Accidentally Brilliant

Psychological safety has become one of those phrases that gets used everywhere. Barbara Phillips explains what it actually looks like. Barbara is the founder of Brownstone Communications, a communications consultant, executive coach and former Chair of the PRCA's Race & Ethnicity Equity Board. Throughout her career she's advised organisations on leadership, culture and inclusion, while helping...

Laura Burch never planned to build an agency. She found her way into PR through a temporary job at the BBC, spent two decades working her way up to Managing Director, then realised something had barely changed. Britain's working-class communities make up around half the population, yet they remain one of the least represented groups across PR and the wider creative industries. In this episode of A...

Freelancers now make up one of the biggest forces in PR - so what is happening in that space? In this episode of Accidentally Brilliant, Josh Wheeler speaks with Nigel Sarbutts, founder of The PR Cavalry, Structured Mediation, and co-founder of the Independent Impact 50. Nigel has spent years working across agencies in London, Manchester and Leeds. Today he sits in a different position inside the...

This episode of Accidentally Brilliant is about what it really takes to build something that lasts. Josh Wheeler sits down with Andy Nairn, co-founder of Lucky Generals, one of the most consistently effective creative companies of the last decade. Andy didn’t set out with a perfect plan. Lucky Generals started with three friends, no clients, no funding, and a decision to turn down work that didn’t...

This episode of Accidentally Brilliant is one of the most personal conversations we’ve had on the podcast.   Josh Wheeler speaks with Advita Patel, founder of CommsRebel and the former President of the CIPR.   Advita has spent more than twenty years working in communications, helping organisations build cultures where people feel they belong and can thrive. The work she does today grew from a diff...

James Crawford is the founder and Managing Director of PR Agency One, and a board director at AMEC, the International Association for PR Measurement. In this conversation, we talk about why James started his agency, what the early days really looked like, and why he has spent his career pushing PR to prove its value beyond headlines. We get into measurement and attribution, the limits of what you...

PR and sales have more in common than most people want to admit. In this episode, Darryl Sparey, co-founder and Managing Director of Hard Numbers, explains why a “sales backbone” makes you better at PR, why the industry keeps fighting the label, and how Hard Numbers built a reputation around measurable outcomes, including writing KPIs into contracts. We also talk about the shift towards GEO and LL...

PR has always been full of smart people. The problem is the industry still struggles to take itself seriously. In this episode of Accidentally Brilliant, Josh Wheeler speaks with Stephen Waddington, one of the most influential voices in modern public relations. Stephen has spent 25 years leading agencies, advising senior teams, writing books, and pushing PR to be treated as a real management disci...

In this episode of Accidentally Brilliant, Josh Wheeler speaks with the co-founder of Hope and Glory. Jo began her career in Japan and Hong Kong before arriving in London in the mid-90s. Three decades later, she has helped build one of the UK’s most awarded consumer agencies, known for its creativity, culture and consistency. She has also become a leading voice for women and underrepresented talen...

Some people change an industry without ever shouting about it. Nina Webb is one of them. In this episode of Accidentally Brilliant, Josh Wheeler speaks with the founder and CEO of Brazen PR. Nina built her agency at 27 with a simple mix of self-belief, graft and a clear sense of who she wanted to be. Brazen went on to win more than 250 awards, become employee-owned and give countless people their...

In this episode of Accidentally Brilliant by Be Broadcast, Josh Wheeler is joined by Kriss Herbert, Network Content Director at Gaydio – the UK’s LGBTQ+ station. Kriss oversees everything listeners hear: the music, the sound, the talent, the station’s identity and, crucially, the sense of community that sits at its heart. But his journey into broadcasting wasn’t predictable. From leading huge team...

What happens when you create an agency that believes being loud can still be human? In this episode of Accidentally Brilliant by Be Broadcast, Josh Wheeler is joined by Caroline Eardley, Co-Founder of Full Volume PR, a consultancy helping ambitious brands cut through the noise with authenticity, emotion and energy. Caroline’s story is one of boldness and balance. From launching Full Volume with co...

What if the secret to great PR was not about noise, but about clarity? In this episode of Accidentally Brilliant by Be Broadcast, Josh Wheeler is joined by Daniel Cohen, Founder of Sentient, a boutique strategic and creative consultancy helping brands and agencies find their purpose, sharpen their thinking and spark meaningful change. Daniel’s career has always been driven by one question: how can...

What if your entire career started with one phone call that changed everything? In this second episode of Accidentally Brilliant by Be Broadcast, Josh Wheeler is joined by Yvonne Eskenzi – co-founder of Eskenzi PR, now celebrating its 30th anniversary, and co-founder of The Zensory, an app bridging productivity and wellbeing. Yvonne didn’t plan a career in tech or cybersecurity. In fact, she start...

What if your entire job was to imagine the worst-case scenario? In this first episode of Accidentally Brilliant by Be Broadcast, Josh Wheeler is joined by Kate Hartley – co-founder of Polpeo, author of Communicate in a Crisis, and one of PR’s leading experts in how organisations respond under pressure. Kate didn’t plan a career in crisis communications. In fact, she started out temping at Edelman...

Most of us don’t follow a perfect career plan. We stumble into opportunities, discover strengths, and build unexpected careers. In this first episode, host Josh Wheeler recalls the 5am moment that sparked his love for broadcast - and sets up Accidentally Brilliant, a podcast of honest, funny conversations with creative leaders about the quirks, challenges and lessons that shaped their journeys. ww...

Most of us don’t follow a perfect career plan. We stumble into opportunities, discover strengths, and build unexpected careers. In this first episode, host Josh Wheeler recalls the 5am moment that sparked his love for broadcast - and sets up Accidentally Brilliant, a podcast of honest, funny conversations with creative leaders about the quirks, challenges and lessons that shaped their journeys. ww...