Look into the "3 Ways to Generate Leads With Your Podcast" E-book for free here on our website! (https://ghapodcast.com)

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Michael Brainard has spent over two decades operating at the intersection of strategy, leadership, and organizational psychology. As the founder of Brainard Strategy, he works with senior executives and boards to align people, processes, and decision-making with business objectives that actually matter. What makes Michael’s perspective especially valuable is that he’s been on both sides of the table: as a consultant and coach, but also as a senior executive responsible for delivering results, integrating acquisitions, and leading through change. His work blends rigorous research with practical execution.

In this conversation, we’ll dig into how consulting firm owners can position themselves at the executive level, navigate long sales cycles, retain clients over time, and build credibility in complex, high-stakes environments.

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Proposed Interview Structure:

1. What originally got you into consulting, and what pulled you specifically toward strategy and leadership work?

2. What is the core problem you help organizations solve today, and why does that problem keep showing up at the executive level?

3. Who are your ideal clients now, and who is usually the real decision maker when you’re brought in?

4. How do clients typically find you today, and what’s worked best to build credibility and demand at that level? Current Acquisition Channels: Referral, Content Sub Question: What’s your view on podcasts as a marketing tool for consultants and executive coaches?

5. Executive consulting often comes with long sales cycles and multiple stakeholders. How do you usually move from first conversation to signed engagement?

6. Once you’re working with a client, how do you structure the relationship to ensure they see value, keep coming back, and view you as a long-term partner rather than a one-off consultant?

7. Where do you find yourself most stuck right now in your own practice, whether that’s growth, focus, or something else (if at all)?

8. Looking ahead, where do you see the biggest opportunities for your work in strategy and leadership over the next few years?

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Know more about Michael Brainard

Website Link: https://www.brainardstrategy.com/

Connect with Michael Brainard on LinkedIn

LinkedIn link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelbrainard/

Apply to be a guest on Consulting Leaders:

https://ghapodcast.com/application-to-be-a-guest-on-consulting-leaders/

Look into the "3 Ways to Generate Leads With Your Podcast" E-book for free here on our website! (https://ghapodcast.com)

**********************************************************************

Mike Kuczkowski has spent his career helping leaders make sense of complexity and turn it into aligned action. After senior leadership roles at Edelman, including founding Edelman Consulting and running its San Francisco office, Mike launched Orangefiery to bring management rigor into the world of communications. At Orangefiery, Mike and his team partner with forward-thinking executives to build market-shaping brands, navigate strategic inflection points, and align stakeholders around change. Their work sits squarely at the intersection of strategy, communications, and organization design, where decisions actually stick or fail.

In this conversation, we explore what it really means to treat communications as a core business function, how consultants can elevate from execution to strategic advisor, and what firm owners need to rethink as markets, expectations, and stakeholder dynamics continue to shift.

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Proposed Interview Structure:

1. What originally pulled you into consulting and strategic communications, and how did that path evolve into founding Orangefiery?

2. What core problem do your clients usually come to you with, and why solving it matters so much to you personally?

3. Who are your ideal clients today, and who inside the organization typically owns the decision to bring you in?

4. How do clients usually find Orangefiery, and what’s worked best for you in positioning your firm as a strategic partner rather than a communications vendor? Current Acquisition Channels: Referral Sub Question: What’s your view on podcasting as a marketing tool for consulting and advisory firms?

5. Your work often involves senior leaders, ambiguity, and long decision cycles, how do you approach the sales process and move from initial conversation to signed engagement?

6. Once a client starts working with you, how do you ensure they keep coming back, and what do you intentionally do to build long-term, trusted advisor relationships rather than one-off projects?

7. Where do you personally find yourself most stuck right now as a consulting firm founder and CEO, if at all, given the stage Orangefiery is at today?

8. Looking ahead, where do you see the biggest opportunities, or risks in strategy and communications over the next few years?

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Know more about Mike Kuczkowski

Website Link: https://orangefiery.com/

Connect with Mike Kuczkowski on LinkedIn

LinkedIn link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-kuczkowski-8041581/

Apply to be a guest on Consulting Leaders:

https://ghapodcast.com/application-to-be-a-guest-on-consulting-leaders/

Look into the "3 Ways to Generate Leads With Your Podcast" E-book for free here on our website! (https://ghapodcast.com)

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Kate has built her consultancy at the intersection of careers, learning, and organisational change. Through Lander Consulting, she supports individuals through career transitions and outplacement, while advising organisations on workforce planning, leadership development, and future skills. Her work spans creative agencies, broadcasters, cultural institutions, and publicly funded skills programmes. She has led workforce transformation projects valued at over £1M, delivered 30+ skills bootcamps, and supported thousands of professionals in gaining confidence, clarity, and sustainable career direction.

Alongside her consultancy work, Kate is a Director at Access:VFX, where she champions diversity, inclusion, and access to careers in VFX and animation. Her approach blends strategic rigour with empathy, combining data, structure, and deeply human insight to help people and organisations thrive through change.

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Proposed Interview Structure:

1. What originally pulled you into career development and consulting, and why the creative industries in particular?

2. What’s the core problem you’re solving today for individuals and organisations, and why does that matter to you personally?

3. Who are your ideal clients now, both on the individual and organisational side, and who are the real decision-makers?

4. How do people typically discover your work today, and what’s been most effective in building trust and credibility as a consultant? Current Acquisition Channels: Referral, Content, Speaking engagements, LinkedIn Sub Question: What’s your view on podcasts as a marketing tool in the coaching and consulting space?

5. Selling consulting around people, change, and capability can be nuanced. How do you usually move from conversation to commitment?

6. How do you retain clients and keep them coming back, practically? What do you do to prove value, stay close to the decision-makers, and turn a project into a long-term relationship?

7. Where do you find yourself most stuck right now in growing Lander Consulting, if at all, is it focus, scaling delivery, positioning beyond the creative sector, or something else?

8. Looking ahead, where do you see the biggest opportunities, or risks, in careers, workforce development, and the creative industries?

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Know more about Kate Lander

Website Link: https://www.landerconsulting.co.uk/

Connect with Kate Lander on LinkedIn

LinkedIn link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katelander-career-workforce-consulting/

Apply to be a guest on Consulting Leaders:

https://ghapodcast.com/application-to-be-a-guest-on-consulting-leaders/

Look into the "3 Ways to Generate Leads With Your Podcast" E-book for free here on our website! (https://ghapodcast.com)

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Robert Toler has spent over two decades building and scaling businesses, with the last seven years deeply embedded inside fast-growing law firms. As a fractional CMO, he doesn’t sell campaigns or tactics, he steps into the business to diagnose where revenue is leaking and fix the systems that block growth. In his work with $1M-$10M firms, Robert consistently helps recover $300K-$500K+ per year by addressing issues most marketing agencies ignore: broken intake, missed calls, poor follow-up, misaligned vendors, and wasted ad spend. His approach starts inside the firm, not at the top of the funnel.

In this conversation, we explore what consultants can learn from Robert’s “profit recovery first” mindset, how internal operations impact growth more than most leaders admit, and why fixing the owner and the system often matters more than launching the next marketing initiative.

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Proposed Interview Structure:

1. What originally got you into consulting and fractional CMO work, especially in the legal space?

2. You often say law firms don’t have a lead problem, they have a profit leak problem. What does that really mean in practice?

3. Who are your ideal clients today, and who inside the firm usually needs to buy into the work for real change to happen?

4. How do clients typically find you, what’s worked best to attract new business that consultants get learn from? Current Acquisition Channels: Referral, Webinars, Speaking engagements Sub Question: What’s your view on podcasts as a marketing tool in the consulting and professional services space?

5. Consulting businesses often deal with long sales cycles and internal friction. How do you typically help move decisions from interest to commitment?

6. You’ve maintained extremely strong client retention. How do you structure your work to build long-term relationships and keep clients coming back?

7. Where do you find yourself most stuck right now as a consultant, if at all, as you continue to grow and refine your model?

8. Looking ahead, where do you see the biggest growth opportunities in your work and service firms over the next few years?

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Know more about Robert Toler

Website Link: https://growthpropulsion.com/

Connect with Robert Toler on LinkedIn

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rztoler/

Apply to be a guest on Consulting Leaders:

https://ghapodcast.com/application-to-be-a-guest-on-consulting-leaders/

Look into the "3 Ways to Generate Leads With Your Podcast" E-book for free here on our website! (https://ghapodcast.com)

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Petra Mayer is the CEO of Petra Mayer & Associates Consulting and has spent more than 14 years helping organizations solve real performance problems through thoughtful learning strategy. Her work sits at the intersection of business strategy, adult learning principles, and technology, making learning measurable, repeatable, and aligned with business outcomes. She works with two main groups: corporate leaders in HR, L&D or Sales & Marketing who need training that drives performance, and organizations who need to systematize learning delivery, either to internal or external audiences.

