This week, we sat down with a product marketer, creator, and co-founder to talk about building in public, what it really looks like to navigate big tech, and why the most powerful thing you can do is start before you feel ready.
FEATURED CREATOR LEADER OF THE WEEK
Lana Ivory
Product Marketing, AI Glasses @ Meta ∙@lanaivory
Before most people figured out that documenting the journey was the strategy, Lana Ivory was already doing it. A Product Marketing Manager at Meta by day and a creator, community builder, and founder by every other hour, she’s built a following on LinkedIn by being honest about what it actually looks like to navigate big tech and build something on the side. She co-founded C2C for the B2B creators who rarely get a room of their own, and is now building Sotto, moving from talking about products to making one herself.
"What you don’t change, you choose.”
Tell us about yourself and what you do in the creator economy?
I’m a Product Marketing Manager at Meta focused on wearables and emerging go-to-market channels, but outside of my day job, I’ve built a strong presence as a creator sharing what it’s really like to navigate big tech, build a personal brand, and create a non-linear career. I post heavily on LinkedIn about everything from working in tech to side projects, events, and lessons learned along the way. Over time, that content has grown into a real community of people who are ambitious, curious, and looking for more honest conversations about work and life. I also co-founded C2C, a network and event series focused on the people shaping influence in business, especially B2B creators, operators, and founders. On top of that, I’m building Sotto, a voice-first thought capture tool.
What’s a career moment that changed everything for you?
A huge turning point in my career was posting a “day in the life” video when I first joined AWS. I almost didn’t post it because I thought it was too simple and too niche, but it ended up reaching millions of people. More importantly, it made me realize that people were craving a more honest, behind-the-scenes look at what work and career growth actually look like. That moment completely changed the way I thought about content. I realized that what felt normal to me could be valuable to someone else, and that there was real opportunity in documenting the journey instead of waiting until I had everything figured out. It gave me the confidence to lean more into content, community building, and sharing more.
What’s one thing the industry gets wrong about women in this space?
I think the industry still underestimates how strategic women are in the creator economy. Women are often viewed as content creators first, when in reality many of them are incredible operators, community builders, marketers, and founders. There can still be a tendency to put women into lifestyle boxes or assume their content is less “serious” if it is polished, personal, or aesthetically driven. But a lot of the women I know are building real businesses, driving purchasing decisions, shaping culture, and creating communities with extremely high trust. Women are not just influencing trends; they are building ecosystems around themselves.
What advice would you give to a woman just starting out?
Start before you feel ready and document your progress EARLY. A lot of people wait until they have the perfect niche, audience, or brand, but most of that becomes clear through doing. You do not need to have everything figured out to begin sharing your ideas or putting yourself out there. Consistency matters more than perfection, especially early on. I also think it is important to focus on building genuine relationships instead of only chasing followers or views. Some of the biggest opportunities in my career came from people I met online who later became collaborators, friends, or business partners.
What’s next for you? What are you most excited about right now?
Right now, I am most excited about building more at the intersection of tech, creators, and community. I’m continuing to grow C2C into a bigger platform for B2B creators, operators, and founders to connect in more meaningful ways. I’m also building Sotto, which is giving me the opportunity to move from talking about products to actually creating one myself. Beyond that, I want to continue expanding my speaking, content, and community work because I think there is a huge opportunity to create more spaces for ambitious people to find each other.
Want to nominate someone or be featured next week?
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