Nicole Potoshnick knows how people work, inside and out. Before coming to Brandtrust, her experiences as a Reunions and Special Events Specialist at Duke University, an Account Manager at a staffing firm and a mental health counselor have given her a wealth of knowledge about the needs and desires of others from very diverse backgrounds.

She says, “I’ve always loved learning random bits of information. Working with Brandtrust has taken this curiosity to the next level, as I get to dive deeply into various pockets of the market and understand what motivates consumer decisions… Almost like a detective hunting for clues, each interview shapes a bit more of the terrain of the subject that we are studying.”

While Brandtrust’s research is designed to provide clients with insights, Nicole acknowledges that she also loves watching respondents discover things they didn’t know about themselves, and hear them say, “Aha! That’s why I do that!” Her international experience—living, working and traveling throughout Europe, in particular—has allowed her a depth of global understanding that has proven invaluable in her time with Brandtrust.

While not trying to prompt those “aha!” moments, Nicole lives just outside of Chicago with her husband, their twin toddlers and a cuddly toy poodle named Moses. She never thought she’d enjoy having a white picket fence in suburbia but has found that her little corner of the world is quite charming.