Which newsletter, podcast, or book do you recommend most?

Mine :) Hey Gay Boy. Although I appreciate it’s not for everyone.

I was gifted a copy of Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara and really enjoyed it. It’s all about taking ordinary experiences and transforming them by going above and beyond expectations - something we all have the capability to do.

MKT1 by Emily Kramer is the best newsletter going in my opinion. For books, Alchemy by Rory Sutherland, and I keep Ogilvy on Advertising on my shelf to dip into whenever I’m stuck on a messaging or copy idea.

Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez.

Traction: it’s one of the best frameworks for thinking about growth channels.

I am a die-hard listener and fan girl of How to Fail with Elizabeth Day. I’ve listened to it since inception, read the books, and seen the live shows. It’s a great reminder that there’s no such thing as failure – only data acquisition.

Living with a SEAL by Jesse Itzler changed my life. It completely shifts your perspective on what you are capable of as a human, and how you can push so much further than you think.

The book I always recommend is Surrounded by Idiots by Thomas Erikson which is about human behaviour; how and why people act differently. It was life changing for me - really helped me to understand how best to work with people that don’t think the same way I do.

Blindsight by Matt Johnson, PhD and Prince Ghuman. It’s about how neuroscience explains the subconscious ways marketing shapes consumer behaviour. The real takeaway for me was how shaping and reshaping perception is the fight you should be fighting as a marketer. Not just awareness or not just conversion, but pulling every signal and lever you can on how people perceive the problem they have, and more importantly, the solution you’re offering. Every marketer should read it.

Industry-wise, I’d have to be biased and say The Issuer Academy podcast! We’ve built it over the last year and have featured some amazing fintech founders talking about their journeys and what great payments experiences look like. More broadly, I’d recommend Viv Groskop’s How to Own the Room. I spend a lot of time supporting spokespeople ahead of speaking engagements, and it’s packed with smart, practical advice on presenting with confidence.

Lenny Rachitsky’s newsletter is the one I usually end up reading the most, as it has a great variety of guests. Dan Koe is another one I try to follow periodically. On podcasts, lately I’ve discovered David Senra’s Founders Podcast and Open Residency, both with tremendous guests and conversation analysis.

Finanz-Szene - gossipy but sharp. Internationally: Bloomberg’s Morning Briefing Americas.

The CLIMB Show - I love hearing other people’s “squiggly” career journeys and insights, as well as knowing everyone’s got challenges.

I read Deep Work by Cal Newport at 18 and it completely transformed the way I work - I still adhere to his principles today. For marketing / sales, I love all the content April Dunford creates, especially her book Sales Pitch (which is still very applicable to marketing). And of course the Fintech Marketing Lab podcast ;)

Shout out to The Places We’ll Go Marketing Show podcast.

For industry, it has to be the 11:FS Fintech Insider podcast. The news episodes feel like getting a seat in a really useful meeting you almost didn’t make the cut for. I studied literature and love books, so for that I’ll say George Orwell’s The Road to Wigan Pier. It’s a brilliant analysis of poverty and society in working class northern England in the 30’s. Some frighteningly sharp observations that you can see playing out in modern England today. “Those who don’t learn history” and all that.

Faris Yakob and Rosie (Siman) Yakob’s Strands of Genius - it always gives me something I haven’t seen or thought about before. And then Hugh MacLeod I always find thought provoking. In the book space I’m obsessed with Unreasonable Hospitality and I think within it is the key to transformation in our category.

As I recently started a new job and have a lot to process, I am currently re-reading some of my favourite essentials: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni, How Brands Grow by Byron Sharp, Good Strategy Bad Strategy by Richard Rumelt, and The Choice Factory by Richard Shotton.

The High Performance podcast by Jake Humphrey. Incredible guests and lots that genuinely makes you rethink how you approach life and work.

Marie Walker’s fintech updates are a must-read. Podcasts like The Knowledge Project and The Places We’ll Go Marketing Show keep me inspired. Recently, The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins really struck a chord with me.

