Question the Question with Pam Scott & Di Tompkins
The Cred Podcast
Feel stuck on a decision? Try interrogating the question. Pam Scott and Di Tompkins have been solving hard problems together for decades, and their first move is almost always to question whether someone is solving the right problem. As co-founders of The Curious Company, they bring outside perspective to mission-driven leaders who've hit a wall: a different color to paint with, a reframed question, and the kind of honest conversation most organizations aren't having internally. On this episode of The Cred Podcast, Mack sits down with two genuinely curious women who listen for a living,...
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Lana Kerr: Lead with Conviction, Execute with Consensus
The Cred Podcast
In this episode of The Cred Podcast, Lana Kerr joins Mack McKelvey for a candid conversation about decision-making as a founder, CEO, and leader. From trusting instinct in the early stages of growth to learning when to slow down and bring in more voices, Lana reflects on how her approach has evolved over time. She talks about the difference between making business decisions and people decisions, the importance of starting with the desired outcome, and why culture fit is just as important as credentials. The result is a thoughtful look at what it really means to lead: making the call, owning...
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Making Decisions Like a Musician
The Cred Podcast
Bill Shafton spent nine years as the legal backbone of Grindr, navigating a Chinese acquisition, a national security divestiture, and a Wall Street IPO. In this episode, he breaks down his philosophy on decision-making: how research sets the boundaries, but instinct drives the performance. Tune in to learn how Bill operates in the gray areas, making high-risk decisions with incomplete data, and why “technical correctness” doesn’t shield you from reputational fallout. If compliance is the baseline, trust is the real metric. He also shares why the legal function is less like a gatekeeper...
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Why Consensus Is the Wrong Signal With Steven Rosenblatt
The Cred Podcast
In this episode of The Cred Podcast, Mack talks with Steven Rosenblatt, co-founder and General Partner at Oceans, about how decisions really get made when you’re building companies, backing founders, and choosing what to stand behind before the outcome is obvious. Steven reflects on the early mobile days, helping Apple launch iAd, and his time at Foursquare, where survival meant rethinking the business entirely. Those experiences now shape how he invests at Oceans: why it’s all about the people, how he evaluates founders, and why consensus can be dangerous in venture investing. More...
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Making Decisions in the Gray with Tess Michaels
The Cred Podcast
On this episode of The Cred Podcast, Tess Michaels, Founder and CEO of Clasp, joins Mack McKelvey to talk about making decisions while building a new category at the intersection of education, healthcare, and workforce retention, where there is no established playbook to follow. Tess breaks down how customer signals shape better decisions, why pattern recognition beats perfect data, and how learning when to say no is critical to scaling without distraction. Listen in on a sharp conversation on leadership, focus, and navigating the gray.
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Instinct, Ownership, and the Discipline of Decision-Making
The Cred Podcast
Rafat Ali doesn’t take notes. And he makes decisions on instinct. In this episode, the founder and CEO of Skift breaks down how he actually makes decisions as a global operator, committing to a choice, avoiding second-guessing, and never falling in love with a single option. He explains how visualization helps him pressure-test hires, products, and acquisitions, why early yellow flags almost always turn red, and the defining mistake early in his career when he sold his first company. Rafat looks for two signals when decisions are being made. First, is there a clear owner who will carry it...
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The Power of Contextual Decision-Making with Lisa Pillette
The Cred Podcast
“I’ve probably seen more erroneous decision-making by over-reliance on data than by over-reliance on gut.” In this episode of The Cred Podcast, Mack McKelvey sits down with Lisa Pellette, a global CMO and transformation leader whose career spans Levi’s, Ralph Lauren, Lacoste, Casper, and Fossil Group, to talk about how data, context, and gut converge to inform decisions. Drawing on her background in psychology and decades of experience leading iconic brands and major transformations, Lisa unpacks the importance of defining a clear North Star, relying on contextual decision-making, and...
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Sliding Doors Decisions with Sarah Pousho
The Cred Podcast
What happens when a lifelong fascination with space collides with a 30-year career in building complex commercial deals? This week, Mack McKelvey sits down with Sarah Pousho, Co-Founder and CEO of Space Bridge Partners, to explore the unconventional decisions that shaped her career and how she now helps fund some of the most ambitious space missions in the world. Sarah traces her path from aspiring astronaut to consumer products executive, and ultimately back to the space sector, where she leads a new model for funding exploration, science, and education missions. The conversation dives into: ...
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Head, Heart, Wallet: Inside Marci Weisler’s Decision-Making Framework
The Cred Podcast
Marci Weisler didn’t build her career by following a script. She followed her curiosity. From analyst to mobile pioneer, from co-founding SWSI Media (which became Viacom’s Queen Boss) to leading a major line of business at T-Mobile and now advising companies as a managing director in investment banking — Marci has made a career out of stepping into what’s new before it’s obvious. In this episode, she talks with Mack about why she’s always chased the “bright, shiny” emerging ideas, how her Head, Heart, Wallet framework keeps her grounded when the stakes rise, and what she’s...
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Clear on the Outcome, Flexible on the Approach with Camille Preston, PhD
The Cred Podcast
Camille Preston went to the beach to start writing her book… and it promptly snowed 13 inches for the first time in more than a decade. An abrupt reminder that conditions change fast, even when you think you know what’s coming. It’s the perfect setup for this conversation about how leaders actually make decisions today. A business psychologist and author of , Camille challenges the old markers of success and pushes leaders to understand themselves well enough to make decisions from the inside out. She talks about being “totally put together and a hot mess,” not as a contradiction but...
info_outlineJoin us in this insightful episode as we delve into the leadership journey of Julie Bernard, Chief Marketing Officer at Lily AI. Julie shares her extensive experience in navigating the complexities of the B2B landscape, emphasizing the importance of empowering teams and driving impactful decisions.
As a seasoned executive with a diverse background spanning various industries, Julie discusses how she approaches decision-making in both professional and personal realms. She sheds light on the critical role of mentorship, coaching, and trust in fostering a culture of growth and success within teams.
From her early career experiences to leading impactful teams of a wide range of sizes, Julie shares practical strategies and valuable lessons learned along the way. This episode is a must-listen for executives looking to enhance their leadership skills, drive positive team dynamics, and make impactful decisions in today's dynamic business environment.