Talent, Transparency & Taste: The New Playbook of Erika Ayers Badan
- Romy Kraus
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Her leadership credo — from backing creators to owning messy authenticity — is now guiding a luxury lifestyle brand.
From her early rise in digital media to becoming one of the most effective CEOs in the sports + creator economy, Erika Ayers Badan is known for pushing boundaries and rewriting playbooks. She took Barstool Sports from a scrappy blog into a $250M media juggernaut, survived controversy, closed massive deals, and then walked away on her own terms. Now she's in charge of Food52, a home and lifestyle platform with a cult following and a commerce engine in the works. Through her moves, her podcast Work, and her continued board seats at places like Vice and the PLL, Erika is building something bigger than a career — she’s building an ecosystem.
From Barstool Boss to Food‑Culture Architect
Erika Ayers Badan took over Barstool when it was barely a 14-person shop pulling in under $5 million a year. Nearly a decade later, she'd led the company through viral expansion, platform pivots, creator economies, a gaming acquisition, and ultimately a buyback that gave founder Dave Portnoy the reins again. That wasn’t her exit cue because she was tired — it was because she had more to prove. Her next chapter is Food52, where she’s applying media + talent logic to a new vertical: home, kitchen, and lifestyle commerce.
The Lowdown
She scaled Barstool to $250M+ in revenue by treating it like a content lab — lots of bets, lots of weirdos, high output.
Walked away when she felt staying would betray what she’d built — choosing reinvention over repetition.
At Food52, she’s building a brand that blends content, community, and commerce — and aims to serve an under-leveraged demo: women 25–54.
Talent strategy? Back people early, build farm systems, support them when they mess up.
Still deeply involved in sports — especially lacrosse, where she believes women players are going to be the breakout media stars.
Believes failure is the greatest teacher in business. And that leadership is about finding what scares you and going there.
“The gift of the machine”
Barstool was barely on the map when Erika joined. What she helped build became a full-spectrum media company across podcasting, livestreaming, PPV, merch, gambling, and influencer ecosystems. The playbook? Ride early platforms, unleash creator volume, and never waste a hit.
“The machine is really: how do you find emergent platforms? How do you find programming that was authentic? Because we had so many at bats, it was easier for us to get a hit.”
“I felt the greatest offense … would be to stay”
When you’re winning, walking away sounds counterintuitive — but for Erika, it was essential. After two sales in one year, she knew she had done her part. Staying would’ve compromised the very culture she helped build.
“I sold Barstool twice in 2023 … I was like, I’ve done everything I came to do here. The greatest offense to what I had done … would be to stay after I was creating.”
“Talent is succession”
At Barstool and now at Food52, she sees creators like athletes. Contracts grow. Rookies graduate. And systems matter more than stars. Supporting people when they fall is part of the job.
“You’ve gotta give talent every possible piece of ammunition you have. We were very comfortable with Barstool being a springboard to go do other things.”
“They will be bigger stars than the men”
Erika’s a board member at the Premier Lacrosse League, where she sees the future clearly: women’s lacrosse will drive the media moments. She’s bullish on their on-camera energy, charisma, and fan connection.
“Charlotte North … what she does for young girls playing lacrosse is epic. Who is your Dennis Rodman? … The more color off the court, the better the sport will be.”
“Work is an apprenticeship”
Erika’s podcast Work is a reflection of what she thinks is broken in modern management. Post-COVID, feedback loops died, hallway learning vanished, and middle managers got wiped out. She’s building community, advice networks, and giving real talk around ambition.
“There’s a lack of management talent, authenticity, care for younger people at work. Anything I learned is because I apprenticed under great people.”
Note: Jessica Rose — her longtime assistant — is also a frequent behind-the-scenes collaborator in Erika’s content and podcast work. She’s mentioned as part of Erika’s trusted circle, though not officially listed as a co-host.
“Food52 can be a whole ecosystem”
She’s turning Food52 into more than a pretty shop. Think Glossier meets Soho House for the home space — with original content, curated products, tastemaker collabs, and vibrant communities (like her “Work Like a Girl” Slack hive).
“I think in a perfect world, Food52 finds a home inside a bigger company … and brings the engine to bear.”“If you create a content engine … you can surface products underneath that and create a whole ecosystem.”
Quickfire
Deal style? Fast
Data vs Gut? Gut
Dream Deal partner? Dave Portnoy
Worst advice? “Hang in there.”
Walkout song? I’m Coming Out – Diana Ross
Last meal? New Haven pizza and blueberries
Erika Ayers Badan has already done the dream-job thing. Twice. Now, she’s building ecosystems — where content meets commerce, creators get springboards, and audiences feel seen. Whether it’s a Food52 transformation, a women’s sports boom, or her Work podcast community, Erika’s moves aren’t about titles — they’re about impact. Her superpower? Making reinvention feel like momentum, not survival.