Catalyst Conversations

Welcome to the Catalyst Conversations podcast, I’m your host Jennifer Maggiore.  For some of us, being in business is like eating glass every day, but that’s what it’s like being in business, right? Have you ever felt like maybe you just aren’t cut out to cope with the emotional demands of being an entrepreneur? Or if you can be successful AND spiritual? Or maybe you’ve been told that you’re “too sensitive” to hack it in business.  Well get ready, because you’re probably actually “highly sensitive” – a highly sensitive entrepreneur that is!  In this episode I talk with Heather Dominick - a woman who is impressively successful, and highly spiritual I might add.  She’s appeared on Lifetime Television and was published in several books including Stepping Stones to Success alongside Deepak Chopra. She’s been recognized with the 2015 Best of Manhattan Coaching Award and she's the creator of the 2014 Stevie Award winning virtual event A Course In Business Miracles®: 21-Day Discovery Series that attracted close to 6,000 registrants from around the world. Heather is also the founder and leader of the Highly Sensitive Entrepreneur® movement. She helps the 20% of us who are born “highly sensitive” to make sense of our feelings, strong intuition, empathy, and deep thoughts, and feelings when it comes to self-employment. She has helped thousands of clients create solid, sustainable, high level financial success building on the personality traits they once thought of as weaknesses.  She tells us about the coping mechanisms HSEs use – a cycle or fear, pushing and or hiding, and soothing that leaves us mentally, physically, spiritually, and financially drained. She also explains some of the strengths HSEs have, and how they’re different from entrepreneurs who are not highly sensitive. If any of this resonates listen in because you, like me, may be a Highly Sensitive Entrepreneur. 

Maureen Jann is a veteran B2B marketer whose career in Digital Media has grown up with the Internet. She is currently the Founder and Managing Director of SuperDeluxe Marketing, a marketing, content, and thought leadership strategy agency on the outskirts of Seattle. In this episode we talk about how: + she manages time for herself and her family while operating three businesses + how those businesses are what she calls her “insurance policy” + an unconventional lifestyle have made she and her husband happier and more successful We also find out about her dislike for Phil Collins and the month of February  Show Notes + Resources: https://brandwithcatalyst.com/time-management-busy-entrepreneur

Ellia Harris is a Mindful Organization and Productivity Coach. Through her company Mindful Organizing, she works with professionals who are stressed by their messy homes, managing caretaking, and balancing work and family. Working either virtually or onsite, she helps them figure out what to change so they feel confident juggling their busy lives.    As an international speaker, her expert topics are mindful goal-setting, creative problem-solving, clutter-busting, and productivity. Ellia is a member of the NAPO (National Association for Productivity and Organizing Professionals) and is a member of the NAPO Education Committee. We talk about: + knowing your organizing style – are you an “inny” or an “outty” + setting priorities for organizing and focusing on what’s important for success today + Marie Kondo-mania – do you really have to get rid of most of your stuff to stay organized? Show Notes + Resources: https://brandwithcatalyst.com/mindful-organization

Kiola George is a NYC based producer and tech entrepreneur. She has over ten years of media experience with Walt Disney Co. and Screenvision Media. Her latest venture, Heybor™️ is a mobile app that allows users to rate and review residential properties across the US. In addition to her business and career achievements, Kiola is also a mother to 5-year old Zoe. In this episode we talk about how + in spite of her success, she still sometimes suffers from imposter syndrome + she juggles a successful career, a growing business, and parenting her daughter + Heybor is changing the way we find new places to live and connect with our neighbors Kiola has great insights on keeping it all together while growing a business – I’m happy to share them with you.

Lanette Veres is truly one of my greatest inspirations. She was a top-performing banking relationship manager before she was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 1998 after months of headaches and fatigue. Despite going on to have 5 brain surgeries she founded the Gray Matters Foundation, which serves to bring a smile and hope to patients diagnosed with brain tumors around the world.   We talk about: + the important of knowing you aren’t alone and the gifts that can come from trauma + the challenges she faces in caring for the brain tumor community + how she overcomes deficits caused by her surgeries – that aren’t the same that many of us founders experience - and doesn’t let them hold her back   Show Notes + Resources: https://brandwithcatalyst.com/caring-community Learn more or donate at https://www.graymattersfoundation.org/

Katherine Metzalaar is a registered dietician and nutrition therapist, and founder of Brave Space Nutrition and the Body Image Badass Group. She works with clients, many of them burnt out women entrepreneurs who sacrifice themselves and their health for their businesses. She helps them to understand that they are complex beings with unique relationships with food and their bodies – there is no “one size fits all” prescriptive answer to a healthier body.   We talk about: + ditching the diet mentality and unlearning years of unhealthy eating habits from childhood and messages in the media + what intuitive eating is and why it’s so important. + decreasing the stress and anxiety around our food choices + how healing our relationships with our bodies starts with no  longer using weight as a parameter for defining success or failure   Show Notes + Resources: https://brandwithcatalyst.com/self-care-healing-relationships

Tish Times is a sales and networking expert, speaker, trainer, author and the founder of Tish Times Networking and Sales. She helps business owners and sales professionals generate more revenue with her process for staying top of mind and closing sales with ease. Tish’s books include Networking is Not a One-Night Stand and 10 Super Simple Networking Steps for Career Success. Most recently Tish has developed the Unstoppable Confidence Sales Academy, a business school that teaches a systematic, sincere, and effective approach to networking and sales to produce lucrative bottom-line results. We talk about: + the one game-changing strategy you can start using today to increase sales + what a repeatable sales process really is and how to create one + why follow up activities are rarely successful -- and how you an change that for your business   Show Notes + Resources: https://brandwithcatalyst.com/sales-strategies

In this episode, I have the privilege of speaking with my friend and client, Karen Barno, a retreat leader and international motivational speaker. Karen is the CEO of a highly successful organization, is a mentor for women who get to mid-life and wonder “is that all there is?,” and is a certified Shaman and Reiki Master. She shares with us her story of going from broke and homeless to a recognized business leader. We also talk about: + how she overcame abuse as a child, and being incorrectly labeled as “special needs” + when she knew that her drinking was getting out of hand + how her fear of success held her back so many times + the challenges she had to work through to support a successful organization while building her own successful business   Show Notes + Resources: https://brandwithcatalyst.com/broke-and-homeless

Amanda Welch was always interested in art growing up. By the time she attended the University of Alabama, design was a natural choice, leading her to earn an interior design degree. Today, she works in Seattle, helping high-end clients to create the beautiful, comfortable homes they’ve always wanted. In this episode we talk about: + how the jobs she liked the least over her career taught her the most + the challenges of communicating the value of her work -- and my tip for doing just that + breaking through industry stereotypes and differentiating herself + her tips for women entrepreneurs, including how she learned to trust her gut and why her mentor has been instrumental    Show Notes + Resources: https://brandwithcatalyst.com/value-in-mentoring

Stephanie Sims is a “recovering” investment banker, speaker, author and the founder of Finance-Ability. She gives founders the knowledge, tools and self-awareness they need to find the right money for them, and has helped her clients raise over $30M to grow their businesses.    We talk about: + overcoming our fear of the numbers (and why we don’t want to know what’s happening in our businesses financially to begin with), the types of funding available and how to know which is the best for your business. +  what Stephanie calls the “Business PII (pronounced PIE)” – profitability, intention and independence + bootstrapping, borrowing and betting – and which funding source is best in different scenarios   Show Notes + Resources: https://brandwithcatalyst.com/business-finances

In this episode, I speak with Jessica Culligan, operations expert and Operations Director for Cocoknits.com. She is a prolific maker and business logistics guru who is passionate about helping female entrepreneurs bring their vision into reality   We talk about: + what operations is and why it’s important to document your systems + the red flags that your operations aren’t effective + the value of standardized processes (even if you’re a solopreneur) + forecasting and the numbers you need to look at regularly   Show Notes + Resources: https://brandwithcatalyst.com/operations-101

Dr. Alysondra Duke is a Seattle-based Psychologist, Women’s Empowerment Coach, and Founder of Seattle Lady Bosses.   In this episode we talk about: + what entrepreneurship entails for women from a spiritual perspective and how self-employment holds a greater opportunity for processing our self-doubt and challenges with relationships, money and worthiness. + what she’s learned from working with women entrepreneurs + how she helps her clients overcome fear and self-doubt – both of which she battles herself + why she founded Seattle Lady Bosses and why she thinks it has been explosively successful + the common topics discussed in the group, including how to have difficult conversations, balancing motherhood or illness with entrepreneurship and so much more   Show Notes + Resources: http://www.brandwithcatalyst.com/process-self-doubt

