Great Minds: People and Culture

Known CEO & Co Founder Kern Schireson joins Ren Akinci to challenge some of the business world’s favorite ideas: Does culture really eat strategy for breakfast? Is failing fast actually good advice? And will AI eventually have a place on the org chart? They also unpack how Known came to be, why data scientists and creatives are a natural pairing, and the thinking behind an agency built to bring very different disciplines together.

Our host Ren Akinci sat down with Tatyana Jones, Founder and CEO of DEFI Snacks, a multi-award-winning brand challenging the $27 billion chocolate category with high-protein, superfood-infused bites rooted in her Ukrainian heritage. A former Mars Wrigley brand manager, Tatyana,  shares what it really takes to build a brand from scratch; navigating the risks of first-time founding, defining an identity in a crowded market, and staying true to a mission that gives back to women-owned businesses.

When Kate Isichei's children were diagnosed with Autism and ADHD, it didn't just change her family — it transformed her career. Now, as Founder of Where to Look Communications and as Neuroinclusion Navigator, Kate helps organizations rethink how they hire, communicate, and lead. In this episode of Great Minds: People & Culture, she joins Ren Akinci for a candid conversation about what companies are getting wrong and what small shifts can make a big difference for neurodivergent employees. 

Kimberle Lau didn't set out to become a food founder, but a health crisis changed everything. From beauty executive to CEO of Bake Me Healthy, she built a women- and Asian-owned brand from the ground up while raising a family and navigating the unique hurdles that come with it. In this episode of Great Minds: People & Culture, she sits down with Ren Akinci to talk business, identity, and the lessons she's passing on to her kids.

Our host Ren Akinci is joined by BEJOU founder Carolina Lopez for a candid conversation on leadership, brand building, and resilience. Carolina shares how personal health challenges revealed critical gaps in the skincare industry and pushed her to build a trust driven brand in a crowded market. They discuss navigating rejection, leading with discipline and transparency, and making the hard decisions required to scale with integrity.

Host Ren Akinci is joined by Justin Thomas-Copeland, CEO of the 4As, for a conversation on what matters most as the advertising and marketing industry enters its next phase. Together, they unpack the shifts reshaping agencies, what a modern trade association must deliver in real time, and how the 4As is redefining its role, tools, and member experience. Justin shares how he’s thinking about agility, technology, and measurable signals of progress as he builds the organization’s next chapter.

In this episode, Ren Akinci sits down with Carissa Romero, Ph.D., co-founder of Paradigm, for a conversation about what actually changes behavior at work and what quietly undermines it. Drawing from her roots in Stanford research and years advising leaders, Carissa breaks down why many well-intentioned culture efforts fail, how data often contradicts leadership narratives, and what it really takes to build belonging at scale. 

What happens when an agency is built on teaching and not just executing? In our latest episode, Ren Akinci sits down with Kim Lawton, founder & CEO of Enthuse Marketing, to break down the non-negotiables behind sustainable creativity, the traps experiential teams keep falling into, and what agency leaders need to unlearn heading into 2026.

In this Episode Ren Akinci sits down with Claude Silver to discuss her new book Be Yourself at Work. Together, they explore the moment Claude knew this book needed to be written, the healing and emotional bravery behind it, and the parts of herself she once hid but now embraces.

Erin Fabio joins Ren Akinci for a candid conversation on what it  takes to build and scale a marketing agency as a woman in an industry still catching up. They get into early barriers, pivots, leadership evolution, and the unfiltered realities facing female founders today