Cubicle to CEO

Most brands have worked with an agency that felt like an external vendor. Rachel Leslie is building something different. As the founder and editor-in-chief of Lāer Studio, Rachel has spent years developing a hybrid creative partner model that embeds her copywriting team directly into the brands they support - from their internal Slack channels to their campaign briefs. With clients like Away, Zola, Avocado Green Mattress, and FILA, she's seen firsthand what changes when a creative relationship goes long-term and the brand finally has a creative partner they can actually lean on. In this episode, Rachel breaks down how she structures her team, how embedded support makes a difference to her clients during high-pressure moments, and how she keeps healthy boundaries without sacrificing the partnership model. She also shares what’s evolving with agencies and in-house creative teams in 2026 and beyond.  Connect with Rachel: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://laerstudio.com/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/laerstudio/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Workshop: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelaleslie Loving our bonus content and want more Cubicle to CEO in your ears? Join us every Monday on our subscriber-only premium feed for case study–style interviews with successful entrepreneurs debriefing their real-time growth experiments and results. Subscribe to get insider access to what's actually been working for businesses in the last 3-18 months: ⁠⁠cubicletoceo.co/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you enjoyed today's episode, please: Post a screenshot & key takeaway on your IG story and tag us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@cubicletoceo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ so we can repost you. ⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to ⁠⁠⁠⁠our premium feed⁠⁠⁠⁠ for case-study style interviews every Monday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a free preview of a paid episode (42 min), exclusively available on our subscriber-only premium feed. Become a premium subscriber to tune into the full episode: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://cubicletoceo.co/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Questions about our premium podcast subscription? Send us a DM ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@cubicletoceo Plot twist: you don't have to land the PR feature to get visibility from your pitching efforts. Continuing our series on leveraging PR to grow your business, this case study shows you how to play the uno reverse card when your pitch is rejected. Ayurvedic practitioner Bridgette Ochoa realized the topics journalists seek expert sources for are a cheat sheet to the exact type of content her audience wants to consume. Bridgette walks us through the HARO and Quoted method that earned her four media features in six weeks, how she repurposes features as credibility anchors on social, and the unique way she capitalizes on PR opportunities even when her pitch doesn’t make the cut. Connect with Bridgette: Mini Healing Recipe Book that boosts digestion and immunity: https://stan.store/bridgeayurveda 3 day cleanse that stops digestive issues, inflammation, and brain fog: https://stan.store/bridgeayurveda ⁠ www.bridgeayurveda.com IG: @bridgeayurveda If you enjoyed today's episode, please: Post a screenshot & key takeaway on your IG story and tag us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@cubicletoceo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ so we can repost you. ⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠our premium feed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for case-study style interviews every Monday.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a free preview of a paid episode (45 min), exclusively available on our subscriber-only premium feed. Become a premium subscriber to tune into the full episode: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://cubicletoceo.co/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Questions about our premium podcast subscription? Send us a DM ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@cubicletoceo Going viral is part luck, but sustaining it is all skill. Kicking off our series on amplifying your business through PR, today's case study dissects what happened before, during, and after a viral celebrity moment: when Taylor Swift wore Fazit's Glitter Freckles Makeup Patches to a Kansas City Chiefs game in October 2024. We’re going behind-the-scenes with Aliett Buttelman— Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and co-founder of Fazit— a brand she and co-founder Nina LaBruna bootstrapped with $13,000 in savings and built into a business on track to surpass $40 million in revenue. We get into Fazit’s proactive outreach strategy to get their product in Taylor Swift’s hands (or in this case— face), what they’ve done to sustain the media momentum well beyond the initial viral spike, and how they’ve leveraged this attention to launch in 6,000+ retail locations, including Target, Walmart, and Sephora UK. Connect with Aliett: https://fazitbeauty.com IG: @fazitbeauty TikTok: @fazitbeauty IG: @aliettbutts TikTok: @aliettbutts If you enjoyed today's episode, please: Post a screenshot & key takeaway on your IG story and tag us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@cubicletoceo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ so we can repost you. ⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠our premium feed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for case-study style interviews every Monday.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a free preview of a paid episode (70 min), exclusively available on our subscriber-only premium feed. Become a premium subscriber to tune into the full episode: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://cubicletoceo.co/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Questions about our premium podcast subscription? Send us a DM ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@cubicletoceo ⁠ Selling tickets to an in-person event has never been more competitive or nuanced. Wrapping up our series on leveraging events as a business growth engine, this roundtable pulls three women with very different event models into the same conversation: Dielle Charon, host of Millionaires of Color; Taylor Smith, host of The Power Table™; and Alisha Kumar, host of The Founder's Table. With varied event types ranging from multi-city mastermind dinner series to high-ticket conferences, they get into the real mechanics of what’s actually working in 2026 to sell out events. Visit our events directory: ⁠https://www.cubicletoceo.co/2026-events⁠ Connect with Dielle: ⁠ ⁠https://forthe23percent.com ⁠ ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@diellecharon⁠ For the 23 Percent Podcast: ⁠https://forthe23percent.com/podcast/⁠ IG: ⁠@forthe23percent⁠ Connect with Alisha: ⁠https://atthefounderstable.com/ ⁠ IG: ⁠@alishakumar ⁠ IG: ⁠@atthefounderstable ⁠ IG: @⁠goodtimemediaco ⁠ Connect with Taylor: IG: ⁠@taylorsmithonline⁠ ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorsmithonline/ ⁠ IG: ⁠@thepowertable.co⁠ ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-power-table/ ⁠ If you enjoyed today's episode, please: Post a screenshot & key takeaway on your IG story and tag us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@cubicletoceo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ so we can repost you. ⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠our premium feed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for case-study style interviews every Monday.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a free preview of a paid episode (40 min), exclusively available on our subscriber-only premium feed. Become a premium subscriber to tune into the full episode: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://cubicletoceo.co/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Questions about our premium podcast subscription? Send us a DM ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@cubicletoceo ⁠ Continuing our series on leveraging events for business growth, today’s case study is a masterclass in using the resources and infrastructure of established brands to create co-branded experiences that accelerate your own brand expansion. Marty McDonald, USA Today bestselling author of Audacious and founder of Boss Women Media, launched a national events platform from a strategic partnership pitch to Sugarfina’s CEO. Her bold ask turned into sold out pop-ups in five cities, a 22,000-person virtual event, additional partnerships with Amazon and Capital One, and eventually, a book deal. We dig into the pitch, follow-up, and execution in this episode. Connect with Marty: ⁠ Grab a copy of Marty's book Audacious: https://a.co/d/0cFzSDdE https://bosswomen.org/audacious/ If you enjoyed today's episode, please: Post a screenshot & key takeaway on your IG story and tag us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@cubicletoceo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ so we can repost you. ⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠our premium feed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for case-study style interviews every Monday.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices