Should you build custom GPTs, agents, digital interns, Gems, and artefacts… or just learn to prompt better? In this roundtable, Susan, social media + AI power user Andrew Jenkins, and GTM + custom GPT builder Dr. Jim Kanichirayil unpack when you actually need a custom build, when a strong prompt is enough, and how to stop treating AI output like a finished product.

In this episode, Susan brings back two favourite guests who sit on different ends of the AI usage spectrum:

• Andrew Jenkins - multi-tool explorer, author, and agency owner who "puts the chat in ChatGPT" and loves talking with his data.

• Dr. Jim Kanichirayil - founder of Cascading Leadership, builder of thought leadership custom GPTs for go-to-market, content, and analysis.

Together they break down:

• How Andrew uses conversation, prompt optimizers, projects, and tools like NotebookLM and Dojo AI to "talk to" his book, podcast, and data.

• How Dr. Jim uses a simple Role-Task-Output framework to design custom GPTs, train them on his voice (and the voices of his clients), and keep them on track with root-cause analysis when they drift.

• The messy reality of limits, context windows, and why AI is still terrible at telling you what it can't do.

• Why using AI on autopilot (especially for outreach and content) is a brand risk, and how to use it as a drafting and analysis system instead.
  
  

Key takeaways

You don't have to choose only prompts or only custom GPTs.
Strong prompting is the starting point. Custom GPTs make sense when you see the same task, drift, or "bleed out" happening over and over again.

Start every workflow with three things: Role, Task, Output.
Who is the AI supposed to be?
What exact job is it doing?
What should the output include and exclude?
Then ask the model: "What else do you need to execute this well and in my voice?"

Knowledge bases are just your best examples and instructions in one place.
Transcripts, scripts, PDFs, posts, style packs, platform-specific examples - they're all training material. AI does best when you feed it gold standard samples, not vibes.

Projects and talking to your data are the future of reading and research.
Andrew uses his entire book in Markdown as a project, then has conversations like "find me five governance examples" instead of scrolling a PDF. NotebookLM turns bullet points into decks, mind maps, and videos, then lets you interrogate them.

AI is a 60-70% draft, not a finished product.
If you post straight from the model, it will sound generic, over-written, and slightly robotic. The job is to take that draft and ask: "Does this sound like me? Would I actually say this?"

Automation is good. Autopilot is dangerous.
Using AI to analyze content performance, structure research, or standardise parts of a workflow = smart.
Letting AI write content and outreach you never review = reputation risk and audience fatigue.

More content is not the goal. Better feedback loops are.
Dr. Jim chains GPTs: one for drafting with his voice, one for performance analysis, one for insights. That loop makes the next round of content sharper instead of just… louder.

Episode highlights

[00:13] The core question: build digital interns (agents/custom GPTs) or just prompt better?

[01:09] Andrew's origin story and why he "puts the chat in ChatGPT."

[03:39] How Andrew uses prompt optimizers, multiple models, and Dojo AI as an agentic interface.

[07:24] Dr. Jim's world: sticking to GPT, building tightly scoped custom GPTs for repetitive work.

[08:37] When "bleed out" in prompts tells you it's time to build a custom GPT.

[09:26] Using root-cause analysis inside the GPT configuration when outputs go off the rails.

[10:25] Projects, books in Markdown, and "talking to your own material" via AI.

[13:05] Case study: using AI to surface case examples from a 3.5-year-old book instead of scrolling PDFs.

[14:27] NotebookLM for founders and students: one email of bullet points → infographic, map, slide deck, video.

[19:03] The Role–Task–Output framework and the importance of explicitly designing for your voice.

[22:02] Platform-specific style packs and use cases (spicy vs informational vs editorial).

[26:29] The frustrating reality of token limits and why models rarely warn you before they hit a wall.

[36:54] What's happening "in the wild": early-stage founders treating AI output as final product.

[39:01] Why "more" isn't better, "better" is better: drafts, polish, and content analysis GPTs.

[42:03] Automation vs autopilot in B2B social, and why Andrew refuses to buy from a bot.

[43:29] Emerging tools: Google's Pommely, Nano Banana for image creation, and AI browsers like Atlas, Comet, and Neo.

If you've been stuck wondering whether to spend time on custom GPTs or just prompt better, this episode gives you the mental models to decide.

Share it with:

• The teammate who keeps saying "we should build a GPT" but hasn't defined the workflow.

• The founder treating AI drafts as finished copy.

• The ops brain in your org who secretly wants to be a bridge builder.
  
  

Then ask as a team: "Where do we actually need great prompts, and where do we need a repeatable GPT or project with a real knowledge base?"

Connect with Susan Diaz on LinkedIn to get a conversation started.

Agile teams move fast. Grab our 10 AI Deep Research Prompts to see how proven frameworks can unlock clarity in hours, not months. Find the prompt pack here.

You may have heard host Susan Diaz say she "swan dove backwards off the cliff into AI". In this episode, she unpacks what that actually means, how it became the working title of her book, and the concrete frameworks leaders can use to move boldly into AI without being reckless.

This is a personal, behind-the-scenes episode.

Susan shares how she went from not being in the famous first 6 million users of ChatGPT… to becoming the person who showed up a week later and refused to leave.

She explains why generative AI felt different from every underwhelming AI-ish tool she'd used before.
Then she introduces two big ideas that will run through the book and the podcast series:

• The four cliff archetypes of AI in organizations.

• The five moves of a swan dive that turn bold experimentation into lasting infrastructure.

It's part origin story, part field guide, and part invitation to join the Early Divers instead of waiting for the bridge to magically appear.

Key takeaways

Generative AI was a pattern-breaker. What hooked Susan wasn't hype. It was the combo of: credible output, ability to handle large volumes of messy information, and being free to use. That trifecta changed the game for everyday operators.

"Swan dive backwards" is not recklessness. It's a personality pattern. Quick starts jump with a scan for rocks and a plan to tuck their elbows. The instinct is to move, not freeze, when the path ends.

Every organization has four cliff archetypes of AI:

1. Divers - the early experimenters pressing all the buttons.
   
   

2. Pathfinders - the risk-mappers and governance folks asking "how do we do this safely?"
   
   

3. Operators - the people who turn experiments into actual workflows and pilots.
   
   

4. Bridge builders - the systems people who turn one-time wins into playbooks, platforms, and training.

You are rarely just one archetype. You're more like a sound mix across all four. That mix determines how you respond when AI shows up as a cliff, not a gentle slope.

The five moves of a swan dive give you a pattern:

1. Spot the cliff - recognize this is a step-change, not another incremental tool.
   
   

2. Check the water - test, set guardrails, understand risks and boundaries.
   
   

3. The dive - move out of analysis into real use on real work.
   
   

4. Surface with a map - name patterns, document what's working, share stories.
   
   

5. Build the bridge - turn what you learned into infrastructure so others don't have to jump cold.
   
   

AI is too big to leave to one personality type. Divers alone will splatter. Pathfinders alone will stall. Operators without bridge builders will create one-off wins that never stick. You need all four.

This book and series are a public swan dive. Backwards! The 30-episode challenge, the naming of Swan Dive Backwards, and the frameworks are all being built where others can see and eventually walk the bridge.

Episode highlights

[00:00] "I swan dive backwards off the cliff into AI" - why that line sticks and what it actually means.

[01:19] Naming the book Swan Dive Backwards and the meta moment for future readers.

[01:47] Why Susan was not in the first 6 million ChatGPT users, and why early AI tools had underwhelmed her.

[03:03] The three markers that made generative AI different: credible output, large-volume handling, and being free.

[05:27] "Late to the party, then refused to leave" – how personality type shaped her AI journey.

[06:28] The cliff analogy: divers, plotters, doers, bridge builders.

[09:33] Why Susan is a classic "diver" and how that shows up in entrepreneurship.

[12:08] The LinkedIn comment from Alison Garwood-Jones that locked in the book title.

[14:53] The four cliff archetypes of AI inside companies, in explicit AI terms.

[18:38] Move 1: spotting the cliff – realising AI is a calculator/PC-level shift, not a passing tool.

[19:44] Move 2: checking the water – personal tests, failures, and organisational governance.

[20:45] Move 3: the swan dive – moving from theory to workflow-level experiments.

[21:50] Move 4: surfacing with a map – turning experiences into language, frameworks, audits.

[23:03] Move 5: building the bridge – connecting experiments into ongoing systems and training.

[23:31] Why the real courage is building so others never have to jump cold again.

This episode is both an origin story and a mirror.

Ask yourself and your team

1. Which cliff archetype do you lead with: Diver, Pathfinder, Operator, or Bridge Builder?

2. Where are you on the five moves of the swan dive: staring at the cliff… or quietly building the bridge?
   
   

Share this episode with the biggest "diver" you know and the most trusted "pathfinder" in your organization.
They're going to need each other.

Connect with Susan Diaz on LinkedIn to get a conversation started.

Agile teams move fast. Grab our 10 AI Deep Research Prompts to see how proven frameworks can unlock clarity in hours, not months. Find the prompt pack here.

AI search is here. People are using ChatGPT and other tools to discover businesses - but my guest today on the podcast, Andrew Jenkins shows why the foundations of SEO still matter. Andrew is CEO of Volterra Digital, a top-ranked social media agency, and a long-time member of my Marketing Power Circle (MPC).

We dive into:

• Why getting found on AI isn't a "flip the switch" formula

• The role of reviews, backlinks, and industry recognition in AI search rankings

• How Andrew used Clutch.co to build a discoverability flywheel

• How custom GPTs and vibe coding are transforming small agency workflows

• The mindset shift from AI as content spam to AI as your second brain
  
  

🔗 Connect with host, Susan Diaz on LinkedIn.

⭐ Enjoying the podcast?

If this conversation gave you an aha moment, please take 30 seconds to leave a rating and review. It helps other founders and entrepreneurs discover AI Literacy for Entrepreneurs and join us on this journey.

🚀 Ready to go beyond inspiration into implementation?

That's exactly what we do inside Marketing Power Circle (MPC) - my AI implementation mastermind.

It's where founders, consultants, and in-house leaders stop doomscrolling and start doing:

• Building custom GPTs for their workflows

• Repurposing content at scale

• Designing intelligent automations that buy back hours every week

• And most importantly, experimenting with AI in a supportive, peer-driven community
  
  

✨ If you've been watching AI from the sidelines, MPC is the room where it happens. 

It's the only AI implementation mastermind designed for small business teams. 

Learn more here.

 

To kick off a fresh year's dishing sessions on marketing news, Susan is joined by mindset mentor and performance coach Megan O'Neill. What's hot this week? 👇

New Day's Lyric

One of our favourite rising stars, poet Amanda Gorman, made 2021 her own in a whirlwind of events from the US presidential inauguration, to the Met Gala, to the Superbowl, all while snagging a groundbreaking contract with Estée Lauder and penning 3 number 1 bestselling books. Now to ring in the new year, in partnership with Instagram, Amanda has released her latest poem, 'New Day's Lyric' in beautiful video form. The poem speaks of hope, love, and connection.

Pizza Hut Canada decides to make the decision to get decisive about roasting Premier Ford

After yet another lockdown announcement that left us with many many SMH moments, many people took to social media to air their grievances with Ontario Premier Doug Ford. As we love to see happening these days, we caught on to a little bit of Twitter newsjacking brought to us by none other than Pizza Hut, who cheekily took a popular term from the speech that one clever and entertaining step further.  

2021 takes our Golden Girl

As if 2021 didn't already take our sanity, on the last day of the year the legend Betty White passed away at the age of 99. She has touched every generation from her start in show biz. If there was anyone that should have lived forever, based solely on the fact that she was so universally loved, it was Betty. Knowing how wonderful she was, she probably just didn't want to sully the new year with such sad news 😢 We'll miss you, Betty! 

The science of climate humour

The movie Don't Look Up has been popular thanks to its cast of big stars, but it's also raised some questions about its satirical coverage of climate change and politics. Since the topic of climate change is so serious, is it really appropriate to joke about it? In short, yes! We are all about the EQ (Entertainment Quotient) around here, and agree with Canadian comic Leonard Chan who believes that the closer the humour is to crisis or upheaval, the better the humour has to be. Write well, use your common sense, and have some fun!

We've reached the end of 2021, yo. 
The last few days of the year. 

It's been a mixed bag for many people. That said, the one big thing that emerged this year is a deep need for self-care. 

A deep need to renew, rejuvenate, take care of yourself, take care of your mind, your body, and your spirit. 

In this episode, we have tips from three awesome specialists in the health and wellness space, who will speak to different aspects of taking care of the mind, body, and spirit. Pick a practice, and focus on building it in 2022. Good luck! 

 

The art of mindful doodling to relieve stress

Melissa Lloyd, founder and chief doodler at DoodleBreaks points out, we are all born with creativity. And yet, many if not most of us lose that natural urge to doodle. 

Allow your mind to float, and your anxiety settle. 🧠 🧠 🧠

 

The art of slow motion multitasking

​​Zannat Reza is a registered dietician and ambassador in the healthy aging space. She spends her waking hours helping organizations strategize and create memorable food & health content that inspires, educates, and empowers people to live their best lives. She delves into Slow Motion Multitasking.

🧠 🧠 🧠

 

The art of good sleep

Lydia Di Francesco is the CEO and Wellness Consultant at Fit + Healthy 365.  As a workplace wellness consultant, she helps companies understand the connection between well-being and mental health, and employee productivity and retention. 👏👏👏

She advises:

💫 Setting boundaries.
💫 Building what she calls "stress resilience."
💫 Exercise and healthy eating to equal better sleep.

This week, we round up the short episode-arc in which we're spotlighting trends that really dug deep roots into 2021, and will certainly be around to play with in 2022 and beyond. 

Our source of input (delicious at that!) is our weekly live roundup of marketing news, which I co-host with various industry leaders on what's happening in the marketing world, and what we can learn from it. That live round-up is what becomes the podcast, here, for your fine folx!

Through doing that every week on Thursdays, we uncovered some stuff that came up over and over again.

And among those are NFTs. An NFT, for the uninitiated, is a non-fungible token, which is a kind of digital asset to which a cryptocurrency value is assigned. 

It's an asset that you definitively own in the digital space. 

And, broadly, there are a couple of things to know in the space, regardless of your familiarity with the subject.

Know that there's an origin story that comes with an NFT.

This means that if you have an NFT, it belongs to you. You can clearly trace who the thing belongs to via blockchain. And therefore it has huge implications for intellectual property and for creators. 

If NFTs are not something that you want to directly think about right away, don't forget to educate yourself for when you need it.

Whether or not you are getting into the world of NFTs right this second, do educate yourself because there's room to get involved in discussions. There's room to get into collaborations. There's room to see how this all works for your industry, and still be among the early adopters, even if your brand isn't cracking open an NFT right away. 

Happy new year 2022! We can't wait to see what the year brings.

🎧Tune in to hear more!🎧

If you're a repeat visitor to our podcast, please drop us a 5 star review. Thank you!

We continue this mini episode-arc, focusing on some of the key themes that ruled this year on the marketing front, and will reign in 2022. 

We draw your attention to 2 phenomena that are noteworthy, to inspire you as you head into a whole new year of marketing ahead of you.

The first is #freebritney - keep reading! 

The Free Britney movement was created by Britney Spears' fans. 

What started as a hashtag eventually freed Britney from the conservatorship of her father this year! The story is compelling.

The phenomenon that will rule amongst the masses in 2022 is TikTok. Some trends that dominated in 2021 were feta pasta and true crime.

How does this break down to B2B?

We tell you how to incorporate TikTok even if you 'don't dance'. As well as how to really clue into music and think like a creator (or just hire one 😁)

🎧Tune in. Listen up!🎧

If you're a repeat visitor to our podcast, please drop us a 5 star review. Thank you!

We continue this week with our episode arc around what we can learn from winning examples of marketing in 2021 as we head into 2022. 

The categories and channels of marketing have changed.
Where's your innovation going to come from? 

Today, we wanted to dive deeper into the subject of newsjacking. One of the things that has proved successful for brands over and over again during the pandemic is newsjacking. 

Marketing is no longer a one-way, broadcast-only model. What really gets noticed is agility - being able to get involved in conversations, and do it fast. It's certainly the only thing that stands out on social media! 

In 2021 brands excelled at newsjacking.
It's easy to assume that the brands in question are always like the big enterprises and the B2C brands - like the fast food chains certainly do it. 

That said, those are not the only brands that have newsjacked effectively; that have made it their purpose to get out there and get social. 

There was Bernie Sanders and the mittens from the US presidential inauguration. Every brand used that meme eventually! 
Senator Sanders' own team got involved and used the traction to raise funds for charity. 

That said, special mention to one of the Canadian geniused in this category! 
Ottawa Public Health! 

They created the character 'Bruce' And it went viral. Even Ryan Reynolds got involved! They are small municipal level government account, and they've done some amazing work in newsjacking. 

What can you learn from those examples? 

Take a listen!

This week Susan is joined by Colleen O'Connell-Campbell, Wealth Advisor at RBC Dominion Securities, and host of 'I'm a millionaire. So, now what?' 🎙

Budweiser NFT sells out   If you've been wondering 'wassuuuuup' with Budweiser lately, you'll be excited to hear that they've moved into the metaverse, releasing a brand new collection of limited edition digital art known as the 'Heritage Collection'. 1,900 "Core Heritage Cans" at $499 each and 36 "Gold Heritage Cans" at $999 each sold out within an hour.   Hiring in the metaverse   No longer just for gamers, the metaverse is now beginning to be used by companies like Hyundai and Siemens to help hire people in an immersive environment. Thanks to Facebook changing its name to Meta, people are now really paying attention to the metaverse and accepting that this new world is going to become mainstream.   Governor General's awards for some of our fave stars   Proudly Canadian actors Catherine O'Hara and Ryan Reynolds were recently awarded Governor General's Performing Arts Awards. Thanks to the miracle of YouTube we were able to share in their reactions as they were honoured via serenade, Ryan by singer Steven Page, and Catherine by her Schitt's Creek costar Noah Reid. Their genuine reactions are so adorable we promise you'll get something in your eye if you give them a watch.    Twitter Transforms   Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter, resigned earlier this week and will be replaced by former CTO Parag Agrawal. Some changes were immediate. A huge can of worms was opened with the announcement of new privacy policies relating to the sharing of unowned images and we're really having hard time believing this will be sustainable for Twitter.   Shopify tops the pack for sales   The post Black Friday/Cyber Monday stats are in and it looks like shopping is down all across the board - except on Shopify. Colleen's take is that people are really trying to find that balance between supporting small businesses while also having it be convenient. As consumers, where we spend our money is the way we express how we want to shop, so we're seeing consumers empowered to support local and  smaller business.   For these stories and more, including what's happening in the business world after Black Friday, listen to the whole episode.    

In this episode arc, we're going to focus on some specific trends and learnings that you can take with you going into 2022 in your marketing.

This is a significant inflexion point in the evolution of the way we communicate, market, and sell.

Things have changed a lot during the pandemic with a whole new virtual world open. 

The things we thought to be the vehicles or tools of marketing distribution have changed. 

What's getting attention? 
What is really cutting the scroll? 

We break down 2 key things to focus on. 

1. The categories of distribution of content marketing
2. New examples to be inspired by that you won't find traditional marketing books because things are moving so fast.

Take a listen.

We are joined by 6 guest judges.

Andrea Henry, founder of Henry business law. 
We have Darien Kovacs, founder of jelly marketing. 
We have Megan O'Neill, performance coach. 
We've got Martin Waxman, instructor at University of Toronto and PR expert. 
Mohit Rajhans, media commentator and founder of thinkstart
And Rohini Mukherji, Vice President at narrative PR 

If you're a return listener, please leave us a 5-star review? Thanks 💫

Today we're extolling the virtues of a co-host format! Susan Diaz and Will Lamont have been the resident co-hosts of The 4am Report for 2.5 years and nearly 150 episodes! Typical episodes were either both of them with a guest, or the two of them presenting marketing advice in a teaching format. 

And we think 150 is a good time to switch things up a little bit. So after Episode 150, we'll be moving to a news-based format, leaning all the way into our Thirst for what's new and happening in the marketing and entertainment space, and what we can learn from that.

But first!

Here are 7 lessons from co-hosting 150 podcast episodes.

1. There's an energy that comes from wing(wo)man. 
2. Having a co-host bring different strengths to the table
3. Co-hosting is, makes you lot braver as a publisher
4. Co-hosts bring a wider network
5. Having a co-host brings a lot more accountability
6. Having a co-host truly makes podcasting fun. 
7. Co-hosting with a collective goal on efficient content creation results in masses of content and engagement

Listen to the full episode. And if you're a repeat visitor, drop us a 5 star review, pretty please! And thank you.

 

Attention thirsty readers everywhere! Do you have a story that's got you absolutely parched? A news item, a marketing hit or miss, something from the world of entertainment and pop culture? This week Susan is joined by Jackie Porter, award-winning financial planner who has been in the financial industry for the past 23 years serving thousands of families, established businesses, and professionals in the Greater Toronto Area.    We're now taking story submissions. Hit reply and let us know your take on a story that caught your attention this week. We may even ask you to join us on our weekly Linkedin Live chat show, #ThirstyThursday.   **   Team Ted Lasso markets their way to the top    In the last few weeks there have been a lot of awards given out and Ted Lasso's marketing has repeatedly been getting kudos. They really do go the distance. Their twitter account is legit "Ted Lasso" who comments. Even on April fools the governor of Kansas issued a proclamation that recognizes Ted Lasso. So why is this working well? The feel-good subject of the show really lends itself to this type of marketing and they've done really well for a subject that translates and are getting a lot of attention and recognition for it.   Are NFTs here to stay?   As marketers we've been playing with NFTs on a gimmick level right now, but after thirsting over them week after week, we're realizing that there's really nothing that has disrupted the market quite like them. They may be a little difficult to understand, but there's definitely a niche market for them. It also puts a really interesting spotlight on the value of intellectual property.   Acting Good
  A new comedy show is coming out from Anishinaabe comedian Paul Rabliauskas. "Acting Good" will come out in 10 parts and will star Paul himself. The show is loosely based on Paul's actual experiences and follows a failed attempt at living in a big city. If there was ever a time to come together with humour and realize we're not that different and need to treat each other fairly, this is it.   Uber Pricing Fail   Uber recently announced some changes to their pricing plan for their ride share option. They've taken a simple concept that evidently was not sustainable and complicated it to the point of our utter boredom. Honestly let's just keep things simple! Simplicity means you can scale which is never a bad thing. We realize that they're just trying to keep people happy but you can't please everyone!   Taylor's songs Belong with her   After a bout of Bad Blood and losing the rights to most of her early music which was bought out by an ex-manager with a shady reputation, Taylor Swift saw Red and will not be just Shaking it Off. She has re-recorded the albums Fear and Red with the subtitle (Taylor's Version) and is reclaiming what is rightfully hers. In a big win, several large radio stations including iHeart Radio have vowed only to play Taylor's version from now on.   For these stories and more, including Cambridge Dictionary's word of the year, listen to the whole episode.    

Let's talk about crisis communications. Pre-pandemic, it was the bastion of very large enterprise, with trained teams of PR leaders to man the desk. Post-pandemic, crisis communication is much more mainstream. We all navigate a time of tricky socio-political nuance that is the 2020s.

How do you respond to social justice authentically as a business? 
If you decide to speak, how do you not say the wrong thing? 
Is it even possible to always be prepared to step in with the perfect statement in response to something?

The questions are heavy!

Even if you have a thorough crisis communication plan you can still be inadvertently tone deaf if something comes into play that's well outside of your lived experience and frame of reference.

Modern marketing teams need to be prepared to make sound decisions in the moment. 

In this episode we break down Two key concepts that will help 👇

 

• Master the idea of "Stop, drop and roll"

 

When something that requires sensitivity hits the news cycles, whether it's a major issue that affects the world at large (ie: pandemic), or something that affects your company (ie: announcements of layoffs), you want to think like you're catching fire. To contain it, you stop, drop and roll. 

 

• Master a graceful apology

 

Despite your best efforts, and despite multiple plans, you're going to get some things wrong, And when you get things wrong, the best course is a good apology. Discover what a good apology looks like.

Tune in to listen to the full episode!

In this episode of AI Literacy for Entrepreneurs, I sit down with Emily Baillie, founder of Compass Content Marketing and longtime digital marketing strategist turned AI literacy expert.

Emily has been helping businesses navigate digital change for over 15 years. When ChatGPT first launched, she quickly saw the impact AI would have and started teaching AI and marketing workshops - which are now her most requested service.

We dive into:

• Canva's AI superpowers: from the one-click background remover to magic resize, magic write, and even language translation.

• Where to start if you're new to AI in Canva (and which tools to skip).

• How Canva makes it easier to create high-quality content quickly, even if you're not a designer.

• Why iterating and refining AI outputs is the secret to avoiding "AI slop".

• Creative use cases, from growing email lists with QR codes to recording presentations and sharing with a single link.

• Canva's free subscription for nonprofits and why more organizations should take advantage of it.

Emily reminds us that AI tools are meant to save time, build confidence, and open doors to creativity - not replace the human touch.

🔗 Connect with Emily Baillie

• Website: compasscontent.ca

• LinkedIn: Emily Baillie

🔗 Connect with host, Susan Diaz on LinkedIn.

⭐ Enjoying the podcast?

If this conversation gave you an aha moment, please take 30 seconds to leave a rating and review. It helps other founders and entrepreneurs discover AI Literacy for Entrepreneurs and join us on this journey.

🚀 Ready to go beyond inspiration into implementation?

That's exactly what we do inside Marketing Power Circle (MPC) - my AI implementation mastermind.

It's where founders, consultants, and in-house leaders stop doomscrolling and start doing:

• Building custom GPTs for their workflows

• Repurposing content at scale

• Designing intelligent automations that buy back hours every week

• And most importantly, experimenting with AI in a supportive, peer-driven community
  
  

✨ Think of it as your shortcut from "curious" to "confident".

👉 Learn more and join us here:

https://cpdigitalinc.vipmembervault.com/products/courses/view/1157552

 

Attention thirsty readers everywhere! Do you have a story that's got you absolutely parched? A news item, a marketing hit or miss, something from the world of entertainment and pop culture? This week Susan is joined by Angelique Binet, social media marketing consultant specialized in paid traffic and client acquisition for 6-figure women entrepreneurs and founder of Social Media Love.   We're now taking story submissions. Hit reply and let us know your take on a story that caught your attention this week. We may even ask you to join us on our weekly Linkedin Live chat show, #ThirstyThursday.    **   Marcus Rashford's MBE   Manchester United star Marcus Rashford has made the Thirst List before, unfortunately because of some horrible racism he suffered after the World Cup loss. We're happy to report some great news, however, as he has just been awarded the MBE for his work with underprivileged children during the pandemic. This honour was awarded by Prince William and Rashford has since created a taskforce working with supermarkets and food banks to make sure kids across the UK are fed.   Knitted Tribute   For Remembrance Day, London's anonymous Knitting Banxy (not to be confused with London's anonymous graffiti artist Banksy) created a life sized knitted soldier and surreptitiously dropped it off at the War Memorial Clock Tower in honour of the day. As Angelique says beautifully, "bringing softness to something that is not soft".   Sexiest Man Alive - we're still doing this?   Paul Rudd was recently announced as People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive in 2021.  Now we do think he most certainly is an attractive man, and are fascinated by his apparent lack of aging. However, as Susan says, aren't we past the times of judging someone's merit based on their appearance? We've made so much movement towards knowing that there's more to people than just how they look, so let's move on to better things, People.   No, nobody is planting trees because you posted a picture of your pet (and why that went viral)   If you were on Instagram in the past few days, you may have seen a post telling you to share a picture of your pet using their new feature Add Yours stickers. In return, for every pic the poster, Plant a Tree, would plant a tree. This would be a fairly normal post looking for engagement for a small business, but the unexpected virality of this post to the tune 4 million stickers before the post was quickly taken down has left the company in a bit of a quandary, since it can't actually follow through with its promise. Scrambling ensued, making for a good lesson in social media and accountability.   Newsjacking in the comments   Sometimes it doesn't take an expensive advertising campaign to get noticed. All it really takes is as little as a witty and entertaining comment on someone else's post. The smartest companies are using young, TikTok-loving and savvy social media teams to use their brand voice to hijack posts via clever comments. Remember, one powerful comment on someone else's post can be worth more than countless pieces of your own content.   For these stories and more, including TikTok's dropped ball on the Astroworld Tragedy and Reese's Puffs partnership with Kaws, listen to the whole episode below.

Brands have been using stories to attract their audience and retain customers for centuries. At the same time, it's never been harder to be seen and heard as brands compete for attention in today's busy online channels (TMI much?). So, how should brands go about increasing their content publishing so that their audience finds and engages with their content? 

In this Publishing Masterclass, your hosts Susan Diaz and Will Lamont hone in on the ways you can become your own publishing guru in 2022, without extending your bandwidth too much or creating extra stress ☺.

🎧Tune in to up your publishing in 2022!🎧

Attention thirsty readers everywhere! Do you have a story that's got you absolutely parched? A news item, a marketing hit or miss, something from the world of entertainment and pop culture?   We're now taking story submissions. Hit reply and let us know your take on a story that caught your attention this week. We may even ask you to join us on our weekly Linkedin Live chat show, #ThirstyThursday.    Happy Diwali to those celebrating! This week Susan is joined by Shelagh Cummins, founder and CEO of The Road to Seven.   Apple x BBC podcast subscription service   This week Apple is in the news for its subscription podcast service. They are partnering with BBC studios to bring exclusive content to North America - a channel that will give listeners access to shows that were previously only available in the UK.    Generally the big companies are wary of putting a price on something that's so readily available and free so we're interested to see how this plays out. It comes down to knowing the purpose of your podcast - if your podcast is made for lead generation, you don't want to create a barrier to the listener. Or maybe the actual podcast subscription is the goal itself, so really think about where your podcast fits into your funnel. It could be a low cost way of delivering a very intimate experience to your audience. Remember the flywheel - always take it up to the next level!   Oprah is one of our favourite things   This time of year is Oprah territory - the Favourite Things list for 2021 . This year has not let us down with a delicious list of awesome things, categorized by the type of gift and, for the first time, presented by Amazon. So while this isn't really helping the small business owner, good on Amazon for stepping in and creating that partnership. Sometimes you have to knock on the doors of the big guys - take a chance and see where you get!   Putting lipstick on a pig?   We wouldn't want to spare Shelagh some Facebook talk! The big announcement last week was the rebranding of Facebook to the new name Meta, and the new all-in approach to the Metaverse. They have also decided to shut down facial recognition program, which many of us didn't even know about. Something that we feel should have been switched up is the leadership. Out with Zuck! Mark Zuckerberg has broken our trust over and over and should no longer be the face of the company. Facebook has forgotten that they are in business because of people and they have been putting dollars ahead of the people that support their platform.   Microsoft jumps on the Metaverse bandwagon   Microsoft making moves in the metaverse direction - Microsoft Teams is now including avatars. Shelagh wonders if this trend is based on new technology or simply laziness. Her thought is that anyone masking a part of themselves - be it a different background covering up a messy office or leaving your camera off because you're not appropriately dressed for the meeting - is just hiding. This undermines the purpose of the meeting if it is to create connection with another human being. If you're choosing to connect "face to face", why not give them the true you?   Disney Diversity   Disney's new holiday ad is out and continues the story of Lola's granddaughter Nicole from last year's ad as a grownup. It's a very realistic and relatable story in our society, and discusses the integration of a stepdad into his new family, which happens to be biracial. This stepdad has to find his place within old and new traditions.    We love that Disney has made some decisions to be front facing with the diversity in the ad but we want to make sure they're also looking behind the scenes, following up, and making sure that there is also diversity on their leadership team and backing up their message.   Black Wall Street Market   The new Black Wall Street Market in Stonecrest, Georgia has opened up in an homage to the righting of wrongs that occurred when the original market in Tulsa, Oklahoma was destroyed by white mobs 100 years ago. People travelled miles and miles to show support and celebrate the moment. Wares ranged from books to clothes to arts to food with over 10,000 people showing up for the incredibly successful grand opening.   ****   For these stories and more including Netflix Mobile games and Pinterest TV, listen to the full episode.

