Introducing “How She Does It”—a new Corporate MomSense series celebrating women who are building remarkable careers while raising families, and offering an authentic look at what it truly takes to make it all work.
For our next feature, we are honored to introduce Rachel Brandt — founder, CEO, creative visionary, and mom redefining what modern leadership looks like.
Rachel Brandt is the Co-Founder & CEO of Corner Table Creative, a social-first creative and media agency built to deliver speed and scale without compromising craft. One of the roughly 1% of agencies owned by women, Corner Table Creative was ranked #1 in Indie Agency News' Top 40, and Rachel was named to the Inc. Female Founders 500 list.
In just two years under her leadership, the company has grown to a 40+ person team approaching $10M in revenue, with an 84% YoY revenue increase, a 77% new business win rate, and a client roster that includes Starbucks, Marriott International, Sweetgreen, Alaska Airlines, Little Spoon, and more.
Beyond the numbers, Rachel is building the kind of workplace she wishes had existed earlier in her career — mentorship-forward, flexible, and creatively empowering — all while raising her four-year-old daughter, Joni.
Bringing daughter, Joni, on set to experience a day-in-the-life, while showing my team the importance of career and motherhood working together.
What is one practical tip you swear by for advancing your career without losing yourself?
How you do anything is how you do everything. I think about that constantly. The way I show up for a 15-minute check-in is the same way I show up for a board meeting — and the same way I show up for my daughter at bedtime. When you stop separating your “professional self” from your “real self,” you stop losing yourself in the first place. The career advances, and the person stays intact, because they’re the same person.
How do you structure your week—what is your approach to planning, protecting, and prioritizing your time?
I pick four essentials each month and run my calendar against them. If something doesn’t ladder up to one of those four, it doesn’t get time — and if it’s not on the calendar, it’s almost certainly not happening. I’m ruthless about that. It sounds rigid, but it’s actually what creates space for the things that matter most, including being present with my daughter. And honestly, this system is still evolving — I think it’ll keep evolving for the rest of my life. The point isn’t to have a perfect system. It’s to have an honest one.
What is one belief about working motherhood that you had to unlearn to reach the success you have today?
That work and motherhood are two separate worlds you have to keep walled off from each other. My daughter Joni was the first person to see our new office. She brings her camera to our photoshoots. She’s appeared in content for Allbirds, Coterie, and Little Spoon — all brands we work with at Corner Table Creative. Sweetgreen – our first ever client – is her favorite restaurant. She sees me building something, and she’s part of it. Once I stopped treating CEO and Mom as competing identities and started treating them as one life, the guilt got quieter and the work got better.
Rachel with daughter, Joni, picking up her bib for the 2025 TCS NYC marathon (running marathons AND running a rapidly growing business!)
What are your go-to style rules for high-stakes days, and how do they help you save time and energy?
I once ran a marathon in brand-new running clothes. I learned that lesson at mile six, and I’ve been applying it ever since: on a high-stakes day, nothing you’re wearing should be new or untested. Comfort and familiarity are non-negotiable. I save the experimenting for low-stakes days. When the stakes are high, every bit of mental energy I’m not spending on my outfit is energy I get to spend on the actual moment.
What is your 2026 anthem — the song that is setting your tone for the year ahead?
“Into the Unknown” from Frozen 2. It’s on repeat in our house, but it’s also genuinely gotten in my head, and it fits. I’m a first-time CEO. I’m embracing motherhood in the middle of it. This whole experience has been a giant leap into the unknown. The song is a reminder that you can be a little scared and still walk toward the thing calling you.
Rachel at the Corner Table Creative office
