Lead With Your Brand!™

This week on the Lead With Your Brand podcast, Jayzen Patria challenges listeners to think about what truly makes them stand out in a world where everyone has access to the same AI tools.

AI is transforming the way we work, changing job responsibilities, and creating new opportunities. But as technology becomes more accessible, the real differentiator isn't just what you do. It's how you do it. Your unique strengths, experiences, and the way you connect with others are what make your personal brand valuable and ultimately help future-proof your career.

Jayzen explores why even the most technology-driven brands need to remember the power of human connection. Jayzen also shares practical ways to leverage AI to better understand and strengthen your personal brand. Rather than asking ChatGPT or other AI tools to define your brand for you, start by gathering real feedback from your SuperFans and career audience. Ask what makes you stand out, how you show up under pressure, and why people turn to you. Then use AI to uncover patterns and insights that help you build a brand that is authentically yours.

The challenge is clear. Don't outsource your personal brand to AI. Use technology to amplify what makes you uniquely you.

Key Takeaways:

• AI can change what you do, but your personal brand is defined by how you do it and the unique value you bring to every interaction.
• Future-proofing your career means mastering new technologies while continuing to develop the human strengths and experiences that differentiate you.
• Technology should enhance the brand experience, not replace the authentic human connections that make it memorable.
• Use AI as a coach and facilitator to identify patterns in real feedback, not as a shortcut to create a personal brand that doesn't genuinely reflect who you are.

Jayzen is joined by Jamie Cutbiurth, EVP of Marketing at iHeartMedia, whose career has taken him from the early days of the internet and Chicago's Second City comedy scene to some of the biggest brands in entertainment and media.

A passionate storyteller and connector, Jamie shares how he's built a career bringing people, brands, and culture together through his work at A&E Networks, NBCUniversal, and iHeartMedia. From creating memorable brand experiences and embracing the growing creator economy to finding the opportunities that bring you joy, Jamie offers a behind-the-scenes look at what makes great brands stand out. He also introduces his memorable "caller ID test," a simple but powerful way to understand the lasting impression your personal brand leaves on others.

Guest Bio

Jamie Cutbiurth, EVP of Marketing, iHeartMedia

Jamie Cutburthburth is an award-winning marketing executive, creative leader, and storyteller who has spent his career turning big ideas into cultural moments that connect brands, audiences, and entertainment.

Currently Executive Vice President of Marketing at iHeartMedia, Jamie leads marketing strategy and storytelling initiatives that showcase the power of audio, creators, and culture to build meaningful connections between brands and consumers.

Previously, Jamie spent 14 years at NBCUniversal, where he served as Executive Vice President of Marketing and Brand Partnerships. He helped bring to life some of entertainment's most recognizable franchises and cultural experiences, including BravoCon, Top Chef, The Real Housewives, The TODAY Show, Saturday Night Live's 50th Anniversary, and E!'s Red Carpet coverage. His work has earned industry recognition, including an Interactive Emmy Award for Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen.

Throughout his career, Jamie has built high-performing teams, developed groundbreaking brand partnerships, and championed creativity as a powerful driver of business growth. Known for blending strategic thinking with bold ideas, humor, and authenticity, he believes the best leadership starts with curiosity, collaboration, and a willingness to challenge what's possible.

Beyond his executive roles, Jamie is passionate about storytelling, mentorship, and helping others build careers that reflect who they truly are.

Links 

To book Jayzen for a speaking engagement or workshop, visit Jayzenpatria.com

Happy Pride Month!

In this special Pride Month episode of the Lead With Your Brand Podcast, Jayzen celebrates and amplifies the voices of LGBTQ+ leaders, executives, creatives, advocates, and changemakers from the Pride On Brand collection.

But before diving into these powerful conversations, Jayzen opens with an important reminder: you have a brand, whether you realize it or not. The real question is whether you are consciously and strategically leading with the brand you want, or are you allowing others to define it for you?

Jayzen shares a personal story from early in his career, when he realized that others were assigning a brand to him based on only one part of who he was. At first, it felt light and fun. But over time, he began to understand that the perception being created was not necessarily the brand that would help him move into the next level of leadership. It became a powerful “aha” moment: when you do not put your own brand forward, people will create one for you.

This episode brings that lesson to life through a powerful Pride Month clip reel featuring LGBTQ+ leaders who have turned their identities, lived experiences, values, and visibility into sources of strength, impact, and career breakthrough.

Key Takeaways

• Your lived experience can become one of your greatest leadership superpowers
• Being authentic at work is not separate from professional excellence
• Your brand will not be everyone’s cup of tea, and that is exactly why finding the right brand fit matters
• Visibility, service, and giving back can all become powerful career accelerators

In this special episode, Jayzen revisits conversations with an incredible group of LGBTQ+ leaders and changemakers, including:

• Congressman Mark Takano, on becoming the first openly LGBTQ+ person of color elected to Congress.
• Jen Henderson, technology executive, on being known for your expertise and leadership and also proudly owning the identity and lived experience that shape who you are
• Erin Uritus, CEO of Out & Equal Workplace Advocates, on stepping into leadership with authenticity and not trying to be anyone but herself
• Chris Mossiah, Executive Director at JPMorgan Chase, on turning insecurities into superpowers and treating their name as a brand
• Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of GLAAD, on visibility, media representation, and using your platform to make the world safer for LGBTQ+ families
• Beck Bailey, Chief Diversity Officer at Accenture, on combining business expertise with lived experience to create systemic change
• Christelle Miller, Senior Creative Executive at Fable Entertainment, on the importance of representation behind the scenes and on screen
• Wilson Cruz, actor and activist, on breaking barriers in the Star Trek universe and engaging in meaningful dialogue about representation
• Stephen Macias, Chief Inclusion Officer for Octagon, on building a career rooted in values, advocacy, entertainment, and culture
• Louis Vega, President of Dow North America, on giving back and helping make the path easier for the next generation
• Matt Brooks, Vice President and head of enterprise data tech and solutions at Nationwide, on how employee resource groups can build confidence, visibility, skills, and career momentum.
• Legendary Disney Imagineer Bob Gurr, on how far the LGBTQ+ community has come and why visibility across generations matters

This Pride Month, Jayzen challenges listeners to ask themselves: What are the unique lived experiences, perspectives, and strengths that can become your calling card as you lead with your brand to your next career breakthrough?

Links 

To book Jayzen for a speaking engagement or workshop, visit Jayzenpatria.com

To hear the full conversations from the Pride On Brand collection, visit leadwithyourbrand.com/pride

This week on the Lead With Your Brand podcast, Jayzen Patria challenges listeners to think about their network not as a contact list, but as one of the most powerful amplifiers of their career brand.

It is not enough to deliver great work, build a strong reputation, and know what you stand for. If no one sees it, hears it, or can speak to your value when you are not in the room, your brand can only go so far.

Inspired by a recent trip to New York and a reconnection with this week’s guest, Andrew Turner, Jayzen breaks down how to keep your network alive with intention. Jayzen also explores how self-similarity bias and proximity bias can quietly shrink your professional world. It is easy to spend time with the people who look like you, think like you, work near you, or sit in the same functional lane. But the strongest career networks are built by intentionally reaching beyond the familiar.

To help listeners put this into action, Jayzen shares practical tools, including creating a personal network “treasure map,” asking for AIR (Advice, Insights, and Recommendations) as an easy way to reconnect, and treating LinkedIn as technology that powers your professional network, not just another social media platform.

The challenge is clear - do not just build your network. Keep the embers alive.

Key Takeaways:

• Your network is not just a list of people you know; it is a system of influencers who can amplify your brand
• Self-similarity bias and proximity bias can limit your network if you do not intentionally break out of them
• Use a network treasure map to diagnose where you already have strong connections and where you need to build new ones
• AIR (Advice, Insights, and Recommendations) is a simple, authentic model to reconnect without making it feel awkward
• LinkedIn only works if you are active. Like, comment, post, and show up consistently so your brand stays top of mind

Jayzen is joined by Andrew Turner, Employee Engagement Director for Diageo North America. Andrew’s career is a powerful example of how your passions and past experiences can become a differentiator in the work you do today.

A classically trained actor and self-described “reformed actor,” Andrew has built a career helping major organizations connect with employees through communications, culture, and engagement. From Universal Studios and NBCUniversal to Travelers and now Diageo, Andrew shares how he learned to meet audiences where they are, create community inside large companies, and bring creativity, storytelling, and performance into corporate life.

Guest Bio

Andrew Turner, Employee Engagement Director, Diageo North America

Andrew Turner is an experienced employee engagement and communications leader who’s spent his career helping large organizations connect more meaningfully with their people. As Employee Engagement Director for North America at Diageo, he leads strategies that bring the company’s culture, purpose, and performance ambitions to life—making sure employees feel informed, involved, and motivated to play their part. He’s particularly focused on strengthening a sense of ownership and pride across the business, while finding creative ways to tell the stories behind Diageo’s brands and people.

Andrew is known for turning complex ideas into clear, engaging communication that actually resonates. Before joining Diageo, he held senior roles at Travelers, where he helped modernize internal communications for a 30,000-person workforce, and at NBCUniversal, where he spent over a decade leading global engagement efforts, executive messaging, and large-scale change communications. He started his career at Universal Studios, working at the intersection of communications and digital during a time when companies were just beginning to rethink how they connect with employees online.

What sets Andrew apart is his belief that culture isn’t just something you talk about - it’s something you actively shape. He brings a mix of strategic thinking and storytelling to his work, helping organizations build environments where people feel connected, valued, and ready to contribute. He holds a degree from Boston College and completed postgraduate studies at the London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art, which explains his natural instinct for a good story.

Links 

To book Jayzen for a speaking engagement or workshop, visit Jayzenpatria.com

This week on the Lead With Your Brand podcast, Jayzen Patria challenges you to look beyond external obstacles and take a deeper look at what may really be standing in the way of your next career breakthrough. Before your brand, before your next move, before your next opportunity, there is your career strategy. And at the center of that strategy is your mindset.

So the question becomes,” What is actually getting in your way?”

For many of us, it’s not the market, the role, or the timing. It’s the self-limiting beliefs we’ve built over time the ones that helped us succeed early on, but may now be holding us back.

Jayzen shares a personal story about how his belief that he needed to “be the best” helped him stand out and accelerate early in his career. But as he moved into leadership, that same belief created friction, driving competition over collaboration and limiting his ability to lead effectively.

The breakthrough came from shifting that belief, from needing to be the best to focusing on being excellent and helping others be excellent too. Because the mindset that helps you survive one stage of your career is not always the one that will help you thrive in the next.

Key Takeaways from Jayzen’s Teach:

• Your mindset drives your career strategy, not the other way around
• The beliefs that helped you succeed early in your career can become barriers later
• Self-limiting beliefs often show up as habits or patterns you don’t question
• Growth requires identifying those beliefs and intentionally rewriting them

In this episode, Jayzen sits down with Anya Cheng, Founder and CEO of Taelor, an AI-powered styling platform helping professionals show up with confidence without the time, effort, or stress of managing their wardrobe.

Anya’s journey is a powerful example of building a career by creating opportunities instead of waiting for them. After moving to the United States from Taiwan and graduating during the 2008 recession, she had no network and no clear path forward. Instead, she built one, reaching out to hundreds of people, finding ways into rooms she wasn’t invited to, and consistently asking for opportunities.

That persistence led her to leadership roles across major brands, including Target, eBay, McDonald’s, and Meta, where she helped launch Facebook and Instagram Shopping. Today, she is a venture-backed founder building at the intersection of AI, personal branding, and how people show up in their daily lives.

This episode is a reminder that your next breakthrough doesn’t come from trying to be everything to everyone. It comes from understanding what makes you distinct and building from there.

Guest Bio

Anya Cheng,  Founder and CEO of Taelor

Anya Cheng is the Founder & CEO of Taelor, an AI-powered men's clothing subscription service promoting sustainable fashion. A Silicon Valley entrepreneur, she has been recognized among "Girls in Tech 40 Under 40" for her expertise in tech product management and marketing.

Anya played a pivotal role in launching Facebook and Instagram Shopping at Meta, led new business expansion at eBay, and helped grow McDonald’s global food delivery. She also shaped Target’s mobile commerce and has led teams in AI, eCommerce product management, and marketing across Fortune 500 companies.

Anya’s award-winning venture, Taelor AI, was named one of the Bay Area’s Most Innovative Startups to Watch by Business Journal and is backed by early investors in NVIDIA, TikTok, Facebook, Lyft, and Spotify. 

Anya’s work has earned her 30+ prestigious tech and marketing awards. A best-selling author and two-time TEDx speaker, she teaches at Northwestern University and is a popular keynote speaker worldwide. She holds a Master’s in Integrated Marketing Communications from Northwestern University and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Links 

To book Jayzen for a speaking engagement or workshop, visit Jayzenpatria.com

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In this episode of the Lead With Your Brand! podcast, Jayzen Patria challenges listeners to rethink how they show up during times of uncertainty. When everything around you feels like it’s shifting: your company, your industry, even your role, it can be tempting to wait for clarity. But Jayzen makes it clear: this is exactly when you need to take action.

He introduces one of his most practical pieces of career advice: “Find a hole and fill it.” Instead of chasing the perfect job or waiting for the right moment, Jayzen encourages you to focus on where you can create value right now. By identifying the real needs of your organization, your clients, and your industry and aligning them with your strengths and passions, you position yourself for your next breakthrough. He also reinforces that your career is not about perfection, but about a series of intentional choices, trade-offs, and moves that build momentum over time.

Tune in to learn how to navigate uncertainty with confidence, take ownership of your career direction, and ensure your brand is defined by the value you deliver, not just the work you do.

Key Takeaways:

• Don’t wait for the storm to pass. Moments of uncertainty are where breakthroughs happen.
• “Find a hole and fill it.” Focus on solving meaningful problems that create real value.
• Your brand is not about you—it’s about the value and service you provide to others.
• There is no perfect job. Focus on the right next step that moves your career forward.
• The strongest opportunities sit at the intersection of your talents, passions, and organizational needs.
• Readiness matters. Being prepared allows you to act when opportunity shows up.
• Career growth is a series of choices and trade-offs—be intentional about each move.

The episode then transitions into an inspiring conversation with Christine Escribano, Founder and Chief Design Officer of Cherry Home Designs. After a 30-year career in media, including leadership roles at NBCUniversal, Christine shares how she made a bold pivot from corporate executive to creative entrepreneur. What started as a side hustle evolved into a thriving business rooted in storytelling, design, and personal expression.

Christine’s journey brings Jayzen’s message to life—demonstrating how small, intentional moves, continuous learning, and a willingness to follow both passion and opportunity can lead to meaningful reinvention. From embracing her authentic, “edgy” brand to learning how to balance fearlessness with compassion, her story is a powerful reminder that your next chapter doesn’t require a perfect plan—just the courage to take the next step.

Guest Bio

Christine Escribano

Founder & Chief Design Officer

Cherry Home Designs LLC 

Christine is an award-winning marketer, writer, and interior designer whose work is rooted in storytelling. Before launching Cherry Home Designs, Christine spent over 30 years shaping some of the most recognizable media brands in the world. She began her career at McCann Erickson as a media buyer,

before transitioning into marketing at Time Inc., where she worked across the iconic People portfolio—including Teen People, People, and People en Español. She later joined Telemundo as Head of Integrated and B2B Marketing, and went on to serve most recently, as SVP at NBCUniversal, where she built and led a 60-person integrated marketing team across a dynamic portfolio of brands.

After decades of building stories for others, a COVID-era reset sparked a pivotal shift—one that led Christine to pursue her lifelong creative calling in furniture artistry and interior design. Today, she is known for her ability to translate a client’s life into a deeply personal design experience—creating spaces that reflect not just how people live, but who they are. Christine believes personalized design is an art—one that should feel collected, meaningful, and livable, never overdone or untouchable. Her work centers around helping clients reimagine their homes to reflect a life well-lived. With a passion for sensory design, she thoughtfully weaves together sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell to create immersive, layered environments. At the heart of her work is a simple intention: to create spaces that feel like a warm hug—welcoming, comforting, and deeply personal.

With an eye toward customization, she often incorporates vintage and sentimental pieces, honoring the history behind each home while elevating its future. Her work has been featured on Freeform and Hulu’s That Thrifting Show with Lara Spencer, Magnolia Network’s Beachfront Bargain Hunt Renovation, and NBC’s George to the Rescue. Cherry Home Designs has also been recognized as a Best of Houzz winner for customer service.

Christine’s partner in life and in business, her husband John Pizzi of Casa Construction & Development, brings nearly four decades of experience in construction, architectural design, and project management. Together, they offer a seamless design-build experience, guiding clients from concept through completion. Their shared mission is simple: to inspire others to live their story.

Links 

To book Jayzen for a speaking engagement or workshop, visit Jayzenpatria.com

Check Cherry Home Designs: https://cherryhomedesigns.com/

In this episode of the Lead With Your Brand! podcast, Jayzen Patria wraps up his five-step framework by breaking down Step 5: Be Your Own Chief Marketing Officer. If the earlier steps focused on defining and shaping your brand, this final step is all about visibility and making sure your value is seen, heard, and recognized.

Jayzen explains that great work alone isn’t enough. If no one knows about it, it doesn’t move your career forward! Drawing from classic marketing principles, he outlines the three key ways to promote your brand: advertising (what you say about yourself), influencers (what others say about you), and word of mouth (what’s said when you’re not in the room). He introduces concepts to emphasize the importance of repetition and consistency, and challenges listeners to take ownership of how they show up, especially on platforms like LinkedIn and in everyday professional interactions.

Tune in to learn how to step into the role of your own CMO, build visibility with intention, and ensure your brand is consistently communicated across every touchpoint in your career.

Key Takeaways:

• You are the chief marketing officer of your career. No one will promote you better than you.
• Visibility matters. Great work without exposure limits your opportunities.
• The “rule of seven” shows that repetition is required before people even notice your brand.
• LinkedIn is your digital billboard. Optimize it or risk being invisible.
• A clear elevator pitch helps you communicate your value quickly and effectively.
• Consistency in how you show up builds recognition and trust over time.

The episode then transitions into a compelling conversation with Matt Brooks, Vice President of Enterprise Data Tech and Solutions at Nationwide. With over two decades of experience across GE, Bank of America, and Nationwide, Matt shares how he built a career at the intersection of data, technology, and human impact. He offers a fresh perspective on AI, not as a replacement for thinking, but as a thought partner, and explains how using real data, curiosity, and intentional questioning can unlock better insights and outcomes. From leading high-performing teams to redefining how technology serves people, Matt’s story highlights the power of aligning your career with purpose, staying adaptable, and raising your hand when opportunity calls.

Guest Bio

Matt Brooks

VP and Head of Enterprise Data and Technology Solutions 

Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company 

With over 20 years of experience in leading data and analytics teams, Matt is a trailblazing Technology Executive at Nationwide, where he drives digital transformation across the enterprise. 

Matt has led teams across technology, learning and development and audit in three different mega corporations spanning the energy, aerospace, digital, financial services, and insurance industries. Matt is highly adaptable and can make strategic connections across domains in a way that inspires and motivates his business and tech partners. His personal mission is to build technology solutions powered by data to better the lives of clients, especially in their times of greatest need.

Matt is a technical trailblazer and talent maximizer. He brings the best out in teams and colleagues using his dynamic energy and infectious, problem-solving mindset. He’s strategic, but also a maverick, ready to try new solutions that nobody has successfully tried before. 

In his free time, he loves experiencing new cultures, creative writing, and learning new languages...while he’s not building new GPT agents. 

Links 

To book Jayzen for a speaking engagement or workshop, visit Jayzenpatria.com

Check out Matt’s substack : daitapoints.brooksny.net

In this episode of the Lead With Your Brand! podcast, Jayzen Patria continues his five-step framework by breaking down Step 4: Keeping Up Your Image and Shaping Your Signature Style. If earlier steps focused on defining your brand DNA, this installment challenges listeners to operationalize it and turn who you are into a consistent, recognizable experience across everything you do.

Shaping Your Signature Style. Jayzen explains that powerful personal brands are not just defined, they are designed. Your signature style is your “formula” or “recipe card”: a set of repeatable behaviors, visual cues, and execution patterns that make your work unmistakably yours. Drawing on examples from Hollywood storytelling and media brands like Bravo, he shows how the most successful brands apply a clear filter to everything they create, ensuring consistency, clarity, and connection with their audience.

Tune in to hear how defining your personal “secret sauce” can eliminate inconsistency, strengthen your presence, and ensure that no matter where you show up—or what role you’re in—you are always delivering work that feels distinctly and memorably you.

Key Takeaways:

• Your signature style is your brand in action—a repeatable formula, not a one-time statement
• Consistency across your work is what makes your brand recognizable and trusted
• You can succeed in any role or industry if you apply your unique brand filter to everything you do
• Your visual presence (appearance, environment, presentation) must align with your brand—or risk creating a disconnect
• Your best past projects hold clues to your “secret sauce”—study them to define your formula
• Strong brands rely on repeatable actions and behaviors that can be applied across any project
• You are not meant to blend in—you are meant to build a signature that stands out

The episode then transitions into a dynamic conversation with Melinda Sanna, CEO and Founder of LookLook, a global consumer insights platform serving luxury brands. With a career spanning Coca-Cola, top advertising agencies, and entrepreneurship, Melinda shares how she built a seven-figure business by identifying gaps in traditional market research and creating a more human, high-touch approach. From her “white-glove” philosophy to building curated communities like the Luxuryverse and Beautyverse, she offers powerful insights on brand as a belief system, the importance of curiosity and authenticity in leadership, and how solving real problems can become the foundation for long-term success.

Guest Bio

Malinda Sanna

Founder and CEO

LookLook

Malinda Sanna is the founder and CEO of LookLook, a 7-figure proprietary consumer insights platform she's built over 15 years with a team of 16, specializing in luxury market research through what she calls "Cultivated Communities", recruiting participants one relationship at a time rather than relying on third-party panels. She created the Beautyverse (1,000+ high-net-worth women focused on luxury beauty) and Luxuryverse, two proprietary communities for luxury studies. With a global team of executives in New York, Paris, Dubai, São Paulo, Beijing, and Shanghai, she's conducted over 900 studies with 30,000+ research participants, serving clients including Shiseido, BMW, LVMH, Google, Mondelez, and Nestlé, while also running a Substack newsletter with ~600 subscribers including major luxury brand executives from around the world. 

As a bootstrapper who built profitable software without venture capital and a former singer who studied classical music and English literature at Goshen College, Malinda has been featured in The New York Times, CNN, CNBC, HuffPost, Forbes, Bloomberg, Business Insider, The Washington Post, AdWeek, and Inc.

Links 

To book Jayzen for a speaking engagement or workshop, visit Jayzenpatria.com

March marks the beginning of Women’s History Month, a time to recognize the women who are shaping industries, building communities, and redefining what leadership looks like today. In celebration of the month, we’re sharing one of our top Fan Favorite guests from 2025, Emily Chang, a global business leader whose career spans some of the world’s most recognizable brands and industries.

Emily currently serves as Chief Commercial Officer of CHAGEE, a leading international tea beverage company guided by the vision of connecting people through a great cup of tea. Founded in 2017 in Yunnan, China—the historic home of tea—CHAGEE has rapidly expanded to more than 6,000 stores globally, redefining the modern tea experience. Emily is also the best-selling author of The Spare Room, a powerful book about purpose, leadership, and the impact we can make when we choose to open our lives to others.

Jayzen starts the show with a deep dive into Step 1 of the Lead With Your Brand! System: Define Your Audience.

Many people think their personal brand is about what they do. In reality, the strongest brands are built around who they serve and the value they create. One of the biggest mistakes professionals make is trying to appeal to everyone. When you try to be everything to everyone, you become generic—something to everyone, but meaningful to no one.

The most successful brands take the opposite approach: they identify their core audience and super serve their super fans. Jayzen shares how networks like Bravo and Telemundo grew by focusing on the audiences that mattered most and delivering exactly what those viewers wanted.

The same principle applies to your career. Understanding your audience helps you show up with intention—and deliver the greatest value where it matters most.

Because your brand isn’t about promoting yourself—it’s about helping others succeed.

Key Takeaways:

• Don’t try to serve everyone. Focus on the audience you serve best.
• Look beyond titles. Understand motivations, needs, and values.
• Identify your super fans. These are the people who champion your work.
• Deliver value intentionally. Tailor how you show up to serve them best.

Jayzen then welcomes Emily Chang to the show.  Emily shares her incredible career journey that has spanned senior leadership roles at P&G, the first executive for Apple in China overseeing retail marketing, CMO of Starbucks China and more.  Her insights and practical advice on how to be a leader on any level and move your career forward are invaluable.  

Guest Bio

Emily Chang

Chief Commercial Officer, CHAGEE and Best Selling Author of The Spare Room

Emily is CCO of CHAGEE, a leading international tea beverage company guided by the vision to connect everyone through a good cup of tea. The brand first started in 2017 in the hometown of tea, Yunnan, China, and has since expanded to over 6,000+ stores globally.  Emily has over 25 years of experience spanning QSR, Retail, Hospitality, Creative, Tech, and FMCG industries. She holds an exceptional track record of accelerating global brands which began at P and G. Over 11 years, she worked across all three business units spanning upstream design, retail, and digital marketing, and based in Cincinnati, Fayetteville, and Guangzhou.

She then moved to Apple as the first executive in China overseeing Retail Marketing for APAC, opening new stores and developing the Apple Asia retail operating model. Later, she joined IHG as the Chief Commercial Officer for Greater China where she led a team of 5,400, launching a new brand and crafting new partnerships to become the #1 hotel brand in China.

Drawn to the best of CX and CRM, Emily joined Starbucks in 2017 as CMO of China, where she oversaw all commercial functions and led the teams that brought digital experiences to life like the Shanghai Roastery Augmented Reality, Starbucks Delivery, and Digital Gifting. Five years ago, Emily became CEO of McCann Worldgroup in China, where she transformed a 450-member team across four agencies in three offices to deliver five-year highs in record revenue and OIBI.

Emily believes passionately in living with intention and leading with authenticity. She published a best-selling book called “The Spare Room,” and speaks at industry-leading events like TEDx and Fortune Most Powerful Women. Emily is a member of YPO and has also served on non-profit boards, including most recently with SOS Children’s Villages.

Links 

To book Jayzen for a speaking engagement or workshop, visit Jayzenpatria.com

In this episode of the Lead With Your Brand! podcast, Jayzen Patria continues his five-step framework by diving deeper into Step 3: Refining Who You Want to Be and Building Your Brand Foundation. If the previous episode focused on identifying your brand attributes, this installment challenges listeners to move from descriptive words to bold, declarative statements — clarifying what you believe, what you promise, and why you should be chosen.

Building Your Brand Foundation. Moving beyond adjectives, Jayzen explains that powerful personal brands are rooted in three core elements: your belief, your promise, and your positioning. It’s not enough to say you are “collaborative” or “strategic.” SuperPremium professionals articulate the emotional belief that drives them, the value-driven promise they make to their audience, and the competitive edge that differentiates them from others with similar skills.

Tune in to hear how moving from generic descriptors to clear declarations can sharpen your narrative, attract the right opportunities, and clarify when you are — and are not — the right fit.

Key Takeaways:

• Your brand foundation is built on three pillars: belief, promise, and position
• Declarative statements are more powerful than generic descriptors
• Your core belief should be emotional and enduring — not tied to a job title
• A strong brand promise builds trust with your career audience
• Positioning clarifies your competitive edge and differentiates you from others
• You are not meant to be a corporate clone — you are meant to be distinct

The episode then transitions into an energizing and candid conversation with Kalia Waits-Smith, Vice President of Employee Communications and Engagement at Freshworks, exploring storytelling, authenticity, reinvention, and what it truly means to fill your career toolbox. With more than 15 years of experience across television, nonprofit operations, tech, and executive leadership, Kalia shares how uncovering her identity as a storyteller transformed the way she shows up as a leader.

Guest Bio

Kalia Waits-Smith

VP, Employee Communications and Engagement

Freshworks

With over 15 years of leadership experience in tech, Kalia combines expertise in change management and employee comms/engagement to shape how employees feel at work and drive businesses forward. A writer and storyteller at heart, she blends empathy and operations to build teams, partnerships, and systems to co-create change and bring company strategy and culture to life.

In her most recent role at Zuora, Kalia led a team of communicators that launched their first-ever company values, steered employee comms for multiple M&A transactions, and stood up an Employee Experience cohort of cross-functional leads that scaled engagement globally. Prior to Zuora, she held similar roles at Visa and Cornerstone OnDemand, partnering with leaders to build cultures of communication as they navigated times of change.

Kalia grew up in Southern California, but has lived in the Bay Area since 2018. She's living her best snack-filled life in Oakland with her husband, four-year-old daughter, mom, and mom's dog, Buddy. Whenever she's not writing on LinkedIn, which she does A LOT, she's taking Orange Theory classes and trying new wines, cheeses and champagnes.

Links 

To book Jayzen for a speaking engagement or workshop, visit Jayzenpatria.com

In this episode of the Lead With Your Brand! podcast, Jayzen Patria continues his five-step framework by unpacking Step 3: Refining Who You Want to Be and Supersizing Your Superpowers. Jayzen challenges listeners to move beyond generic descriptors and intentionally elevate their personal brand so it stands out, feels differentiated, and creates real impact.

The episode then transitions into a powerful conversation with Cliff Holtz, President and CEO of the American Red Cross, exploring leadership, trust, authenticity, and what it means to steward one of the most trusted brands in the world.

Supersizing Your Superpowers. Supersizing your brand means turning up the volume on what already makes you strong, unique, and effective.

Using real-world examples from brands like the Los Angeles LGBT Center, Oxygen Network, and Bravo, Jayzen shows how powerful brands clearly define not only what they are, but also what they are not, creating consistency, trust, and memorability.

Tune in to hear how Jayzen SuperSized his own descriptors from being described as a “good presenter” to clearly owning his identity as a storyteller, showman, and super-connector…a combination that is unmistakably his.

Key Takeaways:

• Most people stop at generic traits; SuperPremium brands SuperSize what makes them different
• Clustering similar traits helps uncover your true brand superpowers
• Strong brands define clear boundaries, including how they never want to show up
• SuperSizing isn’t about changing who you are; it’s about calibrating how you show up, like a DJ mixing the right tracks for the moment

Jayzen sits down with Cliff Holtz for his first-ever podcast appearance, offering an intimate look at leadership behind one of America’s most trusted organizations. Cliff reflects on his journey from COO to CEO, the influence of legendary leader Gail McGovern, and the lessons learned about earning trust, choosing words carefully, and leading with humanity. He shares how authenticity doesn’t mean showing up the same way in every moment, but rather understanding when to shift gears while staying true to your values.

Guest Bio

Cliff Holtz

President & Chief Executive Officer

American Red Cross

Cliff Holtz serves as the president and chief executive officer of the American Red Cross, the nation’s largest provider of lifesaving blood products and leading emergency response organization. Holtz joined the Red Cross in 2011 and assumed his role as president and CEO on July 1, 2024, following the retirement of president and CEO Gail McGovern.  

Prior to his current role, Holtz held the position of chief operating officer for seven years where he oversaw the execution of all mission delivery and operations comprising Biomedical Services, Disaster Services, International Services, Training Services and Service to the Armed Forces. During his tenure as COO, Holtz worked closely with his predecessor, Gail McGovern, in leading the Red Cross to achieve financial stability while also growing critical investments in mission, people and infrastructure. 

As part of his vision for the Red Cross, Holtz is building on the organization’s strong foundation to adapt to the growing frequency and intensity of disasters and develop sustainability efforts with a focus on underserved communities across all mission delivery. His commitment to humanitarian efforts and operational excellence has been instrumental in the organization’s service to millions of people in need.

 Before joining the Red Cross in 2011, Holtz held executive leadership positions at for-profit companies including Pelco (a Division of Schneider Electric), Nortel Networks Corp, Deloitte Consulting LLP, Qwest Communications and Gateway Corporation. He also spent 16 years at AT&T working in sales, marketing, new business development, operations and engineering, and human resources. His tenure culminated with his role as the president of Metro Markets, a $4.5 billion unit. 

Holtz earned a Bachelor of Science from the State University of New York at Albany and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago. He has served on the boards of LHC Group (recently sold to United Health Care), the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and the National Jewish Hospital.

Links 

To book Jayzen for a speaking engagement or workshop, visit Jayzenpatria.com