In this short, slightly, scrappy, 10-minute bonus episode, the strategist’s strategist Julian Cole joins me again - this time for a real-time riff on how to devise a usable strategy brief… when you don’t actually have one.

Julian has worked with Uber, Apple, Facebook, Disney and more, and is known for demystifying strategy and making it accessible. In our previous full-length episode, we got so deep into strategy chat that my producer gently told me off for going way over time. So here’s the fun bit we couldn’t bear to delete.

Where to start when no usable brief exists

• Julian shares his “brief audit” approach — the mandatories, the nice-to-knows, and how to avoid reinventing the wheel.

Live strategy development: The Dog Teeth Whitening Brief

• Yes, really. We take a fictional vet chain launching a dog teeth-whitening service and unpack:
• The business problem vs the consumer problem
• How to explore audience motivations, goals and fears
• Why aesthetics is never really about aesthetics
• How social connection, status and even loneliness show up in strategic thinking

Inside Julian’s strategic process

• We walk through:
• Defining goals and problems
• Using goal/fear dynamics to find emotional territory
• Spotting potential insights
• Building three “strategy napkins” — quick, rough territories you can test with clients or creatives

Why messy thinking is part of the process

• Strategy rarely arrives fully formed. This episode shows the real-world expansion phase — the part most people never see.

If you ever need to develop a strategy without a proper brief (which, let’s be honest… is more often than we may like), this episode gives you a practical, human, and transparent look at how a top strategist begins to approach the problem.

About Claire Bridges

Claire Bridges is Chief Spark and Founder of leading creative training consultancy Now Go Create, whose philosophy is that everyone can be creative.

Claire worked as Managing Director and Creative Director working with global brands including Starbucks, Kellogg’s, Unilever, P&G and Danone in her previous PR career. Upskilling individuals, teams and organisations with practical creativity tools is Claire’s mission.

She’s one of only 250 people globally to hold an MSc in Creativity, Leadership & Innovation, and authored an Amazon best-selling creative handbook In Your Creative Element based on her academic studies.

Claire and her hand-picked team of experts have worked on thousands of creative projects and trained over 40,000 people around the world since starting Now Go Create in 2011.

Join our weekly email for free resources and worksheets to go with the podcast.

Connect with Claire:

Website: https://nowgocreate.co.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nowgocreate/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NowGoCreate

LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/claire-bridges-b6205b14

About Julian Cole:

Julian Cole is a strategy consultant to leading brands including Uber,...

What does it take to turn an idea into a brand new industry? In this lively episode of Now Go Create, host Claire Bridges sits down with Daisy Amodio, creative dynamo, founder of The Proposers, a royal wedding planner, and visionary behind 5,000 unforgettable marriage proposals.

Claire and Daisy dig into how an impromptu treasure hunt for her brother kickstarted Daisy’s journey from advertising account manager to “queen of proposals,” defying doubters, inventing her own playbook, and genuinely creating a category from scratch. If you’ve ever been told your ideas are ‘rubbish’ Daisy’s story will inspire you to trust your gut, experiment, and persist despite the naysayers.

Listen in for Daisy’s take on creating bespoke experiences for an audience of one, and turning Pinterest boards into live events, including dressing up cats and negotiating to have your face on the Eiffel Tower!

Here are the highlights:

• Daisy turned her brother’s proposal into a creative business idea and, despite scepticism, pioneered the proposal planning industry
• Even after surveying 500 men who dismissed her idea as “rubbish,” Daisy trusted her gut and pushed forward
• How to get personal for an audience of one - Daisy and her team dive deep into clients’ lives, stalking Pinterest boards, social media, and more
• Spectacular proposals: From a fake drug arrest in Barcelona to 50 cats dressed as waiters
• Daisy and Claire discuss the unique challenges of balancing spectacular creative ideas with seamless execution
• Daisy often says yes first taking on wild requests and figuring out solutions later
• Dealing with burnout and Daisy’s journey to a more sustainable work-life balance.
• Daisy urges aspiring entrepreneurs to be determined, trust themselves, and “fake it till you make it”

Try this week:

• Got a “rubbish” idea you can’t shake? Take a small action toward it research, pitch, or share it with someone you trust.
• Explore your creative niche: What’s your unique story, and how could you double down on it, even in the face of scepticism?