Wes Kao’s Substack was recommended by Lucy Terry from our team and has shot straight to the top of the list.

I love Uncensored CMO, also Scott Galloway’s Prof G Pod.

Adam Buxton’s podcast. Who knew that communicating like a human in a funny way could work? Brands could learn a lot from this...

Link In Bio by Rachel Karten is the Holy Grail.

Lenny Rachitsky’s, always. The pod and the newsletter. Also anything Scott Galloway does and, for my personal life, I’m big on ZOE. As for books, I’m mostly into comics and business books. Anything with the Silver Surfer or marketing / GTM in it.

I’m a huge Alex Hormozi fan. His frameworks for scaling businesses are actually practical, not just theory. I listen to his podcast, his audiobooks, and follow him on Substack. I’m all in, basically. I always learn something that either improves my business or just gets me fired up.
I also love Masterclass. Had the subscription for years. I binge everything from business classes to creative ones, usually while I’m on the treadmill or some other cardio torture machine. It’s honestly the only way to make cardio in the gym bearable.

I read a lot. My ‘desert island’ books are: Good to Great, Built to Last, Principles, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive, American Icon, and Competing Against Luck. For podcasts, I’m really into Founders right now. Going deep through that back catalogue. And if you’ll allow self-noms… honestly, the best part of my job is hosting Scratch CMO Interviews. I feel like I’ve gotten a Masters in marketing that money can’t buy from the 150+ CMOs I’ve interviewed over the last 5 years.

I tend to switch up newsletters and podcasts depending on my focus area, but right now I’m enjoying The Product Marketing Drop newsletter for product and GTM insight, and the CMO Therapy podcast for some great chat!

Newsletter - MKT1. I feel like I’ve recommended this a billion times.
Books - All of Seth Godin’s books TBH. I read them at the beginning of my career, and they’ve left an indelible mark.

Marketing podcast: My First Million.
Non-marketing: How to Recover.

Seth’s blog is poetry. Every sentence is packed with Buddha-level insight.

Book: The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday. Practical advice for navigating pressure and uncertainty.
Newsletter: MKT1 by Emily Kramer. My go-to for thoughtful, actionable marketing insights. Huge fan!

Neil Perkin’s Only Dead Fish, Russell Davies’ Afternoon Slow, and this one!

Tom Davies (VP at Yonder)’s Marketing is Hard! newsletter delivers practical insights with an honest, hilarious edge. The CMO Therapy podcast by Lucy Heavens is brilliant. And I’m a huge fan of Brené Brown’s book Dare To Lead.

Newsletter: one I just discovered via this newsletter, which is Tom Davies’ Substack Marketing is Hard. Full of heaps of truths and tips!
Podcast: Anything by 11:FS because they are always full of razor sharp industry insights from around the globe.
Book: The Best of Lenny’s Newsletter, because he is the OG product / growth guru and his advice is timeless.

Don’t Believe Everything You Think - sometimes, we are our own worst enemies.

Anything from marketing thought leaders like Rory Sutherland or leadership gurus like Jim Rohn.

Wes Kao’s Newsletter. It’s absolutely brilliant.

Benedict Evans - very good overview of what’s going on in tech.
Land of the Giants podcast series - deep dive journalism into each of the Big Tech firms.

The ones that I love and recommend the most are: MKT1 by Emily Kramer, Freakonomics, and Quiet by Susan Cain.

I’ve just finished reading Drayton and Mackenzie by Alexander Starritt. It’s only the third novel to make the Financial Times’s Business Book of the Year longlist and it’s stellar.

Lenny’s Newsletter (growth gospel), The Twenty Minute VC (guilty as charged), Simon Sinek’s Start With Why (because sometimes you need a reminder).

Alchemy by Rory Sutherland for marketing brain food. Goalhanger podcasts to stay plugged into the world. And Uncensored CMO for pure marketing gold.

Since it came out, I’ve never skipped an episode of the Miss Me? podcast, so it has to be that. Perfect blend of nostalgia and pop culture.

Oh gosh, let me put forth a few pods: The Prof G Pod (Scott Galloway), GZERO World (Ian Bremmer), The Economist, Uncensored CMO (Jon Evans); and one transformative book: The 5 Types of Wealth by Sahil Bloom.

Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller. Balancing empathy with authority remains pretty relevant for fintechs.

Newsletter - This Week in Fintech
Book - The One Thing by Gary Keller
Podcast - Talking Sopranos

I don’t listen to many marketing-related podcasts, really, but I recommend Miss Me? and Sidetracked for some cultural entertainment.

Lenny Rachitsky’s recent podcast with Jerry Colonna on leadership.

I listen to more podcasts than music now, with my top recommendations being The Places We’ll Go Marketing Show, the Coutts Need To Know investment podcast, and Miss Me? with Lily Allen and Miquita Oliver - brilliant women with strong millennial voices!

Prof G Markets - it’s like therapy but for global economy, stock market, and tech news.

The Marketing Millennials, Uncensored CMO, and The Ride of a Lifetime by Bob Iger.

Hard recommend on Ryan Broderick’s newsletter and podcast Garbage Day - a constant source of on-the-money hot takes that doesn’t take itself too seriously. For more esoteric takes on culture and trend forecasting I love Sean Monahan’s 8Ball.

I love the Dish podcast. I think Waitrose & Partners have nailed the concept. For the laughs, I love My Therapist Ghosted Me. The Vault with Financielle is obviously my favourite money podcast - we don’t use the F word (finance).

I’m reading Unreasonable Hospitality which is an amazing insight into what makes customer experiences truly standout.

Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman. It’s about the average time we have on this planet - and how to make it count. A brilliant rethink on time management. I also rate Jon Evans’ Uncensored CMO podcast. He has fantastic guests, and you can learn a lot about how other brands approach marketing.

I quite like Lenny’s Newsletter and Demand Curve.

Tom Davies’ Marketing is Hard. It’s basically therapy when it lands in my inbox. I’m constantly nodding along.
Rory Woodbridge’s The Product Marketer is brilliant for product marketing.
Podcast-wise, Uncensored CMO. The Chris Burggraeve episode completely changed how I approach conversations with my Exec team. Do yourself a favour and have a listen.

Al Ries and Jack Trout’s Positioning: The Battle For Your Mind. My go-to for my first few years as a marketer.

I normally read to escape work, so anything fiction and not at all one of those impressive, intellectual answers. That said, I am actually slowly making my way through The Psychology of Money which is great.

Newsletters: my man Adam Goyette for general marketing smarts and Wes Kao for how to navigate work in 2025 advice.
Pod: Dear Marketers by Emily Kramer and anything produced by Caspian Studios.
Book: Co-Intelligence by Ethan Mollick. A refreshing signal through all the noise on what AI actually means for your life and work.

It has to be The Measure of a Man by Sidney Poitier - a timeless read on the power and impact of knowing your values and staying true to it.

I listen to Fintech Insider and recommend reading Beyond Resilience by Leda Glyptis, which is about identifying patterns of success in fintech and digital transformation. But most of the time, I have non-work related podcasts on such as Help I Sexted My Boss.

Newsletter = anything from Bloomberg
Podcast = Fintech Insider
Book = The Hard Thing About Hard Things

I really enjoy the Panic World podcast, which covers the various moral panics that have gripped the internet over the years, which as a Social Media Manager is something very close to my heart.

I love the Uncensored CMO podcast, Obviously Awesome by April Dunford is my most thumbed book, Benedict Evans gets my newsletter love.

I spend too much time working already so I don’t really read or listen to anything related to work. My favourite newsletter is Outta Town which curates absurdly cheap villas and townhouses around Europe. Anyone wanting to go halves on a Lake Como 2-bed should DM me immediately.