Stacey Pool (Ziggi's Coffee, Vail Resorts, Noodles & Company) won't apologize for her ambition, but she won't sugar coat what it cost her either #053

In this episode of CEOs & ABCs, Kevin sits down with Stacey Pool, Chief Growth Officer at Ziggi's Coffee and former Chief Marketing Officer at Noodles & Company, to explore what it takes to be unapologetically ambitious and still show up for the people who need you most. They get into why the question "Am I doing the very best I can in this moment?" matters just as much at the kitchen table as it does in the C-suite. Stacey started her career in IT and moved to Vail Resorts in digital product, where a CMO who believed in her handed her the Epic Pass business to learn the commercial side. A stint as chief of staff to the CEO gave her the full view of the company and set up more than nine years in senior marketing leadership. She joined Noodles & Company as CMO two months before COVID and now leads growth at Ziggi's, with her sights openly set on becoming a CEO. Through every chapter, her reason for climbing has stayed the same: she wants her legacy to be the impact she has on people. The turning point came at Vail. After a ski season where her results fell short, she received the first truly hard feedback of her career, went home, and updated her resume that same night. Twenty-four hours later she could see what had happened. The feedback had hit a core value, and the work in front of her was learning to recognize that trigger and come down from it faster. That same regulation is what she now brings home to two teenagers. As she puts it, leading people at work is no different than leading your children. They will trigger you, and what counts is how you show up during and after.Stacey is candid about what that costs. She has missed baseball games, tennis matches, and parent-teacher conferences, and she has been asked by colleagues how her family feels that she's still at the office. Kevin shares that in his years as a single father, no one ever asked him that question. Last week Stacey skipped an important strategy meeting because her daughter showed up at work needing to talk, and she'd make the same call again. This is a conversation about ambition and guilt, and about why doing the very best you can in a given season is a more honest standard than trying to be great at everything at once. In this episode, you'll learn: - Why Stacey talks openly about wanting to be a CEO, and the "why" that sits underneath it - How a move into chief of staff to the CEO accelerated her path into marketing leadership - What happened the night she received the hardest feedback of her career, and what she did 24 hours later - How to spot when feedback is hitting a core value, and how to come down from it faster - Why leading a team and raising teenagers call for the same emotional regulation - The double standard ambitious mothers face when they work past 5 PM <!--THE END--> - The weekend boundary her family has planned vacations around for nearly two decades Top takeaways: - Ask for help early. A coach at Outward Bound told Stacey she'd never grow as a leader without it, and that line reshaped how she works at the office and at home. - Defensiveness points to a value. When feedback hits hard, find the core value it touched before you react. - Regulation is a leadership skill in both places. Kids and teams will both test you, and the recovery is what builds trust. <!--THE END--> - Own your ambition. Stacey's career took off once she stopped trying to fight who she is. About Stacey Pool: Stacey Pool is Chief Growth Officer at Ziggi's Coffee, where she leads franchise expansion and guest traffic growth. She previously served as Chief Marketing Officer at Noodles & Company and at FullSpeed Automotive, and spent more than nine years in senior marketing leadership at Vail Resorts, including running the Epic Pass business and serving as chief of staff to the CEO. She lives in Colorado with her hu... ### Chapters - (00:00:00) - Welcome and Introducing Stacy Poole - (00:00:58) - Stacy's Career Path: Vail Resorts to Noodles to Ziggy's - (00:03:43) - Becoming Chief Growth Officer and CEO Ambitions - (00:06:23) - Judgment and Double Standards for Working Mothers - (00:10:14) - Owning Your Ambition as a Woman - (00:11:02) - Starting a Family and Building a Village - (00:13:03) - The Struggle of Motherhood Not Coming Naturally - (00:14:57) - Finding Validation Through Work - (00:17:21) - Division of Sacrifice Between Partners - (00:18:43) - Mom Guilt and Missed Milestones - (00:20:01) - Modeling Partnership and Hard Work for Kids - (00:22:39) - Podcast Sharing Request - (00:23:13) - Three Career Seasons and Pivotal Moments - (00:27:11) - Learning From Hard Feedback at Vail Resorts - (00:29:03) - Developing Emotional Regulation and Leadership Skills - (00:30:28) - Applying EQ Skills at Home With Kids - (00:32:52) - A Story of Regulating Emotions With Her Daughter - (00:36:03) - Personal Playbook: Asking for Help and Accepting Limits - (00:39:06) - Boundaries, Naps, and Self-Grace - (00:41:00) - Closing Thoughts and Advice for Working Parents