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In Part 1, Kristie and I talked about how I went from starting See Jane Work to nearly losing everything during the financial crisis, moving into corporate America, becoming a CMO and CEO, and eventually deciding at 52 to take another leap of faith.

In Part 2, we get into why I started What I Expected.

After decades spent developing products and brands, working with major retailers, sitting inside marketing organizations, and watching people make buying decisions, I see shopping very differently than I did when I started.

And maybe more importantly, I think differently about expectations.

In this episode, we talk about:

• what marketing should actually do—and why I don’t believe its job is to convince you to buy something you don’t need
• the disconnect that can happen between product, marketing and sales teams
• explicit expectations versus the expectations created by price, positioning, environment and brand reputation
• why an expensive product isn’t automatically a better one
• why customer service and what happens after something goes wrong are part of the product experience
• how MISS / MEET / EXCEED evolved, and why a MISS doesn’t necessarily mean something is a bad product
• why I created the Goldilocks Guides for categories where there isn’t one universal “best”
• why I care so much about quality over quantity, and have since long before I had the budget to support the preference
• what happens when a brand you trust gets acquired or starts changing
• why I continue to follow products and brands even after I review them
• what it actually takes to earn an EXCEED from me
• and why reducing decision fatigue has become such a big goal for me at What I Expected

We also talk about something bigger than shopping.

By your 50s, you’ve lived long enough to know that life rarely turns out exactly the way you expected. You’ve also learned that there is a lot you cannot control.

But you can be more intentional about some things—particularly how you spend your time and how you spend your money.

That’s really what What I Expected is about.

I’m not here to tell you what you should buy or convince you that you need more stuff. I want to help you understand what you’re getting, what questions to ask, what the brand actually promised, and whether the reality lives up to it.

Hopefully that means fewer bad purchases, a little less decision fatigue, and more confidence walking into everything from a skincare aisle to a jewelry store to a Rolex boutique.

Because you have more important things to do.

Know what to expect before you buy it, try it, book it, or live through it.

More reviews, guides & recommendations: WhatIExpected.co
Shopping Links: Shop My or Amazon.

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Have you ever looked at a piece of jewelry online and thought, “Okay…but what am I actually buying?”

Waterproof. Hypoallergenic. Gold vermeil. Gold-plated. 14k. 18k. Sterling silver. Platinum. Jewelry descriptions can start to feel like their own language—and the words on the product page don’t always tell you what to expect once you actually wear the piece.

In Part 2 of Buying Fine Jewelry, I’m back with Nicole Nettles and Kashmirr Elkin of Blue Water Jewelers to translate the jewelry lingo into plain English.

We get into:

• what “waterproof” and “anti-tarnish” claims may actually mean
• gold vermeil vs. gold-plated jewelry
• what to consider if you have sensitive skin or see “hypoallergenic”
• 14k vs. 18k gold, white gold and platinum
• why some jewelry needs more maintenance than you might expect
• what chlorine, pools and hot tubs can do to your jewelry
• why the durability of the gemstone matters too—not just the metal
• buying designer costume jewelry
• choosing jewelry based on your actual lifestyle, not just how it looks
• and why knowing who you’re buying from can matter long after the sale.

Two pieces can look almost identical online but have very different prices, materials, durability, and (of course) expectations.

If you missed Part 1, start there for lab-grown vs. natural diamonds, sparkle, size, settings, and what to know before making a diamond purchase.

Part 2 is about understanding the language so you know what you’re getting before you spend the money.

Know what to expect before you buy it, try it, book it, or live through it.

More reviews, guides & recommendations: WhatIExpected.co
Shopping Links: Shop My or Amazon.

Have a topic you want me to unpack? Send it my way.

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A few people have asked me the obvious question: Who am I, how did I get here, and why should anyone care what I think about shampoo, jeans, skincare or anything else I’m reviewing?

So for this episode, I’m switching seats. Instead of asking the questions, I asked my friend Kristie (AKA Petite & Powerful) to interview me.

On paper, my career makes very little sense. I started as an entrepreneur, built and sold a brand, designed products for major retailers, lost almost everything during the financial crisis, moved into corporate America, became a CMO and eventually a CEO. Then, at 52, walked away to start something new again.

But when I look back, there is a thread running through all of it: curiosity.

In Part 1, we talk about:

• how my first business became See Jane Work
• why observing how people actually shop taught me more than surveys ever could
• building products and brands without formal training in either
• what success, and losing nearly everything, taught me about luck, control and failure
• the very different lessons I learned as an entrepreneur and inside corporate America
• why titles and career paths matter less to me now than the people and purpose behind the work
• and why I ultimately left the corporate world and started What I Expected at 52.

This isn’t really a story about having a perfectly mapped-out career. Mine certainly wasn’t.

It’s about staying curious, learning as you go, knowing when to ask for help, and realizing that sometimes the experiences that make the least sense while you’re living them are the ones that prepare you for whatever comes next.

In Part 2, we’ll get into how decades spent designing products, watching people shop, working with major retailers and sitting inside marketing teams changed the way I evaluate what we buy, and ultimately became the foundation for What I Expected.

Know what to expect before you buy it, try it, book it, or live through it.

More reviews, guides & recommendations: WhatIExpected.co
Shopping Links: Shop My or Amazon.

Have a topic you want me to unpack? Send it my way.