A collection of interviews with leaders who are passionate about something that is at risk of being overlooked. Sometimes it's a brand, a product or a service but it can also be an idea - something that is losing its relevancy for many.
And to re-establish relevance you need someone with vision and drive to explain why it matters.
These conversations are hosted by Michael Gough. He's a consultant with over twenty-years experience in helping organisations develop clear, concise and compelling brand and marketing that delivers growth.
Get in touch with Michael using the email podcast@whyitmatters.co.uk
Or follow him on Instagram @ _whyitmatters_
What happens when you stop racing through a script and start really listening?
In this episode, I'm joined by Miranda Birch. Miranda spent nearly 25 years at the BBC as a producer, presenter and interviewer. Now she runs a consultancy called The Richer Conversations, helping founders and marketers have short, focused conversations that uncover real stories and genuinely useful content.
This one's for you if you ever need to interview clients or customers, draw out stories from colleagues or partners, or help people think more clearly simply by the way you listen.
We talk about the practical stuff.
How to move past safe, surface answers.
How to ask about "firsts" so people share the moments that actually mattered.
How to drill down from vague words like respect into concrete scenes you can picture.
One line that stayed with me comes from Nancy Kline, via Miranda:
The quality of your attention shapes the quality of other people's thinking.
You can feel that in the way Miranda works. Not as a technique, but as a form of respect.
So switch off your phone. Ask one good question. Then stay with the answer long enough for something new to surface.
If you're tired of thin insights and shallow case studies, this conversation should both encourage and stretch you. You'll leave with questions you can use this week.
27 Nov 2025
33. Why Storytelling Matters
Storytelling gets treated like decoration. A flourish. Something you add once the "real work" is done. But the truth is sharper. Story is the spark that brings everything else to life.
In this episode, I'm joined by Jon Burkhart. Texas-born. West London based. A career that runs from sports marketing to real-time social to helping brands pitch with more conviction. He runs TBC Global and brings the kind of restless, inventive energy that makes rooms sit up.
What stayed with me was Jon's definition of a good story. Not something new. Something true. A messy human insight told in a fresh way that shakes a memory loose. The line that makes someone think: I've always felt that, but no one's ever said it quite like that.
If you care about making your work land, this conversation will help. We talk about:
• Bringing emotion and humour into industries that default to logic
• Using story to build trust rather than just grab attention
• Deciding who the real hero is in your marketing
• Keeping the human heartbeat strong in an age of AI
It's equal parts useful and uncomfortable, in the best way. The kind of conversation that makes you want to scrap a few slides and tell one sharper, truer story instead.
17 Oct 2025
32. Why Brand Tracking Matters
Marketers are under pressure to prove their worth. Budgets shrink. Targets grow. So we chase clicks, conversions and short-term wins, and forget the thing that makes them possible: brand.
Brand tracking shows what people really think and feel about your business. The truth outside your own echo chamber. That’s why Matt Herbert co-founded Tracksuit, to put brand back where it belongs in the boardroom. Because when you measure what matters, creativity gets braver, instincts get sharper and growth gets real.
If you’ve ever had to defend the value of brand, this episode will give you fresh firepower.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 26 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
42
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
27
Host of Why It Matters?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
