Andy Starr is one of the rare minds operating at the true intersection of strategy, creativity, and business design — and he is not interested in the surface-level version of any of them.

As co-founder and managing partner of Level C, the world's most visionary branding education program, Andy built something genuinely unusual: a school for how to think, created alongside iconic brand author and strategist Marty Neumeier.

In this episode, Andy shares his unconventional origin story — musician, literature student, finance professional, recovering law student — and how a single book handed to him by the right person at the right moment changed the entire trajectory of his career.

He breaks down why brand strategy has become dangerously commoditized, why AI is a tool built for averages in a discipline that demands advantage, and why the practitioners who will win in the years ahead are the ones developing taste, judgment, and the courage to think non-linearly.

This is a bold, unfiltered conversation about what it really takes to do this work at the highest level.

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Andy Starr is co-founder and managing partner of Level C, a school of masterclasses and critiques in brand and business design that he built alongside international brand expert and author Marty Neumeier. His path to that role is anything but conventional: a trained musician who studied English Literature as an undergraduate, Andy worked in finance and studied law before entering the world of brand — and the detour through each of those disciplines sharpened the cross-trained thinking that now defines his approach. Born in Philadelphia and currently living in Vienna, Austria, Andy is also a top-1% TEDx speaker, an MBA professor at a European university, a co-founder of an LA-based public safety tech company, and a self-described C-suite sparring partner for select clients. He describes himself as a "provocateur-for-hire" at the intersection of education, business, and brand — helping clients outmaneuver competition and conditions in their markets and make their marketing, advertising, and PR work better, land stronger, and drive real results. Through Level C's progressive series of masterclasses, Andy and Marty are training a new generation of strategic thinkers — people who know not just what brand is, but how to actually use it.

LINK: Level C

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Paul Povolni (Voppa) is the founder of Voppa Creative and a creative leader with over 30 years of experience in brand strategy and design. Based in Jackson, Mississippi, he has worked with clients internationally, leading teams in award-winning branding while serving as a coach and speaker. Paul delivers workshops and keynotes on brand strategy, creative thinking, and organizational culture, and hosts The Headsmack Podcast: Conversations with Misfits. His work centers on helping organizations lead with Clarity, Creativity, and Culture.

Headsmack Website

Voppa Creative Website

Your church is competing in the most distracted culture in human history — and most ministry leaders don't even know it.

Phil Cooke, Ph.D. — Hollywood producer, strategic media advisor, and author — has spent decades helping churches, nonprofits, and ministry leaders cut through the noise and get their story out to the world.

In this conversation, Phil and Paul pull back the curtain on why the church keeps fumbling its message, what healthy culture actually looks like inside a ministry, and why attention has become the most valuable currency of this generation.

From parking lot volunteers to leadership team alignment to the shocking biblical literacy statistics hiding in your own pews, this episode is a candid, practical wake-up call for every pastor, leader, and communicator who wants to make a real impact in today's culture.

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Phil Cooke, Ph.D., is one of the rare voices operating at the intersection of Hollywood production, Christian leadership, and strategic communications. Called "one of the most innovative communicators of our generation," Cooke is the founder of Cooke Media Group, with offices in Los Angeles and Nashville, and has produced film and television programming in more than 60 countries. His client list spans major studios and networks including Walt Disney and USA Network, as well as leading Christian organizations such as Voice of the Martyrs, the Museum of the Bible, the Salvation Army, and the YouVersion Bible app. He holds a Ph.D. in Theology from Regent University and is the author of multiple books, including the Washington Post Top Five Business Book for 2012, "One Big Thing: Discovering What You Were Born to Do," the widely cited "The Way Back: How Christians Blew Our Credibility and How We Win it Back," and his most recent release, "Church on Trial: How to Protect Your Congregation, Mission, and Reputation During a Crisis." Phil also co-founded The Influence Lab, a nonprofit dedicated to training pastors and Christian communicators around the world in media and digital strategy. He speaks at major conferences globally and writes prolifically at PhilCooke.com, where his blog serves as a go-to resource for ministry leaders navigating the challenges of modern communication and culture.

Link: https://www.philcooke.com/

Send us Fan Mail

Paul Povolni (Voppa) is the founder of Voppa Creative and a creative leader with over 30 years of experience in brand strategy and design. Based in Jackson, Mississippi, he has worked with clients internationally, leading teams in award-winning branding while serving as a coach and speaker. Paul delivers workshops and keynotes on brand strategy, creative thinking, and organizational culture, and hosts The Headsmack Podcast: Conversations with Misfits. His work centers on helping organizations lead with Clarity, Creativity, and Culture.

Headsmack Website

Voppa Creative Website

She arrived in America with less than $1,000 and worked as a nanny.

A bank recruiter once told her she should try working at a department store before trying a bank.

Instead of accepting that ceiling, she turned to the internet.

Five months later, she made her first six figures online.

Twenty months later, she crossed seven figures.

In this episode, Camilla Markson shares how social media, affiliate marketing, and simple digital offers transformed her life—and how women everywhere can build income online without complicated tech or expensive programs.

Links:

• Millionaire Woman Academy
• Insta Profit System
• Millionaire Woman Academy

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Paul Povolni (Voppa) is the founder of Voppa Creative and a creative leader with over 30 years of experience in brand strategy and design. Based in Jackson, Mississippi, he has worked with clients internationally, leading teams in award-winning branding while serving as a coach and speaker. Paul delivers workshops and keynotes on brand strategy, creative thinking, and organizational culture, and hosts The Headsmack Podcast: Conversations with Misfits. His work centers on helping organizations lead with Clarity, Creativity, and Culture.

Headsmack Website

Voppa Creative Website