Alexis Walsko: Lola Red PR Founder on "Being in the Weeds, Sometimes I Make the Weeds Even Worse"

Speaker A: Unscripted presented by Verseek. Sharing inspiring stories from local business leaders and learning how their experiences and the people involved have shaped them along the way.

Speaker B: Are you kicking or am I?

Speaker C: Well, I can kick off and just say the vibe in the studio with Alexis here is simply electric. But I would like you to introduce.

Speaker B: Well, she is a vibe.

Speaker C: Yeah, for sure.

Speaker B: So today on Unscripted with Versi. Versik. Versik. Oh, my gosh.

Speaker C: Okay.

Speaker B: God, if Tony listens, this be like, geez, are you drinking before these things or what?

Speaker D: We were talking about wine.

Speaker B: We were maybe.

Speaker D: We were just thinking about it.

Speaker B: Yes. Alexis Walco, founder and CEO of, um, Lola Red. So welcome.

Speaker D: Thank you.

Speaker B: Thank you for being here with us today. Thank you. We're so excited. I know.

Speaker C: And keeping it all in the family, you know, former guests and you reached out to them and things like that. In past. Some of your.

Speaker B: She's like a who's who in the Twin Cities.

Speaker C: I can't wait. Into some of the people that you've helped, like our buddy Dan Schwarz over at Lift Bridge. Yeah, we'll m. Talk about all of

Speaker D: that, but also because I'm in PR and so Kathy spent forever in media.

Speaker B: Yep.

Speaker D: 14 years.

Speaker B: 13 years. Yeah, man. And here I am. M. And now here you are and here I am. Um, full circle. Because, you know, Tony placed me at the Business Journal. No. Yeah. Oh, God, I'll never forget. I'm at Luns and I get a call from him. I mean, this is like, it's the best story ever, but yeah. So he placed me at the Business Journal and then he's the one that recruited me over here.

Speaker D: Well, how did that go over?

Speaker B: Well, it went. I mean, uh, let's make it happen, Bunzy. Yeah, let's make it happen. But I was like, make what happened? Just a random text from him on like a Wednesday, but it totally tracks. And I remember being like, okay, whatever, Tony. And he's like, let's just talk. And here I am, almost two years later.

Speaker D: Wow, that's good.

Speaker B: Isn't that crazy?

Speaker C: Wow.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker C: Look what we've created. Look around this.

Speaker B: I know, it's so fun.

Speaker D: What were you doing before the Business Journal?

Speaker B: I was in medical staffing for over 10 years. I helped start a company. Yeah. In Florida. Yeah.

Speaker D: Okay.

Speaker C: Alexis, you could be a podcast guest.

Speaker D: I could. I will say. I mean, it's been in the world. It's been discussed.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker D: Whether you know this or not, but. So I co hosted a radio show for six years with Allison Kaplan on my Talk 107.

Speaker B: Oh, I love it.

Speaker D: So it was called Shop Girls on Saturday mornings.

Speaker B: She just wrapped that up with her mom, which was such a cute. That was so cute. Her and her shout out to Allison. I know what a great. I did. But I did not know you co hosted.

Speaker D: So I was the co host for the first six years and then Harmony came and took over and then on their last show, I was the last official guest.

Speaker B: I love.

Speaker D: Which was charming and it was really, really fun. And she's just, she's such an incredible journalist. Now she's with the Star Tribune. Um, and so for me, I, uh, mean, one of the reasons I'm in PR is because I love news so much, yet I don't think I would be a good journalist. I like following the news so much so. And I hold journalists in such high esteem and follow stories and love like the behind the scenes of the stories. So that's. Think how I ended up in the PR world.

Speaker B: Yeah, and I love that same thing. I'm a huge Diane Sawyer fan. I followed her. I tried out for Good Morning America when she left. When it was to be Charlie Gibson's co host. Yeah, I said so we know that didn't work.

Speaker C: Wait a minute, you actually, you tried out?

Speaker B: Well, I, uh, yeah, I applied and I. This is when I was in Florida and I was like, you know what, what the hell, let's make it happen.

Speaker D: I love that.

Speaker B: And I wanted to be in sports media, which that tracks for me for sure. And. But yeah, I've always loved the media world and love news and you know, my mom was an FBI agent so I love like the date lines, 2020, all that stuff.

Speaker D: Oh, that was fun. What did she get to tell you?

Speaker B: Oh gosh. Well, she was at Martin Luther King dream. I had a dream speech. She was worked on Kennedy's funeral. My parents got married at St. Matthews in dc. That's where they met. Yeah.

Speaker D: That's cool. That's. Oh, I love that so much. And especially we are going through some really interesting news cycles right now.

Speaker B: We are.

Speaker D: But I try not to think too far ahead. But I can't wait to hear these stories in a handful of years behind the scenes of our news cycle in 2026.

Speaker B: It'll be so interesting. Let's. So let's talk about you. Okay, so tell us, where were you born?

Speaker D: Uh, Hammond, Indiana in.

Speaker B: I didn't know you were an Indian.

Speaker D: I was born in Hammond, Indiana. It is basically along the border of Indiana, Illinois. Mhm. Was raised in Hammond Indian in St. John, Indiana. When I tell people like if you ask me on the street, I'd say I'm from Chicago because like people don't know. Hammond, Indiana, Chicago is just such an incredible city. It's one of my favorite cities, so I'm proud to be from that area. My parents relocated to Minnesota when I was 10. Okay. So came to Plymouth, Minnesota. That's where I went to middle school and high school. I went to Armstrong. Class of 95, you can do the math. I like to think I'm. I act younger, Maybe in my 20s, maybe not.

Speaker C: Let's back up to Indiana though. So Indiana from birth to nine?

Speaker D: Yep.

Speaker C: Okay.

Speaker D: Yeah.

Speaker C: Siblings?

Speaker D: No, I'm an only child, so and this is, that's interesting because I'm an only child. I am a single woman, single mother to four year old twins. Still looking for the husband. Got to put it out there. This is a search organization, right?

Speaker B: You never know. Dial it up.

Speaker D: You never know. But also I'm a sole business owner so I am comfortable with that. The risk in myself and comfortable with the self reliance. But also I think interestingly and knowing the topic of your podcast, like nobody does it alone.

Speaker B: Yeah. Okay, so when you were young, grew up in Indiana, tell us what your parents did for work.

Speaker D: My mother worked for Prudential Insurance. So she was in underwriting there. My dad worked for, for Super Value, so was in the grocery business building and remodeling grocery stores. Something we always did on family trips was visit grocery stores. So I have an opinion on basically anything in the grocery store actually.

Speaker B: I love a good grocery store.

Speaker D: I know, I know. And there are good one. There are great ones here in the Twin Cities and then it's fun to travel around and see good ones. So that's what we always did.

Speaker B: What relocated you here at 10?

Speaker D: My mother was relocated for Prudential Insurance.

Speaker B: Okay. Okay.

Speaker D: Mhm.

Speaker C: Okay, so move up here.

Speaker D: Yep. Move to Plymouth. And then I was here for middle school, high school, part of elementary.

Speaker C: That hard moving here in middle school?

Speaker D: Yeah, Well I was 10 so it wasn't exactly. It was elementary is like the last year of elementary school. Me? No. Third grade. Third grade. Um, interestingly, I still have the same best friend from third grade or one of the same best friends. Shout out Erica Wagner now Erica Merrick. So we have maintained that friendship. And then after high school I uh, went to the University of Colorado at Boulder. And that is before you go to

Speaker B: Boulder, tell us about first job.

Speaker D: Oh, such a good question. First job for trade tanning. Salon. I cleaned tanning beds so that I would. Yep. Get my session.

Speaker B: Not for money, for trade.

Speaker D: No, you don't need to pay me. I know. So weird.

Speaker C: Was it at Yukan or where was it?

Speaker D: I cannot remember it. It was a new hope. It's not there anymore, but, like, a lot of the middle school girls did it, so it was like, oh, I

Speaker B: used to love laying in a tanning bed.

Speaker D: I know, I know, I know. Let's not encourage it now. Yeah, of course I did babysitting. I was really good at that. And then I also worked at the Gap, so I worked at the Gap at Southdale. I still can do a really good fold. So seriously, jeans.

Speaker C: No, I know. I believe you.

Speaker D: I can, like, build a denim wall better than most people. Yeah.

Speaker B: So we literally just had someone. Her episode's not out yet.

Speaker D: Mhm.

Speaker C: Our previous guest.

Speaker B: Our previous guest. And she worked at the Gap and talked about the fold.

Speaker C: Like she opened up the South Dale store.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker C: Okay.

Speaker D: Wait, is her name Sarah Longacre? No, no, but I know Sarah Longacre because then she started Bluma, so. Bluma, Veroni, Dinah. Uh, I also worked with Kelly Carlson, who, uh, became known for being on the show Nip Tuck.

Speaker B: I love.

Speaker D: Yes, but so. I know. So we had, like, this cool staff there, and it was fun.

Speaker C: Do you still fold T shirts and jeans the same way?

Speaker D: Absolutely, absolutely. And plus, I am very fortunate because I have sometimes people who help me to fold. And my mother helps sometimes when she's at my house too. And I'm like, this is how we do it. We're going to teach everybody, the dead of old how to do it so things stack up.

Speaker B: I love it. I love it. Okay, so tell us about. Then you decide to go to Colorado. Tell us a little bit about that decision.

Speaker D: Um. Gosh, you have good questions. I haven't answered these questions in ages. I, uh, knew I wanted to study business. I knew from a very young age that I was an entrepreneur. When my parents were moving, I wanted to make sure that when my parents bought a house, they were able to, like, put up a little shack where I could sell artwork on their front yard. I didn't understand that, like, it's probably not legal and, like, don't. Not a great idea. But I was going to have my friends make artwork and then I would sell it in the shack or something.

Speaker C: No permit required.

Speaker D: No. So I, like, knew that entrepreneurship and business was in my veins. So I knew that I wanted to study that. And I was either going to go to Tulane or to the University of Colorado at Boulder. And I had never. I'd never visited Tulane and I'd never visited Boulder. But I saw at the time that Boulder was like, one of the most beautiful campuses in the nation. And I was like, sign me up. I was not a skier. I was not an outdoors person. I, uh, just said, okay, sounds good.

Speaker C: So, and your parents, they supported.

Speaker D: Yes. Something to remember as an only child and as a child in that age, like, I did a lot on my own. So, like, I made those decisions. And I think my parents were like, wait, you're doing what? And I'm like, well, yeah, get on this train.

Speaker B: Right.

Speaker D: And so, yeah.

Speaker B: Were they wanting you maybe to go to school around here, closer to home?

Speaker D: No, it. That wasn't a big conversation. I knew that I wanted to go away, and it wasn't. I just knew, like, it was just time and I was excited for a new adventure and I was ready for that. And growing up, I mean, I was independent, I played sports. But also I went post secondary part time in my junior year. And the reason I did that was because my high school that I went to, they went from having a modular schedule where you would have free periods and be able to leave campus to a more, uh, defined schedule and you could only leave at lunch. And. And to me, that I saw it as a lack of freedom and flexibility didn't work for me. And so you sound like a lot

Speaker C: of workers, uh, returning to office.

Speaker D: Well, yes, but I knew that I wanted the flexibility and how I was going to be able to get it was by starting to take college courses. And so the second part of my junior year, I started doing that part time. Okay. But that also gave me the flexibility so that I was still getting the high school experience. Experience. And I played sports and I was a cheerleader and I was on, um, student council and president of student council. So I was still hyper involved, but then I had the freedom to do what I wanted to do. And to me, that is something that I think carries and has been a guiding force throughout my life and my career, is that I like that flexibility. It doesn't mean that in having flexibility, quite often what people don't understand is it comes with more responsibility. And I am very comfortable with that responsibility, uh, and take it very seriously.

Speaker B: And you mentioned sports a couple of times. What sports did you play?

Speaker D: I played tennis and I ran track and I was a hockey cheerleader. So also, just a reminder, hockey cheerleaders, you got on skates. Because I also was a Figure skater. Um, I know. Pardon you. Because I love to tell people that, yeah, ah, we were lifting people up at the air on skate. I'm surprised I still have fingers, but I do all 10 of them.

Speaker C: Events within track and field. Were you a, uh.

Speaker D: I was a sprinter.

Speaker C: Sprinter, yeah.

Speaker B: Okay.

Speaker D: I was a sprinter once around the track is fine, but not less.

Speaker C: Less.

Speaker D: I could go like a fourth of the way. Yeah, right. But then also as I grew up, I always thought that like, sprinting was my thing. But in my 30s, I started Marathon m running. It was a shock to me that I started doing that. But somebody. This is interesting for business owners or high achievers. It was actually an article by Harvey McKay. Who? Uh, Harvey McKay, the notable author leader. He wrote an article about how a lot of times entrepreneurs and leaders start doing things like running because we never feel accomplished as entrepreneurs because we're always tinkering like something's never right. You can always do better. Like you want to play around or.

Speaker B: Darty's wife calls him the tinkerer.

Speaker D: Oh, really? So a tinkerer. But you can. When you are doing that kind of running, you can check off that you achieved something. I ran nine miles. I got through 12. I finished the race. And so.

Speaker B: And it's a different type of adrenaline.

Speaker C: Yeah.

Speaker D: Yeah. And so I started. I did that for a while and that was fun, but also super interesting because going from sprinting to then long distance running, like that I never expected.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker D: Because in high school world, I was like, run a mile. Like, why?

Speaker B: Tell us about your experience at Boulder at school.

Speaker D: I love Boulder, but I didn't at first because it's a challenge. It was a very different world. Boulder was still a little bit crunchy, but also Boulder, it attracts a few very interesting types. And for me at that time it was a very affluent young community. And that was a little different for me at first because I'm an overachiever. I like show up. I had like, kind of like partied. I had some fun when I was in high school. Like I didn't go to college and was like, ah. Like I can't control myself. Like I'd done all of those things and like, was having the responsibility. So at first I was like, this is like a little bit weird. So it took me some time to adjust. But I got into their business school and then one of the best things I think I did in college was that I took a semester plus off and I took it off to work. And I also took it off because I thought I wanted to come back to Minnesota and go to the U of M. And what I learned in that process was one, I went to work and I went to work at a bank, and I was like a bank teller. So I had that responsibility for six months. Months. That was interesting. Then I came back to Minnesota and the University of Minnesota, they actually, they didn't really want me. And so, uh.

Speaker C: What makes you say that?

Speaker D: Yeah, because they didn't want to take a lot of my credits from my post secondary or from Boulder. They told me they're like, you're going to have to be in school for another year and a half. And I'm like, well, that doesn't seem desirable. And so then I went back to Boulder and I'm like, hey, like, I don't know if this is going to work out for me. So can you help me if I feel like I need to go home for six months and just, like, do whatever it is I think I need to do? Can you tell me what to take so I can transfer back in for my senior year? And they said yes. And so Boulder told me all of the classes to take. I moved home for six months. I worked at Caribou Coffee in Wayzata. I went to night school at the University of Minnesota. I then went back to Boulder for my senior year. I had to work. My parents weren't like, super pleased about the whole situation and so, or, uh, they weren't like, about me going back to Boulder. So I had to pay for it. I had to figure out how to do that. I had to work during it. And since I had to pay for it and it was very expensive, I was determined to, like, make sure that I got out of there. And I got out of there in four years. And I made that experience everything I needed and wanted it to be. And I don't know if you know about this part, but I actually launched my company at 22. So I went back to Boulder and like, I went hard. Like, I finished the classes. I, uh, achieved. I mean, I was in their entrepreneurship program. There were 50 students. There were six women. I was one of five people that got a certificate in entrepreneurship. I took advantage of everything. But also, again, I talk about responsibility and like, that was my responsibility. I was paying for it. What am I going to get out of this? And I also knew that, like, the connections that I could make, then they were going to help me to get, uh, the job, know the people, know what to do. And so, I mean, I really built out that experience to be everything I wanted it to be and more in

Speaker C: realizing that that's what you wanted at 20, 21 is rare. Well, but pretty typical for a student council president.

Speaker D: I don't. I don't know. I mean, I think I, again, it go to that, like, I like the freedom and flexibility and to decide what I want and then to be able to go out there and go and get it.

Speaker C: Yeah.

Speaker D: And so it was actually in my, uh, school and in the business school, there was a woman who led the internships, and she came to every single class of mine, and she's like, you guys got to get an internship. You've got to get an internship. And finally I showed up at her office and I said, I'm here. You, like, keep coming. And like, here's what I'm going to tell you. What I don't want. I don't want an internship with, like, Anderson Consulting, which was a big deal then. I'm super interested in, like, skin care and wellness, but I don't want to work for Proctor and Gamble. It's like, what have you got? And they're like, there happens to be a small skincare company here in Boulder. We just had the founder here, and I could contact them and see if they need an intern. And so she did, and I showed up. And at this internship, they didn't need the things that I knew how to do, which was write a business plan or write a marketing plan. Instead, they wanted to get in national magazines. Well, I'm a problem solver. And so I figured out. And I read those magazines. So I read those magazines and figured out, like, okay, so this company has a great skin care product. If I can figure out who's writing about skin care and what I think they like, if I can connect those two dots, then maybe I can, like, get the company mentioned in the national magazine. And so that's what I did. And then I started keeping spinning spreadsheets of the people who wrote at these publications, what their address was, what their email was, when was their birthday. And what I didn't know at the time was that in media, people are so young. So, like, they were really. These people were in my age group. So, uh, if I could network with them and become a good contact and also help them to do their jobs really well, it would help me to do what I was enjoying doing.

