The Whole Marketer podcast

Episodes

• 
  Creator Marketing: How to Work With Creators for Long-Term Growth 03.11.2026 52m

  Episode 173 with guest Becky Owen, Chief Marketing Officer at Billion Dollar Boy and Head of FiveTwoNine  The technical skill in this episode is working with the creator economy – how brands move beyond adhoc influencer activity to working with creators as strategic partners who bring cultural relevance, audience insight and storytelling craft to brand building.  Abby is joined by Becky Owen to discuss what the creator economy really is, why it delivers both short-term sales and long-term brand growth, how brands need to set up internally to move at the speed of culture, why creators should be briefed like marketing peers and the rise of out-of-category creator partnerships with examples. Plus the new 'creator instinct' research from 5,000 creator assets that challenges modern marketing wisdom.  Becky Owen is Chief Marketing Officer at Billion Dollar Boy and Head of FiveTwoNine. As one of EMEA's leading experts in creator marketing, Becky has built a career with roles at Disney and Meta, and now as CMO at global creator-first social agency, Billion Dollar Boy. With over a decade of experience in the creator economy, she has advised some of the world's most recognisable brands, developing innovation strategies and directing teams in producing best-in-class work.  In 2024 Becky founded FiveTwoNine, the agency's sister company: a global platform dedicated to empowering creators in their careers and businesses through community, insider knowledge, and exclusive events.  She has been recognised on AdAge's Tech Power list and was named Gamechanger of the Year at the Influencer Marketing Awards. Becky is a sought-after industry commentator and regularly speaks at leading events, helping brands adopt a creator-first mindset.  Key takeaways  The creator economy is people, not a channel… Creator content is built on personal stories and community, and delivers short-term sales plus a long-term brand multiplier.  Set yourself up to move at the speed of culture… Slow internal systems are the biggest barrier, Becky shares an example of how Lipton's 'Social Hubs' stay local and responsive within a global strategy.  Be brave, give up a little control and measure it… Argos's 'Arg House' was a risk made safer by rigorous econometrics and won both most creative and most effective.  Treat creators as peers and marketers… Share your KPIs and avoid generic briefs. New 'creator instinct' research found that front-loading the product pitch cut view rate by 44%.  Look out of category to cut through… Partnerships like IKEA x Chupa Chups and Old Mout's craft creators bring fresh perspectives and memorability.    00:00 - Welcome to the Whole Marketer Podcast    03:01 - Today's Big Juicy Question: What Is the Creator Economy?  04:16 - From PewDiePie to Today: How the Creator Economy Has Evolved  06:17 - Why Creators Aren't 'Just Another Channel'  07:15 - From Brand Mentions to Authentic Storytelling  08:50 - Why Marketers Should Embrace the Creator Economy  11:26 - Short-Term Sales and the Long-Term Brand Multiplier  12:44 - The Operational Barrier: Internal Systems and Fast Approvals  14:35 - How Lipton's Social Hubs Respond to Culture Locally  16:32 - Feeding Local Insight Back Into Brand Strategy  17:39 - Where Should Marketers Start?  18:38 - Argos and 'Arg House': Why Brands Need to Be Braver  21:50 - Being Both Creative and Effective  23:05 - Brand Marketers vs Creators: Bridging the Understanding Gap  30:08 - Out-of-Category Creator Partnerships  32:50 - The IKEA x Chupa Chups Meatball Lollipop  35:18 - Out-of-Category in Action: Old Mout and Craft Creators  37:45 - New Research: Creator Instinct  40:52 - Becky's Predictions for the Creator Economy  43:35 - Career Highs and Grows  50:18 - Becky's Advice For Marketers of Tomorrow    Resources  Creator Instinct report https://www.billiondollarboy.com/news/creator-instinct-report  https://www.billiondollarboy.com/  https://www.fivetwonine.com/    The Whole Marketer '7 steps to being a Whole Marketer leader' resource – free download  https://thewholemarketer.com/resources/    Host: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abigailcdixon/  Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/becky-owen-0289a615/    About The Whole Marketer  The Whole Marketer podcast is here to support and empower the people behind brands and businesses with the latest technical tools, soft and leadership skills and personal understanding for a fulfilling marketing career and life as a whole.  Did you know The Whole Marketer is more than a podcast and book? We're your trusted partners for marketing capability and transformation, providing consultancy, training & workshops, speaking, coaching, mentoring and trusted advisory service.  Visit www.thewholemarketer.com to see how we support leaders to build successful and fulfilled marketing teams with the holistic skills to lead the long-term commercial agenda and deliver the true potential of marketing.  Contact hello@thewholemarketer.com to get in touch with Abby and the team 
• 
  Authentic Marketing in the Age of AI: How to Build Brand Trust with Human Insight 20.10.2026 51m

  Episode 172 with guest Visha Kudhail, author of Authentic Marketing  The technical skill in this episode is authentic marketing - how we keep building a genuine emotional connection between our brands and consumers when we're living in an age of AI-generated content, and audiences are more sceptical than ever.  Abby is joined by Visha Kudhail to discuss her new book, Authentic Marketing, including: why authenticity is an operating model that runs through the whole business rather than a social media tactic, why audience insight and 'time to think' are the foundations that rarely get celebrated, how to build trust proactively rather than reactively, why brand voice needs a point of view (not just a tone of voice deck), and why being honest about ROI and creating psychological safety builds a stronger effectiveness culture.  Joining Abby is Visha Kudhail, an award-winning global marketing leader whose career spans Pinterest, Google, YouTube, Square, Channel 4 and Thinkbox. At Pinterest she built and led the EMEA Business Marketing function, and at Google and YouTube she created the UK industry brand trust function during the brand safety crisis. Visha won the top prize for Best Leader in Marketing at the 2022 Global Women in Marketing Awards, co-founded the Futures Network for Women in the UK, sits on the Executive Committee of Soho House and the Development Advisory Board for Somerset House, and chairs the DMA Media Council. She also created and hosted the podcast Behind the Face of Success.   Key takeaways  Authenticity is an operating model, not a tactic… It runs through product, message and leadership across every function, rather than chasing social trends.  Give yourself time to think (and analyse)… Audience insight into the 'why' is the foundation, and AI can help but can't replace the rigour.  Build trust proactively, not reactively… Visha builds a trust and reputation pillar into every marketing plan to reach the most sceptical audience yet.  Brand voice needs a point of view… Go beyond a tone of voice deck with an ownable point of view and thoughtful transcreation for each market.  Be honest about ROI and share the learnings… Building ROI to only push investment through erodes trust, so continue to report progress, share what didn't work and cascade learnings.    00:00 - Welcome to the Whole Marketer Podcast  00:37 - Why Authenticity Matters in an Age of AI  02:35 - Introducing Visha Kudhail  02:57 - What Is Authentic Marketing?  05:21 - Why Audience Insight Is the Backbone of Authenticity  07:41 - Authenticity Is About Cultures and Communities, Not Chasing Trends  10:06 - What's Stopping Us?  12:34 - Going After the 'Why', Not Just the 'Who'  14:58 - Why We Don't Celebrate the Thinking Behind the Work  17:07 - Why Visha Wrote 'Authentic Marketing'  19:30 - Falling Trust in the Internet, the News and AI  24:17 - Building a Proactive Trust Pillar Into Your Marketing Plan  27:30 - Bringing Your Brand Voice to Life in a Digital World  28:54 - Point of View vs Opinion   31:18 - Transcreation, Cultural Nuance and Using AI to Scale Locally  33:39 - Getting Authenticity Out of the Creative Room and Across the Business  36:07 - Where to Start: Narrative Threads and Planning Beyond Quarters  38:35 - ROI, Data Storytelling and Reporting Progress  41:00 - Why Fake ROI Doesn't Build Trust (and the Attribution Gap)  43:24 - Psychological Safety to Share Learnings  45:47 - Career Highs and Grows  49:20 - Visha's Advice For Marketers of Tomorrow    Resources  Authentic Marketing by Visha Kudhail (Kogan Page) – order the book  The Whole Marketer 'Define your ideal role' resource – free download  https://thewholemarketer.com/resources/    Host: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abigailcdixon/  Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/visha-kudhail-16400830/    About The Whole Marketer  The Whole Marketer podcast is here to support and empower the people behind brands and businesses with the latest technical tools, soft and leadership skills and personal understanding for a fulfilling marketing career and life as a whole.  Did you know The Whole Marketer is more than a podcast and book? We're your trusted partners for marketing capability and transformation, providing consultancy, training & workshops, speaking, coaching, mentoring and trusted advisory service.  Visit www.thewholemarketer.com to see how we support leaders to build successful and fulfilled marketing teams with the holistic skills to lead the long-term commercial agenda and deliver the true potential of marketing.  Contact hello@thewholemarketer.com to get in touch with Abby and the team
• 
  Helen Tupper Live: Feedback, Confidence Gremlins and the Skills Marketers Need to Keep Learning 06.10.2026 38m

  Episode 171 with guest Helen Tupper, Co-founder of Squiggly Careers  We're kicking off Season 10 with an extra special live episode, as Abby is joined on stage by three-time Sunday Times bestselling author and her good friend Helen Tupper to dig into her latest book, Learn Like a Lobster, co-written with Sarah Ellis.   Recorded live in front of an intimate audience at The Whole Marketer's 'Reflect and Connect' event in London, Helen and Abby unpack what it actually takes to keep learning and growing at work when time, confidence and headspace are all in short supply, including: how to build a "to-think list" that actually gets used, the three-step method for taming your "confidence gremlins", the 'WWWEBI' feedback tool for leaders to reduce fear in team learning and development.  Joining Abby is Helen Tupper, Co-founder and CEO of Amazing If alongside Sarah Ellis, and Co-host of the Squiggly Careers podcast, which has had more than six million downloads. Helen is a three-time Sunday Times bestselling author, with The Squiggly Career, You Coach You and, most recently, Learn Like a Lobster. Helen and Sarah's TEDx talk, The Best Career Path Isn't Always a Straight Line, has been watched by over two million people, and in 2026 they were named among the top 10 most influential thinkers in HR. Helen is also a regular contributor to the Harvard Business Review, is currently working on an executive PhD, and is a trustee for the Chartered Management Institute.  Key takeaways  The to-think list… We always find time to make a to-do list, but rarely time for a 'to-think' list, so Helen shares how she finds the time Taming your confidence gremlins… Helen's explains the three-step method to quieten the inner voice when you feel imposter syndrome creeping in WWWEBI: What Worked Well, Even Better If… Give this simple, low-formality feedback tool a try, that strips out fear and increases frequency to gather feedback for learning Connection over comfort… How to map your connection circles to learn outside your comfort zone - team, organisation, industry, and then beyond it - and go looking for a few go-to curious questions to ask people you don't already know. Leading is listening… Helen shares some of her own reflections on from writing this book and her advice for marketers of tomorrow    00:00 - Welcome to The Whole Marketer Podcast  00:37 - Kicking Off Season 10 with Helen Tupper  02:42 - The Big Juicy Question: What Is Learning Like a Lobster?  05:01 - Part One: Learning As You Go and the To-Think List  07:23 - Why We Make Time to Do But Not to Think  09:39 - The Post-it Note Method for Finding Time to Think  12:05 - Front of Mind: Moving Into Learning in Hard Moments  14:24 - Confidence Gremlins and the Biggest Learning Gap  16:48 - Three Steps to Caging Your Confidence Gremlins  19:05 - Where Limiting Beliefs Come From  21:18 - Helen's Own Limiting Belief: The Pencil Skirt Story  23:36 - WWWEBI: What Worked Well, Even Better If  25:53 - Why Leaders Have to Go First on Feedback  28:12 - Leading Your Own Learning Through Connection  30:37 - What Helen Learned About Herself Writing This Book  33:01 - Letting Go of Ego to Get the Book Done  35:17 - Career Highs and Grows  37:36 – Advice For Marketers Of Tomorrow    Resources  Learn Like a Lobster - order the book  Squiggly Careers podcast  The Whole Marketer 'Take the reins of your career' resource – free download  https://thewholemarketer.com/resources/    Host: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abigailcdixon/  Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helentupper/    About The Whole Marketer  The Whole Marketer podcast is here to support and empower the people behind brands and businesses with the latest technical tools, soft and leadership skills and personal understanding for a fulfilling marketing career and life as a whole.  Did you know The Whole Marketer is more than a podcast and book? We're your trusted partners for marketing capability and transformation, providing consultancy, training & workshops, speaking, coaching, mentoring and trusted advisory service.  Visit www.thewholemarketer.com to see how we support leaders to build successful and fulfilled marketing teams with the holistic skills to lead the long-term commercial agenda and deliver the true potential of marketing.  Contact hello@thewholemarketer.com to get in touch with Abby and the team.
• 
  How to Balance Brand vs Performance Marketing: Marketing Effectiveness and the ROI Data Behind the Ratio 18.08.2026 52m

  Episode 170 with guest James Hurman, Founder of Previously Unavailable and co-founder of Tracksuit, AF Drinks and Caffeine  This week's technical marketing skill is another on marketing effectiveness as we believe it's a core capability gap we need to close as a profession, so that we can truly be the growth engine of the business and lead the long-term commercial agenda.   Abby is joined by James Hurman to discuss why marketing leaders need to be investing in brand AND performance and avoiding the 'performance trap'. Plus the ROI data behind 60/40 split (Binet and Field's Long and Short of it) now being approximately 50/50 for maximum gains, building a measurement framework that actually connects to commercial outcomes, and the mindset shift senior marketers need to set themselves up for a successful tenure.  Joining Abby is James Hurman, a New Zealand-based founder, entrepreneur, investor, author and leading voice on marketing and advertising effectiveness. He is Founder and Chair of Previously Unavailable and co-founder of Tracksuit, the brand tracking platform fast becoming a go-to among UK marketers, alongside AF Drinks and Caffeine. James is the author of The Case for Creativity and Future Demand, and consults to major organisations globally on marketing and advertising effectiveness.    Key takeaways  Beware the performance trap… We understand the pressure to show quick wins but short-term, visible results can mask an eroding baseline and a shrinking pool of future customers.  The ROI evidence for a 50/50 split keeps stacking up… James discusses four separate data sets across three decades that indicate overall ROI is highest when spend is balanced between brand and performance.  Build a measurement stack… James recommends tracking three levels: campaign metrics (is anyone noticing our advertising), interim metrics (is our brand growing in awareness, consideration and preference) and commercial metrics (sales, profit, market share). Most businesses have the top and bottom covered but are missing the brand dashboard in the middle.  The power of knowledge… The confidence to make the case for the right investment and to hold your own with stakeholders comes from building your knowledge on effectiveness.  Set your foundations early if you want to leave a legacy… Marketing leaders who do the right things for long-term brand building, even if it means a slower start, tend to look far better by the time they leave a role than those who chase quick wins.     00:00 — Welcome to the Whole Marketer Podcast  02:38 — Today's Big Juicy Question: What Is Marketing Effectiveness?  04:02 — Why Marketers Know What to Do but Don't Always Do It  07:33 — The Skills Gap Behind Connecting KPIs, Allocation and Investment  09:09 — Bringing Distributed Marketing Science Together  11:49 — Why It's Fair for Stakeholders to Question Marketing Spend  13:39 — Introducing the Performance Trap  14:18 — What's Fuelling the Shift Towards Performance Marketing  16:41 — The Hidden Cost of Leaning Too Hard Into Performance  18:56 — Why CFOs Should Judge Marketing on Annualised ROI  19:34 — Do You Want to Leave Your Job Looking Good or Not?  22:56 — How the Best CMOs Set Their Foundations in the First 90 Days  26:59 — Why Knowledge Builds Real Confidence  28:36 — Knowledge, Humility and the Power of Asking Questions  32:14 — Explaining Current Demand and Future Demand  34:31 — Why Advertising Doesn't Directly Cause Sales  36:50 — A Framework Marketers and Non-Marketers Can Both Understand  39:51 — The Evidence Behind the 60/40 Rule  42:38 — Four Data Points From 1992 to Today  44:20 — Building a Measurement Framework That Reaches the Boardroom  45:11 — The Three-Level Metric Stack: Campaign, Interim and Commercial  47:11 — Why You Need a Brand Dashboard Alongside Your Performance Dashboard  49:58 — James's Advice for Marketers of Tomorrow    Resources  Future Demand by James Hurman  The Case for Creativity by James Hurman  Tracksuit  Previously Unavailable  The Whole Marketer 'Define your ideal role' resource – free download  https://thewholemarketer.com/resources/    Host: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abigailcdixon/  Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameshurman/    About The Whole Marketer  The Whole Marketer podcast is here to support and empower the people behind brands and businesses with the latest technical tools, soft and leadership skills and personal understanding for a fulfilling marketing career and life as a whole.  Did you know The Whole Marketer is more than a podcast and book? We're your trusted partners for marketing capability and transformation, providing consultancy, training & workshops, speaking, coaching, mentoring and trusted advisory service.  Visit www.thewholemarketer.com to see how we support leaders to build successful and fulfilled marketing teams with the holistic skills to lead the long-term commercial agenda and deliver the true potential of marketing.  Contact hello@thewholemarketer.com to get in touch with Abby and the team 
• 
  How to Build a Marketing Team That Thinks Differently - and Doesn't Need You in the Room 04.08.2026 45m

  Episode 169 with guest Mark "Strings" Stringer, Founder and Chair of PrettyGreen  Today's episode explores the leadership and human skills of building genuine diversity of thought within marketing teams and why it matters, including: why teams risk becoming clones of each other, recruiting for diverse thinking, your self-awareness as a leader to build the right teams around you, and why trust and psychological safety creates better work.  Joining Abby is Mark Stringer, known to most as Strings, the entrepreneurial force and founder of agency PrettyGreen. With over 30 years of founding and leading successful ventures, Strings is a seasoned expert in building fame for brands and driving innovation. As founder and chair, he has helped the agency and its sister agency, The Producers, work with clients including Cadbury, Under Armour, LEGO, Audible, Hasbro and Nando's and more. Alongside this he runs PrettyGreen +Ventures, which incubates and acquires founder-led companies, and is co-founder and non-exec CMO of B Corp SkootEco and Metropolitan Spirits  Key takeaways  Diversity of thought is about difference, not just demographics… The value of diverse thinking comes from surrounding yourself with people who think, decide and approach problems differently to you as well as different lived experiences  Know your own strengths, then build around them… Strings shares the parts of the job he loves and the parts he's happy to hand over, and how deliberately bringing in people who are strong where he isn't, has been core to building his teams  Trust is what lets leaders let go… Strings' mantra of needing to "get out of the room" only works because he trusts the people he hands the baton to, both to deliver and to tell him honestly when something is going wrong  Psychological safety turns diversity into better work… Recruiting different thinkers only pays off if people feel safe enough to challenge ideas, call out bias and speak up in the room  Building diverse teams takes deliberate action, not good intentions… Strings is candid that believing in "hiring the best people" wasn't enough until PrettyGreen looked honestly at who was actually in the room and set up a dedicated board to force the change through    00:00 — Welcome to the Whole Marketer Podcast  00:36 — Why Diversity of Thought Matters in Marketing Teams  02:55 — Introducing Mark "Strings" Stringer  05:21 — The Big Juicy Question: What Is Diversity of Thought?  07:43 — Finding People Who Love What You Don't  10:01 — Discovering DISC Profiles and Understanding Difference  12:27 — Founding PrettyGreen and Building the Right Partnerships  14:50 — The Impact of Bringing Complementary People Into the Team  17:01 — Learning to Trust and Get Out of the Room  19:21 — Matching Skills and Zone of Genius to the Work  21:41 — Uncovering Hidden Talent Across Departments  24:04 — Why Representation in the Room Matters  26:23 — Confronting the Agency's Own Diversity Gap  28:35 — Advice for Leaders Starting to Build Diverse Teams  30:54 — Knowing Your Superpower and Building Complementary Teams  33:22 — Handling Conflict With Humility and Vulnerability  35:44 — The Shadow and Light of Leadership  38:04 — Surrounding Yourself With People Who Call You Out  40:27 — Career Highs: Celebrating the Team's Work  42:30 — Career Grows: Getting Through the Hard Times  44:48 — Strings' Advice for Marketers of Tomorrow    Resources  The Whole Marketer 'Define your authentic leadership style' workbook – free download  https://thewholemarketer.com/resources/  The Whole Marketer seven-step leadership assessment – free download  https://thewholemarketer.com/resources/    Host: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abigailcdixon/  Guest: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/strings    About The Whole Marketer  The Whole Marketer podcast is here to support and empower the people behind brands and businesses with the latest technical tools, soft and leadership skills and personal understanding for a fulfilling marketing career and life as a whole.  Did you know The Whole Marketer is more than a podcast and book? We're your trusted partners for marketing capability and transformation, providing consultancy, training & workshops, speaking, coaching, mentoring and trusted advisory service.  Visit www.thewholemarketer.com to see how we support leaders to build successful and fulfilled marketing teams with the holistic skills to lead the long-term commercial agenda and deliver the true potential of marketing.  Contact hello@thewholemarketer.com to get in touch with Abby and the team
• 
  Marketing Effectiveness: How to Measure What Actually Matters 21.07.2026 42m

  Episode 168 with guest Sorin Patilinet, PepsiCo's Global Marketing Effectiveness and author of Marketing Effectiveness: Applying Marketing Science for Brand Growth  This week's episode is a technical skill that is fundamental to marketing leading the long-term commercial agenda – it's marketing effectiveness. We'll unpack what marketing effectiveness really means, the difference between effectiveness and efficiency, the importance of pricing being in marketing's remit and what makes a great dashboard (and why you should resist changing it)  Joining Abby is 'The Marketing Engineer' Sorin Patilinet, Global Marketing Effectiveness Executive and author of the best-selling book 'Marketing Effectiveness: Applying Marketing Science for Brand Growth'. With 20 years' experience in global roles, Sorin has helped shape how some of the world's most iconic brands measure and prove their impact. Previously he built and led the marketing science and testing solutions at Mars for over 14 years before moving to PepsiCo, where today he continues to turn marketing science into business growth.   Key takeaways  Marketing effectiveness is holistic… it's not just ROI and creative excellence but a holistic understanding of the effect of everything marketers do on business results  The biggest barrier is mindset, not tools… Sorin believes marketers need to spend more time identifying which decisions actually drive the biggest impact on the top and bottom line – and then finding the data to support those decisions, not the other way round.  Pricing belongs back in marketing's remit… Sorin argues marketing has lost its voice in the boardroom partly because it has given up pricing and product to finance and R&D.  Effectiveness beats efficiency… efficiency is effectiveness divided by cost, so focusing on effectiveness improves efficiency as a natural by-product.  Don't change a winning dashboard… Sorin measured advertising's sales impact the same way for 14 years at Mars. Consistency of method, even as data and partners evolve, builds the trust and shared language that gets stakeholders to actually act on the numbers.    00:00 — Welcome to the Whole Marketer Podcast  02:02 — Introducing Sorin Patilinet  02:25 — What Is Marketing Effectiveness?  03:40 — Why It's Not ROI or Creative Excellence  04:30 — What Inspired Sorin to Write the Book  07:18 — Bringing the Brand's Voice to Marketing Science  09:41 — Where the Profession Still Has Capability Gaps  11:02 — The Biggest Barrier: Mindset Over Tools  12:49 — Are We Slaves to Data Availability?  14:01 — Ranking Decisions by Commercial Impact  15:23 — Why Pricing Is the Link Between Marketing and the Boardroom  16:22 — Why Marketing Has Lost Its Voice in the Boardroom  19:11 — Have We Given Pricing Up, or Had It Taken Away?  20:44 — Effectiveness vs Efficiency: The Formula That Matters  23:32 — The Only True Measure of Creative Effectiveness  25:05 — Rethinking the 60/40 Rule for Short and Long Term  26:47 — Why Every Business Needs Its Own Time Frame  29:18 — Building the Right Data Sources  29:52 — Why Decisions Should Come Before Data  32:13 — The Case for Experimentation  32:46 — Where AI Actually Helps Measurement  33:05 — Why You Shouldn't Keep Changing Your Dashboard  34:51 — The Hidden Cost of Changing Your Methodology  36:33 — Setting the Right KPIs at the Strategic Planning Stage  36:58 — Finding Your Organisation's Flywheel  38:59 — How Data-Driven Is Your Organisation's Culture?  39:22 — The Balance of Art, Science and Human Intuition  40:36 — Sorin's Advice for Marketers of Tomorrow    Resources  Sorin's book – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Marketing-Effectiveness-Applying-Science-Growth/dp/1398621056    Host: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abigailcdixon/  Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patilinet/    About The Whole Marketer  The Whole Marketer podcast is here to support and empower the people behind brands and businesses with the latest technical tools, soft and leadership skills and personal understanding for a fulfilling marketing career and life as a whole.  Did you know The Whole Marketer is more than a podcast and book? We're your trusted partners for marketing capability and transformation, providing consultancy, training & workshops, speaking, coaching, mentoring and trusted advisory service.  Visit www.thewholemarketer.com to see how we support leaders to build successful and fulfilled marketing teams with the holistic skills to lead the long-term commercial agenda and deliver the true potential of marketing.  Contact hello@thewholemarketer.com to get in touch with Abby and the team 
• 
  How to Market Yourself to Find Your Next Role: Honest Reflections from a Senior Marketer on Changing Marketing Roles 07.07.2026 39m

