The Nordy Pod

Today, more than ever, the lines between sportswear and streetwear have blurred and blended. What starts on a field, or a court, or a track somehow ends up shaping fashion, music, and street style – and vice versa. And few brands are navigating that space better than Adidas. For the last several years Adidas has been exploding, and for us at Nordstrom and our business together, the momentum contin...

Soccer is the world's game. It brings together billions of fans, transcends borders, and creates moments that live on for generations. And this year, in 2026, one of the biggest sporting events on the planet has come to Seattle. In this episode we’re exploring the business behind this culturally unifying game—from the incredible impact that it has on the communities that it touches, to the enormou...

Rated #1 for the past three years on Forbes annual list of companies with the “Best Customer Service” – a list formed by surveying 158,000 customers over a period of 12 months – The UPS Store has consistently proven an authentic and thoughtful commitment to the improvement of all things most valuable to their customers. And, as you know by listening to the Nordy Pod, improving Customer Service is...

What really is the role of a leader at Nordstrom? What are the inherent qualities of a good manager who promotes a healthy work environment, and ultimately builds a better business? Well, it’s not about having all the answers, and it’s not about bossing people around. You’ve heard us mention before on the podcast the concept of the inverted pyramid. We didn’t invent the idea, but it’s something th...

We never really tire of telling stories of satisfied Nordstrom customers. And if you’ve listened to the podcast for any amount of time, you’ll know this to be true. You’ve also likely heard either Pete, or any number of our incredible people profess, with unwavering certainty, that improving customer service is the key ingredient to our long-term success. Now, we don’t always get it right – and we...

In this episode we’re pulling back the curtain on a part of our business that we haven’t spent much time talking about on the podcast—which is ironic, because it has everything to do with how we talk—and that’s Communications. Specifically, we’re talking about how we here at Nordstrom think about developing and refining a unified “voice”, so to speak, for the company, and the decisions around how...

You grew up playing with them. You’ve shared them with your kids. And now, the brands we all know and love are flying off the shelves and into our hearts through every form of entertainment imaginable. Because Mattel isn’t just making toys anymore—It’s building worlds. Worlds shaped by brands like Barbie, Hot Wheels, Uno, Masters of the Universe, and so much more! Ynon Kreiz, CEO of Mattel, has le...

Air travel may seem like a far cry from the retail world, but as it turns out, Southwest Airlines and Nordstrom have a lot in common in the ways that matter most. For anyone interested in learning about the essential building blocks of a great customer experience, this conversation—between two CEOs who have built their entire businesses around customer service—crosses industry boundaries and bring...

Retail today looks a lot different than it used to. Customers can shop on their phone from their couch. They can compare us to the entire world in about five seconds. They expect personalization. They expect overnight, or even two-hour delivery. And honestly? That’s fair! If we want to stay relevant, we have to evolve and grow to meet the customer’s changing needs. But one constant that’s anchored...

How do you get people to share a good thing? In our last episode, we spent time talking with a few Nordstrom family members about how the company started, the values that shaped it early on, and the establishing of a culture and reputation that’s propelled this business through the last 125 years. But there’s one lesson—or fact—that’s been essential for us to understand and embrace as the business...

If you’ve ever spent time in a Nordstrom store, you probably know this already: the way we show up for customers really matters to us—and that’s not a new thing. This year marks 125 years since our founder, John W. Nordstrom, opened a small shoe store in Seattle—only blocks away from our headquarters today. So to celebrate, we’re turning back the clock to retrace our steps and explore the roots of...

What do the grapes of Walla Walla, director David Lynch and the keyboardist from The Doors all have in common? Well, he's our guest for this episode—the incredibly talented film and TV star, and face of the Nordstrom 2025 holiday gifting campaign, Kyle MacLachlan. Pete and Kyle actually share a few similar life experiences—both born and raised in Washington, their families crossing paths at the Un...

Join us for a special trip to the Women's Wear Daily Apparel & Retail CEO Summit, where co-CEOs Pete and Erik Nordstrom talk on stage with the managing editor for WWD, Evan Clark, about the current state of Nordstrom and the broader industry landscape. They discuss their strategy and vision as a newly private company, address the rationale behind the move and outline key areas of focus for the fut...