Speaker C: The love for autonomy. And you have kind of a confidence in knowing what you want and then a courage in how, like, I don't know necessarily how I'm going to do it, but I know I'm capable of doing it again. Does that come from growing up as

Speaker B: a single only child?

Speaker C: Only child, or does that come from mom or dad? Was there a lot of. You can be whatever you want to be when you grow up. Like what sort of messaging do you remember from your parents?

Speaker D: Yeah, my mother, My mother would tell you that when I was born, she said, it's going to be the first woman president. I do not have those aspirations, especially not in politics today. But that was her. And then on the other side of it, and she is very much, she is a yes person. She wants to do everything. She like started running at like 64 years old. Now she's 80. And just the other day she's like, I went for a walk, but I like ran like almost a mile. I'm like, you don't have to anymore. Like, stop. Yeah, but she wants to do everything. I have four year old twins and like she wants to be in their life. She wants to, like she took them ice skating this weekend. Like she is just a, uh, yes, like, gulp. Do, uh, believe in it. Whereas my dad on the other side is the like, really? Like, do you think about this? Like, have you thought about that? Are you doing this? When I told him that I wanted to have children, his response was, you know, they're not Chihuahuas. Because at the time I think I had three Chihuahuas. And I was like, yeah, I figured like children is like a little different. But okay, uh, so like he is kind of the rational part. But I also think that those two coming together help me to maybe foster the problem solving in myself. Which that's also, that is a great skill. Like I like to know, okay, here's the problem. Now, how do we word problem to the solution?

Speaker B: Love that.

Speaker C: Uh, I just can't wait to get to the beginning of Lola Bread. I want to hear coming out of graduation, marketing and entrepreneurship major, a little bit of you, a little bit of Colorado. You're finishing up your internship. Did you get it in national magazines? I want to hear the end of the story.

Speaker D: I got it. I mean I literally sent out a press release and Vogue and Forbes were calling me at home. Which a 21 year old at home at 8 o' clock in the morning, like, why is my phone number on there?

Speaker B: Right?

Speaker D: First off, like, but I've thought through that one. Yes. So I got it in national magazines and then I also became known. People are like, oh, like, she knows someone there. She can connect you there. So I started having people ask me, can you help? Because in Boulder, there is a lot of wellness companies. There was also like a perfumer company who was based next to the skin care company. So they knew. So I had this like, internship skill. I kind of had a side hustle of helping people to do this. And then I went and I got a job at an ad agency. That agency was called Thomas and Perkins. It was a super prestigious agency in Denver. I went and I worked there and it was so cool. But God, I hated that job. I, like, hated it more than anything else.

Speaker B: Oh, they, you work hard because you work hard.

Speaker D: I worked on their Cellular One business and like, I could not connect a single dot. Like, I was the worst employee. I feel bad for anyone I work with. And if you knew me from those days, you'd be like, and, uh, now you're doing like, what happened to you? Like, surprise, surprise. But it was also because I just didn't like that path. I thought that I wanted it because they had a cool office and the work was cool and ad agencies were cool. But it just didn't feed my soul yet. It's still this like, side hustle and helping people is what fed my soul.

Speaker C: Did Thomas and Perkins, like, take away some of that autonomy that you love so much?

Speaker D: Probably.

Speaker B: Probably.

Speaker D: And I think I didn't understand how much I liked PR and media because I still, like, didn't know exactly what it all was and how it all fit together. But then they lost their biggest client at the time and they announced they had to do layoffs. And so I volunteered. I knew that I was probably going to be on the list because, like,

Speaker C: and your dad says now I need you to think about this.

Speaker D: I did because it was, yeah, I'm sure, like, I did not tell my dad I knew the HR person. And I knew that I was probably on the list because like, I'd been there six months, months and whatever. But I was like, I have other options. And of course I, like, thought I was going to huge severance check, which I didn't. But I got something. And within two weeks of being laid off, I started my agency. But at the agency at the time, it was a website, it was an 800 number. I lived in a 450. It was Lola Red at a 450 square foot apartment in Boulder, Colorado. But I had people that I was connected to around the nation. And so eventually I had clients everywhere but Boulder, Colorado. And I was able to move back to Minnesota. Cause eventually, like, Boulder became really expensive.

Speaker C: Let's back up a little bit. First off, tell, uh, us about the name, how did you come up with the name?

Speaker D: I knew that I wanted to do this, but like, what do I love? What do I love? I love Madonna. Her daughter's nickname is Lola. And I drove a red car. And so I was like, lola Red, okay. And I envisioned that it could be a cartoon character. And so Lola Red became a cartoon character that like somewhat resembles me today. And that was kind of the beginning of like marketing that like, character, female centric marketing. And so this character, when I was starting my agency, I used to send out press releases and sign because this was olden days when you sent mail and I would sign it, love, Lola Red. And I was sending it to uh, like major New York publications. And then what I would call them and follow up, they'd be like, you're that, that one, you're that one with that logo. We haven't seen that before. It's so cool. We had T shirts made that on the front, like, said I'm with her, and a picture of Lola on the back. And like, it was like a thing. And since I was in a lot of ways I was marketing to women because I was still in like beauty and wellness and uh, health. And my market was those editors. And so I got them to pay attention. And shortly after I had moved back to Minnesota, it was in my parents basement in Plymouth. Women's Wear Daily did a list of the top 50 firms in the nation. And I had no idea why. Women's, uh, Wear Daily kept calling me and asking me, like, how old are you? Like, what is your website? Can you send us a headshot? And finally they called me and said, we picked you on our. It listened and I'm like, oh, okay. So. And of course my picture was like from Pro X. Seriously, Pro X in Plymouth. They had a location on uh, Rockford Road. I paid like $25, but they put my picture in it. And I was alongside some really prestigious names and people and firms and that sort of put me on the map. But I was literally at a plywood desk in my parents basement. And like when they called, I was wearing a bathrobe holding my dog.

Speaker C: Like, and you really don't know why? Women's Wear Daily just kept on, you

Speaker D: know, they didn't know that was like, it was like awards. I mean, yeah. Ah, you don't always know with awards, but I mean they were the ones who picked me. And I'm like, I'm in Minnesota. Like so weird. But also interestingly, at that time, again, my clients were elsewhere. They were Montana. I did have clients in New York City and San Francisco. No one really cared where I was and the people in New York City loved me. So I was like real cheap compared to a New York agency. But also at the time I couldn't like place anything with media here in the Twin Cities. So. And imagine like Minneapolis and also Minnesota overall has evolved so, um, much in the 20 plus years that I've been here that at that time it was very much like there weren't so many newbies. And when I came back, like the friends that I had, like they had all been together and were doing their things together, like they weren't super into me and weren't super open or welcoming. And also in terms of the media, like they didn't know who I was. So it took a couple of years to like get my footing, prove myself to Minnesota media, prove to Minnesota business that I knew what I was doing to be able to represent them. And then once I did that, then media was like, oh, like, you're good at this and like you're so good at your client stuff. Like, can you just talk about all this stuff? So then literally media started putting me on TV to be like, you show up and talk about something and I'm like, well, what?

Speaker C: So let's, let's test your memory a little bit. So you're in your 400, 500 square foot condo in Boulder and you said, uh, we're doing it and it's Lola Read. Do you remember your very first client and what they asked you to do? Talk about that.

Speaker D: Well, my very first client, I was side hustling for her while I was like doing the other internship while I was at Thomas and Perkins. Her name is Dawn Spencer Hurwitz. She is a perfumer. She would be known and we got a lot of media coverage for her being a celebrity perfumer. She still has a business called Essence Studio and she is just amazing. She taught me everything that I know about fragrance and what was so cool. She once had a store on Newbury street in Boston and that store, Madonna had gone into it, Goldie Hawn had gone into it. She had made fragrances for all of these people, which then as I was doing PR for her, to be able to tell that story and open that door with that celebrity connection and then talk about how incredible all of her products were. And today they still are. So she is still in business and it's cool. And I have like followed along to see what she has continued doing. Because if you are in that world and love Fragrance. She is one of probably the top 25, like, noses and people in the world.

Speaker B: Wow.

Speaker D: Probably even higher than that. But I don't. I've been out of it for a little bit, but, I mean, I would consider her number one, but that's because I know her.

Speaker B: Okay, so then you're here. You. You have Lola Red. You're in your parents basement. Uh-huh. And then do you remember was there, you know, you said you eventually started.

Speaker D: Huh.

Speaker B: The media got to know you. You're getting clients. Was there like a, ah, client, or do you remember where you're like, okay,

Speaker D: yeah, you're gonna love this one. One of the first clients that gave me a chance here in the Twin Cities. There are two I want to talk about. Number one was called the Sunny Barger Brewing Company. Sunny Barger is the founder of the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club.

Speaker C: Oh, my goodness. Okay.

Speaker D: And there is a local guy who started a beer company. It was called Sunny's Lean and Mean Lager. And he needed someone to help, like, run the company, do the marketing, do the pr. And so that's what I did. Also in doing that, part of my role and responsibility was to deal with Sunny directly and his wife. He recently passed away in, like, the past year and a half, two years. So I would go to Sturgis and do book and beer signings and obviously all of the media interviews with the founder of the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club. And I'd stay in a house with he and his wife, and there was a bodyguard who would sleep on the couch with a gun. But also, I would go around a Hell's Angels motorcycle club. I mean, I've been to their clubhouses here in Minneapolis, in Milwaukee, in Rockford, Illinois, signings with them.

Speaker C: Um, you had to get really vetted to be able to, um.

Speaker D: Yeah, I will say, I mean, I think that they were just as charmed. Like, I was always a bit of an attraction itself, because I think they were like, we can't believe. Like, who are you? But, I mean, I once showed up at a brewery signing, and I parked in front of a minivan where they had a video camera, and there are people inside, and I knocked on the window. Cause I'm like, oh, my God. The media came. Like, yay. I called them so cool. And when they opened up the door, they said, um, ma', am, you're interrupting an investigation. And so it was literally the FBI. I was like, okay, thank you very much. And it's because they were watching and they knew and had Been monitoring other people. Not my client, but other people.

Speaker C: You busted the FBI. Was it Kathy's mom?

Speaker D: It could have been. But that work, that was also a really interesting story to tell. So it opened up some of the doors for me, uh, here in the Twin Cities with the media, because I also think they were like, this is cool, crazy.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker D: But then shortly thereafter, I actually started working with Marshall Fields. And so I reached out to Marshall Fields and there was an incredible woman, Natalie Bush, who's still one of my good friends. She is leading PR at Lifetime. I reached out to her, she was impressed and obviously like Lola Red and my marketing kind of work together with what Marshall Fields was doing at the time. And so they engaged me. They didn't necessarily need help with pr. I helped and did some things with Glamorama. But then funny enough, they hired, uh, me so that when they would have like superstar authors or media personalities come into town, I would handle them for the weekend or whatever. So one of them was Robert Verdi, who if you some people will know the name, he has a bald head, he always wears sunglasses on his head. And in like the late 90s, he was like Mr. E Entertainment, celebrity designer, everything. And so they brought me in to make sure that he got to everything got there on time. But then he also like loved to shop. So I'd shop with him and then make sure that everything got to his home and whatever. But like, that was also that opened up a door for me here. And then probably the next thing that opened the door was I got involved with Smile Network International, still an amazing nonprofit organization, and worked with them to do some events and get connected. And so those were sort of my first entry into Minnesota. And then as I was growing my business over time, there were also like incredible clients that really changed our trajectory. We signed and started doing work with Smashburger. When they had seven locations, we opened Lucky Number 13 in St. Anthony, Minnesota. But then I started doing their national work. And so then our business evolved in that we went from health and beauty and wellness and what we were doing and fashion and lifestyle to doing multi unit retail. And then the Smash Burgers led to representing million different franchise organizations over time, even with one of our friends. Great clips.

Speaker B: So yeah, love that.

Speaker C: Wow. When in Lola's Red Journey, because I was looking at the website.

Speaker D: Mhm.

Speaker C: Woman owned, woman led. When did you hire your first employee where you said, I'm going to give up some autonomy and and I'm going to let other people do it. A was that hard for you? And B, talk about that decision.

Speaker D: When I was in my parents basement, I had interns. My first employee came from Carol Levin. She was a superstar producer there. She, uh, joined me and she helped me because she would do like, a lot of the booking, the pitching, the like, uh, PR stuff. And she was incredible at it. I would say.

Speaker B: Were you nervous? Like, when you think about.

Speaker D: Because I always think the responsibility, the

Speaker B: money, that's well, right. So I always think about that too. Like, I'm like, hey, risk, you know, high risk. I can do it in this. But when you're then involving other people and you're like, okay, I got to make this work. Like, she's leaving Care 11 to come work with me.

Speaker D: She had a child and a husband and payroll. Yeah. And that was scary. And in terms of, like, giving up a lot, I was able to give up. I also will tell you, I am disappointed at how I showed up for her because I don't know that I knew how to do it yet. And I remember a handful of times and I, I hope that she would tell the story and be like, all of a sudden, Alexis didn't come into work until 10 o' clock in the morning. And I remember doing that. And I also today, I am not proud of that. I don't know why I can't remember all of the circumstances, but I let go a, uh, little bit. And I know today that is not who I am and that's not how I like to show up. And so it is super important to me today. And as my leadership has evolved, the people know that I am willing to do anything. And I will be there. I will be there. And I will work New Year's Eve, I will work Christmas Eve. I worked Christmas Day this year, and I will do it because I want other people to have their life, but also because I believe in that kind of servant leadership. Also I love, because in having employees today, I know what I am not good at, and I know what I am good at. And I need to surround myself with people who are really good at the things that I am weak at. And so, um, those congratulations.

Speaker B: Because I feel like that a lot of times it's not easy, but I also feel like it takes a while because I think a lot of times as a leader, you think, I got to know how to do this, I got to know how to do this. And I can. And it takes time to where you're like, no, no, no. This is what I do. Well, now I need to surround myself with the people that like, and enjoy and excel in the things that I don't do so well. And that's okay. But I feel like that takes a while, especially when you're an overachiever.

Speaker D: I mhm. Also think I do believe that me being a female leader leads and has lent itself to some of my insecurity in that knowledge. So I do feel insecure. I feel insecure that I don't produce like the rest of the people in my office produce.

Speaker B: Like I.

Speaker D: If you asked me to make a PowerPoint deck, literally what would come out of that is actually, you probably want to get a deck. I'd, ah, probably, I'd probably draw it in pictures first and I'd be like, can I just take pictures of this and send it to you? Because that's how my mind works. But also there is an element of insecurity in that which it's taken me a long time to have some sort of security in it. And I'm thankful because I am surrounded by people and I am surrounded by fellow leaders who know that if I can be in my space of genius, it is better for everyone because it helps to feed the business, it helps to grow the business. And me being in, uh, the weeds, sometimes I make the weeds even worse and they make it a lot more messy. And that isn't great for clients and that is not great for a team or for morale. And so that is to have people around me who understand that I'm grateful for. But also I think there is a bit of a learning curve. And sometimes again I feel insecurity because I'm like, I can't tell you why I'm so bad at this. So like, literally we were doing a project that required like a lot of emailing recently, and I was like, okay, I'm gonna help on this project and I'm gonna do the best that I can. And literally one of my fellow leaders was like, oh my gosh. I'm like watching you learn how to organize Gmail right now. I'm like, I know, I know. I can't believe it either.

Speaker B: First of all, Gmail is hard to organize.

Speaker D: You're telling me. I know, sorry. I know.

Speaker C: I concur.

Speaker D: Yes, I know. But they're like, I'm watching your wheels spin. And I'm like, I know. I thank you for also acknowledging they will tell you. And this is a super. Maybe you guys use this. Well, I'm sure you use a lot of assessments. I recently came across working genius the assessment. And for me the working genius assessment has been A game changer. Because what it does, and to even understand myself is it helps to, uh. The easiest way I can describe it is like, people work between, like, ground level, altitude, and like 60,000ft. And everybody has a skill at those different altitudes at like 10,000 foot increments. And it finally made sense to me why, like, when you bring me down to zero or 10,000ft, it gets real messy. Like, I can do it, but my work at those tactical levels, it takes me four times as long as an average person.

Speaker B: Well, I love assessment work. And what's so great about that, to your point, is not just what you learn about everybody, but when you look at yourself. The first time I did one, the guy was like, you can never work with someone that is not an overachiever because you will kill them. And you don't. So not, like, directly. They cannot work directly with you because you're always like, okay, that's great, but now let's go here and let's do this. And, uh, I just think even for building teams, I think it's so important. I think it's a critical piece. But also just looking at yourself and knowing yourself, because they said I didn't celebrate enough.

