“Real experience provides authentic confidence,” says Sylvie Esmundo, Site Merchandising Lead at Facebook and Influencer & Blogger @life.by.sylvie. Sylvie kicks off season 2 of The co-lab Career Stories Podcast and is interviewed by Founder of LEAVE YOUR MARK LLC and PR & Branding Maven, Aliza Licht. Sylvie grew up in the Bay Area and attended both University of California Davis, majoring in Design and Communications, and Academy of Art University. Sylvie began her career in fashion as an editorial assistant at Lucky Magazine, eventually pivoting into Merchandising at the Gap, where she rose to be Director of Merchandising, among other roles, for 10+ years. Sylvie took on various roles thereafter to shift her career towards tech. Her editorial and creative interests led her to begin blogging in the early 2000s, launching her style and wellness blog, Sylvie in the Sky. Listen along as Sylvie discusses the importance of having mentors, how she began blogging, why one should have more than just one job, and the importance of taking the initiative to gain needed career experience to move yourself forward.

Today on the Co-lab Career Stories podcast we feature Tara O'Brien, Assistant Planner at Macy's, interviewed by fellow co-lab member, Sarah Ross. Tara grew up right outside the Big Apple, in Fishkill, New York. Her lifelong passion for the fashion industry ultimately led her to attend FIT and study Fashion Merchandising, where she developed a love for the business side of fashion. Her strengths in analytics and consumer insights led her to her current role as an Assistant Planner at Macy's. Listen along as Tara talks about what she's learned so far in the industry, her love for DTC brands like Glossier, and her future aspirations to create something in the health and wellness space.

“You can’t get where you are without messing up. I’m really proud of owning the mistakes I’ve made. Those mistakes really form who you are later in life,” says Sarah Ross, President and Founder of W.I.P. Strategic Brand Management and former Head of Sales at Stojo and S’well. Sarah grew up in a small town in New Jersey, and moved to NYC to attend NYU, studying Mass Communications & Media Studies. While she originally planned on having a glamorous career in advertising and marketing, Sarah surprised herself when she took her first job out of college as a Sales Assistant for Joie. She ended up falling in love with the world of sales and grew her career in New York City for 10+ years until she and her family followed their outdoorsy instincts to Denver, Colorado in 2017. Listen along as fellow co-lab member, Tara O'Brien, talks with Sarah about the importance of making and learning from mistakes in your career and standing up for what you believe in.

Susan Elliott-Bocassi currently serves as Chairman of the Advisory Board for Brighter Children funding schools in Kenya, Honduras, Colombia and India. Prior to this, Susan served as Vice President – General Manager at Bluestem Brands where she grew e-commerce and turned around a down trending business. She began her career at Warner Bros. and has held various planning and merchandising roles at Casual Male, J.Jill and Federated Merchandising Group. Susan holds an MBA from the University of Rhode Island and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the University of Massachusetts. She resides in Greenwich, CT (her hometown) with her wife and children. Listen along as she talks about how she fell into the nonprofit sector, and what she's learned in her career.

Christine Jasper, Consultant and Project Manager with an interest in sustainable fashion, is interviewed today by fellow co-lab member Susan Elliott-Bocassi. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Christine served in the Peace Corps for 2 years in Romania. She later went on to earn a Master's Degree from Johns Hopkins University, and moved back to Romania for four years to manage grants for the Academy for Educational Development. A Midwest native, Christine now resides in the D.C. area and was most recently a project manager for an online platform supporting secondary education throughout the US and Tanzania. Listen along as Christine talks about her wide-ranging experience and what she hopes to do next.

Today we chat with Talent Acquisition Coordinator at AHA! Recruiting Experts, Hasmik Minasian. Originally from Armenia, Hasmik moved to Chicago as a child when her father got an engineering opportunity. While finishing up her Bachelor's Degree at Elmhurst College, she had an internship that made her instantly fall in love with HR. After beginning her professional career as an Administrative Assistant, she made the switch into a full cycle recruiting role. Listen along as she shares the importance of being positive, having confidence in yourself, and her joy of helping others find their dream job!

"I want to bring more humanity to the workplace," says International Operations Expert turned Executive Coach, Kamrin Eriksen Huban, interviewed by  recruiter Hasmik Minasian. Originally from Washington state, Kamrin attended Gonzaga University where she studied PR, Marketing and Advertising. She moved to China in 1997 and got her first job at a Taiwanese owned footwear factory. Kamrin spent 18 years working in International Operations (living in Germany, China, Vietnam and NYC) for major companies like Adidas, Coach and Brahmin. Her newest chapter includes starting her own coaching company, Kamrin Huban Coaching. Her passion for developing great leaders has taken her to her happiest and most fulfilling work yet. Listen along for some inspiration!

"Follow your gut sooner and take bigger risks, because you only live once. If you put in enough effort and have the right people around you, then things are going to work out," says Ricardo Larroudé, co-founder and CEO of newly launched shoe brand, Larroudé.

Ricardo is interviewed by his wife and co-founder (and fashion power player), Marina Larroudé, on today's Career Stories episode. After initially starting his career in investment banking and private equity, Ricardo quickly realized that he loved working on the operational side of things. Listen as he discusses what he's learned from starting Larroudé, especially during a pandemic, and the importance of offering comfortable yet fashionable and accessible pieces to women. 

Today on the co-lab Career Stories podcast we chat with Marina Larroudé, co-founder and CCO of newly launched brand, Larroudé. She is interviewed by her husband and co-founder, Ricardo Larroudé! Originally from Brazil, Marina got her start in fashion as an editor at Vogue Brazil and officially became a New Yorker in 2003. She has an impressive background as Fashion Director of Barney's, Teen Vogue and Style.com. Her new brand, Larroudé, provides high quality handmade shoes. Marina always wanted to start her own brand and provide that feeling of empowerment that a good pair of shoes can give a woman. Listen for Marina's inspiring story!

Today we sit down with Blair Lawson, Chief Merchandising and Marketing Officer at Beautycounter. While attending business school at Northwestern University after initially starting her career in finance, Blair became drawn to the creative career path and decided to pursue a career in fashion. During school, she undertook a summer internship at Kate Spade where she fell for the industry.

After more than ten years working at various brands and positions within LVMH, including digital vice president at Louis Vuitton, marketing manager at Dior Watches and PR manager at TAG Heuer, Lawson left the luxury conglomerate and moved to Los Angeles with her family. She joined Beautycounter in 2012 as Head of Merchandising & Product Development, then went on to become the Chief Merchandising Officer at Goop. Now, Blair has re-joined the Beautycounter team this year as Chief Merchandising and Marketing Officer. Listen for amazing career advice and inspiration!