Desire to be in charge of her own destiny while still creating iconic brand marketing with some of the greatest companies in the world led Sanja Komljenovic to start ONA Creative - a boutique, female-driven brand strategy and creative agency based in Los Angeles. Having spent a good chunk of her career leading digital marketing for men’s basketball - first at LA Clippers then at Nike - she tried to prove that a woman can make it in the men’s world. Her initial motivations have evolved into a deeper purpose - using her voice and the agency’s success to advocate for and to help other women make it to the top. In our candid conversation, Sanja shares:

• The rocky yet rewarding road of entrepreneurship - Her athlete mindset hat doesn’t allow an option to quit
• Thoughtfulness as the secret sauce of ONA Creative
• The power of tapping into authentic communities
• What is keeping her and her clients up at night
• Why you should hand over social media to young people

An immigrant and refugee from Bosnia, Sanja is a living proof of the American Dream. Since founding ONA, she has worked with global brands like Nike, Nordstrom, and Snapchat — as well as well-funded startups, including Zooey Deschanel’s Lettuce Grow and JLo’s Niyama Sol. Most recently, she successfully launched a new campaign for Nike’s basketball at the All-Star Weekend in Utah. And yes, her agency built a court in the middle of salt flats to bring their creative to life in Salt Lake City.

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” This famous line and the story behind it from Dr. Seuss children’s book Lorax became an inspiration for one of the hottest startup brand names in streetwear. Unless Collective is the world’s first regenerative fashion platform that makes 100% plant-and-mineral-based clothing and footwear. The mastermind behind the brand is a 26-year adidas veteran and company’s former CMO Eric Liedtke.

During his time at the three stripes, Eric amassed a number of successes: re-energized the brand by unleashing a culture of collaboration and creativity, brought in billion dollar celebrity partnerships, scaled ecom to 4B, and launched innovations like Boost and Futurecraft 4D to name a few. Yet, as a former competitive swimmer and Oceans Advocate, his greatest passion has been to fight against plastic waste. At adidas, Eric has merged his passion for the water with his open-source approach to business, catalyzing a company-wide commitment to sustainability. With Unless Collective, he’s taking his purpose to another level.

In our unplugged conversation, Eric shares:

• His philosophy of zero wasted hours.
• Why preparation underpins his philosophy.
• Lessons and reflections on his leadership journey in the corporate world.
• Personal take on culture.
• How confidence and candor became his leadership signature.
• Plans on using good dirt to disrupt the 3 trillion dollar fashion industry.

Listen in for a truly remarkable episode!

Let’s start by stating that our guest was recently inducted into the American Marketing Association Hall of Fame, held multiple C-level roles at head-turning brands like Facebook, HP, Visa and Pepsico, and graced several ranks of the Forbes Most Influential CMOs. We warned him that our podcast wasn’t going to make him famous. Then again, he IS already famous. Yet, despite all the accolades and measurable success, he may be one of the most chill and down to earth people in the business we met.

Antonio Lucio - a father to 5 daughters, brother to 3 sisters and a devoted son of a strong mother figure - shares how surrounded by strong and capable women taught him to listen at two levels and shaped him as leader. In all his roles, he was able to deliver business results while significantly increasing the representation of women and people of color across senior levels in the entire marketing ecosystem: clients, agencies and production houses. Today, he leads his company 5S aimed at advancing the marketing practice through marketing transformation and Diversity and Inclusion.

While Antonio’s resume with 40-year corporate experience may seem as a straight line up to the right, he opens up about both his ups and downs because he’s a firm believer of telling all the stories - the good, the bad and the ugly. Divorce. Losing his true north. Chronic depression. All led to some of the most difficult and also the most transformational times in his life. In our conversation, he emphasizes the importance of being candid about leadership. Sometimes you’re not having fun leading. Listen in for an insightful and at times vulnerable peek into the life of one of the greatest executives of our times.

In case you haven’t noticed, the job market is in a turmoil. Significant layoffs are sweeping the country (and continents). What to do in these trying times? How not to despair and instead move forward with confidence? Jeff Altman - no BS professional coach and career advisor - got the mic in this episode to tackle those questions. You’ll appreciate Jeff’s candor as he unpacks the importance of practicing & rehearsing, understanding the jobseeker x recruiter dynamic, and using one’s BS detector when selecting the next job. We also touch on the dreaded question of salary negotiations and discuss how not to put your interviewer to sleep. After getting a taste of Jeff’s genius, we wouldn’t be surprised if you seek more of it - whether on his JobSearchTV.com channel or in his No BS Job Search Advice Radio, ranked #1 in Apple Podcasts for job search. There’s an abundance of professional coaches out there but it is Jeff’s unique and direct approach that we believe helps make complicated situations easy.

Two words that perfectly define her - gratitude and humility. Two characteristic traits that aren’t so common these days for someone of her influence and professional achievement. Jenny Rooney - the first Chief Experience Officer of Adweek - has had a front-row seat leading initiatives for marketing decision-makers and spent 25 years covering the industry and its leadership as a business journalist. Her life choices remain firmly grounded in her number one priority - her family.

Of course, we had to talk about that mindset guiding her decisions. This episode is jam-packed with Jenny’s personal stories and perspectives on making it all work while staying true to oneself, defining success, and the importance of continuous learning.

Landing an interview as a graduate student with one of the most sought-after journalists is a great window to her belief in the power of words and the importance of how you approach people. Zeroing in on marketing, Jenny shares her view of marketers as some of the most courageous in the business, without getting the credit for it. All while sitting on the front lines of uncertainty.

