In this episode of CEOs & ABCs, Kevin sits down with Jeanniey Walden, CEO of Liftoff Enterprises, bestselling author of The Trust Threshold, and TV host reaching 81 million households, to explore what a substitute teacher turned CMO learned about earning attention, building trust, and why the same principles that grow businesses are the ones that keep families together.

Jeanniey’s career defies a straight line. From JCPenney to email marketing pioneer to CMO at Mercer, Rite Aid, and Rakuten, she kept jumping toward whatever was new, uncomfortable, and unproven. She did not have a business degree. She had a teaching credential and the instinct that if you can earn the attention of a room full of kids who do not want to listen to you, you can earn it anywhere. That instinct became the AIR framework: authenticity, inspiration, relatability. And she applies it everywhere including at home with a blended family of five.

The stories in this episode are the ones that stick. Her eight-year-old raising her hand at a packed industry conference to tell the room she had no idea what her mom just said, but she was really proud of her. The Walden Weekends, built to turn ordinary Saturdays into adventures worth remembering. The birthday chair. The red plate. The dollar store scavenger hunts. And the moment she came home as the sole breadwinner and told her family she was quitting her job to try something she had never done before.

This is a conversation about traditions, trust, and the quiet belief that when you open yourself up to good things, good things tend to come.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• What the AIR framework is and why authenticity, inspiration, and relatability build trust faster than any strategy
• Why Jeanniey’s teaching background became the foundation of every campaign, keynote, and leadership decision she has ever made
• How she brought her kids into her work world and what it gave them both
• Why she quit her job as the sole breadwinner to chase an opportunity she was not sure would work
• What Walden Weekends are and how one family turned ordinary time into lasting tradition
• How to stay connected with kids across distance, different ages, and unpredictable schedules
• Why empathy and strategic thinking are the two skills that will matter most in an AI-driven world
• What it looks like to take risks when you have a family counting on you

Top Takeaways:

• Trust builds belief and belief builds business. That sequence does not change whether you are selling a product or raising a kid.
• Your kids are not an excuse. Make thoughtful commitments at work and honour them.
• Ask for support at work before you desperately need it. Most people want to help.
• Do not let having a family talk you out of a risk worth taking. The world opens up when you do.
• Traditions are not just rituals. They are proof that your family is worth showing up for, every single time.
• It does not get easier when your kids get older. It gets better. And they still need you.
• Take the adventure path. Turn the ordinary thing into the one they will talk about for years.

About Jeanniey Walden:
Jeanniey Walden is CEO of Liftoff Enterprises, host of Liftoff with Jeanniey Walden reaching 81 million households, and bestselling author of The Trust Threshold. She has held CMO roles at Mercer, Rite Aid, and Rakuten, and has spoken at the World Economic Forum and TEDx. She lives in New Jersey with her husband Vince and is mom to a blended family of five, grandmother to one, and celebrates every weekend with a Walden Weekend.

If this episode made you rethink leadership, career growth, work-life balance, or working parenthood, subscribe to the CEOs & ABCs Podcast for more conversations with CEOs, founders, and global executives.

Share this episode with a colleague navigating work-life balance, and comment below with the biggest lesson you took from Jeanniey Walden.

Follow Jeanniey Walden:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeannieywalden/ 
• Website: https://jeannieywalden.com/ 
• Book: https://www.liftoffcompany.com/the-trust-threshold/the-book/ 
• Company: https://www.liftoffcompany.com/ 

Follow our host Kevin Rice on:

• LinkedIn: LinkedIn/KevinMRice
• Website: ceosandabcs.com
• Instagram: Instagram/ceosandabcs

Follow the CEOs & ABCs Podcast and stay updated:

• Subscribe to the CEOs & ABCs Podcast:
• Newsletter: CEOs and ABCs Newsletter
• LinkedIn: LinkedIn/ceosandabcs
• Website: ceosandabcs.com
• YouTube: Youtube/ceosandabcs
• Spotify: Spotify/ceosandabcs
• Apple Podcasts: Apple/ceosandabcs