The Branding Laboratory

Are you a CEO, entrepreneur, or solopreneur with a drive to build a distinctive brand that resonates with your audience? Are you an industry influencer who understands the importance of authenticity and compelling storytelling in shaping your digital footprint? The Business Branding Laboratory is the podcast for you! Every episode of The Branding Laboratory offers a blend of theory and practice, making complex branding strategies accessible and actionable. We delve into the essence of innovative leadership—unpacking how successful leaders integrate their personal values with their professional objectives to create compelling, authentic brands. Our discussions center around the vital role of creativity in leadership and the transformative power of genuine human connections. Think you'd be a great guest on the show? Apply at https://thebrandstoryteller.com/podcast-applyhere/

The Branding Laboratory is a business podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 103 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts The Branding Laboratory, a business show with 103 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #103

  She Got Sober Right Before Covid and Built a Business Out of It

  Aug 12, 202651 minS1

  Christina Kimbrough got sober on February 6th, 2020, weeks before the world shut down. What could have been a devastating coincidence turned into the best possible timing, and what started as a small meetup with a friend eventually grew into Free Life, Hampton Roads' first fully nonalcoholic mobile bar and a community built entirely around the idea that connection does not require a drink in your hand. In this conversation on The Brand Lab, Christina and Deevo go deep on what alcohol was actually doing for her before she quit, how military spouse culture shaped her drinking, why sober does not mean boring, and the much larger conversation underneath all of it: why an entire generation is lonelier than any generation studied before it, and what that has to do with digital convenience, the death of third spaces, and social skills nobody was ever taught to maintain. What You'll Learn: How military spouse culture and undiagnosed ADHD shaped Christina's relationship with alcohol, and what getting sober right before Covid actually looked like. How a casual meetup with one friend grew to 500 people in five months, and became a fully bootstrapped nonalcoholic mobile bar business. Why Christina's tagline, deep connections without alcohol, is really about community first and sobriety second. The concept of micro tears in the social fabric, and how Uber, DoorDash, and digital convenience have quietly eroded the muscle of relying on other people. Why sensitivity and the need to feel seen became the engine behind Christina's entire business, and how that shows up in her Staying in the Room workshop. The real difference between conscious listening and waiting for your turn to talk, and why most conversations fail before they even start. About Christina Kimbrough: Christina Kimbrough is the founder and CEO of Free Life, a social enterprise based in Hampton Roads, Virginia, reimagining how people gather through elevated, alcohol-free experiences. She is six years sober and openly shares her journey through addiction, mental health, and recovery to help break stigma and reduce isolation. She leads workshops including Storytelling That Sells and Staying in the Room, and has spoken at Brown University and Tidewater Community College. She is an active-duty military spouse based in Hampton Roads, Virginia. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 — Cold open: how a small idea grew into something big 01:19 — Welcome to The Brand Lab 02:12 — Introducing Christina Kimbrough and Free Life 06:55 — The military spouse culture and how her drinking began 08:54 — Childhood, faith, and why alcohol was never present growing up 10:23 — What alcohol actually did for her: loneliness, undiagnosed ADHD, and trauma 12:03 — Getting sober February 6th, 2020, weeks before Covid 14:02 — We are all enough as we are: unpacking the core belief 16:06 — How Free Life started: a meetup that grew to 500 people 17:12 — The nonalcoholic mobile bar: from pitch competition to real business 20:04 — The stigma of loneliness, and why we are living in one of the loneliest periods on record 25:52 — The theory on women, the workforce, and the changing shape of the family 32:36 — The overconsumption of technology and the digital convenience economy 36:27 — Feeling unseen as a child, and how that became the engine behind Free Life 44:04 — Staying in the room: teaching people how to actually listen 48:53 — The membership debate: why Christina keeps some events free 50:39 — Closing thoughts and where to find Christina Connect with Christina Kimbrough: http://www.freelifellc.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinagraw/ http://www.instagram.com/ckimbrough1 About The Brand Lab: The Brand Lab is a thinking room for founders and leaders who are building something real. Our host Deevo explores the intersection of identity, positioning, and strategy with people who have already done the work and are still doing it. New episodes every week. Subscribe so you never miss a conversation worth having.

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  Episode #102

  Your Values Are Not What You Say. They Are What You Repeat.

  Aug 5, 202653 minS1

  Bobby Humes spent ten years as an Army combat veteran, then went on to serve as Chief HR Officer for the City of Seattle, before founding BH Consultancy to help executives, senior leaders, and public sector teams build cultures where people can actually contribute. This conversation on The Brand Lab covers what misalignment looks like in a leader long before anyone names it, why executive presence is a commodity that lives in someone else's mind and not just your own, and the specific mechanics of turning aspirational values into behaviors that actually hold up under pressure. Bobby and Deevo trade metaphors for an hour, from double Dutch to roller coasters to Braveheart, but underneath the color is a genuinely rigorous framework for diagnosing bad leadership, confronting toxic political alliances inside organizations, and understanding why self-awareness without action is just a more sophisticated excuse. What You'll Learn: What a misaligned leader actually looks like, and why it so often goes undiagnosed until burnout is already underway. The double Dutch metaphor for leadership: knowing when to walk in front, when to walk behind, and how to read that tension in real time. Three patterns of bad leadership Bobby has witnessed directly: the pet peeve collector, the traffic light who bottlenecks every decision, and the leader who cannot make a hard call. How to translate aspirational values into measurable behaviors, performance targets, and actual resource allocation instead of a poster on a wall. Bobby's method for confronting toxic political alliances and misplaced people inside an organization, using inquiry instead of accusation. Why self-awareness without action is a crutch, and what a real kitchen cabinet of 5 to 7 truth-tellers actually looks like. About Bobby Humes: Bobby Humes is an executive coach, leadership strategist, and founder of BH Consultancy, based in Tacoma, Washington. He served ten years in the United States Army as a combat veteran before leading human resources at the organizational level, including a term as Chief HR Officer for the City of Seattle. He holds a master's degree in human resource management and an executive coaching certification from the Hudson Institute of Coaching. His upcoming book, The Table, explores trust-centered leadership and what it actually takes to build cultures where people can contribute and belong. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 — Welcome to The Brand Lab and introducing episode 102 02:18 — Introducing Bobby Humes 03:52 — The public sector as a place of innovation, not red tape 06:24 — What a misaligned leader actually looks like 08:27 — From jerk sergeant to leading from behind: a learned behavior 09:43 — The double Dutch metaphor: when to lead from front, when from behind 12:07 — Leadership as a roller coaster 12:45 — Three patterns of bad leadership: pet peeves, traffic lights, and indecision 15:56 — Deevo's executive bathroom story 20:28 — Translating aspirational values into measurable culture 24:02 — Values are revealed by repetition, not intention 26:15 — Getting full culture buy-in: message it 77 times, 77 ways 28:01 — Confronting rogue operators and political dissidence inside organizations 32:19 — The DEI misconception, and the difference between DEI and affirmative action 36:25 — Toxic political alliances and the wrong people in the wrong positions 41:04 — The hug, heart, or hand model for delivering feedback 46:11 — Self-awareness as a crutch vs. self-awareness as action 46:54 — The kitchen cabinet: 5 to 7 people who tell you what you need to hear 48:05 — Never arrived vs. you are already here: the debate 51:07 — Closing thoughts and where to find Bobby Connect with Bobby Humes: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachbobby Website: https://www.bhconsultants.co/ About The Brand Lab: The Brand Lab is a thinking room for founders and leaders who are building something real. Host Deevo explores the intersection of identity, positioning, and strategy with people who have already done the work and are still doing it. New episodes every week. Subscribe so you never miss a conversation worth having.

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  Episode #101

  He Went from West Point to Burnout to Building a Business That Finally Fit

  Jul 29, 20261h 3mS1

  Blaz Marolt spent his career being the person who could see the system behind everything: West Point, Army Ranger School, manufacturing plants, regional operations across eight countries, and the chief of staff seat inside a company that grew from six to seven figures. Then in 2023, a new boss put his entire team on a performance improvement plan to force higher output, 80% of the team quit, and Blaz ended up on six months of sick leave, unable to function. This conversation on The Brand Lab includes a moment you do not usually get to see on a podcast: Deevo stops Blaz mid-pitch and coaches him, live, through refining his own positioning as a fractional COO. From there, the conversation moves into the identity crisis that followed his burnout, why everyone around him insisted he would make a great coach when it was the wrong fit entirely, and the full-body alignment he finally found once he stopped listening to what he was good at and started listening to what he actually wanted. What You'll Learn: Why Blaz rejects the term coach entirely, and how his positioning as a fractional COO for coaches and consultants got sharper in real time during this conversation. What happened in 2023 when a new boss put an entire high-performing team on a performance improvement plan, and why 80% of them quit. The difference between being good at something and being aligned with it, and why Blaz spent a year building a coaching business he never actually wanted. How childhood trauma shaped Blaz’s relationship with structure, and why the military became the first stable system he ever experienced. The Jungian principle that until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate. Why Blaz decided his legacy is talking openly about mental health, and what changed in his relationships once he stopped maintaining friendships that no longer fit. About Blaz Marolt: Blaz Marolt is a West Point graduate and US Army Ranger School alum who spent five years in the Slovenian military before transitioning into manufacturing operations, IT consulting, and regional operations leadership across eight countries. He later served as chief of staff for a coaching company that grew from six to seven figures. He now works as a fractional COO and operations strategist, helping coaches and consultants streamline their back-end operations so they can stay in their zone of genius. He is based in Slovenia. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 — Cold open: were you always this way, or was it learned 00:39 — Welcome to The Brand Lab 01:11 — Introducing Blaz Marolt and his background 05:07 — From Slovenia to West Point: how an international cadet gets there 12:32 — The career arc: manufacturing, IT consulting, food delivery, coaching company 13:28 — Blaz's 30-second pitch, and Deevo stops him mid-sentence 19:27 — Refining the positioning live: from do everything to a clear zone of genius 20:17 — Childhood trauma, instability, and why the military became home 26:46 — Vision vs. strategy: the macro and the micro 38:06 — The burnout: 2023, the new boss, and the performance improvement plan 41:20 — Six months on sick leave and the road back 45:09 — 2024 into 2025: the identity crisis and the retreat inward 48:14 — The full-body alignment moment: choosing fractional COO over coaching 49:25 — Who is Blaz: working to live instead of living to work 50:45 — His legacy: talking openly about mental health 52:08 — How his community shifted once he stopped forcing misaligned relationships 54:57 — What working with Blaz actually looks like: audit, fit, and walking away 1:00:18 — The outcome: lower costs, more clients, an optimized customer journey 1:01:21 — Closing thoughts and where to find Blaz Connect with Blaz Marolt: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blazmarolt/ About The Brand Lab: The Brand Lab is a thinking room for founders and leaders who are building something real. Host Deevo explores the intersection of identity, positioning, and strategy with people who have already done the work and are still doing it. New episodes every week. Subscribe so you never miss a conversation worth having.

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  Episode #100

  She Controlled the Story for 33 Years. Cancer Changed That

  Jul 22, 20261h 23mS1

  For 33 years, Charlene Wheeless was the person companies called when everything was on fire. She ran global communications for businesses worth up to $40 billion, walked more than a dozen mergers to the other side, and rebuilt brands until the market paid a premium to believe in them. She controlled the story for everyone else. Then she was diagnosed with two different cancers within six months of each other, and her body wrote a story she could not spin. This is episode 100 of The Brand Lab, and it is dedicated to anyone who has been asking the hard questions but has not yet taken the time to listen to the answer. Charlene is a leadership strategist, keynote speaker, bestselling author, and cancer survivor. Her framework, choice not chance, was forged at 12 years old and did not fully take hold until three decades later, in the middle of a cancer treatment that forced her to ask who she actually was underneath a lifetime of performance. What You'll Learn: 1: The moment at 12 years old that Charlene taught people would define her if she did not define herself first, and why that lesson took 40 years to fully learn. 2: Why she believes the emotional death that comes from losing your identity can be more disorienting than the physical death cancer threatens. 3: The difference between being a culture fit and being a culture contributor, and why chasing the former cost her more than she realized. 4: Why she believes some of the most insecure people in the world are sitting at the top of the corporate ladder. 5: The distinction between being a trailblazer and being a rebel, and why the difference matters more than it sounds. 6: What she regrets most about how she showed her daughters strength during treatment, and what she would do differently. About Charlene Wheeless: Charlene Wheeless spent 33 years in corporate communications, running global communications strategy for businesses worth up to $40 billion and guiding more than a dozen mergers through to completion. After surviving two cancers diagnosed within six months of each other, she left corporate to become a leadership strategist, keynote speaker, and bestselling author. Her framework, choice not chance, now guides C-suite leaders and executives who are ready to stop running their lives on default. TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 — Cold open: the epiphany that came with cancer 00:35 — Welcome to The Brand Lab 01:07 — Introducing Charlene Wheeless and episode 100 02:40 — Choice over chance: the system born from crisis 06:01 — Charlene introduces her work: coaching C-suite leaders 07:15 — It is not that you ran out of energy, it is what the energy was spent on 08:02 — The question Charlene asks every client before they climb the next rung 10:32 — Can authenticity coexist with financial greatness? 12:38 — Culture fit vs. culture contributor 12:56 — The epiphany: two cancers in six months 16:09 — I don't have it in me anymore: the nervous breakdown moment 17:03 — The mental aspect of cancer nobody talks about 23:04 — Why does it take pain to wake us up? 24:32 — Age 12: the cheerleading tryout that started everything 26:14 — Her first moment of choice, not chance 30:19 — Charlene today vs. Charlene at her corporate peak 38:33 — Branding yourself after 33 years of building other people's brands 43:24 — Trailblazer vs. rebel: the distinction that matters 44:42 — What it feels like to be the only Black woman in the room 58:11 — Why men are in crisis too: a conversation on masculine and feminine energy 1:11:23 — Hot Seat Round: regrets, billionaire disease, and her 30-year-old self 1:20:39 — Closing thoughts and where to find Charlene Connect with Charlene Wheeless: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlenewheeless/ Website: https://charlenewheeless.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charwheeless/ About The Brand Lab: The Brand Lab is a thinking room for founders and leaders who are building something real. Host Deevo explores the intersection of identity, positioning, and strategy with people who have already done the work and are still doing it. New episodes every week. Subscribe so you never miss a conversation worth having.

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  Episode #99

  Why Creativity Without Structure Never Makes It to the World

  Jul 15, 20261h 5mS1

  A widget is a widget. That is how Latif Hamilton describes the fundamentals of building a business, whether you are selling faux fur coats or bags of chips. But underneath that simple line is a much deeper argument about the tension between creativity and operations, and why most founders eventually lean too hard into one side and wonder why nothing is working. Latif is the founder of Spirithoods, a lifestyle brand he built over 15 years into a company doing more than $50 million in revenue, with appearances on Shark Tank and CNBC along the way. He is now also running The Growth Operative, a consultancy helping other founders navigate the same tension he spent over a decade learning to manage. In this conversation on The Brand Lab, Latif and Deevo go deep on the infinity loop between creativity and structure, the spiritual dimension of entrepreneurship, and the six-year autoimmune journey that forced Latif to unlearn the hustle patterns that had gotten him this far in the first place. What You'll Learn: 1: The infinity loop framework: why too much slack between creativity and operations causes disruption, and too much tension breaks the whole system. 2: Why the fundamentals of building any product-based business are the same, whether you are selling faux fur coats, chairs, or bags of chips. 3: How to build a perpetual feedback loop, both internally between your own creative and operational modes, and externally with your customers. 4: Why saying we instead of I reduces ego and completely changes how you see your own company. 5: The six-year autoimmune condition that forced Latif to unlearn the hammer-to-everything mentality that built his first $50 million. 6: Why entrepreneurship is spiritual work, and what attachment theory has to do with how you run a business. About Latif Hamilton: Latif Hamilton is a creative entrepreneur and the founder of Spirithoods, a lifestyle brand he built over 15 years into a company generating more than $50 million in revenue, with appearances on Shark Tank and CNBC. He is also the founder of The Growth Operative, a consultancy helping brands across fashion, e-commerce, and general consumer categories navigate the balance between creative vision and operational structure. He writes on Substack under his own name, covering the psychology of entrepreneurship and practical business fundamentals. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 — Cold open and pre-show conversation 06:00 — Welcome to The Brand Lab and introducing Latif Hamilton 10:00 — Latif's 30-second elevator pitch: Spirithoods and The Growth Operative 13:00 — A widget is a widget: the inherent qualities of every business build 15:00 — The infinity loop: the tension between creativity and operations 17:00 — Why the least expensive campaigns often perform the best 18:00 — The photography kit analogy: simplification over accumulation 19:00 — Where the balance actually was at Spirithoods: partners, exits, and hard lessons 22:00 — Why you need an opposing perspective, not just a like-minded one 25:00 — Entrepreneurship as a spiritual journey and the necessity of listening 27:00 — Getting in the trenches: festivals, celebrities, and understanding your real customer 31:00 — The perpetual feedback loop: internal and external 36:00 — The creative client who fears systems, and how structure actually protects creativity 40:00 — Aiming your creativity: structure as a compass, not a cage 44:00 — The godmother's wisdom: a human being can get used to anything 45:00 — Identity, attachment theory, and why Latif changed his own name 52:00 — The rollercoaster of entrepreneurship and learning to step off it 55:00 — The six-year autoimmune journey and unlearning the hammer 58:00 — Cycles, seasons, and why the down years are not the enemy 1:01:00 — Alignment, flowing like water, and why business school never teaches this 1:02:00 — De-dollarization, recession signals, and where Latif sees the economy heading 1:04:00 — Market share opportunity: what happens when your biggest competitor goes bankrupt 1:07:00 — Hot Seat Round: results vs. being right, structure vs. creativity, and more 1:09:00 — Closing thoughts and where to find Latif Connect with Latif Hamilton: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/latifhamilton/ Website: spirithoods.com About The Brand Lab: The Brand Lab is a thinking room for founders and leaders who are building something real. Host Deevo explores the intersection of identity, positioning, and strategy with people who have already done the work and are still doing it. New episodes every week. Subscribe so you never miss a conversation worth having.

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