Soul & Science: Fast Forward Your Marketing Mind

Big brand breakthroughs don’t come from playing it safe. This week on Soul & Science, Jason Harris sits down with Ben Whitla, Head of Brand and Marketing at Slate Auto, to explore how bold creativity and disciplined measurement come together to build something truly different. From his beginning as a self-taught graphic designer, to helping companies like Great Big Story and launching an EV brand,...

Big marketing moments rarely happen by accident. This week on Soul & Science, Jason Harris sits down with Brandon Rhoten, Chief Marketing Officer at Dave’s Hot Chicken, to discuss the discipline behind breakthrough marketing. Known for shaping the iconic digital voice of Wendy’s and leading brand turnarounds at Papa John’s and Potbelly, Brandon shares how he blends creativity with rigorous analysi...

What does reinvention look like when you invented the industry standard? This week on Soul & Science, Jason Harris welcomes Brenda Tsai, Chief Marketing Officer at Bloomberg, for a conversation about leading a brand that has helped define modern financial markets. Brenda shares how her background in finance, global operations, and brand leadership shapes her approach to marketing at Bloomberg. The...

The hardest part of scaling a brand isn't growing—it's resisting the distractions that pull you away from your core values This week on Soul & Science, Jason Harris is joined by Andrew Rebhun, Chief Experience Officer at CAVA, to explore how a rapidly growing brand maintains its commitment to "spirited generosity.” From his early days at Ford and McDonald’s to navigating CAVA’s impressive growth,...

In a world obsessed with specialization, Winston Warrior has never been interested in fitting neatly on a resume. This week on Soul & Science, Jason Harris sits down with Winston Warrior, Amazon Senior Global Marketing Executive, content creator, R&B artist, and “The Dope Professor,” for a conversation about reinvention, influence, and leading with humanity inside one of the biggest companies on t...

For legacy brands, the hardest work isn’t necessarily making change—it’s choosing what to protect. In this episode of Soul & Science, Jason Harris sits down with Stacy Taffet, Chief Growth Officer at The Hershey Company, to talk about what it takes to modernize a over 130-year-old brand portfolio while protecting the meaning people already love.  They also explore how Hershey thinks about snacking...

Agencies obsess over the pitch. Clients obsess over whether you actually understand the business. In this episode, Jason Harris sits down with Robin and Stephen Boehler, founders of Mercer Island Group and authors of It’s Not About You: Winning New Business in a Crowded Agency World, to unpack why most agencies lose new business before they even walk into the room—and what the winners do different...

Purpose can fuel performance—but only when brands truly understand who they serve. In this episode, Jason Harris sits down with Carter’s CMO Sarah Crockett to explore how modern parenting is reshaping brand expectations—and what it takes to connect with one of the most values-driven and overwhelmed consumer groups today. Sarah shares how her career has been guided by purpose, and how that belief i...

Marketing is being rebuilt by AI—but the most important decisions still can’t be automated. In this episode, Glassdoor CMO Eric Petitt joins Jason Harris to explore what it takes to build a resilient marketing career in an AI-shaped world. Drawing from more than two decades of experience across mission-driven companies like Mozilla and Glassdoor, Eric shares how marketers can stay adaptable, creat...

Amber Balcaen didn’t just have to prove she could win races. She had to prove she was worth backing. In this episode of Soul & Science, Jason Harris sits down with Amber Balcaen, a third-generation race-car driver who made history in 2016 as the first Canadian female to win a NASCAR-sanctioned race in the United States. With a background in dirt racing, Amber became the first in her family to tran...

Breaking into advertising can be tough—and standing out once you’re in is even tougher. But two young creatives are showing there’s a new path. In this episode, Jack Westerkamp and Geno Schellenberger, co-founders of Breaking & Entering Media, join Jason to share how they built one of the most energetic and attention-grabbing brands in the industry by combining cultural instinct, social-first thin...

Great brands don’t win by being faster or louder—they win by treating every customer as if they’re the only customer. That philosophy sits at the core of this week’s guest, Doug Zarkin, Chief Marketing Officer at Take 5, an award-winning brand builder known for transforming legacy companies into modern-day leaders. In this episode, Doug joins Jason to break down his “Thinking Human” approach—the m...

Exceptional performers aren’t defined by talent alone—they’re defined by how they think. And in marketing—where uncertainty, pressure, and change are constant—the right mindset is a competitive advantage. In this episode, Dr. Bob Rotella, one of the world’s most influential sports psychologists, joins Jason to explore the mental principles that fuel greatness in sports, business, and brand leaders...

When you’re up against giants, speed and creativity become your superpowers. Recorded live at Advertising Week New York 2025, this conversation with Drew Panayiotou, CMO at Keurig Dr Pepper, dives into how Dr Pepper’s challenger mindset—and relentless creativity—turned an underdog into a market leader. From transforming Best Buy’s digital future to guiding Pfizer through the pandemic, Drew has bui...

Energy gets attention. Trust builds loyalty. In a world obsessed with virality, longevity still wins. The best brands aren’t just loud—they’re reliable, repeatable, and relentlessly consistent. With a background in digital strategy and brand storytelling, Sara Kear, Chief Marketing Officer at Condado Tacos and Tequila, has turned a regional taco spot into a fast-growing national brand built on cre...

Empathy at scale isn’t easy—but it’s the heart of BetterHelp’s mission. With two decades of marketing leadership at Facebook, The RealReal, and Beyond, Sara Brooks has helped brands grow from startup to IPO and beyond. Now, as Chief Growth Officer at BetterHelp, she’s using data and storytelling to make mental health care more accessible around the world. In this episode, Sara joins Jason Harris t...

Building a brand takes focus. Building a meaningful career takes range. From leading global campaigns at L’Oréal, PepsiCo, and American Express to driving purpose-driven change in accessibility, youth empowerment, and the arts, Stinson Parks III has built a career by refusing to be boxed in. After surviving a near-death experience, he redefined what success means—shifting his focus from building b...

How do you turn civic engagement into a brand people actually want to join? Kyle Lierman, CEO of Civic Nation and former Obama White House staffer, joins Jason Harris to talk about leading large-scale movements—It’s On Us, When We All Vote, Made to Save—and the organizing principles that make them work. Kyle shares how his time at the White House shaped his leadership philosophy, why Gen Z is the...

How do you build “America’s coffee” without getting lost in politics? Donny Jensen, CMO of Black Rifle Coffee, joins Jason Harris to share lessons from a career that’s spanned Nike, Red Bull, Beats by Dre, Spartan Race, and now one of America’s fastest-growing coffee companies. Donny explains why brand is the ultimate differentiator, how Black Rifle balances irreverent viral content with disciplin...

How do you scale a wellness brand without losing the mission? Doug Sweeny, CMO of Oura, joins Jason Harris to unpack the playbook behind Oura’s evolution—from a sleep device born in Finland to a holistic health platform used by pro teams, biohackers, and everyday members. Doug shares why the internal reset comes first (“align the company, then tell the world”), how revenue ownership changes the CM...

How do you recognize a “super concept” before it goes mainstream? John Lowe, Managing Director at Amok Consumer Growth and former CEO of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, joins Jason Harris to share his playbook for identifying breakout food and beverage brands. During his 14 years as CEO, John scaled Jeni’s by more than 100x in revenue—while also serving on the boards of White Castle, Watershed Distill...

What you can measure drives growth, but what you can’t often drives breakthroughs. Alex Schultz, Chief Marketing Officer and VP of Analytics at Meta (and author of the upcoming book Click Here), joins Jason Harris to unpack the soul and science behind decisions that move billions of people: the rebrand from Facebook to Meta, launching Threads to 400M MAU, the retention curve that signaled Ray-Ban...

In a world obsessed with instant results, Jackie Jantos makes the case for brand building that lasts. From Coca-Cola to Spotify to Hinge, Jackie has spent two decades shaping brands that endure by focusing on cultural insights, inclusive teams, and work that actually serves audiences. Now, as President and CMO at Hinge—the dating app “designed to be deleted”—she’s proving that long-term growth com...

What do basketball, brand reviews, and $400M in agency wins have in common? Michael Palma. From being a Parade All-American athlete to coaching under Jim Valvano, Michael Palma pivoted into advertising recruitment—eventually placing more than 1,300 top talents and helping agencies win over $400 million in revenue. Today, as founder of The Palma Group, he manages reviews for global brands like Coca...

Change is inevitable—but the most successful leaders know how to turn it into their greatest advantage. In this episode, Jason sits down with Jason Feifer, Editor-in-Chief of Entrepreneur magazine and author of Build for Tomorrow. From walking away from his first reporting job to pitching national outlets cold, Feifer has built a career on spotting opportunities no one asked him to pursue—and help...