Does strength need a rebrand? That is a question Tobi Gbile had to ask herself as she recently embarked on her TEDx Talk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1gXbKsOFc0&t=1s) journey. Frustrated with the stereotypical media portrayal of black women, who are expected to “shake things off” and recovering from an unhealthy relationship with pushing herself beyond limits, Tobi talks about using her experience to help empower others. Drawing on her professional endeavors in the fashion, TV, and music industries for brands like Disney, adidas, and her own creative ventures, we also touch on her passion for entertainment. Tobi’s purpose is simple - to inspire the youth through pop culture. It comes as no surprise that we used the opportunity to ask for her take and perspective on being culturally relevant. Tobi is currently based in Los Angeles. She was recently featured on TED.com for her TEDxSanDiego Talk, and is the Global Senior Campaign Manager for fashion and pop culture partnerships at Disney, co-host of the pop culture podcast The Weekly Baecay, Creative Director for rising multi-hyphenate artist TGBEAM, published teen fiction novelist of the "The Stunnerz", and the editor behind Girl With Purple Gucci's. Stay close to see what she adds to her story next.

Every marriage needs love, mutual respect…and a therapist. Ours is no exception. With a fresh year ahead of us and many setting resolutions for a more balanced and meaningful life, we found it fitting to invite our “shrink”. Not to worry, we won’t air (too much) of our own dirty laundry on this episode. Ingo Vauk, a psychotherapist working with people from all walks of life in his private practice in a small German town of Erlangen, shares how focus on the congruence between what you feel and what you do led him to a pivot in his career a couple of decades ago. Hailing from the music industry where he wrote, produced, and recorded for a large number of artists first in Sydney then London, toured with some iconic bands of the time, and even remixed one of David Bowie’s tracks, Ingo talks about the importance of listening, parallel processing and vulnerability. We also discuss why the chase often doesn’t deliver the promise and how regrets are mere illusions of what could happen. Do you want to know what it takes for a therapist to “fire” a client? You gotta listen till the end.

The role of a CMO has significantly changed and evolved over the last few years. There’s a plethora of job descriptions and titles out there associated with this highly coveted yet often short-lived C-level seat. Many talented marketers get mismatched in the process of a company selecting their lead marketer. Why does that happen? How can it be prevented? What are the right questions and first steps to take? Katie Klumper, who sits at the helm of Black Glass – the first-ever dedicated CMO consultancy that serves the chief marketing role - unpacks answers to these questions in our conversation. Recognized by AdWeek as one of the Top 50 Most Indispensable Marketing, Media and Tech Executives, Katie draws on an extensive career that spans senior roles at Deloitte and KBS and is a celebrated entrepreneur and expert in the field of marketing. Since 2019, she’s rapidly grown Black Glass, working with some of the most recognizable brands, including Goldman Sachs, GM and Walmart. Listen in for her take on the vital importance of onboarding to increase CMOs’ remit, frequently missed opportunities, and reframing marketing from being a cost center to delivering immediate ROI. With a new year unfolding, we touch on the uncertain times ahead and the marketing landscape including the drastic impact of AI. With beyond impressive professional pedigree, Katie also pulls the curtain on her personal life - making it all work, forgetting to move the elf, and launching a new hot sauce business.

A husband, a father, an entrepreneur, a founder, a sport enthusiast…and formerly an incarcerated heroin addict. Our guest had his feet firmly planted in a prison cell as well as fancy conference rooms in Paris, London, and NYC. Jordan Rogers - who built a decade-long career in brand marketing at Nike - has been on a rebranding journey himself since his early 20s. Starting from the very bottom taught him the importance of taking calculated risks and finding creative ways to make himself marketable. At the Swoosh, he’s worked with some of the best athletes & artists in the world including Ja Morant, Kevin Durant, Sabrina Ionescu, Odell Beckham Jr, Kyler Murray, Cristiano Ronaldo, Sanya Richards Ross, and Virgil Abloh. Yet, he doesn’t want his time at Nike to define his identity. In our chat, we discuss his belief that the best personal brands are built on serving others. Listen in to find out about  Perseus Creative, a marketing consultancy Jordan founded to help college athletes learn how to navigate the new NIL landscape. We also touch on his advocacy for second chances and for bringing about transformation in America’s Criminal Justice system to break free from Mass Incarceration.

What do fascination with laundry making and true understanding of the difference between a fact and an insight have in common? Guest of this episode Molly Bruttomesso, Senior Vice President of Customer Success at Wunderkind, has a lot to say about that. She spent a good chunk of her professional life in the ad agency world with Procter & Gamble clients, before transitioning into tech. There, she quickly noticed that facts were often misunderstood for insights, and she made it her mission to unearth and action on those “aha moments” in her new environment. Molly believes in infusing traditionally transactional and performance-led channels with brand messages that are equally, if not more, effective in driving business for her customers. Besides being a great marketer and storyteller, she also happens to be one of the most inspiring and empowering leaders that the podcast host Slavka has ever had the privilege to work for. We dig deeper into what shaped Molly to be an effortless role model especially for young women, her belief that having a seat at the table isn’t enough, and why it’s important to engage in regular conversations with the youngest, most junior team members.

Molly holds over 20 years of experience in client management in both customer success and at advertising agencies including Saatchi & Saatchi and Publicis. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Georgetown University, and is an active member of the female executive network, Chief. Outside of her customer success career, she is an active champion for women, world traveler to 78 countries but happy to come home to Brooklyn and her family, and founder of the rocker T and blazer wardrobe for tech execs (move over grey t-shirts).