June 19, 2025 • 35 mins
On this episode of Her Playbook, Madelyn Burke sits down with Theresa Tran. For over 25 years, Theresa Tran has worked in brand marketing, global communications, strategic partnerships, experiential activations, product collaborations, content creation and reputation management for some of the world’s best and biggest brands, events, athletes, creatives, industry icons, sports & entertainment personalities. She formed THE OFFENSE, a boutique consultancy that helps clients navigate various aspects of sports, entertainment, media and culture to amplify their brand.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to an all new episode of her playbook, brought
to you by Kendra Scott. Her playbook as a podcast
highlighting inspiring stories of women in sport and business. My
name is Madeline Burke and I am joined today by
Teresa Tran. She's a veteran in the industry of communication,
brand marketing, the founder of The Offense. Teresa, thanks so
much for joining me.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Thank you so much for having me, Maddie.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
It's so fun to have you here. And I feel
like I didn't even do you justice with that explanation
of what you do, because you have been around the
industry for so long, you know, starting your career working
with some big brands Nike, Jordan, Donna, Karen. How did
you get into this space that you are that you're
in right now. How did you get your start?
Speaker 2 (00:42):
It's a very very unconventional path, but a path that
I'm obviously very proud of because I want other young
women to see a place for themselves in this industry.
How I started in the industry was really I credit
it to growing up in Portland, Oregon. I credit it
to Nike's headquarters being right there in my backyard, and
(01:03):
I credit my education I studied marketing and international business
at Portland State University. So being kind of very Portland
homegrown and going to work for Nike right out of
college was such a dream for me and a career
aspiration and being able to start my career in the
(01:24):
sports business there is like the perfect degree. It was
the perfect place to really cut my teeth into the industry,
get to know the business and the mechanics behind the industry,
get to work with amazing products, amazing athletes, amazing events,
(01:47):
And yeah, that's sort of how I started.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
That's fascinating. And I'm always curious too, because you mentioned
you didn't play sports growing up. A lot of people
point to, well, how could you possibly know sport if
you don't play sport, which, first of all, many of
us didn't play sport growing up. How did you fall
in love with it? Like, where did you find that passion?
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Well, it's funny because growing up my obviously in a
very traditional Asian household, it was academics over athletics.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
Now, did I dabble in sport? Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
I dabbled in tennis, in gymnastics, I was on dance team,
I was a cheerleader. I loved to snowboard, so I
certainly was. You know, sports was not foreign in our household.
We were just not playing in this sense of playing
for points and standings. We didn't play in competitive environments,
we didn't play in structured settings. It was just more
(02:43):
sports as fans, which then became sports as a career
for me.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
And you know, starting in Nike, you grew a lot
in that role and became an integral part of the
Jordan brands marketing and promotion through the years and working
with Jordan in that How did that experience come to
pass and how did that evolve?
Speaker 2 (03:07):
So I had two very distinct chapters that Nike.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
I want to say.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
My first chapter was right out of college and I
applied for a role in a very entry level admin position.
The admin position was actually in human resources at the time,
which you would think, what does that have to do
with marketing, But when I started my career in HR
as an admin, I got to see how the company
(03:32):
worked from a personnel standpoint. I got to see types
of positions that were out there, the types of people
that were hired for these positions, what kind of experience
was required to be able to make yourself the right
kind of candidate and so knowing all that gave me
just tremendous insights into what I wanted my career path
to be. So from that ADMIN role, I ended up
(03:54):
getting promoted into an assistant product manager position and then
from there product manager position. So I got to learn
everything from the inner workings of the company all the
way through to how product is created. So that was
tremendous education and exposure for me. So that was Chapter one.
After about two and a half three years of that
(04:15):
time at Nike, I wanted to move to New York,
so that's when I started working for Miramax Films Donna Karen.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
So I sort of got all.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
This other non sports experience under my belt to the
point where when I came back to Nike for Chapter two,
that was to be head of Comm's for the Jordan Brand.
And Jordan Brand, as you know, is more than a
basketball brand. So I really feel at that time all
of my experiences having done Nike that first time, but
(04:46):
also working in fashion and entertainment, in design, and automotive
and tech, all these other industries really fed into what
and how I could succeed in a comm's role at
Jordan Brand.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
And describe to me what that comms role was like,
I mean, you've experienced a lot in those years that
you were heading up that brand. It's such an iconic brand,
a brand that you know, you say Jordan, everyone immediately
knows what we're talking about. You know, what were some
of the moments that stick out to you when you
remember that time?
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Oh my gosh, Comms at Jordan brand was so diverse
because on any given day you would be doing product marketing,
as in launching a new line of Jordan's or a
new apparel collection, and every season there was a new
product coming out. You could be also doing athlete marketing,
(05:39):
so when you sign on athletes or work with athletes,
whether it was Roy Jones Junior at the time, Carmelo Anthony,
Derek Cheeter. Again, Jordan was more than a basketball brand,
so we had more than basketball athletes on the roster.
So that was really interesting was to be able to
then go from product into athlete marketing and the other
(06:00):
times it's evet marketing things like NBA All Star Weekend,
things like the Jordan Classic, things like Michael Jordan's celebrity
golf tournament in the Bahamas, and then other times there's
cause marketing doing things that really connect with your consumer
in the community, being very intentional with your brand in
(06:23):
ways that give back. So every day was different, and
it just gave me such a full scope of how
the marketing machine works within a global organization like Nike
in an industry like sport that is literally the universal language.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
Of the world. Yeah, it really is. And I mean
it's interesting you mentioned how the Jordan brand is so
much more than basketball. You know, it covers all sports,
and it also covers a lot of different athletes, but
it also zeros back to Michael Jordan himself as an athlete.
I'm so curious to what it's like working with a
guy who is, you know, larger than life in that presence,
(07:03):
but also has been sort of deliberate after his playing
days of being not as much in the spotlight and
not as much you know, on press rows and things
like that, And how you navigate that balance and what
that unique relationship was like.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
Working for somebody like him who exudes confidence and excellence
every day keeps you on your toes and you learn
so much whether he was in the room or not,
just his essence and his presence permeated through everything that
you did. We talked about things like quiet confidence, We
(07:39):
talked about things like excellence, we talked about you know,
we talked about all these things that he stood for
that really sort of translated into everything that we did.
Whether he was again physically in the room or not,
it still had to embody his values. And I still
think those values, not think, I know, those values still
live in me to this day. You know, you approach
(08:02):
your work in a way that just keeps you very,
very sharp and on point because you kind of still
have that voice in your head of what would some
of these world class athletes that I've worked with, what
would they do or how would they like to see
this or how would they want it done? And when
you have that type of influence in your DNA, your
(08:26):
career DNA, it really forces you to stay on top
of your game.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
Yeah, And I mean it takes a presence that just
the essence of a person can demand that kind of greatness.
I think it's fantastic and I'm personally excited too. With
the announcement that he's going to be contributing to the
NBA on NBC broadcast this year. I think that's going
to bring a lot. Knowing him the way that you do,
I mean, how is that going to play out?
Speaker 2 (08:50):
I get to see him on TV all the time now,
I mean I was obsessed during COVID of.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
The Last Dance right that way we all we all were.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
So I imagine now being able to kind of again
relive the sport through him through the Goat is going
to be incredible.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
It's going to be incredible. And I love how you
talked about how his influence has permeated your approach to
the world of business. You pivoted from corporate America to entrepreneurship.
That's a big leap to take when you made that
jump in two thousand and six. Right if you made
that change, how did you know that was the right
(09:28):
move for you? And how did you have the confidence
and the courage to venture off into that direction.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
I don't know that I was totally sure it was
the right move. I just knew that I wanted and
needed to do it before time passed me by. Because
we all talk about doing things before you live to
regret it, or doing things because if you don't do it,
you'll live to regret it. And I felt like it
was just that time in my career where I just
really wanted to set myself free out into the world
(09:58):
and to take all the marketing kind of knowledge and
discipline that I had being trained by the best company
in the world, Nike, and going out in the world
to be able to take on clients across all genres,
all sports.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
I loved to.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
Travel, so I wanted to use that as an opportunity
to take on clients and travel the world. And I
just wanted to see what was out there, what was
out there in ways that maybe a corporate environment wasn't
able to give you that fast and so I did it.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
It was a total leap of faith.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
I was thirty three years old at the time, and
I said to myself at the time, well, if it
doesn't work out, I'll just get a job again.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
There you go.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
And it's been eighteen and almost nineteen years and I
haven't had to look for a job because my job
is my company and I want to do that for
as long as I can. I also pivoted post Nike,
post Jordan Brand into working with Pele right, which is
now I went from the goat of basketball to now
(11:05):
the goat of soccer, and I was able to work
with him for seven years from twenty ten to twenty seventeen,
and that was also an incredible experience. We traveled to
thirty two countries together, working with all sorts of brands
from Procter and Gamble, Coca Cola, Volkswagen, hue Blow, Emirates Airlines,
(11:28):
the list goes on, and I got to see through
his eyes in the most intense crash course in global football,
what an icon like Pele means to the world, and
not just in sport, but in society. And so again,
it's things like the Michael Jordan influence, the Pale influence,
(11:49):
and all these other clients that I've had. I've had
the opportunity to work for Carl Banks for many years
on his G three starter business. And when you when
you work with people of that championship mindset, it just
forces you to produce good work. You just don't want
to disappoint anybody that you work with.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
Yeah, it's it's interesting when you look at hindsight too.
I think, you know, if we look at our lives,
you know, forward is one way, but when you look
in the rearview mirror and look back to how you
got to where you are, I see all the pieces
coming together right. The HR experience puts you in a
unique position when you're starting a company to understand how
to build out the people around you. The different aspects
(12:30):
of you know, film and entertainment and fashion and sport
have put you in such a uniquely qualified position to
dabble in all of these different fields and to experience
the world in such a unique way. And then also,
you know, the greatness that you mentioned that you've worked with,
and while you have touched on how they have influenced
your approach to it, it's also kind of fascinating to
(12:52):
me that, you know, have you taken a moment to realize, like, wow,
all of these wonderfully great, talented people have trusted me
to do this because because that greatness, Like that's got
to be pretty cool.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
I feel blessed every day, not just in the position
and role that I have, but the opportunities and the
chances that people have taken on me. I mean, I'm
a solopreneur, you know, I'm a small company with a
small team with big clients, and clients don't.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
Have to choose me.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
There's a lot of agencies and consultants and companies out
there that they can work with. But I feel like
I always focused on delivering in the smallest of ways,
which then all add.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
Up to the biggest of opportunities.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
And I always felt like I wanted to be the
person that anybody could rely on, even if it was
a very menial task behind the scenes. I would do
that with just as much pride as something that's front
and center for the public to see, and just the
pride that I take in my work at any level,
and still to this day, still wanting to get my
(14:03):
hands dirty and roll up my sleeves and do whatever
it takes to get things done. I feel like that
mentality has always worked to my benefit. I just want
to add value wherever I go in any way, whether
it pays me or not, I still want to add
value because eventually there was always that saying where it's like,
(14:24):
do what you.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
Love and the money will follow.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
And I always kept that in the back of my
mind because when you add the value, those things can
be priceless, which then can add to a business opportunity
in the end.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
And then I think, my.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
You know, growing up as an immigrant in America, you know,
the word navigate is just part of your psyche. You
have to navigate leaving your birth country to a whole
new place. You have to navigate growing up in a
country as an immigrant.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
You then have to navigate.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
Being the only woman and potentially the one a few women,
if anything, the only Asian woman in a room or
an industry full of men.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
And then I'm a solo traveler a lot. I love
to travel the world.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
I've been to one hundred and two countries, and many
of those trips I've traveled on my own, and I've had.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
To navigate these some of these countries on my own.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
So I feel like that word navigate has also been
in my mind a lot, because it's just part of
my operating system.
Speaker 1 (15:30):
Yeah, and it's such an unique experience that you have
that so many people encounter in different ways, right, being
somebody that is unlike the people around them in a room.
And when you look at the experiences you've had in
those moments, what are some things that you would say
to your younger self, or what's something that you would
want to whisper to a woman walking into a room
(15:51):
full of men to give a meeting or a presentation,
to say, all right, this is how you navigate that moment.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
I sort of just navigated things through letting my work
speak for itself. There were oftentimes when I'd walk into
a room and I would not think about my background,
my ethnicity, my gender. I just wanted to walk into
a room and put my best foot forward and do
the best job that I could. And when you just focus,
when you're that hyper focused on the work and the
(16:22):
outcome of your work, I feel like their respect follows. Yeah,
and so it was just it was just sort of
naturally earned over the years. You mentioned one hundred and
two countries that you have traveled too. First of all,
I hope you have global entry and pre check because
that is a lot of I do.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
And I save all my hotel room keys. Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
I suppose a sports collector with collect baseball cards and
jerseys and what have you.
Speaker 1 (16:50):
I collect hotel room keys.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
So I have a whole box of maybe over three
thousand room keys.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
That is fascinating.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
I'm just trying to figure out how to turn it
into an art piece someday.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
I'd imagine you've got like a pro packing system down,
Like I typically only travel with carryons, Okay, even if
I'm gone for three weeks or three days, it's still
a carry on I've been gone for.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
My longest is.
Speaker 2 (17:14):
Six weeks all over Brazil during the twenty fourteen World
Cup in a carry on. Wow.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
Wow, pro tip traveler right here, like that's how you
do it. I find it so interesting too, because you
have been to so many you know, tenth pole sporting
events and a part of them is their favorite.
Speaker 2 (17:35):
Oh goodness. I've worked with the NFL now for about
five seasons, and every Super Bowl I feel like, just
keeps raising the bar. I've also had the opportunity to
work with the league on their Mexico and Brazil games.
So again going back to my international marketing experience and
my love of travel, those just really speak to me.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
World Cups.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
I've been to both men and Women's World Cup, but
I particularly remember the one in Brazil because I was
working for Pele at the time. So to be with
somebody who is such a global god and icon of
the sport and being right next to him experiencing and
witnessing Brazil hosting the World Cup through his eyes was
just fascinating.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
I can't imagine what that must have been like because
he is such a you know, anyone who goes by
one name, you know that they have made it on
a whole other level. But especially in Brazil, what an
icon there? What do you remember specifically about that experience
or is there a story or an anecdote that you
can share that kind of you know, add some collar
to who you know Pele to be.
Speaker 2 (18:42):
You know, we grinded on the road.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
I mean we were sometimes doing.
Speaker 2 (18:50):
All six continents within a three four month period. Wow.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
The only one we haven't been to is Antarctica. We
get an Antarctica All Star game going on, I know, right, yeah, but.
Speaker 2 (19:04):
No, we were on the road and we had to
have stamina, We had to have respect for each other.
We had to have tons of patients and poise because
you're dealing with the public constantly, knowing when to say
no because you're surrounded by fans and crowds and oftentimes mayhem,
(19:27):
and learning and wanting to say yes for many times
because for some of these people it's their only chance
ever to meet the King of football and to give
people that core memory and life once in a lifetime
experience was important for us. So it was pretty incredible
to be able to, you know, learn and go at
(19:50):
the same time exactly and just keep the energy high
that exact time, which I'm sure it's exhausting traveling that
much and going through that grind.
Speaker 1 (19:59):
It definitely can't, but what a cool and unique experience.
Another aspect about you know what you do that I
find really interesting is you know, the way that you
decide how to represent a person and the way that
you can kind of highlight and zero in on somebody's
best you know, on their most powerful attributes. Is that
a skill that you've acquired. Is that something that you've
(20:21):
found innate in yourself? And how do you look at
a person or an athlete or a brand and say,
this is your headline? How does that kind of come together?
Speaker 2 (20:31):
It's funny you say that, because sometimes I see the
headline before I see the story.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
That comes with years and years and years of experience
and kind of knowing how to creatively package storytelling at
the intersection of like communications and culture through the lens
of sports, and all of that has to come together
in this perfect alchemy to create a narrative for your
client that will resonate with press and social media. And
(21:04):
you're constantly coming up with creative angles and you have
to be really good storyteller. You have to have really
good relationships and know when to lean on those relationships
to get your stories across. You have to be on
trend and on point with what's happening in the news
(21:25):
so that you never ever appear tone deaf right with
what you're working on and what you're pitching. And then
it's not just paying attention to what's happening in sports,
but what's happening in fashion and entertainment, in internationally, in travel,
in tech, in business, you know, and kind of see
(21:47):
where whatever it is you're working on, whether it's a brand,
whether it's an individual, whether it's an event or an initiative,
you know, where does that fit into the overall scheme
of the news cycle, in the overall scheme of trends
and overall scheme of just what the public is engaging
(22:08):
with at the time.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
Yeah, it's constant. It's constant, and it's like you have
to keep a constant pulse on the zeitgeist while also
being traveling all over the world. When do you find time.
Speaker 2 (22:19):
For Teresa, I'm pretty good at finding moments for myself,
and it can come in a lot of different ways.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
It can be.
Speaker 2 (22:32):
You know, if I'm traveling on the road for a
long time, maybe I'll ask a friend or a family
member to fly there and meet me and we'll just
take a couple days downtime after the project's done to
explore a city. It could be something like that. It
could be just a day of sleeping in and meditation
and self care. It could be a really good workout
(22:54):
at the gym and just sweating out all the stress
and toxins. It could be a really nice meal, you know,
and a glass of wine.
Speaker 1 (23:04):
It could honestly be.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
A lot of things, as long as it brings me
joy and allows me to then reset and take on
the next challenge.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
Yeah, yeah, I love that. And it's like you got
to find those moments where you can find them, and
they kind.
Speaker 2 (23:19):
Of pop up all over the the idea and it's
hard to plan.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
Friends that know me know me well enough where you know.
Speaker 2 (23:25):
There's always these impromptu adventures that Teresa proposals and proposes
and sometimes I'll just send a friend a text to say,
what are you doing next a week and she's like,
where am I packing my bags?
Speaker 1 (23:38):
Yeah? Probably where are we going?
Speaker 2 (23:40):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (23:41):
But that's great and it's important support system and a
community around you that leans into that. It's so priceless.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
Yeah, and I just love that.
Speaker 1 (23:49):
Also, the public acceptance of mental health.
Speaker 2 (23:54):
Care is so much more prioritized now, So it's okay
to say when you're not okay, and it's okay to
ask for a pause or a moment to just have
downtime or to reflect. And it's normalized now, you know.
And as women in the industry, for a long time,
we felt like we had to shut off feelings and
(24:15):
emotion and softness to be able to survive in this industry. Yeah,
And I feel like it's okay to be authentically yourself now.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
And authenticity is such a key too. I think that's
something that shines so bright when people can be authentically
and genuinely themselves whether they are at their highest high
or maybe a lower and off day and balancing that
and I'm sure that you know, you probably encourage your
clients and all that to kind of lean into the
authenticity of the moment rather than the performative aspect of things.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
Right, And also going back to my clients, I feel
like I've had this true blessing and honor to work
with clients who equally want to create impact in the world,
and we were on really meaningful things together, whether it's
to address un like unspoken narratives or underserved communities, or
(25:12):
we see kind of this opportunity that we can really
come in and make a difference. Like those are the
conversations that I have daily with my clients. We're innovating,
we're creating bold new you know, paths and.
Speaker 1 (25:25):
Avenues for consumers.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
We are changing perceptions as we go of things, and
I just feel like all that work is just so
important because you see, you see your work making a difference.
Speaker 1 (25:38):
And I like to be behind the scenes, and so
I'm always so proud.
Speaker 2 (25:41):
When I get to read a headline of a client
that's very positive, or I can see children's faces lighting
up because of something we did, or that I can
see the social media chatter being through the roof amazing,
kind of like this viral zeitgeist, Like you say, because
(26:03):
what we did really authentically resonated with our audience.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
What is something that you are passionately working on right now?
Speaker 2 (26:13):
I'm working on a project which I started thinking about
three to five years ago, and then two years ago
I said, okay, if you don't put it to paper,
it's never going to happen. And it's this project called
Starting Lineup. And the whole idea of Starting Lineup is
preparing young women to take the field in sports marketing
(26:35):
and media. And a lot of it came from the
fact that when I was early on in my career,
I didn't really have many people that looked like me,
and I didn't really know where to go for mentorship.
I didn't really know how to handle certain situations. And
it took me twenty eight years of my career now
(26:56):
to realize that this is needed and I don't want
this next generation to have to spend twenty eight years
figuring it out. And so Starting Lineup happens end of July,
and I'm going to host about ten young women around
seventeen to twenty three, and they're going to come to
New York and they're going to spend five days with me,
(27:16):
and in those five days, I will give you the
most accelerated access and path and exposure into this industry.
And this is because of all the people that I've
worked with and have built in my network over the years.
So we'll do lunch and learns with agency and brand executives.
We might do a market travel and go through the
(27:38):
city and maybe do trends research with a really cool
footwear designer. They might be able to sit down and
talk to content creators about how they created a career
through social media. I might take them to a giant's
training camp experience, just different things like that that show
them different avenues in this industry through the lens of
(28:01):
marketing and media, which allowed them to feel like there's
a place for them in this industry.
Speaker 1 (28:08):
That is such an incredible experience that you were offering,
and I'd imagine there are many more than ten women
that are like pining for that operation. I wanted the
first one. How do you choose? How do you paydown?
Speaker 2 (28:20):
I wanted the first one to be very just curated,
because I want the first one to be my proof
of concept. Yeah, by the way, we're calling you, we're
gonna come visit you and be anything you need. Yeah,
you know, consider this your invite. But yeah, of those
ten women, they have come through multiple avenues. One comes
(28:44):
through a recommendation. She goes to UCLA and wants to
spend the summer with me in New York. Two are
coming from Mexico City, one from Hawaii, two from Oregon.
I don't have anybody from New York yet, I need
it's some New York girls.
Speaker 1 (29:01):
That's incredible. Well, I am sure that they will be
clamoring for this opportunity as the word continues to get out,
because that is such a brilliant and unique experience and
what a leg up to, you know, the next generation.
It is so fascinating the way you put it. It's like, hey,
you know, it took me twenty eight years to learn
some of these things. I want to give the next
generation a bit of a head start. Is there somebody
(29:23):
who gave you that mentorship or is that what made
that such an important aspect for you. I've had so.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
Many different I haven't had one mentor all the way
through as much as people who have created sort of
an impact on me, whether they realized it or not.
I think the one voice I constantly have in my
head is always of my parents, because it's like, you know,
we're an immigrant family. Make your family proud and go
(29:52):
out there and show the world what you can do. Yeah,
So that's always been that voice in my head. But
career wise, I've had some incredible mentors that have put
me in rooms or mentioned my names my name when
I was in those rooms. I remember particularly the president
of Jordan Brand at the time, Larry Miller, always just
(30:13):
a great, insightful leader and just a mentor that always
was willing and open to help and listen at the
same time, and he led with empathy, which I really loved.
There are some incredible clients that I've worked with over
the years, from athletes to executives, and they've also left
a great imprint on me. But yeah, I just think
(30:39):
about people that have really made a difference for me,
and I keep them close so that when I do
things like starting lineup, I can engage them again to
show them that this is what you did for me,
and now this is what I want to do for
these girls.
Speaker 1 (30:53):
Yeah, and that is And you mentioned the importance of
relationships in that regard too, and keeping them close. That's
something I think some people are innately talenteded and some
people have to work a little bit harder at, you know,
emphasizing the importance of maintaining relationships. What's the key for
you to kind of keeping in touch over long periods
of time. Again, just adding value and not always.
Speaker 2 (31:16):
Reaching out when you need something that's really important, and
I'm sure you have experienced the same, but you know,
those random acts of kindness also go a long way.
So it's just reaching out on birthdays and anniversaries and
graduations and weddings and bar mitzvahs and all sorts of
(31:36):
things that are important to a person's life beyond their work, right,
So that's sort of like connecting with them as people,
not as potential clients or not as executives or entrepreneurs.
So that's one. Secondly, is again just adding value however
you can, because the little things add up, and then
(32:01):
be a resource. You know, always reach out and say,
how can I help you?
Speaker 1 (32:04):
What do you need? I noticed X, Y and Z.
Speaker 2 (32:07):
I'm here as a resource in any way, and just
that gesture, that simple gesture means a lot and a
lot of them actually do end up calling when they
need something, and I like that. I want them to
be able to feel like it's an ongoing two way relationship, absolutely,
because I think as much as you know, we like
(32:28):
when people help us out. I think any of us
in the world are honored when somebody asked us for
a favor that we can help with as well. And
I also said, your network is your net worth, so
you know you keep that in mind as well, and
how to leverage it in a business setting.
Speaker 1 (32:43):
Yeah. Yeah, And it's such a fascinating, you know, approach
and angle. And I loved your career arc and your
story and how you took a non traditional path to
get to where you are, and it just kind of
shows there's so many ways to get from A to B,
and there's so many ways to achieve your goals, and
you know, achieve the goals that sometimes maybe you don't
quite know are your goals. At the outset of it,
(33:05):
is there a piece of advice that you would leave
with you know, the younger generation watching or listening to
the podcast that you know might say, Hey, I want
to pursue a path similar to Teresa's.
Speaker 2 (33:18):
Oh gosh, I mean that the advice that sticks to
me constantly, And I think it's because I come from
a world of communications where it's NonStop. I always say, like,
try to be as proactive as possible so that you
can be reactive in the most like informed way, And
(33:38):
a lot of us don't do the preparation. A lot
of us would rather react in the moment, and then
some of us like to prepare, prepare, prepare, but sometimes
you over prepare that you don't think about the actual reaction.
And I try to bring those two worlds together, and
(33:59):
I feel like in communications it's helped me solve a
lot of problems, think quick on my feet and allow
me to make decisions, own those decisions, and follow through. Yeah, yeah,
that's great, And that's have to almost anticipate. Yeah. I
don't want to say hope for the best, prepare for
the worst, but it's almost that you have to anticipate
(34:19):
and visualize all sorts of scenarios so that by the
time a B or C or D happens, you already
have some level of preparation internally to be able to
react in the right way.
Speaker 1 (34:31):
And that preparation kind of breeds that confidence because you
know that you're able to do with the decisiveness is
something that is a skill that I admire and all
that and it's important as well, and kind of reminds
me of what my dad always used to say. He'd say,
over prepare and then wing it. And sometimes you know,
if you've got that preparation in your pocket, like you're
saying it takes you far. Teresa Tran, thank you so
much for taking the time. I've really enjoyed this conversation.
(34:55):
This has been another episode of Her Playbook or Her
Playbook Podcast is presented by Kendra Scott, the jewelry company
that's shining bright and doing good. Shop jewelry styles designed
for every day and every occasion at your local Kendra
Scott store or at Kendrascott dot com.
Welcome to an all new episode of her playbook, brought
to you by Kendra Scott. Her playbook as a podcast
highlighting inspiring stories of women in sport and business. My
name is Madeline Burke and I am joined today by
Teresa Tran. She's a veteran in the industry of communication,
brand marketing, the founder of The Offense. Teresa, thanks so
much for joining me.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Thank you so much for having me, Maddie.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
It's so fun to have you here. And I feel
like I didn't even do you justice with that explanation
of what you do, because you have been around the
industry for so long, you know, starting your career working
with some big brands Nike, Jordan, Donna, Karen. How did
you get into this space that you are that you're
in right now. How did you get your start?
Speaker 2 (00:42):
It's a very very unconventional path, but a path that
I'm obviously very proud of because I want other young
women to see a place for themselves in this industry.
How I started in the industry was really I credit
it to growing up in Portland, Oregon. I credit it
to Nike's headquarters being right there in my backyard, and
(01:03):
I credit my education I studied marketing and international business
at Portland State University. So being kind of very Portland
homegrown and going to work for Nike right out of
college was such a dream for me and a career
aspiration and being able to start my career in the
(01:24):
sports business there is like the perfect degree. It was
the perfect place to really cut my teeth into the industry,
get to know the business and the mechanics behind the industry,
get to work with amazing products, amazing athletes, amazing events,
(01:47):
And yeah, that's sort of how I started.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
That's fascinating. And I'm always curious too, because you mentioned
you didn't play sports growing up. A lot of people
point to, well, how could you possibly know sport if
you don't play sport, which, first of all, many of
us didn't play sport growing up. How did you fall
in love with it? Like, where did you find that passion?
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Well, it's funny because growing up my obviously in a
very traditional Asian household, it was academics over athletics.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
Now, did I dabble in sport? Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
I dabbled in tennis, in gymnastics, I was on dance team,
I was a cheerleader. I loved to snowboard, so I
certainly was. You know, sports was not foreign in our household.
We were just not playing in this sense of playing
for points and standings. We didn't play in competitive environments,
we didn't play in structured settings. It was just more
(02:43):
sports as fans, which then became sports as a career
for me.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
And you know, starting in Nike, you grew a lot
in that role and became an integral part of the
Jordan brands marketing and promotion through the years and working
with Jordan in that How did that experience come to
pass and how did that evolve?
Speaker 2 (03:07):
So I had two very distinct chapters that Nike.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
I want to say.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
My first chapter was right out of college and I
applied for a role in a very entry level admin position.
The admin position was actually in human resources at the time,
which you would think, what does that have to do
with marketing, But when I started my career in HR
as an admin, I got to see how the company
(03:32):
worked from a personnel standpoint. I got to see types
of positions that were out there, the types of people
that were hired for these positions, what kind of experience
was required to be able to make yourself the right
kind of candidate and so knowing all that gave me
just tremendous insights into what I wanted my career path
to be. So from that ADMIN role, I ended up
(03:54):
getting promoted into an assistant product manager position and then
from there product manager position. So I got to learn
everything from the inner workings of the company all the
way through to how product is created. So that was
tremendous education and exposure for me. So that was Chapter one.
After about two and a half three years of that
(04:15):
time at Nike, I wanted to move to New York,
so that's when I started working for Miramax Films Donna Karen.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
So I sort of got all.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
This other non sports experience under my belt to the
point where when I came back to Nike for Chapter two,
that was to be head of Comm's for the Jordan Brand.
And Jordan Brand, as you know, is more than a
basketball brand. So I really feel at that time all
of my experiences having done Nike that first time, but
(04:46):
also working in fashion and entertainment, in design, and automotive
and tech, all these other industries really fed into what
and how I could succeed in a comm's role at
Jordan Brand.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
And describe to me what that comms role was like,
I mean, you've experienced a lot in those years that
you were heading up that brand. It's such an iconic brand,
a brand that you know, you say Jordan, everyone immediately
knows what we're talking about. You know, what were some
of the moments that stick out to you when you
remember that time?
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Oh my gosh, Comms at Jordan brand was so diverse
because on any given day you would be doing product marketing,
as in launching a new line of Jordan's or a
new apparel collection, and every season there was a new
product coming out. You could be also doing athlete marketing,
(05:39):
so when you sign on athletes or work with athletes,
whether it was Roy Jones Junior at the time, Carmelo Anthony,
Derek Cheeter. Again, Jordan was more than a basketball brand,
so we had more than basketball athletes on the roster.
So that was really interesting was to be able to
then go from product into athlete marketing and the other
(06:00):
times it's evet marketing things like NBA All Star Weekend,
things like the Jordan Classic, things like Michael Jordan's celebrity
golf tournament in the Bahamas, and then other times there's
cause marketing doing things that really connect with your consumer
in the community, being very intentional with your brand in
(06:23):
ways that give back. So every day was different, and
it just gave me such a full scope of how
the marketing machine works within a global organization like Nike
in an industry like sport that is literally the universal language.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
Of the world. Yeah, it really is. And I mean
it's interesting you mentioned how the Jordan brand is so
much more than basketball. You know, it covers all sports,
and it also covers a lot of different athletes, but
it also zeros back to Michael Jordan himself as an athlete.
I'm so curious to what it's like working with a
guy who is, you know, larger than life in that presence,
(07:03):
but also has been sort of deliberate after his playing
days of being not as much in the spotlight and
not as much you know, on press rows and things
like that, And how you navigate that balance and what
that unique relationship was like.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
Working for somebody like him who exudes confidence and excellence
every day keeps you on your toes and you learn
so much whether he was in the room or not,
just his essence and his presence permeated through everything that
you did. We talked about things like quiet confidence, We
(07:39):
talked about things like excellence, we talked about you know,
we talked about all these things that he stood for
that really sort of translated into everything that we did.
Whether he was again physically in the room or not,
it still had to embody his values. And I still
think those values, not think, I know, those values still
live in me to this day. You know, you approach
(08:02):
your work in a way that just keeps you very,
very sharp and on point because you kind of still
have that voice in your head of what would some
of these world class athletes that I've worked with, what
would they do or how would they like to see
this or how would they want it done? And when
you have that type of influence in your DNA, your
(08:26):
career DNA, it really forces you to stay on top
of your game.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
Yeah, And I mean it takes a presence that just
the essence of a person can demand that kind of greatness.
I think it's fantastic and I'm personally excited too. With
the announcement that he's going to be contributing to the
NBA on NBC broadcast this year. I think that's going
to bring a lot. Knowing him the way that you do,
I mean, how is that going to play out?
Speaker 2 (08:50):
I get to see him on TV all the time now,
I mean I was obsessed during COVID of.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
The Last Dance right that way we all we all were.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
So I imagine now being able to kind of again
relive the sport through him through the Goat is going
to be incredible.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
It's going to be incredible. And I love how you
talked about how his influence has permeated your approach to
the world of business. You pivoted from corporate America to entrepreneurship.
That's a big leap to take when you made that
jump in two thousand and six. Right if you made
that change, how did you know that was the right
(09:28):
move for you? And how did you have the confidence
and the courage to venture off into that direction.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
I don't know that I was totally sure it was
the right move. I just knew that I wanted and
needed to do it before time passed me by. Because
we all talk about doing things before you live to
regret it, or doing things because if you don't do it,
you'll live to regret it. And I felt like it
was just that time in my career where I just
really wanted to set myself free out into the world
(09:58):
and to take all the marketing kind of knowledge and
discipline that I had being trained by the best company
in the world, Nike, and going out in the world
to be able to take on clients across all genres,
all sports.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
I loved to.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
Travel, so I wanted to use that as an opportunity
to take on clients and travel the world. And I
just wanted to see what was out there, what was
out there in ways that maybe a corporate environment wasn't
able to give you that fast and so I did it.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
It was a total leap of faith.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
I was thirty three years old at the time, and
I said to myself at the time, well, if it
doesn't work out, I'll just get a job again.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
There you go.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
And it's been eighteen and almost nineteen years and I
haven't had to look for a job because my job
is my company and I want to do that for
as long as I can. I also pivoted post Nike,
post Jordan Brand into working with Pele right, which is
now I went from the goat of basketball to now
(11:05):
the goat of soccer, and I was able to work
with him for seven years from twenty ten to twenty seventeen,
and that was also an incredible experience. We traveled to
thirty two countries together, working with all sorts of brands
from Procter and Gamble, Coca Cola, Volkswagen, hue Blow, Emirates Airlines,
(11:28):
the list goes on, and I got to see through
his eyes in the most intense crash course in global football,
what an icon like Pele means to the world, and
not just in sport, but in society. And so again,
it's things like the Michael Jordan influence, the Pale influence,
(11:49):
and all these other clients that I've had. I've had
the opportunity to work for Carl Banks for many years
on his G three starter business. And when you when
you work with people of that championship mindset, it just
forces you to produce good work. You just don't want
to disappoint anybody that you work with.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
Yeah, it's it's interesting when you look at hindsight too.
I think, you know, if we look at our lives,
you know, forward is one way, but when you look
in the rearview mirror and look back to how you
got to where you are, I see all the pieces
coming together right. The HR experience puts you in a
unique position when you're starting a company to understand how
to build out the people around you. The different aspects
(12:30):
of you know, film and entertainment and fashion and sport
have put you in such a uniquely qualified position to
dabble in all of these different fields and to experience
the world in such a unique way. And then also,
you know, the greatness that you mentioned that you've worked with,
and while you have touched on how they have influenced
your approach to it, it's also kind of fascinating to
(12:52):
me that, you know, have you taken a moment to realize, like, wow,
all of these wonderfully great, talented people have trusted me
to do this because because that greatness, Like that's got
to be pretty cool.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
I feel blessed every day, not just in the position
and role that I have, but the opportunities and the
chances that people have taken on me. I mean, I'm
a solopreneur, you know, I'm a small company with a
small team with big clients, and clients don't.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
Have to choose me.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
There's a lot of agencies and consultants and companies out
there that they can work with. But I feel like
I always focused on delivering in the smallest of ways,
which then all add.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
Up to the biggest of opportunities.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
And I always felt like I wanted to be the
person that anybody could rely on, even if it was
a very menial task behind the scenes. I would do
that with just as much pride as something that's front
and center for the public to see, and just the
pride that I take in my work at any level,
and still to this day, still wanting to get my
(14:03):
hands dirty and roll up my sleeves and do whatever
it takes to get things done. I feel like that
mentality has always worked to my benefit. I just want
to add value wherever I go in any way, whether
it pays me or not, I still want to add
value because eventually there was always that saying where it's like,
(14:24):
do what you.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
Love and the money will follow.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
And I always kept that in the back of my
mind because when you add the value, those things can
be priceless, which then can add to a business opportunity
in the end.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
And then I think, my.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
You know, growing up as an immigrant in America, you know,
the word navigate is just part of your psyche. You
have to navigate leaving your birth country to a whole
new place. You have to navigate growing up in a
country as an immigrant.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
You then have to navigate.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
Being the only woman and potentially the one a few women,
if anything, the only Asian woman in a room or
an industry full of men.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
And then I'm a solo traveler a lot. I love
to travel the world.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
I've been to one hundred and two countries, and many
of those trips I've traveled on my own, and I've had.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
To navigate these some of these countries on my own.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
So I feel like that word navigate has also been
in my mind a lot, because it's just part of
my operating system.
Speaker 1 (15:30):
Yeah, and it's such an unique experience that you have
that so many people encounter in different ways, right, being
somebody that is unlike the people around them in a room.
And when you look at the experiences you've had in
those moments, what are some things that you would say
to your younger self, or what's something that you would
want to whisper to a woman walking into a room
(15:51):
full of men to give a meeting or a presentation,
to say, all right, this is how you navigate that moment.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
I sort of just navigated things through letting my work
speak for itself. There were oftentimes when I'd walk into
a room and I would not think about my background,
my ethnicity, my gender. I just wanted to walk into
a room and put my best foot forward and do
the best job that I could. And when you just focus,
when you're that hyper focused on the work and the
(16:22):
outcome of your work, I feel like their respect follows. Yeah,
and so it was just it was just sort of
naturally earned over the years. You mentioned one hundred and
two countries that you have traveled too. First of all,
I hope you have global entry and pre check because
that is a lot of I do.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
And I save all my hotel room keys. Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
I suppose a sports collector with collect baseball cards and
jerseys and what have you.
Speaker 1 (16:50):
I collect hotel room keys.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
So I have a whole box of maybe over three
thousand room keys.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
That is fascinating.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
I'm just trying to figure out how to turn it
into an art piece someday.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
I'd imagine you've got like a pro packing system down,
Like I typically only travel with carryons, Okay, even if
I'm gone for three weeks or three days, it's still
a carry on I've been gone for.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
My longest is.
Speaker 2 (17:14):
Six weeks all over Brazil during the twenty fourteen World
Cup in a carry on. Wow.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
Wow, pro tip traveler right here, like that's how you
do it. I find it so interesting too, because you
have been to so many you know, tenth pole sporting
events and a part of them is their favorite.
Speaker 2 (17:35):
Oh goodness. I've worked with the NFL now for about
five seasons, and every Super Bowl I feel like, just
keeps raising the bar. I've also had the opportunity to
work with the league on their Mexico and Brazil games.
So again going back to my international marketing experience and
my love of travel, those just really speak to me.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
World Cups.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
I've been to both men and Women's World Cup, but
I particularly remember the one in Brazil because I was
working for Pele at the time. So to be with
somebody who is such a global god and icon of
the sport and being right next to him experiencing and
witnessing Brazil hosting the World Cup through his eyes was
just fascinating.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
I can't imagine what that must have been like because
he is such a you know, anyone who goes by
one name, you know that they have made it on
a whole other level. But especially in Brazil, what an
icon there? What do you remember specifically about that experience
or is there a story or an anecdote that you
can share that kind of you know, add some collar
to who you know Pele to be.
Speaker 2 (18:42):
You know, we grinded on the road.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
I mean we were sometimes doing.
Speaker 2 (18:50):
All six continents within a three four month period. Wow.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
The only one we haven't been to is Antarctica. We
get an Antarctica All Star game going on, I know, right, yeah, but.
Speaker 2 (19:04):
No, we were on the road and we had to
have stamina, We had to have respect for each other.
We had to have tons of patients and poise because
you're dealing with the public constantly, knowing when to say
no because you're surrounded by fans and crowds and oftentimes mayhem,
(19:27):
and learning and wanting to say yes for many times
because for some of these people it's their only chance
ever to meet the King of football and to give
people that core memory and life once in a lifetime
experience was important for us. So it was pretty incredible
to be able to, you know, learn and go at
(19:50):
the same time exactly and just keep the energy high
that exact time, which I'm sure it's exhausting traveling that
much and going through that grind.
Speaker 1 (19:59):
It definitely can't, but what a cool and unique experience.
Another aspect about you know what you do that I
find really interesting is you know, the way that you
decide how to represent a person and the way that
you can kind of highlight and zero in on somebody's
best you know, on their most powerful attributes. Is that
a skill that you've acquired. Is that something that you've
(20:21):
found innate in yourself? And how do you look at
a person or an athlete or a brand and say,
this is your headline? How does that kind of come together?
Speaker 2 (20:31):
It's funny you say that, because sometimes I see the
headline before I see the story.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
That comes with years and years and years of experience
and kind of knowing how to creatively package storytelling at
the intersection of like communications and culture through the lens
of sports, and all of that has to come together
in this perfect alchemy to create a narrative for your
client that will resonate with press and social media. And
(21:04):
you're constantly coming up with creative angles and you have
to be really good storyteller. You have to have really
good relationships and know when to lean on those relationships
to get your stories across. You have to be on
trend and on point with what's happening in the news
(21:25):
so that you never ever appear tone deaf right with
what you're working on and what you're pitching. And then
it's not just paying attention to what's happening in sports,
but what's happening in fashion and entertainment, in internationally, in travel,
in tech, in business, you know, and kind of see
(21:47):
where whatever it is you're working on, whether it's a brand,
whether it's an individual, whether it's an event or an initiative,
you know, where does that fit into the overall scheme
of the news cycle, in the overall scheme of trends
and overall scheme of just what the public is engaging
(22:08):
with at the time.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
Yeah, it's constant. It's constant, and it's like you have
to keep a constant pulse on the zeitgeist while also
being traveling all over the world. When do you find time.
Speaker 2 (22:19):
For Teresa, I'm pretty good at finding moments for myself,
and it can come in a lot of different ways.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
It can be.
Speaker 2 (22:32):
You know, if I'm traveling on the road for a
long time, maybe I'll ask a friend or a family
member to fly there and meet me and we'll just
take a couple days downtime after the project's done to
explore a city. It could be something like that. It
could be just a day of sleeping in and meditation
and self care. It could be a really good workout
(22:54):
at the gym and just sweating out all the stress
and toxins. It could be a really nice meal, you know,
and a glass of wine.
Speaker 1 (23:04):
It could honestly be.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
A lot of things, as long as it brings me
joy and allows me to then reset and take on
the next challenge.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
Yeah, yeah, I love that. And it's like you got
to find those moments where you can find them, and
they kind.
Speaker 2 (23:19):
Of pop up all over the the idea and it's
hard to plan.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
Friends that know me know me well enough where you know.
Speaker 2 (23:25):
There's always these impromptu adventures that Teresa proposals and proposes
and sometimes I'll just send a friend a text to say,
what are you doing next a week and she's like,
where am I packing my bags?
Speaker 1 (23:38):
Yeah? Probably where are we going?
Speaker 2 (23:40):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (23:41):
But that's great and it's important support system and a
community around you that leans into that. It's so priceless.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
Yeah, and I just love that.
Speaker 1 (23:49):
Also, the public acceptance of mental health.
Speaker 2 (23:54):
Care is so much more prioritized now, So it's okay
to say when you're not okay, and it's okay to
ask for a pause or a moment to just have
downtime or to reflect. And it's normalized now, you know.
And as women in the industry, for a long time,
we felt like we had to shut off feelings and
(24:15):
emotion and softness to be able to survive in this industry. Yeah,
And I feel like it's okay to be authentically yourself now.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
And authenticity is such a key too. I think that's
something that shines so bright when people can be authentically
and genuinely themselves whether they are at their highest high
or maybe a lower and off day and balancing that
and I'm sure that you know, you probably encourage your
clients and all that to kind of lean into the
authenticity of the moment rather than the performative aspect of things.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
Right, And also going back to my clients, I feel
like I've had this true blessing and honor to work
with clients who equally want to create impact in the world,
and we were on really meaningful things together, whether it's
to address un like unspoken narratives or underserved communities, or
(25:12):
we see kind of this opportunity that we can really
come in and make a difference. Like those are the
conversations that I have daily with my clients. We're innovating,
we're creating bold new you know, paths and.
Speaker 1 (25:25):
Avenues for consumers.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
We are changing perceptions as we go of things, and
I just feel like all that work is just so
important because you see, you see your work making a difference.
Speaker 1 (25:38):
And I like to be behind the scenes, and so
I'm always so proud.
Speaker 2 (25:41):
When I get to read a headline of a client
that's very positive, or I can see children's faces lighting
up because of something we did, or that I can
see the social media chatter being through the roof amazing,
kind of like this viral zeitgeist, Like you say, because
(26:03):
what we did really authentically resonated with our audience.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
What is something that you are passionately working on right now?
Speaker 2 (26:13):
I'm working on a project which I started thinking about
three to five years ago, and then two years ago
I said, okay, if you don't put it to paper,
it's never going to happen. And it's this project called
Starting Lineup. And the whole idea of Starting Lineup is
preparing young women to take the field in sports marketing
(26:35):
and media. And a lot of it came from the
fact that when I was early on in my career,
I didn't really have many people that looked like me,
and I didn't really know where to go for mentorship.
I didn't really know how to handle certain situations. And
it took me twenty eight years of my career now
(26:56):
to realize that this is needed and I don't want
this next generation to have to spend twenty eight years
figuring it out. And so Starting Lineup happens end of July,
and I'm going to host about ten young women around
seventeen to twenty three, and they're going to come to
New York and they're going to spend five days with me,
(27:16):
and in those five days, I will give you the
most accelerated access and path and exposure into this industry.
And this is because of all the people that I've
worked with and have built in my network over the years.
So we'll do lunch and learns with agency and brand executives.
We might do a market travel and go through the
(27:38):
city and maybe do trends research with a really cool
footwear designer. They might be able to sit down and
talk to content creators about how they created a career
through social media. I might take them to a giant's
training camp experience, just different things like that that show
them different avenues in this industry through the lens of
(28:01):
marketing and media, which allowed them to feel like there's
a place for them in this industry.
Speaker 1 (28:08):
That is such an incredible experience that you were offering,
and I'd imagine there are many more than ten women
that are like pining for that operation. I wanted the
first one. How do you choose? How do you paydown?
Speaker 2 (28:20):
I wanted the first one to be very just curated,
because I want the first one to be my proof
of concept. Yeah, by the way, we're calling you, we're
gonna come visit you and be anything you need. Yeah,
you know, consider this your invite. But yeah, of those
ten women, they have come through multiple avenues. One comes
(28:44):
through a recommendation. She goes to UCLA and wants to
spend the summer with me in New York. Two are
coming from Mexico City, one from Hawaii, two from Oregon.
I don't have anybody from New York yet, I need
it's some New York girls.
Speaker 1 (29:01):
That's incredible. Well, I am sure that they will be
clamoring for this opportunity as the word continues to get out,
because that is such a brilliant and unique experience and
what a leg up to, you know, the next generation.
It is so fascinating the way you put it. It's like, hey,
you know, it took me twenty eight years to learn
some of these things. I want to give the next
generation a bit of a head start. Is there somebody
(29:23):
who gave you that mentorship or is that what made
that such an important aspect for you. I've had so.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
Many different I haven't had one mentor all the way
through as much as people who have created sort of
an impact on me, whether they realized it or not.
I think the one voice I constantly have in my
head is always of my parents, because it's like, you know,
we're an immigrant family. Make your family proud and go
(29:52):
out there and show the world what you can do. Yeah,
So that's always been that voice in my head. But
career wise, I've had some incredible mentors that have put
me in rooms or mentioned my names my name when
I was in those rooms. I remember particularly the president
of Jordan Brand at the time, Larry Miller, always just
(30:13):
a great, insightful leader and just a mentor that always
was willing and open to help and listen at the
same time, and he led with empathy, which I really loved.
There are some incredible clients that I've worked with over
the years, from athletes to executives, and they've also left
a great imprint on me. But yeah, I just think
(30:39):
about people that have really made a difference for me,
and I keep them close so that when I do
things like starting lineup, I can engage them again to
show them that this is what you did for me,
and now this is what I want to do for
these girls.
Speaker 1 (30:53):
Yeah, and that is And you mentioned the importance of
relationships in that regard too, and keeping them close. That's
something I think some people are innately talenteded and some
people have to work a little bit harder at, you know,
emphasizing the importance of maintaining relationships. What's the key for
you to kind of keeping in touch over long periods
of time. Again, just adding value and not always.
Speaker 2 (31:16):
Reaching out when you need something that's really important, and
I'm sure you have experienced the same, but you know,
those random acts of kindness also go a long way.
So it's just reaching out on birthdays and anniversaries and
graduations and weddings and bar mitzvahs and all sorts of
(31:36):
things that are important to a person's life beyond their work, right,
So that's sort of like connecting with them as people,
not as potential clients or not as executives or entrepreneurs.
So that's one. Secondly, is again just adding value however
you can, because the little things add up, and then
(32:01):
be a resource. You know, always reach out and say,
how can I help you?
Speaker 1 (32:04):
What do you need? I noticed X, Y and Z.
Speaker 2 (32:07):
I'm here as a resource in any way, and just
that gesture, that simple gesture means a lot and a
lot of them actually do end up calling when they
need something, and I like that. I want them to
be able to feel like it's an ongoing two way relationship, absolutely,
because I think as much as you know, we like
(32:28):
when people help us out. I think any of us
in the world are honored when somebody asked us for
a favor that we can help with as well. And
I also said, your network is your net worth, so
you know you keep that in mind as well, and
how to leverage it in a business setting.
Speaker 1 (32:43):
Yeah. Yeah, And it's such a fascinating, you know, approach
and angle. And I loved your career arc and your
story and how you took a non traditional path to
get to where you are, and it just kind of
shows there's so many ways to get from A to B,
and there's so many ways to achieve your goals, and
you know, achieve the goals that sometimes maybe you don't
quite know are your goals. At the outset of it,
(33:05):
is there a piece of advice that you would leave
with you know, the younger generation watching or listening to
the podcast that you know might say, Hey, I want
to pursue a path similar to Teresa's.
Speaker 2 (33:18):
Oh gosh, I mean that the advice that sticks to
me constantly, And I think it's because I come from
a world of communications where it's NonStop. I always say, like,
try to be as proactive as possible so that you
can be reactive in the most like informed way, And
(33:38):
a lot of us don't do the preparation. A lot
of us would rather react in the moment, and then
some of us like to prepare, prepare, prepare, but sometimes
you over prepare that you don't think about the actual reaction.
And I try to bring those two worlds together, and
(33:59):
I feel like in communications it's helped me solve a
lot of problems, think quick on my feet and allow
me to make decisions, own those decisions, and follow through. Yeah, yeah,
that's great, And that's have to almost anticipate. Yeah. I
don't want to say hope for the best, prepare for
the worst, but it's almost that you have to anticipate
(34:19):
and visualize all sorts of scenarios so that by the
time a B or C or D happens, you already
have some level of preparation internally to be able to
react in the right way.
Speaker 1 (34:31):
And that preparation kind of breeds that confidence because you
know that you're able to do with the decisiveness is
something that is a skill that I admire and all
that and it's important as well, and kind of reminds
me of what my dad always used to say. He'd say,
over prepare and then wing it. And sometimes you know,
if you've got that preparation in your pocket, like you're
saying it takes you far. Teresa Tran, thank you so
much for taking the time. I've really enjoyed this conversation.
(34:55):
This has been another episode of Her Playbook or Her
Playbook Podcast is presented by Kendra Scott, the jewelry company
that's shining bright and doing good. Shop jewelry styles designed
for every day and every occasion at your local Kendra
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