Intuition guides SCAD speakers

On the surface, these two don't seem to have much in common -- Laurie Ann Goldman, CEO of Atlanta based Spanx, and Kelly Cutrone, founder of mega public relations firm People's Revolution turned reality TV star.

Goldman, who formerly worked at Coca-Cola, is the blond branding whiz who engineered the rise of Spanx from unknown hosiery start-up to a globally recognized multi-million-dollar brand. Cutrone is the dark haired rebel who rose from a club promoter in New York to become one of the most well-known fashion publicists on the planet.

While their images may differ, both women attribute at least part of their brand-building success to good old-fashioned intuition.

"I work with the people that I work with and I do it based on my intuition," said Cutrone, who gets hundreds of queries a day via Twitter from young people hoping to work for her. Goldman also relies on intuition when deciding whom to employ. "It is really about having good intuition and picking the right people and putting them in jobs that they are going to fly in," she said.

The two women join the roster of luminaries participating in SCADStyle, a series of free, public lectures featuring artists, designers and professionals from the fields of fashion, design, architecture and more. This year's schedule, which runs Monday through May 6, also includes interior designer Thom Filicia, of "Queer Eye" fame; Simone "Bettina" Bodin, model and muse to Hubert de Givenchy; and Cameron Silver, owner of Decades, the famed vintage boutiques in Los Angeles.

On Wednesday, Cutrone will impart her wisdom as she recently did in her book, "If You Have to Cry Go Outside: And Other Things Your Mother Never Told You," (HarperOne, $22.99).  The partly autobiographical book details Cutrone's decision to leave her hometown of Syracuse for New York City where she found her "tribe," a collective of friends and advisers who would help guide her in her career and life. She also reveals darker moments including drug use and homelessness.

Cutrone was first introduced to TV audiences as Lauren Conrad's boss on MTV's "The Hills" and now is the star of her own show, Bravo's "Kell on Earth." Though she's carefully honed the image of a hard-nosed, no-nonsense boss, Cutrone has become a mentor and inspiration to many young women– a fate she didn't believe herself when a psychic offered the prediction years ago.

"I'm just doing my best and taking those questions really seriously and personally and answering Facebook by myself," Cutrone said. "I don't really think I'm anything special at all."

But tell that to the fans who send cards and chocolates as thank-yous for writing her book. "It appeals to a group of people who are sometimes left out," Cutrone said. "I'm happy I wrote it. It continues to do really funny and crazy things."

Goldman, who lectures at SCAD on May 3, finds it a little crazy that Spanx is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. In the early days as a start-up, focusing on product innovation such as the recently introduced swimwear lines and Spanx for men helped push the company ahead of the competition.

"All these things were just dreams that we worked into reality with a lot of passion," Goldman said. She hopes that by telling her story, students will learn the value of "pedaling uphill."

"When you can really fall in love with something you want to do, there is no limit to what you can achieve," Goldman said.

Event preview

SCADStyle

Monday, April 26 -  May 6. Times vary. All events are free.

See highlights below. For a full listing of lectures, visit www.SCADStyle.com

Monday, 5 p.m. -- Book signing with Jeanette Montgomery Barron, author of "My Mother's Clothes" (Random House, $24.95). SCAD Atlanta, Welcome Center, 1600 Peachtree St.