In today’s episode, the doctor is in, Jess Gaedeke sits down to chat with Rochelle Wainer, the Senior Vice President of Global Insights & Analytics for Kids 2 where she works with brands such as Ingenuity, Bright Starts, and Baby Einstein. Rochelle has a Ph.D. in Child Developmental Psychology and more than 25 years of experience with retail channels and brands including Mattel and PepsiCo. She has a history of developing actionable consumer and shopper insights and a passion for child development. 

Listen in while Jess and Rochelle discuss how empathy plays an integral role in building products for children and families, what the future of work looks like for today’s children and how parents can prepare them for it, and what Kids2 is doing to help with their future. 

Rochelle’s Bio: 

Rochelle Wainer is currently the Senior Vice President of Global Insights and analytics for Kids2. She leads a team that represents the voice of the consumer and shopper and delivers marketplace trends for all cross-functional teams. Rochelle is the author of the learning theories and white papers for each of the Kids2 brands and has co-hosted Instagram live sessions as an expert on tummy time and play.  

 Rochelle is a strategy and insights leader with more than 25 years of experience spanning industries, retail channels and brands. She has first class research knowledge and expertise in qualitative and quantitative methods as well as moderating. Rochelle is skilled at using research to answer complex problems and story-telling with strategic insights. She has a history of developing actionable consumer and shopper insights that lead to successful programs, new products and opportunities.   

Rochelle has worked in insights leadership roles for Mattel and PepsiCo and started her own consulting business, Real World Insights, Inc. Her role at Kids2 allows her to incorporate her love of toys and consumer products with her expertise in child development. 

Rochelle began her career as a trained child and developmental psychologist, earning a Bachelor of Arts from University at Albany and both a Master’s and Ph.D. from The University of Connecticut. She is an experienced presenter and recognized for her expertise in families (kids, teens, parents), generational theory and consumer psychology. Her research passion is applying family psychology to the real world.  

Rochelle is from New York but currently resides in Alpharetta, GA with her husband, 3 boys and 2 beagles.    

The Baby Einstein whitepaper Rochelle references, Sparking Children's Curiosity is in Baby Einstein's DNA, can be found here.

Welcome to season two of the Gutsiest Brands podcast!  We are back with more guts and more brands, and we are delighted to bring you a new collection of engaging stories and lessons from some of the world’s leading brands and brand leaders.  

In today’s episode, Jess Gaedeke sits down to chat with Attica Jaques, a brand marketing leader who has worked with some of the gutsiest brands in the business. Attica has worked for global icons like Google, Under Armour, Gap, and PRADA.  

Listen in while Jess and Attica discuss how including diverse perspectives can help build a successful and lasting brand, how people are the center of everything, and how the beauty industry has set the standard for diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

Attica Bio: 

Attica Alexis Jaques is a game-changing brand marketing leader with 20+ years of experience driving growth for global icons such Google, Under Armour, Gap Inc, and PRADA. 

A sought-after thought leader, Attica drives business results while putting people first. She sits on the Board of Brilliant Earth and is a Founding Member of Chief NY and San Francisco. 

At Google, she led Brand Marketing across Consumer Apps with award-winning campaigns for Google Search. As Under Armour’s SVP of Global Brand Marketing, she managed brand strategy across all sports divisions worldwide. 

Attica is a global citizen having worked in San Francisco, Tokyo, Milan, and New York. She holds an MC from Columbia University and BA from UCLA. 

Go to the Gutsiest Brands website for more information on the Gutsiest Brands podcast

Check out the Gustiest Brands playlist on Spotify to hear the songs selected by our season 1 guests, this season the playlist is only getting better. 

This season we’re back with more guts and more brands, and are delighted to bring you a new collection of engaging stories and lessons from some of the world’s leading brands and brand leaders.  Subscribe to Gutsiest Brands and tune in every 3 weeks to hear a new interview with a dynamic guest.

Season two kicks off Thursday, August 31st  with the brilliant Attica Jaques, a brand marketing leader who has worked at global icons such as Google, Under Armour, Gap, and PRADA.  

For a little inspiration before it airs, check out the Gustiest Brands playlist on Spotify to hear the songs selected by our season 1 guests. This season the playlist is only getting better!

In today’s episode GutCheck’s CRO Jess Gaedeke sits down to chat with Miguel Garcia Castillo, named one of Forbes The Next 1000 in 2021. He’s also the founder and principal at c/olabworks an independent venture and brand studio specialized in emerging categories and cultural trends. 

Listen in while Jess and Miguel discuss what’s important to Gen Z, how market research plays an essential role in his business, and his role in helping founders and brands evolve, change, and improve. 

Miguel’s Bio 

Miguel Garcia Castillo is the founder and principal at c/olabworks (colabworks.co), an independent venture and brand studio specialized in emerging categories and culture trends.  

Miguels was highlighted in the Forbes 2021 The Next 1000, entrepreneurs redefining the American Dream. He is an executive-level leader with experience in brand development, marketing, and customer experience for Fortune 500 companies and purpose-led ventures. Miguel and c/olabworks consider themselves right in the intersection between culture, community, and purpose. 

