Shows
SheVenturesTanika Ray’s Candid and Explicit Convo About Her Divorce, Motherhood, and Hollywood’s Gender and Race BiasIn the cutthroat world of Hollywood, Tanika Ray — a renowned TV personality who appeared on networks such as NBC, HGTV, VH1, Lifetime, and is perhaps best known for covering red carpet events such as the the Oscars, MTV Music Awards, and the Golden Globes, to name a few — is refreshingly candid about her public and acrimonious divorce with her co-star and now former husband and the soul-searching required to pivot forward and focus on her passions. Ray, 51, describes her newish podcast Mamaste with Tanika Ray as “celebrating mommying AF while bossing like a queen.” We marked this episode e...2023-09-1945 min
SheVenturesEpisode 100! How Big Data Makes Products Safer, With Kimberly ShenkHave you ever wondered why there is so much buzz around Big Data? Should it be exalted or feared? Retired Air Force Captain Kimberly Shenk believes data, used responsibly, is a force for good. She earned her master’s degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a Draper Fellow, served as a senior data scientist in the Air Force at Pearl Harbor, and worked a few stints exploring how data can be segmented and inform marketing with companies like Sports Authority and Eventbrite. How did Shenk pivot to her current role as co-founder an...2022-03-2941 min
SheVenturesBeat Fear, Guilt, and Self-Doubt with Kristen Guillory Ph.D.Have you ever felt afraid to find your voice and make some noise? Kristen Guillory, Ph.D, thrives on public speaking with a twist of dancing. She shares how to overcome fear, self-doubt, and show your authentic self. A professor turned self-care coach, and author of Look, Stop Hiding! How to Find Your Voice and Never Dim Your Light Again, recalls becoming a professor in social work by age 27, and learned “not to put herself in boxes that weren’t meant for her.” Guillory shares the mistakes she’s made, and gives tips on how women ca...2022-03-2254 min
SheVenturesFrom Army Vet to Senate Candidate with Marjorie EastmanRetired commander Majorie Eastman is not a career politician. Yet, this mom, Army intelligence officer, and award-winning author decided to run for North Carolina’s U.S. Senate seat. Why? Having served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, Eastman’s decade-long commitment to defending our country speaks for itself. How does she plan on shaking things up as a D.C. outsider if elected? And why is she running? Eastman reveals all in this SheVentures exclusive. P.S. Eastman is the only veteran in the North Carolina GOP primary field. Plus she’s the...2022-03-1522 min
SheVenturesRaising $1.4M As Women of Color With Angela Muhwezi-Hall and Deborah GladneyThe odds are stark: Women of color in tech raised less than half of 1 percent of all venture capital in 2020, according to Project Diane. Can you imagine using a vision board to inspire you to raise $1.4 million in venture capital? Co-founders Angela Muhwezi-Hall and her sister Deborah Gladney did just that for their career discovery platform, QuickHire. Listen in as these siblings explain how they pivoted from careers in editorial public relations management and college placement and career counseling to venture capital success. Muhwezi-Hall and Gladney explain how their upbringing in a small town in t...2022-03-0850 min
SheVenturesHow to Build a Beauty Biz From Scratch With Rahama WrightDon’t think social entrepreneurship can earn a profit? Think again. Rahama Wright discusses how she built Shea Yeleen, a skincare brand that focuses on high-quality shea butter, produced by women’s cooperatives in Ghana. Listen as Wright speaks about the decision to create living wage jobs (nearly five times the minimum wage) for women-owned shea butter cooperatives in Ghana, through Shea Yeleen. Wright offers some of the women the opportunity to travel to the United States to witness the business funnel from beginning to end. Wright describes growing up as a first-generation American with Ghan...2022-03-011h 05
SheVenturesThe Greatest Myth About Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Exposed With Dr. Kerry Mitchell BrownWhat does it mean to be an organization that promotes equity? Listen as Kerry Mitchell Brown, Ph.D. (a diversity, inclusion, and equity strategist), shares her insights about how organizations can ensure they’re practicing workplace impartiality — as in walk the walk, not simply check the boxes and call it a day. Mitchell Brown discusses her pivot from a C-suite finance exec — at companies such as Disney and Prudential — to founding KMB, her namesake diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) consulting firm, where she is CEO. Like many women, Mitchell Brown faced work-life tradeoffs, as she j...2022-02-2244 min
SheVenturesA Plethora of Pivots With Lucy Chang EvansIf you feel stuck in a career or personal rut, this guest will inspire you. If you’re a stay-at-home-mom reentering the workforce, she’s got you covered. Finally, if your marriage suddenly ends in divorce and you need to hustle to find your way back into the workforce — she’s been there done that. From civil engineer to Secret Service agent to stay-at-home mother of three to divorced mom reentering the workforce, Lucy Chang Evans inspires listeners through her pivots on this episode of SheVentures. Chang Evans grew up in Portland, Oregon, in a first-ge...2022-02-1536 min
SheVenturesMenopause: You’re Still Hot: It May Now Just Come in Flashes, With Catherine Balsam-SchwaberNo, we are not trivializing menopause, a life stage that can include as many as 34 symptoms, but we thought it was a clever wordplay. In truth, menopause is deeply personal and varies from woman to woman. Listen to Catherine Balsam-Schwaber speak about the importance of education and science-backed information to bring menopause to the forefront. After spending 20 years working in leadership positions in marketing for well-known brands (MTV, NBC Universal, and Mattel), Balsam-Schwaber pivoted to a role that would fulfill her passion of understanding consumer motivation and providing quality health solutions. That role was with...2022-02-0852 min
SheVenturesSeason 3 Finale: Entrepreneurial Must-Haves With Startup Veteran Sharon KanSharon Kan built and successfully exited four startups, acquired by names such as Microsoft, Barnes & Noble, and Oracle. Listen to her pragmatic approach to business and learn what she believes is the one quality all entrepreneurs should embrace. Raised in war-torn Israel, Kan reminisces: “You lived today because you weren’t sure what might happen tomorrow.” Nonetheless, Kan started her first business at 14, selling homemade cakes to local shops, served her mandatory two years in the Israeli military (air force), and embarked on a multi-decade career in marketing, business, and product development. But her corporate career...2021-07-1945 min
SheVenturesAn Immigrant Doctor Forced to Pivot With Noor Ali Imagine what it’s like for any immigrant to embrace the culture and norms of a new nation. Then think about being a highly respected doctor, practicing for years in your native country. When you arrive in the United States, you learn that if you want to practice medicine, you’ll have to dust off your organic chemistry and anatomy books and pass a rigorous exam. That’s what happened to Noor Ali who skipped undergrad, going straight from the renowned Bronx High School of Science into six years of medical school in Bangladesh, only to barely...2021-07-1243 min
SheVenturesWill the Next Amazon Be Run by This Woman? With Kate Isler She joined Microsoft when it was a startup, when it was not uncommon to run into Bill Gates in the hallway. She never envisioned a career where she would travel to 60 countries, while being a parent to three sons, a wife, and an executive. Though Kate Isler did not start her career with dreams of globe-trotting, she defied expectations with the help of a supportive husband, who was willing to move as her career thrived with their growing children in tow. Rather than view their lifestyle as a negative, the family enjoyed the adventure of exp...2021-06-2853 min
