Words Create Worlds

Episode 12

In this episode of Beyond the Build, Shawn Johnston talks with Amanda Lee Smith, co-founder and CEO of Monday Creative, about building a values-driven agency that can still hold a high performance standard.

Host:

Shawn Johnston

Guest:

Amanda Lee Smith

In this episode of Beyond the Build, Shawn Johnston talks with Amanda Lee Smith, co-founder and CEO of Monday Creative, about building a values-driven agency that can still hold a high performance standard.

Amanda shares how Monday evolved from its early focus on outdoor and active brands into a brand insight, strategy, and creative agency working with clients across performance, wellness, education, and purpose-driven consumer spaces. The conversation gets into what it really means to build brands that enhance human potential, and how values show up in the clients you choose, the work you turn down, and the language your team uses every day.

They also cover:

  • How values shape client fit and why not every sale is a good sale
  • Why language can create culture, alignment, and a shared way of working
  • Why performance and empathy can coexist inside an agency
  • How agency owners can create more accountability without turning the workplace into surveillance

About Beyond the Build

Beyond the Build is a podcast about the work behind the work: how teams scale, where processes break, and what it really takes to deliver creative projects in today’s agency environment.

Want to be a guest?

Beyond the Build features agency founders, creative leaders, and operators who want to share honest stories about running and supporting modern digital teams. If you have real-world insights on leadership, culture, or agency life, we’d love to hear from you.

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