  Episode 167 with guest Mays Elansari, Marketing Director at Wasabi  The last in our mini-series on how marketing roles are changing, this episode is a little different as we hear directly from a senior marketer who has recently been looking for - and secured – an exciting new role. But the journey was not easy and we explore with refreshing honesty about what it feels like to suddenly find yourself without a role, reframing your mindset, treating yourself like a brand and how saying yes (to events, to LinkedIn, to new connections) creates visibility that ultimately led to not one but two new opportunities.    Joining Abby is Mays Elansari, Marketing Director at Wasabi, the sushi and bento brand with ambitious growth plans across the UK. A self-described generalist marketeer, Mays brings a wealth of experience across hospitality, QSR and FMCG, having held senior roles at Subway, Penhaligon's and Stonegate, and earlier in her career at BBDO and McCann Erickson.     Key takeaways  The scope of marketing leadership has never been broader… From commercial accountability and data and insight to AI, tech and creativity, the breadth and expectations of what a senior marketer is expected to own has expanded significantly.  The unicorn brief… Are hiring managers are holding out for candidates who tick every single box? Mays and Abby discuss why this risks recycling the same thinking and why transferable experience and fresh perspective are often more valuable than sector-specific credentials.  The power of mindset… Mays reflects openly about finding herself in unfamiliar territory for the first time in her career outside of her control but harnessing the power to control her own mindset.  We need to market ourselves… Mays made a deliberate decision to treat herself like a brand: defining her value, owning her narrative and showing up consistently.   Invest in your network before you need it… Building a genuine community of peers, mentors and industry contacts isn't a nice-to-have but how most senior marketing roles are actually filled.     00:00 — Welcome to the Whole Marketer Podcast  02:40 — What Is the Role of Marketing Leadership Today? 04:12 — How the Scope of Marketing Has Fundamentally Changed 05:49 — How the Senior Seat at the Table Is Shifting 07:24 — Why Senior Marketing Roles Are Disappearing 09:35 — The Unicorn Brief 12:56 — Are We Setting Marketing Leaders Up to Fail? 14:42 — The Case for Transferable Experience Over Sector Credentials 16:09 — Mays's First-Hand Experience of the Job Market 18:28 — Why Most Senior Roles Are Filled Through Relationships 19:34 — Why Your Circle Matters More Than You Think 22:16 — Finding Herself Out of Work for the First Time 24:31 — Saying Yes... How the Queen of Events Was Born 26:59 — Sharing the Journey and Why Vulnerability Matters 27:49 — The Emotional Reality Nobody Talks About Enough 29:33 — Finding the Job Search Strategy That Works for You 30:41 — Treat Yourself Like a Brand and Invest in Yourself Before You Need To 33:15 — Building Your Own Brand Positioning 34:17 — Let Go of What You Can't Control 35:24 — Career High and Grows 36:54 — Mays's Advice For Marketers of Tomorrow   Resources  The Whole Marketer 'Define your ideal role' resource – free download  https://thewholemarketer.com/resources/  The Whole Marketer 'Take the reins of your career' resource – free download  https://thewholemarketer.com/resources/     Host: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abigailcdixon/  Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayselansari/    About The Whole Marketer  The Whole Marketer podcast is here to support and empower the people behind brands and businesses with the latest technical tools, soft and leadership skills and personal understanding for a fulfilling marketing career and life as a whole.   Did you know The Whole Marketer is more than a podcast and book? We're your trusted partners for marketing capability and transformation, providing consultancy, training & workshops, speaking, coaching, mentoring and trusted advisory service.  Visit www.thewholemarketer.com to see how we support leaders to build successful and fulfilled marketing teams with the holistic skills to lead the long-term commercial agenda and deliver the true potential of marketing.    Contact hello@thewholemarketer.com to get in touch with Abby and the team 
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  The Skills Getting CMOs Hired: Insights from an Executive Search Specialist on Senior Marketer Roles and AI 23.06.2026 54m

  Episode 166 with guest Rowan Fisk, Founder of GrowthKind  The third in our mini-series on how marketing roles are changing, in this episode we hear directly from an executive hiring specialist who speaks to over a hundred senior marketing leaders every month, on the skills that modern senior marketers need to possess (particularly in founder-led, start-up scale up and VC/entrepreneurial businesses) how AI is already reshaping recruitment and marketing org charts, and the job search advice for candidates today.    Joining Abby is Rowan Fisk, Founder of GrowthKind, an executive search company that places senior marketing, digital, and growth leadership roles into high-growth start-ups and scale-ups across the UK and EMEA.  As a trusted advisor to many founders, CEOs, and investors navigating critical leadership hires, he has real-time insight into the trends shaping marketing leadership roles and talent.    Key takeaways  The job market is recovering (not yet recovered)… Vacancies for senior marketing leaders are rising and processes are moving faster, but for anyone currently out of role, the search can still be challenging.  Curiosity is becoming a defining leadership trait… Rowan believes CQ – the willingness to test, learn and adapt – is becoming just as important as IQ and EQ for the next generation of marketing leaders.  AI is reshaping marketing teams… How AI is impacting different departments, but brand and creative roles remain harder to replace.  AI supports recruitment decisions, but doesn't replace judgement… Rowan's firm uses AI to help rank shortlisted candidates objectively, but he's overridden an AI-recommended hire when his own instincts told him something wasn't right.  Networking beats job boards… Abby and Rowan share advice for anyone job hunting to get specific about their professional superpower and share it.    00:00 — Welcome to the Whole Marketer Podcast 02:50 — Introducing Rowan Fisk 03:05 — What's the Real Role of Marketers Today? 05:07 — Marketing Skillset in Founder-led Businesses 09:33 — Moving From Gut Instinct to Insight-Led Decisions 12:06 — Why Performance Marketing Has Dominated Hiring 13:30 — How AI Is Fuelling a Brand Marketing Resurgence 15:30 — Short-Termism and the Case for Creativity  18:19 — Introducing CQ, the Curiosity Quotient 20:50 — Why Leaders Should Embrace Curiosity and Humility  22:53 — AI and Restructures: Growth or Rationalisation? 26:34 — AI in Recruitment: Useful Tool, Not a Replacement for Judgement 31:05 — What's Really Happening in the Marketing Job Market 36:00 — The Passive Candidate Pool Is Starting to Move 37:17 — Why Watching Your Peers Move Changes Everything 38:17 — Sharing the Wins and Getting Employee Value Proposition Right 42:07 — Getting Clear on What You Actually Want From a Role 42:57 — What's Your Superpower? 44:14 — Why Being Known for Something Beats Being Good at Everything 47:30 — Let Your Network Know What You're Looking For 50:30 — Why Most Senior Roles Never Get Advertised 52:33 — Rowan's Advice For Marketers of Tomorrow    Resources  The Whole Marketer 'Define your ideal role' resource – free download  https://thewholemarketer.com/resources/    The Whole Marketer 'Take the reins of your career' resource – free download  https://thewholemarketer.com/resources/    The Whole Marketer 'Develop your authentic leadership style' resource – free download  https://thewholemarketer.com/resources/    Host: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abigailcdixon/  Guest: Rowan Fisk | LinkedIn    About The Whole Marketer  The Whole Marketer podcast is here to support and empower the people behind brands and businesses with the latest technical tools, soft and leadership skills and personal understanding for a fulfilling marketing career and life as a whole.     Did you know The Whole Marketer is more than a podcast and book? We're your trusted partners for marketing capability and transformation, providing consultancy, training & workshops, speaking, coaching, mentoring and trusted advisory service.    Visit www.thewholemarketer.com to see how we support leaders to build successful and fulfilled marketing teams with the holistic skills to lead the long-term commercial agenda and deliver the true potential of marketing.    Contact hello@thewholemarketer.com to get in touch with Abby and the team 
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  The Truth About Senior Marketing Roles Right Now - Job Market, CMO Tenure and How to Thrive 09.06.2026 55m

  Episode 165 with guest Joel Barnett, Founder of Fortune Hill  The second in our mini-series on how marketing roles are changing, in this episode we highlight what the job market looks like right now, including: why so many senior roles are disappearing or being restructured, what companies are looking for in marketing leaders today, the importance of role clarity and expectations, and job search advice.  Joining Abby is her guest Joel Barnett, Founder and CEO of Fortune Hill, who partners with ambitious organisations to appoint Marketing, Commercial, and HR leaders to supercharge business performance and enhance culture. With decades of experience placing marketing executives across some of the UK's most recognised brands, Joel shares his honest yet optimistic assessment of where the marketing profession currently stands - and what both leaders and organisations need to do differently.    Key takeaways  The CMO title is disappearing… More recruitment briefs are coming through as Chief Growth Officer or Chief Customer Officer, as the CMO role itself is being disaggregated  Why are CMO tenures getting shorter... Joel reflects that marketing leaders share some of the responsibility, through poorly managed expectations, a reluctance to have difficult conversations, and in some cases, overstating what they can and will deliver  The brief is broken… 75% of unsuccessful hires come down to a poorly constructed brief. Companies are hiring to solve a short-term problem, prioritising sector experience over the character traits that determine long-term success.  Tips for leaders... Hire first for character, then capability and finally experience - too often organisations hire the CV but fire what isn't CV-related.  Taking the reins of your job search... The job market is tough and there is a significant supply and demand imbalance right now. Joel's advice: treat your job search like a marketing campaign, be the driver not the passenger, and don't take a role just for the title.    00:00 — Welcome to the Whole Marketer Podcast  02:33 — Introducing Joel Barnett  03:00 — What Marketing Leadership Is Really For  05:12 — The CMO Title Is Disappearing — What's Replacing It  08:00 — The Disaggregation of the Marketing Role  12:28 — Marketing is Being Stretched and Squeezed Simultaneously  14:53 — The Most Important Trait in a Modern Marketing Leader  16:57 — The Leadership Piece People Overlook  19:23 — The Conversations Marketing Leaders Aren't Having  21:37 — Why CMO Tenure Is Shorter Than It Should Be  26:26 — The Cost of Tolerating Average  31:18 — Resilience, Coaching, and Not Going It Alone  33:38 — Why Senior Marketing Roles Are Being Cut  38:03 — The State of the Job Market Right Now  41:00 — How to Search for a Role Like a Marketer  45:28 — On Being Selective — and Knowing It's Never Too Late to Pivot  47:53 — How to Make a Better Senior Marketing Hire  50:19 — Hire for Character Before Credentials  53:00 — Joel's Advice: Learn the Language of the Room    Resources  The Whole Marketer 'Define your ideal role' resource – free download  https://thewholemarketer.com/resources/    The Whole Marketer 'Take the reins of your career' resource – free download  https://thewholemarketer.com/resources/    The Whole Marketer 'Develop your authentic leadership style' resource – free download  https://thewholemarketer.com/resources/    Are Marketers facing a clarity crisis? - Marketing Week article  https://thewholemarketer.com/mw-article-clarity/      Host: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abigailcdixon/  Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelbarnettfortunehill/    About The Whole Marketer  The Whole Marketer podcast is here to support and empower the people behind brands and businesses with the latest technical tools, soft and leadership skills and personal understanding for a fulfilling marketing career and life as a whole.   Did you know The Whole Marketer is more than a podcast and book? We're your trusted partners for marketing capability and transformation, providing consultancy, training & workshops, speaking, coaching, mentoring and trusted advisory service.  Visit www.thewholemarketer.com to see how we support leaders to build successful and fulfilled marketing teams with the holistic skills to lead the long-term commercial agenda and deliver the true potential of marketing.    Contact hello@thewholemarketer.com to get in touch with Abby and the team 
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  What the Data Really Says About Morale, Progression and Burnout 26.05.2026 47m

  Episode 164 with guest Charlotte Rogers, Marketing Week's Deputy Managing Editor and Head of Insight  We're kicking off a brand new mini-series about how marketing roles are changing and its impact, and in this episode we discuss this as well as shine a light on widespread and worrying challenges facing marketers today.  Based on the findings from Marketing Week's 2026 Career and Salary Survey (2,300+ respondents) we're discussing expanding remits, senior roles disappearing, burnout, imposter syndrome, stalled progression, a persistent understanding gap at board level – and what we need to do about it.  Joining Abby is Marketing Week's Charlotte Rogers, Deputy Managing Editor and Head of Insight at Marketing Week. Having worked at Marketing Week for a decade, she is fascinated writing about the marketing industry both in the UK and worldwide and leads on the publication's proprietary research projects, as well as the wider features, and is the co-host of the Marketing Week podcast.   Key takeaways  Our marketing profession is in crisis… Marketing roles are expanding and restructuring, often without clear resource or support. Half of respondents said their team had restructured and senior leaders are being cut and not replaced.  Burnout is a real risk… Many marketers feel overwhelmed (65%), undervalued, questioning their skills, facing imposter syndrome, and emotionally exhausted. 53% no longer enjoy work that used to engage them.  There is a persistent lack of understanding of marketing's true value within organisations and marketers are feeling the pressure to defend it… leading to not speaking up about mental health because they're carrying their own issues AND the weight of the profession's perception.   We have a progression crisis… 70% of marketers saw no career progression in the past year. It's hitting parents and women the hardest as 44.6% of mothers said being a parent had harmed their progression, vs 7.6% of fathers.  What do we need to do… the only way out of the cycle is for marketers to start advocating for themselves, setting boundaries, and being honest about what is and isn't deliverable. It's not easy but marketing leaders need to speak up for themselves and marketers in their care.     00:00 — Welcome to the Whole Marketer Podcast 02:33 — Introducing Charlotte Rogers 02:58 — The State of Marketing Right Now What the 2026 Career & Salary Survey is revealing about how marketers are feeling 07:00 — More Responsibility, Senior Roles Disappearing 09:29 — Why Marketing Still Struggles to Prove Its Value 12:47 — Afraid to Move, Unhappy to Stay 15:04 — The AI Pressure and the Skills We Actually Need 16:21 — Burnout, Imposter Syndrome, and Suffering in Silence - Two years of mental health data 19:09 — The Added Weight of Defending the Whole Profession 21:23 — Restructures, Rebrands, and Shifting Job Titles 26:16 — The Cost of Constant Change 30:59 — On Saying No (and Why Pushing Back is So Difficult) 33:21 — The Progression Gap Is Worse for Parents 37:19 — Flexibility as a Right, Not a Favour 40:56 — What Marketers Can Control 44:39 — Charlotte's Advice: Know Your Value   Resources  Blog: Burnout - How Leaders Can Support Those In Their Care - The Whole Marketer  https://www.marketingweek.com/abigail-dixon-marketer-resilience/  Marketing Week - https://www.marketingweek.com/   Host: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abigailcdixon/  Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlotterogers/    About The Whole Marketer  The Whole Marketer podcast is here to support and empower the people behind brands and businesses with the latest technical tools, soft and leadership skills and personal understanding for a fulfilling marketing career and life as a whole.   Did you know The Whole Marketer is more than a podcast and book? We're your trusted partners for marketing capability and transformation, providing consultancy, training & workshops, speaking, coaching, mentoring and trusted advisory service.  Visit www.thewholemarketer.com to see how we support leaders to build successful and fulfilled marketing teams with the holistic skills to lead the long-term commercial agenda and deliver the true potential of marketing.  Contact hello@thewholemarketer.com to get in touch with Abby and the team
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  Episode 163 – The Power of Different with guest Amy Kean: Why Being Different Matters in Marketing and Life 16.03.2026 45m