Are you one of the many marketers and business owners who actively hate sales? If you're awkward or embarrassed about making a sale or closing a deal, or you regularly get ghosted as soon as you talk about pricing, you need this masterclass in sales planning. It'll help you align your 2022 sales plan with your marketing strategy so you can fulfill your brand's vision and get ahead of the unexpected. With Catherine Watkin bringing her expertise in heart-centred sales and Niraj Kapur sharing his sales coaching strategies, this episode overfloweth with sales wisdom. 

🎧Tune in to master sales in 2022!🎧

Attention thirsty readers everywhere! Do you have a story that's got you absolutely parched? A news item, a marketing hit or miss, something from the world of entertainment and pop culture?   This week Susan is joined by Wealth Coach Wendy Brookhouse of Blackstar Wealth.  

We're now taking story submissions. Hit reply and let us know your take on a story that caught your attention this week. We may even ask you to join us on our weekly Linkedin Live chat show, #ThirstyThursday. 

~~~

Podcasts 2 Ways

1) Toronto Raptor Fred VanVleet now has a podcast, and he's not just giving us dunking tips. "Bet on Yourself", which is his own life mantra, is geared towards BIPOC entrepreneurs and gives realistic tips on how anyone can succeed in life. 

2) We love spinning content into as many pieces as we can, so we were thrilled to hear that Stephen Colbert and the Late Show are taking a page out of the Thirsty Thursday playbook and repurposing their shows into podcast episodes. Not everyone prefers the visual medium, so it's important to make your content available to anyone who might want to consume it!

Real life Canadian 'Succession' 

No matter how awkward your holiday dinner might get, it likely won't beat the Rogers family get together this year. The telecom giant is dealing with serious family infighting in the company, causing their stocks to drop and soap opera-like stories to be splashed across the news. We've learned two things for sure from this story: the lawyers are the real winners in this, and we all need to watch out for errant butt-dials.

Spanx founder catching attention for all the right reasons

Sara Blakely, CEO of Spanx is having a pretty sweet week with the sale of a majority share of her company to a private equity firm. Never one to keep the wealth all to herself, she rewarded each of her employees with 2 first class tickets anywhere in the world as well as $10,000. We've been following Sara's moves for a while and think she's super inspirational and sets an amazing example of vision and perseverance for women everywhere.

Cabinet Upgrade

Justin Trudeau did a little shuffle after the elections with a new cabinet containing many women. While he's been called performative and shallow and accused of tokenism, we think it looks great on he government, especially since with the new very qualified minister of defence, being not only a women, but a child of immigrants, Anita Anand. What we DON'T love is the now-erased headline announcing that previous minister of defense Harjit Sajjan was "being replaced by a woman". 

Roblox X Chipotle 

Chipotle is hosting a 3 day  "Halloween-themed 'Boorito' experience" via the game Roblox, where people can virtually trick or treat in the online restaurant and earn coupons towards actual in-restaurant food. It's only natural that companies like Chipotle are experimenting with new forms of marketing in the metaverse, with their audience getting less tuned in to typical marketing and more into gamification.

~~~

For these stories, and more including Elizabeth Holmes, Adobe's 'Convert to NFT' option, and the Calgary transport department's use of humour in signs, listen to the whole episode!

If you are thinking of doing something for the year end, and haven't quite nailed it, now's the time. 

Whether it's a report, or a workshop the best way to get it in the bag is to start with a recording to plan it. 

Come behind the scenes with co-host Susan Diaz and Will Lamont as they plan c+p digitals year-end Marketing Thirst Awards

In this power-packed 30 minute episode they walk you through

1. How to choose an event category that is fun, relevant to your brand, and takes the opportunity to repurpose various content properties you have already created.
2. The value of repurposing, especially when your bandwidth is stretched.
3. How a panel of contributors will not just add energy and bring credibility to your event, but also bring you their audiences.
   1. The categories
   2. How to make your process transparent
   3. The logistics to make it easier
4. We break down the methodology of an award show (if that's your jam)
5. How to pick some fun theming and an entertainment quotient to your event to prevent it from becoming a Zoom-box-snoozefest
6. And finally the marketing plan we will be focussing on for 5 weeks ahead of the event

If you've heard us before and don't hate us, drop us a 5 star review?

Please and thank you!

The year's end is nigh and most of us are thinking: Whaaaat just happened? As 2022 looms before us like an Apocalypse horseman (Pestilence? Just kidding, we're not that dire), us marketers, CEOs and business owners need to think about strategic goal setting. This episode is all about helping you plan so you can get where you want your company or team to be in the next three years (instead of worrying about how you'll get there).

Here's some of what we discuss:

1. Audit your content – and your team
2. Keep your curiosity aflame 
3. Draft your vivid vision
4. Take a closer look at the numbers

🎧Tune in for more planning cheats!🎧

Attention thirsty readers everywhere! Do you have a story that's got you absolutely parched? A news item, a marketing hit or miss, something from the world of entertainment and pop culture?   This week Susan is joined by Workplace Wellness Consultant, Speaker, Published Writer, and Personal Trainer Lydia DiFrancesco, MBA.

We're now taking story submissions. Hit reply and let us know your take on a story that caught your attention this week. We may even ask you to join us on our weekly Linkedin Live chat show, #ThirstyThursday. 

***

Podcast listeners talk back

The trend abroad, particularly in Chinese podcast apps, is that podcast platforms are getting more interactive, with ways to pull audience online and get them to talk back to you. This involves integrating reactions like hand gestures and nodding into platforms so we can actually see reactions. This concept is much newer here in North America, with only Spotify using Anchor to post polls that get their listeners a little more engaged. 

Why isn't this already a mainstream thing? As marketers, we really want to hear that feedback since the worst thing you could do as is talk about things that nobody cares about. So is it possible, or does it make sense to have interactions like this?

It seems like it might be a popular idea, but we're wondering whether it would actually fly in practice. Our take? Start with polls and commenting (which happens to be the one of the highest forms of engagements in content of all types) and see how things go from there. 

Lego Nixes Gender Bias

In a huge move, Lego has announced that they are doing away with gender bias in all their designs and marketing of their products. No more marketing specifically to boys or girls or both. This move has come after research with parents and some of the facts that came out are surprising; turns out only 24% of girl parents would think about Lego as an option for a girls toy. 

The Lego website is already gender neutral, with their products organized by themes.

This obviously isn't the answer to all the world's gender problems, but taking away some of that forced conditioning that people have is a great first step.

"Come on in, we're all vaxxed!"

Some Canadian businesses, especially restaurants, are beginning to use their staff's Covid-19 vaccination status as a marketing tool and it's making a big wave. And why not? As marketers we know that you always want to position yourself with your strengths at the forefront. Of course, these businesses respectfully asked the staff if it was ok to share their status. 

So many people are asking why they have to be vaccinated in order to go into a store or restaurant, but can then be served by someone who isn't. It's awesome that these businesses can set their customers' minds at ease and make them feel comfortable in a settings that is still feeling kinda new again to us all!

Netflix x Walmart (less Squid Game)

Netflix has finally gotten its own merchandising plan underway with a collaboration with Walmart. The hub is going to be on the Walmart site and will feature such products as Stranger Things and Cocomelon. It only makes sense that  they're going to jump on merchandising bandwagon as they see things like the white Vans from Squid Game flying off the shelves. (And yes, Squid Game t-shirts are coming soon!)

They're not quite Disney yet, but they're on their way to hopping on that playing field!

A-meow-zing Halloween marketing 

It wouldn't be October without talking about the Halloween marketing that's beginning to show up in our feeds. Jumping out at us is a commercial by the cat treat brand Temptations, who is offering up a "human" flavoured treat for the season. As non-cat-people, Susan and Lydia were a bit perplexed, but in a true case of "Know your audience", our resident c+p crazy cat lady Lindsay can confirm that this product is totally hilarious and will absolutely be part of her next Walmart haul.

If you want a slightly less disturbing treat for your feline friends, Temptations is also selling a more appetizing "Creepy Catnip" flavour. 

***

For these stories, and more including ownership of intellectual property re: Substack's URL repossessions, and a pandemic-approved Halloween costume that dispenses wine, listen to the whole episode!

Let's talk about the death of the broadcast-only model; you need two-way communication to build relationships. This abridged episode (the CliffsNotes version) of 🎙The 4am Report🎙 is for busy marketers who need to free up ⏰ to plan and strategize. We share how the Anchor Theory of Content Marketing can help you foster two-way communication and contribute to your sales pipeline. First you need to:

• Expand your network and keep in touch with the people you want to work with
• Navigate the (fine) line between sh*t tonnes of content, spammy content and content people want
• Know thy customer, so you can share content they'll appreciate.

🎧Tune in for more great tips and tricks🎧

Attention thirsty readers everywhere! Do you have a story that's got you absolutely parched? A news item, a marketing hit or miss, something from the world of entertainment and pop culture?  

We're now taking story submissions. Hit reply and let us know your take on a story that caught your attention this week. We may even ask you to join us on our weekly Linkedin Live chat show, #ThirstyThursday. 

 

Podcast Wars - Spotify Overtakes Apple

Spotify is set to take over as leader of podcasting. We're so excited - it's not brand new news but now it's official. We're also not surprised - we've talked a lot lately about companies like Spotify and iHeartRadio who are taking strides towards getting bigger and better, while Apple has really just sat back and stayed the same. No time to get complacent Apple, the podcast wars are here to stay. We really do love podcasting and podcasting drama. Good thing it's what we do for a living.

Is this the tipping point?

Facebook's reputation has been on the rocks for the last few years, and this week has seen more than its share of drama. Whisteblowers, the great outage of 2021, government hearings, the secrecy, the conspiracy theories. But really, Facebook has so much control over all of our lives. And while we all agree that there's a problem, we can't come to a consensus on the solution. And what about all the smaller businesses that use  Facebook and Instagram as part of their infrastructure?  (Shout out to Eleanor Beaton at 4:37 and a previous chat we've had about businesses who rely on and FB and oversimplistic solutions like "move it all' won't cut it)

Squid Game

The new number 1 show on Netflix in 90 countries is the phenomenon know as Squid Game. While we haven't watched yet (and maybe we're a little scared to??) we've definitely read a ton about reactions people are having and the big stories coming out of this show.

First, we chat about how Netflix accidentally used a woman's real phone number in the show and she was inundated with calls. (They have since edited it out and we approve. When you mess up, over-correct!)

Finally, we talk the value of translation - many Korean viewers respectfully say that the captions in English don't even begin to cut it (Shout out to Vatché Iskedjian at 12:33 - The value of proper translations; not just making them an afterthought or artificially generated.)

Merchtainment - Beyond a fashion show

Staying in the Squid Game space…

Vans is reporting a 7800% spike in sales of the white slip-on shoes featured in Squid Game. This new trend even has spin-offs, like people making videos about how to clean their white shoes. Once you hit that right chord, creators will pick up your stuff and really run with it. 

We also talk about how modern companies aren't brands, they're entire universes of experience. But is merchtainment just a trendy buzzword? Maybe not - even Kim and Kanye are taking it to the level - they don't just have Balenciaga clothing - they have an entire Balenciaga saga that somehow includes The Simpsons, remarriages and face coverings. 

Britney - 1, Dad - 0 

Big win for Britney Spears and for the #FreeBritney crowd as judge has now ruled that she is no longer under the conservatorship of her father. She has put out a statement thanking her lawyer and her fans for basically saving her life, and the next step is freeing her totally from a conservatorship. She's already making waves, flashing a big engagement ring from her longtime boyfriend Sam Asghari.

The power of a hashtag!  Seems like a frivolous thing but we're glad it's made a difference to Britney!

For these stories and more on Lewis Hamilton's move for teachers, YouTube's Twitch-like makeover, Dave Chappelle taking comedy too far, and Netflix's secrets on how to grab you with an image, listen to the full episode!

This episode dives into the evolving space where entrepreneurship, education, and AI collide. Host Susan Diaz sits down with Deborah Carraro, an educator, AI leader, and founder of ideborah, to unpack how early-stage entrepreneurs can approach AI with creativity, experimentation, and values alignment.

Deborah, who also leads AI efforts at Coralus (formerly SheEO), shares her insights from working with founders and students navigating new tech - often for the very first time.

💡 Key Themes

Confidence over perfection: The first step to AI literacy is giving yourself permission to try

Small experiments > Big overwhelm: Starting with low-stakes tools to build intuition

AI as a creativity booster: Using tools to prototype faster, not skip the strategy

The Coralus approach: Why community, trust, and collective intelligence matter in this tech shift

Values-aligned implementation: Replacing fear narratives with intentional, human-first use

📌 "AI is just a tool - the magic is in how you apply it." — Deborah Carraro
"We can't wait until we feel fully ready. We need to start experimenting now." — Susan Diaz

🔗 Guest Links

Website - ideborah.com
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ideborah1/ 

Loved the episode and want guided implementation? 

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Rate and review the show so more entrepreneurs can commit to AI literacy.

We hope you know we practice what we preach (by now!). We're repurposing some highlights from the show around how you can get explosive with your content – freeing you up for that all-important planning stuff as we roll into the fourth quarter and 2022 starts breathing down our necks🐲.

Yes, this episode is about spinning your anchor content into as many pieces of content as you can👏 by reframing it for the four formats:

❶ Written format
❷ Audio format
❸ Video format
❹ And, the graphic or image format

And how this frees up your time to focus on the strategy and planning! 

Let's avoid the 3 B's holding us back (aka Budget, Bandwidth, and Burnout) and embrace the three R's instead (reduce, reuse and recycle). 

🎧Tune in for more great tips and tricks🎧. Here's to getting ahead of 2022! 🥂

Attention thirsty readers everywhere! Do you have a story that's got you absolutely parched? A news item, a marketing hit or miss, something from the world of entertainment and pop culture?   We're now taking story submissions. Hit reply and let us know your take on a story that caught your attention this week. We may even ask you to join us on our weekly Linkedin Live chat show, #ThirstyThursday.    Podcast Wars - The Rise of the Rewatch
  The cult hit TV show, Friday Night Lights, is the focus of a new 'rewatch' podcast, hosted by two of its stars Derek Phillips and Stacey Oristano, where they'll be sharing the juicy scoop, dishing out the gossip and revealing previously unknown behind-the-scenes moments. This format of podcast - where stars of a show literally rewatch each episode then press record and chat - isn't new. In fact versions of it are popping up everywhere. So why are they so popular? Well, we get to hear about the fun and scandalous stuff we didn't know (and didn't know we needed to know), and it feeds the fans' love and nostalgia for the show. So what's the point for the creators? Streaming, people. It's all about getting the fans to go rewatch too...and make more money. We're here for it - you know we are obsessed with the repurpose!   The Leafs try to turn over a new...you know.   (Does writing a lot about sports make us sportier? We think so. It's called osmosis, people.)
This year, opening day for the Toronto Maple Leafs was newly coined Marketing Day in an attempt to change the narrative after yet another disappointing post-season (which last spring, when the Leafs exited after the first round of playoffs there was more than usual social media trolling / burning of jerseys). Now the Leafs are always going to be able to fill seats - this is Canada, after all - but as stated in this article, "The team is not worried about selling jerseys or tickets; it is selling a message; the key points are hope, optimism and belief."   Hopefully there will be a lot of believers out there - but there should be plenty of Beliebers, anyway, as Justin and his new clothing line, Drew, are collaborating with the team to create some truly Canadian designs.    Don't get the vaccine   Marketing win of the week: on Sunday outside a stadium in Charlotte, NC where the Carolina Panthers were playing, a truck drove around with a stark message: "Don't get vaccinated!" At first glance this looked like a typical anti-vaxxer ploy, until you looked closer and realized the sponsor of this message was "Wilmore Funeral Home". Turns out there's no such place. And of if you went to the advertised website, you found a single page with the text "Get vaccinated now. If not, see you soon" linking to a vaccine appointment registry and FAQ page. 
It turns out this stunt was pulled off by a local marketing agency and any actual effect this will have on getting anti-vaxxers to change their minds is questionable. But like us, they are sick of the false narratives and want to make a statement (and maybe have some fun trolling the anti-v crowd!)   Missing White Woman Syndrome   The internet and the media has been in a frenzy the last couple of weeks about the story of Gabby Petito's disappearance and murder...a fever known as "Missing White Woman Syndrome". The term was coined by PBS news anchor Gwen Ifill in the early 2000s about the obsession and attention given to white women who go missing or are murdered, while there are thousands of POC and indigenous women also missing. In fact, did you know that murder is the 3rd leading cause of death of indigenous women in the US? Meanwhile we all know the tragic stories and names of murdered white women like Laci Peterson and Natalee Holloway thanks to the huge amount of media surrounding the cases.   Not to diminish what has happened to Gabby and other white women, but it's very unfair that so many other women have been murdered and we haven't batted an eye. We're so glad to see this vital conversation happening.   Annie Murphy's private parts go pubic. I mean public.    After famously playing ditzy Alexis Rose in Schitt's Creek, then delving into something a little darker in Kevin Can F**ck Himself, Annie Murphy is taking us on a journey to a much deeper place. Partnering with Phexxi, a brand new hormone-free birth control gel, Annie stars in an hilarious, innuendo-filled commercial that happens to be set, well…inside her vagina. This happens to be a luxurious place where ain't nobody got time for traditional, hormonal, mood-swing-inducing birth control.  We're not surprised to find out this genius ad was thought up by an all-female creative team, checking all the boxes for female empowerment.   For these stories and more on Facebook's sketchy moves, the unfair demonization of the lovely Rosemary Barton, and Joan Rivers, who lives rent-free in our heads, listen to the full episode!

Are you falling out of love with your podcast because you're not seeing results or not using it to the full? Or maybe you're just bored of the same old, same old. In the words of Bobby McFerrin: 🎵Don't worry, be happy🎵, because we've got four plays to get your podcasting mojo back:

1. Get your podcast seen and heard by integrating it on your website 
2. Utilize good writing (and spin that podcast into as many pieces as you can)
3. Change up your format (how about a panel?)
4. Use the material from your pipeline 

🎧Tune in for more great tips and get that podcast mojo going 🎧

Podcast Wars - The Next Great Podcast 

iHeart Radio has launched a contest to find the best idea for a new podcast. Anyone can pitch their idea, and 10 semi-finalists will receive funding for a 10 minute pilot episode that will be voted on by people worldwide. The winner will get to work with the company to develop their show. Think your idea will be music to their ears? Better jump on it quick - the submission deadline is today at noon! 

Madonna's A$$

Madonna set tongues wagging and memes flying at the VMAs when she tossed off a trench coat and walked away, revealing most of her perky-af-holy-crap-how-is-she-63-behind to all the world. Speculation abounded about whether she had gotten implants, and also whether a woman of her age should be wearing something so skimpy.

But who needs all that Material, Girl? If you've got it (and you know every single one of you has it), flaunt it if you want to. Be like Madge. Don't let anyone tell you how you can or can't Express Yourself.

Met Memes

Arguably the best celebrity fashion event of the year, the Met Gala did not disappoint us with its theme of "American Independence". From Alexandria Ocasio Cortez's "Tax the rich" dress (designed by a Torontonian) to Kim K's black 100% full coverage "t-shirt", we loved seeing not only the looks, but also the hilarious memes they spawned. And can we just talk about the men this year, who have seriously upped their game with some wild and expressive outfits. 

Royally Influential

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were recently named in Time Magazine as two of the 100 most influential people in the world. Despite tons of controversy from their wedding, leaving the royal family, and settling in the US, they've finally found their place and are using their celebrity to work for organizations and causes that are working to change the world for the better. We're happy to see them being recognized for all the good they do after so much drama.

Nuts to you, Nicki

Nicki Minaj made just about every medical professional nuts over the weekend when she tweeted about her reluctance to get a Covid vaccine after her Trinidadian cousin's friend apparently became impotent and developed swollen testicles (NOT a recognized side effect) after receiving one. Nicki was widely criticized for spreading disinformation, even by the head of Trinidad and Tobago's minister of health, who made it clear that time had been wasted confirming that the story was, in fact, complete and utter balls.

Bill 8 Ain't Great According to Salesforce

Salesforce did not shy aware from the political arena this week when, after the passing of anti-abortion law Bill 8, they sent out a message to thousands of Texan employees offering to help them relocate if they're concerned about their access to reproductive care. Other companies like Uber have also offered to pay legal fees for any drivers sued for driving someone to an abortion clinic. Good on them for taking a stand and stepping into the ring.

Peg the Patriarchy AKA an Intellectual Property Drama 

A little bit of controversy at the Met Gala when Cara Delevingne showed up in a Dior bodysuit with "Peg the Patriarchy" written across the front. Basically it's 'Stick it to the man.', but go ahead and google if you're not familiar with the NSFW term.
Someone who DOES know this term very well - i.e- Luna Matatas, the woman who coined the term - was shocked that her trademarked saying was splashed across the internet without her consent. Um can you say appropriation by the priviledged themselves? What's going to happen now that Dior is getting called out? You'll have to stay tuned...

