Brandy Porter
Brandy recently led creative design at WeightWatchers, where we created programs, support, and tools to sustainably improve health and habits. She helped spearhead a brand transformation, creatively and strategically, to modernize how this legacy company shows up. Informed by experiences leading other teams here—experience, product, service, and interior design teams—Brandy deeply and critically impacted this work.
Previously, Brandy led the Vox Media product design and user research teams, working with a stellar team to empower publishers and transform the media industry. Her teams worked on the Chorus publishing platform, Coral commenting platform, and Vox Media networks, including Vox.com, New York Magazine, Eater, The Verge, Polygon, and SB Nation. They also brought customers onto Chorus through their SaaS business (customers like Revolt.TV, This Old House, and Chalkbeat). They managed the tooling design system, Resonance, and a complex, component-based framework for publisher design systems, Harmony.
As Mailchimp's Director of Marketing & Brand Design, she led the effort to reimagine the brand, redesign the marketing website experience, and launch an enormous ad campaign, marking the company's shift from email tool to powerful marketing platform. Their brand and marketing work received numerous industry awards, including a CLIO and multiple One Clubs.
She has also led creative and engineering teams at ad agencies, dot coms, and app consultancies. Her work produced award winning solutions for clients like Ford, WebMD, Cartoon Network, and REI. Brandy remains passionate about mentoring designers and staying active in the design and tech communities.
Navigating Life’s Seasons Without Losing Yourself
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29
9:00 - 9:50 AM PT
Life doesn’t pause for our careers. At some point, we all experience seasons where “our human is showing.” Whether you’re starting a family, caring for aging parents, or breaking free from workaholic tendencies, these inevitable shifts come with challenges but also silver linings.
In this session, we’ll explore strategies to navigate these transitions while maintaining creativity, preventing burnout, and fostering resilience in both ourselves and our teams. I’ll share personal leadership rules that have helped me recognize and recover from burnout while creating space for sustainable success. We’ll wrap up with an honest discussion about reconciling career ambitions with life’s unpredictable demands—because thriving in both isn’t just possible, it’s necessary.
