Podcast
Amanda's Playbook
Hosted by Amanda Russell · EN
Amanda's Playbook is your front-row seat to a living laboratory alongside unfiltered conversations with the people influencing the future of business, culture, creators, and community. Hosted by Amanda, investor, professor, and marketing powerhouse, alongside insightful co-hosts, you'll witness firsthand experiments that bridge the gap between marketing theory and what actually works right now.
This isn't another show about yesterday's successes—it's about creating tomorrow's playbook together. Join a community of forward-thinking business leaders, entrepreneurs, and marketing professionals as we challenge conventional wisdom, test new approaches, and document what truly builds influence in today's rapidly changing landscape.
No theory. No history lessons. Just real experiments, real results, and real-time adaptations you can apply immediately.
21episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
If They Don’t Feel It, They Won’t Follow: Influence Equation Series
Nov 2700:06:20Tap to summarizeThis Week’s Playbook: The Move That Actually Builds Trust You can write the best mission statement in the world.Design the perfect deck. Nail the speech. And still — no one moves.Because people don’t follow words.They follow evidence — the kind they can feel. If you’ve been following this series, you know the equation:Influence = Attention + Trust Attention might open the door.But trust is the multiplier.It’s what moves people to act. And the clearest signal of trust?Not charisma. Not clarity. Not even credibility.It’s time. A Case You Should Study A mid-sized B2B company. Revenue tanking. Attrition spiking.One team lost 80% of its people in a year.Burnout had calcified into apathy.The culture? The walking dead. Then came a new CEO. Not loud. Not glossy. No all-hands declarations.He just started showing up. Not in boardrooms — in living rooms. He got in a car and visited employees. Warehouse staff. Junior admins. Custodial crew.Played with toddlers. Met aging parents. Sat on fraying couches. Drank bad coffee. Stayed for more than five minutes. “He knew my daughter’s name before my manager did.” “He listened to my father talk about immigrating to America.” Nothing changed on the P&L that quarter.But everything changed in the building. Because trust doesn’t start with a slide —It starts when people feel you. Why Time Is the Ultimate Trust Signal You can’t fake time.You can’t scale it. You can’t automate it.And once it’s gone — it’s gone. That’s what makes it so powerful. When leaders spend time — not as theater, but as truth — it sends a signal louder than any keynote: “I’m here. With you. When I don’t have to be.” That’s what accelerates trust.And trust is what makes influence real. What Real Leaders Spend Time On • A hospital administrator pulled night shifts with nurses during COVID — not to fix anything, but to understand. • A VP spent hours coaching underperformers others had written off — because development wasn’t a reward, it was the job. • That CEO? He didn’t outsource empathy. He embodied it. Leadership isn’t about scale. It’s about signal.“I choose to be here.” This Episode Goes Deeper: The Quiet Move That Makes Influence Inevitable You can be the smartest person in the room. But if no one feels you? They won’t follow you. 🟣A Soft Challenge This Week Give someone your time.Not a tweet. Not a comment. Actual time. Because that’s where trust begins. And when trust is real — influence is inevitable. 📚 ABOUT THE SERIES: This is Episode 5 of The Influence Equation—a framework for building authentic influence without faking it. We’ve covered trust and influence. Now we’re diving into the foundation: trust. Previous episodes: Episode 4- The Hidden Power of Being Underestimated.Amanda’s Playbook is a weekly insight series for ambitious professionals and influential thinkers. p.s. I would love to hear your experience and perspectives Leave a comment Thanks for reading! This post is public so feel free to share it. Share Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →
The Hidden Power of Being Underestimated
Nov 1200:07:16Tap to summarizeYouTube Girl Walks Into a Boardroom. There’s a certain kind of moment you don’t forget. Mine happened in a sleek conference room at one of the top business schools in the world—right as I was stepping into a leadership role for a new MBA program. Big moment. Bigger opportunity. One of the senior faculty members looked across the table and said, “We weren’t sure how to prepare for this meeting… should we have done jumping jacks before you arrived?” That wasn’t curiosity. That was condescension. To him, I was the “YouTube workout girl.” Just a label — and a reductive one. They Labeled Me Wrong. Here’s What I Did Next. What he didn’t know was the backstory: That the business he was referencing started as my MBA thesis. That it became one of the first paid fitness subscription platforms for women. That it grew into a digital agency, eventually acquired by a PE firm. That I’d already built and taught curriculum at another top-tier school. But none of that mattered if the room couldn’t see it. And that’s when I realized something I wish someone had told me earlier: When someone underestimates you, you don’t win by explaining harder. You win by speaking a language they already trust. The Room Wasn’t Ready for Me — But I Was What shifted that room wasn’t confidence. It was context. Not defensiveness. Not overcompensation. Just a quiet, grounded translation of value — from my lens into theirs. DON’T EXPLAIN YOURSELF TRANSLATE YOURSELF “Validation” gets a bad rap in the empowerment era. But when done strategically, it’s not about seeking approval. It’s about meeting someone in the logic system they already live in — so you can shift it, from the inside. This Week’s Real Playbook 🟣 When someone doubts you, don’t panic — pause. What’s the lens they’re using? What do they already respect? Start there. 🟣 Borrow trust, but translate it. Not to perform, but to bridge. The goal isn’t to impress — it’s to connect. 🟣 Resist the urge to “prove.” Often, the more you explain, the more fragile it sounds. Let the substance speak through the right signal. Because when someone reduces you to a label, your job isn’t to argue the label. It’s to reveal the layers behind it — in a language they can actually hear. 📚 ABOUT THE SERIES: This is Episode 4 of The Influence Equation—a framework for building authentic influence without faking it. We’ve covered trust and influence. Now we’re diving into the foundation: trust. Previous episodes: Episode 3- Trusted Voices Win.Amanda’s Playbook is a weekly insight series for ambitious professionals and influential thinkers. Leave a comment Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →
Trusted Voices Win. Here’s Why You’re Not One Yet.
