Soul & Science: Fast Forward Your Marketing Mind

Mekanism and Jason Harris
  • 5.0 (19)
  • MARKETING
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

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.

  1. 12/28/2025

    #109: Building a Brand at 190 MPH | Amber Balcaen, Race Car Driver

    Amber Balcaen didn’t just have to prove she could win races. She had to prove she was worth backing. In this episode of Soul & Science, Jason Harris sits down with Amber Balcaen, a third-generation race-car driver who made history in 2016 as the first Canadian female to win a NASCAR-sanctioned race in the United States. With a background in dirt racing, Amber became the first in her family to transition to asphalt stock cars and has since made more than 40 starts in the ARCA Menards Series. Together, Jason and Amber explore the parallels between racing and business: the discipline of consistency, the importance of feedback loops, and the mindset required to keep going when results don’t come easily. From cold-calling sponsors to refining her brand story, Amber explains how resilience becomes operational—and why the ability to assess, adapt, and implement is what separates short careers from long ones. Key Takeaways: ✅ Performance earns attention, but sponsorship sustains opportunity ✅ Resilience works best when it’s treated as a system, not a feeling ✅ Strong brands attract partners instead of chasing them ✅ Long-term success is built through consistency, feedback, and adaptation Memorable Moments: 💡 “If I wanted to be a race car driver, I first had to be a businesswoman.” 💡 “Resilience isn’t just emotional. It’s operational.” 💡 “Racing and business are so similar: it’s always assess and implement.” 💡 “Hold your vision.” Brought to you by Mekanism.

    38 min

  2. 12/14/2025

    #108: A New Playbook for Standing Out in Advertising | Jack Westerkamp & Geno Schellenberger, Co-Founders of Breaking & Entering Media

    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.

    38 min

  3. 12/08/2025

    #107: Moving Your Brand Out of the Friend Zone | Doug Zarkin, CMO of Take 5

    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.

    38 min

  4. 11/30/2025

    #106: How Champions Think | Dr. Bob Rotella, World-Renowned Sports Psychologist

    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.

    34 min

  5. 11/16/2025

    #105: Keurig Dr Pepper CMO Drew Panayiotou | Challenger Energy Fuels Dr Pepper

    When you’re up against giants, speed and creativity become your superpowers. Recorded live at Advertising Week New York 2025, this conversation with Drew Panayiotou, CMO at Keurig Dr Pepper, dives into how Dr Pepper’s challenger mindset—and relentless creativity—turned an underdog into a market leader. From transforming Best Buy’s digital future to guiding Pfizer through the pandemic, Drew has built a career on driving growth through agility and purpose. He and Jason explore how to turn legacy brands into modern disruptors, why longevity beats reinvention, and what it really takes to build raving fans in a world that rewards speed over substance. Key Takeaways: ✅ Challenger energy fuels creativity, not chaos ✅ The best campaigns evolve—they don’t reset ✅ Great brands grow by deepening relationships, not widening reach ✅ Progress beats perfection in a world that never slows down Memorable Moments: 💡 “The best brands don’t chase new fans—they obsess over their raving ones.” 💡 “Marketers get bored faster than consumers ever will.” 💡 “Agility isn’t about moving fast—it’s about moving together.” 💡 “It’s not funnel thinking anymore. It’s a flywheel.” Brought to you by Mekanism.

    32 min

  6. 11/09/2025

    #104: Building a Brand That Lasts Beyond the Hype | Sara Kear, CMO at Condado Tacos and Tequila

    Energy gets attention. Trust builds loyalty. In a world obsessed with virality, longevity still wins. The best brands aren’t just loud—they’re reliable, repeatable, and relentlessly consistent. With a background in digital strategy and brand storytelling, Sara Kear, Chief Marketing Officer at Condado Tacos and Tequila, has turned a regional taco spot into a fast-growing national brand built on creativity, consistency, and community. In this episode, Sara joins Jason to talk about balancing creative energy with operational discipline, rebuilding a brand after rapid growth, and how structure can actually unlock innovation. She shares lessons from Condado’s rebrand, the role of “flavor rebellion” in defining identity, and how listening—to both teams and guests—became the company’s most powerful growth strategy. Key Takeaways: ✅ Consistency is the foundation of brand trust ✅ Creative limits can expand, not restrict, innovation ✅ Listening to your audience reveals what data can’t ✅ Growth without structure risks brand identity Memorable Moments: 💡 “A million small moments make up the feeling of belonging.” 💡 “We outgrew our brand before we realized it—so we paused to rebuild.” 💡 “Confines create creativity. When you define the sandbox, you can scale.” 💡 “Fun brings people in. Trust makes them family.” Brought to you by Mekanism.

    38 min

  7. 11/03/2025

    #103: BetterHelp Chief Growth Officer Sara Brooks | Scaling Empathy

    Empathy at scale isn’t easy—but it’s the heart of BetterHelp’s mission.With two decades of marketing leadership at Facebook, The RealReal, and Beyond, Sara Brooks has helped brands grow from startup to IPO and beyond. Now, as Chief Growth Officer at BetterHelp, she’s using data and storytelling to make mental health care more accessible around the world. In this episode, Sara joins Jason Harris to talk about leading with empathy in a data-driven world, the power of authentic storytelling, and how vulnerability has become one of the most effective tools in brand building. She also shares lessons from campaigns with Lewis Capaldi and college athletes that prove empathy—and humor—can coexist with rigor and scale. Key Takeaways: ✅ Empathy and data aren’t opposites—they’re accelerants ✅ Authenticity can’t be automated, but it can be scaled ✅ Vulnerability builds affinity faster than perfection ✅ Destigmatizing mental health starts with honest storytelling Memorable Moments: 💡 “When you feel better, everyone in your life feels better as well.” 💡 “Vulnerability isn’t a risk—it’s the whole point.” 💡 “Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. Just get started.” 💡 “If not us, then who? If not now, then when? ”Brought to you by Mekanism.

    37 min

  8. 10/26/2025

    #102: Redefining Success Through Service | Stinson Parks III, Former Marketing Executive at PepsiCo & Amex

    Building a brand takes focus. Building a meaningful career takes range. From leading global campaigns at L’Oréal, PepsiCo, and American Express to driving purpose-driven change in accessibility, youth empowerment, and the arts, Stinson Parks III has built a career by refusing to be boxed in. After surviving a near-death experience, he redefined what success means—shifting his focus from building brands to building impact.  Today, Stinson is using his marketing mindset to drive change across four pillars: accessibility, youth, community, and the arts. In this episode, he joins Jason Harris to talk about transforming professional skills into personal impact—and why the same tools that move brands can also move people. Key Takeaways: ✅ The skills that build brands can also build change ✅ Accessibility isn’t charity—it’s innovation and inclusion in action ✅ Art and storytelling have the power to heal and connect ✅ True success isn’t what you achieve—it’s who you help Memorable Moments: 💡 “I went to the school of Mattel, PepsiCo, and Amex—these were my universities.” 💡 “I was literally dead for a month. Now I see my injury as the biggest blessing of my life.” 💡 “Change happens one person, one conversation, one community at a time.” 💡 “It’s not what you have to do—it’s what you get to do, and who you get to serve. ”Brought to you by Mekanism.

    38 min
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5
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About

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.

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