Zoe Krislock, Providing Systems with Empathy is the Role of a CEO

Today our guest, Zoe Krislock, who has spent nearly three decades leading some of the most recognizable consumer brands in the country — and now she's leading one of the most personal.

Zoe built her career at developing brand and operations, starting out at Nordstrom and Gap before spending fourteen years at Nike, where she led business units across North America, Europe, and Greater China — at times overseeing nearly three billion dollars in combined revenue. In 2018, she stepped into her first CEO role at MiniLuxe, the ethical beauty and self-care brand, where she spent five years guiding the company through an IPO, a strategic acquisition, and the launch of its own product line.

From there, she became President of Magnolia — the lifestyle brand built by Chip and Joanna Gaines — where she took on the challenge of scaling a company whose entire identity is rooted in authenticity and home.

And now, she's taken on something entirely different: Zoe recently became CEO of StoryFlight Labs, a public benefit corporation building AI-powered communication tools for people with speech-limiting disabilities — a mission-driven pivot after a career spent building sneakers, salons, and home goods.