Shelley E. Kohan (00:02.606)
Kat DePizzo, I am so excited to have you here with me today on Lead Like Her. Welcome.

Kat DePizzo (00:09.274)
Thank you so much. I’m so happy to be here. Appreciate it.

Shelley E. Kohan (00:12.984)
So you have a great story to tell and I know our listeners are gonna love hearing about where you work now, which is one of the coolest, hottest brands out there. But before we get there, what I want you to start talking to us about is let’s talk about those early years. How did your leadership journey, how was it shaped back when you were with Levi Strauss, great company there, Mac Studio, Abercrombie & Fitch.

Kat DePizzo (00:34.648)
Yeah. Yep. Yeah. How did it shape my leadership? Gosh. I have worked for a lot of different leaders, some infamous and, you know, and small and big. I’ve worked in retail since I was…

Officially got paid since I was 14, but I worked in it way longer than that. I used to do trade shows with my dad and do floor sets at night when I was like little, little. So, so fun. Yeah. So I got the bug really, really young, but I…

I love retail. Like I worked in like anything you could have me do, I would do it. So floor sets at night, back stock rooms, sales, mean sort of the gamut. But when I got into those early years of like my career and you know, I spent a lot of time working in some really amazing companies and brands, so fortunate, but like with really different styles. So I learned a lot of like,

what I wanted it to be like and also what I didn’t want to be like. And it was pretty cutthroat back then. So, you know, we’re talking decades ago and it was pretty cutthroat. And so there was a moment where I experienced sort of the moment of where I realized that everybody wasn’t in it together.

It was a little bit, there was a lot of competitiveness and I was so surprised by it and it really caught me off guard. I remember I sat and I was, maybe like, it was probably like 21, know, 22. And I made a vow to myself and at the time I was actually surprised because it was from other women and that really threw me.

Kat DePizzo (02:25.648)
And so I was like, I’m making a vow right now that one day I’m going to work really hard to build a company where women can support each other, lift each other up, not hold each other down, not compete in like, you know, they’re going to be better because they’re better together and they can take their kids to, you know, go to see their kids plays and whatever at school and not feel like they can’t be a mom and, you know, and career. And so, um,

Yeah, I’ve worked really hard to get there. So I work at it every day. But I remember that shaped me. It stuck with me.

Shelley E. Kohan (03:03.533)
That’s amazing and I love the fact that you’ve been working since you were like, you know, a child in our industry. I think all of us kind of have that background where we just you get hooked into it and it becomes part of your blood, right? So tell us a little bit about the experience you had at Abercrombie and Fitch. That was back during the time when it was the literally the hottest brand around. How did you navigate through that culture at that time?

Kat DePizzo (03:05.584)
You

Kat DePizzo (03:12.121)
Sure.

Yes, absolutely.

Kat DePizzo (03:30.348)
Yeah, it was intense. I think there were a lot of weeks I was working 120 hours a week, seven days a week. We were all so intensely immersed in the brand and living it. Because it was. It was creating history with this cultural movement.

And you know and listen I love what Fran has done with the brand today. I mean what a remarkable She has just crushed it. I couldn’t I could not be more thrilled. Honestly, I’ve been cheering For her and for everyone there, but obviously it went through it’s been through some you know It was it was a challenging culture back then So it was tough. There was a lot of tough things about it and but I also learned like the

obsession with brand DNA and like to 360, know, holistic view of how a brand is executed from, you know, very beginning design to, you know, like in thought all the way to that button in the store, to that store experience, to the smell, to the customer interaction. just, and so those that came, we came from that school, you know, and I…

I love to see what everybody is doing now today that I worked with back in those days, because everybody’s just doing such amazing things. We all came with this like hardcore retail boot camp experience that I’ve never sort of seen anywhere else. So I’m grateful that I learned everything that I did. And I’m grateful that I got to be a part of a brand that was so iconic. I was actually like the second employee for

Rule number 925 if you remember that Brian I was yeah, I was the peon in the in the group of it But like we were a very tiny little group of like five of us locked in what was actually a sample closet they turn it into a office room and in little yes, so no joke like we got locked in and So was under lock and key, but I got to be a part of watching these amazing

Shelley E. Kohan (05:16.821)
Nice, yeah.

Shelley E. Kohan (05:36.311)
you

Kat DePizzo (05:41.87)
visionaries that were above me at the time is two amazing women that like dreamt up this you know brand and like the DNA of what it was gonna be from the product to the store to the it was Unbelievable to see something like that and then I would like I moved over to women’s you know when it really started get getting going but that was a really cool experience to be a part of and just like learn from all these really cool people that had come in from around the world and

Yeah, it was a wild time. after I had my first daughter, it was hard to keep up with the stamina that it was back then. wasn’t conducive to that. But I learned a lot while I was there. And I met some really great people.

Shelley E. Kohan (06:21.461)
Of course, yeah.

Shelley E. Kohan (06:32.001)
You’re lucky because if you think about it, if you said, I want to get into branding eventually, people would have said, we’ll go work for Levi Strauss, go work for Abercrombie and Fitch. And you just kind of like fell into that. And you got like a PhD in branding.

Kat DePizzo (06:45.039)
I mean honestly so fortunate. I Levi’s, gosh, like I still to this day search and collect Levi’s like from a thrift store, from a vintage shop. I have stacks of them that I cannot fit in at all anymore. But I love them because I just think what an amazing like iconic brand that just really knows who they are and their DNA and they just keep.

doing like innovative, really incredible things and it’s unmistakable. Like you, you know Levi’s, you know? So I really, I loved the history of that brand. That taught me a lot about like DNA and like falling in love with the history of it, so.

Shelley E. Kohan (07:27.851)
Yeah, that’s great. And Michelle Goss is doing amazing things there. Another woman that’s leading a great brand.

Kat DePizzo (07:31.183)
Exactly, I know I’m like get it ladies like it’s so honestly is so amazing. I Betty Madden who was with me at ANF but she’s over at Lee and like it’s just it’s really cool. It’s really really cool to see I know

Shelley E. Kohan (07:47.114)
I love it. So now, fast forward to today. Now, you are president of one of the hottest tween brands in the US, Justice Design Lab. So how now are you able to inspire your team members to excel? Now, you’re the leader and you’re bringing on the talent. And how are you getting those folks to aspire for great things?

Kat DePizzo (08:12.537)
Yeah, listen, Justice is such a really special brand. I used to joke there was an era, actually my husband would joke about it, there was an era where I was like, corrupting the youth of America with mini skirts and blue, malicious camis, because I was. There’s a patent on that. I was there for it. And then I got to switch over, actually switch over and.

which then merged, we merged Lemon 2 and Justice shortly after, but my job every day, the most important thing is to empower twin girls to feel their best self every day. And like that is, like if you go every day with that in your heart and you’re like in your brain, I mean like everything else will be fine. Like that is so important and so much more important than so many other things. Like, you know, we used to say,

you know, when things get really stressful and if we’d be like, we’re just making t-shirts, you know, like we’re just making t-shirts. And that’s the reality of like, clothing is clothing, like, Justice is this magical brand that’s like every touch point of how we interact with our customer or their guardian is meant so that she can see herself no matter what she looks like in our marketing and our messaging and our fit and our everything like.

Are we perfect all the time? Absolutely not, but that’s what we come in the door with our focus on every single day. And so like, that’s such an honor. It is not lost on me how important that is to help empower the next generation of women in this world. And so if I’m a tiny little bit of piece of that, like I can rest my head on my pill better, and know, like feel like I, you know, it’s wonderful. But my team, they take that on like.

I’ve never seen anything quite like it. I have the most unbelievable, it’s like my hidden gem is this team. Some of us have been together for, some for almost 20 years, which is crazy in this industry. And we put that focus every single day. We lift each other up and we lift up our girl. And so it’s internal and external. I always say you have your internal customer.

Kat DePizzo (10:30.127)
at a company. That’s what I have. This is in my walls. I am like 99 % women. By chance it just happened. And we have amazing gentlemen that work here and growing. we have a lot of women here. we talk about how do we lift up our internal customer? How do I take care of my team and how do they, and each other? And then how do you take care of your external customer? And so that’s our…

you know, girl and her guardian, so those that love her. So we just kind of make that the forefront of everything that we do. And when you start your day like that and you think like that all the time, good things follow.

Shelley E. Kohan (11:10.497)
Those are some great guiding principles and I’m sure they shape your leadership decisions every single day. That’s amazing. So have you ever faced some significant challenges on your road to leadership? And can you tell us a little bit about when you hit these roadblocks or barriers, how you overcame them?

Kat DePizzo (11:17.231)
Sure. Yeah.

Kat DePizzo (11:31.969)
Yeah, I’ve had some amazing leaders in my life and I’ve had some tough ones. And navigating how to push through that and not let it get you down. I almost lost my way several times on it. Just freely speaking as a woman, it was really hard. It was really hard. And yourself.

doubt in insecurities and how people can play into that. It’s messed up. It’s not right. And that’s not as a leader how anyone should lead. You’re not going to get the best out of your people. so I overcame a lot of challenges within that. But I will tell you as a leader, the hardest thing that I ever did was, we in COVID, we were rolling into COVID years. Yeah, it was tough.

Our parent company was, long story short, they ended up selling us in COVID. And so I was sort of already in a, you know, a tough spot with the brand and we were really, it was just such a crazy time where nobody’s, you know, you’re not going near anyone, everybody’s apart. And here we have the number one teen brand in the world for girls with like no direct competitor.

And they’re like we’re gonna sell it and put it on the market and look in liquidate the stores and you’re all going and I’m like What is happening? This is not happening on my watch one because I have us amazing team who are like are the top tier and how many and I’m like in the business of like creating opportunity for people So how do I keep jobs and how do how do I keep them in Columbus, Ohio? Because that was really important. But to how does this brand that means so much? so much just so many I mean

You can ask grown men about it and they’re like, oh, I got my granddaughter, her backpack, you know, like I brought her there for her first sleepover to get her, her PJs. There are core memories that people of all the likes and ages and, and genders and it’s like, they all have like a really, a lot of really great memories. And, and so I was like, it’s can’t go away. Not on my watch. Anyway, long story short, was sold at auction. I was forced to shut all the.

Kat DePizzo (13:52.783)
It was heartbreaking. And we were purchased, it was a bidding war, and we were actually purchased by Blue Star Alliance, whose model is different than what I was coming from, specialty vertical retail. And it was a crazy leap. I went to them, they came to me, and I said, if you want to make this big, you want to do this right, do it with me and my team. And I was really fortunate.

Yeah, but they they took the bait and I said I promise I will turn this into a big win for you and So what people don’t know? Just crazy is we lost our building, you know, we have no office. We can’t go near each other We really don’t have barely any resources because no it’s not even like they could come here and help me Nobody’s going near anyone. You’re not going to your next door neighbors. You’re not seeing if your kids don’t live with you You weren’t seeing your kids. It was like this crazy time and

I had to relaunch this brand because what I didn’t, what I soon found out is they was relaunching it at Walmart. So I had in a crazy moment of chaos with probably like 15 people. That’s about what I had at the time. I had every sample that we were developing and sent out from every category, because we make everything from apparel and home and bedding and beauty and like bags, shoes.

I had it shipped from around the world to my front doorstep. And we cleaned out my garage. It’s not a big garage. We cleaned out my garage. I had boxes every day stacked up. People thought I was nuts. And we designed and developed in the height of COVID, 10 feet apart with a lot of Lysol masks and sometimes hazmat suits on my driveway when the days were not rainy when we had a window. We designed, developed, executed, marketed, and sold our

Shelley E. Kohan (15:30.061)
you

Kat DePizzo (15:50.125)
back to school launch at Walmart across like 4,400 doors across the North American continent. And that was the hardest thing I think I’ve done in my career. But it was amazing. And then we got to take this brand that was number one for tween girls, but it was expensive. It wasn’t accessible and affordable. And with our partnership with Walmart, like…

it became accessible and affordable to all. And the craziest part is, it’s the same designers, it’s the same manufacturers, like it’s actually better product than we had in our stores. The quality, it’s crazy. So like it’s a really cool thing. have, don’t worry though, we have a beautiful office now and more people, but it was, it was, you know, I’d been working in corporate for a couple decades and I had just rolled my sleeves up and I was like, let’s go. I got reported on Facebook.

Shelley E. Kohan (16:33.421)
Hmph.

Kat DePizzo (16:46.156)
more times than you can count because people thought I was having a garage sale in the height of COVID. So, yeah. So that.

Shelley E. Kohan (16:47.884)
Ha ha ha.

That’s funny.

