Mad Influence Helen Saul

Lauren Ashcroft, the founder of UltimateYou, joins Mad Influence to talk about how she launched a globally successful business in the middle of the pandemic, to help people realise their ambitions. We talk about her journey from being made redundant to creating a set of products that have been reviewed by Women’s Health as having ‘life-changing powers.’ We also discuss her U-turn from a planned career in law, how she dealt with the knockbacks of unemployment, and what she’s truly learnt from her first year in business. We chat about her successful Kickstarter campaign and which unexpected channel turned it viral. Lauren also tells me about the genuine highs and lows of being a founder, why she thinks living abroad is fundamental to personal development, and the differences between a growth and fixed mindset.



Where to find us:

Guest: linkedin.com/in/lauren-ashcroft/ @ultimateyouplanner on Instagram and TikTok

You can buy your own UltimateYou planner at uyplanner.com

Host: @madinfluencepod on Twitter and linkedin.com/in/helensaul/



Books we talked about:

Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

Mindset by Carol Dweck

Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod



Key Topics:

Goal setting and direction

Fixed mindset vs growth mindset

The biggest mistakes made starting a business

The power of reading

Unemployment and surviving redundancy

Overcoming self-doubt

Morning routine

Being true to yourself

Overcoming your ego

Kickstarter campaigns

Getting funding to start a business



If you like this episode, please subscribe, rate and review us, as this will really help the podcast to grow.



This episode was recorded remotely with music by Joseph McDade

Katie Martell, speaker, writer, documentary maker, and marketing expert, joins Mad Influence to talk about what happens when social movements and brands collide. We talk about how Katie carved out her career by being brutally honest, and as ready to critique the marketing industry as to champion it. We talk about the difference between genuine allyship versus co-opting a movement for a brand’s own gain. We discuss which brands miss the point, and which ones do it well. We also talk about the power of consumer activism, why you should never reduce an important movement to a hashtag, and deliberate some real world examples of both barriers and opportunities for change.

If you like this episode, please subscribe, rate and review us, as this will really help the podcast to grow.

Key topics

Woke-washing

Consumer activism

Brands and purpose

LGBTQ+

Black Lives Matter

Feminism

Workers rights and facial recognition software

Allyship

Employee branding

Diversity and inclusion

Where to find us

Guest: linkedin.com/in/katiemartell/ @KatieMartell on Twitter and katie-martell.com

Host: @madinfluencepod on Twitter and linkedin.com/in/helensaul/

This episode was recorded remotely with music by Joseph McDade

Claire Eades, CEO and founder of Marmalade Film and Media, joins Mad Influence to talk about what it was like setting up an agency aimed at getting brands to care about purpose a decade before it became top of everyone’s agenda. We chat about some of her most memorable campaigns, like the one which reduced teen pregnancy by 25%, and had everyone in the UK talking about it, including the prime minister. We also discuss how you know when the right time to set up your business is, and being proud of the price you charge. We talk about creating an ad with the intention of getting it banned, and debate if charities or profit-driven businesses are able to take more risks like this. We also discuss how Claire’s varied projects have taken her as far as Brazil, Kenya, and The Amazon rainforest and what she learned from the social impact entrepreneurs in those places.

If you like this episode, please subscribe, rate and review us, as this will really help the podcast to grow.

Key topics


Purpose-led marketing
Public health campaigns
Teen pregnancy
Global sanitation and Andrex
Social entrepreneurship
Mentoring
Starting a business
Being an entrepreneur
How attitudes to purpose have changed
Advice to young people starting careers in marketing

Where to find us

Guests: www.linkedin.com/in/claireeades/ on LinkedIn or marmaladefilmandmedia.com

Host: @madinfluencepod on Twitter and linkedin.com/in/helensaul/

This episode was recorded remotely with music by Joseph McDade in February 2021

Lee Wilcox and Adam Barrie, founders of Electric House and On The Tools, join Mad Influence to talk about what it’s really like running a successful business with your best friend, and how they streamed the Mars landing live on TikTok to 100,000 people. We delve into their journey from being broke to employing 100 people and how their attitudes to supporting mental wellbeing and inclusion have evolved over time. We talk about silly topics like their favourite failed business ventures, and serious ones like why people in construction are 3 times more likely to commit suicide. We discuss if it's ever OK to use humour to tackle problems like these, how trolls can actually be quite helpful, and why your employees make the best influencers.

If you like this episode, please subscribe, rate and review us, as this will really help the podcast to grow.

Key topics


The journey from failure to success

TikTok and the UK Space Agency partnership

Content publishing

Creating a successful business with no money

Building influencers in house

Adapting to changing plans

The construction industry

Mental wellbeing

Diversity and inclusion

Using humour to tackle serious messages

Dealing with trolls

Using employees as influencers


Where to find us

Guests: Search Lee Wilcox and Adam Barrie on LinkedIn or @electrichouseuk, @theelectricceo and @adam_barrie on Twitter

Host: @madinfluencepod on Twitter and linkedin.com/in/helensaul/

This episode was recorded remotely with music by Joseph McDade

Marta Decarli, founder of Marta Decarli Yoga, and marketing executive at Kuula, joins Mad Influence to talk about why it’s OK to change your life plan, and how she felt adapting hers after her dreams of becoming an Olympic skier fell through after a decade of training. We also talk about what led her to leave her successful corporate job during the pandemic and set up a yoga business instead, and why marketing and pricing often feels like taboo. We also discuss why Marta will never be the stereotypical yoga teacher, disappointing a few people, and learning to be completely OK with that. We investigate why people gravitate towards you when you are failing and how it’s important to normalise the fact that we all have good days and bad days. We also talk about the pain of having to say goodbye to a loved one over WhatsApp- (this is a covid story with a happy ending though, we promise!) and the importance of connection in getting us through times like this.

If you like this episode, please subscribe, rate and review us, as this will really help the podcast to grow.

Key topics


Yoga

Ski racing

Setting up a business during the pandemic

Personal branding

Marketing and pricing for a small business

Why people are more interested in failure than success

What to do when your life plan changes

How to adapt your goals

Why yoga is good for you

Inclusion in fitness

Diet culture and eating disorders

Sustainable brands


Where to find us

Guest: www.martadecarliyoga.com and @martadecarliyoga on Instagram

Host: @madinfluencepod on Twitter and linkedin.com/in/helensaul/

This episode was recorded remotely with music by Joseph McDade and contains one use of explicit language.

For this special episode on International Women's Day, Mad Influence is excited to welcome Kat Gordon, founder of The 3% movement, to talk about how she has helped increase the percentage of female creative directors in the US from 3% to 29%. We discuss topics like why it’s a healthy thing to live abroad and put yourself in a situation where you aren’t centred, and how to reach people who don’t agree with you. We also discuss why it’s important to consider an entire ecosystem when driving change, and why brands need to accept their responsibility when their agency partners struggle with diversity. We also talk about why it’s a good thing to realise that you were wrong about something in the past, the best way for companies to be encouraging their employees to work post-pandemic, and why Kat has had so much fun tweeting about the SuperBowl ads for over a decade. We also talk about why Bodyform's #WombStories ad by AMV BBDO is one of Kat's all- time favourites.

If you like this episode, please subscribe, rate and review us, as this will really help the podcast to grow.

Key topics

The 3% movement

Gender equality

Inclusion and diversity

Havas’ study abroad scheme

Why living abroad is one of the best things you can do

Why it’s important to include people who don’t agree with you

Why brands need to focus more on long term commitment than one-off posts

Working from home versus the office

How working attitudes have changes during the pandemic

Advice for young people starting marketing careers


Where to find us
Guest: katgordon.com and 3percentmovement.com
Host: @madinfluencepod on Twitter and linkedin.com/in/helensaul/
This episode was recorded remotely with music by Joseph McDade