Marketing Today with Alan Hart - 407: Does Your Career Align with Your Values? with Regina Lawless, Author of Do You: A Journey of Success, Loss and Learning to Live a More MeaningFULL Life

407: Does Your Career Align with Your Values? with Regina Lawless, Author of Do You: A Journey of Success, Loss and Learning to Live a More MeaningFULL Life

02/21/24 • 37 min

Regina Lawless is an inspiration. She is a recent empty nester, founder of Bossy & Blissful, a community for black women executives and business owners, and author of Do You: A Journey of Success, Loss and Learning to Live a More MeaningFULL Life.

After graduating with her BA in communications from California State University-Sacramento, Regina got her first job in human resources at Target. After about 8 years in retail HR, she did a stint in banking, then moved to the airline industry, and in 2016 she pivoted to tech. This led her to Meta, where in 2020 she became the head of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at Instagram. About 6 months into that role, her husband of 21 years, Al, passed away unexpectedly. This life-changing loss set her on a journey of healing and rediscovery inspired by her late husband’s last text message to her: “Do you, babe. Don’t worry about anything else.”

Through that journey, she realized that she had learned some lessons the hard way that could really help others. So, in 2023, she left corporate America, launched the community she was looking for, Bossy & Blissful, and wrote her first book that outlines a five-part framework she has developed to help you live a “MeaningFULL Life".

In this episode, Alan and Regina discuss why she wrote the book, what she hopes people get out of it, the state of DEI today, and what life is like on the other side of corporate America. Regina also talks about how her childhood impacts the work she is doing today, the double-edged knife of constant connectivity without real community, the way Gen Z is rolling back the clock, and what the loneliness epidemic could mean for employers.

In this episode, you'll learn:

How the death of her husband changed everything in Regina’s life
Practical ways to navigate grief and start finding yourself again
What the loneliness epidemic could mean for employers

Key Highlights:

[01:55] Thriving as a new empty nester
[03:15] Regina path
[05:05] What inspired “Do You”?
[06:25] Tips for grieving
[09:10] How do you “do you”?
[12:50] Navigating fear around making the leap
[16:50] What’s it like to leave corporate America?
[20:50] The current state of DEI
[25:05] From NoCal to the Burbs
[29:00] Don’t be afraid to “do you."
[30:30] The AI portion of the show
[31:40] Back to flip phones!
[34:15] The loneliness epidemic

Looking for more?

Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, you'll learn:

How the death of her husband changed everything in Regina’s life
Practical ways to navigate grief and start finding yourself again
What the loneliness epidemic could mean for employers

Key Highlights:

[01:55] Thriving as a new empty nester
[03:15] Regina path
[05:05] What inspired “Do You”?
[06:25] Tips for grieving
[09:10] How do you “do you”?
[12:50] Navigating fear around making the leap
[16:50] What’s it like to leave corporate America?
[20:50] The current state of DEI
[25:05] From NoCal to the Burbs
[29:00] Don’t be afraid to “do you."
[30:30] The AI portion of the show
[31:40] Back to flip phones!
[34:15] The loneliness epidemic

Looking for more?

Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

406: The Punk Rock Innovation Strategy with Paul Stonick, VP of SCADpro at Savannah College of Art and Design

Paul Stonick is a punk. Like, an “opened for Red Hot Chili Peppers before they were cool” kind of punk. He started in web design in the mid-90s, then pivoted to UX in 2012. With 18 years in e-commerce, fashion, beauty, home improvement, and automotive, as well as 15 years in executive design leadership roles, he has over two decades of “tra-digital” experience in brand creative, visual, and UX design. Now, in the third act of his career as Vice President of SCADpro at Savannah College of Art and Design, Paul tells us it's the opportunity to develop the next generation of design leaders as they work to integrate design innovation and overcome old-school obstructionism that inspires him.

Savannah College of Art and Design is not an art school. They are a creative university, preparing students for their creative professions. SCAD was founded in 1978, and today they have over 17,500 students, over 100 different majors and minors, and a 99% rate of employment after graduation. SCADpro, Paul's department, is the university's collaborative innovation studio. He tells us they sit at the intersection of art design and business by generating business solutions for the world's most influential brands, like Google, Amazon, Apple, NASA, Delta, BMW, Volvo, Uber, Mayo Clinic, The Home Depot, P&G, and Chick-fil-A.

In this episode, Alan and Paul discuss the new book he contributed to, his early brushes with punk royalty, and what makes Savannah College of Art and Design more than just an “art school." They talk about what SCADpro is doing, some of the partnerships they have developed, and what type of work they have done to date. Paul also tells us why design has to be integrated into the top ranks of businesses, what he is teaching students about navigating corporate obstruction and finding like-minded people, and how the punks are taking over corporate America.

“Some of my greatest work will never appear in my portfolio.”

In this episode, you'll learn:

Why Savannah College of Art and Design is NOT just an “art school”
The Chick-fil-A drive-through and other SCADpro projects
How the punks are taking over corporate America

Key Highlights:

[02:20] A lover of music, maybe even INXS
[03:40] Opening for the Red Hot Chili Peppers?!
[05:15] From Anthony Kiedis to the next generation of design leaders
[07:20] Savannah College of Art and Design is not an art school.
[08:00] SCADpro: the university's collaborative innovation studio
[09:00] The BDR side of SCADpro
[09:45] Love the Chick-fil-A drive-through? Thank SCADpro!
[12:10] “Innovation” is being abused.
[13:25] Show the math!
[15:05] Navigating corporate obstruction and finding like-minded people
[18:05] Punks and Pinstripes
[21:40] Be unconventional
[23:45] “The data will set you free.”
[24:50] It’s all about the Gen Z mindset.
[25:45] No, really, it’s all about the Gen Z mindset (and AI).

Looking for more?

Visit our website for links to resources mentioned in this episode and ways to connect with the guest!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

408: David’s Bridal is Innovating Retail Brand Experiences with Kelly Cook, President of Marketing, IT & Finance

Kelly Cook does it all! She is a mother of five who plays the drums AND serves as President of Marketing, IT, and Finance at David’s Bridal. Her love of learning and trying new things can be seen in her impressive and varied work history. From Continental Airlines, to Waste Management, Inc. to DSW, Pier One, Sears, Kmart, and now David’s Bridal, Kelly tells us she learned a lot about herself and her craft by challenging herself in new industries and encourages other marketers to try the same.

In this episode, Alan and Kelly discuss her unique role combining brand, tech, and finance and what those three aspects may mean for the future of brand experiences at retailers. Kelly also tells us how David’s Bridal views their role in the wedding planning process, as well as how their unique omnichannel approach and crowdfunded loyalty programs help them connect with brides on a deeper level.

David’s Bridal sells 1 out of every 4 bridal gowns in the US, so they know brides, and they know brides are stressed out. That is why David’s Bridal is on a mission to make every step of the process as easy as possible, expand its scope to fill gaps in the market, add more value for its brides, and help them keep costs down. It was the creativity of the brides they serve and the dedication of their employees through COVID that inspired David’s Bridal's new “The Things We Do for Love” campaign. Even with the rise of AI, automation, and neuromarketing, Kelly and her team at David’s Bridal know the in-store human connection is a part of their business that will never be replaced.

In this episode, you'll learn:

How is David’s Bridal blending brand, technology, and finance to prepare for the future of retail brand experiences?
How do they structure their unique omnichannel approach and crowdfunded loyalty programs?
What inspired the “The Things We Do for Love” campaign?

Key Highlights: