Best Michael Lester Podcasts (2025)

1
Rachel Ramaswamy- Managing Partner - Work and Co 55:34

9h ago55:34

55:34

Rachel has spent over a decade at Work&Co. In the episode, we discuss the company's unique origin story and how it has evolved alongside the transformative changes in the world of technology. We talk about.. 1. The importance of carving out space for creative risk, which clients demand because they find it challenging to accomplish in their environ…

1
The Talent Architect: Christine Olivas (No Single Individual) on Building Today's Agency Model 1:06:33

1M ago1:06:33

1:06:33

Christine Olivas began her career by hand-delivering 50 resumes to San Francisco startups, which resulted in one startup hiring her. Her entry into agency work came when an owner heard a webinar she produced and was impressed enough to bring her aboard. At this agency, she excelled by running two departments and contributing to significant growth. …

1
Tara Lawall- Chief Creative Officer and Partner- Rethink NY 58:59

1M ago58:59

58:59

Tara is the Chief Creative Officer at Rethink NY. She has extensive creative experience from agencies including Y&R, BBH, Mother, and Droga (x2). In our conversation, we discussed her experience at Miami Ad School, where she was forced to think seriously about funny- to an approach and perspective on being sensitive enough to find funny in the worl…

1
Pip Bingemann- Co-Founder- Springboards.Ai 47:54

2M ago47:54

47:54

The latest Inspiring Futures podcast features an interview with Pip Bingemann- the co-founder of Springboards.ai As strategy departments grapple with how to use AI, this podcast seems timely. Pip is an agency strategist who embraced AI from the early days, learned basic code, and built a model that attracted the attention of several agencies. Fast-…

1
Michael Miller and Chris Noble- Consiglieri 1:05:54

3M ago1:05:54

1:05:54

The latest Inspiring Futures podcast features an interview with Michael Miller and Chris Nobile- two of the three founders of consulting group Consiglieri. Before the founding of the consultancy, Michael and Chris worked together and helped build T-Mobile's in-house capabilities. In our conversation, we talk about what they learned from the T-Mobil…

1
Ali Burton- Gate One and Catch 53:58

3M ago53:58

53:58

The latest Inspiring Futures podcast features an interview with Ali Burton. Ali is Head of Incubator at Gate One in London, which is a Havas-owned start-up incubator. He's also in the process of growing his own start-up Catch. https://catchcameras.co.uk/ The idea of Catch is to lean into the movement for people to appreciate the analog, enjoy waiti…

1
Donna Dupont- Chief Strategist, Foresight and Design- Purple Compass 1:00:34

4M ago1:00:34

1:00:34

The latest Inspiring Futures episode is all about "Futures". My guest is Donna Dupont, Chief Strategist, Foresight and Design at Purple Compass. As the Founder and Chief Strategist in Foresight & Design for Purple Compass, Donna Dupont brings skills and insights developed over 20 years working with leaders in healthcare, emergency management, gover…

1
Brent Vartan- Managing Partner- Bullish- Moving Strategy Upstream 34:43

5M ago34:43

34:43

The latest episode of Inspiring Futures features an excerpt from a webinar I hosted with Brent Vartan of Bullish. Brent began his career as a strategist at shops that included- BBDO and Deutsch. Bullish was founded in 2016 with the promise of bringing ad agency expertise, including strategy, to the start-up world. The company describes its approach…

1
Mark Lester- Squint Consulting 59:02

6M ago59:02

59:02

Mark is the co-founder of Squint Consulting. Before Squint, Mark was an experienced Head of Strategy working with clients like Nike, Netflix, Samsung, and Diageo. His career spanned New York, London, and Amsterdam and he spent his formative years at R/GA, the world’s leading digital innovation firm. In our conversation, we talked about his experien…

1
The Christmas Tree Lady 21:14

6M ago21:14

21:14

Send us a text Trigger Warning: This episode of Eerie & Absurd contains discussions about suicide, which may be distressing or triggering for some listeners. If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of self-harm or suicide, please seek help from a mental health professional or contact a crisis hotline immediately. Listener discretion …

