What if the setback you didn't ask for turned into the best decision of your career? Kriste Goad, founder and Chief Firestarter of fuoco, shares the unfiltered story of building a healthcare B2B marketing agency — starting with getting let go and betting on herself instead of going back in-house. Kriste breaks down what 25 years in healthcare marketing taught her about relationships, business development, and brand clarity, plus the hard lessons behind scaling to Inc. 5000 recognition. This episode is for marketers, founders, and agency leaders who want a real look at growth, resilience, and how to use AI without losing the human judgment that makes the work valuable.

Episode Highlights
01:36 – Kriste traces her path into healthcare marketing back to her early days at Healthways
08:06 – The real story behind founding fuoco: "the only reason I started my own agency is I was fired"
10:44 – Where the name fuoco — Italian for "fire" — actually came from
12:04 – What years in business development taught her about swings, rejection, and relationships
22:39 – The most common mistake healthcare B2B brands make when telling their story
30:20 – Lessons from Inc. 5000 growth, including the over-hiring trap many agencies fall into
39:54 – Building the "fuoco operating system" and an AI org chart inside the agency
44:49 – Staying the "human in the loop" when clients bring AI-generated work back to the table

Learn More & Connect
Show Notes + Resources: https://creativeassembly.agency/ca-podcast/
Connect With Kriste Goad: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristegoad/ | https://growwithfuoco.com/
Connect with Mark Scrivner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markscrivner | https://snapshot.agency/health

Our Sponsor - Snapshot: https://snapshot.agency/health

Follow The Spark: https://creativeassembly.agency/ca-podcast/

#TheSparkPodcast #CreativeAssembly #HealthcareMarketing #AgencyGrowth #BrandStrategy #WomenInBusiness

What does it actually take to keep a booming city from losing what made it special in the first place? On this episode of The Spark, host Mark Scrivner sits down with Stephanie Coleman, President & CEO of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, for a candid look at leadership inside one of the fastest-growing regions in the country. Stephanie traces her path from federal policy work in D.C. to nearly 18 years and seven roles at the Chamber, then digs into the tension every high-growth city eventually faces: how to keep pace with affordability, housing, and infrastructure needs without losing the culture and creative identity that built the city's brand. She shares what she's learned about cross-sector leadership, why trust is the real bottleneck on collaboration, and what becoming the Chamber's first female CEO means to her and to the next generation of leaders behind her. Business owners, civic leaders, and anyone building something in a fast-growing city will walk away with a sharper read on how leadership, collaboration, and intentional growth planning actually work together, covering topics including cross-sector leadership, affordability and housing, Partnership 2030, chamber membership strategy, civic resilience, and Nashville's Super Bowl moment.

Episode Highlights

00:56 – Stephanie on leaving D.C. policy work to build her career in Nashville

06:09 – Nashville's boom years and the affordability tension shaping the region today

11:43 – The "secret sauce" behind successful cities: leadership across every sector

13:43 – Why collaboration can't move faster than trust

16:08 – Becoming the Chamber's first female President & CEO

22:01 – The bold goal to grow Chamber membership by 50%

31:46 – Stephanie's vision for what Nashville looks like in 2031

35:30 – Nashville's Super Bowl moment and its global spotlight

Learn More & Connect
Show Notes + Resources: https://creativeassembly.agency/ca-podcast/
Connect With Stephanie Coleman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-coleman-1956775/ | https://nashvillechamber.com/
Connect with Mark Scrivner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markscrivner | https://snapshot.agency/health
Our Sponsor - Snapshot: https://snapshot.agency/health
Follow The Spark: https://creativeassembly.agency/ca-podcast/
#TheSparkPodcast #CreativeAssembly #NashvilleLeadership #ChamberOfCommerce #CivicLeadership #EconomicDevelopment

What happens when you accidentally build a marketing agency out of a side hustle, and then have to decide whether to bet everything on it?

Ashley Robinson, founder and CEO of Green Cardigan Marketing, joins host Mark Scrivner to share how a criminal defense lawyer's side project turned into an agency serving 70 to 90 law firms a month. Ashley walks through her decision to niche exclusively into legal marketing, why she believes "riches are in the niches," and how she's built trust with a client base that's demanding, driven, and skeptical of marketing spend. The conversation covers agency positioning, letting go of control as a founder, building client trust through better questions, and where AI fits into her operations today.

For agency owners weighing specialization against staying general, this episode is a practical playbook: how to pick a lane, communicate it clearly, and build a team around it.

Episode Highlights
04:25 – Ashley shares how she became an "accidental agency owner," starting as a side hustle for a criminal defense lawyer in Atlanta
06:43 – The story behind the name Green Cardigan Marketing, inspired by golf and the Masters' green jacket
09:11 – The moment Ashley decided to go all-in on her agency in the early days of COVID
18:41 – Ashley makes the case for niching down: "riches are in the niches"
23:36 – Her go-to trust-building strategy: ask questions before you talk
25:56 – How Green Cardigan is using AI across operations and client work
33:43 – Ashley's proudest moments as a founder, centered on her team and client impact
39:25 – Closing advice for overwhelmed agency owners: narrow your focus

Learn More & Connect:

Show Notes + Resources: https://creativeassembly.agency/ca-podcast/
Connect With Ashley Robinson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyrobinsongcm/ | https://greencardiganmarketing.com/
Connect with Mark Scrivner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markscrivner | https://snapshot.agency/health

Our Sponsor - Snapshot: https://snapshot.agency/health

Follow The Spark: https://creativeassembly.agency/ca-podcast/

#TheSparkPodcast #CreativeAssembly #AgencyGrowth #NicheMarketing #LegalMarketing #AgencyOwner