Second Life Sessions: 19 Conversations with Tech Repair, Reuse & E-Waste Leaders

We went to Mobile Disrupt with a camera and a list of the most interesting people in the tech care ecosystem. We came home with 19 conversations about repair, reuse, and the fight against e-waste, and they are all coming to the TCA YouTube channel.

By Rob Link, Founder & CEO, Tech Care Association · August 3, 2026 · 7 min read

What's in this post

1. The person behind the camera
2. The questions we asked
3. Meet the guests
4. You're going to want to watch these
5. Why we show up, and why you should too
6. Help us tell their stories
7. Common questions about Second Life Sessions

If you've followed the TCA for any length of time, you know one of my favorite things to do: promote the people in this industry who are doing great things. And here's the truth. We have so many people doing great things. Repair educators. Shop owners. Software builders. Parts suppliers. Recyclers. Reuse advocates. People quietly solving hard problems every single day, keeping devices in use and out of landfills.

Their stories deserve to be told. So we're telling them.

At Mobile Disrupt, while thousands of repair professionals, refurbishers, and industry partners were networking on the show floor, our team was pulling some of the most interesting people in the tech care ecosystem aside for one-on-one interviews. The result is Second Life Sessions, a new interview series from the TCA exploring repair, reuse, and the fight against e-waste, told through the voices of the people actually doing the work.

The Person Behind the Camera

The Second Life Sessions interviews were conducted by Emily Blethen, who recently completed her Master of the Environment, Renewable & Sustainable Energy degree at the University of Colorado Boulder. Emily has been working with the TCA this summer to help expand our reach and complete special projects for the association. This series is a perfect example of what that partnership makes possible. Her background in sustainability brought exactly the right lens to these conversations: every interview connects the day-to-day work of repair and reuse back to the bigger environmental picture.

The Questions We Asked

Every guest sat down with the same core questions.

The answers surprised us, and we think they'll surprise you too. Here's just one example, from our conversation with Ansar Khan of RepairDesk, whose platform serves as the operating system for independent repair stores around the world. His team integrates directly with major parts suppliers so store inventory manages itself, gives their software free to university repair centers, and is setting up a nonprofit that trains people with disabilities for careers in repair. But when we asked what he wished more people understood about the e-waste crisis, his answer was disarmingly honest: that repair stores exist. Before joining the industry, he didn't realize he could walk down the street and get his phone fixed, or at least get a quote.

"I'm guilty of defaulting to 'let's buy a new phone,'" he admitted, "partly because the carriers make it so easy with their deals."

Think about that. Someone now working at the heart of the repair industry once didn't know repair was an option. If that awareness gap exists even among tech professionals, imagine how wide it is among everyday consumers. Closing that gap is exactly why Second Life Sessions exists.

Meet the Guests

Here's the full Second Life Sessions lineup: the people doing great things, and the corner of the electronics life cycle where each of them is doing it.

Many of the people on this list I am proud, and have the pleasure, to call longtime good friends. And some of the new people I met at Mobile Disrupt will be soon enough. That's the way this industry works.

• Ansar Khan (RepairDesk): The point-of-sale platform powering independent repair stores worldwide, on automating inventory and opening doors into repair careers.
• Brennan Zelener (WholeCell): Inventory software built for the used-device business, where tracking every phone is the difference between profit and chaos.
• Austin Martin (iFixit Pro): The most recognized name in repair education, on why repair should be every student's superpower.
• Steve Manning (FutureDial): Automating the processing of used mobile devices at scale. The machinery behind the second-life economy.
• Eden Morrison (URT): The responsible recycling side of the story: what happens when a device truly reaches the end of the line.
• Tony Sciarrotta (former Executive Director, Reverse Logistics Association): A global authority on the returns industry, on returns, recovery, and why what flows backward through the supply chain matters as much as what flows forward.
• Shannon Fertitta (RIOS): The Executive Director of the Recycling Industry Operating Standard, on what responsible recycling really requires, and why certification matters for everyone downstream.
• Jon Newman (PrologMobile): The data behind the second-life device market, bringing transparency to every used phone that changes hands.
• Frank Pipolo (FutureDial): A second perspective from the device-processing world on where automation is taking the industry.
• Eric Houdek (Phone LCD Parts): The parts supply chain that keeps every repair bench in business.
• Joel Mansnerus (Fixably): Repair management software, and what thousands of repair workflows reveal about where the industry is heading.
• Peter Evans (All Things Circular): The circular economy in practice. Designing waste out of the system entirely.
• Sandy Zimmerman & Jodi Ortiz (VT Services): A joint conversation, and one of the most energetic sessions we recorded, on their corner of the tech care world.
• Michael Leiberman (Aeris Protective Packaging): Eco-friendly, recyclable air-chamber packaging that gets devices where they're going in one piece. A second life starts with surviving the shipment.
• Louis Garcia Fabucci (Cellphone MD): The origin story so many shop owners will recognize: from one repair bench to a thriving business.
• Jordan Notenbaum (MobileSentrix): Inside one of the largest parts and tools suppliers in the industry. The ecosystem repair shops depend on every single week.
• Alberto Delgadillo (Mannapov): On the global trade in used devices and what it takes to do it right.
• Chris Hale (SmartphonesPLUS): The buyback business. Turning the phone in your drawer into value instead of waste.
• Rich Bulger (All Things Circular): Closing the loop on circularity, and what it takes to make reuse the default rather than the exception.

