Practical Rebels

Send us Fan Mail On this episode of Practical Rebels, Veronique Zayas of HatchMark Studio sits down with Chris Platé, CEO of FloridaWest Economic Development Alliance, to talk about what it takes to sell a city. Chris spent 25 years building the largest aerospace cluster in North Carolina before bringing that experience to Pensacola, and he explains why the port, the airport, two interstates, avai...

Send us Fan Mail On this episode of Practical Rebels, Veronique sits down with Emily Ley, the Pensacola-based founder of Simplified, who turned a planner she designed for her own overwhelmed days into a national brand sold at Target, Walmart, Staples, and Office Depot. Along the way she's written 12 books, launched a podcast and a top-ranked parenting Substack, and built an all-remote team of...

Send us Fan Mail A “safe” creative career can flip overnight, and Mike Janda has lived that reality from the inside. We talk through his jump from a creative director role at Fox into freelancing after the dot-com bust and 9/11 fallout, then the gritty path of building Riser from a basement setup into a fast-growing agency. Along the way, Mike breaks down what actually creates momentum in the agen...

Send us Fan Mail When things get busy, marketing is usually the first thing to get “paused” and it is one of the fastest ways to lose momentum. We sit down with Logan Singleton from HatchMark Studio for a practical look at always-on marketing and why treating your own business like an ongoing client is the difference between steady demand and stressful peaks and valleys. We talk through the psycho...

Send us Fan Mail AI is already telling people where to eat, where to stay, and what brand to trust. The question is whether your business is giving it anything worth recommending. We sit down with Whitney Lee of True Story PR, a hospitality-focused PR and marketing leader. We get specific about the misconception that PR equals press releases or “getting on the news.” For Whitney, PR is the visibil...

Send us Fan Mail A credit union rebrand is one of the fastest ways to learn what your audience really trusts and what they ignore. We’re joined by Jennifer Perez, VP of Marketing at Gulf Winds Credit Union, who brings a rare perspective from sports broadcasting, journalism, and mortgage marketing into the world of community banking and financial services branding. We talk about the storytelling ru...

Send us Fan Mail Most professional services leaders don’t need another reminder that “you should post on LinkedIn.” You need a way to do it without feeling cringe, without turning into a motivational influencer, and without getting trapped by metrics that don’t translate into real business development. We sit down with Sean Johnson, founder of Madison, to break down what actually works for boutiqu...

Send us Fan Mail Most people think economic development is a closed-door game of incentives, spreadsheets, and political talking points. The truth is messier and far more human: companies don’t just choose a site, they choose a life their workforce will tolerate or even love. That’s why we brought on McCall Lugo, Director of Economic Development at the Baldwin Alliance, to talk about what modern e...

Send us Fan Mail Everyone's chasing "destination vibes" on social right now. But the real work behind tourism marketing is a lot more technical, and a lot more human, than a pretty feed makes it look. We're joined by Lindsey Steck, Marketing and Communications Manager at Visit Pensacola, to talk about what it actually takes to promote an entire county. She walks us through how...

Send us Fan Mail It's easy to assume marketing in 2026 means going all in on digital: automation, targeted ads, algorithms doing the heavy lifting. But Chris Tonn, co-founder of Rocket Drones, is proof there's still real money on the table when you show up in person. We talk about why trade shows and conferences remain one of the most underrated ways to convert leads, especially if you s...

Send us Fan Mail Ask most people what an Executive Assistant actually does and they'll guess wrong. We're back on Practical Rebels with Kate Simmons from Sunchase Companies, and she's laying out what the job really looks like once you're the one making things happen behind a growing company's clean org chart, marketing coordination, problem solving, and all. Kate walks us...

Send us Fan Mail Many marketers use AI only for quick answers or surface-level tasks. In Episode 53 of Practical Rebels, Veronique and Logan explain why that approach leaves valuable opportunities on the table. They explore how deep research mode in ChatGPT can help teams gather insights, analyze competitors, and organize information that drives stronger strategy. The episode begins with a breakdo...

Send us Fan Mail Staring at a blank content calendar? In this episode of Practical Rebels, Veronique sits down with Savannah, HatchMark Studio’s own social media manager, to talk about what really causes burnout and how to get your creativity flowing again. From leaning on your team for ideas to using AI the right way, they share practical tips that help brands come up with social media content id...

Send us Fan Mail Some logos stick in your mind for decades. Others fade from your memory in just a few years. In this episode of Practical Rebels, we talk about the five qualities that make a logo truly last. It is called the SMART framework, and it stands for: ✏️ Simple – Clear and easy to recognize. 🎯 Memorable – Sticks in your audience’s mind after one glance. ⏳ Ageless – Avoids trends so it...

Send us Fan Mail Your marketing team is probably already using AI. The real question is: are you getting content that truly sounds like your brand? In this episode of Practical Rebels, Logan and Veronique unpack how to train AI the right way. From giving better prompts to refining outputs in rounds, they share how to turn AI into a creative partner instead of a quick shortcut. 🎙️ The episode is no...

Send us Fan Mail What do a lot of brands get wrong?  They build for themselves, not for their audience. In this week’s episode, we’re talking about why your personal preferences shouldn’t lead the branding process, and how real audience research can completely change the game. We break down: ✅ How to identify your actual audience ✅ What goes into a strong brand persona ✅ Why the best brands are...

Send us Fan Mail Email marketing doesn’t have to feel like automation overload.  In this episode of Practical Rebels , Gavin Hewitson, founder of In-box , shares why the future of email is all about genuine connection. We explore the difference between sales-driven emails and plain-text messages that feel like they’re coming directly from a founder. Gavin explains why small human touches like addi...

Send us Fan Mail Google is evolving fast, and your content strategy needs to keep up. In Episode 47 of Practical Rebels, Logan and Ramsey discuss the two AI-powered search features every marketer and business owner needs to understand.  🔍 Google AI Overviews: Quick answers at the top of search results  💬 Google AI Mode: An immersive, ChatGPT-like experience built for deeper queries These tools a...

Send us Fan Mail Big update: Google is now indexing Instagram posts from professional and creator accounts. That means your Reels, photos, and carousels can show up in Google Search results. In the first episode of our new format on Practical Rebels, Logan and Ramsey break down what this means, why it matters, and what you should be doing about it.  ✅ Why Instagram posts are now part of your SEO...

Send us Fan Mail Why do some brands build loyal online communities while others struggle? The secret could be as simple as listening. 👂 On this episode of Practical Rebels, we were joined by @ivyeveritt. She is a social media strategist and 10-year industry veteran. During our conversation, she explained how social listening–especially paying attention to critics–is a way to turn tough feedback i...

Send us Fan Mail Discover how a higher education leader teamed up with a mineral supplement company to create authentic, compelling marketing.  Miranda Alvarez @creative.momster, Creative Director @beamminerals and @beamminerals.pets, shares her journey from diverse backgrounds to building a successful brand through storytelling rooted in truth and purpose. On this episode of Practical Rebels, Mir...

Send us Fan Mail Great business ideas are often born from personal frustration. @snapsoccerofficial is a great example of that.  Founder John Guidroz started it after facing chaos at youth soccer tournaments—unorganized fields, missing refs. What began as a side project turned into a company managing 50+ events annually, with a dedicated team and regional collaborations. Despite challenges like CO...

Send us Fan Mail Imagine getting paid every day you work instead of every two weeks.  That's the idea behind @instant_financial. CEO Tal Clark joined the Practical Rebels podcast to share how this approach is transforming financial wellness for hourly workers across America, helping them avoid risky borrowing and payday loans. From its start in 2017 to partnering with major companies like Pap...

Send us Fan Mail Unlock the hidden power of email marketing!  Gavin Hewitson is the founder of In-box, an email and SMS marketing agency based in New Zealand. (That’s right. Practical Rebels is officially a global podcast!)  Our team collaborates with Gavin on a regular basis to help take our clients’ email strategies and execution to the next level.  “With email marketing, you can get to about 80...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when a former yoga instructor turns into a hospitality powerhouse? Jessie Radcliffe is the CMO of @perdidobeachresort. Like many people in the hospitality industry, she started her professional journey as a server, slowly working her way through the ranks, eventually finding her home in marketing. For Jessie, “If it’s heart work, I’m in.” She has a deep passion for ho...