How Connection Becomes Your Superpower | Laura Jones (CMO Instacart)

In this episode, Frederik sits down with Laura Jones, CMO of Instacart, to explore how connection isn't just a strategy, but a way of leading, seeing, and creating. Laura shares the moment she stood outside a trailer on Stanford's campus, placed her hand on it, and knew: "Whatever is inside here will change my life." That moment became the beginning of a career that took her to Google, Uber, and one of the most joyful Super Bowl ads of the year.
We talk about the power of "How might we" and "Yes, and," about 1.8 billion bananas, about a heart-opening trip to Vietnam with UNICEF, and about what it really takes to practice curiosity, not just preach it.

Chapters
00:00 The Power of Connection - Welcome Laura Jones
01:35 From Google to Uber to Instacart - Laura's Path
02:24 Creativity as a Superpower - The d.school Moment
04:54 The Trailer Story - "Whatever Is Inside Will Change My Life"
07:34 What Connection Really Means in Daily Practice
09:22 Borrowing from Tinder - Lateral Thinking in Action
11:19 The Power of "How Might We"
12:05 The Art of Ideation
13:57 Reading the Data - The Banana Insight
17:00 Yes, And - Turning a Story into a Product
19:41 Inside the Super Bowl Ad - Five Years of Foundation
22:26 The Pressure of Public Creative Work
24:23 From Blank Page to Ben Stiller and Benson Boone
25:56 Why the Linear Path Was Never an Option
27:04 Lessons for/from a Fourth Grade Class
29:55 Why Brands Run Ads - And Why Most Are Forgettable
32:37 200 People Behind 30 Seconds
34:43 Skills vs. Behaviors - What Makes a Great Team
38:44 Career-Defining Moments as a Leadership Tool
42:43 Holding Generative Space And Bringing Innovation to UNICEF
45:12 Reflections from Vietnam
52:39 The Multi-Dimensional Life
54:56 Double and Triple Plays - A Practical Framework
56:43 Rapid Fire - The Future Round And Quick Answers
01:05:11 A Practice for Listeners - Thank You, Laura!

Connect with Laura Jones:
https://www.instacart.com/company/about-us/laura-jones
https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurajonesdcsf/

Connect with Frederik:
https://awareness.frederikgpferdt.com - How future-ready is your mindstate?
https://www.frederikgpferdt.com/book - Frederik's book on designing your future (HarperCollins)
https://www.frederikgpferdt.com/course/8-days - Build your future-ready mindstate in 20 min/day
https://www.frederikgpferdt.com/ask-frederik - AI trained on 20 years of Frederik's work
https://www.frederikgpferdt.com/nextletter - One question, two perspectives, one experiment (bi-weekly, free)
https://www.frederikgpferdt.com/tour - See Frederik speak live
https://www.frederikgpferdt.com/#podcast - New episodes every two weeks