What do Taylor Swift, binary code friendship bracelets, and 10,000 people walking into a mall in Indianapolis have in common? A CMO who said "yes, and" to a wild idea from her team — and watched it become one of the most talked-about brand activations of the year.
This week I'm joined by Kelly Hiller, Chief Marketing Officer at Purdue University, and we get into everything. Kelly has spent 22 years at Purdue — not because she played it safe, but because she kept reimagining what the next chapter could look like. Including the day her predecessor resigned and she fired off an email that said: "You don't need to initiate a search. The solution is right here."
She got the job.
We talk about all of it — the career moves that felt risky, the moment she realized hard work alone has a ceiling, and what happens when you have to lead people you used to grab lunch with as peers.
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What You'll Take Away
✨ The real reason the hardest workers don't always get ahead — and the one thing that actually changes it
✨ Behind the scenes of the Taylor Swift STEM activation that welcomed 10,000+ people (for free)
✨ How to build a personal brand rooted in core values that actually hold up as your career evolves
✨ The exact way Kelly navigates the awkward shift of leading former peers — and why she says just address it head on
✨ A "make them jealous" AI adoption strategy that's actually getting her team on board
✨ What 22 years at one organization taught her about ambition, momentum, and paying it forward
The One Thing I Want You to Take Away
Reimagining what's possible isn't just a work strategy. It's a life practice. Whether it's your team, your personal brand, your career path, or how you show up as a leader — the women who keep moving forward are the ones who stay curious and keep asking: what if we tried something different here?
This one is all about S — Success Strategy and E — Empowered Self-Trust in the RISE Method.
Get the weekly RISE Report: www.michellebourquecoaching.com/risereport
Timestamps
00:00 — Intro: What this conversation is really about
03:15 — Kelly's 22-year journey and the email that got her the CMO role
10:45 — The Taylor Swift STEM activation: binary code, elf cosmetics, and 10,000 people
20:00 — Personal branding: why your core values are the only foundation that lasts
27:30 — How to lead former peers (and actually address the awkward)
34:00 — AI on your team: the "make them jealous" strategy
42:00 — Why advocating for yourself is the career skill nobody teaches you