Speaker D: I'm like, wait, what?

Speaker B: I'm the biggest cheerleader celebrator. And they're like, no, no, um, you don't celebrate enough. You might be in the moment say, yeah, okay. But then you're always like, what's next? What's next? And it was a, ah, real awakening for me. So I. I think assessments are great. Not just for a team, but like you said, for you. It kind of helped you understand yourself.

Speaker D: And it also helped me to understand. I'm like, oh, here's why I don't understand you, coworker. Because, like, you operate at this level and like, I can't even see there. Like, I can't, right? And also, like, I want you to see my side. Yet they're like, you're so blue sky. And like, I need to understand, like, what do the flight controls look like? And I'm like, I don't even care about, like, who cares?

Speaker C: So tell me this. So as a leader, as a founder, CEO, visionary leader, what are some skill sets that you appreciate within individuals who are working for Lola right now? Like, when you look at somebody and you're like, dang, they're doing such a good job, what sort of things do you look for as a leader?

Speaker D: Responsibility. People carrying the responsibility for themselves, but also for the people that we represent and the people that we work with. We carry the weight of the clients that we work with and the people that are counterparts in those companies. So how do we help them to succeed? So I really appreciate when our people are like, oh, I, like, feel like I won for them, or I want to do this because I care for them, but also having passion about their. I sometimes call it, like, pride in place. Like, it's the pride for the work that you do. I will say I always appreciate hustle, and I appreciate it however it shows up. And, like, for some people, hustle. I even appreciate people who are in sales who, like, they try to hustle me every day. Like, the people who email and call every day. I'm like, ah, uh, I like your hustle. I think that hustle is figuring things out when it isn't necessarily clear. And I think today in my business, everything is changing so quickly from a PR and influence perspective. So, like, rethinking how do you show up in that and being flexible in that. I think that that's hustle also. Just general intelligence and, like, being able to discern and figure out from all of the data that's out there to, like, be able to take it and drill it down. And then also finally to be able to be the tactical, since that is a skill I don't have the people that are so tactical and in the details, I'm like, how do you do this? Uh, because I don't know. I'm like, I barely got here today. I love it. Uh-huh.

Speaker B: I love it. Um, Lola Red. How long have you had Lola red?

Speaker D: Now, on LinkedIn, it would tell you that our anniversary is, like, right now, and so it's been 27 years.

Speaker C: Happy anniversary.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker D: Thank you. So I did. The first time I registered it in Colorado was on my birthday. So 27 years ago. Now, there is a different number out there because I incorporated in Minnesota, because, remember, that's when I signed as, like, a DBA or, like, register your trade name. And I incorporated in Minnesota in 2014. Three, I believe. So that scares me. I, like, don't like those numbers. But also, I will say, since I'm getting all of these LinkedIn messages, I'm like, oh, I've done this for a while. Okay. But also, I'm excited for this moment and, like, what's next? But what's next is not something different. What's next is, like, the evolution. And I find so much joy as new clients and new projects and new people come to us and, like, teaching and learning. And that's When I feel invigorated every day. And also, like, watching our clients win. Like, we just did the coolest promotion our client did. Our client is the board game Catan and Catan International board game.

Speaker B: We were just talking about this.

Speaker D: Really?

Speaker B: Someone, um, the other day was like, have you ever played Catan? I was like, no. And they're like, you need to play what? I think it was at our Chili Cook Off. We were just talking about this.

Speaker C: Yeah.

Speaker D: Okay, well, I'm going to hold you to that, and I will come here and play. We've been working with them for a handful of years, and they did a big partnership with the Timberwolves. On Sunday.

Speaker C: I saw your picture with Bones Highland.

Speaker B: Yes.

Speaker D: And so it was just cool. Like, it was an unexpected partnership. It's cool to, like, watch our client win. It's to, like, see that come to fruition. Because we'd been talking about it for a while and things like that. I just. I find great thrill with and the fact that, like, there's an international conversation around it, not just the Timberwolves partnership, but the game and how it brings people together and families together. Like, that's so cool.

Speaker C: We have some of your biggest Catan fans underneath the Versique roof.

Speaker D: Really?

Speaker B: Maybe Coley was the one that. Yeah, she's, like, obsessed.

Speaker C: Yes.

Speaker B: Okay.

Speaker D: Well, maybe we should do a tournament.

Speaker C: Okay.

Speaker D: Or something, because that could be fun. And what they were giving out at the Timberwolves game was like, a travel pack so that you can play it. Because otherwise, like, the game, it's significant. Like, it's a nice size game. Like, you don't travel on an airplane with it. But now there's, like, a card game size. So we'll make sure that she gets one.

Speaker C: Oh, I love that.

Speaker D: You can take it on the road, which I think is so cool.

Speaker B: I love that.

Speaker D: Yes.

Speaker C: Okay. I want to ask my one question around a moment within your professional career. I, uh, describe it as a life quake, where something happens within your career that you're like, I may never recover from this. It seems like such a bad thing. But when you look at where you're at now, when you look back and reflecting upon it, you're like, oh, that helped me grow and learn. So. But for that life quake moment, I'm probably not the person I am today. Do you have a life quake moment?

Speaker D: Does it have to be bad?

Speaker C: No. Well, it could have been bad at the time, but now you're like, thank goodness that happened. Or no, yeah, you know what? It can be a Good life, going home. Let's do it.

