Woman Inc.: Recent Episodes
Jenna Todey
Welcome to the Woman Inc. Podcast.™ This is the place for the new generation of women looking to lead the life of their absolute dreams. I’m your host, Jenna Todey. Entrepreneur, life coach, and strategist for modern business woman and entrepreneurs. I am a city girl, Sriracha lover, and that friend who who will hype you up when you forget how powerful you truly are. I am on a mission to make Woman Inc. the most powerful network of women who are leveling up, owning what they want, and becoming who they’ve always wanted to be. Have you ever wondered what it would look like if you went all in on yourself, no turning back? If so, you’re in the right place, my girl. Every Friday, we will be here to cover all things business, confidence, entrepreneurship, self-worth, money, mindset, goals, productivity and more. NOW is the time to begin living the life you've always wanted, and I will be in your corner telling you over and over again, "YES, YOU CAN HAVE THAT." Make sure to subscribe so that you never miss an episode. Follow us on instagram to get a behind the scenes look and video clips inside the episodes. https://www.instagram.com/womanincpodcast/ Join our Woman Inc. Insiders group on facebook to connect with our incredible network of business women and female entrepreneurs. Let’s. get. started!
Ariela Safira is the Founder + CEO of Real, a mental health care company building a new therapy model. Ariela has been passionate about improving mental healthcare for years. Starting her career at IDEO, she studied, researched and developed new concepts to approach mental healthcare and mental wellbeing. Ariela earned a BS in Mathematics and Computational Science from Stanford University, where the impetus for her work began. Later, she joined Columbia’s Clinical Psychology program to train as a therapist and left the program in 2019 to launch Real. She's biked across multiple countries to fundraise for suicide prevention, is the recipient of the 2019 American Psychiatric Association’s Innovation Award, and was recognized as Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Impact.
Happy Friday our beautiful Woman Inc. listeners!
Lisa Green was the Senior Vice President of Brand Partnerships and Operations at THE YES, helping the brand become acquired by Pinterest, the visual inspiration app, in June 2022. Lisa is currently the Head of Brand Partnerships, Shopping at Pinterest. Lisa has spent her career at the intersection of fashion and technology, serving as Google’s head of fashion and luxury for 6+ years and overseeing the fashion category at Conde Nast. Prior to her role leading fashion and luxury at Google, Lisa held several senior executive roles in sales at Google. Lisa also sits on the board of the 5 Under 40 Foundation. Green received her B.A. from Middlebury College and resides in New York.
We hope you enjoy this episode!
Amira Rasool, Founder & CEO of The Folklore (https://www.thefolklore.com/) Amira Rasool, founder of The Folklore, is changing the way retailers and consumers discover African and diasporic brands globally, and in April became one of the youngest Black women to raise $1M+ in a pre-seed round. Amira speaks to her experiences as a fashion editor that led her to studying in South Africa that inspired her to launch The Folklore in 2018 at just 22 years old! She shares how she personally scouted brands across the continent to join the platform, and how she translated her vision to evolve from her original wholesale business to a B2B & shopping aggregator platform for investors to scale access to incredibly talented African brands globally. Prior to launching The Folklore, Amira was a writer and fashion editor that has worked with several notable publications including TIME, Vogue, Teen Vogue, i-D, PAPER, Glamour, InStyle, V Magazine, and WWD. Amira is also a passionate Black history scholar. For her undergraduate education, she attended Rutgers University, where she received a B.A. in African American and African Studies. She later earned a Master of Philosophy in African Studies from the University of Cape Town.
Ariane Goldman, Founder & CEO of HATCH Ariana is the founder and CEO of HATCH, the premier destination and lifestyle brand for women before, during and after pregnancy. Since its launch in 2011, HATCH offers chic maternity clothing and “mama safe” clean beauty products that directly address the issues women face throughout their pregnancy and into postpartum. Seeking chic and elevated maternity clothing, Ariane developed HATCH in 2011 to fill that void in the maternity market with solution-driven designs that enable women to invest in the clothing, well past pregnancy. In scaling her business, Ariane has built HATCH as a trusted name in the market becoming the go-to maternity brand for partnerships with high profile retailers including Nordstrom, J.Crew, Keds, La Linge, and Target. Her mission was the same as it is today, ten years later: to create a trusted resource for women who want to feel beautiful, confident and stylish during one of life's most rewarding (yet also most challenging) periods.
Carine Camry, the CEO and Co-Founder of progressive pelvic floor therapy company Origin (https://www.theoriginway.com/).
Every year, 40 million women suffer from issues relating to maternity, menopause and sexual health that physical therapy can treat and heal, yet it’s not offered as part of the standard care provided by regimented doctor visits. Origin believes that every woman and individual with vaginal anatomy should have access to the care they need to feel good in their bodies. Their goal is to make pelvic floor therapy part of the standard care provided to every woman and mother to feel their best, while offering them the support they need.
Origin prevents women from undergoing unnecessary surgeries, improves clinical outcomes at stages of maternity and menopause, reduces the waste of misdiagnosis that is common with pelvic pain, and increases the use of preventative OB/GYN services. Their incredible team of physical therapists provide deep expertise and create personalized programs to help retain, promote, and advance women by supporting them through major life transitions. Origin was acquired by the largest in-network pelvic floor practice in Texas to expand their clinical team by 50%, furthering their mission to increase access to essential, affordable physical therapy care.
Carine Camry, the CEO and Co-Founder of progressive pelvic floor therapy company Origin (https://www.theoriginway.com/).
Every year, 40 million women suffer from issues relating to maternity, menopause and sexual health that physical therapy can treat and heal, yet it’s not offered as part of the standard care provided by regimented doctor visits. Origin believes that every woman and individual with vaginal anatomy should have access to the care they need to feel good in their bodies. Their goal is to make pelvic floor therapy part of the standard care provided to every woman and mother to feel their best, while offering them the support they need.
Origin prevents women from undergoing unnecessary surgeries, improves clinical outcomes at stages of maternity and menopause, reduces the waste of misdiagnosis that is common with pelvic pain, and increases the use of preventative OB/GYN services. Their incredible team of physical therapists provide deep expertise and create personalized programs to help retain, promote, and advance women by supporting them through major life transitions. Origin was acquired by the largest in-network pelvic floor practice in Texas to expand their clinical team by 50%, furthering their mission to increase access to essential, affordable physical therapy care.
Happy Friday our Woman Inc. listeners! Our guest this week is @BeatriceDixon , CEO and Founder of @thehoneypotcomany. After curing her own bacterial vaginosis with an herbal formula that came to her in a dream from one of her ancestors, Beatrice formulated the first Honey Pot product. She went from selling out at an Atlanta Hair Show to meetings with Target buyers. Bea founded The Honey Pot Company to support humans around the world through her inclusive, plant-derived vaginal wellness brand.
Camilla Marcus is a chef, entrepreneur and advocate dedicated to rethinking what it means to be a good neighbor through the lens of hospitality. Named one of Fast Company’s “Most Creative People in Business”, she is the Chef/Founder of west~bourne, a pioneering hospitality business that began as a zero-waste restaurant in SoHo, Manhattan. Since closing the restaurant’s doors in September 2020 due to COVID-19, Camilla has grown the brand to include online retail, packaged provisions and curated culinary experiences. She is additionally co-founder of Restaurants Organizing Advocating Rebuilding (ROAR), and The Independent Restaurant Coalition (IRC), both started to advocate for restaurants and hospitality workers during the pandemic.
Hello our Woman Inc. Listeners! Our guest this week is Helen Reavey, CCO and Founder of Act+Acre. Act+Acre is the first modern hair wellness brand that encourages you to 'treat your hair like you treat your skin.' The cutting-edge, vegan, natural haircare line is sulfate, silicone, paraben, gluten and cruelty-free and environmentally friendly. We are not about quick fixes. We are about expertise, caring, and thinking things through. We are committed to creating products with the long-term wellbeing of your scalp and in turn, your hair, in mind. Act+Acre was founded by husband-and-wife team Helen Reavey, founder and celebrity hairstylist, and Colm Mackin, founder and CEO. The brand launched with three essential Cold Processed products: Hair Cleanse, Hair Conditioner and their hero product, the Scalp Detox. Each product delivers nutrients to your scalp and strands without any harsh chemicals that can strip away the oils the scalp needs for healthy hair growth. The founders have created a patented cold-process technique to create their plant-based products, skipping the traditional heat-based production, which can lessen the potency of seed oils. As Act+Acre products continue to evolve and expand, the potency of products and scalp-first approach will stay a priority. Helen Reavey knows a thing or two about the link between scalp health and hair vitality. As a veteran of hairstylist Sam McKnight’s backstage team and with over 15 years as the go-to stylist for the world’s leading fashion brands, celebrities, and media outlets, Helen wanted to create a new playbook for hair wellness. Having worked worldwide on all races, genders, nationalities, the one thing that Helen noted as being common across the board was poor scalp health. Her curiosity resulted in a realization that the industry was serving up a selection of sub-par products that do not serve to nourish, balance and stimulate the scalp… enter Act+Acre I hope you enjoy!
Kathryn Minshew is The Muse’s CEO and co-Founder as well as co-author of “The New Rules of Work: The Modern Playbook to Navigating Your Career.” (https://www.kminshew.com/book-the-new-rules-of-work)Kathryn has spoken at MIT and Harvard, appeared on The TODAY Show and CNN, and contributes on career and entrepreneurship to the Wall Street Journal and Harvard Business Review. She has also been named to SmartCEO’s Future50 Visionary CEOs, Forbes 30 Under 30 and Inc.’s 35 Under 35. Her startup, The Muse, a value-based job search and career advice site, has been named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies. Before founding The Muse, Kathryn worked on vaccines in Rwanda and Malawi with the Clinton Health Access Initiative and was previously at McKinsey.
Happy Friday our Woman Inc. listeners! Our guest this week is Jess Conroy, Founder and CEO of Carats & Cake, a financial operating system for the events industry.
Carats & Cake connect their highly-engaged community with top venues, properties, and industry professionals. Founded in 2013 as a marketing and discovery platform, Carats & Cake has the fastest-growing online and social community in the $100B events industry. They continue to innovate with tools that empower businesses to run more efficiently by seamlessly connecting their marketing foundations with the sales and financing solutions venues and property groups need most.
Prior to founding Carats & Cake, Jess worked as an Associate at Burch Creative Capital where she helped manage investments and brand development for the firm’s portfolio. Jess is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania with degrees in Economics and Spanish and earned her MBA from NYU’s Stern School of Business.
Now, let's get over to my conversation with Jess.
Hello my beautiful Woman Inc. listeners! My guest this week Amy Errett, Founder and CEO of Madison Reed, an at-home and in-salon hair-dye company with over 50 locations and 55+ color shades, free of Parabens, Ammonia, Phthalates, and more. Amy has over 30 years of business and operating expertise as a four-time entrepreneur, venture capitalist and social-mission visionary. Amy is a Venture Partner at True Ventures, focusing on investments in consumer and e-commerce startups. Prior to founding Madison Reed, Amy was a general partner at Maveron, a leading venture capital firm co-founded by former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz - focused on investments in consumer facing companies. She also previously served as Chief Asset Gathering Officer at E*TRADE, where she ran a $200 million business. She was also featured on Fast Company’s first ever Queer 50 list of LGBTQ women and nonbinary innovators in business and tech in 2020.
Hello my beautiful Woman Inc. listeners! My guest this week is Zara Terez Tisch, CEO and Founder of Terez, a fashion lifestyle brand that specializes in vibrant, high performance activewear and everyday styles for girls + women. Terez was created to celebrate connection, heart, and female empowerment, which is reflected through the brand's ethos and flashy + dynamic leggings, sports bras, biker shorts, loungewear and beyond. Zara originally launched Terez in 2008 in her parent's basement in New York City with handbags. After a few years, she shifted gears to create ready to wear and launched active, which makes 2022 the 10th Anniversary of Active. When Terez launched leggings in 2012, they only had one style with six colors and now - Terez has over 530+ products on the site! The brand's name is inspired by Zara's middle namesake, which was created by her mother and is a combination of her two grandmothers’ names. A mother of 3 + a forever optimist, Zara is a ball of energy with a vibrant creative streak and believes in embracing life to the fullest - which is apparent through Terez's brand ethos. Terez is loved + frequently worn by many celebrities including: Lisa Rinna, Vanessa Hudgens, Addison Rae, and many more! Ok this may have been the most fun interview I’ve done so far. If I could bottle up Zara’s energy in just keep it around me every day, I absolutely would. She is a beautiful human who has been through a lot and built an incredible business and I am honored to be able to share her story. Now, let’s get over to my conversation with Zara.
Hello my beautiful Woman Inc. listeners! My guest this week is Tracey Warner, CEO of the high growth billion-dollar+ brand, Vital Proteins. Tracey has been with Vital Proteins since the inception of the company in 2014, first serving as a board member, then as Senior Vice President of Sales and Chief Revenue Officer. Prior to Vital Proteins, Tracey spent 20 years in management in the technology industry working for Fortune 100’s like IBM, Dell, as well as other Silicon Valley startups. Vital proteins was partially acquired by Nestle Health Science in 2020. Tracey graduated with a BA in Economics from the University of Michigan and did post graduate work at Michigan Ross, University of Chicago Booth School of Business and is currently enrolled at University of California Berkeley Haas School of Business for their Accelerated CEO Program. I am a huge fan of Vital Proteins and have my entire family hooked. I put it in my coffee every morning, and notice such a difference when I don’t. Tracey is so wise and down to earth, and I think her advice will resonate with so many of you. Now, let’s get over to my conversation with Tracey.
Hello my beautiful Woman Inc. Listeners! My guest this week is Cathy Polinsky, a seasoned technology executive with over 20 years of industry experience and happens to be a VP of Engineering at Shopify.
Cathy was most recently the Chief Technology Officer at Stitch Fix, an online personal shopping service. Cathy helped take Stitch Fix public and led the Engineering, Product and IT organizations through rapid growth.
Prior to Stitch Fix, Cathy led a variety of engineering organizations and initiatives at Salesforce for seven years, including her role as SVP of Engineering. She also built robust, large-scale systems and led engineering teams at top companies like Amazon, Yahoo! and Oracle.
She is currently an independent board director at Aetion and graduated from Swarthmore College with a special major in computer science and is a member of the Swarthmore College Board of Managers.
I am a huge Shopify fan— which I probably mentioned a hundred times in this episode, but it the platform my team and I have used to build a multimillion dollar business and I was so excited to meet the woman who is engineering much of the tech that I get to use every day.
Cathy is not only brilliant, but also incredibly down to earth and my favorite part was probably talking about her role as a mom.
I hope this conversation brings you the one little bit of inspiration that you need to hear. Now, let’s get over to my conversation with Cathy.
It's that time, my beautiful Woman Inc. Listeners! An inside talk from my heart to yours.
Enjoy xx
Hello my beautiful Woman Inc. Listeners! My guest this week is Rachel Katzman, Co-Founder of P.volve Rachel Katzman is the Co-Founder of P.volve and Co-Founder and former CEO of Cuvée Beauty, a hair care line she sold in 2019. Katzman co-founded P.volve in 2017 after experiencing her own personal evolution through movement. After years of breaking down her body from high impact fitness methods while living with scoliosis, she was looking for a type of movement that not only gave her physical results she desired but would help her feel good too. Through functional movement, she learned the importance of understanding her body and how movement can both strengthen and heal. An entrepreneur at heart, Katzman turned the P.volve Method into a global brand, establishing it as a new science-backed standard in women’s health and fitness with a fierce determination to help women all over the world feel powerful in their minds and bodies throughout their entire life. A rapidly growing start-up, P.volve is a 100% female omnichannel lifestyle brand with a global on-demand movement platform, a patented equipment line, 3 studio locations in LA, NY and Chicago, a celebrity fan base including Oliva Culpo, Padma Lakshmi, Shay Mitchell, Stacey London, Kate Bosworth, Molly Sims and more, and franchise opportunities worldwide. Now, let's get over to my conversation with Rachel!
