How I Did It is a monthly series from Between Seasons, exploring the human side of influence. Influential professionals share candid stories about how they made change happen - or why it didn’t - and the real-world reflections and lessons that followed.

Brooke helps improve the efficiencies and customer journey with ecommerce - a role she found after 13 years at eBay where she launched luxury authentication programs, drove fashion strategy and helped build initiatives like eBay’s Circular Fashion Fund.

And that’s where her story takes place.

In this edition of How I Did It, Brooke Eichhorn joined me to share the behind-the-scenes of her multi-year journey getting the green light for a pre-loved fashion strategy at eBay in Australia.

On paper, it should have been simple - it was eBay! Resale was part of their DNA. Leaders didn’t need convincing about the value of secondhand and the business model was already aligned. Even still, Brooke’s first pitch was met with a “no” - (a decision she was fully part of). What followed was a story about timing, persistence and the influence strategies that kept the vision alive until the “yes” finally came.

🎧 If you want to hear the full conversation in Brooke’s own words - including the Shark Tank-style pitching and lessons on decision-making, collaboration and culture - you can listen to the full episode here:

Scroll on for the story and strategies Brooke shared as she told us How She Did It.

When Brooke first pitched the idea to focus on Preloved fashion at eBay, alignment was kind of expected because resale is their business model.

During her pitch, conversations unfolded, heads were nodding and leaders were on-board with the idea, however, Brooke left the pitch with a “no” — they’d all decided that the timing wasn’t right. Other priorities were in play, and the landscape hadn’t evolved enough in Australia to support an urgent roll out.

It could have ended there. Instead, Brooke used the pause as a chance to strengthen the idea, build trust and refine the business case.

Over the following year, Brooke worked laterally — gathering global insights, connecting with internal teams and nurturing relationships long before asking for buy-in again. By the time planning season rolled around, she wasn’t just pitching an idea. She was presenting a co-created strategy.

And this time, she got her yes.

Here’s how she did it.

When her initial pitch didn’t get the green light, Brooke didn’t double down — she zoomed out. Rather than pushing harder, she let curiosity and strategic thinking take the driver’s seat, giving her the perspective to turn a setback into a strategic pause.

Brooke didn’t see that red light as failure; she saw it as data — a signal that the idea needed more context, more allies or simply a better moment.

Because sometimes, it’s not the idea, the strategy or even the pitch that’s the problem — it’s timing.

Taking a moment to pause and play it forward creates space for fresh questions, new collaborators and stronger foundations for when the timing is right. Playing it forward isn’t hesitation — it’s foresight.

After her first pitch, Brooke didn’t retreat — she invested in relationships.She spent the following months building trust with extended and global teams, not through formal meetings or persuasion tactics, but through genuine connection.

That time spent connecting turned out to be crucial. Because when the opportunity resurfaced, she wasn’t starting from scratch — she already had allies who understood the vision and trusted her intent and had contributed their own perspectives and knowledge.

Influence isn’t just about relationship-building outside of work — it’s about “literally collaborating together”. Trust is built through shared accountability, mutual progress and showing up in the work itself.

Don’t wait until you need buy-in to start building it.

In fast-moving, matrixed organisations, influence doesn’t come from holding knowledge — it comes from sharing it.

Brooke’s approach to leadership is grounded in generosity: offering what she’s learned, acknowledging what others do well, and creating an open flow of ideas that helps everyone move faster.

That mindset builds credibility and trust long before formal influence is needed. It turns colleagues into collaborators and transforms lessons learned into shared progress.

Because when change is complex and resources are stretched, your best strategy isn’t to protect what you know — it’s to circulate it.

Influence compounds through generosity, so give first, give freely and the returns — trust, loyalty and collaboration — will come.

One of Brooke’s biggest takeaways: don’t build in isolation and then ask others to execute. By involving teams early — especially those who’d eventually carry the project forward — she built ownership from the start.

That early collaboration became her quiet form of influence. Instead of revealing a polished plan, she invited people into the process — asking for input, surfacing roadblocks, and collecting insights along the way.

By the time her idea was ready to pitch (again), key stakeholders were already part of it. They’d shaped it, challenged it and could see their fingerprints in the final form.

That’s how she turned potential resistance into readiness. Because collaboration isn’t just execution — it’s strategy.

Bring people in early, and you won’t have to fight for buy-in later.

Even the most strategic work needs space for play.

During her time at eBay, Brooke’s participated in a Shark Tank-style challenge — a light-hearted competition that invited teams to pitch bold new ideas.

The idea came from her managing director, who recognised that the traditional strategy cycle had started to limit creative thinking. By reframing the process as a game, they gave people permission to think differently — and it worked.

The exercise didn’t just spark innovation; it shifted energy. It brought laughter, curiosity and new connections.

For Brooke, it’s a reminder that influence isn’t always about persuasion or performance — sometimes it’s about creating the conditions where ideas can thrive.

When the room feels heavy or stuck, bring back a sense of play, because fun isn’t frivolous — it’s fuel for influence.

I asked Brooke the same question I ask all my guests:

Brooke’s answer: don’t underestimate the power of collaboration.

Inside Brooke’s story about resale strategy, fashion and innovation inside a global tech company, is a playbook for influence — the kind that happens quietly, consistently and often behind the scenes. She taught us:

Brooke’s journey is proof that influence isn’t about being the loudest voice in the room.It’s about timing, trust, and the small actions that make big ideas inevitable.

🎧 To hear Brooke tell the full story — including the behind-the-scenes moments, lessons in timing and collaboration, and a few good laughs — listen to our conversation on the Between Seasons podcast.

And a big thank you to Brooke for taking the time to share her influence wisdom.

If you know someone navigating the challenges of building change in fashion or beyond, share this interview and these lessons with them.

Until next time,