one becomes functional requirements 1.3, 1.4, and 1.5. That trace increases accuracy. The sign-offs at each step add timeliness. Universe search versus precision search Library science calls keyword search a universe search. You give it three words. In return, it gives you everything near those words. For example, ask for "training" and you also get "learning." The result set grows. The usefulness does not. Instead of the whole company, you now...

Records Capture at the Point of Creation: Provenance and Proof

Jul 28, 2026 14 min Video

Provenance decides whether your data is AI-ready Everyone wants to point AI at their content repositories. Maura Dunn's position in Episode 139 is simpler than that. A model can only be as trustworthy as the data feeding it. Provenance settles that question long before anyone builds a pipeline. Records capture points settle provenance. These are the moments in a business process where an input becomes a record. Seventeen (17) steps later, the process has changed that input into something new. That is another capture point. Every copy, every hand-off, every transformation makes chain of custody harder to establish. Content versus context Our back file characterization approach documents the method while we build it. We do not hand a client a disposition report with no reasoning attached. Consider a recommendation to destroy sixty (60) of seventy-five (75) files. That report is content. The folder structures, file properties, creation and modification dates, and security group access rights behind it are context. Context gives the client something to react to. We can say we hold this level of confidence that these records align with your sales and marketing category. That category carries an end of fiscal year trigger and a five (5) year retention period. The client then makes the risk judgment. Without context, one answer survives a year later: "because Maura said so." What the Superfund SITREP got away with We built the same principle into our records process mapping work. The contrast comes from the US EPA Superfund program. A SITREP moved from field samples and a gas chromatograph printout to a typed memo in a drawer. Eventually it went into a box at the Federal Records Center. That process produced no interim record steps. In a paper world, it did not need to. Engineering records capture points into the workflow Digital process manipulates information continuously. So the workflow itself has to carry the capture points. Mark the inputs and the interim...

Document Version Control: Why AI Picks Your Worst Copy

Jul 13, 2026 22 min Video

Universal search was designed to bring you the universe. So is your AI assistant. Lee and Maura take on the two questions they left hanging last episode: how do you know which version is the last one, and how do you know your data is reliable? AI-ready data turns out to be the same problem, it is not solved by searching harder, and in 2026 it carries a regulatory clock.

Data Capture Controls: How to Prepare for an Audit

Jun 29, 2026 26 min Video

Corporate data capture risk is a critical vulnerability that can completely disrupt an enterprise during sudden regulatory compliance audits or high-stakes litigation holds. Welcome back to What Counts, the podcast that digs into the messy information governance problems organizations inherit, ignore, and discover too late. In this episode, hosts Lee Karas and Maura Dunn move past theoretical concepts to break down exactly how unstructured file systems multiply your operational liabilities. Manual filing structures inevitably fail under heavy daily workloads, placing the burden entirely on your technology infrastructure to secure critical corporate history.

Duplicate Records: 3 Rules to Stop Uncontrolled Copies

Jun 15, 2026 19 min Video

Clean dashboards and reliable data don't happen by accident. In this episode of What Counts, Lee Karas and Maura Dunn pick up from the shift from records management to information governance and move into the three action principles that actually get you there: stop making copies, focus on data creation points, and touch once, use many times. They trace how society lost its mindfulness about creating data from Sumerian clay tablets to the printing press to the Federal Records Act and walk through a painfully familiar example of how a single shared link quietly multiplies into four copies. Along the way, they unpack the reliability paradox at the heart of information governance: the more copies you make, the less you can trust your data. It's a candid, practical conversation about why these simple-sounding principles are so hard to follow, and why the tools we use every day keep reinforcing our worst habits. New here? Start with the previous episode: Records Management vs. Information Governance. Key Takeaways The more copies you make, the less reliable your data becomes. People hoard copies because they don't trust they'll find the original later, which only makes the underlying data less trustworthy. It's a paradox, but it holds. We've lost our mindfulness about creating data. When information was expensive and hard to produce, more thought went into it. Now anyone can create and disseminate data in seconds, so almost none goes into it. Three principles work together: stop making copies, focus on data creation points, and touch once / use many times. They're simple to say, clear to understand, and genuinely hard to do. Data creation deserves rules. Who's allowed to create a new contract, location, or counterparty record? Where does it live? Who can change it, and how? Answering these up front prevents downstream chaos. Acquisitions are data creation events. When data comes in through an acquisition, you need a crosswalk from old identifiers to new ones or yo...

