“Always Ask If the Contract’s Signed” – Karen Stacey on Tough Lessons in Leadership
What makes a great leader, and how do you recover from a truly career-defining mistake? In this episode, Marco and Rachel sit down with Karen Stacey, CEO of Digital Cinema Media and President of WACL, for a conversation on leadership, learning the hard way, and the surprising power of optimism. Karen shares her journey from skipping university to landing one of the most coveted roles in media, what she learned when a crucial contract went unsigned, and why leaders should be “the sunshine” in the room.
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Chapters
0:00 – Intro: Meet Karen Stacey
1:30 – How Do You Fit It All In?
4:00 – Leadership as the Weather
5:25 – What Makes a Great Leader?
10:00 – No Degree? No Problem
17:00 – The Channel 4 Breakthrough
20:00 – Holding Your Nerve
25:15 – The Power of Positivity in Teams
27:00 – CEO 101: Leading Without Burning Out
30:00 – Get to Know Your P&L - Why financial fluency is essential
32:00 – Karen’s Biggest F*Up - The unsigned contract that taught her a lifelong lesson about detail and delegation.
36:00 – Magpie Moments: Karen’s philosophy of listening more than speaking
38:00 – Imposter Syndrome
Produced by Viral Tribe Entertainment: https://viraltribe.co.uk/
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Why You MUST Run Towards Adversity with Simon Daglish
In this episode of Mentor, Rachel and Marco sit down with media legend and ITV exec Simon Daglish – or Dags, as he’s known across the industry. From raising £1 million for charity, to going bankrupt, Dags shares the raw truth about resilience, leadership, failure, and finding purpose in adversity.
Chapters
00:00 – Meet Dags: Media Legend, Charity Founder, Polar Explorer
05:36 – From Millionaire to Bankrupt: The Hardest Lesson
12:00 – Leading with Trust: Why You Shouldn't Do It All
17:30 – Run Towards Adversity: The Story Behind Walking With the Wounded
20:40 – Yes, That’s Prince Harry… and a Muff
23:15 – Degrees Don’t Matter: What Really Makes You Employable
30:00 – Project 84: Turning a Statistic Into a Movement
33:55 – The Power of Real Conversations and TV Storytelling
38:30 – Listen to the Little Guy: Staying Connected as a Leader
42:15 – Feed Them, Entertain Them: The Morrisons Moment
48:00 – Regrets, Resilience, and Radiators vs. Drains
50:00 – Final Advice from Richard Curtis (and Dags)
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Produced by Viral Tribe Entertainment
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51:19
Why You’re Probably Undervaluing Yourself – Lessons from Top CEO Lindsay Pattison
Lindsay Pattison, former Chief People Officer at WPP and past President of WACL, joins Rachel and Marco to reflect on a career defined by bold leadership, relentless energy, and championing inclusion. From pitches gone wrong to the power of sponsorship, Lindsay shares unfiltered wisdom on mentorship, confidence, taking leaps—and why she’s choosing to pause now. Plus, we go behind the scenes of her work with the Women’s Rugby World Cup.
Chapters:
02:33 – Lindsay’s Career in 60 Seconds (Sort of!)
06:45 – From CEO to Chief People Officer: Career Milestones
08:36 – The Power of the Pause: Why Lindsay Stepped Down
11:08 – Behind the Scenes of the Women’s Rugby World Cup
13:36 – Mentorship vs Sponsorship: What's the Difference?
21:02 – Biggest Career Mistakes and What They Taught Her
29:11 – Return to Office & Bridging the Generational Gap
33:00 – Advice for Team Leaders: Building Culture & Connection
40:14 – Women, Confidence & Championing DEI
44:55 – Public Speaking Tips & Pitching Advice
46:15 – The Best Life Advice Lindsay Ever Received
47:47 – Building Your Ally Network & Taking the Leap
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Produced by Viral Tribe Entertainment
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53:44
Delegate, Hydrate, Pause: Life Lessons from Microsoft VP Andy Hart
What happens when a top media executive walks away from it all at 50 and heads for the jungle? In this episode of Mentor, Marco Bertozzi and Rachel Ford sit down with the one and only Andy Hart, former Global CRO at Hearst, Microsoft VP, and now... Shamanic. Andy takes us on a journey from running national newspapers to exploring shamanic rituals, Burning Man revelations, and redefining leadership. He shares raw reflections on burnout, ego, learning to let go, and the power of living with intention.
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Produced by Viral Tribe Entertainment: https://viraltribe.co.uk/
Chapters
02:14 Career in 60 Seconds – From VNU to Microsoft
04:46 Digital Transformation & Burnout at the Mail
06:22 Climbing at Microsoft and the Power of Leadership Training
07:35 Quitting at 50 – The Groucho Club Revelation
08:56 Is He Brilliant or Bonkers? Breaking Free from the Corporate Matrix
10:21 Spiritual Awakening, Burning Man & Saying Yes
12:47 Shamandi Is Born – Tribes, Ayahuasca & the Matrix Unplugged
14:11 Helping vs. Fixing – A New Definition of Leadership
15:00 Parenting, Mentorship & Giving Space
17:30 Get Out of Your Own Way – Lessons from INSEAD & Coaching
18:57 Drive-by Shootings & Leadership Blind Spots
21:17 The What, How, When & Where of Maturing as a Leader
22:39 What Would You Tell a 25-Year-Old Today?
27:44 Biggest F*-Up: The Simply Switch Acquisition
31:03 Mentors Who Shaped Andy’s Life – From Shamans to Steve Myron
33:23 Finding Mentors Today – Just Ask
34:17 Spiritual Timing & Clearing Space
35:35 Are You a Whippy? (Well-Off Hippy)
36:14 Marco’s Story – When Shamandi’s Advice Sparked a Business
37:48 Words Are Spells: Mitzvahs, Karma & Bitcoin
39:23 Andy’s Final Advice: The Four Agreements + Trust the Process
43:34 Hydration, Delegation & the Power of a Pause
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From Spotify to Channel 4: How Rak Patel Redefined Leadership
Mentor is the podcast where industry heavyweights share the lessons they’ve learned on the road to leadership. Hosted by Marco Buzzozi and Rachel Forde, this week’s episode features Rak Patel — Chief Commercial Officer at Channel 4. From his early days cold-calling at Drapers to leading sales teams at Spotify, Rak opens up about authenticity, diversity, and the power of just doing the thing in front of you.
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https://thezoo.london
Produced by Viral Tribe Entertainment: https://viraltribe.co.uk/
Chapters:
00:00 – Channel 4, Gen Z & The Lost Boys Report
04:18 – Rak Patel’s Career in 60 Seconds
11:41 – Diversity, Representation & Why It Can’t Be a Tick Box
18:24 – Leading Through Uncertainty
22:04 – Biggest Career Mess-Up (And What It Taught Him)
26:53 – Role Models & Masculinity
31:06 – What Real Sales Leadership Looks Like
37:30 – Best Advice He Ever Got (From His Wife)
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MENTOR is a podcast that shares the lived experiences of senior leaders across industries.
In each episode, guests open up to founders Rachel Forde and Marco Bertozzi of TheZoo.London about their careers, mistakes, lessons, and the people who inspired them along the way. It’s smart, relaxed, and packed with real-world insight. Whether you’re a future leader or simply curious about how others have navigated the world of work, MENTOR delivers valuable takeaways and thoughtful conversation.
Brought to you by TheZoo.London and Viral Tribe.
Ireland