The Nordy Pod

There’s no doubt that every job comes with some level of understandable expectation.  At Nordstrom, if you’re a salesperson, we expect you to sell things.  But in truth, most of what we sell, customers can buy in a number of different stores. The real goal for our people at Nordstrom – which is much more broad and less quantifiable – is to make customers feel good.  How you achieve that is entirely up to you.

Today’s episode is a continuation of our introspective series on our company’s five core values.  In particular, we’re focusing in on one very special value, which originated from Blake Nordstrom, and that is to “Extend Yourself”.

To help explain the conception of our values Pete sits down once again with his brother and CoCEO, Erik Nordstrom. After that you’ll hear a heart-warming and illustrative example of our “Extend Yourself” value from a loyal customer of ours by the name of Carolyn Glick.  Adding to Carolyn’s story, we’ve also invited the subject of her gratitude – a very successful personal stylist at our store in Brea, Melanie Briseno.

To cap it all off, please stay tuned til the end of the show to hear a very special message from Alex Nordstrom in remembrance of her dad, Blake Nordstrom.

Our company’s approach to our people and to our customers is not one-size-fits all.  Meaningful impact is not made by checking boxes, or meeting a quota.  It’s about doing the right thing for each individual.  It’s about Extending Yourself.

Thanks for tuning in to episode 121.  We hope you enjoy it! Did you know that YOU can be on The Nordy Pod? This show isn't just a one-way conversation. We want to hear about what Nordstrom looks like through your eyes. Share your Nordstrom experience, good or bad, by giving us a call and leaving a voicemail at: 206.594.0526, or send an email to [email protected] be a part of the conversation! And, be sure to follow us on Instagram @thenordypod to stay up to date on new episodes, announcements and more.

We said we would do it, and so we did! For this episode we’re sharing something completely new for the Nordy Pod – A livestream Q&A hosted by CoCEOs Pete and Erik Nordstrom on Facebook through a group called “Nordstrom Friends”. The group was started 10 years ago by our guest, Duane Covey, and is composed exclusively of current and former Nordstrom employees – over 20,000 of them. Join Pete, Erik, and Duane as they field live questions, without a net, and address the groups most pressing concerns regarding the business.

Nordstrom works best when it listens and responds to constructive feedback from people who care, and the Nordstrom Friends Facebook group cares a lot.

Thanks for tuning in to episode 119. We hope you enjoy it!

Did you know that YOU can be on The Nordy Pod? This show isn't just a one-way conversation. We want to hear about what Nordstrom looks like through your eyes. Share your Nordstrom experience, good or bad, by giving us a call and leaving a voicemail at: 206.594.0526, or send an email to [email protected] to be a part of the conversation! And, be sure to follow us on Instagram @thenordypod to stay up to date on new episodes, announcements and more.

Few brands have built a world as recognizable, enduring, and culturally powerful as Ralph Lauren.

In this episode Pete sits down with Patrice Louvet, President and CEO of Ralph Lauren, to talk about the characteristics of this iconic brand which have fostered longevity, and maintained its relevance through each new generation of customers.

Patrice shares his journey from Procter & Gamble to Ralph Lauren, the differences between the two, and why Ralph Lauren is ultimately more than just about selling products: it’s about selling emotion, imagination, and a point of view. They talk about the balance between dreaming big and executing with discipline, Ralph Lauren’s ongoing brand elevation strategy, connecting with younger consumers, and the opportunity to create richer brand experiences together with Nordstrom.

It’s a conversation about one of fashion’s great success stories—and what it takes to keep a truly iconic brand moving forward.

Thanks for tuning in to episode 119. We hope you enjoy it!

Did you know that YOU can be on The Nordy Pod? This show isn't just a one-way conversation. We want to hear about what Nordstrom looks like through your eyes. Share your Nordstrom experience, good or bad, by giving us a call and leaving a voicemail at: 206.594.0526, or send an email to [email protected] to be a part of the conversation! And, be sure to follow us on Instagram @thenordypod to stay up to date on new episodes, announcements and more.

Want to know what it takes to be the #1 women’s-wear brand at Nordstrom?  Well, you’re in luck!  In this episode Pete sits down with Sheila Harrington, CEO of Free People – a massively successful tentpole subsidiary of the URBN roster – to discuss its humble origins and thoughtful evolution into one of the most influential brands in the market.

As the very first buyer in store number one, Sheila describes the untethered entrepreneurial spirit that fueled Free People to think creatively from the beginning, and sculpt their point of view into the laser-focused lifestyle aesthetic that it is today.  Encouraged by a culture of incubation under the URBN umbrella, Free People has been afforded room to grow into more and more categories of their customers wardrobe – through labels like FP Movement, Intimately FP, and free-est – broadening the possibilities of what the brand can be. 

More than an incredible wholesale partner, more than a successful standalone retailer with an impressive direct-to-consumer business, Free People is a global phenomenon with a lot more to show in the future.

Thanks for tuning in to episode 118.  We hope you enjoy it! Did you know that YOU can be on The Nordy Pod? This show isn't just a one-way conversation. We want to hear about what Nordstrom looks like through your eyes. Share your Nordstrom experience, good or bad, by giving us a call and leaving a voicemail at: 206.594.0526, or send an email to [email protected] to be a part of the conversation! And, be sure to follow us on Instagram @thenordypod to stay up to date on new episodes, announcements and more.

One of the biggest challenges that any organization will face throughout its lifetime is conscious evolution. It is imperative to remain purposeful and intentional toward the adoption of new concepts into a system that may have worked yesterday, but – in the words of Bob Dylan, “The times, they are a-changin”.

Sure, Nordstrom has won the right to be here for 125 years, but it’s not because we’ve run the same playbook over and over again. If we want to see this thing grow into the foreseeable future, we need to stay curious, and actively listen to fresh ideas from a new generation of eager and ambitious young minds, hungry to make a meaningful impact on our industry.

One of the best ways that we’ve found to do so is by offering these young people – in particular, current college students and recent graduates – an exceptionally appealing work environment through our 10-week corporate internship program here in Seattle.

Long-time Nordy Pod listeners will remember that we’ve featured the internship program before – but that was over a hundred episodes and almost four years ago. So in the spirit of staying current, we’ve brought in a fresh new crop of interns from this year's program – five of our thirty three summer interns of 2026 – to share their experience, and what they’ve learned as the summer comes to a close.

In this episode you’ll hear from rising senior at Texas A&M University, Maci Nash, rising senior at the University of Texas in Austin, Lucia Soldi, rising senior at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, Layla Stanfill, rising senior at the University of Washington in Seattle, Madhumitha Gandhi, and graduate of the University of Washington, and experienced Nordstrom shoe-seller, Tony Ha

There’s no doubt that each of these talented individuals has a bright future ahead of them, and we’re extremely proud to have played even a small part in developing those stories. We can confidently say that they’ve each made a lasting impression on our business, and we’re extremely grateful for their unique perspectives and kind words about their time in the Nordstrom internship program.

Thanks for tuning in to episode 117. We hope you enjoy it!

Did you know that YOU can be on The Nordy Pod? This show isn't just a one-way conversation. We want to hear about what Nordstrom looks like through your eyes. Share your Nordstrom experience, good or bad, by giving us a call and leaving a voicemail at: 206.594.0526, or send an email to [email protected] to be a part of the conversation! And, be sure to follow us on Instagram @thenordypod to stay up to date on new episodes, announcements and more.

The people that interact with customers day in and day out are truly the ones that make this business what it is.

So, for this episode we’re handing the show over to a group of Nordstrom Personal Stylists that unapologetically embrace our “Owner-at-Heart” ethos.

It should be said that the people you’re about to meet are some of our very best sellers in the entire company. These conversations were recorded at our annual Platinum Pacesetters Dinner – which is an evening of fun and appreciation for our top-performing 1% of sellers company-wide. We pulled a few of them aside to chat one-on-one with each other, and discuss the secrets to their success. It’s truly inspiring to hear the stories and motivations of these talented individuals who thrive on building meaningful and lasting relationships with customers all in their own way.

First you’ll hear from Kathy Brown and Adam McAllister, both personal stylists at our Bellevue store right outside of Seattle. After that we’ll share a conversation between Jaycee Queen, from our Century City store in Los Angeles, and Amanda Schwartz from our store in Nashville.

But before that, Pete sits down to have a quick chat with our Vice President of Selling Programs at Nordstrom, Jessica Cloutier – who you heard back in episode 63 – who’s going to share a little context around what it means for our stylists to be “Owners at Heart”.

Thanks for tuning in to episode 116. We hope you enjoy it!

Did you know that YOU can be on The Nordy Pod? This show isn't just a one-way conversation. We want to hear about what Nordstrom looks like through your eyes. Share your Nordstrom experience, good or bad, by giving us a call and leaving a voicemail at: 206.594.0526, or send an email to [email protected] to be a part of the conversation! And, be sure to follow us on Instagram @thenordypod to stay up to date on new episodes, announcements and more.

Creating a successful business from scratch is nearly impossible.  Even if you have a great idea for an exceptional product, bringing it to life requires indomitable confidence and unwavering commitment in the face of insurmountable odds.  And maybe a healthy dose of naivety.

Our guest for this episode fits that bill.  A true embodiment of purpose and drive, Nate Checketts, co-founder and CEO of the performance lifestyle apparel brand Rhone, along with his brother, Ben Checketts, seems to have willed their business into being without a reasonable doubt of its survivability.  From an idea at a dinner table to one of the fastest growing premium activewear brands in the market, Rhone has planted its flag and proven its worth among the world's heaviest contenders and has no intention of slowing down.

  

With game-changing product built for similarly ambitious, health conscious customers, Rhone begs the question, “why settle for anything less?”

If comfort is important to you, if looking fantastic is at all important to you, then Rhone should be important to you.  

Thanks for tuning in to episode 115.  We hope you enjoy it! Did you know that YOU can be on The Nordy Pod? This show isn't just a one-way conversation. We want to hear about what Nordstrom looks like through your eyes. Share your Nordstrom experience, good or bad, by giving us a call and leaving a voicemail at: 206.594.0526, or send an email to [email protected] to be a part of the conversation! And, be sure to follow us on Instagram @thenordypod to stay up to date on new episodes, announcements and more.

Adapt or die.  There is no other choice.  The laws of nature are as true for the retail industry as they are for any aspect of life, and the next existential crisis looms just around the corner.  Sound dramatic?  Well, it is.  The stakes are real and the bar of expectation is high.

So how is it that a 4th generation of Nordstroms has, yet again, evolved their legacy brand into relevance for the modern age?  As e-commerce platforms and direct-to-consumer businesses continue to pull customers out of physical stores, competitors scramble for market share, completely altering the playing field, constantly changing the rules of the game.  Do people really care about how they get their products, just so long as they get it now?  Can anyone tell the difference when a robot picks their wardrobe?  How does one person’s unique human experience inform and influence the success or failure of a nation-wide company in 2026?

Join us for this special edition of The Nordy Pod as Executive Producer, Sam Jones, steals the host seat, pitting Pete against the biggest brain-busters of our time.  

It’s survival of the fittest, and the herd has thinned out!

If you'd like to learn more about the work of Sam Jones, check out samjonespictures.com

Thanks for tuning in to episode 114.  We hope you enjoy it! 

Did you know that YOU can be on The Nordy Pod? This show isn't just a one-way conversation. We want to hear about what Nordstrom looks like through your eyes. Share your Nordstrom experience, good or bad, by giving us a call and leaving a voicemail at: 206.594.0526, or send an email to [email protected] to be a part of the conversation! And, be sure to follow us on Instagram @thenordypod to stay up to date on new episodes, announcements and more.

Today, more than ever, the lines between sportswear and streetwear have blurred and blended. What starts on a field, or a court, or a track somehow ends up shaping fashion, music, and street style – and vice versa. And few brands are navigating that space better than Adidas.

For the last several years Adidas has been exploding, and for us at Nordstrom and our business together, the momentum continues to build. The arena in which Adidas plays – as a melting pot of performance and lifestyle products, informing and inspiring one another – speaks directly to the cultural moment, and what our customers are looking for.

Listen as we hear from the President of Adidas North America, John Miller, about the brand's rooted sports authority, and continued expansion in performance and the broader fashion landscape.

After that we’ll learn the importance of listening to the customer in defining “what’s next” from Adidas’ Vice President of Lifestyle, Shaira Reyes.

It’s a timely conversation about the evolution, authenticity, and remarkable growth of one of the most well-known and relevant brands in the world.

Thanks for tuning in to episode 113. We hope you enjoy it!

Did you know that YOU can be on The Nordy Pod? This show isn't just a one-way conversation. We want to hear about what Nordstrom looks like through your eyes. Share your Nordstrom experience, good or bad, by giving us a call and leaving a voicemail at: 206.594.0526, or send an email to [email protected] to be a part of the conversation! And, be sure to follow us on Instagram @thenordypod to stay up to date on new episodes, announcements and more.

Soccer is the world's game. It brings together billions of fans, transcends borders, and creates moments that live on for generations. And this year, in 2026, one of the biggest sporting events on the planet has come to Seattle.

In this episode we’re exploring the business behind this culturally unifying game—from the incredible impact that it has on the communities that it touches, to the enormous undertaking for our city to be hosting the World Cup.

Pete sits down with the Seattle Sounders and Seattle Reign Football Club’s Chief Revenue Officer, Courtney Carter, and Chief Marketing Officer, Ro Vega to discuss the evolution of professional soccer in Seattle, building passionate fan communities, and why the region has become one of the sport's greatest success stories in the US.

After that we’re joined by Peter Tomozawa, CEO of Seattle's World Cup Organizing Committee to better understand the scale, complexity, and opportunity that this massive sporting event brings to the Pacific Northwest.

Thanks for tuning in to episode 112. We hope you enjoy it!

Did you know that YOU can be on The Nordy Pod? This show isn't just a one-way conversation. We want to hear about what Nordstrom looks like through your eyes. Share your Nordstrom experience, good or bad, by giving us a call and leaving a voicemail at: 206.594.0526, or send an email to [email protected] to be a part of the conversation! And, be sure to follow us on Instagram @thenordypod to stay up to date on new episodes, announcements and more.