Records Management vs. Information Governance: The Difference

Jun 1, 2026 18 min Video

What's the difference between records management and information governance — and why should anyone running a business care? In this episode of What Counts, Lee Karas and Maura Dunn step back from the weeds of counterparty data to answer a deceptively simple question: what is information governance, and why is it the natural next step? Maura traces the journey from a world where creating a record was hard and expensive — clay tablets, hand-copied scrolls, the Federal Records Act — to today, where producing information takes ten seconds and most of it is noise. Along the way they untangle the vocabulary (governance is strategy and the "why"; management is execution), revisit the records-management principles that still hold true, and show how information governance helps you surface the small slice of information that actually runs your business. They close with practical moves you can make now: stop making copies, send a link instead of an attachment, and standardize and automate your contracts so your best people spend their time where the value and the risk actually live. This episode builds on Episode 134, where Lee and Maura broke down how to keep counterparty and vendor data from sprawling across teams and systems before contracts are even signed. Listen to the previous episode here. "Governance is more strategic — it incorporates the why. Management is execution." Key takeaways Governance ≠ management. Governance sets strategy and the "why"; management executes, audits, and proves it. Records management isn't dead — its core test still applies: does this provide evidence of a policy, process, decision, action, or transaction? Cheap creation is the modern problem. When anyone can publish in ten seconds, the hard part isn't making information — it's finding the small slice that matters. Information governance is how you fight the noise so you can surface what runs the business and demonstrates compliance. Stop making copies. Replace emailed attachments w...

Vendor Master Data: Centralizing Counterparty Information

May 18, 2026 13 min Video

Welcome back to "What Count," the podcast where information governance meets contract lifecycle management. In this episode, Lee and Maura explore the critical next step after solving your counterparty data chaos: maintaining control of vendor information across multiple systems and teams. Discover how to build a centralized counterparty database that enables operations teams, procurement, and legal to work in parallel—and why enforcing a unique persistent ID is the million-dollar strategy that keeps everything aligned, even before contracts are executed. Building on our previous discussion of counterparty data complications and contract management challenges, this episode reveals the operational playbook for managing your newly consolidated vendor list. Click the link to listen to our last episode. https://trailblazer.us.com/podcast/counterparty-data-reconciliation-case-study/ Episode length: 00:13:09 0:27 – Introducing today's topic: preventing counterparty data proliferation 0:46 – Recap: the contract data and counterparty challenges discussed previously 1:05 – The core problem: multiple data sources across teams 9:10 – Pre-contract data collection workflows 10:14 – The "prospect-to-vendor" workflow: collecting data before execution 11:40 – The million-dollar insight: why unique persistent IDs are critical 12:00 – Closing remarks and contact information What Counts is produced by TrailBlazer Consulting, LLC and hosted by Lee Karas and Maura Dunn. Learn more at trailblazer.us.com or email us at info@trailblazer.us.com. Explore compliance-ready training at the TrailBlazer Learning Academy. Read more from Maura at mauradunn.substack.com. Music by Jason Blake. Full disclaimer.

