You think you're making your own decisions. You're not — at least not entirely.

Influence is happening all around us, all the time. In the campaigns you scroll past. In the defaults you never question. In the room you walk into and the way you introduce yourself. And if you're not aware of it, you're being shaped by it without even knowing.

This week, I'm joined by Dr. Gillian Brooks, Associate Professor of Marketing at King's Business School, Director of the Executive MBA programme, and one of the leading researchers on influence, social media, and persuasion. She also happened to be my professor this semester.

We talked about what influence actually is, the ethics of it, how to use it intentionally in your career, and why being ambitious and confused doesn't mean you're behind — it means you're paying attention.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN:

Why influence isn't just for charismatic people and how it's already shaping your decisions without you realising it
What the Obama campaign can teach you about building credibility and community from scratch
Where the line is between strategic influence and manipulation (and why it matters for your career)
What "celebrity capital" actually is and how to build yours even if you have zero followers
Why "just be yourself" is incomplete advice and what authentic influence actually looks like
How to advocate for yourself in salary negotiations using data, confidence, and timing
What AI is changing about influence, and how to protect yourself from it

💬 QUOTE OF THE EPISODE –

"You're not outside of influence. You're already inside it. The only question is whether you're doing it on purpose." — Dr. Gillian Brooks

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 — Introduction: You're already being influenced

00:37 — Why charisma has nothing to do with it

01:32 — Gillian's career arc and what she learned from every pivot

02:58 — From publicist in Toronto to PhD at Cambridge

05:31 — Inside the Obama campaign: influence at scale

09:10 — The mere exposure effect and the power of consistency

10:45 — Influence vs. manipulation: where's the line?

11:24 — Cambridge Analytica: data, targeting, and non-consensual nudging

14:21 — Celebrity capital explained: social, cultural, symbolic

17:23 — How social media changed the rules of influence

19:54 — Building expertise early in your career

21:57 — Navigating choice overload

26:11 — Gender and negotiation

27:03 — How to negotiate your salary with data and confidence

30:49 — AI, deepfakes, and media literacy

42:01 — Who are you clearly becoming?

RESOURCES

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion — Robert Cialdini
The Power of Who Gets Heard and Why — Deborah Tannen
Cambridge Analytica — BBC Documentary
Dr. Gillian Brooks — King's Business School: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/gillian-brooks

This is your reminder that you can be ambitious and confused. DM Hazel Ann on Instagram your ONE non-negotiable habit and the WORD that describes who you are clearly becoming.

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Host: Hazel Ann | Clearly Becoming

Guest Episode: ft. Dr. Gillian Brooks