The Cred Podcast

Mack McKelvey
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On every episode we will interview an authority across different industries who has deep industry knowledge and vast experience in the field. On this season of The Cred podcast, we will seek to understand the art and science of decision making.

  1. 13H AGO

    Making Decisions Like a Musician

    Bill Shafton spent nine years as the legal backbone of Grindr, navigating a Chinese acquisition, a national security divestiture, and a Wall Street IPO. In this episode, he breaks down his philosophy on decision-making: how research sets the boundaries, but instinct drives the performance. Tune in to learn how Bill operates in the gray areas, making high-risk decisions with incomplete data, and why "technical correctness" doesn't shield you from reputational fallout. If compliance is the baseline, trust is the real metric. He also shares why the legal function is less like a gatekeeper and more like an institutional liver (not glamorous, but essential to keeping the whole body running).

    37 min

  2. FEB 3

    Why Consensus Is the Wrong Signal With Steven Rosenblatt

    In this episode of The Cred Podcast, Mack talks with Steven Rosenblatt, co-founder and General Partner at Oceans, about how decisions really get made when you're building companies, backing founders, and choosing what to stand behind before the outcome is obvious. Steven reflects on the early mobile days, helping Apple launch iAd, and his time at Foursquare, where survival meant rethinking the business entirely. Those experiences now shape how he invests at Oceans: why it's all about the people, how he evaluates founders,  and why consensus can be dangerous in venture investing. More than anything, Steven makes clear that early-stage decision-making is about backing people and committing to the call.

    40 min

  3. JAN 29

    Making Decisions in the Gray with Tess Michaels

    On this episode of The Cred Podcast, Tess Michaels, Founder and CEO of Clasp, joins Mack McKelvey to talk about making decisions while building a new category at the intersection of education, healthcare, and workforce retention,  where there is no established playbook to follow. Tess breaks down how customer signals shape better decisions, why pattern recognition beats perfect data, and how learning when to say no is critical to scaling without distraction. Listen in on a  sharp conversation on leadership, focus, and navigating the gray.

    31 min

  4. JAN 21

    Instinct, Ownership, and the Discipline of Decision-Making

    Rafat Ali doesn't take notes. And he makes decisions on instinct. In this episode, the founder and CEO of Skift breaks down how he actually makes decisions as a global operator, committing to a choice, avoiding second-guessing, and never falling in love with a single option. He explains how visualization helps him pressure-test hires, products, and acquisitions, why early yellow flags almost always turn red, and the defining mistake early in his career when he sold his first company. Rafat looks for two signals when decisions are being made. First, is there a clear owner who will carry it forward once the conversation ends, or is it drifting in a sea of shared responsibility? When no one is clearly on the hook, progress slows and things slip. Second, he pays attention to how people handle details as a gauge for decision readiness. The people who think through implications and follow through are usually the ones prepared to make the call, not just weigh in. Tune in for a candid conversation about instinct, ownership, and what it really means to decide.

    50 min

  5. JAN 14

    The Power of Contextual Decision-Making with Lisa Pillette

    "I've probably seen more erroneous decision-making by over-reliance on data than by over-reliance on gut." In this episode of The Cred Podcast, Mack McKelvey sits down with Lisa Pellette, a global CMO and transformation leader whose career spans Levi's, Ralph Lauren, Lacoste, Casper, and Fossil Group, to talk about how data, context, and gut converge to inform decisions. Drawing on her background in psychology and decades of experience leading iconic brands and major transformations, Lisa unpacks the importance of defining a clear North Star, relying on contextual decision-making, and building your own team of decision-makers. Plus, learn how culture shapes whether mistakes are metabolized into momentum or friction.

    44 min

  6. JAN 7

    Sliding Doors Decisions with Sarah Pousho

    What happens when a lifelong fascination with space collides with a 30-year career in building complex commercial deals? This week, Mack McKelvey sits down with Sarah Pousho, Co-Founder and CEO of Space Bridge Partners, to explore the unconventional decisions that shaped her career and how she now helps fund some of the most ambitious space missions in the world. Sarah traces her path from aspiring astronaut to consumer products executive, and ultimately back to the space sector, where she leads a new model for funding exploration, science, and education missions. The conversation dives into: Making high-stakes decisions when the buck truly stops with you Blending gut instinct with expert input and data How decades of deal-making prepared Sarah for the complexities of space missions The personal decisions that quietly set the course for an entire career This episode is a candid look at confidence earned over time, the power of non-linear paths, and the "Sliding Doors" decisions you make in your life. 00:00 Journey to Space Bridge Partners 07:54 Decision-Making in High-Stakes Environments 19:19 Navigating Outcomes and Learning from Mistakes 27:04 Future Plans for Space Bridge Partners

    26 min

  7. 12/10/2025

    Head, Heart, Wallet: Inside Marci Weisler's Decision-Making Framework

    Marci Weisler didn't build her career by following a script. She followed her curiosity. From analyst to mobile pioneer, from co-founding SWSI Media (which became Viacom's Queen Boss) to leading a major line of business at T-Mobile and now advising companies as a managing director in investment banking — Marci has made a career out of stepping into what's new before it's obvious. In this episode, she talks with Mack about why she's always chased the "bright, shiny" emerging ideas, how her Head, Heart, Wallet framework keeps her grounded when the stakes rise, and what she's learned from the decisions that didn't go as planned. She also shares how decision-making shifts when you move from a startup to a matrixed giant, and why the environment you're in should shape how you choose. It's a practical, candid look at how leaders refine their judgment and why curiosity, not certainty, is often the smarter compass. 00:00 Marci Weisler's Career Journey 08:24 Decision-Making Frameworks 15:45 Navigating Decision Outcomes 25:58 Hiring Challenges and Lessons Learned 34:03 Rapid Fire Insights

    38 min

  8. 11/19/2025

    Clear on the Outcome, Flexible on the Approach with Camille Preston, PhD

    Camille Preston went to the beach to start writing her book… and it promptly snowed 13 inches for the first time in more than a decade. An abrupt reminder that conditions change fast, even when you think you know what's coming. It's the perfect setup for this conversation about how leaders actually make decisions today. A business psychologist and author of Living Real, Camille challenges the old markers of success and pushes leaders to understand themselves well enough to make decisions from the inside out. She talks about being "totally put together and a hot mess," not as a contradiction but as an honest snapshot of what it feels like to lead on shifting ground. In this conversation with Mack, Camille shares the tools she uses with leaders every day: adjusting altitude to get the right perspective, using integrated decision-making so the head, heart, and body all inform the choice, and applying her Donut Model to recognize when you're in comfort, growth, or approaching burnout. Across it all, she comes back to the idea that anchors her approach: be clear on the outcome, flexible on the approach. In a world flooded with data but starved for real clarity, Camille argues that the most valuable leadership skill is the ability to pause, shift perspective, and listen inward.

    44 min
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About

On every episode we will interview an authority across different industries who has deep industry knowledge and vast experience in the field. On this season of The Cred podcast, we will seek to understand the art and science of decision making.

Information

  • Creator
    Mack McKelvey
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodes
    76
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Show Website
    The Cred Podcast