Kavita J Patel is a renowned relationship coach who has studied ancient eastern philosophy for 20 years, and combines those practices with her studies and experiences in family systems and human behavior to create her own transformational process, called The Parent Work™. She shares that our relationships with lovers, spouses, kids, money, and our bodies, are all affected by things that happened between us and our parents or those that raised us in our childhood.   We talk about + How your parents impact your decisions, and your relationships at home and at work + The 3 questions you can ask your parents – and yourself – for more insight on why you are where you’re at in adulthood + How focusing on your relationship with your parents and your kids can help you move through the fears and blocks that are holding you back in your business   Show Notes + Resources: http://www.brandwithcatalyst.com/how-parents-impact-success

I’ve had the privilege of meeting some extraordinary women through the course of recording this podcast, and Ashlee Piper is no exception. Ashlee is a political strategist turned eco-lifestyle journalist, and the author of the recently released sustainable living book, Give a Sh*t: Do Good. Live Better. Save the Planet (Hachette, 2018). She shares her passion for easy sustainable living, how she transitioned from politics to becoming a successful television personality and author – the road was bumpy along the way.   We talk about: + why a sustainable lifestyle is so important -- Ashley shares tips for easy steps you can take today + how she got started pitching major publications and TV outlets  (and how you can, too!) + the entire process she went though to publish her first book, from beginning to end   Show Notes + Resources: brandwithcatalyst.com/successful-media-pitching

Jarrett is the self-professed Nonprofit Nerd. She and her company, The Rayvan Group, have been working exclusively with nonprofits across the US since 2009 and have helped them raise millions of dollars since. Jarrett holds an MBA in business and a Certificate of Grant Writing from The Grantsmanship Center Institute, and her accolades include being named an AZ Central Who's Next Nominee, and a Greater Phoenix Athena Nominee, and she received the Global Women's Summit Leadership Award just to name a few highlights. We talk about: + why she is so passionate about serving the non-profit sector + the keys to her success as she scaled her business from start up to six figures AND she did it as a single mom! + the common thinking and challenges that plague non-profits + her top tips for non-profit fundraising success Show Notes + Resources: brandwithcatalyst.com/self-care-for-success

In today’s episode, I speak with web designer and strategist Christina Petrie. She has a unique perspectiveand a diverse background in software development, teaching, project management, photography and aMasters Business Administration. She stumbled into her career when she was searching for a job and friends and family kept asking her to fix their terrible websites. She quickly realized the potential to help them understand what they were missing and to help them start fresh with a website that would convert customers and generate value. When she’s not designing awesome websites and helping clients grow their business you can find her trail running in one of my favorite places - Seattle, taking a group fitness class, reading a book, listening to podcasts or spending time with the people she loves. This episode is jam packed with her tips for overcoming limiting beliefs, getting up the courage to put yourself out there authentically on your website, what your website should do for your business and the questions you should ask a web designer before you work with them. In this episode we talk about: + The three keys to building a strategic website that leads to new business. + The questions you should ask when choosing a web designer, and the questions they should be asking you. + How she overcame her own limiting beliefs and learned to put herself out there more authentically. + Her tips for how to make your website stand out from the competition. Christina shares, “Something was missing. I realized that everyone thinks that their website and their business are each in their own corned doing their own thing. But the truth is the two are so integrated you can’t really look at one without looking at the other. I realized that the missing part [in building her own website when she started her business] was doing a deep dive into my business first and reflecting those key objectives on to my website. There is this term called strategic web design, and I call myself a web designer and strategist because the strategy is the critical part you have to have total clarity around your business before you build your website. That strategy is going to dictate that web design. That’s where the magic happens, that’s how you build a website that’s going to build your website.” Resources from this episode Simon Sinek Explains the Golden Circle (or leading with “Why”) Want to connect with Christina?  You can reach out to her here: https://christinapetrie.com/ https://www.instagram.com/cepetrie/ https://www.facebook.com/petriechristina https://www.pinterest.com/christinapetriedesigns/

In today’s episode, I talk with Heather Simpson, who mentors women in Leadership roles, and is a thought leader and entrepreneur driven to help women find success in both business and life. Through her own experiences and life trials, she is devoted to supporting women through her company, She Leads Me. Heather is a friend, and a member of the Catalyst Founders Group for women entrepreneurs. After a recent private sessions, we agreed to this intensely personal conversation about our experiences with business relationships that went bad. We discuss: + why women take too long to leave work and personal relationships that aren’t working out despite the obvious signs. + how women tend to look for their own fault rather than looking at the personalities and circumstances involved. + how staying in shock and refusing to believe we’ve been betrayed keeps us stuck – but only if we let it. + and our survival tips for what to do when business relationships go bad. This was an amazingly raw, honest and cathartic conversation about something I haven’t shared with many people over the years. Our goal in sharing our stories is to help move other women forward who are struggling with dysfunctional business relationships.

In this episode, I talk with Blair Glaser, an executive consultant and leadershipmentor. She is also a licensed psychotherapist and has been transforming individuals,teams, entrepreneurs and couples with her unique mentoring process for more than 20 years. Blair has consulted with executives and teams at corporations such as Estee Lauder, JPMorgan Chase, and Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York and a host of nonprofit organizations. We talk about: + delegation and decision-making, why it’s tough for women entrepreneurs, and “authorizing yourself” to take control. + the myth of balance and setting expectations and boundaries in your relationships. + how not to let imposter syndrome and self-esteem issues get in the way of growing your business. Blair is a fascinaging guest and I jam packed so many of your questions into this episode, it’s a do-not-miss. Enjoy!

Allison Hardy is a Business Strategist for Mompreneurs and helps women grow their businesses while they are raising their families, so that they can live life by design.  She specializes in monetizing with Facebook Groups, building communities around her clients' brands, automation and email marketing. Allison is the creator of the Life by Design Podcast, is a Huffington Post Contributor, has been featured in YFS Magazine, and was named one of Washington, D.C.'s most influential professionals under 40 by Washington Life Magazine. In this episode we discuss: + how she uses Facebook Groups to activate her audience and grow her roster of clients + the #1 thing you need to know about leveraging Facebook Groups to grow your business + how she has monetizes with Facebook Groups + the challenges she overcame to grow a successful business, including overcoming self-doubt with staying true to her purpose Allison shares, “I view Facebook Groups as important as your email list. Right now, and for the past 2-3 years, my Facebook Group has been the single best thing I’ve spent time on in addition to my email list. Both of them are my jam. Your Facebook group should build your email list and if someone is on your email list they should be in your Facebook Group. The reason I say that is bc the more touch points you have with someone, the more likely they are to know, like and trust you, the more likely they are to buy from you and the more likely they are to be your biggest fan." Links: http://www.allisonhardy.com/ Podcast: http://www.allisonhardy.com/blog/

Tisha M. Pelletier took the entrepreneurial leap in 2004, has run four different businesses, planned hundreds of events and facilitated over 300 masterminds. She is the president of Tisha Marie Enterprises, LLC and she empowers entrepreneurs to make their business successful through mentoring, her online course the Startup Entrepreneur Academy, and the Social Connect Business Happy Hour. Her newest book What Are the Odds – A mom shares her good, bad and what the f*ck moments in life and business can be found on Amazon and Audible. In this episode, we talk about a LOT of the things I hear regularly from women entrepreneurs, including the challenges of balancing marriages, raising kids and building businesses, the fear she had around developing her personal brand and why she had to push past that fear, knowing when to pivot in business and how to know when to trust well-meaning advice. We talk about: + her passion for supporting founders + the fears she had around building a personal brand + how she learned the hard way not to always trust well-meaning advice + why authenticity so important, and incredibly powerful, especially today Tisha shares,”I’m always going to do what I say - I find that that is challenging for a lot of people. There are a lot of people who are ‘sayers,’ they don’t do. I think by sharing that experience with people of, I set out to do it, it was a personal challenge or a professional challenge, I set out to do it and I did it. And here’s what happened. In telling them the story that I had to keep working at this and I had to keep going. I think you only get that through experience, and experience is your greatest teacher.” Jennifer shares, “I think specifically with women, we’re so challenged by dealing with self-image and what we put out there and feeling like it’s got to look good,  it’s got to the look the way someone else is doing it on social media... Or we’re horrified by our headshots, the hair isn’t right, the weight isn’t right. There’s all these crazy things, right, but ultimately while personal branding can be such a struggle and challenge to manage it all, and the fear of having the ultimate responsibility of ‘yes, I am the person behind the company, and the buck stops here.” But, I think the really positive bright side of it is, just like you said, people are already talking about you. You’re already out there and people are talking about you, wouldn’t you want to be the person that ultimately manages that perception of other people with your personal brand? That’s your opportunity to provide that message that you want people to see.” Resources from this episode Bit.ly/virtuallatte – schedule a chat with Tisha Tisha’s Book: What Are the Odds – A mom shares her good, bad and what the f*ck moments in life and business   Tisha’s links: https://www.tishamarieenterprises.com/ https://www.facebook.com/tishamarieenterprises/ https://www.instagram.com/startupbusinessmentor/

In this episode, I have the honor and the privilege of talking with Ande Lyons, an enthusiastic and experienced entrepreneur with an MBA and four successful businesses to her credit. Her earlier companies include venture-backed College Broadcast, a broadband media portal with over 50,000 viewers per day; Goddess Granola, a gourmet food product Ande took from recipe to manufacturing, branding and national distribution; and Bring Back Desire, a website devoted to sharing tips, tools and resources with couples seeking more love and intimacy in their relationship. She now lends her expertise to start ups as the founder and Chief Startup Officer of Startup Life with Ande Lyons. We talk about what it takes to make it as a startup founder – the advice she gives on staying resilient, getting past the grueling “glorification of entrepreneurship” that causes so many of us to lose our balance, and more. We talk about: + why Ande is specifically passionate about start up founders + how she knows that they are REALLY ready to start a business + “the glorification of entrepreneurship” + why she gets very real with her clients; she shares, “If you’re seeking a smooth road, don’t start a business!” + managing high levels of uncertainty + knowing when to keep slogging and when to strategically quit + how she and her husband have weathered personal tragedy and professional loss, but not each other Ande shares, “I’m looking for determination, tenacity, resilience and persistence, because… go run out in traffic. If you can handle that, start a business. If you’re looking for a smooth road forget it. I’m looking for someone who is in it to win it – they’re willing to hustle, they’re willing to stretch out of their comfort zone. They may be crying the whole way, wringing their hands, I’m ok with that. It’s something about their nature that I see and can filter out in a conversation with them that they are passionate about their idea in the way that I know they will get through the days that they’ve lost hope. “ Resources from this episode: Brandy Lawson Eleanor Beaton Ande’s Pitch Deck Template (use code StartupLife for 20% off) Million Dollar Woman: The Essential Guide for Female Entrepreneurs Who Want to Go Big   Ande’s Links: http://andelyons.com/ https://www.facebook.com/ande.lyons https://www.instagram.com/ande_lyons/ https://twitter.com/AndeLyons

In this episode, I speak with my friend Geeta Sidhu-Robb – a renowned author, inspirational speaker, and the CEO and Founder of Nosh Detox, based in London. She is a coach and nutritionist who uses her expertise to support the health of high-performers – those of us who tend to burn the candle at both ends. She was awarded Entrepreneur and Business Woman of the Year in 2010, 2011 and 2014. She’s grown her business from a start-up to an award-winning empire including Nosh Raw and Nosh Infusion. In this interview, we talk about how advocating for her son’s health transitioned her out of a successful career in law to launching Nosh, her secret to troubleshooting her business when issues arise, and how she has embraces her failures on the path to success. In this episode We talk about + Her incredible story of leaving a very lucrative legal practice to sleeping on her friend’s floor with her kids to rebuilding her fortune + The common problems she sees in high-performers when they’re neglecting their health + That you might not think it, but she’s overcome fear and failure more times than she can count + How she created her own reality, tuning out the naysayers Geeta shares, “The biggest growth journey in entrepreneurialism is about you as a person. What I know that most people don’t know is… You are the biggest bottleneck in your business. You are. Your fear, your ill health, your scarcity mentality, your everything… You’re the bottleneck. Now I know this about me, so when my business is stalling, I don’t go looking outside for a solution, I go inside for a solution.” Connect with Nosh Detox https://noshdetox.com/ (get the Balance Sheet Geeta refers to on the homepage) https://www.facebook.com/NoshDetox/

I had the pleasure of speaking with Bridgett McGowen an awarded international public speaker and the founder of public speaking coaching firm, BMcTALKS, LLC. She works with clients on improving their communication skills to engage and connect with their audiences, and her goal is to help people use their voices to undeniably stand out as leaders. Bridgett has designed and facilitated for national and international audiences hundreds of high-impact webinars, and has been selected to speak at conferences alongside notable figures including Former President Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey and Senate Majority Leader Dr. Bill Frist to name a few. In this episode of Catalyst Conversations, Bridgett and I talk about the obstacles she overcame to start her business, and how there are no new messages, only unique messengers. We also discuss why presentation skills are so important regardless of your industry, the advice she has for both new and seasoned presenters, her number one tip for being a legendary speaker, and her top tips for women entrepreneurs.

Victoria Repka-Geller, is a CMO and career and transformational coach with over 20 years experience in Advertising and Marketing. She brings an educated perspective that is rare and invaluable among today’s personal development coaches in that she couples her expertise, passion, and talent with real work-life experience. She has been featured in the NYTimes People on the Move Series, WSJ’s The High Cost of Avoiding Conflict at Work and Barbara Stanny-Huson’s Sacred Success (one of my favorite books!). In this episode of Catalyst Conversations, we talk about: + surviving in the male-dominated, at times dehumanizing, advertising industry where it was the norm to work 80-90 hours a week, despite being a single mom. + how women, especially, must overcome second-guessing themselves and automatically going to “how do I change me?” when there is a problem at work. + how we fool ourselves with “fake control” thinking we can (and should) fix everything, and the myth that being “too sensitive” is a bad thing. + helping her clients to recognize and deal with severe burnout, and how men and women differ with inner dialogue and when it comes to dealing with pressure. + the ways fear protects us while also holding us back, and how to leave those stories behind.

My guest, Julie Farha, has become one of the Nation's most sought out intuitives and intuition experts. She understands the importance of intuition and teaches people and companies how to apply it to everyday life and decision making, which I got a taste of in a recent session with her.   In this episode we discuss:   + what Julie calls  “being in the midst of a paradigm shift” – we’re living in an age where guiding your day-to-day activities and objectives through your intuition is a true asset.   + everyone having intuition, and how to develop the skill, especially when it comes to making business decisions.   + how she grew up as the black sheep in a family of Christian Middle Eastern Immigrants in Kansas, trying to fit in despite obviously sticking out with her profound gift.   + developing your gift of intuition with simple yes or no questions and learning to trust the answers and the process.   + how to marry your logic, research and intelligence with intuition to grow your own business.   + what Mercury in Retrograde REALLY means for your business (and I find out that it’s not all bad!).

Destinee Berman has been called a “soul sister,” “Durga Destinee,” and the secret “visionary” behind today’s most widely recognized online schools in the intuitive arts and spiritual healing spaces. After spending 15 years in Silicon Valley, managing accounts for Twitter and Oracle Marketing Cloud, Destinee left in 2014 answering the call to serve higher and walk her own spiritual path. In this episode, we talk about: + what she did to guarantee she wouldn’t turn back to her corporate job, even when she didn’t have a plan for her business. + why it’s important to her to normalize spirituality as part of the business planning process. + how she recommends bringing more of your own spirituality and intuition into your business. + how she learned to trust her intuition when making business decisions. + recognizing our triggers and “feeling through” the issue before reacting.

My guest, Shawn Bradford, founder of Breathe and Work had a life centered around her job in corporate America while her marriage, family and her own sense of fulfillment suffered. Ultimately, she left her job to launch her own business, helping corporate employees to take control of their stress and providing them with self-care techniques and tools. In this episode, we talk about: + what Shawn’s life was like as a corporate employee, and how she knew it was time to leave. + why corporate America needs to introduce wellness initiatives now. + techniques for taming stress and taking back control for more peace and balance.

In this episode, I interview Sara Andrews, founder of Bumbleroot Foods, focused on the things that matter most to her – “top-notch nutrition, sustainable agriculture, fair prices for farmers, and, of course, scrumptious snacks and beverages.” The grandaughter of ranchers and farmers, she served as an advisor in the U.S. Senate on agriculture and international trade issues and served as a strategy consultant to a Fortune 250 company. In this episode we talk about: + her time working in Zimbabwe, witnessing the negative impacts of U.S. agricultural practices on local farmers and the land. + how that experience shaped her philosophy on supporting farmers to work with nature instead of against it. + her experience as a woman founding a company that runs totally counter to the .current food industry

Today, I spoke with Nikki Riojas who is in Corpus Christi, Texas. She was fabulous to talk to. She launched her online retail business—it’s a home decor and lifestyle site—13andmarket.com 16 years ago. She’s got some really interesting experience and insight from what it was like launching online retail from back in the day when we didn’t have handy templates and we didn’t have easy to use carts and merchant services—if you can remember online back that far ago. She also moved to Texas four years ago and started asking around about where women entrepreneurs meet, support, and collaborate. The answer was that there really wasn’t anything. So six months ago, she formed officially her nonprofit, and hosts events each month where these women can come together. They’re having the opposite issue that lots of entrepreneurs and founders experience when they’re developing groups. They’re scaling so quickly that they’re having trouble finding space. But really it points to the fact that women entrepreneurs are looking for that sense of community and she is serving her community very, very well. She is fabulous to talk to. I hope you will check out her website for her nonprofit, it’s wescc.org.

