Candidly amplifying human voices with Noah McDonough Founder & CEO of Candidly AI

What if the future of community insight isn’t about bigger surveys—but about deeper conversations?

In this episode, I sit down with Noah McDonough, founder and CEO of Candidly AI, to explore how audio‑based AI is transforming the way organizations listen, learn, and make decisions. Built in Calgary on fully Canadian infrastructure—and SOC 2 Type II audited and ISO 27001 certified—Candidly AI gives leaders the depth of a one‑on‑one interview at the scale of a survey. Stakeholders simply call a number, speak on their own time, and have a real conversation with an AI agent that listens, probes, and captures every word with accuracy.

But this conversation goes far beyond technology.

Noah brings an infectious energy rooted in curiosity, lifelong learning, and a deep passion for what AI can unlock. A former KPMG technology consultant and national champion varsity football player with a Master’s in AI from Queen’s Smith School of Business, Noah shares how seemingly mundane conversations unexpectedly revealed a much bigger problem—organizations weren’t hearing from the people who mattered most. And the voices missing from the room were shaping decisions in ways no one intended.

That realization changed everything.

We dive into how Candidly AI elevates voices, captures lived experiences, and fast‑tracks them directly to decision makers—giving municipalities, enterprises, and non‑profits a way to hear from everyone, not just the few who can attend a meeting. Noah also breaks down what it means to use AI as a tool for amplification rather than replacement, ensuring communities feel seen, heard, and understood.

This episode is about passion, purpose, and the power of listening. Because sometimes the biggest breakthroughs come from the conversations we almost overlook.

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