Puck CEO, Sarah Personette

This week, Paul sits down with Sarah Personette, CEO of Puck, the fast-growing news outlet the New York Times described as “Vanity Fair for the Substack era.” From her ambition to become a CEO at age seven to her senior roles at Facebook, Universal-McCann, and Twitter – which ended after Elon Musk bought the company, Sarah unpacks what it takes to lead teams through uncertainty, disruption, and reinvention. She explains Puck’s blend of high-caliber journalism with modern distribution, and how to survive the oncoming AI onslaught. Sarah speaks candidly about navigating career transitions, modeling work-life balance, leading global teams, and raising children with intention while running billion-dollar operations. Whether you're a founder, a parent, or just starting out, her mantra—“Stay calm, stay focused, stay classy”—is a playbook for thriving in today’s chaotic world. It’s a raw, funny, deeply human look at the future of media, work, and purpose-driven leadership. Also, don’t miss Paul gushing with ‘80s nostalgia about the movie About Last Night starring Demi Moore and Rob Lowe. (Don’t worry - it’s relevant) Learn more about Puck here: https://puck.news/ Subscribe to Paul’s Substack here: http://words.paulollinger.com Watch About Last Night: https://www.amazon.com/About-Last-Night-Rob-Lowe/dp/B000I8HIM2