Hello my beautiful Woman Inc. listeners! I have the best gift to share with you this week. She is the queen of the Metaverse, Harry Potter loving, Dreamer who also just happens to be the founder who is leading top brands into Metaverse through her company Illumix. I have the brilliant Kirin Sinha with us this week and I fan girl(ed) pretty hard.
Kirin created Illumix when she was only 25 years old and is one of Silicon Valley’s few minority leaders with a technical background. In 2021, she was named one of Variety's “10 Innovators to Watch,” and beyond pushing boundaries on technological innovation, she’s also guiding Illumix to lead by example in the gaming industry on topics like gender parity by selecting a leadership team evenly split between men and women. Kirin received a degree in electrical engineering, computer science and mathematics from MIT and holds advanced degrees in mathematics, statistics and business from the University of Cambridge, LSE and Stanford. With a passion to support girls in STEM, she founded the nonprofit SHINE for Girls, which empowers girls to learn math by building their confidence through dance. llumix is taking the Metaverse to a different level by working with major brands to create virtual try ons and partnering with a multitude of industries to create their Metaverse.
I hope you are as blown away by Kirin as I am. She is a wealth of knowledge and has such beautiful, humble energy. Now, let’s get over to my conversation with Kirin.
Hello my beautiful Woman Inc. listeners! My guest this week is Cheryl Burke, an emmy-nominated, professional dancer with twenty-five years of dancing experience and several championship titles under her belt. You may know her through the hit ABC tv show, Dancing with the Stars.
What I loved about my conversation with Cheryl is how open she is about her story. We chat about being in the public eye, morning routines, mental health, and more. I hope you listen to this episode and leave knowing that everyone has a story to tell and many people we encounter in our day or our week are going through something or have gone through something that we know nothing of. It’s so important to be gentle on people and to extend as much kindness as possible. We are all a work in progress— even people on tv or on Instagram. I am so grateful to Cheryl for her vulnerability in this episode and for keeping it so real.
Now, let’s get over to my conversation with Cheryl.
On this week’s episode of Woman Inc., I sat down with Tala Akhavan, COO of Pietra, a platform that makes it possible to launch the brand you've always dreamt of. Tala, a former Uber executive, joined the creator economy platform with the mission to democratize access for female entrepreneurship via the platform’s capabilities. As a first time mother, Tala talked about the struggle of wanting to give her all to motherhood as well as her professional trajectory. While giving birth in the height of the pandemic, she made the uncharacteristic choice to not return to her secure job at Uber when her maternity leave ended. Leaving to become a full-time, stay-at-home mom, Tala experienced first hand that current workplace models and policies are not structured to support women who seek fulfillment in both areas. There has been a spike in female entrepreneurship coming out of the pandemic, but at present, there is little transparency across markets to launch a product in a financially feasible and time efficient manner. Tala discusses her role as a COO who followers a value-first philosophy and how she thinks through major decisions.
After the recording stopped, Tala told me something that I believe is incredibly powerful. She told me that when she was offered the role at Pietra, she was actually offered the same role at a different company for double the salary. She turned it down because they weren’t as accommodating to her musts of being able to be a present mom. I share this, with her blessing, because I believe that is the definition of being in your worth, and as Tala mentions, holding the line.
Make sure to tune in to hear the full story and subscribe to Woman Inc. so that you never miss an episode. Now, let's get over to my conversation with Tala.
By: Jenna Todey, Host of Woman Inc.
Hello beautiful Woman Inc. listeners! My guest this week is Prerna Gupta, the Founder & CEO of Hooked, the #1 storytelling platform in the world with short form content available via text, audio, and video. You'd probably recognize them for their viral stories told via text message. If you don't recognize the Hooked name right off the bat, just know that they are obsessed over by more than 100 million consumers, with their largest audiences being Millennials and Gen Z. Some call her the "teen whisperer" and the "queen of viral apps."
She got this nickname because as a serial entrepreneur she has reached over 1 billion people with her mobile apps -- it's an incredible accomplishment which not many (esp. female founders of color) have accomplished. She is an open book, has so much wisdom to share, and is such an inspiration for young women everywhere.
Hooked’s investors include Ashton Kutcher, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Mariah Carey, Jamie Foxx, Joe Montana, and more. She is a woman who I am so proud to have on the show and who’s story I believe will absolutely inspire you to bet on yourself.
Now, let’s get over to my conversation with Prerna.
Hello my beautiful Woman Inc. listeners! How are we doing? I am so beyond excited that I finally was able to announce our Inc. Magazine partnership with you guys. It has been in the works for a while now and I truly can’t think of a better company to partner with to continue to expanding Woman Inc. and making this the most powerful network of women that exists. I will share way more about this partnership and how it came about in my solo episode that is coming up very soon. It’s a really good story. Ok, let’s jump in to this amazing conversation.
My guest this week is Evelyn Rusli , Co-Founder and President of Yumi, the leading childhood nutrition company focused on intelligently designed, science-backed meals, snacks and vitamins for every stage of development. To ensure peak nutrition and flavor in every bite, Yumi employs a team of experts that includes nutritionists, pediatricians, metabolic health experts and James Beard Award-winning chefs. With over 100 organic ingredients across its menu, Yumi's extensive line-up includes blends, finger foods, snacks and a Multivitamin (that they they have coined, Biteamin™), delivered right to your doorstep. All Yumi products are organic, vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO, and kosher, and the brand is certified by the Clean Label Project. They are beloved by families all over the country and celebrity parents including Mindy Kaling, Jenna Dewan, Shay Mitchell, Molly Sims, Jessica Alba, Gabrielle Union, Emma Roberts, and many more.
