PSM Unscripted: Starting the Year with Perspective
PSM: Professional Services Marketing
In this unscripted conversation, Deirdre Booth and Damion Morris step away from the usual format and start the year with an honest check-in. They talk candidly about growth, ambition, balance, connection, leadership, and what changes when career wins stop being the only measure of success. This episode sets the tone for the season ahead with real reflection, lived experience, and the kind of perspective that comes from years in the industry and life beyond the job title.
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Why Joy Is a Leadership Strategy, Not a Soft Skill
PSM: Professional Services Marketing
In an industry built on deadlines, pursuits, and constant pressure, resilience is often framed as grit and endurance. But what if that mindset is actually driving burnout? In this episode of The PSM Show, Deirdre Booth sits down with Nicole Van Valen, founder of Keen Insights and author of The Joyful Leader, to reframe how AEC firms think about resilience, leadership, and performance. Drawing from her background as a licensed marriage and family therapist and corporate leader, Nicole explains why joy is not a perk or personality trait, but a practical tool that supports focus, steadiness, and...
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Where Strategy Meets Action
PSM: Professional Services Marketing
What does strategy really look like inside a construction firm that wants to grow on purpose, not by accident? In this episode of the PSM Show, host Damion Morris talks with James Hatch, Chief Strategy Officer at Kovac Building Enclosures, one of the top glazing contractors in the country. James shares how his path through architecture, estimating, finance, and business development shaped the way he leads strategy today – and why he sees the CSO as the “agent of change” inside the firm. They dig into what it takes to keep the “periscope above the water,” choose the right pursuits,...
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Generalist to Strategist: The Evolving Role of AEC Marketers
PSM: Professional Services Marketing
Hosts Deirdre Booth and Damion Morris dig into why AEC marketing roles have stretched across design, writing, coordination, and strategy, and why that model is shifting. They unpack findings referenced from SMPS research, lessons from recent pursuits, and how private equity, data, AI, and client experience are changing expectations. Hear practical ways teams can organize around five core functions, build true strategic capacity, and connect marketing to revenue and reputation.
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Crossover! What AEC Marketers Can Learn From Taylor Swift feat. Keelin Cox
PSM: Professional Services Marketing
Whether you're a Swiftie or not, Taylor Swift's influence on global spending and the marketing strategies behind her success are impossible to ignore. In this episode, Deirdre Booth and I explore how AEC firms can draw inspiration from Taylor Swift's innovative marketing tactics to create their own opportunities for growth.
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Talent and Technology in AEC Marketing
PSM: Professional Services Marketing
AEC marketing and business development are changing fast. In this episode, Deirdre Booth talks with Scott Butcher of Stambaugh Ness about what is reshaping the work today and what leaders need next. They cover the talent crunch, the “missing middle,” and why environmental scanning belongs in every plan. They discuss practical uses of AI, how early adopters are already productizing tools, and what happens when firms delay. Scott makes the case for true marketing leadership at the table, not just a new title, and offers a six month playbook that focuses on three use cases for AI, stronger BD...
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The Business of Client Experience with Tim Asimos
PSM: Professional Services Marketing
Client experience is more than good service. In this episode of the PSM Show, Damion Morris and Deirdre Booth talk with Tim Amos, CPSM and Head of Growth at Client Savvy, about how AEC firms can design and manage client experiences that create measurable business results. Tim shares his journey from in-house marketing to leading CX strategy and explains why repeat business does not always equal loyalty. He introduces practical ways to measure client sentiment, including Net Promoter Score and share of spend, and describes how firms can use feedback to inform go/no-go decisions, increase...
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Strategic Planning That Works in AEC
PSM: Professional Services Marketing
In this episode of The PSM Show, co-host Damion Morris welcomes Allison Tivnon, strategic advisor, author, and City Councilor for Beaverton, Oregon. Allison has spent nearly two decades guiding AEC firms through the complexities of marketing, planning, and leadership. Damion and Allison explore why so many strategic plans lose momentum after the retreat and how to create alignment that lasts. They discuss the importance of involving marketing in the process, the role of a skilled facilitator, and how to make sure vision translates into action. Guest Bio: Allison Tivnon has dedicated her career...
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Summer Re-Run: Interview Coaching
PSM: Professional Services Marketing
This week on the PSM Show, we’re bringing back one of our most impactful episodes while Deirdre and Damion are out at Amplify AEC. Whether you lead interview prep or support it behind the scenes, this episode offers a powerful mindset shift: coaching is not about directing or fixing. It’s about creating emotional safety and helping people shine under pressure. If you’ve ever coached a must-win team or sat through a feedback session that crushed more than it helped, this one’s for you.
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Summer Re-Run Listener Favorite
PSM: Professional Services Marketing
Deirdre and Damion are both gearing up for SMPS Amplify, and with Damion serving as one of this year’s conference chairs, we’re giving them a little breathing room this week. In the meantime, we’re bringing back a listener favorite: “Finding Your Why & Trusting the Process: Rethinking Goals.” Originally released in February, it’s one of our top-performing episodes—and for good reason.
info_outlineWhat does strategy really look like inside a construction firm that wants to grow on purpose, not by accident?
In this episode of the PSM Show, host Damion Morris talks with James Hatch, Chief Strategy Officer at Kovac Building Enclosures, one of the top glazing contractors in the country. James shares how his path through architecture, estimating, finance, and business development shaped the way he leads strategy today – and why he sees the CSO as the “agent of change” inside the firm.
They dig into what it takes to keep the “periscope above the water,” choose the right pursuits, and build a culture that supports change instead of resisting it. Along the way, James talks candidly about Kovac’s shift from private equity to employee ownership, why authenticity matters more than polish, and what emerging leaders should practice now if they are drawn to the work of strategy.