Tuesday, June 23rd.
Tuesday, June 23rd.
Day two started bright and early because Kena and I had one very important mission before any talks began, we had to get in line at Pinterest so she could get a tattoo! After that, we were off to another full day of talks!
1. CANVA: Nicer Tuesday
I started the day at Canva's "Nicer Tuesday," which was made up of several shorter talks instead of one long presentation. I really enjoyed this format because it kept every conversation fresh and gave me the chance to hear from founders and creatives with completely different perspectives.
One speaker that stood out to me was Janvier Wete, founder of Minute Shorts. He talked about how people often blame streaming services for the decline in movie theaters, but his perspective was different. He believed the real problem is that too many movies feel like stories we've already seen before. If studios focused on creating something truly new, audiences would come back to theaters. Cat How, founder of How & How, also shared a point that I wrote down immediately: every small decision you make early on is a brand decision. Those choices plant the seed for what your brand eventually becomes, so it's important to get them right from the beginning.
I liked how this session wasn't focused on one thing. Instead, it showed how creativity and branding apply no matter what you're building.
2. More Than a Moment: How Lilly and Company and Shaquille O'Neal Built a Partnership That Lasts
I'll be honest… This was probably my least favorite talk of the week. The SportBeach was absolutely packed because everyone wanted to see Shaq, and don't get me wrong, I was excited too. But I left feeling like I didn't learn as much as I had hoped. Lina Polimeni shared some interesting thoughts about building authentic brand partnerships and staying true to what a brand actually stands for, but overall I found myself more distracted by how unbelievably hot it was than by what was being said. I don't think I've ever sweated that much while trying to take notes.
Not every session is going to be your favorite, and I think that's part of the experience. Even though this one wasn't for me, it was still fun getting to see how tall Shaq really is in person.
3. Built from the Back: How the Greatest Comebacks in Sports Become the Greatest Brand Stories
This session was much more up my alley. Hearing from Karen Kovacs, Colin Jost, and Lindsey Vonn, the conversation focused on why audiences connect more with setbacks than success. One quote that really stuck with me was, "Failure isn't final." We spend so much time celebrating athletes when they win, but what actually makes people connect with them is everything that happens before that moment. NBC does such a great job of telling those stories and allowing audiences to see the person behind the performance.
Another idea I loved was reframing failure. Instead of looking at criticism or setbacks as something negative, they challenged us to see them as opportunities to grow. That message applies just as much to marketing and life as it does to sports.
4. OLAPLEX: Business Transformation, Not Just Brand Transformation
This session really helped me understand the difference between business transformation and brand transformation. Before this talk, I probably would have used those terms interchangeably, but they're actually very different. The speakers explained that a brand shouldn't simply be a wrapper around a business—it should serve as a roadmap that guides every decision a company makes.
One framework they introduced was SPA, which stands for Species, Purpose, and Advantages. I thought it was an interesting way to evaluate whether a brand truly knows who it is and where it's headed. One takeaway that really stuck with me was that your brand should tell you not only who your customers are, but also who to hire and even who to walk away from.
5. G.R.I.T. or Get Out: The Untaught Craft of Creative Endurance
My last talk of the day was with my amazing professor, Meryl Blau, and University of Miami alumna Mia Rafowitz, which made it even more special. They introduced the idea that GRIT stands for Groundwork, Resilience, Intensity, and Temper. Groundwork tells you where to go, resilience keeps you moving, intensity gets you there, and temper determines what happens next. Out of everything they discussed, temper—being able to regulate your emotions and control how you respond to challenges—was probably the concept that stuck with me the most.
As someone who's about to enter the workforce, burnout is something I've thought about a lot. It almost feels inevitable because it's talked about so often. This session completely reframed that mindset for me. Instead of focusing on avoiding challenges, Meryl and Mia encouraged us to build the skills needed to work through them. Success isn't about never struggling—it's about developing the resilience to keep going.
I walked out of this talk feeling genuinely inspired, and it's a mindset that I hope to carry with me as I begin my career. To make the moment even more special, Meryl launched her new book, The G.R.I.T. Factor, right there on stage, which was such a cool moment to witness. Everyone should go read it!