Eric Toda has helped shape some of the most influential brands of the last two decades. At Facebook, Nike, Snapchat, Airbnb, Gap, Stitch Fix, and Meta, he’s built marketing organizations from scratch, launched category-defining work, advised some of the world’s most prominent executives, and made a career out of pushing ideas further than most companies are comfortable going. But after two decades of building at some of the biggest brands in the world, Eric stepped away from his career entirely to coach his kids, reconnect with life outside of work, and figure out who he was without a company attached to his name. In this conversation with Ryan, Eric talks about rediscovering his creative fire, why being willing to be wrong is more valuable than always trying to be right, and the three non-negotiables that convinced him it was time to get back in the game. They also dig into what coaching kids has taught him about leading adults, why he looks for “fire” in every person he hires, and the wildly ambitious marketing stunt that reminded him he could still light up the internet when given the freedom to create.
Eric Toda has helped shape some of the most influential brands of the last two decades. At Facebook, Nike, Snapchat, Airbnb, Gap, Stitch Fix, and Meta, he’s built marketing organizations from scratch, launched category-defining work, advised some of the world’s most prominent executives, and made a career out of pushing ideas further than most companies are comfortable going. But after two decades of building at some of the biggest brands in the world, Eric stepped away from his career entirely to coach his kids, reconnect with life outside of work, and figure out who he was without a company attached to his name. In this conversation with Ryan, Eric talks about rediscovering his creative fire, why being willing to be wrong is more valuable than always trying to be right, and the three non-negotiables that convinced him it was time to get back in the game. They also dig into what coaching kids has taught him about leading adults, why he looks for “fire” in every person he hires, and the wildly ambitious marketing stunt that reminded him he could still light up the internet when given the freedom to create.