Evelyn has spent more than a decade as a journalist, previously on staff at the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times covering startups and innovation. She was also formerly an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Social Capital Partnership, a Palo Alto-based venture capital firm. Evelyn graduated from Princeton University with a degree in English. I absolutely loved this chat and hearing about Evelyn’s journey into entrepreneurship. Make sure to follow their journey on Instagram @yumi. Now, let’s get over to my conversation with Evelyn.
Inc. Magazine Welcomes "Woman Inc." to Their Podcast Network
Welcome to the Woman Inc. Podcast.™ This is the place for the new generation of women looking to lead the life of their absolute dreams. I’m your host, Jenna Todey. Entrepreneur, life coach, and strategist for modern businesswoman and entrepreneurs. I am a city girl, Sriracha lover, and that friend who will hype you up when you forget how powerful you truly are. I am on a mission to make Woman Inc. the most powerful network of women who are leveling up, owning what they want, and becoming who they’ve always wanted to be. Every Friday, we will be here to cover all things business, confidence, entrepreneurship, self-worth, money, mindset, goals, productivity, and more. Make sure to subscribe so that you never miss an episode. Follow us on Instagram to get a behind-the-scenes look and video clips inside the episodes. https://www.instagram.com/womanincpodcast/ Join our Woman Inc. Insiders group on Facebook to connect with our incredible network of businesswomen and female entrepreneurs. Let’s. get. started!
Hello beautiful woman inc listeners! It’s been a minute. I’ve missed you guys. I’ve been on holiday break from the podcast and am coming back so incredibly inspired and excited to share the stories of such amazing women with you guys. As always, please message us on instagram the guests who you would love to hear on woman inc.
Ok let’s get right into it since I know my people are busy! My guest this week is wellness guru and New York Times bestselling author, Dr. Kellyann Petrucci, Dr. Kellyann is a naturopathic physician and certified nutrition consultant with over 20 years of clinical experience. She has been a concierge doctor for celebrities in New York and Los Angeles and is an expert in gut-health and natural anti-aging. Hailed for the creation of the bone broth revolution, Dr. Kellyann’s innovative programs have brought intermittent fasting (or mini-fasting as she calls it) to the masses by incorporating the secret weapon of bone broth to a balanced diet. The brilliance of using bone broth, along with its bounty of benefits, when fasting has made it an accessible health and weight loss tool for countless people.
Dr. Kellyann came to realize the ancient power of collagen and bone broth to heal the gut and slow aging while studying biological medicine at the Marion Institute's Paracelsus Clinic in Switzerland. By focusing her practice on a lifestyle that reverses inflammation, Dr. Kellyann has helped thousands of individuals reduce belly fat and improve gut health to look and feel their best.
This was such a powerful conversation of how Dr. Kellyann built her own personal wellness business and how she became a leading voice in her space. I am obsessed with her go-getter energy and left this interview with so much motivation. Make sure to follow her on instagram @drkellyannepetruci for some great wellness tips. Now, let’s get over to my conversation with Dr. Kellyann.
Hello beautiful Woman Inc. listeners! My guest this week is Julie Resnick, co-founder of The Feedfeed, a food & lifestyle media company. Julie started Feedfeed on Instagram, where she began posting pictures of her own food which her Co-Founder and husband, Dan, photographed. She then asked others to also share what they were making by tagging their images with #feedfeed. Since then, the company has become the largest crowd sourced food publication, community, and the source for what to cook, bake, eat and drink in today’s world across social media and the web. Feedfeed comes to life for its community through experiences it hosts all over the world, and in particular out of its Brooklyn and Los Angeles test kitchens, as well as virtual events and Instagram lives. Feedfeed has a monthly reach of over 30M food and drink lovers (with over 3.5M followers across 6 Instagram accounts and over 1.2M followers on TikTok) eagerly consuming it's entertaining, fun & educational content. Feedfeed works with brands such as American Express Gold, GE Appliances, General Mills, and many more who lean on Feedfeed to help market their brands and products with content, media, social, and influencer programs as well as virtual and IRL experiences. I loved chatting with Julie about how she started this empire of a food community. She gives so many practical pieces of advice that translate to any industry. I am also obsessed with the Feedfeed Instagram—if you don’t follow already, I highly recommend it; their content is excellent. Now, let’s get over to my conversation with Julie.
Hello beautiful Woman Inc. Listeners! My guest this week is Beth Porter, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of Sweet Nothings, a plant-based, organic, no sugar added delicious snack. As a busy entrepreneur and parent, Beth was always looking for convenient snacks that were healthy, yet still delicious. Fruit and nuts are the obvious choice for health and convenience, but they get boring day after day. I can attest— I have bags in my kitchen that I haven’t opened for a little longer than I’m willing to admit in this moment. Smoothies were a tasty and popular option with her family, but the prep, mess and cleanup were far from convenient. There might be nothing I hate more than cleaning a blender. I will buy a $20 smoothie before I clean I blender, but that might be a bigger problem for another time.
She started experimenting with how to make fruits, nuts, and seeds in a new format— a smoothie-like blend, frozen in a cup for later, while maintaining a texture that felt indulgent like ice cream. After mastering the product at home, she brought the product to her community and knew then that she needed to share it with the world. Her passion and care for the product she has created is so evident in this episode which is generally a theme amongst the most successful entrepreneurs I interview.
If you haven’t tried Sweet Nothings I am completely obsessed. Beth brings so much knowledge and inspiration to this episode and I can’t wait for you guys to hear.
Now, let’s get over to my conversation with Beth.
Hello my beautiful Woman Inc. listeners! My guest this week is Laura Hertz, the co-founder and CEO of Gifts for Good: an innovative, millennial-driven, and socially conscious startup whose mission is to disrupt the world of business gifting. As an agent of change for both large corporations and smaller companies alike, Gifts for Good’s digital platform is the only resource in the $100 billion corporate gifting industry that curates premium and purposeful gifts that give back.
Laura dedicated two years of her life to national community service work with AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC)— a team-based federal service program that has been deemed the Domestic Peace Corps. She is the recipient of the Bronze Congressional Service Medal—the highest award for young adults given by any U.S. legislative body—which recognizes “initiative, service and achievement” in young Americans. Laura studied Business Administration at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business and later earned her Master’s in Social Entrepreneurship at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business. She is a frequent speaker on social enterprise, cause marketing, and the role of innovation and corporate social responsibility in philanthropy.
Her work has been featured in Inc., U.S. News & World Report, CNBC, and the TODAY Show. In 2020, Laura was named a Forbes Magazine recipient ‘30 Under 30’ in the Social Entrepreneur category. Though originally from New York, she has been fortunate enough to live in a diverse slew of countries, including China, Spain, and South Africa, and to have traveled through 22 countries and 49 states. She currently serves on the National Board of Directors for the American Cancer Society. So essentially, she is complete saint and also an incredible business woman. I loved chatting with Laura about the mission behind Gifts for Good and how she got started. If you are passionate about building a cause centered business, this is a gold mine of wisdom for you. You can find Laura on Instagram @hertzforgood.
Now, let’s get over to my conversation with Laura.
Happy Friday beautiful people! This week’s episode is extra special because it is the first time I have interviewed two founders at once. Michelle Larivee and Dr. Shari Auth are the co-founders of WTHN. the first omni-channel brand for holistic healing rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine. WTHN offers at-home healing through acupressure tools, organic herbal supplements, ancient beauty tools and more, as well as in-person healing at their acupuncture retail studio in Flatiron -- NYC’s wellness hub. Michelle has a BSFS from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, an MBA from the Wharton School and an MA from the University of Pennsylvania. She has spoken on numerous panels and conferences and was featured in Inc. Magazine’s 100 Women Building America’s Most Ambitious Businesses in 2019. Chinese medicine was Michelle’s saving grace after a devastating ski accident left her with chronic pain. She believes in sharing natural solutions for pain, stress and other ailments with the masses. Dr. Shari is a Doctor of Chinese Medicine, licensed acupuncturist and Board Certified Herbalist with decades of experience treating patients globally. While her credentials speak for themselves, her roster of celebrity clients like Olivia Wilde, Yoko Ono and Sting speak to the profound impact of her unique and heartfelt approach to healing. Dr. Shari is the mastermind behind WTHN’s treatment method and herbal blends. She’s devoted her life to helping people live happier, fuller lives. Make sure to tune in and tell us your favorite part! Also, make sure to stop into their wellness studio if you are in NYC. It is fullllly heaven. Enjoy!! XOJT
Hello my beautiful woman inc. listeners. How is everyone doing? I don’t know if it’s because we’ve just entered the forth quarter of the year, but I’ve been feeling so motivated to just go out and create all of the things I want to do. You know, just that “what do I have to lose energy?” It’s a very freeing feeling. Before I introduce my guest this week, I just wanted to say that I watch the listenership for this podcast grow every single day and it’s not lost on me that those numbers are real people out there lives and I really want to get to know you guys. I really want to do something live. Are we all burnt out from zoom? I just want to see you all and chat because this community is really powerful. And there are VC investors who listen to woman inc, there are entrepreneurs, and so many amazing powerful women on the other end of this recording, AND I just want to be part of some entrepreneurial love stories, like “we were both part of the woman inc community, I invested in her business and we made millions. I just want it to all start at woman inc. SO if you’re listening and we haven’t met, please message me. Please say hi. And tell me if you’d be into some type of live woman inc event. Ok let’s get into introducing my incredible guest this week. Andrea Lisbona is the founder and CEO of Touchland, the revolutionary brand of hand sanitizers that combine sleek, functional packaging with non-sticky, moisturizing, luxurious-feeling formulas that come in eight amazing scents. Setting out to disrupt the commoditized hand sanitizer industry, Andrea ran a Kickstarter campaign in 2018, which resulted in the brand reaching 450% of its initial fundraising goal and more than 1,500 pre-orders for the product in just one month. In Touchland's first year of business, the brand enjoyed success largely driven by their community of social media followers (until recently, this community was grown and fostered directly by Andrea herself!). In that year, Touchland surpassed over $2M in sales and landed retail distribution with ULTA, Urban Outfitters, Revolve, Liberty London, Sephora Mexico & many more. Touchland was instantly embraced by celebrities and influencers alike; the brand now counts Kris Jenner, Kesha, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Tyra Banks, and many more! Now, Touchland has been expanding into new retail partnerships with Target, Bloomingdales, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and many more. Additionally, the brand's KUB Hand Sanitizer Dispenser--which is the first internet-connected solution of its kind--has exploded to represent 50% of their business, with strategic partners like Equinox, Louis Vuitton, Sweetgreen, Marriott and dozens more. All the while, Touchland has been donating their hand sanitizers to hospitals and teachers to assist those working on the frontlines during the pandemic. Andrea is originally from Barcelona and relocated to the US in 2018 in order to manage the growth of Touchland from the US. I can’t wait for your guys to hear just her fire, you can feel her passion and she is a quintessential entrepreneur and I love to bring women like this onto the show because that energy is contagious. Alright, let’s get over to my conversation with Andrea.
Hello my beautiful woman inc listeners. I am so excited to introduce my guest this week, Kaylin Marcotte. Kaylin is the founder & CEO of JIGGY, a direct-to-consumer jigsaw puzzle brand on a mission to modernize and elevate the humble jigsaw, and support female artists around the world. You may have seen her on Shark Tank, where she landed a major deal with billionaire investor Mark Cuban. Each Jiggy box comes with puzzle glue and a straight edge so you can turn your finished puzzle into a gorgeous art piece which are designed by female artists around the world who receive a portion of every sale. They are honestly so pretty and I am obsessed with all of their collaborations. You can find Kaylin on instagram at @kaylinmarcotte and @jiggypuzzles. Now, let’s get over to my conversation with Kaylin.
Hello my beautiful woman inc listeners. We are switching it up with a Wednesday episode and have some very exciting things happening on the Woman Inc. front that I can’t wait to share with you. Until then, I am beyond excited to introduce today’s guest. In this week’s episode I had the honor of speaking with Sunaina Sinha, one of the most powerful woman in finance, about how she built her empire. Only 5% of private equity leaders are women. Sunaina has managed to become a private equity star by founding Cebile Capital, a leading placement agent and secondary market advisor that oversees billions of dollars in deals per year. Moving to different countries growing up is what helped Sunaina build a thick skin every time she was the only woman in the room. Using different tactics to fit into a heavily male dominated industry, Sunaina has owned and managed her firm for over 10 years now. In addition, Cebile Capital recently got acquired by a major public company. Sunaina obtained a Bachelors of Science degree in Management Science and Engineering, as well as a Masters of Science degree in Chemical Engineering, both from Stanford University. She then went on to receive her MBA from Harvard Business School. I could spend probably an hour just listing Sunaina’s accomplishments, but I think my favorite part of the episode is when she talk about how she stays centered and grounded. I hope you enjoy, and now, let’s get over to my conversation with Sunaina.
Hello my beautiful listeners. My guest today is the incredible Lara Vandenberg, the CEO & Founder of Publicist, the company redefining the way brands hire Communications and Marketing talent. Publicist is the online marketplace to source premium pre vetted marketing and communication experts on demand. Prior to Publicist and over the course of her career, Lara has led Communications & Marketing from high growth tech and consumer startups to large enterprises. Lara was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list and the B&T 30 Under 30 list for innovation in advertising. Lara and I chat about her journey leading up to starting Publicist and what it takes to set yourself apart as an entrepreneur. I took notes after our recording because she brought so much wisdom is this short episode that I know will serve so many of you. You can find Lara on Instagram @laravandenberg and @publicistco. Now, let’s get over to my conversation with Lara.
Hello my beautiful Woman Inc. listeners! I am so excited to introduce you to today’s guest. Elisabeth Jones-Hennessy is the Founder & CEO of GiftMeChic. If you haven’t heard of the e-commerce platform, it is my new favorite place to find the most gorgeous gifts. I pride myself on my gift giving abilities, so I loved our conversation around curating the site and her mindset behind building a gift-focused company with brands from around the world. Elisabeth has an incredibly impressive background. She is a former buyer for luxury retailers including Bergdorf Goodman and Saks Fifth Avenue, and was the first to exclusively launch Kilian Perfumes in the United States, later becoming the CEO of Kilian Perfumes for North America. You can find Elisabeth on Instagram @elisabethjoneshennessy and @giftmechic Now, let’s get over to my conversation with Elisabeth.
My guest this week is, Seema Bansal, the Co-Founder of Venus ET Fleur, a bespoke rose atelier with a mission to transform the online floral industry. You may know them as the gorgeous boxes filled with real roses that last an entire year and beloved by clients, tastemakers, and celebrities. In 2018, Seema and her Co-Founder (who also happens to be her husband) were named one of Forbes 30 Under 30 honorees. She has also served as keynote speaker for the 2018 SheRunsIt GenNext Awards, and most recently, received an exclusive invite to be a part of Marie Claire’s annual Power Trip Summit. In this episode, Seema and I chat about the early days of starting her company with her new boyfriend at the time, and how every major step in their entrepreneurial journey unfolded along the way. Seema shares how she stays grounded and in her power in the midst of running a rapidly growing company. I hope you love this episode as much as I loved recording it! You can find Seema on instagram @seemabansalchadha and @venusetfleur. As always, meet us in the comments section on Instagram @womanincpodcast to let us know your favorite part and to show Seema some love. Now, let’s get over to my conversation with Seema.
Hello again my beautiful people, the episode you are about to listen to is one of my favorite recordings I’ve done to date. My guest this week is Gail Becker, the Founder and CEO of CAULIPOWER, the third fastest growing food brand in America and available in over 25,000 stores and 5,000 restaurants nationwide. Gail’s experience spans journalism, political campaigns, government and marketing, having held senior positions in a myriad of industries and organizations including: Edelman, Warner Bros. and the US Department of Health; Human Services. She also has a Master of Science degree in journalism from Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Science in political science from UCLA. Gail achieved all of this as the mother of two fantastic boys. When they were diagnosed with celiac disease at an early age, Gail was disappointed that the gluten-free options in grocery stores were limited, unhealthy, and didn’t taste great. So she left her job in corporate America to do something about it and launched CAULIPOWER in 2017 with a mission to reinvent America’s favorite comfort foods to be tasty, convenient and nutritious. In this episode, Gail walked me through her experience of becoming an entrepreneur in an industry to which she was entirely new. Towards the end of the episode, Gail said that something that has stuck with me ever since” “If you don’t bet on yourself, no one else will.” PLEASE do yourself a favor and listen to this entire episode and share it with someone you love. Gail left me so inspired and full of energy, and I know she’ll do the same for you. To receive a coupon link for any free CAULIPOWER product, simply send them a DM on social media @CAULIPOWER and mention, ‘Woman Inc. Podcast.” You can find Gail on Instagram @gailbecker. Now let’s get over to my conversation with Gail. ✨✨
Hello my beautiful people! Today’s guest is Mélanie Masarin, the founder & CEO of Ghia, an alcohol-free spirit designed to change the way we think about drinking and socializing. Mélanie was previously the Creative Director and Head of Marketing of Dig Inn, where she led the rebrand of the company overseeing everything from messaging, communication, store design, branding, digital presence, paid advertising, and offline marketing. Most recently, Mélanie was the Head of Retail and Offline Experiences at Glossier where she led the offline and experiential strategy including creative direction of their showrooms, developing pop-ups, and conceptualizing permanent spaces. We chat about her experiences leading up to becoming a founder and her journey after she decided to make the jump. I hope you love this episode and lean into all of the wisdom that Mélanie brings. You can find Mélanie on Instagram at @melaniemasarin and @drinkghia. If you love this episode, make sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode. Now, let’s get over to my conversation with Mélanie.
Hello my beautiful people. This week, I had the honor of sitting down with Rooshy Roy, Co-Founder & CEO AAVRANI, a skincare line that unites India’s all-natural approach with clinically-proven science. As a first generation Indian-American, Rooshy would often make her own skincare with her mom, who showed Rooshy how to harness the power of raw ingredients—like turmeric & sweet almond oil—to maintain beautiful skin. As an adult searching for an easier way to access such ancient Indian rituals, Rooshy was inspired to create her own brand. Before launching the AAVRANI brand in 2020, Rooshy worked in Finance at a couple house hold names including Goldman Sachs. This all changed when she began her MBA program at Wharton in 2019, where she would meet her future co-founder and bring the idea of Aavrani to life. She is a 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree in the Retail & E-Commerce category. She is also just an incredible kind human who will make you feel so at ease and comforted while you take in all of the wisdom she has to share. As always, meet us in the comments section after the episode to tell us what you think and give Rooshy some love. Now let’s get over to my conversation with Rooshy. You can find Rooshy on Instagram @rooshyroy & @aavrani Enjoy!
This week’s guest is Katie Gebhardt, an incredibly talented interior designer and the founder of Solstice Interiors, a full-service interior design firm based in San Diego, CA. Her projects have been featured in Domino, Lonny, Design Milk, Dezeen, The Venue Report, and more. She was also honored by San Diego Magazine as the 2019 'Best Interior Design Firm. She also happens to be my college roommate! We spend most of this conversation laughing, as old friends do, but what I love about this episode is how far we both have come. If you are in the building phase of your career or still in school, and everything feels overwhelming, I hope this episode reminds you to be easy on yourself and enjoy the un-glamorous journey of figuring sh*t out. You can find Katie on instagram @katiegeb and @solsticeinteriors. Use the discount code WOMANINC for 10% off her dreamy print shop. Now let’s get over to my conversation, comprised of mostly laughing, with Katie.
Hello you beautiful people, My guest today is my ultimate girl crush and the friend I look to for inspiration constantly. Dianna Cohen is the Founder and CEO of Crown Affair, a clean haircare brand that empowers people to redefine their relationship with their hair through products, guidance, and community. For anyone who is looking to start a brand, pay close, close attention to how dianna thinks through product, storytelling, and connecting to customers through every detail of the brand. I hope you love this episode and soak in all the wisdom that Dianna brings. There is truly no one else I would choose to teach you about launching product and building a mindful brand. Make sure to listen all the way to the end and come over to the @womanincpodcast instagram to let us know your favorite part. Now, Let’s get over to my conversation with Dianna.
This week’s incredible guest, Lauren Berlingeri, is the queen of the infrared sauna and built her entire business around the benefits she discovered in its technology. Lauren is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Higherdose, a spa focused on next-level health and wellness therapies, also providing incredible at home products allowing their customers to “get high naturally” from the comfort of their own homes. We chat about how her early days as an entrepreneur, lessons learned, major wins, and advice she has for new and aspiring founders. She also shares a crazy story about training with navy seals (right after, you know, being an international model traveling the world...) Ok I’ll stop giving away the entire episode, but felt that needed to be put in writing for good measure. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I enjoyed recording it. For $75 off HigherDOSE at home products, use code WOMANINC. I hope you enjoyed this episode and are feeling fired up to go out there and create that business or side hustle that’s been on your to-do list for a little bit longer than you care to admit. It is never too late to make the first step towards the life you want more than anything else. If you haven’t already, make sure you are subscribed to the show, so that you never miss an episode. Thank you so much for turning in. Until next time, keep becoming the woman of your wildest dreams. https://www.facebook.com/womanincpodcast https://www.instagram.com/womanincpodcast/