When Angie Bastian studied the snack aisle in the grocery store, she noticed an important omission: No representation of women except for foods geared toward weight loss.

That led to a revelation: The decision to be loud and proud about celebrating the feminine.

This episode of the CUNA News Podcast features two keynote speakers from the 2021 CUNA Marketing & Business Development Council Conference, which takes place virtually March 23-25.

Bastian, the namesake of Angie’s Boomchickapop, transformed a garage popcorn business into one of the nation’s fastest-growing brands of natural popcorn. She shares lessons in effective branding and how she cut through marketplace clutter with an emphasis on female leadership and empowerment.

Public speaker and motivator Gian Paul Gonzalez discusses his philosophy of being "all in" and the power of commitment.

You can listen to the CUNA News Podcast in Apple's iTunes Store, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher Radio.

In this episode:

1:21: How Angie Bastian got her start

4:14: On-the-job marketing training

7:03: The story behind "Boomchickapop"

10:35: How to know when it’s time to rebrand

11:45: Having a "rich internal environment"

13:30: Be patient with entrepreneurs and startups

15:17: Gian Paul Gonzalez: "Go to jail"

16:01: The genesis of "all in"

17:22: Applying "all in"

20:08: The biggest barriers to commitment

23:31: How Gonzalez stays motivated