Climbing the retail career ladder can feel like a maze — but most coaches won’t give you the map.

Kate Sargent, founder of KJS Career Coaching & Consulting and former People leader at Allbirds, The Citizenry, Method, and The North Face, cuts through the noise with blunt, actionable advice.

In this episode, she unpacks how to make smart career moves, position yourself for recognition, and future-proof your skills — whether you’re leading a store team or eyeing the executive suite.

Sometimes the smallest shifts in how you lead make the biggest difference on the sales floor.

At Blu Dot, VP of Retail Jennifer Steichen and Regional Manager Jo Cox have learned how to turn subtle, intentional changes into outsized results for their teams and customers.

In this episode, they share practical ways to embed brand values in daily operations, empower store teams with an entrepreneurial mindset, and create a culture where frontline leaders can thrive.

What if a single store visit could be your stepping stone to a big promotion? For some retail leaders, it’s not a what-if — it’s their resume.

Yolanda Vega, Director of Stores for Southeast & Central US at Zadig&Voltaire, was one of them.

With 20+ years at Gap, J.Crew, and Ralph Lauren, she now coaches her store leaders to turn visits into career-making opportunities.

In this episode, she shares how field leaders can prepare stores to tell the right story, guide managers in balancing results with real challenges, avoid the missteps that derail careers, and coach teams to shine under executive scrutiny.

Can a retailer truly serve diverse customers without embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) into its core strategy? Research says no — companies with diverse leadership teams are 33% more likely to outperform peers.

Michelle Emery, former VP of DEI at Macy’s, brings 30+ years of retail leadership to this conversation about turning DEI from a statement into daily practice.

In this episode, she shares how leaders can overcome barriers and misconceptions, integrate DEI into hiring and customer experiences, and use mentorship and allyship to build stronger, more innovative teams.

Retail’s future depends on leaders who see beyond the resume.

Sherrica Hill, Director of Solutions Design & Delivery at Jobs for the Future (JFF), has spent two decades proving that potential — not credentials — creates stronger, more innovative teams.

From her early frontline roles to spearheading Gap Inc.’s This Way ONward program, Sherrica has built a career around rethinking hiring practices.

In this episode, she shares practical strategies for building inclusive talent pipelines, empowering underrepresented voices, and creating retail workplaces where every employee can thrive.

Every retail leader faces the same challenge: how to test new ideas without disrupting the business. Pilot projects are the answer.

Michael A. Saldaña, Senior Retail Operations Manager at UNTUCKit, has built a career turning pilots into scalable wins.

In this episode, he breaks down UNTUCKit’s approach to running flawless pilots — from choosing the right locations to engaging employees for feedback and measuring KPIs that signal when it’s time to scale. Real-world insights retail leaders can put to work immediately.

In retail, moving fast is the norm — so when your career feels stuck, it can feel like failure. But what if “stuck” is the pause you need to catapult to the next level?

Brian Librach, author of The Retail Leader’s Roadmap and former VP of Stores at Urban Outfitters, has lived it. Starting his career at 21 and becoming a VP by 38, Brian has seen both the plateaus and the breakthroughs.

In this episode, he shares how to spot the signs of stagnation, apply Brian’s "5 Principles of Performance," and build the learning agility every leader needs to keep growing.

If you had a great mentor in your retail career, you know how rare and powerful that relationship can be. The problem? Most rising leaders can’t find one. Laura Ravo is here to change that.

A retail expert with 30 years of executive store and operations experience, Laura has led high-performing teams at Macy’s, Victoria’s Secret, Oakley, The Body Shop, and Strand Bookstore, and most recently served as COO of Jane.com.

Named one of the Top Women in Retail in 2021, she’s now an executive coach, speaker, and author of The Power of Grit and Grace.

In this episode, Laura explores how to close the mentorship gap, the qualities that make mentors truly effective, and how leaders can step up to leave a legacy.

Retail’s future depends on leaders who can inspire and equip the next generation of frontline talent.

Kelly Anderson, Retail Director at Swiss luxury fashion house Akris, has spent 20 years in leadership roles at Moncler, Louis Vuitton, Kenneth Cole, and Aldo — building inclusive, high-performing teams across generations.

In this episode, she shares how to nurture young talent so they stay and grow, ways to engage Gen Z with meaningful work, and practical techniques for creating store cultures that feel both inclusive and high-performing.

Traditional leadership tells us to lead with strength and certainty — but what if showing vulnerability is actually the bigger power move?

Payton McFaden, Director of Global Sales Operations at Peloton, knows firsthand. She started on the retail frontlines and spent years trying — and failing seven times — to move into a corporate role before finally breaking through. Instead of hiding that story, she shares it openly with her teams as proof that growth isn’t always linear.

In this episode, Payton shares how vulnerability builds trust, strengthens culture, and drives results. You’ll hear real-world examples from her journey and simple ways to bring more openness into your own leadership style.