All The Social Ladies With Carrie Kerpen

On today’s season finale, we discuss the “modern floral experience” with Director of Press & Partnerships Megan Darmody of UrbanStems! She tells us about the state of the industry, how gifting behaviors have changed since the pandemic (self-sending, anyone?), and why brands shouldn’t be selfish when it comes to sharing the spotlight.

There was no way for The Class to predict the boom of the virtual fitness industry when it launched its Digital Studio in 2019. And with the combined effects of the pandemic and a global community of ambassadors, the brand is experiencing massive growth. Today’s guest, Director of Marketing Dominique Brown, tells us about how she uses her experience as a passionate student of The Class to help inform her marketing strategies, how she taps into other students to inspire content, and what it’s been like to work (and work out) from home.

Wonder what it’s like to live that freelance life? Today, Freelance Creative Director Sarah Halverson tells us about the beauty of choosing her own projects, the flexibility of saying no, and the ways experiences keep her inspired. Before COVID, that meant art exhibits and city tours. Now? Arts and crafts projects with her daughter are inspiring her latest work for Great Wolf Lodge.

Remember how excited you were when the Scholastic Book Fair came to your school? Today, we chat with Director of Social Media and Special Projects Bridget Benjamin about what Scholastic has been up to since we were kids, and she tells us about the AMAZING Instagram channel she helped launch this year to help parents and teachers navigate life’s big questions.

We use matchmaking tech to help find compatible partners, why not do the same for therapists? On today’s episode, we hear the origin story of MyWellbeing, but we also have the privilege of getting Founder & CEO Alyssa Petersel’s perspective on how social media impacts our mental health. Hear how she balances setting boundaries with her screen time while also using the platforms to destigmatize the conversation and make advice more accessible.

Ever stop to think about how the networks manage their own social channels? Today, we have an amazing convo with Bri Foster, social media editor at Pinterest, about how she and her team use trending searches to create their own content (like a Black-owned business Pinterest Shop!), how she deals with the pressure of being constantly tuned into the internet, and all the fun things she’s taught herself from Pinterest during quarantine.

After Ayeshah’s pop-up restaurant consistently sold out of biscuits, she started freezing and selling the dough to keep up with demand—and before she knew it, Mason Dixie’s biscuits were selling out at Whole Foods, too. Hear more about the company’s incredible origin story, what Ayeshah is doing to connect with her customers on social, and how she’s advocating for members of the BIPOC foodie community through her latest endeavor: Project Potluck.

Are you wearing sweats right now? We’re guessing the answer is yes. The pandemic has changed the way many of us are approaching our daily wardrobes, but Richer Poorer has been designing “loungewear for anywhere” for 10 years. Today, we talk to Co-Founder and CEO Iva Pawling about the growth of the business since March and how staples like boxer briefs, bralettes, and stylish fleece are delivering confidence to people in comfort.

Beauty rituals have always been an important part of Kiku’s life—some of her fondest memories are the summers she spent in India learning Ayurvedic practices from her grandmother. Today, we talk to Kiku about how she and her sister are bringing generations of tradition to the West with Shaz + Kiks hair products. First up? A scalp + hair prewash. Listen to hear how they’re using social to get the word out and why you should be adding it to your routine.

When her doctor told her to switch from wine to blanco tequila, Kat Hantas started making her own: a simple cucumber jalapeño infusion meant to make sipping lighter and brighter. But after noticing a lot of her girlfriends were also making the change, she took a look at the male-dominated tequila aisle and thought, “Maybe there’s a business here.” Hear the full 21 Seeds origin story on today’s episode!

In the wake of Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s death, access to birth control is on our minds—but it’s on Carrie SiuButt’s agenda. As a woman of color with a disability, access has always been a barrier in her life, but as CEO of reproductive health company Simple Health, Carrie is dedicated to dismantling the barriers within our system and empowering women to take control. Hear how Carrie has become a leader through crisis (hello, she started as CEO in February), and how she’s using her platform to be bigger than birth control.

Trendy food pics, cute fuzzy animals, ultra-relatable memes... No, it’s not your best friend’s Instagram page, but it might as well be. Today, we talk to Senior Director of Marketing at Ritual Claire Knebl about how the vitamin brand connects with customers through content that’s important to them, and how she’s found her passion elevating everyday products and making them as accessible as possible.

If you read content from bloggers or online publishers, you probably interact with affiliate marketing every day, but you might not understand how it works—or even that it exists. Today, we get an all-things-affiliate lesson from Laura Holzwasser, Affiliate Marketing Manager at Chewy!

POP! Get ready for a party—because today we chat with Erica Davis and Catherine Carter, AKA co-founders of The Sip! Tune in to hear about what it’s like to start a company with your BFF, how the history of women in champagne has influenced their business, and what they’re doing to create experiences for their customers both on and off social.

The future of large events is uncertain. And with major partnerships like the NFL and Live Nation, Verizon has the challenge, and the opportunity, to bring those live experiences to fans at home. Today, we talk to Director of Social & Emerging Media Stephanie Miller about how her team is leveraging Verizon’s cutting-edge technology to bring sports and entertainment to social—particularly with its recent #PayItForwardLIVE concert series.

After a video about Tipsy Scoop’s boozy ice cream went viral on Facebook, people flocked to East Harlem looking for a trendy scoop shop. But what they found instead was literally a warehouse—Founder and CEO Melissa Tavss’s production facility for wholesale and catering. Listen to today’s episode of ATSL to hear more about the role social media has played in this company’s success (which now, of course, includes brick and mortar!), and how it’s customers are embracing the “Instagram moment”.

Our relationship with “home” is changing. It’s not just where we sleep anymore—it’s where we work, eat, unwind, connect, you name it—and our spaces are changing to accommodate us both physically and emotionally. Today, we have a wonderful conversation with Jinal Shah, VP of Marketing at Feather, about the brand’s role in providing more than just furniture, but how she and her colleagues are leading with empathy to offer comfort and support to help customers feel at home. (Bonus: Hear what it’s like to lead a team through a rebrand in the middle of a pandemic!)

We’ve all heard jokes about “social media being run by interns,” but the reality is that over the past few months, social teams have been responsible for communicating MAJOR brand messages in response to COVID-19 and the social injustices present in our country. Today, we hear how after her proposal for using Groupon’s channels to amplify Black voices was tabled, Jori Evans raised her hand in a Zoom meeting of 1,000 people to call out her leadership team and stand up for what she knew was right—and they listened.

How do you provide value across content marketing channels when your target audience is… everyone? Make it human. Today, we chat with Leah Walters, head of communications at monday.com, about how B2B marketers can think like B2C marketers to hone in on the core principles that resonate most. Tune in to hear how Leah’s team is carrying out this approach in both its brand and acquisition content—especially in the midst of COVID-19.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen social media serve as a powerful platform for people and brands to take a stand against systemic racism in support of the Black community. Today, we talk with Digital Marketing Manager Essence Souffrant about her experience as a Black woman living through this moment in history: how she’s balancing work, family, and advocacy, her perspective on the brand messages she’s seeing in the media, and advice for how companies (and the people behind them) can put action behind their words to become true allies.