  Episode #163. This episode is a holistic topic that impacts not only what we do, but how and why – it's the power of being different. We know being distinctive is fundamental for building successful, memorable brands, so today's episode will discuss not only this but why it's vital for marketers to develop the skills and behaviours to be brave and embrace being different at work and in their lives as a whole.    Abby's guest expert on today's episode is Amy Kean, best-selling author, columnist, speaker, voice for change in the advertising and media industry and founder of Good Shout which is an L&D company that brings out the human in people. As a strategist and creative leader, Amy trains teams on how to communicate, collaborate and learn from one another, championing unrepresentative voices and pushing businesses to move from token gestures to tangible action.    In this episode, Amy shares her of definition of embracing difference, why we shouldn't play it safe, culture vs trends, why difference matters in marketing and practical ways for you to embrace difference.  Plus Amy's advice for marketers of tomorrow.    00:00:00 Introduction to the Podcast and The Power of Being Different  00:03:40 What Does Embracing Difference Mean?   00:05:23 Front Stage vs. Backstage Selves   00:09:15 Leadership Pressure to Perform and Prove Themselves   00:12:53 The Japan Airlines Buddhist Monk Case Study   00:17:31 The Power of Difference in Marketing  00:22:31 Why Difference Matters   00:25:45 Cultural Trends vs. Fads   00:28:16 Unlocking Difference: Confidence and Self-Belief   00:30:08 Practical Ways to Embrace Difference   00:35:57 Creativity, Safe Spaces, and Community Support  00:37:18 Career Highs and Learnings  00:43:10 Advice for Marketers of Tomorrow    Host: Abigail Dixon FCIM/ICF | LinkedIn Guest: 💥 Amy Kean 💥 | LinkedIn   The Whole Marketer podcast is here to support and empower the people behind brands and businesses with the latest technical tools, soft and leadership skills and personal understanding for a fulfilling marketing career and life as a whole. Did you know The Whole Marketer is more than a podcast and book? We're your trusted partners for marketing capability and transformation, providing consultancy, training & workshops, speaking, coaching, mentoring and trusted advisory service. Visit www.thewholemarketer.com to see how we support leaders to build marketing teams with the holistic skills to lead the long-term commercial agenda and deliver the true potential of marketing. Contact hello@thewholemarketer.com to get in touch with Abby and the team
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  Episode 162 – Personal branding with guest Laura Fox: How to build an authentic, personal brand on LinkedIn 02.03.2026 34m

  Episode #162. A topic of personal understanding, today we're discussing personal branding for marketers – the benefits of embracing the LinkedIn platform to connect, share your voice, learn, inspire, network and for your future career development.  Abby's guest expert is Laura Fox who helps individuals and companies to use LinkedIn to their advantage, whether for visibility, growth or leadership positioning. After working at LinkedIn for over 7 years, Laura set up the LinkedIn Fox as a LinkedIn strategist, trainer and speaker – working with a range of clients from individuals and SMEs to large scale companies like Mattel, Unilever, London Business School and more  In this episode, Laura shares her definition of building personal brands, the real-life benefits of doing so, overcoming fears and time constraints, best practice for engagement, plus Laura's 3Ps to start to build your personal brand.  Plus Laura's advice for marketers of tomorrow.    00:00:00 Welcome and Introduction to Personal Branding  00:02:46 Defining Personal Brand on LinkedIn   00:04:33 Being Memorable and Relatable  00:06:45 Real-World Benefits of LinkedIn   00:09:40 Overcoming Barriers to Using LinkedIn   00:11:19 Best Practice Approach for Success   00:18:03 Measuring: Quality Over Quantity   00:24:48 Personal vs. Company Use of LinkedIn   00:28:19 Laura Fox's Three P's Framework   00:32:51 Advice for Marketers of Tomorrow   Host: Abigail Dixon FCIM/ICF | LinkedIn Guest: Laura Fox | LinkedIn   The Whole Marketer podcast is here to support and empower the people behind brands and businesses with the latest technical tools, soft and leadership skills and personal understanding for a fulfilling marketing career and life as a whole. Did you know The Whole Marketer is more than a podcast and book? We're your trusted partners for marketing capability and transformation, providing consultancy, training & workshops, speaking, coaching, mentoring and trusted advisory service. Visit www.thewholemarketer.com to see how we support leaders to build marketing teams with the holistic skills to lead the long-term commercial agenda and deliver the true potential of marketing. Contact hello@thewholemarketer.com to get in touch with Abby and the team
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  Episode 161 – Self-belief with guest Sharry Cramond: M&S award-winning marketing leader shares her story of positive mindset and resilience to succeed 16.02.2026 45m

  Episode #161. Today's episode is a personal understanding topic focused on self-belief, which comes from knowing yourself and owning your strengths, your talents, your past experiences to help you build trust in your future choices.  Joining Abby is legendary senior marketer, M&S's Sharry Cramond. Sharry is a multi-award winning marketer – named in the list of the world's top 100 marketers as well as The Marketing Society's prestigious Inspirational Leader award. With a wealth of experience, Sharry leads marketing for Marks and Spencer, one of the UK's most loved and trusted brands and is published author of 'Win Your Lottery".    In this episode, Sharry shares her personal story and perspective on self-belief, why it's important for marketers, examples of how she applies positive mindset, and the power of goal-setting. As well as telling the M&S case study about how they have leveraged their workforce to become brand ambassadors.  Plus Sharry's 'Highs and Grows' and advice for marketers of tomorrow    00:00:00 Introduction to Self-Belief and Mindset   00:02:38 Sharry's Perspective on Self-Belief   00:05:30 The Importance of Self-Belief for Marketers  00:08:17 Building Self-Belief: Shari's Personal Story  00:13:24 Developing a 'Healthy Thinking Diet'  00:15:26 Radiators vs. Drains: Energy, Attitude and Mindset  00:21:16 Accountability and Achieving Goals  00:22:52 Belief and Commitment in Teams  00:26:30 Key Behaviours for Career Success   00:31:18 The M&S Ambassador Case Study   00:39:54 Sharry's Career Highs and 'Grows'     Host: Abigail Dixon FCIM/ICF | LinkedIn Guest: Sharry Cramond | LinkedIn   The Whole Marketer podcast is here to support and empower the people behind brands and businesses with the latest technical tools, soft and leadership skills and personal understanding for a fulfilling marketing career and life as a whole. Did you know The Whole Marketer is more than a podcast and book? We're your trusted partners for marketing capability and transformation, providing consultancy, training & workshops, speaking, coaching, mentoring and trusted advisory service. Visit www.thewholemarketer.com to see how we support leaders to build marketing teams with the holistic skills to lead the long-term commercial agenda and deliver the true potential of marketing. Contact hello@thewholemarketer.com to get in touch with Abby and the team
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  Episode 160 – Career Development with guest Veronika Kryuchkova: Reckitt's Global Capability Leader on skills and behaviours for marketing careers of the future 02.02.2026 47m

  Episode #160. Today's episode is a personal understanding topic on career development, empowering marketers to take the reins of your career by ensuring we are building skills and behaviours to achieve our ideal role and also our future career goals.  Abby's guest is Veronika Kryuchkova, Global Head of Capability for Reckitt. As a global marketing and transformation leader with two decades of experience launching, scaling and turning around brands including at Johnson and Johnson, Teva and Reckitt - and podcast host of Get Superpowered - she is passionate about the human side of transformation, helping teams and organisations build the capabilities they need and career development. In this episode, Veronika explains being intentional in career choices, key skills for marketers of the future and creating a culture of learning. Plus she introduces the concept of the capability stack and core, human, and future capabilities  Plus Veronika shares her career high and lows and advice for marketers of tomorrow.    00:00:00 Welcome and Introduction to Career Development  00:03:00 Defining Career Development   00:05:04 Intentionality and the Capability Stack   00:09:12 Core, Human, and Future Capabilities   00:14:15 The Importance of Marketers Owning Their Careers   00:15:49 Forces Shaping Marketing Careers  00:21:58 Key Skills for Future Marketers  00:25:43 The Role of Curiosity and Collaboration   00:33:13 Embedding Skills Beyond Training 00:37:42 Leadership's Role in Learning Culture   00:39:45 Veronika's Career Highs and Lows  00:43:56 Advice for Marketers of Tomorrow     Host: Abigail Dixon FCIM/ICF | LinkedIn Guest: Veronika Kryuchkova | LinkedIn   The Whole Marketer podcast is here to support and empower the people behind brands and businesses with the latest technical tools, soft and leadership skills and personal understanding for a fulfilling marketing career and life as a whole. Did you know The Whole Marketer is more than a podcast and book? We're your trusted partners for marketing capability and transformation, providing consultancy, training & workshops, speaking, coaching, mentoring and trusted advisory service. Visit www.thewholemarketer.com to see how we support leaders to build marketing teams with the holistic skills to lead the long-term commercial agenda and deliver the true potential of marketing. Contact hello@thewholemarketer.com to get in touch with Abby and the team
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  Episode 159 – Authentic Leadership with guest David Enwright: The Post Office's Marketing Director on being brave and staying human leadership insight 19.01.2026 28m

  Episode #159. Our first episode of 2026 is a personal understanding and leadership topic on authentic leadership with advice from a senior marketer on key leadership skills and finding your style.  Joining Abby is her guest David Enwright, Marketing Director at the Post Office and a long-time advocate for inclusive, human-centred leadership. With a career spanning HSBC, RBS, Allianz, and the Post Office, he has built a reputation for delivering commercial impact while creating environments where people feel safe, valued, and genuinely able to thrive. As a recognised role model for inclusive leadership, David leads with honesty and empathy, and brings lived experiences and candour to some of businesses most complex challenges.  In this episode, David shares his definition of authentic leadership, the importance of deep active listening, trust and psychological safety, and how he has developed his authentic leadership style. Plus, David's career highs and lows and advice for marketers of tomorrow.    00:00:00 Welcome and Introduction to Authentic Leadership  00:02:47 Defining of Authentic Leadership  00:05:00 David's Leadership Style  00:06:25 The Importance of Deep Listening   00:08:28 Creating the Right Environment for Conversations   00:09:46 Arriving at an Authentic Leadership Style  00:12:08 Learning from Mistakes and Personal Loss   00:16:05 Recognizing and Preventing Burnout  00:17:51 Building Psychological Safety and Trust   00:21:11 Benefits of Psychological Safety   00:23:09 Encouraging Bold Ideas and Growth Mindset   00:24:47 David's Career Highs and Lows   00:26:58 Advice for Marketers of Tomorrow   Host: Abigail Dixon FCIM/ICF | LinkedIn Guest: David Enwright | LinkedIn   The Whole Marketer podcast is here to support and empower the people behind brands and businesses with the latest technical tools, soft and leadership skills and personal understanding for a fulfilling marketing career and life as a whole. Did you know The Whole Marketer is more than a podcast and book? We're your trusted partners for marketing capability and transformation, providing consultancy, training & workshops, speaking, coaching, mentoring and trusted advisory service. Visit www.thewholemarketer.com to see how we support leaders to build marketing teams with the holistic skills to lead the long-term commercial agenda and deliver the true potential of marketing. Contact hello@thewholemarketer.com to get in touch with Abby and the team  
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  Episode 158 – Effective brand building with guest Andrew Geoghegan 17.11.2025 39m

  Episode #158. Today's episode is a technical skill on effective brand building and the considerations and competencies you need to build a brand; including the importance of clarity on your strategic choices and the movement you want to make through SMART objectives to ladder up to the commercial objectives.  Abby's guest is experienced, award-winning marketing leader and friend of the podcast Andrew Geoghegan, Group Chief Marketing Officer at William Grant & Sons and ex PZ Cussons and Diageo. His paper on creating a culture of effectiveness at Diageo won Gold, Best New Learning, and Best Use of Data from the IPA and he has been recognised as one of the top 100 marketers by Marketing Week.  In this episode, Andrew shares his experience of brand building and practical advice from his book 'Effective brand building' including organisational context when brand building, making strategic choices, meeting your consumer where they are and how to win/keep winning.   Plus Andrew's highs and lows (since he last appeared on our podcast) and advice for marketers of tomorrow.    Host: Abigail Dixon FCIM/ICF | LinkedIn Guest: Andrew Geoghegan | LinkedIn   The Whole Marketer podcast is here to support and empower the people behind brands and businesses with the latest technical tools, soft and leadership skills and personal understanding for a fulfilling marketing career and life as a whole. Did you know The Whole Marketer is more than a podcast and book? We're your trusted partners for marketing capability and transformation, providing consultancy, training & workshops, speaking, coaching, mentoring and trusted advisory service. Visit www.thewholemarketer.com to see how we support leaders to build marketing teams with the holistic skills to lead the long-term commercial agenda and deliver the true potential of marketing. Contact hello@thewholemarketer.com to get in touch with Abby and the team
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  Episode 157 – Burnout with guest Dr Richard Duggins: Are you close to the burnout cliff and what to do about it 03.11.2025 41m

  Episode #157. We're focusing on burnout on today's episode, an issue we regularly and will continue to raise awareness of in our profession. We are passionate about providing support to empower you with the signs and actions you can take to aid in prevention and recovery in our fast-paced, challenging yet rewarding marketing profession.    Joining Abby on this episode is guest expert Dr Richard Duggins, Associate Medical Director for culture and leadership at Kent NHS Foundation Trust and a leading voice on staff wellbeing. A psychiatrist, psychotherapist and leadership coach, Richard has spent nearly two decades helping healthcare and other professionals recover from burnout, anxiety and depression. His work blends clinical expertise with deep insights into organisational culture and he leads a specialist regional wellbeing service for over 175,000 health and social care staff and works with the NHS practitioner help.   In this episode, Richard shares insights from his book 'Burnout-Free Working: Your Expert Guide to Thriving in Stressful Workplaces' and discusses what burnout is, warning signs that you're on the edge of the burnout cliff and 5 ways to avoid it. Plus practical frameworks like the "exhaustion funnel" and "drain and radiators" and finding a decompression activity to boost your energy.  Plus Richard's advice for marketers of tomorrow.    00:00:00 Introduction to Burnout   00:02:31 Defining Burnout   00:04:22 Recognizing Burnout in Ourselves and Others   00:07:32 The Exhaustion Funnel   00:09:16 The Burnout Cliff   00:13:00 Personal and Professional Factors in Burnout  00:17:36 Impact of Perfectionism   00:21:42 Resilience   00:21:50 Radiators and Drains Model   00:29:09 Five Ways to Prevent Burnout   00:35:11 Looking Out for Others: The Three L's   00:39:09 Building a Supportive Culture   00:40:02 Final Advice for Marketers    Host: Abigail Dixon FCIM/ICF | LinkedIn Guest: Dr Richard Duggins | LinkedIn   The Whole Marketer podcast is here to support and empower the people behind brands and businesses with the latest technical tools, soft and leadership skills and personal understanding for a fulfilling marketing career and life as a whole. Did you know The Whole Marketer is more than a podcast and book? We're your trusted partners for marketing capability and transformation, providing consultancy, training & workshops, speaking, coaching, mentoring and trusted advisory service. Visit www.thewholemarketer.com to see how we support leaders to build marketing teams with the holistic skills to lead the long-term commercial agenda and deliver the true potential of marketing. Contact hello@thewholemarketer.com to get in touch with Abby and the team
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  Episode 156 – Resilience with guest Drew Povey: How to build your resilience with tips and tools for leaders 20.10.2025 56m

