Episodes

  • How Mandana Mellano from PEONY Talent, Owns It

    How Mandana Mellano from PEONY Talent, Owns It
    Feb 10 2026
    This week on Own It, we’re talking to Mandana Mellano from PEONY Talent. It is a boutique talent recruitment and advisory practice that services the media, advertising, marketing, technology and entertainment industries. Her efforts have been focused on modernizing the talent recruitment process in our industry. I love how she’s innovating in that space for us all. Mandana and I talked about her journey, the issues facing the industry with regards to talent, and certainly got her thoughts on the gender cap in advertising agency ownership. I love the different perspective each of our guests bring. This conversation is no different. I learned so much. You can find links to Mandana Mellano’s LinkedIn profile and PEONY Talent’s agency website in our show notes at untilyouownit.com. If you’re enjoying Own It, please find it on your favorite podcast app and drop us a rating and review. Those help more people discover the show and join our community. Also, if you’re a female or non-binary agency owner, or you want to own an agency someday, join our growing community at that same address … untilyouownit.com.
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    41 mins
  • How Chelsea Matthews of TUX, Owns It

    How Chelsea Matthews of TUX, Owns It
    Feb 3 2026
    This week on Own It we’re talking to Chelsea Matthews from TUX, a creative agency with offices in L.A. and Montreal. Chelsea is also an owner beyond the agency world. She is also a partner in Highly Likely which has a number of casual dining restaurants in Southern California, and co-founded Candid, a content creation platform that was acquired in 2024. We certainly dove into her ability to thrive balancing multiple ventures and used her amazing experience to get to her thoughts on closing the gender gap in agency ownership in the advertising business. Chelsea is so interesting and smart. This was such a fun learning experience to get ot know her. We know you’ll enjoy this as much as we did. You can find links to Chelsea Matthews’s LinkedIn profile and TUX’s agency website in our show notes at untilyouownit.com. If you’re enjoying Own It, please find it on your favorite podcast app and drop us a rating and review. Those help more people discover the show and join our community. Also, if you’re a female or non-binary agency owner, or you want to own an agency someday, join our growing community at that same address … untilyouownit.com.
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    40 mins
  • How Tiffany Rolfe of R/GA Owns It

    How Tiffany Rolfe of R/GA Owns It
    Jan 20 2026
    This week on Own It we’re talking to Tiffany Rolfe from R/GA. She is the global chair and one of the new owners of one of the world’s largest and most successful agencies so this episode has a lot of value in it. Tiffany has recently touched work with Puma and Jay-Z, the ACLU and many more. She’s in the middle of leveraging influencers and creating strategic solutions at the intersection of storytelling and technology that lead to growth and cultural impact for her clients. This was such an amazing conversion and you’ll enjoy getting to know her, her work and her perspective on the gender gap in agency ownership a lot. You can find links to Tiffany Rolfe’s LinkedIn profile and R/GA’s agency website in our show notes at untilyouownit.com. If you’re enjoying Own It, please find it on your favorite podcast app and drop us a rating and review. Those help more people discover the show and join our community. Also, if you’re a female or non-binary agency owner, or you want to own an agency someday, join our growing community at that same address … untilyouownit.com.
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    1 hr and 15 mins
  • How Remy Stiles from Kepler, Owns It

    How Remy Stiles from Kepler, Owns It
    Jan 13 2026
    This week on Own It we’re talking to Remy Stiles from Kepler. After serving as the North American president for the previous three years She is now Kepler’s global CEO. She’s been with the firm for over 13 years and came up through the account side of the industry. Remy has been instrumental in building the culture, innovation, and vision that defines who Kepler is, which is a critical piece of the leadership puzzle. We talked about her journey through the business to leadership, her perspective on the industry and certainly her thoughts on closing the gender gap in agency ownership. I so love talking to fellow owners and leaders in this industry. Remy is yet another that inspires me and I’m sure will inspire you. You can find links to Remy Stiles’ LinkedIn profile and Kepler’s agency website in our show notes at untilyouownit.com. If you’re enjoying Own It, please find it on your favorite podcast app and drop us a rating and review. Those help more people discover the show and join our community. Also, if you’re a female or non-binary agency owner, or you want to own an agency someday, join our growing community at that same address … untilyouownit.com.
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    42 mins
  • How Lennon Barnica of Wild Manor, Owns It

    How Lennon Barnica of Wild Manor, Owns It
    Jan 6 2026
    This week on Own It, we’re talking to Lennon Barnica from Wild Manor. It is a editorial and finishing house that focuses on the quality and craftsmanship they bring to client projects. They say they’ve created a place for storytelling to flourish. We love that. Hearing Lennon tell her story was fascinating and inspiring. We had a wonderful time hearing that, getting to know her and certainly getting her perspective on the gender gap in agency ownership. Lennon is also a project fiend. She’s a handy woman who loves to tinker, build and fix things away from work. We learned so much from her. We know you will, too. You can find links to Lennon Barnica’s LinkedIn Profile and Wild Manor’s agency website in our show notes at untilyouownit.com. If you’re enjoying Own It, please find it on your favorite podcast app and drop us a rating and review. Those help more people discover the show and join our community. Also, if you’re a female or non-binary agency owner, or you want to own an agency someday, join our growing community at that same address … untilyouownit.com.
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    44 mins
  • How Emily Siegel from Lafayette American, Owns It

    How Emily Siegel from Lafayette American, Owns It
    Dec 23 2025
    This week on Own It we’re talking to Emily Siegel from Lafayette American. She not only started her Detroit-based agency in 2018, but did so at the same time she had her first child. None of that held her or the firm back. It has earned AdAge Small Agency of the Year, was on the Adweek Breakthrough Agency of the Year Shortlist and Emily was named an AdAge Woman to Watch along the way. Emily came to ownership through running the content studio for Ford Motor Company where she won the first of her two Effie Awards. We could talk about her awards and accomplishments all day, but we dove into lots more about her and her journey. I loved her perspective on closing the gap in agency ownership as well. You’ll enjoy Emily’s perspective on all of this. You can find links to Emily Siegel’s LinkedIn Profile and Lafayette American’s agency website in our show notes at untilyouownit.com. If you’re enjoying Own It, please find it on your favorite podcast app and drop us a rating and review. Those help more people discover the show and join our community. Also, if you’re a female or non-binary agency owner, or you want to own an agency someday, join our growing community at that same address … untilyouownit.com.
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    36 mins
  • How Michelle Kunken and Julie Liu from Slim Creative, Own It

    How Michelle Kunken and Julie Liu from Slim Creative, Own It
    Dec 16 2025
    This week on Own It we’re talking to Michele Kunken and Julie Liu from Slim Creative. As you might infer from the name, they are focused on the power of less and strip away the layers that crush great ideas. Michele and Julie lead the agency from different coasts with Michele operating out of the New York/New Jersey area. Julie is in Los Angeles. We dove into their firm, their individual and collective journeys to ownership through our industry and, of course, their take on closing the gender gap in agency ownership. Having two owners on at once always makes the shows lively and fun. You’re going to enjoy this! You can find links to LinkedIn Profiles for Michele Kunken and Julie Liu and Slim Creative’s agency website in our show notes at untilyouownit.com. If you’re enjoying Own It, please find it on your favorite podcast app and drop us a rating and review. Those help more people discover the show and join our community. Also, if you’re a female or non-binary agency owner, or you want to own an agency someday, join our growing community at that same address … untilyouownit.com.
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    41 mins
  • How Aleena Kuzma from FUSE Create, Owns It

    How Aleena Kuzma from FUSE Create, Owns It
    Dec 2 2025
    This week on Own It we’re talking to Aleena Kuzma from FUSE Create. She’s based in the Toronto area in Canada but immigrated there from the middle east when she was a teenager. That sense of adventure and travel drives her creativity. Aleena has been with FUSE for eight years and earned her way to a partnership role very early in her tenure. The firm promises to create work that turns heads. They are such a fantastic creative agency and we enjoyed getting to know it and her as we talked. We loved hearing her journey and ideas about our industry. And we were thrilled to learn she and her husband are also expecting their first child soon. You can find links to Aleena Kuzma’s LinkedIn Profiles and FUSE Create’s agency website in our show notes at untilyouownit.com. If you’re enjoying Own It, please find it on your favorite podcast app and drop us a rating and review. Those help more people discover the show and join our community. Also, if you’re a female or non-binary agency owner, or you want to own an agency someday, join our growing community at that same address … untilyouownit.com.
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    40 mins