In this thoughtful episode of That Moment, host Thailah Newton explores a question that haunts every agency professional: how do you protect creative space while managing relentless client demands? Meet Stef Lait, Client Services Director at OST, a B2B social media agency, who's spent her career learning that the best work emerges not from saying yes to everything, but from knowing when, and how, to say no.

When Stef moved from Canada to the UK, from writing to leading client experience, she discovered something counterintuitive: the same discipline that makes good writing also makes good leadership. Don't stop to edit every idea as it emerges. Get everything down first, judge later. In brainstorms, this becomes "no idea's a bad idea", creating psychological safety that unlocks breakthrough thinking for B2B brands often dismissed as boring.

But Stef's real wisdom comes from what she's learned to refuse. Working through summer holidays when the team was depleted? Sometimes necessary, if you're not asking others to sacrifice. Replying to client emails at 11:30 pm? Depends on the time zone and whether you've made expectations clear. The boundary isn't rigid; it's conscious. And that consciousness, she argues, is what separates sustainable high performance from eventual burnout.

Stef brings the perspective of a recovering people-pleaser who's learned that "what other people think of you is none of your business." She understands why junior team members struggle to push back on scope creep, which is why she practises actual role-play scenarios, giving people the vocabulary and confidence to have difficult conversations before the pressure's on.

This episode tackles the tension every client-facing professional eventually faces: how do you deliver excellent work without sacrificing the team culture that makes excellence possible? And why do the projects we remember most have less to do with results and everything to do with the people we worked alongside?

The Art of Conscious Boundaries:

Stream of Consciousness, Then Edit: Why the writing discipline of "get it all down first" transforms brainstorms from self-censoring to breakthrough thinking

The Planner's Paradox: Booking meetings with yourself, protecting focus time, yet staying visibly available when the team needs you

Movement Unlocks Ideas: Voice-recording thoughts mid-run, journalling on trains, walking meetings, why static positions produce static thinking

The Boundary Buzzer Reality: Not all 11:30 pm emails are equal, not all scope creep is wrong, context determines whether yes serves or sabotages

Role-Play the Hard Conversations: Practising client pushback scenarios sounds silly until the real moment arrives and you have the vocabulary ready

The Katherine Ryan Principle: "What other people think of you is none of your business", advice that freed a recovering people-pleaser to lead authentically

About Supo:

Supo provides people-first intelligence software for professional services firms, helping businesses maximize profit and motivate their people through powerful, AI-enabled business intelligence dashboards. By connecting over 500+ platforms and providing real-time data analysis, Supo helps firms make better data-driven decisions about their profit, projects, and people.

For more information about Supo: ⁠www.supo.co.uk

About OST:

OST is a global B2B social media agency that makes brands unmissable. Specialising in LinkedIn presence, advocate marketing, and creative campaigns that cut through B2B noise, OST proves that even "boring" businesses have compelling stories worth telling. With a focus on work that actually drives results, not just vanity metrics, they help B2B brands build genuine connections in crowded digital spaces.

For more information about OST: ostmarketing.com