Data Reconciliation Case Study: 350,000 Counterparty Records

May 4, 2026 21 min Video

Most counterparty data reconciliation projects fail at the same assumption: that one identifier — usually a tax ID — can resolve who you're actually doing business with. In Episode 133 of What Counts, Maura Dunn walks through a real two-year project to reconcile 350,000 counterparty records across eight systems at a company built through acquisition: four contract management platforms, one ERP carrying both customer and supplier masters, and three trading systems, each with its own naming conventions, character limits, and overflow fields. She unpacks the 18 months of unproductive matching that came first, the rule-precedence approach that finally worked once Snowflake and Elasticsearch replaced the spreadsheet attempts, and the 10-to-1 collapse from 350K records down to 35K true entities. She also makes the case for where AI fits this kind of work today — and the one thing it still can't do unless you put deep institutional knowledge into the prompt. If you want to see what's hiding in your own shared drives right now, search TrailBlazer Insight in the Microsoft Store — it scans locally for PII, HIPAA, PCI, and other compliance risks with no cloud upload and no IT ticket required. This episode picks up where Episode 132: Data Reconciliation Before AI left off — Maura delivers the full case study we teased last time. Topics covered in this episode include post-acquisition contract data cleanup, duplicate counterparty detection across multiple CLM platforms, rule-based data matching at scale using Snowflake and Elasticsearch, and the role of AI in contract data reconciliation when source systems lack consistent identifiers. Episode length: 00:21:01 0:00 – Pre-roll: TrailBlazer Insight — local compliance scanning for PII, HIPAA, and PCI 0:20 – Show intro 0:47 – Setting up the case study: 350,000 records across 8 systems 1:52 – How growth through acquisition created 7 (then 8) active counterparty sources 3:55 – Why the same legal entity can appear different...

Data Reconciliation Before AI: Why Cleanup Comes First

Apr 21, 2026 26 min Video

Episode 132 - Most organizations are being pushed to adopt AI-powered workflows before their data is anywhere close to ready. In this episode of What Counts, Maura and Lee pick up where they left off — diving deep into the concept of data reconciliation and why it must happen before AI ever touches your records. Using a real-world example built across multiple systems — a customer database, a work order system, and a contract management platform — they break down what it means to have duplicate, overlapping, and contradictory counterparty data, and why humans, not algorithms, are the ones who can resolve it. Maura introduces the concept of the golden record, explains the role of metadata mapping and fuzzy matching, and walks through the governance framework — policy, process, and system-of-record designation — that prevents the mess from coming back. If your organization is facing an AI initiative, a system migration, or growing pressure around data privacy and right-to-be-forgotten compliance, this episode gives you the foundational framework you need to start doing it right. Episode length: 00:26:36 Learn more by visiting our website, or by sending TrailBlazer an email at info@TrailBlazer.us.com.

Messy Data and AI: What You Have to Clean Up First

Apr 6, 2026 19 min Video

Episode 131 - Data governance and AI readiness go hand in hand — and most organizations aren't as ready as they think. In this episode, Maura and Lee take a hard look at what an AI-powered customer support escalation workflow actually requires to function. Spoiler: it's not just a smart model. It's clean, connected, versioned data — customer records, contract terms, and executed agreement instances all properly linked. Using a real-world cable company scenario, they unpack how disconnected systems, outdated identifiers, and missing metadata cause AI to hallucinate answers instead of finding them. The episode closes with an introduction to data objects and metadata mapping — and a preview of the counterparty reconciliation work that has to happen before AI can deliver on its promises. Episode length: 00:19:21 Learn more by visiting our website, or by sending TrailBlazer an email at info@TrailBlazer.us.com.

Contract Data Governance: Fixing Conflicting Contract Terms

Mar 23, 2026 17 min Video

Episode 130 - When a company acquires another business, it inherits a tangled web of contracts — each with its own payment terms, clauses, and conditions. Contract one says 30 days, contract two says 45, and contract three says you never have to pay. So what happens when you point AI at this mess? In this episode of What Counts, we explore why contract data governance must come before AI deployment. AI is a powerful governance accelerator, but only when organizations harmonize their terms, configure their systems, and maintain human oversight every step of the way. Episode length: 00:17:12 Learn more by visiting our website, or by sending TrailBlazer an email at info@TrailBlazer.us.com.

Scaling Information Governance Without Losing Control

Mar 9, 2026 13 min Video

In this episode of What Counts, Lee and Maura move beyond diagnosing the tension between growth and governance and dive into what real solutions look like. From the “records police” stereotype to the engineering metaphor of an ungoverned engine ready to blow, they unpack why organizations struggle to balance speed with safety—and how cross‑functional coalitions can change everything. Through stories about generators, pencils, rogue sales promises, and the realities of legal, IT, compliance, and business teams working in silos, they reveal how governance becomes a true accelerator when everyone solves the problem together instead of alone. Episode length: 00:13:12 To find out more about TrailBlazer Consulting, LLC, please visit our website at www.TrailBlazer.us.com.

Growth vs Governance: The Tradeoff Every Leader Faces

Feb 23, 2026 14 min Video

Episode 128 - In this episode of What Counts, Lee and Maura dive into one of the most universal challenges leaders face: balancing the urgency of growth with the discipline of governance. From chasing new markets to managing real‑world information chaos—yes, even inside an information governance firm—they unpack why governance always feels like something you’ll “get to later,” and why “later” is exactly when the problems show up. Through candid stories and practical examples, they reveal how founders, operators, and executives can build sustainable growth without sacrificing control. Episode length: 00:14:26 Learn more by visiting our website, or by sending TrailBlazer an email at info@TrailBlazer.us.com.

Policy vs Process Misalignment: Why Workflows Break

Feb 9, 2026 18 min Video

Episode 127 - This episode of What Counts unpacks a problem every organization faces but few diagnose correctly: workflows fail when they don’t reflect the reality of how work actually gets done. Through real‑world examples—from delegated invoice approvals to storage and construction contracts—we explore how policy changes, unclear roles, and poorly analyzed workflows create bottlenecks, late payments, workarounds, and operational risk. The conversation highlights why modern workflow design must be grounded in process analysis, role clarity, and meaningful controls that support—not obstruct—the accomplishment of work. Episode length: 00:18:39 Learn more by visiting our website, or by sending TrailBlazer an email at info@TrailBlazer.us.com.

Information Governance Maturity: Why Your Score Is Too High

Jan 26, 2026 16 min Video

Episode 126 – Many organizations confidently claim they operate in a mature, well‑managed environment—until someone starts examining how work actually gets done. In this episode of What Counts, Maura and Lee unpack the “maturity mirage,” revealing why teams feel secure in their processes even as undocumented steps, inconsistent workflows, and workaround‑driven habits undermine that confidence. Drawing from real‑world experiences across industries, they explore how evidence often becomes a scavenger hunt, why search‑only strategies fall apart, and how organizations can finally align their perceived maturity with the truth of their day‑to‑day operations. Episode length: 00:16:49 Learn more by visiting our website, or...

CLM Readiness: What to Fix Before You Buy Contract Software

Jan 12, 2026 25 min Video

Episode 125 - Contract Lifecycle Management touches every corner of an organization—finance, legal, procurement, operations, compliance, and the business itself. But despite the promise of modern CLM platforms, most implementations fail for one simple reason: the organization wasn’t ready for the software. In this episode of What Counts, Lee and Maura revisit a conversation recorded in early 2024, long before TrailBlazer Learning Academy and its governance accelerator templates were publicly available. With the Academy now live and widely adopted, the discussion is more relevant than ever. They explore why readiness, alignment, and governance‑ready templates are the true drivers of CLM success, and how TrailBlazer’s tools help organizations build clarity and confidence long before implementation begins. Episode Length: 00:25:32

Information Governance Myths, Part 2: What's Actually True

Dec 29, 2025 12 min Video

Episode 124 - Fact or Fiction. Governance gets a bad rap—too rigid, too bureaucratic, too “records police.” But in reality, good Information Governance is one of the most powerful accelerators a business can have. In this episode, we bust the most persistent myths holding teams back, from the idea that governance stifles innovation to the belief that it’s only for heavily regulated industries. You’ll hear how one startup used IG to fast‑track SOC 2 compliance and close enterprise deals, why every business with customers or content needs governance, and how healthy skepticism—not fear—keeps IG and AI working together. TrailBlazers know: governance isn’t a roadblock. It’s the runway. Episode Length: 00:12:34 Learn more by visiting our website, or by sending TrailBlazer an email at info@TrailBlazer.us.com.

Information Governance Myths, Part 1: What's Actually True

Dec 15, 2025 18 min Video

Episode 123 - Fact or Fiction. Welcome to What Counts by TrailBlazer Consulting, the podcast where we cut through the noise and uncover what truly matters in information governance. In Episode 123, Lee and Maura tackle the most common myths using a “Fact or Fiction” format—debunking misconceptions like “IG is just records management” or “Governance is IT’s job.” From startups to enterprises, you’ll learn why governance isn’t a dusty binder but a growth enabler, a compliance accelerator, and a trust builder. If you’ve ever wondered what IG really is, this episode sets the record straight. Episode Length: 00:18:39 Learn more by visiting our website, or by sending TrailBlazer an email at info@trailblazer.us.com.

