Shows
Startup Confessions PodcastCEO of Delfyn and woman in finance transforming the financial industry with AI, Ceren DanisNOTE* In the podcast, we mention Unique Payments. However, as of April 2025, Unique Payments has rebranded to Delfyn, a financial service agency serving B2B business in the financial sector with the focus of AI. In this episode of the Startup Confessions podcast, host Yssamae Abdon speaks with guest speaker, Ceren Danis, CEO and co-founder of Delfy, about her journey in finance and entrepreneurship, her expertise and what led her to where she is now. They discuss the importance of co-founders, the challenges women face in a male-dominated industry, the impact of AI on...2025-04-2536 min
Startup Confessions PodcastEmpowering women through sustainable fashion and breaking stigmas as an entrepreneur with Arielle Loupos, founder of Flower Girl CoIn the 3rd episode of the Startup Confessions podcast, host Yssamae interviews Arielle Loupos, founder of Flower Girl, a sustainable period underwear brand. Arielle shares her journey from working in e-commerce to launching her own brand, emphasizing the importance of using natural materials and creating a community around menstrual health. She discusses the challenges of product development, the significance of self-care, and the need to break the stigma surrounding female reproductive health. Arielle's passion for education and community building shines through as she discusses her vision for changing the narrative around periods and empowering women. In this episode, Arielle...2025-03-1437 min
Startup Confessions PodcastHumor as a Business: The Rise of No Boring Brands with Aidan BranniganIn Season 2, episode 2 of the Startup Confessions podcast, Aiden, founder of No Boring Brands, shares his journey in the creator economy and the establishment of his creative humor agency. He discusses the importance of authenticity in social media, the art of humor in content creation, and the challenges of navigating perceptions around social media careers. Aiden emphasizes the significance of consistency, networking, and defining personal success while addressing the realities of cancel culture and online criticism. The conversation concludes with insights on maintaining passion and discipline in one's career.TakeawaysAidan founded...2025-03-0334 min
Startup Confessions PodcastReflections from Season 1, Q&A, changes in Season 2.Summary
In this episode of the Startup Confessions Podcast, host Yssamae reflects on her journey of launching and running a podcast focused on entrepreneurship. She shares insights on the challenges she faced as a young host, the importance of consistency, and how she connects with her guests. Yssa also discusses the technical aspects of podcasting, her personal growth through the experience, and offers advice for aspiring podcasters.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Startup Confessions Podcast
03:12 Challenges of Podcasting and Imposter Syndrome
06:06 Finding Guests and Building Connections
08:34...2025-01-3120 min
Startup Confessions PodcastSonia-Michelle, founder of Ruby Sky Events and marketing manager at Porsche DealershipIn this episode, Sonia-Michelle de Souza (or SM), marketing manager at Porsche Center London Ontario and founder of Ruby Sky Events shares her passion with creating, and sharing memorable experiences through events. Sonia-Michelle shares her experience in the automotive industry as a marketing manager and her passion for events led to the recent launch of Ruby Sky Events. Ruby Sky Events focuses on providing unique experiences through events serving exclusive wine and food.
In this episode, we discuss how SM balances many roles including being a marketing manager, and founder of her own small-business, h...2024-09-0627 min
Startup Confessions PodcastSimplifying processes for success, and trusting yourself as an entrepreneur with Brandie Grace Wong - Founder and CEO of Totally Brand ItIn episode 8 of the Startup Confessions Podcast, we have our new guest Brandie Grace Wong, founder and CEO of Totally Brand It.
Brandie is a young and ambitious entrepreneur who has started her journey at the age of 15years old and is now running her own agency. In this episode, we talk about simplifying processes for business success, the challenges of running a business, how to vet team members and cultivating work culture, and advice on trusting yourself in decision making as an entrepreneur.
Totally Brand It is a fractional COO agency focusing on business...2024-08-1628 min
Startup Confessions PodcastDelivering the best grooming experience and selling kicks with Leoles, co-founder of TopTier CompanyIn this episode of the Startup Confessions podcast, host Yssamae invites Leoles, co-founder of TopTier barber shop, offering one of the best fades and kicks in Oakville.
Leo and his team’s passion for barbering and offering excellent grooming experiences for every client that comes into TopTier makes a barbershop stand out amongst the rest. They also have a unique twist and sell kicks for passionate collectors.
Follow Leoles Melegrito on instagram @lefades
He is also part of the @cuttingdealspod podcast.
You can follow Top Tier on:
Instagram @toptiercompany
...2024-08-0409 min
Startup Confessions PodcastEnhancing dining experience with authenticity and culture with Maro, chef and owner of the top rated restaurant in Oakville.Guest Speaker: Marwan (Maro) Al Chamaa - Chef and Restaurant owner of Maro’s Bistro, Bohemian Beirut and co-owner of Narenj Oakville.
Welcome to this episode of the Startup Confessions Podcast. In this episode, we speak with Marwan (Maro) Al Chamaa, a chef who has made a name for himself by blending the traditional flavors of his Lebanese background with innovative culinary techniques. From working alone 15 years ago as a new immigrant to Canada to now owning a top-rated restaurant in Oakville Maro shares his philosophy on food and the importance of authenticity in business.
Mar...2024-07-1924 min
Startup Confessions PodcastFrom being a small town girl to a young female entrepreneur, outgrowing people, and choosing the life you want with Kenzie MasseSummary
In this episode of the Spirit of Confession podcast, host Yssamae Abdon interviews Kenzie Masse, a 21-year-old digital marketer and entrepreneur. Kenzie shares her journey from a small town in Ontario to discovering her passion for entrepreneurship, digital marketing, and trading. She discusses the importance of following the heart, overcoming self-doubt, and the unique challenges women face in the entrepreneurial space. Kenzie emphasizes the significance of surrounding oneself with like-minded individuals and the necessity of self-love and self-worth in achieving personal and professional goals. We also explore the challenges and triumphs of entrepreneurship, emphasizing the importance...2024-06-1429 min
Startup Confessions PodcastBalancing ethics and making money, re-defining wealth, and talking openly about reproductive health online with Valeria Emanuel, co-founder of Rif CareValeria Emanuel, the co-founder with Rebecca Caputo of Riff Care, a period care brand, shares her entrepreneurial journey and the message behind her company.
Rif Care is an organic and sustainability focused period care brand based in Los Angeles began with a shared passion between Val and her best-friend, Rebecca for making an impact with reproductive health care products.
Val discusses the importance of sustainability and the challenges of balancing ethics and costs. Val also talks about breaking the stigma around periods and reproductive health, and how she navigates negative comments and stays authentic. She shar...2024-05-3131 min
Startup Confessions PodcastBuilding a business by solving an everyday problem with Afotey Odai, Software Engineer and Founder of NizzSummary
In this conversation, Steve Odai, the founder of Nizz, shares the origin and concept of his chore app. He shares his background in computer science and how he came up with the idea for Nizz while living with roommates. Steve talks about the social impact of the app and the challenges of building a team. He also discusses the importance of delegating and letting go of control as a founder. The biggest challenge for Steve is time management, as he balances his full-time job as a software engineer with working on Nizz. He plans to transition...2024-05-1728 min
Startup Confessions PodcastWhy putting people first and valuing community is everything with Nina Simone.In episode 2 of the Startup Confessions Podcast, host Yssamae Abdon sits down with Nina Simone, the founder of Pappus Agency and co-founder of SheSapiens. Nina shares her journey from journalism to entrepreneurship and explores the importance of community in the entrepreneurial world.
Nina was born in Germany and has lived in many places including Greece, Italy, Romania, Indonesia, and currently in Portugal. Nina highlights her passion for community building and desire to create an impact on society through Pappus and SheSapiens. Nina has always been an entrepreneur at heart, driven by her desire to challenge the status...2024-05-0326 min
Startup Confessions PodcastExpectations, reality checks, and lessons from entrepreneurs, and the inspiration behind the startup confessions podcast.In the launch of the first episode of Start-Up Confessions, host Yssamae Abdon discusses the
concept of entrepreneurship and how a summer in Lisbon inspired her interest in entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship has been around for decades but what does it mean to be one? Based on her
research, she will briefly discuss some historical aspects of entrepreneurship based on Austrian
political economist Joseph Schumpeter’s concept of entrepreneurship in the 1930s (Driessen,
2010). Schumpeter describes an entrepreneur as someone who transforms new ideas and inventions
into new innovations. Entrepreneurship is also closely associated with the term start-up, which generally seeks to in...2024-04-2615 min
Startup Confessions PodcastTrailerHost Yssamae Abdon invites guests on the Startup Confessions Podcast to share their challenges and triumphs as entrepreneurs. The path to entrepreneurship will look different to each person. The Startup Confessions Podcast is where authenticity meets ambition. If you are an aspiring entrepreneur, this podcast is a source of insight and inspiration that can empower and encourage you in your business or self-development journey. 2024-04-2501 min