Heidi Schwende joins The Angry Ops Guy Podcast for a reflective conversation about what this year has actually felt like inside an agency. She’s a good friend and a strategic partner, so this one goes beyond surface-level industry talk.

We dig into the trust gap in the market, how many business owners show up already burned, and why chasing volume is a losing game. Heidi shares how she’s built her agency around long-term partnerships instead of quick wins, leaning into trusted specialists inside the WSI network and refusing to compromise on quality just to close a deal. There’s some venting, some laughs, and a few honest swings at the parts of this industry that deserve it.

Then we get into what’s quietly stressing everyone out: AI search, declining traffic, LLM visibility, and what happens when the machines start remembering what you publish. We’re not just optimizing anymore, we’re teaching. Foundations still matter, and when shortcuts replace substance, the market corrects it. If you run an agency or depend on one, this is the kind of conversation you have when you’re tired of pretending everything is fine and you still care enough to fix it.

Part 2 with Eric Cook shifts from sustaining agency Ops to surviving what’s coming next.

This episode unpacks the rise of AI agents, LLM-driven search, and what happens when your real "customer" isn’t a human - it’s software making decisions on their behalf. From conference takeaways to practical application, Mike and Eric explore how operators need to rethink SEO, content structure, and digital strategy before the ground shifts under their feet.

It’s thoughtful, forward-looking, and grounded in real-world application. Plus, in typical Angry Ops Guy fashion - the episode wraps with harmless sabotage, questionable professionalism, and proof that even seasoned operators can’t resist acting like middle-schoolers when given access to a live chat.

In this new episode of The Angry Ops Guy Podcast, Mike sits down with Eric Cook - one of the most respected operators in the WSI network and a longtime friend who’s been in the agency trenches longer than most. The conversation spans leadership, burnout, travel overload, crisis management, and what it really takes to sustain a high-stakes agency when the internet never sleeps. From banking-sector pressure to tech outages, client trust, and the hidden cost of always being "on", this one is grounded, honest, and packed with hard-earned perspective.

And because it’s still Mike and Eric, the seriousness never goes uninterrupted for long. Somewhere between life lessons and Ops wisdom, the conversation detours into man-child humour, near-miss disasters, and the kind of friendship you only earn after years of mutual respect, bad decisions, and surviving agency life together.

Part 2 goes deeper into what happens after you’re forced to step away from agency life.

Jack Porter-Smith talks honestly about rebuilding career 2.0, why autopilot is dangerous, and how he’s refocusing on advisory work, writing, and peer support without sacrificing his health. It’s reflective, grounded, and useful for anyone trying to figure out what comes next once the Ops grind finally stops.

And because it’s Mike and Jack, none of that seriousness survives for long. The conversation keeps getting hijacked by the dumbest man-child friendship moments imaginable, including a hospital voice note that goes wildly off-script and a legendary client call nearly detonated by one perfectly timed instant message.