Intellectual Property Lifecycle: Protecting IP as You Grow

Dec 1, 2025 20 min Video

Episode 122: IP Lifecycle or Intellectual property isn’t just about filing a trademark or patent—it’s the full journey of your ideas, inventions, and creative assets. At TrailBlazer Consulting, we define the IP lifecycle as a living process: creation, documentation, protection, utilization, monitoring, and disposition. When managed strategically, IP becomes more than a legal checkbox—it transforms into a scalable asset that drives revenue, strengthens negotiations, and safeguards legacy. In this episode of What Counts, we break down why most companies get IP wrong, how to build governance-ready systems, and how to treat IP like equity—because it is. Episode Length: 00:20:10

Turning Expertise Into Intellectual Property

Nov 17, 2025 13 min Video

Episode 121 - Every business starts with a purpose—but sustaining it requires more than passion. It demands clarity. In this episode, we unpack why documenting your know-how isn’t just smart—it’s strategic. Your intellectual capital is the blueprint of your value, the reason clients trust you, and the asset that makes your business scalable, sellable, and defensible. Whether you're a founder, consultant, or executive, it’s time to capture what you do—and own it. Episode Length: 00:13:02

Business Records and Contracts: What to Keep and Why

Nov 3, 2025 17 min Video

Episode 120 - In this episode, we explore how records and contracts aren’t just administrative necessities—they’re strategic assets that shape the trajectory of a business. From articles of incorporation and bylaws to board minutes and inter-entity agreements, these documents form the governance-grade foundation TrailBlazer Consulting champions. They offer more than a compliance snapshot—they reveal operational intent, strategic alignment, and the maturity of decision-making. While accounting records track financial flow, contracts often introduce performance thresholds, fee structures, and service expectations that can be leveraged to maximize value. A well-structured agreement doesn’t just define scope—it activates outcomes. And with the rise of AI, businesses now have the opportunity to analyze these documents at scale, surface trends, and identify logical connections—provided the human context is clearly defined first. At TrailBlazer, we view documentation as a lens into business integrity, scalability, and readiness for what’s next. Episode Length: 00:17:14

History of Recorded Communication: From Print to Digital

Oct 21, 2025 20 min Video

Episode 119 - From press to pixel. In this episode, we journey through the transformative history of recorded communication—from press to pixel. The invention of the printing press to the rise of typewriters and the proliferation of copiers. We examine how Gutenberg’s movable type democratized access to written knowledge, how typewriters standardized documentation across government and industry, and how copiers ushered in the age of mass duplication and desktop publishing. These innovations didn’t just change how records were created—they reshaped governance, education, and the very architecture of information. Whether you're a compliance professional, historian, or tech enthusiast, this episode offers a compelling look at the tools that built our modern recordkeeping systems. Episode Length: 00:20:18

History of Records: From Clay Tablets to Cloud Storage

Oct 6, 2025 16 min Video

Discover how recordkeeping evolved from clay tablets to cloud-based systems. Lee and Maura explore the timeless principles of governance, transparency, and accountability that shape how we document and manage information today. Episode length: 00:16:33

Small Business Data: How to Classify, Protect, and Retain It

Sep 22, 2025 24 min Video

Episode 117 - In this episode, we unpack the hidden backbone of every business: data. From handwritten guest books to sophisticated CRMs, we explore the many forms customer and operational data can take—and why protecting it is non-negotiable. You’ll learn how to classify data by sensitivity, navigate privacy laws, and build retention schedules that meet legal and operational needs. Whether you're managing supplier contracts, employee records, or financial documents, this 10-minute primer will help you understand what to keep, how long to keep it, and where to start. Plus, we share a free resource from TrailBlazer Learning Academy to help you build your own retention schedule with confidence. Episode Length: 00:24:09 Learn more by visiting our website, or by sending TrailBlazer an email at info@TrailBlazer.us.com.

