Accidentally Brilliant is a Be Broadcast original podcast that explores one big question: How did you get into what you do?
Most of us don’t follow a neat career plan - we stumble into opportunities, discover strengths we never expected, and build lives around solving problems in surprising ways. Host Josh Wheeler shares open, personal conversations with leaders and creatives from PR, media, and beyond.
From chance encounters to career-defining pivots, each episode reveals the quirks, challenges, and lightbulb moments that shape extraordinary careers. No jargon. No script. Just honest stories that are as funny as they are useful.
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14. Why Brands Keep Missing Half Their Customers with Laura Burch
Episode 17
Friday, June 26, 2026 • Duration 51:35
Laura Burch never planned to build an agency.
She found her way into PR through a temporary job at the BBC, spent two decades working her way up to Managing Director, then realised something had barely changed.
Britain's working-class communities make up around half the population, yet they remain one of the least represented groups across PR and the wider creative industries.
In this episode of Accidentally Brilliant, Laura talks about growing up on a council estate, hiding parts of herself to fit into the industry, why brands often misunderstand the audiences they rely on, and why better representation produces better creative work.
We also talk about launching Work and Class, building campaigns around lived experience, creating opportunities for the next generation and why visibility can change someone's career before you've even met them.
Topics include:
• Why class is still overlooked in communications
• Building an agency around working-class talent
• The commercial opportunity many brands miss
• How agencies can widen representation
• Community, confidence and finding people like you
• Why being visible changes careers
Guest:
Laura Burch
Founder & Managing Director, Work and Class
If you enjoy conversations about creativity, communications and building a career differently, subscribe for future episodes of Accidentally Brilliant.
13. Why Freelancers Are PR’s Hidden Force with Nigel Sarbutts
Episode 16
Friday, May 15, 2026 • Duration 50:30
Freelancers now make up one of the biggest forces in PR - so what is happening in that space?
In this episode of Accidentally Brilliant, Josh Wheeler speaks with Nigel Sarbutts, founder of The PR Cavalry, Structured Mediation, and co-founder of the Independent Impact 50.
Nigel has spent years working across agencies in London, Manchester and Leeds. Today he sits in a different position inside the industry, helping agencies, brands and freelancers find specialist talent, resolve disputes, and rethink how independent practitioners are valued.
The conversation covers the shift from retainers to project work, why agencies are relying more heavily on freelance specialists, and why many experienced PR professionals are leaving traditional agency structures behind.
Josh and Nigel also discuss:
• Why freelancing has become a “megatrend” in communications
• The pressure AI and procurement are putting on fees
• Why some clients still misunderstand the value of PR
• How independent practitioners collectively rival the scale of major agency groups
• Why freelancers are often invisible in awards and recognition systems
• The thinking behind the Independent Impact 50
• Burnout, conflict and resentment inside agency culture
• Why mediation is becoming more important in communications businesses
• The emotional cost of workplace disputes
• What agencies can learn from industries like film and engineering about flexible talent
There is also a wider conversation running through the episode about ego, pressure, recognition and how people work together when the industry feels stretched.
Nigel speaks very openly about agency life, competition, stress, leadership and the importance of continuing to do good work when things feel uncertain.
00:00 Intro
00:42 Why freelancing is becoming a megatrend
03:18 What freelancers are dealing with right now
12. Luck, Courage and the Long Game with Andy Nairn
Episode 15
Wednesday, April 29, 2026 • Duration 48:31
This episode of Accidentally Brilliant is about what it really takes to build something that lasts.
Josh Wheeler sits down with Andy Nairn, co-founder of Lucky Generals, one of the most consistently effective creative companies of the last decade.
Andy didn’t set out with a perfect plan. Lucky Generals started with three friends, no clients, no funding, and a decision to turn down work that didn’t feel right. That moment shaped everything that followed.
What comes through in this conversation is a very clear philosophy. Play the long game. Back your values. And understand that luck is not something to dismiss, it is something you create.
We get into how Yorkshire Tea became one of the most effective campaigns in the UK, why humour still works when brands are brave enough to use it properly, and why most agencies think about effectiveness too late.
Andy also talks about Go Luck Yourself, why luck is misunderstood in business, and why he uses the book to support working-class talent trying to get into the industry.
There is a wider thread running through this as well. Leadership, standards, and what happens when those standards start to slip. The influence of tech culture, the shift in tone across business, and why holding your nerve matters more than ever.
We also cover AI, what it is actually useful for right now, where it falls short, and why relying on it too heavily could weaken the very thing that makes great work stand out.
This is a conversation about creativity, effectiveness, values, and the reality behind building a successful agency.
00:00 Intro
00:58 Meet Andy Nairn, Lucky Generals
01:15 Starting an agency with no clients or funding
02:22 The failed merger that led to Lucky Generals
03:28 Why bad moments can force better decisions
11. Building Unshakeable Confidence with Advita Patel
Episode 14
Friday, March 6, 2026 • Duration 49:56
This episode of Accidentally Brilliant is one of the most personal conversations we’ve had on the podcast.
Josh Wheeler speaks with Advita Patel, founder of CommsRebel and the former President of the CIPR.
Advita has spent more than twenty years working in communications, helping organisations build cultures where people feel they belong and can thrive. The work she does today grew from a difficult moment in her own career.
In 2018, her confidence collapsed. She began questioning her place in the profession and whether communications was the right path for her at all. That period forced her to step back and understand who she was, what mattered to her, and how confidence actually works.
The conversation moves well beyond personal confidence.
Advita talks about representation in the communications industry and why she helped create A Leader Like Me and the Asian Comms Network. These spaces exist because many people in the profession still feel they have nowhere to talk openly about race, identity and belonging.
We also discuss the wider events shaping those conversations. The global response to the murder of George Floyd. The protests and tensions seen more recently in the UK. The emotional impact these moments have on people working in communications and the silence that often follows in the industry.
Advita reflects on the responsibility communicators hold. We help shape narratives, advise leadership teams and influence culture inside organisations. That responsibility becomes very real when difficult issues affect the people around us.
This episode covers:
10. Proving PR’s Value with James Crawford
Episode 13
Wednesday, February 18, 2026 • Duration 56:59
James Crawford is the founder and Managing Director of PR Agency One, and a board director at AMEC, the International Association for PR Measurement.
In this conversation, we talk about why James started his agency, what the early days really looked like, and why he has spent his career pushing PR to prove its value beyond headlines. We get into measurement and attribution, the limits of what you can and cannot track, and how PR teams can use evidence to protect budgets, win trust, and show commercial impact.
We also cover GEO and how brands should respond right now, why “everything is dead” is usually the wrong take, and what it takes to build long term momentum in an industry that is constantly changing.
9. Having the Confidence to Commit with Darryl Sparey
Episode 12
Thursday, January 22, 2026 • Duration 56:46
PR and sales have more in common than most people want to admit. In this episode, Darryl Sparey, co-founder and Managing Director of Hard Numbers, explains why a “sales backbone” makes you better at PR, why the industry keeps fighting the label, and how Hard Numbers built a reputation around measurable outcomes, including writing KPIs into contracts.
We also talk about the shift towards GEO and LLM-driven discovery, why PR should be owning the citations conversation, and the real leadership lessons that come from losing pitches, handling pressure, and learning the hard way about client concentration. If you work in comms, agency leadership, or in-house marketing and you want practical thinking you can apply straight away, this one is for you.
08:39 From Media Report to Precise: learning sales properly
12:25 Moving into SEO/PPC and becoming “numerate” (by effort)
13:30 Words first: reading, social mobility and writing his way out
15:20 Excel, Salesforce and the practical power of numbers
20:01 Hard Numbers’ KPI stance: writing KPIs into contracts
24:52 GEO, LLMs and why PR should own the citations conversation
8. How AI Could Force PR to Raise Its Standards with Stephen Waddington
Episode 11
Thursday, January 8, 2026 • Duration 01:00:34
PR has always been full of smart people.
The problem is the industry still struggles to take itself seriously.
In this episode of Accidentally Brilliant, Josh Wheeler speaks with Stephen Waddington, one of the most influential voices in modern public relations.
Stephen has spent 25 years leading agencies, advising senior teams, writing books, and pushing PR to be treated as a real management discipline. He is the founder of Wadds Inc, a professional advisory firm for agencies and comms teams, and a doctoral researcher focused on the relationship between management and public relations.
He is also a co-founder of Socially Mobile, a not for profit PR school that creates opportunities for people from underrepresented backgrounds.
This conversation is thoughtful, direct, and full of insight for anyone working in PR who wants the industry to be taken seriously.
In this episode, you will hear:
• Why PR still has a credibility problem
• How Stephen went from engineering into public relations
• What leadership looks like when pressure hits
• Why agencies struggle to hold on to trust and talent
• How Socially Mobile is changing access to PR
• What the profession needs to do to raise its own standards
About Stephen Waddington
Founder of Wadds Inc. Doctoral researcher. Author of 10 books. Co-founder of Socially Mobile. Board advisor and non exec director.
00:00 Intro
01:30 Falling into PR from engineering
04:10 Why PR is still misunderstood as a career
06:30 Agency life and leadership
10:00 PR and management thinking
14:30 Why credibility matters
18:30 Advising agencies and comms teams
23:00 Socially Mobile and access to the industry
28:00 What PR needs to change
34:00 What makes Stephen accidentally brilliant
7. Having Hope & Finding Glory with Jo Carr
Episode 10
Friday, December 5, 2025 • Duration 40:42
In this episode of Accidentally Brilliant, Josh Wheeler speaks with the co-founder of Hope and Glory. Jo began her career in Japan and Hong Kong before arriving in London in the mid-90s. Three decades later, she has helped build one of the UK’s most awarded consumer agencies, known for its creativity, culture and consistency. She has also become a leading voice for women and underrepresented talent through her work with Women in PR.
The conversation moves from the early decisions that changed her life to the reality of building and running an agency. It looks at confidence, partnership, levelling the playing field, and what experience brings to an industry that often overlooks age. It also explores the calm, grounded leadership style that has shaped Hope and Glory since day one.
This episode is thoughtful, generous and full of insight. It shows how far curiosity and steady confidence can take you, and why the right people can make a career last.
In this episode, you will hear:
• How a young graduate from Birmingham found herself teaching in Kyoto
• What Japan and Hong Kong taught Jo about confidence and reading a room
• How she blagged her way into her first PR job
• Why Hope and Glory worked from the moment she and James joined forces
• The early wins that proved the agency would fly
• How to balance high standards with a culture that protects people
• Why she champions women and marginalised groups
• The overlooked impact of ageism in PR
• How experience shapes ideas and insight
• Why calm leadership matters more than ever
• The simple advice she would give her younger self
• What makes Jo feel accidentally brilliant in her day-to-day work
This is a warm, honest and steady conversation about confidence, partnership, identity and the value of staying curious. A reminder that brilliance often comes from the decisions you make before you realise where they will take you.
6. Building Boldness and Belief With Brazen's Nina Webb
Episode 9
Friday, November 28, 2025 • Duration 59:31
Some people change an industry without ever shouting about it. Nina Webb is one of them.
In this episode of Accidentally Brilliant, Josh Wheeler speaks with the founder and CEO of Brazen PR. Nina built her agency at 27 with a simple mix of self-belief, graft and a clear sense of who she wanted to be. Brazen went on to win more than 250 awards, become employee-owned and give countless people their start in PR. Along the way, Nina became a champion for women and girls through her work with Girls Out Loud.
The conversation covers how Nina found her way into PR, why boldness mattered in the early days of Manchester’s agency scene, and how a people-first culture creates lasting careers. It also looks at the influence of mentors, the reality of leadership during tough moments and the role of passion in keeping a business alive for nearly 25 years.
This episode is thoughtful, honest and full of heart. It shows how belief in others can be just as powerful as belief in yourself.
In this episode, you will hear:
How a first-generation university student fell into PR and instantly found home
Why Brazen’s orange branding, cheekiness and bravery were desperately needed in the early Manchester scene
The power of building a people-first culture where graduates rise to board level
How generosity became Nina’s quiet superpower
Why Girls Out Loud matters now more than ever
The truth behind becoming an Employee Ownership Trust
How leadership changes when life tests you
Why passion, purpose and people underpin everything she’s built
This is a warm, honest and powerful conversation about identity, boldness, resilience and the impact of lifting others up. A reminder that brilliance often emerges from the belief you give to other people.
About Nina Webb
Founder and CEO of Brazen PR, Manchester’s multi-award-winning consumer agency. Champion of women and girls, ambassador for Girls Out Loud, and proud creator of a people-first, employee-owned business.
5. The Power of Saying Yes with Kriss Herbert
Episode 8
Friday, November 21, 2025 • Duration 48:15
In this episode of Accidentally Brilliant by Be Broadcast, Josh Wheeler is joined by Kriss Herbert, Network Content Director at Gaydio – the UK’s LGBTQ+ station.
Kriss oversees everything listeners hear: the music, the sound, the talent, the station’s identity and, crucially, the sense of community that sits at its heart. But his journey into broadcasting wasn’t predictable. From leading huge teams on the shop floor at Next, to spinning tracks at festivals and warming up for artists like Rita Ora and Clean Bandit, Kriss’s route into radio was built on graft, instinct and grabbing opportunities whenever they appeared. What started as voluntary shifts and late-night DJ sets turned into a career of shaping one of the most distinctive voices in UK radio.
In this episode, you will hear:
Why “say yes, then figure it out” became the mantra that changed Kriss’s career
How DJing taught him more about audiences than any classroom ever could
The wild ideas — including rebranding Gaydio as Gaydio Gaga for 12 hours — that show the magic of clever, instinctive creativity
How Gaydio creates trust, community and authentic representation
Why safe spaces, volunteer routes and the Gaydio Academy matter more than ever
What makes LGBTQ+ radio different in a world full of noise
How authenticity became the thread running through every role Kriss has taken on
This is an honest, energetic and inspiring conversation about leadership, creativity, representation and the courage to try. It’s a reminder that brilliance often reveals itself in the moments you almost talk yourself out of.
About Kriss Herbert
Network Content Director at Gaydio, the UK’s LGBTQ+ station, leading music, talent, strategy, and station sound. Kriss has built a career spanning retail leadership, DJing, presenting, production and talent development, helping shape the next generation of LGBTQ+ broadcasters through the Gaydio Academy.
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05:22 Turning down work that did not align with values
06:12 The first big breaks and early momentum
08:50 Why reputation is the long game
09:20 What the industry gets wrong about effectiveness
10:29 Why effectiveness should start at the beginning
11:46 The Yorkshire Tea case study and consistency
13:20 Why humour still works in advertising
14:36 Amazon, Alexa and taking the brand less seriously
16:12 Why most brands are too risk-averse
17:56 Confidence, clients and choosing who you work with
19:43 Finding the real problem behind a brief
21:12 Why strategy starts with better questions
22:34 Go Luck Yourself and the reality of luck in business
24:28 Why people resist talking about luck
25:37 How luck actually works as a system
27:33 Why business is still a numbers game
28:29 Supporting working-class talent through Commercial Break
30:16 What has changed in strategy and what has not
31:27 Why human behaviour matters more than trends
32:15 AI, change and uncertainty in the industry
33:28 How to actually use AI in creative work
34:39 Why copying AI outputs is a mistake
36:42 The risk of losing creative instinct
38:25 Where AI helps and where it does not
39:33 Over-reliance on technology and what we lose
41:07 Leadership, standards and behaviour
42:26 The impact of toxic leadership styles
43:15 Why values still matter in business
44:49 Has the industry gone too far the other way
45:57 Can you grow a business and keep principles
47:05 Final thoughts on change, luck and perspective
47:39 What makes Andy “accidentally brilliant”
the confidence crash that changed Advita’s career
the link between identity, confidence and imposter syndrome
representation and belonging in the communications industry
how racism and political division affect people in the profession
why many professionals struggle to speak up about difficult issues
the small actions that can make someone feel seen and supported
At its heart this is a conversation about confidence, courage and responsibility. It is also about something simple that many of us forget to do. Checking in on people and asking how they are really doing.
00:00 Intro
00:04 Meet Advita Patel, CommsRebel and CIPR President
01:16 Confidence, vulnerability and showing up on LinkedIn
01:41 The 2018 confidence crash that changed everything
02:25 A difficult conversation that forced a turning point
03:32 Researching confidence, imposter syndrome and inner critics
04:01 The influence of Shonda Rhimes and “The Year of Yes”
04:56 Why worrying about other people’s opinions holds us back
05:57 Competing with others vs competing with yourself
06:04 Advice for anyone facing a confidence crash
07:22 How other people shape our identity growing up
07:50 “Who am I really?” — unpicking expectations
09:01 Why understanding yourself is the foundation of confidence
10:21 Mental health, therapy and learning to look after yourself
10:37 When work becomes your identity
11:54 Treating yourself with the same compassion as others
12:24 Adapting to belong without breaking yourself
12:42 Why connection and empathy are disappearing
13:44 Cognitive diversity and avoiding echo chambers
13:53 Fear, vulnerability and sharing online
14:47 Representation and creating spaces for belonging
15:03 Why Advita co-founded A Leader Like Me
16:22 The impact of George Floyd on diversity conversations
17:46 Why the Asian Comms Network was created
19:14 Lived experience and the reality of microaggressions
20:23 Why conversations about racism are often avoided
22:22 Power, politics and uncomfortable industry conversations
23:34 Why politics affects the people we work with
24:46 Speaking up, allyship and finding your voice
26:16 Why we’ve lost the ability to connect and debate
27:32 The fear of getting things wrong in public conversations
28:35 Why communicators must understand opposing views
29:09 Community, identity and checking in on people
30:24 Why humans naturally gravitate towards similarity
31:38 Bias, safety and how our brains work
32:26 The power communications professionals hold
32:47 The emotional impact of recent events on communities
34:07 Living with fear and the daily reality for many people
35:02 Hope over fear and using your privilege to help others
36:06 Becoming the first person of colour to lead the CIPR
37:14 Using privilege to create space for others
38:03 Why intent matters in difficult conversations
39:19 When mistakes happen — and how to respond
40:24 “Where are you really from?” — navigating everyday bias
41:31 Curiosity as the starting point for allyship
42:58 Different ways to show allyship
43:39 The simple power of checking in on someone
44:32 Why difficult topics often get avoided
45:02 One action everyone can take tomorrow
46:04 Confidence as a ripple effect
46:50 The thread through Advita’s career: confidence and inclusion
48:08 An “accidentally brilliant” moment — Couch to 5K
49:18 Closing thoughts
09:44 Competing, then shifting to doing the work better
10:44 Why measurement became the edge
11:32 Roots, direct response, and early proof of impact
13:06 The limits of attribution and what to accept
14:30 Planning, prediction, and “interest graphs” in media
18:24 Early days of the agency, SEO and opportunity
19:44 Why media relations is tougher now
20:47 Moving from soft stories to bolder campaigns
23:01 Reactivity, brand purpose, and being ready for the BBC
24:03 Research that lasts longer than one news day
26:28 Cost of living era, weak leads, short term thinking
29:33 OneEval explained: Brand, Reputation, Commercial, and planning
33:03 Why evaluation protects teams when leadership changes
35:18 Innovation, AMEC, and staying on top of measurement shifts
38:27 Training the whole team to understand measurement
39:36 GEO, threats and opportunities
41:31 What actually influences LLM visibility right now
43:43 What clients are asking, and what they are missing
45:19 A practical GEO split: classical PR first, tests second
46:56 SEO is not dead, and why “everything is dead” is lazy thinking
48:17 Experimentation as the only sensible approach
48:50 BBC visibility, the long game, and building a track record
50:58 The thread through James’ career: hard work and showing up
53:24 “Accidentally brilliant” and managing people
Co-founder of Hope and Glory, the UK’s most awarded PR agency of the past five years. President of Women in PR. Champion of inclusion and a consistent voice for fairness across the industry.
00:00 Intro – The generosity behind bold leadership
01:30 How Nina fell into PR
03:00 Founding Brazen at 27
04:50 The story behind the Brazen name and branding
06:00 Breaking the mould in the Manchester PR scene
08:10 Raising future leaders and creating opportunity
09:30 The business of the business – and knowing what you don’t know
10:45 Why Brazen is a training ground for talent
12:30 The leaders who’ve risen through Brazen
14:30 Identity, colour and confidence
15:30 How Nina has quietly helped others build their own paths
17:00 Why generosity matters in PR
20:00 The family roots of support
23:00 Girls Out Loud and fighting for girls’ futures
27:00 Equality, opportunity and the reality for young women
34:00 Supporting girls during lockdown
36:30 What lockdown changed for Nina as a leader
40:00 Becoming an Employee Ownership Trust
44:00 The impact on people, culture and purpose
47:45 Highs, lows and losing her dad
49:15 Dealing with a brain tumour diagnosis
52:10 Leading with humanity
55:30 Legacy, succession and the future
58:00 The thread running through everything
59:00 What makes Nina accidentally brilliant
