The Carmen Murray Show - Conscious LeadHERS

Media Partner to the Nedbank IMC Conference.

Carmen Murray sits down with The Principality, to unpack one of the biggest tensions facing marketing today: how do we embrace AI without losing the human?

The conversation explores the delicate balance between technological acceleration and human judgement, particularly in highly regulated industries where legislation, consumer needs and accountability mean we simply can’t leave everything to the machines.

Why marketers still need to do the research, understand the consumer, know where attention is moving and, ultimately, put human eyes on the work before it reaches the world. website · podcast studio · Join our community for free · Join our YouTube channel for more

Shift Happens in Partnership with Nedbank IMC Conference.

Carmen Murray sits down with Jennifer Barkhuizen, Head of Marketing at Mettus, to unpack the rise of AI-powered social screening, and what your digital footprint is really saying about you.

The conversation explores how social screening can analyse online behaviour, communication, values and risk to give organisations a deeper picture of the people they hire, promote, appoint to boards or partner with.

But this is about more than screening. It opens up a bigger conversation about trust, authenticity and human judgement in a digital world, where leaders are becoming brand ambassadors and individuals are increasingly their own media houses. What we say, share, like and comment on can shape not only our personal reputation, but the reputation of the organisations we represent.

The big question is: are we consciously building the digital reputation we want to carry into the future? website · podcast studio · Join our community for free · Join our YouTube channel for more

Stacy Sagers of Kantar unpacks six years of consumer data.

This episode is for South African marketers who need a clear-eyed, data-driven picture of how consumers are behaving right now - what they are buying, how they are searching, where they are shopping, and what they trust. Stacy Sagers, Chief Commercial Director at Kantar, joins Carmen Murray live ahead of the Nedbank IMC - Africa's biggest marketing conference - to unpack the Mzansi Barometer 2026, a study six years in the making that tracks the attitudes, anxieties, and spending habits of connected South Africans.

Stacy and Carmen dig into the most actionable findings from the 2026 report: why in-store shopping is making a comeback despite the e-commerce boom, how AI has shifted from a B2B tool to a mass consumer search and product-research behaviour, and why 75% of South Africans trust AI recommendations but only 20% fact-check them - a critical blind spot for brand strategy. They also cover the rise of brand repertoire purchasing over price-only decisions, the collapse of brand loyalty, the threat of online scams eroding digital trust, and why retailer own-brands like Simple Truth and George and Mason are quietly stealing consideration share from heritage brands.

The conversation goes deeper into online gambling as a declared household income source for 15% of connected South Africans, the return of civic intent with 84% claiming they will vote in the upcoming municipal elections, and why sustainability credentials only build equity if they do not come at a price premium. Carmen adds a cultural forecasting lens - touching on AI-versus-AI purchase decisions, community-built internets, the analog renaissance, and the compression of the buyer's journey. If you market in South Africa and need to know where the market is actually moving, this episode is essential listening before the Nedbank IMC on 17 September 2026. website · podcast studio · Join our community for free · Join our YouTube channel for more

What Africa will reveal for marketers and brands.

Dale Hefer, founder of the Nedbank IMC - Africa's biggest marketing conference, joins Carmen Murray live in the build up to the 2026 event to unpack the theme 'Shift Happens' and what it means for marketers, brands, and business leaders navigating relentless change. If you work in marketing, run a brand, or need to understand where the industry is heading, this conversation is for you.

Dale shares the origin story of the Nedbank IMC: how she bought a small Cape Town conference, survived the COVID-19 lockdown by going virtual, and built it into the hybrid event it is today. Dale explains the founding philosophy - 'Marketing is Business' - and why marketers must have a seat at the boardroom table, not just the creative department. The conversation covers the shift from AI hype to authenticity, the analog renaissance, and what the Cannes Lions Festival results reveal about where brand communication is heading.

Get a full preview of the 2026 Nedbank IMC agenda: keynotes from the CMO of KFC India on hyper-local marketing, Google South Africa's live innovation activation, a Gen Alpha and Gen Z youth panel facilitated by the head of marketing at Telkom, a CMO panel featuring Kensani Noe from Nedbank and Ope from NBA East Africa, cancer survivor and creative speaker Convert, and MC Donovan Goliath. The University of Johannesburg student competition, the MASA pavilion, and the hybrid in-person and virtual ticket options are all covered. website · podcast studio · Join our community for free · Join our YouTube channel for more

Carmen Murray, futurist, cultural forecaster, and transformation strategist, sits down with Professor Abejide Ade-Ibijola, a leading expert in artificial intelligence and AI applications, for a compelling debate on the future of work in the age of AI. Together, they unpack the shifting dynamics between humans and machines, challenge conventional narratives around automation and employment, and explore how organisations and individuals can navigate, and shape, the evolving world of work with greater. A real conversation about the future of work in the age of AI. Learn more about Prof Abejide · website · podcast studio · Join our community for free · Join our YouTube channel for more

Leading with Humanity in the Age of AI.

Nearly 70% of organisational transformations fail, not because of strategy or technology, but because of people. As AI accelerates the pace and pressure of change, these human challenges don’t disappear, they intensify.

In this powerful conversation, Dr. Sane Ngidi, moderated by Loyiso Kula, and joined by Temba Chakela and Carmen Murray, explore what it truly means to lead with humanity in an AI driven world. Moving beyond tech adoption, this dialogue places the spotlight where it belongs, on leadership, culture, and the human experience behind transformation.

This is not about AI. It’s about how we lead people through it. website · podcast studio · Join our community for free · Join our YouTube channel for more

If you consider yourself a change agent, you are a politician.

What happens when women step into the room where power, policy, and pressure collide?

In this exclusive IN THE ROOM interview, Conscious LeadHERS Founder Carmen Murray sits down with Dr. Lwazi Manzi, Health Diplomat to the Presidency of South Africa, for a rare, unfiltered conversation on politics, diplomacy, power, and purpose.

From behind-the-scenes moments during COVID-19 and global vaccine negotiations, to the future of AI, African innovation, and political literacy, this episode challenges everything we think we know about leadership. It asks the uncomfortable questions: Are you already a politician if you call yourself a change agent? What does diplomacy really require? And who truly holds political power?

Raw, intelligent, and deeply human, this conversation reframes politics not as something to avoid, but as a skill women must master if they want to shape the future. website · podcast studio · Join our community for free · Join our YouTube channel for more

Why women must have the money conversation.

In this episode, Carmen Murray, Founder of Conscious LeadHERS is in conversation with Loyiso Kula, CEO of CFA Society South Africa. From financial literacy and ethical investing to regulation, risk, and long term wealth creation, this conversation unpacks how women can move from survival thinking to financial agency and why economies depend on it. Connect with Loyiso · website · podcast studio · Join our community for free · Join our YouTube channel for more

How are you spending your emotional budget?

In this fun, light hearted Pyjama Party episode, Carmen Murray and her guests laugh, confess, and unpack “emotional budgets”, exploring friendships, boundaries, and who really deserves access to your energy. Beneath the humour and sisterhood, the message is clear: protect your peace, invest in reciprocal relationships, and stop overspending on people who don’t clap when you win.

Thank you to our partners that made this episode possible:

Solid Gold Podcast Studios

ERRE Fashion

Sun and Beauty Room

Dermologica website · podcast studio · Join our community for free · Join our YouTube channel for more

What does it take to be a change agent?

Carmen Murray sits down with Katie Mohamed, a socialite, influencer, author and change catalyst to unpack the real power of influence, and why it is essential for driving meaningful social impact.

This conversation explores a critical truth: if you want to drive change, whether through policy reform, securing funding, advocating for a cause, leading an NGO or NPO, or serving on a board, visibility alone is not enough.

True impact requires leaders to move beyond photo opportunities and performative activism. It demands strategic influence, intentional relationship building, and audacious partnerships that can sustain long-term change.

This episode is a call for a more deliberate, courageous form of influence, one that is built to shift systems, not just attention. Reach out to Katie · website · podcast studio · Join our community for free · Join our YouTube channel for more