Episodios

  • #104: Building a Brand That Lasts Beyond the Hype | Sara Kear, CMO at Condado Tacos and Tequila

    #104: Building a Brand That Lasts Beyond the Hype | Sara Kear, CMO at Condado Tacos and Tequila
    Nov 9 2025
    Energy gets attention. Trust builds loyalty.

    In a world obsessed with virality, longevity still wins. The best brands aren’t just loud—they’re reliable, repeatable, and relentlessly consistent.

    With a background in digital strategy and brand storytelling, Sara Kear, Chief Marketing Officer at Condado Tacos and Tequila, has turned a regional taco spot into a fast-growing national brand built on creativity, consistency, and community.

    In this episode, Sara joins Jason to talk about balancing creative energy with operational discipline, rebuilding a brand after rapid growth, and how structure can actually unlock innovation. She shares lessons from Condado’s rebrand, the role of “flavor rebellion” in defining identity, and how listening—to both teams and guests—became the company’s most powerful growth strategy.

    Key Takeaways:
    ✅ Consistency is the foundation of brand trust
    ✅ Creative limits can expand, not restrict, innovation
    ✅ Listening to your audience reveals what data can’t
    ✅ Growth without structure risks brand identity

    Memorable Moments:
    💡 “A million small moments make up the feeling of belonging.”
    💡 “We outgrew our brand before we realized it—so we paused to rebuild.”
    💡 “Confines create creativity. When you define the sandbox, you can scale.”
    💡 “Fun brings people in. Trust makes them family.”

    Brought to you by Mekanism.
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    38 m
  • #103: BetterHelp Chief Growth Officer Sara Brooks | Scaling Empathy

    #103: BetterHelp Chief Growth Officer Sara Brooks | Scaling Empathy
    Nov 3 2025
    Empathy at scale isn’t easy—but it’s the heart of BetterHelp’s mission.With two decades of marketing leadership at Facebook, The RealReal, and Beyond, Sara Brooks has helped brands grow from startup to IPO and beyond. Now, as Chief Growth Officer at BetterHelp, she’s using data and storytelling to make mental health care more accessible around the world.

    In this episode, Sara joins Jason Harris to talk about leading with empathy in a data-driven world, the power of authentic storytelling, and how vulnerability has become one of the most effective tools in brand building. She also shares lessons from campaigns with Lewis Capaldi and college athletes that prove empathy—and humor—can coexist with rigor and scale.

    Key Takeaways:

    ✅ Empathy and data aren’t opposites—they’re accelerants
    ✅ Authenticity can’t be automated, but it can be scaled
    ✅ Vulnerability builds affinity faster than perfection
    ✅ Destigmatizing mental health starts with honest storytelling

    Memorable Moments:

    💡 “When you feel better, everyone in your life feels better as well.”
    💡 “Vulnerability isn’t a risk—it’s the whole point.”
    💡 “Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. Just get started.”
    💡 “If not us, then who? If not now, then when?

    ”Brought to you by Mekanism.
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    37 m
  • #102: Redefining Success Through Service | Stinson Parks III, Former Marketing Executive at PepsiCo & Amex

    #102: Redefining Success Through Service | Stinson Parks III, Former Marketing Executive at PepsiCo & Amex
    Oct 26 2025
    Building a brand takes focus. Building a meaningful career takes range.

    From leading global campaigns at L’Oréal, PepsiCo, and American Express to driving purpose-driven change in accessibility, youth empowerment, and the arts, Stinson Parks III has built a career by refusing to be boxed in. After surviving a near-death experience, he redefined what success means—shifting his focus from building brands to building impact.

    Today, Stinson is using his marketing mindset to drive change across four pillars: accessibility, youth, community, and the arts. In this episode, he joins Jason Harris to talk about transforming professional skills into personal impact—and why the same tools that move brands can also move people.

