The Sway Effect

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Aug 2026

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About the show

'The Sway Effect', a podcast series featuring the innovators, disruptors, movers and makers that are shaping the Marketing & Communications Industry. The Sway Effect knows how to create trends, shape opinions and drive behavior. We will explore what’s now and what’s next in marketing and communications, and The Sway Effect's sweet spot -- connecting brands with industry experts, media and influentials the world over. We're not the usual cast of characters you'll find on Madison Avenue. We're authors, creators, warriors, neuroscientists, influencers, and all sorts of movers and shakers.

Listen to episodes

55 recent

August 18, 2026Episode 5418 min

The Sway Effect - Episode 54 with Lara O'Reilly, Senior Correspondent and CMO Insider Newsletter Anchor, Business Insider

For our latest episode, our Founder and President, Jennifer Risi, caught up with Business Insider's Lara O'Reilly who is a Senior Correspondent and Anchor for the outlet's CMO Insider newsletter which launched earlier this year. For their chat, Jen and Lara discussed what stood out in the first half of 2026, the evolving role of creativity and AI in marketing, how independent agencies are shaking up our industry, the trends and topics that will dominate the next four years and what pitches stand out in her inbox.

August 6, 2026Episode 5319 min

The Sway Effect - Episode 53 with Charlotte Burney, Head of Programming, Fortune

For our latest episode, our Founder and President, Jennifer Risi, sat down with Fortune's Head of Programming, Charlotte Burney, at The Sway Effect Office. For their chat, Jen and Charlotte talked about what stood out at Cannes, how Fortune identifies the business conversations that matter most, what she's seeing across leadership, AI and live events, and how programming teams are helping shape the future of business journalism.

July 2, 2026Episode 5221 min

The Sway Effect - Episode 52 with Rhonesha Byng, Founder and CEO, Her Agenda

For our latest episode, our Founder and President, Jennifer Risi, continues her live coverage at Cannes Lions 2026 and sits down with Rhonesha Byng, Founder and CEO of Her Agenda, the media platform dedicated to helping ambitious women turn their goals into reality through storytelling, resources, and community. For their chat, Jen and Rhonesha talked about how Her Agenda was built and the mission it continues to focus on almost 20 years later, what authenticity and creativity stand for in today's evolving media landscape, what unconventional career journeys mean for women today and what they both hope to see a year from now when it comes to women in business, media, and leadership.

June 29, 2026Episode 5114 min

The Sway Effect - Episode 51 with Frank Starling, VP and Chief DEI Officer, Cannes Lions

For our latest episode, our Founder and President, Jennifer Risi, is live at Cannes Lions 2026 and caught up with Frank Starling, VP and Chief DEI Officer at Cannes Lions. For their chat, Jen and Frank discussed his talent and DEI goals from last year's festival, his thoughts on new research on how engaging and including disabled/neurodivergent talent is a creative and business unlock, as well as competitive advantage, how the conversation around company-led DEI initiatives has evolved in the last 12 months, and the role that AI will continue to play in creativity.

April 30, 2026Episode 5023 min

The Sway Effect - Episode 50 with Isaac Sacolick, Tech Influencer and Writer, CIO.com and InfoWorld

For our latest episode, our Founder and President, Jennifer Risi, is live at Appian World 2026 and sat down with Isaac Sacolick, tech influencer and regular contributor to CIO.com and InfoWorld and the President of StarCIO. For their chat, Jen and Isaac discussed the major takeaways from Appian's research with Harvard Business Review, what Isaac learned from this year's conference and how Serious AI will help enterprises move beyond AI hype into real-world results in the year ahead.

March 31, 2026Episode 4920 min

The Sway Effect - Episode 49 with Valerie Chapman, Founder and CEO, Ruth AI

For our latest episode, we are continuing our conversations from SXSW. Our Founder and President, Jennifer Risi, caught up with Valerie Chapman, Founder and CEO of Ruth AI, the AI-powered career platform built to help close the $1.6 trillion gender wage gap. For their chat, Jen and Valerie talk about the Fortune op-ed that led to their connection, what Ruth AI is on a mission to do when it comes to gender parity as well as how women can create their own personal brand and continue to own their narrative on social media, at the decision table and in life.

March 19, 2026Episode 4817 min

The Sway Effect - Episode 48 with Astead Herndon, Host, Editorial Director, Vox Media

For our latest episode, we are live at SXSW and our Founder and President, Jennifer Risi, caught up with Vox Media's Astead Herndon who is an editorial director and frequent host of outlet's Today, Explained podcast. Tied to SXSW 2026, Astead shares what he is hearing and seeing on the ground at the conference, how he and the team choose the topics to cover on the podcast and what communication professionals should focus on in 2026.

January 27, 2026Episode 4727 min

The Sway Effect - Episode 47 with Pete Pachal, Founder, The Media Copilot

For our first episode of 2026, our Founder and President, Jennifer Risi, chats with Pete Pachal, Founder of The Media Copilot, a platform, podcast and newsletter all about how AI is changing the media. Off the back of CES, Pete shared his biggest takeaways and what's next for AI across the marketing, communications and media industries. Jen and Pete also discussed how newsrooms are managing AI today and other predictions for the year ahead.

November 25, 2025Episode 4622 min

The Sway Effect - Episode 46 with Jill Manoff, Editor in Chief, Glossy/Modern Retail + Marie Albiges, Managing Editor, Total Retail

In this episode, our Founder and President Jennifer Risi chats with two of the industry's top editors - Jill Manoff, EIC at Glossy and Modern Retail and Marie Albiges, Managing Editor at Total Retail - ahead of the busy holiday shopping season to understand what to expect this Black Friday and Cyber Monday including the standout trends, as well as the forces shaping the retail industry today and we head into 2026.

August 21, 2025Episode 4526 min

The Sway Effect - Episode 45 with Alex Knapp, Senior Editor, Forbes

In this episode, our Founder and President, Jennifer Risi, chats with Forbes' Alex Knapp, who is a senior editor covering healthcare and science, to discuss the state of healthcare in the U.S. with a focus on how AI has become a major player across every field in medicine as well as how the industry has shifted over the last year, and what he expects to see in the future.