1
The World of Pharma Marketing- Martin Stapff- Co-Founder, Chief Creative Officer, Michelle Rigot- Executive Creative Director/Strategy- Yama Group 57:03

6M ago57:03

57:03

YAMA Group was founded in 2009 and has steadily built a reputation as one of the leading small, independent pharma shops in the world. It has worked on brands including Botox, Humira, and Keytruda and works with Takeda, AbbVie, and Pfizer. It's a highly creative agency that works across all aspects of pharma marketing including efforts to reach spe…

1
Dr. Anastasia Kārkliņa Gabriel.- Understanding Culture 54:13

7M ago54:13

54:13

My latest Inspiring Futures podcast episode features an interview with Dr. Anastasia Kārkliņa Gabriel. Anastasia is a cultural theorist, writer, social critic, and strategist specializing in inclusivity within marketing, media, and tech. She earned her doctorate in cultural studies from Duke University and is now using her expertise to help brands …

1
Scary Rhymes 27:23

7M ago27:23

27:23

Send us a text Welcome to another episode of Eerie and Abusrd, where we delve into the eerie and unsettling origins of some of the most beloved nursery rhymes. In this episode, we uncover the dark histories behind seemingly innocent verses that have been passed down through generations. Join us as we discuss these classic nursery rhymes to reveal t…

1
Julianna Katrancha- Group Strategy Director - Johannes Leonardo 57:42

7M ago57:42

57:42

The latest episode of Inspiring Futures features an interview with Julianna Katrancha- Group Strategy Director at Johannes Leonardo. This is one of my favorite interviews because Julianna dives into the learnings from her journey from a media planner to a senior strategist. She talks about her periods and moments of doubt, and how committed and foc…

1
Local Lore 54:06

7M ago54:06

54:06

Send us a text In this spine-chilling episode, we venture deep into the folklore of Tennessee and Kentucky, exploring the mysterious legends that have haunted these lands for generations. From the chilling howls of the White Screamer in White Bluff, Tennessee, to the elusive, Bigfoot-like Hill Billy Beast said to lurk in the Kentucky wilderness, ea…

1
Halloween Origins 36:17

8M ago36:17

36:17

Send us a text 🎃 Join Michael and Wendy as they discuss Halloween's ancient roots, tracing its origins from the Celtic festival of Samhain to the modern-day spookfest we all know and love. Tune in for a mix of historical insights and quirky facts to make you the life (or afterlife) of any Halloween party. Prepare to be enchanted and entertained in …

1
Allen Adamson- Metaforce 50:49

8M ago50:49

50:49

The latest Inspiring Futures episode features an interview with Allen Adamson of Metaforce. Allen is a seasoned executive with experience client side at Unilever and in the agency world with the likes of Landor, Y&R, and Ogilvy. He has taken his extensive experience in both worlds to build his own consulting company that's focused on helping client…

1
Ghost Lights 30:10

8M ago30:10

30:10

Send us a text Let's discuss ghost lights and fireballs from all over the world! Remember to like, love, share, and review us on Apple podcasts and/or all other platforms you choose. Website: https://www.eerieandabsurd.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eerieabsurd/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eerie_absurd/ Twitter X: https://twitter.…

1
The Future of Creative Services- Joe Nash and Patrick Kizny 1:04:53

8M ago1:04:53

1:04:53

The latest Inspiring Futures podcast is a discussion with Joe Nash and Patrick Kizny about the current and future state of creative services and creative studios. Joe was formerly the Director of Business Strategy at Buck and the co-founder of Slate. Patrick runs Futurecrafting which provides strategic advisory services to brands and companies and …

1
Lori Bartle- Cultivagency- From Account Management to Account Leadership 54:56

9M ago54:56

54:56

The latest episode of the Inspiring Futures podcast features an interview with Lori Bartle of Cultivagency. Lori has over two decades of experience in Account Management although she much prefers to call it Account Leadership. In our conversation, we discuss some of the challenges the discipline faces and the critical importance of a role that brin…

1
Tom Suharto - Global Strategy Lead - Forsman & Bodenfors 55:37

9M ago55:37

55:37

The latest episode of Inspiring Futures features an interview with Tom Suharto, Global Strategy Lead at Forsman & Bodenfors. Tom started in market research (quant) worked with Hall and Partners and helped to establish their office in Shanghai and then on to Wieden in Shanghai to work on Nike, Disneyland, and then to the Portland office to work on N…

1
Hyphenated- 4 Years On- William Esparza and Kelli Roberston 1:01:44

9M ago1:01:44

1:01:44

When Hyphenated was awarded Silver, West Coast in Ad Age's Small Agency of the Year Awards the publication wrote the following introduction. "When William Esparza and Kelli Robertson left their roles at R/GA in 2019 to establish their own creative agency, they chose the name Hyphenated to reflect the agency’s aim of bridging the gap between brands …

1
Jonathan Wise- CoFounder - Purpose Disruptors 1:02:23

10M ago1:02:23

1:02:23

The latest Inspiring Futures podcast features an interview with Jonathan Wise one of the co-founders of the non-profit Purpose Disruptors. Jonathan was once a strategist at JWT, but quit his job to study for an MBA in Sustainability. In the episode, we discuss his journey and transformation, what Purpose Disruptors is, and how it is trying to impac…

1
Dr. Grace Kite- Founder- Magic Numbers and Magic Works 53:53

11M ago53:53

53:53

The latest episode of Inspiring Futures features an interview with Dr. Grace Kite, the founder of Magic Numbers and Magic Works, an analytics-focused consultancy that helps companies and brands understand how they grow. In our conversation, we discussed the challenges and importance of being strategic when understanding the factors behind growth, t…

1
Beth Bentley - Tomorrowism 1:04:41

11M ago1:04:41

1:04:41

The latest Inspiring Futures episode features an interview with Beth Bentley the co-founder of consultancy Tomorrowism. Beth's experience includes- Deputy Head of Strategy- Adam & Eve, London Executive Head of Strategy- at Wieden&Kennedy- London SVP Strategy Virtue at Vice. She is also the author of a best-selling book, was the Chief Strategy Offic…

1
Caroline Johnson- Co-Founder- Business Model Company 1:01:16

12M ago1:01:16

1:01:16

The latest Inspiring Futures podcast features an interview with Caroline Johnson- Co-Founder of The Business Model Company. Caroline worked at Grey but then worked at KPMG as a consultant. The Business Model Company advises agencies on how to evolve their business models to generate value for their clients and increase revenues and profitability fo…

1
Andy Nairn- Co-Founder- Lucky Generals 1:12:43

12M ago1:12:43

1:12:43

Andy Nairn co-founded Lucky Generals- an ad agency with offices in London and New York. Beyond running an agency, Andy has written a best-selling business book "Go Luck Yourself" and has just completed his first novel- "Trail of Blood" a murder mystery set 500 years ago on the border between England and Scotland. Some quotes from our chat. On Pitch…

1
Maz Karimian- ustwo 59:26

12M ago59:26

59:26

Maz Karimian heads up strategy at ustwo an employee-owned product design company that brings emotional game-inspired thinking to product design—some key quotes from our conversation below. About ustwo “Monument Valley is the game and the game series That was so successful that usTwo games was split off as a sort of a separate sister entity, still u…

1
Daniel Groh- Satisfy Running 58:40

1y ago58:40

58:40

Daniel Groh heads up brand at Satisfy Running. In this interview, we discuss the transformed state of the running category and Satisfy's place within it. How the brand leans into personal expression and appeals to those who want to express themselves beyond the traditional players and the traditional running silhouette. How it's leading the charge …

1
John Geletka 51:29

1y ago51:29

51:29

The latest episode of Inspiring Futures features an interview with John Geletka John is the owner and founder of Geletka + - a small agency located in the West Loop of Chicago The agency started five years ago. John's an artist by training but has done several different jobs in his career including corporate marketing, but he's also an entrepreneur…

1
Eliza Yvette Esquivel- Our Protopian Future 1:00:46

1y ago1:00:46

1:00:46

The latest Inspiring Futures podcast is an interview with Eliza Yvette Esquivel. Eliza has worked both on the agency and client side. She's had senior brand management roles at Mondelez and Microsoft and as a strategist and CSO at several different agencies, including Barbarian, Future Brand, DDB, JWT, Wieden and Kennedy Amsterdam, and TBWA. In our…

1
Warren Berger- Author and Journalist 1:01:07

1y ago1:01:07

1:01:07

Warren Berger is an author and journalist who has spent the last 25 years writing about the worlds of design, advertising and innovation. Back in the day he got a feature story about Weiden and Kennedy into the NYT Magazine and he wrote the book "Advertising Today" that was published by Phaidon,. For the past 10 years, he's been focused on the worl…

1
Gerard Crichlow- Global Strategist- Axe/Lynx/Unilever- IPG 48:47

1y ago48:47

48:47

This episode features an interview with Gerard Crichlow, who heads up Global Strategy on the Unilever brands- Axe/Lynx at IPG. Gerard collaborates with several IPG entities worldwide to ensure the Axe/Lynx brands connect to their consumers and cultures. Some quotes from Gerard from the episode. "And for me, if we're in the attention game, who does …

1
Peter Semple- CMO- Depop 1:03:33

1y ago1:03:33

1:03:33

This latest episode of Inspiring Futures features an interview with the CMO of Depop. Depop is one of the most interesting brands in the fashion space since it's all about reselling and ultimately about transforming the way we shop for fashion. Peter has a fascinating background with experience on the agency side with both Anomaly(where he worked o…

1
Tass Tsitsopoulos- Global Strategy Director, McDonald's at Wieden + Kennedy 1:20:38

1y ago1:20:38

1:20:38

In this episode, I talk with Tass Tsitsopoulos, the Global Strategy Director of McDonald's at Wieden + Kennedy. We discuss his early life in London, studying politics at LSE, his accidental journey into advertising thanks to Jeremy Bullmore, his life as an Account Guy at BBH, and his leap into planning. We also get to talk about his journey in the …

1
Ian Murray- Co-Founder-Burst Your Bubble 1:02:32

1y ago1:02:32

1:02:32

Last month, I sat down for a conversation with Ian Murray- the co-founder of Burst Your Bubble. Ian has no shortage of contrarian views on everything from media and the current vogues in marketing to what strategists need to be doing in their work. To give you a flavor of the conversation- here are some soundbites. On Media "TV still produces the s…

1
Jae Goodman- The Future is Super Connected 1:01:31

1+ y ago1:01:31

1:01:31

Jae Goodman is unique. He worked on Madison Avenue. He has a deep understanding of brands. He knows Hollywood, and he understands the power of culture and celebrity. Jae has experienced these worlds throughout his career, which spanned the likes of Wieden and Kennedy, CAA, and the creation of his agency- Observatory, and now his consulting company,…

1
Amy Daroukakis- How to Be a Cultural Strategist 53:16

1+ y ago53:16

53:16

The latest Inspiring Futures podcast features an interview with Amy Daroukakis, a cultural strategist. Our conversation stretched far and wide from the creative emergence of crisis to the importance of curiosity as a lifestyle to get you out of your comfort zone. The idea is that Cultural Strategy is a more significant thing than understanding Yout…

1
Peter Spear- All things Qualitative 57:42

1+ y ago57:42

57:42

Peter Spear started his career at Tattoo in San Francisco, where he fell in love with qualitative research and has been a practitioner ever since. We discussed the importance of talking to people to learn the hows and whys that data can't explain. How, in recent times, talking to strangers has become a challenge, and how to overcome those challenge…

1
Keely Adler- VP, Cultural Futurist- Dentsu Creative and Core Team, RADAR 1:03:51

1+ y ago1:03:51

1:03:51

Last December, I recorded a podcast with Keely Adler, who heads up Futures at Dentsu Creative. This was before the agency's huge T-Mobile win, in which Keely played a huge part. In this conversation, we talked about how she sees the discipline of "Futures" (what it is and what it isn't) and its role in strategy and for clients. Keely is also on the…

