"Maybe we hit a wall, but we just got to keep trying to figure it out. We got to make our own luck, and so [it's] that ability to bang your head against the wall repeatedly until you find another way." A "way" that led to the fast-growing organic baby food startup, Yumi. As co-founder, president and CMO, Evelyn Rusli admits she struggled daily not to second guess herself, but tells me in this episode of Brand Insider: BTS, that it was the victories that gave her and her co-founder the confidence to move forward. Evelyn also talks about the …

"I needed to use my position or needed to use the visibility that comes with my position to really be open and honest about the person that I was and about my identity and about my pronouns...so that I could change the way that we think about, what does leadership look like." The position Sarah Reynolds holds is CMO of Udacity, a title in the tech industry that is rarely held by someone who identifies as non-binary. In this episode of Brand Insider: BTS, Sarah shares with me the challenging process they went through to be fully open about their …

"I realized very quickly that in order to go up and move up the food chain that I was going to have to become more of an operator and more strategic." "Moving up the food chain" meant Reggie Casagrande had to sacrifice some of her creative endeavors, but the head of strategy, global sports marketing at Oakley realized it also provided many career benefits as well. In this episode of Brand Insider: BTS, Reggie talks with me about the value of calling the shots with an insider's perspective, the importance of choosing a career that matches your passions and her …

"It's in those moments where it's okay to say, okay, time to move on, time to find something else that really gives you joy and gives you meaningfulness." Lisa Mathison has moved on a time or two in her career, and in this episode of Brand Insider: BTS, the head of brand activation at Hostess talks with me about the importance of finding the right fit. Since we spend so much time working, Lisa advises seeking a place you can thrive and find value. She also believes in being open to possibilities, seeing roadblocks as more of a detour, and …