Disney creative lead Carol Saraiva shares how she went from winning Cannes Lions to reinventing her career at Disney. In this episode, she discusses advertising, copywriting, creativity, branding, leadership, and building a global creative career across Brazil, Portugal, and Los Angeles. Her grandfather is the "Walt Disney of Brazil," her mother is the real-life inspiration for the country's most famous cartoon character, and the one thing Carol refused to do was join the family business. Instead she became the third most-awarded copywriter in the world, used her Cannes Lions as a passport out of Brazil, and rebuilt herself twice: once in Portugal, where she could barely write the language, and again in Los Angeles, where she lost the craft she was best at and had to become an art director, a director, and a screenwriter to survive. This is a conversation about reinvention, about creativity changing as you age, about the immigrant tax of whitewashing yourself to fit in, and about why she now spends her own time and money opening doors for the next generation of women who want to do what she did. Episode Chapters: 00:00:00 | Welcome: From São Paulo to Disney 00:15:00 | Agency vs. Brand: When the Best Idea Stops Being the Point 00:20:00 | Does Creativity Change as You Age? 00:23:30 | São Paulo: Where Ad People Are Rock Stars 00:24:50 | The Award That Became a Passport 00:34:30 | Bald Cartoons: The Campaign That Changed Everything 00:37:30 | Portugal: Losing the Language She Was Best At 00:48:00 | Diversify Your Skills (or You Won't Lead Well) 00:52:00 | Spill the Tea 00:54:00 | Elas na Gringa and Women at Disney 01:19:00 | Creative Royalty: Her Grandfather, Her Mother, and the Black Sheep 01:53:00 | Creative Partnership, Mentorship, and Interns 02:05:00 | The Immigrant Tax: Whitewashing Yourself to Fit In 02:14:00 | Audience Q&A and the Book Subscribe to Karan's Substack: https://karandang.substack.com/ Follow Karan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dangkaran/ Follow Shruti on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shruti-dang/ Check out our website: https://www.dangworld.com/thelearningloungepodcast Check out Carol's book, We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: https://www.amazon.com/We-Should-All-Be-Feminists/dp/110191176X Get in touch with us on Socials: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@learninglounge.podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/learninglounge.podcast TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@learninglounge.podcast Threads: https://www.threads.com/@learninglounge.podcast X: https://x.com/learning41807 Listen on: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-learning-lounge/id1891447172 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6oIgrRc7xQzTbftzkQlOFr YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@learninglounge.podcast Disclaimer: The content shared on The Learning Lounge is provided for educational and informational purposes only and reflects the personal experiences, opinions, and perspectives of the hosts and guests. It should not be considered or relied upon as medical, legal, financial, mental health, tax, investment, or other professional advice. Always consult a qualified professional regarding your individual circumstances before making decisions related to your health, finances, business, career, or personal situation. Discussions may include topics such as wellness, supplements, peptides, performance optimization, business strategy, investing, and personal development. Individual circumstances vary, and results are not guaranteed. The views, opinions, statements, and claims expressed by guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of The Learning Lounge, Dang World, its owners, employees, affiliates, sponsors, or partners. Dang World does not independently verify all guest statements and assumes no responsibility for decisions made or actions taken based on the information presented. A DANG World Studios Production Our People: Karan Dang - Co-Host & Chief Creative Officer Shruti Dang - Co-Host & Chief Operating Officer Utsav Dang - VP Strategic Operations Missy Hauser - Producer Sydney Dutton - Community and Operations Manager Josh Lara - Executive Assistant July Studio - Post Production House Fahd Sukarno P. Mantukay - Short Form Editor Nadzmin Lackua - Social Media Graphic Designer Mark Managan - Shortform Editor Pauline Ann Taguiam - Shortform Editor Keith Tan - Producer John Mark Galamay - Social Writer Santiago Sanchez - AV Technician Will Mazzola - Original Lighting & Camera Design Trina Duarte - Hair and Makeup German Belkin - Original Soundtrack Jassi Aunty - Head Chef Special Thanks: Late Sidharth Raj Dang, Amrita Dang, Shashi Shukla, Praveen Shukla , Aria Dang, Blue Vir Dang + Advisors, Mentors, Friends & Family #Creativity #Advertising #Copywriting #Marketing #Disney #Branding #Leadership #CannesLions #Storytelling #Podcast