We kid ye not. There really is an international "Talk like a Pirate Day" on the 19th of September, so we decided to honour this as we introduce our latest episode of 🎙The 4am Report🎙. Being the kind, caring and salty duo we are (self-titled of course), this episode shares the five things ye need for a successful podcast launch. Take a glimpse at what we discuss:

1. Why ye need a solid content calendar with your content mapped out
2. What makes your podcast stand out (yes, that hook we keep harping on about and a few other treasures that may or may not be pirate-related🦜)
3. The tech suite ye choose and why it matters 
4. Good writing ✏ (underestimate it at ye peril)
5. Great relationships and how to foster them🤲

🎧Tune in for more sound and sage podcasting advice🎧

She. Was. 21. 
If you're of a certain age, even if you're not  American, you most likely remember THE presidential scandal of the 90s and have heard of Monica Lewinski. Considered the home wrecker of the century, the then-21 year old's name was dragged through the mud after being groomed by a much older, powerful man, in a way that would be totally unacceptable these days.  Fast forward to now, the 48 year old has not only used her platform to advocate for anti-bullying measures, she's producing her very own American Crime Story episode on the subject of the presidential impeachment. We love seeing the strength she has to rise above after years and years of abuse from the media.   Extreme Contract Makeover When it comes to being the spokesperson of a brand, the contracts end of things isn't always easy, breezy, or even beautiful. At least not until poet and activist Amanda Gorman came to the bargaining table and gave the whole deal a makeover. Now known as the "Global Changemaker" of 75-year-old and woman-founded Estée Lauder, Amanda says "I'm never just lending my body or my face. They are getting my spirit, my breath, my brain." Over the 3 year contract, Estée Lauder companies have pledged to donate $3 million to support writing and equality initiatives. Yassss!   Superbowl ad spots are going...going...almost gone
If you've got a cool $6.5 million just hanging around, you'd better move quickly to grab your advertising spot during the Super Bowl. Despite a lackadaisical response to the game in February, including a huge advertiser backing out in favour of supporting vaccination initiatives, this year spots are at a premium and going fast. While we're not super crazy into the world of athletics (Go Sports!), we're obviously not going to miss out on the epic commercials that just happen to come along with those big guys pushing each around over a ball.   The birth of an album Lil Nas X has been delighting us with his fearless marketing ever since he tossed in some red contacts, put blood into shoes, and killed the devil in one of the most controversial videos of the year. Now, in the leadup to the "birth" of his debut album, he's taking the pregnancy theme to the next level. On top of posting many photos of his very realistic baby bump and counting down to his September 17th due date, he has now released a "baby registry" - a list of 15 charitable organizations (each matched to one of the 15 tracks on the album) people can donate to, including the Transinclusive Group and The Bail Project. That is one classy baby daddy. Even Obama got involved. Listen to the podcast if you want the deets.   It's the most wonderful time of the year Also possibly the most stressful time of this year, with parents wondering about how back to school is going to look once again with a potential 4th wave of covid on the horizon. Megan O'Neill (who subbed for resident host Will Lamont, who's on a much needed break) is closely watching the Twitter bets on if and when schools will shut down again, sending her kids back to virtual learning, while Susan's family has opted for virtual schooling. They can both agree that this is a huge topic on everybody's minds right now.          

Hey, content creator. This episode of 🎙The 4am Report🎙 we're telling you to:

🛑 Stop creating new content! 🛑

Yes, we know those words feel like a knife going into the creator's heart. It's controversial, it's hard-hitting, but ultimately, we just share a different, fun way to be creative. Learn all about the mixed-media artist metaphor and how it applies to you. And how repurposing is a bit like creating different invitations to the same party🥳. 

So how do you repurpose?

1. Reclaim something with a successful lifespan and give it some more play
2. Reimagine how you present or promote that content

Nobody's telling you not to create. Just create in a different way.

🎧Tune in for more!🎧

Did somebody say podcast cohort?

We were excited to hear the news that ABC announced that they're doing a special podcast series called Behind The Table, based on The View. They will have past View cohosts talking about their time on The View, with behind the scenes stories and the hosts spilling the tea on the many controversies over the years. Obviously ABC is doing this because we have recently been thirsting for our View-like podcast panel services, where we bring together experts who share a similar audience to speak panel style, like a fireside chat. September 14th - check it out if you want to catch Meredith Vieira, Lisa Ling, and all your other faves!

Riot if not McPizza   McDonalds Canada recently posted a teaser saying they were bringing back a fan favourite, immediately leading the nostalgic internet to assume they were reviving the popular McPizza from the 80s. Turns out this was not the case, and what ensued was a hilarious thread of disappointed people, great (slightly panicked) marketing from McD's, and a lot of newsjacking from other companies. Oh yeah, and it's actually spicy McNuggets coming back. 

On another spicy note? Mountain Dew and Flaming Hot Cheetos have teamed up to make a spicy monstrosity of a beverage. As Will says, Mountain Dew? More like Mountain Don't.    Pearl Milling Company

Pearl Milling Company, previously known as Aunt Jemima, has released their first ad since their huge rebranding from a long-time look that really smacked of racism. This ad features several black families enjoying the food they've made. No word on how sales have been, but we're watching closely to see how this works out for them.   Zoom Doom   DYK that since remote working has been the norm, 1 in 4 bosses have had to fire someone for some kind of inappropriate Zoom behaviour, and most have had to dole out some discipline over poor Zoom etiquette? While things have been a bit more relaxed in general considering the circumstances (who really wears "hard pants" on these calls, amiright?), some people have slipped a little too far and execs and clients aren't digging it. Not only that, evidently the higher ups don't totally trust that work is getting done effectively enough at home either. Take it from some remote working experts - stay professional, stay on task, and just wear something - anything, please - on your bottom half.    Empowering or demeaning?
If you've been around for a while, you've definitely heard the term "girl boss". Love it or hate it, it's been the war cry of women everywhere who have worked to be seen as equal to men in the same situations. Head over to this interesting article in Nymag's 'The Cut' column and let us know your take.
  Adaptive Fashion for the win   In the leadup to New York Fashion Week, we're seeing a great trend of designers showcasing their inclusive designs. It's not just about race and religion either. These designers are also creating "adaptive fashion" - clothes that are accessible to those with physical disabilities. 

So, you've got a podcast brand and you want to develop the visual side of it? On this episode of 🎙The 4am Report🎙 we share how you can grab your audience through your podcast promo visuals:

1. Think beyond cover art – get tactical
2. Use visual storytelling – and change it up often
3. Keep your video on 

🎧Tune in for more!🎧

With birthday boy Will off celebrating, Susan is joined this week by Global Marketing Director of Shared Services & Outsourcing Network (SSON), Dionne Vaz for this week's #ThirstList

****

AirBnB and Afghanistan

The news cycle has been heavy the last little while and we've seen individuals and brands reacting to the situation in Afghanistan. One of the companies that is really stepping up is AirBnB, who are planning on paying for 20000 Afghan refugees to be housed in host homes.  This is fantastic, but not surprising, as this is super on brand for AirBnB. From Hurricane Sandy to the Pulse Nightclub shooting, they have been great in times of crisis.  One thing that bothered Susan just a little was that the story was rushed out with no real meat to it. So how are they going to go about doing this? What are the next steps? When you release things that are purpose-driven, make sure you include all the details in one spot so people get the dirt without all the digging. 

Want to help out in Afghanistan but not sure where to start? Check out this link for a list of curated and verified GoFundMe campaigns.   Podcast Wars - Spotify's on our radar again
At Spotify, after some beta testing, they have opened up Podcasts Subscriptions service to all US creators. Some of the highlight points: 

1) No more FOMO - you want in, you got it!
2) Lots of detail on the pricing - we appreciate that they noted that creators like more flexibility in prices. 3) The ability to use RSS feeds

Apple already jumped on the podcast subscription bandwagon a while back, but Spotify, an Apple critic in the antitrust fight, is so far keeping their prices more affordable.    #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt

While we're still swimming around in the realm of Creator Economy, we had some news this week about how TikTok is expanding its ecommerce efforts in a partnership with Shopify and are allowing creators the ability to affiliate with brands. Users will be able to shop right from their favourite TikTokker's account. We heart a good UX. Instagram has used this feature well, so why not?     OnlyFans tries to pull out, but there's a happy ending   This week OnlyFans, under pressure from banks and financial services companies, announced that they were banning sexually explicit content from the site. This decision was quickly reversed after a huge uproar from both fans and creators, many of whom are relying on their content as a main source of income. Talk about failure to identify both their target audience and target creators, but good on them for supporting their peeps in the end.    Curry is not a spice!
  Padma Lakshmi, Indian author, actor, model, and tv presenter, took on The Washington Post and one uber-annoying opinionated writer who ranted about how much he disliked Indian food. Ok that's totally fine, right? Not when you do it in a lazy, racist, and frankly non-factual way, claiming it's the only ethnic food completely based on one spice - curry. Um, what? Ugh. Padma fairly kindly Instagram-shamed him whilst also cleverly plugging her new book, "The Encyclopedia of Spices & Herbs" Hello, newsjacking! We love it, Padma!   Sort of Thirsting in T.O.    From right here in the hood, a story of a new tv series called Sort Of, created by and starring Bilal Baig, who is the first queer south asian Muslim playing the lead of a primetime show. How freaking amazing that we get to live in this wonderful diverse city and now it is going to be showcased all over mainstream TV! 

In this episode, Melissa Lloyd, founder of Aigility Hub, joins host Susan Diaz to explore the mindset-first approach to adopting AI. We unpack why tools and tactics should follow clarity, confidence, and intentional leadership.

This conversation is a must-listen for entrepreneurs and leaders feeling overwhelmed by tech shifts and wondering how to bring human-centred strategy to their AI journey.

💡 Key Themes:

Mindset before tools: Why jumping into automation without alignment is a fast path to failure

From fear to fluency: A leader's journey from AI-skeptic to AI-evangelist

Overwhelm is optional: Practical ways to curate your learning and stay grounded

AI ≠ a separate strategy: It's your business strategy with AI built in

Trust in the age of deepfakes: How emotional intelligence and values build durable credibility

Leadership redefined: The new rules of leading with EQ in uncertain times

🔗 Guest Links:

Website: agilityhub.ai
LinkedIn: Melissa Lloyd

🧠 Snippet to remember:

"There's no such thing as getting it wrong - just get going. The only thing in your way is your mindset." – Melissa Lloyd

Timestamps to note:

03:15 – Why the mental "lens" you carry drives every AI decision and result
08:45 – The overwhelm loop: news velocity, comparison and "never-enough" skills
15:30 – Coaching leaders one-to-one when the org isn't aligned yet
19:10 – How curiosity neutralizes fear and opens space for experimentation
22:40 – Micro-habits for AI mastery: 20-min sandbox, daily reflection log
 

Loved the episode and want guided implementation? 

Marketing Power Circle is where founders and fractional CMOs build the workflows that free 5-10 hours a week. 

You'll find more information here: https://cpdigitalinc.vipmembervault.com/products/courses/view/1157552 

Rate and review the show so more entrepreneurs can commit to AI literacy.

Want to get people hooked on your podcast? The Holy Trinity of Hooking tells you how (in our trademark style, because if your mind went there, you're our people).  On this episode of 🎙The 4am Report🎙 we dive into the 3 ways you can make sure your podcast is memorable:

1. Up your visual 
2. Rethink your intro 
3. Ditch the fluff

🎧Tune in for more!🎧

With Susan Diaz off on a much deserved summer road trip, Rohini Mukherji, Susan's cohost of the ABCDEI podcast and senior PR leader, joined Will for this week's #ThirstList

*****

Shang-Chi is not an "experiment"

Disney can't seem to catch a break lately between their legal battles and a foot-in-mouth problem. Allegedly, on a Q3 earnings call, the CEO of Disney called the release of Shang-Chi, a film starring an Asian-Canadian actor, "a big experiment". This caused some backlash from the cast, who rightly feel that this is a big moment for the Asian community. Maybe the comment didn't come out quite right, but it goes to show that it's important to be intentional with our language. Actions matter, but words do too.

Disney's Spin and Turning Red

Despite our focus on the negative things lately, we're totally not anti-Disney, and think they have some really cool stuff in the works. The Disney Original Channel just premiered 'Spin', a movie  about an Indian-American family with a daughter torn between her family and wanting to be a DJ. And a little closer to home, a Pixar movie called 'Turning Red' set right here in Toronto and filled with characters of different races and religions is coming out, marking the debut of their first director that is a woman of colour. Represent!

Making Lululemonade out of lemons
  Last week we spoke about the recent UN climate report and how fast fashion is having a devastating impact on the environment. After a yoga-pants filled pandemic, Lululemon has announced a big plan for making their products more sustainable, starting with their investment in a plant based nylon company, Genomatica.    H&M's latest collab   H&M is known for its collabs with high end fashion designers, and recently they've paired up with Indian designer Sabyasachi Mukherji. Known for his intricate and traditional embroidery, Sabyasachi often works to empower artisans, which is causing some people to wonder why he would sell out to a huge, ethically questionable company like H&M. We think it's a toss-up - we obviously would love more awareness of Indian fashion and have it become more mainstream, but we want to see this done in a way that is authentic, preserves the culture, and is fair to everyone involved.   Say no to fake political news!
  The Canada federal election is coming quickly, and Facebook has an initiative to ensure that the information that goes out to the public from the political parties is true and correct. Users can also now adjust settings to decide whether they want more political news or less in their newsfeed. In true Facebook style though, the process in which this will work is a closely guarded secret. Despite that, it's cool to be able to choose how much we want to hear about the election and have the news be a little more regulated to whatever we want.

Many people think it's boring, but it's not. The much maligned content audit is a fantastic tool to amplify your content. On this episode of 🎙The 4am Report🎙, we have a panel of three content auditing experts from the world of international marketing👏. We talk about the pet peeves that keep us up at night and the four content audit things you're not thinking about – and should be:

1. Focusing on your Ideal Client Profile (ICP)
2. Establishing patterns by running ads
3. Using public domain content 
4. Trawling your own company for content  

🎧 Tune in for more! 🎧

 

About Romina Buchle

Romina is a passionate friction fighter for marketing, sales and customer success. She knows online marketing and the implementation of digital strategies, processes and tools and likes to get into the engine room from time to time. As Marketing Manager at Aioma she strives to enable fellow B2B marketers in Europe to do Rockstar Marketing - even with very limited resources.

About Amber Khan

Amber Khan is the founder of Amplifyology where they help marketing leads & author entrepreneurs defy obscurity & ignite their brands using the science of building brand momentum that we call, Amplifyology.  She's also authored an international bestseller called Guilt Free Motherhood for entrepreneurial mums suffering from "mum-guilt".  She believes that, without content marketing, your business is doomed. And without content repurposing, your content marketing is doomed.

About Kira Tchernikovsky

Kira is an international marketing consultant with over 14 years of experience with startup companies and corporates.    In 2020 Kira started her own gig - Customerization - to offer businesses fit-for-purpose solutions in the business technology space. Customerization enables small and medium businesses in Canada and beyond to sell and service digitally by implementing Zoho business automation technology and repeatable marketing programs that boost revenue.

With Susan Diaz off on a much deserved summer road trip , Angela Penton, Founder of Open Field PI, joined Will for this week's  #ThirstyThursday

****

Greta Vogues fully on brand

Just in case you didn't already realize the world is on fire, the latest UN climate report is stating that, unequivocally, humans are changing the climate everywhere on the planet. There's really no going back, but we CAN slow things down. 

Recently Greta Thunberg, climate warrior extraordinaire, was on the cover of Vogue Scandinavia and took the opportunity to speak directly against the fast fashion industry as she accuses it of greenwashing.

What is greenwashing? Well in this case, it's when a company comes out with a line of environmentally friendly clothing (calling it recycled or eco or sustainable) to distract us from the environmental devestation they are actually causing. A recent report by the Changing Markets Foundation found that 59% of fast fashion brands making environmentally friendly claims, were in fact, false.

According to Greta, you cannot mass produce fashion and promote yourself as sustainable.

This has us rethinking some our own choices. We're all going to have to change our behaviour if we want to slow the warming down. 

Salesforce and Chill

Salesforce acquired Slack last year, and now they are announcing that in September they're going to launch a streaming service for business professionals - basically Netflix for the Linkedin crowd. They plan to produce their own shows, but are also taking user-submitted content as well. Is this the next generation of Ted Talks? The new trusted business gospel? We're watching closely!

Let's Go To The Movies!

Are you ready to hit the movie theatres again? To encourage us all to return, Cineplex Canada is launching a membership program. For $9.99 a month, you get one free movie, discounts on their super addictive popcorn and the opportunity to purchase cheaper tickets for any friends who want to join you. Is this enough to lure us back now that the dents in the couch are JUST RIGHT for our butts after 18 months of Netflix and Disney+ in our own home theatres?

Delta Force

Delta airlines won some hearts for sending a gift package to a little girl named Delta, whose mother tweeted she was so bummed because, well, you know...the variant. 

Just like Delta Airlines, Corona Beer likely wasn't too happy when the Corona Virus was first name. But interestingly enough, their sales did not suffer at all. In fact, they went up!

Ah, the resiliency of kids and brands.

(BTW - we're wondering how Delta Burke has been handling the past few months)

A&W Antics

A&W Canada got a bit too gimmicky for both of us with their "Beyond Bait Experiment" to help launch their new plant based nuggets. In the promo video the veggie nugget is fed to a venus flytrap to prove that plant based bites can in fact satisfy a meat eater.

About Angela

Angela is the owner of Open Field PI and helps fast growing trades and manufacturers build capacity with effective processes so they can serve more happy customers with less day to day hassles and stress.   Continuous Improvement and creative and resourceful problem solving are the things that really drive her forward. In her spare time, she loves to swim, scuba dive and hike the beautiful trails of Nova Scotia.

Podcasting is a great way to up your digital publishing, establish you as a thought leader and take your networking to the next level, especially if you're still stuck at our kitchen table or on your laptop. Wendy Brookhouse is on the show to tell us about her experience with podcasting and how it's helped her reach more people.

We talk about:

• Providing value that resonates
• How to avoid some of the biggest pitfalls of podcasting (like not maximizing your podcast and extracting those "nuggets of gold")... and how to get the biggest benefits
• Choosing your panel and the joys of collaboration and batch recording
• The 🕸Charlotte's Web effect🕸

🎧Tune in for more!🎧

About Wendy:

Wendy Brookhouse is a behavioural finance focused advisor who helps smart, ambitious people unleash their money power. Wendy believes that we all have money power. It is buried under life's pleasures, unconscious spending and the desire to have the lives that everyone else's social media says they have.  She invented the One Number Solution, a trademark system that unleashes money power with strategies around spending, debt, saving and safety net.

Connect:

Black Star

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlackStarWealth/
LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/company/black-star-wealth-partners
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BlackStarHFX

Wendy

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wendybrookhouse?lang=en
LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/wendy-brookhouse-4210701
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wendy.brookhouse.370

Bitch finally had her money, I guess

About FourFive Seconds ago we found out that one of our favourite singers, Rihanna, is now Unapologetically a billionaire, and not just from her impressive song catalogue. She put a ton of Work into her two inclusive Fenty lines for face and clothing, which have given her a financial Umbrella to stand under. Now as long as she stays away from those Rude Boys and keeps her face Towards the Sun, she won't have to Work too hard to keep herself in Diamonds.

(See how we did that there? That's some deep Rihanna knowledge on display!)

Black Widow Bites Disney

Scarlet Johansson is suing Disney over the terms of her contract surrounding the Black Widow movie, in which her contract is structured for her to get a share of the box office. Obviously since the pandemic is putting a damper on the movie theatre experience, Disney decided to sell the movie for $30 to Disney Plus subscribers. Is this ok?

If only we knew a lawyer who specializes in contracts…like our friend and business lawyer, ANDREA HENRY. She joined us on our #ThirstyThursday chat show to speak about Disney's condescending, public response to Scarlett's suit and how contracts are vital to building your empire.

Is ScarJo being greedy since she already made 20 million off this movie? Um, no - enforcing your contractual rights is not greedy. Andrea sets us straight on why this is not cool on Disney's part, and why other celebs might be jumping on the bandwagon to fight for their contractual rights. 

Get a Real Contract so you don't end up Desperate 

We jump back to Andrea for more important insight on The Real Housewives of New York and a dust up over the lack of a contract.

Countess Luann was preparing a Christmas single, and all the housewives were to be featured in a merry explosion of fake togetherness for charity. When the topic of a contract was brought up, Luann was offended and felt accused of being untrustworthy. Here's the thing - lots of friends work together and it can be uncomfortable for them to bring up the subject of a contract for this very reason. But when it comes down to it, contracts are ESPECIALLY important to keep both the business and the friendship intact. Ask the hard questions and just do it!

(Also, did you ever think we'd be learning business lessons from the ladies of New York?!?)

A 15-minute meeting where you actually stand up? Mara Svenne is back on the show to tell us about the benefits of daily Stand Ups for collaboration, productivity, and efficiency. Learn why:

🧍‍ Stand Ups are short, sweet, and focused
🧍‍♀️️‍ A facilitator helps keep things moving (along with the presence of key decision makers)
🧍‍️ Parking an idea can be strategic
🧍‍♀️️️ Stand Ups help team members get clear on their priorities (and so much more!)

Plus, you'll get some of her top time management tips used in Agile, like Scrum and Combat.

🎧Tune in for more!🎧

About Mara

Mara Svenne is the founder of mPath Facilitation and works as a group process facilitator, scrum master and agile coach, primarily in the financial services industry.   Mara is an IAF Certified™ Professional Facilitator, a past board member of the International Association of Facilitators (IAF), and a 2017 Gold winner of the Facilitation Impact Awards.  Mara has facilitated project team start-ups and retrospectives, management strategy sessions, and vision /mission sessions for non-profit boards and start-ups.  An active and Distinguished Toastmaster, Mara believes in the power of conversation to help individuals find their voice and create a shared path to success.   To more information, please contact: mara@mpathfacil.com

Spotify charges ahead

Spotify continues to dominate over all other podcasting platforms, announcing they have 165 million paid subscribers (compared to Apple's estimated 55 million) and that their ad revenue was up 627% in Q2. Impressive. 

This comes on the heels of Spotify continuing to invest heavily in both content and technology: the recent acquisitions of podcast juggernauts, Call Her Daddy (hosted by Alex Cooper) and Armchair Expert (hosted by Dax Sheppard), and a software company called Podz, which allows for automated clips to be pulled from episodes. The podcast wars are heating up, folks. And we promise to keep you informed.

 

We ❤️ Simone. A lot.

Perhaps the most famous athlete at this summer's Olympic Games, Simone Biles, shockingly withdrew from competing in the women's gymnastics team event on Tuesday, citing concerns over her mental health. 

Gone are the days athletes had to push through the pain, risking serious injury, and mental health repercussions. These athletes are advocating for themselves and putting their own wellbeing first. We saw this with Naomi Osaka at the French Open. And now Simone is saying her mental health is more important than an Olympic medal.

We applaud you Simone. You really are a true role model.

 

...And then Michael Andrew is a whole other story

(FYI - we don't ❤️ him)

One of the top US male swimmers, Michael Andrew, announced prior to the Games that he was not vaccinated and had no plans to get vaccinated. His rationale? He didn't want to risk any effect the vaccine might have on his body and performance.

Talk about the utmost display of selfishness and disrespect this decision has towards his teammates (if anyone tests positive they're done at the games), not to mention towards the people of Japan (who are experiencing record level of Covid cases).

One former Olympic US gold medal swimmer called him out in her now viral twitter rant, while others have defended his right to do what he wants.

This led us to thinking when brands chose to sponsor a big name athlete, you really need to consider things beyond just their athletic prowess. Their social media activity. Their social activism and the causes they support. And are they an anti-vaxxer?!? Is aligning with someone as great a swimmer as Andrew, knowing his stance on vaccines, worth it? 

 

And the gold medal goes to...Tik Tok!

With athletes having to isolate, and broadcasters not having the same access to them as they did during past games, Tik Tok has become the great connector at this year's Olympic Games.

(Is it any surpirse that a bunch of locked up Gen Z'ers of coure turned to Tik Tok?)

Athletes have been using the platform to share 'behind the scenes' moments, such as testing out the cardboard 'no sex' beds, their pre-competition preparation rituals, and even the food they're eating the cafetarias.

Seriously, if you haven't looked up the hashtag #olympictiktok, do it! It's just as, if not more, entertaining than the events themselves!

Sorry NBC, but Tik Tok is our unofficial Olympic broadcaster now.

 

The revenge of the unitard

It seems that some female athletes are sick and tired of being told what to wear when they compete. Especially when what they're supposed to wear is skimpy, barely-there clothing.

We saw this last week when the Norweigan women's beach handball team opted to wear biker shorts instead of the mandated bikini bottoms, and then received a fine for not complying. 

(Shout out to rockstar Pink for offering to pay their fines)

And this week, the German women's gymnastics team chose to wear a unitard instead of the high cut, swim-suit style outfit you normally see at competition, as a statement against the oversexualization of women in their sport. 

And while we're on the subject of more inclusive athletic apparel for women, Adidas launched a Burkini line of swimwear in the middle east. And to kick-off the new line, and in a true grandiose Dubai way, they made a billboard that's a real pool with Burkini-clad swimmers enjoying the water.

 

Are you bored by the traditional tired-to-death podcast formats that everyone uses, (probably) even you? Learn how to mix it with 12 imaginative podcast formats to help you engage and entertain your audiences: 

• Strategic and tactical teaching 
• Episode arcs, podcast cohorts and show & tell
• Sharing tactical processes, establishing yourself as a thought leader and/or newsjack with pride
• Repurposing your podcast content (like nobody's business)👏👏👏

🎧Tune in for more!🎧

The Brewing Podcasting Wars   Amazon recently purchased one of the top listened-to podcasts, Smartless, -- hosted by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett -- for 80 million bucks! Their plan? 

To release new episodes on Amazon one week before releasing them to other podcasting platforms. This followed Spotify's recent acquisition of the super popular 'Call Her Daddy' podcast and their plans to exclusively host it on their platform.

With podcasting advertising revenue breaking the 1 billion mark for the first time, and no signs of this audio medium slowing down, we've decided to start a new regular segment on The Thirst List that we're dramatically calling 'The Podcast Wars'.   Is that a rocket in your pocket? Or are you just happy to see me?

We couldn't NOT talk about this. Billionaire Jeff Bezos blasted to space in a rocket, whose shape had the interwebs giggling with glee. And while we are here for all the phallic memes (oh, and the Dr. Evil comparisons too), we're especially enjoying the debate about the huge dollars being spent by the trio of space cowboys (Bezos, Musk and Branson) while we have so many ongoing issues on planet earth.

To counter this narrative of what some say is irresponsible spending, immediately following his space trip, Bezos announced two 100 million donations to Van Jones and Chef José Andrés to help them basically change the world. 

One thing we want to point out -- sometimes it takes visionary, ego manically driven billionaires to push change forward. The advancements they are making now will undoubtedly inspire a whole new generation of space exploration.

As Henry Ford famously said, "If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses."   Olympic Woes
  I'm not sure if you've heard,...but the Tokyo Olympic Games start TODAY, and boy, has this lead up been a messy one.

Just this week, the director for the opening ceremony was fired for past remarks about the holocaust, the majority of Japanese people don't want the games happening, some athletes have already tested positive for Covid, leaving major advertisers and sponsors scrambling to put option B plans in place.

Toyota, one of the major advertisers, has pulled all their broadcast advertising for the Japanese audience (they're still going ahead as planned for other markets) in an attempt to not seem insensitive.

Brands are likely weighing the price being associated with a potential sh!t show vs losing out on money already spent on ads.   FOMO NOMO?   Clubhouse, the audio-only social platform that we all scrambled to check out this past winter, just announced that its 'invite only' policy is no more.
  Without that FOMO vibe, will Clubhouse lose its appeal? Actually, wait...hasn't it already kinda lost some of its early appeal? We'd love to know your thoughts! Do you use Clubhouse still? Do you still see it as an effective platform for reaching new audiences? Hit reply to this newsletter and let us know.

Ready to stop cursing at that under-performing GPT (that you lovingly built - only to watch it spit out meh)? In this short episode, host Susan Diaz breaks down five foundations every custom GPT needs before it can truly earn a spot on your team, plus a 48-hour challenge to tune-up (or totally transform) the bot you already have.

What's inside

🧑‍💻 The mindset flip: treat your GPT like a junior hire, not a piece of software.

⚙️ SOPs > prompts: why bolting on a clear, bullet-proof workflow instantly levels up output quality.

📚 Rules vs. knowledge base: the single most common structural mistake - and how to fix it in minutes.

🔄 Iterate like a dev: simple edit-test loops that turn "average" into "80% done for me".

🌟 Show, don't tell: how curated examples teach your bot what "good" looks like.

🛠️ Troubleshooting trio: quick fixes for vague answers, hallucinations, or bland, off-brand copy.

🚀 48-Hour Challenge: a step-by-step sprint to debug your weakest GPT and get it producing win-worthy work.

Quick-hit timestamps

00:48 – Why custom GPTs are a core skill inside Marketing Power Circle
03:12 – The five foundations - tl;dr
04:35 – Foundation #1: delegate like you're onboarding a human
05:48 – Foundation #2: document every step (your GPT can't read minds)
08:50 – Foundation #3: split rules from reference material
10:37 – Foundation #4: iterate, test, let teammates break it
11:57 – Foundation #5: define "done" with gold-standard examples
12:42 – Common failures
15:04 – The 48-Hour GPT Fix-It Challenge
15:52 – Ready for real momentum? Join Marketing Power Circle

Resources and next steps

Marketing Power Circle (MPC) – Susan's AI-implementation mastermind for founder-led teams ready to save 5-10 hours a week with battle-tested workflows → Grab your seat here

Want Susan to review your tuned-up GPT? DM her "Challenge Complete" on LinkedIn, after you run the 48-hour sprint - one listener will snag a free MPC Open-House pass.

Enjoying the show? 

Drop a 5-star rating so more founders can build AI literacy (and fewer "meh" GPTs).

AI literacy is non-negotiable for the future - thanks for learning alongside us!

This episode of 🎙The 4 AM Report!🎙 Will and I share how to use podcast cohorts to get a host (pun intended) of great benefits, including:

🎙 Accountability – when you have to get it done
🎙 Less bandwidth – another way to get more done for less effort
🎙 Amplified networks – benefit from a wider audience and more sharing
🎙 Up the Entertainment Quotient – and keep everyone engaged 
🎙 Get better together – the power of collaboration

🎧Tune in for more!🎧

🚨🚨We interrupt regular programming to bring you this week's news at the intersection of entertainment and marketing.🚨🚨

Welcome to the Thirst List. A Friday edition of the hits, the misses, the causes, and the people that left us Thirsty.

Dundas is done   If you know Toronto, you know Dundas St. But soon you'll know it as something else, thanks to a city council vote that will change the name from one associated with Henry Dundas, who was involved with the slave trade. As Coun. Michael Thompson said before the vote, "History will remember not so much what it cost us to change the name — it will remember whether or not we actually take the right action. Our reputation is on the line."    Manchester shows their love   After a disgusting show of racism in the wake of the Euro loss, Brits are now stepping up to show Black footballer Marcus Rashford how much they really do love and appreciate him. The site of a graffitied Rashford mural is now covered up in signs, flowers, and tokens expressing, love, acceptance and appreciation for this young star.   Retail foot traffic
  They say shopping is like therapy, and after a tough round of lockdowns that mentally knocked us down, but not out, Canadians are taking "treat yo' self" to a whole new level. With restrictions easing, the retail market is getting set for a big boom, with clothing stores already seeing a 44% increase in traffic compared to the same time in 2019.   Survey says... Gen Z hates email. They might be checking their texts and TikTok notifications pretty quickly, but don't email them or you may be kept waiting. It's going to be interesting to see how workplace communication evolves when these guys take charge!   Imagination, life is your creation
  Barbie is no longer a blonde bimbo girl in a fantasy world. The latest celeb to find out that life in plastic is fantastic is none other than tennis star Naomi Osaka. After the drama of the French Open, we're loving that this doll is going to put a spotlight on giving girls the right to stand up and say, what they believe in and being able to live the way they choose. Come on Barbie, let's go party!   Streaming cuts the cable   Emmy nominations are out and for the first time ever, streaming has overtaken cable for popularity. All the major streaming channels have original productions in the running.  For a lot of us, our streaming services were a lifeline. (As an aside: who else has a serious dent in their couch from all the binge watching we've done this past year?)  

Welcome to the 💫4 AM Report💫 where we're sharing the highlights from our Crisis Communications series to help you face some of the biggest crises of our time. So, if you don't know what you should be saying, or how to respond, here's our best tactical advice:

🚦Stop: Hit pause on your marketing lest something tone-deaf or tasteless goes out

🚦Drop: Drop all your current marketing plans and re-assess all your content. 

🚦Roll: Once you've got a grip on what's happening and how you can contribute respectively, roll with it supportively (hint: get advice)

🚦Apologize: If you get things wrong, apologize (and we share what a good apology looks like). 

Tune in for more!