Is your team just yessing you?

I met Kara Redman a while back, and we had one of those conversations you walk away from thinking: this lady is something. She’s funny, has built something from scratch, and drops wisdom effortlessly. We just got along. Naturally, as it often does, it led us here because I knew Kirsten would love this chat. And thought you would too. We chat about resilience, where it actually comes from, why the anticipation of a hard thing is always worse than ‘the thing’, the micro decision-making, how to deliver hard truths, and really vast amounts more. If you’re looking for a job, looking to change your job, or looking to stay in your job and be better at it, this one is for you. It’s basically one gigantic leadership PSA. Enjoy! This episode is sponsored by Herman Miller. Meet Kara Redman Kara Redman is the CEO and founder of Backroom, and the creator of the Brand Pressure Index. She has spent 15 years walking founders and marketing leaders through the brand decisions that are expensive, political, and hard to reverse. Launches, M&A, resets, you name it. That work spans Hellmann’s, StubHub, Pepsi, and the U.S. Department of State, alongside a lot of early-stage startups. She did it without going to college, which she’ll tell you about herself. She writes Brands Under Pressure, and she is a must-follow on LinkedIn. You can also find her on Instagram and at kararedman.com. Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy 03:02 — QUITE A YEAR // “Will I be done by June?” On her cancer diagnosis, and not willing to give up her summer. 05:55 — RESILIENCE AND DRIVE GO HAND IN HAND // Is resilience built or is it how you’re wired? Answer: It doesn’t live in a vacuum. 08:47 — JUST BE COLD? // Skip the walk, brace against it, or just be cold. Three ways to handle a hard thing. 11:12 — WHY NOT ME VS WHY ME // Drive is a little selfish. Wanting the whole of the thing, not the sum of its parts. 12:20 — A LITTLE SLICE OF IT // Time to change how you see money. 14:49 — THE VOICE IN YOUR HEAD // The most dangerous voice is often your own. And how women are the meanest to themselves. 18:45 — MICRO DECISIONS // Talking to yourself and the unsexy things that work. 22:57 — WE ARE THE DRAMA // The Brand Pressure Index at Backroom surfaces the tensions companies hide from. Spoiler: it’s always people. 25:29 — FAT IN A BATHING SUIT // More hard truths talk. 34:14 — GOOD GOOD GOLF // Stadiums full of people saw that Good Good Golf ad. Follow the money to find who overruled the room. 36:36 — MORE MONEY THAN TALENT // Her mentor’s line, and why principled and talented people tend to land on their feet. 38:25 — FOLLOW IT UP // Can’t rock the boat? Document the dissent. 44:50 — HEAD TRASH // Chris on the sales training that did more for her mental health at work than anything else. Every team should do it. 50:11 — QUICK FIRE // Emotionally regulate your leadership, the advice book she keeps for future Kara, and the unsexy category about to blow up. Huge thanks to Kara for coming on and being so open about all of it. That’s all, folx. ABOUT Chris and Kirsten are the founders of IN GOOD CO, a consultancy that ignites challenger brands with fearless positioning. Chris writes a weekly newsletter for +17K subscribers that shares the best-of-the-best on culture, trends, marketing, etc. What she’s dropping to friends on Slack or finding useful in meetings with brands | Follow her on Substack Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe