S5 E14: Mari Smith’s Human Design
When one hears the name “Mari Smith,” the natural word association is usually “Facebook.” But after this interview, it may well be something different. Perhaps “relationships,” “connection,” or “Human Design.” Because as you’ll see, there’s so much more to Mari than just Meta mastery.
Anytime there's an update to Facebook (or even a rumored feature!), thousands hightail it to Mari Smith's profiles to see what she has to say about it.
But how did Mari establish such authority in the world of Meta marketing? How did she build her name professionally to become “the” Facebook guru? Why was Facebook the platform she chose to build her career on?
What did she do before Facebook—and what might she do after?
As with all good, aligned personal brands, the same motivating forces have guided Mari throughout her journey. Primary among those forces is her fascination with human relationships.
Relationships got her to the United States to begin with. Relationships enabled her to explore a variety of career paths. Relationships have always been the core of her interest in Facebook; she does love tech, but the thing that has always fascinated her most about Facebook is its power as a connection tool.
But as you'll hear, Mari's also looking more at the impact of social media on mental health, relationships, and society—for better and for worse.
This is definitely an interview that you have not heard Mari give before. We delve into her personal story, her varied professional background, and her unfiltered takes on Meta, marketing, and what’s next.
In this episode:
Leaving Scotland for San Diego (with no money or job)
Saved by the Cake!
Bartering for legal help
“From cakes to lawyers to a mobile disc jockey…”
SEO Master
“My love and my tech”
“Mari, you can't be Miss Email Marketing, technology, internet and relationships—you gotta pick a lane!”
Discovering Facebook
Her first Facebook Marketing for Professionals course
The power of early Facebook networking (and the DMs!)
“I just love to teach and to explain!”
Human Design and 10-year cycles
“I'm going all in with this.”
Mike Stelzner and Social Media Marketing World
Why Mari has remained focus on organic social media
Facebook vs. other platforms
Mari’s current career transition
“Mental wellness, mental health, and specifically, ironically, social media's impact and isolation and loneliness and depression…”
“I just know how to market!”
What has driven Mari in all phases of her life and career
Why people trust her
The public, the personal, and the private
Find Mari:
❤️
Get Started on Your Personal Brand Journey with a sampling of Christine's Personal Branding Questions here: https://www.gritmon.com/talkaboutmybrand
Subscribe to theLet's Talk About Brand Newsletter that goes out weekly to ensure you don't miss a beat!
S5 E13: The Electrifying Sophie Lee
A chat about storytelling and empowerment (as well as using those powers for social good!) with fellow disco-ball-loving, collaboration-not-competition, sparkly badass Sophie Lee of Electric Peach! ❤️
Today I'm talking to a fellow personal branding person (which means so many different things to so many different people!): Sophie Lee, founder of Electric Peach!
Sophie doesn't just want to help people who are interested in making money. She’s putting the powerful brand storytelling tools she’s learned how to leverage over her career into the hands of people who are trying to change the world for the better: mission-driven, impact-driven businesses and female founders with something to say.
(She is also a fellow disco-ball-loving, collaboration-not-competition, sparkly badass; you can see why we get along!) ❤️
One of the themes we discuss over and over in this episode is about what it means to use one's voice. Sophie is all about empowerment of people's voices, specifically people who want to make positive changes in the world, and helping them harness the power of communication to do just that. Hearing Sophie’s journey makes it clear not only that she really knows her stuff, but also that she’s finely honed her personal values, her sense of self, and her own commitment to using these tools for good.
In this episode:
Teaching English to the Czech government
Joining the Disney “cult” in Shanghai
“Journalism” in China
The UK press’s misery machine
Accidentally becoming a marketer
The entrepreneurial bug
A toxic relationship, and a new business partnership
Becoming known for UGC (user-generated content)
Building The Joyful for actual purpose-driven businesses
Becoming Sophie Lee and Electric Peach
Communication instead of polarization
Empowering people to communicate their messages with passion and clarity
What Sophie shares
Find Sophie:
❤️
Get Started on Your Personal Brand Journey with a sampling of Christine's Personal Branding Questions here: https://www.gritmon.com/talkaboutmybrand
Subscribe to theLet's Talk About Brand Newsletter that goes out weekly to ensure you don't miss a beat!