  Episode #156. This episode of personal understanding is a skill for marketers in our ever-changing, challenging yet rewarding profession.  We're discussing resilience - not to be confused with endurance. We believe building resilience is about individuals feeling empowered to proactively put in place what they need to ensure that they have the energy and wellbeing levels to deal with day-to-day life and setbacks when they inevitably occur.  Abby's guest expert on this topic is Drew Povey, author, leadership coach and mentor with over 25 years professional experience in multi-sector, executive level leadership across a wide range of sectors including elite sport, corporate, nonprofit and government settings. Drew's recently published book 'When the Clouds Come: Dealing with Difficulties, Facing Your Fears, and Overcoming Obstacles' includes his models and tools to support leaders with resilience.   In this episode, Drew shares his definition of resilience, building resilience like a muscle and practical models from his book, including the "Five H's" for effective leadership in tough times and BEST LIFE for well-being.   Plus Drew's advice for marketers of tomorrow to build their tolerance to change.    00:00:00 Welcome and Introduction to Resilience  00:01:11 Defining Resilience vs. Endurance   00:03:41 Drew Povey's Perspective on Resilience   00:07:30 Resilience and Well-being   00:12:06 Drew Povey's Book: When the Clouds Come   00:15:21 The Cloud Analogy   00:20:32 "BEST LIFE" Model   00:23:01 Building Resilience Like a Muscle   00:28:03 Perspective and Leadership During Change   00:33:40 The Three P's Model for Difficult Times  00:38:10 Change as a Process, Not an Event  00:38:56 The Five H's for Dealing with Difficulty   00:47:55 The Power of Pause in Leadership   00:51:32 Summary and Final Reflections  00:52:07 Final Advice for Marketers of Tomorrow   Host: Abigail Dixon FCIM/ICF | LinkedIn Guest: Drew Povey | LinkedIn When the Clouds Come: Dealing with Difficulties, Facing Your Fears, and Overcoming Obstacles: Dealing with Difficulties, Facing Your Fears, and Overcoming Obstacles: Amazon.co.uk: Povey, Drew: 9780857089175: Books   The Whole Marketer podcast is here to support and empower the people behind brands and businesses with the latest technical tools, soft and leadership skills and personal understanding for a fulfilling marketing career and life as a whole. Did you know The Whole Marketer is more than a podcast and book? We're your trusted partners for marketing capability and transformation, providing consultancy, training & workshops, speaking, coaching, mentoring and trusted advisory service. Visit www.thewholemarketer.com to see how we support leaders to build marketing teams with the holistic skills to lead the long-term commercial agenda and deliver the true potential of marketing. Contact hello@thewholemarketer.com to get in touch with Abby and the team  
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  Episode 155 – Owning and Sharing your Voice with guest Nicola Kemp: The Most Powerful Tool for Marketers is Your Authentic Voice 06.10.2025 43m

  Episode #155. Today's focus is a personal understanding topic on the importance of marketers owning and sharing their authentic voices - especially on platforms like LinkedIn.   Joining Abby is her guest Nicola Kemp, Editorial Director for Creative Brief. Starting her career as a financial journalist, Nicola has worked for titles including Campaign, WGSN, M&M Global, Reuters, Bloomberg, The Guardian and The Observer. Today, Nicola is a passionate advocate speaking out for diversity in all its forms in the creative industries. A respected voice, Nicola won the Woman in Marketing Journalist of the year award, named as one of the 200 women redefining the creative industry by The Dots, an #EverydayAction award winner by Bloom, a Pitch 100 Superwoman, a Power Part Time winner and a Campaign Trailblazer of the future.    In this episode, Nicola shares her definition of sharing your voice, overcoming internal doubts, external barriers like misogyny, and the need for diversity of thought and positive change in marketing. Plus, practical advice on building confidence, starting small, and focusing on personal strengths.   Nicola also shares her career highs and lows and advice for marketers of tomorrow.    00:00:00 Welcome and Introduction to Owning and Sharing your Voice  00:02:28 What it Means to Harness the Power of Your Voice in Marketing  00:03:40 The Social Responsibility of Using Your Voice  00:04:47 Barriers, Backlash and Self-Editing   00:15:31 The Importance of Community   00:18:14 How to Start Sharing Your Voice   00:20:54 Humility and Curiosity   00:29:30 Building Clarity and Self-Understanding   00:32:42 Developing Confidence   00:35:58 The Power of Vulnerability and Authenticity   00:37:48 Nicola's Career Highs and Lows   00:42:17 Advice for Marketers of Tomorrow     Host: Abigail Dixon FCIM/ICF | LinkedIn Guest: Nicola Kemp | LinkedIn   The Whole Marketer podcast is here to support and empower the people behind brands and businesses with the latest thinking, technical tools, soft and leadership skills and personal understanding for a fulfilling marketing career and life as a whole.   Did you know The Whole Marketer is more than a podcast and book? We're your trusted partners for marketing capability and transformation, providing consultancy, training & workshops, speaking, coaching, mentoring and trusted advisory service.  Visit www.thewholemarketer.com to see how we support leaders to build marketing teams with the holistic skills to lead the long-term commercial agenda and deliver the true potential of marketing.  Contact hello@thewholemarketer.com to get in touch with Abby and the team 
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  Episode 154 – Leading the Long-term Commercial Agenda with guest Naomi Walkland: Motorway's CMO on marketers understanding finance to own short and long-term growth agenda 22.09.2025 34m

  Episode #154. We're back! Season 9 kicks off with a fundamental technical skill for marketers growing the brands and businesses of tomorrow… we're discussing marketing's role in leading the long-term commercial agenda, what you can do to build trusting and collaborative relationships with your finance department and how to build the link between marketing and commercial results.   Abby's guest expert is Naomi Walkland, Chief Marketing Officer at Motorway, which is the UK's fastest growing car marketplace. In her role, she oversees the company's brand and product marketing, growth marketing, creative communications and business marketing team. Previously, Naomi served as the VP of Bumble, where she led the international marketing team, driving new customers and revenue growth outside of the US. Naomi is an Honorary Fellow of the Marketing Society, and has been recognised by Marketing Week and Campaign Magazine as one of their top marketing leaders in the UK.  In this episode, Naomi shares what it means to lead the long-term commercial agenda, developing your financial literacy, building relationships with finance and modelling this with your teams, and the importance of transparency and shared responsibility with your CFO.  Plus her experience at Bumble and Motorway, career highs and lows and advice for marketers of tomorrow.    00:00:00 Welcome and Introduction to Marketing's Role in Leading the Long-Term Commercial Agenda  00:04:27 Importance of Sustainable Growth  00:06:05 Building Evidence of Marketing's Impact  00:08:53 Building a Relationship with the CFO   00:10:07 Transparency and Shared Accountability with Finance   00:14:52 Taking Calculated Risks   00:17:49 Honesty and Trust in Marketing Leadership   00:19:34 Developing Courage and Humility as a Leader  00:23:10 Educating Teams on Commercial Understanding   00:24:02 Investing in your Financial Literacy and Development   00:28:24 Naomi's Career Highs and Lows   00:31:58 Advice for Marketers of Tomorrow     Host: Abigail Dixon FCIM/ICF | LinkedIn Guest: Naomi Walkland | LinkedIn   The Whole Marketer podcast is here to support and empower the people behind brands and businesses with the latest technical tools, soft and leadership skills and personal understanding for a fulfilling marketing career and life as a whole. Did you know The Whole Marketer is more than a podcast and book? We're your trusted partners for marketing capability and transformation, providing consultancy, training & workshops, speaking, coaching, mentoring and trusted advisory service. Visit www.thewholemarketer.com to hear how we support leaders to build marketing teams with the holistic skills to lead the long-term commercial agenda and deliver the true potential of marketing. Contact hello@thewholemarketer.com to get in touch with Abby and the team.