Growth looks exciting from the outside. Inside, it is usually chaotic, opinion-led and full of avoidable mistakes.

In this episode, we sit down with Lucy Woolfenden, a former Skype marketer turned fractional CMO who now helps B2B and fintech scale-ups turn messy growth into focused, repeatable momentum.

Lucy Woolfenden is a growth-focused fractional CMO and founder of The Scale-Up Collective, with senior marketing experience at Skype, Starling Bank and high-growth fintech scale-ups.

She shares what really happens between product-market fit and the next funding round. From billboard typos that made it to print, to emails accidentally forwarded to clients, she explains why growth only works when teams prioritise properly, base decisions on real customer insight and stop trying to do everything at once.

We also dig into why most B2B brands struggle to stand out, how marketers earn credibility with the rest of the business, and why focus beats hustle at every stage of scale.

This is an honest conversation about growth, mistakes and the systems that stop chaos killing momentum.

Is your strategy still right in 2026? Book a free 15-min no obligation discovery call with our host: 👉 [Book your call with Chris now] 👈

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When James Thomlinson decided to “bring some magic” to a high-stakes pitch for InterContinental Hotels Group, he meant it, literally.

The plan? A magician disguised as a team member, ready to wow the client with a “reappearing newspaper” trick. The result? Cringe, confusion, and a fast lesson in what not to do when pitching creative ideas.

In this hilarious and humbling episode, James shares how a failed attempt at showmanship turned into one of his biggest professional lessons and how he eventually won the client with a smarter, more authentic approach.

If you’ve ever pushed creativity a little too far in your marketing, this episode will hit home.

Is your strategy still right in 2026? Book a free 15-min no obligation discovery call with our host: 👉 [Book your call with Chris now] 👈

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Most creative directors are never told what their job actually is.

That confusion leads to imposter syndrome, burnout and years of silent mistakes at the top of agencies.

In this episode of Embracing Marketing Mistakes, we sit down with Mick Mahoney, one of the most experienced creative leaders in advertising. Mick spent over 25 years as a Creative Director, Executive Creative Director and Chief Creative Officer at agencies including Ogilvy and BBH.

He has led award-winning teams, topped creative rankings and worked alongside some of the biggest names in the industry. Despite that success, Mick openly admits that for much of his career he felt like he was winging it.

We talk about the real job of a creative director, why no one ever defines it, and how that lack of clarity fuels ego, micromanagement and burnout. Mick shares the mistakes he made early on, the clients he lost, and the leadership lessons that only come from experience.

This is an honest conversation about empathy, psychological safety, confidence and what creative leadership actually looks like when you strip away the posturing.

If you lead creative people, manage senior teams or feel the pressure of needing to have all the answers, this episode will resonate.

Is your strategy still right in 2026? Book a free 15-min no obligation discovery call with our host: 👉 [Book your call with Chris now] 👈

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