Soul & Science: Fast Forward Your Marketing Mind
Soul & Science is an award-winning podcast where marketing’s brightest minds reveal what it takes to build breakthrough brands. Hosted by Jason Harris, each episode explores the balance between brand building (Soul) and business performance (Science). From legacy brands to emerging disruptors, we delve into the insights, culture, and vision behind the most successful brand stories. Soul & Science is a Mekanism podcast produced by Maggie Boles, Ryan Tillotson, and Lily Jablonski. The show is edited by Daniel Ferreira, with theme music by Kyle Merritt. Brought to you by Mekanism.
Episodes
181 episodes
#59: Fighting Anti-Semitism | Ido Aharoni, Diplomat and Founder of the Brand Israel Program
This week on the podcast, we’re talking about a sensitive subject, but after seeing Ido Aharoni speak at the Harvard Club recently, it felt like the right time
#58: From CMO to Chief Soul Officer | Shelley Paxton, Author of Soulbbatical & Former CMO at Harley Davidson
Authenticity can drastically transform your life. But what if it means stepping away from what you thought was your dream job?
#57: How Inclusivity Drives Growth | David Dancer, Founder of D2 Marketing Strategies
A few years ago, the Mekanism team worked with David Dancer and the brilliant Spike Jonze to help Medmen create the first ever cannabis commercial.
#22: Liquid Death VP of Creative Andy Pearson | How Being Bold Can Strike Gold (Encore)
A few weeks ago the Soul & Science podcast won three Signal Awards.
#56: WHOOP SVP of Marketing John Sullivan | Building a Durable Brand
Today, I’m speaking with John Sullivan.
#55: General Mills Chief Brand & Disruptive Growth Officer Douglas Martin | What Makes a $50 Million Business Idea
Today on the show, I’m speaking with Douglas Martin, Chief Brand and Disruptive Growth Officer at General Mills.
#54: Fighting Cancer Literally and Figuratively | Andrew Myerson and Julie Anne Kelly, Co-founders of Haymakers for Hope
Today on the show, I’m talking with Andrew Myerson and Julie Anne Kelly, Co-founders of Haymakers for Hope.
#53: Nextdoor Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer Heidi Andersen | Do the Right Things for the Right Reasons
Today on the show, I’m talking with Heidi Andersen, Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer at Nextdoor.
#52: Harmless Harvest CEO Ben Mand | Marketing for Impact
Today on the show, I’m talking with Ben Mand. He’s the CEO of Harmless Harvest, a pioneer in U.S.
#51: Beia Beauty Founder and CEO Brittany Lo | Magnetic Authenticity
Today on the show, I’m talking with Brittany Lo, Founder and CEO of Beia Beauty, a premium skincare brand that brings skincare and sexual wellness together in
#50: BBC Correspondent Katty Kay | Rethinking Power
This week, for our 50th episode, we’re doing something a little different.
#49: Girl Scouts of the USA CMO Jocelyn Johnson | Learn, Earn, Return
This week, I’m joined by Jocelyn Johnson. She’s a proud Girl Scout alum and Lifetime Member and she joined Girl Scouts of the USA as CMO in 2021.
#48: Disruptive Innovation | Dan Josebachvili, CEO and Founder of Silvertree
Creating a tech device specifically designed for older adults might seem like a tough sell.
#47: Oishii VP of Brand Marketing Lesia Dallimore | Power in Partnerships
If you live on the East Coast, you may have seen Oishii strawberries for sale at Whole Foods or a smaller specialty food retailer.
#46: Finding Your Voice ft. The Parr Method Founder Wendy Parr
Have you ever wondered how Grammy-winning singers get so good at what they do? Most of them have a great teacher helping them along the way.
#45: It Gets Better Director of Communications & Public Relations Ross von Metzke | Impact and Authenticity
This week, we’re talking with Ross von Metzke, Director of Communications & Public Relations at It Gets Better.
#44: Peace Out Skincare Co-founder Junior Pence and SVP of Global Marketing Amanda Knappman | Be an Ally 365 Days a Year
You’ve probably seen Peace Out Skincare at Sephora, it’s hard to miss. And their most well-known product is their pimple patches.
#43: OkCupid Director of Brand Marketing & Communications Michael Kaye | Reaching the LGBTQ+ Community
In celebration of Pride month, we’re taking some time to focus on brands that both address and uplift the LGBTQ+ community.
#42: The Knot CMO Jenny Lewis | Engage the Customer
Jenny Lewis is the Chief Marketing Officer and President at The Knot Worldwide, where she leads all Marketing, Insights, and Editorial initiatives for the
#41: Mekanism Social Strategy Director Jeff MacDonald | AI Works for Us
Jeff MacDonald is the Social Strategy Director here at Mekanism.
#40: OWYN CMO Julia Perez | Be In Love With Your Industry
Julia Perez, CMO at OWYN, is a New York born, Miami-based marketing executive with a deep understanding of high-growth, healthier-for-you food and beverage
#39: Shaping Freedom Founder and CEO Lisane Basquiat | Balance Is Key
Lisane Basquiat is an entrepreneur and growth champion in addition to being the older sister of artist Jean Michel Basquiat.
#38: Uber VP of Marketing David Mogensen | Soul Informed by Science
David Mogensen, VP of Marketing at Uber, oversees a global team of marketers responsible for building the Uber and Uber Eats brands across more than 70
#37: Sam’s Club CMMO Ciara Anfield | Have the Audacity
Ciara Anfield’s Harvard MBA education led her into marketing roles at big companies like JP Morgan Chase and Johnson & Johnson.
#36: Rhone CEO & Co-Founder Nate Checketts | Forever Forward
Nate Checketts is the Co-Founder & CEO of Rhone, a premium men's performance lifestyle company founded in 2014, and the entrepreneurial spirit has been with
#35: Hampton Water Co-Founder Jesse Bongiovi | Turning “Pink Juice” into a Lifestyle Brand
Jesse Bongiovi’s Hampton Water rosé is as much a lifestyle brand as it is a Wine Spectator darling.
#34: Supplyframe CMO Richard Barnett | The Backbone of the Supply Chain
Before any consumer product or service comes to market, there is a history of B2B activity that’s already taken place.
#33: Magnolia Bakery CMO Eddie Revis | Inside the Sweet Mind of a CMO
Magnolia Bakery is a popular destination in New York City, and it's common to find residents and tourists lining up to buy perfectly iced cupcakes and other
#32: Neuro-Insight Founder and Global CEO Pranav Yadav | Making the Right Pitch at the Emotional Peak
It can feel impossible to express the human condition, so we look to great artists, writers and even advertising creatives to do the job.
#31: Forbes CMO Network Managing Director Seth Matlins | The Real Value of a CMO
Seth Matlins, Managing Director at Forbes CMO Network, was only seven years old when marketing claimed his future.
#30: Buddhist Monk and Zen Teacher Koshin Paley Ellison | Becoming Untangled
In this special edition episode of The Soul & Science Podcast, Jason shares his discussion with author, zen teacher and monk Koshin Paley Ellison during the
#29: AU Holdings Founder Bing Chen | Using Your Platform to Lift Up Others
To this day, investor, founder and dreammaker, Bing Chen fondly recalls his first big-screen experience.
#28: SERHANT. Founder Ryan Serhant | Take Care of the Work and the Work Will Take Care of You
Ryan Serhant rose to fame on Million Dollar Listing: New York.
#27: CAULIPOWER CMGO Stuart Smith | Pioneering the “Better for You” Category
CAULIPOWER, the first to-market, cauliflower-crust frozen pizza is a major player in the growing “good for you” food category.
#26: Four Sigmatic Founder Tero Isokauppila | Marketing Functional Foods to Everyone
Tero Isokauppila grew up in a fairy-tale setting on land his ancestors settled on 13 generations ago in Finland.
#25: Trinny London CMO Shira Feuer | How Authenticity Creates Fast Growth
Shira Feuer is the CMO of Trinny London, the social-media driven beauty brand founded by entrepreneur, CEO, and style icon Trinny Woodall that generated $72m
#24: Shake Shack CMO Jay Livingston | There’s More than One Way to do Things
In a special live recording from New York’s Advertising Week, the week’s episode features Shake Shack CMO Jay Livingston.
#23: Olipop Co-Founder & President David Lester | Breaking Your Way to Better Outcomes
There’s an alchemy to relationships, including the ones between co-founders.
#22: Liquid Death VP of Creative Andy Pearson | How Being Bold Can Strike Gold
Shoestring marketing budgets are common at startups and create an environment of innovation.
#21: Artsy CMO Everette Taylor | Marketing as an Artform
Everette Taylor, the CMO of the online art-collector’s marketplace, Artsy, is “just a kid from the hood,” which is not the typical profile of a global art
#20: Vidcon General Manager Jim Louderback | Inside the Creator Economy
The creator economy has been valued at $100 billion, so it is easy to forget that a decade ago, it was dismissed by many as people listening to themselves talk
#19: Rare Beauty CMO Katie Welch | The Beauty of Leading with Purpose
Is Selena Gomez the next beauty billionaire, gliding along a path set by Rihanna, Kim and Kylie?
#18: Proximo Spirits CMO Lander Otegui | Marketing Mixology & the Metaverse
As CMO of Proximo Spirits, Lander Otegui markets a host of spirits, including Bushmills Irish Whiskey and Boodles British Gin.
#17: New Balance CMO Chris Davis | 116 Years Young - Inside New Balance’s Brand Transformation
New Balance is not only “the shoe brand of choice for film stars, athletes and supermodels,” according to Urban Journal , it’s the brand for “the biggest
#16: Vista CMO Ricky Engelberg | The Power of Community
Growing up, Ricky Engelberg loved both computers and playing baseball.
#15: Best of Soul & Science
We’ve had a blast talking to some of the marketing world’s most brilliant minds here on Soul & Science.
#14: The Hustle Founder Sam Parr | How to Hustle
Is success as seemingly simple as putting one foot in front of the other?
#13: Lockstep Ventures Founder Bonin Bough | If You’re Not Early, You’re Late
Bonin Bough’s first flare of marketing genius came at the age of 12, when the executive who would later set the pace for big brands entering online and social
#12: EBOOST Founder & CEO Josh Taekman | Eat What You Kill: Building a Brand from Scratch
My guest on the pod this week, Josh Taekman is the Founder & CEO of the functional wellness brand, EBOOST.
#11: Carter's CMO Jeff Jenkins | Outlasting the Competition: How an Old Brand Stays Young
My guest on the pod this week, Jeff Jenkins, is CMO of Carter’s.
#10: Founder of Hint Water Kara Goldin | Undaunted
Water with a hint of flavor but not of sugar was the simple but genius concept behind Hint Water.
#9: Former Zillow CMO Aimee Johnson | To Move Is To Grow
As a former senior executive at Starbucks, Aimee Johnson knows a thing or two about customer experience.
#8: GE CMO Linda Boff | Success Through Reinvention
GE CMO Linda Boff joins the pod this week to tell us about achieving success through reinvention.
#7: World 50 CEO David Wilkie | The Power of Peer Communities
World 50 CEO David Wilkie joins the pod this week to share insights on his exclusive company, discuss the power of peer networks, and how alignment of purpose
#6: LendingTree CMO & Customer Experience Officer Shiv Singh | How Trust Builds Powerful Brands
LendingTree Chief Marketing & Customer Experience Officer Shiv Singh joins Jason this week to discuss how he's harnessing the power of trust in our post-trust
#5: Comic Relief CEO Alison Moore | Marketing a Mission
Comic Relief CEO Alison Moore joins Jason this week to discuss how she moved from a profession to a purpose, how she effectively markets a mission, and how
#4: eos CMO Soyoung Kang | Calculated Risk
eos CMO Soyoung Kang joins Jason this week to discuss how taking calculated risks can increase ROI.
#3: Indeed CMO Jessica Jensen | The Future of Work
Indeed CMO Jessica Jensen comes on the pod to discuss the future of work, the importance of change and adaptation, and how Indeed is reframing "The Great
#2: Foot Locker Global CMO Jed Berger | Future-Proofing Retail
Foot Locker Global CMO Jed Berger joins Jason on the pod to discuss how omni retail is future-proofing Foot Locker.
#1: OkCupid Global CMO Melissa Hobley | Moral Capital vs. Business Capital
OkCupid Global CMO Melissa Hobley joins us for our very first episode to help answer the question: Does moral capital lead to business capital?