FRONTLINE FRIDAYS with Ron Thurston

FRONTLINE FRIDAYS Podcast
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Your store teams feel it: more pressure, more change, less time to get it right. FRONTLINE FRIDAYS helps you turn that pressure into impact. Built for senior retail + hospitality field leaders, each episode features candid conversations with execs and disruptors from the world’s most iconic brands — sharing honest lessons and clear tactics you can start using immediately. Hosted by Ron Thurston, retail leadership expert and two-time bestselling author of RETAIL PRIDE (2020) and HUMAN PRIDE (2025). Season 2 starts September 26, 2025. New episodes every other Friday.

  1. The 3 Questions That Define Great Retail Leadership

    FEB 13

    The 3 Questions That Define Great Retail Leadership

    Most leadership frameworks try to add complexity. The best leaders do the opposite. In Season 2, Episode 11 of Frontline Fridays, host Ron Thurston sits down with Corinne Suarez, VP and Head of Retail at Marine Layer, to unpack the principles that have guided her through more than two decades of frontline leadership across some of retail’s most iconic brands. From leading massive store fleets at Old Navy and American Eagle to scaling a fast-growing, high-touch brand like Marine Layer, Corinne shares why great leadership ultimately comes down to a few non-negotiables: respect, care, fairness, and dignity. She reflects on the three questions that define every strong leader–team relationship: Do you care about me? Can I trust you? Are you committed? and explains how these questions become practical tools for navigating conflict, building trust, and scaling leadership at any size. Ron and Corinne explore what it really takes to lead at scale without losing humanity, how to translate strategy for the end user on the floor, and why investing in people consistently delivers better business outcomes than any process or tool alone. They also dig into the future of retail, where technology should eliminate friction, not create it, and where physical stores remain essential for connection, storytelling, and emotion. If you’re leading teams through growth, change, or complexity, or thinking about how to build a retail career that lasts, this episode offers grounded perspective from someone who has done it at every level. The 3 Questions That Define Great Retail Leadership — Frontline Fridays, Season 2, Episode 11 is available now. 🎧 Watch on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrohqoj-V_gskdgonZVHPSVNYO0K2mtpO👤 Corinne:https://www.linkedin.com/in/corinne-suarez/👤 Ron:https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronthurston/💡 YOOBIC:https://yoobic.com | https://www.linkedin.com/company/yoobic/

    33 min
  2. The Six Cs of Execution: A Playbook for Field Leaders

    JAN 30

    The Six Cs of Execution: A Playbook for Field Leaders

    Most strategies don’t fail because they’re bad ideas. They fail because execution breaks down where it matters most. In Season 2, Episode 10 of Frontline Fridays, host Ron Thurston sits down with Kevin Ertell, CEO of Mistere Advisory and a veteran operator with more than 30 years of experience across brands like Nike, Tower Records, and Sur La Table, to unpack why execution is where strategies so often stall, and how field leaders can change that. Drawing on a career that began on the shop floor and led to global retail leadership, Kevin introduces The Six Cs of Execution, a practical playbook designed to help leaders bring clarity to complexity and turn strategy into daily action. He explains why execution is always a people challenge before it’s a process one, why leaders need to slow down to speed up, and how co-creation, clarity, and capacity set the stage for success long before rollout begins. Ron and Kevin dig into the reality of frontline leadership, from navigating the “messy middle” between headquarters and stores to building alignment across functions, communicating under pressure, and coaching teams through constant change. They explore why most rollouts fail in the handoffs, how to create shared ownership on the floor, and what field leaders can do every day to make strategy stick. If you’ve ever watched a well-intentioned initiative unravel once it reached stores, or felt the gap between ambition and reality on the frontline, this episode offers a grounded, experience-led framework for closing the execution gap. The Six Cs of Execution: A Playbook for Field Leaders — Frontline Fridays, Season 2, Episode 10 is available now. 🎧 Watch on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrohqoj-V_gskdgonZVHPSVNYO0K2mtpO👤 Kevin:https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinertell/👤 Ron:https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronthurston/💡 YOOBIC:https://yoobic.com |https://www.linkedin.com/company/yoobic/

    34 min
  3. How to Inspire Employee Adoption Without Forcing It

    JAN 16

    How to Inspire Employee Adoption Without Forcing It

    The hardest part of rolling out new tools in retail isn’t the technology. It’s getting frontline teams to believe in them. In this episode of Frontline Fridays, host Ron Thurston sits down with Missy Pool, executive leader, board member, and former senior operator at Apple, Ralph Lauren, Gap Inc., and West Elm, to unpack why most adoption efforts break down on the floor, and what great leaders do differently. Drawing on decades spent leading in stores, not just designing strategy from HQ, Missy shares why adoption fails when leaders move too fast, force change without listening, or treat rollout as a compliance exercise instead of a trust-building moment. She explains why the most successful transformations are peer-led, collaborative, and grounded in real frontline realities, and how slowing down under pressure often leads to faster results. Ron and Missy dig into the tension between technology and human connection, the role of vulnerability in leadership, and why acknowledging mistakes can accelerate adoption rather than derail it. They also explore how data, storytelling, and frontline proof points help teams see technology as an enabler, not a threat. If you’ve ever rolled out a new system that looked great on paper but didn’t stick in stores, this episode offers a grounded, experience-led playbook for doing it better. How to Inspire Employee Adoption Without Forcing It. — Season 2, Episode 9 is available now. 🎧 Watch on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrohqoj-V_gskdgonZVHPSVNYO0K2mtpO👤 Missy:https://www.linkedin.com/in/missy-pool-3437427/👤 Ron:https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronthurston/💡 YOOBIC:https://yoobic.com |https://www.linkedin.com/company/yoobic/

    39 min
  4. AI for Frontline Teams is Changing How Stores Run

    JAN 2

    AI for Frontline Teams is Changing How Stores Run

    The real challenge in retail execution isn’t ambition or strategy, it’s the constant pressure on frontline leaders to decide what matters next while the business keeps moving. In this episode of Frontline Fridays, host Ron Thurston sits down with Fabrice Haiat, Co-founder and CEO of YOOBIC, to unpack how AI is beginning to change how stores actually run, not in theory, but in the real decisions made on the floor every day. Drawing on Fabrice’s upbringing in a retail family and years spent shadowing store managers, the conversation explores why so many retail initiatives break down at execution. Store leaders are overloaded with information, pulled into reports and inboxes, and forced to interpret strategy while managing live operations. Fabrice argues that frontline AI only delivers value when it removes that burden, replacing noise with clear, contextual priorities for each store. Ron and Fabrice dig into what personalization at scale really looks like for frontline teams, why AI delivers some of the fastest ROI in retail, and why 2026 will mark the shift from pilots to real adoption. They also explore the human impact of better execution, from reduced burnout and stronger retention to giving store leaders the confidence to lead in the moment, not after the fact. If you’ve ever seen strong strategy stall at the store level, or felt the weight of nonstop decisions without clear direction, this episode offers a practical way forward. AI for Frontline Teams Is Changing How Stores Run — Season 2, Episode 8 is available now. 🎧 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrohqoj-V_gskdgonZVHPSVNYO0K2mtpO👤 Fabrice: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabricehaiat/👤 Ron: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronthurston/💡 YOOBIC: https://yoobic.com | https://www.linkedin.com/company/yoobic/

    41 min
  5. What 600 Retail Leaders Need But Aren’t Getting

    12/19/2025

    What 600 Retail Leaders Need But Aren’t Getting

    The real gap in retail leadership isn’t talent — it’s the pressure to lead without the support to grow. In this episode of Frontline Fridays, host Ron Thurston sits down with Steve Worthy — founder of Worthy Retail, retail leadership strategist, and creator of a groundbreaking global study on retail leaders — to examine the truth behind leadership readiness today. Across hundreds of responses, one insight was impossible to ignore: leaders aren’t asking for more routines. They’re asking for depth, coaching, and the psychological safety to admit what they don’t know. Steve and Ron unpack the Retail Leader Paradox: leaders are expected to know everything, deliver at speed, and guide teams through constant change… while rarely being given the space, training, or support to do it confidently. They explore why so few leaders feel prepared, how misaligned development programs widen the gap, and what it really takes to build retainable, future-ready frontline leaders. They also dig into the next evolution of leadership development — from emotional intelligence and strategic thinking to AI-enabled decision-making — and why the future of retention depends on leaders who are seen, supported, and developing in real time. Why Leadership Readiness is Retail’s New Priority — Season 2, Episode 7 is available now. 🎧 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrohqoj-V_gskdgonZVHPSVNYO0K2mtpO 📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frontlinefridayspodcast/ 👤 Steve: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steveworthy/ 👤 Ron: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronthurston/ 💡 YOOBIC: https://yoobic.com | https://www.linkedin.com/company/yoobic/

    39 min
  6. How to Improve Retention, One Store Visit at a Time

    12/05/2025

    How to Improve Retention, One Store Visit at a Time

    The strongest retention strategy in retail isn’t a program or a perk — it’s the leader who shows up. In this episode of Frontline Fridays, host Ron Thurston sits down with Billy Kissel, Head of Stores (East) at Office Depot, to explore why visibility, presence, and culture-building are the real drivers of keeping great people. After 35+ years leading teams at brands like Gap, J.Crew, West Elm, and Office Depot, Billy has seen one truth hold steady: people stay when leaders lead with intent. Billy shares how being present — in stores, on video, and in moments that matter — builds trust at scale. He and Ron dig into what great field leadership actually looks like, why recognition needs to be real and earned, and how closing the loop on feedback transforms culture from the inside out. They also unpack the true cost of short staffing, why compensation is only one piece of retention, and the urgency required to turn frontline insight into meaningful action. Why Retention Starts With Leaders Who Show Up — Season 2, Episode 6 is available now. 🎧 Watch on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrohqoj-V_gskdgonZVHPSVNYO0K2mtpO📱 Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/frontlinefridayspodcast/👤 Billy:https://www.linkedin.com/in/billykissel/👤 Ron:https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronthurston/💡 YOOBIC:https://yoobic.com | https://www.linkedin.com/company/yoobic/

    33 min
  7. Why the Last Marketing Mile Depends on Your Store Teams

    11/21/2025

    Why the Last Marketing Mile Depends on Your Store Teams

    The last marketing mile isn’t digital — it’s human.In this episode of Frontline Fridays, host Ron Thurston sits down with Ian Scott, retail consultant and founder of Ian Scott Retail, to talk about why the final moment of every customer journey depends on your store teams. After decades leading innovation tours and advising brands like LEGO, Coca-Cola, and L’Oréal, Ian shares why he calls store associates “the living, breathing embodiment of the brand.” He and Ron unpack what great service looks like across cultures, how AI should enhance retail — not replace it — and why common sense still drives the best in-store experiences. They also explore the power of pride on the front line, what “revenge shopping” revealed about human connection, and how the world’s best retailers invest in people, not just products. Why the Last Marketing Mile Depends on Your Store Teams — Season 2, Episode 5 is available now. 🎧 Watch on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrohqoj-V_gskdgonZVHPSVNYO0K2mtpO 📱 Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/frontlinefridayspodcast/ 👤 Ian:https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-scott-0534694/ 👤 Ron:https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronthurston/ 💡 YOOBIC:https://yoobic.com |https://www.linkedin.com/company/yoobic/

    40 min
  8. How to Run Safer Stores Without Slowing Teams Down

    11/07/2025

    How to Run Safer Stores Without Slowing Teams Down

    Safety isn’t a slowdown — it’s a performance strategy.In this episode of Frontline Fridays, host Ron Thurston sits down with Dean Correia, Founder of Correia Security Resources, to talk about what it really takes to run safer stores without slowing teams down. With over 30 years of experience leading security and operations for brands like Walmart, Starbucks, and Gap, Dean shares why “the safest place to work is the best place to work.” He and Ron unpack how safety drives engagement, reduces shrink, and builds trust from the sales floor up — and why leaders should treat safety as a culture, not a checklist. They also explore the rise of retail crime, how to make incident reporting simple, and the one daily habit that helps every team feel safer and perform stronger. How to Run Safer Stores Without Slowing Teams Down — Season 2, Episode 4 is available now. Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrohqoj-V_gskdgonZVHPSVNYO0K2mtpOInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/frontlinefridayspodcast/Dean: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deancorreia/Ron: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronthurston/YOOBIC: https://yoobic.com |https://www.linkedin.com/company/yoobic/

    37 min
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About

Your store teams feel it: more pressure, more change, less time to get it right. FRONTLINE FRIDAYS helps you turn that pressure into impact. Built for senior retail + hospitality field leaders, each episode features candid conversations with execs and disruptors from the world’s most iconic brands — sharing honest lessons and clear tactics you can start using immediately. Hosted by Ron Thurston, retail leadership expert and two-time bestselling author of RETAIL PRIDE (2020) and HUMAN PRIDE (2025). Season 2 starts September 26, 2025. New episodes every other Friday.

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