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Mohammad Anwar, President and CEO of Softway and Culture+, shares how embracing love, empathy, and honest, human-centric leadership transformed his approach to business and marketing.

From early culture shocks in both Saudi Arabia and rural Kansas, to guiding executives through challenges today, his story highlights how trust, storytelling, and people-first communication drive organizational success and personal growth.

This episode offers practical insights for leaders steering through change and technology-driven transformations, sharing conversation about themes discussed in his upcoming book, “Love as a Change Strategy,” which will be released later this month.

Episode Highlights:

• Growing up between cultures shaped Mohammad’s empathy, perspective, and openness as a leader.
• A Catholic boarding school experience in his younger days taught him to advocate for change and respect diverse traditions.
• Near-bankruptcy forced a personal reckoning, leading him to adopt love as a business strategy.
• The leadership philosophy of University of Houston’s Coach Tom Herman transformed Mohammad’s approach to culture and mentorship.
• Love and vulnerability are not abstract ideals, but measurable, actionable tools for change management.

Episode Links:

• Mohammad Anwar on LinkedIn
• Softway
  Culture+
  Love as a Business Strategy (podcast
• Love as a Business Strategy (book)
• Love as a Change Strategy (NEW book, available this month!)

Follow The Digital Marketing Mentor:

• Website and Blog: thedmmentor.com
• Instagram: @thedmmentor
• Linkedin: @thedmmentor
• YouTube: @thedmmentor

Interested in Digital Marketing Services, Careers, or Courses? Check out more from the TDMM Family:

• Optidge.com - Full Service Digital Marketing Agency specializing in SEO, PPC, Paid Social, and Lead Generation efforts for established B2C and B2B businesses and organizations.
• ODEOacademy.com - Digital Marketing online education and course platform. ODEO gives you solid digital marketing knowledge to launch/boost your career or understand your business’s digital marketing strategy.

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In this solo Office Hours episode, Optidge founder Danny Gavin dives into how generative AI is radically reshaping how we search, discover, and measure online visibility.

From the shift away from rankings to the rise of Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), Danny breaks down what marketers need to know now, and how to stay visible and relevant in a world where ChatGPT might answer before Google does.

An Optidge "Office Hours" Episode

Our Office Hours episodes are your go-to for details, how-to’s, and advice on specific marketing topics. Join our fellow Optidge team members, and sometimes even 1:1 teachings from Danny himself, in these shorter, marketing-focused episodes every few weeks. Get ready to get marketing!

Episode Highlights:

• Danny details the timeline of AI search, sharing how the evolution of tools is transforming SEO, shifting focus from traditional rankings to being cited, summarized, and trusted in AI responses.
• To succeed in the AI era, Danny suggests brands focus on visibility, establishing authority through original content, and structuring websites for AI readability.
• He shares that traditional SEO metrics are becoming less reliable, and that the emphasis should be on inclusion rate and monitoring brand reputation
• Danny gives examples to explain how your website and online presence serve as signals for AI, making it crucial to audit, optimize, and build brand authority to stay relevant.

Episode Links:

• Optidge Website
• Danny Gavin on LinkedIn
• Follow @Optidge on Instagram and Twitter

Follow The Digital Marketing Mentor:

• Website and Blog: thedmmentor.com
• Instagram: @thedmmentor
• Linkedin: @thedmmentor
• YouTube: @thedmmentor

Interested in Digital Marketing Services, Careers, or Courses? Check out more from the TDMM Family:

• Optidge.com - Full Service Digital Marketing Agency specializing in SEO, PPC, Paid Social, and Lead Generation efforts for established B2C and B2B businesses and organizations.
• ODEOacademy.com - Digital Marketing online education and course platform. ODEO gives you solid digital marketing knowledge to launch/boost your career or understand your business’s digital marketing strategy.

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Michelle Miller’s career path is anything but ordinary, which is exactly what makes it so relatable.

From switching colleges to launching a strategic marketing agency, Michelle has built a career on sustainable growth, cross-functional alignment, and no-nonsense mentorship.

In this episode, she joins Danny Gavin to unpack the real challenges (and surprising rewards) of marketing technical products, mentoring young professionals, and thriving in male-dominated, B2B industries. It’s a conversation grounded in experience with lessons for every level of marketer, agency leader, or business builder.

Episode Highlights:

• Discover Michelle’s approach to mentoring with empathy, balancing encouragement with real-world advice.
• Michelle shares her entrepreneurial growth journey from solo consultant to scaling agency founder, as well as her experience working in traditionally male-dominated industries.
• Michelle defines B2B marketing as every interaction that builds toward a purchase, not just the campaigns.
• Hear how a 48-hour hurricane-response launch proved the power of balancing strategy and speed.
• Learn why Michelle prioritizes cross-functional buy-in and long-term content planning over quick hits.

Episode Links:

• Michelle Miller on LinkedIn
• Creativate

Follow The Digital Marketing Mentor:

• Website and Blog: thedmmentor.com
• Instagram: @thedmmentor
• Linkedin: @thedmmentor
• YouTube: @thedmmentor

Interested in Digital Marketing Services, Careers, or Courses? Check out more from the TDMM Family:

• Optidge.com - Full Service Digital Marketing Agency specializing in SEO, PPC, Paid Social, and Lead Generation efforts for established B2C and B2B businesses and organizations.
• ODEOacademy.com - Digital Marketing online education and course platform. ODEO gives you solid digital marketing knowledge to launch/boost your career or understand your business’s digital marketing strategy.