Every one of these guests gets their own full episode. These are just the opening notes. The real stories are in the conversations.

You're Going to Want to Watch These

Here's the exciting part: it all starts in the coming weeks. All Second Life Sessions interviews will be published on the TCA YouTube channel, and we'll be releasing shorts, clips, quote cards, and highlights across our social channels throughout the series. Keep an eye out for all of our content on these interviews everywhere you follow the TCA. Sneak peeks are already rolling out, the series trailer is right around the corner, and full episodes follow close behind.

Trust us, you're going to want to watch these:

• Learn from people who've done it. Every guest has built something: a shop, a platform, a training program, a recycling operation. These are practical insights from practitioners, not theory.
• See the whole life cycle. Most of us work in one slice of the electronics life cycle. These interviews connect the dots between repair, refurbishment, reuse, and responsible recycling.
• Find your next partner or idea. More than one guest described projects, integrations, and community programs that could spark your next revenue stream or collaboration.
• Get fluent in the e-waste conversation. When customers ask why repair matters, you'll have stories and perspectives to share, straight from the people leading the movement.

Subscribe to the channel now so you don't miss a single episode, and watch our social feeds over the coming weeks. The previews, the trailer, and the first interviews are all on their way.

Why We Show Up, and Why You Should Too

None of these conversations would have happened if we hadn't been in the room. That's the thing about industry events: the best outcomes are almost never on the agenda. They happen in hallways, at booths, and across a camera lens between sessions.

Earlier this year, we made the case that 2026 is the year to show up. In an era of digital disconnect, in-person connection is one of the most valuable investments a repair professional can make. Second Life Sessions is proof of concept. We showed up at Mobile Disrupt, and we came home with 19 conversations worth sharing with the entire industry.

And we're not slowing down. This week, the TCA will be at the ITAD Summit (August 4–5), where the IT asset disposition world gathers to talk data security, value recovery, and responsible end-of-life management. Then on August 18–19, we'll be at the All Wireless & Prepaid Expo, one of the biggest gatherings for the wireless, prepaid, and repair retail community.

If you're attending either event, come find us. We'd love to meet you. And if you're still deciding which events deserve your time this year, the TCA Industry Events Calendar is the industry's only complete, independent, no-kickbacks list of tech repair, reuse, and tech care events. It's the best place to keep up to date on everything happening in this industry, all year long.

Help Us Tell Their Stories

This industry is full of people doing great things. Far more than one series can capture. Second Life Sessions is 19 stories. There are thousands more out there, waiting to be told.

The TCA is a nonprofit, and everything we produce, from this series to our free resources and the events calendar, is funded by the members who believe this industry deserves to be seen and heard. With more support from the industry, by joining the TCA, we can produce more content like this, so that more people can learn about what we do: how repair works, why reuse matters, and who the people behind it all really are.

We can't wait to share them with you.

Common Questions About Second Life Sessions

What is Second Life Sessions?

Second Life Sessions is a video interview series from the Tech Care Association (the TCA) featuring 19 conversations with leaders in tech repair, reuse, and electronics recycling, filmed at Mobile Disrupt in Miami.

Where can I watch Second Life Sessions?

All Second Life Sessions episodes will be published on the TCA YouTube channel, with shorts and clips shared across the TCA's social media channels. Subscribe to the channel and turn on notifications to catch the series launch.

Who is featured in Second Life Sessions?

The series features Ansar Khan (RepairDesk), Brennan Zelener (WholeCell), Austin Martin (iFixit Pro), Steve Manning (FutureDial), Eden Morrison (URT), Tony Sciarrotta (former Executive Director, Reverse Logistics Association), Shannon Fertitta (RIOS), Jon Newman (PrologMobile), Frank Pipolo (FutureDial), Eric Houdek (Phone LCD Parts), Joel Mansnerus (Fixably), Peter Evans (All Things Circular), Sandy Zimmerman and Jodi Ortiz (VT Services), Michael Leiberman (Aeris Protective Packaging), Louis Garcia Fabucci (Cellphone MD), Jordan Notenbaum (MobileSentrix), Alberto Delgadillo (Mannapov), Chris Hale (SmartphonesPLUS), and Rich Bulger (All Things Circular).

More from the TCA Blog

• The Summer 2026 Skill-Up: 8 Tech Repair Creators Posting Gold Right Now
• Operators in Motion: How Tech Repair Shops Grow Into ITAD, Refurbishment, and Resale Businesses
• 2026 Is the Year to Show Up: The Tech Repair Industry Events Worth Your Time

Rob Link is the founder of the TCA. The TCA is independent of carriers, manufacturers, and insurance companies, which is exactly why it can tell the whole channel the truth about where this industry is headed.

Sources: Interviews recorded at Mobile Disrupt, Miami, July 7 and 8, 2026. Guest roles and affiliations confirmed against interview footage and public records. The Tech Care Association (TCA) is the leading nonprofit trade association for independent tech repair professionals in North America.