In marketing, deadlines are relentless and expectations are high. It’s critical to manage stress and make clear-headed decisions under pressure. In this episode of Smarter Marketer, host James Lawrence chats with Dr. Jemma King - founder of BioPsychAnalytics and expert in stress, resilience and high performance.

Having worked with elite organisations like the Australian Olympic Swim Team, the Australian Defence Force, McKinsey and Atlassian, Dr.King shares science-backed insights on managing burnout, improving decision-making and optimising sleep for peak performance. Whether you're leading a team, juggling campaigns, or striving for balance in your personal life, this episode will equip you with practical strategies to navigate the pressures of marketing.

• Dr. Jemma King’s journey - How she became a leading expert in stress research and high-performance psychology.
• Why marketers are under pressure And the need to manage stress for long-term success
• Science-backed strategies to reduce stress and prevent burnout – Practical techniques used by elite athletes, military personnel and corporate leaders to stay resilient
• The role of sleep in peak performance - How sleep quality directly impacts decision-making, creativity and overall health.
• Actionable tips to improve sleep for better health:

1. How to measure sleep quality and its effects on energy and performance.
2. The hidden impact of alcohol on sleep cycles and cognitive function.
3. Simple ways to eliminate sleep-disrupting distractions.
4. How dim lighting before bedtime signals your brain to relax.
5. The science behind a 40-degree hot bath as a sleep aid.
6. How cutting back on sugar can significantly improve sleep quality.

• Beyond sleep: The next most powerful factors in resilience - regular exercise, a balanced diet, meaningful relationships, fulfilling work and financial stability.
• Tactical ways to build a stress-resilient life by structuring your day, improving your work environment and developing a low-stress mindset.
• Decision-making under pressure – How to maintain a clear, strategic mindset in high-stakes situations.
• Emotional intelligence & AI – The evolving role of AI in helping professionals improve emotional intelligence and make better, more rational decisions.

Dr. Jemma King PhD is the founder of BioPsychAnalytics, a consultancy that helps companies, teams and individuals reduce stress, avoid burnout and make better decisions under pressure. She focuses on practical strategies to improve team performance and well-being in high-stress environments.

Jemma has worked with organisations like the Australian Olympic Swim Team, the Australian Defence Force, McKinsey and Atlassian, among others.

James Lawrence LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameslawrenceoz/

Smarter Marketer Website: https://rocketagency.com.au/smarter-marketer-podcast

Rocket Agency Website: https://rocketagency.com.au/

Rocket Agency LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rocket-agency-pty-ltd/

Hardcover: https://amzn.to/30O63kg

Kindle:

In marketing, there exists a fine line between influencing decisions and crossing into manipulation. The difference? One builds trust while the other erodes it.

Host James Lawrence chats with Dan Monheit, Chief CX Thinker at Thinkerbell and former CEO of creative behavioural science agency HardHat, about applying behavioural science principles like default bias and anchoring to your marketing, related ethical considerations and how to draw the line between persuasion and manipulation.

• Dan’s journey - starting Hardhat and his interest in behavioural science
• Introduction to behavioural science and it’s connection to marketing
• What are some common behavioural biases you see everyday?

-Default bias

-Framing

-Anchoring

-Loss aversion

-Effort bias

• Ethics in persuasion vs manipulation
• Navigating dark patterns
• How context impacts perception and shapes biases
• Essential behavioural science resources for marketers

Dan Monheit is a leader in creative behavioural science. In 2005, he founded Hardhat, a pioneering agency that worked with top brands like Mattel, Bega Dairy, the Victorian Government, Kogan, DocuSign and Afterpay. Under his direction, Hardhat became a go-to agency for brands looking to understand and influence consumer behaviour.

In October 2024, Hardhat was acquired by Thinkerbell, where Dan now serves as Chief CX Thinker, applying his expertise to elevate customer experiences through a blend of creativity and behavioural insights.

James Lawrence LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameslawrenceoz/

Smarter Marketer Website: https://rocketagency.com.au/smarter-marketer-podcast

Rocket Agency Website: https://rocketagency.com.au/

Rocket Agency LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rocket-agency-pty-ltd/

This is the definitive podcast for Australian marketers. Join Rocket Agency Co-Founder and best-selling author, James Lawrence in conversation with marketers, leaders, and thinkers about what it takes to be a smarter and more successful marketer.

As platforms push Performance Max, Advantage+ and new modelling systems, we’re entering a world where results often look better in-platform than they do in reality. Behind the scenes, attribution is becoming harder and marketers are being forced to rethink how they interpret success altogether.

In this episode of the Smarter Marketer Podcast, host James Lawrence sits down with Rocket’s Paid Media Manager, Adrian Oguz, to unpack what truly matters when you’re running paid media in an AI-driven landscape. Adrian shares an unfiltered view on automation, performance loops, the limits of attribution and how in-house marketers can step back and measure what actually drives growth, and not just what looks good on a dashboard.

• Why AI-driven campaign types often optimise toward the easiest conversions, not the most valuable ones
• How to recognise when Performance Max has fallen into the “existing customer loop”
• The hidden risks of lead-gen automation and why spam leads often spike before performance improves
• The simple macro metrics that reveal whether your media is genuinely growing the business
• How channels like YouTube can drive huge results without showing any conversions in-platform
• Why creative is becoming the new targeting, especially inside Meta’s evolving ecosystem
• How to design tests that prove whether a channel is actually contributing to growth
• When it’s time to scale spend, and when stability matters more than chasing the next tactic

Adrian Oguz is a Paid Media Manager at Rocket Agency, overseeing multi-million-dollar budgets across search, social and programmatic. With his clear, practical approach, he’s led multiple award-winning campaigns for various business types and industries across the APAC Search Awards and SEMrush Awards year after year.

You can follow Adrian on LinkedIn.

• James Lawrence LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameslawrenceoz/
• Smarter Marketer Website: https://rocketagency.com.au/smarter-marketer-podcast
• Rocket Agency Website: https://rocketagency.com.au/
• Rocket Agency LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rocket-agency-pty-ltd/

• Hardcover: https://amzn.to/30O63kg
• Kindle: https://amzn.to/2ZqfCWm

This is the definitive podcast for Australian marketers. Join Rocket Agency Co-Founder and best-selling author, James Lawrence in conversation with marketers, leaders, and thinkers about what it takes to be a smarter and more successful marketer.