Awaiting Approval

Season 3 of Awaiting Approval is here.
22 episodes. 22 conversations. 22 themes. One season.
Starting May 7th.
Watch the trailer now.
E1 — David Martin — Curiosity — 7th May
E2 — Debbie Millman — Becoming — 14th May
E3 — Nacho Zuccarino — Vulnerability — 21st May
E4 — Odeya Noble-Bougay — Continuity — 28th May
E5 — Charles Cadbury — Conviction — 4th June
E6 — Tamora Petitt — Clarity — 11th June
E7 — Maryam Cristillo — Love — 18th June
E8 — James Ferguson — Adaptability — 25th June
E9 — Martina Hodges-Schell — Range — 2nd July
E10 — Maria Nicholas — Service — 9th July
E11 — Recruiter Roundtable Part 2 — 16th July
E12 — Awaiting Approval LIVE — 23rd July
E13 — Lara Juriansz — Boldness — 30th July
E14 — Michael Glass — Legacy — 6th August
E15 — Emily Court — Authenticity — 13th August
E16 — Mark Iddon — Instinct — 20th August
E17 — Oriana Gaeta — Belonging — 27th August
E18 — Julie Kennedy — Reinvention — 3rd September
E19 — Roberto Rotondi — Patience — 10th September
E20 — Mikaela Dragon — Vision — 17th September
E21 — Katja Alissa Mueller — Identity — 24th September
E22 — Guy Vickerstaff — Craft — 1st October
E23 — Terri Williams — Trust — 8th October
E24 — Jess Campbell — Healing — 15th October
E25 — Cast Roundtable — 22nd October
E26 — Season Debrief — 29th October
To every single person on this list: thank you. Thank you for trusting me with your story. Thank you for your honesty, your vulnerability, and your willingness to go to places most people don’t go to on a podcast. This season exists because each of you said yes.
Just search “Awaiting Approval” on your podcast platform of choice, including YouTube. Follow now so you don’t miss the season premiere next Thursday.


This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit growwithadamjennings.substack.com/subscribe

Season 2 of Awaiting Approval comes to a close with something a little different.
No guest this time. No one-word theme attached to a single conversation. Just me, stepping back to look at what this season became.
And honestly… I’m still a bit stunned by it.
Since launching the show in summer 2025 with no marketing spend, the podcast has grown far beyond anything I expected. More than 10,000 listens. Charting in over 15 countries. And not a single day since August 2025 where it hasn’t appeared somewhere in the charts.
That still feels surreal.
But this episode is not really about numbers. It’s about what stayed with me.
Across Season 2, I gave each episode a single word. Not to reduce the conversation, but to give it an anchor. A way of holding onto the essence of what each guest brought into the room. And when I stepped back and looked at those words together, something else emerged.
A pattern.
Not a neat one. Not a single message repeated over and over. But a thread.
And the thread that kept surfacing, in all sorts of different ways, was kindness.
Kindness in the work. Kindness in leadership. Kindness in how we treat each other. And maybe most of all, kindness towards ourselves.
Because so many of these conversations touched on pressure, expectation, self-doubt, burnout, ambition, fear, and the endless feeling that we should somehow be handling it all better than we are.
And underneath all of that was this quieter truth.
We do not need to make it harder than it already is.
This episode is a reflection on what Season 2 has meant to me, what the guests gave so generously, and how the podcast has started to grow into something bigger than a series of interviews. I also talk about one unexpected side project that came out of the season - a playlist called Awaiting Approval - The Soundtrack - made up of one song from each guest, with no names and no explanations. Just emotional fingerprints, side by side.
Tune in on Spotify here
Tune in on YouTube here https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLg04wl30BvuxGIPVDNyfEZPO69njpSldz&si=xBMGXih7Drz8Qztr
There is also a look back at the first ever Awaiting Approval LIVE, which was very much an experiment, and a look ahead to Season 3, which is already in motion and feels bigger, deeper, and more emotionally honest than anything we’ve done so far.
More than anything though, this episode is about gratitude.
For the guests. For the listeners. For the people who shared the show, rated it, messaged about it, or quietly kept coming back to it.
Because without that, this would just be a collection of conversations.
With that, it becomes something else.
In this episode, we cover:
• The growth of Awaiting Approval since launch
• Why Season 2 felt different
• The one-word structure behind each episode
• The themes that emerged when looking across the full season
• Why kindness became the defining thread
• Pressure, self-doubt, expectation, and the emotional undercurrent of the season
• The importance of being kinder in the room, in the work, and to ourselves
• The origin of Awaiting Approval - The Soundtrack
• Why one song from each guest became its own kind of portrait
• Reflections on the first Awaiting Approval LIVE
• What I learned from putting the podcast into a room
• The different ways listeners can support the show
• Gratitude to every guest who trusted me with their story
• Why the audience matters more than stats ever can
• A first glimpse at what’s coming in Season 3
If the rest of Season 2 was about listening closely to others, Episode 18 is about listening closely to what the season itself was trying to say.
And for me, it said this:
Lead with care. Stay human. Keep going.

===
This is Awaiting Approval. The globally charting design podcast about the messy, human side of creative leadership.
Hosted by Adam Jennings - a creative leader with three decades of experience leading teams and projects for global brands including Microsoft, Salesforce, 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Ancestry, Dolby, BBC and many more - this show features honest, unscripted conversations with the leaders shaping design, storytelling, and innovation today.
These are the conversations you don’t hear in keynotes. The ones about imposter syndrome, trust, failure, confidence, and finding your voice as a leader.
Whether you’re just stepping into creative leadership or you’ve been at it for years, Awaiting Approval is your place to feel seen, challenged, and encouraged.
Awaiting Approval is a Cordial Fox production.
Hosted by Adam Jennings.
Produced by Adam Jennings & Jasmin Egner.
© Cordial Fox Limited, 2026.
Ready to level up your leadership with real, honest support?
Join the next cohort of Supercharged Creative Leaders - my flagship four-week programme for creative leaders who want clarity, confidence, and a community that gets it.
✅ Small groups (just 6 per cohort)
✅ Weekly live sessions with me and your cohort
✅ Async access to me and your cohort via a private Slack community
✅ Invitation to join my alumni community once you’ve completed the programme.
Previous attendees have gone on to win major pitches, land new roles, get promoted and step into leadership with more purpose and presence.
🚀 Learn more and apply here: https://www.growwithadamjennings.com



This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit growwithadamjennings.substack.com/subscribe

David Sheldon-Hicks, founder of Territory Studio, closes out Season 2 of Awaiting Approval with a conversation about awareness… and what it really takes to build something that lasts.
We start in the garden with a hot drink. After long stretches in dark studios and edit suites, David will take any excuse to get outside. From there we move into the organised chaos of creative life: shelves of unread books, piles of film scripts waiting to be finished, and the strange comfort of a workspace that is never quite as tidy as the designer in you wants it to be.
David reflects on the early influences that shaped him. Growing up inspired by animation, behind-the-scenes filmmaking documentaries, and the feeling that creativity was something you could build with your hands. That curiosity eventually led him from Portsmouth to Berlin, through AKQA, motion design studios, and onto film sets like Casino Royale and The Dark Knight, before founding Territory Studio in a small attic space in Hatton Garden.
Prometheus became the studio’s breakthrough moment. From there came the work that Territory is now known for: designing the future on screen. But David is quick to point out that the work alone doesn’t build a studio.
People do.
The conversation moves into the real mechanics of creative leadership. The bottlenecks founders create without realising it. The painful lessons that come from trying to do everything yourself. And the moment David realised Territory could only grow if he stepped away from being the creative director on every project.
There’s also a powerful thread about listening. Listening to directors, production designers, teams, and collaborators. The difference between trying to prove your creativity and understanding the intent of the project. David argues that the best creative directors aren’t the loudest voices in the room… they’re the ones paying the most attention.
Along the way we talk about therapy, imposter syndrome, the discipline of learning from mistakes, and why curiosity across industries keeps creative work alive. Film, automotive design, games, architecture… for David, creativity isn’t about staying in your lane. It’s about understanding the wider system you’re designing within.
And by the end of the conversation, David shares a perspective that feels both simple and profound.
Don’t spend too much time chasing hope in the future.
Be present in the moment you’re already living.
In this episode, we cover:
• David’s early fascination with animation and making images move
• Studying communication design and discovering the intersection of art and technology
• Learning the craft through studios like AKQA and Peacock
• Designing on-set graphics for Casino Royale and The Dark Knight
• Founding Territory Studio in a small attic space in Hatton Garden
• How Prometheus launched the studio into the world of film design
• The hidden complexity of running a creative business
• Why founders must eventually get out of their own way
• The painful lesson of stepping back from Star Wars: The Force Awakens
• How hiring the right creative leaders unlocked the studio’s growth
• Why listening is the most underrated creative leadership skill
• Learning from production designers, directors, and collaborators
• Therapy, self-awareness, and leadership growth
• The importance of curiosity across industries and disciplines
• Living in the present rather than chasing the future
• David’s answer to the final question
Season 2, Episode 16, our season finale, is a conversation about awareness… of your work, your team, and yourself.
===
This is Awaiting Approval. The globally charting design podcast about the messy, human side of creative leadership.