    Key Takeaways:

    ✅ The skills that build brands can also build change
    ✅ Accessibility isn’t charity—it’s innovation and inclusion in action
    ✅ Art and storytelling have the power to heal and connect
    ✅ True success isn’t what you achieve—it’s who you help

    Memorable Moments:

    💡 “I went to the school of Mattel, PepsiCo, and Amex—these were my universities.”
    💡 “I was literally dead for a month. Now I see my injury as the biggest blessing of my life.”
    💡 “Change happens one person, one conversation, one community at a time.”
    💡 “It’s not what you have to do—it’s what you get to do, and who you get to serve.

    ”Brought to you by Mekanism.
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    38 m
  • #101: When a Movement Becomes a Brand | Kyle Lierman, CEO of Civic Nation

    #101: When a Movement Becomes a Brand | Kyle Lierman, CEO of Civic Nation
    Oct 19 2025
    How do you turn civic engagement into a brand people actually want to join?

    Kyle Lierman, CEO of Civic Nation and former Obama White House staffer, joins Jason Harris to talk about leading large-scale movements—It’s On Us, When We All Vote, Made to Save—and the organizing principles that make them work.

    Kyle shares how his time at the White House shaped his leadership philosophy, why Gen Z is the most pivotal generation for social change, and how cause-driven campaigns can harness creativity and data to move millions without losing their humanity.

    Key Takeaways:

    ✅ Organizing and branding share the same goal: building trusted relationships at scale
    ✅ Great movements have a sprint mentality—urgency drives innovation and impact
    ✅ Gen Z controls the culture for a 30-year block; win their trust, and you shape the future
    ✅ Build where people want to be, not just where they already are

    Memorable Moments:

    💡 “Put your head down, do your job incredibly well for six months, and then you can do anything.”
    💡 “We’re making one plus one equal five—organizing power plus creative storytelling.”
    💡 “Gen Z has the power to bring an issue to the forefront in a way no other generation does.”
    💡 “Our job isn’t to give people medicine—it’s to build the kind of community they want to join.”

    Brought to you by Mekanism.
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    37 m
  • #100: From Viral Content to Retail Scale | Black Rifle Coffee CMO Donny Jensen

    #100: From Viral Content to Retail Scale | Black Rifle Coffee CMO Donny Jensen
    Oct 5 2025
    How do you build “America’s coffee” without getting lost in politics?

    Donny Jensen, CMO of Black Rifle Coffee, joins Jason Harris to share lessons from a career that’s spanned Nike, Red Bull, Beats by Dre, Spartan Race, and now one of America’s fastest-growing coffee companies. Donny explains why brand is the ultimate differentiator, how Black Rifle balances irreverent viral content with disciplined growth marketing, and what it means to stand for veterans and first responders without playing politics.

    Key Takeaways:
    ✅ Below $1B, CMOs must know the growth levers themselves—not just manage from the top
    ✅ The sweet spot is a hybrid model: in-house talent plus specialized agency partners
    ✅ Brand is the moat—when ads shut off during COVID, Spartan’s traffic kept coming because of brand strength
    ✅ Plan your own calendar: cultural relevance matters less than staying true to your brand moments

    Memorable Moments:
    💡 “If you don’t know performance and growth, you’re at a massive disadvantage as a CMO.”
    💡 “We want to be America’s coffee, America’s energy—positive energy, every time you encounter us.”
    💡 “A great brand gets you the retail meeting. It makes everything easier.”
    💡 “My dad paid me a dollar an hour to sweep on his job sites—I still work like nothing is owed to me.

    ”Brought to you by Mekanism.
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    38 m
  • #99: Oura CMO Doug Sweeny | Turning Wellness Into a Movement

    #99: Oura CMO Doug Sweeny | Turning Wellness Into a Movement
    Sep 29 2025
    How do you scale a wellness brand without losing the mission?

