LEAVE YOUR MARK: Freshly Brewed Career Advice with Aliza Licht

What does it feel like when your video goes viral? Chrissy Rutherford knows. She was shocked when her video captioned, “It’s not enough to just say “I’m not racist, ” following the murder of George Floyd went viral, garnering over 5 million views in less than a day. Chrissy realized that there was much to teach her industry on being anti-racist. After working in fashion for 12+ years as the former Special Projects Director and the Senior Digital Fashion editor of harpersbazaar.com, she decided to join forces with fellow fashion editor Danielle Prescod, creating 2BG (Two Black Girls). 2BG is a consultancy that advises fashion and beauty brands along with influencers on how to implement anti-racist communication strategies. She is also a digital creator who has partnered with brands like Tiffany & Co., Jimmy Choo, Saks Fifth Avenue, and more. In this episode, Chrissy shares her journey breaking into fashion with tactical advice on how to make sure your bosses never forget you, how to be politely persistent, what it means to know your value, and how to know when to leave your job. She also transparently shares her struggle with mental health and her mission to make diversity and inclusion in fashion a mainstay of the present and future.

No one likes managing their money, but money expert and New York Times best-selling author of Boss Bitch, Rich Bitch, Becoming Super Woman, and now Miss Independent, Nicole Lapin, makes it easy. Have you ever wondered how millionaires make their money? Spoiler alert: it's not from saving money. My favorite money expert, Nicole Lapin, is back on LEAVE YOUR MARK with her new Wall Street Journal #2 bestselling book, Miss Independent. "Millionaires don't make their money just from their salaries, no matter how big their paychecks get. They have an average of seven additional streams of income, many of which are passive, meaning their money is making money for them while they sleep." Nicole had no choice but to learn the language of money, and empowering people to embrace and understand it has been her goal ever since. Nicole started out making $20K a year and getting into almost as much credit card debt. She never worked at a bank and didn't have an MBA. "I wasn't born into wealth or privilege. There were days when I didn't have food to put in my mouth, much less a silver spoon. For much of my early career, I either lived paycheck to paycheck, was in debt, and/or subsisted on a brown-rice-and-beans diet (it felt fancier than ramen). I tell you this because if I could become Miss Independent—totally financially set up and secure on my own—then anyone can, including you. I promise." Miss Independent is your best friend who knows and shares all the ins and out of saving money and investing it meaningfully. You don't have to understand finance to heed Nicole's advice. With in-depth tutorials and humor to boot, Nicole can transform your mindset to begin to think differently. In this episode, Nicole shares that she may not have been a financial expert, but she was an expert in being broke, and writing her four bestselling books was her way of teaching everything necessary to learn the language of finance. Nicole calls on a lot of BS cliches, and one of them, which she shared, was "knowledge is power," instead, Nicole says that 'action is power.' Nicole also points out that women can have it all, only if you define what 'it all' means for you and then stick to it rather than changing the goal post.

In a world that's gone virtual, how do you make an impression if no one sees you? How do you collaborate and connect? Are you a camera off or a camera on person? Are you 100% work from home or hybrid? Whether you're an executive or an assistant, remote work affects everyone. On this LEAVE YOUR MARK snack segment, I speak with workplace strategist and author Erica Keswin on how to make an impression as a remote worker. Erica has worked for the past twenty years with some of the most iconic brands in the world as a consultant, speaker, author, and professional dot-connector. Her bestselling book, Bring Your Human to Work: Ten Sure-Fire Ways to Design a Workplace That's Good for People, Great for Business, and Just Might Change the World, was published by McGraw-Hill in the fall of 2018. Her second book, Rituals Roadmap: The Human Way to Transform Everyday Routines Into Workplace Magic made the Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly and USA Today best seller lists. Erica's work and insights can be seen in various media outlets, including Harvard Business Review, NY Post, Forbes, Huffington Post, O Magazine, Entrepreneur, Business Insider, Mogul, Conscious Company, Quartz, and Fast Company. Erica was named one of Marshall Goldsmith's Top 100 Coaches in 2020, as well as one of Business Insider's most innovative coaches of 2020. 

Does desperation paralyze or invigorate you? For founder and CEO Sarah LaFleur, it was both. After quitting her dream job after four months because, spoiler alert, it was not a dream, she decided she had no choice but to become an entrepreneur. In truth, her motivation came from her inability to explain her departure in a way that wouldn’t permanently dent her career. Owning your narrative and shaping your story is something that many people struggle with, but for Sarah, her so-called failure spawned the birth of her company, M.M. LaFleur. Frustrated by a lack of women’s workwear options that were stylish and practical, she teamed up with Miyako Nakamura and Narie Foster to launch M.M.LaFleur in 2013. Their mission is to help women take the work out of getting dressed, so they can focus on the work that matters to them. The brand is known for its functional design details, comfort (like go ahead and nap in these clothes), and no “dry cleaning necessary” pieces. The brand is also doing its part in supporting women where it counts most. Passionate about seeing more women run for office, M.M. LaFleur has loaned clothing to over 275 female candidates. Since 2017, they have partnered with Bottomless Closet o help disadvantaged women in the NYC area jumpstart their careers, making it possible for women to donate their workwear at either M.M. LaFleur store in NYC or DC. They also offer special discounts to the military, veterans, medical professionals, first responders (including government and public service workers), and teachers. In this episode, Sarah shares her origin story and the struggles she dealt with after thinking she had destroyed her career. She explains why sometimes the answer to depression is just to keep moving forward. We talk about how her mother is her biggest inspiration, how to use your clothes to send powerful messages, and much more.

DeDe Brown and her career exemplify what it means to carve your own path and leave your mark. From studying broadcast journalism at the University of Alabama to finding her way through the bright lights of Hollywood, DeDe proves that if you put yourself in the right places, are humble enough to learn, and stay curious, people will take a chance on you. Today, DeDe is the senior vice president of multicultural marketing and publicity at Paramount Pictures, one of the biggest production companies in Hollywood. DeDe's journey is the story of having no connections at the start, waiting many, many tables, and being clever enough to know when opportunities present themselves for you to take that leap to the next rung on the career ladder. When she's not helping run the show behind the scenes at Paramount, she's co-hosting a podcast, BLK ON THE SCENE, featuring Black voices who are helping to drive change and representation in entertainment. In this episode, we talk about the concept of putting your trust in the skills you have acquired and taking a chance to grow your career in a new industry. We talk about what it takes to succeed in marketing and public relations, especially in a high-stakes industry, and why DeDe believes that her humility, curiosity, and willingness to admit when she doesn't know the answer have contributed to her ability to thrive in her roles. 

When Stacy London joined this podcast in season two, her parting words were a wish. She hoped in the future to do something for women her age. Needless to say, she manifested her dream role and what happened next is crazy. Now, Stacy is back to share what she has been up to since the last time she was on this podcast. Stacy London was previously a fashion stylist who has styled everyone from Kate Winslet to Liv Tyler. She's a best-selling author and TV personality, made famous from the fan-favorite series, What Not to Wear. As a person in the public eye, Stacy has been very transparent about her journey—the ups and the downs, the battles with body image, and even finances. Today, Stacy has faced her fear of the unknown and redefined what it means to be Stacy London. As the CEO of State of Menopause, a company she acquired a year ago, Stacy is helping women understand this next phase of life, not just through their products. It's her mission to make talking about menopause as normal as talking about pregnancy. But beyond that, Stacy is proving that there is a Renaissance for older women, and it's no coincidence that during the pandemic, they are starting companies in droves. In this episode, Stacy shares her story in an authentic way her fans know and love. She shares her struggle to find her new place in this world and what it was like to experience a life-altering change that she wasn't prepared for. She shares the real story of running a startup as a CEO with no experience and how she's learning as she goes. Stacy's truth will resonate with so many, and the more we open up these conversations, the better we will all be.

Can you be a great leader and also show vulnerability? Amy Shecter thinks so. She believes that vulnerability is a key strength in leadership and that people are afraid to show it. Her ability to say, “There’s so much I can learn from you,” to not only major players in her network but also outside of it might be one reason for her success. She’s gone from traditional fashion roles to being CEO at four major companies. From Glamsquad to CEO of Ever/Body today, Amy is a bold visionary, nimble strategist, and inspiring organizational leader who has built businesses from the ground up. She’s known for her ability to revitalize brands and accelerate growth and profitability, whether for established companies or start-ups. Amy was named one of Entrepreneurs Magazine’s 100 Powerful Women of 2020. In this episode, Amy shares her journey and many transparent learnings. She shares the importance of working for what you want to accomplish and why you should never settle for a career path that you no longer have a passion for. As Amy says, being stuck in a job is a choice. Listen to her words of wisdom and model her tactics in your own career.

Alfredo Hurtado's LinkedIn bio declares him "The most dangerous man in the world." Back in the early days of Twitter, he became infamous as the "Bad Boyfriend." This man breaks every personal branding rule in the book. Still, his fearless marketing tactics have worked for the many brands he has worked on, including Bacardí, Calvin Klein, Cerveza Sol, Gatorade, and Hennessy, among many others. Today, he's the co-founder of Swordmaker Studios and the creative director of HOLY JOE, a Los Angeles-based streetwear brand. HOLY JOE was accepted into Licensing International's inaugural Diversity and Inclusion Accelerator Program in 2021 and is now one of the fastest-growing Hispanic-owned clothing labels. In this episode, we dive into what it means to be a bold marketer and have an unapologetic view of who you are and how you show up. We also talk about what happens when it backfires. Alfredo's tactics are not for the weak, but there is a lot to learn from someone who doesn't care what anyone thinks and has truly made it his own way.

In case you missed it, as of November 2021, a record of 4.5 million people are just not that into working anymore. Today, The Great Resignation is still going strong but birthing a new trend of The Great Reimagination. People are rethinking their lives and the time they spend at work. Priorities are shifting, and many for the good. In this short and focused LEAVE YOUR MARK "snack segment," workplace expert and New York Times bestselling author, Lindsey Pollak, shares both the pitfalls and positives of The Great Resignation and what comes next. She shares her advice on how to leave a company on a positive note, why you should consider all factors before jumping the gun on quitting, the dangers of workplace trends, and the consequences of following them. Lindsey has worked with more than 50 corporations, law firms, conferences, and universities to help their individuals and organizations navigate and thrive in the ever-changing world of work. Her clients include Aetna, Citi, Estée Lauder Companies, GE, Goldman Sachs, Google, Pfizer, Verizon, Yale, Harvard, Wharton, and Stanford. Her accomplishments don't stop there. She was named to the 2020 Thinkers50 Radar List, serves as an official Ambassador for LinkedIn, is a spokesperson for The Hartford's "My Tomorrow" campaign, and the chair of Cosmopolitan magazine's Millennial Advisory Board. 

Would you ever take a risk and consider me? That was the question Tamara asked the hiring manager when she knew she did not have the qualifications for her first-ever job. Now, Tamara is an award-winning sales account executive. At Google, she leads cloud growth and adoption for Omnicom, a leading high-value agency where she is a strategic and effective partner to some of the world's most recognizable brands. She has built her reputation by driving business results by developing holistic data-driven solutions, a stellar personality, and the ability to understand that the secret to sales success lies in relationships. In this episode, Tamara shares her journey from ground zero with no experience but the will and motivation to do whatever it takes. She shares her insider tips on how to excel in sales and her tactics to effectively communicate, pitch a client, and unlock your customer's challenges.