SheVenturesWhy LGBTQ+ Distrusts Big Finance and What’s Next With Hadassah DamienTwenty percent of LGBTQ+ people say they are “much worse off” financially because of the pandemic, compared with only 11 percent of the general population. Hadassah Damien, queer femme writer, digital technologist, and financial strategist joins us to provide actionable tips for the LGBTQ+ community to take control of their finances today. Damien grew up in a single-parent household where she experienced financial challenges. She entered adulthood believing money was unattainable. But as Damien embraced nonprofits, community art, archiving and #vanlife in her 20s, she taught herself personal finance basics — and put herself through grad school. When Da...2021-06-2153 min
SheVenturesHow to Implement Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace With Janet Ahn, Ph.D. Six months before she was due to receive tenure (which is highly coveted in academia), in the midst of a pandemic, this psychology professor left it all behind. Janet Ahn, Ph.D., pivoted from academia and entrepreneurship to consulting for large companies such as Procter and Gamble, before joining MindGym (a behavior change company for organizations and corporations) as chief behavioral science officer. Now, she focuses on the science to support workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Ahn discusses why traditional approaches to DEI in the workplace aren’t successful — and maps o...2021-06-1445 min
SheVenturesDole-ing Out Proper Nutrition to 1 Billion People With Lara Ramdin and Barbara GuerpillonNearly 2 billion people lack access to nutritious food — a staggering number likely to increase due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Lara Ramdin, Ph.D., and Barbara Guerpillon are trying to change that. These two global female executives are playing integral roles toward Dole Food’s corporate initiative: the Dole Promise Sunshine for All, the goal of which is to make nutritious foods accessible to 1 billion people by 2030. Ramdin, chief innovation officer at Dole Packaged Foods, has built her global research and development team to be made up of 60 percent women, demonstrating her advocacy for women and girls in STEM...2021-06-0743 min
SheVenturesAsk Not What The Moon Can Do For You with Ashley Cramer What path leads you from NBA marketing exec to the mystic world of shamanism and moon circles? Ashley Cramer was a burned-out marketer, yearning for change. Becoming a shaman was the last thing on her mind, and even today she understands people may be skeptical of shamanism and what it entails. Cramer’s healing journey along with her appreciation of lunar cycles and all they involve inform her practice today. Shamanism is a term used for energy healers across many cultures worldwide, and Cramer is seeking to modernize her lunar practice with...2021-06-0153 min
SheVenturesHer Pivot From Private Practice to Telemedicine to... With Kristin Miscall COVID-19 required us to be mindful of our physical health like never before. What about our mental health? It’s time to talk to about it. Kristin Miscall is a psychotherapist with nearly two decades of helping others under her belt. She worked initially with homeless LGBTQIA+ youth before pivoting to private practice. Last year, she, like many in the mental health field, transitioned to telemedicine to meet the unprecedented need for her services in the midst of the pandemic. Miscall noticed women were impacted disproportionately by COVID-19, and she shares her...2021-05-2455 min
SheVenturesChampioning Pro-Poor FinTech With Mae Watson GroteWhat is pro-poor financial technology, and how is Mae Watson Grote’s company at the forefront of making a difference? Mae Watson Grote is dedicated to improving the lives of the under-served and under-banked in the United States. As founder and CEO of the Change Machine — a nonprofit dedicated to building financial security through technology — she is doing just that. The platform is available to all kinds of practitioners who work with women (financial advisors, social workers, coaches) and want to help their clients escape the poverty cycle. Focused on both short- and long-term outcomes rather...2021-05-1749 minSheVenturesHow to Create a Fashion Label With Zankhna ParekhFive languages. Three continents. Three kids. Two careers. One foundation. Zankhna Parekh is a trailblazer. Born in India but raised in Nairobi, Kenya, Parekh always knew she would venture into medicine. With a 20-year successful career as a physical therapist under her belt, Parekh was keen to return to her career after having two children. But, Parekh noticed (as do many women who become mothers) that her pre-baby clothes didn’t fit the same way anymore. So she decided to make her own — and then start selling them. Through her education in Kenya, Parekh had the s...2021-05-1039 min
SheVenturesAthletic Scholarships, Eating Disorders, and the Power of Community With Kristi Data From an early age, Kristi Data knew she wanted to make an impact, and she used sports as her gateway. In the fourth grade, Data petitioned her school to allow girls to play basketball — and got it done the very next season. Data went on to receive a full athletic scholarship for volleyball — the pressures of which caused her to spiral into an eating disorder that lasted throughout college. Data discusses the reality of this situation that so many women and girls in sports face today. After a stint in medical sales...2021-05-0347 min
SheVenturesInsider Tips to Securing Venture Capital With Shelly Kapoor CollinsWhat maximizes your chances of receiving funds from a venture capitalist? Shelly Kapoor Collins knows firsthand. She’s a tech entrepreneur and public servant–turned– founder/CEO of Shatter Fund, a venture capital fund that invests almost exclusively in female entrepreneurs whose businesses stand to disrupt the tech landscape. With more than 20 years in the tech sector advocating for innovation and policy reform, Kapoor Collins was appointed to the National Women’s Business Council in the second Obama Administration, served as vice chair of the Women in Public Service Project started by Secretary Hillary Clinton, and was part of...2021-04-2636 min
SheVenturesHow to Beat Gender Bias When You Pitch With Dana Kanze Did you know female founders face bias in how venture capitalists ask questions and are often negatively impacted when their products fall in a male-dominated industry? These are two separate findings of Dana Kanze, Ph.D., that add to a growing body of research that quantify gender discrimination in attracting investors. After all, women receive a paltry 2.3 percent of venture capital — women of color even less, according to the Harvard Business Review. A little-known fact about Kanze: She started her career as an entrepreneur before pivoting to academia where she earned a doctorate at...2021-04-1952 min
SheVenturesFrom Banker to FinLit Game(r) With Ashley Clark Sometimes, the best business ideas are right in front of you. That was the case for Ashley Clark, who pivoted from being a banker to an entrepreneur and creator of old-school board games and flashcards that teach financial literacy — going against the current trend of online gaming with six-figure success during a pandemic. A decade as a banker underscored that too many people didn’t understand their own finances. Clark began to write down common customer questions — using this as her initial “market research.” Next was her tough focus group: her children. Her passion for teaching pe...2021-04-1244 min
SheVenturesActionable Tips to Manage Debt With Leslie TayneTo begin Financial Literacy Month on SheVentures, who better than Leslie Tayne to discuss one of America’s biggest financial problems: debt, a $14.6T reality for American households. Leslie Tayne always knew she wanted to be a lawyer despite her father warning her when she started 20 years ago that it truly was a boys club. She tried many facets of the law before she pivoted to what became her passion — as in-house counsel to a debt company. Today, The Tayne Law Group is changing the face of debt resolution law. Her mission is to c...2021-04-0543 min
SheVenturesChampioning Workplace Diversity With Diane Lifton With more than 25 years in the life sciences, lawyer Diane Lifton is a huge proponent of diversity and inclusion in the workplace and communities. Witnessing how incredibly hard her mother worked to balance raising children with returning to law school, Lifton credits this experience to her own genesis of hard work and advocating for others. Lifton spent two decades as a partner in two top-tier East Coast law firms. She pivoted from partner to in-house counsel and today is senior vice president, legal, at Sumitovant Biopharma in New York City, where sh...2021-03-2941 min
SheVenturesStop ‘Whitesplaining’ to Communities in Need With Caroline Whistler Inspired by her lawyer grandfather, from a young age Caroline Whistler grappled with the question: What does it mean to serve others in a measurable and impactful way? To that end, Whistler co-founded San Francisco–based nonprofit Third Sector Capital - a consulting firm that has deployed $800 million in government resources and $40 million of private funding to help 40 U.S. communities. Whistler advises governments, community organizations, and private funders on how to help the public sector measure the effectiveness of their social programs to truly impart change and racial equity across the United States. 2021-03-2248 min
SheVenturesThe Fitness Tracker for Your Vagina With Anna Lee Anna Lee never wanted to be an entrepreneur, much less design and champion a data-driven sex toy. Graduating from University of California, Berkeley, with a degree in the male-dominated field of mechanical engineering, Lee — the daughter of conservative Korean immigrants — worked at corporate giant Amazon as the sole woman on the concept engineering team. Having fully realized the “American dream” for which her parents sacrificed, Lee still felt professionally unfulfilled. In time, Lee found her purpose when she and her co-founders joined to create Lioness: the award-winning, first smart vibrator. Lioness improves s...2021-03-1548 min
SheVenturesNairobi Tragedy Survivor Creates Job Training for Kenyan Women - with Cynthia Coredo and Pamela Nathenson Cynthia Coredo’s childhood was rife with loss. At age 6, her father was murdered. Coredo witnessed his lifeless body lying on the streets of Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya. As a teen, she lost her older sister to illness and her mother to suicide, the result of depression from joblessness. Coredo embraced the realization that she was responsible for raising her siblings and herself, and she knew that vocational training and education would be the pathway to self sufficiency. As a result, Coredo recognized a broader vision and created Footsteps a leadership and entrepreneurial incu...2021-03-0852 min
SheVentures“Working Twice as Hard to Get Half the Credit” With Kimberly Ellison-TaylorKimberly Ellison-Taylor is an advocate for inclusive leadership, and what it means to create an equitable workplace environment. It’s not as simple as giving everyone the same opportunity — you need to meet people where they’re at. We are, unfortunately, not all created equal. The first Black woman and the youngest person to act as chairperson of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, on top of a career including roles at NASA, KPMG, and Motorola, Kimberly Ellison-Taylor is a pioneer. On #BlackLivesMatter, Ellison-Taylor doesn’t care if your business is buying into it for commer...2020-07-2448 min
SheVenturesOvercoming Racial Trauma in Business With Makisha Boothe Spoiler alert: If you want to eavesdrop on a candid conversation about being a black female entrepreneur, this is a must listen. Imagine being told repeatedly that no market or need for your business exists — yet your experience and social and financial acumen tell you otherwise. Makisha Boothe experienced this firsthand; now she helps other black women navigate their business lives. Raised by strong women who were adamant she wouldn’t get stuck in the “system,” Boothe has spent five years building a black female entrepreneur community with Sistah B...2020-07-1751 min
SheVenturesFrom Biz Dev Exec to Mentor and Investor With Sima GandhiAs the daughter of first-generation immigrants, Sima Gandhi is no stranger to hard work. Her father encouraged her to succeed, and her desire and drive to take risks and break down barriers may come from her humble but stable early family life. Determined not to define female business acumen by the 90s pantsuit — Gandhi found her own direction. With an industrial engineering degree from Stanford University and a J.D. from NYU School of Law, Gandhi’s career has spanned from the U.S. Department of Treasury to American Express to being one of the first 20 employees and h...2020-07-0345 min
SheVenturesFashioning a New Future With Ngozi Okaro At the age of 6, Ngozi Okaro knew she was going to be a lawyer and change people’s lives. Growing up, Okaro’s clothes were mostly handmade by her mother to accommodate her towering 6-foot-tall figure. While she resented it at the time, it instilled an appreciation for design and inclusivity within her. Now, with a law degree from Georgetown and 14 years of experience in organizational development in NGOs under her belt, Okaro has pivoted back to design. Okaro is executive director of New York City- based Custom Collaborative, a development progra...2020-06-2653 min
SheVenturesThe Importance of Representation and Giving Back With Marcia Cole For 25 years as a writer and editor for large magazines like Suede, Essence, and Latina to name a few, Marcia Cole embraced the editorial realm and conquered it. Now, as founder and CEO of Ivy Digital (a content, technology, and data-driven marketing agency) and as the founder of nonprofit organization Passion Meets Purpose a service that empowers the homeless), Cole is constantly learning to better meet the needs of those her companies serve. 2020-06-191h 05
SheVenturesThis Condition Affects 1 in 5 Women Yet No One Talks About It With Kaitlin MaierFrom a young age, Kaitlin Maier’s parents were huge advocates for her pursuing a career in STEM, which still sees female participation at a paltry 28 percent of the workforce. A mechanical engineer, Maier wanted to do something in the often-overlooked field of women’s health. While in college, she stumbled upon pelvic organ prolapse (POP), a condition that affects 35 to 50 percent of women — of all ages. In severe cases of POP, the uterus can protrude from the vaginal opening. With such high numbers, it’s surprising more women don’t know about the condition. Maier and her team wan...2020-06-1254 min
SheVentures#QueerTheCensus and Affecting LGBTQ+ Change With Stacey Long SimmonsAdvocacy runs in this woman’s blood. As the current director of advocacy and action for the National LGBTQ Task Force, Stacey Long Simmons has dedicated her life to helping others. The LQBTQ task force website reflects the current state of affairs in America. The homepage reads: “Stonewall was a riot. #BlackLivesMatter. We support and protest and revolutionary fighting for the dignity of black people.” A lawyer, political strategist, and civil rights lobbyist in Washington, DC, and a woman of color, one of Simmons’ — and the tasks force’s — current initiatives is #QueertheCensus, the goal of which is to...2020-06-0551 min
SheVenturesGreeking Out on Recipes With Kelly Salonica Staikopoulos and Joanne Staikopoulos-Marzella Whether you’re an amateur cook or a master chef, we bet you’ve never thought of “Greek-ing” up your favorite dishes, right? Kelly Salonica Staikopoulos and Joanne Staikopoulos-Marzella, two sisters formerly in the editorial and accounting worlds respectively, are now cooking up a storm with an innovative twist: Using recipes largely gleaned from their Greek mother, Mary — aka Kukla (“doll” in Greek) — with their blog Kukla's Kouzina. Well-known in NYC’s fashion district, Mary Halkias Staikopoulos worked with fashion icons Vera Wang and Oscar de la Renta and styled Marilyn Monroe and Jackie Ke...2020-05-2954 min
SheVenturesDevelopmental Difficulties in Kids? There’s an App for That With Carissa Tozzi Almost 7 percent of children between the ages of 3 and 17 in the United States have a developmental disability, the CDC reports, and the community is still largely under-served. Carissa Tozzi is changing that. From an iconic New York City life as the entertainment editor of CosmoGirl and Seventeen to a publicist for social media influencers to the co-creator of an app for moms of children with special needs — Carissa Tozzi has done it all. Tozzi saw a gap in the market: a community where moms could interact with other nearby moms — the app ask...2020-05-2249 min
SheVenturesTips on How to Build a Hair-Care Brand With Lynn Power After more than 25 years as CEO of advertising giant J. Walter Thompson’s American division, an alleged scandal involving her boss during the #MeToo movement began to monopolize Lynn Power’s time. As a result, she began wilting in her role, which was no longer about creativity, rather crisis. The pivot into starting her own strategic consulting firm, The HMS Beagle, was a natural one, but Power didn’t stop there. Masami, a premium vegan hair-care line, was born from 10 years of research on her business partner’s behalf. Now, having recently la...2020-05-1552 min
SheVenturesEmbracing Islamic Law and the Quran to Win Human Rights Cases With Kimberley Motley This woman was not only the first foreign lawyer to practice law in Afghani courts — but she also won the first-ever presidential pardon of a moral case in the country’s history from former President Hamid Karzai. Seriously. From standing up for her Korean mother on the streets of Milwaukee to fighting against human rights abuses in Afghanistan and other countries, Kimberley Motley is an unstoppable social justice force. A former U.S. beauty pageant winner turned international human rights litigator, Motley has changed the lives of countless men and women around...2020-05-0852 min
SheVentures$45K to Become an Urban Homeowner With Janelle Briggs Feminist scholar turned real estate entrepreneur, Janelle Briggs wants to ensure the American Dream of homeownership is affordable and accessible to everyone. An idea that may sound far-fetched and futuristic — one that most architects have only dreamed of on paper — Briggs and her cofounder/partner are making a reality. Stackhouse, a real-estate development company, is creating building structures — called stackhouse towers — in which shipping container homes can be stacked one on top of the other in a communal living space, with shared areas such as a roof deck. These tiny container homes can...2020-05-0150 min
SheVenturesWhat It Takes to Be a ‘Vagipreneur’ With Rachel Braun ScherlWhat makes a ‘Vagipreneur’ anyway? From working in public relations to earning an MBA at Stanford, Rachel Braun Scherl had an untraditional foray into the world of marketing, so it’s no surprise she later trademarked the word vagipreneur. Her start in PR led to her greatest lesson: the power of building business relationships. From there, Braun Scherl ventured into the world of female sexual health with her takeover of Semprae Labs. The idea behind her book Orgasmic Leadership came from a boardroom meeting at which participants giggled at the “titillating” subject matter of Semprae’s...2020-04-2456 min
SheVenturesGet Paid to Save. For Real. With Leigh PhillipsBefore COVID-19 forced everyone to take a microscopic look at their finances — Leigh Phillips was helping Americans save. As unemployment claims skyrocket, it’s clear just how fragile Americans’ personal finances are. Roughly 40 percent of Americans don’t have an emergency fund of even $400. So how can anyone think of retirement savings when the day-to-day budget is already a struggle? Enter Leigh Phillips and her nonprofit SaverLife. Starting in local government, Phillips served as director for the office of financial empowerment in San Francisco, spearheading programs for the “unbanked” like “Bank on San Francisco,” whic...2020-04-1755 min
SheVenturesFrom Sex Worker to Trans Activist With Cecilia GentiliOppressive dictator regime. Sexual abuse. Drugs. Sex work. Incarceration. Transitioning. Actress. Trans rights and sex worker rights advocate. Positivity embodied. Fighter. Cecilia Gentili grew up in an oppressive dictatorship in Argentina and fled to the United States in her 20s for a better quality of life. She’s battled drug addiction, imprisonment, and ICE; now Gentili is fighting another battle: trans and sex worker rights nationwide. Gentili founded Transgender Equity Consulting in 2019 after having served as the director of policy at GMHC, the world’s first and leading provider of HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and advo...2020-04-1054 min
SheVenturesNixing Work-Life Anxiety for Good With MaryAnn JonesEleven million women or 28 percent of all caregivers provide unpaid help to an aging adult as well as to children, according to the National Alliance on Caregiving. MaryAnn Jones — a 20-year-veteran magazine art director — lived this struggle: balancing a high-powered career, a daughter with type 1 diabetes, and a mother with an ovarian cancer diagnosis. All this while grasping for the precious moments of self-care her life afforded her. It took a layoff in 2008 to provide a full-fledged opportunity to pivot to creating a health-coaching business, ThriveNaturally, which has changed Jones’ life and has afforded her the ch...2020-04-0347 min
SheVenturesWin Your Pitch & Fund Your Niche with Roshawnna Novellus, Ph.D. Never tell Roshawnna Novellus, Ph.D. she can’t do something. At age 15, she raised $600,000 in scholarships to fund her education. And after being told by an educator she “couldn’t do math,” Novellus earned a doctorate in engineering with a minor in finance. So it’s no surprise that Novellus keeps breaking barriers today. Though she got her start in corporate America, Novellus realized her skills could be better utilized with underserved communities in Atlanta — and later in counterterrorism. Today she is helping to solve...2020-03-2746 min
SheVenturesHR Tech Making Benefits Simple With Amanda LannertAmanda Lannert raised $20 million in venture capital for Jellyvision, a SaaS (Software as a Service) platform that helps employees make financially sound choices about their benefits. Lannert gives smart tips for other women trying to make headway. Lannert managed global brands for global advertising giant Leo Burnett before becoming CEO of Jellyvision. She completely changed the direction of Jellyvision with her sharp instinct and talented team. Lannert’s pivots come from reading the marketplace and not being afraid to adapt in order to survive — a huge feat for anyone following the tech crash of 2001. (Yes, Lannert has been...2020-03-2027 min
SheVenturesHamilton’s Anthony Ramos’ Career Catalyst Sara SteinweissShe’s a former Brooklyn high school English and theater teacher who transitioned to founding a conflict resolution business. Who is this incredible woman? Sara Steinweiss takes center stage when she talks to SheVentures about how she coped with her father’s death, her debilitating anxiety disorder, bullying — and the importance of getting help. Steinweiss provides wisdom for meeting one’s teen where she or he is and discusses how the arts saves lives.2020-03-1354 minSheVenturesThe System is Broken: Make Your Own With Vicki SaundersWhat if you could receive a 0 percent small business loan from a group of SheEOs? It’s called #radicalgenerosity, created to focus on time-sensitive world issues through entrepreneurship. That’s what today’s guest, Vicki Saunders, has dedicated her life to by founding the transgressive SheEO. With a society more focused on the financial return of an investment than on its environmental or social return, Saunders has vowed to blow up the system and press the reset button. SheEO has rejected the traditional business loan paradigm and created a community of mostly female “activators” who collectively fund loans at a...2020-01-1044 minSheVenturesBe a #SalesBoss With Linda WittichThis woman won more than $100 million in sales for Broadridge — a company that offers financial advisors a platform to connect with their clients — so when it comes to the industry, Linda Wittich knows a thing or two. With her pivot to industry giant IBM, Wittich embraced AI — and advised fintech startups that brought this technology to the forefront of financial services, a major pivot for the industry as well. Today, Wittich, founder of Top Line Focus, acts as both a consultant