Speaker D: I probably have more bad ones than I can count, because I like to say I've made every mistake three times and I'm probably on my way to the fourth. But I'm going to tell a good one because it was so good. It changed everything. And it was actually my Smash Burger moment. And, uh, the founder of Smashburger, his name is Tom Ryan, and he engaged our firm and we were just responsible for Minnesota. And there were like, five other firms across the nation that were working on the business. And it was because of how our people, and hopefully a bit of myself showed up and how well we designed all of the programs and created replicable programs for the brand that we created just for this market. But they were so good and so thoughtful and we were actually training every other market that existed that he came to us and said, can you come and take this over and not only be the national agency, but lead all of these other agencies? And that, to me, was a massive moment because he saw what we were doing and he saw the possibilities and loss that I didn't even see yet. And for that, I had never even dreamt that that was an option. And eventually we went and we hired probably 20 other firms, led 20 other firms. Now that's work that we do internationally on behalf of clients, leading different markets. And I just. My brain wasn't that big yet, like, and my dream wasn't there yet. So to see that and how we could do that, for me, like, quite frankly, changed the trajectory of business and my life and has gone on to bring us to so many other clients.

Speaker C: Well, I think we're going to adopt that new term. So life Quake moment is something bad that happens, but Smashburger moment is something good.

Speaker B: That change. I love, I love that. Well, and, you know, you said you weren't really dreaming that big, but yet Tom saw something in you and kind of pushed you to, uh.

Speaker D: He did. And as I think about kind of the overarching, I've talked a lot about responsibility, but I think that there's also been a theme in my life and my work, and it's belief in yourself. And we are coming off of, I don't know, the super bowl weekend and Bad Bunny and, like, there's been a lot of talk of, like, how did he become who he did in 10 years? And I think that there's a lot of belief in self.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker D: And they think wherever you are in, uh, business, whether you're entrepreneur or leader or just coming into your Career. Having a belief in yourself and what you can do and the value that you bring and sharing that value. I think it goes a very, very, very long way. It's what's brought me along.

Speaker B: I love that. Should we do, uh, lightning round?

Speaker C: Let's do it. I think you should end on belief in yourself. I love that. Yes. Lightning round.

Speaker B: Saturday morning. Where would we find you? What are you doing?

Speaker D: Um, sofa at home with my twins.

Speaker B: Yeah, you have four year old twins, so that's.

Speaker D: Yeah, yeah. So we're sitting on the sofa. I might be watching the Care 11 Saturday show because they always have good advice on what to be doing. Shout out Chris M. And chances are I might be embroidering a tea towel while I'm sitting with them.

Speaker C: Okay.

Speaker D: I love that.

Speaker C: Give us 15 to 30 seconds about League 1 volleyball. You're bringing that.

Speaker D: Oh, that's an exciting one.

Speaker C: No kidding.

Speaker D: League 1 volleyball. It is the Youth to Pro Women's Volleyball League. First serve happens in January of 2027.

Speaker C: Nice.

Speaker B: I love that.

Speaker D: It's going to be great. It is spelled L, O V B, pronounced love.

Speaker C: Come on.

Speaker D: So stands for League 1 volleyball. It's going to be so cool. They have a lot of announcements coming up. And volleyball, I mean, I'm learning volleyball, but it is massive. We are the fourth largest market in the United States, Minnesota.

Speaker B: My son plays club volleyball. He just started playing last year, and now Egan has developed a team. He played for North Stars and he wanted to play with his buddy, so he's playing in Egan. And it's like a huge thing now and he loves it. And I'm like, this is great, because now it's like, for boys, it's like a high school sport and all these things.

Speaker D: So it's very cool. It's very fun.

Speaker B: I played volleyball.

Speaker D: You did?

Speaker B: Yes, I did.

Speaker D: Oh, I love that. Okay.

Speaker B: I'm still.

Speaker D: I'm not going to learn to play. Not my game. Five, three. I'm not meant for that game, so. I know. Uh, but I'm into it and it is so fun. And I just love the women's angle of it and people are getting so excited.

Speaker B: Love that.

Speaker D: Uh-huh.

Speaker B: Okay. If you could be a professional athlete, what sport would you play? Any sport. And if you had to pick one,

Speaker D: you're like, oh, I want to be Tom Brady.

Speaker C: Oh, the quarterback?

Speaker D: No, I want to be Tom Brady.

Speaker B: Okay, so not quarterback for the Patriots, but specifically Tom.

Speaker C: Well, no.

Speaker D: And here's something actually. Tom Ray. I did. I went through a point in business in Life where like my mantra was I am Tom Brady. Now I'm going to tell you why he is single.

Speaker B: So weird.

Speaker D: I mean, I know, I know, but so Wyatt is.

Speaker C: He's from Brow to. Wait a minute, we. There's probably a connection from Broward.

Speaker B: Oh, that's right. He is.

Speaker C: Yeah. So, yeah. Reach out to Versique. Let's.

Speaker D: Here's why is because I believe that Tom Brady has figured out one of the secrets to life and work and that Tom Brady figured out what worked for Tom Brady. Tom Brady didn't prescribe to anyone else's thing. And so everything that he has done and created, he was like, what works best for me and how can I perform at my best? And then he followed that plan instead of somebody else's plan.

Speaker B: Wow, I love that.

Speaker D: It's true. I mean, look at like his fitness thing. TV 12 or whatever it's called.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker D: Uh, yeah, but like, it's totally the antithesis of like what most trainers would. How they tell you to work out and to do. But it works for him.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker D: So if it worked for him, I mean some other people probably should try it but ah, that it worked for him. So that's. If you can find what works for you and do more of that, do that.

Speaker B: I love that.

Speaker C: I'm not going to even stomp on that with the final question. I think that's great.

Speaker B: Thank you so much for being here with us today. This was so great. Thank you.

Speaker D: Thank ah, you.

Speaker B: Congratulations on all your success. Love it.

Speaker D: Congratulate you. Thank you for having me.

Speaker A: Thanks for downloading Unscripted Presented by verseek we see people, each as versatile and unique and each with a capacity for greatness. Whether you're looking for interim solutions, direct hire or executive leadership for your business, we're here to help, subscribe or share unscripted on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform. Copyright 2026 Versi.