This week, Away CEO Jessica Schinazi takes us behind one of the most recognizable names in travel — and what it takes to keep building when the market moves faster than ever.

00:00: Introduction

02:04: From Brazil and France to building a life in New York

02:41: How family dynamics shaped Jessica’s leadership style

03:16: Leadership lessons from Dyson, Amazon and LVMH

06:09: Away’s brand strategy and competitive advantage

08:48: Joining Away at a pivotal moment

11:11: How Away navigated previous leadership challenges and COVID

14:18: Jessica’s approach to fostering a positive company culture

16:17: First priorities as CEO: Why Jessica spent her first year visiting every Away store and factory before putting her strategy in place

19:07 Ad

20:06: Where Away sees opportunity in the market

21:05: Away’s social media and lifestyle marketing strategy

23:32: How brands can navigate copycats and dupes

26:09 Ad

27:31: How Away navigates challenges in a volatile business landscape

29:08: How Away, a poster child of the DTC boom, is expanding into retail and wholesale

32:22: Finding the balance between DTC and wholesale

33:58: Away’s brand partnership strategy

36:48: How Away is rethinking its products around different travelers' pain points — including with a new so-called “closet on wheels”

38:13: Away’s expansion into softside luggage and new categories

41:33: Away’s international growth and localization strategy

45:05: How Away is approaching AI for business and travel

47:28: How Jessica balances daily priorities for sustainable growth

49:30: Jessica's response to potential IPO plans

50:08: Jessica’s 10-year vision for Away

52:17: Audience question

53:46: Rapid-fire round

This episode is brought to you by our show sponsors:

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🎙️ About Behind the Business

Behind the Business is a Webby Award-winning, thoughtfully produced video podcast grounded in the belief that business is in fact personal. This is not a fawning interview show. We pair deep research with thorough interviews — asking the real questions and avoiding fluff, while keeping it fun! What’s the toughest day you’ve ever had at work? How did you get started when you practically had no money? Or how do you mentally prep for a big event? In each episode, guests get into it all. Each episode also connects guests with young founders who send in a question. New episodes Thursdays.

About Michelle Toh

Instagram: / bymichelletoh

TikTok: / behindthebusinessshow

#ceo #leadership #management #consumerbrands #brandstory #strategy #corporatestrategy #commercialstrategy #travelindustry #lugggage #vc #scaling #womeninbusiness #femaleleadership #business #businesspodcast #away

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This week’s guest is Peloton CEO & President Peter Stern. He takes us inside the company’s push to reinvent itself after its post-pandemic struggles — including its latest move into gyms.

Peloton became one of the biggest winners in business during the pandemic, but as consumers returned to gyms and life moved on, the company faced a very different reality.

Stern, a former Apple executive who helped create Apple Fitness+, calls the Peloton job a “dream” opportunity.

In his first year as CEO, Stern has set out to “refound” Peloton around a broader connected wellness ecosystem spanning fitness, mental wellbeing, sleep and recovery.

Plus, Stern shares how he manages Wall Street pressure, the “25” system he uses to help his team sift through priorities, the “one-touch” rule that keeps his inbox from piling up, and where he ultimately wants to take Peloton.

In this conversation, we discuss:

42:29: Overhauling its entire product lineup and launching four new products in 10 months

45:03: The “one-touch” rule Peter uses to manage his inbox

This episode is brought to you by Long Angle: https://www.longangle.com/business

🚀 Season 2 of Behind the Business is here, featuring the leaders of brands including Airbnb, Rivian, NYSE, Canva, Samsung, Poppi, Peloton, Revolve, Lucid Motors, PHLUR, The Points Guy and Away. New episodes Thursdays.

👇🏼 SUBSCRIBE + FOLLOW:

YouTube: https://bit.ly/YTBTB

Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/3IFGuIA

Spotify: https://bit.ly/SpotiBTB

Amazon Music: http://bit.ly/4pPZZPp

🎙️About Behind the BusinessBehind the Business is a Webby Award-winning, thoughtfully produced video podcast grounded in the belief that business is in fact personal. This is not a fawning interview show. We pair deep research with thorough interviews — asking the real questions and avoiding fluff, while keeping it fun! What’s the toughest day you’ve ever had at work? How did you get started when you practically had no money? Or how do you mentally prep for a big event? In each episode, guests get into it all. Each episode also connects guests with young founders who send in a question. New episodes Thursdays.About Michelle TohMichelle is an award-winning international journalist, most recently a longtime reporter at CNN. She's covered top stories in global business, including the chip and trade wars, world-leading IPOs, the corporate response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Europe's energy crisis and China's property problems. Previously, she was with FORTUNE. She has reported for The New York Times, TIME and South China Morning Post.

Find her on Instagram: / bymichelletoh

TikTok: / behindthebusinessshow

#ceo #leadership #management #consumerbrands #brandstory #strategy #corporatestrategy #commercialstrategy #fitnessindustry #wellnessindustry #software #hardware #exercise #siliconvalley #vc #scaling #turnaround #business #businesspodcast

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Joining us this week is Cameron Adams, co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Canva — the company that has simplified online design and become one of the world’s fastest-growing tech platforms.

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Joining us this week is The Points Guy founder Brian Kelly.

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Joining us this week is Poppi co-founder Allison Ellsworth, who takes us behind the rise of one of America's fastest-growing beverage brands — from a kitchen counter experiment to a nearly $2 billion acquisition by PepsiCo.

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Joining me this week is RJ Scaringe, founder & CEO of Rivian, the electric automaker backed by Amazon and Volkswagen.

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“An estimated 30-35% of the global economy are black and gray markets.”

22:23: Dream story

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bymichelletohTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@behindthebusinessshow

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The US makes up almost 50% of global market cap. Yet over the past three decades, the number of American public companies has declined dramatically.

So says this week’s guest, NYSE Chief Development Officer Chris Taylor, who joins us for our new “3 Pressing Questions” segment.

After years of a quieter IPO market, there are signs momentum is returning — with a surge in new equity offerings and investors watching the debuts of big names like SpaceX, OpenAI and Anthropic.

We headed to the New York Stock Exchange to unpack:

🌍 What’s really driving global stock markets right now?

🔔 What’s next for the US IPO market as attention turns to companies like SpaceX, OpenAI and Anthropic?

🤖 Are we in an AI bubble?Plus: Chris shares what founders should know if they dream of ringing the bell on Wall Street one day.

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We are back! Our first guest of the new season is Airbnb co-founder & Chief Strategy Officer Nathan Blecharczyk.

Airbnb now spans almost every country in the world.

In this conversation, we dive into:

00:00: Introduction

03:51: Teaching himself to code at age 12 and becoming an entrepreneur at age 14

05:52: First job and learning 'what not to do' at a startup

07:35: Meeting fellow Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia as his roommate through Craigslist

08:01: The birth of Airbnb

11:02: Handling skepticism, rejection from friends and investors

13:36: Pitch deck advice from OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman

20:53: Applying and getting into Y Combinator

25:35: Advice from YC founder Paul Graham on doing things that don't scale

30:33: 'War time mode': Fending off a European clone

37:56: Delayed IPO - eventually going public in one of the most successful debuts in tech history

38:39: 80% revenue drop during Covid

41:06: Fear of survival and navigating painful layoffs

46:41: Airbnb's reinvention and quest to become a 'super app'

50:15: Outlook on AI

52:38: What happened with Airbnb in China

55:42: Global outlook and key markets

1:00:08: Rapid-fire round

Season 2 is here, featuring the leaders of brands including Airbnb, Rivian, NYSE, Canva, Samsung, Poppi, Peloton, Revolve, Lucid Motors, PHLUR, The Points Guy and Away. Catch new episodes every Thursday.

  SUBSCRIBE + FOLLOW:
- YouTube: https://bit.ly/YTBTB
- Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/3IFGuIA
- Spotify: https://bit.ly/SpotiBTB
- Amazon Music: http://bit.ly/4pPZZPp

About Behind the Business
Behind the Business is a Webby Award-winning, thoughtfully produced video podcast grounded in the belief that business is in fact personal. This is not a fawning interview show. We pair deep research with thorough interviews — asking the real questions and avoiding fluff, while keeping it fun! What’s the toughest day you’ve ever had at work? How do you mentally prep for a big event? Or what’s a pinch-me moment you’ll never forget? In each episode, guests get into it all. Each episode also connects guests with young founders/ CEOs who send in a question. New episodes every Thursday.

About Michelle Toh
Michelle is an award-winning international journalist, most recently a longtime reporter at CNN. She's covered top stories in global business, including the chip and trade wars, world-leading IPOs, the corporate response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Europe's energy crisis and China's property problems. Previously, she was with FORTUNE. She has reported for The New York Times, TIME and South China Morning Post.

#businesspodcast #founders #leadership #entrepreneurship #journalism #businessinterview #interviews #startups #startup #startupjourney #businessnews #techfounders #podcast #youtubepodcast #travel #travelbusiness #siliconvalley #ycombinator #ai #superapp

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💭 Loading: Behind the Business Season 2

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