Claim OwnershipHumans & Brands
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Humans & Brands is a podcast that understands how connected work and life are, and that building a career is just as personal as it is professional.
Hosted by Lauren Douglass, a marketer and founder of the thought leadership agency Reverve, the show features conversations with people who are brands, work in brands, or build brands, about the journey of work and life.
The goal is that no listener should have to navigate the journey alone. These conversations are a chance to learn what leaders have been through; from the wins to the falls, and the questions that don’t make it onto resumes. Lauren asks the things we’re often too afraid to say out loud: What does failure feel like? How do you deal with imposter syndrome? How do you become a good leader?
But she also talks about brands and marketing—because brands are made by people, and people are brands. The show explores how identity shows up in the work we do, the content we create, and the stories we tell about ourselves and our companies.
She’s not the expert in the room, she is figuring it out alongside the audience.
Every episode is designed to leave the audience feeling a little less alone and a little more confident in their pathway forward.
46 Episodes
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It takes so much ego to start a business, and then you have to let go of all of it to actually build one.
Anda Gansca is the CEO of Knotch, and she's spent the last 10 years building a company while simultaneously breaking down every assumption she had about what it takes to succeed. This week, host Lauren Douglass sits down with Anda for a conversation that goes beyond the typical founder story and into something deeper: spirituality and capitalism, win-win business models, and why the zero-sum game mentality just isn't that interesting anymore.
They talk about the shift from founder to CEO, why taking two days a week to think is part of the job, and how becoming a mom forced Anda into her own dark closets, which ultimately made her a better leader. Anda opens up about the haunted forest within, why companies don't fail (people give up), and what it means to build something durable when everyone else is focused on the flip.
This is a conversation about patience, clarity, and building businesses that are genuinely good for employees, customers, and stakeholders, without losing ambition or rigor. If you believe business can be serious and human, ambitious and thoughtful, you're going to love this one.
The best leaders aren't the ones with all the answers, they're the ones willing to ask more questions.
Alena DeSalvo didn't set out to work in media; she kind of stumbled into it. Now, as SVP and Head of Marketing at Sightly, she's figuring out leadership, growth, and what it means to build something in real time.
This week, host Lauren Douglass sits down with Alena to talk about what's driving her right now; not the polished highlight reel, but the actual messy middle of building a career. They get into how her psychology background shapes the way she thinks about marketing and what she had to unlearn about being a young woman in business (hint: it involves exclamation points, high heels, and firm handshakes).
Alena opens up about advocating for yourself when no one's going to tap you on the shoulder, why handwritten notes still matter more than AI transcripts, and her hot take on AI-generated copy that needs to stop. This is a conversation about asking more questions, leaning into what you don't know, and learning to let go of control. It's a great reminder that not every career path is planned - sometimes you just stumble into the right industry and build from there.
If you're early in your career, still figuring out how you want to lead, or just trying to find your footing, this one's for you.
What do you learn about yourself when you're alone in the mountains for a month with no plan and no one to impress?
John Starkweather is the VP of Advertising at AT&T, but this conversation isn't really about advertising. It's about what happens when you get quiet enough to actually hear yourself, and what changes when you stop being so rigid about everything.
This week, host Lauren Douglass sits down with John to talk about the breakthroughs that only come from long stretches in nature, why being flexible might be the hardest thing to learn, and what he realized about himself when his plan went completely off the rails. They get into the tension between AI and humanity, why real connections still matter, and how John's thinking about leadership shifted after he stopped trying to make everyone conform to him.
John opens up about being his own worst enemy, what it means to actually listen, and why he introduces himself as a dad first, not by his job title. This is a conversation about slowing down, letting go of control, and figuring out what you actually want to leave behind.
Rachel Goldflam is building something from scratch, and she's doing it in a category that doesn't quite exist yet. As CMO of Sneex, a hybrid sneaker-heel brand, Rachel is figuring out how to normalize a product people have never seen before, get it on enough feet to reach a tipping point, and do it all with a scrappy team of four.
This week, host Lauren Douglass sits down with Rachel to talk about what it's really like to work at a founder-led startup after years at established fashion brands like Veronica Beard and Spanx. They dig into why fashion isn't vapid, how Rachel unlearned the rigid career rules she grew up with, and the feedback that changed everything when she was 22 and thought she had all the answers.
Rachel opens up about balancing motherhood with building a brand, why enthusiasm beats credentials every time, and what she learned from taking a risk she thought she wasn't "allowed" to take.
This is a conversation about scrappy ambition, learning what you don't want, and why sometimes the best move is the one that doesn't follow the rules.
Not all pivots are about moving up, some are about moving on. Dave Kersey is the Global Head of Media at SharkNinja, and his journey here includes a wrong phone number that changed everything, switching from architecture to media on a hunch, and learning the hard way when to walk away.
This week, host Lauren Douglass sits down with Dave to talk about career pivots, unexpected turns, and why he didn't leave a toxic work environment sooner.
Dave opens up about staying curious, building trust by being authentic all the time, and why no one cares about your career more than you do. This is a conversation about resilience, self-awareness, and learning when to protect your own worth.
Sunni Hickman spent 20 years working with some of the biggest brands in the world: Dollywood, the Harlem Globetrotters, amongst others, before stepping into what she calls her "desert season."
A brand strategist and connector, she now has her own company, B. Sunni Hickman, where she helps organizations and audiences find their voice, own their story, and ignite growth.
This week, host Lauren Douglass sits down with Sunni to dig into what it's really like to start your own business and brand after years of corporate life. Sunni unpacks how she stopped hiding behind her work and started owning it, and how she's redefining success on her own terms. They dig into why women hide behind their work instead of claiming it, how Sunni's retraining herself to say "I did that," and why she believes AI will never replace marketers because it doesn't have a heartbeat.
This is a conversation about resilience, self-worth, and what happens when you finally let people see you, not just your work.
This week on Humans & Brands, we're doing something a little different and flipping the script as Courtney Johnson interviews our host Lauren Douglass on Courtney's podcast, Slay the Gatekeeper. This one's all about cheat codes. Lauren shares the cheat codes that have shaped how she shows up, builds, and creates, from reframing fear into courage, to using intuition as a business tool. The women dig into why your purpose doesn't have to stay static, how thinking like a kid unlocks creativity, and what it really takes to build a personal brand that opens doors. This crossover episode unpacks the messy parts of entrepreneurship, the power of vulnerability, and why sometimes the best move is to just start. Let's get into it.
Am I living or am I just existing? That's the question that hit Eleni McCready at a funeral three years ago, and it changed the course of her life.
This week, host Lauren Douglass sits down with Eleni McCready, Partner and Chief Marketing Officer at PWRHOUSE Collective, who recently left the corporate world after 20 years to leap into consulting. We talk about the funeral that changed her life, what she calls her "midlife awakening," and how she found the guts to leave a stable job without knowing exactly what came next.
Eleni shares the exercise that helped her realize what really mattered, what it's like to navigate the ups and downs of entrepreneurship, and the importantance of the spiderweb of connection.
If you've ever wondered whether it's time to make a leap, felt stuck in the day-to-day grind, or questioned what legacy you want to leave behind, this conversation is your reminder that the second half of your career can look however you want it to.
What does it take to turn down a full-time offer at one of the biggest beauty brands right out of college to start your own company? This week, host Lauren Douglass sits down with Brittany Lo, founder and CEO of Beia Beauty and Beautini, a clean beauty brand creating lifestyle skincare that keeps you clean and confident throughout the day.
Brittany gets honest about what it takes to build a beauty brand at 22, how her first company became the stepping stone to building the brand she'd dreamed about since second grade, and why passion that keeps you up at night matters more than confidence. We talk about why being naive can be a blessing, learning to hear "no" over and over again, and why overnight success stories on TikTok don't show you the real work.
