Your Career Is Not a Suicide Pact - with Chris Gannett

Chris Gannett has had the kind of career that looks like a highlight reel—CMO of a major entertainment company, advisor to global brands like Oreo and Dr Pepper, strategic roles with icons like Muhammad Ali and Elvis Presley, and large-scale activations for brands like Pokémon GO. He’s worked in music, media, marketing, and tech, building, growing, and reinventing companies along the way.

But beneath the surface was a growing misalignment between his ambition and his identity.

In this episode of Critical Moments, Chris shares the wake-up calls that made him rethink everything—from missing his twins’ first birthday for a Hollywood dinner to losing his father at the start of the pandemic. He talks openly about the toll of white-knuckling an executive identity, the slow road to self-awareness, and what it really takes to rewrite your story.

This conversation is about resilience, letting go of control, and the power of deciding that your job doesn’t define you.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Friendly chaos, intros, and Hollywood CMO life

07:30 – The moment he missed: his kids’ first birthday

16:45 – Living out of sync: when identity and ambition drift apart

25:10 – COVID, loss, and learning to let go of control

39:30 – Reinvention, resilience, and the work of listening

51:15 – Coaching, clarity, and rewriting your story

🎧 Listen now and subscribe to Critical Moments for honest conversations with leaders navigating real change.