So, know, Kat, you know what’s interesting about that story? I love that story, but if you think about it, that whole beginning early days of your career, that set you up for success when this very difficult time came. And the other thing I love about your story is that I just am so thrilled to hear the confidence level that you had to say, if you want it done right, you need me and my team. I mean, that is awesome. I love that. A lot of young women.

Kat DePizzo (17:04.175)
yeah.

Kat DePizzo (17:18.829)
Yeah.

No.

Shelley E. Kohan (17:23.023)
and students can learn about being very confident in your abilities and capabilities.

Kat DePizzo (17:28.492)
Yeah. You know what? If I could give myself advice, I would have believed in myself a lot earlier. You gotta go through things. You gotta learn things. And you gotta realize you’re not always right. there, it was an era of where I let the, from the top down sort of get bogged down and I lost, I wish I would have had that confidence earlier. Yeah. Yeah.

Shelley E. Kohan (17:55.79)
Yeah.

Kat DePizzo (17:56.577)
So you gotta be humble and you gotta learn and whatnot. You do not know everything, I do not at all. But yeah, that confidence is, yeah, it’s game changing.

Shelley E. Kohan (18:08.619)
Yeah. So how would you describe your leadership philosophy or leadership style?

Kat DePizzo (18:13.582)
It has changed so much throughout the seasons for sure. I’m sure there are eras where I was not great and I certainly dazed still today, but You’re only as good as your team. Like you are only as good as your team. I am nothing without them So that’s first and foremost. I am very real very authentic and I’m very transparent so you the idea of like

president or sitting in your ivory tower in the separation in silos, I’ll come out and change the garbage disposal if I have to out in my office. And I have, I have. Like, I’m in it to win it with everyone and everybody’s opinion counts. And when you create a culture like that, it’s amazing what, one, how invested your people will be and how much they grow and their, when their confidence grows. And then what you can

put out into the world because it really changes everything. I try to be like, you know what I said, I’d been in corporate retail for over two decades. I had been in non-corporate retail since I was like eight. I mean, I’ve been working in this for way too long. I’m giving way too close to my age away and all these numbers. if I really felt like I had hit this point in my career, was like kind of.

I also was a little bored. I was like, kind of feel like I know how to do all these things and I kind of feel like I know a lot about a lot of things in retail and I did. And then this deal happened and I was like, I don’t know anything. I gotta go figure it all out again. And so being humble, being honest and sometimes you gotta fake it till you make it. Let me just say, everyone out there fake it till you make it. But go learn then. Then go figure it out. And so I did, I was like,

Shelley E. Kohan (20:06.944)
Exactly.

Kat DePizzo (20:08.48)
I tell me more, give me information. so that comes through partners and experience, also internally as a team too. And so I’m all ears all the time, always open. And I also own my mistakes. You know? Yeah.

Shelley E. Kohan (20:23.105)
That’s great. So how do you make sure that you get diverse perspectives and that those diverse perspectives are valued and integrated into your decision making process?

Kat DePizzo (20:37.048)
So first internally with my team, you we’re a much, you’d be shocked how small we are compared to what we used to be. So I’d love it to be even bigger and more diverse, you know, but we, I think coming from a very corporate, like I said, siloed industry, there’s all this stay in your lane, this is your job in this box, layered, make a deck and present it in a room. Come on.

Get, it. That’s getting in the way for everyone. If I can run a company like before with, you know, a thousand stores and thousands of people and all the resources and then turn around and still relaunch it and that many more doors with 15 people at the time, successfully, like, that was like, duh, I’m an idiot. What have I been doing? So I think, you know, eliminating some of that, you know,

nonsense and really getting to the core of like, hey, trusting your people, but be asking their feedback and getting their like point of view and weighing in on decisions. Not just, not just because that’s your department and your title. I want everyone to weigh in. So when we have things to talk about and you know, we’re coming to the table and bringing people from, or you come over here from marketing or different ages, you know, different backgrounds.

I want to hear everything and like if we don’t have enough then I’m like let’s bring in some outside point of view on this decision, whatever it might be. And so we really try to do that and we’re always open, like always open. There’s not a bad idea. And my ideas, sometimes they’re nuts, nuts ideas lead to the next big thing because we start riffing off of each other. And so I know that’s not, you can’t do that for everything, but like.

Shelley E. Kohan (22:19.341)
Hmm.

