• by Lisa Singer , Staff Writer, February 28, 2024

Nationwide's Kristi Daraban talks going out on her own, finding balance, and honoring her grandmother through giving back. 

I've had the opportunity to connect with and learn from executives of major brands at MediaPost's Insider Summits. In the process I've discovered some truly impressive women -- not only for the work they do, but their stories behind the scenes. With Brand Insider: BTS, I get to pull back the curtain on some of the most influential women marketers as they talk about their path to success: the twists and turns, obstacles, inspirations and the valuable lessons learned along the way.

“I think people need to know that no matter where you come from and where you grew up and who your family is, it’s possible to break through all of that and get somewhere you want to go.” Kristi Daraban did just that! Having held senior positions at NBCUniversal, Nestle and Disney, to name a few, she is now the associate vice president of marketing at Nationwide. As a first-generation Hungarian- American, she discovered early on the need to carve out her own path to get where SHE wanted to go. In this episode of Brand Insider: BTS, Kristi tells me that, as a pioneer in digital media, she has pretty much had to invent her job throughout her career. She also talks about her grandmother's bravery and how it motivated her to believe anything is possible, including being supermom at home…with the help of a few TikTok videos that is! You can watch the entire conversation here: