I’m proud to announce that Season 2 of Marketing Sweats is now live. Just six months after launching Season 1, we’ve learned a lot of lessons about what it means to be a podcaster. Before diving into Season 2, let me tell you how we got here.

Friends, launching Season 1 of the podcast was a dream come true for me. It has been one of the greatest joys of my career. I want to thank everyone who took time to listen to an episode and share feedback. I’ve been touched by all those who said, “I know that familiar voice!” or “Wow, I didn’t know that story!” or even “What the heck is Marketing Sweats?”

The clients and employees who supported our first (rocky) attempt at launching the first season will go down as one of those “I’ll owe one” moments in my future years in this business. Huge thanks to the one and only Mike Rowe for being my first guest, where we literally lost sound with one of the most iconic voices in the industry and hosted him in a legit “sweat shop” under hot lights so we could capture video — that we may never be able to use. Fitting, I think, as my first memory of this experience. But you can listen to the final episode here.

Through all the trials, I hope in Season 2, we’ve worked out the bugs. We have real equipment now, plus a redesigned website with a new creative look, and you can now listen to the episodes right on the site. I feel like we’re growing up a little as podcasters.

The creative team that has contributed to this season has me humbled and inspired to do this job. From the producer who edits to the project manager who wrangles me on the daily, none of this would happen without a team. I had no idea what went into this type of production. It’s a ton of work. But it’s worth it. I’ve always dreamed of hosting a radio show where I get to sit and talk to my friends candidly about issues that plague us all…and this is just that, on a deeper, more intimate level (and with a marketing spin).

The energy that comes with talking to clients about their stories, their celebrations and their learnings has given me a newfound appreciation for the work we do as marketers. It makes me feel as though I’ve found my people — and their people are often my people — so the podcast is doing its own work, bringing together like-minded thinkers who give one another energy.

We often say, “We’re not saving lives here, people,” but in many ways, the work we do is touching lives every day. It’s about hearing stories on how a brand launch reinvigorated an employee base. Or, how the greatest way to impact the customer experience is to get closer to the actual customer. These are the reminders that help us go to bat for really tough things — thus the idea of naming the podcast “Marketing Sweats” in the first place.

So, even though Season 1 was wrought with opportunities to improve, it was powerful. We knew though that Season 2 needed to go to another level. After all, Marketing Sweats is about more than just great stories within our circle. It’s also about challenging our thinking and giving us a little brain candy (as we call it at Simantel) on new ways to be great marketers and leaders. We live at the center of one of the fastest changing industries in the world, and I’ve always found the best way to stay ahead of the curve is to talk to those who are already there — or get some perspective from those who spend their days thinking about things completely outside of my wheelhouse.

And that’s why Season 2 may push you a little outside of your comfort zone.

What You’ll Hear in Season 2

This season, we talk to some of the industry’s leading strategists, technologists and even business coaches about the work they do every day and how their insights can apply to our world.

All in all, the theme of this season is possibilities, and not just any possibilities, but rather, possibilities that stem from knowing your purpose as an organization or as an individual. You’ll hear talk about the “soul” of business or “knowing your why.” It’s not something we think about every day in a world of data-driven content strategies powered by technology. That said, you’ll also hear an equal mix of talk about “orchestration” and “attribution” and “taxonomy” — marketing buzzwords for sure, but we dig into the meat behind the words you hear so often.

Whether you’re a marketer seeking to build your company and brand or simply an individual or entrepreneur planning ahead, there will be something for you to take away this season. Each of our interviewees is a marketer, though they come from a wide variety of industries. They talk about defining their own brand, putting their ideas into the universe and then really honing in on their core beliefs.

We’re so excited to release Season 2 of our show. Before you hit play, please know at the time of recording, we were right in the midst of the stay-at-home order for Covid-19. Now we are faced with bigger conversations taking place in the world – the issues beyond marketing – including how we will continue to elevate the focus on anti-racism. We are committed not to let this issue “go away” without continued dialogue. So, we’re currently brainstorming how to elevate conversations – perhaps even making this a focus of Season 3. We’ll keep working on our approach, and we hope you’ll stick with us.

I could not be more thrilled to share this season with you, and I hope you’ll come along on the journey. Get ready to get inspired. The possibilities and potential are endless.

Start listening to our podcast at marketingsweats.com.