Decision-Making by Design: Say Yes, But Measure Twice with Yelitsa Jean-Charles
Release Date: 09/19/2024
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...
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Explaining Your Gut: The Missing Step in Decision-Making with Gladys Kong
The Cred Podcast
Some people talk about trusting their gut. Gladys Kong has learned how to explain hers. In this conversation, the CEO of Azira joins Mack to talk about how she makes tough decisions: when to lean on data, when to listen to her instincts, and how to translate that gut feeling into something her team can understand and act on. With the precision of an engineer and the perspective of a seasoned leader, Gladys shares how she brings logic and empathy to the table and why transparency builds stronger teams than perfection ever could. Gladys reminds us that leadership isn’t about having all the...
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The Final Filter: Layering Intuition over Data and Debate with Danielle Lee
The Cred Podcast
From building AT&T’s first-party audience business to helping take Spotify public and reimagining the NBA’s fan experience during the height of the pandemic, Danielle Lee has made high-stakes calls across some of the world’s most visible brands. In this episode, she breaks down her decision-making framework: get crystal clear on goals, weight what matters most, pressure-test with trusted voices, and never let hype (or “golden handcuffs”) outrank integrity. The final layer? Intuition. Danielle explains how reading the intangibles (integrity, character, fit) sits on top of...
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How a Journalist’s Mindset Drives Better Decision-Making with Margaret Magnarelli
The Cred Podcast
In this episode, Mack talks with Margaret Magnarelli, VP of Marketing and Communications at Baldor Specialty Foods, about how her roots in journalism shape the way she leads, makes decisions, and builds teams. Before leading marketing for one of the East Coast’s largest specialty food distributors, Margaret spent years as an editor at Seventeen, Good Housekeeping, and Money Magazine, a background that taught her to ask better questions, understand audiences deeply, and communicate with empathy. She and Mack dive into how those same skills translate into stronger leadership: knowing when to...
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Decision Intelligence for the C-Suite: Inside Snowfire AI with Greg Genung
The Cred Podcast
In this episode of The Cred Podcast, Mack McKelvey talks with Greg Genung, founder and CEO of Snowfire AI, about how AI is reshaping the way executives make decisions. After two decades in cybersecurity, Greg built Snowfire to solve one of leadership’s biggest pain points: turning overwhelming business data into clear, actionable intelligence. He shares how the platform personalizes insights, accelerates due diligence, and (most importantly) gives leaders their time back. They also explore what it means to make adaptive decisions in real time, how AI can transform boardroom dynamics, and why...
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Call the Shots. Own the Outcomes. A Founder’s Framework with Jon Reilly
The Cred Podcast
What does real ownership look like in leadership? In this episode, Mack McKelvey sits down with Jon Reilly, co-founder and CEO of Akkio, to explore the kind of decision-making that builds momentum. Jon breaks down his mental model for making decisions—from obvious 80/20 calls to murky 51/49s—and shares how speed, clarity, and accountability help his team move faster and smarter. He also discusses the importance of hiring people with a strong sense of ownership—those willing to make decisions, stand by them, and lean in to learn from their mistakes. We talk about: 💡 Why decision...
info_outlineIn this episode of The Cred Podcast, host Mack McKelvey chats with Yelitsa Jean-Charles, founder and CEO of Healthy Roots Dolls. Yelitsa shares the story of how a class project at Rhode Island School of Design turned into her mission to bring more diversity and representation to children's toys. What began in college with just $4,000 has evolved into a national brand, with Healthy Roots Dolls now available in Target stores across the country.
Yelitsa opens up about the complexities of decision-making as a leader, emphasizing the importance of asking the right questions. She lives by the mantra, “You can’t say no before you say yes,” and leans on her creative background to view challenges from different perspectives.
At the root of her leadership philosophy is a principle she learned during a 3D spatial dynamics class at RISD, where she was working with items like wood, wire, and metals.
“We were told to measure twice, cut once. You cannot put those two pieces of wood back together. So whenever I'm approaching a situation where a decision will be detrimental, especially because I've had to deal with the consequences of making the wrong decision, I don't mess around. I'm measuring seven times, 12 times if I have to.”
Yelitsa also shares how a customer-centric approach has fueled her growth and the strategies behind scaling a brand from the ground up.