Fixing the Game Podcast by Luke

Every time you use ChatGPT, that query gets tied back to you, even if you're running it "locally," even on an enterprise account. In this episode, Luke talks with Andrew Sispoidis, founder and CEO of ESMOS AI, about why today's AI companies can't avoid retaining your data, and what it would actually take to build an AI gateway that's private by design, not by policy....

Most companies have the data to make better marketing decisions, they just don't use it. In this episode, Luke talks with Brian Massey, managing partner at Conversion Sciences and one of the original voices behind the rise of conversion rate optimization, about why so many businesses still run on assumptions instead of evidence. Brian explains why redesigns so often backfire (a beautiful, mod...

Amazon's review system can make or break a launch overnight and it's under attack more often than most sellers realize. Shane Barker is the founder of TraceFuse, an Amazon review-integrity platform that has removed over 13,000 fraudulent or guideline-violating reviews for more than 500 clients. After 25 years in e-commerce, SEO, and influencer marketing — including building UCLA's i...

Ranking well on Google used to mean something. These days, it's only half the story. Thomas Peham is the former VP of Marketing at Storyblok, co-founder of Otterly AI, and one of the leading voices in Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). His team has analysed over 100,000 websites to understand what actually drives brand visibility in AI search—and the results will change how you think about...

What happens to marketing when clicks disappear? In this episode of Fixing the Game , Luke sits down with Rand Fishkin (Co-founder of SparkToro, former Moz founder) to break down one of the biggest shifts in digital marketing: the move toward zero-click content, AI-driven search, and platform lock-in. Rand challenges many of today’s assumptions about SEO, content, and AI and explains why most mark...

What does it really take to scale companies to millions of users? In this episode of Fixing the Game , Luke sits down with Irina Scarlat , a seasoned growth leader who helped scale some of Europe’s most disruptive companies including Uber, Revolut, and Bitpanda . Today she is CMO at Improbable and a growth advisor to fast-growing tech companies. Irina has spent her career building and optimizing g...

In this episode, I’m joined by John James—a global commercial strategist and founder of Hybrency. John’s helped companies across 50+ sectors grow smarter by fixing the overlooked fundamentals of commercial strategy. In this episode, we unpack what commercial strategy really means, why so many teams get it wrong, and how independent advisors like John are reshaping the future of consulting. John, w...

In this episode of Fixing the Game , global retail strategist Carl Boutet joins me to unpack the hidden forces shaping the future of commerce. Drawing from his new book Blindspot and decades of international experience, Carl reveals what leaders still don’t see coming—from the real implications of AI and RFID to the broken business models retailers cling to. We explore: The biggest blind spots in...

In this episode, Luke talks to Brent Peterson, CEO of Content Cucumber and Magento expert, about the pros and cons of Magento versus Shopify, the importance of leveraging AI in e-commerce, and current trends shaping the industry.  The discussion highlights Magento's speed and customization advantages, data ownership issues with SaaS platforms, the value of personalized and human-reviewed cont...

In this episode of Fixing the Game , I’m joined by Talia Wolf, CEO of Getuplift and creator of the Emotional Targeting Framework™. We skip the fluff and dive straight into practical, high-converting strategies you can use today: emotional copy that works, landing page fixes, CTA tweaks, and tools Talia actually uses. Plus, we spotlight her just-released book on Emotional Targeting, designed to hel...

In this episode, I’m joined by Dennis Yu, Co-Founder and CEO of The Other Group, a strategic advisor helping eCommerce brands go to market & scale.  He’s a former Shopify leader who managed an $8B GMV portfolio and helped mid-market and enterprise merchants grow. In this episode, we’ll break down the fundamentals of eCommerce, how the industry has evolved, and what Dennis learned at Shopify th...

In this episode, I sit down with Hugo Pereira author of Teams in Hell , to talk about what really breaks teams… and how to fix it. We dig into why modern leadership still borrows from outdated factory-era models, how goal-setting loops turn into traps, and the difference between reactive task-mode and meaningful progress. Hugo shares powerful mindset shifts and practical steps to rebuild clarity,...

In this episode, I’m joined by Yasmine Khater who’s helped businesses generate over $100M in revenue without sacrificing wellbeing. We break down the three core systems every founder needs to scale to 7-figures: a streamlined sales engine, tested marketing that drives ROI, and a hiring approach that supports intentional growth. But we go deeper Yasmine shares how unresolved emotional triggers ofte...

In this episode, I sit down with Kyle Lacy CMO at Jellyfish, book author, and seasoned growth advisor to unpack what it really takes to succeed in today’s CMO role. Kyle shares the key traits that separate average marketing leaders from great ones, the importance of tying marketing to revenue, and why strong alignment with sales, customer success, and product is non-negotiable. We dive into brand...

Traditional B2B marketing often focuses on generating leads, but most of them never turn into revenue. So what’s the fix? In this episode, I sit down with Vladimir Blagojević , co-founder of FullFunnel.io , to uncover how Account-Based Marketing (ABM) helps companies cut through the noise and close high-value deals. We break down why most marketing leads fail , how ABM changes the game, and when i...

In this episode, I sit down with Andy Lambert, co-founder of ContentCal and now Senior Product Manager at Adobe Express, to explore the power of community-led growth and word-of-mouth marketing. Andy shares the strategies behind engineering organic brand advocacy, building spheres of influence, and why psychographics matter more than demographics when targeting your ideal audience. We break down s...

In this episode, I sit down with Sangram Vajre, to break down the essential go-to-market strategies that separate companies that scale from those that stall. Sangram shares battle-tested lessons from scaling businesses to $100M+, what he learned working under Mark Benioff at Salesforce, and why focus is the key ingredient to winning in today’s competitive landscape. We also dive into the common pi...

In this episode, Andrew Capland, a product-led growth (PLG) advisor and former growth leader at Wistia and Postscript, shares how PLG strategies can drive success beyond the SaaS world. Discover how businesses in various industries can leverage product-led principles to improve customer acquisition, engagement, and retention—without relying solely on traditional sales and marketing. Andrew breaks...

In this episode, Marci Schnapp, founder of CollabGenius, shares how behavioral science and data-driven assessments can revolutionize team-building. Discover how to identify key roles like "vision movers" and "action movers" to create cohesive, growth-focused teams and eliminate inefficiencies in collaboration. Marci explains why traditional personality tests don’t work and reve...

Bharadwaj Giridhar, founder and CEO of Inboxpirates, explores the pros and cons of cold email and LinkedIn as demand generation tools. With insights drawn from helping clients like Google, and Microsoft, Bharadwaj compares the effectiveness of each platform, discussing when and how to use them to drive B2B growth. He highlights the key metrics and strategies for successful outreach, explains the r...

In this episode, Scott Brinker, VP Platform Ecosystem at HubSpot and Chief Marketing Technologist at ChiefMartec.com, explores the transformative role of AI in marketing. From the rise of intelligent AI agents to the evolution of marketing technology platforms, Scott explains how these innovations are reshaping the industry. He also shares insights into the new skillsets marketing professionals ne...

In this episode, Nick Petroski, founder of Promethean Research, uncovers the game-changing effects of specialisation on agency growth and profitability. Discover why agencies that zero in on a specific industry or service mix are seeing client lifetime value soar, with specialised agencies achieving growth rates 40% above the industry average. Nick also reveals the revenue-generation tactics that...

In this episode, Mike Allton, chief storyteller at Agorapulse and host of AI in Marketing , dives into how AI is reshaping the future of digital marketing. He shares cutting-edge tools and techniques for leveraging AI in content creation, revealing how marketers can generate impactful, relevant content at scale. Mike also explores the role of AI in data-driven decision-making, highlighting the too...

In this episode, Pete Martin, a six-time founder, reveals his top findings from his work on over 300 fast-scaling companies that doubled their revenue over multiple consecutive years. The insights are from his latest book, Scale Up Faster , where he uncovers the winning tactics used by the fastest-growing companies. Pete shares real-world examples of businesses that skyrocketed by simplifying thei...

In today’s episode, we dive into how to grow an agency business at lightning speed. Jonny Tooze, entrepreneur, agency coach, and CEO of Pimms Associates, reveals the two fastest ways agencies scale: creating unstoppable hype and building an industry reputation through exceptional work. Whether you’re known for being everywhere or delivering flawless results, these approaches can catapult your agen...