From needs analysis to LMS selection and launch, Petra leads projects end-to-end. In this conversation, we’ll unpack how consultants can use learning as a growth lever, not just a service line. We’ll talk about scaling through training, creating signature programs, navigating long sales cycles in corporate environments, and where learning and development is heading over the next few years.

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Proposed Interview Structure:

1. What originally pulled you into consulting and learning & development?

2. What’s the core problem you help organizations solve today, and why does it matter so much to you?

3. Who are your ideal clients right now, and who typically makes the buying decision on learning initiatives?

4. How do clients usually find you, and what’s worked best over the years to consistently attract the right projects? Current Acquisition Channels: Referral, Content Sub Question: What’s your take on podcasting as a marketing tool for consultants and experts in the learning or HR space?

5. Corporate learning projects often involve long sales cycles and multiple stakeholders. How do you navigate that and bring deals to a close?

6. Once someone becomes a client, how do you ensure they keep coming back, and what’s your approach to building long-term, trusted relationships?

7. Where do you personally find yourself most stuck right now as a consultant, if at all, given the stage of business you’re in?

8. Looking ahead, where do you see the biggest opportunities in learning, training, and consulting over the next few years?

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Know more about Petra Mayer

Website Link: https://petramayerconsulting.com/

Website LinkedIn Link: https://www.linkedin.com/company/petra-mayer-consulting/

Connect with Petra Mayer on LinkedIn

LinkedIn link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petramayer/

Apply to be a guest on Consulting Leaders:

https://ghapodcast.com/application-to-be-a-guest-on-consulting-leaders/

Look into the "3 Ways to Generate Leads With Your Podcast" E-book for free here on our website! (https://ghapodcast.com)

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Most consulting firm owners don’t ignore health, safety, or wellbeing, they assume they’re “probably fine” because they’ve got something in place. Sarah sees the gap that causes trouble: policies and risk assessments that exist on paper, but don’t match how work actually gets done. And when something goes wrong, it’s not the existence of documents that matters, it’s whether the approach was suitable, understood, and used.

Sarah runs Safe and Well Together, where compliance meets culture. She supports SMEs that don’t have in-house H&S or wellbeing expertise, helping leaders spot gaps, fix risks, and create simple routines that protect people and strengthen engagement and retention. Her work blends practical compliance with a human, people-first approach, so “doing the right thing” doesn’t become a morale-killer. In this episode, we’ll explore how SME leaders can get covered without overcomplicating it: what actually reduces risk, what creates noise, and how to build a calm, confident approach that scales as you grow.

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Proposed Interview Structure:

1. What originally pulled you into health, safety and wellbeing work, and what kept you in it for 20+ years?

2. When SMEs come to you, what’s the real problem underneath “we just want to be compliant”? and why solving that problem matters so much to you personally?

3. Who are your ideal clients today, and who usually becomes the internal champion or decision maker?

4. How do clients typically find you, and what has worked best for you to consistently attract the right SMEs? Current Acquisition Channels: Referral, Content, Google Ads, Meta Ads, Webinars, Podcast (guesting), Podcast (hosting), Speaking engagements Sub Question: What do you think about podcasts as a marketing tool for the coaching/consulting space, and for your world specifically?

5. This is a category where people often delay decisions until something happens. How do you help prospects move from “we should be OK” to taking action?

6. How do you retain clients over the long term, and what do you do deliberately to build trust, repeat work, and ongoing relationships?

7. Where do you find yourself most stuck right now, whether that’s growth, focus, capacity, or something else (if at all)?

8. Looking ahead, what’s changing in H&S, mental health and wellbeing expectations for SMEs, and where do you see the biggest opportunity for you?

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Know more about Sarah Piddington

Website Link: https://safeandwelltogether.com/

Connect with Sarah Piddington on LinkedIn

LinkedIn link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahpiddington/

Apply to be a guest on Consulting Leaders:

https://ghapodcast.com/application-to-be-a-guest-on-consulting-leaders/

Look into the "3 Ways to Generate Leads With Your Podcast" E-book for free here on our website! (https://ghapodcast.com)

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Brad’s background is a mix of operating experience and capital markets execution. He started as a founder/CEO in oil and gas at 23, learned the hard lessons of building teams and navigating market shifts, and ultimately found his lane in raising capital and helping others do the same.

Today, Brad runs Blazar Group and Capital School, where he coaches entrepreneurs, sponsors, and business owners on how to structure their message, build credibility, and develop repeatable investor acquisition systems, especially in the HNW and advisor channels. His experience spans broker/dealers, RIAs, family offices, endowments, and private equity relationships.

What makes this conversation relevant for consulting firm owners: capital raising is, at its core, a trust-and-process business. If you can articulate outcomes, manage risk conversations, and build long-term relationships, you can build a durable pipeline, whether you’re raising capital, selling advisory services, or scaling a premium offer.

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Proposed Interview Structure:

1. Brad, what got you into the world of capital raising, and how did your early experience as a founder shape the way you operate today?

2. What’s the core problem you solve for entrepreneurs and sponsors when it comes to raising capital, and why does that matter so much to you personally?

3. Who are your ideal clients today? And when you say ‘HNW’, who is the real decision maker in the room?

4. For your own business, what has worked best to attract the right clients and opportunities over the years? Current Acquisition Channels: Referral, Meta Ads, Webinars, Podcast (guesting), Podcast (hosting), Speaking engagements Sub Question: What do you think about podcasting as a marketing tool in the capital raising / investment space?

5. When someone wants to work with you, what does that sales process look like, from first conversation to commitment, and how do you qualify whether someone is a fit?

6. Once a client starts working with you, how do you make sure they get real results and keep coming back? What do you intentionally do to build long-term relationships?

7. With your level of experience, where do you still find yourself most stuck today as a business owner, if at all?

8. Looking ahead 2–3 years, where do you see the biggest opportunities in capital raising, and what do you think most people are underestimating?

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Know more about Brad Blazar

Website Link: https://bradblazar.com/

Connect with Brad Blazar on LinkedIn

LinkedIn link: https://linkedin.com/in/bradblazar

Apply to be a guest on Consulting Leaders:

https://ghapodcast.com/application-to-be-a-guest-on-consulting-leaders/

Look into the "3 Ways to Generate Leads With Your Podcast" E-book for free here on our website! (https://ghapodcast.com)

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Patrick works with business owners who are past the “hustle” phase and are ready for structure. Through The Greenhouse Growth Ecosystem™, he helps leadership teams get aligned on vision, run a disciplined operating system, and make progress on the priorities that actually change outcomes. What makes Patrick interesting for consulting firm owners is the combination: EOS for execution + value building for optionality. It’s one thing to grow revenue; it’s another to build a firm that’s less dependent on the founder, more operationally clean, and more valuable, whether you want to sell one day or simply run it with less stress.

This episode will be about practical levers: how to simplify complexity, install meeting rhythms and accountability, build a stronger leadership team, and increase “owner independence” so the business isn’t a lifestyle trap.

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Proposed Interview Structure:

1. What originally pulled you into this work, helping owners grow, scale, and prepare for exit?

2. When a business owner comes to you, what’s the core problems you help them solve? and why solving them matters so much to your personally?

3. Who are the ideal owners or leadership teams you do your best work with, and who’s typically the decision maker?

4. How do clients usually find you today, and what’s worked best to attract the right owners? Current Acquisition Channels: Referral, Content, Google Ads, Meta Ads, Webinars, Speaking engagements, Cold outreach Sub Question: You hosted a podcast yourself, what do you think about podcasting as a marketing tool in the coaching/consulting space?

5. From first conversation to signed engagement, how do you approach selling your work without dragging out the cycle?

6. Once a client is onboard, how do you retain them, what do you do intentionally to build long-term relationships and repeat work?

7. Where do you find yourself most stuck right now as a business owner, if at all?

8. Looking ahead, where do you see the biggest opportunities in your work, especially in scaling and creating real optionality over the next few year?

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Know more about Patrick Metzger

Website Link: https://growing4success.com/

Connect with Patrick Metzger on LinkedIn

LinkedIn link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickmetzgercoaching/

Apply to be a guest on Consulting Leaders:

https://ghapodcast.com/application-to-be-a-guest-on-consulting-leaders/

Look into the "3 Ways to Generate Leads With Your Podcast" E-book for free here on our website! (https://ghapodcast.com)

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William Hanmer-Lloyd has spent his career at the intersection of behavioural science, advertising effectiveness, and commercial strategy. From pioneering behavioural economics at the IPA to leading insight and effectiveness teams at Blue449 and Mediaplus UK, his work has consistently focused on turning human behaviour into measurable business growth. Today, Will heads Behave, a consultancy that helps organisations grow by understanding how people actually make decisions, not how we assume they do. His role spans strategy, research, effectiveness, and advisory work for major brands and complex organisations.

In this conversation, we’ll unpack what consultants can learn from behavioural economics, how insight-driven thinking sharpens positioning and marketing, and why behaviour, not persuasion, is often the missing piece in scaling a consulting business.

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Proposed Interview Structure:

1. What originally pulled you into the world of advertising, behavioural economics, and consulting?

2. What’s the core problem Behave helps organisations solve today, and why does that problem matter so much to you?

3. Who are your typical clients now, and who tends to be the real decision-maker when behavioural insight is brought into the business?

4. From your experience, how do clients usually discover and choose a consultancy like yours, and what’s actually worked best for attracting the right kind of work? Current Acquisition Channels: Referral, Content, Google Ads, Speaking engagements Sub Question: What’s your view on podcasts as a marketing tool for consultants and advisory firms?

5. When selling behavioural insight, which can feel abstract to some buyers, how do you personally turn interest into a signed engagement?

6. Once a client is onboard, how do you approach retaining them, and what do you do deliberately to build long-term, repeat relationships rather than one-off projects?

7. Where do you currently find yourself most stuck or constrained as a leader running Behave today (if at all)?

8. Looking ahead, where do you see the biggest opportunities for behavioural economics and consulting over the next few years?

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Know more about William Hanmer-Lloyd

Website Link: https://behaveglobal.com/

Connect with William Hanmer-Lloyd on LinkedIn

LinkedIn link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-hanmer-lloyd-5b089219/?originalSubdomain=uk

Apply to be a guest on Consulting Leaders:

https://ghapodcast.com/application-to-be-a-guest-on-consulting-leaders/

Look into the "3 Ways to Generate Leads With Your Podcast" E-book for free here on our website! (https://ghapodcast.com)

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Alastair leads Meridian West, one of the few firms specialising in client listening, strategic insight, and growth strategy for professional services. His work gives him a unique vantage point: he interviews C-suite buyers, builds benchmarks like CLIMB, and advises firms navigating shifting client expectations.

He brings a practical, evidence-driven approach to helping firms adapt, from improving client experience to creating compelling thought leadership that opens doors. Alastair has worked with major firms including Allen & Overy, PwC, BDO, Grant Thornton, BNP Paribas Real Estate, Canada Life, and others. In this conversation, he breaks down what clients truly care about, why informal listening is becoming essential, and how consulting leaders can turn scattered client insight into a repeatable growth engine.

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Proposed Interview Structure:

1. What first drew you into advising professional and financial services firms, and how did Meridian West become the focal point of your work?

2. You specialise in helping firms understand and act on client needs, what specific problem are you solving, and why does it matter right now?

3. Who are your ideal clients today, and within those organisations, who are the real decision-makers for client listening and growth strategy work?

4. How do clients typically find Meridian West? What’s worked best to attract new engagements that consulting firm owners could learn from? Current Acquisition Channels: Referral, Content, Webinars, Speaking engagements, Cold outreach Sub Question: What’s your perspective on podcasts as a marketing channel in the consulting and professional services space?

5. Professional services often involve long, multi-stage sales cycles. How do you typically move opportunities from early conversation to full buy-in and delivery?

6. Meridian West works with many firms repeatedly over multiple years, what is your approach to retaining clients, strengthening those relationships, and ensuring they keep coming back?

7. Where do you feel most stuck or constrained today, whether in scaling client listening, creating thought leadership, or evolving Meridian West’s offer (if at all)?

8. Looking ahead, what shifts do you expect in client behaviour, buying patterns, and growth strategy over the next few years, and how do you aim to prepare?

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Know more about Alastair Beddow

Website Link: https://meridianwest.co.uk/

Connect with Alastair Beddow on LinkedIn

LinkedIn link: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/alastair-beddow-43a20724

Apply to be a guest on Consulting Leaders:

https://ghapodcast.com/application-to-be-a-guest-on-consulting-leaders/