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Interesting people, insightful points of view and incredible stories on what’s popping and not popping in marketing, tech, and culture you can use to win immediately. Brands, Beats and Bytes boldly stands at the intersection of brand, tech and culture. DC and Larry are fascinated with stories and people behind some of the best marketing in the business. No matter how dope your product, if your marketing sucks your company may suck too. #dontsuck
DC: You are listening to a special edition of Brands, Beats and Bytes coming to you live from the Clinton Global Initiative in New York City, LT we are in New York City with a live,
LT: Yes, my hometown.
DC: Your home, your hometown. That's right, your hometown. All right. So for those of you Brand Nerds who may not know about the Clinton Global Initiative and the Clinton Foundation, it's one of their signature, uh, events and gatherings. This is where some of the biggest brains in the world come together to solve the, the world's most vexing problems. It can be established leaders, or they can be emerging leaders, and they all come together under one roof to figure out, what are we going to do to make this place... that we called, uh, the world better, which leads me into our, uh, our guest today, our guest, LT. We are, um, we are, we are quite blessed, I may say, to have this guest today. Uh, as we matriculate through our, our lives, we're seduced into believing, oft times, that if you want to do something good, you want to do something good with your life, you can do that. Make the world a better place, do things for humanity. But then there's this other path that we say it's a, there's a bifurcation, for your vocation. Now that's where you make your money. That's where you get your bag. You don't bring these things together. But today, LT, we have a guest who's actually managed to bring these two parts of her world and life together. And then, finally, I'll say this. You know this, LT. I believe in karma. Believe in karma. And, um, you do good, good comes back to you. You do bad, bad comes back to you. This is just my belief. And, uh, our guest today, LT did something really good by volunteering.
LT: Yes.
DC: And then something really good came back to her. LT, who do we have with us on stage today at CGI and Brands, Beats, and Bytes?
LT: Oh, DC, we have Lisa Abrego in the house today. Welcome, Lisa.
Lisa Abrego: Hello.
LT: It's so great to have you. So, oh, all right, D. We are so thrilled, as you mentioned, to be at CGI in front of a wonderful audience of CGI attendees. For both our live audience and our podcast audience, we need to give Lisa the proper introduction.
But Lisa is currently the director of communication strategy for World Central Kitchen. But before we get into Lisa's wonderful background, we need to get into World Central Kitchen. Mm. Right? So many people know about World Central Kitchen, but we are going to provide our audience here at the Mercury Ballroom and our Brand Nerds in our podcast universe just a Twitter version for those who are unaware or not very familiar. So World Central Kitchen, uh, World Central Kitchen, uh, is first to the front lines providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crisis. In 2010, Chef José Andres ready to use his culinary knowledge and talent to help, headed to Haiti following a devastating earthquake. Cooking alongside displaced families in a camp, he was guided on the proper way to cook black beans, the way Haitians like to eat them, mashed and sieved into a creamy sauce. It wasn't just about feeding people in need, it was about listening, learning, and cooking side by side with the people impacted by the crisis. This is the real meaning of comfort food, and it's the core value that José, along with his wife Patricia, used at the center of founding World Central Kitchen. Chef Andres says World Central Kitchen started with a simple idea at home with my wife Patricia. When people are hungry, send in cooks, not tomorrow, today. The key, it is done with urgency and with locals. Now let's pivot to Lisa. From early in her career, Lisa has been an astute partner in helping companies navigate the modern landscape and define their approach to communications and digital strategy. Lisa first earns a political science and communications degree from Purdue University, and while in college, also spends semesters abroad in both China and Italy. After graduating Purdue, Lisa has a couple of interesting internships with Inter American Dialogue and the El Salvador Embassy, before starting another internship in digital public affairs at Edelman, the largest independent PR and communications agency in the world, before obtaining a full time gig at Edelman, first as an assistant account executive, and then working her way up to senior account executive. Lisa's doing really well with Edelman, including helping play an instrumental role in building the strategy and analytics team within DC's Edelman digital practice. She then gets tapped on the shoulder to join Artemis Ward as a creative strategist for the global digital first agency, focused on crafting dynamic experiences that ripple in the modern world. In less than four years there, Lisa works her way up to VP of Strategy. And here's what DC was talking about. And while in that role during the 2019 federal government shutdown, she first dives in with World Central Kitchen as a volunteer. Lisa quickly earns the reputation as a dependable soup lady, and a few months into the pandemic, there is a confluence of passion and profession, and she joins the organization as Director of Communication Strategy, overseeing external engagement and communications for the Emergency Food Relief Nonprofit. No surprise here, Lisa is also an active volunteer with other organizations, including serving as a Spanish as a Second Language teacher, partnership in venues coordinated for Creative Mornings, and at JFK Center for Performing Arts. Lastly, Lisa cherishes exploring cultures and places near and far on her bike through travel, books, and different foods, and she never misses an opportunity to share bits about El Salvador, her childhood home. Welcome to Brands, Beats, and Bytes Lisa Abrego.
Lisa Abrego: Thank you for having me and for that extensive research.
DC: Yes, let's give her some love. Let's give her some love. Larry. You always do such a wonderful job giving our guests their flowers.
LT: It's all about Lisa though.
DC: It is all about Lisa. It is all about Lisa. All right, so Lisa, we next go to, uh, Get Comfy. This is when we go into an area just to get you comfortable, warm up here. But before we do that, we got to do a couple of shout outs. First is, uh, the reason why we're here in front of you at this conference. This is our first, uh, our, uh, second time here. We were here last, uh, last, um, September as well. One of our business partners in the lead of this practice. Her name is Susan Schoenfeld. She's right here. Give her some love Thank you, Susan for bringing us here. Thank you, Susan. And then Jeff Shirley is our business partner and heads production for the for the podcast. So love you Jeff. All right, so you volunteer you volunteer and then that becomes this opportunity a new career move for you. No doubt you had some things to do before you decided to volunteer and become a soup lady.
I think, Lisa what, what made you volunteer part one and then part two as a job opportunity started to materialize? What was happening with you?
Lisa Abrego: So I had been, uh, as a, as a D.C. Person, one very naturally and quickly becomes a fan of José Andres. And so I had just been following his journey as a restaurateur. And then, of course, It's the evolution of World Central Kitchen and with its transformation in 2017 to become the disaster relief organization we know now. And I, I had some friends in, in the industry and one chef who had helped World Central Kitchen in Tijuana post about looking for volunteers when the government shutdown was happening. And I would have never imagined that D. C. would be. Where help of that kind was going to be needed. But, of course, I I, I quickly messaged him and said, like, I would love to help. I, as you reminded me, have volunteered in a lot of different organizations in the past as a way to feel connected and contribute to my community and in different versions of that community, the creative community, or just neighborhoods that I'm in. And I... I didn't hear back from World Central Kitchen when I was like, hey, I'm around, like, I would be happy to be a volunteer. Now I understand it's such a heavy, hectic, chaotic time. And definitely back then when the team was so much smaller. But I messaged my friend and I said, I haven't heard back. Like, do you still need help? And he was like, just show up.
DC: Oh, just show up.
Lisa Abrego: Just show up.
DC: Okay.
Lisa Abrego: And so I did. Only to find that I was told like two hours before all the other volunteers. And the only person there was the chef. And he asked me, Are you front of house or back of house? And I had no idea what that meant. And I said, I don't, like, I'll do whatever you need me to. He was like, well, if a chef sent you, we'll put you in the back. And that, since I was there so early, we started on the soup because it was January, the government shutdown was. It was very cold and soup was very important. And we, we started these, like, huge vats of soup. And then at the end of that day, we Chef Matt Adler, who's a fantastic, incredible friend of World Central Kitchen and an outstanding chef in himself and one of the best leaders I've ever met. But he told me today has been the first day I didn't have to worry about the soup. And I said The first day. Yeah, I was like I just followed instructions. He's like, you have no idea how many times it's either burnt and we've had to thrown it out. It's just been an inconvenience. Today was the first day and I have to think about it. Can you come tomorrow? So I did. And I think that it was like Saturday, Sunday, and then Monday of MLK weekend.
DC: Okay. Um, soup each day?
Lisa Abrego: Every day. Every day. Every day. Every January. Yeah. Oh, yeah. And the lines were so long. Impressively long. Um, of people.
LT: What kind of soup?
Lisa Abrego: We made so many different kinds and honestly, we get so creative because like one of the ones that will forever be very memorable to me is we had tons of, uh, like dried, I think it was shiitake mushrooms, but they were, we had to work with them a lot to make, because they were, I don't know. I was just following instructions, but, um, lots of really, really hearty veggies and sometimes grains would be in them like farro or quinoa and, and very fragrant, very delicious, very comforting. At the end of the day, it's all about those like nourishing, like cozy, homemade, homemade meals. But long story short, or long story, not as long. I kept showing up at that point. I still had to go to my job. So I would come before work, get the soup started, and then would go to work and then would come at the end of the day and help out. And just, wow. I became the soup lady.
LT: You know what I'm struck with D?
DC: What?
LT: Is that really Lisa, they said, just show up. When you think about it, that's what World Central Kitchen does. Is just show up right? Everywhere there's crisis, World Central Kitchen shows up and so there's something in the culture there that Lisa fits seamlessly into right away.
Lisa Abrego: Yeah, I think that's exactly true. It's sometimes like a no questions asked, I'm just gonna show up and be here. And I think that's embodied outside of the, the very direct immediate people just showing up in, in the times of disaster. But it's just how our team shows up for each other, I think. It's a truly special camaraderie and willingness to show up entirely as, as oneself and then to show up for, for whatever needs to get done.
LT: That's, that's it.
DC: Yeah, I got two takeaways. Uh, we did a introductory to not for profit branding that was set up through, uh, CGI a few weeks ago. And, uh, one of the, um, uh, the organizations, uh, that was on that. Uh, podcast, I mean, excuse me, that workshop came up before our podcast today and said, introduced himself. Hey, I saw you guys on the work. Brett. Shout out. So it was a shout out to Brett. Shout out to Brett. And so, uh, the first thing that we, um, that we have to deal with, particularly when we're talking about not for profits, I said, well, you know, we, we don't have like these 300 million marketing budgets to establish our brand. And I believe you said a friend of yours told you and you said, Yeah, I'd like to go do this. You were in correspondence with a friend and then you just showed up. I don't think any marketing material hit you. Just a conversation with a friend. Is that how it, is that how it happened?
Lisa Abrego: Yeah, and I had just followed the story, the development of both Jose and the organization, and I felt that affinity, which so many of our team members and audience feels now, but it's just, yeah, eagerness to help.
DC: Yeah, no, no, no, like WCK does not have a, just, I don't know, a 800 million media marketing. Oh, definitely. So it worked, it worked. Uh, the second thing is this. I, uh, so the Brand Nerds know I've got three daughters. So I'm a girl dad and I tell them that, uh, your gifts are not for you. Your gifts are for others. You gave a gift and they lined up for your gift. And so I think that's dope.
Lisa Abrego: Thank you.
DC: Yeah, you're welcome. You're welcome. All right. Any more on Larry before we go to the next section?
LT: Just one quick thing. I think the passion Lisa and I were talking about this, the passion, if you can talk a little bit about the WCK audience, right? And you were talking about when you guys do emails, you know what amazing response you have, right?
Lisa Abrego: Yes. Um, big shout out to the team that is here and I would be remiss not to give a huge shout out to my colleague, Sammy Higgins, who's out there. Um, and she has really just taken to be the like, immediate point of contact. This is what, how our incredible ever growing audience around the world, learns about what World Central Kitchen is doing and how it's doing it and how it's living out that mission. And it is that, like, incredible responsibility of how to capture those stories, share those stories in a way that is meaningful and compelling and that it's shared at the right moment and in time.
One of the kind of was telling you earlier one of the earlier conversations that Sammy and I first had I was like Why aren't you sending these emails at a certain cadence? It's just like we don't have anything to say then people don't want to hear from us And like that was something that I I really had to learn coming from agency and client side of following like a more rigorous pattern or what best practices were and whatnot and and instead truly truly internalizing and prioritizing like, what will your audience most want to receive, most respect and, and mean more to them?
DC: Love that. All right, Lisa, um, our next section we call typically five questions, but we don't have time for five questions. So it's gonna be three questions today. And we're gonna walk away, uh, from, um, uh, WCK for now and get into your experience with brand. So I'll ask a question, Larry will come next, and then I'll, I'll close it out.
So the first one is this. Take us back in time when you were experiencing a brand and you, you were so into this brand that you lost track of time, like it kind of, kind of like made you have, if you were in, um, in the UK, like us where Susan lives, chicken skin, it excited you, you were enthralled, almost like a first love.
What was this first branding experience like that for you?
Lisa Abrego: The way you even phrase that question is like brand experience and that's when I, when I reflect on a first love for a brand, I, I'm taken back to when I was in middle school, high school, and I grew up in El Salvador where we have a strong affinity and, and eagerness for a lot of American products and also being a teenager in the early 2000s, you just love Starbucks and Starbucks.
That's not the answer though. Oh, okay. And the Starbucks experience is just the context I want to say, okay. But there was a little coffee shop that opened on a new outdoor- ish mall. That was Salvadorian coffee and the first of its kind, and it was all about the experience. Mm-hmm. and even the music that they played felt unique and it was not, it was polished but no frills.
Mm-hmm. and you would learn so much more from that one cup of coffee, even though they weren't writing your name on and calling it . They had written it on the side of the cup, but I, I really. Sometimes like a nostalgia for those smaller places. I think
LT: What's the name of it?
Lisa Abrego: It was called Viva Espresso.
LT: Okay, give them a shout out, right?
Lisa Abrego: Yeah, they're fantastic. If you're ever in El Salvador, they have that one in particular doesn't exist anymore at that. So the, the outdoor mall still exists, but, but it's, I think of the three coffee shops that are there, like one of them is Starbucks and the other are just the other one's Juan Valdez, which is a good one. Another coffee chain and no shade to the chains, but I think from a brand experience, like that smaller brand felt so much more unique, special, and like it was telling me so much more of a story and something that I really enjoyed.
LT: Very interesting. So do you think that had any, uh, part of your thoughts as you now are in your position? Does, has that influenced you?
Lisa Abrego: I've found a love for, and everyone says these days, but like for the, the power of storytelling, but it's truly, for me, it's finding all the right words or the, the, the cracking the knot on something that, and, and how do you share that and, and finding like a very nuanced message, whether it's positive or negative or tricky or not, and, and really conveying it in the most sincere way and packaging it in the way that makes most sense for whoever's going to be receiving it. So, in some ways, sure, I don't think that I was thinking necessarily what I was going to do. Right. But, but in, in other ways, I guess we could apply it from, from the standpoint of, like, especially the more time I spend not living at home, the more I crave that, that culture and that kind of thing.
LT: That makes sense. Yeah. That makes sense.
Lisa Abrego: Yeah, and like, responsible consumption and just that kind of thing.
LT: Right.
DC: Yeah. In, in some ways, uh, your organization and many that are in the non, uh, profit, uh, sphere, while you have a disadvantage in terms of marketing resources to typical corporate, uh, brands and organizations, you do have an advantage in, uh, in the fact that you're able to make, uh, deeper emotional connections.
Yes. And so your earlier conversation about the cadence of emails going out. In addition to you talking about the smaller, uh, coffee shot and coffee shop in El Salvador. Uh, no shade to a Starbucks. They're okay. They're okay. They make a very good, uh, shake and express of brown sugar. But, uh, that notwithstanding, um, yeah, these emotional connections are, uh, are critical in branding. Left side. Right side of the, uh, of the brain.
Lisa Abrego: Yeah, and it, and it's so much more meaningful. I, I think also what really shines at a, an organization like World Central Kitchen is we, we've been talking about how engaged and, and like that strong affinity that our audience feels for the work that we're doing and how much it resonates.
But it really also so much for the people carrying out this work and that includes volunteers. Absolutely. But that also includes our staff members who are just pushing the envelope in terms of what should be humanly possible. And, and I do think that that passion shines. And necessarily it's that resilience like comes to life through that, and so we might not have the budgets, but the willpower is truly incredible.
LT: I love that Lisa shouting out her colleagues,
Lisa Abrego: They're incredible. Yes, yes, They're incredible. yields are very helpful.
LT: That's awesome. Yes. Nope. Next?
Next question. Yup. Yeah, So, D. You know, Lisa, look, look at what Lisa's done. She's still a young woman. She's been incredibly successful. For this wonderful organization, right? She's had a bunch of wins throughout to get her here. Oh, I see where this is going, Lisa. But we don't want to hear any,
DC: I don't want to hear any of that.
LT: We don't want to hear anything about that. No, what we want to hear from you, Lisa is what's your biggest F up?
And what did you learn from it and
DC: keep keep it a stack We want to hear the real the real deal the big stinking one Listen, yes, if you have one,
Lisa Abrego: there are many okay There are many and again the team members really really pulling through and making sure that we
LT: The team members are keeping her from, I don't know,
DC: team members, maybe about to get tucked under the bus.
I don't even get under that bus, but go ahead.
Lisa Abrego: But you did give me a warning that you'd ask me this and see how to find the right, right thing. And the way you phrased it was like, what is like, what lesson did it teach you? And I did, I do remember back to my Edelman days, I was part of a big team that was, effectively, like, doing this, all of this research that would culminate in, like, this one big strategy session.
I think maybe clients were present, I can't remember, but it was high stakes, lots of pressure. And I, I was in charge of doing, like, a slew of reports. And had, like, some resources that I, that I was tapping, but kind of, like, got creative research, and have informed reports that would then help. The broader team arrived at that strategy and I'm looking, looking, looking, and for a lot of these items or people or whatever it was that I was researching, I'm not finding much, so I end up compiling what felt like a bunch of empty reports, but I felt like I didn't have anything to include, so nothing much was there, and when we come to this big meeting, big moment, and people are reviewing things, I'm It looks like I did not do any work.
Uh huh. Mmm. And so, it kind of escalated and became these tense moments of like, I dropped the ball. Like, I didn't do the work, I didn't, or... Right. What happened here? And where was the miscommunication? And then the lesson really there was like, even if you don't find something... You got communicating and sharing all the bits and pieces and all the cumbersome work and laborious efforts that you went through is essential to then also Show that the not finding something is also telling you something.
LT: It's not finding something is actually finding something Right.
Lisa Abrego: Yeah, so that and to be thorough and and capture those things and share them proactively
LT: Right, so I think what you're really saying for the Brand Nerds out there is when you're in a situation that you're doing the work, you can't assume that the people you're working with, especially at a large organization like Edelman and who's probably with a larger client that you're working on, you can't just assume that, oh, they're good and that they know they're good. Interesting, D.
DC: Lisa, thank you. I didn't know whether some teammates of yours were about to get up are safe. Y'all are good for now. We'll see how much further we go. Alright, so a couple things. First is, uh, mistakes are not like wine. They do not get better with time. They get worse. So you're learning of, hey, say something about it is much better. To get that out early. Um, I'm, I'm actually going to do something I've, I've never done at any of our podcasts. I, I'm going to share one of my F ups. I got many of them. I just want to share it. It kind of sparked it. All right. So, um, we will not name the brands to protect the innocent and the guilty, but here's the situation.
I am going to name a couple of artists. So I went out to a technology startup on the West Coast. Five of us were running the company. And, uh, we were launching the brand from California in a smattering in, um, uh, the Nevada area across the country. Uh, wireless, incredibly competitive space. Lots and lots of money.
So those that we were competing against, there were four or five major players. Each of them had a billion dollars per annum in media. This does not include production. My guess is they were spending anywhere. Each of them. 250, 300 million each in production. So we were a startup and we had what is the equivalent of, uh, technically called Squadoosh. Squadoosh. But, but we ended up cobbling together a few bucks and so we did something a little down and dirty. And we called this thing an anthem. And we were connecting different parts of the country, showing artists talking to one another. And we had a track produced and, Lisa, we were just so excited. So, I will tell you the artists.
We had an artist in, um, in Atlanta, we had an artist, uh, out in California, and then we had an artist in Chicago. So, out in California was an artist no one had ever heard of before, because he had not released any, uh, materials called The Game. The Game. Alright. The artist in Atlanta was someone who had just recently been kicked out of a campaign, again, a brand that will remain unnamed. So he was, no one was touching him, but we knew him. We knew him to be a good guy. His name was Ludacris. Okay. And then the artist that was in the Chicago area, you guys kind of see where this is going, had just, literally was about to drop a project that was Kanye West. So we had the three of them talking and, uh, on the phone, crazy dope beat. This thing helped us nationally. So then Lisa, cause that was so successful. We decided we're going to do Anthem 2. Anthem 2. Anthem 1 worked. We're doing Anthem 2. So we did, we were in the same play. We got three different artists. I'm not going to name those artists. I mean, it did pretty good, Lisa and Larry, but it did not do great. Here was my learning. Here was my F up. My F up is I thought the first version could be replicated and made better. Uh, by a second version. That's, that's what I thought. And the reality is, in the marketing and branding world, even if you are taking some learning from some highly successful Act One, you gotta find a different angle for Act Two. And I didn't. I take it because I was the leader. So that was, that's one of my F ups. I have many. We don't have enough time. But, and that's what I learned from it.