About Claire Bridges:

Claire Bridges is Chief Spark and Founder of leading creative training consultancy Now Go Create, whose philosophy is that everyone can be creative.

Claire worked as a PR agency Managing Director and Creative Director working with global brands including Starbucks, Kellogg’s, Unilever, P&G and Danone in her previous PR career. Upskilling individuals, teams and organisations with practical creativity tools is Claire’s mission.

She’s one of only 250 people globally to hold an MSc in Creativity, Leadership & Innovation, and authored an Amazon best-selling creative handbook In Your Creative Element based on her academic studies.

Claire and her hand-picked team of experts have worked on thousands of creative projects and trained over 50,000 people around the world since starting Now Go Create in 2011.

Connect with Claire:

Website: https://nowgocreate.co.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nowgocreate/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NowGoCreate

LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/claire-bridges-b6205b14

About Daisy Amodio:

Daisy Amodio is the trail-blazing Founder & CEO of The Proposers, the first-ever marriage proposal planning...

Are you feeling flat, uninspired, or stuck in a rut with your creative work? You’re not alone and you don’t have to go it alone either. Following on from last week’s episode of Now Go Create Claire Bridges chats to improv specialist and storytelling coach Maria Peters for a lively, practical deep-dive into getting yourself out of a creative slump (and why it’s actually normal to have one!)

Claire and Maria open up about the telltale signs of a slump, the difference between external and internal validation, why creative flow is so elusive, and how helpful constraints, a dash of play, and some improv magic can get you unstuck fast. Plus, they explore tools including the ‘artist date’ and an eye-opening exercise they call the ‘jealousy map’, a fresh way of using envy as a creative compass.

If you’ve ever compared yourself to others, felt your creativity wane, or simply wondered how to nudge yourself back toward inspiration, this episode is packed with stories, and practical micro-actions you can try right away.

Here are the highlights:

• Spotting a slump: Why comparison and self-doubt are classic signals
• Internal vs. external validation and how to recentre on your own creative compass
• The magic (and science) of flow
• How limits can jumpstart your ideas (and why improv isn’t as wild as you think)
• “Yes, and”: Using the improv mindset with your own ideas
• Morning pages, artist dates, and creative ‘micro-doses’
• The jealousy map, playful exercise to use envy or jealousy as a signpost for your own creative desires
• Refilling your creative well, why pleasure, play, and tiny nudges matter as much as big breakthroughs
• How to shake yourself out of autopilot (and what to try if you’re in a rut today!).

Try this week:

Schedule an ‘artist date’ with yourself - two hours (or whatever you can manage) doing something just for fun, no output required.

Do your own jealousy/creative envy check: Whose work, life, or output do you wish was yours? What is it specifically you want? Let that guide your next small creative move.

Do you have a creative challenge or dilemma for a future episode? Email claire@nowgocreate.co.uk or join our weekly email for free creativity resources and worksheets at nowgocreate.co.uk

About Claire Bridges:

Claire Bridges is Chief Spark and Founder of leading creative training consultancy Now Go Create, whose philosophy is that everyone can be creative.

Claire worked as a PR agency Managing Director and Creative Director working with global brands including Starbucks, Kellogg’s, Unilever, P&G and Danone in her previous PR career. Upskilling individuals, teams and organisations with practical creativity tools is Claire’s mission.

She’s one of only 250 people globally to hold an MSc in Creativity, Leadership & Innovation, and authored an Amazon best-selling creative handbook In Your Creative Element based on her academic studies.

Claire and her hand-picked team of experts have worked on thousands of creative projects and trained over 40,000 people around the world since starting Now Go Create in 2011.

Connect with Claire:

Website: https://nowgocreate.co.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nowgocreate/

Facebook: