Short answer: Hell yes. But only the good ones. We're living in a world where you can spin up a halfway decent logo in 30 seconds with Canva, Gemini, or Fiverr. For startups, that's tempting — quick, cheap, easy. But here's the catch: design without direction is just decoration. What Christian Helms nails in the podcast is this: “Branding is not the things we make — it’s the things we make possible.”

Adam Ortman is a marketing author and founder of Kinetic319, a performance media agency based in Denver that’s worked with global giants like Nike, Kellogg’s and UnitedHealthcare. In this episode, we unpack how psychology drives marketing, why media buying is still misunderstood, and how startups can leverage enterprise-level thinking without enterprise budgets.

Roberto Martinez has worn many hats: diplomat, economic advisor, community advocate and now founder of not one, but two digital companies. From representing the U.S. government in Latin America to being Los Angeles’ Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Roberto has lived the full spectrum of service and scale. But his mission is clear: empower the underdog.

Sarah Ashley is a copywriter, content creator, and entrepreneur based in Florida, using words to build worlds for brands that want to stand out.

Mark Ellwood isn’t your typical productivity guru. For over 25 years, he’s been helping Fortune 500s and ambitious founders cut the fluff and get focused using real-time data – not platitudes.

Rachel Allen helps good people doing hard work get their message right. She's a copywriting expert, marketing strategist, and fractional CMO who’s spent over 16 years turning awkward bios and underperforming websites into client magnets.

Nicholas and Dr. Christiane Schroeter explore the challenges faced by high achievers, the importance of resilience and mindset shifts, and the role of hard work in achieving success. They discuss the significance of teaching and the ripple effect it creates, as well as introduce the concept of 'petite practice'—small, consistent actions that lead to larger goals. The dialogue emphasizes the need for high achievers to redefine success and maintain motivation through community and connection.

For over 20 years, Ian Chamandi has helped hundreds of organisations articulate their purpose — not in a mission statement, but in seven words or less.

Guest: Chris Seminatore — Navy cryptologic tech turned digital nomad and founder of GetGeofencing.com, a location-based advertising agency running ~1,200 active campaigns and scaling seven figures. We get into how geofencing actually works, real costs, OTT/CTV targeting, politics, privacy, trade-show capture (hello, Davos), and what the military taught him about building a client-first agency.

Mitchell Osmond – Founder of Dad Nation & High-Performance Executive Coach What do you do when your life falls apart — your marriage is on the rocks, your career crashes, and you're $100K in debt? You turn your pain into purpose. Mitchell Osmond did just that.

Hersh dives into his early days as a screenwriter (including a sci-fi thriller reminiscent of Die Hard... but in space), and how those experiences shaped his approach to helping clients unlock authentic messaging today. They explore imposter syndrome, using humour to handle reality, and why your story — scars and all — is your best marketing asset.

Emmy award winning documentary filmmaker, Mariana Henninger has filmed for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, and spent five years as a senior producer at NBC. Today, she helps entrepreneurs build trust faster and accelerate sales with emotion-driven "brand videos" – not “branded” ads, but authentic stories that connect.

Liana Zavo is a Forbes thought leader and the CEO of Zavo Media PR Group. She helps founders and SMBs earn top‑tier coverage, grow visibility across 12 countries, and break into the U.S. market through strategic storytelling, media training, and events.

Robin Waite is the go-to coach for freelancers and consultants ready to ditch burnout and scale smarter. In this episode, we unpack why most marketing falls flat, how to simplify your offer, and why charging by the hour is broken. Robin shares his fearless framework from Take Your Shot—so you can stop undercharging, niche down, and grow with confidence.

From Hong Kong to London to South Africa, Marta’s career spans continents and disciplines. With a background in art, advertising, and tech, she’s launched over 10 digital products globally, now working at the innovation collective - Radar.

Justin Chi, founder of Cold Email Hackers and former top SDR at ZoomInfo, reveals how early-stage startups can turn cold email into their most powerful sales channel.

Chris Marr has coached thousands of hours with agencies and client-facing pros, helping them transition from people-pleasing order-takers to trusted, authoritative partners. With a background in transforming done-for-you agencies into teaching-focused powerhouses, Chris has seen it all — from scope creep disasters to the slow erosion of profit by "just keeping the client happy".

Why most lawyers are terrible at marketing – and how Leonard’s Brand, Market, Grow system helps them build a scalable, client-generating machine.

Sylvie di Giusto—international keynote speaker, author of *Discover Your Fair Advantage* and *The Image of Leadership*—lays out a practical path to becoming a genuine “category of one.”

Kasim calls himself “one of the world’s greatest failures”—but the receipts say otherwise. From abandoned auditions and “trash films” to building seven‑ and eight‑figure companies (exiting two), authoring a No.1 international marketing bestseller, and co‑founding a top marketing mastermind, Kasim shows how failing in public forged his approach