Nov 100:06:02Tap to summarizeYou can be brilliant, confident, even right—and still not be trusted. I learned this the hard way. Early in my career, I assumed that working harder, knowing more, and delivering results would automatically earn trust. People respected my competence, but they didn't always follow me. They didn't open up. And sometimes, they didn't stay. That's because trust isn't built on expertise alone. It's built on three layers—and the most powerful one is the one nobody talks about. In this episode of Amanda's Playbook, I break down: ✓ Competence – Why being smart gets you admired, but not always trusted ✓ Character – How consistency (not perfection) builds believability ✓ Clarity – Why confusion kills trust, even when your ideas are genius ✓ Benevolence – The overlooked layer that overrides credentials every time Chapters: 0:00 – Intro: When Being Smart Isn't Enough 0:39 – Level 1: Competence (Do You Know What You're Doing?) 1:05 – Level 2: Character (Who are you as a person?) 1:34 – Level 3: Clarity 2:15 – 3 Layers of Trust Explained The truth: People don't just need to know you're capable. They need to believe you have their best interests at heart. That's relationship capital—and it's the real engine of influence. Whether you're building a personal brand, leading a team, or trying to earn trust in a new space, this framework will change how you show up. 🎯 KEY TAKEAWAYS: → How to signal competence without over-explaining → How to demonstrate character in high-stakes moments → How to build trust when you haven't earned it yet (borrow trust, admit the gap, offer value anyway) → Why benevolence beats credentials in the trust equation 📚 ABOUT THE SERIES: This is Episode 3 of The Influence Equation—a framework for building authentic influence without faking it. We've covered charisma and influence. Now we're diving into the foundation: trust. Previous episodes: Episode 1: Charisma → https://youtu.be/51s6DczcSjo?si=vWN0e2ZCJ3Ti9by9 Episode 2: Influence → https://youtu.be/lTlVW3sfNTs?si=z5KcfS79ocAGb6eT Next up: Episode 4 explores "Hero’s Journey for Thought Leaders". 👤 ABOUT AMANDA RUSSELL: I'm a faculty member at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, where I co-direct the world's first accredited influencer marketing program. I'm also a 2x founder and exit CEO, author of The Influencer Code, and board advisor to Lamborghini and the Andy Roddick Foundation. I built my career at the intersection of academia and entrepreneurship—teaching what actually works because I've built it first. 🔗 CONNECT WITH ME: Website: https://www.amandarussell.co LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/profamandarussell Instagram: @amandarussellfss Book: The Influencer Code – https://www.amandarussell.co/the-influencer-code/ 💬 LET'S TALK: Drop a comment: Who's someone you admire but don't fully trust? (And why do you think that is?) 🔔 SUBSCRIBE for weekly insights on influence, leadership, and authentic brand-building. Charisma gets attention. Trust gets loyalty. Let's build both. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →
The 5 Types of Charisma
Oct 1700:06:40Tap to summarizeNot all charisma looks the same. Learn the five types and how to use yours with intention — without turning it into performance. Last week, we split the atom between charisma and influence — how one gets you in the room, but the other moves it. This week, we go deeper. Because when someone calls a person “charismatic,” they rarely ask: what kind? Charisma isn’t a personality. It’s a lever — and there’s more than one way to pull it. In this episode, Amanda breaks down the five types of charisma that show up across industries and leaders — plus how to identify which one you naturally use, and when to switch gears. You’ll learn: The difference between High Conviction and Authentic charisma Why Disarming Humor works better than trying to be funny How Empathetic charisma drives influence one conversation at a time What makes Energetic charisma contagious (and what kills it) How to use charisma as a channel — not a mask 🕒 Timestamps:00:00 – Intro: Charisma vs Influence01:32 – The myth of “born charisma”02:40 – Type 1: High Conviction04:25 – Type 2: Authentic06:00 – Type 3: Disarming Humor07:40 – Type 4: Empathetic09:10 – Type 5: Energetic11:00 – How to use your charisma intentionally12:30 – The Unspoken Layer: From performance to power13:30 – Coming Next: The Trust Gap — Why Being Smart Isn’t Enough 📩 Subscribe to Amanda’s Playbook:https://www.amandarussell.co/newsletter/— for weekly strategy and insight drops. 📺 Watch the full video version:https://youtu.be/lTlVW3sfNTs?si=Q44hFDLrxePAFvGm 🧠 Read the full blog post:https://www.amandarussell.co/the-5-types-of-charisma-and-how-to-use-yours-without-losing-yourself/ 💬 Share this episode:Send it to someone who leads, teaches, or builds things. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →
Busy ≠ Successful: Why Reliability Wins Every Time