Kat DePizzo (22:29.346)
I really encourage leaders to think about what can you really cut out? Like how much time have people spending time creating a big pretty deck for you could if they went out and they actually were working on your business? I can’t. It’s so true.

Shelley E. Kohan (22:38.084)
What?

Shelley E. Kohan (22:44.001)
That’s so true, and you know what? AI can do all the decks now, and you can have the brilliance of people working on the brand.

Kat DePizzo (22:50.71)
Yeah, I mean, if I hear one more friend of mine that stays up all night, so many people in the industry, they’re like leaders and they’re brilliant and do all kinds of different facets of the business. And they’re like, I am doing this deck. I got to recreate this deck. I’m like, my gosh. But have you actually looked at your business? Did you get, no, I got to get to that at tonight at 11. Well, that’s not good. But I would also say that then I think it’s super important also to do that with your customer. So when I say,

Shelley E. Kohan (22:56.365)
you

Shelley E. Kohan (23:03.871)
you

Kat DePizzo (23:20.738)
you know, understand we bring in focus groups all the time. So girls from all walks of life and come in and tell us everything you know. Like we’re like, tell us what you hate, tell us what you love, tell us why, tell us, tell us what YouTuber you’re watching, tell us what pizza you like. Like we want to know it all. And so we bring them in and we also bring in guardians. So that’s mom, that’s dad, that’s brother, that’s uncle, that’s grandma, that’s whoever’s the special guardian in their life.

Shelley E. Kohan (23:27.678)
it. Love it.

Kat DePizzo (23:50.371)
you know, that helps make those decisions. And they, we bring them in, we let them weigh in on product. Sometimes we bring them in just to hear them talk and to stay close to our customer. Everyone’s customers are changing every day. So we want to be, you know, current with them and make sure that it’s just not one type of girl. It’s all types of girls. So, yeah.

Shelley E. Kohan (24:10.953)
important. So you you mentioned this earlier and you kind of mentioned it now a little bit. So I believe women and young leaders have a really difficult time trying to climb the corporate ladder but also making sure they’re taking care of themselves, you know staying well. So how do you manage balancing professional leadership responsibilities with your personal life?

Kat DePizzo (24:33.336)
That is a great question. I have two daughters. One is 20 and one is 12. So they’re eight years apart and my husband and I were just two different miracle babies. And I say that because I was one mom with the first one and a different mom with the second. In the first years of my, in those years of my career, there was.

You didn’t leave to go to that play. You didn’t leave to go to that appointment. You didn’t. I worked tirelessly to the point that I crashed. I mean, I literally crashed. I just couldn’t do it anymore. And I and my daughter and I are very close, but I feel like I just I missed too much. And in that I was killing myself. And then the mental guilt that you get as like a woman and as a mom where you’re like, oh, I’m failing at all of this and then I’m

When mom’s not okay, nobody’s okay. when you’re not, whether you’re a mom, whether that’s of your dog, of your whatever, I don’t care. When you’re not okay, when internally, as a woman, the rest of your work will suffer. It takes time. Like you gotta work hard, you gotta grind. I wouldn’t be where I am today if I didn’t work like I did, but there’s a better balance. And today, I feel like the world is shaped differently.

to where there is starting to be more support and, you know, I am an advocate of like, to that event, go see your kid in the parade. I know that you’re gonna still get your stuff done because you care. And you care more because I support you in your life. So, you know, I really try to create that culture for people, women and men to feel like they can be, you know, whatever it could be, your dog’s parade, I don’t care, you know?

Shelley E. Kohan (26:12.173)
That’s right.

Kat DePizzo (26:28.385)
But I think you have to create space for yourself. And I would say I was really good at once I sort of got into this position, I was like, okay, I’ll create it for my team. Really bad at creating it for myself, but I’ve gotten so much better and I think you have to be crazy intentional about and be selfish. It feels selfish when you’re doing it. But like, I, you know, it’s like,

Shelley E. Kohan (26:28.577)
That’s right.

Shelley E. Kohan (26:44.822)
Kat DePizzo (26:57.293)
You know what, I just need an entire 24 hours off to myself. And I need to go shut it down, and that means I can’t talk to anyone for 24 hours, not even my kids and my husband, I love you so much. What do you need to take care of yourself? And slowly but surely, I started integrating things like, for me, I got into yoga because I was really bad at meditating, but if I did the practice, it helped calm my brain. And so I make time for that. And when I make time for that on my mat,

Shelley E. Kohan (27:22.957)
Yeah.

