Does someone else have to lose for you to win?

In this episode of Fearless Creative Leadership, Charles Day speaks with Amy Martin-Ziegenfuss, Chief Marketing Officer of Carnival Cruise Line, about redefining success — and rejecting the zero-sum mindset that often drives ambition.

Amy reflects on her journey from a small-town theater kid to leading one of the world's most recognized travel brands. She shares how creativity fuels business strategy, why leadership is about creating emotional safety, and how brands must balance long-term vision with real-time responsiveness in a volatile world.

They explore imposter syndrome, the power of preparation in earning a seat at the table, and why the best leaders see winning as collective, not competitive.

This is a conversation about impact, humility, courage, and the evolution from racing others to rising together.

00:00 — Opening Question: Is Winning Zero-Sum?
Reframing leadership beyond competition.

02:53 — Early Creativity & Storytelling
Books, theater, and the foundations of expression.

08:15 — From Literature to Marketing
Discovering consumer behavior and business impact.

12:20 — Earning a Seat at the Table
Preparation, sponsorship, and strategic credibility.

19:50 — Asking for Help as Leadership Strength
Building influence through curiosity.

22:30 — Defining Creativity in Business
Strategy as the unlock for innovation.

27:10 — Creating Emotional Safety
Supporting fragile ideas in high-stakes environments.

33:00 — Leading a Global Brand
Balancing long-term planning with rapid response.

38:30 — Imposter Syndrome & Personal Boards
Why no leader should navigate alone.

44:40 — Moving Beyond the Race
From guarded ambition to collective success.

45:50 — What Are You Hopeful For?
Impact, legacy, and rising together.

What does courage actually look like in leadership?

In this episode of Fearless Creative Leadership, Charles Day speaks with Rocky Novak and Brad Surcey, co-CEOs of Zeus Jones, about partnership, independence, and leading through uncertainty — both inside business and outside it.

They discuss why independent companies can invest ahead of clients, how curiosity and optimism shape hiring, and why great creative cultures run on principles rather than rules. But this conversation goes far beyond business. As events unfold around them in Minneapolis, Rocky and Brad share how leadership changes when your responsibility shifts from performance to protection — caring for people first, then the company, then the community.

This is a candid discussion about partnership, resilience, and humanity. It reveals how courage shows up in everyday decisions: investing before certainty, standing by your values, and supporting others when there's no playbook.

00:00 — Opening: Courage and Partnership
Leadership and the role of courage in creative companies.

01:20 — Investing Ahead of Clients
Why independence enables experimentation and learning.

03:25 — Leadership During Crisis
Prioritizing employee safety and emotional wellbeing.

05:20 — Creativity Origins
Rocky's dance background and Brad's early design influences.

12:30 — The Value of Independence
Speed, decision-making, and long-term thinking.

19:45 — Continuous Evolution
Why agencies must constantly reinvent themselves.

24:15 — Building a Culture of Risk
Making investment a real budget line item.

27:05 — Client Partnerships vs Vendor Relationships
Solving problems together rather than presenting solutions.

30:30 — Hiring for Curiosity and Optimism
The qualities that sustain creative environments.

34:50 — Principles, Not Rules
How culture becomes structure.

41:20 — Leading Through Social Upheaval
Supporting people during uncertainty and fear.

47:30 — Creativity Serving Community
Using communication to help local businesses.

53:40 — Supporting Each Other as Leaders
The role of partnership in resilience.

56:00 — Hope for the Future
Nuance, empathy, and rebuilding connection.

How much freedom do you give your people?

In this episode of Fearless Creative Leadership, Charles Day speaks with Cat van der Werff, Executive Creative Director of Canva, about the paradox at the heart of modern leadership: setting clear standards while letting go of control.

As Canva has grown from hundreds to thousands of employees, Cat's own evolution as a leader has mirrored that scale. A self-described perfectionist, she discovered that perfection can quietly suffocate creativity — and that excellence is only possible when leaders trust others to find their own way.

They explore creativity as a human birthright, why empowering everyone to design elevates professional designers, how AI can expand imagination rather than replace it, and what it takes to build cultures rooted in trust, playfulness, and shared ownership.

This is a thoughtful, deeply human conversation about freedom, responsibility, and what it really means to unlock creative potential at scale.

00:00 — Opening Question: Freedom & Leadership
How much autonomy leaders truly give their people.

01:20 — Introducing Cat van der Werff & Canva
Creativity, scale, and empowering the world to design.

03:10 — Creativity at an Early Age
Drawing, observation, and imagination as instinct.

06:45 — Craft, Photography, and Self-Care
Why leaders need creative practices of their own.

08:40 — Why Business, Not Fine Art
Problem-solving, briefs, and applied creativity.

10:00 — Becoming a Leader
From individual contributor to leading through others.

11:35 — Creativity as an Organizational Act
Why org design and team structure are creative work.

14:30 — Vision, Scale, and Big Goals
Operating from the future to guide growth.

17:10 — Creativity, Belonging, and Self-Actualization
Why empowering creativity meets a fundamental human need.

21:35 — If Everyone Can Design, What's the Designer's Role?
How democratization elevates strategic creativity.

24:15 — Building Empowered Cultures
Small teams, trust, and shipping fast.

26:25 — Letting Go of Perfection
Why perfectionism is selfish — and excellence is shared.

31:55 — Trust, Brand Integrity, and Boundaries
How leaders intervene without controlling.

35:05 — Casting the Right People
Playfulness, humility, and continual learning.

37:00 — AI, Imagination, and Confidence
Why technology can't replace human creativity.

42:15 — Parenting, Creativity, and Presence
Teaching creativity through doing, not instruction.

45:30 — Leading at Scale
The tension between outward visibility and internal connection.

50:35 — Advice to Her 20-Year-Old Self
Fun, creativity, and releasing pressure.

52:20 — Hope for the Future
The coming "imagination era."