Oh, my guest today, oh my word! Tricia Arce! She is half of the duo with her spouse Hazel who owns The Toasted Mallow. I was introduced to Tricia a few weeks ago by a mutual friend, Joanie Simon, who I also interviewed for this podcast. Tricia is kind of like Barbara Huson, who is another good friend of mine that is on this podcast, but she’s one of these people that there are so much depth and substance. I had never met this woman, didn’t know she existed before Joanie introduced us. We sat and we had our hot tea and our coffee and just immediately started talking about this really deep stuff, and our past, our history, and being entrepreneurs. She’s just amazing. I think, as women entrepreneurs, we can learn so much from each other and she’s got so much to offer. She is again, the co-owner of The Toasted Mallow which was launched as a home-based business in 2013 by she and her wife Hazel. The demand grew organically through farmers markets, an amazing social media. They actually took the startup from Etsy to a retail location and they now ship nationally. Their social media is incredible, so authentic, so real, and so good. We talk about how the loss of her grandmother really propelled her forward in creating her business because before that, she really just wanted to climb the corporate ladder and realized that there were other things that she wanted to be doing. That brought her joy. We also talk about overcoming self-doubt and how authenticity is really key. You can’t force it in business and have it resonate with your audience. I hope you enjoy it. You can visit them at thetoastedmallow.com. 

Today I got to speak with Salma Benkabbou who is The Millennial Business Lawyer. She’s the Managing Attorney and Lead Legal Strategist for The Benkabbou Law Firm in Tampa, so very close to my hometown. I love her tagline, she helps entrepreneurs protect their creative greatness. We had some great conversations about why you need a business attorney. Adn ideal timing is--I don’t know if you know this aggressive, excited entrepreneur is out there--you want a business plan, then you want to consult your attorney, then you want to execute. Some of us have gotten a little backwards. That said, a great attorney is going to help protect you and keep you out of litigation because it costs a lot less to prevent through having the correct business formation, sound contracts, protecting your trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, all that good stuff, and not have to go into litigation. I talk with Salma a little bit about finding a great attorney. We also talk about some of her struggles with her social media. It wasn’t always so easy for her and in industry that is dominated by men where she is often times mistaken for the secretary and not the managing attorney. We talk a little bit about what it’s like to break out of that stereotype.

I am so excited to bring you Lesley Bohm today. She is a super talented photographer that I met while I was at a conference in Los Angeles. Her pictures are just incredible. She has worked with celebrities, actors, actresses, sports figures, entrepreneurs, and she really knows how to bring that personal touch out of a photograph. In this interview, we have some great conversations about how she got started. She had some issues with her mom that caused her to leave when she was in high school. She moved from Canada to Los Angeles—not just to another city or another state—but another country with $800 in her pocket. She shares some of the challenges and some of the lessons learned as she grew her business into this renowned photographer. We also talk about how important your headshots are. These days, somebody comes to your website or your social media and you have seconds—you have just seconds, take that in for just a minute—you have seconds to invite somebody in through that imagery to decide if they want to read the copy on your website, if what you have to offer is what they’re looking for, if you are the kind of person that they want to get to know. No pressure. Actually, it’s a lot of pressure to get those headshots right. She gives us her best tips for finding a great photographer, how to get great headshots, and she’s got a special offer for our listeners. If you reach out to Lesley and you let her know that you heard her here on Jenn’s podcast, Catalyst Conversations, she’s got a special step-in rate, kind of a mini session, if you will. She’s amazing. If you get the opportunity to get on this women’s calendar, you should absolutely do it, you won’t regret it.

Today, I spoke with a licensed psychotherapist Christine Dassow who also happens to be my high school best friend—you’ve been warned, we have a good time. I was interested in talking with someone who has an insight and expertise into how to deal with a really high-pressure career, a high-pressure lifestyle, and some of the social anxiety that comes along with having to put yourself out there. Today it seems like technology just moves at a crazy pace and putting yourself out there in social media or on television can feel like so much pressure--just crazy pressure. We walk through a couple of exercises that you can do anytime, anywhere to help that inner critic back into check and to get yourself centered in the here and now. We also talk about how to find a great therapist. That's as important as having a great CPA, a great business attorney. You have to have a great therapist on your team as well. 

