Phie McKenzie: Founding Creative Ally & The Fear Of Being Seen

In the next of our Expansion Spotlight series, I'm introducing someone whose work I've quietly admired for years — and whose place in the founding story of Expansion Works® is closer than most.

Phie McKenzie is the founder of Creative Ally, a purpose-led talent management agency working with creators using their platforms to drive change. Her roster includes Rory Bradshaw, Real Housewives of Clapton, Lydia Bolton and Adeche Atelier — voices moving the needle on climate, gender equality, representation and mental health. Alongside the agency, Phie co-hosts the Move Over Mother Theresa podcast and co-founded Clwb Creative Cymru, a community series celebrating Welsh creativity.

Phie and I have a particular history with the MAP Method™: she's the one who first introduced me to it, years before I trained as a practitioner myself. When I qualified, she became one of the first people I worked with — this time the other way around. In this conversation, Phie talks about founding Creative Ally on her own terms, the fear of being seen that quietly held her back, and what shifted in how she shows up to grow the business.

Could you please introduce yourself and share a bit about your background? Specifically, what led you to start your own agency, Creative Ally?

I am the founder of purpose first talent management agency, Creative Ally and co-host of the Move Over Mother Theresa podcast. I am a talent manager, a creative collaborator and someone with bigggg ideas. Above all I am a strategist, with the belief that if we're lucky enough to be on this earth, we've got to do the best job we can at helping level out the playing field for others in whatever capacity we can. I also co-founded Clwb Creative Cymru, the community event series celebrating Welsh creativity.

I am a values-led person who has always stood up for others, and at various points along my career, my values were compromised in some way or another. Starting my agency was about standing firm in my beliefs, and doing things in a different — and hopefully — better way.

What is the core purpose and mission behind Creative Ally? How does that align with your own mission?

Creative Ally is a talent management agency and consultancy that works with purpose-first creators to ignite meaningful conversations on social issues that matter through partnerships, collaborations and offline events. Together with a purposeful roster including Rory Bradshaw, Real Housewives of Clapton, Lydia Bolton and Adeche Atelier, I'm dedicated to driving progression across issues like climate change, gender equality, representation and mental health.

I founded Creative Ally in 2022 to challenge the traditional influencer narrative and prove that the creator economy can be a force for change.

What was it about James and the his approach that got your interest? How did this approach feel different from other personal development tools or coaching you might have explored in the past?

James was actually the person who introduced me to this work many years ago, and I found it life-changing. I'd had a lot of talking therapy, which was transformational, but there were still niggling issues I just wanted to eradicate, and MAP helped me greatly. When James said he was launching expansion works, I couldn't have been happier for him, but also selfishly for myself, too.

Since we started working together, what tangible changes have you seen in your business or your personal life? Are there specific milestones you've hit that you feel were unlocked by doing this work?

I am no longer afraid of posting on LinkedIn — that was one particular confidence blocker I couldn't get over. The fear of being seen/perceived was so strong, I hated putting myself out there. But I knew that, while growing a business, it is essential to do so.

That seems like a small issue, but it's part of a larger confidence issue that was holding me back from being the best version of myself.

MAP is such a great tool for facing those challenges head-on and confronting them without feeling the same kind of anxiety or discomfort that other methods often have associated with them.

For those who have never worked with James before, could you describe the experience of a session in your own words? What can a new client expect when they step into that space?

The closest thing to it is hypnosis, but without the trance. You are in a totally relaxed state, and James is having a conversation with a part of your brain that's not attached to your conscious thoughts. You can have emotional moments, but generally, it's a calm experience. You come out of it feeling relaxed and clear-headed.

What was the most surprising thing about working with James? Was there a specific moment where you thought, 'Wow, I didn't realise that was holding me back'?

James has a lot of empathy and understanding of others, so he's able to read between the lines and probe in areas other people can't. I've often gone into sessions thinking I am working on one issue, and come out realising it's also something else, which is a game-changer in itself because you're consciously able to work on those issues simultaneously.

Sometimes we have a great breakthrough in a session, but it fades on Monday morning. Have you found that the changes you made with MAP stuck with you during high-pressure moments in your business?

Honestly, the difference for me most of the time is like night and day. You have the session, and come out of it, without the continuous mental throb of whatever was annoying you or causing you discomfort or shame or fear. And it's gone, like poof! Sometimes it creeps back up afterwards, but it's easier to get under control again.

Looking inwards can often require a lot of trust. How would you describe James's approach and how is it different to other coaches you may have worked with in the past?

The great thing about James is that he really has the life experience to be a wonderful coach — both professionally and personally. He has lived a very fast, vibrant life and taken different paths that have given him an extremely open and nuanced perspective, and this helps him ask the right questions with empathy. He's understanding of your challenges and pain points, because he's lived them too. And that allows him to get deeper into the root.

Now that certain internal barriers have been cleared, what is the big vision for the future of Creative Ally? What are the next big goals you are excited to chase?

The future for me is to continue building Creative Ally into an agency that really moves the needle and shifts culture in the right way, for the right people.

Finally, for any other founders or creatives who feel like they might be getting in their own way, what would you say to them about the value of investing in themselves through this type of work?

Any kind of self-development taken with a professional is going to push you. And I really recommend it, because you do the work that you often wouldn't do alone, through embarrassment, or because you're being held accountable, or because you're paying for it.

But MAP has eradicated certain feelings and emotions that had plagued me for years, and I'm so glad to be on the other side of them now. I'm living my life with far more ease and presence because I'm not experiencing the shame I had while living in these feelings.