The Courageous Podcast with Ryan Berman

The Courageous Podcast Episode #28: Kristen Elliott (VP of Marketing, Eddie Bauer)

Episode Summary

Kristen Elliott is the Vice President of Marketing at Eddie Bauer. What’s most fascinating about Kristen isn’t simply her decade long quest of inspiring Eddie Bauer customer’s to “Live Their Adventure” but rather her personal passion of shining a light on our fears, unfinished business and regrets that may come towards the end of our lives. She is the host of the “Dying to Live” podcast, an end-of-life Doula and on a quest to help people find peace in the meaning of their lives. We address it all on this weeks The Courageous Podcast. https://lnkd.in/dYXsXvv

Episode Notes

4:29 - Life changes that caused me to think about what I wanted out of life

6:20 - I have loved this brand since the day I walked into it - empowering people to have the outdoor experiences they want to have - guiding people toward wellness

6:45 - Coming back into a leadership position enabled me to do some of the things I wanted to accomplish that I was unable to previously

7:06 - The biggest lesson - to really lean into the "hell yeses of life" and stay clear of the "F-no's"

7:59 - There really is no time to have a mediocre life and make mediocre decisions.  To sit in mediocrity at all.  If you aren't happy with something, change it.

9:29 - When I started my freelance business I was determined not to take work I didn't believe in - just for the sake of taking work...I wanted to believe in the things I was doing.

11:52 - There is a massive difference between an influencer and someone who has influence

12:15 - Came back as a more ME version of me.

12:20 - Really started to take off some of those layers we put on...especially in corporate America

12:41 - Not adhering to those costumes that were previously required and instead showing up as myself.  Part of that is truth speaking, even when it is not popular.

14:05 - 2020 gave us the opportunity to strip back the things that we were doing and look very acutely at how we wanted to pave the way forward.

15:31 - The history of Eddie Bauer

16:11 - The shop in downtown Seattle served as a community gathering place...sharing stories about outdoor experiences.

16:41 - Benefits of getting outside...a remembrance of connection that gets built

19:06 - Live your adventure...it's self prescribed.  

20:07 - We view the outdoors as a playground, not an arena.

21:08 - Spend less time scrolling social media, and more time scrolling ourselves.

23:21 - Slowing down...connect with yourself more.

25:00 - Integrating experiences through adventure.

27:21 - What Kristen connected to the brand and the outdoors.

28:25 - The freedom you can feel as an individual in the outdoors.

30:30 - Taking the brand back to its roots and the purpose of Guides.

32:57 - Dying to Live podcast

33:51 - There must be a better way to do death.

34:17 - No idea how to handle emotional conversations...how to handle grief.

34:24 - New role coming to life called an end of life doula...a sister role to hospice.

34:56 - We need people that are comfortable being close to death, who can talk about it, who can help sheppard people through this amazing process we are all going to go through.

35:42 - How to manage the many transitions we go through in life and personal grief.

38:32 - Grief is associated with every kind of loss...not just death.

39:10 - Fears Kristen faced leaving and coming back to Eddie Bauer.

41:23 - Everything we need to know is inside us already.

41:53 - Kill off comparing ourselves. When you compare, beware. Come home to yourself.

43:31 - Soul alignment immersion.

46:01 - A refocus into our communities.

48:10 - We all die, but not all of us are living.