LT: That's a good one, D. Yeah. Um, and I love the learning that you had, too.
DC: Cool. All right, we're gonna go to the third and final question in this section.
Lisa, what are you most proud of?
Lisa Abrego: I'm gonna take it back to showing up. I think there's so much like when I think of and the blurred lines between professional and personal and and I can't exist in separate worlds, but I think definitely in the last few years where It just has been such a trying time in more ways than one. I feel this day most proud of how I show up in the world and I'm really proud of how I show up for people that I work with and people that are my friends, my family, anyone that I interact with, but that can also extend to like those short interactions that you have with strangers.
I think how you choose to show up like we don't have a lot of control and I'm very aware of how little control I have over so many things. But I do feel That that lesson of I can still choose how I show up Is what I feel most proud of and and in that same vein, I feel very proud that when I look around me, I feel very inspired and very supported and very proud I that I'm around, like, surrounded by because they also show up in similar ways. So I find that to be, like, just the, the energy, the push, the strength, the, I feel invincible in that way. And, and I feel very proud of cultivating that. I think community is such a big piece of, of it, or how I feel, like, the, the, the purpose part of my existence. You know, just those moments of community connection showing up well.
LT: That's a key word. That's a key word that Lisa just said is eagerly. Um, we have to give a shout out actually to Brian Cookstra and, and to Francesca Ernst Kahn, who also with Clinton Foundation really said, Oh, you got to have Lisa on the show. So we're thrilled to have Lisa because Yes. Yes. Oh yeah.
DC: Give her some love.
LT: Give them some love. And we, truth be told, we, you know, we, we are very transparent here and, um, both for the folks here as well as our, our, our podcast audience, we've just, uh, nailed this down in the last few days and Lisa has shown up just incredibly well. She has been a joy to work with and she mentioned the word eagerly, eagerly, smartly. And with a smile, and that's the way you show up and not only do you represent yourself, but this incredible organization right? World Central Kitchen in a way that is awesome for everyone. So we get that. That's an awesome thing to be proud of.
Lisa Abrego: You would say I am on brand. Yeah,
LT: Very. That was it.
DC: All right, Lisa. So you talked about proud of the way you show up. Let's go back to Any one of your work or life experiences, you pick one and let's say that, uh, there were two people conversing, you're not there, but they're talking about you and they say, you know, that Lisa, you know, she, she really, really shows up every time. So let's say one person saying that. And then the person that they're talking to says, when you say she shows up, I'm doing air quotes, Brand Nerds. What do you mean that Lisa shows up? How do I know and see that? What would they say?
Lisa Abrego: Enthusiastically. Ah. Better word than eagerly.
LT: You said eagerly, but enthusiastically better.
Lisa Abrego: And, and I think just very openly. We, we've, we talk about vulnerability way, way too much to the point where that word doesn't mean much anymore.
But I do think just whatever your 100 percent looks like at any given moment, I think that is what showing up means. And. Dependability and consistency and character mean a lot to me, and so even if the circumstance can be really tricky, like, I really, it really means a lot to me when I know what I'm going to get from other, like, from the person that I'm dealing with, and I like to be consistent for my team, my friends, my family, whatever it is. Um, I usually show up very loudly and with, with snacks.
DC: Oh, snacks? Yes. You got some snacks up here?
Lisa Abrego: No, no. Susan's in charge. Okay. Um, but just warmly with a lot of curiosity, lots of questions. Um, I'm a sucker for, for a very deep, interesting conversation and just peeling back the layers and existing fully and confidently in that.
DC: Thank you.
LT: And that goes to authentic it's authentic too. Yeah. That's really what we're saying. D, should we, uh, go to the next section?
DC: Let's do it.
LT: All right. All right, so Lisa, this is something we love. This, our next segment called, What's Poppin What's poppin D?
DC: What's poppin?!
LT: All right, this is our chance to shout out, shout down, or simply air something happening in and around marketing today that we think is good fodder for discussion.
So, here's what we're gonna, we're gonna take this. I'm gonna kick this off. Please. So CGI and WCK are what's poppin So Lisa, can you talk to us about how all the wonderful things going on with World Central Kitchen, including your new WCK cookbook, right? And how you've come together with CGI, including your wonderful Stories of Hope installation in the main lobby at the conference, which is both an incredible testament to what you do and also fits in seamlessly with President Clinton. Being from Hope, Arkansas. We see all Lisa. We see all. Can you talk about that?
Lisa Abrego: You know, even in the last few hours, I've had wonderful conversations with people that know World Central Kitchen from something that I have already forgotten about because it was like 2-3 years ago. And it's like, Yeah. Um, but I guess like the key piece to know about WCK and I've been alluding to it a little bit is is that magic is, is real and it is the people. It is that incredible, incredible things happening because of the determination, the sheer determination and, and truly feeling that urgency and making sure that we're able to meet the need wherever it is with the best meal possible at any given time. And, and it's, it's been a whirlwind of a, the last few years.
I, I think, uh, the pandemic took the world by storm, obviously, and and it It was a huge leap for the organization in terms of how we diversified and expanded how we worked with restaurant partners and all around the country and in different places around the world. But then, at the same time, we've still been dealing with hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanoes, different things like that. But then also, the war in Ukraine has been a pivotal moment for us as an organization. We've been there since the day after the invasion began, two February's ago. Um, Um, and somehow our team again, the incredible team, right? Um, was able to produce this incredible compilation of so much more than recipes.
It's truly what captures the essence and the brilliance and that magic of World Central Kitchen. And it's like captured or segmented by World Central Kitchen values like urgency or empathy or joy. And It's like telling those stories through these recipes or through the people that cooked these recipes or the instances that they were existing in and the circumstances that we were trying to address.
So the cookbook is truly fresh off the press. It came out last Tuesday. Wow. How can people get it? Anywhere you buy books. Okay. Um, if you're lucky enough, maybe there's one in your future if you're here. Uh, but yeah, wherever you buy your books, support your local, uh, small bookstores is just the plug I need to make. Um, just for me, not for anything else, but, uh, it really is like, uh, a very special, very fun, very joyful, uh, compilation of, of the things that make World Central Kitchen, World Central Kitchen.
LT: That's awesome. I have to follow up. The cookbook is wonderful. It's sort of a tangible manifestation of what you guys are doing worldwide and folks, really, we, we picked it up. It's so great. It sort of imbues the spirit of WCK. What I'm struck with, and I would love if you can talk more about it, Lisa, is how Chef Andreas and his wife Patricia, it seems like the whole organization is, is just imbued with their wonderful spirit. of just, again, a flood in Eastern Kentucky, we're there. The fires in Maui, we're there. Of course, the Ukraine. And all these places all over the world, and there just seems to be just a, uh, and it goes with the, with the Clinton Foundation folks, with this, this do it spirit, right? Uh, a can do spirit. Can you talk a little bit about, about he and his wife and and the manifestation of that in the organization truly,
Lisa Abrego: um, Jose is a force and incredibly magnetic and a true visionary.
LT: Force is the perfect word, right? Oh, absolutely.
Lisa Abrego: And and it the beauty of of our mission is that isn't it simplicity. It is like the best meal possible as quickly as possible. And I'm careful about how I phrase that because sometimes it's It's quickly assembled sandwiches and sometimes it's like prepared veggies and grains and a pro even a more traditional looking.
Like meal. Yeah. Yeah. As compared to fruit and sandwiches. Right. But. The, the goal truly is to every day try to show up a little bit better.
LT: Yep. Show up again.
And I think in terms of the seed or multiple seeds that Jose plants through World Central Kitchen, but in spirits around the world, I would say is in that belief of you can, you can do any, anything to meet the moment and you can truly, and there was an interview he did last year sometime and, and he kind of scoffed at the notion that people would say like, oh, I wish like I were this rich chef and could help the world And he was like you don't have to be a rich chef. Like everyone is Jose Andres and he truly believes that which is obviously not not exactly the case, but that contagious spirit and willingness to dream big and make it happen. I think is really what what shaped the organization And a huge shout out to Tichi. I'm glad that you're bringing her up. That's, that's Jose's wife, and she is very much a part of the World Central Kitchen team. More in the behind the scenes kind of way, but she has been such an incredible supporter, and, and truly, I think, what keeps Jose sane.
Awesome. And that's the full team, right?
Lisa Abrego: Yeah.
LT: D, you want to add anything?
DC: I do. Thank you. Out front here, uh, Brand Nerd, so WCK has a section right out in front of the main, uh, ballroom here at CGI. So they have stories out. Some of the, some of the, uh, places where you all have been and the number of meals you all have served.
I took a picture of one of them, and it's from Chef Brian. And he says, a quote, "I believe that food is medicine." And there's another quote, not out on the board here, Brand Nerds, but just something from, uh, Chef Jose. He says, uh, "I always say that I don't believe I'm a chef. I try to be a storyteller." It's from him.
Give you a quick experience, uh, over the weekend. So my fiance just completed her move into, uh, our condo literally this weekend. So it's the last day. Thank you very much. So I've got, uh, mentioned I've got three daughters. So my youngest daughter, we got her a birthday gift, her gift was about a week or so ago. Ashley bought her some kind of a thermos, that's my fiance's name. And, uh, so we're, we're, we're lying in the bed because we're sleepy, we're just like exhausted. And, uh, Ashley says, uh, well let's call Sydney, that's my youngest daughter, let's call Sydney and tell her that we've got a gift for her. And I was like, uh, baby, if you call Sydney and tell her you got a gift, she's going to come over right now and get that gift. So you think so? Yeah, I think so. So we call Sydney. Sydney says, Oh, that's great. We get off the phone. Not 60 seconds later. Hey, what's up Sid? Hey dad, can I come over now and get this gift? So she comes over. Then, uh, my middle daughter, Lauren. And then after that, my eldest daughter, Haley, comes over. They're all over there.
LT: Who's a producer of the show. Yeah, producer of the show. Haley is a crack producer of the show.
DC: So Lisa, we ordered Thai food and so we sat spontaneous and prompt to eating Thai food together. Food was more than food for that occasion. Stuff's beautiful in all those places. So when I hear these quotes from Chef Brian and Chef Jose, it sounds like you all, too, believe that food is more than just food. Why is that?
Lisa Abrego: We say food, like, it's more than a meal. And it truly is because it's a sign that someone cares, there are people that are going to be willing to show up for you. And with the sincere belief that that will show up as much as possible, like the next day, the next day and whatnot, and that someone's really taking the time to care. And we all have our own version of what a mom or a grandma or someone would cook for us to make us feel better or cook for us to celebrate or whatever it is.
And there are so many beautiful traditions throughout. Different cultures that use food to, to share that love. And so, and it, and it truly is, let me, let me give you a piece of myself, my culture, where I come from, this land or whatever it is. And to, to be able to share that in that, that moment as a form of support, as a form of love, as a form of connection. And so we do sincerely believe it can be all of those things. And particularly when juxtaposed. To either very haphazard or not particularly nourishing or comforting meals. That can often be what people are having, like if there's no electricity or running water or cold storage and that kind of thing. To receive a meal that has been carefully prepared with love and and that does feel good. That does feel like something your grandma would share or cook for you. And I, we, we do sincerely believe it. It means so much. And there are so many instances that our relief team and our chefs particularly have shared from around the series of responses that we've had over the years.
How meaningful these these points of connection have have have been. And a lot of times, too, it can be some of the chefs that are working with us will travel to a new place and then have to learn how to cook these things. And and we will we truly prioritize working with locals, um, to learn what those recipes should be or what the customs are, what the preferences are.
And that like collaboration that happens that partnership that happens is is really special.
LT: Thank you. Lisa. You said something so interesting. Uh, I think everyone in this audience are Brand Nerds out there. Everyone is going to relate with what I'm going to say. I have a I have a grandmother happens to be a Jewish grandmother who cooked chicken soup from scratch and she taught my mom how to cook it. And my mom taught my sister how to cook it. And as soon as I even hear the words chicken soup. But if I really smell that chicken soup. It has an incredible meaning to me. Not just that the soup is amazing, but there's a connection and everyone has that to some degree, their own version of that story. And you all bring that even I, that's why I said, even in the introduction. That's Chef Andreas was talking about the first time in Haiti to even the way, uh, you know, the way the beans were sieved, right? Like, they had to be done right, and so there's that local connection that matters.
Lisa Abrego: Yeah. That's also a recipe you can find in the cookbook, in case you're wondering. Did you know we have a new cookbook?
DC: Good. We're good? We're good. So good. You've been fantastic.
Thank you. Love, love, give her love. Give her love.
Alright, brother, you want to do the, uh, the, uh, show close and then we do a Q& a quick show close and then we... Show close and then Q& A. Yeah,
LT: okay. So, look, Lisa's been amazing, everyone. Um, I'm gonna keep it brief because, uh, we don't have that much time. So I got three main ones. Yep. Like Lisa did, brand nerds, folks in the audience, just show up with your genuine self.
Just show up with your genuine self, and a lot of times people just show up, but they're not genuine to who they are. Lisa has done that, and it's been incredible for both Lisa and the people that she's... That she works with and and has as she talks about her life is blurred professionally and personally. So that's number one. Um, number two, I love with Lisa was talking about with the emails with WCK that there's not just, Oh, we're going to email people every 48 hours or whatever the recipe is. Pardon the pun for, uh, for marketing folks out there. But you really should, as a marketer, just think about doing things authentically when it matters. So people really understand that when you're talking to them, it's authentic and you're not just doing it because it's on some spreadsheet somewhere. So that's number two. And the third one is, just like Chef Andrea said, you can do anything, anyone out there, you can do anything to meet the moment. It's all up to us individually. I love that. So those are my three.
DC: Those are good, LT. Let's give LT some love on those. There you go, LT. Lisa. So I know you've listened to maybe a couple of our podcasts. What I attempt to do is, um, Really figure out who is this human in front of me? What is it that this person is bringing to the world, in my opinion, that is unique to them?
Unique to them. And, um, I make an attempt to describe that, so I'm gonna try to do it now. I'm gonna do my best here.
Lisa Abrego: I'm so ready.
LT: Right.
DC: You answered the question about, uh, your favorite brand experience, and you talked about a small coffee shop in El Salvador. You said no hate to Starbucks and no hate to Starbucks, but you said you, you, you liked the, the, that it was polished but no frills.
This was something that you, that you really liked about this particular, uh, coffee shop. Next is you're at WCK now, but you were at Edelman. Edelman's a pretty big organization. Uh, Google, one of the sponsors here. They're a huge organization. You have made a decision that you're going to work at WCK.
Smaller. You're going to be there. And then you talked about how you showed up to serve soup. Well, you just showed up first. You didn't know you were going to be doing soup. Then, when they said, Chef, you're up in front of the house, back of the house, and then you kind of find your way into preparing the soup.
And then when you get done doing it, Chef comes over to you and says, This is the first time I have not had to worry about the soup. I don't have to worry about it. And then you were then given the name, um, I'm sure with great adoration, Soup Lady. Soup Lady. And you said people lined up. Lined up. And you described, Lisa, how you would come, uh, to do your volunteer work before work, and then you'd go to work, and then you'd come back and do it after work.
And so people are lining up, and you are serving these cups of soup. When I put these three things together, your love of this smaller coffee shop, and I think about your selection now of your career path, WCK, not small in impact, but small organizationally relative to some of the, some of the, uh, the corporate, uh, model this in, in, in the world.
And then thirdly, the fact that you have been lovingly given this, uh, moniker, Soup Lady. What I believe is your special sauce, if you will, to the world, is that, Lisa, you use small cups to feed a big world. That's what I believe is primary.
LT: This is where DC gets deep on us, folks.
DC: Yes, yes. So, and I mean that both literally and metaphorically. So, that's pretty, uh, that's pretty special, Lisa. Welcome. You're welcome. All right.
Lisa Abrego: All right. Okay. So, uh, now we're going to go to the section. We got a little less than five minutes. We're going to do some Q& A, so if we can get the, uh, the house mic here. Who's going to step to the mic first to ask any question that you'd like? Oh, right here, I go. Now, before she goes, uh, Susan, can you give her one of the cookbooks?
See, this is the prize. You know, and you know what? I collect cookbooks. There we go. Yes. Earns a buck.
DC: Thank you very much, Susan. So, the question. Yeah,
Audience Question: First of all, you guys are great, great hosts. Thank you. Thank you. Great job. You guys are so authentic up there. I love that. And seeing it from front row, it's even better.
Uh, so, you know, you talked about the front of the house and back of the house. I love that. I really didn't know what it meant until we got into the conversation. So do you get to work besides in the back of the house when you're cooking the soup? Did you get to go to the front of the house and see the crowd too?
Lisa Abrego: Listen, I did a good job with the soup then, but I do not do the soup now. We leave that to the professionals, but, um, I exclusively, I mean, I guess that's not true. I do cook. You can't lose it, right? And yeah, I need to take a step back. Um, there is such a beauty to serving a meal that we should all always do. Um, and and to be able to have that opportunity to be so connected to the work and see where your work is going. Particularly those of us that worked in comms, marketing, whatever it is, we're usually behind a computer or just glued to our phones and to be able to that's that's what was so compelling to me when I first volunteered that I could see exactly where my contributions were going. We now our team has grown so much more and and professionalized in a lot of ways and we have still great lengths to go In and we're always adapting and always learning and these chaotic circumstances sometimes don't lend themselves to the most polished systems, however, we do have such a, an incredible team of chefs, an incredible team that deals with supply chain and logistics, an incredible team just that supports from so many different angles and I don't make the soup very much anymore, but I'm always eager to help either in the kitchen or definitely to distribute those meals. Um, I'm very fortunate earlier this year I was in Turkey after the earthquakes. Um, and, and, and a luxury that I got to have is that I could just travel around and see what our work to look like in a lot of the different, um, cities where we were helping because it varied so much in terms of how we would have to set up, um, we either built things from scratch or would work with infrastructure that was intact and, and that we could use. So, um, I get to see a lot of that and I get to be a part of it, which is, is really special.
Audience Question: Well, that's great. I know you're based in D. C. Yes. We're an old town. We're a product philanthropist during disaster recovery. Maybe there's some synergies. Okay. Great.
DC: Nice. Great job. Thank you. One right here. One more question.
One more book. This is the last one. Sorry. We got two books. Two books. All right. Give it to us quick.
Audience Question: I just want to ask kind of a personal question. I'm really curious about, um, your childhood in El Salvador and how both your Spanish language And your cultural, um, background have aided you in, in communications, especially from, uh, in a U. S. based nonprofit.
LT: Great question. Great question, Lisa. I don't see the number. 148. I'll keep it. Alright.
Lisa Abrego: When I first started my career, so I promise I keep it short, but, um, I, Spanish is my first language and, and important for all the obvious reasons, but I, I guess I didn't really actively realize how important it was. And part of the reason why I had such an affinity with Jose when I first learned about him is because I heard him talk and he was reflecting on him being from Spain and not like being such a, uh, integral part of the D. C. world. And he said, I know where I come from, but I know where I belong. And in the moment that I heard that was a, early on in, in me having chosen to move to D. C. and, and really make D. C. a home. And, and it, it was words that I needed to hear to kind of understand my role in the, in the world and how I showed up in the world. And it, and it can mean so much more than just like the physical place of belonging, but kind of just a sense of compass or direction and whatnot. And the farther away I am from living in a, in El Salvador or in Latin America, the more I miss it. This has given me a form of connection and, and one of the more meaningful experiences that I've had with World Central Kitchen was going to Tijuana to the Mexico U. S. border and seeing what that was because there were so many people that were coming from El Salvador and of course like Central America and whatnot and, and just to feel that different kind of connection to the work and I'm always looking for ways in which I can use Spanish. I always have a lot more fun and and I do feel like I'm more sincerely connect with people who speak both languages. Um, but it's, it just helps make, I, Spanish is so beautiful and the best. So, it just makes it so, it's a more. flowery, colorful world.
LT: That's a great close. That is a great close.
We're going to go out real quick. Thanks for listening to Brands, Beats and Bites. The executive producers, Jeff Shirley, Darryl "DC" Cobbin and Larry Taman and Haley Cobbin, and Jade Tate and Tom DiOro.
DC: The Podfather.
LT: That's him. And if you are listening to us via podcast, it would be great if you can please rate and review us. Additionally, if you do like the show, please subscribe and share. We hope you enjoyed this podcast and we look forward to next time where we will have more insightful and enlightening talk about marketing.
And that's a wrap. Thank you all. Thank you.
DC: You are listening to a special edition of Brands, Beats and Bytes coming to you live from the Clinton Global Initiative in New York City, LT we are in New York City with a live,
LT: Yes, my hometown.
DC: Your home, your hometown. That's right, your hometown. All right. So for those of you Brand Nerds who may not know about the Clinton Global Initiative and the Clinton Foundation, it's one of their signature, uh, events and gatherings. This is where some of the biggest brains in the world come together to solve the, the world's most vexing problems. It can be established leaders, or they can be emerging leaders, and they all come together under one roof to figure out, what are we going to do to make this place... that we called, uh, the world better, which leads me into our, uh, our guest today, our guest, LT. We are, um, we are, we are quite blessed, I may say, to have this guest today. Uh, as we matriculate through our, our lives, we're seduced into believing, oft times, that if you want to do something good, you want to do something good with your life, you can do that. Make the world a better place, do things for humanity. But then there's this other path that we say it's a, there's a bifurcation, for your vocation. Now that's where you make your money. That's where you get your bag. You don't bring these things together. But today, LT, we have a guest who's actually managed to bring these two parts of her world and life together. And then, finally, I'll say this. You know this, LT. I believe in karma. Believe in karma. And, um, you do good, good comes back to you. You do bad, bad comes back to you. This is just my belief. And, uh, our guest today, LT did something really good by volunteering.
LT: Yes.
DC: And then something really good came back to her. LT, who do we have with us on stage today at CGI and Brands, Beats, and Bytes?
LT: Oh, DC, we have Lisa Abrego in the house today. Welcome, Lisa.
Lisa Abrego: Hello.
LT: It's so great to have you. So, oh, all right, D. We are so thrilled, as you mentioned, to be at CGI in front of a wonderful audience of CGI attendees. For both our live audience and our podcast audience, we need to give Lisa the proper introduction.
But Lisa is currently the director of communication strategy for World Central Kitchen. But before we get into Lisa's wonderful background, we need to get into World Central Kitchen. Mm. Right? So many people know about World Central Kitchen, but we are going to provide our audience here at the Mercury Ballroom and our Brand Nerds in our podcast universe just a Twitter version for those who are unaware or not very familiar. So World Central Kitchen, uh, World Central Kitchen, uh, is first to the front lines providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crisis. In 2010, Chef José Andres ready to use his culinary knowledge and talent to help, headed to Haiti following a devastating earthquake. Cooking alongside displaced families in a camp, he was guided on the proper way to cook black beans, the way Haitians like to eat them, mashed and sieved into a creamy sauce. It wasn't just about feeding people in need, it was about listening, learning, and cooking side by side with the people impacted by the crisis. This is the real meaning of comfort food, and it's the core value that José, along with his wife Patricia, used at the center of founding World Central Kitchen. Chef Andres says World Central Kitchen started with a simple idea at home with my wife Patricia. When people are hungry, send in cooks, not tomorrow, today. The key, it is done with urgency and with locals. Now let's pivot to Lisa. From early in her career, Lisa has been an astute partner in helping companies navigate the modern landscape and define their approach to communications and digital strategy. Lisa first earns a political science and communications degree from Purdue University, and while in college, also spends semesters abroad in both China and Italy. After graduating Purdue, Lisa has a couple of interesting internships with Inter American Dialogue and the El Salvador Embassy, before starting another internship in digital public affairs at Edelman, the largest independent PR and communications agency in the world, before obtaining a full time gig at Edelman, first as an assistant account executive, and then working her way up to senior account executive. Lisa's doing really well with Edelman, including helping play an instrumental role in building the strategy and analytics team within DC's Edelman digital practice. She then gets tapped on the shoulder to join Artemis Ward as a creative strategist for the global digital first agency, focused on crafting dynamic experiences that ripple in the modern world. In less than four years there, Lisa works her way up to VP of Strategy. And here's what DC was talking about. And while in that role during the 2019 federal government shutdown, she first dives in with World Central Kitchen as a volunteer. Lisa quickly earns the reputation as a dependable soup lady, and a few months into the pandemic, there is a confluence of passion and profession, and she joins the organization as Director of Communication Strategy, overseeing external engagement and communications for the Emergency Food Relief Nonprofit. No surprise here, Lisa is also an active volunteer with other organizations, including serving as a Spanish as a Second Language teacher, partnership in venues coordinated for Creative Mornings, and at JFK Center for Performing Arts. Lastly, Lisa cherishes exploring cultures and places near and far on her bike through travel, books, and different foods, and she never misses an opportunity to share bits about El Salvador, her childhood home. Welcome to Brands, Beats, and Bytes Lisa Abrego.
Lisa Abrego: Thank you for having me and for that extensive research.
DC: Yes, let's give her some love. Let's give her some love. Larry. You always do such a wonderful job giving our guests their flowers.
LT: It's all about Lisa though.
DC: It is all about Lisa. It is all about Lisa. All right, so Lisa, we next go to, uh, Get Comfy. This is when we go into an area just to get you comfortable, warm up here. But before we do that, we got to do a couple of shout outs. First is, uh, the reason why we're here in front of you at this conference. This is our first, uh, our, uh, second time here. We were here last, uh, last, um, September as well. One of our business partners in the lead of this practice. Her name is Susan Schoenfeld. She's right here. Give her some love Thank you, Susan for bringing us here. Thank you, Susan. And then Jeff Shirley is our business partner and heads production for the for the podcast. So love you Jeff. All right, so you volunteer you volunteer and then that becomes this opportunity a new career move for you. No doubt you had some things to do before you decided to volunteer and become a soup lady.
I think, Lisa what, what made you volunteer part one and then part two as a job opportunity started to materialize? What was happening with you?
Lisa Abrego: So I had been, uh, as a, as a D.C. Person, one very naturally and quickly becomes a fan of José Andres. And so I had just been following his journey as a restaurateur. And then, of course, It's the evolution of World Central Kitchen and with its transformation in 2017 to become the disaster relief organization we know now. And I, I had some friends in, in the industry and one chef who had helped World Central Kitchen in Tijuana post about looking for volunteers when the government shutdown was happening. And I would have never imagined that D. C. would be. Where help of that kind was going to be needed. But, of course, I I, I quickly messaged him and said, like, I would love to help. I, as you reminded me, have volunteered in a lot of different organizations in the past as a way to feel connected and contribute to my community and in different versions of that community, the creative community, or just neighborhoods that I'm in. And I... I didn't hear back from World Central Kitchen when I was like, hey, I'm around, like, I would be happy to be a volunteer. Now I understand it's such a heavy, hectic, chaotic time. And definitely back then when the team was so much smaller. But I messaged my friend and I said, I haven't heard back. Like, do you still need help? And he was like, just show up.
DC: Oh, just show up.
Lisa Abrego: Just show up.
DC: Okay.
Lisa Abrego: And so I did. Only to find that I was told like two hours before all the other volunteers. And the only person there was the chef. And he asked me, Are you front of house or back of house? And I had no idea what that meant. And I said, I don't, like, I'll do whatever you need me to. He was like, well, if a chef sent you, we'll put you in the back. And that, since I was there so early, we started on the soup because it was January, the government shutdown was. It was very cold and soup was very important. And we, we started these, like, huge vats of soup. And then at the end of that day, we Chef Matt Adler, who's a fantastic, incredible friend of World Central Kitchen and an outstanding chef in himself and one of the best leaders I've ever met. But he told me today has been the first day I didn't have to worry about the soup. And I said The first day. Yeah, I was like I just followed instructions. He's like, you have no idea how many times it's either burnt and we've had to thrown it out. It's just been an inconvenience. Today was the first day and I have to think about it. Can you come tomorrow? So I did. And I think that it was like Saturday, Sunday, and then Monday of MLK weekend.
DC: Okay. Um, soup each day?
Lisa Abrego: Every day. Every day. Every day. Every January. Yeah. Oh, yeah. And the lines were so long. Impressively long. Um, of people.
LT: What kind of soup?
Lisa Abrego: We made so many different kinds and honestly, we get so creative because like one of the ones that will forever be very memorable to me is we had tons of, uh, like dried, I think it was shiitake mushrooms, but they were, we had to work with them a lot to make, because they were, I don't know. I was just following instructions, but, um, lots of really, really hearty veggies and sometimes grains would be in them like farro or quinoa and, and very fragrant, very delicious, very comforting. At the end of the day, it's all about those like nourishing, like cozy, homemade, homemade meals. But long story short, or long story, not as long. I kept showing up at that point. I still had to go to my job. So I would come before work, get the soup started, and then would go to work and then would come at the end of the day and help out. And just, wow. I became the soup lady.
LT: You know what I'm struck with D?
DC: What?
LT: Is that really Lisa, they said, just show up. When you think about it, that's what World Central Kitchen does. Is just show up right? Everywhere there's crisis, World Central Kitchen shows up and so there's something in the culture there that Lisa fits seamlessly into right away.
Lisa Abrego: Yeah, I think that's exactly true. It's sometimes like a no questions asked, I'm just gonna show up and be here. And I think that's embodied outside of the, the very direct immediate people just showing up in, in the times of disaster. But it's just how our team shows up for each other, I think. It's a truly special camaraderie and willingness to show up entirely as, as oneself and then to show up for, for whatever needs to get done.
LT: That's, that's it.
DC: Yeah, I got two takeaways. Uh, we did a introductory to not for profit branding that was set up through, uh, CGI a few weeks ago. And, uh, one of the, um, uh, the organizations, uh, that was on that. Uh, podcast, I mean, excuse me, that workshop came up before our podcast today and said, introduced himself. Hey, I saw you guys on the work. Brett. Shout out. So it was a shout out to Brett. Shout out to Brett. And so, uh, the first thing that we, um, that we have to deal with, particularly when we're talking about not for profits, I said, well, you know, we, we don't have like these 300 million marketing budgets to establish our brand. And I believe you said a friend of yours told you and you said, Yeah, I'd like to go do this. You were in correspondence with a friend and then you just showed up. I don't think any marketing material hit you. Just a conversation with a friend. Is that how it, is that how it happened?
Lisa Abrego: Yeah, and I had just followed the story, the development of both Jose and the organization, and I felt that affinity, which so many of our team members and audience feels now, but it's just, yeah, eagerness to help.
DC: Yeah, no, no, no, like WCK does not have a, just, I don't know, a 800 million media marketing. Oh, definitely. So it worked, it worked. Uh, the second thing is this. I, uh, so the Brand Nerds know I've got three daughters. So I'm a girl dad and I tell them that, uh, your gifts are not for you. Your gifts are for others. You gave a gift and they lined up for your gift. And so I think that's dope.
Lisa Abrego: Thank you.
DC: Yeah, you're welcome. You're welcome. All right. Any more on Larry before we go to the next section?
LT: Just one quick thing. I think the passion Lisa and I were talking about this, the passion, if you can talk a little bit about the WCK audience, right? And you were talking about when you guys do emails, you know what amazing response you have, right?
Lisa Abrego: Yes. Um, big shout out to the team that is here and I would be remiss not to give a huge shout out to my colleague, Sammy Higgins, who's out there. Um, and she has really just taken to be the like, immediate point of contact. This is what, how our incredible ever growing audience around the world, learns about what World Central Kitchen is doing and how it's doing it and how it's living out that mission. And it is that, like, incredible responsibility of how to capture those stories, share those stories in a way that is meaningful and compelling and that it's shared at the right moment and in time.
One of the kind of was telling you earlier one of the earlier conversations that Sammy and I first had I was like Why aren't you sending these emails at a certain cadence? It's just like we don't have anything to say then people don't want to hear from us And like that was something that I I really had to learn coming from agency and client side of following like a more rigorous pattern or what best practices were and whatnot and and instead truly truly internalizing and prioritizing like, what will your audience most want to receive, most respect and, and mean more to them?
DC: Love that. All right, Lisa, um, our next section we call typically five questions, but we don't have time for five questions. So it's gonna be three questions today. And we're gonna walk away, uh, from, um, uh, WCK for now and get into your experience with brand. So I'll ask a question, Larry will come next, and then I'll, I'll close it out.
So the first one is this. Take us back in time when you were experiencing a brand and you, you were so into this brand that you lost track of time, like it kind of, kind of like made you have, if you were in, um, in the UK, like us where Susan lives, chicken skin, it excited you, you were enthralled, almost like a first love.
What was this first branding experience like that for you?
Lisa Abrego: The way you even phrase that question is like brand experience and that's when I, when I reflect on a first love for a brand, I, I'm taken back to when I was in middle school, high school, and I grew up in El Salvador where we have a strong affinity and, and eagerness for a lot of American products and also being a teenager in the early 2000s, you just love Starbucks and Starbucks.
That's not the answer though. Oh, okay. And the Starbucks experience is just the context I want to say, okay. But there was a little coffee shop that opened on a new outdoor- ish mall. That was Salvadorian coffee and the first of its kind, and it was all about the experience. Mm-hmm. and even the music that they played felt unique and it was not, it was polished but no frills.
Mm-hmm. and you would learn so much more from that one cup of coffee, even though they weren't writing your name on and calling it . They had written it on the side of the cup, but I, I really. Sometimes like a nostalgia for those smaller places. I think
LT: What's the name of it?
Lisa Abrego: It was called Viva Espresso.
LT: Okay, give them a shout out, right?
Lisa Abrego: Yeah, they're fantastic. If you're ever in El Salvador, they have that one in particular doesn't exist anymore at that. So the, the outdoor mall still exists, but, but it's, I think of the three coffee shops that are there, like one of them is Starbucks and the other are just the other one's Juan Valdez, which is a good one. Another coffee chain and no shade to the chains, but I think from a brand experience, like that smaller brand felt so much more unique, special, and like it was telling me so much more of a story and something that I really enjoyed.
LT: Very interesting. So do you think that had any, uh, part of your thoughts as you now are in your position? Does, has that influenced you?
Lisa Abrego: I've found a love for, and everyone says these days, but like for the, the power of storytelling, but it's truly, for me, it's finding all the right words or the, the, the cracking the knot on something that, and, and how do you share that and, and finding like a very nuanced message, whether it's positive or negative or tricky or not, and, and really conveying it in the most sincere way and packaging it in the way that makes most sense for whoever's going to be receiving it. So, in some ways, sure, I don't think that I was thinking necessarily what I was going to do. Right. But, but in, in other ways, I guess we could apply it from, from the standpoint of, like, especially the more time I spend not living at home, the more I crave that, that culture and that kind of thing.
LT: That makes sense. Yeah. That makes sense.
Lisa Abrego: Yeah, and like, responsible consumption and just that kind of thing.
LT: Right.
DC: Yeah. In, in some ways, uh, your organization and many that are in the non, uh, profit, uh, sphere, while you have a disadvantage in terms of marketing resources to typical corporate, uh, brands and organizations, you do have an advantage in, uh, in the fact that you're able to make, uh, deeper emotional connections.
Yes. And so your earlier conversation about the cadence of emails going out. In addition to you talking about the smaller, uh, coffee shot and coffee shop in El Salvador. Uh, no shade to a Starbucks. They're okay. They're okay. They make a very good, uh, shake and express of brown sugar. But, uh, that notwithstanding, um, yeah, these emotional connections are, uh, are critical in branding. Left side. Right side of the, uh, of the brain.
Lisa Abrego: Yeah, and it, and it's so much more meaningful. I, I think also what really shines at a, an organization like World Central Kitchen is we, we've been talking about how engaged and, and like that strong affinity that our audience feels for the work that we're doing and how much it resonates.
But it really also so much for the people carrying out this work and that includes volunteers. Absolutely. But that also includes our staff members who are just pushing the envelope in terms of what should be humanly possible. And, and I do think that that passion shines. And necessarily it's that resilience like comes to life through that, and so we might not have the budgets, but the willpower is truly incredible.
LT: I love that Lisa shouting out her colleagues,
Lisa Abrego: They're incredible. Yes, yes, They're incredible. yields are very helpful.
LT: That's awesome. Yes. Nope. Next?
Next question. Yup. Yeah, So, D. You know, Lisa, look, look at what Lisa's done. She's still a young woman. She's been incredibly successful. For this wonderful organization, right? She's had a bunch of wins throughout to get her here. Oh, I see where this is going, Lisa. But we don't want to hear any,
DC: I don't want to hear any of that.
LT: We don't want to hear anything about that. No, what we want to hear from you, Lisa is what's your biggest F up?
And what did you learn from it and
DC: keep keep it a stack We want to hear the real the real deal the big stinking one Listen, yes, if you have one,
Lisa Abrego: there are many okay There are many and again the team members really really pulling through and making sure that we
LT: The team members are keeping her from, I don't know,
DC: team members, maybe about to get tucked under the bus.
I don't even get under that bus, but go ahead.
Lisa Abrego: But you did give me a warning that you'd ask me this and see how to find the right, right thing. And the way you phrased it was like, what is like, what lesson did it teach you? And I did, I do remember back to my Edelman days, I was part of a big team that was, effectively, like, doing this, all of this research that would culminate in, like, this one big strategy session.
I think maybe clients were present, I can't remember, but it was high stakes, lots of pressure. And I, I was in charge of doing, like, a slew of reports. And had, like, some resources that I, that I was tapping, but kind of, like, got creative research, and have informed reports that would then help. The broader team arrived at that strategy and I'm looking, looking, looking, and for a lot of these items or people or whatever it was that I was researching, I'm not finding much, so I end up compiling what felt like a bunch of empty reports, but I felt like I didn't have anything to include, so nothing much was there, and when we come to this big meeting, big moment, and people are reviewing things, I'm It looks like I did not do any work.
Uh huh. Mmm. And so, it kind of escalated and became these tense moments of like, I dropped the ball. Like, I didn't do the work, I didn't, or... Right. What happened here? And where was the miscommunication? And then the lesson really there was like, even if you don't find something... You got communicating and sharing all the bits and pieces and all the cumbersome work and laborious efforts that you went through is essential to then also Show that the not finding something is also telling you something.
LT: It's not finding something is actually finding something Right.
Lisa Abrego: Yeah, so that and to be thorough and and capture those things and share them proactively
LT: Right, so I think what you're really saying for the Brand Nerds out there is when you're in a situation that you're doing the work, you can't assume that the people you're working with, especially at a large organization like Edelman and who's probably with a larger client that you're working on, you can't just assume that, oh, they're good and that they know they're good. Interesting, D.
DC: Lisa, thank you. I didn't know whether some teammates of yours were about to get up are safe. Y'all are good for now. We'll see how much further we go. Alright, so a couple things. First is, uh, mistakes are not like wine. They do not get better with time. They get worse. So you're learning of, hey, say something about it is much better. To get that out early. Um, I'm, I'm actually going to do something I've, I've never done at any of our podcasts. I, I'm going to share one of my F ups. I got many of them. I just want to share it. It kind of sparked it. All right. So, um, we will not name the brands to protect the innocent and the guilty, but here's the situation.
I am going to name a couple of artists. So I went out to a technology startup on the West Coast. Five of us were running the company. And, uh, we were launching the brand from California in a smattering in, um, uh, the Nevada area across the country. Uh, wireless, incredibly competitive space. Lots and lots of money.
So those that we were competing against, there were four or five major players. Each of them had a billion dollars per annum in media. This does not include production. My guess is they were spending anywhere. Each of them. 250, 300 million each in production. So we were a startup and we had what is the equivalent of, uh, technically called Squadoosh. Squadoosh. But, but we ended up cobbling together a few bucks and so we did something a little down and dirty. And we called this thing an anthem. And we were connecting different parts of the country, showing artists talking to one another. And we had a track produced and, Lisa, we were just so excited. So, I will tell you the artists.
We had an artist in, um, in Atlanta, we had an artist, uh, out in California, and then we had an artist in Chicago. So, out in California was an artist no one had ever heard of before, because he had not released any, uh, materials called The Game. The Game. Alright. The artist in Atlanta was someone who had just recently been kicked out of a campaign, again, a brand that will remain unnamed. So he was, no one was touching him, but we knew him. We knew him to be a good guy. His name was Ludacris. Okay. And then the artist that was in the Chicago area, you guys kind of see where this is going, had just, literally was about to drop a project that was Kanye West. So we had the three of them talking and, uh, on the phone, crazy dope beat. This thing helped us nationally. So then Lisa, cause that was so successful. We decided we're going to do Anthem 2. Anthem 2. Anthem 1 worked. We're doing Anthem 2. So we did, we were in the same play. We got three different artists. I'm not going to name those artists. I mean, it did pretty good, Lisa and Larry, but it did not do great. Here was my learning. Here was my F up. My F up is I thought the first version could be replicated and made better. Uh, by a second version. That's, that's what I thought. And the reality is, in the marketing and branding world, even if you are taking some learning from some highly successful Act One, you gotta find a different angle for Act Two. And I didn't. I take it because I was the leader. So that was, that's one of my F ups. I have many. We don't have enough time. But, and that's what I learned from it.
LT: That's a good one, D. Yeah. Um, and I love the learning that you had, too.
DC: Cool. All right, we're gonna go to the third and final question in this section.
Lisa, what are you most proud of?
Lisa Abrego: I'm gonna take it back to showing up. I think there's so much like when I think of and the blurred lines between professional and personal and and I can't exist in separate worlds, but I think definitely in the last few years where It just has been such a trying time in more ways than one. I feel this day most proud of how I show up in the world and I'm really proud of how I show up for people that I work with and people that are my friends, my family, anyone that I interact with, but that can also extend to like those short interactions that you have with strangers.
I think how you choose to show up like we don't have a lot of control and I'm very aware of how little control I have over so many things. But I do feel That that lesson of I can still choose how I show up Is what I feel most proud of and and in that same vein, I feel very proud that when I look around me, I feel very inspired and very supported and very proud I that I'm around, like, surrounded by because they also show up in similar ways. So I find that to be, like, just the, the energy, the push, the strength, the, I feel invincible in that way. And, and I feel very proud of cultivating that. I think community is such a big piece of, of it, or how I feel, like, the, the, the purpose part of my existence. You know, just those moments of community connection showing up well.
LT: That's a key word. That's a key word that Lisa just said is eagerly. Um, we have to give a shout out actually to Brian Cookstra and, and to Francesca Ernst Kahn, who also with Clinton Foundation really said, Oh, you got to have Lisa on the show. So we're thrilled to have Lisa because Yes. Yes. Oh yeah.
DC: Give her some love.
LT: Give them some love. And we, truth be told, we, you know, we, we are very transparent here and, um, both for the folks here as well as our, our, our podcast audience, we've just, uh, nailed this down in the last few days and Lisa has shown up just incredibly well. She has been a joy to work with and she mentioned the word eagerly, eagerly, smartly. And with a smile, and that's the way you show up and not only do you represent yourself, but this incredible organization right? World Central Kitchen in a way that is awesome for everyone. So we get that. That's an awesome thing to be proud of.
Lisa Abrego: You would say I am on brand. Yeah,
LT: Very. That was it.
DC: All right, Lisa. So you talked about proud of the way you show up. Let's go back to Any one of your work or life experiences, you pick one and let's say that, uh, there were two people conversing, you're not there, but they're talking about you and they say, you know, that Lisa, you know, she, she really, really shows up every time. So let's say one person saying that. And then the person that they're talking to says, when you say she shows up, I'm doing air quotes, Brand Nerds. What do you mean that Lisa shows up? How do I know and see that? What would they say?
Lisa Abrego: Enthusiastically. Ah. Better word than eagerly.
LT: You said eagerly, but enthusiastically better.
Lisa Abrego: And, and I think just very openly. We, we've, we talk about vulnerability way, way too much to the point where that word doesn't mean much anymore.
But I do think just whatever your 100 percent looks like at any given moment, I think that is what showing up means. And. Dependability and consistency and character mean a lot to me, and so even if the circumstance can be really tricky, like, I really, it really means a lot to me when I know what I'm going to get from other, like, from the person that I'm dealing with, and I like to be consistent for my team, my friends, my family, whatever it is. Um, I usually show up very loudly and with, with snacks.
DC: Oh, snacks? Yes. You got some snacks up here?
Lisa Abrego: No, no. Susan's in charge. Okay. Um, but just warmly with a lot of curiosity, lots of questions. Um, I'm a sucker for, for a very deep, interesting conversation and just peeling back the layers and existing fully and confidently in that.
DC: Thank you.
LT: And that goes to authentic it's authentic too. Yeah. That's really what we're saying. D, should we, uh, go to the next section?
DC: Let's do it.
LT: All right. All right, so Lisa, this is something we love. This, our next segment called, What's Poppin What's poppin D?
DC: What's poppin?!
LT: All right, this is our chance to shout out, shout down, or simply air something happening in and around marketing today that we think is good fodder for discussion.
So, here's what we're gonna, we're gonna take this. I'm gonna kick this off. Please. So CGI and WCK are what's poppin So Lisa, can you talk to us about how all the wonderful things going on with World Central Kitchen, including your new WCK cookbook, right? And how you've come together with CGI, including your wonderful Stories of Hope installation in the main lobby at the conference, which is both an incredible testament to what you do and also fits in seamlessly with President Clinton. Being from Hope, Arkansas. We see all Lisa. We see all. Can you talk about that?
Lisa Abrego: You know, even in the last few hours, I've had wonderful conversations with people that know World Central Kitchen from something that I have already forgotten about because it was like 2-3 years ago. And it's like, Yeah. Um, but I guess like the key piece to know about WCK and I've been alluding to it a little bit is is that magic is, is real and it is the people. It is that incredible, incredible things happening because of the determination, the sheer determination and, and truly feeling that urgency and making sure that we're able to meet the need wherever it is with the best meal possible at any given time. And, and it's, it's been a whirlwind of a, the last few years.
I, I think, uh, the pandemic took the world by storm, obviously, and and it It was a huge leap for the organization in terms of how we diversified and expanded how we worked with restaurant partners and all around the country and in different places around the world. But then, at the same time, we've still been dealing with hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanoes, different things like that. But then also, the war in Ukraine has been a pivotal moment for us as an organization. We've been there since the day after the invasion began, two February's ago. Um, Um, and somehow our team again, the incredible team, right? Um, was able to produce this incredible compilation of so much more than recipes.
It's truly what captures the essence and the brilliance and that magic of World Central Kitchen. And it's like captured or segmented by World Central Kitchen values like urgency or empathy or joy. And It's like telling those stories through these recipes or through the people that cooked these recipes or the instances that they were existing in and the circumstances that we were trying to address.
So the cookbook is truly fresh off the press. It came out last Tuesday. Wow. How can people get it? Anywhere you buy books. Okay. Um, if you're lucky enough, maybe there's one in your future if you're here. Uh, but yeah, wherever you buy your books, support your local, uh, small bookstores is just the plug I need to make. Um, just for me, not for anything else, but, uh, it really is like, uh, a very special, very fun, very joyful, uh, compilation of, of the things that make World Central Kitchen, World Central Kitchen.
LT: That's awesome. I have to follow up. The cookbook is wonderful. It's sort of a tangible manifestation of what you guys are doing worldwide and folks, really, we, we picked it up. It's so great. It sort of imbues the spirit of WCK. What I'm struck with, and I would love if you can talk more about it, Lisa, is how Chef Andreas and his wife Patricia, it seems like the whole organization is, is just imbued with their wonderful spirit. of just, again, a flood in Eastern Kentucky, we're there. The fires in Maui, we're there. Of course, the Ukraine. And all these places all over the world, and there just seems to be just a, uh, and it goes with the, with the Clinton Foundation folks, with this, this do it spirit, right? Uh, a can do spirit. Can you talk a little bit about, about he and his wife and and the manifestation of that in the organization truly,
Lisa Abrego: um, Jose is a force and incredibly magnetic and a true visionary.
LT: Force is the perfect word, right? Oh, absolutely.
Lisa Abrego: And and it the beauty of of our mission is that isn't it simplicity. It is like the best meal possible as quickly as possible. And I'm careful about how I phrase that because sometimes it's It's quickly assembled sandwiches and sometimes it's like prepared veggies and grains and a pro even a more traditional looking.
Like meal. Yeah. Yeah. As compared to fruit and sandwiches. Right. But. The, the goal truly is to every day try to show up a little bit better.
LT: Yep. Show up again.
And I think in terms of the seed or multiple seeds that Jose plants through World Central Kitchen, but in spirits around the world, I would say is in that belief of you can, you can do any, anything to meet the moment and you can truly, and there was an interview he did last year sometime and, and he kind of scoffed at the notion that people would say like, oh, I wish like I were this rich chef and could help the world And he was like you don't have to be a rich chef. Like everyone is Jose Andres and he truly believes that which is obviously not not exactly the case, but that contagious spirit and willingness to dream big and make it happen. I think is really what what shaped the organization And a huge shout out to Tichi. I'm glad that you're bringing her up. That's, that's Jose's wife, and she is very much a part of the World Central Kitchen team. More in the behind the scenes kind of way, but she has been such an incredible supporter, and, and truly, I think, what keeps Jose sane.
Awesome. And that's the full team, right?
Lisa Abrego: Yeah.
LT: D, you want to add anything?
DC: I do. Thank you. Out front here, uh, Brand Nerd, so WCK has a section right out in front of the main, uh, ballroom here at CGI. So they have stories out. Some of the, some of the, uh, places where you all have been and the number of meals you all have served.
I took a picture of one of them, and it's from Chef Brian. And he says, a quote, "I believe that food is medicine." And there's another quote, not out on the board here, Brand Nerds, but just something from, uh, Chef Jose. He says, uh, "I always say that I don't believe I'm a chef. I try to be a storyteller." It's from him.
Give you a quick experience, uh, over the weekend. So my fiance just completed her move into, uh, our condo literally this weekend. So it's the last day. Thank you very much. So I've got, uh, mentioned I've got three daughters. So my youngest daughter, we got her a birthday gift, her gift was about a week or so ago. Ashley bought her some kind of a thermos, that's my fiance's name. And, uh, so we're, we're, we're lying in the bed because we're sleepy, we're just like exhausted. And, uh, Ashley says, uh, well let's call Sydney, that's my youngest daughter, let's call Sydney and tell her that we've got a gift for her. And I was like, uh, baby, if you call Sydney and tell her you got a gift, she's going to come over right now and get that gift. So you think so? Yeah, I think so. So we call Sydney. Sydney says, Oh, that's great. We get off the phone. Not 60 seconds later. Hey, what's up Sid? Hey dad, can I come over now and get this gift? So she comes over. Then, uh, my middle daughter, Lauren. And then after that, my eldest daughter, Haley, comes over. They're all over there.
LT: Who's a producer of the show. Yeah, producer of the show. Haley is a crack producer of the show.
DC: So Lisa, we ordered Thai food and so we sat spontaneous and prompt to eating Thai food together. Food was more than food for that occasion. Stuff's beautiful in all those places. So when I hear these quotes from Chef Brian and Chef Jose, it sounds like you all, too, believe that food is more than just food. Why is that?
Lisa Abrego: We say food, like, it's more than a meal. And it truly is because it's a sign that someone cares, there are people that are going to be willing to show up for you. And with the sincere belief that that will show up as much as possible, like the next day, the next day and whatnot, and that someone's really taking the time to care. And we all have our own version of what a mom or a grandma or someone would cook for us to make us feel better or cook for us to celebrate or whatever it is.
And there are so many beautiful traditions throughout. Different cultures that use food to, to share that love. And so, and it, and it truly is, let me, let me give you a piece of myself, my culture, where I come from, this land or whatever it is. And to, to be able to share that in that, that moment as a form of support, as a form of love, as a form of connection. And so we do sincerely believe it can be all of those things. And particularly when juxtaposed. To either very haphazard or not particularly nourishing or comforting meals. That can often be what people are having, like if there's no electricity or running water or cold storage and that kind of thing. To receive a meal that has been carefully prepared with love and and that does feel good. That does feel like something your grandma would share or cook for you. And I, we, we do sincerely believe it. It means so much. And there are so many instances that our relief team and our chefs particularly have shared from around the series of responses that we've had over the years.
How meaningful these these points of connection have have have been. And a lot of times, too, it can be some of the chefs that are working with us will travel to a new place and then have to learn how to cook these things. And and we will we truly prioritize working with locals, um, to learn what those recipes should be or what the customs are, what the preferences are.
And that like collaboration that happens that partnership that happens is is really special.
LT: Thank you. Lisa. You said something so interesting. Uh, I think everyone in this audience are Brand Nerds out there. Everyone is going to relate with what I'm going to say. I have a I have a grandmother happens to be a Jewish grandmother who cooked chicken soup from scratch and she taught my mom how to cook it. And my mom taught my sister how to cook it. And as soon as I even hear the words chicken soup. But if I really smell that chicken soup. It has an incredible meaning to me. Not just that the soup is amazing, but there's a connection and everyone has that to some degree, their own version of that story. And you all bring that even I, that's why I said, even in the introduction. That's Chef Andreas was talking about the first time in Haiti to even the way, uh, you know, the way the beans were sieved, right? Like, they had to be done right, and so there's that local connection that matters.
Lisa Abrego: Yeah. That's also a recipe you can find in the cookbook, in case you're wondering. Did you know we have a new cookbook?
DC: Good. We're good? We're good. So good. You've been fantastic.
Thank you. Love, love, give her love. Give her love.
Alright, brother, you want to do the, uh, the, uh, show close and then we do a Q& a quick show close and then we... Show close and then Q& A. Yeah,
LT: okay. So, look, Lisa's been amazing, everyone. Um, I'm gonna keep it brief because, uh, we don't have that much time. So I got three main ones. Yep. Like Lisa did, brand nerds, folks in the audience, just show up with your genuine self.
Just show up with your genuine self, and a lot of times people just show up, but they're not genuine to who they are. Lisa has done that, and it's been incredible for both Lisa and the people that she's... That she works with and and has as she talks about her life is blurred professionally and personally. So that's number one. Um, number two, I love with Lisa was talking about with the emails with WCK that there's not just, Oh, we're going to email people every 48 hours or whatever the recipe is. Pardon the pun for, uh, for marketing folks out there. But you really should, as a marketer, just think about doing things authentically when it matters. So people really understand that when you're talking to them, it's authentic and you're not just doing it because it's on some spreadsheet somewhere. So that's number two. And the third one is, just like Chef Andrea said, you can do anything, anyone out there, you can do anything to meet the moment. It's all up to us individually. I love that. So those are my three.
DC: Those are good, LT. Let's give LT some love on those. There you go, LT. Lisa. So I know you've listened to maybe a couple of our podcasts. What I attempt to do is, um, Really figure out who is this human in front of me? What is it that this person is bringing to the world, in my opinion, that is unique to them?
Unique to them. And, um, I make an attempt to describe that, so I'm gonna try to do it now. I'm gonna do my best here.
Lisa Abrego: I'm so ready.
LT: Right.
DC: You answered the question about, uh, your favorite brand experience, and you talked about a small coffee shop in El Salvador. You said no hate to Starbucks and no hate to Starbucks, but you said you, you, you liked the, the, that it was polished but no frills.
This was something that you, that you really liked about this particular, uh, coffee shop. Next is you're at WCK now, but you were at Edelman. Edelman's a pretty big organization. Uh, Google, one of the sponsors here. They're a huge organization. You have made a decision that you're going to work at WCK.
Smaller. You're going to be there. And then you talked about how you showed up to serve soup. Well, you just showed up first. You didn't know you were going to be doing soup. Then, when they said, Chef, you're up in front of the house, back of the house, and then you kind of find your way into preparing the soup.
And then when you get done doing it, Chef comes over to you and says, This is the first time I have not had to worry about the soup. I don't have to worry about it. And then you were then given the name, um, I'm sure with great adoration, Soup Lady. Soup Lady. And you said people lined up. Lined up. And you described, Lisa, how you would come, uh, to do your volunteer work before work, and then you'd go to work, and then you'd come back and do it after work.
And so people are lining up, and you are serving these cups of soup. When I put these three things together, your love of this smaller coffee shop, and I think about your selection now of your career path, WCK, not small in impact, but small organizationally relative to some of the, some of the, uh, the corporate, uh, model this in, in, in the world.
And then thirdly, the fact that you have been lovingly given this, uh, moniker, Soup Lady. What I believe is your special sauce, if you will, to the world, is that, Lisa, you use small cups to feed a big world. That's what I believe is primary.
LT: This is where DC gets deep on us, folks.
DC: Yes, yes. So, and I mean that both literally and metaphorically. So, that's pretty, uh, that's pretty special, Lisa. Welcome. You're welcome. All right.
Lisa Abrego: All right. Okay. So, uh, now we're going to go to the section. We got a little less than five minutes. We're going to do some Q& A, so if we can get the, uh, the house mic here. Who's going to step to the mic first to ask any question that you'd like? Oh, right here, I go. Now, before she goes, uh, Susan, can you give her one of the cookbooks?
See, this is the prize. You know, and you know what? I collect cookbooks. There we go. Yes. Earns a buck.
DC: Thank you very much, Susan. So, the question. Yeah,
Audience Question: First of all, you guys are great, great hosts. Thank you. Thank you. Great job. You guys are so authentic up there. I love that. And seeing it from front row, it's even better.
Uh, so, you know, you talked about the front of the house and back of the house. I love that. I really didn't know what it meant until we got into the conversation. So do you get to work besides in the back of the house when you're cooking the soup? Did you get to go to the front of the house and see the crowd too?
Lisa Abrego: Listen, I did a good job with the soup then, but I do not do the soup now. We leave that to the professionals, but, um, I exclusively, I mean, I guess that's not true. I do cook. You can't lose it, right? And yeah, I need to take a step back. Um, there is such a beauty to serving a meal that we should all always do. Um, and and to be able to have that opportunity to be so connected to the work and see where your work is going. Particularly those of us that worked in comms, marketing, whatever it is, we're usually behind a computer or just glued to our phones and to be able to that's that's what was so compelling to me when I first volunteered that I could see exactly where my contributions were going. We now our team has grown so much more and and professionalized in a lot of ways and we have still great lengths to go In and we're always adapting and always learning and these chaotic circumstances sometimes don't lend themselves to the most polished systems, however, we do have such a, an incredible team of chefs, an incredible team that deals with supply chain and logistics, an incredible team just that supports from so many different angles and I don't make the soup very much anymore, but I'm always eager to help either in the kitchen or definitely to distribute those meals. Um, I'm very fortunate earlier this year I was in Turkey after the earthquakes. Um, and, and, and a luxury that I got to have is that I could just travel around and see what our work to look like in a lot of the different, um, cities where we were helping because it varied so much in terms of how we would have to set up, um, we either built things from scratch or would work with infrastructure that was intact and, and that we could use. So, um, I get to see a lot of that and I get to be a part of it, which is, is really special.
Audience Question: Well, that's great. I know you're based in D. C. Yes. We're an old town. We're a product philanthropist during disaster recovery. Maybe there's some synergies. Okay. Great.
DC: Nice. Great job. Thank you. One right here. One more question.
One more book. This is the last one. Sorry. We got two books. Two books. All right. Give it to us quick.
Audience Question: I just want to ask kind of a personal question. I'm really curious about, um, your childhood in El Salvador and how both your Spanish language And your cultural, um, background have aided you in, in communications, especially from, uh, in a U. S. based nonprofit.
LT: Great question. Great question, Lisa. I don't see the number. 148. I'll keep it. Alright.
Lisa Abrego: When I first started my career, so I promise I keep it short, but, um, I, Spanish is my first language and, and important for all the obvious reasons, but I, I guess I didn't really actively realize how important it was. And part of the reason why I had such an affinity with Jose when I first learned about him is because I heard him talk and he was reflecting on him being from Spain and not like being such a, uh, integral part of the D. C. world. And he said, I know where I come from, but I know where I belong. And in the moment that I heard that was a, early on in, in me having chosen to move to D. C. and, and really make D. C. a home. And, and it, it was words that I needed to hear to kind of understand my role in the, in the world and how I showed up in the world. And it, and it can mean so much more than just like the physical place of belonging, but kind of just a sense of compass or direction and whatnot. And the farther away I am from living in a, in El Salvador or in Latin America, the more I miss it. This has given me a form of connection and, and one of the more meaningful experiences that I've had with World Central Kitchen was going to Tijuana to the Mexico U. S. border and seeing what that was because there were so many people that were coming from El Salvador and of course like Central America and whatnot and, and just to feel that different kind of connection to the work and I'm always looking for ways in which I can use Spanish. I always have a lot more fun and and I do feel like I'm more sincerely connect with people who speak both languages. Um, but it's, it just helps make, I, Spanish is so beautiful and the best. So, it just makes it so, it's a more. flowery, colorful world.
LT: That's a great close. That is a great close.
We're going to go out real quick. Thanks for listening to Brands, Beats and Bites. The executive producers, Jeff Shirley, Darryl "DC" Cobbin and Larry Taman and Haley Cobbin, and Jade Tate and Tom DiOro.
DC: The Podfather.
LT: That's him. And if you are listening to us via podcast, it would be great if you can please rate and review us. Additionally, if you do like the show, please subscribe and share. We hope you enjoyed this podcast and we look forward to next time where we will have more insightful and enlightening talk about marketing.
And that's a wrap. Thank you all. Thank you.