Elizabeth DeFeo, Head of Partnerships and Activation, joins host Karina Jimenez to share the career journey that took her from traditional advertising into experiential marketing, international sports sponsorships, and leadership. She reflects on how an unexpected layoff helped her discover work she was passionate about, why taking a pay cut to enter a new industry became a defining career decision, and how leading teams across different cultures taught her to adapt her communication style to the people and environments around her. Elizabeth also explains why she builds teams with different perspectives, backgrounds, and skills rather than surrounding herself with people who think just like her.
Elizabeth and Karina also explore how career growth does not always follow a straight line, why every role can be valuable when it teaches you something new, and how leaders need to evolve as AI changes the way teams work. Elizabeth shares why she prioritizes human skills such as strategic thinking, communication, and relationship-building while remaining open to new technology and learning from younger colleagues. For the next generation, her advice is to develop transferable skills, try new things even when the path is unclear, and focus on what brings you joy rather than comparing your progress with someone else's.