What does it actually take to build a high-performing team - that stands up for years to come?

In this episode I sit down with Mick Rigby, founder and CEO of Yodel Mobile, to dig into the real work behind long-term team performance. Mick’s kept his senior team together for close to a decade, grown people from interns into leaders, and adapted his own leadership style through start-up chaos, growth, and a post-sale transition into a much bigger parent company.

Here’s what we get into:

• how to grow people at the pace they are ready for
• why loyalty lasts when you back people early and often
• how neurodiversity shapes leadership, decision making and pressure
• the shift from micromanaging to macromanaging as you scale
• what part of marketing AI will change - and what it won’t touch
• why creative intelligence and human judgement are rising in value again
• the leadership habits that actually keep teams together for a decade

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What actually makes a great PR pitch land - and what gets lost when you let AI write it for you?

Lizi Sprague started out cold-calling journalists from a pitch pod and faxing press releases for London ad agencies. Now she runs Songue PR, a San Francisco-based agency helping deep-tech companies build credibility in the AI age.

This episode is part war story, part wake-up call:

• what she learned from getting rejected 63 times (and still getting in)
• how pitchcraft actually works in 2025 - and why ChatGPT isn’t your shortcut
• what UK brands keep getting wrong about launching in the US
• and why earned media is becoming critical again in a world shaped by LLM search

If you’re building a comms career, scaling a brand, or just wondering what PR actually does these days, this one’s worth your time.

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Ever landed a role you didn’t quite feel ready for - and had to get good, fast?

Brandt Bodamer knows the feeling.

He took on a digital marketing role overseas with little more than curiosity, hustle, and a copy of Digital Marketing for Dummies in his bag. That leap became the foundation of a career that’s since taken him into agency leadership and founding Adduro.io - a growing adtech firm helping brands show up across streaming and audio platforms.

But this isn’t just a startup story.

We get into:

• How to earn credibility without faking it
• What it really takes to grow fast when you feel out of your depth
• Making the shift from capable doer to credible leader
• What building a business without investor cash actually looks like

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.