If you ask someone to finish this sentence—“They’re climbing the corporate…”—I bet we’d all say the same thing. “Ladder,” right? That’s because the go-to analogy for career growth has always been a ladder: vertical, linear, and only room for one at the top.
But what if we ditched the ladder altogether?
That’s exactly what Denise Harrington, entrepreneur and communications expert, encouraged the audience to do at our May Nobody Cares event.
“When you move in a spiral, you can actually bring people along with you,” she explained. “They can stand with you, not below you.”
She should know. Denise runs her company, Speaking with Impact, alongside her daughter Nia, who sat proudly beside her at the event. Together, they’ve coached everyone from engineers to top executives at companies like Nike, helping them communicate with confidence.
They were just two of the powerhouse guests we were lucky enough to host that night. Joining them were Bree McKeen, founder and CEO of Evelyn & Bobbie, and Meg Younger, founder of Jean Genie Vintage Co.
At first glance, you might wonder what a motivational speaker, a CEO of a bra company, a vintage denim expert, and the head of a food media company have in common. But as we found out that night—so much.
Let’s back up: Every month, we host a speaker series called Nobody Cares, led by Food52 CEO Erika Ayers Badan, inspired by her book Nobody Cares About Your Career. The whole idea? Forget the traditional playbook. Stop doing your career for someone else. This is about forging your own path—and finding joy along the way.
Next month, we’re diving even deeper.
Our next event is a special take on this series. “A Seat at the Table” will be a candid, thoughtful discussion, led by Erika in partnership with Dollar General, exploring food insecurity, access, and rising costs. Joining Erika are three special guests: Allen Warch, VP of Food & Fresh Merchandising at Dollar General; Tiara Bennett, classically trained chef & owner of The Pastry Box; and Michael C. Platt, 17-year-old nonprofit founder & food justice advocate. Join us at the Food52 HQ on Tuesday, June 24, send us your career or food questions for our panelists to answer that night and get your hands on our exclusive, event-only gift bag. RSVP here.
So, what did we learn?
If you missed the event (don’t worry, there’s always next month), here are just a few of the moments that left us thinking:
1. A personal story always wins
Every founder that night agreed: sharing your story matters. In a world full of faceless brands, authenticity is your edge.
Denise and Nia emphasized that clear, personal communication is essential in business. “People buy on emotion,” Denise said. “They buy into how something makes them feel.”
Bree nodded in agreement. “That took me a long time to realize,” she admitted. Early on, she was hesitant to be the face of her brand. But everything changed when she started telling her story—about struggling to find a comfortable, supportive bra for her larger bust. That experience, and her frustration, became the core of Evelyn & Bobbie. Her vulnerability became her power.
2. Find your superpower
Even if you don’t know exactly what you want to do, focus on what you’re great at. “In my early jobs, 80 percent of what I did, I wasn’t great at,” Erika said. “But 20 percent? I was magic.” Denise echoed that idea with a story from her early days—when she made a business card and simply listed everything she was good at: public speaking, diversity training, communication. She didn’t have it all figured out, but she knew her strengths. And that was enough to start.
3. Confidence starts with posture
One surprisingly actionable takeaway? Sit up. Literally.
When asked for an easy fix to improve public speaking, Nia recommended starting with posture. Sit toward the front of your chair, feet planted, shoulders back. “You’ll feel more confident—and you’ll look it, too.”
The other tip? Make meaningful eye contact. Aim for three seconds per person, and make sure you're connecting with at least one person in every corner of the room.
Meg echoed a similar sentiment as she’s also in the business of making women feel more confident. “You’d be surprised what a well-fitting pair of jeans does,” she said.
4. Simple is hard—but it’s worth it
Bree said that before landing on Evelyn & Bobbie’s best-selling bra, she tried hundreds of prototypes. The winning design? Surprisingly simple.
“Simplicity is so hard to achieve,” she said. “But if you can do something simple—and do it better than anyone else—you’ll stand out.”
5. Just start—even if you don’t have it all figured out
One attendee shared she had been laid off three times in recent years and still wasn’t sure what her next move should be. Erika and Meg both offered the same advice: Just start doing something.
Meg’s path was anything but straight. She originally pursued physical therapy before realizing it wasn’t her calling. Later, she opened a brick-and-mortar shop—until COVID shut it down. Jean Genie was born from that redirection.
6. You don’t need to have it all figured out
Maybe the most comforting message of the night: not a single one of these women had it all planned out. Their paths were full of pivots, risks, and restarts. And they still made it.
Which guests would you like us sit down with?
English (US) · 