Fearless Creative Leadership

Do you know what you're doing — and why you're doing it?
In this episode of Fearless Creative Leadership, Charles Day speaks with Erin Riley, CEO of TBWA, about leadership in an industry undergoing profound change. As consolidation reshapes the advertising landscape and creativity faces new pressures from data and AI, Erin reflects on the qualities leaders need most today: self-awareness, integrity, and the courage to make decisions when certainty doesn't exist.
She shares how storytelling shaped her leadership style, why creative cultures depend on vulnerability and trust, and what it means to protect the "soul" of an organization while integrating new teams and histories. Erin also discusses imposter syndrome, the hidden power of micro-behaviors, and the tension leaders must balance between empathy and decisiveness.
This is a thoughtful conversation about honorable leadership, creative courage, and the responsibility of guiding people and ideas through uncertain times.
00:00 — Opening Question: Do You Know What You're Doing? Leadership without a clear playbook.
03:43 — Creativity, Storytelling, and Family Influence Growing up in a culture of conversation and narrative.
08:30 — Storytelling as Leadership How leaders use narrative to inspire belief.
10:25 — External Processing and Leadership Style Thinking through conversation and collaborative decision-making.
12:50 — The Power of Micro-Behaviors How small leadership actions shape culture.
14:30 — Overcoming Self-Doubt Confidence through action and team support.
21:20 — Entrepreneurship and Leadership Risk Why starting a business still holds appeal.
27:40 — The Reality of Leadership Responsibility, complexity, and the myth of autonomy.
30:00 — Balancing Empathy and Excellence Making difficult decisions while protecting the organization.
35:40 — Creativity and Commercial Success Why great creativity is the best business strategy.
40:20 — Integrating Agency Cultures Navigating mergers while preserving identity.
46:30 — Custodianship of Bill Bernbach's Legacy Honoring advertising history while evolving forward.
52:10 — Advice to Her 20-Year-Old Self Trust your instincts and enjoy the journey.

Does someone else have to lose for you to win?
In this episode of Fearless Creative Leadership, Charles Day speaks with Amy Martin-Ziegenfuss, Chief Marketing Officer of Carnival Cruise Line, about redefining success — and rejecting the zero-sum mindset that often drives ambition.
Amy reflects on her journey from a small-town theater kid to leading one of the world's most recognized travel brands. She shares how creativity fuels business strategy, why leadership is about creating emotional safety, and how brands must balance long-term vision with real-time responsiveness in a volatile world.
They explore imposter syndrome, the power of preparation in earning a seat at the table, and why the best leaders see winning as collective, not competitive.
This is a conversation about impact, humility, courage, and the evolution from racing others to rising together.
00:00 — Opening Question: Is Winning Zero-Sum? Reframing leadership beyond competition.
02:53 — Early Creativity & Storytelling Books, theater, and the foundations of expression.
08:15 — From Literature to Marketing Discovering consumer behavior and business impact.
12:20 — Earning a Seat at the Table Preparation, sponsorship, and strategic credibility.
19:50 — Asking for Help as Leadership Strength Building influence through curiosity.
22:30 — Defining Creativity in Business Strategy as the unlock for innovation.
27:10 — Creating Emotional Safety Supporting fragile ideas in high-stakes environments.
33:00 — Leading a Global Brand Balancing long-term planning with rapid response.
38:30 — Imposter Syndrome & Personal Boards Why no leader should navigate alone.
44:40 — Moving Beyond the Race From guarded ambition to collective success.
45:50 — What Are You Hopeful For? Impact, legacy, and rising together.

What does courage actually look like in leadership?
In this episode of Fearless Creative Leadership, Charles Day speaks with Rocky Novak and Brad Surcey, co-CEOs of Zeus Jones, about partnership, independence, and leading through uncertainty — both inside business and outside it.
They discuss why independent companies can invest ahead of clients, how curiosity and optimism shape hiring, and why great creative cultures run on principles rather than rules. But this conversation goes far beyond business. As events unfold around them in Minneapolis, Rocky and Brad share how leadership changes when your responsibility shifts from performance to protection — caring for people first, then the company, then the community.
This is a candid discussion about partnership, resilience, and humanity. It reveals how courage shows up in everyday decisions: investing before certainty, standing by your values, and supporting others when there's no playbook.
00:00 — Opening: Courage and Partnership Leadership and the role of courage in creative companies.
01:20 — Investing Ahead of Clients Why independence enables experimentation and learning.
03:25 — Leadership During Crisis Prioritizing employee safety and emotional wellbeing.
05:20 — Creativity Origins Rocky's dance background and Brad's early design influences.
12:30 — The Value of Independence Speed, decision-making, and long-term thinking.
19:45 — Continuous Evolution Why agencies must constantly reinvent themselves.
24:15 — Building a Culture of Risk Making investment a real budget line item.
27:05 — Client Partnerships vs Vendor Relationships Solving problems together rather than presenting solutions.
30:30 — Hiring for Curiosity and Optimism The qualities that sustain creative environments.
34:50 — Principles, Not Rules How culture becomes structure.
41:20 — Leading Through Social Upheaval Supporting people during uncertainty and fear.
47:30 — Creativity Serving Community Using communication to help local businesses.
53:40 — Supporting Each Other as Leaders The role of partnership in resilience.
56:00 — Hope for the Future Nuance, empathy, and rebuilding connection.

How much freedom do you give your people?
In this episode of Fearless Creative Leadership, Charles Day speaks with Cat van der Werff, Executive Creative Director of Canva, about the paradox at the heart of modern leadership: setting clear standards while letting go of control.
As Canva has grown from hundreds to thousands of employees, Cat's own evolution as a leader has mirrored that scale. A self-described perfectionist, she discovered that perfection can quietly suffocate creativity — and that excellence is only possible when leaders trust others to find their own way.
They explore creativity as a human birthright, why empowering everyone to design elevates professional designers, how AI can expand imagination rather than replace it, and what it takes to build cultures rooted in trust, playfulness, and shared ownership.
This is a thoughtful, deeply human conversation about freedom, responsibility, and what it really means to unlock creative potential at scale.
00:00 — Opening Question: Freedom & Leadership How much autonomy leaders truly give their people.
01:20 — Introducing Cat van der Werff & Canva Creativity, scale, and empowering the world to design.
03:10 — Creativity at an Early Age Drawing, observation, and imagination as instinct.
06:45 — Craft, Photography, and Self-Care Why leaders need creative practices of their own.
08:40 — Why Business, Not Fine Art Problem-solving, briefs, and applied creativity.
10:00 — Becoming a Leader From individual contributor to leading through others.
11:35 — Creativity as an Organizational Act Why org design and team structure are creative work.
14:30 — Vision, Scale, and Big Goals Operating from the future to guide growth.
17:10 — Creativity, Belonging, and Self-Actualization Why empowering creativity meets a fundamental human need.
21:35 — If Everyone Can Design, What's the Designer's Role? How democratization elevates strategic creativity.
24:15 — Building Empowered Cultures Small teams, trust, and shipping fast.
26:25 — Letting Go of Perfection Why perfectionism is selfish — and excellence is shared.
31:55 — Trust, Brand Integrity, and Boundaries How leaders intervene without controlling.
35:05 — Casting the Right People Playfulness, humility, and continual learning.
37:00 — AI, Imagination, and Confidence Why technology can't replace human creativity.
42:15 — Parenting, Creativity, and Presence Teaching creativity through doing, not instruction.
45:30 — Leading at Scale The tension between outward visibility and internal connection.
50:35 — Advice to Her 20-Year-Old Self Fun, creativity, and releasing pressure.
52:20 — Hope for the Future The coming "imagination era."

What kind of box are you building for your people?
In this episode of Fearless Creative Leadership, Charles Day sits down with Aaron Starkman, Chief Creative Officer of Rethink and one of Adweek's 100 Most Creative People in the World. But this is not a conversation about freedom from structure — it's about why the most creative environments are built on the most thoughtful processes.
Aaron shares how creativity first became his refuge as a child, how anxiety and leadership collided early in his career, and why embracing structure, clarity, and guardrails is the fastest way to unlock originality. He explains how Rethink's disciplined systems remove friction, protect ideas, and give creative people the oxygen they need to do their best work.
This is a deeply human conversation about creativity, leadership, vulnerability, and designing environments where people — and ideas — can truly thrive.
00:00 — Opening: The Box You're Building Creativity, structure, and the environments leaders create.
01:00 — Introducing Aaron Starkman Why discipline, not chaos, fuels great creative companies.
03:20 — Creativity as a Safe Place Childhood, adversity, and discovering creativity as refuge.
07:00 — Validation, Anxiety, and Self-Worth How early experiences shape creative drive.
13:10 — Do Creatives Need External Validation? Art, commerce, and the difference between personal and commercial creativity.
18:00 — Becoming a Leader (Reluctantly) Social anxiety, false confidence, and finding an authentic leadership style.
25:50 — Designing the Rethink Environment Why structure "murders hurdles" and protects ideas.
30:00 — CRAFTS and Creative Guardrails Process as a catalyst, not a constraint.
38:40 — Talent, Culture, and Casting Why not everyone thrives in every creative environment.
42:30 — Advice to His 25-Year-Old Self Mental health, therapy, and learning to smell the roses.
47:15 — What's Next Curiosity, relationships, and redefining success beyond titles.