Business Operations Systems That Support Growth

Sep 8, 2025 10 min Video

Episode 116 - In this episode of TrailBlazer, Maura and Lee dive into the essential components of business infrastructure setup—the behind-the-scenes systems that shape how your business communicates, operates, and scales. From branded office supplies that silently reinforce professionalism to hardware and software that streamline operations, every element plays a strategic role. Learn how to embed value positioning into your templates, choose tech that supports compliance and mobility, and create a digital presence that converts. Whether you're launching or leveling up, this episode reveals how infrastructure becomes the root system of sustainable growth. Episode Length: 00:10:58 Learn more by visiting our website, or by sending TrailBlazer an email at info@TrailBlazer.us.com.

Payroll and Hiring Decisions for Small Businesses

Aug 25, 2025 20 min Video

Welcome to What Counts, the podcast where we decode the complexities of information governance and spotlight the strategies that drive operational maturity. In this episode, we’re diving into the foundational—but often overlooked—pillars of business success: payroll and human resources. From navigating payroll taxes and compliance to designing benefits that serve both your team and your bottom line, we’ll explore how intentional HR planning can protect your business, fuel growth, and create a resilient workplace culture. Whether you're scaling a startup or refining enterprise operations, this episode offers actionable insights to help you hire smarter, report cleaner, and build stronger Episode length: 00:20:41

Payroll & HR Systems: Building for Growth and Compliance

Aug 11, 2025 19 min Video

Welcome to What Counts, the podcast where information governance meets real-world strategy. In this episode, Lee and Maura unpack the often-overlooked—but absolutely mission-critical—domains of Payroll and Human Resources. From tax compliance and structured reporting to strategic hiring and benefits that actually benefit the business, we explore how these foundational systems can drive resilience, reduce risk, and support scalable growth. Whether you're a founder navigating first hires or a compliance lead refining your employee life cycle, this episode delivers actionable insights to help you build HR and payroll processes that are audit-ready, culture-conscious, and built to last. Episode length: 00:19;51

Time and Inventory Tracking: Profitability and Compliance

Jul 28, 2025 18 min Video

Episode 113 - In today’s fast-paced business landscape, tracking isn’t just a back-office chore—it’s a strategic advantage. Whether you're managing a lean startup or scaling operations, accurate time and inventory tracking can make or break your bottom line. In this episode of What Counts?, we dive into why tracking matters—from streamlining payroll and boosting productivity to preventing inventory loss and improving cash flow. You’ll learn how modern tools like digital timesheets, automated payroll systems, and real-time inventory software can transform your operations. Tune in to discover actionable strategies that help you stay compliant, efficient, and profitable. Episode length 00:18:17

Small Business Financial Records: Practical Bookkeeping Tips

Jul 14, 2025 17 min Video

Episode E112 - In this episode of What Counts?, Maura and Lee unpack foundational financial management strategies and practical tips that every entrepreneur should know. From separating business and personal finances to choosing the right accounting software, this conversation is your guide to staying organized, building credibility, and planning for long-term success. Listeners will learn: -Why keeping business finances separate matters: Better organization, smoother tax reporting, and enhanced professional credibility. -How to open a business account: Choosing the right bank, preparing your documents, and selecting account features like checks and debit/credit cards for financial flexibility. -Selecting accounting software: QuickBooks is highlighted as a top choice for automating income and expense tracking, managing invoices, categorizing transactions, and staying compliant with tax regulations. -Best practices for financial success: Weekly transaction reconciliation, leveraging reports for decision-making, and setting up automated reminders for payments and tax deadlines. -Whether you're launching your first venture or fine-tuning your financial systems, this episode offers actionable insights designed to simplify your processes and empower your business journey. Episode length 00:17:10

When to Hire a Lawyer and Accountant for Your Business

Jun 30, 2025 15 min Video

Why every business needs a trusted lawyer and accountant from days one. Welcome to What Counts, the podcast that explores the power of information governance and the strategies behind smarter business decisions. In this episode, hosts Lee and Maura unpack one of the most critical, yet often overlooked, components of entrepreneurial success: professional support. From choosing the right business structure to mastering tax strategy and protecting your intellectual property, the right lawyer and accountant can be the difference between smooth scaling and costly setbacks. Tune in as we share real-world insights and practical guidance on how to build your business with the right experts by your side. Episode length 00:15:20

