The Storied Future

In 1996, a 27-year-old woman walked into Smith Barney for her very first day as a secretary. A recent college grad with a degree in piano and no business experience, Ivy League pedigree, or marketable skills other than typing fast, it wasn't long before she saw the future she wanted: a career as an investment banker. But that future seemed out of reach. Or was it?That woman was Whitney Johnson, and she's our guest on the very first episode of season 2 of the podcast. Whitney is the CEO of Disruption Advisors, a leadership development company that can help you grow your people to grow your business. She's also the host of the weekly podcast Disrupt Yourself, whose guests have included Alan Mulally, Brené Brown, Adam Grant, Susan Cain, and Stephen M.R. Covey.In today's episode, Chris and Whitney cover:How Whitney learned to embrace, not run from, her origin storyThe massive influence Clayton Christensen and his work on disruption and innovation had on WhitneyThe importance of "throwing down the pom poms and getting in the game"How the "S curve" provides a powerful framework for Whitney's work as a disruption advisorWhether it's easier to disrupt yourself earlier or later in your careerThe zen of tennis, piano, and fly fishing And much more!

The Storied Future Podcast gives high-performing CEOs a front-row seat to candid conversations with leaders who have put new narratives out into the world, and then used those narratives to shift the future.If you want to create a future where you’re not only proud of what you’ve accomplished, but of how you accomplished it, how it changed you, and who you took with you, host Chris Hare and his guests will provide the insights and inspiration you need to get there. Guests include Whitney Johnson, CEO of Disruption Advisors; Jim Citrin, Head of the CEO Practice at Spencer Stuart; Pete Sauerborn, Executive Chair of FTD; and Aaron Mitchell, architect of Netflix's 2% cash commitment to Black banks.

In this special episode in honor of Black History Month, Chris is joined by Aaron Craig Mitchell. Aaron is the former director of HR at Netflix Animation Studios, where he helped engineer the company's pledge to allocate 2 percent of its cash holdings into financial institutions and organizations that directly support Black communities in the U.S.Aaron describes himself as a tortoise (a nod to the Aesop fable that inspired the episode title) because he learned persistence and resilience from an early age—traits that have helped him slowly and steadily drive huge positive change in his career so far.Aaron has lived a life of extraordinary impact, and he's only just getting started.In this episode, Chris and Aaron discuss:How Aaron's struggles as a self-described, sickly, shy, clumsy, and nerdy kid unlocked a rich inner life of imagination and creativityThe hard-ass music teacher who made JK Simmons' character in the movie Whiplash look like a nice guy, and who introduced Aaron to a lifelong love of jazz that now shapes every part of his workHow Aaron worked to fan flames of healthy chaos during Netflix's cannonball into the pool of animation, going from zero to the largest studio in the world inside of a yearHow a Jefferson Dinner in the early days of the pandemic sparked the creation of an initiative at Netflix that has injected $2 billion in cash into Black banks and financial institutions and is now providing access to the loans that Black businesses need to survive, thrive, and growAnd much more!

Chris closes out the first season of the podcast with a conversation with Erica Brinker, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of ESG at Array Technologies. Erica is an extraordinary leader who knows how to build a brand and prove her impact. Prior to Array, Erica was CMO at Honeywell, an industrial that historically didn’t believe in marketing. She drove demand through the roof for Honeywell by building a brand campaign that is still driving impact years later. Her insights and approach should prove incredibly valuable for CMOs who are leading through the turbulence of this current economy. Chris and Erica cover:Her early years as a marketer working at Kate Spade, Tiffany, and Ralph Lauren, in a world where brand was everything - The path she blazed to become Chief Marketing Officer at Honeywell - Honeywell's Futureshaper brand campaign, which aligned everyone from the buyer to the C-Suite at Honeywell around a shared vision of the future - How  you can earn and grow a trusted relationship with your CFO - How Erica's desire to change the future of the planet for her kids led to her current role at Array - And much more! Thanks for joining us this season. We'll see you in 2023!

Today, Chris talks to Jake Wood, CEO and founder of Groundswell, an innovative new corporate giving platform that enables companies to empower employees with their own donor-advised funds.As a former Marine sniper who received three meritorious promotions for leading combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, Jake shares how he overcame fear and chaos on the battlefield. And he explains how the lessons he learned in combat can help company leaders face their own fears and unleash the potential of their employees to win in the midst of chaos.Chris and Jake cover:Jake’s search for a narrative that would give his life meaning and purpose through serving othersHow the storied narrative and culture of the Marine Corps transformed Jake into a warriorThe origin of Team Rubicon, and how Jake and his team used storytelling to align donors, employees, the public, and volunteers around a shared missionHow he and his team at Groundswell are transforming the future by writing a new narrative that unleashes generosity to change the worldAnd much more! 

In this episode, Chris is joined by Netflix’s Heather Dowdy for a conversation about her work in shifting the narratives that impact how people with disabilities and people of color with disabilities are received in our culture. Heather is a child of deaf adults (CODA) who grew up on the south side of Chicago at the intersection of race, disability, socioeconomic status, and technology. She became an engineer and eventually the first director of product accessibility at Netflix. In that role, she sets strategy and helps her team use technology to innovate so they can delight members who have disabilities. Chris and Heather explore: Heather's journey from Chicago to college and then Motorola, Microsoft, and now Netflix Her vision of the future, one where we all recognize that no two people and no two disabilities are alike but every person's needs are met What happens when a company's stated purpose and the demand for profit collide How Heather stays connected to her audience at Netflix to ensure she and her team are creating the most delightful experiences possible How we can use AI to unlock greater personalization to meet people's access needs and supplement their abilities   And much more!

Former Amazon VP Pete Sauerborn discusses his customer obsession, how he grew Amazon Marketplace, the importance of stories that aren't in the data, the power of pain for business transformation, and the role of effective communication through writing narratives at Amazon.

Today The Storied Future Podcast welcomes Kyle Arteaga, cofounder and CEO of the Bulleit Group, an award-winning high-tech PR agency.From an early age, Kyle believed that the science fiction of movies and television could become reality—had to become reality. At the core of Kyle and his team’s mission is a recognition of the ways technology has shaped the present, and a determination to tell the stories of the companies that will drive the future.In this episode, Kyle and Chris discuss how companies that are inventing the future can thrive in the midst of uncertainty and use narrative to change what happens next. They cover: The influence TV shows like The Jetsons and Knight Rider had on young Kyle’s vision of what was possible  How comms can evolve to address the acceleration of invention, the proliferation of communication channels, and the complex desires and demands of customers, employees, and policy makers How startups and enterprise tech companies can effectively tell their stories in a way that brings their vision of the future to life Why having a strong narrative in times of uncertainty is critical to the future of your company How to build an authentic narrative, and the importance of bringing your audience along on the journeyAnd much more!

Welcome to the seventh episode of The Storied Future Podcast, where Chris talks to Mark Stouse, founder and CEO of Proof Analytics.If you’ve been listening to the show regularly, you know we explore how leaders use narrative to transform the future of a business. Mark has done that many times over, but his story of personal transformation is not to be missed. He also highlights how analytics can be a powerful tool—an empathy engine—that can help marketing leaders become greater multipliers of the efforts of those around them. Chris and Mark discuss:How the thing Mark detested at an early age—math—eventually changed his lifeWhy being a “data-driven” organization isn’t enoughHow Mark proved the value of investing in brand building at Honeywell Aerospace, a traditional organization that had historically spent nearly 100% on demand generation The roles of marketing and sales, how marketing mix modeling (MMM) helps align them, and why great marketing is a sales multiplier Why understanding time lag is a key to relating marketing performance and sales performanceThe narratives that guide the relationship between CMOs and CFOs, and how analytics can help shift those narrativesAnd much more!

Andrew Walsh, President and CEO of Applicate Commerce, discusses the challenges of the rise of e-commerce for traditional retailers. He shares insights on the importance of a cohesive strategic narrative to guide partners and customers towards future growth. They explore the evolution of the distribution industry, the role of technology, and the need for strong relationships and partnerships. The power of a strategic narrative in shaping a company's future and driving strategy is also highlighted.