Brands discussed in today’s episode: 

• Pipeline Health, a community-based hospital system 
• WOO Tattoo After/Care Treatment 
• We’re Not Really Strangers. 
• Rare Beauty 
• Serendipity Brands 
• Nike 

Check out the Gutsiest Brands Playlist on Spotify to hear Miguel’s song choice and all of the songs recommended by the guests of our show. 

In today’s episode GutCheck’s CEO Rob Wengel sits down with Grace Jeon the founding CEO of JUST Goods, Inc, Jaden Smith’s eco-friendly company, former SVP of FIJI Water, current Head of New Ventures at KeepCool, a company dedicated to protecting the environment through reusable shopping bags, and an advisor for SRVE and Sweetwater Energy.   

Listen in while Grace walks us through her journey of taking amazing ideas and bringing them to life during her experience navigating the waters of two major ventures: Just Water and Fiji Water. She proves that success doesn’t just come from a unique product idea, it takes hard work and a little of scrappiness for it to reach its full potential. We also get to learn more about her passion for working with sustainable products and her secret hobby, spoiler alert it has to do with URLs. Oh, and what is the sexy side of marketing? – tune in and Grace will tell you. 

In today’s episode GutCheck’s CRO Jess Gaedeke sits down to chat with Rob Volpe, the CEO of Ignite 360, a market research company founded on the principles of curiosity and empathy. 

Listen in while Jess and Rob discuss how incorporating empathy into their core offerings helped Ignite 360’s clients break through and genuinely connect with their consumers, how leaning into innovation even in uncertain economic times is essential, and how to have more than just a transactional relationship with your client partners through the art of simply asking questions. 

Rob’s Bio: 

Rob Volpe is an astute observer of life and a master storyteller who brings empathy and compassion to the human experience. As CEO of Ignite 360, he leads a team of insights, strategy, and creative professionals serving the world’s leading brands across a range of industries. He is the author of Tell Me More About That: Solving the Empathy Crisis One Conversation at a Time. As a thought leader in the role of empathy in marketing and the workplace, he is a contributor to Entrepreneur’s Leadership Network and frequently speaks on the topic at conferences, corporations, colleges, podcasts and with the media. He is a graduate of Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and lives in San Francisco with his husband and 3 cats.

In today’s episode GutCheck CEO Rob Wengel sits down with Anouk Gotlib, the CEO of Belgian boys to discuss how she went from a career in fashion design to CEO of a tasty treat and breakfast company, how one plane ride changed her life, and how truly understanding how your audience feels about your product can help change your trajectory. 

Anouck’s Bio 

Anouck Gotlib, CEO of Belgian Boys, is on a mission to turn up the happy - one sweet treat and delicious breakfast at a time. Launched in 2015, Belgian Boys is in the business of fun, offering their delicious products in 5000 stores and online. She leads a passionate team dedicated to growing more than just a revenue-driven business - creating joy for customers and spreading sweetness in people's lives. 

Anouck was born in Antwerp, Belgium and studied fashion design before working at fashion houses including Zac Posen and Natan. Anouck spent long nights and weekends working with her husband Greg to launch the brand before stepping away from fashion and into entrepreneurship full time. In 2019 she became the company’s CEO. 

Anouck was named an EY Woman in 2021 and Belgian Boys has made the INC 5000 Fastest Growing Companies list in both 2020 and 2021. Anouck and Greg live in Brooklyn, NY with their two sons who start each day with Belgian Boys mini pancakes. 

To learn more about what it means to be gutsy, check out the Gutsiest Brands webpage.    

Check out Anouck’s recommended song, and songs picked by our previous guests, by visiting the Spotify – Gutsiest Brands Podcast Playlist. Be sure to like, follow and share! 

On this week’s episode, GutCheck’s CRO Jess Gaedeke had the chance to speak with Sudha Ranganathan, the Director of Product Marketing on the Talent Solutions business at LinkedIn.  

Listen in while Jess and Sudha discuss the importance of compassionate leadership, why making room for internal mobility is essential, and what exactly the recipe for a great leader is. 

Kick back and enjoy another episode of the Gutsiest Brands podcast.  

Sudha’s Bio: 

Sudha has 17+ years of experience in marketing organizations at companies like P&G, Nielsen and PayPal. She is currently a Director of Product Marketing on the Talent Solutions business at LinkedIn where her team helps employers across the world hire and develop strong talent in a new world of work. She is an advocate for Customer Centric marketing thanks to her early career in Consumer Insights before she transitioned to Product Marketing. She has a strong track record as a leader who develops high performing, psychologically safe teams. She is also a trained CTI (Co-active Training Institute) coach with a passion for unlocking the highest potential within individuals and teams. 

Links referred to in episode: 

• Stripe layoff email 
• LinkedIn "What does it mean to be professional" campaign 
• Ariel "Share the Load” campaign with subtitles 
• Jeff Weiner on Compassionate Leadership 

To learn more about what it means to be gutsy, check out the Gutsiest Brands webpage.   

Check out Sudha’s recommended song, and songs picked by our previous guests, by visiting the Spotify – Gutsiest Brands Podcast Playlist. Be sure to like, follow and share!