Woman Owned Agency: Recent Episodes

Sheryle Gillihan

Having agency is defined as the capacity of individuals to act independently and to make their own free choices. Get an inside look at the inspiring uphill climb of incredible businesswomen around the world. Host Sheryle Gillihan, CEO of CauseLabs, explores each woman's path to entrepreneurship and the challenges and triumphs along the way in a casual conversation that spans many different walks of life and business sectors.

About our guest Stacey Edelstein:

Stacey Edelstein is a community organizer at heart, helping bold causes leverage the creative power of branding, design, and technology to create change. At Raygun, she lead her talented team in developing beautiful brands and digital experiences that help organizations reach their audiences and create impact in their communities. She believes that when you can communicate your vision clearly and confidently, the possibilities for support are endless.

Stacey is also an organizer for two regional design festivals — Tijuana Design Week & San Diego Design Week - as well as Creative Mornings San Diego, the largest monthly meetup for creatives in San Diego.

Prior to running her own business, she was the website editor and lead designer at StoryCorps, a nonprofit oral history project that elevates the power of human storytelling to create a more loving, compassionate world. At StoryCorps she led nationwide branding, marketing, and design efforts for the organization and its partners across the country.

Mentioned in this episode:

Stacey's Company, RayGun: https://madebyraygun.com/

StoryCorps: https://storycorps.org/

YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/vBFYxN2K_eo

Shoutouts:

Maiya (Holliday) from Mangrove Web
Jen Derks at Four Fin
Kim (Gilroy) and Reva (Green) at Alfa Charlie
Jamie (Hampton) and also her husband Kareem (Bouris) at Mixte Communications
Teal Media
Big Deck

Diane Stogiannes is the founder of DST Advisory Group. She has had a fascinating journey through steel mills, innovation patents, tax regulations, and Taylor Swift concerts. Join us and listen in to this fun conversation that showcases the great rewards that come with being an entrepreneur.

Leslie Shields Botvidson is the proud owner of The Shields Agency, a woman-owned and operated insurance agency specializing in individual, Medicare, and small group benefits. To better serve their clients, they have also recently expanded into the property and casualty markets. The company has thrived by providing clients with high-quality service and treating them with integrity and honesty.

After working with several national health insurance companies for six years, Leslie started her own independent agency in November 2019, which has seen tremendous growth in the last three years.

In addition to her work at The Shields Agency, Leslie is an active member of the EO, Entrepreneur's Organization, where she is the MyEO Women's National Delegate and incoming Social Chair on the local board. She is active in the Fort Worth community and is President of the West Meadowbrook Neighborhood association.

She enjoys spending time with her family. Toddler Harrison keeps Leslie and her husband Chris very busy. They are lucky to have grandparents and other family in the area, both having grown up in North Texas. The Botvidsons enjoy camping, traveling, and spending time on the family farm in Wisconsin. Leslie also has a passion for animal rescue, gardening, reading, and cooking.

Company URL: www.theshieldsagency.com

Shoutouts:

Victoria Wise, Tanglewood Moms, Madeworthy Media
1. https://tanglewoodmoms.com/twm/madeworthy/
2. Holland Sanders, Holland Communications
3. https://hollandcollective.co/
4. Mentor, Dr Kristin Kahle of NavigateHCR

Amber Hinds is the CEO of Equalize Digital, Inc., a Certified B Corp specializing in WordPress accessibility, maker of the Accessibility Checker plugin, and lead organizer of the WordPress Accessibility Meetup and WP Accessibility Day conference.

Through her work at Equalize Digital, Amber is striving to create a world where all people have equal access to information and tools on the internet, regardless of ability. Since 2010, she has led teams building websites and web applications for nonprofits, K-12 and higher education institutions, government agencies, and businesses of all sizes. In addition to accessibility, Amber is a recognized search engine optimization (SEO), UI/UX, and WordPress expert.

Equalize Digital is a corporate member of the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) and a WordPress VIP Agency Partner.

Beyond running her company, Amber is married to her business partner and has 4 daughters, ages 2-12. She lives in the Austin, Texas area and enjoys reading, camping, and hiking. She and her family were featured on an episode of Going RV when they bought a travel trailer to live in full-time and travel the United States.

Mentioned in this episode:

Equalize Digital (https://equalizedigital.com/)
WordCamp US (https://us.wordcamp.org/2022/)

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/Q-JA5KbHVhk

Episode Transcript: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Q-8_Ue1TpnxNkSH1iEpCNRtdCyFgKpq0/view?usp=share_link

Lee Levy is a Los Angeles-based creative director and founder of Nex Graphics, with a proven track record of helping companies build a strong presence across the World Wide Web. Bringing 25 years of industry experience, she provides graphic design and web solutions identity with a refined aesthetic. She graduated with a BA degree from Florida State University, and began consulting with clients immediately, putting her skills to good use. 25 years later, she collaborated with many companies to improve their brand identity and web presence. With the constant evolution of the industry and the requirements to adapt, she is motivated to educate her clients and handle new challenges constantly. She overcame a battle with Breast Cancer in 2019, and has come back with a vengeance!!!! She was recently featured as a successful entrepreneur in DOTCOM and VoyageLA magazine.

Mentioned in this episode:

Nex Graphics (https://nexgraphics.com/)
WordCamp US (https://us.wordcamp.org/2022/)

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/GIGG7Uts8DQ

Episode Transcript:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rOVteC7xtQM0ORlXlzlWN3AgRj1ftN9e/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=115663019257131925403&rtpof=true&sd=true

Uncovering the strategic and practical side of design helps Michelle solve problems and improve user experience.

Michelle Schulp is an independent UX designer and front-end developer in Minneapolis. She employs a strategy-based approach to design and development, collaborating with clients ranging in size from solopreneurs to enterprises. She loves the open-source community, and when she is not pursuing professional, personal, or wellness goals, she enjoys giving back through speaking, writing, and connecting with others.

Mention in this episode: Marktime Media (https://marktimemedia.com/)

Taylor is a TEDx speaker, podcast host + producer, and marketing innovator in the social impact sector. She speaks regularly at global conferences such as AFP ICON and The Nonprofit Technology Conference, and she has helped hundreds of organizations tell their brand story in digital channels.

Taylor is the founder and CEO of Barlele, a brand and growth strategy firm that helps businesses and organizations grow through clear storytelling and strategic growth coaching. She also owns Creative Shizzle as an extension of Barlele services.

Mentioned in this episode:

Barlele (https://www.barlele.com/)
Creative Shizzle (https://creativeshizzle.com/)

Shoutouts:

Natalie Stamer of Streetlight Digital (https://streetlightdigital.com/team)
Sabine Gedeon (https://sabinegedeon.com/services/) and SheLeads Network (https://sheleadsnetwork.com/)

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/0zTWyvdE6A4

Melanie Davidson became the owner of Scream Agency in 2022. She serves as Screams President & CEO and has a 20-year consumer marketing background that includes customer experience, direct response marketing, digital marketing, and marketing strategy. Melanie has extensive experience in developing digital programs that both enhance the customer experience and drive performance & ROI.

Melanie is also an Impact Investor and Political Activist. She is a strong social advocate and impact investor focused on supporting organizations that are dedicated to poverty alleviation, food stability, and economic security through the empowerment of women and investing in leading women entrepreneurs.

Mentioned in this episode:

Scream Agency (https://www.screamagency.com/)

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/v6D36d3iIfk

Thanks to a combination of practical insight and boundless creativity, Kim Fuller, CEO and owner of Phil Inc., has earned a reputation for delivering innovative strategies that effectively and efficiently meet the needs of today’s evolving not-for-profit landscape. Her experience working with local, national, and international charities combines over 25 years in marketing and fundraising, with a lifelong passion for volunteering in the community.

Award-winning social entrepreneur, international speaker, and author of many articles on leadership and the social sector, she is always looking to learn more and share more.

When she is not in the office she volunteers her time and expertise as a mentor and advisor to several local and national organizations.

Mentioned in this episode:

Phil (https://phil.ca/)
B Lab and the B Corp Assessment (https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/programs-and-tools/b-impact-assessment)

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/t9q8YgvApa8

Jenn Richey Nicholas is CEO and Partner at Pixel Parlor. Jenn specializes in branding, pushing the boundaries of traditional print media, and environmental graphics, signage, and wayfinding. She leads the creative vision for the studio, crafts culture, facilitates new business, directs social and environmental impact initiatives, invests deeply into client relationships, fosters strategic partnerships, and inspires community involvement.

Clients include Decal, The END Fund, Geneva Global, Harvard Graduate School of Education, IIDA NY, Impact Services, Neon, MNYK, Mt. Airy CDC, Northeastern University CAMD, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, PORT, Springboard Collaborative, Strata Company, University of Pennsylvania, U3 Advisors, and Yard Girl Productions.

Mentioned in this episode:

Pixel Parlor (https://www.pixelparlor.com/)

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/6mO29Ii5jxA

Sara Graybill is a self-proclaimed nerd and loves everything related to technology. Her desire to help everyone understand the technical side of their website led her to start Graybill Creative where she helps bridge the gap between developers and designers and make sure everyone is on the same page. Graybill Creative is a WordPress development agency that focuses on providing development and website maintenance services to other agencies.

Mentioned in this episode:

Graybill Creative (https://graybillcreative.com/)

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/sx0pDo4WYAY

Heather is the founder and CEO of Blue Steele Solutions. She started her marketing agency in 2010 because she was tired of seeing great people fail just because they couldn’t clearly communicate their value.

Heather's team helps clients create websites and content that make it clear exactly what problems they solve for their customers, leading to more leads and more sales for them.

Heather is also slightly obsessed with sharing her tricks for habit-tracking, time blocking, and running an agency on a 25-hour/week schedule.

Mentioned in this episode:

Blue Steele Solutions (https://bluesteelesolutions.com/)

Youtube link: https://youtu.be/D5837EOP7uM

Rebecca Gill has over twenty years of experience with sales and marketing, with fifteen of those spent practicing and educating others in search engine optimization. She is an SEO consultant and educator providing personalized digital marketing solutions for clients wanting to expand their online presence and who are also willing to be a vested partner in achieving those results.

Whether a solo entrepreneur, digital agency, small business, or enterprise corporation, Rebecca offers a direct and honest approach to planning a path to online success with both search engines and the user experience. A serial trainer at heart, Rebecca also offers a variety of learning opportunities for end users, freelancers, and developers who want to become more knowledgeable about the how and why of SEO and SEM activities.

Mentioned in this episode:

Web Savvy Marketing (https://web-savvy-marketing.com/)

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/NqyjsRveTwI

Maiya Holliday, CEO and Founder of Mangrove Web Development is a creative leader and collaborator who crafts digital solutions to augment the impact of changemakers. She is a self-taught coder with over a decade of hands-on experience. Maiya aligns folks toward actionable goals that help articulate and communicate their organization’s purpose and impact on the web, with people, planet, purpose and equity at the core. She has led over 200 website projects for changemakers and purpose-driven organizations.

Maiya led Mangrove to become a Certified B Corp in 2016 and has since championed the cause of socially and environmentally conscious businesses deepening their impact. She values working alongside a diverse team of talented people who are passionate about what they do. A Bay Area native, Maiya now lives in the mountains in Truckee, CA with her family of wild, adventurous boys.

Youtube link: https://youtu.be/ED9ZvlIgzgA

Mentioned in this episode:

Mangrove Web - https://mangrove-web.com/
Lynn Johnson of Hella Social Impact - https://www.hellasocialimpact.com/team

Barbara O’Reilly is the founder and principal at Windmill Hill Consulting.

Whether it was leading record-setting reunion classes, securing tens of millions of dollars from global corporations following some of the most devastating natural disasters around the world, or overseeing a team that grew donor engagement of major individual donors committed to historic preservation, Barbara O’Reilly, CFRE understands that fundraising is much more than just raising money. It’s about enabling donors to realize their philanthropic dreams for issues that are most important to them and to be part of the change they want to see in the world. Barbara brings to her clients nearly thirty years of major gifts, annual fund, and campaign fundraising experience at major non-profit organizations including Harvard University, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Oxford University in England, and the American Red Cross.

Barbara became a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) in 2015 and an AFP Master Trainer in 2018. She serves as immediate past president of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Washington DC Metro Chapter and as a former member of the Advisory Panel for Rogare, The Fundraising Think Tank in the U.K. She is a longstanding Partner in Advancement of the Center for Nonprofit Advancement, a member of the Association Foundation Group (AFG), and Windmill Hill Consulting is a member firm of The Giving Institute. She is also a member of the faculty of the Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management and Leadership at the University of Maryland’s Do Good Institute.

She is a frequent guest presenter at national and international conferences and on various webinars hosted by Network for Good, DonorSearch, Bloomerang, Firespring, OneCause, Boardable, UST, and Qgiv. Barbara received her BA in English from Barnard College/Columbia University and her ALM in Celtic Studies from Harvard University.

Mentioned in this episode:

https://www.whillconsulting.com/
https://www.whillconsulting.com/trainings
https://www.whillconsulting.com/unlocked-resources-explainer-page

Shoutouts:

Barlele owned by Taylor Shanklin (https://www.barlele.com/)
TaylorMade Experience owned by Christina Taylor (https://taylormadeexperience.com/)

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/6BC1PmzvC3E

Episode Transcript: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ndl8Lr_OxkPyn4ZXO3aFCgdhvaS0GnYj/view?usp=share_link

Leah Frazier is a 2-Time Emmy Award-Winning and 10-Time ADDY Award-Winning

entrepreneur and was recognized as one of Dallas' most successful women for 2015.

She is a multi-licensed attorney turned marketing and communications guru, who

unapologetically left the practice of law to pursue her entrepreneurial ventures. In

2020, Leah was recognized by Dallas Innovates as one of the Future 50 Leaders in

Dallas-Fort Worth for tech, innovation, and disruption and as a winner of the 2020

“Inno on Fire” award from American Inno’s North Texas Inno media outlet, for her

service to the startup, small business, and entrepreneurial community. Just recently,

Leah was named as one of the “top 10 inspiring black women in the marketing and

communications industry to follow” by Top Rank Marketing, and also as the 2021

Black Women in Media Trailblazer Award in the Media category.

Leah has built a multi-faceted empire as an award-winning journalist, publicist,

media personality, digital marketing expert, and in-demand consultant to notable

brands.

Leah is the CEO and proud owner of Think Three Media – an award-winning

creative marketing and communications agency focused on the areas of content

marketing, social media marketing, communications, and public relations services

for brands spanning the industries of fashion, beauty, fintech, public speaking, the

performing arts, food, lifestyle, and more. The company’s podcast, PR Yourself with

Leah Frazier® teaches PR tips and tricks to small businesses and ranks in the top

5% of podcasts in the world.

Leah’s work has been featured and mentioned in Forbes, Vogue.com, NBC, CW, CBS

Local, Chase TV, Fox TV, Good Morning Texas, Haute Living Magazine, D Magazine,

CEO Blog Nation, and many other outlets as an expert in PR and entrepreneurship.

Leah has cultivated top-tier partnerships with Toyota, the Dallas Mavericks, Belk,

Cantu Beauty, Marshall's, Via Spiga, Vogue, Brahmin, Neiman Marcus, Warner Bros.,

Shoedazzle, Yosi Samra Shoes, and more.

Leah co-authored her first book in 2018, The Success Factor, which reached #1 as a

Best Seller for Women and Business reads, and was also awarded an African-

American Literary Award. Her second co-authored title, Promise: A Global Women’s

Devotional became a best seller in 2020 as well. She recently released her first

eBook, Lessons from the Bottom: Losing One’s Self to Gain Success earlier this year,

and is working on her signature PR Yourself ® book to be released in early 2022.

Mentioned in this episode:

https://thinkthreemedia.com/

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/2NVkZeIchpY

As Founder and CEO of Kanopi Studios, Anne helps create clarity around project needs and turns client conversations into actionable outcomes. As someone at the intersection of business development, marketing, and technology, Anne provides digital strategy to clients and organizations in the nonprofit, higher education, government, and corporate sectors. She enjoys helping clients identify their problems, translating it all into plain language, and then empowering the Kanopi team to execute stunning website solutions that strengthen brands and help companies succeed.

Kanopi was born from Anne’s desire to build strong, sustainable, creative websites and provide for their growth beyond launch. The name “Kanopi” represents her passion not only for treehouses but for websites, as both are sustainable ecosystems under a larger canopy: both have beautiful architecture, can be simple or complex, are customizable within their landscape, have strong foundations, need to accommodate constant growth and change, and are limited only by creativity. As such, Kanopi provides quality customer service with a holistic approach that covers the full lifecycle of a website, from initial strategy to beyond launch.

When she’s not advocating for the open-source community or running her web agency, she enjoys yoga and meditation, time on a bike or in the water, and hanging with her nephew.

Mentioned in this podcast:

https://kanopi.com/
B Lab and B Corps (https://bcorporation.net)

YouTube Episode Link: https://youtu.be/rxgI7bJ8DU8

After spending a decade in politics and almost the same amount of time in the WordPress and WooCommerce ecosystem, Lindsey Miller created Content Journey.

Her passion for making a difference in the world led her to create a business built around the success of others. Content Journey combines SEO best practices with purposeful content to increase brand awareness.

Her ability to make the complex simple is a breath of fresh air in the world of marketing and communications. She has an extensive working knowledge of audience movements, data-driven strategy towards content creation, and SEO.

Clients at Content Journey always feel heard and acknowledged for their struggles. Lindsey with the help of the whole team at Content Journey works towards the success of clients with relentless pursuit.

--

A side note about Lindsey... It was clear to me the first time I met Lindsey that her experience in politics has given her a keen understanding of what it takes to build a brand, create a following, and essentially feed the marketing engine. What surprises me in this interview is that those lessons and habits did not naturally translate to marketing herself and learning how to be a boss. Her service-oriented nature and her humility in some cases got in the way of being able to champion her own initiatives. It echos some of my other interviews with women where we talk about being too close to a problem or hiring an expert to help us because it's too difficult to self-implement.

Mentioned in this episode:

https://contentjourney.com/

YouTube URL: https://youtu.be/v_Co6HTmJbQ

In this episode, Corey Kohn shares their unique agency structure as an ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) and how she accidentally fell into this role that has given her so much joy.

As an entrepreneur and business leader, Corey has grown the reputation of Dojo4, a boutique software agency that she co-founded and has led for over a decade, to stand out in the industry for its work building exemplary technology while modeling social and organizational innovation. Nurturing businesses to be the building blocks of a saner, healthier, and more compassionate world is her passion. She is known for her writing and community work that advocates for a more enlightened, human way of doing business. All this is made possible through the good company of her exceptionally patient husband, Michael, and brave, funny daughters, Florence and Phoebe.

Mentioned in this episode:

https://www.dojo4.com/

Tiffani Martin is a strategist, author, branding extraordinaire, and the founder and CEO of Jancynco and Visiotech. After losing her sight at the age of 28 due to diabetic retinopathy, Tiffani began to realize how limiting society's resources were for those with disabilities. She longed to bridge the gap between technological brands and the community often ostracized in product development—people like her.

Tiffani began her career as a digital engagement agent at Square 1 Agency after graduating from the University of North Texas with a bachelor's degree in business entrepreneurship. While at Square 1, she worked with some of the nation's top brands, developing their personal and unique marketing identities, and thrusting them into a new realm of recognition. She is the author of “Branding the Heart: A Guide to Digital Engagement for Non-Profit Organizations” and co-author of “Be prolific: Do Success Different”.

She is a fierce believer that although she may have lost her sight, she has not lost her vision. She is determined to use Visiotech as a catalyst to inspire others to reach beyond their disability.

Tiffani is happily married and resides in Dallas, TX.

Mentioned in this video:

JancynCo (http://jancynco.com/)
VisioTech (https://visiotech.co/)
TR Moore and her nonprofit Ladies for Art, Culture and Education (https://www.facebook.com/ForeverLaceOrg/)

Episode Transcript:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1G___Zmyib7mX0O7grFhk_XAWB0HdLu-Z/view?usp=sharing

Tara Claeys began her career in advertising and marketing in the early 1990’s in Chicago and Washington, DC before “digital” was a thing. After her first child was born in 1997, Tara supplemented her full-time job as Mom with illustration and stationery design for clients around the world. As technology evolved, Tara discovered website development and transitioned to building custom WordPress websites for local businesses.

Founded in 2010, Tara’s agency, Design TLC, specializes in WordPress websites and digital marketing for small schools, enrichment programs, and education-focused nonprofits. Tara combines her marketing and technical experience with the perspective of a parent whose children attended both public and private schools and participated in various camps and enrichment programs.

When Tara isn’t in front of a computer screen, she can be found volunteering for a nonprofit, running and biking with friends, watching movies with her husband and pets, or visiting her now-grown children.

Links within this episode include:

Mindful School Marketing (https://mindfulschoolmarketing.com/)
Design TLC (https://designtlc.com/)

In this interview, Lauren Kwedar Cockerell shares more about her Storybrand certification and how this framework leads to better storytelling. She also shares how she has always had a bit of an entrepreneurial mindset, and it seems that her passion for marketing and PR started at a young age.

Lauren is President of Kwedar & Co, a strategic communications firm in Fort Worth, Texas. She specializes in helping entrepreneurs and non-profit executives grow their organizations through powerful brand messaging, PR and marketing strategies that work, and websites that convert. Lauren is also the Board Chair of the Foundation for the Young Women's Leadership Academy of Fort Worth, empowering the next generation of women leaders.

Mentioned in this video:

Kwedar & Co (https://www.kwedarco.com/)
Storybrand (https://storybrand.com/)