Kristen Cavallo’s Third Act: From Global Ad CEO to Design Museum Visionary
Release Date: 07/14/2025
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info_outlineKristen Cavallo’s Third Act: From Global Ad CEO to Design Museum Visionary
How do you reinvent yourself after running a world-class ad agency? 🌍 In this candid Act Three conversation, former MullenLowe Group & The Martin Agency CEO Kristen Cavallo reveals how she swapped Super Bowl spots for museum walls—and why a solo 400-mile Camino de Santiago trek became the catalyst for a brand-new purpose.
▶️ What you’ll learn in this episode
0:00 Intro & Cara Gray’s mission
1:25 Why Kristen planned her exit three years in advance
5:44 The LinkedIn “informational interview” method that shaped her pivot
10:02 Walking the Camino: breaking a 30-year work habit
18:45 Saying no to politics—and yes to design
24:10 Leading the Branch Museum of Design & Architecture
30:35 Building equity & inclusion into cultural programming
41:10 Advice for CEOs plotting their own “third act”
Key takeaways
Use research skills on yourself—Kristen ran 40+ interviews to test possible futures.
A two-week “habit break” can reset lifelong routines.
Non-profits need marketing minds; your corporate skills translate.
Diverse teams aren’t a nice-to-have—they prevent creative blind spots.
Design is everywhere; learning to see it makes life more hopeful.
💡 Enjoyed this?
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Visit https://www.goodmorningfreedom.com/
https://branchmuseum.org/
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