Explore every episode of the podcast WHAT THEY SAY

In this episode of WHAT THEY SAY, Amy-Lee and Jess sit down with hospitality heavyweight Ayo Akinsete, Chief Operating Officer at The Dean Group, to talk about making space when you’re not given it- and leading with calm, credibility and quiet confidence. 

From Ile-Ife in Nigeria to South Carolina, Vegas, London and now Ireland, Ayo has built a global career across some of the world’s most recognisable lifestyle hotels. But this isn’t a CV recap. It’s a conversation about what it really feels like to be the only one in the room - and choose to stay anyway.

Together, they get into:

• How to build credibility in industries that weren’t built with you in mind
• Representation that’s real, not just a line in a strategy deck
• Cultural intelligence, mentorship and opening doors for the next generation
• Why leadership is less about ego, more about service

Plus, Ayo jumps into our They Say / We Say quickfire, giving his take on big leadership clichés like "you have to fit in to lead" and "calm leaders finish last". 

WHAT THEY SAY is the podcast from THEY SAY STUDIOS- where creative meets digital, work meets real life, and there’s always a bit of chaos. Made for women building big lives, not just big careers, and for anyone carving out space in rooms that weren’t designed for them.

THEY SAY Studios was built in airports, coffee shops and voice notes. Amy-Lee in Palma, Jess in Singapore - running a global creative and digital studio powered by collaboration, not co-location.

This first episode of WHAT THEY SAY is the story of how THEY SAY Studios began. How a couple of girls with laptops, big ideas and no shared office built a remote-first, female-founded studio across borders.

We dig into how remote working really shapes creativity, leadership and connection. How you build culture when your team is everywhere. Lead a creative business across time zones. Keep standards sky-high when you are never in the same room.

We get into:

• How THEY SAY Studios started and why it had to be different
  
  
• Building a remote-first branding, creative and digital studio from Palma and Singapore
  
  
• Creative collaboration without a shared office
  
  
• Remote leadership, trust and communication
  
  
• What actually works (and what really does not) when your team is fully online

This episode is for creatives, founders, agency owners, freelancing girlies and anyone leading a remote team who wants the honest version of how a global studio really runs.