Today, I got to speak with Amanda Tress. She is a digital marketing expert and she’s also a fitness and nutrition consultant. She’s the founder of FASTer Way to Fat Loss, which as you will hear, I have been a participant in her programs since January 1st. We talk a lot about self-care and why that’s so important and how that translates into success as female entrepreneurs. We also talk quite a lot about how she’s against Photoshop and why transparency is so important. She had a baby this year—as of the time of this recording—she’s got three kids but one of them is just a little tiny brand-new baby. We talk about balance and how balance can be a myth, but how she is really shifting her business so that she can scale it, keep it sustainable, and still be able to spend time at home with her kids. There’s a lot of insight and inspiration that you’ll get from hearing her talk about how she is unafraid to make those changes that are best for her business.

Today, I had the pleasure of speaking with Joy Chudacoff, who is a brilliant women’s business coach. I had the opportunity to attend her Align Retreat in Los Angeles.  Our conversation was wide ranging from how she evolved her marketing company into becoming a women’s business coach. Some of the great advice that she has to offer, for example, really embracing fear is part of the creative process—I know for me, fear and anxiety comes up and I think a lot of times with high pressure lifestyles that that’s something that you have to contend with to things like the people that you want to have in your support system, and maybe some of the people you don’t want to have in your support system. It’s a really interesting conversation. I enjoyed it very much and I hope you do too.

Today, I spoke with Keri Murphy who is the founder of lifestyle brand Inspired Living TV. She also educates women on getting comfortable in front of the camera so that they can present their meaningful message in a really polished and empowered way. She started off as a child actor and by the time she was a teen, she was teaching acting. When she was 27, she launched her first business, the Murphy Talent Group. If you were an entrepreneur like I was in the mid-2000s, you know that the great recession was a tough time, it was really a struggle for many of us. She didn't let that get her down, she packed up, and she moved to Los Angeles, and she started her company, and has been very, very successful at really empowering women and getting their message across. It’s so much more than just showing people how to get comfortable on camera, she's really empowering her audience. She gives us some really great insight on producing great video, which is very important in today's day and age. She also left me with this fabulous tidbit, I have to get this right, she says, “Your brand is simply an expression of how you want others to feel.”

As entrepreneurs, we’ve all had times when cash was tight.  But what if you could see that wealth wasn’t a number? Instead, what if one of the most money-savvy and credentialed authorities on women, wealth, and power could show you that a wealth mindset and wealth don’t come from what you earn - but rather from what you do with what you earn? After being positively blindsided by her then-husband’s out-of-control gambling addictions, Barbara Huson's life changed instantly. Unfortunately, it still took her several years to admit it. When she was finally forced to make some huge adjustments to keep herself and her children afloat (and divorced her husband, who refused to come to terms with his addiction and the impact it had on their family), Barbara went for it. And, thanks to some positively amazing coincidences that Barbara credits to The Universe’s intervention, Barbara finally learned how to manage money by interviewing a series of powerful, successful, and wealthy women. And that’s when she realized that a wealthy mindset isn’t just a quick paradigm shift: it’s a series of 7 life-changing realizations that impact every decision you’ll make.

Podcasts are a hot topic right now, and rightfully so, according to Podcast Insights, 44% of the U.S. population has listened to a podcast. Podcast listeners are loyal, subscribing to an average of 6 shows, and they also skew affluent and educated.  Podcasting has become a popular medium for connecting with your audience. You may be wondering about starting a successful podcast for your own business. In an engaging interview recently with 20-year broadcasting veteran, podcast expert and radio personality Shannon “The Shan Man” Hernandez, we discuss all things podcasts and all about starting a successful podcast. He shared some helpful technical pointers before we dove into the soul of the matter.  

Joanie Simon is more than just a leading food photographer and educator. She’s been featured on The Food Network, has a popular YouTube Channel, and recently launched a wildly successful new Instagram account, @thebiteshot, focusing on food photography education. She’s already accumulated more than 12 and a half thousand followers - a number that’s steadily growing. But beyond the success, Joanie is a gifted, quality human being and woman who loves to inspire others to do what they’re creatively equipped to do. But in order to really get a feel for who Joanie is and how authenticity rocketed her to success, first we need to take a look at where she started.