Melina Polly
Marketing & Brand Consultant
at self
I build brands that drive business and shape culture. Over the past two decades, I’ve helped shape some of the most iconic names in tech and consumer — Apple, Airbnb, Adidas, and Headspace — and co-founded a purpose-led DTC startup from the ground up.
I’ve led marketing and creative organizations from startup to scale, teams from 2–350 people, managed global P&Ls, launched integrated campaigns, managed cross-functional teams, and guided companies through high-stakes moments including IPO. I’ve also built in-house agency models for Apple and Airbnb — bridging brand vision with operational execution and global delivery.
Career highlights include:
- Building and leading Apple’s international advertising through the iPhone and App Store era, creating a global agency network and leading all campaigns
- Leading Airbnb’s post-IPO brand transformation and scaling global marketing
- Co-founding Henry Rose, the first EWG and Cradle to Cradle certified fragrance brand (DTC/omnichannel)
- Repositioning Headspace to bring meditation into the cultural mainstream
Operating Expert Rating
Articles by Melina Polly

How Shaun Merritt Vibe-Coded Karrot.ai As A Solo Builder
I recently had the opportunity to chat with Shaun Merritt, cofounder and CTO of Karrot.ai, a LinkedIn ABM tool. Shaun was kind enough to share a comprehensive breakdown of how...

7 Steps to Build a Product That Sells Itself

The Founder’s Mental Health Playbook: What I Learned After Nearly Burning Out
A hard-won guide to staying mentally healthy while building a startup I founded Stitcher, the podcast platform, in 2007 and ran it for seven years until we sold in 2014....

Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) for Early Stage Companies
In our latest session from the Mucker Growth Series featuring Ethan Smith from Graphite, we explored AEO, a significant new approach for optimizing visibility in AI-driven search, particularly relevant as...

Startup Guide to AI Visibility: Be the Brand ChatGPT Recommends
Introduction Today, users aren’t just searching on Google. They’re asking ChatGPT, Claude, Google’s Gemini, Perplexity, and other AI systems for advice. AI visibility is the new frontier of brand awareness....

Practical Uses of AI & Automation for Startup Operations
In a recent Mucker Growth Series session, we invited Rock Vitale, Founder & CEO of Easie, to share how he’s helped early-stage teams move from manual, fragmented workflows to streamlined,...