The Climb with Cherie Clonan

The Digital Picnic
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The Climb is a podcast for people building something meaningful and finding their way through the ups, setbacks, and in-between moments that come with it. Hosted by Cherie, founder of The Digital Picnic (a digital marketing agency based in Melbourne/Naarm), the show explores the realities of growth through marketing, leadership, and neurodivergence. As a proud Autistic woman and agency founder of more than 11 years, Cherie brings both lived experience and strategic thinking to the conversation. Episodes blend practical frameworks, industry insight, and personal stories... including leadership lessons and moments rarely shared publicly. The podcast creates space for honest discussion around modern marketing that works, neurodivergent leadership... and leadership in all its complexity, from decision-making and team culture, to resilience and long-term growth. The Climb is named for the shared journey it represents. Whether you’re growing a business, leading others, or navigating your own next chapter, the climb looks different for everyone.

Episodes

  1. 6D AGO

    How I course corrected my worst business year - Part 1

    76% of your clients vanish in a day. Your team is looking at you through a Zoom screen for reassurance. You can do the maths and you know the runway is short, but you still have to lead. That’s where we start Episode 1 of The Climb, as Cherie tells the raw story of The Digital Picnic’s darkest stretch through COVID and beyond, and why it became the “no good, very bad year” that actually lasted years. We talk cashflow shocks, founder stress, and what it’s like to carry a pandemic in 30 different ways for a team that’s lonely, burnt out, and stretched thin. Cherie owns the leadership mistakes too: people pleasing, avoiding hard conversations, a feedback culture that turns explosive, and the slow erosion of accountability that quietly poisons company culture. Then the numbers get real. We unpack delayed financial advice, the e-learning boom, the half-million-dollar course built from a walk-in wardrobe, and the money mindset decisions that stopped that win from becoming true stability. By 2022, Cherie is half a million dollars down, tries to close the business, realises she can’t even afford to shut it, and attempts a sale that falls apart. The turning point is brutal and empowering: nobody is coming to save you. If you’re a founder, leader, or marketer building a business, this is a clear-eyed look at resilience, financial management, accountability, and the cost of delaying tough decisions. This episode was proudly sponsored by Mel Browne Money. Key Takeaways:  Founder honesty matters, but so does financial transparencyPeople-pleasing leadership can damage business culturePoor financial visibility makes bad decisions worseRevenue growth does not fix broken operationsFounder burnout is a business risk, not a personal weaknessDelaying hard decisions usually makes the outcome worseNobody is coming to save your businessValues still matter, even in the worst seasonsHosted by Cherie Clonan [@cherie_thedigitalpicnic] and co-hosted and produced by Steph Clifford [@stephssocials]  Follow us on Instagram @theclimbpod_ Check out our agency @thedigitalpicnic > we teach digital marketing, and we can manage yours, too.

    45 min

  2. TRAILER

    Welcome to The Climb

    Welcome to The Climb, a podcast about the messy, brilliant, relentless journey of building something meaningful. For more than a decade at The Digital Picnic, Cherie has had the privilege of shaping other people’s climbs... helping brands, teams, and leaders grow in ways that actually last. Now, after close to x2 decades working in marketing and leadership, she's turning the mic around to focus on the thing she's most obsessed with: real, honest stories about climb. This podcast is where we talk honestly about the three things Cherie lives and breathes: marketing education, founderhood, and neurodivergent leadership. As an introvert who believes in adding value, not noise, every 40-minute conversation is built to respect your time and actually teach you something useful.  Hosted by Cherie Clonan [@cherie_thedigitalpicnic] and co-hosted and produced by Steph Clifford [@stephssocials]  Follow us on Instagram @theclimbpod_ Check out our agency @thedigitalpicnic > we teach digital marketing, and we can manage yours, too.

    7 min

Trailer

About

The Climb is a podcast for people building something meaningful and finding their way through the ups, setbacks, and in-between moments that come with it. Hosted by Cherie, founder of The Digital Picnic (a digital marketing agency based in Melbourne/Naarm), the show explores the realities of growth through marketing, leadership, and neurodivergence. As a proud Autistic woman and agency founder of more than 11 years, Cherie brings both lived experience and strategic thinking to the conversation. Episodes blend practical frameworks, industry insight, and personal stories... including leadership lessons and moments rarely shared publicly. The podcast creates space for honest discussion around modern marketing that works, neurodivergent leadership... and leadership in all its complexity, from decision-making and team culture, to resilience and long-term growth. The Climb is named for the shared journey it represents. Whether you’re growing a business, leading others, or navigating your own next chapter, the climb looks different for everyone.

Information

  • Creator
    The Digital Picnic
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    2
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Climb with Cherie Clonan
  • Show Website
    The Climb with Cherie Clonan

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