If you've ever had an idea you can't stop thinking about but don't know where to start, this conversation will remind you that sometimes you have to be a little crazy and figure it out as you go.
What does it mean to keep the human at the center of everything you do? Host Lauren Douglass sits down with Heather Bollinger, Chief Revenue Officer at Vurvey Labs, an AI company that's built on a simple but powerful idea: AI should be powered by people, not replace them.
Heather's path is anything but linear: from anti–human trafficking work overseas in her 20s, to leading revenue at an AI company, she’s built her career on empathy, grit, and keeping the human at the center of everything. She gets real about her mantra "you can do hard things," why resilience means showing up even when you don't want to, and the crooked paths we all navigate.
This one's a grounded, inspiring listen for anyone navigating growth, AI, or just life itself. Let's get into it.
From Gen Z to AI, Racine Levy breaks down what it really takes to stay human in modern marketing.
This week, host Lauren Douglass sits down with Racine Levy, marketer, connector, and self-proclaimed “cringe enthusiast”, for a sharp, funny, and real conversation about what it means to be human at work.
Racine shares how confidence, curiosity, and a strong network have shaped her career, why “cringe” can actually be a superpower, and how trusting your gut often beats chasing ROI. They dive into Gen Z, AI, burnout, and the lost art of real human connection, all with Racine’s signature humor and candor.
Tune in this week for a conversation all about gut instincts, good marketing, and the power of showing up as yourself. Light, smart, and worth every minute of your commute. Let's get into it.
What happens when you refuse to let your past define your future? This week, host Lauren Douglass sits down with Troy Alexander, the founder and CEO of T363 Skin and a motivational speaker whose story is pretty extraordinary. Troy went from a two-year prison sentence to building a business and a life rooted in unwavering self-belief.
In this conversation, Troy shares the four principles that guide everything he does, why mental strength matters more than anything else, and the daily practices that keep him pushing forward, plus his incredible journey to Founder & CEO.
His story will challenge you to rethink what's possible and remind you that even when the world doesn't have your back, you can still have your own. This is one you don't want to miss.
From perfume labs to Glamsquad’s CMO chair, Simona Gaudio shares how detours, setbacks, and self-belief built her nonlinear career.
This week on Humans & Brands, host Lauren Douglass sits down with Simona Gaudio, CMO of Glamsquad, for an honest conversation about leadership, career detours, and staying kind in a business that often rewards the opposite.
Simona shares how she went from working in a perfume lab to leading marketing at one of the most recognizable beauty brands, all while navigating the pandemic, a layoff, and a pregnancy at the same time. She opens up about what it means to rebuild from scratch, why every “no” isn’t the end, and how relationships (and not résumés) end up carrying you through the toughest seasons of your career.
If you’ve ever felt behind, stuck, or unsure of your next move, this one’s a reminder that there’s no straight line to success.
This week we're flipping the script. Instead of hosting, Lauren joins Valerie Vespa and Matt Wurst on The Snarketing Podcast, and the conversation is too good not to share.
We touch on some of Lauren's favorite hottakes: why B2B marketing is so bad right now, why most corporate brands are failing to break through the noise, and why the human touch is already more important than ever in an AI-centered world.
We also talk about the sea of sameness in B2B, how to turn your sales team into thought leaders, and what she wishes every CEO understood about marketing.
If you've attended a conference that felt pointless or wondered why B2B marketing feels so disconnected from actual humans, this conversation will resonate. It's snarky, it's honest, and it's packed with tactical advice for anyone trying to cut through the noise. There are a lot of hot topics to cover in this episode, so let's get into it.
This ones for the dreamers who are all about rejecting the traditional path.
What happens when you build a company from a calling instead of a business plan? Maria Sipka, Co-Founder and EVP of Brand Strategy at Linqia, shares one of the most profound conversations about entrepreneurship you'll hear.
