Dare to be disliked, leading fearlessly & ignoring the comments - Cat How

This week on What Does Your Mum Think, I’m joined by Cat How, co‑founder of How & How — a studio known for bold ideas, fearless branding, and ruffling a few feathers. If you want your work to matter, not just look pretty, this episode is for you.Cat shares her journey from art journalism to building a global agency, working with purpose‑led organisations like Chester Zoo, and why playing it safe is the quickest route to invisibility. We dig into why the best brands embrace being misunderstood, how to turn criticism into creative fuel, and the fine line between confidence and ego in design.We cover:Why being disliked can be your biggest advantageConfidence vs. ego in creative leadershipChallenging founders without killing their visionHow social media encourages creatives to play smallUsing criticism as a creative weaponBuilding brands with purpose, not just polishCat also gets real about balancing agency life, leadership, family, and what meaningful work looks like stripped of noise.Stories from the heart that make mums proud.WDYMT to the world 🩷🌍–What Does Your Mum Think (WDYMT) is a podcast for anyone out here trying to make their mum proud.Hosted by Sheps, designer, podcaster, martial arts practitioner and a lifelong believer that if your mum gets it, you’re doing something right.Each episode, Sheps sits down with inspiring people who are figuring it out in this mad world, talking to the humans behind the hustle, the passion and the journey.Stories from the heart that make mums proud.–Instagram⁠https://www.instagram.com/wdymt_official/⁠TikTok⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@whatdoesyourmumthink?_r=1&_t=ZT-94iK53fLAPFSpotify⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/4UQ1fAYGya2gOpUlyXSaPk⁠