He's never been the quietest person in the room, and that's exactly why we wanted him here. Lou Paskalis has spent three decades at the intersection of marketing, media, and accountability. He's launched Small Business Saturday at American Express, pioneered brand safety models at Bank of America, and now runs his own consultancy advising two dozen clients on go-to-market strategy. He is the Chief Strategy Officer, Ad Fontes Media, and never the quietest in the room.

This week, host Lauren Douglass sits down with Lou for a conversation that cuts through the noise and industry BS. They talk about why marketing is broken, how CFOs gutted brand budgets and now realize they made a mistake, and why artificial scarcity in the tech stack is holding everyone back.

Lou also gets real about journalism, news deserts, and why brands are leaving money on the table by not advertising in news. He shares an optimistic take on AI, and what young people getting into this industry right now should be excited about.

This is a conversation with someone who has strong opinions and isn't afraid to say what he thinks. If you're in marketing, media, or just want to understand how things got so messy, this one's for you.

Courage isn't the absence of fear. It's conquering it anyway. Carolina Cespedes Virguez is the SVP General Manager of GoGo squeeZ in the U.S., running a $650 million business with the mission of taking it to $1 billion. But getting here was a journey. It meant learning new languages, navigating unfamiliar cultures, and saying yes to things before she felt ready. All while dealing with imposter syndrome and going home at night wondering if she could pull it all off. This week, host Lauren Douglass sits down with Carolina to talk about confidence, courage, and how leadership gets built by being willing to step into rooms where you're not sure you belong in. They dig into the moments when you question yourself, managing energy instead of time, and why you need to define what "having it all" means for you personally. This is a conversation about growth, identity, and figuring things out in real time. If you're navigating something uncomfortable or just trying to show up as yourself, this one's for you. Let's get into it.

If you'd rather try and fail really hard than not try at all, then you have the soul of an entrepreneur. This week's story dives right into that.

Lee Evans Lee is the founder & CEO of Mrs Momma Bear, a clothing brand built around the idea that women shouldn't have to choose between comfort and looking polished. Everything is made from athleisure fabrics but tailored in an elevated English style: think workout material with the silhouette of Chanel. A fifth-generation rancher, Lee Evans Lee figured out how to blend performance and comfort with modern style.

On this week's episode, host Lauren Douglass sits down with Lee to talk about what it takes to build something from scratch, how she spent two years on R&D without telling anyone what she was doing, and why protecting the energy of your idea matters. They dig into perseverance through the dark nights, selling one garment at a trunk show and still showing up the next day, and how the sweet ain't so sweet without the sour.

Lee opens up about growing up on a goat ranch in West Texas and why she approaches business with both spreadsheets and spirituality. This is a conversation about following your heart, building something meaningful, and finding joy in the struggle, not just at the finish line.

If you're building something, thinking about starting something, or just believe that the journey matters more than the destination, this one's for you.

This week's episode is a little different. Host Lauren Douglass sits down with Lacey Tucker, whose TikTok series documenting her marriage unraveling has captivated millions. What started as a relationship that seemed picture-perfect slowly turned into something much darker: a pattern of lies, manipulation, financial abuse, and moments that were not just confusing, but dangerous. Lacey shares how she met her ex-husband, moved to California, and over time found herself trapped in a web of deception. Hidden children, missing inheritance money, tens of thousands in debt in her name, police warrants. And through it all, the incremental erosion of her reality, her independence, and her sense of self. But this isn't just a story about what happened. It's about what comes after. How do you start to trust yourself again when someone has manipulated you for years? How do you rebuild when you're left with nothing but debt, two young children, and no resources? And how do you find the courage to share your story publicly when you're still in the middle of it? If you've ever been in a situation where you doubted yourself, stayed longer than you should have, or felt like you were losing your grip on reality, this conversation will resonate. This is Lacey's story: raw, honest, and still unfolding.

You're not building a business, you're solving a problem. Shiv Gupta is the Founder and CEO of U of Digital, and he's spent the last eight years learning that lesson the hard way. This week, host Lauren Douglass sits down with Shiv to talk about business fundamentals, staying focused when you want to do everything, and why the best companies lead with problems, not solutions. They dig into what it takes to go from corporate to entrepreneur, why revenue is a hell of a drug, and how to avoid getting too high or too low when things are constantly changing. Shiv opens up about the moment he got laid off and decided to start his own thing, the mistake he made at 25 trying to start a company, and why laser focus on one specific problem is how you build credibility from scratch. This is a conversation about consistency, problem solving, fluidity, and showing up every day...even when you lose a client or things feel personal. If you're building a business, thinking about starting one, or just want to hear about what it takes to build one, this one's for you.

The best salespeople aren't selling at all, they're listening.

Lucy Markowitz is the SVP and GM of US Marketplace at Vistar Media, and she's spent her career mastering the art of getting people on board. This week, host Lauren Douglass sits down with Lucy to talk about what separates a great seller from an average one, and it's not tactics or scripts. It's how you show up, how you listen, and how you help people feel bought into something rather than pushed.

They dig into why building relationships overrise closing transactions, how to approach sales from a place of genuine belief, and why being present in every aspect of your life is what matters most. Lucy talks about her transition from finance to ad tech, why she only sells things she believes in, and drops some great advice for young women trying to navigate their careers.

This is a conversation about chemistry, energy, and creating symbiosis in your business and your life. If you're building something, leading a team, or just trying to get better at communicating your vision, this one's for you.

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.