CEOs and ABCs

In this episode of CEOs & ABCs, Kevin sits down with Anthony Valletta, CEO of BarTaco, to explore what two decades in hospitality taught him about making people feel like a priority, and how long it took him to bring that same thinking home. Anthony has built his career across Michelin-starred dining rooms, fast casuals, and everything in between. Today he leads BarTaco with a single filter: d...

In this episode of CEOs & ABCs, Kevin sits down with Desiree Motamedi, Chief Marketing Officer of Salesforce's NextGen platform, to explore what happens when AI stops being a work tool and starts becoming a way of life, at the office and at home. Desiree has built her career across Adobe, Google, Meta, and Shopify before landing at Salesforce, where she now oversees a 12 billion dollar portfol...

In this episode of CEOs & ABCs, Kevin sits down with Jennifer Kattula, Global CMO of Microsoft Advertising, to explore what happens when a systems thinker applies the same rigour she uses to lead AI transformation at scale to the way she designs her family life at home. Jennifer's path to one of the most senior marketing roles in tech started in chemical engineering, wound through the early da...

In this episode of CEOs & ABCs, Kevin sits down with Becca Chambers, Chief Marketing Officer of Scale Venture Partners and one of LinkedIn's most followed voices on authentic leadership, to explore what happens when you stop trying to fit a mold that was never made for you. Becca opens with a story most high-performers will recognise but rarely say out loud: she started her career with a faile...

In this episode of CEOs & ABCs, Kevin sits down with Shachar Orren, co-founder and Chief Revenue Officer of EX.CO, to explore what it really costs to build something from nothing and what becomes available when family arrives after you have already built yourself. Shachar spent over a decade growing EX.CO from six people to a 115-person global company, helping publishers and media companies su...

In this episode of CEOs & ABCs, Kevin sits down with Matt Eisenacher, Chief Brand Officer at First Watch, to explore what it actually takes to become a leader of leaders and why the hardest part isn't learning new skills, it's letting go of old ones. Matt opens with a story most high-performers will recognise: the moment you realise your presence in the room is the problem. From removing himse...

In this episode of CEOs & ABCs, Kevin sits down with Eliot Hamlisch, Chief Commercial Officer at Amtrak, to explore what it really means to lead with humanity, at work and at home. From transforming customer experience at some of the world’s biggest brands to raising two children while balancing a demanding executive career, Eliot shares the mindset shifts, rituals, and values that have shaped...

What if the future of leadership isn’t about control, authority, or climbing higher… but about creating environments where people genuinely feel seen, trusted, and valued? In this episode of CEOs & ABCs, Kevin sits down with Rachel Wallis Andreasson, former CEO of a multi-billion-dollar family business, leadership expert, and author of The Sixth Level. Rachel shares her extraordinary journey f...

In this episode of CEOs & ABCs, Kevin sits down with Camille Hymes, former Chief Operating Officer of Smoothie King and former executive leader at Starbucks, Jack in the Box, and ExxonMobil, to explore what it means to lead with intention, both at work and at home. Camille shares how a deeply personal mission statement became the compass for her career: “to live in peace and bliss and to help...

In this episode of CEOs & ABCs, Kevin sits down with Karen Robinovitz, co-founder of Sloomoo Institute, to explore a journey that moves from pioneering the creator economy to rebuilding a life through something as simple and powerful as play. Karen was early to everything, journalism, digital media, and influencer marketing, helping shape how brands and creators work together today. But behind...

What does it really look like to build a career from nothing, and what happens when you finally get there? In this episode of CEOs & ABCs, Joe Cannon, SVP at Hyperice, shares the full arc of his journey, from graduating into a brutal job market with no clear path, to piecing together freelance work, sleeping in his car, and chasing any opportunity that could get him in the room. Joe opens up a...

What happens when a high-achieving career is working on paper, but no longer feels aligned in real life? In this episode of CEOs and ABCs, Kevin sits down with Charisse Hughes, a senior marketing and growth executive who has led at some of the world’s most iconic consumer brands, including Estée Lauder, Pandora, Kellogg, and Kellanova. But this conversation goes far beyond titles and career highli...

In this episode of CEOs & ABCs, Kevin sits down with Tariq Hassan, former Chief Marketing Officer of McDonald’s, to unpack a belief that shaped his entire leadership philosophy: you cannot get to incredible outcomes when fear of failure is baked into the system. Tariq shares how growing up dyslexic quietly wired him for fear and overcompensation, and how that same “paralysis” shows up inside c...

In this powerful and deeply emotional conversation, Kevin Rice sits down with Tracy Ryan, co-founder and Chief Communications Officer of nkore Biotherapeutics, to explore what happens when a mother refuses to accept “incurable” as the final answer. Tracy shares the moment her 8-month-old daughter, Sophie, was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor. In a single phone call, her perfect life as a successf...

In this episode of CEOs & ABCs , Kevin Rice sits down with Seth Goldman, the founder of Honest Tea, which he built from a home kitchen concept into a category-defining brand and sold to The Coca-Cola Company in 2011. Today, Seth is the CEO and co-founder of Just Ice Tea , co-founder of PLNT Burger , Chair of the Board at Beyond Meat , and Chair of Tony’s Mission Lock at Tony’s Chocolonely. Set...

In this episode of CEOs & ABCs, Kevin Rice sits down with Barry Westrum, a veteran restaurant marketer and former CMO who has helped shape some of the most iconic QSR brands including Dairy Queen, KFC, Del Taco, Long John Silver’s, and Taco John’s. Barry shares what actually makes marketing work at the highest level. Building brands that win through emotion, cultural relevance, and disciplined...

In this deeply personal and powerful conversation, Kevin Rice sits down with Michael Chachula, CTO of Propelled Brands and longtime technology and transformation leader across the restaurant and franchise industry, to explore how adversity, resilience, and empathy shape truly great leadership. Michael opens up about losing his father as a teenager and how that early loss forced him to grow up fast...

Anncy Rowe has spent decades building iconic beauty brands, but this conversation goes far beyond titles and milestones. In this episode of CEOs & ABCs, Kevin Rice sits down with the Chief Commercial Officer of Rodan + Fields to explore what it really looks like to grow into leadership over time while navigating identity, motherhood, ambition, and legacy. Anncy reflects on rising through the r...

Robert LoCascio went public at 33, helped invent web chat, and spent nearly three decades building LivePerson into a $6 billion company. What followed was not the ending he expected. In this episode of CEOs & ABCs, Kevin Rice sits down with the founder of LivePerson for a rare and deeply honest conversation about leadership under extreme pressure, navigating macro events like the dotcom crash,...

Jessica Serrano has spent nearly two decades shaping some of the world’s most loved food brands, but what makes her story hit is the way she’s built a life that can hold both motherhood and executive ambition. In this episode of CEOs & ABCs, Kevin Rice sits down with the CMO of Bagel Brands (Einstein Bros and Noah’s Bagels) to talk about what it really takes to lead at a high level without fee...

Rishad Tobaccowala believes work is changing more between 2020 and 2029 than it did in the previous fifty years. In this conversation, he joins Kevin Rice to unpack what those waves of change look like across society, demographics, technology, marketplaces, and emotion, and why return-to-office debates miss the bigger picture. Rishad shares practical ways leaders can design organizations around tr...

In this raw, honest, and deeply reflective conversation, Kevin Rice sits down with Deborah Palmer Keiser, global operator, supply-chain builder, fear-tamer, and now COO of Pair of Thieves, to explore the cost of ambition, the courage to repair, and the surprising ways our kids teach us to lead. Deborah spent three decades opening markets, fixing broken supply chains, and resurrecting brands across...

In this thought-provoking and deeply human conversation, Kevin Rice sits down with Amanda Slavin, educator, author, consultant, and creator of the Seven Levels of Engagement, to unpack why engagement, not productivity, is the real engine of learning, leadership, and parenting. Amanda shares the origin story of her life’s work, starting with her own childhood report cards that all said the same thi...

In this revealing and deeply personal conversation, Kevin Rice sits down with Adam Brotman, renowned digital innovator, CEO of Forum3, and former Chief Digital Officer at Starbucks, to explore how great leadership begins at home. Adam shares the untold story behind Starbucks’ digital transformation, the strategy that reshaped the way millions of customers order coffee and connect with brands and t...

In this thoughtful and wide-ranging conversation, Kevin Rice sits down with Nick Tran, President and CMO of the joint venture between Diageo and Main Street Advisors, to talk about what it means to design a life, not just a career. Nick shares how taking a mid-career sabbatical and moving his young family to London became one of the most rewarding chapters of his life. Over three years and 23 coun...