Anatomy of a Brand Podcast With Chris Cruz

Most designers aren't losing to AI. They're losing to their own fear of what AI means. In this episode, we sit back down with Matt Lehman, founder of Matt Lehman Studio and the designer behind the Harlem Globetrotters' 100th anniversary rebrand, to go deeper on what it actually takes to build a visual identity that lasts. We get into the creative process nobody shows you: pencil to paper, free ass...

Most founders are told that level of confidence is dangerous. They're trained to soften it and that's exactly when they start to lose. In this episode, we sit down with Whitney Miller — the first-ever winner of FOX's MasterChef — who walked into Gordon Ramsay's competition at 22, self-taught and fresh from Mississippi, and won the whole thing. Now she's doing something even har...

Most brands aren't losing to better competitors. They're losing to themselves because nobody will say the content strategy is broken. In this episode, I sit down with Oren John — internet creative director, co-founder of Cut30 (2,500+ creators trained), and founder of HYPER — to break down the exact structure behind a content flywheel that actually drives revenue. Oren had a YouTube video...

Subscribe and join our community for operators, marketers, and builders shaping the future. Most business owners don't fail because they're bad at their craft. They fail because they built a job and called it a business. In this episode, we sit down with John Felkins, Executive Director of EntreLeadership Elite at Ramsey Solutions and the head coach who's spent 14 years building Dave R...

Subscribe and join our community for operators, marketers, and builders shaping the future. Most founders don't break because the business broke. They break because nobody told them the 3% they were hiding was already running the company. In this episode, we sit down with Blake and Jamie — two licensed therapists, best friends for nine years, and the co-hosts of The 3% Podcast — a show built o...

Subscribe and join our community for operators, marketers, and builders shaping the future. You can post every single day for a year. And still build an audience that will never buy from you. In episode 31 of Anatomy of a Brand, we sit down with Caleb Ralston, the filmmaker behind Gary Vaynerchuk's TikTok explosion from 300K to 3.5 million followers in three months, and the Director of Brand w...

Subscribe and join our community for operators, marketers, and builders shaping the future. Get in Touch Instagram: www.instagram.com/anatomyofabrand Website: www.anatomyofabrand.co Email: micaela@harborandunion.com Most brands don’t fail because they lack content. They fail because they’re creating for algorithms instead of actual human beings. In this episode, we sit down with Mike Payne, co-fou...

Subscribe and join our community for operators, marketers, and builders shaping the future. Most businesses don’t fail because their product isn’t good enough. They fail because they’re talking about themselves instead of their customer. In this episode, we sit down with Donald Miller, CEO of StoryBrand and Business Made Simple, New York Times bestselling author, and the mind behind a messaging fr...

Subscribe and join our community for operators, marketers, and builders shaping the future. In this episode of Anatomy of a Brand, we sit down with Ben from Consider the Wildflowers to explore the unlikely journey of building a fine jewelry brand rooted in story, legacy, and human connection. What began as watercolor greeting cards and flea-market jewelry experiments grew into one of Nashville’s m...

What if branding isn’t your logo…but every single touchpoint? In this episode of Anatomy of a Brand, we sit down with José, a Mexico City based brand strategist, founder, and creative director behind multiple global brand platforms and media properties (including We Love Branding and We Love Daily, reaching hundreds of thousands of designers and founders worldwide).José has built brands, curated h...

In this episode of Anatomy of a Brand, we sit down with filmmaker and creative leader Giancarlo Stigliano for an honest conversation about burnout, sustainability, and what it really takes to build a meaningful creative career without losing yourself in the process. Drawing from a decade in the film and commercial world, Giancarlo reflects on why so many creators feel exhausted, even when things l...

Episode 25 of Anatomy of a Brand -subscribe and join our community for operators, marketers, and builders shaping the future. Most brands don’t fail because they lack demand. They fail because growth pressures them into becoming something they’re not. In this episode, we sit down with a brand operator who’s been inside the room when the biggest bets were made -from Red Bull to Fjällräven to Benchm...

What most people don’t see about entrepreneurship is the quiet resilience behind it. In this episode, we sit down with Nic + Maude, the founders behind one of Franklin, Tennessee’s most beloved custom hat brands, to talk about the road no one prepares you for: building a business with your best friend, navigating motherhood, surviving financial uncertainty, and refusing to let creativity die under...

You Don’t Build the Fastest-Growing Cookie Brand by Accident What if the thing you’re building didn’t start as a business idea, but as a fight for your own health? In this episode of The Anatomy of a Brand Show, we sit down with the founders of Toto Cookies, the fastest-growing cookie brand in the natural foods market, to unpack what it actually takes to build a modern CPG brand that scales withou...

You’re posting. You’re grinding. You’re doing everything the workshops told you to do, the hooks, the tactics, the formats and yet a quiet question keeps circling in your mind:“Is any of this even working?” In this episode of Anatomy of a Brand, our team gets painfully honest about the hidden battle every entrepreneur, founder, and creative faces when building a brand today. We’ve spent the last f...

In this episode of Anatomy of a Brand, we sit down with Paul Weaver — Miami-based creative, founder of The Freelance Photographer®, and the photographer trusted by brands like Garmin, Goop, Ten Thousand, Olipop, Celsius, Outdoor Voices, Alo Yoga (spec), and Torque Fitness, to break down the exact blueprint he used to scale from solo freelancer to strategic visual partner for global brands. If you’...

Most brands spend their energy trying to keep up with their industry. Almond Surfboards did the opposite, and it’s the reason they’ve survived (and grown) for over a decade. In this episode, Chris Cruz sits down with Almond founder Dave Allee, whose slow-build, customer-first, craft-driven philosophy helped Almond break free from the surf industry’s expectations and become a category of one. This...

What if the idea you can’t shake… is the one you’re meant to build? Corbin Briggs was a self-taught tattoo artist who couldn’t find a tool to practice with, so he invented it. No funding. No experience. Just faith, scrappiness, and a relentless belief that this was his thing to do. He built Inlumino Heart Ink from nothing, turned off all ads when it wasn’t working, and bet everything on organic co...

Most people think sales is about convincing but it’s actually about clarity. In this episode of Anatomy of a Brand, we unpack why most sales fail before they even begin and how clarity, curiosity, and service can completely change how you sell. If you’ve ever felt like sales was pushy, forced, or fake, this conversation will flip your mindset. Trey breaks down how the best salespeople don’t sell,...

It’s circa 2020. The world was hoarding toilet paper as an odd global coping mechanism. These two? Bought squeegees. Learn how two unemployed friends ask the simple question, “what happened to the service industry?” and then revolutionize what blue collar means, into an iconic national lifestyle brand.  In this episode, we sit with Carter Smith, Co-Founder of Pink’s Window Services, to unpack how...

What happens when a leather craftsman decides to go all-in on building a brand for photographers? Meet Todd from Clever Supply, a maker who turned his garage hobby into a decade-long creative business loved by world-class photographers like Peter McKinnon and Joe Greer. In this episode of Anatomy of a Brand, we dig into:-How to grow a product-based brand from zero to scale-The power of listening t...

In this episode of Anatomy of a Brand, Chris Cruz sits down with Dan Janssen, founder of Lincoln Design Co., the creative powerhouse behind some of the most disruptive and visually electric brands in the world from Liquid Death and Harley-Davidson to Fortnite, Nike, and Monster Energy. Dan reveals what it really takes to build a timeless, culture-shifting brand. From leaving DC Shoes to founding L...

What really makes or breaks a brand? It’s not just design, sales, or marketing — it’s leadership. In this powerful conversation with Patrick Lencioni, we dive into the missing link between creativity and organizational health, the 6 types of Working Genius, and why authentic leadership is the foundation of every lasting brand. If you’re building a brand, leading a team, or simply trying to discove...

Ever wondered what it takes to grow a streetwear brand in a city like Nashville? Dive into the story of Rooted, a Nashville-based streetwear and lifestyle brand that’s redefining community-driven retail. From overcoming rejection in the sneaker industry to creating immersive retail experiences, Rooted’s founder shares the philosophy behind the brand, their obsession with connection, and the innova...

Jeff Sheldon, founder of Ugmonk, shares how obsession with craft, design, and intentionality shaped his brand from a side hustle in 2008 into a globally respected company. From early Threadless t-shirts to Kickstarter campaigns that raised over $400k, Jeff walks through the principles that built his brand—simplicity, storytelling, and a relentless focus on the human experience. In this episode, we...