As we celebrate 100 episodes of the Nordy Pod, join us for a look back through the catalogue to revisit some of our favorite moments—unique insights from incredible business leaders, inspiring stories of struggling startups, and proud examples of customer service that reinvigorate our purpose and strengthen our culture.   Thanks for tuning in to episode 100.  We hope you enjoy!  Did you know that...

Every business leader talks about culture — what it means, how to build it, how to protect it. It’s one of the most important aspects of running any successful organization. And though Nordstrom is a retailer, the fundamentals of culture-building that apply to our business can actually be found in all kinds of seemingly unrelated industries. For our host, Pete Nordstrom, one of the clearest and mo...

It’s important for us here at Nordstrom to keep a laser focus on customer service and what it means for us. But we all live in the real world, and sometimes it’s helpful to open the aperture and look outside of your own business to see what else is going on out there, because there are things to be learned! In this episode Pete shares his own personal experience as a customer at a place called Dis...

For over 50 years our company, Nordstrom Inc., had been a publicly traded entity. Owned by shareholders, traded on Wall Street and largely evaluated by its stock price. That all changed on May 20, 2025, when we—the family, with more than a little help from our friends—bought it back. What does that actually mean? How does that all work? What are the potential risks and long-term implications for t...

We've been to London. We've been to Paris. We've been to Milan. And for this episode, we're rounding out the "Big Four" and taking the podcast to fashion week in New York! To help tell this story we're handing the hosting duties over to a familiar voice—our de facto fashion field correspondent Rickie De Sole, Vice President Fashion Director at Nordstrom. Rickie takes the reins and dives into the h...

What is Nordstrom's number-one goal? If you're a Nordstrom employee you'd better know the answer, because it's pretty much the first thing that we ask at every state-of-the-company meeting. Invariably when we single out our newer crew members we'll get a mixed bag of pretty good answers. But the truth is, there is only one answer—which is to improve customer service. And it's that word "improve" t...

When you walk into a Nordstrom store, a lot of things are happening at once. The layout, the colors, the lighting—all working together to create a feeling, and that feeling doesn't happen by accident. In this episode we're exploring the incredible importance of a physical environment for retailing through the lens of interior design and architecture to create spaces that are inviting, exciting and...

In the world of fashion, there are a handful of names that do more than just design clothes—they shape conversations. Our guest today is someone who's done exactly that. Founder, chairman and creative director of the immensely popular fashion brand that shares his name: Kenneth Cole. Not only is Kenneth a wildly successful fashion designer and entrepreneur—he's also a bold voice for social change,...

In a store like ours—with thousands of brands in every category of men's, women's and kids' apparel, with shoes, accessories and everything in between—there are virtually limitless possibilities, which could potentially feel a little overwhelming. That's why one of the key elements for us to be able to achieve our goals and serve our customers best is styling. It's how a jacket from one label, a b...

Our guest for this episode is an incredible artist and a master of mimicry. You've seen her face and all the faces she's put on. Settle in for Pete's conversation with film and TV star, and recurring cast member on Saturday Night Live, Chloe Fineman. Chloe has acted in a long list of TV shows and films both comedic and dramatic—films like Babylon, Megalopolis, the hilarious Hulu original Summer of...

Anybody that works in our industry knows that retail is a moving target, and there's a million different variables that influence success or failure at any given moment. Some of those variables are measurable and tangible enough to use to your advantage—but others are really out of your control. So what do you do when, for example, the whole world shuts down amid a global pandemic? Or when nations...

Early in 2024 more than 2,000 people showed up to our Nordstrom store on 57th Street in New York. Not for a celebrity fragrance launch. Not for a new shoe drop. But for a live taping of a podcast. And it wasn't The Nordy Pod. It was a podcast called The World’s First Podcast, hosted by our guests for this episode, sisters Sara and Erin Foster.   But to be honest, their podcast isn't even the main...