Amanda's Playbook

Amanda's Playbook

By Amanda RussellBusinessEntrepreneurshipEducationSelf-ImprovementMarketingCareersManagement
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Amanda's Playbook episodes

  • Why People Still Buy Rolexes (And Wait Years for a Birkin Bag)

    Rolex isn’t selling time.

    Hermès isn’t selling handbags.
    And De Beers? They turned shiny rocks into a ritual of forever.

    This episode is about how the world’s most iconic brands create desire—on purpose.

    Not through ads. Through identity engineering.

    You’ll see how:

    – Rolex broke $10B not by selling accuracy—but achievement
    – Hermès made waiting the luxury
    – De Beers scripted scarcity into “forever”

    These brands don’t just price high. They build meaning.

    They make you feel like you earned it.

    So if you're building something premium—ask yourself:

    What does owning it say about someone?

    And how do you make that message feel deserved?

    Because people don’t buy with their wallets.

    They buy with identity.

    — Amanda

    #AmandasPlaybook #InfluenceByDesign #BrandStrategy #LuxuryMarketing #StatusSignals #Rolex #Hermès #birkinbag #DeBeers #PsychologyOfDesire #MarketingThatMoves


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    6 min
  • Why Emotional Design Is the Real Luxury

    This isn’t a story about nightlife.

    It’s a story about emotion—and what people are really buying when they pay for exclusivity.

    Back in 2008, with no budget and no celebrity backing, Daniel Koch and his brother Derek launched a brunch party in New York City.

    They didn’t build hype.
    They built feeling.

    What started as Day & Night became something more:

    – A curated crowd, not a pay-to-play model
    – Word-of-mouth as the north star metric
    – Emotional design that made people feel chosen

    The real luxury?

    Wasn’t access.
    It was memory.

    Today, that same emotional architecture is being used to build modern members clubs, high-trust spaces, and brands that feel magnetic—not because of what they charge, but because of how they land.

    Watch the full conversation to see how exclusivity is evolving—

    And what it looks like to build something people never stop talking about.

    #Exclusivity #EmotionalDesign #AmandaNorenWest #DanielKoch #BrandBuilding #CulturalStrategy #Amanda’sPlaybook


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    19 min
  • What Wine, Painkillers, and Pricing Taught Me About Influence

    What do wine tastings, painkillers, and pricing psychology all have in common?

    More than you think.

    In this episode of Amanda’s Playbook, I break down two surprisingly simple studies that reveal how price shapes perception, how it influences expectation, and why this matters more than ever for anyone building a premium brand, product, or service.

    You’ll learn:

    ✔️ Why pricing isn't just financial—it's emotional
    ✔️ The psychological principle behind “premium perception”
    ✔️ How to use price as a storytelling tool, not just a revenue lever
    ✔️ What happens when your experience doesn’t match your price
    ✔️ How to build trust and desire through intentional pricing

    If you're a creator, founder, marketer, or service provider who wants to raise your rates without losing trust, this one's for you.

    🔔 Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a comment (I LOVE responding to comments) if this shifted something for you.

    #pricingstrategy #luxurybranding #influence #marketingpsychology #brandstorytelling #amandasplaybook


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    7 min
  • The One Question that Creates Real Influence

    What if the most powerful thing you could offer… was a question?

    This week on Amanda’s Playbook, I’m sharing a story I’ll never forget — one that completely changed how I think about leadership, influence, and solving real-world problems.

    It’s about Gloria Steinem.

    A village in Zambia.
    And the unexpected solution that stopped sex trafficking:
    👉 An electric fence.

    Not education.

    Not policy.
    A fence — because families were starving, and girls were leaving just to survive.

    This episode is a masterclass in relationship capital — how real influence isn’t about showing up with answers… it’s about showing up with empathy.

    Inside, we’ll break down:

    🔹 Why expertise alone can blind you
    🔹 The shift from telling to listening with intent
    🔹 How co-creation leads to lasting change

    If you lead a team, build a brand, or want to have greater impact — this story is for you.

    👇 I’d love to hear your thoughts — drop a comment and let me know:
    What’s one question you need to ask before trying to solve the problem in front of you?


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    6 min
  • Influence ≠ Ice Baths + Ego

    Everyone’s selling cold plunges, $14 matcha, and 4AM alarms as the secret to success.

    I’m not buying it.

    And I’m definitely not waking up early for it.

    This week on Amanda’s Playbook, I’m breaking down the Cold Plunge Lies—the performative routines we’ve started worshipping as gospel. I share my own obsessive history with extreme discipline, how it held me back more than it helped, and what actually drives long-term results: reliability, clarity, and resonance.

    This one’s for anyone tired of pretending their morning routine is a spiritual awakening.

    Let’s cut through the noise and build lives that work—not just look good on camera.

    👇 Watch + let me know in the comments: what’s one “should” you’re ready to stop doing?


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    7 min
  • Communication Is Your Brand. Here’s How People Blow It.

    Most people think reputation is built in the big moments—killer decks, polished launches, loud wins.

    But in reality? It’s built (and lost) in silence.

    In this episode of Amanda’s Playbook, I share a story that’s more common than we want to admit: a warm intro, a missed moment, and a reputation quietly eroded by lack of follow-through.

    If you’ve ever been ghosted after putting in the effort—or worse, accidentally ghosted someone yourself—this is your reminder:

    Communication is your business.

    💬 Leave a comment if you’ve had something like this happen to you. I read every one.

    ➤ Subscribe for more episodes like this:    / @amandarussell  


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    4 min
  • Want the Meeting? Say You’re in Town.

    Most people trying to connect with high-profile people make the same mistake:

    They lead with their goals, their pitch, their calendar.
    But what if the real strategy… was anchoring yourself in their world?

    In this short episode, I share the simple (but powerful) tactic that earned me a meeting with OG YouTube star  @shaycarl  —and turned a cold message into a real collaboration.

    This isn’t about being sneaky—it’s about showing up with relevance.

    👉 Try this strategy and let us know how it goes—we just might feature your story next.


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    6 min
  • Invisible Excellence: Why Brilliance Isn’t Enough Without Influence

    Let’s be real: The world doesn’t reward the best.

    It rewards the most visible. The most trusted. The most strategically influential.

    In this week’s episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on why your brilliance might still be overlooked — and how to stop playing a rigged game.

    If you’re tired of working hard with nothing to show for it...

    If you’re done being invisible...
    If you’re ready to shift from being excellent to being seen...

    This one’s for you.

    👇 Want the free 5-Step Starter Guide to Strategic Influence?

    Comment “INFLUENCE” below and I’ll send it directly to you.

    No pitch. No pretty bow. Just what actually works.

    —

    #StrategicInfluence#InfluenceOverExcellence#VisibilityMatters#InvisibleBrilliance#RiggedGame#InfluenceIsStrategy#ThoughtLeadership#PersonalBranding#ModernMarketing#ContentThatConverts


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    5 min
  • Luxury Redefined: What the Best Brands Understand Now

    We used to define luxury by price tags, silence, and formality. But that version of luxury? It’s outdated.

    Today, the most magnetic brands understand one thing: real luxury is about experience. It's not about white tablecloths and bow ties — it's about how you make someone feel.

    In this episode of Amanda’s Playbook, we explore how smart operators are rethinking exclusivity, experience design, and emotional connection — and why the brands that embrace this shift are winning.

    What You'll learn:

    – Why traditional luxury is becoming irrelevant
    – How modern consumers define premium experiences
    – What it takes to build connection-driven brand loyalty

    Tell me in the comments: What’s a brand that felt like luxury to you — even if it wasn’t the most expensive?

    Subscribe for more strategy, insight, and weekly deep dives at Amanda’s Playbook.

    #LuxuryRedefined #BrandExperience #ModernLuxury #MarketingStrategy #BusinessStrategy #AmandasPlaybook


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    8 min
  • How Mark Wahlberg Made $200M Without Acting

    Most people take the check.

    Mark Wahlberg didn’t — and walked away with $200 million instead.

    In this episode of Amanda’s Playbook, I’m breaking down one of the smartest plays in the game — and why it has nothing to do with acting and everything to do with how you use your influence.

    It’s not about celebrity.

    It’s not about followers.
    It’s about leverage.
    And if you get this right, it can change the entire way you grow a brand, close a deal, or build long-term wealth.

    This one’s personal — because I’ve done this (without even realizing it at first). And you might have too.

    🎯 Watch 'til the end — I’ll leave you with a question that might change how you look at your next opportunity.

    👇 Let’s keep the convo going — drop your thoughts in the comments. I read every one.

    🎬 Subscribe for weekly drops

    📱 Follow @amandasplaybook on all platforms

    #MarkWahlberg #InfluenceStrategy #BrandEquity #AmandasPlaybook


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    7 min

About Amanda's Playbook

From the publisher's feed

Amanda's Playbook is your front-row seat to a living laboratory alongside unfiltered conversations with the people influencing the future of business, culture, creators, and community. Hosted by Amanda, investor, professor, and marketing powerhouse, alongside insightful co-hosts, you'll witness firsthand experiments that bridge the gap between marketing theory and what actually works right now.