Kat DePizzo (27:26.763)
I have the best ideas for my business. It’s so true and it was so hard to see that. Honestly, I think it’s only been the past five years that I’ve gotten really good at it. Take the vacation. Take the vacation. Everybody else is gonna take a vacation. Why are you not taking the vacation? You’re always gonna get your stuff done. Don’t leave it all on a bank. It’s like…

Shelley E. Kohan (27:29.101)
It’s so true.

Kat DePizzo (27:53.358)
I think you gotta carve out time and be selfish and, cause when you’re whole, you’re better. You’re better at your job. You’re a better partner. You’re a better leader. You’re a better mom, dad, whatever you may be. you’re, and I learned that I could ride myself into the ground for a while, but it catches up with you. It really does. Yeah. So I make, ahead. I was just saying I make time now.

Shelley E. Kohan (28:12.479)
It does. And then when you give you… Yeah, go ahead. Yeah, you go ahead.

Kat DePizzo (28:20.055)
to go to things and so my younger daughter, sees me at more things than my oldest daughter ever did. so, least I was fortunate enough to get a second trial around, you know, cause you’re not all, you know, so.

Shelley E. Kohan (28:33.078)
Yeah.

Shelley E. Kohan (28:36.789)
I think your brain and your mind need space to be creative. So if you fill it up all day long with all these things to do, then you don’t have the space to be creative. I also know, yeah, go ahead.

Kat DePizzo (28:47.125)
Yeah, I was gonna say, you know what, you wanna hear a fun fact about me? Well, you know what I do, and I really need to create space in my brain? This is, guys, this is like my favorite thing. I like power tools. My number one favorite thing to do is power washing. I put my earbuds in, I love it if it’s a sunny day, I get my power washer out.

Shelley E. Kohan (28:51.991)
Sure.

Shelley E. Kohan (28:56.769)
Tell us.

Shelley E. Kohan (29:07.149)
fun!

Kat DePizzo (29:13.953)
You know, you might get a cocktail and just get out there all day. And I will go for eight hours straight, no joke, they have to like bring me in. I am covered head to toe. But in that time, it’s the most satisfying. Like I don’t have to really make any decisions except for where this is going. And then I see the results and I just blast music in my ears. yeah, it’s my favorite, favorite thing to do. Yeah. So.

Shelley E. Kohan (29:32.235)
yeah.

Shelley E. Kohan (29:36.12)
That’s awesome.

I love that. I also know you’re very passionate about helping others and you’re very committed to mentorship, inclusion, community impact. You actively volunteer with schools, youth organizations. I think you’re serving on boards like Columbus Fashion Alliance and Fashion Retail Studies Industry Advisory Board at The Ohio State University. So you’re really now giving it back. So tell us about your passion for helping others find their purpose.

Kat DePizzo (30:09.109)
Yeah, one, I am a big buck guy. So I love Ohio State. It was a small program when I went there. So amazing professors.

would not be here without experience, but it was really small. My resources were kind of tight. And I remember being like, I work in this city that’s like number three in fashion and retail, but I don’t have like, was like struggling to get an internship at the time. It was, you know, it’s challenging. And I’m like, were they not looking in their backyard? Like, you know, were other companies looking and they were, I mean, they were flying people in from around the world for back then, you know, and they still do, but, you know, it’s just a different time. And so,

I remember being like…

It was something that I was, it kind of clicked in me a little later into my career. was like, how do I create, help create that gap, connect that gap? That was first was just like schools to like the businesses, cause that’s where I was at. And so I started serving on the board for Ohio State and gosh, they’re, they’ve done just amazing things. The team that does that over there is just that. that now that program has skyrocketed as like the second largest growth or the

first largest growth at 4 OSU and it is massive and they’re building this new building. It’s beautiful and I’m like so excited for them because it’s coming like they’re creating this you know thing that like and I dreamed of this so I wanted to help people that were like me that were like hey I’m ready but I you know help me connect and get in my foot in the door.

Kat DePizzo (31:47.413)
That was part of it. And then the other part is what if they weren’t like me and they weren’t at Ohio State University and they didn’t have all the resources that I did? What if they never even got that chance? So the Columbus Fashion Alliance really does that and we’re able to create opportunities, whether it’s high school, it’s college or older to, you know,

create opportunity for those who want to be in the business and the industry, but they may not have, you know, the access to a university, you know, or.

a lot of different things that have kept them out. And so it is a remarkable program. I’m so honored to be a part of it. And the programs that they do, I hire students out of it. In fact, it’s changed my requirements. I do not require a four-year degree. In fact, I could care less if you have the degree, if you come out with the right experience and talent and the right, like I always say, chutzpah, you know, like, and yeah.

Shelley E. Kohan (32:49.687)
but…

Kat DePizzo (32:54.671)
For me, it’s, and they’re using, their program is really, preparing kids. I’m blown away by what the high school programs that they do do. So it’s important and I care about, you know, I mean, I was really fortunate to get here. Like, and there were a lot of amazing people that helped me along my way. And so I am.

Shelley E. Kohan (33:02.977)
Yeah.

Kat DePizzo (33:17.513)
I need to give back in my position that I’m in today. That is absolutely my responsibility to pay that forward. It’s circular. Everything’s circular. have to, and if I can help create some opportunity in this world and for others, then I feel like I’ve checked a box on my bucket list.

Shelley E. Kohan (33:38.848)
I love that. All right, so now I can’t believe our time goes so fast. I’ve learned so much about you and your leadership skills and your journey, but now is time for what I call rapid fire questions. okay, so I’m just gonna like whip these questions out and you’re gonna give me a quick answer, okay? Are you ready? All right, the first one is what one piece of advice would you give to female leaders that are currently working?

Kat DePizzo (33:50.238)
boy. Okay.

Kat DePizzo (33:55.519)
Okay, okay, I’m

Kat DePizzo (34:05.888)
Believe in yourself. Unapologetically believe in yourself. And choose you. Choose yourself.

Shelley E. Kohan (34:11.084)
Love it.

Excellent. What three tips would you give students, our emerging leaders?

Kat DePizzo (34:20.748)
It’s going to be hard, so be ready. It’s not an easy walk. Get thick skin and learn to put your shield up. And you don’t have to internalize it, but put your shield up and get thick skin because if you don’t let it get in your head and get in your way of moving you forward, others will try. Don’t let them. And again, be unapologetically yourself. Don’t try to be someone else or.

create a different persona that you think you need to be, be yourself. Authenticity always wins.

Shelley E. Kohan (34:57.483)
Love it. So what’s your legacy? What do you want to leave behind for the next generation?

Kat DePizzo (35:04.556)
I really hope in some small way I have helped to shift the narrative as a leader and especially for women. Certainly I hope in my industry and if I keep going where I want to go, I hope more than just my industry because we’re here to lift each other up. We’re not here to hold each other down.

And like together we’re so much stronger and I want the more that we do that and surround ourselves with people who support and love us but also each other, the better this world’s gonna be. So I hope I’m a small part of that change, yeah.

Shelley E. Kohan (35:59.819)
Me too. I do too. Okay, the last one. All right, so this is the last question I have for you. It could be anything. And it should be fun. Doesn’t have to be. It cannot be power washing though. I’m taking power washing off the table on this one. So you can’t use that one. But tell me, what is your secret power?

Kat DePizzo (36:10.732)
Okay, dang it. Okay. Okay.

Kat DePizzo (36:18.73)
Ooh, I’m, so I might say I’m a little witchy, but I’m very intuitive. I don’t know how to describe it, but I can read and sense and feel people’s mood, energy, or their vibe, which works really well in a lot of settings. yeah, so we joke about it. I’m a little witchy. I don’t know.

Yeah, yeah, so…

Shelley E. Kohan (36:48.429)
That’s a great superpower to have. I love it. Well, thank you so much Kat. It’s been a pleasure having you here. I’m sure our students and young leaders and women will learn lots from what you shared today. So thank you for giving back and donating your time to do this broadcast with us.

Kat DePizzo (36:53.119)
Yeah.

Kat DePizzo (37:07.405)
Of course, was such an honor. really appreciate it. I love and admire all the work that you do and I’m really grateful that I got to be a part of it. Yeah. Awesome.

Shelley E. Kohan (37:15.288)
Thank you.