In summer 2025, I had a joyous time as a guest on the Building Brands podcast hosted by the ebullient Jon Payne, the RevOps Mentor. We spoke about brand identity, messaging strategy, voice and a whole lot of other stuff too.

Since then, I’ve been feeling a bit bad about throwing shade on the word ‘freelancer’. I still maintain that it has mildly reductive connotations – wrongly of course – but perhaps as a freelancer (aka sole trader) myself, I should be doing more to big the term up.

I don’t know – I’m on the fence. All I know is that when it comes to SEO and GEO, I’m all in, because regardless of what I call myself, that is still what people search for.

I’ll let Jon’s intro words tell you a bit more…

“A violin-playing brand messaging strategist and copywriter with synaesthesia, a knack for tough questions, and a healthy disdain for the word “freelancer” – Olivia Dunn brings fresh perspective and practical wisdom to the world of brand identity.

In this episode, Jon sits down with the founder of Profound to explore how to uncover and articulate the words that define who you are and why it matters. They dig into Olivia’s journey from admin roles to accidental strategist, her process for teasing out brand truths, and why a good brief is worth its weight in gold. Expect insight, candour, and a few brilliant detours – from busking and Barbie quotes to the magic of manifestos that actually get used.

Whether you’re building a brand from scratch or refreshing one that’s lost its voice, this is an episode worth tuning into.”

Have a listen, or a watch, and check out the whole series on Spotify as he’s interviewed some really interesting people.

I’m always delighted to discuss all things brand messaging strategy, copywriting, voice, and/or language in general, so if you’ve got a podcast or you’d like me to write a guest post, please feel free to holler.

Olivia Dunn | B2B Brand Messaging Strategist & Copywriter | Profound