This week on Humans & Brands, we're doing someting a little different and flipping the script as Courtney Johnson interviews our host Lauren Douglass on Courtney's podcast, Slay the Gatekeeper. This one's all about cheat codes. Lauren shares the cheat codes that have shaped how she shows up, builds, and creates, from reframing fear into courage, to using intuition as a business tool. The women dig into why your purpose doesn't have to stay static, how thinking like a kid unlocks creativity, and what it really takes to build a personal brand that opens doors. This crossover episode unpacks the messy parts of entrepreneurship, the power of vulnerability, and why sometimes the best move is to just start. Let's get into it.

Am I living or am I just existing? That's the question that hit Eleni McCready at a funeral three years ago, and it changed the course of her life.

This week, host Lauren Douglass sits down with Eleni McCready, Partner and Chief Marketing Officer at PWRHOUSE Collective, who recently left the corporate world after 20 years to leap into consulting. We talk about the funeral that changed her life, what she calls her "midlife awakening," and how she found the guts to leave a stable job without knowing exactly what came next.

Eleni shares the exercise that helped her realize what really mattered, what it's like to navigate the ups and downs of entrepreneurship, and the importantance of the spiderweb of connection.

If you've ever wondered whether it's time to make a leap, felt stuck in the day-to-day grind, or questioned what legacy you want to leave behind, this conversation is your reminder that the second half of your career can look however you want it to.

What does it take to turn down a full-time offer at one of the biggest beauty brands right out of college to start your own company? This week, host Lauren Douglass sits down with Brittany Lo, founder and CEO of Beia Beauty and Beautini, a clean beauty brand creating lifestyle skincare that keeps you clean and confident throughout the day. Brittany gets honest about what it takes to build a beauty brand at 22, how her first company became the stepping stone to building the brand she'd dreamed about since second grade, and why passion that keeps you up at night matters more than confidence. We talk about why being naive can be a blessing, learning to hear "no" over and over again, and why overnight success stories on TikTok don't show you the real work. If you've ever had an idea you can't stop thinking about but don't know where to start, this conversation will remind you that sometimes you have to be a little crazy and figure it out as you go.