Chief Change Officer #38 Food52 CEO Erika Ayers Badan: No One Cares About Your Career - Part Two
Part Two
I’m joined by none other than Erika Ayers Badan, the current CEO of Food52—a leading innovator in the food, cooking, and home space. Before her time at Food52, Erika was the first-ever CEO of Barstool Sports, and her career spans across media, marketing, and tech, with roles at companies like Fidelity, Microsoft, AOL, and Yahoo.
On my show, I bring on guests who are willing to share real, lived stories. And Erika has no shortage of those. In fact, she’s gathered so many lessons along the way that she decided to write her first book, titled No One Cares About Your Career. When I saw that title, I knew I had to develop a two-part series featuring Erika.
In the last episode, we dove into the book—why she wrote it, why now, and why this title. Plus, we’ll unpack some key nuggets of wisdom, including five simple things anyone can do to succeed at work.
In this episode, Erika will open up about her life and career experiences—her upbringing, her parents, her leadership approach, and even her thoughts on toxic work cultures. And here’s something you won’t hear in other interviews: What career advice would Erika give her own two middle and high school-aged kids, especially in today’s rapidly changing world?
Episode Breakdown:
2:42—Blame It on the Parents? How Childhood Shaped a Love for Teaching and a Struggle with Authority
“I really love to teach. I think my parents, who were in education, gave me that. I also have a fairly strange relationship with authority. I think that also comes from my childhood.”
7:57—Do Titles Really Matter? Confessions of a CEO Who Once Cared A Lot
“I don’t really care about titles. It’s a little bit hypocritical because the CEO is a great title. I did care a lot about titles in the hustle years where I was really trying to advance. You should always endeavour to take on more than you had six months ago. Are you doing the same exact thing you did six months ago, without learning, or growing, or tripping on yourself, or taking on something you didn’t know exactly how to do?”
11:51—Why Failure Is a Good Thing: Tripping Over Yourself Is Part of the Plan
14:47—What’s Your Leadership Style? Finding the Balance Between Boss and Buddy
17:07—Toxic Workplace or Just a Bad Day? Getting Real About Fixing Office Culture
“I think that people throw the term toxic workplace around a lot. I’m not sure what it means anymore. I would try to spend as much time as I can to get specifics – what’s going on?”
20:55—Career Advice for My Teenage Kids: Balancing Business and Life Lessons
25:16—What’s Next After ‘No One Cares’? Teasing the Next Passion Project
Connect with us:
Host: Vince Chan | Guest: Erika Ayers Badan
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