Sep 3000:03:06Tap to summarizeWe need to talk about the cult of “busy.” Because being “too slammed” to reply, treating your inbox like a graveyard, and ghosting deadlines doesn’t make you important. It makes you replaceable. Here’s the truth: busy ≠ successful. The people I bet on aren’t performing overwhelm — they’re the ones who follow through, keep their word, and close loops without making chaos everyone else’s problem. In this video, I break down: 📌 Why “busy” is the biggest liability in business 📌 The 48-hour rule that separates leaders from pretenders 📌 Why trust and consistency are the ultimate competitive advantage Your response patterns aren’t about your calendar. They’re about your character. If you want to build influence, don’t get busier. Get reliable. Because trust compounds faster than attention. And follow-through? That’s the real flex. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →
The Polo Lesson Every Brand Needs to Hear
Sep 3000:04:00Tap to summarizeYou can’t always buy your way into influence. This summer in Sotogrande, Spain — one of the world capitals of polo — I witnessed how brands engineer desire without a single ad, hashtag, or ticket link. The most talked-about spot at the Gold Cup wasn’t on the program, and you couldn’t find it online. From the outside? Just a plain white tent. From the inside? The only place everyone wanted to be. In this episode of Amanda’s Playbook, I break down: -How exclusivity fuels influence -Why the best experiences aren’t advertised — they’re whispered about -Multi-sensory branding that makes you remember a brand long after the event Brands that master this don’t just get attention — they become unforgettable. 🔔 Subscribe for more weekly episodes on marketing, influence, and building brands people can’t stop talking about. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →
The Word That Drives Me Crazy
Sep 3000:05:53Tap to summarizeThe word influencer built my career — and now, I hate it. Here’s the truth: what most people call “influencer marketing” is just advertising in a social media costume. Follower counts. Engagement rates. Cost-per-post. None of that is real influence. Real influence is the ability to cause action. It’s awareness + ability. It’s Oprah’s Book Club sticker, Sequoia’s stamp, Michelin’s stars. The smartest brands don’t buy followers. They build proximity to trust. In this episode, I’ll break down the big misconception about influence, why brands are wasting millions chasing the wrong thing, and how to shift from transactions to relationship architecture. If you want to stop chasing metrics and start creating gravity, this one’s for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →
The 5 A.M. Lesson That Changed How I Think About Community
Sep 3000:07:35Tap to summarizeCommunity has become a buzzword. But you can’t swipe a credit card and call it connection. The strongest communities I’ve ever seen weren’t bought. They were built through shared effort, trust, and time. In this episode, I share the story of how a 5 a.m. cycling group changed the trajectory of my career—and why the same principle applies to any brand trying to cut through the noise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →How to Stay Everywhere… Even If You Stop Posting
Aug 1400:06:28Tap to summarizeMost brands think visibility comes from more content. The truth? It comes from better placement—being seen in the right ways, in the right places. In this episode of Amanda’s Playbook, I’m sharing 3 strategies to grow your reach without becoming a full-time creator: 1️⃣ Brand the Background – Turn your space into visual storytelling that naturally integrates your brand. 2️⃣ Incentivize Mentions – Reward the organic tags and shoutouts you’re already getting. 3️⃣ Co-Produce for Control – Collaborate with creators so your brand gets high-quality, on-message content—without you doing all the work. Forget trying to outpost your competitors. This is about out-positioning them—so your brand stays visible without burning out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Why Content Isn’t the Strategy—and What Actually Moves the Needle
Aug 700:07:52Tap to summarizeYou don’t need to become a content creator. You just need a smarter way to show up. In this episode of Amanda’s Playbook, I’m flipping the script on what visibility really requires in 2025. If you’re exhausted by the content treadmill—and secretly allergic to hustle culture—this one's for you. Inside, you’ll learn: Why “just post more” is not a strategy—it’s a burnout spiral How to borrow visibility instead of building it from scratch The #1 reason most content isn’t converting 3 plug-and-play ways to turn your physical space into a content magnet (Yes, even if it’s a boring B2B office or that spare room in your house) You’ll walk away with tangible strategies to amplify your brand—without filming a single video, writing a single caption, or syncing to stock audio. 👇 Drop a comment or DM me a photo of your office space and I’ll help you brainstorm how to make it work for you. 🔔 Subscribe to Amanda’s Playbook for more brand strategies that feel less like rocket science and more like cheating on a test. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →