Sure, we message. We Zoom. We “align.”
But when stakes rise, budgets tighten, and pressure mounts—
Most teams don’t grow together.
They grind apart.

I know it’s still April, but I’m already in May mode.
Because this isn’t just a topic—it’s personal.

It’s also out theme for the month: Connected Growth.

We all say we value collaboration.
But when push comes to shove—do we show it?

We’re siloed. Scarred. Spread thin.
We’ve all been ghosted. Ideas lifted. Budgets slashed. Trust broken.

It’s easy to nod in a room.
Harder to stand with someone when it counts.

Seth Rogen’s The Studio is painfully funny—but also painfully real.
It shows what happens when creative teams aren’t connected: carnage.

But here’s the shift:

The future won’t belong to the best-equipped teams. It’ll belong to the most aligned ones.

Here’s What We’re Talking About Today:

LA based street artist, WRDSMTH, who inspires to inspire others with well crafted words, very apt for this weeks theme https://www.wrdsmth.com/

How I’m Feeling:

Grateful—and clearer than ever.

Because this community? You’ve shown me what’s possible.

Old collaborators have circled back. New ones are landing with energy, ideas and actual follow-through.

We’re growing - but not through cold outreach and funnels. Through mutual resonance. Shared weirdness. Real talk.

That’s Connected Growth.

And that’s why I turned my network into something open, human and alive - Audience101.

If you want to feel what this looks like in real time, come join us:

🎙️ Creative Bravery in a Changing World
🗓️ Wednesday 1st May | 8–11:30am PST / 4–7:30pm BST

Audience Insights & Future Trends: We’re Done with Empty Collaboration

The buzzwords are everywhere - community, co-creation, purpose. But we’re finally getting honest about them.

People aren’t leaving jobs because they’re lazy. They’re leaving because the work feels hollow.

Not louder, not faster. Just more human.

Here’s the shift we’re seeing, and feeling:

When people connect to the why and the who, they show up differently to the how.

And that’s where growth becomes not just real - but resilient.

What the data’s whispering (and sometimes screaming):

52% of employees have left—or almost left—because they didn’t feel a sense of community. (Gusto)
86% of execs say poor collaboration is the top driver of business failure. (Salesforce)
64% of people lose three hours of productivity each week to broken collaboration. (Corel)

This isn’t a software issue. This is a human connection challenge.

When we design for connection, not just communication - we win.

👁️ What we’re seeing (and living):

✨ The most magnetic companies are building culture inside-out.
✨ Teams with shared goals - and space to contribute - outlast market dips and trend fatigue.
✨ Purpose doesn’t dilute performance—it fuels it.
✨ When people feel seen, trusted, and part of something bigger, they don't just stay. They elevate.

💡 The insight:

The future of growth isn’t transactional. It’s transformational.

When we connect with purpose, we unlock energy.
When we invest in relationships, we build resilience.
When we create space for people to show up fully, we get the best of who they are.

This isn’t fluff. This is strategy. Connected Growth is the real edge now—and it’s renewable.

Case Study of the Week: What The Studio Taught Me About Collaboration Carnage

You wouldn’t expect one of the best business case studies of the year to come from a comedy series - but here we are.

Seth Rogen’s The Studio (now streaming on Apple TV+) is a sharp, absurd, painfully accurate satire of creative dysfunction in modern business. And it lands brilliantly.

Matt Remick (Rogen) becomes the head of Continental Studios and is immediately tasked with turning the Kool-Aid Man into a cinematic universe.

What follows is chaos: bloated egos, meaningless meetings, turf wars and a complete collapse of collaboration.

And somehow? It feels way too familiar.

🔎 Here’s What the Show Reveals—If You’re Paying Attention:

🔁 Fragmented teams destroy momentum.
Everyone is performing, but no one is aligned. Sound familiar?

🧠 Creativity can’t thrive without psychological safety.
In The Studio, good ideas get buried under politics and fear. Just like in real orgs.

🎯 Branding is storytelling.
Even the most ridiculous brand can become iconic - if the team behind it is coherent and committed.

🤝 Modern leadership is translation.
Matt’s job isn’t to make the film. It’s to get the artists, marketers, execs and Gen Z chaos agents to move in the same direction.

This show might be a joke.But the lesson isn’t:

Collaboration without connection is a car crash.

Behind the Scenes: From Fragmented to Fired Up - Engineering Momentum with Ericsson

Want proof that The Studio’s chaos can be avoided?

At Lively, we worked with Ericsson on a massive internal transformation:

111 countries. Thousands of employees. One shared mission:
Get aligned—and stay aligned.

We didn’t launch a campaign.
We launched a cultural shift.

The MELA Momentum Strategy redefined how global teams at Ericsson worked together, communicated, and moved as one.

What made it work?

Strategic alignment across borders—not just departments
Real-time feedback loops—not top-down messaging
A sense of movement—not mandates

Nominated for Best Global Communications Campaign
Shortlisted for Best Change/Transformation Campaign
Finalist for Best Internal Comms & Engagement (PR Week)

But the real win?

Teams that hadn’t spoken in months started building together.
Frontline staff and execs started speaking the same language—and meaning it.
We saw culture shift from wallpaper… to engagement and passion.

That’s Connected Growth.
Not just a philosophy—a proof point.

Mood Board: What Our Community Is Sharing

📢 Let’s End Where We Start: Together

If this edition made you nod, flinch, or feel something—send it to someone you want to grow with this year. Then tell them: let’s do it better this time.

And if you want to be in the room where it’s actually happening—join us tomorrow:

🎙️ Creative Bravery in a Changing World
🗓️ Wednesday 1st May | 8–11:30am PST / 4–7:30pm BST
→ [Register here]

Because the next era of growth isn’t a solo act. It’s a shared one.