Coffee, Commerce & Cabernet

A listener asked how you keep going when things feel hard, slow, or misaligned. Destaney and Gabi take it from opposite sides: Destaney from years running an agency, Gabi from the corporate CPG and brand world.

Their answer is that pushing harder rarely fixes it. Misalignment shows up in two ways, and only one of them is easy to catch. Losing a client or facing a payroll problem is obvious. The emotional version is slower irritability, resentment that outsizes the trigger, a comment that would normally roll off landing hard. Destaney's method is to split a page in two, list the emotional reactions on one side and the operational facts on the other, and work out which problem she is actually solving.

From there the conversation moves to clarity. Two runners walk into a gym. One wants to be a great runner, the other wants to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Only one of them is truly coachable, and the same is true of a room full of entrepreneurs who all mean something different by success.

Connect with us:

Destaney Wishon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/destaney-wishon

Gabi Viljoen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabiviljoen

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We're recapping Cannes Lions 2026 from the French Riviera, this time skipping the Cabernet in favor of some far more heat-approved glasses of rosé in hand. This week on Coffee, Commerce & Cabernet, Destaney and Gabi sit down with Laura, VP of Retail Media at BTR Media, for her first ever Cannes experience. They dig into how AI conversations at Cannes have evolved year over year, why the best sessions are often the ones outside your own industry (Canva, Pinterest, Female Quotient, and Sport Beach all made the cut), and the origin story of how Better AMS became BTR Media, a decision made on the streets of Cannes. Plus real talk on networking done right: LinkedIn announcements, casual coffee dates, and why booking 22 meetings in a single day is a hard no. Whether you're planning your first Cannes trip or just want the inside scoop on what actually happens between the panels, this one's for you.

Connect with us:

Laura Pattison (Guest): https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurajpattison

Destaney Wishon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/destaney-wishon

Gabi Viljoen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabiviljoen

Carolyn Sarnoff spent 13 years at Amazon before stepping into the role of Chief Marketing Officer at Pattern where she helped shape the company’s marketing and brand strategy leading up to their IPO in late 2025. In this episode of Coffee, Commerce & Cabernet, Carolyn shares the lessons that shaped her perspective on career growth, culture, and how strong teams are built.

The conversation explores Amazon’s unique approach to developing people, moving high performers across different parts of the business, encouraging autonomy, and creating an environment where learning from mistakes is part of the system. Instead of avoiding failure, teams are expected to move quickly, learn what went wrong, and improve processes so the same mistake doesn’t happen twice. From navigating career transitions to building supportive communities in business, this episode is an honest conversation about growth, collaboration, and the importance of intentionally designing your career rather than simply reacting to opportunities as they appear.

Connect with us:

Carolyn Sarnoff (Guest): https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolyn-sarnoff

Destaney Wishon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/destaney-wishon

Gabi Viljoen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabiviljoen

On today's episode of Coffee, Commerce & Cabernet, Gabi and Destaney chat with Daneel Steinmann, Founder and CEO of Old School - one of South Africa's largest, and arguably most culturally influential, clothing merch brands in South Africa - now with global success! We're filming this one straight from the source in Cape Town, South Africa, to talk with Daneel about what it actually looks like to build a brand people care about.

From turning community passion into a growing apparel business to balancing long-term brand building with short-term results, this conversation explores the realities behind modern eCommerce. We dive into Daneel's founder storytelling, the power of word-of-mouth, and why authenticity often becomes a brand’s strongest advantage.

Beyond strategy, this episode also touches on the human side of entrepreneurship insecurity, shifting expectations, burnout, and the importance of building something sustainable rather than chasing quick wins.

Connect with us:

Destaney Wishon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/destaney-wishon/

Gabi Viljoen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabiviljoen

Guest: Daneel Steinmann https://www.linkedin.com/in/daneel-steinmann-ca-sa-03649b192/

In this episode of Coffee, Commerce & Cabernet, Destaney and Gabi sit down to explore how athletics shaped the women, leaders, and professionals they are today and why so many of those lessons continue to show up far beyond sport.

From representing a country on the world stage to grinding through early morning practices, uneven conditions, and relentless repetition, they reflect on what sport teaches that classrooms often can't: Resilience, work ethic, delayed gratification, and the confidence to bet on yourself when outcomes aren’t guaranteed.

Connect with us:

Destaney Wishon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/destaney-wishon

Gabi Viljoen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabiviljoen

Recorded straight from the conference floor in Nashville at Amazon UnBoxed conference. In this episode of Coffee, Commerce & Cabernet, Destaney and Gabi break down the announcements that matter most from the new Creative Studio upgrades, to evolving Rufus search behavior, to the rapid rise of natural-language tools inside Ad Console.

They unpack what these updates actually mean for brands & agencies, how they’ll impact campaign structure, creative strategy, and day to day optimization, and where Amazon is clearly signaling the future of retail media is headed.

Connect with us:

Destaney Wishon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/destaney-wishon

Gabi Viljoen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabiviljoen

A comment sparks a raw, honest conversation between co-hosts Destaney Wishon and Gabi Viljoen about what it really means to be a woman in leadership today. From being told to “soften your tone” to being judged by appearance on stage, they dive deep into the double standards women face in eCommerce & Entrepreneurship and how they have aimed to navigate them with confidence, empathy, and grace.

They unpack why women often have to prove themselves twice, how emotional intelligence becomes a superpower, and why the next generation gives them hope. With stories, laughter, and a little Cabernet, this episode is for every woman who's ever been underestimated and every man ready to understand.

Connect with us:

Destaney Wishon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/destaney-wishon

Gabi Viljoen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabiviljoen

In this episode of Coffee, Commerce & Cabernet, co-hosts Gabi Viljoen and Destaney Wishon pour a glass of South African Chenin Blanc and dive into a conversation on self-awareness: why it matters, how to cultivate it, and how it shapes leadership, careers, and personal growth.

They share personal stories of burnout, overachievement, and the unconscious patterns that drive behavior, showing how understanding their strengths and weaknesses transformed both their work and relationships. Central to this journey is the Enneagram test, which they call the most powerful tool for uncovering motivators, blind spots, and deeper truths about why we are the way we are.

If you're interested in taking the Enneagram test, it's free online in many places, but we really like the final report from https://www.truity.com/ (*not sponsored!)

Connect with us:

Destaney Wishon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/destaney-wishon

Gabi Viljoen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabiviljoen

Welcome to Coffee, Commerce & Cabernet 🍷

We started this podcast to have real conversations about growth, business, and life the kind of honest talks that usually happen behind the scenes.

Over the years, we’ve both built careers, faced plenty of challenges, and learned a lot through trial and error. What’s carried us forward has been sharing those lessons with each other — and now we’re sharing them here.

Expect candid stories, practical insights, and conversations with people. From the wins to the struggles, we want to make business more authentic, more relatable, and maybe even a little more fun.

Connect with us:

Destaney Wishon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/destaney-wishon

Gabi Viljoen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabiviljoen