Just once! Forget everything you thought you knew about traditional career paths. Because How She Got Here‘s guest is living proof that a background in theatre can be the perfect training ground for building a thriving career in eCommerce.
For the second episode of HSHG Season 2, Cass Cross sat down with Hannah Stein, a Lifecycle Marketing Manager at Lola. Deeply involved with theater, she made a conscious leap into direct-to-consumer (DTC) marketing.
In this post, we pull back the curtain with Hannah Stein and her appreciation for Lola, a mission-driven brand that creates high-quality period and sexual wellness products. So, keep reading to discover her career path, built on passion and a wealth of learning!
Meet Hannah Stein – From Stage Lights to Strategic Insights
Hannah Stein’s track to becoming a Lifecycle Marketing Manager was never linear. Hailing from the Bay Area, Hanna initially pursued her love for the arts, studying theater in her undergraduate studies at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.
She also strategically minored in business. As she talks to Cass, this blend of creative expression and analytical thinking would prove to be a powerful combination, setting the stage for her career. Leaping into the DTC domain, Hannah found her niche at Lola, a brand renowned for its transparency and focus on women’s health.
What Is Lifecycle Marketing and Why Does It Matter
The cold, transactional idea of marketing is old news! As Hannah Stein explains, lifecycle marketing is about nurturing relationships after you’ve acquired a customer. In short, your existing customers must feel loved, valued, and eager to stay.
It’s about building customer retention strategies that turn a first-time buyer into a loyal advocate.
Hannah’s work covers the full spectrum of post-acquisition engagement, including managing the subscription program, email, SMS, and loyalty initiatives. For DTC brands, especially those with a subscription model like Lola, mastering the customer lifecycle is vital to sustainable growth.
Why Mission-Driven Brands Win Consumer Loyalty
Hanna Stein praises Lola as it advocates sexual wellness for menstruating people.
Founded by women who asked, “What’s really in our period products?” the brand’s commitment to vaginal and period care is evident in everything they do. For instance, Lola became one of the first companies to use 100% organic cotton for their tampons.
Such efforts resonate deeply with today’s conscious consumer, who increasingly expects brands to align with their values. Naturally, a genuine brand creates a powerful connection that goes beyond a simple transaction, fostering the kind of loyalty crucial for sustainable growth.
Lessons from Lola: Subscription Models, Transparency, and Growth
Lola’s core offering, period care, is a naturally subscribable product. Hannah ensures it’s easy for customers to set their subscription and forget it! Learning how to start a subscription service and make it flexible, like Lola’s pause and donate option, is quite helpful in meeting customer expectations.
Moreover, Lola’s approach highlights the importance of reliability and ease as key subscription marketing best practices.
Transparency is another non-negotiable pillar. Hannah discussed Lola’s swift action following a UC Berkeley study that found heavy metals, such as lead, cadmium, and arsenic, in several tampon brands.
Hannah tells us how Lola went ahead and, within weeks after this study, carried out third-party testing to ensure that their tampons, liners, and pads contained no toxic metals.
How Theatre Taught Hannah to Succeed in Marketing
Another fascinating thread of the conversation during the episode is Hannah’s theater background. She shares invaluable lessons learned on stage that translate directly to the business world:
- Presence and Poise: The mindset of always being intentional about how you present yourself.
- Resilience: Dealing with rejection and facing challenges head-on.
- Intrinsic Motivation: Learning to bring your best for yourself and finding inner drive.
The discipline of performance, understanding presence, delivering lines, connecting with an audience, and handling rejection. There was so much for Hannah to learn from the theatre to succeed in her professional life!
The Power of Networking & Building Real Relationships
Hannah and Cass bonded over their shared evolution in understanding networking. Moving beyond just shaking hands at events, impactful networking is built on genuine relationships with people you encounter daily – in school, clubs, at work, or in your personal life.
Interestingly, every single role Hannah held has come through these real connections!
For anyone seeking professional networking tips, Hannah’s story reminds us that letting people know you and your work helps them become your strongest advocates and often leads to the best opportunities.
So here’s one of the most important networking tips for students: Get to truly know someone and be known as reliable, which makes the process feel less awkward and more fruitful.
Balancing an MBA and a Full-Time Role: Hannah’s Tips
At the time of writing this, Hannah is currently pursuing a part-time MBA at Baruch College in New York City while working full-time at Lola. Juggling these responsibilities can be a challenge, but Ms. Stein does it with grace.
So, for anyone considering an MBA, particularly while working, Hannah shared her wisdom clearly, highlighting the value of:
- Intentionality: Knowing why you want the degree and what you hope to gain.
- Practicality: Choosing a program that fits your life and financial situation.
- Support System: Having an employer who supports your educational goals.
- Maximizing the Experience: Engaging with classmates and actively applying learnings.
Trends in Lifecycle Marketing You Can’t Ignore
Marketing is always evolving. Lifecycle marketing is no different, as Hannah shared some golden nuggets of knowledge during her candid chat with Cass. Here is an insider look at the most prominent DTC marketing trends of 2025:
- Rising Customer Expectations: No surprise here. Consumers are savvier than ever. And brands must meet them where they are, especially in subscription models. Easy management and reliable service are paramount.
- Cancellation Prevention: Proactively working to keep subscribers is crucial. This involves understanding why customers cancel and taking actionable steps based on that feedback.
- Authenticity and Transparency (The “Anti-Trend”): Customers know when they’re being sold to. Naturally, there’s a growing trend towards genuine communication. This includes using email vs SMS marketing strategically and even the rise of text-based emails that feel personal to humanize the brand.
This ties into the broader content trend of featuring individual voices within the company rather than relying solely on external influencers. - Deliverability as Science: For channels like email, you must balance emotional impact with deliverability to ensure your message actually lands in the inbox. While tools like Klaviyo or Mailchimp help, understanding the underlying principles is important.
Final Thoughts
As Hannah and Cass both agree, your career is often a series of “the next step that feels right.” Trusting that intuition, investing in yourself, and staying connected to your passions can lead you down incredible and unexpected paths!
So, listen to the full episode of How She Got Here featuring Hannah Stein for her insights on lifecycle marketing and building a career that feels authentically yours.
And if you are looking to bring your A-game to marketing, trust Cronix as your eCommerce partner. We offer comprehensive digital marketing and development solutions that put you right in front of your target audience.
Be ten steps ahead of your competition. Book a free consultation today!
Cronix is proud to sponsor the How She Got Here podcast and bring unheard stories of pioneering women to the mainstream. So, please follow Cass on her journey as she talks to femme-identifying professionals making a positive change in tech and eCommerce. You can find us on Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, and Spotify. Thanks for tuning in!