In this season finale, we open up about what’s happening behind the scenes of Collectively in 2026.

Monica shares a major life event – the reason behind us ending this first season and pushing pause.

Marijke shares how she juggles running a business while raising a family, and the biggest lessons her kids took away from their recent trip to visit her charity in Cambodia.

This episode is all about how your business can ebb and flow through the seasons of your life. It’s a raw and refreshing discussion about the realities of parenthood and business ownership.

Inside we cover:

• Redefining the meaning of success - getting really granular about what that means for you, not just at each stage of your business but at each season of your life.
• How parenthood can make you a better business owner and a more empathetic marketer.
• How building and contributing to communities can help you manage your business and family commitments, while contributing to others.

This episode is released as part of a global Podcasthon - raising awareness of charities and causes worldwide. It is dedicated to Marijke’s charity, Dara Children’s Trust.

For more information on Dara Children’s Trust, please visit www.darachildren.com

For more information on Podcasthon, please visit www.podcasthon.org

For more information about us visit, www.themarketingcollective.co.nz and www.markmywords.co.nz.

What does good design actually do? It's not just about looking good — it's about making people feel something, and then knowing exactly what to do next.

In this episode we sit down with Pippa from Shout & Co, a designer and creative director who's worked with everyone from the Auckland Art Gallery to wine exporters and major retailers. She shares what's really shifting in the world of design, branding and websites right now, and what small businesses need to pay attention to.

We get into:

• Why your website is your silent salesman, and what to do if it's not pulling its weight
• How to design for AI search and algorithms without losing the human experience
• The authenticity factor: why truly owning your brand is becoming a rare (and powerful) competitive edge
• Why chasing trends or copying competitors is keeping you stuck
• The tension between SEO and aesthetics, and how to navigate it

Pippa also shares a perspective that stuck with us: asking a machine to give you a strategy on how to attract humans will probably never end well. Because creativity is innately human, and that's not something to outsource. Listen to learn more!

Connect with Pippa at www.shoutandco.com and learn more about The Marketing Collective at www.themarketingcollective.co.nz

For more information about us visit, www.themarketingcollective.co.nz and www.markmywords.co.nz.

Hashtags are dead. Reels are everything. AI is the future. Organic reach is gone. There are A LOT of opinions about what’s working on social media and where you should be focusing your efforts. The energy it takes to keep up with what’s hot on social can start to hold you back from actually showing up!

After all, most of us didn’t get into business to become content creators, but we also know that social media can be a powerful channel for sharing messages and creating community.

Instead of hot takes and trends, we wanted to hear what it’s going to take to make social media feel impactful in 2026 and sustainable long-term.

So, of course, we called on Jodine from Social Smarty, social media trainer and Marketing Collective partner. In this episode, she joins us for a realistic chat about what’s shifting, what’s overhyped and what really hasn’t changed at all.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re overthinking what to post, social media feels harder than it should, or you’re trying to keep up without losing your voice, this episode might just revive your energy and focus for social media!

Learn more about Jodine at www.socialsmarty.co and discover more about The Marketing Collective (and what you can learn about social media) at www.themarketingcollective.co.nz

For more information about us visit, www.themarketingcollective.co.nz and www.markmywords.co.nz.

So, you’ve created this amazing thing. You’ve built a website, started posting on socials… But, crickets… You’re not quite selling as quickly or easily as you imagined.

Visibility is a skill.

Getting found online is still one of the biggest challenges small businesses face in their marketing. And, it’s an uncertain one, given the pace of change with search also impacting generative AI tools.

In this episode, we chat with The Marketing Collective’s search and paid media specialist, David from Dimple Digital.

Inside, we cover:

• How small businesses can compete against much larger corporate budgets
• What to focus on and what to not get all hot and bothered about when it comes to getting discovered online.
• When you know you’re ready to put your hard earned dollars into paid search.

This chat is the first in a series of introductions to our incredibly talented Marketing Collective partners. Look out for others as we dive more deeply into all major marketing disciplines that matter to small businesses.

For more information, check out www.dimple.nz

For more information about us visit, www.themarketingcollective.co.nz and www.markmywords.co.nz.

What worked and what really didn’t in marketing in 2025?

In this episode, we spill the tea on the wins and fails we witnessed across the year. From client work to our own marketing, domestic challenges to international hurdles - this was a year of shake-ups and survival stories.

Inside we explore:

• What it took for small businesses to overcome a year of fighting fires
• The brands that came out better off and those who didn’t (in our humble opinions)
• Marketing campaigns that impressed us and the channels that delivered the most

We also discuss a pretty major values-based decision we had to make around how we deliver this podcast - a platform conundrum many purpose-led businesses would have encountered this year too.

If you’re looking for a shortcut to some of this year’s biggest learnings in marketing, this episode won’t disappoint.

For more information about us visit, www.themarketingcollective.co.nz and www.markmywords.co.nz.

So many entrepreneurs have been taught that messaging is about persuasion, urgency, or cleverly pushing people toward a yes. No wonder it feels uncomfortable.

This episode offers a different lens: we talk about persuasion as clarity, as resonance, and as a way of saying ‘I see you and I understand where you are right now’.

We explore how to communicate without slipping into fear-based tactics, how to speak to the emotional truths behind your audience’s goals, and why connection always comes before conversion.

We also talk about the six principles of ethical influence and how to use them to strengthen your message, not manipulate behaviour.

If you’re ready to craft messaging that actually feels aligned — messaging that reflects who you are, what you believe, and the people you're here to support — you’ll love this conversation.

For more information about us visit, www.themarketingcollective.co.nz and www.markmywords.co.nz.

Despite all the innovation and technology available to us, at the core of every successful business is its people.

In this episode, we speak with Dr Angela Jackson, founder of Future Forward Strategies and lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education where she teaches entrepreneurship in the education marketplace.

Angela is an authority on on the future of work, consulting at the intersection of technology and human capacity.

Inside, we ask:

• What does the future of work look like and who will thrive in it?
• Why are small businesses and start-ups best positioned?
• How does taking care of your people at work ripple out to communities?
• How can AI help us manage our workplaces more productively but also with more empathy?
• How can mission-driven entrepreneurs access ethical investors and capital?

Dr Angela’s best-selling book The Win-Win Workplace is available online and in select stores. You can purchase it here: https://www.readwinwinworkplace.com/.

Request Dr Angela’s investor list by connecting with Dr Angela on LinkedIn or via her website: https://www.drangelajackson.com/.

For more information about us visit, www.themarketingcollective.co.nz and www.markmywords.co.nz.

At the heart of everything — business, leadership, creativity, success — is connection.

Connection to ourselves.
Connection to each other.
Connection to the land, our purpose, and the work we’re here to do.

In this episode, we sit down with life coach, speaker and author Tracy Manu to explore what connection really means through a Te Ao Māori lens, and how it can transform the way we live, lead, and relate to one another.

From reconnecting with ourselves and our values, to restoring our relationship with nature, purpose, and community, Tracy reminds us that disconnection is often the root of struggle, and connection is the way home.

This kōrero (conversation) is an invitation to:

• Slow down and return to what grounds you
• Lead from authenticity and reciprocity
• Redefine success through alignment, not achievement
• Remember that everything — and everyone — is connected

Learn more about Tracy or purchase a copy of her book, Hononga, at www.tracymanu.com

For more information about us visit, www.themarketingcollective.co.nz and www.markmywords.co.nz.