On this episode of THRIVE — sponsored by accessiBe — Kelly and Erik Kockum, co-founder of SNASK discuss what’s required for true creativity within agencies, and how your values and culture directly influence creative output. Erik and I cover these points and more: The two inherent components of creativity that guide agency growth; How empathy and vulnerability positively influence agency culture; Ways to bring creativity into everyday life, not just while working. Be sure to tune in to all the e...
Nov 02, 2022•24 min•Ep. 134
On this episode of THRIVE — sponsored by accessiBe — Kelly and Nate Shalev discuss the importance of understanding the identities of your employees as part of an inclusive agency culture. Nate and I cover these points and more: The importance of matching your values and mission with your actions as a leader; How pronouns can be used to affirm someone’s identity; Addressing someone who struggles with using pronouns; The business benefits of an inclusive culture. Be sure to tune in to all the epis...
Oct 19, 2022•20 min•Ep. 133
On this episode of THRIVE — sponsored by accessiBe — Kelly and Flory Wilson discuss how agencies can ensure that they are providing truly equitable benefits for reproductive health for all of their employees. Flory Wilson and I cover these points and more: How companies can support their employees around reproductive health care; Data that supports why this needs to be addressed urgently; Ways to evaluate the policies within your agency to ensure they are equitable; How companies can further sup...
Oct 05, 2022•25 min•Ep. 132
On this episode of THRIVE — sponsored by accessiBe — Kelly and Stephan discuss how deliberate practice is the secret to sustained behavioral change and how that drives agency growth. Stephan and I cover these points and more: Our perception, or understanding, of our people as agency leaders; Questions we can ask ourselves in order to be better leaders; How emotional regulation and conscious awareness helps us effectively communicate; That turning interpersonal conflict into generative collaborat...
Sep 21, 2022•25 min•Ep. 131
On this episode of THRIVE — sponsored by accessiBe — Kelly and Amanda discuss how agencies can be changemakers for inclusivity in the world. Amanda and I cover these points and more: Dispelling the myth that accessibility is a niche market; The three things agencies can do to be more accessible; Solutions available for agencies to create more accessible websites; The most significant benefit for agency leaders today. Be sure to tune in to all the episodes of THRIVE to get practical tips on becom...
Sep 07, 2022•12 min•Ep. 130
On this episode of THRIVE — sponsored by accessiBe — Kelly and Tony Cope of Myriad discuss creativity as a force for good, and how surviving traumatic events in life have impacted his agency’s work. Tony and I cover these points and more: How Tony’s active shooter event experiences altered his work in the world; Why the projects we do at our agencies have to matter; The personal perspective on truth in storytelling; What influences and motivate Tony’s mission in life and at his agency; How to de...
Aug 24, 2022•22 min•Ep. 129
On this episode of THRIVE — sponsored by accessiBe — Kelly and Julia McLaughlin discuss the positive impact that review management services can create for digital agencies. Julia McLaughlin and I cover these points and more: The difference between running an agency and founding a SaaS platform; The direct result your clients can see when they get positive reviews; Why review management is a foot-in-the-door strategy that leads to upsells. Be sure to tune in to all the episodes of THRIVE to get p...
Aug 10, 2022•16 min•Ep. 128
On this episode of THRIVE — sponsored by accessiBe — Kelly and Arthur Woods discuss best practices in hiring for diversity, starting with the goal-setting measures and the strategy that ensures successful outcomes. Arthur and I cover these points and more: Where to start if your goal is to hire more diverse humans; Why organizations need a DEI strategy and goal-setting measures before they hire; How to identify the root of the diversity issues within your agency; Where we got off course in terms...
Jul 27, 2022•19 min•Ep. 127
On this episode of THRIVE — sponsored by accessiBe — Kelly is joined by Dan Englander to discuss leveraging human connection in your outbound sales strategy in order to create trust. Dan and I cover these points and more: The two different mindsets to sales and why it’s important to distinguish between them; How to merge both old and new mindsets in order to increase performance and efficiency; How to create a hot list, and how many prospects to target at a time; Why doing outbound differently a...
Jul 13, 2022•28 min•Ep. 126
On this episode of THRIVE — sponsored by accessiBe — Kelly and Shawne Mitchell talk about how to surrender as a leader, as well as how accessing states of transcendence can be a gamechanger for your leadership style. Shawne and I cover these points and more: The new model of transcendental leadership and how it works; The role that connection to nature plays in reaching this higher level of transcendence; What deep listening is, and how it works in connection with your leadership style; Where to...
Jun 29, 2022•29 min•Ep. 125
On this episode of THRIVE — sponsored by accessiBe — Kelly and Trenton Moss talk about how to cultivate more meaningful interactions between the people within your agency. Trenton Moss and I cover these points and more: How Trenton nearly went bankrupt in business, and how he emerged stronger; The value in how you make people feel, and how that benefits your client relationships; The decision-making criteria he uses based on Collaboration, Trust and Empowerment; How teaching basic skills spilled...
Jun 15, 2022•33 min•Ep. 124
On this episode of THRIVE — sponsored by accessiBe — Kelly and Galen Low talk about what agency leaders can learn about servant leadership from their digital project managers. Galen Low and I cover these points and more: Defining servant leadership within an agency setting; Why most agency leaders fail to see their DPMs as leaders; Some of the perceptions around project management that need to be reframed; The importance of curiosity as it relates to leaders checking in with their DPMs. Be sure ...
Jun 01, 2022•21 min•Ep. 123
On this episode of THRIVE — sponsored by accessiBe — Kelly and Rhodes Perry discuss how each agency leader can transform their culture into one of belonging and inclusion over time. Rhodes Perry and I cover these points and more: How Rhodes felt the challenges he faced in the beginning of his career led to his work; Why self-actualization is so powerful and how to examine ourselves to be better leaders; What the deeper reason of why DEI work fails, and the most common pushbacks; Examples of how ...
May 18, 2022•29 min•Ep. 122
On this episode of THRIVE — sponsored by accessiBe — Kelly and LaTonya Wilkins discuss how to lead by building psychologically safe relationships within your agency. LaTonya Wilkins and I cover these points and more: The dominant leadership standards in traditional workplace environments; Toxic and Surface leaders, and how each exhibit and perform; What it means to lead below the surface, based on LaTonya’s 3 pillars; Why showing up and accessing empathy is important as a leader, and how to do s...
May 04, 2022•19 min•Ep. 121
On this episode of THRIVE — sponsored by accessiBe — Kelly and Massimo Backus discuss emotional awareness in order to mindfully ride the waves of high-highs and low-lows in agency leadership. Massimo Backus and I cover these points and more: What self-compassion looks like in business management and leadership; The most common reason why people fall short when it comes to self-compassion; How meditation has been glorified as a to-do list task, instead of just being; The impacts of self-compassio...
Apr 20, 2022•32 min•Ep. 120
On this episode of THRIVE — sponsored by accessiBe — Kelly and Dorie Clark discuss the power in saying no to things that don’t make sense for you, and how to strategically position yourself as a long game thinker for the benefit of your agency. Dorie Clark and I cover these points and more: How saying yes to everything means being average at everything; Understanding the waves, or phases, of what to focus on right now; The questions you can ask yourself to help with strategic patience; The overa...
Apr 06, 2022•27 min•Ep. 119
On this episode of THRIVE — sponsored by accessiBe — Kelly and Melanie Chandruang discuss both the connection and distinction between the people within our agency and our operational strategy. Melanie Chandruang and I cover these points and more: Why agencies struggle to understand and fully grasp what “operations” means; The top operational challenges agencies are facing within the last few years; The benefits of putting our people first because our people are our product; Why the future of age...
Mar 23, 2022•21 min•Ep. 118
On this episode of THRIVE — sponsored by accessiBe — Kelly and Michael Anthony discuss how it is both imperative and paradoxical to unravel past coping mechanisms in order to be good leaders. Michael and I cover these points and more: How trauma is the theft of identity, not the experiences we have; How Michael discovered agency through a look in the mirror while hitting rock bottom; The greatest leadership skill Michael ever learned through his corporate job; Why downstream mistakes are usually...
Mar 09, 2022•36 min•Ep. 117
On this episode of THRIVE — sponsored by accessiBe — Kelly and Manish Dudharejia discuss the continuous need for additional agency resources and the benefits of a white label partnership solution. Manish and I cover these points and more: The skepticism agencies often have around outsourcing; The benefits of working with a white label team you trust; How agencies typically determine a partner’s fit into existing ecosystems. Be sure to tune in to all the episodes of THRIVE to get practical tips o...
Feb 23, 2022•34 min•Ep. 116
On this episode of THRIVE — sponsored by accessiBe — Kelly and Rachel Roberts Mattox discuss how an agency leader’s self-development work can significantly change culture and business trajectory. Rachel and I cover these points and more: How some of us hide behind long work hours as a means of distraction from ourselves; The veneer of hustle and achievement—and how unpacking that changed her agency; Practicing conscious leadership herself and developing her team is improving the unit. Be sure to...
Feb 09, 2022•31 min•Ep. 115
On this episode of THRIVE — sponsored by accessiBe — Kelly and Gina Hayden talk about how to identify gaps in our leadership style in order to deepen connection and create more meaningful impact. Gina and I cover these points and more: What we mean by “effective leadership”; The differences between a conscious leader’s and wounded leader’s characteristics; How to help leaders define their leadership; How we are being forced to evolve as leaders, regardless of business size. Be sure to tune in to...
Jan 26, 2022•31 min•Ep. 114
On this episode of THRIVE—sponsored by accessiBe —Kelly talks with Joshua Basile , a C4-5 Quadriplegic who shares his inspiring story and life's work as an advocate for web accessibility. Together, they uncover the opportunities that inclusivity provides for agencies worldwide. Josh and I cover these points and more: How Joshua’s traumatic accident ignited a passion for making every word count; What it means to be website and tech-inclusive for all abilities; How DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Incl...
Jan 12, 2022•18 min•Ep. 113
On this final episode of THRIVE for 2021 — sponsored by Workamajig — Kelly and Liz Ricca of Big Duck dive into the details of how the agency recently transitioned to employee ownership. Liz Ricca and I cover these points and more: What a worker-owned cooperative is, and what that may look like; Why this business model has been an underconsidered option for agencies; The importance of trust amongst the leadership team in a worker-owned cooperative; Liz’s personal takeaways from the transition at ...
Dec 15, 2021•21 min•Ep. 112
On this episode of THRIVE — sponsored by Workamajig — Kelly and Rafi Glantz of accessiBe discuss web inclusivity and accessibility, what it means to people with disabilities, and why it should matter to us all. Rafi Glantz and I cover these points and more: Why inclusivity and accessibility matter on the web; The difference between native accessibility and integrated accessibility; Why being inclusive and accessible should matter to all agencies; Get a free website accessibility report at https:...
Dec 01, 2021•20 min•Ep. 111
On this episode of THRIVE — sponsored by Workamajig — Kelly and Laura Tolhoek discuss the importance of your employer brand and how it impacts hiring, recruitment, and more. Laura and I cover these points and more: The meaning behind employer brand and why it’s important; Story intersection between the agency brand and the employer brand; Things that would negatively affect an employer brand; HR policies and practices that are necessary for creating that brand. Be sure to tune in to all the epis...
Nov 17, 2021•22 min•Ep. 110
On this episode of THRIVE — sponsored by Workamajig — Kelly and Dr. Steve Yacovelli discuss how agency leaders can foster internal and external change that is both inclusive and impactful. Dr. Steve Yacovelli and I cover these points and more: What change management means and how it’s different than related organizational disciplines; How we set ourselves up to fail by what we focus on; The top three strategies for agency leaders to build resilience. Be sure to tune in to all the episodes of THR...
Nov 03, 2021•19 min•Ep. 109
On this episode of THRIVE — sponsored by Workamajig — Kelly and Brandon Wilson discuss the impact of sabotage on our leadership pursuit and how to overcome it when it’s present both around and within us. Brandon and I cover these points and more: How we need to broaden the definition of sabotage to better understand it; The four horsemen of sabotage and how to recognize them quickly; Examples of leaders who had the discipline to succeed despite sabotage; How persistent and evasive sabotage can b...
Oct 20, 2021•33 min•Ep. 108
On this episode of THRIVE — sponsored by Workamajig — Kelly and Ilise Benun discuss the disconnect between the value of business services and the value of the person selling them. They give actionable steps to get more comfortable having the money conversation with prospects and clients. Ilise Benun and I cover these points and more: Common struggles that agency owners deal with around money; The Proposal Oreo Strategy to help you talk about money during sales calls; How to guide the discovery c...
Oct 06, 2021•23 min•Ep. 107
On this episode of THRIVE — sponsored by Workamajig — Kelly and Sarah Hawley discuss how remote work not only allows you to create a more conscious culture, it also ensures greater alignment within your business relationships. Sarah Hawley and I cover these points and more: How remote work allows us to unpack unconscious bias during hiring; What conscious culture means and some examples of it in the workplace; How authentically expressing your culture draws in the right people for your team; The...
Sep 22, 2021•30 min•Ep. 106
On this episode of THRIVE — sponsored by Workamajig — Kelly and Chris McLean discuss boundaries, setting the right example as leaders, and the possibility of eliminating burnout at agencies. Chris McLean and I cover these points and more: the balanced relationship between personal development and business development; as leaders, we need to model behavior that discourages burnout; why boundaries actually make us more productive; how we can eliminate burnout for ourselves and our teams; actionabl...
Sep 08, 2021•44 min•Ep. 105
