The CMO Podcast5 Nov 2025

Erin Newkirk (Former Caribou Coffee) | Building Brands (and Teams) That Spark Chain Reactions

If you live in Minnesota, you know there are two things that keep you going through the long winters: a good pair of boots, and a great cup of coffee. For years, that coffee often came from Caribou, where Jim's guest this week, Erin Newkirk, most recently served as Chief Brand & Marketing Officer, helping guide a beloved global coffeehouse with more than 850 locations across 11 countries. Erin left Caribou coffee shortly after we recorded this show to start her own training & coaching company.

Erin’s story stretches far beyond coffee. Her career spans Fortune 500s, startups, coaching, and everything in between, always with the same ambition: to build brands, businesses, and breakthroughs that spark movements people can feel. She began her career at the test-prep company Kaplan, earned her MBA from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, and honed her brand chops at General Mills, shaping icons like Cheerios and Pillsbury. Then she leapt into entrepreneurship, founding Red Stamp, a mobile-first lifestyle brand that reimagined personal connection and scaled to millions before it was acquired.

Today, Erin brings that same energy to her work as an advisor and board member. partnering with founders, executives, and mission-driven ventures including ModernWell, Omnia Fishing, and TurnSignl, an award-winning service providing 24/7 real-time legal assistance.

Recorded in person at the Best Buy Studios in Minneapolis, here is Jim's conversation with the leader who believes in grounding herself each day—and helping others grow along the way.

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