Getting fired is one of the most humbling experiences in business, and one of the most instructive. In this episode, Kory and Jon get candid about the times they've been let go, what went wrong, and the hard-won lessons that followed. Jon in particular has a story or two to share (including getting fired twice in 18 months), and between them they unpack what it really takes to survive and thrive in high-stakes leadership roles.

Get Uncensored Renegades every week:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/uncensored-renegades/id1868870960
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7qnkqq0XSpgif9A5ZNgSpX?si=f181c3a0e9af480c

Timestamps

00:00 - Start
01:22 - What Jon learned from being fired twice
03:35 - How not to get fired
08:20 - How to understand your boss (so you don’t get fired)
10:50 - Align yourself with the company, not just personal goals
13:11 - How Jon got fired for the second time in 18 months
16:12 - Are you the right person to work for a high growth company?
17:50 - Be careful where you get hired

It’s not often you meet a CMO who helped build a unicorn from the ground up while creating an entirely new category. Steve Beckett, CMO of Zwift, joined as employee number five and played a key role in turning Zwift into the global sporting powerhouse it now is.

In this episode, Steve shares how Zwift balanced performance marketing with brand building, deeply understanding the acquisition metrics while making bold brand bets, including becoming the founding sponsor of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. We also explore how the business scaled through COVID, the bold move to launch their own hardware, and the role brand played in raising capital.

This is a conversation about what it really takes to build a category-defining company and why the best CMOs understand both the metrics and the magic.

Sign up to our live event, The Calling, on April 21st here:
https://event.uncensoredcmo.com/events/uncensoredcmo/2044861

Subscribe to our newsletter, The One Thing:
https://newsletter.uncensoredcmo.com/

Listen to our new podcast, Uncensored Renegades:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/uncensored-renegades/id1868870960
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7qnkqq0XSpgif9A5ZNgSpX?si=f181c3a0e9af480c

Timestamps

00:00 - Start
02:51 - Steve’s work with team Sky
05:05 - Learning about success inside Team Sky
07:09 - From Sky to employee number 5 at Zwift
08:36 - How Zwift invented the indoor training category
13:37 - The behavioural science behind Zwift
14:51 - Has anyone turned pro from riding on Zwift?
17:18 - How Covid impacted Zwift
23:11 - Growing at all costs vs profitability
27:28 - Whats it like working for a founder led startup
29:50 - How brand helped Zwift raise money
32:06 - From selling software to selling hardware
34:14 - Why Zwift sponsor the women’s Tour De France
38:09 - Advice on how to create a unicorn business

Companies have boards of directors to make big decisions, so why don't individuals? Kory does exactly this in her life, so she breaks down why she does it, how she chose the people to be a part of her board, and the kind of decisions they helps her make.

Get Uncensored Renegades every week:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/uncensored-renegades/id1868870960
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7qnkqq0XSpgif9A5ZNgSpX?si=f181c3a0e9af480c

Timestamps

00:00 - Start
01:17 - What is a personal board of directors?
04:07 - When to use your board of directors
04:51 - What makes a good personal board of directors?
06:21 - How to choose your board
08:58 - The power of networking
11:41 - What not to do with your personal board of directors
12:37 - Finding people outside your industry
19:09 - Why you learn more deeper into your career

Carly Natalizia, Chief Commercial Officer at Gymshark, joins us to share how one of the UK’s most exciting brands continues to grow while staying close to its community. From starting her career in finance to leading commercial strategy at Gymshark, Carly offers a unique perspective on leadership, growth, and customer obsession.

We discuss Gymshark’s rise as a challenger brand taking on global sportswear giants, what it’s like working alongside founder Ben Francis, and how the business balances brand and commercial priorities. Carly also shares lessons on sustainable growth, executing big ideas, and how Gymshark keeps its finger on the pulse of its customers.

Sign up to our live event, The Calling, on April 21st here:
https://event.uncensoredcmo.com/events/uncensoredcmo/2044861

Subscribe to our newsletter, The One Thing:
https://newsletter.uncensoredcmo.com/

Listen to our new podcast, Uncensored Renegades:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/uncensored-renegades/id1868870960
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7qnkqq0XSpgif9A5ZNgSpX?si=f181c3a0e9af480c

Timstamps

00:00 - Start
01:08 - How Carly went from finance to marketing
02:19 - Career advice to Carly’s younger self
04:09 - Why Carly moved from finance to retail and the differences between them
07:28 - The Gymshark story: taking on the sportswear giants
09:02 - What its like working for the UK’s youngest billionaire, Ben Francis
15:07 - Carly’s promotion from Chief Digital Officer to Chief Commercial Officer
16:01 - How Gymshark stay close to the customer
17:21 - How to be an effective leader in the c-suite at Gymshark
18:44 - How the Chief Commercial Officer and Chief Brand Officer work together
25:04 - How do you maintain sustainable growth
26:46 - Gymshark NYC store launch
29:25 - The success of Gymshark’s “We Do Gym” campaign
31:24 - How to execute great ideas well

e.l.f. lives by the mission of being "a bold disruptor with a kind heart" a refreshing stance when disruption is rarely paired with kindness. Kory explains why kindness is at the core of how e.l.f. operates, what it actually looks like in practice, and what holds most people back from embracing it.

Get Uncensored Renegades every week:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/uncensored-renegades/id1868870960
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7qnkqq0XSpgif9A5ZNgSpX?si=f181c3a0e9af480c

Watch the Uncensored CMO episode with James Watt:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOp1CPZ0CNM

Links

• Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara
• G.O.A.T. Wisdom by Dr Brent Ridge

Timestamps

00:00 - Start
00:53 - Being a bold disruptor with a kind heart
03:11 - The difference between being kind and being nice
08:02 - Why we should be kind to our competitors
09:30 - The science to kindness
10:56 - Why fear of embarrassment stops us being kind
17:02 - The power of kindness for your career
19:08 - Kindness doesn’t have to be big gestures

Zach Kitschke joined Canva as employee number five. Today, the company serves hundreds of millions of users worldwide.

In this episode, Zach shares the inside story of Canva’s growth, from the scrappy early marketing that put the company on the map to scaling a brand and product used across the world. We discuss the power of Canva’s freemium model, their bold “Make the Logo Bigger” campaign, and how the company approaches both brand and B2B marketing.

Zach also explains how Canva scaled from a team of five to thousands of employees, the leadership lessons he learned from the founders, and how AI is shaping the next chapter for the business.

Sign up to our live event, The Calling, on April 21st here:
https://event.uncensoredcmo.com/events/uncensoredcmo/2044861

Subscribe to our newsletter, The One Thing:
https://newsletter.uncensoredcmo.com/

Listen to our new podcast, Uncensored Renegades:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/uncensored-renegades/id1868870960
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7qnkqq0XSpgif9A5ZNgSpX?si=f181c3a0e9af480c

Timestamps

00:00 - Start
00:53 - Being employee #5 at Canva
01:46 - The marketing that got Canva noticed at the start
03:50 - How big is Canva?
04:45 - The challenges growing Canva into a unicorn
07:26 - What makes good design according to Canva
09:24 - The freemium business model
11:46 - Why the Canva founders are giving away 30% of their wealth
13:21 - Do Canva invest more in product or brand?
14:41 - Canva’s make the logo bigger campaign
16:33 - How Canva approaches B2B marketing
18:59 - The AI tools that are driving Canva forward
22:19 - The most innovative things Zach has done as Canva CMO
24:58 - Zach’s tips for delivering a keynote
26:59 - Being a CMO scaling from 5 to 5000 employees
29:52 - How to run multiple business functions; HR, marketing, customer service
31:49 - What Zach has learned from the Canva founders
33:32 - How to define the cuture at Canva
35:39 - What’s next for Canva?
36:35 - What has made Canva so successul?

Every week, Jon and Kory pull back the curtain on the messy, unfiltered reality of building a career on your own terms. Throughout their long and successful careers, they've had their fair share of sh*tty moments and even sh*ttier bosses. From Kory being literally barked orders at in her first job, to Jon being fired after just 3 months at his dream job. These are the moments that make you question everything. But they're also the moments that shape you. Tune in for the lessons, the laughs, and zero sugarcoating.

Get Uncensored Renegades every week:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/uncensored-renegades/id1868870960
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7qnkqq0XSpgif9A5ZNgSpX?si=f181c3a0e9af480c

Watch the Uncensored CMO episode with James Watt:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOp1CPZ0CNM

Timestamps

00:00 - Start
00:37 - Why sh*tty moments?
01:24 - Kory moment #1 - the fire that fuels you
04:20 - How to be a good boss
05:43 - Jon moment #1 - when to have the hard conversations
11:13 - Kory moment #2 - a lesson in de-escalation
16:28 - Jon moment #2 - impossible and unreasonable expectations
20:59 - Kory moment #3 - be careful of the bridges you burn
25:51 - Jon moment #3 - the power of being vulnerable

Jessica Jensen, CMO of LinkedIn, joins us for a high-energy conversation on careers, personal branding, and the future of B2B marketing.

We dive into the latest job market data (it might surprise you), the skills employers are actively looking for, and how to grow your personal profile on LinkedIn (which could include posting with flamingo glasses). We also unpack the LinkedIn algorithm, handling negative comments, new features creators and brands should be using, and why B2B marketing absolutely doesn’t have to be boring.

Sign up to our live event, The Calling, on April 21st here:
https://event.uncensoredcmo.com/events/uncensoredcmo/2044861

Subscribe to our newsletter, The One Thing:
https://newsletter.uncensoredcmo.com/

Listen to our new podcast, Uncensored Renegades:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/uncensored-renegades/id1868870960
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7qnkqq0XSpgif9A5ZNgSpX?si=f181c3a0e9af480c

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro
01:04 - Jessica Jensen’s backstory
02:02 - The benefits of being a marketer from a non-marketing background
02:42 - The difference between B2B and B2C according to LinkedIn
03:38 - How to build high-performing teams
06:32 - The data on the job market according to LinkedIn
10:02 - What skills are employers looking for?
12:04 - How do you build a personal brand on LinkedIn (when working for another company)
18:25 - 3 tips for building your personal brand on LinkedIn
20:04 - What is going on with the LinkedIn algorithm?
21:35 - How to make the most of an ever changing algorithm
23:16 - Does LinkedIn suppress posts based on gender?
26:14 - How to deal with negative comments on LinkedIn
28:00 - What new LinkedIn features should people be using?
30:48 - What features can brands use to make the most of LinkedIn
32:19 - B2B does not have to be boring
35:02 - LinkedIn’s billboards poking fun at AI
36:21 - How are LinkedIn marketing LinkedIn?
41:12 - How are LinkedIn helping younger people get into work
43:28 - Addressing the Open to Work badge stigma
44:17 - Advice to creators on LinkedIn