From a 10-day silent Vipassana retreat that told her to leave everything behind, to spending two years traveling the world discovering her purpose, Maria's path has been anything but traditional. We talk about why she believes we're living in a Renaissance moment, how marketers hold the key to unlocking human emotion, and why it took five years instead of one to build what she thought would be a quick startup.
Maria gets real about the power of surrender over control, how choosing a co-founder is like choosing a life partner, and her guiding principle: "It's the silence between the notes that makes the music."
This episode is for the dreamers, builders, and believers who know that business can be strategy and spreadsheets, but also energy, intuition, and a little magic from the universe.
What does it really mean to be daring? This week we explore taking big swings and stepping into opportunities that feel scary but could change everything.
Host Lauren Douglass sits down with Jennifer Peabody, President of Havas Edge, who knows exactly what this looks like. Jennifer made the bold decision to take a job three levels below her previous role and cut her salary by two-thirds, and it became the best decision of her life.
She gets real about her 23-year journey at the same company, being the only woman in the C-suite, why she keeps a "remember who you are" note on her phone, and how emotional resilience became her superpower.
If you've ever wondered whether to take that scary leap or felt like the only one in the room, this conversation will remind you that confidence is a muscle you can build, and sometimes the boldest moves are the ones that don't make sense on paper.
Growing up with big dreams written on a whiteboard (own Manchester United, start a media company, buy a yacht), Michelle Turnbull Reeves, three-time founder and Founder & CEO of Zipline AI, meant writing her own rules from day one.
From a small suburb in Brisbane to building multiple successful companies, Michelle's story is about the power of beautiful naivety and never waiting for permission. Host Lauren Douglass sits down with Michelle to talk about how being an outsider became her superpower, why she's an "annoying optimist", and her mantra borrowed from Nike's Phil Knight.
We unpack why waiting for permission is just wasting time and how to approach every door like it's open. If you're brave enough to articulate an idea, you're brave enough to take the next step.
This conversation will leave you questioning what you're waiting for and remind you that sometimes the best thing about not fitting in is the freedom to create your own path.
Many careers follow a straight line. Evin Shutt, CEO and Partner of 72andSunny, took the opposite approach. From middle school teacher to the first employee (and now CEO & Partner!) at one of the most creative agencies in the world, her story is about having the courage to pivot when something doesn't feel right. Host Lauren Douglass sits down with Evin to explore her "pendulum" approach to work-life balance, what 94% of C-suite women have in common, and how Evin realized she was chasing what she thought she should do instead of what made her happy.
Evin gets real about sitting with discomfort, optimism as a core value, and why women's sports are having their moment. At the core: be patient, it's okay to start over, and sometimes the best decisions don't make sense on paper. Let's get into it.
What happens when you refuse to let corporate politics kill your creativity? This week, host Lauren Douglass sits down with Drew Train, Co-Founder and CEO of Oberland, who left it behind to start his own shop, and hasn't looked back since.
Drew gets brutally honest about why independence matters and the creative process that doesn't happen at a desk. He doesn't hold back on what's broken in advertising - from AI copy flooding LinkedIn, to holding companies strip-mining creative agencies for media margins.
His take on independence isn't just about business freedom; it's about having the guts to say what needs to be said when everyone else is staying quiet. If you're tired of sanitized takes on the creative industry, this conversation delivers.
What happens when you stop fighting who you are and start using it as your superpower? Tune in with Lauren Douglass this week as she interviews Karen Riley-Grant, Chief Marketing Officer of Vuori, to unpack this. From starting on the Gap sales floor in Daytona Beach to leading marketing at one of the biggest apparel brands, Karen's journey is proof that your authentic self is your biggest asset. We talk about her obsession with staying close to customers, why she had to accept that she just doesn't do "slow," and how being told to dial it down early in her career almost made her lose what makes her great.
Karen gets real about the failures that shaped her, why she takes strategic pit stops instead of changing her natural speed, and how to stay connected to your gut in a data-driven world. If you've ever been told you're "too much," this one's for you.
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