Building Bridges, Fueling Brands: A True Story About Growth at Adstra

After leaving Mediaocean and before starting at Adstra, I spent a little time in reflection. I’d been in this industry for over 15 years. And when I thought about the moments I was most proud of across every company I’d touched, they had one thing in common: they all revolved around bringing people together to do big, bold things.

That’s always been my sweet spot. It’s also the kind of work I try to keep alive through storytelling—on this personal blog I run to capture my learnings and lift others up.

Then came my first week at Adstra. Patrick Roman Gut, our SVP of Sales, had me off to the races at the ANA Measurement & Analytics Conference in Chicago, where I introduced Adstra to the marketing community and began forming what would become some of our most meaningful client relationships.

After the event, I posted a few takeaways on LinkedIn. It wasn’t overly polished or PR-slick—just me sharing what inspired me and shouting out the smart, generous people I’d met to continue the sales momentum for Adstra well after the conference ended. I couldn't have predicted what would happen next.

A LinkedIn Message That Changed Everything

Out of the blue, I got a message from Carolyn Tang Kmet—my former professor from Loyola University Chicago, who I hadn’t seen in 14 years. She’d read my post, followed the link to my blog, and reached out.

That message stopped me in my tracks. Northwestern University. Graduate students. Guest lecture. It felt like a blast from the past, instantly transporting me back to being a 22-year-old in her undergraduate marketing class at Loyola University Chicago. Was I even “credentialed” enough? So, I tried to pass the opportunity to my boss. But a good friend, John Piccone, President of Adform, a leading digital advertising platform known for its programmatic and identity capabilities, pushed back hard over dinner one night. “No,” he said. “She wants you. You need to do this. Give yourself more credit, Lis.” Patrick agreed.

They were right.

From Guest Lecture to Partnership Strategy

That single speaking gig unlocked something powerful. It gave me the push to chronicle the real story of my career—the zigzags, the scrappy wins, the bets I made before the PowerPoints were even finished. It let me see the consistent theme that’s followed me across every job title and reorg: I’m a bridge builder. I connect people, ideas, and momentum. That’s what I’ve always done.

Standing in front of those students, I shared everything—the hard lessons, the wins that started as long shots, and the principle that guided me through it all: spot the spark, spread the energy, and help others see how they can help light the fire too.

And those students? They took me up on it. They reached out. They asked for advice. They asked for introductions. They asked for opportunity.

So I gave it to them.

Giving What I Had—And Gaining So Much More

At night, after tucking my kids in, I’d heat a mug of tea, open my laptop, and get to work. My second shift began—not for Adstra, but through Adstra.

I built spreadsheets of students and industry peers I could match them with. I fired off intro emails. I scheduled dozens of Zooms. And I started rekindling relationships with CMOs, SVPs, agency leaders, and old friends across the ecosystem—all in service of helping these students find jobs. Along the way, incredible leaders like Scott Hess, CMO at Publicis Media; Erika Digirolamo, VP of Global Analytics at Circana; Emilie Sanders, EVP of Analytics, Media Ops & AI at Just Global; Rachel Conforti, SVP of Business Marketing at Attain; Katie Watson, VP of Technology & Activation at Spark Foundry; and Joe Chuba, SVP of Personalization & Marketing Analytics at Truist Bank generously gave their time to meet with them.

Here’s what happened next:

• Prospective clients became collaborators—bonded by a shared mission to help the next generation.
• Old colleagues became new allies, grateful for the excuse to reconnect.
• Adstra gained visibility, goodwill, and a reputation as a company that leads with heart.

And for me: it helped close deals.

Partnership Marketing in Its Purest Form

I didn’t do this with a campaign budget. There was no fancy media plan. It was community-centric marketing powered by people, platforms, and purpose. That’s partnership marketing at its best.

By helping students like Joyce Chen (now at Finch Brands), Olivia Mao (now at L.E.K. Consulting), and dozens more, I created space for clients and partners to show up as mentors and humans—not just buyers or sellers. It gave Adstra a halo no ad spend could buy, built long-term brand equity, and sparked short-term relationship momentum. Most importantly, it fostered the kind of emotional connection that builds trust—and trust leads to deals.

What started as one guest lecture turned into:

• Strategic introductions for graduating students who’ve now become Brand Managers, Martech Directors, and rising decision-makers.
• Video podcast opportunities for Adstra’s clients and partners at Northwestern—putting their brands directly in front of marketing executives at leading B2C companies.
• Co-marketing moments with Northwestern and Adstra that have extended both of our reaches.
• And for me, a deeper understanding of my soul’s purpose: to build community at scale—where energy flows, people rise, and value spreads.

Everyone Wins When You Build the Bridge

Carolyn kept inviting me back—for video interviews, executive education series, collaboration on industry research papers—and each time, I brought others with me. I invited CEOs like Dave Fisch from Panorama.ai and Dennis Buchheim from ThinkMedium to join the conversations, strengthening relationships I was building for Adstra while giving them a platform to share their brand stories with an audience they otherwise wouldn’t reach.

Throughout this all, I was bringing value to Carolyn and the Northwestern programs she ran too—offering my time, my expertise, and my network to elevate the experience for her students and executive audience. That mutual value creation is what kept the invitations coming.

One of the next invitations was to contribute Adstra’s expertise to industry research that Northwestern students were conducting in partnership with LTK, the influencer commerce platform connecting brands and creators.

It was yet another chance to invite others into the fold and to meet rising talent in the U.S. market like Krithika Radhakrishnan. A former Creative Director at Dentsu India, Krithika came to Northwestern to deepen her marketing expertise across media and brand strategy. She's the best-kept secret in the U.S. job market—someone with a rare 360° foundation of creative + media, charisma at a level 10, and a track record of fast promotions that reflects exactly how her teams saw her and what she’s capable of leading next.

But here’s the thing: I wasn’t just giving.
I was orchestrating value for every stakeholder involved.

It wasn’t just about exposure—it was about true value creation across the ecosystem:

• Students got access.

• Peers got visibility.

• Partners got new leads.

• Adstra got brand lift and sales momentum.

• And Northwestern gained stronger industry ties.

This is what community-driven leadership looks like:
Giving freely. Lifting others. Watching value ripple outward.

That’s partnership marketing.
That’s community building.
That’s what happens when you lead with heart.

And I promise you this—
The ROI always follows.