S5 EP12: The Persistent Amanda Webb
Amanda Webb isn’t a pushy person—unless she absolutely needs to be, in which case she’ll keep showing up until she gets what she wants! We go through Amanda’s backstory, from film crew, to hamper-maker, to her current career as a data and analytics consultant, to parse out the strategic moves that helped Amanda to get known.
I’ve known Amanda Webb of Spider Working for years. While she started as a digital marketing generalist, Amanda has really built her name for data and analytics in recent years, especially Google Analytics (for which she is a certified trainer with Enterprise Nation)
But, like many of us, Amanda didn’t start out in marketing, and she shares how her time in the film industry and a small business owner helped her build the tenacity and skills that eventually helped her launch her own successful consulting and speaking business, becoming globally known as an expert on how to make sense of analytics and succeed with data-driven marketing strategies.
Of course, we also discuss what lights Amanda up, what she truly delivers beyond just marketing insights, and what cats have to do with any of it (spoiler alert: not much, and she likes it that way!).
In this episode:
“That's me: I am going to be the next Mike Lee!”
Hustling to get those union tickets signed (including in the pubs)
The importance of persistence
“Let's face it…I'm never going to be the female Mike Lee.”
“I know! I'll start a business!”
Death of a Saleswoman
“You’re not coming up on Google…”
Facebook, LinkedIn, blogging
An opportunity in recession
“I was everywhere”
Getting more widely known via video
Irish Blog Awards
Agorapulse, Social Media Marketing World, Meta and Google (via Enterprise Nation)
Helping people feel clever
Cats, knitting, film, and boundaries
Find Amanda:
❤️
Get Started on Your Personal Brand Journey with a sampling of Christine's Personal Branding Questions here: https://www.gritmon.com/talkaboutmybrand
Subscribe to theLet's Talk About Brand Newsletter that goes out weekly to ensure you don't miss a beat!
S5 EP11: Flying Anyway with "The Queen Bee" Dani Wallace
Dani Wallace defines herself by the feelings of empowerment, joy, and safety she brings to her community—not by her rough upbringing in Preston’s council estates, or her bouts with domestic violence and homelessness. Like the humble bee, she “flies anyway,” and helps countless others to do the same through her event, The Big Festoon, and her work as a speaking coach.
Today's guest is The Queen Bee herself, Ms. Dani Wallace!
Dani is a speaking coach who runs the I Am The Queen Bee community and The Big Festoon event.
She delivers confidence. She delivers encouragement. She delivers badassery. But what she truly delivers, at the root of all she does, is to deliver the message that success can feel safe.
Her event, The Big Festoon, certainly does that. Her community does that. She's even got a documentary film, “The Festoon Effect,” about what she does and the message she's spreading.
Dani definitely comes across as someone who is fully confident in the value of her own message and in her own authority to do what she's doing out here–but, as you'll hear, she's just like the rest of us deep down. She experiences self-doubt and energetic crashes. But she also recognizes the importance of the message she’s here on this earth to deliver, and the empowerment the sense of community she creates brings to others.
In this episode:
The council estates of Preston
Traveling the world as a performer
Call center training
Domestic abuse and homelessness with two children under the age of two
“Life is either going to continue happening to me or I'm going to happen to life.“
Gigging singer to early live-streamer (and mascara seller!)
“Show up, wise up, rise up”
Safety in success
Sharing her learnings
An “overnight success” 10 years in the making
Overcoming daily self-doubt
Creating what she needed most via The Big Festoon
“I’m really famous…”
Fly Anyway Foundation
Collaborations
Releasing her own film
Smashing the patriarchy
Telling your story while bringing actual value to the world
Creating that “joy space” that helps cement actual learning
Owning her origin story without leaning on it
The one thing about Dani’s energy you’d never guess!
❤️
Get Started on Your Personal Brand Journey with a sampling of Christine's Personal Branding Questions here: https://www.gritmon.com/talkaboutmybrand
Subscribe to theLet's Talk About Brand Newsletter that goes out weekly to ensure you don't miss a beat!