CEO at CartStars | Cultivating an Empathetic & Resilient Community for eCommerce Leaders

Your team got smaller this year. Your decisions didn’t.

You need to know what actually worked at a company like yours before you commit. You don’t need another vendor pitch or another analyst report. You need the real answer from someone who already made the call.

That room is called CartStars. I started it with six people at a dinner table because I was tired of expensive decisions made on bad information.

Estèe Lauder, Steve Madden, Bombas, and MERIT Beauty are in it. So is the person who just solved the exact problem sitting on your desk right now.

It’s not a network. It’s the room you check before you commit.

If you’re making a high-stakes decision right now, your peers already made it.

Start at cartstars.com

Debbie Kemunto Pearce

Three versions of the truth.


Shopify says one thing, Amazon says another, and your ad platform says something else.

But Krishna P. asks one question first:
Who's accountable for what's actually true?

At Oracle, he watched companies pay millions for the answer.
Then, bootstrapped Saras Analytics with his cousins to bring it to brands who couldn't.

Today, it's 180 people. Working with brands like HexClad, Ridge, Athletic Greens, and KFC.

His take on being the calmest person in a messy data room?
Know that your tool isn't the problem.
It's that no one owns the question.

That's what Visionaries is.

Krishna Poda, Co-Founder & CEO, Saras Analytics.
February 24th in Palm Springs. He's in the room.

Who owns the question at your company?

Debbie Pearce

It’s a living room, not a ballroom.


No badge lanyard. No sad buffet chicken. No one on a stage pretending they figured it all out.

While you’re on the conference floor right now, there’s a Michelin-trained chef in a kitchen cooking for a group of executives who are just talking. Actually talking.

Breaking down how they think, not the version they’d give on a panel.

There’s also a photographer in that room whose work made me save his number for ten years. I waited for a moment worthy of him. Today was it.

This room doesn’t exist tomorrow.

Visionaries Day is happening right now, and there’s still a way in.

You can find it here: https://lnkd.in/gzRuHHqK

Steve has receipts.


He doubled revenue at NYDJ.
He 3X’d Kut from the Kloth in half the time with a quarter of the staff.
You ask him how things are going and the answer sounds like an earnings call.
He doesn’t do vague. He does results.

We had a conversation in the room once about identity resolution and whether it crosses a line. Steve didn’t miss a beat. “I’m head of growth, not ethics.”
I laughed. But that level of clarity is why he keeps winning.

This is someone who was building fan communities 23 years ago on Myspace. He was doing it before anyone had a word for it. He just understood something most brands still haven’t figured out: your customer has to believe they’re the only one in the room.

He’s funny. He’s real.

Everybody knows Steve. But do you know his best dad joke? Drop it in the comments. 🤣

"I don't expect to learn anything."


Esteban Restrepo said that from a hot tub. With three people present at the end of Day 1 in Palm Springs. Just one of those conversations that happens when nobody's trying to have one.

He wasn't being cynical. He was being honest. 
He's been at this long enough.... where you stop expecting someone to hand you a trick that changes your business overnight. 

But then he kept going.

"What I loved about today is that it was real. I watched someone actually share something that works for them. And it was a contrast to the big stages where it becomes performative."

And honestly? That hit me.
Because most people in this industry already know the difference. The stage version and the real one. They've been in both rooms. They know which one they walked out of and actually used something from.

They just don't have a place where the second version exists.....till now.

When's the last time you were in a room where you got what you really needed?

Most people listen to the women they admire.


Not enough people watch them.

Listening gets you inspired for a day. Watching changes how you move.

These 10 lessons didn't come from a stage. 
They came from paying close attention to what the women around me actually do when nobody's clapping, when the easier choice is right there, when stopping would be completely reasonable.

At the end of the day, it's the people in your life that make the life you live. 

If you're a woman in my life, I'm grateful for you. 

I'm learning from you, I'm inspired by you.

You flew home, and nobody said thank you.


You sat in someone's session, visited a partner at their booth, gave someone 10 minutes of real conversation, and flew home. Back to the inbox.

I think about that more than I should.

Colleen Waters did all of that at a conference. She won an all-inclusive vacation.
And for the first time in I don't know how long, she stopped. 
She came back and posted about how the pause gave her something the grind had been taking. 

I read it and thought, OK, so this is the room. The one where someone shows up, and it doesn't go unnoticed. This is where CartStars did something right.

I've been building this thing for three years, and Colleen explained it better in one post than I have in 300.

Showing up looks different every time. 
This time at Visionaries, it's about who you bring with you. Because every room like this started with someone saying, "you need to be here" to someone else.

Visionaries is next week. See you in Palm Springs, February 24-25


When's the last time you showed up for someone and nobody said a thing?

Never go back.


New company, new industry, new title. Because that's what gets the "excited to announce."
Nobody writes the post about going back.

Niva Singer, MBA keeps going back.

First hire at Native. Built the ops, the website, the emails with a team under ten. Then P&G bought it for $100 million.

She left. Then she walked back in.
Not for the title. Because there was always space for optimizations.
Worth a $580K annual revenue lift.
She tested the placement of one feature on the homepage. Build-Your-Pack, one test.
That's what going back looks like when you're paying attention.

Then she went back to the same category. MUD\WTR, now Auri Nutrition. Second mushroom wellness brand. Same lane but deeper.

Some people chase what's next. She goes back to what matters.

She brought that energy to fondue night at The Matterhorn in San Francisco.
Grateful to Klaviyo and Loop Subscriptions for making the night possible!

You make 100 decisions a week. You can't explain how you make one?


That's not a criticism. That's most of us.
We asked a small group of senior leaders to do something most people never take the time to do.

Write down the things they see before anyone else does. Their frameworks.

And I've been reading these Visionary questionnaires over the last few weeks.
We haven't even hit record yet, and it's already changing how I think.

Tomorrow:
Two chairs, a living room in Palm Springs, sixteen peers, a full camera crew.
No spectators. Real questions, real pressure.

I'm equal parts excited and terrified!

Visionaries, Feb 24-25.

Link in comments if this is the kind of room you want to be in.

Chan Zuckerberg Initiative

. Tier 2 Support: User Enablement: Act as a user experience champion
. Gather & analyze business requirements: Working closely with the business teams to understand their needs, pain points, and desired outcomes. Help define user stories for implementation
. Document & prioritize business requirements: Document business technical requirements; Create use cases; Assess prioritization of requests based on business impact, ease of delivery, ROI, and compliance. 
. Design solutions: Translate business requirements into technical specifications. Consider user experience and best practice configuration options; Analyze current workflows and identify opportunities for automation and optimization.
. Implement Solutions:  Work closely with cross-functional technical teams to develop, test, and deploy solutions. Coordinate activities with the business teams to test solutions and ensure solving for the desired business outcomes. 
. Project Management: Create project plans, monitor & communicate progress throughout the project lifecycles. 
. Collaborate:  Communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders. Explain technical and application capabilities to the business teams. Translate business requirements to the technical teams. 
. Quality Assurance: Complete Peer Reviews, Develop test plans and execute unit & E2E testing to ensure the configured system meets user requirements. 
. Stay up to date with technology trends: Continuously learn new features and trends within the HCM systems ecosystem, recommending potential enhancements to Workday and other systems.

Enterprise Systems Analyst

• Oversee day-to-day functionality of the company’s Human Capital Management system, with a focus on high-quality support and continuous improvement in Business Process and Reporting.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including Business Systems, Legal, People Business Partners, Talent, Payroll, Facilities, L&D, DEI, and IT to manage system processes, documentation, testing, and security.
• Maximize system integrity by performing regular audits of hierarchy structures and employee information, as well as rigorous testing of new changes and processes.
• Coordinate with leadership and IT teams to design and implement HR technology roadmaps; keep current on technology tools and integrations to make informed recommendations for upgrading/automating systems.
• Support HRIS operations, working closely with subject matter experts to configure, troubleshoot, maintain, and improve HRIS systems and components.
• Review metrics and other data to locate opportunities for improving efficiency and productivity; solicit and apply constructive feedback from employees and stakeholders.
• Balance multiple projects and priorities simultaneously while meeting tight deadlines; pivot quickly to address changing needs and critical situations.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
• Pioneered innovative initiatives that optimized operations, decision making, and employee service delivery, expediting achievement of department and organizational goals.

People Systems and Operations Manager

• Partnered with senior leadership of a rapidly growing, mission-focused company to build company culture and steer change management for 350 full-time employees and 200+ contingent workers.
• Managed and motivated People Ops team with strong leadership and coaching, providing valuable people-related insights and creating positive employee experiences that drove satisfaction and retention.
• Excelled as the primary point of contact for team members; handled People-related inquiries and worked with People generalists and business partners to support various organizations across CZI.
• Forged strong cross-functional partnerships that emphasized operational excellence; made actionable recommendations for driving business growth.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
• Championed efficiency by proactively identifying opportunities to automate administrative workflows and optimize People tech stack.

People Associate

iRhythm Technologies, Inc.

• Offered comprehensive support to employees and management through all phases of the HR lifecycle; handled onboarding, orientation, talent management, and offboarding.
• Processed employee change requests, promotions, terminations, and transfers efficiently within the UltiPro system, playing a pivotal role in the seamless management of HR operations.
• Upheld the highest standards of data integrity by ensuring accuracy and compliance of employee records; handled confidential information with discretion and tact.
• Oversaw HR operations with a focus on providing exceptional HR services that cultivated a positive, efficient, and inclusive workplace culture.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
•Optimized operational processes crucial to the successful delivery of key HR programs and services; made key improvements that enhanced the employee experience, boosting morale, engagement, productivity, and retention.

HR Coordinator

Anchor Brewers and Distillers, LLC

• Delivered all-encompassing support to the Director of People Services, collaborating closely with functional business leaders and associates to successfully implement HR processes and programs.
• Streamlined and optimized HR operations, fostering a positive and organized work environment while ensuring compliance and efficiency in complex HR processes.
• Inputted, updated, and maintained information in the HRIS, ensuring the proper filing of documents and forms in employee files, including personnel and benefit files.
• Accountable for monitoring and filling open positions; conducted resume screening, interviews, and reference checks; managed background checks; led onboarding and orientation for new employees.
• Administered employee benefit programs and responded to benefit inquiries; handled employee enrollments, monthly benefit invoice audits, and changes in benefit plans.
• Orchestrated and completed paperwork related to COBRA continuation; actively participated in facilitating open enrollment processes.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
• Spearheaded the development of various People Services metrics and reports to enhance data-driven decision-making.

People Services Assistant

Lion Management Group, Inc.

• Assist Director of Human Resources with recruitment to include; creating and positing jobs, data entry of resumes into the recruiting database, resume review, scheduling interviews, conducting interviews and preparing and extending offers 
• Key player in managing human resources database containing information for over 1,000 employees. Entered confidential data regarding new hires, terminations, pay changes, promotions and leaves of absence
• Collate new hire orientation packets, ensure all documents are correctly maintained and completed in compliance with city, state and federal employment and labor laws
• Coordinated with the payroll department for employee data transfer on a daily basis. Partnered to ensure all employee information was entered accurately and appropriate documentation was provided.

Human Resources Assistant

I am a seasoned and innovative professional with extensive leadership and HR experience spanning a variety of sectors. Recognized for inspiring teams and optimizing operational efficiency, I have a verifiable history of contributing directly to company growth and expansion throughout my career. As such, I have consistently exceeded performance goals and I am adept at maximizing operational output with minimal resource expenditure. Professional focal points include HRIS Systems, data analysis, technology integration, process automation, workflow optimization, talent development, benefit programs, and employee morale and retention. Delivering superior administration on the latter areas of expertise requires utilization of effective communication and interpersonal skills, as well as business acumen, technical acumen, project management, and an analytical mindset.

Currently, I am a People Systems and Operations Manager with the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. I oversee the company’s Human Capital Management system, and I find innovative ways to improve Business Processing and Reporting. I also analyze complex data and conduct regular audits to ensure the integrity of HR systems and processes. In addition, I liaise with senior leadership, stakeholders, and cross-functional teams to ensure the company’s HR support structure is driving business forward with minimal expenditures.

Colleagues describe me as a progressive, driven, down-to-earth, HR and managerial expert who can be relied on to offer superior solutions that deliver profitable results on time and under budget.



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