Career Memos withSarina

About Career Memos withSarina

Career Memos highlights stories and advice from founders and leaders from the startup world. Sarina Virk Torrendell has over a decade of experience in GTM, partnerships, and driving revenue at high-growth startups and Fortune100 tech companies. She was #12 at Postmates, the first on-demand delivery company in the US, where she launched its first markets and new categories, building a marketing and operational infrastructure that was first of its kind. She later went on to launch new products and drive growth through partnerships at other early stage companies like Glamsquad and Calibrate, and brings expertise from leading partner and product marketing at global companies like Apple and Meta.

Publisher

Sarina Virk Torrendell

Category

business · education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

5 Nov 2020

Latest episode

20 Mar 2025

Latest episodes

1 of 70 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   20 Mar 2025

   Kim Chappell: Storytelling, Motherhood, and the Power of Betting On Yourself

   When Kim Chappell was offered to lead marketing for the infant formula company, Bobbie, back in 2020, she laughed; she didn’t think she had the credentials to take on the job. Even though Kim had spent ten years in the news industry and done extensive marketing work for tech startups like Weebly and Square, she still felt out of her league. It was a classic case of imposter syndrome. After some forward-thinking and reflection, Kim did eventually take the job, and today, she is the Chief Brand Officer of Bobbie, an AMAZING company that I personally have leaned on to feed my own babies. Her story gives me chills and acts as a reminder to be willing to bet on yourself. In this episode, Kim takes us on her career journey, from the newsroom to the C-Suite. She talks about the invaluable skill of storytelling, which she’s leaned on throughout her career, and about motherhood, from infant feedings to the myth of work-life “balance.” IN THIS EPISODE: Kim’s career journey, from her first job making $20,000 a year to her time as a news anchor, to her pivot into marketing How Kim leveraged her journalism skills to transform how brands like Weebly and Square communicated their mission The scrappiness and resourcefulness needed to build a brand from scratch, focusing funding on product development rather than expensive marketing How Bobbie was built from the ground up, driven by a mission to improve the nutritional support and societal perception of formula feeding An honest perspective on balancing a C-suite role with motherhood, breaking down myths around work-life balance and recognizing the importance of support systems LINKS/RESOURCES MENTIONED Sarina is a consultant who works with startup leaders and entrepreneurs. Connect with her on her website, on Instagram, and on LinkedIn, and check out more episodes of the Career Memos podcast.

2. 

   27 Feb 2025

   Giovanni Vaccaro: Mindset, Purpose, and Building GLAMSQUAD

   What happens when you take a big leap into the unknown, betting on yourself before you feel truly ready? Giovanni Vaccaro co-founded GLAMSQUAD in 2014, inspired by feedback clients had been giving him for years: they wanted on-demand hair services in their homes. At the time, he’d been working for the renowned French brand Frederic Fekkai, but he knew he wanted more. This was his opportunity to build something new. Fast-forward to today and GLAMSQUAD is a beauty-tech powerhouse. Giovanni is not only GLAMSQUAD’s Chief Brand Officer and Creative Director, but also a coach and sought-after speaker with amazing wisdom for founders. In this episode, Giovanni talks about mentorship, overcoming imposter syndrome, and the importance of knowing your purpose, which will ALWAYS set you right when doubt creeps in. He also opens up about the challenges of leadership, the power of building high-performance teams, and why surrounding yourself with the right people can completely change your trajectory as an entrepreneur. IN THIS EPISODE: Giovanni’s initial struggles with hairdressing and how he developed his craft through relentless practice and a commitment Lessons from Frederic Fekkai, including prioritizing exceptional service to create raving fans, maintaining brand consistency, and fostering high-performing, inspiring teams How your purpose can be a guiding principle for resilience and aligning goals with your true desires The importance of mindset and surrounding yourself with inspiring individuals, from mentors to like-minded support networks LINKS/RESOURCES MENTIONED Sarina is a consultant who works with startup leaders and entrepreneurs. Connect with her on her website, on Instagram, and on LinkedIn, and check out more episodes of the Career Memos podcast.

3. 

   13 Feb 2025

   Sam Safer Valentine: Finding the Right Co-Founder and Discovering Product Market Fit

   So many people featured on this podcast have been co-founders. But how do you know if you and your potential co-founder are the right fit? How can you test your working dynamic before making a MAJOR commitment? Sam Safer Valentine suggests working on a project first. This way, you can see if you have complimentary communication skills. See how it feels to be vulnerable with them – and how you might handle potential conflict later on. This is exactly what Sam did before she and her co-founders launched Norby, an AI-powered marketing intelligence platform. Knowing she could trust her business partners made ALL the difference while building the company. From her early days curating fashion history at top museums to running a sales and marketing agency, then pivoting into tech, this conversation with Sam is filled with invaluable insights on co-founder dynamics, navigating pivots, and trusting your ability to figure things out, along with the ups and downs of entrepreneurship. You’ll also hear great advice about collaboration, being a generalist, and trusting your ability to find the answers. IN THIS EPISODE: Sam’s remarkable journey from being an assistant curator at London's Fashion and Textile Museum to co-founding Norby Why you should tackle a project with your potential co-founder first to test your compatibility, communication styles, and ability to handle conflict Norby's evolution from an all-in-one marketing platform to an AI-powered marketing intelligence platform The parallels between starting a company and being a parent, requiring adaptability, resilience, and the ability to handle unexpected challenges while maintaining composure LINKS/RESOURCES MENTIONED Check out Sam’s company, Norby. Sarina is a consultant who works with startup leaders and entrepreneurs. Connect with her on her website, on Instagram, and on LinkedIn, and check out more episodes of the Career Memos podcast.

Inside a recent episode

39. Connecting Founders to Capital with Annie Evans, Founder & CEO of Dream Ventures

Published 18 Aug 2021 · Transcript excerpt

[…] And a lot of times people aren't familiar with some of these other platforms where Myself, I wanted to experience it and grow my company. I did an iFundWomen campaign and got $50,000 in a month. That's another avenue that sometimes people can go after because it is, as we all know, very challenging to get angel and VC money as it could be because startups are very, very high risk. So people are more hesitant with their checkbooks. Definitely. And you've invested in quite a few companies. I'm curious, what are some of the things that you look for when making an investment? So it really comes down to, for me personally, three things. […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

27 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

4 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 48 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

65

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

77