SHeCOMMERCE

Episode 11: Before Digital Was Cool: Dominick Miserandino on Building Early and Building Bold

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What does it really take to break through in commerce today? According to Dominick Miserandino: stop hiding behind the buzzwords and get back to human connection.

In this episode of SHeCOMMERCE, Cristina and Jacqui sit down with digital pioneer, founder, author, board member, and RTM Nexus CEO Dominick Miserandino for a candid, hilarious, and deeply insightful conversation on what brands still get wrong about storytelling, leadership, and growth.

From building in the earliest days of the internet to advising modern commerce companies, Dominick shares why the fundamentals still matter most: understanding people, simplifying the message, and yes — “selling the damn product.” He unpacks why communication breakdowns are still one of the biggest blockers inside organizations, why data without humanity misses the point, and how storytelling is still the most powerful tool in the room.

The conversation also goes deeper into leadership, respect, and what true advocacy looks like in practice. Dominick opens up about what women leaders have taught him about empathy, collaboration, and building stronger companies — and why curiosity is one of the most underrated traits of a real ally.

This episode is equal parts sharp insight, career wisdom, and laugh-out-loud banter — with plenty of truth bombs for anyone building brands, leading teams, or trying to make commerce more human.

In this episode, we cover:

  • Why “controlling eyeballs” is really about understanding humanity
  • The gap between data, messaging, and real customer connection
  • Why companies still struggle with simple communication
  • What commerce misunderstands about storytelling
  • How women leaders shape stronger, more collaborative businesses
  • What allyship actually looks like beyond performative support

Bold Brands. Fierce Women. One Sisterhood. 

SHeCOMMERCE: 

Website: https://shecommercepodcast.com/
LinkedIN:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/shecommercepodcast/ 
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@SHeCOMMERCEPodcast


DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from SHeCOMMERCE Podcast or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by SHeCOMMERCE Podcast. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent.

SHeCOMMERCE Podcast expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast. 

SPEAKER_02

Welcome back to SheCommerce, where power women, smart advocates, and real talk collide in the world of commerce.

SPEAKER_04

And where we go beyond the buzzwords, beyond the basket, and straight into conversations that actually matter.

SPEAKER_02

Because, as we know, this is not just business, it's personal.

SPEAKER_04

And today's guest? He's been building in digital since before most people even knew what digital media could become. And that's right, I said he.

SPEAKER_02

Not a mistake, he is our first official male guest, and we're talking some serious, serious founder energy, internet pioneer status, mainstream media stories, retail media insight, and all the celebrity chaos and gossip as well.

SPEAKER_04

So buckle up, buckle up, friends, because this one is going to be parts equal parts insightful and definitely, definitely entertaining.

SPEAKER_02

Yes, I'm excited. But before we jump into that, I wanted to see how you're doing. I know you had a situation earlier this week with your daughter not feeling well and you having to deal with a whole lot of vomits, you know, the way we show up as moms as, you know, sanitation cleanup and hair holder, um, emotional support during those hectic times, and an all-nighter, but not not the good all-nighter.

SPEAKER_04

This was not too much alcohol. This was the stomach bug to end all stomach plugs. And friends, did we or did we not tell you that we keep it real on this on this podcast? We are talking exorcist level vomage. I mean, at one point, vomage, yes. At one point, I was just like, oh my god, is she possessed? It was relentless. I'm just sitting there going, oh, this is not a this is not my thing. I can do emotional support. I can do, oh, I can kiss your boo-boo better, but this is not my thing. No.

SPEAKER_02

See, it's funny because I can do kid vomit. Yeah, I could do kid vomit, but when pets vomit, that's where I draw the line. I just I can't. I can't. It's weird, right? Uh it's strange. But I will say, you showed up. I had a call with you that that morning, and Jackie, you showed up looking fabulous, unfazed by it, and I would have never known.

SPEAKER_04

But I'm I no, she my my gorgeous, gorgeous Zoe decided that, you know, as part of the mama, mama, uh, daughter bonding moment that she would share her bugs with me. And I had just divested myself of nothing before I got on onto the call, and I'm just sitting there going, Oh my god. But it was such a cool call. I could not be on it. And uh, and then of course, after that, I then my body works in such a way that it went from the stomach bug to a migraine. So I was like, Well, this is a great week. The life of a I know the life of a great pocket.

SPEAKER_02

This is a good way, and I had a show. You're glowing, you're glowing, darling. I love it. Well, I'm glad everyone's feeling better, seriously. All right, Christina, what's it?

SPEAKER_05

What's going on?

SPEAKER_02

You know, it's my daughter's birthday today, actually. So happy eighth birthday, Jordanna. So lots of planning for that and um rapping, but you know, it's just been it's been a normal week otherwise. But it hasn't been a normal week for the commerce industry. There's some big news to share. I'll let you do the honors.

SPEAKER_04

How cool is this? And it's all over LinkedIn. Pacview and Reddit, new partnership, integration alert. Hello. I mean, I I think it's absolutely fantastic. You know, it's uh the a more sort of authentic and transparent conversation within communities. And I mean, why didn't we think about this before, right?

SPEAKER_02

Okay, and in fairness, I have to give myself credit on this because there was a while ago, like about six months, it was at grocery shop, I think, and we were talking about AI, and I everyone was saying sourcing Reddit is one of the number one sources for chat GPT, especially. And I said, why don't they monetize it? Like if I was Reddit right now, I'd be sitting in the room thinking about how I can monetize this and as a brand, how I can influence it. Lo and behold, you know, of course, Melissa Burdick, the genius she is, went and did this integration with them. So kudos to to both PacView and Reddit on it. But I think, you know, while it's obvious that why they would do this, I think the challenge is that Reddit does well and people enjoy it because it is so authentic, right? It's real talk. It's not the brand telling you the message you want to hear. So, you know, how will this potentially change that? You know, will it come across as in authentic inauthentic brand behavior and you know, more ads just selling you something versus, you know, how will that impact and how can brands still respect the culture of the community and show up in a way that is authentic? I think that's the hard part that they need to crack.

SPEAKER_04

I love that question. And you know what? Our guest talks will be talking and does talk about authenticity. And I think some of what he says or will say today will definitely speak to this. I'm really excited to see what's what's gonna happen with this. And I think the the other question that we're that we need to ask on here is is this the beginning of a broader trend where commerce platforms try to connect conversation and media and AI signals into one simple layer. Watch this space, right?

SPEAKER_02

And I mean, we already know that community conversation is influencing AI, so I think it will certainly influence the data environment more, and we'll have to just watch and continue to measure that.

SPEAKER_04

We're here for it. It is yeah, absolutely. And you know, uh your point that uh you made uh earlier is will influencers jump on the Reddit bandwagon and take away the very, the very heart of what Reddit's all about? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

All right, well, on to some moves that deserve some attention here. This goes back back, back, back in the day. I won't say how long ago, because I'll age myself. But uh back when Helian was GSK or Glaxo Smith Klein, and I worked there alongside a just phenomenal young woman, uh Tilly. And we had such good memories from our GSK days. Um, and I'm happy to share that she has started a new position as U.S. commercial director and inorganic growth, quite the title, with Haleyong. So congratulations to Tish. And she is just a phenomenal marketing and brand leader. That's how I know you best when I was at GSK. So I'm sure you will absolutely continue to crush it in this new role as well.

SPEAKER_04

Congratulations, Tish. Wonderful, wonderful news. In other news, the incomparable, inimitable powerhouse and dynamo that is Stephanie Leffler, Steph Leffler, to those of us who used to work with her, is now the product wind SVP of strategic partnerships. Now I know Steph because she used to be the CRO at Flywheel. And before that, she created and was the founder of OneSpace. Steph is such a powerhouse, and going to Flywheel, or sorry, going to product wind reunites her with some of the OneSpace alumni with Lexi McCarthy, love, and our bestie, Amanda Wolf.

SPEAKER_05

Also love. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

This is I'm so excited for this. So excited, and congratulations, Miss LaFloire. You're gonna rock it.

SPEAKER_02

Obviously, it's what you do. Yes, congratulations, and what an amazing crew to be working with. So, no doubt, one plus one will be three, and it's supercharged now. All right, well, on to welcome our guest. We are so excited to welcome the one and only Dominic Mizerandino to the show.

SPEAKER_04

Dominic. Dominic, we are so happy to have you. You are a founder, a lecturer, an author, a consultant, a board member, and true internet pioneer whose career stretches all the way back to the early days of digital in the mid-1990s. But you spent decades at the intersection of media, technology, and commerce, which means that you've seen the internet grow up, glow up, evolve, break, rebuild, and monetize itself several times over.

SPEAKER_02

You all founded the celebritycafe.com, one of the early online publications. And today you serve as CEO of Retail Tech Media Nexus. And on top of all of that, you serve on multiple boards, you support women in leadership, which we will talk more about today, and you bring a very rare comedic perspective on what companies are still getting right and very wrong in commerce today.

SPEAKER_03

Thank you for that intro. That is the most wonderful intro. Domic welcome.

SPEAKER_02

Well, we're gonna jump right in. We have all right, strap in, let's go. So you've, as Jackie mentioned, you've been building on the internet since forever, since 1995 ish.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, 95-ish, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

When you were four. Yeah, when you were four. So you saw digital before it became this crowded, commercialized, complicated space, right? When you founded the celebritycafe.com, what did you see early that other people missed?

SPEAKER_03

I think it's just things that people still miss. What is the humanity between you and me that makes this connection? That has held true when I took over and flipped on Inquisitor, when I ran multiple other publications. I was a CMO of Adirond Picks, and when I'm selling the same question, you are connecting with people, which is commerce, and getting it out there. Now it's more influencer space, but that theme is actually the same exact theme. Rinse and repeat for 30 years. Figure out what people like, how to speak to them, how to connect with them. And it's not just the language of linguistics, it's the language of communication and what message will resonate with that right person and that right audience at that right time.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I love that. We you know, in my industry we talk consumer shopper insights, but I always say it's human insights. Like go back to that humanity and you know, what people, what resonates, just like you said, what do they want, you know, what is going to appeal and break through. Love it.

SPEAKER_04

I'm loving the phrase controlling eyeballs. I think I think that needs a t-shirt, Christina. Print it.

