Our guest this week is Laurie Lam, Chief Brand Officer at e.l.f. Beauty, the fast-growing cosmetics company that has made a name for itself with high quality, inexpensive beauty products. Laurie helps us understand the origin of the brand and some of the keys to its remarkable success. We dig into how staying connected to consumers fuels product innovation, the company's impressive record of diversity, equity, and inclusion, how to best navigate the often tricky world of social media, and the role of strategic risk-taking in propelling the brand forward. Instead of kicking things off as we usually do, we take a moment to announce that Steve's new book--Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption--is now available for pre-order at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and other fine book retailers. Then it's our usual hot-takes on the week in retail news, including a reminder of what the concept of VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous) demands of us strategically. We also unpack why mall traffic is down meaningfully the past two months and wonder whether Taylor's new movie could be the catalyst for a turnaround. IPO fever gets a major cool down as Birkenstock's debut on the public markets is a bit of a whiff. In happier news, The Container Store gets busy with DTC brands, announcing its partnering up with dozens of them in a bold move. About LaurieLaurie Lam is Chief Brand Officer at E.l.f. Beauty, a multi-branded portfolio which includes namesake brand E.l.f. Cosmetics, E.l.f. Skin, Well People, and Keys Soulcare. She is responsible for strengthening E.l.f.’s branding and setting its strategy for growth across all categories, as well as championing their mission to make the best of beauty accessible to every eye, lip, face, and paw.With nearly 20 years of experience building global brands, Ms. Lam is an accomplished business leader and dynamic marketer in the beauty industry. Prior to joining E.l.f. Beauty, she was at L’Oréal USA where she held several leadership positions within the group’s Professional Products Division and Consumer Products Division in the United States, France, and Asia-Pacific. Her experience spans across marketing, e-commerce and digital, acquisitions and business development, and innovation. About UsSteve Dennis is a strategic advisor, keynote speaker, and bestselling author of focused on growth, innovation, and the impact of digital disruption. He is widely considered one of the foremost and influential voices in the retail industry. You can learn more about Steve on his  website.  His #1 bestselling book Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption is available at  Amazon or just about anywhere else books are sold. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior contributor and on Twitter and LinkedIn. You can also check out his speaker "sizzle" reel here.Michael LeBlanc  is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice.   He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience, and has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career.  Michael is the producer and host of a network of leading podcasts including Canada’s top retail industry podcast,       The Voice of Retail, plus  Global eCommerce Leaders podcast, and The Food Professor  with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois.    You can learn more about Michael   here  or on     LinkedIn. Be sure and check out Michael's latest venture for fun and influencer riches - Last Request Barbecue,  his YouTube BBQ cooking channel!