    Doug Sweeny, CMO of Oura, joins Jason Harris to unpack the playbook behind Oura’s evolution—from a sleep device born in Finland to a holistic health platform used by pro teams, biohackers, and everyday members. Doug shares why the internal reset comes first (“align the company, then tell the world”), how revenue ownership changes the CMO seat, and what it takes to balance brand campaigns with hard-nosed performance.

    Key Takeaways:

    ✅ Revenue responsibility sharpens marketing judgment and earns a bigger seat at the table
    ✅ Use brand at the top, precision stories in the mid/lower funnel; measure each tier with distinct KPIs
    ✅ Prioritize ruthlessly: global expansion and product velocity require explicit tradeoffs
    ✅ When CAC is upside-down, pause and reset—efficiency first, then scale

    Memorable Moments:

    💡 “I was getting much different answers… we had to reset it and embed it in the company—then you can tell the story externally.”
    💡 “Fifty percent of new members hear about Oura from a family member, friend, or coworker.”
    💡 “Give Us the Finger was about longevity and empowerment—and it became some of our highest-engagement social.”
    💡 “We’re here to do the best work of our lives.”

    Brought to you by Mekanism.
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    37 m
  • #98: What Makes a Brand Worth Betting On | John Lowe, Managing Director at Amok Consumer Growth

    #98: What Makes a Brand Worth Betting On | John Lowe, Managing Director at Amok Consumer Growth
    Sep 21 2025
    How do you recognize a “super concept” before it goes mainstream?

    John Lowe, Managing Director at Amok Consumer Growth and former CEO of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, joins Jason Harris to share his playbook for identifying breakout food and beverage brands.

    During his 14 years as CEO, John scaled Jeni’s by more than 100x in revenue—while also serving on the boards of White Castle, Watershed Distillery, and more. Today, he’s bringing that experience to founders through Amok Consumer Growth, backing companies like Fox in the Snow and DOUGH.

    Key Takeaways:
    ✅ Bet on founders with self-awareness—they’ll build the right team around them
    ✅ Growth pace is determined by organizational bandwidth, not ambition alone
    ✅ Cultural relevance (from Twitter to TikTok) is a marketing lever worth investing in
    ✅ Copycats come fast—brands need a defensible “moat” in product, process, or community

    Memorable Moments:
    💡 “When you’ve got people lining up every day, you know there’s some magic around it.”
    💡 “Private equity doesn’t make the food taste better—it’s about the founder and the product.”
    💡 “Jeni’s on a stick was right in front of us. I regret not pounding the table harder.”
    💡 “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.

    ”Brought to you by Mekanism.
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    37 m
  • #97: Meta CMO & VP of Analytics Alex Schultz | Measuring the Unmeasurable

    #97: Meta CMO & VP of Analytics Alex Schultz | Measuring the Unmeasurable
    Sep 15 2025
    What you can measure drives growth, but what you can’t often drives breakthroughs.

    Alex Schultz, Chief Marketing Officer and VP of Analytics at Meta (and author of the upcoming book Click Here), joins Jason Harris to unpack the soul and science behind decisions that move billions of people: the rebrand from Facebook to Meta, launching Threads to 400M MAU, the retention curve that signaled Ray-Ban Meta glasses were a hit, and why a great creative brief is the beating heart of iconic work.

    Key Takeaways:
    ✅ Retention is the clearest signal of product-market fit—and the metric that decides whether to scale
    ✅ Separate goals from metrics to avoid chasing numbers at the expense of strategy
    ✅ Measure the measurable with rigor to earn credibility for the initiatives you can’t perfectly track
    ✅ AI will transform marketing in three ways: making current work cheaper, unlocking previously uneconomical tactics, and enabling entirely new formats

    Memorable Moments:
    💡 “The decision to change the brand was science. Everything else was art.”
    💡 “We couldn’t test the Meta rebrand—we had to keep it secret.”
    💡 “A metric can never perfectly describe a goal.”
    💡 “Incrementality is everything. If I do something, I want it to make a difference.”

    Brought to you by Mekanism.
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    47 m