Removing Overwhelming Feelings: By breaking down problems into manageable parts and focusing on practical solutions helps to prevent becoming paralyzed by the sheer volume of issues. When you can lift yourself 30,000 feet above the issue or the feelings, look a lot smaller and it’s easier to put them into perspective — like a puzzle piece from above the full puzzle.
In today’s dynamic world, the concept of leadership is continuously evolving. While traditional leadership models have often been male dominated, there is a growing recognition of the unique strengths and perspectives that women bring to these roles. This series aims to explore how women can become more effective leaders by authentically embracing their femininity and innate strengths, rather than conforming to traditional male leadership styles. In this series, we are talking to successful women leaders, coaches, authors, and experts who can provide insights and personal stories on how embracing their inherent feminine qualities has enhanced their leadership abilities. As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Julie Benevides, Head of Production and Operations at The Kitchen.
Julie has been producing content for 20 years. From social to Super Bowl, video games to IRL campaigns, making is in her bones. Beyond production, Julie operationalizes teams across the globe and encourages them to identify, grow and leverage their own passions to imagine and create impactful work.
Prior to the Kitchen, Julie spent nearly a decade at R/GA growing, operationalizing, connecting, and managing agency production and creative teams in the US and South America across clients like Nike, PepsiCo brands, Constellation Brands, among others. In past lives Julie also worked on video game production for culturally iconic games like Beatles Rock Band, Rock Band 2 and Dance Central and boutique production shops like Digital Kitchen, who specialized in bespoke opening title creation.
In her role at the Kitchen, she is building more seamless connections between teams, tools, and technology within The Kitchen and throughout Kraft Heinz at large. Outside of the day-to-day, Julie has a passion for supporting and connecting next gen leaders in the industry.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion about authentic, feminine leadership, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?
My journey as a female leader in advertising and technology is deeply rooted in my New England upbringing and women leaders who raised me up each step of the way.
It all began with Ocean Spray Cranberries, where my father devoted a significant portion of his career. During my college years, I was fortunate to land an internship in the Design department, a role that felt tailor-made for a New England gal like me. There, I fine-tuned my skills in adjusting bottle label designs and delved into the world of Photoshop. I also had the privilege of contributing to summer juice sampling events through picturesque Cape Cod during the summer baseball season.
But it was during my time at Ocean Spray that my destiny took a turn. Enter Kelly Reilly, a seasoned brand marketer who recognized my potential and passion. Kelly saw in me a future in advertising, particularly in broadcast production. With Kelly’s guidance, I landed an interview with Arnold Worldwide, a highly sought-after opportunity that marked the true commencement of my career. Arnold Worldwide served as a rigorous bootcamp for aspiring producers, and I thrived in this environment. It’s no coincidence that so many successful producers who emerged from Arnold share a common thread — a distinct New England attitude and a relentless work ethic instilled in us by the exceptional production leaders at the agency. Spring Clinton-Smith, a powerhouse who managed us at the time, became a mentor to me. Spring was a new type of leader I hadn’t seen before: clear, concise and she always set her expectations on the onset. Many of the themes I still speak about were core to Spring’s management approach.
My journey then led me on a fascinating path, from TV production to the dynamic realm of the video game industry. There, I ventured into technology and 3D, discovering my true passion along the way.
A significant moment in my career was the move from Boston to Chicago, where I came full circle and embraced the agency culture and structure that had nurtured my early career. In Chicago, I assumed an operations role, first with RGA for the western hemisphere, and later thriving in-house at The Kitchen, where we bridge the best of brand-side and agency life.
Through perseverance and grit my journey from my humble beginnings at Ocean Spray Cranberries has propelled me into the ranks of respected female leaders in the advertising and tech industries. My story underscores the power of mentorship and the gritty determination of a New Englander with an unshakeable work ethic.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
Not the most interesting, but a lesson learned and engrained: I’m just a newbie, an assistant producer in a bustling advertising agency, rushing down the hallway to use the washroom before being late for the next meeting. As I raced down the hallway, I heard my name called out. I swiveled around to see the head honcho herself summoning me into a meeting room. There I was, thrust into an impromptu meeting with the big boss and four others. She turned to me five minutes in with a scowl on her face and in front of everyone said “Where’s your (insert expletive here) notebook? You need to be writing everything down. Your notebook is an extension of your brain” with no excuse, I said “you’re right, I will be right back”. That moment turned out to be a game-changer and taught me a valuable lesson. You never know when life will throw you an unexpected curveball, or in my case, a meeting with the boss when you’re just trying to make a bathroom break, always be prepared and don’t waste breath with excuses. From that day forward, my notebook became and remains in-hand & an extension of my brain — I never leave home without it.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
The Kitchen at Kraft Heinz is built in a way where we are three clicks closer to the consumer and daily challenges of the brand than an external agency. Having been born from external shops, I’ve seen the challenges created from being distanced from the day-to-day, inner workings of a brand. If The Kitchen were a pyramid, the leadership team is the small, tip of the spear and our makers, strategists, creators and writers who interact with our consumers daily make up the enormous base and create incredible momentum for the Kitchen. At other agencies, it has often felt top-heavy and if there was not a V or C at the front of your title, you were going to have a challenging time getting into those meetings to hear what the true problems of the brand are. We literally sit next to our brand partners in the office, understand their challenges directly and honestly. Being so close to the challenges of a brand allows us to provide relevant, immediate solutions leveraging the experience of the management and leads with the modern execution and creation from the makers who live and breathe the platforms we create for.
You are a successful business leader. Which three-character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
Leadership often entails making difficult decisions or hard choices between two apparently good paths. Can you share a story with us about a hard decision or choice you had to make as a leader? I’m curious to understand how these challenges have shaped your leadership.
I once had to decide between my personal, overall life-balance and my career…or so I thought. After having a generous six-month parental leave at my agency, I returned to work and after about a month, I realized the return was not feeling right; I was completely unbalanced and unfocused in my job, life and inside. Still coming out of covid, I had to make a choice: stick it out at the job or take time for myself. I meditated on the solution and woke up one morning realizing I needed time to clear my mind. I needed a significant amount of quiet time to truly listen to my body and mind on what I wanted out of this next chapter in my life. The next day, I spoke with my boss, mentioned I would be taking 6 months and if they’d have me back after, I’d be grateful. The agency obliged and I truly believe it was due to my hard work and earned trust as, not just an employee, but a leader. To this day it was the hardest thing to ask for in my career — -time for myself. Within that time, I listened and learned about what I wanted, where I wanted to go and how I wanted to “be” in my career, family life and for myself. It’s not lost on me that this was a luxury many cannot afford, but the lesson I pulled from it was when you put yourself first, in the truest most authentic way, the universe provides. I now trust and fall into the big decisions with a lot less fear around the outcome.
Can you share a personal experience where embracing your unique leadership style, which might not align with traditional expectations, led to a significant positive impact in your organization or team?
There are certain leadership styles that use information like currency. If you’re monetizing information, you’re only gaining capital for yourself. The point of leading is motivating and guiding a team to succeed together. I think sharing as much information as I can to teams is vital to keep people informed, accountable and moving towards a shared goal.
If I was macheting through a thick forest and the team behind me managed all our food, water and had the maps and I didn’t tell them a tiger was coming our way, what good would that do us? We’re a team and managers are encouraged and embraced for open dialogue, honesty and hand raising. We’ve got a lot of terrain to cover together, we do so through incredible communication and information sharing.
In your journey as a leader, how have you balanced demonstrating resilience, often seen as a masculine trait, with showing vulnerability, which is equally powerful, but typically feminine? Can you give an example where this balance created a meaningful difference?
I’d like to challenge the question. Resilience and vulnerability go hand-in-hand. Resilience is recovering quickly from challenges and having a capacity to withstand them. Vulnerability is being exposed to possibly being wounded, emotionally or otherwise. So really, it takes incredible amounts of vulnerability to bounce back from any tough situation. Traditionally men have not been rewarded for SHOWING their vulnerability, but any resiliency to bounce back requires deeper, personal reflection. As women, we have traditionally shown and shared our vulnerability more outwardly because we’ve automatically been assigned as the “underdog” in business, education, etc. Or to be frank, as women, we were lower on the food chain of the patriarchy — a naturally more vulnerable position. The balance in my role as a leader is to embrace the challenge ahead, while openly recognizing the potential pain, failure or wound we could face while rising to it. Seeing and embracing the possibility of all outcomes is the balance superpower.
As a woman in leadership, how have you navigated and challenged gender stereotypes, especially in situations where traditional male-dominated approaches are the norm? What strategies have you employed to remain authentic to your style?
I do not cook. I will not bake, cook, or supply “treats” to my colleagues. This is probably going to change that I’m now at a food company, but in my bones, I have always fought against the stereotype that a “woman’s place is in the kitchen.” Ha! Now I help run it.
How do you utilize emotional intelligence and active listening to create an inclusive environment in your team or organization? Could you share a specific instance where these qualities particularly enhanced team dynamics or performance?”
Emotional intelligence is a tool that widens my aperture as a leader. When I can understand a colleague wholistically (their goals, personal challenges, what makes them happy or angry or frustrated), the more I can tailor my leadership to them and align their growth with the agency’s goals. I use 1:1s with managers to understand: team struggles, wins, personal struggles and how I can support. Emotional intelligence and active listening allow me to see the whole chess board and make strategic, mutually beneficial decisions for us as individuals, as a team and an agency. Our agency operates in a team pod structure, and as a leadership team it is our job to ensure individual strengths and growth opportunities are balanced within those teams to optimize output and ensure professional growth for all the cooks in The Kitchen.
What role has mentorship played in developing your authentic leadership style, and how do you communicate authentically to inspire and empower both your mentors and mentees?
In my perspective, mentorship is not just about imparting knowledge; it’s about forging meaningful connections. I firmly believe that by genuinely offering value to others in a manner that resonates with their individuality, we create a foundation for reciprocal support. To me, inspiration flows in both directions, and I draw daily inspiration from my incredible team and peers. Thus, authentic leadership, in my eyes, means not only benefiting from this wellspring of wisdom but also channeling it back into the collective pool, creating a dynamic and harmonious exchange of insights and growth.
Based on your experience and research, can you please share “5 Ways Leading Authentically as a Woman Will Affect Your Leadership”? If you can, please share a story or an example for each.
1. Be You, exactly you. You are the special sauce. You are in the room for a reason, because of your individual view — -so use that view, speak for that view and own your magic.
2. Golden rule –Put yourself in someone’s shoes, assume good intent and treat them like you’d want to be treated.
3. Lead by Example — You show what’s important to you by the choices you make.
4. Listen more (embrace the awkward silence) — I always try to hear everyone out, make an informed decision and move forward. An awkward silence is sometimes louder than any space that could be filled with words.
5. Be curiouser and curiouser — When I listen full-heartedly, there are a million questions I find bubble up; a genuine fascination for what someone thinks or knows. When I go down those rabbit-holes of understanding, I find such gold and value in those cracks I might have missed if I didn’t ask the question.
Are there potential pitfalls or challenges associated with being an empathetic leader? How can these be addressed?
Being an empathetic leader can come with its challenges but addressing them effectively is crucial. These two methods have helped me personally, but may not work for everyone:
Compartmentalize and Separate: Getting emotionally involved in every issue can cloud judgment. The solution is to learn how to compartmentalize, separating personal emotions from professional decisions, to ensure a clear understanding of each situation. I found it’s equally as important to understand when you are emotionally involved and taking a minute to recognize it, then take a beat to separate, then decide.
Removing Overwhelming Feelings: By breaking down problems into manageable parts and focusing on practical solutions helps to prevent becoming paralyzed by the sheer volume of issues. When you can lift yourself 30,000 feet above the issue or the feelings, look a lot smaller and it’s easier to put them into perspective — like a puzzle piece from above the full puzzle.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
It would be the expansion of a simple yet powerful concept I helped initiate with a group of like-minded friends, “Winnetka Walkers (sunrise emoji)”. Me and several local women meet in the back yard of an uninhabited mansion, overlooking Lake Michigan, at dawn on Saturdays solely to be in each other’s presence. In a life filled with a hamster wheel of demands, expectations, and constant buzz of daily needs, as women we often find ourselves juggling countless responsibilities. We created this routine as a sanctuary where we could shed our roles and be 100% ourselves. No judgments, no obligations, just the freedom to bring our raw selves to the surface. The power my friends and I have felt from doing this lies in its simplicity. It acknowledges we need to recharge, connect, and find strength in the moments together. Unfortunately, it does have to be at 6:30am, when the needs of others are sleeping. But the process unearths the requirement to prioritize oneself, while sharing it with others.
How can our readers further follow you online?
Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliebenevides/
The Kitchen North America:
@wearethekitchen
Thank you for the time you spent sharing these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
About The Interviewer: Pirie is a TedX speaker, author and a Life Empowerment Coach. She is a co-host of Own your Throne podcast, inspiring women in the 2nd chapter of their lives. With over 20 years in front of the camera, Pirie Grossman understands the power of storytelling. After success in commercials and acting. She spent 10 years reporting for E! Entertainment Television, Entertainment Tonight, also hosted ABC’s “Every Woman”. Her work off-camera capitalizes on her strength, producing, bringing people together for unique experiences. She produced a Children’s Day of Compassion during the Dalai Lama’s visit here in 2005. 10,000 children attended, sharing ideas about compassion with His Holiness. From 2006–2009, Pirie Co-chaired the Special Olympics World Winter Games, in Idaho, welcoming 3,000 athletes from over 150 countries. She founded Destiny Productions to create Wellness Festivals and is an Advisory Board member of the Sun Valley Wellness Board.In February 2017, Pirie produced, “Love is Louder”, a Brain Health Summit, bringing in Kevin Hines, noted suicide survivor to Sun Valley who spoke to school kids about suicide. Sun Valley is in the top 5% highest suicide rate per capita in the Northwest, prompting a community initiative with St. Luke’s and other stake holders, to begin healing. She lives in Sun Valley with her two children, serves on the Board of Community School. She has her Master’s degree in Spiritual Psychology from the University of Santa Monica and is an Executive Life Empowerment Coach, where she helps people meet their dreams and goals! The difference between a dream and a goal is that a goal is a dream with a date on it!
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