1
Laura Hutfless, FlyteVu Co-Founder 53:55

1+ y ago53:55

53:55

Back in November, I had a fascinating conversation with Laura Hutlfess, the co-founder of FlyteVu. FlyteVu is an entertainment marketing agency based in Nashville. Laura has a talent management background and worked for CAA before branching out independently. In our conversation, we talked about her background, the type of work the agency does, the…

1
Neal Mann- Co-Founder- NOAN 1:08:11

1+ y ago1:08:11

1:08:11

A few weeks back, I got to talk to Neal Mann. Neal has had a fascinating career. Working in the literal frontlines of journalism, he got to experience the pressures and realities of getting stories out to the world before your competitors. He was an early advocate and power user of digital platforms like Twitter and understood the transformations h…

1
Joe Carter- Co-Founder- The Ironclad Pan Company 58:18

1+ y ago58:18

58:18

Joe Carter spent time working in independent ad agencies in the UK, landed a sales job at Contagious, became enamored with Colenso BBDO, arranged to have lunch with the agency MD, brought a one-way ticket to Auckland, got a job in new biz at Colenso and then went on to be a co-founder of a company that makes cast pans- The Ironclad Pan Company. In …

1
Katie Dreke- Part 2- Three Years On 1:08:58

1+ y ago1:08:58

1:08:58

The latest episode of the Inspiring Futures podcast features an interview with Katie Dreke. Katie has spent time with the likes of 180, Wieden Kennedy, Droga5, and Nike (7 years), and three years ago, she embarked on her journey as a consultant, which was when we last spoke. We talked about her biggest learnings over the three years- such as unpack…

1
George Prest- From BBH Copywriter to Local Politician 54:59

1+ y ago54:59

54:59

The latest Inspiring Futures podcast features an interview with George Prest. George started his career in the creative department of BBH and moved on to creative director roles at Lowe. He was early to understand the power of digital transformation and was Global Executive Creative Director at R/GA and, most recently, a partner at the Brandtech Gr…

1
Sophie Ayles 1:20:00

1+ y ago1:20:00

1:20:00

The latest episode of Inspiring Futures features an interview with Sophie Ayles. Sophie is one of Australia's most experienced strategists. She started her career in the Disruption group at TBWA Paris and has spent time at JWT, BBDO, co: collective, and M&C Saatchi (where she had several different roles, including Regional Chief Strategy Officer -A…

1
Dan Gardner- Co-Founder- Code and Theory 1:00:20

1+ y ago1:00:20

1:00:20

In the latest Inspiring Futures podcast, I spoke with Dan Gardner, the co-founder of Code and Theory. A 22-year-old- digital-first agency that states its philosophy as "Our intent is to be unclassifiable in a cluttered agency landscape. We discussed the origins and evolutions of Code and Theory, how to think about technology correctly, the importan…

1
Ivan Kayser- CEO- Redscout 1:02:52

1+ y ago1:02:52

1:02:52

Ivan heads up Redscout and is the CEO of the consulting company. Founded over 20 years ago, Redscout focuses on "making change real," using strategists and designers to make this happen. Ivan has a strategy background and has been with Redscout since 2015. His client experience includes- Best Buy, Google, PepsiCo, and ADP. Our conversation was wide…

1
Kyle Duckitt - Strategy Director- BBH Singapore 1:03:39

2y ago1:03:39

1:03:39

Kyle is the Strategy Director of BBH Singapore, where he works on a roster of great brands, including; Heineken, Nike, and Riot Games. The podcast discusses his background, including his time at BBDO in Germany and his award-winning work for the WWF (World Wildlife Fund). We also talk about the importance of how work gets developed that's culturall…

1
Escape Pod- Tyler Moore and Evie Psarras 53:58

2y ago53:58

53:58

Way too many months back, I had the chance to speak to Evie and Tyler at the Escape Pod in Chicago. It was an excellent opportunity to talk to members of a strategy team at a small agency. Tyler runs the department and Evie is a brand strategist on the team. Since Evie came into the industry from academia, we had an interesting discussion about wha…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Michael Lester Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen