Episode 7: Breaking Barriers & Embracing Change: A Leadership Journey with Nan Weaver Chambers

The JOY CEO Podcast Episode 7 Summary:

In this heartfelt and inspiring episode of The Joy CEO Podcast, Lori Pine sits down with Nan Weaver Chambers corporate leader, trailblazer, and dear friend to talk about the power of resilience, relationships, and rising with joy. From being the first woman in her role at Coca-Cola to navigating the emotional aftermath of a sudden layoff, Nan opens up about the defining moments in her leadership journey.

Now a leader at Campbell’s, Nan reflects on how gratitude, integrity, and authentic connection have shaped her career and personal life—including a recent marriage and a life-changing health scare.

This episode is a powerful reminder that success isn’t just about titles—it’s about who you are when life tests you, and how you rise with grace and purpose.

If you're walking through change, rebuilding after loss, or simply seeking deeper meaning in your work, this conversation is for you.

Key Takeaways from Episode 7 of The JOY CEO Podcast:

Your People Are Your Power
Nan emphasizes that strong relationships and team culture are at the heart of every success.
→ Audience follow-up: Who’s one team member you could appreciate or connect with more deeply this week?

Lead with Integrity, Even When It’s Hard
From Coca-Cola to Campbell’s, Nan chose principle over politics—and it paid off.
→ Audience follow-up: Where can you choose values over convenience in your leadership today?

Being the “First” Comes With Pressure—and Purpose
Nan shares the real challenges of being the first woman in her leadership role and how she stayed centered despite it.
→ Audience follow-up: If you're a “first,” how are you paving the way for those who follow?

Rejection Can Be Redirection
After being laid off from a 20-year career, Nan rebuilt her confidence and found new purpose.
→ Audience follow-up: What past loss are you ready to see as a launchpad?

Live Like It Matters
A recent health scare reminded Nan to cherish the moment, embrace joy, and lead with love.
→ Audience follow-up: What brings you joy—and how can you make more space for it today?

🔎 Mentioned in the Episode:

• Nan’s transition from Coca-Cola to Campbell’s
  
• The emotional impact of corporate layoffs
  
• The importance of celebrating new personal chapters
  
• Leadership lessons from decades in Fortune 500 companies
  
• Building high-performing teams through connection
  

✨ Reflection Prompts:

• Where in your leadership journey have you shown resilience?
  
• How can you bring more humanity to your team or organization?
  
• What part of your story are you ready to own and share?
  

🧠 Who This Episode Is For:

• Leaders navigating change or career transitions
  
• Women breaking new ground in male-dominated industries
  
• Professionals seeking to lead with authenticity and empathy
  
• Anyone balancing personal growth with professional goals
  

📩 Want to Go Deeper?

• Reflect on how you're building a legacy of integrity
  
• Practice gratitude as a grounding tool during change
  
• Follow Lori Pine on LinkedIn for more real-talk leadership insights
  
• Book a Leadership Strategy Call at loripine.com
  
  

🎧 Subscribe to The Joy CEO Podcast
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📲 Share this episode with someone navigating change with courage and heart

Transcript

Lori: Hello, I am so thrilled to welcome you to today's episode where you are gonna meet my former colleague and dear friend Nan Weaver Chambers. Nan and I had the privilege of working together at Campbell's, where we were both customer vice presidents in the supermarket channel through thick and thin, including the global pandemic. 

We both called on customers. We both managed large teams, and we came together as leaders really trying to navigate our way. We had similar paths. We had both worked for the Coca-Cola company and we really had a lot in common. But what you're gonna hear in today's episode is that Nan had a very storied career. 

She would really lean on the power of relationships and that would serve her well. She would also identify. In this episode, the power of being on a team and what it takes to put together a high performing team and she shares with us exactly what it she did on the outset of working with the team that she's on now to transform form them into. 

A total powerhouse. Nan also is gonna share with us what it took in her personal life to get from blah to ta-da, and I can't wait for you to hear all about my dear friend, so let's get to it. Welcome to another episode of the Joy CEO podcast. Today I have my former colleague and dear friend, Nan Weaver Chambers with me. 

Hello Nan. And welcome. 

Nan: Hi, Lori. Thank you for having me.  

Lori: Oh my gosh. I couldn't wait to see you today. See you over Zoom.  

Nan: I I hope you still feel that way at the end of this.  

Lori: Yes. Oh my gosh. Of course I will. Nan and I worked together for three years. We were peers. We reported to the same manager. We were in the trenches together through COVID and the whole shebang. So welcome  

Nan: Very much. So.  

Lori: Glad to have you. Oh my gosh, yes. Nan saved me many a day with her Wisdom. 

Nan: Back at you.  

Lori: Yes. Yes, yes, yes. So, Nan, tell everybody just a little bit about you, a little bit about your background and kind of what you're up to today.  

Nan: Yeah, so, you know, probably a little different than maybe some of the other folks you've talked to, but you know, I, my career goes pretty far back. 

So if you think about where I started my career right outta school for Frito-Lay and, and, and in Shreveport, Louisiana, and if you know anything about Frito-Lay, everybody starts on a truck. So you, you drive a route truck. And so probably some of my most memorable moments came from running a route and not knowing anything about running a route and just to. 

Some of the just things you see, the things you witness, the things you experience. So I grew up very fast, I would say, on the streets of Shreveport and kind of fast forward about eight years of, you know, ran a route for a year, became a a supervisor, became a team lead for the other route drivers, and then. 

Got transferred from Shreveport to Dallas. And I will tell you that I felt like I had hit the big time when I went to Dallas, you know, so I remember, you know, being in temporary housing and opening up the hotel curtains and seeing all that traffic outside and wondering what in the world have I done? 

But  

Lori (2): big city.  

Nan: Big City had a fabulous leader, female, one of the only female leaders at FritoLay at the time, so I I owe her a huge debt of gratitude for what she did for me in my career, but it was one 4th of July weekend, I was out in a store and you know, throwing product and just checking on stores. 

And I had an HR person from Coca-Cola come up to me and said, I want you to come talk to me. I've been watching you and there are no women at Coke in Texas doing what you do. And of course I was like pretty happy doing what I'm doing and she was like, just come talk to me. Well, it was one of the best decisions of my life. 

Yeah. So spent 20 years with Coke at various and sundry roles, but started out, you know, as a district manager for them. And so you become the first female district manager in the company. You become the, the first at that level to be hired in from the outside. So there were a lot of. A lot of protections put in place at that time. 

'cause we weren't, we just weren't sure exactly what the reaction was gonna be from quite anybody in the organization, but. It turned out to be wonderful. Very was, I was embraced. I think I proved myself, and so I had everybody pretty much on my corner storied career for about 20 years. And then very unexpected. 

We had a, we had a huge layoff at Coke, and so I found myself after 20 years without a position and honestly just, you know, I, I, I was, I think the floor opened up and kind of swallowed me there for a little bit. So I got my bearings about me. I had 60 days to find a role with inside a Coke or I could take the severance package. 

Nothing really popped up, but took the severance package at the end of 60 days. Proud that I worked right up to that 11th hour at five o'clock on my last day. Turned in my company card, turned in the computer, and then on that very first day of truly being unemployed, got a phone call. Which would lead me to this Snyder's Lance Campbell's career that I'm in now. 

And so 29 days later, from severance to signing letter of intent, went to work for this wonderful company and carried many of those customer relationships with me that I had. Fostered throughout my Coke career and has served me very well. So right now I lead a team. I'm out here in beautiful Palm Springs, California. 

I lead the Pacific team of salespeople that call on supermarket chains. We set up the ads, the, you know, space, new items, and we're. Even though we're called the Pacific team because we're horrible at geography, I actually have Texas, Oklahoma, think of that. Yeah. Swath at West and that's the Pacific team. 

So I've got a team of everything from millennial to boomers and they're dynamic and they do a fabulous job every day. And I think that's a probably a, a strength is being able to take some, what I would consider almost misfit toys and put us all together and all of a sudden we became, we become a very much of a powerhouse team. 

So we've had outstanding years, you know, for the past 11 years. And so we are, we've are truly, you know, a force to be reckoned with within the company. So I'm very proud to be on this team and they go to work and just make me look good every day.  

Lori: Well that is a true testament to your leadership, Nan, and oh my gosh, you said so many things I wanna backtrack on, you know, that really there's a theme in this career of yours, of hard work and being recognized. And really you and I have a lot in common with that, that we really never applied for jobs because people saw us and opened doors for us, and that's the power of relationships. And you manage that well. You wanna talk a little bit about that?  

Nan: Yeah, I think that's a great way of putting it and I don't think I've ever thought about it that way, but you're absolutely right. 

It seems like everything that I've kind of got advanced into or you know, was promoted into. It wasn't because I was out there actively seeking it necessarily, but there was a great deal of recognition that came with what I was doing at the time for whatever position I was in. And I think some of the. 

The most memorable ones came at Coke, where I wasn't even seeking to be on the Kroger team and making a move to Cincinnati turned out to be a great decision. But I did that seven times in my career at Coke and I, I think that's a little bit lost today on people. As I even on my own team, when I talk to people about their advancement. 

Everybody wants to take it the next level, but no one wants to necessarily relocate. No one necessarily wants to move, but it served me well. Moving seven times was duly rewarded with every relocation, and it changed my mind a lot about some of the places I was relocated to Lubbock, Texas. Scared to death to go to Lubbock, Texas. 

Thought I would get stuck there forever. Turned out to be some of the most amazing people in the world that live in Lubbock, Texas, Houston Texas, Dallas, Denver, Cincinnati. So it, it's just, you find amazing people and amazing connections. And I'll tell you, Lori, those connections are customers also where I still am in contact with former presidents of the Kroger organization and when I go to those cities to sit, you know, for business or whatever they are like, stay at my house, don't get a hotel. Come stay with me. And those great relationships, you don't wanna lose those. 

Lori (2): That absolutely priceless.  

Nan: It's priceless. 

Lori: Priceless. 

Nan: Yeah. And if it was just one or two, but it's several. 

Yeah. And you still get the Christmas cards from the ones that have been long retired from, from the company, and you just, you take something away from that. Every one of 'em contributed to my career, and all it did was start with Kroger president in Texas that we, he saw the value that I brought and he spoke up for me and endorsed me with the president of Denver. 

Then the president of SoCal and then the Ralph's president. So it just, it Indianapolis, it just conti, you know, it just kind of spiraled and and caught fire, and I absolutely adore those people. It's probably one of the best organizations. One of the best jobs I've ever had was calling on Kroger.  

Lori: Yeah. And what I hear is that when you show up as your authentic self, when you bring that integrity to work with you, people see it, it, it's this attraction rather than promotion. 

You don't have to beat the door down and tell people, this is who I am, this is what I do, this is the value I bring. People will see it and then they'll advocate for you. And that's what happened with you. People just advocated for you because of who you are and what you naturally did.  

Nan: Gosh, I think that's so well said, because if I, it, it because I was endorsed, because I never darkened the door without somebody having contact. 

Them ahead of time or, and doing it on their own. A lot of times, like, I heard you were gonna go meet with this person. So I, I made a phone call, hope you don't mind. And you know, it's really set me up for success. So all of my success that I've had over my very long career, it, it's a hundred percent contributed. 

To, it can be tied back to customers, to team members, to peers, to people on my team. So great leaders that saw something and said, I'm gonna pull this out of you. Just stay with me and be willing to follow me into the fire here a little bit. It'll be uncomfortable at first, but it's gonna be the best thing that happened to you. 

Lori: Yeah. So as much as we're gonna move to an artificial world with an artificial intelligence. We will never, ever replace the value of these relationships and showing up and being in person with people ever. 

Nan: I agree. I agree a hundred percent. You know, and it's, it's, it's a bit scary and it's a bit concerning 'cause you kind of wonder, you know, what, what does get replaced in the world of AI and what, uh, people who didn't necessarily have a certain skill on my team all of a sudden have an excellent skill. 

It's because they're employing the use of AI and you're like, wow, okay. It serves a purpose. It serves a good purpose, but at the end of the day. We win a lot of jump balls in this business because of our relationship. We save a lot of like, what could be a potential fire. You know, we walk out of a fire unscathed because of our relationships with customers that we've built over the years. 

Lori: Yes, yes. And you, you spoke a lot too about the, the power of your team and the team that you've built. You called them, you know, misfits, but together put, you know, they're this. Really powerful toy, maybe a transformer, if you will, you know, that have, have come together and made this really great toy. And I've seen that in person. 

I've seen what you've built. 

Nan: Thank you. 

Lori: And I, I know many of those, those team members that you have on your team, and it's true. They work well, they're, they're like accruing team. They, they row in the same direction. They row at the same speed. Yes. They, they've got the same vision. And what do you think it is that makes that come together for that team? 

Nan: I really think it's about we had to sit down very quickly and identify who we were gonna be, right? So if you're, you're sitting down and you recognize that this person on the team has a certain skillset that maybe is really lacking in someone else, doesn't mean that they have to go necessarily pick that up. 

We are gonna lean into you for that particular attribute and we're gonna lean into you. So once we kind of figured out all how to dance together and that it would be to our benefit to play to each other's strengths. That's when we really started to gel. And then there's a person on my team that he is, he's gonna be where he is until retirement does a fabulous job, but has no aspirations necessarily of moving up or moving out of the team. 

Very much an anchor for us, and you've gotta have those people on the team. But he said something the other day, he said, "Nan. Not everybody can be on this team." So when you're looking to replace somebody, just know we are holding you to a very high standard ourselves because you've gotta put the right person on the team. 

That's gonna be able to hold the rest of us accountable when we drop the ball. It has no fear of jumping in and owning projects instead of letting the overachievers always own the projects. Everybody gets the equal amount of work. And I said, God, that's a great way of putting it. You know, not everybody can be on the team. 

It's a privilege to be on this team. Let's view it that way, and let's always hold everybody accountable, including me. You have to hold me accountable as well. So if there is an obstacle that I need to go remove, that's been in your way? That's my role. My role is to lead. My role is not to manage. And if I could give anybody advice that I wish I had known when I was younger, you can be powerful. 

Don't fall in love with the power, you know? So just spread it around. Let everybody on the team have some power, but you don't have to be that person. Each and every day. 'cause someone's gonna rise to the occasion on the team, but let 'em, absolutely let 'em. 

Lori: Absolutely let them, because then it changes them. 

It changes their career trajectory. It, it brings new confidence and new capabilities to them and yeah. 

Nan: Absolutely. Yeah. We did the strength finders exercise together and it was really eyeopening from the perspective of. Something that actually plays to our top five strengths as opposed to pointing out weaknesses. 

And we could, I, for me, I could very quickly say, oh my gosh, I could never pair this person with this person on a project 'cause nothing will ever get done. But I could absolutely pair this person and this person, and I'm gonna come out with a dynamic end product. 

Lori: Yes. 

Nan: At the end of the day. So, yes. 

Lori: So good. 

Yeah.  

Did you ever participate on a team that was like this team that you're on now, where somebody sat you all down and said, Hey, here's your strengths. Here's how you're gonna work together. Here's the synergy to make the dance happen.  

Nan: Yeah, and it was a, it was actually, I'm gonna go way back because I think you have parts and pieces of that throughout your career. 

Mm-hmm. But one person in particular at Frito-Lay, and she was. At her level. She was one of the very few women in the organization. So, you know, she would tell me that, you know, you go to, she would go to meetings and she would look around the room and go, gosh, where are the women? And then, you know, of course one day she was able to look around the organization and go, gosh, where's the young people? 

So, you know, the perspective changes. Yeah. But she took us as a team, Lori, and she, she was gonna make sure that we could do. We could deliver a presentation in front of a very large audience as well as she could do it. And we were, I was young and my teammates were very young and nervous, as you know, could be. 

But she was like, you're gonna go up on stage. There is no standing behind a podium. You're gonna look the audience, you're not gonna carry notes up with you. You're absolutely gonna learn this process of presenting and being dynamic presenting. And even though we were scared to death every time we had to do it, she was right there with us to guide us through that process. 

And I carried that over into my Coke career, and it served me well right off the bat. You know, as, as I watched even leaders in our company go up to make a presentation that had handwritten notes in their hand, or, you know, or you know, truly reading off a teleprompter and you're like, gosh, you're losing the audience. 

So. She was real big on making us, giving us development that got us out of our comfort zone. And, but she always wanted us to be able to fill in her shoes, like jump in her shoes at a moment's notice if we had to. So it was one of the best things that she ever did for us.  

Lori: Look at that, and you're still using it to this day.  

Nan: Oh gosh, I want my team to be the same way. 

You know, and they are, they, they really could do it at a moment's notice. And they're really, really dynamic when they have to be in front of an audience.  

Lori: Well, especially in front of a customer, right. To have this command and that authority and, you know, to come off ac, come across as that expert. 

Nan: Absolutely. I think the biggest thing nowadays is just learning how to listen better. We, we, we get challenged all the time on things, and what I've learned with my team is we gotta start asking better questions. So when we, before we leave the meeting, let's, let's make sure we've asked. Not just write questions, but we gotta start asking better questions. 

Lori: Curiosity is such a gift. 

Nan: Yes, absolutely. Yes. And everybody wants to talk about whatever project they're in, or if you can be the solution to my problem over here, you know, they'll just pull you right into that. But we are absolutely learning, especially in the environment that was created through COVID, where you weren't sitting across the desk anymore. 

Everything was a Zoom call or a teams call. Yeah. And that still continues to a bit of a degree these days. Where not everybody has to do business across the desk.  

Lori: Right.  

Nan: But some of the most, you know, biggest challenges we've solved is just by being able to ask the right questions and being across from the people. 

And you know, whether that's on a call like this, or whether that's even in a casual setting. Yes, yes. Mm-hmm. 

Lori: Yes. So one of my favorite stories about you, Nan, is that story back in Texas where you were the first woman at Coca-Cola. Let's talk a little bit more about that.  

Nan: Yeah. First one in that particular role. 

First one in that particular division. And yes. So going into it, I, they knew, hey, it may not be received like. I wouldn't be received with open arms necessarily. So we actually had several meetings with the person who ran our, that particular Coke facility, that particular Coke division. He was a man to be reckoned with, and older gentleman commanded a great deal of respect. 

But he grew up in, in the company of Coca-Cola, his family was the fabric of their, so if he said something, people were gonna listen. I was called into several HR meetings before we ever brought me on board, and it was like if you walk out and you're. Your, all your tires are flat. This is what we're gonna do. 

If your car has been keyed, it's just what we're gonna do. 

Lori: Oh my gosh. 

Nan: And I was like, oh my gosh, what have, what have I signed up for? You know? Well, none of that was happening, and everybody was so welcoming. I did find out later on that he had conducted a meeting with the entire facility, brought everybody in, even from the outlying areas, and said. 

This woman's joining our company. I have a lot of confidence in her. If I even hear or sniff of anything, any impropriety with her, you're gonna have me to deal with. So it probably did set me up in a very good way. So they gave me time to prove myself and actually earn their respect. They didn't have to give it to me, but I think they saw very quickly that. 

Hey, I am accustomed to rolling up my sleeve. I'm accustomed to that. There's really nothing I won't try. There's nothing I won't do to make sure that we're taking care of the customer. We're taking care of business, we're growing the business, and I really enjoyed my time. And that was at the Fort Worth facility where I started, and absolutely still adore all those people that are there. 

Lori: Amazing. And again, a testament to hard work. I mean, you'd started your career on a truck. It doesn't get any more, you know, granular than that. Oh, you were in the trenches. 

Nan: Of course. More stories I could tell you. Oh yeah. 

Lori: Nan I wouldn't even be able to reach the pedals of the truck.  

Nan: There. There was that, there's, there was. 

You didn't always, you know, as that person who comes in running vacation routes, you don't always necessarily get the best equipment, the best truck I. 

Lori: No. Or even know where you're going. I'm sure don't know where you, you're going way before GPS and you had maps and.  

Nan: A hand drawn map, and it could be anywhere from a take a left at the wagon wheel. There should be a white horse in the pasture. You know, you get good at asking the customer you're at right then and there. Like, do you know where this one is? Because that's where I'm going next. And they can guide you. But absolutely I it everything from. You get well known at the automotive shops just because like I have took a truck over some railroad tracks in Zwolle, Louisiana. 

Tore the whole muffler off the bottom. Oh, so you're out there trying to pick up this huge muffler that's as big as the truck and put it in and find an automotive shop that's gonna fix that so I can get back to work it? Yeah, it's. Crazy dynamics.  

Lori: So you know, this idea of a glamorous career and we climb the ranks. 

You know, this is really pulling the curtain back and showing, you know, here, here's what I really had to do to grow my career. Zwolle.  

Nan: Zwolle, Indiana. 

Lori: Try to find that on a map.  

Nan: I think they're famous for a tamale festival, so, yeah. 

Lori: Amazing. Amazing. Yes. Yeah. 

Nan: And you're absolutely right. Not glamorous, you're staying in hotels that I was like, are these cinder brick, brick walls? 

And you know, the, the towels look like a ball of string, you know, you're like, wow, y'all should upgrade. 

Right. But. 

Lori: Yes, I came out of a hotel in Starkville, Mississippi one morning, and there was police everywhere there'd been a murder. So I was like, I'm just a girl from Maine. I, I need to get home. Can I click my heels? 

Yes. So traveling on the road by yourself was quite the delight. Yes. 

Nan: It, it was, you know, and. Didn't you, you encounter customers even that where you're just trying to, you're doing your job and you are met even with some prejudices and some biases even from females that are out there, which I, I was astounded by. 

But yeah, this one, she was a, a convenience store manager and she had to like, check in the load I was bringing in and she was like. I'm getting tripped up. I've never had to like work with a female to do this, and I said, well, I, I, hopefully I'm not making it too much different than what you would, you know, if you were counting in Bob over here. 

You know, it's turned out to be a great ally in the end, but just some uncomfortable, you know, it conversations like that, that it was like, wow, I'm, I would always. Bank that and catalog that because it's like, as I grow through my career, I wanna make sure that I'm always like promoting women and pulling them along. 

And yes, it shouldn't just be me or one other person in the organization. There needs to be a lot more, you gotta make 'em feel comfortable. If I hadn't have had like probably the stand and the grid at that time. That would've probably, things like that, that kept occurring would've probably just knocked me in the dirt, you know? 

Lori: Agreed. Agreed, yeah. Started other, other vendors. I started out with a beer company. You know, it, it wasn't pretty. There were, there were moments that were sketchy. 

Nan: Did you have people like. I realized later on there were people who actually took bets. Like, okay, I give her 30 days. Okay. I give her 40. You know, so there's a, there's a pool out there of how long you're truly gonna last and fair or not. 

It's like, wow, that's just something you don't necessarily want to hear about. 

Lori: Yeah, yeah. Yeah. It was the after meetings where everybody went to a strip club and they took, they took bets on if I'd go or not. Mm-hmm. And I went. 

Nan: Did you go? 

Lori: I went. 

Nan: You went? 

Lori: Mm-hmm. A couple different times. Mm-hmm. And then they'd send me over a lap dance. 

Oh. And so to really see how uncomfortable I'd be. And it was in those moments that I would befriend the girl and I would learn some of the greatest tricks, like, you know, how they covered up. You know, some body parts and I didn't know about round circular bandaids were a great, oh yeah. So I, I like learned all these great tricks, beauty tricks, and in those moments when this girl was like right in my face and I was trying not to look uncomfortable. So. 

Nan: That is wonderful. Oh my gosh. 

Lori: Never gonna let him see you sweat.  

Nan: No. And you do get put in those positions Yeah. A lot of times. And you're just trying to keep up at that point and like, yes. Okay. Not gonna be deterred, hanging in there, but yeah. It's something that you're, you're absolutely right. 

A male counterpart wouldn't necessarily be tested or have to go through. 

Lori: No, no. 

Nan: Probably, yeah. Seeing how you react, react to like language, you know? Yes. That's an, that's another thing I was called on some people that. I can guarantee you they didn't have an HR office in their building, just by the language that was used. 

And even store managers when I was, you know, backing up the Frito truck. And I was like, wow. I, I, if I count the number of Fs or mfs, I honestly can tell just how upset you're gonna be today. Yeah. So, yes. Yes, exactly. So I can plan accordingly. 

Lori: So, yeah. And, and you're my favorite. Stop. Yeah. 

Nan: Guess what? Yes. Couldn't wait to get here. It's you. 

Lori: Yes. So we've all gone through reorgs. Most of us, you know, I think I lost count at number 14. 

Nan: Oh my gosh. 

Lori: There's so many reorgs. And you mentioned that you got caught up in one in Cincinnati and it was like musical chairs and there just weren't enough seats. 

Nan: There was. 

Lori: Yes.  

Nan: There was.  

Lori: But that leaves an impact. Talk a little bit about like the mental, emotional, kind of psychological impact that that left.  

Nan: Yeah. And and it was, it was big. So I had just, I had just been transferred from Cincinnati. It was same role, but you were like, we're gonna move you out west and you'll run our. 

We'll just divide the United States in half. You'll have an east counterpart in West. You'll obviously take the west. I wasn't here a year, so you. Bought a repoed house and you're remodeling and you're trying to make a life out here on the west coast that you've never been to. A year passes and you get a phone call and it's that obligatory, it's that five minute phone call. 

It's, and, and I was a little, I was so caught off guard by the call. I actually thought for a moment HR was calling me to. To inform me of something that was gonna happen to someone else. And about four minutes into that five minute phone call, I finally went, wait a minute, are we talking about me here? 

And they're like, yes. And you're gonna hop on a call. It's gonna be a national call. But essentially we've done away with your position. So there were seven VPs, so that I had six other peers across the country that were in the same. The same leaky boat I was at the time. And we get the word that we, those roles are gonna go away along with several others by the way. 

So, but we're gonna make the announcement your team is gonna be on. And so they're hearing for the first time that this call, 'cause I didn't have time to necessarily reach out to anyone and say, oh my gosh, I've just got this news and I'm pretty devastated by it. But so they find out that leads to a whole bunch of phone calls after that announcement. 

Then I kind of get the, yeah, the particulars of what's gonna happen. But the honest to gosh, I can tell you I was sitting right here in this seat and I felt like the floor came up and met me and swallowed me up. At that particular time. I didn't, I wasn't sure if my path forward, I wasn't sure what I was looking at. 

And you're scared, you know? Yeah. You're single. You're, you know, you're dependent on your own income. You just bought this house. You're in a, a new city, a new state, and you're just looking at all the dynamics in. The way Coke did it at the time was we all had my peers and I and everybody else that had been displaced. 

You had like 60 days to go and source something different in the company if you wanted it, interview for that particular role. Or you could take the severance package at the end. Well, there were so many of us displaced and the roles were very few and far between. I stayed, I worked right up to the bitter end of my 60 days. 

Signed my severance papers and fortunately, like I said, I was able to sign within 29 days a letter of intent to go to work for Schneiders Land slash Campbells. But the, what it did to my overall psyche is it there was damage done. No doubt about it. I felt like I was in such a rebuilding mode that. When that, when I was applying for roles, I was like, I'm probably not even gonna be considered for something like another VP position at this company. 

I'm gonna be starting all over again. And that really wasn't the case. But that's the story you tell yourself at the time is, I must have been, I wasn't valuable enough for you to hang onto. I wasn't valuable enough for you to absolutely find me a spot somewhere else. Yeah, it was. It was a blind, a blind reorg. 

Blind layoff, where all it is is really just kind of, not even a name, it's just years with a company and a salary outside it. And then of course, the layer I was in got totally squished out, so Yeah. 

Lori: You, you were too expensive. 

Nan: Mm-hmm. I was. 

Lori: It was, it was not at all personal, but it sure does feel personal. 

Nan: Absolutely. 

Lori: Especially when you had such a good 20 year run. 

Nan: Absolutely. 

Lori: And you put your trust in the company. 

Nan: Mm-hmm. 

Lori: And then to like have it ripped out from under you. It would be so unsettling. It would feel like, oh my gosh, what did I do wrong? What's wrong with me? You know, I felt a similar way when I too was let go. 

Like, I must have caused this. And then it really does damage your confidence and you, you, it does, you go into that job search, you know, kind of on your, your back heels, not really with your best foot forward and. That's tough.  

Nan: It is. That's a great way of summing it up too. It was like you just, you're just on your hind foot the entire time and you're telling yourself, well, you'll be lucky if somebody sees the, your half of your value and picks you up and you continue on in this industry. 

'cause it's not an industry that you necessarily grow up saying you wanna, you know, I wanna be in sales. But you do, once you're in. It's probably the most rewarding and the best job in the world. And rewarding from so many levels. Yes. You know, so whether that's just like, whether it's salary or whether it's just relationships or whether it's just, you know, the people you meet, but it's one of the most rewarding roles and there's a brotherhood with you and other vendors and customers and so. 

Lori: And there were perks at Coke. 

Like you got to go do fun things. I did really fun things at Coke.  

Nan: I did too. Yeah. And I actually caused me to write a reverse bucket list so everybody's got a bucket list of the things that they haven't done and they want to do. I sat down one day and I said, God, I just, I really wanna capture all the great things I've ever been entitled to do. 

Yeah. That post people will never get an opportunity. And I realized once I started the list, and it was several pages long, that there are people that would kill to go to a Super Bowl. There's people who would kill to go to an All Star game. Mm-hmm. Um. That would kill to drive Carrie Underwood around for a day because she was tied with a customer in Vitamin Water for us. 

And so it's just the things you get to do in this role or these roles that so many people don't. So create that reverse bucket list if you want real gratitude list, and you'll see what. What stands in front of you?  

Lori: Yes, yes. Mm-hmm. You know, gratitude has been one of the things that's really been a game changer for me, and I know you and I have talked about this. 

You've been on a similar personal journey about just being grateful and how that can really change our focus from. So much work and so much appreciation for living. The reason why we work and actually living, and you've been on a bit of a personal journey over the last few years, married a little later in life. 

You wanted to share a little bit with everybody, some personal news.  

Nan: I, I absolutely. So you, I meet. I'm, I, I'm introduced to a person who is in the same, in a party and she is in the same business, more or less that I'm in. And so I'm, she came up and introduced herself, thank goodness, and she's like, Hey, I think we're probably the only two people that are still working at this particular party. 

And then I think we're, you know, and then we're also in the same industry. I'd love to get together with you sometime. A year passes. We really don't get together. And then a mutual friend pulls us together for a dinner and so we, we meet up and it's just instant. It's just instant attraction. It is instant connection, and we were really just about inseparable after that. 

So you got two people later in life, never wanted to be married, never really even considered it that all of a sudden. Yeah, Lisa proposes in front of 25 of her family members in Michigan, and I didn't hesitate to say yes. And. 

Lori: And I'm on the receiving end of the text message that says, I said yes, and we're tears and so happy. 

And, and then before you know it, we're all flying to California for our wedding.  

Nan: Absolutely. That's it. So one of the, the best thing I've ever done in my life, so it was, was marrying Lisa and it has been an adventure every day. As one of my Dallas friends said, every great story starts with one time Lisa. 

And it certainly does.  

Lori: Yes, yes, yes. I've, I've been a part of some of those adventures. Yes. But I will say that Nan had a pretty, maybe two dimensional life. You worked and you played golf. That's right. Pre, pre Lisa. Yeah. Yep. And you're pretty content. And now post Lisa. I'm not even sure if you play golf anymore. 

Maybe you do just a little, but you've got this whole full life of friends and travel. I, I mean, you, you were just in Asia, you were at the Masters. You Yes. You are going everywhere somewhere, sometime and, and you still work and keep this high level of performance and engagement with your team, but you also have this full life. 

Am I getting this wrong? I think I've got this right man.  

Nan: You, you've got it right. And I think that was probably the one thing that was missing out of. You know what I would consider these storied careers, whether it was FritoLay or Coke or even Campbell's, but there always was this, hey, single person I, I have the same 12 friends that I've had for 30 plus years, and they are just incredibly wonderful people. 

Never a disparaging word between any of us. Very supportive of each other that we show up for each other. So I thought my life was pretty much like, this is a great life. People would, you know, that are married and have kids. You know, I wake up on the weekends and wonder like, oh, I'm gonna sleep in and what do I do with all this extra money? 

You know, because of all my friends that are married with and have kids, but. Then you get married and you realize, oh my gosh, you let this very special person into your world and she opens up a whole nother world for you. I'm not so sure I've done that for her necessarily. I think I've been more of an attribute on the business side of things for Lisa, but I haven't. 

I have nothing to contribute as far as like, Hey, we're gonna go to Vietnam and Cambodia. Hey, we're guess what? I was able to snag master's tickets and things like that. Just bucket list things that we're doing now. We're not waiting.  

Lori: Yes.  

Nan: And I, and I think that, you know, a recent health scare probably led to a lot of that where you. 

You move things along at a bit of a faster pace, you no longer say, yeah, we're gonna wait till we retire. We're gonna wait till a better time.  

Lori: Yes, health is wealth and any sort of scare would certainly change your priorities.  

Nan: Absolutely. Absolutely. 

Lori: So we're living for the moment.  

Nan: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. We weren't, we weren't married. 

We were married eight months when we got the news that I had been diagnosed with breast cancer and. That changed a lot. It put a lot of things on hold for us, but it also, it showed us just like those same 12 friends that show up and fly in from all over the country to be there for your first round of chemo and supportive of you, your sister, who moves in with you for eight months and is so supportive. 

So we have a relationship that I've never had before with my sister, and we're close as ever. Yeah, but that wouldn't have happened if, you know, we didn't have this health scare, so. Quickly, you know, we get on the other side of everything and, and maybe things don't play out necessarily exactly as we thought it was gonna play out. 

You know, it wasn't, none of it was as simple as we thought it was going to be, but we're very much on the other side of it. It does change your perspective about how you don't wait till tomorrow necessarily for some things you kind of live for today. Mm-hmm.  

Lori: No, and you did get through that. And you are on the other side. 

Thank you. Thank you to all the angels watching. Yes. That was a scary time, but here you are now. Healthy and vibrant and Whew. Traveling and living your life.  

Nan: So like getting to talk to you. 

Lori: Getting to talk to me, getting to share your story with so many people who, you know, I think I think about a younger version of me who might be sitting somewhere in an office or a cubicle or a a car right now or maybe out on a walk with their headphones in and going. 

Is this it? Is this, is this all there is like, it's like lather, rinse, repeat, you know? Yeah. Every day I like, I work, I do the things. I get up and I do it again, and I just feel like there's such an important message to send that there's so much more, and there's so many people just like you, Nan, that have that story to share that says, you know, I had some twists. 

I had some turns, but man, oh man, it sure has been a great ride. And let me tell you a little bit about it.  

Nan: Yeah, well said. And it has been a great ride and it has been amazing. So, you know, my, my career is absolutely rounding third sliding into home plate at this point. So I am proud of the, the young women. 

I'm proud of the young men that are gonna come in behind me and sit in this chair and do a phenomenal job, but well deserved and. I, I look forward to whatever that next thing is for, for me and, and for Lisa in our future. But yeah, there is, I, I just, I, I think that my value now is being able to articulate to some of the younger people, like when I was in your position and when I was your age, here's the things I wish I would've known. 

Here's the things I wish I would've absolutely done differently. And I'm full of those. Full of them. Yeah.  

Lori: If you had top three, what would they be? 

Nan: Oh, I wish I would've known at a much younger age to watch my reaction to things. So you're always gonna get difficult news. You're always gonna get tough news. 

Watch how you react to that because it speaks volumes about you. So there's great power in being able just to sit back and nod and go, okay, I'm gonna think through this and you know, I'm gonna formulate thoughts, but don't necessarily have to be reactive to it. Celebrate others. So you were always wonderful at this, but you didn't get the promotion. 

Bob got the promotion and you didn't. You better be the first to congratulate Bob. You better be the first to send that message that I'm celebrating you, and very similar to someone who gets recognition that you didn't necessarily get, and you're like, gosh, it really did the same thing, but I didn't get a bunch of recognition for that. 

Don't take it personally. Do not. It's just a, it's a point in time. And then be that first again. You're always congratulating, you're always just a cheerleader for the team, for your teammates, and for others. 'cause again, that'll, that'll speak volumes for you. 

Lori: Great.

Nan: And then just. If you're a team leader, you know, lead a team, don't manage a team and just, you know, let them, Tina Faye said it best. 

You hire the talent you get out of their way. And so absolutely do that. Hire the talent, just get outta their way and let 'em, let 'em shine.  

Lori: Oh, I love that so much. I about the congratulating people. You know, sometimes I really have to remind people, people I coach, what have you, people I used to lead. It's her turn. 

It's just her turn right now. Your turn's coming. 

Nan: Absolutely. 

Lori: Just stay the course. Stay the course. Yeah. Hear them on. 

Nan: Great advice. 

Lori: Clap. Clap, cheer. Yeah. And when it's your turn, there'll be people clapping and cheering for you.  

Nan: Absolutely. It speaks to volumes. Yeah. Yeah. So important. 

Lori: Yeah. So important. I love those. Okay, we're gonna wrap this up and I'm going to give you five speed rapid speed questions here to wrap us up. Are, are you ready? 

Nan: Goodness. 

Lori: Okay. 

Nan: Give it to us. 

Lori: So you just give us three great pieces of advice, but what's one piece of leadership advice you wish you'd learned earlier? 

Nan: Oh, it, it would've been, I, I'm gonna go back to be powerful, but don't fall in love with the power. Yes. So a lot of that is absolutely be, be bold, be, but don't fall in love with that power.  

Lori: Oh my gosh. I'm thinking of like four people right now in my head who fell in love with the power and 

Nan: Absolutely. 

Lori: And they, they were awful. They were so awful. Yes. 

Nan: Terrible. And you, you've learned more from the bad leaders in your career Yeah. Than you probably ever have from the great leaders in your career because you come out of it knowing I will never do that. 

Lori: Never ever, ever. 

Nan: Please correct me if I ever start doing that. 

Yeah, yeah, yeah.  

Lori: Yeah, yeah. Okay. A daily habit or practice that keeps you grounded.  

Nan: Oh, that is. That is me checking in with my team and allowing them to be brutally honest. So it could be as simple as, I don't necessarily call everybody, but I'll call everybody at some point during the week and it's like, how did you think that went? 

How did, what could I have done differently? Did I, did I push back enough against this particular thing? They will tell you, allowing your team and just having that interaction, and it's amazing when they. They know that you've personally called them and said, you know, what could we have done different on that particular thing? 

Or what did you think about that town hall that we just had? Yes. And allow them to express themselves and know that it's a safe environment, but that's probably one of the biggest things I do. I know you're probably thinking right. A gratitude list.  

They are my gratitude.  

Lori: Yeah, I know they are. You're so close to 'em. 

Yeah. Nan buys Christmas presents every year for everybody on her team. She is so good. They all love her. They're, she likes Santa. 

Nan: They're so tired of those socks. They're so tired of it.  

Lori: She doesn't give socks. She gives good presents. Okay. What's the most joyful moment in your career so far?  

Nan: Oh, it would've been. 

It would've been a year after, after Coke. I've signed up with Snyder's Lance slash Campbell's, and I'm sitting in a huge meeting at the end of the year, and I get called up to the main stage to take the Henry Wareheim Award. 

Lori: Oh.  

Nan: And it's after a short year with the company. It's the largest, it's our Founders award. 

It's the largest award in the company. Then they didn't stop there. They came and said, Hey, we, we know we, we hired you from Coke. We know we got a value. And it was a substantial, sizeable raise that came along with it. 

Lori: Oh man. 

Nan: I think there's also value in, I think people expect you to haggle over salaries these days. 

Don't be afraid just to say. I'll take it and I'll prove to you why you wanna pay me more at the end of all this. And they did. They were so true to their word, but it was one of the most proud moments I slept with that dad gum trophy for, you know, a month. So  

Lori: That is amazing. That is, and, and that kind of undoes all of that worthiness or unworthiness that you had just experienced in being let go from Coke and, oh, what Great validation and just a. 

A wink from the universe to say 

Nan: absolutely. 

Lori: No, no, I see you. I see you. You are a rockstar. Yes. That is so good. That is so good. 

Nan: I love that one. 

Lori: What's one thing people often misunderstand about success? 

Nan: Oh, that it's overnight, right?  

So that, no. Yeah. Yeah. If you only knew driving a truck through the Zwolle, Louisiana and you know, everything that, that you've had to do to get to this point, I think, yeah. 

I see people that are like, I can't wait for you to retire, Nan, because once you're gone, I'm applying for your role. And, and I'm like, okay. Just be, be mindful of where you're coming from. Be mindful of everything that got you to this point. 'cause it's not always a jumping off point and I. I realize, Lori, things are a lot different when I started my career 30 years ago compared to how careers are built these days. 

Lori: Yes.  

Nan: But even at that, none of it's overnight.  

Lori: None of it. 

Nan: None of it. So none. Yeah. Yeah. Success is success. It's, it's paved with a, a lot of disappointments. That road is absolutely disappointments and. Hard work and just gotta stay with it. Just hang in there. Don't quit before the miracle it's gonna happen. 

But so many people bail and you're like, if you'd have just stayed, this is where you would be. Yeah.  

Lori: Yeah, yeah. Agreed. Okay. Last one. What do you want your leadership legacy to be in one sentence? 

Nan: Oh gosh. I, I, I want it to be that she, she, she, she cared enough that. She thought, she thought of us before herself first, and she left this legacy that said, Hey, we understand exactly what we gotta go do. 

We know exactly what our next steps are and she won't be missed because she prepared me for all this. So there's the testament to a great leader is I'll ride off into the sunset. And I will never be missed because these, these fine folks on my team will absolutely step up and they won't miss a beat. 

Lori: Oh Nan, that's beautiful. 

Oh, that is, and you've trained every single one of them. And I know that they are just exceptional because of your leadership, so 

Nan: Oh, you are. I know that. So sweet. Yeah, you're just too sweet. 

Lori: So good. Oh my gosh. What a treat to get to talk to you today. So many insights and just nuggets of wisdom. I just adore you, Nan. 

Nan: I adore you too, Lori. Thank you. 

Lori: Thank you so much. 

Nan: Thank you for allowing me to do this. Even if it all hits the cutting room floor.  

Lori: Hardly, hardly. People will benefit so much from hearing us today.