Owning Your Legacy

In this episode of Owning Your Legacy , Laurette sits down with Jennifer Bell, CMO of Lettuce Entertain You Restaurant Group, to talk about the importance of professional development, risk-centered leadership, and the invaluable benefits of betting on yourself. Laurette and Jennifer walk through the various obstacles of a journey to the C-suite, leading by example to multiply your team’s enthusias...

In this episode of Owning Your Legacy , Laurette welcomes colleague George Southworth, executive director of the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association (FEMA). George’s extensive experiences as a government programs executive with IBM, a director and regional manager with the National Association of Manufacturers, and now executive director at FEMA have fueled his passion as a leader that dr...

In this episode of Owning Your Legacy , Laurette talks all about transparency, reflection, and potential with entrepreneur, life coach, and food industry executive Christie Myers. A strategic visionary, Christie’s generational tie to the food ingredients industry has helped her embrace her history while defining her own unique career path. Today, she carries on her family’s penchant for innovation...

In this episode of Owning Your Legacy , Laurette welcomes Chicago-based food & lifestyle entrepreneur D.C. Crenshaw to talk through his purpose-filled journey to creating culinary businesses that fuel the next generation of tastemakers. D.C. founded Little Diner’s Crew to partner with local restaurants to curate inspiring dining events for young children that help develop their palates and app...

In the season 6 premiere of Owning Your Legacy , Laurette welcomes philanthropist and entrepreneur duo Amy and Pete Kadens for an incredibly powerful and transparent conversation about the need for more accountability in life and leadership. Because without it, we are only solving for symptoms instead of the core issues. Amy is the founder of MOD Collective and Share Our Spare , which respectively...

In the Season 5 finale of Owning Your Legacy , Laurette welcomes executive food & beverage professional Mary Wagner. From General Mills to Taco Bell and more, Mary’s impressive career is a testament to her standard of excellence and passion for progress. She has provided invaluable food science operations & strategy guidance for top brands in the industry, most notably and recently as the...

In this episode of Owning Your Legacy , Laurette sits down to talk with certified life coach Suzanne Nance. Since starting her company Create 4 You, Suzanne has worked with some of the top leaders across the world, including those at the helm of Fortune 500 companies and mission-driven nonprofit organizations, to help reframe their perspective on the inevitable promise of challenge ahead and stren...

In this episode of Owning Your Legacy , Laurette is joined by Beth Smith, founder and CEO of Simplicity Cold-Pressed Juice & Cocktails. Made with fresh fruits and vegetables, Beth expanded the brand’s offerings from only juice and added spirit-infused drinks based on her belief that fun and freshness aren’t mutually exclusive. As a result, she launched the country’s first ready-to-drink, cold-...

In this episode of Owning Your Legacy , Laurette welcomes Oliver Kelly, the President & CEO of Kerry North America, to discuss his lessons learned in leadership and the mindset needed to create an unmatched workforce.  A leader in sustainable nutrition, Kerry has expanded from its humble origins in Ireland to a global visionary within—and beyond—the dairy industry. With a 30+ year career in sa...

In this episode of Owning Your Legacy , Laurette welcomes Courtney Johnson, founder and president of Culinary Care, to talk about the decision to persevere through difficulties and transform struggles into inspiration in life and business. After losing her own father to cancer, Courtney wanted to bridge the gap that she experienced and create a better experience for others navigating this life-alt...

In this episode of Owning Your Legacy , Laurette is joined by serial entrepreneur, business expert, and author Robert Jordan. Robert is renowned for his tech start-up expertise and launching the first Internet-coverage magazine in the world, Online Access, which landed him on the Inc 500 list of fastest-growing companies. Now as the CEO of InterimExecs, he’s using his 30+ years of business acumen...

In this episode of Owning Your Legacy , Laurette is joined by entrepreneur Teresa Ging, Founder & CEO of the Chicago-based retail bakery Sugar Bliss. Teresa’s cupcakes and cookies have been a staple in the Windy City for the past 16 years, offering high-quality flavor experiences for those with an elevated sweet tooth. As a woman- and minority-owned business, Teresa has rewritten the recipe fo...

In the season 5 premiere of Owning Your Legacy , Laurette is excited to welcome Karuna Rawal, the Chief Revenue Officer & Chief Marketing Officer at Nature’s Fynd. Karuna’s background includes brand strategy & marketing roles at P&G, Arc Worldwide, and Leo Burnett, elevating legendary brands within food, beverage, and beyond. A proven innovator in CPG, her expertise in building brands...

“An indispensable leader goes above and beyond, but is thought of beyond their role as a go-to. Imagine if [your clients] thought of you like that. Then there would be more touch points. You would deepen the relationship. And if you have, you know, competitors, it's going to be tough to unseat you. But as an indispensable leader, you go the extra mile." — Larry Kaufman In this episode of...

“We're building trust through a really great foundation of transparency. One of my pet peeves is I shouldn't be walking into a situation and somebody says, ‘I didn't know that.’ When somebody says, ‘I didn't know that,’ then I am not doing my job [as a leader].”  — Ryan Smith In this episode of Owning Your Legacy,  Laurette is joined by Ryan Smith, the executive vice president...

“A lot of reasons why I talk about knowing your worth is that if you don't know it, you can't fight for it. And if you don't believe in your worth, don't ask me to. That's really hard. And so I think that's where people who are established or have a good solid sense of worth—it's on us to help others see that worth.” — Brooke Foley In this episode of Owning Your...

“You know, I’ve always just believed really simply in leaving things better than what you took them. And I don’t have any sort of grand plans for legacy. I would like to leave things better. Everything that I touch, better than what I started it.” — Stuart McCarroll In this episode of Owning Your Legacy,  Laurette is joined by Stuart McCarrroll, a seasoned food and beverage industry leader turned...

“The fact that our young people are learning that it's okay to ask for help, that's an amazing win.” — Kari Eckert In this episode of Owning Your Legacy,  Laurette is joined by Kari Eckert, the founder and executive director of Robbie’s Hope, a nonprofit organization dedicated to teen suicide prevention. Kari’s son Robbie took his own life at the age of 15. Suicide is the second-leading...

“True innovation usually requires doing things that haven't been done before, and that can be very painful for some people along the journey. If you are a natural, innovative thinker then you don't mind jumping in when you don't know where you're going to land. And to me, that's the definition of innovation.” — Barb Stuckey In this episode of Owning Your Legacy,  Laurette...

“One of the keys to success in business, and frankly any organization, is constant innovation, constant agile thinking, and diversity within the organization.” — Christie Hefner In this episode of Owning Your Legacy,  Laurette has the honor to sit down with Christie Hefner, former Chairman & CEO of Playboy and daughter of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner.  Laurette and Christie cover a wide range o...

“It's really become more win-win, which is part of that mutual boundary setting. And I think when you look at it that way, sometimes there is magic in that because you find areas that you might not have explored had one party been more closed off, or not had the comfort and the trust. ” — Renee Flesch In this episode of Owning Your Legacy , Laurette is joined by Renee Flesch, a 25-year food i...

“I like building things that matter. I like taking an innovative approach to problems and thinking about them from a stakeholder-centric perspective, which I've learned from conscious capitalism. So thinking about who benefits when we succeed at solving this problem…how can you bring those pieces together and amplify the wins for everyone involved?” — Desiree Vargas Wrigley In this episode of...

“What they're going through is traumatic and anxiety provoking and scary. And, you know, it's a roller coaster ride of emotions and experiences, and we just want to make sure that we're with them on the ride. Whatever that ride looks like, offering support the best way we can.” — Holly Buckendahl Laurette met Holly Buckendahl five years ago through Holly’s incredible work as CEO at...

“You're here for a reason. And so you need to use your seat of influence for good…I got in a lot of good trouble at Walmart…and that good trouble is rooted in conversation.” — Michael Byron This episode is on one of Laurette’s absolute favorite topics—using your seat at the table for good. Laurette is joined by Michael Byron, a consultant specializing in diversity and inclusion training, and...

"People are the most important thing in any business, you know. And if you want them to fit your innovation culture, your work culture, [put in] the extra effort to hire correctly, because a bad hire can really set you back." — Jonathan McIntyre In this episode of Owning Your Legacy , Laurette is joined by Jonathan McIntyre, scientist, consultant, and former food industry executive who h...