Rock Star, SuperStar, North Star

Jul 16

Episode 18: Rock Star, SuperStar, North Star: Growth, Grounding and Guiding

WITH GUEST LIV ALLEN
What does it take to lead with strength and humanity in a world that’s constantly shifting beneath your feet? This week, I’m joined by Liv Allen, VP and Head of PR at Codeword Agency, for a conversation about what it means to lead a team, manage demanding clients, and navigate professional reinvention without losing yourself along the way.

Liv brings honesty, clarity, and warmth to a role that often demands you be everything to everyone and she shares what it takes to survive (and thrive) in that space.

Key Themes from the Episode:

Agency life as a constant balancing act.
Liv shares what it’s like to juggle the needs of clients and employees, especially when they conflict, and how she sets boundaries while staying collaborative.
Leadership that requires both strategy and soul.
We talk about how to keep teams motivated through budget cuts, shifting priorities, and uncertain times, without losing sight of the human side of management. She explains how her team moves between “rockstar” and “superstar” modes and why both are essential.
Being remote doesn’t mean being disconnected.
We explore how to maintain real connection in a screen-first world and why quality time still matters.
The rarely comfortable, but always rewarding, concept of reinvention.
Liv opens up about moving from London to San Francisco, taking a career step back to take a leap forward, and learning a new culture from the ground up.
The innate power of trusting your gut.
From hiring decisions to client work, we talk about how intuition has guided her most defining professional moments, and why she still listens to it as she navigates her North Star.
You can be a good boss and a good person.
Liv reflects on the mentors who shaped her, the lessons she’s carried with her, and the leadership philosophy she’s built from experience and empathy.

Whether you're leading a team, making a pivot, or just trying to stay afloat in a high-pressure role, this episode is full of honest insight and hard-earned wisdom.

Additional Resources: