ABOUT THIS EPISODE

I had the joy of meeting Rachel through The Marketing Society, and over the years of getting to know her through her love of the Walk and Talk, her excellent marketing and most recently through the Marketing Leaders Programme.

In our conversation Rachel offers valuable insights into:

• How to recognise and prevent organisational burnout;
• The business case for a positive mindset at work;
• The strategic power of content as a business driver when it serves brand objectives and real human needs;
• And finally building brand reputation through stakeholder engagement.

Rachel’s Three Key Encouragements to Leaders:

1. Align Your Strategic Vision with Personal Purpose.
2. Build Excellence Through Audience-Led Thinking.
3. Embrace the Power of Integrated Leadership.

About Rachel

Rachel Letham is Head of Brand and Communications at The Marketing Society, where she leads strategic brand development and integrated communications for the global membership organisation. As a key member of the Leadership Team, she has established the function as a centre of excellence, implementing bold, audience-led strategies that drive measurable improvements in brand visibility and stakeholder engagement.

With over 13 years of experience in strategic communications and brand development, Rachel combines commercial expertise with creative vision to transform organisations through innovative content strategies.

At The Marketing Society, she oversees the development of impactful communications and content, ensuring consistent messaging while pioneering new approaches to enhance brand reputation and member engagement.

Alongside her corporate role, Rachel is a certified positive mindset coach, working with global organisations including Google, Target, and Kargo. This unique combination allows her to bring fresh perspectives to brand challenges, helping both individuals and organisations align their strategic goals with purposeful vision-setting. Her approach was shaped by her own experience of near-burnout in the fresh produce industry, leading her to develop sustainable approaches to professional growth and team development.

As a leader, Rachel is known for building and inspiring high-performing teams, fostering cultures of innovation and strategic thinking. She maintains a strong focus on data-driven decision-making and measurable outcomes, while ensuring that brand and content strategies deliver genuine business impact. Her work demonstrates the power of combining strategic brand thinking with positive mindset techniques to drive organisational success.

Through both her role at The Marketing Society and her coaching practice, Rachel helps organisations and individuals unleash their full potential, creating meaningful change through the intersection of strategic communication, brand development, and personal growth.

Connect with Rachel:

LinkedIn: Rachel Letham

Website: www.rachelletham.com, www.marketingsociety.com

Instagram: @rachelletham

To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with Anni Townend:

Go to my website, www.annitownend.com

A big thank you to SHMOGUS Media Management for the wonderful production and marketing of the podcast.

To contact me Anni Townend do email me on

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

My conversation today is with Anna Deacon, photographer, writer and wild swimmer. I had the joy of meeting Anna at the Creative Light Photography Festival in the Highlands of Scotland in October 2022. I was inspired by her, and by her many, many books on Wild Swimming.

In our conversation Anna offers valuable insights into:

• How and why the wild swimming project started.
• Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable.
• How to find your peace in the wild/outdoors.

Anna’s three Key Encouragements to Leaders

1. Don’t be afraid to change things up/take risks
2. Believe in your gut intuition
3. Don’t write yourself off before you have really tried something

About Anna

Anna has worked as a photographer since 2007, specialising in wild swimming, portraits, nature and travel. She has worked with large and small brands like MINI, Speedo, Kit Kat, Visit Scotland, Cape Cove, Selkie and more to create content. Her photography work has been published extensively in the national press including The Guardian, The Telegraph, Stylist and The Scotsman. She has also had her work featured in large scale photography exhibitions.

Since 2019 Anna has had seven books published, working with co-author Vicky Allan on Taking The Plunge (2019), For The Love Of Trees (2020), The Art Of Wild Swimming series (Scotland, 2021, England & Wales, 2021, and Ireland, 2022, The Ripple Effect published in 2023 and Swimming Wild Ireland in 2024, all published by Black and White Publishing/Bonnier.

Also in 2021 The Wild Guide Balearic Islands book was published by Wild Things Publishing, this extensive travel guide was co-written by Anna and her sister Lizzie Graham. Anna is working on her ninth book which is due for publication in Autumn 2026.

Anna hosts a popular Instagram page @wildswimmingstories which The Sunday Times magazine named as one of the Top 7 influencers to follow in the ‘Health and Fitness’ category in 2023.

Previous to this Anna worked in the music and entertainment industry in London for over a decade, specialising in PR and events such as NME Awards, Isle of Wight Festival, Ibiza Rocks, MOBO Awards, British Comedy Awards and Teenage Cancer Trust concerts. She co-founded the PR agency Amazing Media in 2004 who were at the forefront of working with brands such as Nokia, T- Mobile, Diageo and O2 to create dynamic partnerships with the live music industry. Anna also worked in talent handling and personal PR for The Who, Jamiroquai, Anastacia, Beverley Knight, Sia, Big Brother, and many others.

Connect with Anna:

LinkedIn: @Anna Deacon

Website: www.anna-deacon.com

Instagram: @wildswimmingstories

To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.com

A big thank you to SHMOGUS Media for the wonderful production and marketing of the podcast.

To contact me Anni Townend do email me on anni@annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn. I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

I had the joy of connecting with Susie through a colleague. I enjoyed our conversation so much that I invited her to be a guest.

Susie offers valuable insights into:

• Following your passion to find your purpose
• Living outside your comfort zone as a way to learn and grow
• Finding your balance to enable you to do your best work

Susie’s three key encouragements to leaders:

1. Take time to understand what matters to you - so you can enjoy doing what you do
2. Get comfortable being uncomfortable - it’s a source of growth
3. Be confident in finding your own rhythm - and then set your boundaries to stick to it

About Susie

After a successful career in marketing at Unilever and British Gas, and then fulfilling her ambition of sailing a yacht around the world, Susie started her next adventure when she founded the strategic marketing agency Blue Feathers.

Susie’s aim was to help marketers to be their best and drive their brands to succeed. She now leads a team of marketing experts who work with major brands including Tesco, Primark, Michelin, Simplyhealth and Cambridge University Press & Assessment.

Susie believes that people do their best work when life is balanced – and that belief is reflected in how she leads the Blue Feathers team: a highly skilled, fully remote group, motivated through shared purpose and a deliverables-based approach.

Susie remains passionate about sailing and loves spending time on the water. She is also now a keen beekeeper and gardener, and enjoys spending time hiking.

The best way for people to connect and follow Susie is:

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/susiepartridge/

Website: www.bluefeathers.co.uk and www.yachtadina.co.uk

To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.com

A big thank you to SHMOGUS Media for the wonderful production and marketing of the podcast.

To contact me Anni Townend do email me on anni@annitownend.com visit my website www.annitownend.com, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn Anni Townend, and Collaboration Equation. I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.