This week on After Hours x Above the Fold, I’m joined by my longtime internet friend and professional complainer, Patrick Johnson—engineer, brand builder, and one of the most brutally honest voices in ecomm.

We cover everything from smarter subscription strategies to the death of originality in AI-built websites. Patrick shares what he’s seeing behind the scenes with clients, why most brands copy each other without context, and what actual personalization looks like in 2025.

We also get into founder storytelling (does everyone really need to be the face of their brand?), how to build real community without being cringe, and why bundling isn’t a growth strategy—it’s just vibes if you don’t know your numbers.

If you work in CX, ecomm, or brand strategy—or you’re just tired of beige sites and bloated tech stacks—this episode is packed with takes and tools you can actually use.

🎧 Listen now for insights on building smarter, designing better, and getting real about what works in DTC.

📲 Follow Patrick:

Instagram: @patrickbjohnson

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/patrickbjohnson/

🌐 Keep up with Dear Summer:

Instagram: @dearsummerco_

Website: www.dearsummer.com (sign up for early access)

👋 Enjoying Above the Fold?

Keep the insights coming by subscribing to my newsletter, Sunday Postcards. Each week, I share tips, stories, and strategies that help you unlock the secrets to brand success. Written from my experience in the marketing world, it’s your go-to source for staying ahead of the curve. Subscribe at www.sundaypostcards.co and join the community!

Connect with Jess on:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jess-cervellon

Twitter: x.com/jesscervellon

Instagram: instagram.com/jess.cervellon

This week, I sat down with Lauren Schorr, director of CX at Nestig, to talk about what it actually looks like to build customer experience into the foundation of a brand—not just as a function, but as a mindset.

We dig into why Nestig made CX its very first hire (yes, really), how they’ve scaled without outsourcing, and the difference between answering tickets and owning the entire customer journey. Lauren also breaks down the shift from baby products to kids’ furniture and what that’s meant for how her team communicates, supports, and grows.

If you’re thinking about building a CX team, growing your career in customer experience, or figuring out how to use feedback in a way that actually leads to change, this one’s for you.

🎧 Listen now for tips on team structure, retention beyond emails, and why your PDP probably needs a little more love.

📲 Follow 

Instagram: @aurschorr

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lauren-schorr-69b0101aa/

📲 Follow 

Instagram: @nestig

Website: nestig.com

👋 Enjoying Above the Fold?

Keep the insights coming by subscribing to my newsletter, Sunday Postcards. Each week, I share tips, stories, and strategies that help you unlock the secrets to brand success. Written from my experience in the marketing world, it’s your go-to source for staying ahead of the curve. Subscribe at www.sundaypostcards.co and join the community!

Connect with Jess on:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jess-cervellon

Twitter: x.com/jesscervellon

Instagram: instagram.com/jess.cervellon

✉️ Interested in learning about Hark? Check out our friends here: sendhark.com

Hark brings customer feedback to life with Customer-Generated Content (CGC) and uses AI to identify ways you can optimize your business.

This week, I sat down with Kate Zaman, Senior VP of Partnerships and Marketing at ReserveBar, to talk about what it really takes to build a brand that doesn’t just survive but thrives, especially in a world where consumers expect more than just a pretty label.

We get into career growth, partnerships, luxury e-commerce, why personalization matters more than ever, and how to actually understand your real customer (hint: it’s not always who you think it is).

Kate also shares her journey from being a college brand ambassador to leading partnerships and marketing for some of the biggest names in the wine and spirits industry, plus why early experience in customer service and sales is an underrated advantage if you want to make it in marketing.

If you're building a brand, scaling a business, or sharpening your marketing playbook, this episode is packed with real talk and strategies you’ll actually want to use.

🎧 Listen now for insights on brand loyalty, personalization, and why luxury brands are winning by keeping it real.

📲 Follow 

Instagram: @kateeliza23

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kzaman917/

📲 Follow 

Instagram: @reservebarspirits

Website: https://www.reservebar.com/

👋 Enjoying Above the Fold?

Keep the insights coming by subscribing to my newsletter, Sunday Postcards. Each week, I share tips, stories, and strategies that help you unlock the secrets to brand success. Written from my experience in the marketing world, it’s your go-to source for staying ahead of the curve. Subscribe at www.sundaypostcards.co and join the community!

Connect with Jess on:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jess-cervellon

Twitter: x.com/jesscervellon

Instagram: instagram.com/jess.cervellon

This week on After Hours x Above the Fold, I sat down with my girl Dillon Duchesne, senior partnerships lead at Yotpo and co-founder of Midcoast, to talk about what actually makes a partnership work (hint: it’s not just a logo swap and a handshake).

We get into Dillon’s wild career path—from 11 years as a runway model to crushing tech sales—and how that experience taught her the kind of relationship-building that most people skip over. We also talk about the power of being underestimated, why referrals can change everything, and how partnerships can either be a flywheel or a full-blown mess.

Plus, we dig into why “better together” isn’t just a tagline, what makes a brand collab flop, and how being top-of-mind is actually a retention strategy. We also spill a little Midcoast tea, share what we don’t want to see at events anymore, and talk about building the kind of community we always wished existed.

If you're in tech, sales, partnerships, or just trying to work with people who don’t make you cringe—this one’s for you.

🎧 Listen now for gems on partnerships, career pivots, community building, and why relationship-first is the real growth strategy.

📲 Follow 

Instagram: @dilllpicklesss

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/dillon-duchesne-215544206/

📲 Follow 

Instagram: @yotpo

Website: https://www.yotpo.com/

📲 Follow 

Instagram: @midcoastcommunity 

Website: https://midcoast.community/

👋 Enjoying Above the Fold?

Keep the insights coming by subscribing to my newsletter, Sunday Postcards. Each week, I share tips, stories, and strategies that help you unlock the secrets to brand success. Written from my experience in the marketing world, it’s your go-to source for staying ahead of the curve. Subscribe at www.sundaypostcards.co and join the community!

Connect with Jess on:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jess-cervellon

Twitter: x.com/jesscervellon

Instagram: instagram.com/jess.cervellon

This week on Above The Fold, I sat down with my girl Lindsay Kolinsky, Director of Marketing at Okendo, to talk about what most brands are doing wrong when it comes to understanding their customers.

We get into why reviews are just the beginning, how to use micro-surveys the right way, and why personalization should feel like a vibe—not a tactic. Plus, we dig into why NPS is wildly underused in e-commerce, how to actually make your community work for you, and the biggest CX red flags most marketers miss.

Lindsay also shares her POV on moderation, 1-star reviews (keep 'em!), and why every post-checkout survey needs a glow-up. If you're building a brand and want your customer insights to do more than collect dust in a dashboard, this one's for you.

Listen now for practical tips on surveys, personalization, loyalty, and what it really takes to turn your customers into super fans.

📲 Follow 

Instagram: @lindsaykolinsta

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lindsay-kolinsky/

📲 Follow 

Instagram: @getokendo 

Website: https://okendo.io/

👋 Enjoying Above the Fold?

Keep the insights coming by subscribing to my newsletter, Sunday Postcards. Each week, I share tips, stories, and strategies that help you unlock the secrets to brand success. Written from my experience in the marketing world, it’s your go-to source for staying ahead of the curve. Subscribe at www.sundaypostcards.co and join the community!

Connect with Jess on:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jess-cervellon

Twitter: x.com/jesscervellon

Instagram: instagram.com/jess.cervellon

This week on Above The Fold, I’m in NYC catching up with my new friend and fellow startup nerd, Adam Simone—co-founder of Leaf Shave and Smoosh. We get into what it really means to build product-first brands and why having strong opinions might actually be a founder’s best tool.

We talk about his mechanical engineering background and how it led to building a shaving brand that doesn’t suck, and why their second brand, Smoosh, turned into a surprise hit with a totally different audience.

Adam breaks down the chaos and clarity of launching two brands with one small team, why TikTok turned on them (lol, truly), and how staying product-led keeps the vision clear—even when the market throws curveballs.

If you’re trying to scale something meaningful, juggle two brands, or just need a reminder that not every decision needs a focus group, this one’s for you.

Listen now for insights on product development, startup reality checks, and the joy of building weird stuff that works.

📲 Follow 

Instagram: @adam_simone

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/adamsimone/

📲 Follow 

Instagram: @leafshave & @getsmoosh

Website: https://leafshave.com/ & https://getsmoosh.com/

👋 Enjoying Above the Fold?

Keep the insights coming by subscribing to my newsletter, Sunday Postcards. Each week, I share tips, stories, and strategies that help you unlock the secrets to brand success. Written from my experience in the marketing world, it’s your go-to source for staying ahead of the curve. Subscribe at www.sundaypostcards.co and join the community!

Connect with Jess on:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jess-cervellon

Twitter: x.com/jesscervellon

Instagram: instagram.com/jess.cervellon

This week, I sat down with Olivia Laskowski, This week, I sat down with Olivia Laskowski, aka Liv—Brand and Partnerships Manager at Cometeer and certified coffee nerd—to talk about what it actually means to build a brand with substance (and caffeine).

We got into the frozen coffee magic that makes Cometeer different, why brand teams should be in the room way earlier, and how a kiosk in the Mall at Short Hills turned into their best acquisition channel. Spoiler: mall culture is back.

Liv shares her take on content that doesn’t feel like homework, CX as a brand-building machine (shoutout Sean), and how to educate customers without giving a full-on TED Talk. Oh, and if your brand book still lives in a Dropbox folder labeled “v2_final_FINAL”? Yeah…we’re talking to you.

Whether you’re building a brand, running CX, or just need a coffee that slaps—this one’s full of gems.

Listen now for insights on content, customer experience, and how to make your brand actually feel something.

