At the start of this year, I made a decision: say yes to every opportunity that aligned with growth. I stepped into two roles at once—intern in one space, being the boss in another. Two paths, one goal: Elevate. I was part of an awesome marketing activation with a great team, while simultaneously leading my own separate, community- and culture-driven event. Different rooms, same intention—create meaningful impact. That’s where the real strategy came in: One foot in the corporate world, building structure and scale. The other rooted in community, culture, and authenticity. Bridging those two isn’t just powerful—it’s necessary. Now, things are coming full circle. Here I am collaborating with the same talent from my other job but aiming even higher: making a real impact and pushing back on the culture vultures—experiences that don’t just attract attention, but leave a lasting imprint. Because the best kind of marketing doesn’t just engage people—it invites them to become part of the story.
Every year I lead this conference and own every detail from the playlist to guest speakers and themes of the panel discussion to carving out the overall guest experience from activating each room and takeaway moments. My internship in Sports & Entertainment Marketing bled over to the curation and planning of Branded this year. This year our panelists were former athletes who spoke about the structure of sports impacting their success in business strategy and here's how:
70% of Fortune 500 CEOs played competitive sports at some point in their lives.
Turning discipline into business success:
• Teamwork
• Studying failure
• Performing under pressure
• Time management
Those skills turned into hustle, consistency, and the ability to execute when it counts.
Turning discipline into business success:
• Teamwork
• Studying failure
• Performing under pressure
• Time management
Those skills turned into hustle, consistency, and the ability to execute when it counts.