SPEAKER_03

Well, I think we also forget the basics at the end of the day. So when I uh I've helped by 100 plus e-commerce brands brands, and sometimes that's the message I'll tell them like you're still selling your widgets, you're still taking that connection. Was Adam Picks, one of the things I think that was most effective is I just took every day the top customers, called them up. Literally, thank you so much for your order, YesJ. I'm the CMO. Uh see how can I help you? How was your order? Did you get it? Did it look good? Because I needed to learn the language, the message of that customer. Like, what were they doing it for? You know, who was it? As opposed to what the data told me, which was there, and I could kind of match that data language with the language of the consumer at that point. And those two sometimes get forgotten.

SPEAKER_04

I like that. And that's such a that's such an important uh statement. It's not just about data and insights, it's about ultimately the data and insights is about your customer. So know the language, not just the data. You've had this fascinating evolution. Uh you've had this fascinating evolution from being the steward of businesses on platforms to becoming more intentionally the builder. What changed for you to for that shift?

SPEAKER_03

I guess the why in that I'm doing the media side. First, there was a shift in that that I was the uh center of attention. I was on the red carpets. I could tell stories of oh yeah, I was on the red carpet with Mike Tyson and uh Led Zeppelin. I had a fight with Wu Tang clan once. Oh, who doesn't? That's a tangential story. I don't want to go down the rabbit hole yet. But it was a wonderful time. But at the end of the day, there was this first shift, which was what's going to generate the revenue? What's keeping everyone employed? And I would frequently have debates where it might not be what I wanted either, but it got kept enough people on the boat. At the Celebrity Cafe, we had 70, 80 employees at one point. Like it was insane. And when you start thinking how many mortgages are being paid by this, you want to keep everyone in the boat. Then there was another shift, especially uh the past few years. I've dealt a lot more in this commerce side. And at times it was I would say comical because it's not really a fair assessment. I would talk to people and think you can get so in the weeds and forget the basic message that I had, especially from e-commerce, which is let's just sell the damn product. Are we selling enough cups? I frequently worked with these brands from the media side for 30 years. I knew the brands were calling me, how do I sell more? How do I get more eyeballs on my product? The retail space in general would sometimes get into the weeds a little bit. And I'd see businesses come and go and say, Yeah, we still need to sell the widgets. And especially when you look at this ecosystem, and I know people on the e-commerce side, especially who have, I mean, I'm shareholder businesses that are large scale that are kind of off that radar. And there's a lot of that that are off that radar, but yet doing really well because ultimately you kept track of that ultimate goal. What is the goal? Sell the darn widget, whatever that widget may be.

SPEAKER_02

Right. So was there, can you think of a maybe a specific moment when you realized that, hey, I don't want to just manage what's already existing. I want to go create what's next. Like, did you have that tipping point or realization at some point?

SPEAKER_03

I vary. I think also it's funny, I'll get that question from people, CEOs asking. I have a lot of CEO coaching I'm doing. I love that. I say it's all stuff dependent on the phase of your life, the where you are, what you want. Right now I have RTM Nexus, we are doing events and webinars and all that other wonderful stuff. That's connecting to people. But if you call Dominic when my daughter was eight and I was running a the celebrity cafe, I didn't want to see anybody. I had this remote office, I was happy. I wasn't going to any of the red carpets in any way. I didn't need to connect. I got my kid, I'm happy.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. Well, even the user, right? Like to know where they are in their life stage. If you're trying to sell them, like you said, sell them the damn product. Well, you need to understand where they are in their life and how they're gonna use that product and what's you know, what role is even where it's fluid. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

You saw this example recently going viral with the whole eating the burger situation.

SPEAKER_01

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_03

The more the CEO eats it authentically, yes, and the the guys winning it are just the ones going, dude, this is ridiculous. I'll eat a free I'll eat a burger, you know, like who cares? And I think that speaking to it, uh Wendy's does a great example on social media where they're just going crazy or people we connect with this influencer, we think it's influencer, and I think influencer is just the immediacy of conversation that we always connect with. We connect with people, and brands are people, and brands are that brand speaking, and that's all we want. We don't want a slideshow. You know, we want a person. Yes, and then when you have the person, 10 minutes into the before our prep call, all three of us are laughing and joking, and it creates that bond much better than if I said, here's my resume, here's everything I've done, here's this. You can read that later. You let's just just see how we all look and feel about life.

SPEAKER_04

Completely, completely. Taking it back to your life, back on track. Back on track. You know, we mentioned this before that you've been a founder, lecturer, consultant, an author, and CEO, a board member. I mean, I'm running out of fingers here, you know? Which you're running out of fingers. Okay.

SPEAKER_01

I just throw that in, you know.

SPEAKER_04

I like it. I like it.

SPEAKER_01

I love it.

SPEAKER_04

Which of these roles, Dominic, taught you the most about leadership? And which one humbled you the fastest?

SPEAKER_03

You had to get so deep after we're laughing. You had to get so deep after we're laughing.

SPEAKER_04

We don't meet you when you're vulnerable.

SPEAKER_03

That's what we do. You kick it. That's yeah, I've got to be.

SPEAKER_02

We're gonna get you to cry on the couch. Come on.

SPEAKER_03

Oh, believe me, I've I've been married to that too, so it's fine. I'm married a Sicilian, that's what happens, you know? I think, first of all, you never stop learning. I believe there's a growth mindset in education, and you have to. The reason I think the growth mindset is applicable because the more diverse your knowledge, the better and easier it is for each one. I first studied Spanish, then I studied Italian, then I studied Sicilian, then I studied French. And that's not the brag of each, it's that each was additive to the previous, allowing for an addition. And yes, they were all romance, so one fit the other. In college, I studied piano, guitar, bass, and at that point, one is additive from the other. So you do need the basics. I joke all the time. I had someone ask me in college to fill in for their Metallica band. I, on the other hand, studied Bach on the Harpsichord. Yes. I was classically trained in Bach on the Harpsichord.

SPEAKER_02

So the Narco.

SPEAKER_03

Bach was the basis. Yeah, and I was the basis for me playing the bass was all Bach riffs the whole time. You need that basic. And I think, in fact, there was a Nirvana interview where he said all the Nirvana drumming was he was playing disco for the 70s. So knowledge grows upon each other. Dave Grohl was saying that. So each of these things to me is not necessarily isolated. They're additive and they should be, and they're tangential, and they're going. Um, I've done one or two conferences in my life. I've probably been on stage a hundred times, and then someone got me into corporate facilitation. Is that different or is that internal conference basically? Internal conference without an audience with a guided format. And I think you have to just succeed is not succeed, that's not the right answer. In a career, I think it's easier when you are always learning, study. And for me, lastly, it it becomes almost a hobby after a while. Am I working when I go next week to Vegas? Or is it vacation when I'm playing piano in the lobby having a bowl?

SPEAKER_01

A little bit of bowl.

SPEAKER_03

Exactly. And that's where it really becomes fun when you can connect those dots. Is this oops, I'm sorry, I messed the camera already. Is this work, this podcast? Or is it the resultant is sort of media training? Because I've been on TV a lot and I understand some degree of presentation of a message within the soul. Or is it this is a great time? You know, and that to me becomes a culmination too, is if you can learn enough to enjoy enough, enjoy life at the time, and then hooray.

SPEAKER_04

I love that because um I was I was actually literally talking about this um earlier today, about the pot this podcast, Karina, that I will research and review and do stuff till crazy o'clock at night, not because I have to, but because I'm just enjoying it that much. You know, it is this is this is so much fun. Even though I'm doing it with so much fun. Wow. Wow.

SPEAKER_03

Even though.

SPEAKER_02

Okay.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, okay. I'll cut you. I'll cut you. She says. I'm ready. Jack and you're dead to me.

SPEAKER_02

What are you gonna call it? We love a podcast.

SPEAKER_04

They commerce.

SPEAKER_02

Okay, we'll be yeah, they commerce altogether, everyone commerce. I'm ready. All right, well, speaking of commerce, you sit on six boards that but not enough.

SPEAKER_03

Not enough.

SPEAKER_02

Not enough, crazy. I don't know where you find the time. Um, but I'm sure it gives you a really unique vantage point. So from what you hear and what you see, what decisions are retail and commerce companies still struggling with now?

SPEAKER_03

I used to think the answer to that question was gonna be so deep that you're gonna have to study an MBA or two just to understand the answer to that question. The reality becomes at times comically simple. It's talking, communicating. That's number one. I was doing a corporate facilitation this past within this month of March. And most of the time it was simply taking the language of the CTO and saying it to the language of the CMO. And saying it to the language. So I was with the CTO and he mentioned uh a MySQL database. And I said, All right, everyone who doesn't know, MySQL database is much more elaborate than a CSV file, much more elaborate than you see in Google Drive, but not too elaborate. We can handle it. Everyone engaged him is just the most exciting thing. And I was like retranslating each of these things because everyone sat there in the room, shirts puffed up, and they're like, No, I understand. No, you don't. You have no clue what the other guy is saying. And I think so many retail, but it's not even retail. So many organizations don't realize, and then they double down. I am the four-time MDA of data science. Well, great, but you still need to explain that to the guy across the table so that we can all decide things together in a healthy, normal environment. So it's simple communication across the board. We resonate with simple messaging, no matter how smart one needs to might be or not. At the end of the day, we all want to just understand each other. That's it. And work together happily, hopefully. Okay.

SPEAKER_04

So communication is where you have companies struggling right now, but where are leaders stuck? So is it speed? Is it prioritization? Is it talent? Is it diversity? Is it data overload? You know, fear of making the wrong back. Yes, yes. Yes, yes. D, all the above.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, it is beyond D. It is D, D is all beyond. Because, first of all, talent. I encounter that so often. People think they lose talent because of the salary. People lose talent because of the personality. I'm sure based on the podcast I'm on, you never cross a woman, you know, scorn a woman. And uh like it's not as if you're losing an employee because oh, she was paid X, Y, Z. It's because of uh respect. I actually had one woman who applied for a job with me, and uh I'll just make up the numbers so she can't be identified. And she said she's looking for the X. And I five, let's say five, and I said, Great. So we have to negotiate. I can't accept paying you less than six. You're a mom and you have kids, and no. I said, Are you willing to negotiate with me? Because I'm a hard-ass negotiator. She goes, you two as you gave me a number higher than the number I asked for. And for me, I realized you treat people with respect, your retention goes up, your loyalty goes up. That's the logic we've got.

SPEAKER_01

The golden rule. The golden rule, right?

SPEAKER_03

Basically. And then you have on top of it the challenge of data you mentioned where data overload. And yes, we overwhelmingly have a ridiculous amount of data. But I usually tell people, especially the ones I'm on boards with and advise, this is all great. But if you go to the doctor and say, Am I gonna have a heart attack and drop dead? You don't want all the data. You just want to know, am I gonna drop dead of this heart attack? Yes or no. You handle the data, and that's where the end user organization, that's all they need. Post more of this, do more of that, sell more of this, essentially. You know, it's that's it in a nutshell, basically.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. Well, you've talked a lot about the communication issues, right? And and the the importance of simplicity in messaging. So as you've spent time in mainstream media and now in retail tech focused leadership, what does commerce still misunderstand about storytelling and the importance of that? And what does media maybe still misunderstand about commerce?

SPEAKER_03

We have communicated as a society with storytelling since the days of sitting around the campfire. And I think that is the great reminder that, you know, we technology advances, and I'm bringing back all of these arcane references because archaic references. Because that's the truth. It's the unifying thread. It's not archaic, it's not ancient, it's the unifying thread. We go click headlines. We yes, we click headlines due to engagement, but you know, engagement is also when the kids screamed extra, extra read all about it on a street corner, is engagement. It is the same unifying thread. And what we forget, we get distracted by the data and forget these core elements. Storytelling is making that story, whether brand and or movie, that you can repeat later at the next campfire. If everyone can repeat the story of plot to Star Wars, but if you think the most successful brands can repeat, Ben Affleck is speaking with a Boston accent about Dunkin' Donuts. We all seen that ad by now. And the brilliance is we now go Dunkin' Donuts, Boston coffee. That feels good. Much better than some coffee from machine. It's from Boston where it's cold in the winters. I know Boston. I could tell that story. Wendy's is snarky. They don't care. They're snarky. That story I could repeat the fire around the fire. And that's different. So if I'm tired of McDonald's and Breaking and I want snarky, I have an answer. And I'm saying that because that repeat is a basically a five-word story, a five two lines, three lines. At times, because of tech, because of advancements, and I'm the first guy, I'm the more techie than most people you know I've seen. And yet, we're still at the root. We're still at the basics.

SPEAKER_04

Do you think, do you think, Dominic, that we've moved so far away from the storytelling and the campfire and the s'mores, right? We've moved so far away from that because we're so distracted by the buzzwords, the AI, being future-ready. Do you think that that is fundamentally the challenge that we have going on? And what, you know, what exactly is going to separate your company A from company B in terms of truly being future-proof? I guess my question is: does future-proof mean going back to s'mores and campfires? Or is it a little souson of AI as well? Do you see what I did there? I used this.

SPEAKER_03

You're doing great references. I see. Believe me, I see it. I think it's not going to campfires. It's recognizing campfires are always there. We're always responding to people at the base story. Why do we connect? We connect because of this. That's the basic. I can't make it any easier. I can't make it any clearer. I can't make it any more, you know, simple, if you will. I think we lose sight of that. AI can enhance that. So I wouldn't necessarily say, dear AI, write a story from scratch. It doesn't understand the human experience. But I might, might use it to read the story and tell me, does it make sense to you? Break the story down to three sentences. If I can't repeat out loud Boston coffee, sunken donuts, that's it. AI is not good at that, but it is good at enhancing. Or what I'll use it for frequently is I'll battle out my feelings and say, dude, take all these notes and make them short and clear. You know, like, but I think we lose it because it's not going back, it's not reversing. We're humans. We all respond to Jack and Jill went up the hill to get a like basic stuff. We learn language from I want food, I want water, whatever it is. And those are the basics there, the core elements. I think you are seeing it working when you look at messaging. That messaging becomes simple and we kind of work our way out. You know, Whole Foods has Whole Foods, then I'll look at the ingredients. This makes me happy, then I'll read the ingredients later on at that point. But we're all just want to connect. Have a good day. That's it.

SPEAKER_04

That's all I got. Very, very true. So we've thank you. And yes, agree. I think it's I agree that we we have lost sight of the campfire. Um, and it's about keeping connected. We're not gonna pivot to the she of the she commerce. And the one thing we care very deeply about here is not just women in leadership, but the advocates who actively help and support and create better businesses and better rooms, right? So you've been very vocal in supporting women, and we love that. I mean, your current business partner is a woman. So what have women leaders? She's amazing.

SPEAKER_05

Well, of course, she's a woman. Can I say that, Christine?

SPEAKER_03

Okay, let me get the question in.

SPEAKER_04

Um, what have women leaders taught you about building stronger companies?

SPEAKER_03

I've been blessed that of the past four to five companies I've run. My number two has always been a woman. Um, with this RTM Nexus, and as I said, no, you're a partner, like that's it. I love the fact that my message of humanity, empathy, connection is pretty inherent in the nature of communication of a woman in general. It's a language that is naturally spoken. There's also a language uh collaborative versus competitive. Um I remember I had a big uh argument with some friends of mine in college when I was playing soccer with the uh Latino guys, and I was terrible. I was probably the worst possibly you could ever be at playing soccer. And you see these fields of well fit Latino men and me. And yet they were like, Are you trying to win? No, trying to lose, I said once. I mean, I'm not trying, I said it's natural, working out for me. I'm getting my goal right there, I'm losing very well. And they couldn't understand that I was happy playing soccer, practicing my Spanish, making new friends, understanding or trying to understand the best of my ability, the difference between these different cultures, having a great time, learning to dance also for the first time at age 20 something at that point. That was the goal. The goal was not necessarily to defeat my enemies. I don't need to. I didn't care. And that's a value I have seen when there's more of a collaborative. One of the things I try always lead with is I'll say all the time, please tell me how I've screwed up. And I do find women generally, sometimes it's more you have to say, okay, okay, okay, you've told me. Now you've told me more. Okay, now I'm in tears. I don't need to be told that degree. That's a warning not to marry a Sicilian woman every so often there, too. They'll tell you already often.

SPEAKER_01

You asked for it.

SPEAKER_03

You know, I actually to speak to it, which is funny, was differently. Someone asked me, What, as a gotcha question, what is your stance on DEI? And I looked at the gentleman and I said, You look great today. He said, I'm sorry. Your outfit looks great. Did you pick it yourself? He goes, Yes. I said, No, you didn't. Your wife approved it, I bet. And the saleswoman was there and she nodded her head because there's no way you chose that particular outfit. And he laughed. He said, Yes. I said, DEI to me is just the diversity of opinion. I just would like to have six people tell me I'm wrong. And not too often, not too much, and especially when I'm driving on the highway, it's a different story. But generally, you know, you need that. You need somebody to look at you and say, now, uh, where I've been blessed with Vanessa as my partner, RTM Nexus, she has been the type who um will later say, Hey, that was great, great, you did great. Don't get me wrong. But you know, in that podcast with Christina, again, you did great. And I'm like, okay.

SPEAKER_01

Here it comes, here it comes.

SPEAKER_03

I can take it. But that's how one learns. You are never going to learn. Are you losing it, Jack? Nope. No, but you don't learn from the constant Yes, you did amazing. Yes, you did amazing. We are all doing great, but I don't even think uh Serena Williams will say she is the best at tennis without any need of guidance. And sometimes when you approach criticism from the place of guidance and education and collaborative versus victory, destruction of your enemies, it's much more healthy.

SPEAKER_02

And you you find that women lean into that profile more than men.

SPEAKER_03

I would agree with that statement. Generally speaking. Of course, I'll get tomatoes thrown in my front door later, but for the moment.

SPEAKER_02

That's right. I think, you know, there's a lot of people, not just men, who genuinely want to be advocates or they say they're advocates, but sometimes the actions don't match the words, right? They're they're just alleys in name only. So uh what if you know someone's listening and they really want to be an advocate and an ally? How does that look like in practice? What would you tell them? How do they show up?

SPEAKER_03

You realize that's the most pressure-filled question I think I've gotten all day.

SPEAKER_04

All right.

SPEAKER_03

So I hate you for it, but I'll say it.

SPEAKER_04

Don't make you married to a Sicilian, you're used to this. Pressure. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I'm married to a Sicilian. I get it four times a day from the Sicilian, basically. I think it is not necessarily the answer to your question. How does one be an ally to women is the same as ally to this or a how does one connect? To me, is the primary guiding force. How does one learn through the experience where they're getting it right and wrong? At times, like I have a different issue. I'm genuinely curious. I had an experience where I was asking this guy how to pronounce a word with a Puerto Rican accent versus a Mexican accent. And at first he thought I was like making fun of him. I was like, no, dude, I'm sorry I came across that way. I really was curious of the difference. And curiosity is healthy, curiosity is good. And I think that ally nature is better than is better served with curiosity.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I think it just it connects back to everything you've been saying, which is to be curious, to really connect to the individual. Like women is not a one size fit-all for every woman, or you know, uh whatever. If you're a minority, that's not a one size fit-all for everyone, you know, whatever it may be, income level. But I I think to your point, it's like, do you lean in and really try to learn like who that person is, um, regardless of you know, those external factors or things you might make a judgment call on and and continue to learn and and also admit when you get it wrong? It's okay because we're not all alike. You don't know what's happening inside someone's head and inside their heart.

SPEAKER_03

Now keep in mind one needs to be open to receiving it is half the issue. One has to be open to providing it is half the issue. I have a great friend, the Chuddy Ball, you might know or not, um talked to him and he called me up once and after his podcast, and he has a great podcast. Uh, he calls me up and he says, Yeah, I didn't like your answer to this one. Do you want to redo it? I was like, Great, fine with it. I did not do it right. We actually got on stage, and you can see that clip on uh LinkedIn on my profile wall, and um, we address this whole conversation where our friendship was simply born out of a willingness to say, Yeah, I agree with you on there, I disagree with you. It's not about also winning the argument, it's about understanding and learning and growing as people.

SPEAKER_02

Relationship advice too. Words to live by.

SPEAKER_03

I try. Uh, do I succeed all the time? No, no. I think one has to constantly try, though.

SPEAKER_04

Alrighty, let's move on.

SPEAKER_03

I'm seeing you guys get ready for the next deep question.

SPEAKER_04

Oh, this is this is very deep. This is the fun side. The human side, if you will.

SPEAKER_03

So we haven't gotten to it enough.

SPEAKER_04

No, no, no. This was just the surface. It's all about you. I'm ready to feel so you I'm ready to feel vulnerable. You've interviewed a lot of celebrities over the years, right? Who was your one of your most memorable interview, and why did that one stay with you?

SPEAKER_03

I don't have one. I don't have one. I have multiple because each I could think of a different lesson. Give us a few. Yeah, I'll give you a few. Robert Downey Jr., I was on the phone with him for a few hours, and my wife walked in, and my feet are on the couch, and she's like, You're talking to Robert Downey Jr. You didn't tell me. And my feet are up. He was talking like one of my friends, and it was a good lesson. He concurrently uh I interviewed Jen Chapin, Harry Chapin's daughter, and she's wonderful and sings this great version of Into the Mystic, you have to listen to. I could call her right now. You know, like there's a lot of people like that. From I interviewed, which was an odd one, Ike Turner. That taught me a lot. If you look up Tina Turner textbooks, yeah, I'm quoted in like dozens of Tina Turner textbooks. And the reason it taught me a lot is he said some interesting things about how his perspective on the relationship and what taught me differently was just to nod your head and listen. The more, no matter how morally repugnant you might find the situation, because it got that information out enough so that it helped write the history of that story in a better light. It was actually his perspective was not helping him, per se, not in the least. There's people out there that I can call and text right now. I had great uh fatherly advice from Alan Alda once, or uh 98 degrees, the band I have a I could call them, so to speak, which is wonderful. But each, just like with people, each conversation taught me a little different thing. So for me, I was jokingly all the time. It was like personal therapy with each and every person after a while, where you learn just from this conversation, we're all learning from each other. It's great, absolutely wonderful.

SPEAKER_02

And maybe you just answered it with the the Ike Turner conversation. But uh, we were gonna ask if there was like an interview or a conversation that you had that seemed very normal at the time, but in hindsight, you realized wow, that was actually a piece of history that was.

SPEAKER_03

It was abnormal at the time. But the thing I realized that made it the piece of history was that I didn't. My instinct was to say, dude, dude.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

But it would have stopped the conversation, which generated the history. If you will.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

But it's like inside the psyche, right? And that could probably give warning signs, right, to people, indicators, things to those red flags, and hearing that firsthand.

SPEAKER_03

If in the books, like you could look at it be like, oh wow. His perception was that he didn't do anything wrong. He was great, like on and on. And I'm like, okay. But it made me think, thank God, I said, yes. Go on. I hear you, go on. I wasn't happy about it, uh, but I think it was but certainly different, if that makes any sense at all.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, interesting. I think I think it's fantastic that you were able to be as objective as that. And I think a lot of people have lost that objectivity today, but to be able to sit in that discomfort, allow him this space to basically hoist himself by his own petard, if you will. You gave him the rope to hang himself.

SPEAKER_03

It's interesting you say, because it make me think that managerially I had many situations. I've actually had to do that. My favorite people will quote, someone asked me, What is the fastest you fired somebody? I said, four minutes. I call the guy. Listen, I'm reading the contract. Looks like you're in charge of social media. What do you do? He goes, I upload videos. How many videos? 14. Over what time span? A month. Let me do it with you right now and show me. Within the three-minute call, he uploaded a video. Is that the extent of your job? Just help me understand this very non-judgmentally. And it was funny, he said, Yes. I said, Listen, I'm just curious. Um give me any answer you want. Does it seem right to you? He said, No. It is not right. And I left and do you think we should cut this contract, you and me? He goes, Yeah, we probably should. At least it was but I think if at any moment I said, dude, what the hell is this? What the hell's wrong with you? You know what I'm saying? If I did at any moment, I do think it would have been strange.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

It would have definitely been strange. So it allowed that freedom to say, come on, let's just talk right now.

SPEAKER_01

Wow.

SPEAKER_03

You have to give people the the space to speak, although it might be painful.

SPEAKER_04

I love that. Space to speak, yes.

SPEAKER_03

Although it might be painful.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah. So finally, for this section, Dominic, Ms. Randy.

SPEAKER_03

For this section of the show. I'm ready.

SPEAKER_04

I'm ready. What is your go-to hype song?

SPEAKER_03

Mm-hmm. It depends on the mood. I uh recently have been fortunate when my daughter is home. I dance like an idiot to bed, Bunny.

SPEAKER_05

I love it.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. And I dance terribly, about as well as I play soccer, which in turn does not thrill my daughter at 19 in any way.

SPEAKER_04

But can you sing comic? Can you sing?

SPEAKER_03

No, no. That is I could play instruments, cannot sing well. I can do, I can do sometimes imitations that are comical, and it was a point. I used to for all my Facebook friends write a song, which turns out helped them in some way. And usually the songs were um just bouncy show tunes for some reason. Yeah. When you hear someone screaming, I heard you had an ovarian cyst, and I insist you must resist the ovarian system. She said she played that before the surgery.

SPEAKER_01

Wow.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

You are that add songwriter to the long list of your accreditations.

SPEAKER_03

Not good songwriter. Because again, Overian Cist songs are good.

SPEAKER_02

But um what's your competition? I feel like you might be top of the charts on that one.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I think I'm both simultaneously top of the charts and the bottom of the same chart. The only chart.

SPEAKER_02

Whatever.

SPEAKER_03

But it worked. Yeah, it was kind of entertaining. I was kind of entertaining, but it worked. It did the job. It did the job.

SPEAKER_01

Unbelievable.

SPEAKER_03

My God, I'm with this kind of show, I am ready for the next one.

SPEAKER_04

All right. Now, in terms of your optimism right now, you know, you've seen industries change and you've seen platforms rise and fall, and leadership evolve over the decades, sometimes two steps forward, sometimes three steps back. What gives you the most optimism right now?

SPEAKER_03

In what context?

SPEAKER_04

For the future of in life in general? For uh for the future in terms of industry.

SPEAKER_03

I think things always regulate. You know, what I find happens is social media gets out. Everyone's on social media. Then they make more social media platforms. Raise your hand if you remember Marco Polo and uh all the other wacky ones that came out during COVID. I like Marco Polo, so I shouldn't say wacky, it wasn't. Uh and then the industry goes, wait a minute. Then we have Uber Lyft and then 48 knockoffs, and then they pull back. And then we have delivery apps, and then sometimes people go, you know, like I just somebody or you could just call your local pizza place and pick up the pizza. Look, there's another option out there besides pressing the button. Call Mario, he knows what you like. Oh, that works too, I guess. And I think we get like, and I've seen this over the years from media perspective, where it started with everyone's going online. Oh my God, everyone's social media, oh my god, everyone's video, oh my god, everyone's social influencer, oh my god. And that gives me hope because when we double down on anything, left, right, this way, that way, we always come back and go, I got another idea. Like maybe we don't need this, this, and this. And regulate and not regulation, uh, normalcy, mediocrity, boringness gives me hope sometimes. And we all go, you know what, maybe we can just have a conversation like this. It's fine. We can all get through the day.

SPEAKER_04

Are you are you calling Christina and me boring? Is that is that what's going on here right now? Christina Christina? Do normal.

SPEAKER_02

We need to. I think that's that's the first time we've been called normal.

SPEAKER_03

Probably first and last again on that list.

SPEAKER_02

I mean, I'll take it. I'm here for it.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, it's yeah. It's I think normalcy is great. Like, meaning, like, we don't need to have insanity.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

We could just go normal. You know, we could just be happy.

SPEAKER_02

Just be real, just be honest, just be normal, yeah. And it's rare.

SPEAKER_03

It's to some degree.

SPEAKER_04

It's really rare right now.

SPEAKER_02

It is rare. Yeah. Well, and with that, and you know, getting back to some of those basics, right? Like, I feel like there that's been a theme in this conversation. What do you hope then for the next generation of builders, especially women and advocates in commerce and those that are brave enough like you were to, you know, create something that maybe the previous generations have been too cautious to build? Like, what is what's your hope for the that next gen?

SPEAKER_03

If anything, it's number one, don't be scared. Number two, keeping every all the themes to this. Why are we doing it? Let's be happy doing it. Let's not pull our hair out doing it. How are we connecting? Is it serving the greater good? At the end of the day, those are the values that matter to me. And I think, you know, I had this one person calling. I get a lot of people calling for coaching and advice, and she called up, and I was like, it didn't check any of those boxes. I said, I'm not sure this is the best for you. I'm not sure. Um, I hate saying it, I said, but you want the honest. You know, that's why actually I was um man of honor twice. I was not uh never best man, but I was a man of honor twice. I played the bridal shower twice too, and a bachelor party, and all the theme was always the same. They just wanted someone to tell them how terrible they looked in their wedding dress at the time. They wanted to know. Does it look good on me? You'll let me know.

SPEAKER_02

Um I thought you're gonna say you're the entertainment.

SPEAKER_03

Oh no, I that one I ran the bridal shower. I did, just me, and I was on this the all by the altar as the man of honor twice. Never best man. Yeah, it was a little that's I forgot all I never really mentioned that in a podcast, so yeah, that's awkward too. No, it's great.

SPEAKER_04

I think that's the epitome of of being an ally of women. I mean, that's brilliant. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Well, thank you. And thank you. You know, I'm sad to see this episode end, but we do have to close with something that's really important to us. And if you listen to our other episodes, you know that we are building a growing network of female leaders and advocates across the industry. And we'd love to ask you to take the pledge with us to pay forward, amplify women's voices, continue to amplify women's voices, voices, I should say. Continue to help shape the future of commerce. So, Dominic, will you take that pledge?

SPEAKER_05

Yes.

SPEAKER_02

Amazing. You're one of us. You're in the sisterhood. Welcome.

SPEAKER_03

I like being the sisterhood of traveling pants. This is good.

SPEAKER_01

I will I'll send you some pants. Christina, wag idea, pants. Swag she commerce, pants. That travel that is.

SPEAKER_03

You brought it to a whole nother level at this point.

SPEAKER_01

Yes.

SPEAKER_03

I'm inspirational. That's what makes yeah.

SPEAKER_02

I'm we can you are inspirational and so much fun and just such a good heart, such a good person. Um so we really thank you so much for joining us today for all the insights, for your honesty, for your humor, for just being you, your unapologetic self.

SPEAKER_03

I like that to save space for all these things.

SPEAKER_02

It's a safe space.

SPEAKER_03

I love that. I love it being a safe space. This is amazing. Thank you guys for having me so much. I am honored to be the first male guest slash ally here. And I just love the messaging we've gotten into. I did not expect to have this philosophical debate. I expected just to be uh funny and charming and witty and get, you know, all the things. Exactly. So thank you. Thank you so much, guys. I really do appreciate it. Thank you.

SPEAKER_04

It's it's been our absolute pleasure. Thank you. And frankly, uh, we look forward to seeing you again. And with that, I yes, and with that, we say both brands, fierce women, one sisterhood.