Hosted by Adam Jennings - a creative leader with three decades of experience leading teams and projects for global brands including Microsoft, Salesforce, 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Ancestry, Dolby, BBC and many more - this show features honest, unscripted conversations with the leaders shaping design, storytelling, and innovation today.

These are the conversations you don’t hear in keynotes. The ones about imposter syndrome, trust, failure, confidence, and finding your voice as a leader.

Whether you’re just stepping into creative leadership or you’ve been at it for years, Awaiting Approval is your place to feel seen, challenged, and encouraged.

Awaiting Approval is a Cordial Fox production.
Hosted by Adam Jennings.
Produced by Adam Jennings & Jasmin Egner.
© Cordial Fox Limited, 2026.

Ready to level up your leadership with real, honest support?

Join the next cohort of Supercharged Creative Leaders - my flagship four-week programme for creative leaders who want clarity, confidence, and a community that gets it.

✅ Small groups (just 6 per cohort)
✅ Weekly live sessions with me and your cohort
✅ Async access to me and your cohort via a private Slack community
✅ Invitation to join my alumni community once you’ve completed the programme.

Previous attendees have gone on to win major pitches, land new roles, get promoted and step into leadership with more purpose and presence.
🚀 Learn more and apply here: https://www.growwithadamjennings.com
Grow With Adam Jennings is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.



This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit growwithadamjennings.substack.com/subscribe

Lou Maxon returns to Awaiting Approval for part two of our conversation, and this time the theme is care.
We meet in a metaphorical Bryant Park with Mountain Dew in hand and quickly move beyond nostalgia into something deeper: what it really means to lead with kindness in an industry obsessed with speed, scale, and minimal viable products.
Lou shares the story of the Mr. Rogers figurine that sits on his desk - a daily reminder that creativity is about moving between reality and imagination, and that how we treat people matters just as much as what we make. From there, we explore the erosion of hospitality in product and brand experiences, the cultural drift toward MVP thinking, and why “good enough” is quietly damaging the magic of great creative work.
There is a thread running through this entire episode: care is a choice.
Care in how we present ideas. Care in how we treat collaborators. Care in how we show up for customers. Care in whether we scale convenience or scale kindness.
Lou reflects on hospitality in Japan, the power of unexpected generosity, and how small, human gestures can ripple outward in ways no KPI can measure. We talk about the difference between internal experimentation and external experience, why creativity should entertain and respect its audience, and how showing up as a great teammate might matter more than individual brilliance.
There is also something beautifully grounding about Lou’s perspective. He speaks about curiosity over ego, being interested rather than trying to be interesting, and following unexpected doors when they open. Whether that is building a studio on rails, operating a century-old train in Japan, or starting a podcast that invites others into honest conversations, the common thread is this: care enough to make it real.
By the end, Lou reframes approval entirely. It is not something he grants. It is something earned through generosity, teamwork, and showing up with integrity.
In this episode, we cover:
• Why kindness feels urgent in today’s creative culture
• The hidden cost of MVP thinking and incrementalism
• Hospitality as a design principle
• Scaling care versus scaling convenience
• Being a good teammate in the “locker room” and on the ice
• Player-coach leadership and knowing when to step in or step back
• Curiosity as a creative advantage
• Creating amazing experiences versus adequate ones
• Serendipity, adventure, and following unexpected doors
• Why being interested makes you interesting
• Delivering work that respects the audience’s time
• What it really takes to earn Lou’s approval
If Season 1 was about people being the work, Season 2, Episode 15 is about how we treat those people once we’re there.
===
This is Awaiting Approval. The globally charting design podcast about the messy, human side of creative leadership.
Hosted by Adam Jennings - a creative leader with three decades of experience leading teams and projects for global brands including Microsoft, Salesforce, 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Ancestry, Dolby, BBC and many more - this show features honest, unscripted conversations with the leaders shaping design, storytelling, and innovation today.
These are the conversations you don’t hear in keynotes. The ones about imposter syndrome, trust, failure, confidence, and finding your voice as a leader.
Whether you’re just stepping into creative leadership or you’ve been at it for years, Awaiting Approval is your place to feel seen, challenged, and encouraged.
Awaiting Approval is a Cordial Fox production.
Hosted by Adam Jennings.
Produced by Adam Jennings & Jasmin Egner.
© Cordial Fox Limited, 2026.
Ready to level up your leadership with real, honest support?J
oin the next cohort of Supercharged Creative Leaders - my flagship four-week programme for creative leaders who want clarity, confidence, and a community that gets it.
✅ Small groups (just 6 per cohort)
✅ Weekly live sessions with me and your cohort
✅ Async access to me and your cohort via a private Slack community
✅ Invitation to join my alumni community once you’ve completed the programme.
Previous attendees have gone on to win major pitches, land new roles, get promoted and step into leadership with more purpose and presence.
🚀 Learn more and apply here: https://www.growwithadamjennings.com



This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit growwithadamjennings.substack.com/subscribe

Dan Onufrishyn is Director of the Creative Leadership Program at Miami Ad School. But before the title, before the CV, before the impressive brand list, there is something simpler running through this conversation: generosity.
We start on a nature walk with green tea in a thermos. Mountains, sketchbooks, laptops, stream-of-consciousness doodles. It quickly becomes clear that Dan thinks in systems, in patterns, in long arcs. His career moves the same way. From Denver to New York. From School of Visual Arts to ESPN. From broadcast graphics in Times Square to J.P. Morgan, WPP, healthcare consultancies, sports management, data science. In-house. Agency. Freelance. Back again.
It is a career built on curiosity.
Dan talks about how every industry has its own culture and language. Entertainment runs like entertainment. Finance runs like finance. Healthcare runs like healthcare. As creatives, we get immersed inside those systems. We learn to observe them. Translate them. Shape them.
But the heart of this episode is leadership.Dan speaks openly about the shift from making artefacts to leading people. About the shock of stepping into responsibility without a manual. About the importance of alignment before momentum. About lessons learned the hard way when executive buy-in came too late.
And then we get to Miami Ad School.
His move into teaching happened organically. A partnership event. A conversation. A follow-up. Now he’s shaping the next generation of creative directors, not just teaching craft, but teaching relationship-building, empathy, accountability, and how to “do the right thing well.” It is clear this is where his generosity lands most powerfully.We also talk about AI. The speed of change. The myth of the machine being smarter than it is. Dan’s view is grounded and pragmatic: right now, it replicates processes. It does not replace judgment. The creative edge still belongs to the human who decides what is funny, what is meaningful, what resonates.
There’s humour here. There’s reflection. There’s humility. And there’s a quiet confidence that comes from someone who has explored widely, then chosen to focus narrowly.When I ask him what he’d tell his 15-year-old self, he says: “You’re doing the right thing.”When I ask him what his retired self would say now, he says: “Keep going.”
And when I ask whether he is still awaiting approval…… well, you’ll just have to listen to and see.
In this episode, we cover:
• Moving from Denver to New York to study branding at SVA
• Working full-time while studying, and the discipline that shaped him
• Broadcast design at ESPN and seeing your work in Times Square
Transitioning into finance at J.P. Morgan and learning institutional culture
• Agency life at WPP and consultancy leadership across industries
• Why in-house focus can create deeper impact
• The importance of executive alignment before scaling creative work
• Lessons from projects that didn’t go to plan
• Why nature and mountains are his reset button
• The shift from artefacts to people in creative leadership
• Teaching relationship-keeping and accountability at Miami Ad School
• AI, process replication, and why judgment still belongs to humans
• Specialisation as a survival strategy in a changing market• What he’d tell his 15-year-old self
This one is thoughtful, measured, and quietly generous.
===
This is Awaiting Approval. The globally charting design podcast about the messy, human side of creative leadership.
Hosted by Adam Jennings - a creative leader with three decades of experience leading teams and projects for global brands including Microsoft, Salesforce, 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Ancestry, Dolby, BBC and many more - this show features honest, unscripted conversations with the leaders shaping design, storytelling, and innovation today.
These are the conversations you don’t hear in keynotes. The ones about imposter syndrome, trust, failure, confidence, and finding your voice as a leader.
Whether you’re just stepping into creative leadership or you’ve been at it for years, Awaiting Approval is your place to feel seen, challenged, and encouraged.Awaiting Approval is a Cordial Fox production.
Hosted by Adam Jennings.
Produced by Adam Jennings & Jasmin Egner.
© Cordial Fox Limited, 2026.
Ready to level up your leadership with real, honest support?
Join the next cohort of Supercharged Creative Leaders - my flagship four-week programme for creative leaders who want clarity, confidence, and a community that gets it.
✅ Small groups (just 6 per cohort)
✅ Weekly live sessions with me and your cohort
✅ Async access to me and your cohort via a private Slack community
✅ Invitation to join my alumni community once you’ve completed the programme.
Previous attendees have gone on to win major pitches, land new roles, get promoted and step into leadership with more purpose and presence.
🚀 Learn more and apply here: https://www.growwithadamjennings.com


This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit growwithadamjennings.substack.com/subscribe