Destigmatising tough topics with raw conversations
At Oliva, we wanted to position ourselves as thought leaders on workplace wellbeing with stand-out content. I set up and ran a podcast hosted by a trained therapist, who spoke to business leaders about times they struggled with their mental health and how this impacted them at work. I defined the format and produced the first episodes end-to-end, then later set up a production process with an audio editor and an intern. I also curated the guests, defined the angle of each episode, and hosted some episodes myself.
Getting business leaders to open up
As the podcast's reputation grew, our guests became more up for talking about sensitive topics. Episodes I'm most proud of include an HR director at First Group talking about coming out aged 40, a high-flying sales leader who was hospitalised multiple times during bipolar episodes, and an ex-Bumble director on how divorce impacted her at work.
From podcast guest to paying customer
Despite being a tiny company, we regularly featured business leaders with huge followings (e.g. Goddard Abel, CEO of G2). This often sparked or assisted sales conversations—with many podcast guests later becoming Oliva customers.
