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
Breaking Free From The Status Paradox That's Limiting Your Growth
Mar 26, 202500:06:53Tap to summarizeWhat happens when achievement becomes the very thing stopping you from growing? After my recent Amanda's Playbook launch event, I received this refreshingly direct feedback: "Great event, but I'm still not entirely sure what Amanda's Playbook is all about."The truth? The ambiguity isn't a failure—it's intentional. In this episode, I reveal:-Why established success paradoxically makes us MORE risk-averse at the precise moment we should be innovating-How my journey from competitive runner to fitness entrepreneur to academic taught me the danger of "first place paralysis"-The unexpected reason I returned to YouTube after years in academia and corporate consulting-Why learning together creates stronger connections than presenting perfectly polished ideasJOIN THIS WEEK'S EXPERIMENT: Make your way over to my YouTube video and comment your biggest influence challenge (personal or professional), then respond to at least two other community members. Next week, I'll highlight the three most influential contributors who share meaningful challenges and thoughtful responses.This isn't just content to consume—it's an invitation to build something together. Amanda's Playbook is a living laboratory where we'll test what actually works now, not what worked years ago.🔔 Subscribe for weekly experiments, strategies, and insights on building real influence in 2025 and beyond.#TheStatusParadox #BuildingInfluence #AmandaRussell #MarketingStrategy #LeadershipChallenge #InfluencerMarketing #CommunityBuilding Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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I Built a Fitness Empire... Then I Disappeared. Here's Why I'm Back.
Mar 19, 202500:04:15Tap to summarizeAfter walking away from YouTube years ago and vowing never to return, I'm back—with a revelation that ironically explains exactly why I left.My journey since those early fitness videos has transformed me in ways I never anticipated. It's led me through building subscription businesses, selling a production company, publishing a book, and ultimately into the halls of prestigious business schools who’s mission is to “shape how business and marketing is taught to future leaders”.But something profound happened that compelled me to break my "never returning to YouTube" promise.This isn't just another comeback story or content creation venture—it's a response to a critical disconnect I've witnessed firsthand, one that affects anyone trying to build something meaningful in today's digital landscape.Each week, I'll be sharing a revolving mix of insights, examples & real-time experiments that bridge the gap between theory and implementation. This isn't just content for you to consume—you're essential to the process as we discover what actually works in 2025 (not 2010).To my original fitness community who've witnessed every pivot of this journey—thank you for your unwavering support. The authenticity we built together remains at the heart of this new chapter.Watch or listen to discover why I believe we need to revolutionize marketing education and how we'll do it together.📍 New episodes weekly 📍 Join the community testing real strategies in real-time 📍 First experiment launches next week📍 Follow me on Instagram and TikTok for more! @amandasplaybook#AmandasPlaybook #MarketingRevolution #MarketingEducation #TheoryToPractice #DigitalMarketing #RealTimeMarketing #MarketingCommunity #2025Marketing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Unsexy to Unstoppable: How YETI Became A $300 Status Symbol
Mar 14, 202500:08:09Tap to summarizeDiscover how an ordinary water cooler transformed into a $300 status symbol without being different OR unique. In this episode, I break down YETI's extraordinary influence strategy that turned customers into brand evangelists. I reveal the three key principles behind YETI's massive success: Identity Over Innovation- Why YETI sells who you become, not what you buy Community Over Commodity- How they created an exclusive club people pay to join Movement Over Marketing- The genius of having customers pay to advertise for you As someone who's built a career studying influence and developed MBA curriculum at institutions like Kellogg School of Management and Bocconi University, I share practical insights on what makes brands truly influential. YETI didn't try to stand out from the crowd - they became the crowd everyone wanted to stand in. Learn the difference between attention and true influence, and why emotional connection trumps rational features every time. Whether you're a marketer, entrepreneur, or just curious about brand influence, this case study offers valuable lessons on creating movements instead of just marketing products. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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41: Unlocking and Unleashing LinkedIn Influence for Yourself - and Your Company
Nov 3, 202100:25:38Tap to summarizeWhen we talk about influence in social media, we tend to dwell on consumer-centric sites such as Instagram and TikTok. But what about influencing the world through your creation of a robust personal brand? Or perhaps leveraging your employees to yield more influence for your brand through social media? Are Instagram and TikTok still the ideal places to invest time and energy? Of course not, and this is something today's guest, Sandra Long, has been speaking and writing about for nearly a decade, including her definitive work "LinkedIn for Personal Branding." When you and your company are ready to influence the influential demographic that is on LinkedIn, listen in as Sandra uncovers both how to improve our personal branding and influence on LinkedIn as well as how brands can leverage the influence of their employees on the unique and often misunderstood social network that is LinkedIn. For more information: •Sandra Long on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/longsandra/ •LinkedIn for Personal Branding on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/LinkedIn-Personal-Branding-Ultimate-Guide/dp/B08VCQWRQ8/ •Amanda Russell: https://amandarussell.co •Neal Schaffer: https://nealschaffer.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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40: The Methodology behind Turning CEO's, Executives and Corporate Leaders into Global Thought Leaders
