Favorite Daughter’s Social + Brand Director on manifesting her dream role
Laura Galvan opens up about the interview process, salary negotiations, and the most embarrassing thing she's done at work.
Today, we have a very special interview with Laura Galvan, the Social + Brand Marketing Director at Favorite Daughter. If you haven’t heard of Favorite Daughter, I know you’ve heard of the founders, Erin and Sara Foster. Yes, they also created our Netflix romcom obsession, “Nobody Wants This.”
I was introduced to Laura through the Foster sisters’ podcast, where she joined to discuss how she manifested her dream job. I was immediately struck by the way Laura spoke about her career. She’s grounded and vulnerable, and even reads old journal entries out loud on the episode.
Below, we chat about her pivot from media to brand, her approach to salary negotiations, and her most embarrassing moment in the office.
How old are you, where do you live, and what’s your current job?
I’m 31 years old and am a native New Yorker living in Los Angeles. I’m currently the Social Media and Brand Marketing Director at Favorite Daughter.
You successfully pivoted from media (Hearst Magazines) to brand-direct (Favorite Daughter) a few years ago. Was the shift intentional? How did you position your experience in media as relevant for the Social Content Manager role?
Aside from my love for Favorite Daughter, the chance to work alongside Erin and Sara Foster was what excited me most, so my career shift was very much intentional. At Hearst, I created shopping content tailored to each brand's audience, from Harper’s Bazaar and Elle to Cosmo. When I was creating that content, I spent a lot of time thinking about different consumer mindsets and balancing that with brand tone.
I was able to position that experience for owning social content for a brand. At Favorite Daughter, I’m still creating content for an audience — it’s just through a different lens. The goal is the same: understand who you’re talking to and what they care about, and meet them there in a real and engaging way.
The role you were interviewing for at Favorite Daughter was too junior for you in salary and title. How did you navigate those conversations?
If I’m being totally transparent, the role wouldn’t have been possible for me without a salary match, so that part wasn’t negotiable, no matter how excited I was about the brand. I wasn’t in a position to take a pay cut, and I had to be realistic about that.
I navigated the conversation by being direct from the very beginning. I was clear about what I needed in order to make it work, and I approached it from a place of respect. I didn’t want to waste anyone’s time or take the opportunity away from someone else if they couldn’t meet me where I was at.
In the episode, you discuss how you weren’t qualified for your role at Favorite Daughter. How did you balance self-awareness and self-trust?
My motto in life is: “Say yes and figure it out later.” I truly believe everything is figure-outable and that mindset is how I enter the unknown. When I started this job, I saw the unfamiliar parts as an opportunity to push myself and learn a new skill.
As you get older, you realize that most people are doing things for the first time. Even the people you admire probably don’t have it all figured out — they’re just confident enough to try. I knew I could learn whatever was required of me. Not knowing something isn’t a reason to walk away from a dream role. Just figure it out. Call a friend. Watch tutorials. I literally sat on TikTok teaching myself how to edit TikToks.
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You’ve been at Favorite Daughter for three years and recently got a huge promotion to director — congratulations! How did you set yourself up for that promotion, and what advice would you give to other marketers trying to do the same?
Thank you! I’m in a unique position because we’re still a small team at Favorite Daughter, and after three years of building our community, driving social engagement, and taking on so much more, I knew it was time to ask for a bigger title. The best part about being on a small team is that you get to wear a lot of hats. I had put myself in a position where the ask felt earned because the impact was already there. I won’t act like it wasn’t scary, of course it was! But you truly don’t get what you don’t ask for.
My advice: do things that aren’t asked of you. Step outside your job description. Look for what’s missing and fill that gap.
How do you use your intuition in your marketing career?
At this point, I feel like I know the Favorite Daughter customer so well. I’m in constant communication with our community, whether it's over DMs or by meeting them in real life at events. That ongoing dialogue has been invaluable. It’s intuition built on experience, trial and error, and paying close attention to what works and what doesn’t!
Tell me something embarrassing that’s happened to you at work.
How long do you have?! One time, I accidentally posted a photo of the Hillstone spinach artichoke dip on the Favorite Daughter Instagram instead of my personal account. If you want me to be really real — I can’t believe I’m saying this online — sometimes I wear a fake engagement ring…purely for manifesting purposes. One day, I forgot to take it off and wore it into the office. Our sales director was like, “Umm… did something happen overnight?” I was absolutely mortified, but honestly, it’s so me-coded.
How do you maintain composure when you feel intimidated?
I’ve worked so hard on this over the past three years. I’ve learned to accept that I may not be the smartest or the quickest person in the room — and that’s okay. What I do know is that I bring a unique perspective and I have creative ideas. That’s more than enough. When you value your own opinion, others start to value it as well.
What’s your secret weapon when it comes to your career?
It might sound cliché, but being warm and kind is everything. I didn’t even realize it was considered a secret weapon until I learned that kind of energy is rare in many professional spaces. I’m warm and open with everyone I meet, especially in the office, because I believe energy is everything. Over time, that builds trust, loyalty, and makes people want to work with you! I want anyone who works with me to feel like it’s a positive environment.
Give me your best tip to recover from a bad day.
I remind myself that everything is temporary, and chances are, I won’t even remember this bad day next week. I give myself five minutes to sit with it, then consciously shift my perspective toward something positive. Blast your favorite song in your headphones, reset your energy, and keep it moving.
Stay in touch with Laura on Instagram or LinkedIn! I had so much fun talking with her, and I highly recommend her episode on The World’s First Podcast.
This is was so much fun to answer!! Thank you for taking the time to interview me!!!
LOL at the fake engagement ring 💍 Loved Laura in this interview and on the pod!