and an advisor to the fintech sector. Discover how she navigated these male-d...2020-01-0344 minSheVenturesWinning the Weed Hustle With Victoria FloresAnyone who creates a product knows how important a supply chain is, especially if you lose control of it. That’s what happened to Flores in her first entrepreneurial venture. Starting with creating hair extensions — after a long stint in financial services — Flores and her partner found that importing hair first from China and later India provided challenges in quality and logistics. Her “come to Jesus” moment involved a business pivot to an entirely new product for the customers she already attracted with her hair extensions. Enter her mid-tier line of CBD-infused beauty products, Victoria Flores, our...2019-12-2042 minSheVenturesFemale Disruptor Takes on the “System” with Sally OutlawSally Outlaw created something remarkable. She took on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to be able to create a bond that yields a 5 percent return, can be bought in $10 increments, and her company, Worthy Peer Capital, reinvests that money as a loan to small U.S. businesses. What happens if a company defaults? Outlaw invests only in asset-backed/inventory-based companies, so Worthy would theoretically recoup any losses. Making bonds understandable and accessible, as well as providing customers an app to easily withdraw or add money, is a pioneering concept in the financial services industry. Outlaw speaks...2019-12-1339 minSheVenturesWhen God Spoke, She Pivoted With Sara ThurmanWhat would you do if divine intervention careened your career in a wildly different direction? In the midst of retirement after a 24-year stint in teaching, school administration, and graduate and doctorate studies, that’s exactly what happened to Sara Thurman. Thurman never picked up a paintbrush or easel, or took an art class before her faith spoke to her and she became an artist. Since 2014, she has sold more than 750 paintings and written a book about her experience. The proceeds from sales of the paintings go to missionary workers around the globe. Now, Thurman ha...2019-12-0655 minSheVenturesFemTech Connect With Nicole Dahlstrom A pioneer in her field who started in her early 20s, Nicole Dahlstrom is leveling the playing field for female-health related startups across the U.S. and beyond. Dahlstrom is the founder of FemTech Collective, a 500 female-founder strong network that connects innovators in female-focused health tech through events, media, and an online platform. It’s a place for women to join forces and strive to solve bias and barriers to entry in the tech industry. Listen as Dahlstrom discusses these barriers, especially when it comes to female sexual health and the stig...2019-11-2246 minSheVenturesInto the Weed With Genifer Murray The U.S. cannabis industry is on fire — last year it grew to $11.3B. Genifer Murray has played a key role in the weed world since cannabis was legalized in Colorado, and now boasts more than nine years of experience in the business. She is also a staunch advocate for women in the hemp and cannabis industries. As a lobbyist, scientist, speaker, entrepreneur, and influencer, Murray helped found one of the first analytical cannabis testing labs in the U.S. She was ranked one of the 100 most influential people in the cannabis industry by Cannabis Bus...2019-11-2254 minSheVenturesThe Invisible Career Pivot With Aileen Kelly and Felicia KashevaroffThese two women hope to change the stigma at-home caregivers routinely face through their app and platform. Lifelong friends Aileen Kelly and Felicia Kashevaroff were able to stay home after their children were born. Like many stay-at-home caregivers, they felt their work was invisible, undervalued, and unappreciated. Kelly and Kashevaroff created Persistiny, a web platform to address the inherent inequality of at-home caregivers. Check out the hundreds of articles encouraging women to speak about their experiences with other women and their partners. The duo then created an app: Tend is a task manager an...2019-11-0856 minSheVenturesBuilding a Holistic Day Spa, with Daniella StrombergNew York is the backdrop of Daniella Stromberg’s tale, pushing her toward peace in a chaotic world. She saw beauty in the streets, admired the elegance of prostitutes and transvestites, seen through the eyes of a young girl through the window shades of her mother’s Greenwich Village studio apartment. Stromberg sought out her own luxurious bubble in a city of grit. From working with the one percent to opening her own holistic day spa in the heart of Brooklyn’s Park Slope neighborhood, Stromberg’s travels and her study of kinesiology inspired her vision for her spa...2019-11-0146 minSheVenturesCashing In on Colors With Jen ThodenImagine losing a 9-year-old daughter to cancer, facing a divorce, and dealing with mounting financial struggles. Jen Thoden’s world was gray — and in need of a transformation. A chance upload of an ebook for window dressing helped Thoden identify a gap in the market. Novices wanted instructions on how to create window dressings. She delved into her first successful ebook entrepreneurial venture from her garage while raising three children. One day after her divorce, Thoden caught a glimpse of herself in a mirror. The death of her daughter, the end of her marriage, and the...2019-10-2549 minSheVenturesFrom Teacher to Edtech Entrepreneur With Shayna PondKnowing firsthand what teachers are up against, Shayna Pond is taking her knowledge of teaching and applying it to helping educators in the classroom. She started with a side tutoring business, which was an unintentional pilot for the two nationwide businesses she runs today, Model Teaching and Action Potential Learning. In this episode of SheVentures, Pond delves into many issues entrepreneurs face when they scale in their niche. Today, her businesses help with professional development for teachers, administrators, school districts, and tutors. Pond tells SheVentures just how she made it all happen. If you are an educator or...2019-10-1152 minSheVenturesKnow When to Walk Away and Know When to Run With Kate WallingKate Walling knew entrepreneurship was in her blood. At 24, she cooked up a digital recipe startup long before Nailed It became a family pastime. Then 2008 happened. Enough said. Originally from the deep South, Walling moved to rainy Seattle to build a boutique consulting agency, Scrappy Face. The company thrived, but her personal life got complicated as she faced divorce. And did we mention the rain? Walling had her “screw it” moment and left both her business and Seattle to experience Silicon Valley. Her latest venture, Traction Hero, is an agency solving high-growth companies’ market...2019-10-0451 minSheVenturesPrisoner’s Wife Turned Digital Entrepreneur With Reesy Floyd-ThompsonFind out how Reesy Floyd-Thompson handled the stigma and financial challenges that came with her husband’s prison sentence. Today, she helps other prison spouses acclimate, provides tips on how to survive financial hardship, and reveals her top marketing tips for free. Find out how she balanced her life while building a superstar marketing career on this episode of SheVentures.2019-09-2044 minSheVenturesChanging the Face of Nigerian Health Care With Dr. Lola AdeyemiGrowing up in Nigeria’s male-dominated society was tough for a feminist with a strong ambition to further herself and her education, but Dr. Lola Adeyemi never stopped. She came to the U.S. to study public health at John Hopkins University and sustainability and environmental management at Harvard University. Now she seeks to revolutionize the health-care industry in her home country with Magna Carta Health, a company she founded to focus on preventive care. She found that changing people’s behavior is challenging. While it makes sense to see a doctor before one gets sick, it’s ofte...2019-09-1336 minSheVenturesVeteran-Owned Business Success With Valerie LavinImagine commanding 83 soldiers and $35 million of intelligence equipment, vehicles, and weapons dispersed over six locations in a war zone — that’s the experience Valerie Lavin stores in her professional arsenal. A retired Army sergeant who spent 21 years in the military, Lavin is drawing on her background and skills for her new venture Luminary Global, and is eager to share her tips and tricks. Luminary Global provides emergency medical service, fire, law enforcement, and military personnel as well as private citizens, with the equipment and supplies they need to save lives at home and abroad. Listen as Lavin desc...2019-09-0642 minSheVenturesCommunity-Minded Corporate Catering With Deepti SharmaDeepti Sharma, named on the esteemed Forbes’ 30 under 30 list, embodies “the pivot,” whether through volunteer work or her own startup. Community is her passion. She served on the board of directors for the Business Center for New Americans, a microlender that creates a pathway to self-sufficiency for immigrants, refugees, and women. Today, as founder and CEO of corporate catering concierge service FoodtoEat in NYC, Sharma continues to empower immigrant women and minorities specifically, providing a platform as food service providers. The marketing mind behind #IMadeYourFood puts a human face behind any catering event she hosts. ...2019-08-2345 minSheVenturesCo-Founder Betrayal Leads to Success With Bonnie CoberlyImagine being diagnosed with a crippling digestive disorder in your early 20s, and as a result, identifying a gap in the market: healthy food made and delivered to busy professionals years before the food-delivery craze caught on. Bonnie Coberly created a recipe for success in the D.C. area out of her desire to help herself and others. Fast forward three years, and Coberly was stunned to discover that her co-founder embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars, leaving her in debt and in an even worse mental state. She met the challenge, repaid the debt, and eventually...2019-08-1652 minSheVenturesAngel and Venture Capital Basics With Renata GeorgeA med-school dropout turned entrepreneur, author, angel investor, and venture capitalist, Renata George is doing her damnedest to pave the way for women in the VC industry. Born in Poland, George spent most of her life in Russia and studied in the U.K. She launched a media business in the former USSR and had a successful exit, making it possible for her to become an angel investor and venture capitalist herself. On a “short trip” to the U.S. in 2012, George woke to a Twitter message informing her she had been named on Forbes’ list of female...2019-08-0953 minSheVenturesRemote Internship Tech? The Future of 9 to 5 With Nikita GuptaFrom a cooking blog to the future of the gig economy and a contingent workforce, what Nikita Gupta has accomplished in 23 years is remarkable. She first realized her love for computer science when her dad fostered her entrepreneurial spirit by helping her set up her own cooking site. Now, with a bachelor’s in computer science from Cornell University, and a coveted internship at Apple under her belt, Gupta co-founded, and is currently CTO of, Symba — an online platform for virtual internships. A strong advocate for #GirlsInSTEM, listen to her story on this epis...2019-08-0235 minSheVenturesFree Data Analytics Tools With Andrea AmaraggiData and analytics matter for a company to succeed, and Andrea Amaraggi is a ninja with data analytics. Her career pivots are based on where she has used them, from financial auditor to technical trainer, business consultant, kosher caterer, analytics consultant, and cannabis consultant. Amaraggi has done it all and has the wisdom to prove it. Now, with her consulting firm Cohere Insights, Amaraggi uses her 20 years’ experience to help businesses get data and analytics right whether they’re start-ups or Fortune 500 companies. On this episode of SheVentures, get free consulting advice that will change the...2019-07-2635 minSheVenturesDancing Queen Founder Charlene DiPaolaAfter being diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome — a hormonal condition rendering her prediabetic and making it difficult to conceive, Charlene DiPaola hit a wall. Dissatisfied with her career in digital marketing, DiPaola knew she needed to pivot — both in her career and lifestyle. The answer for DiPaola laid in the joy of dance, so she created Hip Shake Fitness: an online, on-demand dance studio with workouts tailored to your taste and fitness level. Whether your thang is Tone N Twerk, KPop Dance Party, or Burlesque Burn — you will find hundreds of dance routines. Find out how she...2019-07-1937 minSheVenturesThe Fifth Trimester With Lauren BrodyHow do you handle the demands of the real world while also coping with the tiny human you just birthed? From executive editor at Glamour magazine to author of The Fifth Trimester — all about the birth of the working mom — and mentor for working mothers everywhere, Lauren Brody has learned her worth, and can help you find yours. On this episode of SheVentures, learn how U.S. maternity leave sucks, how you as a new mom can navigate the working world, and how as a business owner you can make it easier for your postpartum empl...2019-07-1246 minSheVenturesGet Financially Naked With Shannon McLayAfter spending years as a financial advisor for Merrill, Shannon McLay grew tired of working solely with the wealthy — the majority of whom didn’t need her help in the first place. Realizing that 78 percent of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, McLay found her true calling: helping the everyday person get financially fit. And so the Financial Gym was born. McLay sought to provide a service that didn’t prioritize selling products over people. Money is emotional, and the brick-and-mortar Financial Gym provides a welcome change of scenery for one of the most taboo subjects of all: p...2019-07-0549 minSheVenturesDog Sitters Who Feign Death With Jenny ThompsonImagine leaving your dogs in the care of someone you trust, only to return to find her feigning death just to avoid paying you back your $150. No, really. This actually happened. Shocked at the level to which this dog sitter went to evade her, Jenny Thompson was left to ponder how she could’ve been more careful. Leaving a 20-year career in the health supplement industry behind, Thompson ventured out into the world of detailed background checks. Find out more about her product, SafetyPIN, and how it can help you, on this episode of SheVentures.2019-06-2847 minSheVenturesFrom Oprah to Soap-rah With Danielle Vincent Unhappy with her senior management positions at ABC and The Oprah Network, Danielle Vincent had a “fuck it” moment that couldn’t have come sooner. Leaving the big bucks and job security behind, Vincent went out on a limb and opened her own handmade soap company, Outlaw Soaps. Imagine a lone cowboy or cowgirl wandering into a new town with a fistful of dollars and the accompanying swagger to boot. That’s what Vincent is selling — and to date, she has 20,000 customers to show for it. 2019-06-2152 minSheVenturesDate Brazenly With Lily WombleTired of going on crappy dates, deleting one dating app after the next in the quest to find ”the one”? Lily Womble, former matchmaker turned dating coach has been there. Despite being a top matchmaker at a large firm in the U.S., Womble was disappointed with her clients’ level of success — and grappling with her own toxic romance. By speaking to hundreds of women and getting personal, Womble discovered techniques and tools that led her to create Date Brazen — a date-coaching community. On this episode of SheVentures, find out what the heck a dating coach does and how sh...2019-06-1436 minSheVenturesGet Your Sexual Mojo Back With Irene FehrFrustrated with her 13-year career in corporate marketing, Irene Fehr longed for something more fulfilling. When she left her sexless marriage feeling there was something wrong with her, Fehr found herself on a journey of self-discovery. Since then, she has worked as a sex and intimacy coach, helping hundreds of couples get their sexual mojo back by working on their intimacy issues. On this episode of SheVentures, listen as Fehr discusses the plethora of ways women are affected by all the incorrect sexual information out there.2019-06-0739 minSheVenturesHow to Succeed in Business With Marisa RicciardiIf you look up “pivot” in the dictionary, Marisa Ricciardi’s picture should be front and center. From an intern at a white-shoe financial services firm to a business development and marketing executive, Ricciardi climbed the ladder one hard-earned step at a time. Now, as founder and CEO of the Ricciardi Group in New York, she discusses company acquisitions, being competitive with yourself, and the ways in which the marketing world has changed in the post-digital era.2019-05-3137 minSheVenturesHow to Have a Badass Pitch With Precious L. WilliamsDo you want to be a bad bitch with a power pitch? That’s what Precious L. Williams is selling — helping women (and only women!) have the confidence to pitch and build their businesses. Williams pivots include: from attorney to founder and CEO of Curvy Girlz Lingerie to a killer pitch master and professional speaker with 13 pitch competition wins under her belt — including an enviable appearance on Shark Tank. Despite her battles with alcoholism, mental disorders, and homelessness, Williams embraces her past trauma to fuel her current success. Listen as she gets real about stigmatization and se...2019-05-2443 minSheVenturesShaping the Future #GirlBoss With Laura Rebell GrossLaura Rebell Gross’s parents instilled female empowerment in her from a young age. Now she is shaping the lives of countless underserved, low-income young women as the Managing Director of Girls’ Education at Student Leadership Network, overseeing five all-girls public schools (The Young Women’s Leadership Schools) in NYC and 15 affiliate schools nationally. Listen as she talks about female-focused events, Oprah Winfrey and Michelle Obama, and what she has learned from her students.2019-05-1746 minSheVenturesWhat’s on Your Vagenda? With Tara Langdale-SchmidtTara Langdale-Schmidt is no stranger to pain. When sex became impossible for her and her then-fiancé, and doctors were flummoxed, Langdale-Schmidt knew she had to take matters into her own hands. Find out how she created, tested and brought her sexual therapy product to market on this episode of SheVentures.2019-05-101h 03SheVenturesGrammys, Entrepreneurship, and All That Jazz With Lydia LiebmanImagine representing not one, but two consecutive Grammy-nominated (including one Grammy winner) clients before you even hit 30? For Lydia Liebman, that became a reality this year when she saw herself at the Grammys for the second year in a row. Born to two successful musicians, Liebman was immersed in the jazz scene from the get-go. She took jazz vocal lessons at age 10, but quickly realized that a life working her magic behind the scenes was more up her alley. Liebman began her PR career by helping friends and musicians in college, and she’s never looked back. Sh...2019-05-0357 minSheVenturesThe Scent of Success With D’Shawn RussellGrowing up in Durham, North Carolina, D’Shawn Russell was no stranger to racial tensions and prejudices. Her great-grandmother and grandmother were huge influences on her life, and she still applies their values to her business today. After a 22-year stint as a math teacher, Russell realized it wasn’t the path she was meant to embrace. So she did what many of us wish we could do: She turned her hobby into her full-time job. Russell founded Southern Elegance Candle Company — where candles throwback to a simpler time and are made using locally sourced products — and hasn’t l...2019-04-2653 minSheVenturesFinancial Literacy: Breaking Barriers in High Schools With Talitha OliveriIt’s Financial Literacy Month, and national student loan debt has reached a menacing $1.6 trillion. Yep. Trillion. Talitha Oliveri, businesswoman turned high school teacher, is seeking to combat the debt culture that is so prevalent in the U.S. today. How? By providing stellar financial literacy education at her school in Hopedale, Massachusetts. With 20 years of experience under her belt, Oliveri has seen it all, and realizes that sharing her personal experience with finance growing up is one of the best ways to get students to learn. Since recording, Oliveri was named 2019 Massachusetts Business Teacher of...2019-04-1945 minSheVenturesInvest for College in 5 Minutes Flat, With Ksenia YudinaLet’s face it. With a $1.6 trillion national student loan debt issue, it’s no wonder parents want to know how to save for their kids’ education. Enter Ksenia Yudina, who has created an app called U-Nest, which simplifies the college savings process. Originally from Russia, Yudina is a certified financial planner with an MBA from the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) and a mom of three. Her mission is to raise financial literacy by making saving for college as easy as downloading an app. Yudina’s vision is to demystify 529 college savings plans an...2019-04-1243 minSheVenturesGirls Who STEM, With Sarita Menon, Ph.D.Tired of the lack of female role models in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) field, Sarita Menon, Ph.D. in cancer biology, decided to take matters into her own hands. With a multitude of amazing women in the sciences, Menon is featuring them on a platform where science doesn’t normally shine — glossy magazines. Smore, a bimonthly glossy for girls aged 7-12, features promising female scientists on the cover and throughout. Her inspiration? After arriving in the U.S. from India to complete her higher education, Menon was shocked that more women weren’t enco...2019-04-0546 minSheVenturesThe Cost of Being Queer With Cait HowertonFinance often has a way of controlling our lives, whether we want it to or not. But what if you were already two steps behind before the financial race began? Cait Howerton, financial coach and CFP candidate, turned her “mess” into her “message,” and is speaking openly about the pitfalls that the LGBTQ+ community faces in the financial sphere. Howerton, who talks in detail of her difficulties coming out to her family, is channeling her experiences into knowledge and leadership for the LGBTQ+ community and the financial community alike. On this episode of SheVentur...2019-03-2953 minSheVenturesBeating Cancer One Step at a Time With Sally KalksmaAfter losing her husband to cancer around the same time she herself was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer, you might think a woman left to raise three teenagers on her own would crumble. But Sally Kalksma took her anger out on, well, stairs. She channeled her emotions into stair-climbing competitions, racing up some of the world’s most notable buildings like the Empire State and the Eiffel Tower. She is also writing a book called Life Gets in the Way about her trials and her ability to see humor in anything, including her own circum...2019-03-2259 minSheVenturesDon’t Ask for Permission With Karmel LarsonOnly 2 percent of women secure venture capital, but this mother of eight recently raised a cool $1.75 million. What gives? Larson takes a seat at the head of the table when pitching her business, knowing that no one knows it better than her. She is passionate, business-minded, and a great reminder that women do not have to ask for permission. Larson’s app, Momni — the Airbnb and Uber for child care — is empowering women all over the globe.2019-03-1552 minSheVenturesFrom Sex Trafficking to Entrepreneurship — Crushing Gender Inequality With Pamela NathensonWhat better way to celebrate International Women’s Day than with an in-depth look at a woman who is tirelessly working to improve women’s lives globally? Pamela Nathanson and her dedication to helping women and girls across the globe is an inspiration. As executive director of World Connect, Nathanson and her team focus on issues ranging from sex trafficking to entrepreneurship. Each project has the goal of making these communities self-sustaining. One of World Connect’s projects in Rwanda single-handedly reduced urinary tract infections (UTIs) in a group of women and girls by 100 percent. ...2019-03-0848 minSheVenturesBake Off Has Nothing on Erin ChaseWhat started as a personal, fun side blog for math and science teacher Erin Chase skyrocketed to a multifaceted digital brand that garnered 2 million users after it went viral. $5 Dinners, Chase’s brainchild, started in 2008 and stemmed from the overwhelming urge to coupon everything after she returned from living in the Dominican Republic for many years doing missionary work. The blog’s popularity took off in response to the world financial crisis at the time, and Chase has been working to help people save money and eat well ever since, all she balances raising four youn...2019-03-0152 minSheVenturesFormer Miss NY Shatters Stereotype That Beauty and Brains Can’t Coexist - Iman OubouAfter immigrating to the U.S. from Morocco as a teenager, Iman Oubou had to learn not only a new language, but also a new culture. She quickly adapted and went on to earn degrees in biochemistry and biomedical engineering, as well as to become Miss New York. When a pageant judge asked her if she’d rather have beauty or brains, it spurred Oubou’s entrepreneurial spirit. Fast forward to today, and Oubou is cultivating an online community, Swaay, for women to celebrate prowess in business and beauty — however they define both — without having to compr...2019-02-2257 minSheVentures13 Careers and Counting — How Did Dr. Dallas Do It All?Running up the hills by her grandparents’ place in Alabama started an illustrious if almost unbelievable career for Renette Dallas, N.D. She’s a naturopath who has earned a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering, competed in bodybuilding competitions, joined the U.S. Air Force, become a certified fitness trainer, earned a doctorate in naturopathy, studied raw food preparation, and become a motivational speaker and author. It’s hard to believe one woman managed to fit this all into one lifetime — and she’s still going! Not even a diagnosis of tuberculosis could keep her down. And no, we...2019-02-1553 minSheVenturesTeenage Beauty Maven Zandra & Momager Tamara Cunningham on Building a BusinessWhen her dad said “no” to buying her lip balm, 9-year-old Zandra Cunningham said “yes.” She decided to make her own lip balm instead, and eight years later at the age of 17, she was named 2017’s Small Business Award Young Entrepreneur of the Year for her company Zandra Beauty. Zandra is now 19, and her beauty brand is a leading plant-based social good company that inspires young women around the globe and earned over $1million in revenue in 2018. None of this would have been possible without Zandra’s mom, Tamara, the “driving force” behind Zandra’s success. Tamara has also started h...2019-02-0848 min
SheVenturesOlympic Gold Medallist Lauryn Williams Helps Her Clients Cross the Financial Finish LineIn 2014, four-time Olympian Lauryn Williams became the first American woman to win medals in both the summer and the winter Olympics. While she began in track and field, an injury sidelined her, and a chance encounter led to a silver medal in bobsledding. As lucrative endorsements started racing in, the then 20-year-old realized that she lacked the knowledge to make informed financial decisions. Now she wields her experience to coach athletes as a kick-ass financial planner with an MBA and a financial planning certification (CFP) under her belt. Her book, The Oval Office: A Four-Time Olympian's Guide...2019-02-0150 min
SheVenturesPrison Inmates Learn Personal Finance Thanks to Becky MacDickenAfter 16 years working for Congress in Washington as a communications director and lobbyist for small businesses, Becky MacDicken finally realized what she wanted to be when she grew up. A chance job offer based in Pennsylvania led to the discovery of her passion for teaching financial literacy to prison inmates and the disabled community. Now, having touched over 10,000 lives with her classes, MacDicken continues to spread the good financial word all across the state. For more information, visit the show notes at https://sheventures.centsai.com 2019-01-2559 min
SheVenturesMarjorie K. Eastman Shrugged Off Sexism and Rose to U.S. Army CommanderAcross all branches of the U.S. military, only 14 percent of active service members are women. Veteran, mother, and entrepreneur, Marjorie K. Eastman is a marvel who wants to change that number. Her book, The Frontline Generation, was the first of its kind to define post-9/11 service and leadership and what it means for this country. After 10 years in the military, Eastman’s journey is far from over. She’s now involved with Bunker Labs, a nonprofit network for veteran entrepreneurs that has had immeasurable success. Her son was diagnosed with cancer when he was six months old...2019-01-2452 min
SheVenturesYi-Hsian Godfrey Ditches 9 to 5 to Disrupt Home-Care RecruitmentFormer American Express marketing executive Yi-Hsian Godfrey yearned to create a business that would help ease the all too common struggle with work-life balance. Godfrey co-founded Apiari — a play on the word apiary, or beehive — an AI-driven home-care “colony” that offers vetted, experienced part-time housekeeping and childcare help for parents. Yi-Hsian and her co-founders built an online matching platform that eliminates the time and stress of interviewing countless candidates for essential part-time positions. How does she balance motherhood with the roller-coaster ride of startup life? For a transcription or link to resource...2019-01-231h 02
SheVenturesJen Groover Overcame Childhood Trauma to Build a Business EmpireJen Groover’s been through it all and has the emotional growth to prove it. Rather than letting her troubled childhood with an abusive, alcoholic father defeat her, she used it to shape her view of life, business, and finances. A motivational speaker, author, and entrepreneur, Groover is a strong advocate for human potential, as well as for the success of women. Complete organ failure at 26 from overexertion made her realize how negative patterns were harming her. Listen to the way she transformed herself and about her latest venture, Empowered Eyewear. For a transcript, visit th...2019-01-221h 02
SheVenturesErica Meltzer Democratizes Standardized TestingErica Meltzer has taken the of SAT and ACT tutoring sphere by storm. After scoring an improbable 800 on the verbal portion of the SATs, Meltzer realized that she had a unique perspective to share, which she now spreads on an international level. Her first book, The Critical Reader, which she originally self-published, has sold over 160,000 copies to date. How has her focus on the socioeconomic disparity of tutoring in the U.S. set her apart from the rest in her field? Find out on this episode of SheVentures. For more information, visit...2019-01-141h 05
SheVenturesFrom Foodpreneur to Business MentorEvery entrepreneur faces a moment when they decide if they’re all in. For Belinda DiGiambattista, it was one weekend when she and her husband agonized over whether to take out a loan out against their home in order to fund a much-needed upgrade to her food business’ kitchen. They could have lost everything. Instead, DiGiambattista’s focus, drive, and unrelenting optimism catapulted her first company, Butter Beans — a business whose mission it is to provide healthy lunch menus for public, private, and charter schools — to a multi-million-dollar revenue business. After nine years, she successfully sold the company...2019-01-1159 min
SheVenturesNear-Death Experience Granted Alexa Carlin Her New LifeI met Alexa Carlin last year in Washington, D.C. After hearing about her conference, WEX — short for Women Empower Expo — I wanted to see it for myself. I admit, having attended many conferences in the past, I was dubious about the value I would get as an entrepreneur. Damn, was I wrong. Let’s get one thing straight from the get-go: WEX is a conference for any woman who wants actionable, affordable advice on starting or improving her business or her mission. WEX’s tickets range from $30 to $99, priced by design to be inclusiv...2019-01-0956 min
SheVenturesBonus Episode: Jana Lynne SanchezJana Lynne Sanchez Pivots from PR Maven to Political Hopeful Listen to the inspiring story of Jana Lynne Sanchez, a woman who ran a tight race as a Democrat in Texas’ 6th Congressional District and nearly won in a red state. She is now a political consultant for Blue Texas Strategies, where she’s putting her political prowess to work. Sheer determination, grit, savvy, and kindness are Sanchez’s hallmarks. From her early Texas roots, she became a political and business correspondent for Reuters in Europe. From there, she pivoted to building her first venture, a PR f...2019-01-0944 min