Behind every insight is a person. 

Before someone is a researcher, they’re a human. The way they listen, probe, and guide a conversation didn’t come from a methodology. It came from who they are and the instincts they’ve developed along the way. 

Connection Point is a new video podcast series from The Link Group. Each episode is a one-on-one conversation with a Linker where we explore who they are beyond their title, and how that shapes the way they show up for clients. We uncover the experiences and passions that make our team curious, perceptive, and sharp researchers. 

 The people you trust with your most important questions aren’t just skilled. They’re genuinely curious about the world around them.

This is where you meet them. 

Season 1 

Season 1 features six episodes, releasing monthly from June through November 2026. New episodes are available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. 

Watch the Season 1 trailer here. 

Episode 1: Tom Pfeil 

Tom Pfeil co-founded The Link Group in 1994 with a simple conviction: clients deserved better. Thirty years later, TLG has a 99% client retention rate and an employee turnover rate that most companies don’t come close to. Host Andrew Borum traces how it all started and what it took to build a company people didn’t want to leave.      

Watch on YouTube                 

Listen on Spotify                             

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Episode 2: Melia Whiteside

Melia Whiteside followed a flyer with the word “marketing” on it into an information session, and eighteen years later she’s a Partner at The Link Group and a segmentation specialist. Off the clock, she gardens, something she’ll tell you is far more complicated than it looks. Host Jessica Caffrey talks with Melia about what gardening and quantitative research share, and what Melia hopes her legacy at TLG looks like.

Watch on YouTube 

Listen on Spotify

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Episode 3: Jeff Whiteside

Jeff Whiteside grew up in North Carolina, where barbecue is a way of life. Sixteen years into his career at The Link Group, he still cooks low and slow on weekends, and he’ll tell you the best barbecue and the best research follow the same rules. Host Nicole Johnson talks with Jeff about the three “spices” he says every research project needs, and a stretch of eastern North Carolina he still can’t drive past without thinking of his grandfather. 

Watch on YouTube                 

Listen on Spotify                             

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Episode 4: Mark Alkins

Mark Alkins was fast before he had a race to win: a sub-five-minute mile in middle school, the 800 through high school and college, an ACC Indoor Championship with UNC. Two years into his career as a research manager at The Link Group, he still coaches track at his old high school, and he’ll tell you the mental part of racing is harder than the physical part. Host Jeff Whiteside talks with Mark about pressure, pacing, and what it takes to keep getting better, on the track and on a project team.

Watch on YouTube                 

Listen on Spotify                             

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Episode 5: Jessica Caffrey 

A friend invited Jessica Caffrey to Mahjong lessons a couple of years ago, and that group still plays every other week. Twenty years into her career at The Link Group, she’s a Partner who specializes in quantitative research, and she’ll tell you the skills that make a good researcher make a good Mahjong player. Host Shep Zoutewelle talks with Jess about building a winning hand, why the context around your tiles matters as much as the tiles themselves, and what Jess looks for in people who may never have considered a career in insights.

Watch on YouTube                 

Listen on Spotify                             

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Episode 6: Brandon Richard and Andrew Hunt [Link coming soon]