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Soul & Science: Fast Forward Your Marketing Mind

Soul & Science: Fast Forward Your Marketing Mind

By: Mekanism and Jason Harris
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About this listen

 Soul & Science is an award-winning podcast where marketing’s brightest minds reveal what it takes to build breakthrough brands. Hosted by Jason Harris, each episode explores the balance between brand building (Soul) and business performance (Science). From legacy brands to emerging disruptors, we delve into the insights, culture, and vision behind the most successful brand stories.

Soul & Science is a Mekanism podcast produced by Maggie Boles, Ryan Tillotson, and Lily Jablonski. The show is edited by Daniel Ferreira, with theme music by Kyle Merritt.

Brought to you by Mekanism.2025 Mekanism Art Economics Marketing Marketing & Sales
Episodes
  • #108: A New Playbook for Standing Out in Advertising | Jack Westerkamp & Geno Schellenberger, Co-Founders of Breaking & Entering Media

    #108: A New Playbook for Standing Out in Advertising | Jack Westerkamp & Geno Schellenberger, Co-Founders of Breaking & Entering Media
    Dec 14 2025
    Breaking into advertising can be tough—and standing out once you’re in is even tougher. But two young creatives are showing there’s a new path.

    In this episode, Jack Westerkamp and Geno Schellenberger, co-founders of Breaking & Entering Media, join Jason to share how they built one of the most energetic and attention-grabbing brands in the industry by combining cultural instinct, social-first thinking, and a healthy disregard for the “traditional” career playbook.

    They share how a pandemic Zoom interview series turned into a movement: raising their first $50K from friends and family, moving to New York on a leap of faith, bootstrapping their first office, and building momentum through daily content like Whiteboard News, Super Bowl coverage, and agency tours. Jack and Geno also open up about learning to run a media company for the first time—from managing a team, to keeping content fresh, to navigating an industry where algorithms, attention, and expectations shift constantly.

    Key Takeaways:
    ✅ Energy is a differentiator—fun and momentum cut through a jaded industry
    ✅ Great content wins when it’s built for the busy professional: fast, social-first, and useful
    ✅ When the fall isn’t far, risk becomes a competitive advantage for young marketers
    ✅ Trust, instinct, and consistency matter more than having a five-year plan

    Memorable Moments:
    💡 “If someone gives you 60 seconds, you better give them something worth it.”
    💡 “We didn’t have a master plan—we just believed there was something there.”
    💡 “It’s not illegal to have energy in advertising.”
    💡 “Life’s not about finding yourself. It’s about creating yourself.”
    Brought to you by Mekanism.
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    38 mins
  • #107: Moving Your Brand Out of the Friend Zone | Doug Zarkin, CMO of Take 5

    #107: Moving Your Brand Out of the Friend Zone | Doug Zarkin, CMO of Take 5
    Dec 8 2025
    Great brands don’t win by being faster or louder—they win by treating every customer as if they’re the only customer.

    That philosophy sits at the core of this week’s guest, Doug Zarkin, Chief Marketing Officer at Take 5, an award-winning brand builder known for transforming legacy companies into modern-day leaders.

    In this episode, Doug joins Jason to break down his “Thinking Human” approach—the method he’s used to reinvent brands like Victoria’s Secret PINK, Avon, Pearle Vision, and now Take 5. He shares what it really takes to move a brand out of the “friend zone,” build trust through emotional experience, and drive growth without racing to the bottom on price.

    Doug also opens up about the realities of leading transformation: overcoming fear-based resistance, elevating customer experience at scale, and why marketers must rally both consumers and employees for change to stick.

    Key Takeaways

    ✅ Treat every customer like they’re the only customer—that’s the root of brand love
    ✅ Brand reinvention succeeds when emotional experience matches business strategy
    ✅ The frontline team is your most powerful marketing channel
    ✅ Small, consistent improvements (“the sum of marginal gains”) outperform big swings
    ✅ Great CMOs lead by casting the right team—not by being the smartest in the room

    Memorable Moments

    💡 “It’s not about putting a brand on the brain—it’s putting a brand on the heart.”
    💡 “Think of every customer as if they’re the only customer.”
    💡 “You can’t lead a brand from a PowerPoint. You have to learn the business from the ground up.”
    💡 “Speed is a cost of entry. Experience is the differentiator.”
    💡 “If I’m the smartest person in the room, I don’t need to be in the room.”

    Brought to you by Mekanism.
    Show More Show Less
    38 mins
  • #106: How Champions Think | Dr. Bob Rotella, World-Renowned Sports Psychologist

    #106: How Champions Think | Dr. Bob Rotella, World-Renowned Sports Psychologist
    Nov 30 2025
    Exceptional performers aren’t defined by talent alone—they’re defined by how they think. And in marketing—where uncertainty, pressure, and change are constant—the right mindset is a competitive advantage.

    In this episode, Dr. Bob Rotella, one of the world’s most influential sports psychologists, joins Jason to explore the mental principles that fuel greatness in sports, business, and brand leadership. Bob has coached champions like Rory McIlroy, Nick Price, and Ernie Els—but his teachings apply just as powerfully to CMOs, founders, and teams navigating high-stakes decisions every day.

    Key Takeaways:
    ✅ Confidence is a leadership skill—and marketers have to choose it daily
    ✅ Process beats outcomes: breakthrough marketing comes from consistent attitude, not periodic wins
    ✅ Optimism fuels resilience in fast-changing markets
    ✅ Exceptional teams maintain belief through uncertainty, noise, and shifting conditions

    Memorable Moments:
    💡 “Fear and doubt kill more dreams than failure.”
    💡 “How you think about yourself has to match the dream of you—and the dream of your company.”
    💡 “If you want to be exceptional, you can’t think like the middle.”
    💡 “Blind faith is seeing success long before anyone else can.

    ”Brought to you by Mekanism.
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    34 mins
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