Midterm elections are in T minus 6 days. Politicians are trying to convince you to hire them. And behind every politician...is a communications director helping them get the word out. So we brought in two of them to talk to us about how they do their jobs -- and how they made it to the top of the political game. Episode 1: AshLee Strong. AshLee has worked in communications roles all over Washington, from the House of Representatives, to the Senate, to the White House. She was even the senior communications director for Governor Scott Walker’s (R-WI) 2016 presidential run. These days, she’s the national press secretary for one of the most powerful Republicans in the country: House Speaker Paul Ryan. On the couch, she talks to us about what a comms director actually is, how she created a network in Washington, and what it’s like to disagree with your boss...when he’s the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

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When Sylvia Acevedo was 7 years old, she was a Girl Scout. One night, her troop leader caught her looking up at the stars...and encouraged her to pursue that interest. Sylvia took that advice. And became a rocket scientist at NASA right out of college. Eventually, she switched tracks and went down the business-leadership path. She’s been a leader at companies like Dell, Apple, and IBM, and she even worked for the White House. But since 2016, Sylvia has been the CEO of Girl Scouts, where she’s helped build out the Scouts’ alumni network, and introduced new badges and programming around STEM. And yes, she’s earned her science badge along the way. On the couch, she talks to us about being a servant leader, investing in herself, and being persistent...at cookie sales and beyond.

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Katie Couric is one of the most recognized faces in journalism today. You’re probably one of the millions of people who have tuned in to one of Katie’s shows over the years, whether that was “Getting There” with us at theSkimm, the TODAY Show, or the CBS Evening News. Which -- by the way -- made her the first solo female anchor of a major nightly news broadcast. But that’s not where her story starts: Katie started out by interning at local news stations in high school. And after college, she worked as a desk assistant. The rest is history. On the couch, she talks to us about her most memorable interviews, being persistent, and getting told she’d never make it on air.

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Tory Burch is the founder, chairman, and CEO of … Tory Burch. You know her as the woman (and the name) behind so many of your favorite clothes. But way before she created those iconic Reva flats, she built a career in fashion PR, working for designers like Ralph Lauren and Vera Wang. Tory eventually made the switch from PR… to designing her own clothes, and running her own business. That was 2004. These days, her clothes are sold in more than 250 Tory Burch stores and over 3,000 department and specialty stores around the world. In 2009, she launched the Tory Burch Foundation to help empower female entrepreneurs. And now, she’s got a brand new initiative to help get out the vote. On the couch, she talks to us about how to negotiate, her Oprah moment, and taking negative feedback when your brand is your name. 

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You might know Taraji P Henson as Cookie on “Empire,” or from her roles in movies like “Hustle and Flow” and “Hidden Figures.” But you might not know the rest of Taraji’s story. She’s always wanted to be an actor. But she didn’t take her passion seriously until she flunked out of precalculus in college. After school, she moved to Los Angeles to chase her dreams -- with just $700 in her pocket. And she made it happen. Now, Taraji’s using her voice to create change in a new way. She started the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation to tackle the stigma around mental health in the African American community. On the couch, she talks to us about rejection, not giving into fear, and what it’s like to negotiate in a quickly-changing Hollywood.

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Nancy Brinker started the Susan G Komen Foundation in 1982 after her sister was diagnosed with breast cancer. Back then, she had just $200 and a list of potential donors. Now, it’s one of the largest cancer charities in the world. In the 40 years since the organization got started, Nancy and the foundation have raised $3 billion to help fund cancer research. On the couch, she talks to us about starting the Susan G Komen Foundation, motivating a team, and taking breast cancer from a taboo subject… to a national cause.

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Christina Tosi started baking at home with her family. And after going to college for applied mathematics, she decided to get back to those baking roots. She went to culinary school and worked in a few different restaurants around NYC. Eventually, Christina landed at Momofuku – where she started the franchise’s first bakery, Milk Bar. She serves as its founder and CEO. Today, the bakery has expanded all across North America, and it’s earned Christina a spot on the show “MasterChef.” On the couch, she talks to us about finding mentors, thriving under pressure, and baking as stress relief.

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Susan Lyne’s career isn’t easy to Skimm. She grew up in Boston, and after going to college for a while, decided to skip school and get straight into her career. Susan was a journalist. Then she switched into entertainment, and even started her own magazine. Since then, she’s been an exec at major companies like Gilt, AOL, Martha Stewart, and ABC. Meaning, yes, you can thank her for “Grey’s Anatomy.” In 2014, Susan made another change: she started her own venture capital firm to invest in companies with female founders. It’s called BBG – Built By Girls. On the couch, she talks to us about networking (cough, stalking) your way to the career you want, prioritizing your time, and why introverts make great leaders.

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Kat Cole started her career as a waitress at Hooters. At first, she was just helping out her family. But in her second year of college, she decided to turn that side hustle...into her main hustle. So she went to work at Hooters corporate instead of graduating. And at 20 years old, she was helping the company open franchises all over the world. A couple years later, Kat became a VP at the company. Eventually, she got a business degree and took over at Cinnabon, where she helped grow the biz to a billion-dollar brand. Now she’s the President and COO of FOCUS brands, aka the parent co of companies like Cinnabon and Auntie Anne’s Pretzels. On the couch, she talks to us about addressing negative feedback, choosing to go to business school without a BA, and “the brutal leadership mirror”. We’ll let her explain.

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Margaret Brennan is the moderator of “Face the Nation” and a senior correspondent for CBS. But she didn’t always plan to be a journalist. At first, Margaret thought she wanted to be a diplomat, so she studied foreign affairs, the Mideast -- she even learned Arabic. But then she interned at CNN in college. And decided journalism was the path for her. Since then, she’s covered business news for CNBC and Bloomberg TV. At CBS, she’s covered everything from nuclear negotiations to US tensions with North Korea. On the couch, we flip the script and ask Margaret the questions. She talks to us about what it’s like to cover Washington, thinking through maternity leave, and the responsibility to cheer on younger women.  

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