Marketing Expedition Podcast with Rhea Allen, Peppershock Media

A rebel with a cause and creative force who transforms both brands and leaders–Amy Vaughan brings 15+ years of enterprise creative leadership to purpose-driven innovation. As an award-winning Creative Director, she's created campaigns for global brands including Ford, P&G, Walmart, and Humana, consistently pushing boundaries while delivering measurable impact. Today, Amy serves multiple missions: As CEO of Together Digital, she leads a platform that empowers 500+ women in digital and tech through strategic networking and community building. As an executive coach, Amy guides creative leaders and entrepreneurs to lead with authenticity, helping them navigate the intersection of innovation, purpose, and operational excellence.00:00 - 00:22 "When it comes to networking, it feels like a chore. I say the word and it feels dirty. Like in my body, I feel the word networking and I don't like it. But at the end of the day, when I change it to relationship building, I get the warm fuzzies. So, it's a little bit of a mindset shift. It's really looking at it as a form of connecting, and connecting is a form of self-care, which is something we all need to be doing.” — Amy Vaughan00:23 - 00:41 Welcome to Peppershock Media’s Marketing Expedition Podcast00:42 - 01:45 About Amy01:46 - 08:45 Marketing Essentials Moment: The Power of User-Generated Content08:46 - 11:57 Welcome to the show, Amy!11:58 - 14:04 Career Pivots: Moving to England and Freelancing14:05 - 19:05 The Birth of Together Digital: Empowering Women in Tech (https://www.togetherindigital.com/)19:06 - 23:00 The Marketer Collaborative: A New Creative Space23:01 - 25:01 Fostering Collaboration Over Competition25:02 - 26:41 The Importance of Networking and Referrals26:42 - 27:17 Don't Get Left Behind! Join us Thursday, January 15th, 2026, for our annual interactive workshop, New Marketing Trends for the New Year, hosted by Peppershock Media!27:18 - 30:17 Building Trust and Support Among Women30:18 - 32:04 Engaging Events: Masterclasses and Peer Groups32:05 - 38:09 The Power of Asking for Help38:10 - 42:14 The Role of Coaching in Employee Development42:15 - 44:10 Future Aspirations: Creating Inclusive Spaces44:11 - 46:46 Reflecting on Personal Growth and Community Impact46:47 - 47:31 Reach out to Amy Vaughan (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amypvaughan/)47:32 - 48:08 Thank you so much, Amy! Share this podcast, give us a review, and enjoy your marketing journey!48:09 - 48:55 Join the Marketing Expedition Community today!  Like what you hear, but need more information?Meet with Rhea Allen#BuildingRelationships #CommunityMarketing #MarketingEssentialsMoment #UserGeneratedContent #Networking #EmpoweringWomen #TogetherDigital #Collaboration #Referrals #MindsetShift #SupportingWomen

Wilson Zehr is an accomplished entrepreneur, academic, and thought leader in the fields of marketing, innovation, and business strategy. With over 25 years of experience in the technology and telecommunications industries, he has founded or participated in 6 large-scale technology startups, raising over $60 million in venture capital funding in his career. 00:00 - 00:36 "I had a friend who used to, who was oddly enough, he was the VP of marketing at the U.S. Postal Service. And his dad, his dad owned a hardware store in a rural city. And his dad was trying to advertise to, you know, build his business. And he said, my friend said, you know, dad, you should really use the mail. I'm at the U.S. Postal Service. You know, it'd be good for us. Mail works. It would be good for you. The stats on mail, by the way, for those who aren't familiar Direct Marketing Association says it returns on average $13 for every dollar invested. So that's one of the highest among advertising mediums, if you can properly target people.” — Wilson Zehr00:37 - 00:54 Welcome to Peppershock Media’s Marketing Expedition Podcast00:55 - 02:23 Wilson’s Background02:24 - 10:13 Marketing Essentials Moment: Brand Consistency10:14 - 12:02 Welcome to the show, Wilson!12:03 - 14:50 Transition from Auto Mechanic to Marketing14:51 - 17:31 Personal Interests and Hobbies17:32 - 23:46 Overview of Product Management and Marketing Strategy23:47 - 27:32 Pricing Strategies and Brand Perception27:33 - 28:09 Poderific, baby! Whether you’re looking for a podcast studio to rent or need help with the entire production and distribution of your podcast, we gotcha covered.28:10 - 35:45 Detailed Product Launch Process35:46 - 39:09 Current Projects: Cendix and Zairmail (https://www.cendix.com/more-direct-mail-for-less-time-and-money/)39:10 - 45:13 Benefits of Using Zairmail45:14 - 51:26 Customization Options for Direct Mail51:27 - 53:16 Finding the Right Tools for the Right Job53:17 - 53:56 Thank you so much, Carl! Share this podcast, give us a review, and enjoy your marketing journey!53:57 - 54:43 Join the Marketing Expedition Community today! Like what you hear, but need more information?Meet with Rhea AllenSubscribe to the Marketing Expedition Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts! #TraditionalMail #DigitalTactics #DirectMail #MarketingEssentialsMoment #BrandConsistency #HolisticBrandGrowth #Branding #ProductManagement #FreshMarketingStrategy #MarketingTips #DirectMailTools

Shellee Howard is the Founder and CEO of College Ready and CR Future Now, a Certified Independent College Strategist, and a best-selling author. A member of HECA and SOFA, she helps students gain admission to their best-fit colleges—often debt-free. As a mother of four, Shellee has firsthand experience with college success. Her son graduated debt-free from Harvard, earned his MD from UCSD, and is now an Orthopedic Surgery Resident at UCLA. Her daughter earned her BSN debt-free and became an RN in 2021. A sought-after speaker and consultant, Shellee has guided hundreds of students worldwide to top universities, ensuring they graduate debt-free and land jobs they love.00:00 - 00:35 "I think really what I love parents to understand is think about marketing in a business. If you open a business and you just start marketing, marketing, marketing, but you don't have a business plan, you're either going to run out of money or ideas. And that's with a student, when you start them in middle school and you help them figure out their gifts, their talents, their core values, and you start to look at your financials as a family, that gives you a runway of how are we going to build our plan. And that's what it's all about. It's all about the plan.” — Shellee Howard00:36 - 00:55 Welcome to Peppershock Media’s Marketing Expedition Podcast00:56 - 02:13 Shellee’s Bio02:14 - 08:46 Marketing Essentials Moment: Clickbait and Switch08:47 - 12:45 Welcome to the show, Shellee!12:46 - 16:12 Starting College Planning Early16:13 - 17:25 The Role of High School Counselors in College Planning17:26 - 18:59 Addressing the Fear of Student Debt19:00 - 23:41 Tips for First-Generation College Students23:42 - 24:17 Poderific, baby! Whether you’re looking for a podcast studio to rent or need help with the entire production and distribution of your podcast, we gotcha covered. 24:18 - 27:22 Finding Legitimate Scholarship Resources27:23 - 30:14 Differentiating Yourself in College Applications30:15 - 31:17 The Value of an Outside Perspective31:00 - 32:40 Resources from Shellee (https://collegereadyplan.com/)32:41 - 33:11 College-Ready Plan (https://www.amazon.com/College-Admissions-PLAN-Simplified-P-L/dp/B0DQ48NLLV)33:12 - 33:41 Thank you so much, Shellee! Share this podcast, give us a review, and enjoy your marketing journey!33:42 - 34:28 Join the Marketing Expedition Community today! Like what you hear, but need more information?Meet with Rhea Allen#CollegeReady #CollegeStrategist #PersonalizedMarketingStrategy #MarketingEssentialsMoment #Clickbait #Switch #CommunityService #MarketingYourself #DebtFreeCollege #FreshMarketingStrategy #ScholarshipTips #ParentingTips

Todd and Leah Rae Getts are founders and owners of Digital Trailblazer, and specialize in helping coaches, agencies, course creators, and experts get more traffic and exposure so they can grow and scale bigger and faster. Now, as award-winning marketers and sought-after speakers, Leah and Todd have been featured on stages, masterminds, podcasts, and other interviews, sharing their expertise in building profitable online businesses with smart, scalable marketing strategies.00:00 - 00:16 "I'd say the most important thing that you've got to think about is not necessarily what you're going to sell, because there's a lot of things you can sell and there's a lot of ways you can make money online. The most important thing is the audience that you build. That's where the money is." — Todd Getts00:17 - 00:35 Welcome to Peppershock Media’s Marketing Expedition Podcast00:36 - 01:50 Todd and Leah’s Background01:51 - 06:41 Marketing Essentials Moment: Art of the Pitch (Part 2)06:42 - 09:40 Welcome to the show, Leah and Todd!09:41 - 11:08 Transitioning from Day Jobs to Entrepreneurship11:09 - 15:12 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs15:13 - 17:11 Building an Email List for Success17:12 - 21:00 Leveraging Organic Traffic Strategies21:01 - 22:11 Memorable Speaking Engagements22:12 - 22:48 Poderific, baby! Whether you’re looking for a podcast studio to rent or need help with the entire production and distribution of your podcast, we gotcha covered. 22:49 - 24:20 Future Plans and Upcoming Courses24:21 - 27:00 Working Together as a Couple in Business27:01 - 29:13 Maintaining Personal Relationships Amidst Business29:14 - 33:56 Parting Words of Wisdom33:57 - 35:12 Reach out to Leah and Todd (https://digitaltrailblazer.com/)35:13 - 35:46 Thank you so much, Leah and Todd! Share this podcast, give us a review, and enjoy your marketing journey!35:47 - 36:33 Join the Marketing Expedition Community today! Like what you hear, but need more information?Meet with Rhea Allen#Entrepreneurship #AudienceBuilding #SalesStrategy #OrganicTraffic #BusinessGrowth #MarketingEssentialsMoment #ArtofthePitch #DigitalTrailblazer #Podcast #DigitalMarketing #OnlineSuccess

00:00 - 00:25 "The way I look at the world is in terms of mindset, self-mastery, and service, or creating. And I think that our ability to create things depends on our self-mastery and our self-reliance. And our ability to master our lives depends on our awareness of ourselves and reality and understanding how the world really works.” — Jacob De Arman00:26 - 00:44 Welcome to Peppershock Media’s Marketing Expedition Podcast00:45 - 01:41 Jacob’s Background01:42 - 06:30 Marketing Essentials Moment: TikTok Shop Trends06:31 - 08:36 Welcome to the show, Jacob!08:37 - 12:16 Touring Media Agencies and Learning12:17 - 15:45 Future Aspirations After Graduation15:46 - 19:50 Building Business Through Relationships19:51 - 23:06 Navigating Client Relationships23:07 - 26:44 Embracing the Uncomfortable26:45 - 31:40 Challenges in Business31:41 - 32:16 Poderific, baby! Whether you’re looking for a podcast studio to rent or need help with the entire production and distribution of your podcast, we gotcha covered. 32:17 - 38:15 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs38:16 - 43:35 Value of Connection and Storytelling43:36 - 48:07 Future Plans and Community Connections48:08 - 49:06 Reach out to Jacob (Live Right Now Podcast)49:07 - 50:18 Thank you so much, Jacob! Share this podcast, give us a review, and enjoy your marketing journey!50:19 - 51:05 Join the Marketing Expedition Community today! Like what you hear, but need more information?Meet with Rhea Allen#Entrepreneurship #Mindset #Networking #ContinuousLearning #MarketingTips #MarketingEssentialsMoment #TikTokShopTrends #Storytelling #BusinessRelationships #CommunityConnections #AspiringEntrepreneurs #FreshMarketingStrategy

Garrett Nann is a results-driven digital marketing expert and entrepreneur specializing in paid advertising, SEO, and data-driven growth strategies. As the Co-founder of POP Advertising Partners, he manages over $1 million per month in Google Ads and spearheads national SEO campaigns for eCommerce and B2C brands, helping businesses maximize their online presence and customer acquisition. Garrett’s journey in marketing began with selling ads on pizza boxes, a creative and grassroots approach that laid the foundation for his expertise in high-impact advertising. His latest innovation, the Smart Data Pixel, is transforming the way businesses capture and monetize website traffic. This cutting-edge technology allows companies to identify anonymous site visitors, turning lost opportunities into revenue-generating leads.With a passion for leveraging data to drive growth, Garrett continues to push the boundaries of digital marketing, helping brands scale effectively in an increasingly competitive landscape.00:00 - 00:25 " If you're targeting people who are on your website for 15, 20, 30 seconds, who are clicking on your videos and your ads, or your images and your products, and they don't go to the cart and you send them an email saying, Hey, here's 20%. Just, you know, when you have time and you're whatever, but life's busy, here's 20% off your first purchase. We'd love to have you come back. And it's a welcomed message.” — Garrett Nann00:26 - 00:44 Welcome to Peppershock Media’s Marketing Expedition Podcast00:45 - 01:59 Garrett’s Bio02:00 - 11:53 Marketing Essentials Moment: Scope of Work for a New Client11:54 - 13:40 Welcome to the show, Garrett!13:41 - 16:04 Success Story: E-commerce Client Email Marketing16:05 - 20:00 Strategy Behind Identifying Website Visitors20:01 - 24:00 Rising Costs of Google Ads and Data Ownership24:01 - 27:52 AI in Customer Service27:53 - 32:22 Case Studies32:23 - 37:41 Garrett's Journey from Pizza Boxes to Smart Data Pixel37:42 - 38:12 Reach out to Garrett (https://smartdatapixel.com/)38:13 - 40:40 The Value of Teaching and Learning40:41 - 45:41 Recommended Tools and Resources45:42 - 46:53 Thank you so much, Garrett! Share this podcast, give us a review, and enjoy your marketing journey!46:54 - 47:40 Join the Marketing Expedition Community today! Like what you hear, but need more information?Meet with Rhea Allen#WebsiteTraffic #POPAdvertisingPartners #CaseStudies #MarketingEssentialsMoment #ScopeofWork #NewClient #SmartDataPixel #AItools #LeveragingData #FreshMarketingStrategy #MarketingTips #DigitalMarketing #eCommerce

Corey Morris is an experienced industry speaker, best-selling author, and the owner/leader of VOLTAGE digital marketing agency. His new book, The Digital Marketing Success Plan (available on Amazon), published in July 2024 and details why companies need a documented, objective, and accountable digital marketing plan in today's era of unprecedented change in the digital marketing industry. He provides the context for why having a plan is important, real stories, and "how to" content for creating and implementing a plan leveraging his five-step START Planning process.00:00 - 00:23 "When it comes to strategy, first we have to understand and audit what we have and what we have of value in any brand or business or organization. Where is our equity today so we don't accidentally throw out something or we don't overvalue our blog or whatever just because we have a million posts, but understand what we can leverage from it and the standing of it.” — Corey Morris00:24 - 00:42 Welcome to Peppershock Media’s Marketing Expedition Podcast00:43 - 01:23 About Corey01:24 - 07:46 Marketing Essentials Moment: Joining Business Peer Groups07:47 - 10:07 Welcome to the show, Corey!10:08 - 14:10 Success Story: Global Logistics Firm14:11 - 19:08 The S.T.A.R.T. Planning Process19:09 - 21:09 Importance of Strategy in Marketing21:10 - 25:10 Company Structure and Team Dynamics25:11 - 26:11 Hello Audio is the best format for creating a connection between you and your audience and allows them to access your zone of genius at the click of a button.26:12 - 28:28 Future Growth and Goals28:29 - 32:02 Tools and Technology in Marketing32:03 - 40:48 Ethics of Using AI40:49 - 45:10 Get in Touch with Corey45:11 - 45:32 Thank you so much, Corey! Share this podcast, give us a review, and enjoy your marketing journey!45:33 - 46:19 Join the Marketing Expedition Community today! Like what you hear, but need more information?Meet with Rhea Allen#DigitalMarketing #ROI #ReturnonInvestment #MarketingEssentialsMoment #BusinessMarketing #BusinessGroup #BusinessNetworking #BusinessGrowth #FreshMarketingStrategy #MarketingTips #AITools #AITrends

Wanda Allen is an international speaker, coach, corporate trainer, author, and award-winning business owner. She's the author of Follow Up Savvy and Follow Up Sales Strategies. Wanda had a 25-year corporate career where she held the position of senior vice president for 15 years. She has a sales background and worked with sales teams throughout her corporate career. She gained extensive training in business development, maintaining client relationships, and customer service. She has a strong skill set for developing systems and applied this skill to the follow-up process. What she teaches is tried, tested, and proven. After leaving the corporate world to pursue her own business ventures, Wanda founded her business, Follow Up Sales Strategies. She's an expert in helping entrepreneurs, business owners, and sales professionals increase pipelines, improve sales performance, and strengthen relationships by developing strong follow-up skills.00:00 - 00:20 "You know, I always say a CRM will change your life and that sounds so dramatic, but it will because when you're using a CRM, you will absolutely close more sales. You'll have stronger relationships, nothing, and I mean nothing slips through the cracks and your stress level lowers. That is how much power is in a CRM.” — Wanda Allen00:21 - 00:39 Welcome to Peppershock Media’s Marketing Expedition Podcast00:40 - 01:55 Wanda’s Bio01:56 - 07:22 Marketing Essentials Moment: What to Expect in Working with an Agency (Part 3)07:23 - 09:33 Welcome to the show, Wanda!09:34 - 13:18 Mindset and Fears in Follow-Up13:19 - 15:06 Eloquently Persistent Follow-Up15:07 - 18:14 The Must-Have Tool: CRM (Client Relationship Management)18:15 - 21:05 Recommended CRMs21:06 - 22:07 Expanding to Relationship Retention22:08 - 22:43 Poderific, baby! Whether you’re looking for a podcast studio to rent or need help with the entire production and distribution of your podcast, we gotcha covered. 22:44 - 25:19 Handling Being Ignored in Follow-Up25:20 - 28:17 Using Multiple Follow-Up Methods28:18 - 31:41 Humanizing Follow-Up Actions31:42 - 33:54 Speaking Engagements and Future Plans33:55 - 38:21 Generating Leads through Cold Calling and Referrals38:22 - 39:58 Accelerating Word of Mouth Referrals39:59 - 40:26 Reach out to Wanda (https://www.followupsalesstrategies.com/)40:27 - 42:02 Thank you so much, Wanda! Share this podcast, give us a review, and enjoy your marketing journey!42:03 - 42:49 Join the Marketing Expedition Community today! Like what you hear, but need more information?Meet with Rhea Allen#CRM #FollowUp #ClientRelationship #MarketingEssentialsMoment #CustomerService #Entrepreneurs #BrandBuilding #KPIs #ROI #MarketingTips #SalesProcess #LeadGeneration