Business Planning for Growth: How to Lead Through Change

Jun 16, 2025 19 min Video

Future-proofing your business in today's fast-paced world is a challenge. Businesses that thrive are those that anticipate change before it happens. In this episode of What Counts, hosts Maura and Lee break down the essential framework for smart planning: seeing opportunities, watching for market signals, and building strategic plans that ensure long-term success. Whether it's adapting to industry trends, improving information governance, or strengthening business resilience, this discussion highlights proven methods to lead, work, and build toward a future that works for you. Tune in to learn how top innovators spot opportunities, decode market shifts, and create a strategic blueprint for success. Don't wait for change-get ahead of it. Episode length 00:19:04

Business Name Registration and Logo Design: Where to Start

Jun 2, 2025 13 min Video

Episode 109 - Branding basics at What Counts, the podcast dedicated to navigating the world of information governance with expert insights and actionable strategies. In this episode, hosts Maura and Lee explore the fundamentals of branding and marketing, covering two essential steps: creating a compelling logo and registering your business name. Whether you're launching a startup or refining an established brand, understanding these key branding elements is crucial to standing out in a competitive market. Learn how strong branding enhances credibility, attracts customers, and sets the foundation for a successful business. Discover expert tips on choosing the right business name, ensuring legal compliance, and designing an effective logo that resonates with your audience. Tune in to gain valuable branding knowledge that will help you build a lasting impression and drive your business forward! Episode length 00:13:04.

Starting a Business: The Legal Steps to Take First

May 19, 2025 16 min Video

Building a business foundation requires more than a great idea—it demands proper legal structuring and compliance. In this episode, we explore key foundational steps, including filing Articles of Incorporation to establish your entity, crafting a mission statement to define your business’s purpose, and drafting a General Operating Agreement to clarify roles and responsibilities among stakeholders. Additionally, we break down the essential process of filing with the IRS, securing an Employer Identification Number (EIN), and setting up your corporate details to ensure tax compliance. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur or refining your existing business framework, this episode offers actionable insights to protect your assets, maintain alignment, and build a resilient foundation for long-term success. Tune in to streamline your path to business ownership! Episode length 00:16:35

LLC vs Corporation: Choosing Your Business Structure

May 5, 2025 20 min Video

Establishing a business starts with selecting the right legal structure, which impacts taxes, liability, and operational flexibility. Entrepreneurs can choose from Sole Proprietorships for simplicity, Partnerships for shared ownership, LLCs for liability protection, C Corporations for investor appeal despite double taxation, or S Corporations for tax advantages with ownership limitations. Careful evaluation of these options ensures alignment with long-term business goals and financial considerations. Once the legal structure is determined, the next crucial step is filing the Articles of Incorporation, which formalizes the business entity. This documentation includes essential details such as the business name, purpose, registered agent, and incorporators' information. Properly completing and filing these documents ensures legal recognition, compliance, and a strong foundation for growth and operational success. Episode length 00:20:05.

Business Resilience: Preparing for Disruption

Apr 21, 2025 19 min Video

In today's fast-moving market, adaptability isn't a luxury-it's a necessity. Success belongs to businesses that are resilient by design, stay motivated, and build a foundation strong enough to withstand uncertainty. In this episode, we explore what it takes to remain robust in an ever-evolving economy, from fostering a continuous learning mindset to navigating unexpected challenges. Whether you're a startup or an established enterprise, the key to long-term growth lies in agility, innovation, and the courage to keep moving forward. Join us as we break down the strategies that turn obstacles into opportunities and setbacks into stepping stones. Episode length 00:19:05.

Scaling a Business: Balancing Talent, Profit, and Growth

Apr 7, 2025 14 min Video

2025 Episode 105 - Strategic growth: defining, building, and scaling your business while balancing talent and profitability are just a few items you will hear about in our second video episode. Launching and strategically growing a business requires more than just a vision—it demands strategic decision-making at every stage. In this episode, we explore the foundational steps of defining your business purpose, crafting an operational strategy, and setting a path for sustainable growth. We tackle the balancing act between hiring the right team, investing in training, and maintaining profitability while continuously evaluating performance to drive success. Whether you're a startup founder or an established entrepreneur, this discussion will provide actionable insights for structuring a business that thrives in an evolving market. Episode length 00:14:53

Starting a Business: Records You Are Required To Keep

Mar 24, 2025 15 min Video

2025 Episode 104 – We're thrilled to bring you something brand-new with our first-ever video episode! As we explore this exciting format, we kindly ask for your patience as we work through learning new tricks to deliver the best possible video experience for you. In this inaugural video episode, we’ll dive into the compelling world of starting a business. From the initial spark of an idea to tackling the tough realities of implementation, we’ll examine the challenges—and specifically, the information governance challenges—that entrepreneurs often face on their journey. To enrich the conversation, we’ll not only introduce essential business concepts but also share practical insights from our own experiences at TrailBlazer Consulting, LLC. We’ll compare the subject matter to how we’ve navigated these very challenges, providing real-world context and actionable takeaways for you. Let’s get started on this journey together as we blaze new trails in business, information governance, and this exciting video format. Stay tuned, and thank you for joining us! Episode length 00:00:00

IT Infrastructure and Information Governance: What to Check

Mar 10, 2025 10 min

2025 Episode 103 – The devils in the details when it comes to infrastructure. Following along with the components of TrailBlazer’s Information Design framework, we cover the base component - Infrastructure. Where are the devils in the details when it comes to Infrastructure? Join Information Governance (IG) Consultants, Maura Dunn and Lee Karas, as they explain where devils in the details hide when it comes to Infrastructure. Each episode contains important information gained through our experience working with companies across various industries and we talk about how you can apply this experience to your company. Episode length 00:10:24.

Business Applications and Records: What Systems Hide

Feb 24, 2025 15 min

2025 Episode 102 – The devils in the details when it comes to applications. Following along with the components of TrailBlazer’s Information Design framework, we cover one of the supporting pillars called Applications. Where are the devils in the details when it comes to Applications? Join Information Governance (IG) Consultants, Maura Dunn and Lee Karas, as they explain where devils in the details hide when it comes to Applications. Each episode contains important information gained through our experience working with companies across various industries and we talk about how you can apply this experience to your company.

Data and Content Governance: The Details That Cause Problems

Feb 10, 2025 15 min

2025 Episode 101 – The devils in the details when it comes to data | content. Following along with the components of TrailBlazer’s Information Design framework, we cover one of the supporting pillars called Data | Content. Where are the devils in the details when it comes to Data | Content? Join Information Governance (IG) Consultants, Maura Dunn and Lee Karas, as they give a slightly cautionary tale on how the devils can be in the details when it comes to Data | Content. Each episode contains important information gained through our experience working with companies across various industries and we talk about how you can apply this experience to your company.

100 Episodes of Information Governance Lessons

Jan 27, 2025 14 min

2025 Episode 100 – We took a break from the current subject matter and pulled together this celebratory What Counts Episode 100. We take a look back at some of the most viewed What Counts episodes. Additionally, we provide insight on who we are doing this podcast for and how you can use the information at your own organization. Join Information Governance (IG) Consultants, Maura Dunn and Lee Karas, as they celebrate their 100 episode by recapping the past 99 episodes. Each episode contains important information gained through our experience working with companies across various industries and we talk about how you can apply this experience to your company.

Records Process Design: Where Governance Breaks Down

Jan 13, 2025 12 min

2024 Episode 99 – The devils in the details when it comes to process. Following along with the components of TrailBlazer’s Information Design framework, we cover one of the supporting pillars called process. Where are the devils in the details when it comes to process? Join Information Governance (IG) Consultants, Maura Dunn and Lee Karas, as they discuss how different companies feel about documenting processes. Each episode contains important information gained through our experience working with companies across various industries and we talk about how you can apply this experience to your company.

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Podcast details

Created by: TrailBlazer Consulting, LLC
Status: Active
Latest episode: Nov 4, 2026
Episodes: 149
Release period: Every two weeks
Avg. episode length: 15 min
Explicit: No
Language: English

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