In this episode of Coach Class, I’m joined by Michele Martin, Senior Director of Global Brand and Integrated Marketing at Ticketmaster, to explore how careers are really shaped — not by straight lines or perfect plans, but by curiosity, community, mentorship, and a willingness to say yes before you feel ready.

Michele grew up in Maine and stayed. She reflects on how growing up in a place that feels like “one big small town” instilled a deep sense of community — something that has quietly influenced every stage of her career. Combined with being a first-generation college student, this grounding created both responsibility and drive.

Her career began in journalism as a student newspaper reporter, before she realised it wasn’t writing that lit her up, but the commercial and advertising side of storytelling. An early agency internship proved formative, particularly because she was treated as a professional from day one — an experience that stayed with her.

A defining chapter unfolds at TD Bank, where she spent a decade across marketing, partnerships, sales strategy, and customer experience. It was here that mentor Matt Chevalier introduced the idea that careers are lattices, not ladders — and that sideways moves are development, not distraction.

That mindset led Michele into call centre and customer experience roles she hadn’t planned, but which became some of the most formative of her career, eventually opening the door to L.L.Bean. She joined through customer satisfaction before returning to marketing and brand leadership, working on purpose-led campaigns rooted in respect for customers, employees, and place.

From there, Michele made a deliberate leap into the startup world at Mercari, where speed, ambiguity, and ownership stretched her confidence and capability. Today, at Ticketmaster, she finds herself full circle — working again in sports, music, and entertainment, now at global scale, leading teams with curiosity, trust, and belief in people.

One of the most resonant ideas she shares is a traveller’s mindset: building just enough structure to move forward, while leaving room for happenstance. Mentorship and community — especially peer-based — run throughout the conversation.

The episode closes with advice that captures Michele’s approach perfectly: “Get a mitt and get in the game.” Wherever you are, show up fully — or have the courage to move on.

It’s a conversation about careers that meander, mentors who matter, and the quiet power of community — and a reminder that the most meaningful journeys are rarely the most linear ones.

Send us a text

🎧 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts, and please rate or share if it resonated.

In this episode of Coach Class, I'm joined by Phil Myerscough — a Lancashire-born digital and e-commerce consultant, music producer, and founder of Bradford Digital — to explore how careers are really built: through curiosity, community, and the courage to ask for help.

Phil traces his journey from growing up in Lancashire to moving to London at 18, where he studied music technology, worked in recording studios, and immersed himself in the creative energy of the 1990s. Those early experiences — from wiring synths to adapting to rapidly changing technology — laid the foundations for his later approach to digital work: fundamentals first, tools second.

A pivotal chapter of the conversation centres on Richer Sounds, where Phil walked in looking for a job to pay the rent and ended up running the website. At a time when e-commerce barely existed, Richer Sounds taught him enduring principles of customer service, trust, accountability, and shared responsibility — lessons he still draws on today. From early marketing emails that accidentally took the website down to learning restraint and judgement, Phil’s digital education was firmly “learning by doing.”

Phil reflects on his move to Bradford at 26, joining catalogue-led retailers as they began their shift online. Across roles at Redcats, Damart, Kaleidoscope and luxury brand N.Peal, he helped teams move from catalogue thinking to a true retail mindset — treating websites as shop windows and focusing on merchandising fundamentals long before AI and automation entered the conversation.

Nine years ago, Phil made the leap into self-employment, initially planning just “12 days of work” — a plan that quietly turned into a long-term consultancy. He speaks candidly about the recurring anxieties of freelance life, the annual moments of doubt, and the realisation that resilience often means simply keeping going.

A major focus of the episode is Bradford Digital, which Phil founded in October 2023 after years of attending digital events in other cities and asking a simple question: why not Bradford? What began as an experiment quickly drew 50 people to the first event, growing into a thriving community with hundreds of attendees, dozens of speakers, and a reputation for being open, practical, and welcoming.

Phil explains how Bradford Digital is intentionally different: no hierarchy, no corporate gloss, and a strong emphasis on culture and community alongside commerce. The meetups have helped reframe perceptions of Bradford, bringing visitors into the city and giving locals confidence in the talent around them.

The conversation also touches on a difficult period earlier this year when Phil’s consultancy faced real financial pressure. He shares how asking for help — openly and honestly — became a turning point, unlocking support, new work, and renewed perspective. For Phil, this experience reinforced a powerful lesson: asking for help isn’t weakness, it’s leadership.

Looking ahead, Phil outlines ambitious plans to scale Bradford Digital into a city-wide digital festival, aligned with UK Tech Week and building toward a larger annual moment that brings together universities, businesses, the council, and community organisations. While the vision is bold, Phil is clear that his role isn’t to be the hero — but the host and catalyst.

The episode closes with a reflection on impact: cities aren’t transformed by strategies or slogans, but by people who quietly connect others, show up consistently, and care deeply about place.

Send us a text

🎧 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts, and please rate or share if it resonated.

In this episode, I caught up with my old Asda colleague Leanne Mallory, who’s now Head of Product Practice at the Co-op. It was brilliant to reconnect — not least because she still remembers some advice I gave her over a decade ago about turning off her devices… and still tries to follow it.

We talked about those early Asda days when digital marketing, e-commerce, and retail media were just starting to collide. Leanne described how that culture of experimentation and collaboration taught her the value of empowerment — giving teams the space to try things, learn fast, and lead from where they are. She said the best leaders are the ones who clear a path and trust their teams to get on with it.

Leanne also shared how she’s evolved from being a hands-on product lead to shaping a whole product practice at the Co-op — a business that, in her words, “balances commercial thinking with a genuine social conscience.” Her focus now is on developing people, creating consistency across teams, and making sure product managers have the skills and confidence to do their best work.

We explored how technology has changed over the years — from the days when buying a £700 climbing frame on a mobile phone felt unthinkable, to today’s mobile-first world. Yet, as Leanne pointed out, the fundamentals haven’t changed: it’s still about spending time with customers, understanding their real needs, and not chasing shiny tech for the sake of it.

She talked honestly about the transition from doing to leading — admitting she still misses being close to the action but has learned to take satisfaction in helping others succeed. A coaching qualification helped her shift from giving answers to asking better questions, something she sees as vital for modern leadership.

One of my favourite moments came when she reflected on career advice that stuck with her: your career is built on what you say no to, not what you say yes to. It’s a reminder that focus matters — at work and at home.

Leanne’s warmth, self-awareness, and humour shine through in this conversation. We covered leadership, empowerment, technology, balance, and that eternal challenge of switching off and not constantly checking notifications — but as Leanne’s current boss wisely says, “If it’s really urgent, we’ll phone you.”

Send us a text

🎧 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts, and please rate or share if it resonated.