
Sweathead, A Strategy Podcast
How do you get good at strategy? Whether you’re into brand strategy, advertising strategy, digital strategy, social media strategy, or you just love doing strategy but you get frustrated at how people use the word, Sweathead will help you delve into the practices and minds of some of the world’s most wonderful strategists. We're in our sixth year and have surpassed 1,500,000 listens! Hit SUBSCRIBE, tell your friends, and leave a kind rating. Real-time action is @markpollard and @sweathead.
You can find strategy classes and "Strategy Is Your Words" here: http://www.sweathead.com.
Latest episodes

Nov 4, 2024 • 39min
A Magician Who's A Strategist - Or Is It The Other Way Around? - Mike Jacobson, Strategist & Magician
Mike Jacobson has worked in strategy for years. But he's been a magician for decades.
Not long ago, he appeared on America's Got Talent. That's how good he is.
In this episode, Mike breaks down the business of magic as well as how what he's learned from being a magician and strategist has helped both of his crafts, something he'll be teaching at our upcoming strategy conference The Sweathead Do-Together.
Links:
Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobsonmike/
Mark: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard
The Sweathead Do-Together: https://sweathead.com/the-sweathead-do-together-2024/

Oct 31, 2024 • 32min
Strategic Territories And Starting Ideas - Joe Burns, Creative Quality Meats
I recently spoke with Joe about strategy frameworks and whether they're dumb.
In this episode, we discuss strategic territories, which is one of those tools that is either useful or offensive, depending on how people use it.
Joe will teach us how to use territories at our upcoming strategy conference The Sweathead Do-Together.
Links:
Joe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-burns-bb73a31b/
Mark: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard
The Sweathead Do-Together: https://sweathead.com/the-sweathead-do-together-2024/

Oct 28, 2024 • 43min
Are You Sure You're Using The Word "Culture" Properly, Strategists? - Lucien Etori, McCann NY CSO
Lucien Etori is the Chief Strategy Officer of McCann New York. He grew up moving around a lot as well as a fan of several music subcultures. This has led him to question the way a lot of advertising people use the word "culture".
What do people mean by "culture" and "the culture" and "be part of the culture" and "to do work at the speed of culture"?
And this is what we get into.
Links:
Lucien: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucien-etori
Mark: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard
The Sweathead Do-Together: https://sweathead.com/the-sweathead-do-together-2024/

Oct 24, 2024 • 47min
Going Full-time As An Independent Cultural Strategist - Jenny Chang, Constellation Theory
The last time I spoke with Jenny Chang was four years ago. Since then, she's worked in agencies and for Lego and has now launched her own company, Constellation Theory.
In this episode of Sweathead, we discuss this journey as well as what it's like to build a business around yourself.
Jenny is hosting our upcoming strategy conference The Sweathead Do-Together.
Links:
Jenny aka jennifer m chang: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayemsey
Mark: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard
The Sweathead Do-Together: https://sweathead.com/the-sweathead-do-together-2024/

Oct 21, 2024 • 49min
Neurodivergence As A Chief Strategy Officer - Kevin Chesters, CSO, Author of The Creative Nudge
Kevin Chesters has CSO’d it all - Ogilvy, Wieden + Kennedy, Dentsu and more. He’s started a business. He’s sold a business.
He’s also started writing a book and finished writing a book, which is the hardest part of starting to write a book. It’s called The Creative Nudge.
Kevin is speaking at our fourth Sweathead Do-Together about how to say your ideas in a few words.
In this chat, we touch on this topic but we spend a lot more time on being diagnosed with being on the autism spectrum as an adult.
Links:
Kevin: http://www.kevinchesters.com
Mark: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard
The Sweathead Do-Together: http://www.sweathead.com

Sep 24, 2024 • 47min
What Creatives Want From Strategists (And Brand Tracking 101) - James Hurman, once the world’s number 1 planner
James Hurman, the former world's top planner and director of the innovation studio Previously Unavailable, shares his insights from 18 months spent in the creative department. He discusses the toxic elements of marketing that can hinder collaboration between strategists and creatives. The conversation shifts to the importance of brand tracking, including innovative methodologies for gathering actionable data. James emphasizes the transformative power of creative collaboration and the significance of measuring brand metrics for effective marketing.

Sep 16, 2024 • 36min
How To Deal With Feeling Stuck In An Advertising Career - Iuren Ramiro
How often does your advertising career feel stuck?
How often do you compare your career to other people’s careers?
What do you do to get your career un-stuck?
Iuren Ramiro is a Strategy Director at Agência WE in São Paulo. He’s also on the ANA and Lions CMO Growth Councils.
In this episode, we discuss Iuren’s own journey through the darkness as well as a recent survey we ran to see how other strategists feel about these topics.
Find our deck on feeling stuck in nan advertising career here:
https//sweathead.com/feeling-stuck-in-advertising-deck/
Here, you can find…
Iuren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iuren/
Mark: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard
Sweathead: http://www.instagram.com/sweathead
Strategy classes and books: http://www.sweathead.com

Sep 11, 2024 • 45min
Persuasion - How To Sell Your Ideas - Maytê Carvalho, CSO
Maytê Carvalho won a special version of Brazil’s The Apprentice television show when she was 18 years old. People told her she was persuasive. They told her to write a book about it.
But, first, Maytê decided to study persuasion and ended up getting a Master’s degree focusing on it. She also became a Research Fellow at the Berkeley Global Society.
Simultaneously, Maytê worked in the Grey Group and Accenture Song in São Paulo and TBWA\Chiat\Day in LA then CUBOCC in New York as their Chief Strategy and Growth Officer.
She’s just moved to LA and set up her own company.
We talk about all of this.
Here, you can find…
Maytê: https://www.instagram.com/maytecarvalhos
Mark: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard
Sweathead: http://www.instagram.com/sweathead
Strategy classes and books: http://www.sweathead.com

Sep 4, 2024 • 1h 9min
What Thousands Of Strategists Whisper - Georgetown, DC - Walk & Talk
Come for a walk around Washington DC as I discuss the ten things strategists whisper to me and debrief you on 14 events in 5 countries for 700 people over the past two weeks.
Find our classes here: http://www.sweathead.com
Find me here: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard

Aug 13, 2024 • 30min
Leaving New York, Impostor Syndrome, Teaching Strategists - Walk and Talk, NYC
Join me on a walk from Times Square to the Flatiron District as we discuss some big life changes, my masterclasses in Asia, impostor syndrome, and teaching strategists.Find me @ http://www.instagram.com/markpollard
Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts
Save insights instantly, chat with episodes, and build lasting knowledge - all powered by AI.