FREE COFFEE FOR ATF LISTENERS https://cometeer.com/zCovzi

📲 Follow

Instagram: @olivialaskowski

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/olivialaskowski/

📲 Follow

Instagram: @cometeer

Website: cometeer.com

👋 Enjoying Above the Fold

Keep the insights coming by subscribing to my newsletter, Sunday Postcards. Each week, I share tips, stories, and strategies that help you unlock the secrets to brand success. Written from my experience in the marketing world, it’s your go-to source for staying ahead of the curve. Subscribe at www.sundaypostcards.co and join the community!

Connect with Jess on:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jess-cervellon

Twitter: x.com/jesscervellon

Instagram: instagram.com/jess.cervellon

This week, I sat down with Kate Reeder, COO and Head of Brand at United Sodas, to talk about what it really takes to build a brand that stands out in a crowded market. Spoiler: it’s more than just cool packaging.

We get into the magic of minimalism, why startups make you wear every hat possible (yes, even HR), and how United Sodas accidentally became the perfect gift. Kate shares her story - going from brand marketing to running an entire business, the unexpected challenges of shipping carbonated drinks (logistics is no joke), and why great branding is all about making people feel something.

If you're building a brand, running a startup, or just wondering why your favorite soda looks so good on your fridge shelf, this episode is packed with insights you can actually use.

Listen now for tips on brand strategy, customer experience, and why sometimes, less really is more.

📲 Follow 

Instagram: @kreeder628

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kate-reeder-419b6640/

📲 Follow 

Instagram: @unitedsodas

Website: unitedsodas.com

👋 Enjoying Above the Fold?

Keep the insights coming by subscribing to my newsletter, Sunday Postcards. Each week, I share tips, stories, and strategies that help you unlock the secrets to brand success. Written from my experience in the marketing world, it’s your go-to source for staying ahead of the curve. Subscribe at www.sundaypostcards.co and join the community!

Connect with Jess on:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jess-cervellon

Twitter: x.com/jesscervellon

Instagram: instagram.com/jess.cervellon

✨ In this episode of Above the Fold, I sit down with Jessica Rose Garcia—aka J-Rose—Head of CX at OneSkin, to talk about what really makes customers stick around. Spoiler: It’s not just fast email responses.

We dive deep into:

💡 How J-Rose went from working at Gold’s Gym to leading CX at some of the biggest brands in DTC

📈 Why most brands completely fumble retention—and what they should be doing instead

🛍️ The difference between CX in e-commerce vs. other industries

🔬 The science behind OneSkin and why J-Rose is obsessed with it

💬 How CX teams can actually make an impact instead of just putting out fires all-day

😂 Some wild CX stories that you don’t want to miss

👉 Hit play for insights on customer experience, retention, and how to build a brand people actually love.

And one last thing… this episode marks ONE YEAR of Above The Fold Podcast! I love and appreciate you all that tune in every week. 

📲 Follow J-Rose:

Instagram: @heartstarkid

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jessica-rose-garcia-95a38289

📲 Follow OneSkin:

Instagram: @oneskin.co

Website: linkedin.com/company/oneskin

✨ Want More Like This?

Subscribe for more founder stories, marketing insights, and behind-the-scenes action in the world of CPG, brand strategy, and customer experience!

About Sunday Postcards

Enjoying the show? Keep the insights flowing by subscribing to my newsletter, Sunday Postcards. Each week, I share tips, stories, and strategies to help you unlock brand success. Subscribe at www.sundaypostcards.co and join the community.

👋 Connect with Jess:

 • LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jess-cervellon 

 • Twitter: https://x.com/jesscervellon 

 • Instagram: instagram.com/jess.cervellon 

👍 Like, comment, and subscribe for more insights on brand-building, customer experience, and business growth!

This week, we sat down with Ali Rose VanOverbeke to talk about what it really takes to build a brand that people actually care about—beyond just running ads and chasing conversions.

We get into creative direction, brand loyalty, and why e-commerce is starting to feel like one big copy-paste formula. Ali’s seen it all—from designing for billion-dollar brands to launching her own sustainable eyewear company to leading growth at Kadeya, a company redefining beverage retail.

She shares the hard lessons from running a mission-driven business, why good branding goes beyond aesthetics, and how data and personalization are shaping the next era of CX. Plus, we dive into hot takes on Alex Cooper’s Unwell, Alex Earle’s rumored alcohol brand, and why creator-led businesses aren’t always what they seem.

If you’re building a brand, scaling a business, or just tired of every e-commerce brand looking the same, this episode is packed with insight you can actually use.

Listen now for real talk on brand strategy, CX, and why creative storytelling still matters.

📲 Follow Ali:

Instagram: @alirosevan

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ali-rose-vanoverbeke/

📲 Follow Kadeya:

Instagram: @kadeya.club

Website: www.kadeya.com

👋 Enjoying Above the Fold?

Keep the insights coming by subscribing to my newsletter, Sunday Postcards. Each week, I share tips, stories, and strategies that help you unlock the secrets to brand success. Written from my experience in the marketing world, it’s your go-to source for staying ahead of the curve. Subscribe at www.sundaypostcards.co and join the community!

Connect with Jess on:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jess-cervellon

Twitter: x.com/jesscervellon

Instagram: instagram.com/jess.cervellon