Oct 20, 202100:35:33Tap to summarizeWhy is it that some companies have rockstar founders and CEOs? Why does EVERYONE know the name of say Steve Jobs, but few know the names of his successors or partners for that matter? Why do some leaders get all the glory, and some none at all? Donnetta Campbell, Founder of TheSocialArchitects, LLC (www.thesocialarchitects.co), has created a unique social media architecture and methodology that delivers authentic social engagement for brands, institutions, and senior leaders. She developed and orchestrates a powerful "peer-to-peer" influencer leadership, specializing in "earned-influence" personal brand building and guiding corporate digital platforms through her #SocialPR™. She fuels her eco-system with over 300 top influencers and offers clients an influential reach into social's key networks. Brand partners, including SAP, NASDAQ, A+E Networks, Bloomberg Images, Innovation Enterprise, Power Shift Forum, Crowe Horwath and The Harry Walker Speakers Agency are embracing her unique models, SocialPR™, SocialDolby™, and SocialHR™ to optimize their impact. To date, Donnetta's strategic initiatives have generated over 8.7 billion impressions for more than 350 personal brands and 100 events. She is passionate about educating groups regarding Social Influencer Models and opens 'Innovation Enterprises Brand Innovation Summits' around the globe. She has spoken at SMW; Crowe Horwath; SAP'S Global Offices, HR and Executive Leadership Groups; Digital Summit for National Retail Federation; Advertising Club of NY; Georgetown University; Oxford University; Tribeca Disruption Innovation Awards; UCONN Business School; and CUNY Social Media Weekend. She was chosen as the Social Media Disruptor in Residence for Harvard's and Tribeca's Disruptor Foundation. For more information: •Donnetta Campbell on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donnettacampbell •The Social Architects: www.TheSocialArchitects.co •Amanda Russell: https://amandarussell.co •Neal Schaffer: https://nealschaffer.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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39: The Intersection of Social Media, Sales, Employee Advocacy, and Influence
Oct 13, 202100:29:02Tap to summarizeSmart organizations have realized the incredible influence that key employees can and have yielded online. Timothy Hughes, CEO and Co Founder of DLA ignite, has been at the forefront of this movement of helping companies large and small transform their organizations digitally through both Social Selling and Smarketing, which are also the names of two books Timothy has written. Listen in as Timothy breaks down the steps you should take to ensure you digitally transform your business and tap into the opportunities and influence that await. For more information: •Timothy Hughes on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothyhughessocialselling/ •DLA ignite: https://dlaignite.com/ •Amanda Russell: https://amandarussell.co •Neal Schaffer: https://nealschaffer.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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38: What is the Deal with NFTs, And is There a Way to Use Them to Market and Grow our Brand?
Oct 6, 202100:24:43Tap to summarizeOne topic of conversation we haven't really discussed on the show is regarding the subject of NFTs - a topic that mystifies even the most forward thinking marketers and brand executives. Even if we understand the general concept, few of us really grasp how can they be used for brand marketing.Yet, it is undeniably the future and to compete the brands who are leveraging this are coming out ahead - just look at the likes of Dior and Louis Vuitton, not to mention small startups now sky rocketing thanks to their use of NFTs. Ok ok, so we understand the potential power, but where do you even? begin? Most of us are not technology platforms, nor do we have endless pockets to shell out. In this episode, Doug Neil, ex Universal EVP Doug Neil was named Marketing, Brand Chief At NFT Platform Chronicle breaks it down for us, and gives us the way of the land, alongside actionable insight on how you may want to use NFTs and what you can do to get started. For more information: •Chronicle: https://www.chronicle.io/ •Amanda Russell: https://amandarussell.co •Neal Schaffer: https://nealschaffer.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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37: The Case for B2B Influencer Marketing - and B2B Influencer Marketplaces
Sep 29, 202100:26:08Tap to summarizeWhile most think of influencer marketing in terms of social media users representing consumer brands, what if you are a B2B company. Does influencer marketing translate well in a B2B paradigm? We are joined by Tim Williams, CEO of Onalytica, whose company has been helping B2B brands generate results with influencer marketing for nearly decade. He also explains the rationale behind their recent launch of the world's largest influencer marketplace - for B2B! For more information: •Onalytica: https://onalytica.com •Amanda Russell: https://amandarussell.co •Neal Schaffer: https://nealschaffer.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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36: How to Build an Influential Network and Community to Grow Your Dream Career
Sep 22, 202100:22:29Tap to summarizeAfter spending 10 years over-working and burning out while building a credit card processing company into 38 states and a networking events company for over 30,000 people (which she later sold), she learned the wrong way to do it, and then discovered that there was a better way. Darrah Brustein has both inspired and influenced millions to reach higher and dream bigger. Having worked with Shaq, Deepak Chopra, Seth Godin, Bobbi Brown, Jillian Michaels, Adam Grant, Robert Herjavec, Nastia Liukin, Cam Newton, and the list goes on as well as brands like Chase, Visa, Toyota and FedEx, she digs into what it takes to build true influence, and it has nothing to do with 'following a passion' or taking great Instagram photos. We were riveted by this episode, a must listen! For more information: •Darrah Brustein: https://darrah.co/ •Amanda Russell: https://amandarussell.co •Neal Schaffer: https://nealschaffer.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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35: The Benefits of Treating Customers Like Influencers with Customer Experience Marketing
Sep 15, 202100:23:33Tap to summarizeMost CMOs accept that with intense global competition and increased commoditization of products and services, the final frontier in differentiation is in the customer experience. This is the basis of what customer experience marketing is all about, and today we have the world's leading expert on the subject, Dan Gingiss, who just wrote the definitive book on the subject, The Experience Maker. In our conversation we take customer experience marketing one step further to unpack the natural intersection it has with influencer marketing, and how companies can begin to treat their customers as influencers and encourage them to incite word-of-mouth marketing. For more information: •Dan Gingiss: https://dangingiss.com •The Experience Maker: https://dangingiss.com/the-experience-maker-book/ •Amanda Russell: https://amandarussell.co •Neal Schaffer: https://nealschaffer.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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