Entrepreneurs IRL

There wasn't a path for me, so I built one.

Summary:  Mention the word networking and you'll get a variety of responses. For Greg Morrison, it was the way he broke into the very tight industry of entertainment in LA. There is an art to networking well and it is not a hack, nor fast but when done well it builds a solid and lasting […]

Summary:  Everyone carries stories of their lives with them into everything they do; it's part of the human experience. This effects our relationships, our leadership and even how we run our businesses. Ameé Quiriconi, author, podcaster and founder of Activity Girl, LLC, decided to look deeper into why over time two of her successful businesses […]

Summary:  Every entrepreneur has two major hurdles, the first is building a business, the second is attracting attention for what they are offering. Jeff Berman of Berman Creative, is an entrepreneur and worked with countless others facing this exact problem so he knows the challenge from both sides of the table. Today we discuss what […]

Summary:  For Jeff Harry, play is serious business. He shares his definition of play and how to use it to build culture, address challenging topics and expand your business. It turns out, play is not a frivolous waste of time, there are so many benefits for your business by implementing play.  Notes: 2:05 – Welcome2:36 […]

Summary:  When you pour your heart and soul into a project and give your all to it, sometimes it really is your all! Kathryn Curzon, shark conservationist, freelance copyrighter and marketer, shares what led up to the morning when she woke up and couldn’t get out of bed and how she came back from such […]

Summary: Sometimes you hear about those people who have a theme that weaves through their lives. Shelly Francis is one of those people and her theme is courage. Each step of her journey has asked for courage in one way or another and it gave her the curiosity to further research and write a book […]

Summary: There are so many challenges in the beginning stages of entrepreneurship that many never even make it to launch. This week’s guest, Franziska Spoddig, founder of SocialBookers.co shares this part of the journey with us. We talk about everything that goes into developing an idea and protecting the vision while it evolves. This is […]

Summary: Samantha Parker, photographer and marketer, always knew she wanted to be a photographer. Deciding what worked best for her within that field was a challenge that benefited from a series of happy accidents. In this episode Samantha shares how she has dealt with the unexpected and continued to cultivate a thriving business. Notes: 2:08 […]

Summary Annie Sisson is one of those people who goes fully into whatever she is doing. So starting a business was no different. With a background in business she had all the functional and operational skills she needed. What she didn’t realize is all the other things that are necessary for success as an entrepreneur.  Notes 2:05–Welcome2:38–The beginning […]

Could you give up the good to go for the great? Listen in as Natasha Moustache explains their decision and what led to that choice.

🎭 Amanda’s original dream job and the company she started with her husband. 2:05🙆‍♀️ When attendees of her classes were not professional artists, she realized that being flexible is key. 04:47👯 Creating community through acting classes: playfulness is the opposite of trauma. 9:40🕴️ Creating characters and acting is practical for life, too! 12:55😎 Everyone acts […]

Today we meet Tarek Kholoussy - founder of Nomads Giving Back! & Nomads Skillshare! - as he walks us through the different phases of his career. From working in New York corporate and experiencing lessons to creating two social enterprises run from the

🗽 Tarek started his career on the default path by working for one of the ‘Big 6’ accounting firms in New York City. 2:02😢 Shortly after moving to New York City, the unimaginable happened and the company he worked for went out of business. 4:25🌍 Tarek began traveling doing volunteer vacations in China, Zambia, Kenya, […]

Today’s guest is Chris Cromwell, a marketing nerd, and meetup organizer. Elizabeth and Chris talk about twists and turns in life and how Chris has used his base of optimism and resourcefulness to continue to do the work he loves.

👦 Chris was bullied as a kid, but it led him to learn how to show up in a big way. 2:27🚗 Chris made his first sale at 5 years old for the extra money he was looking for from his mother. 6:06🦎 Selling salamanders to classmates got him sent to the principal’s office. 9:18😟 […]

Today Elizabeth speaks with Coss Marte, CEO of ConBody Fitness and Co-founder of Second Chance Studios. Coss shares his compelling story of how he went from the prison yard to CEO and how he’s creating opportunities for others.

👨‍⚕️ Coss’ wake up call and to jump-start in personal training. 2:00💪 Coss developed his bodyweight training style while incarcerated. 3:06🤸 Building his personal training clients one person at a time and his surprising first “client”. 4:02🏞️ The discrimination he faced trying to grow his personal training business. 6:44😎 The prison-style bootcamp workout caught traction […]

Elizabeth's guest today is Verity Harrison, of Think Doodly. Verity is a visual storyteller who uses graphics, illustration and animation to tell compelling business stories and engage audiences. Verity shares how important community has been throughout

👩‍💼 Verity’s original career in the UK and Spain. 2:03 🚩 In 2013, she made a decision to never work for someone else again. 2:53 🖍️ Verity wanted to do something creative and discovered sketch noting and graphic recording. 4:53 😇 Drawing during a live event is challenging, but also very rewarding for the artist, […]

This episode shares stories of Jim Stroesser, CEO and co-founder of the brand CALI Strong, and his journey from modest dreams in a small town in the Midwest US, to CEO of several major sports brands. Jim is now developing his own unique brand of sports ap

🍋 Even at 5 years old, everyone knew Jim would be a great businessman from his first lemonade and other childhood businesses. 2:06 🤸 Jim wanted to be a P.E. teacher but his time in college opened up other possibilities. 6:14 🥇 Jim’s path from tech rep to the CEO of a famous sport shoes […]

Today’s guest is Vanessa Tharp, a change-maker and action-taker, who helps people to share their message and shine while leveling up. Vanessa shares how she has evolved since leaving her career in education.

👩‍🏫 In the middle of her teaching career, Vanessa made the decision to become an entrepreneur. 1:55 🙋‍♀️ A birthday gift from her mother helped plant a seed for possibility. 5:02 👏 Vanessa took a ‘leave of absence’ from her job knowing she had so much more to give. 6:24     Making the break […]

Today Elizabeth speaks with Steven Li, CEO and Founder of Steven Li Photography, about his learning along the entrepreneurship path, and how following his personal interests led to him building his business. Steven’s recipe for business success came from

👨🏻‍💼 Becoming an entrepreneur really wasn’t the original goal for Steven. 2:20 ▶️ Getting laid off from his engineering job when the oil crash happened in Edmonton led to him earning money through photography. 3:19 🙋🏻‍♂️ Steven is a self-taught photographer who always said “Yes” to all opportunities. 4:50 👨🏻‍💻 Learning along the way and […]

In this episode Katy Melendez, the founder of Receptive Giving, a brand development studio and networking community for entrepreneurs, shares her story of burnout in the hustle culture, and the road to where she is today. Katy shares her challenges and v

😓 Katy shares her experience about being in a high pressure environment and being good at following the rules. 2:04🥺🧡 What burnout looked like for Katy, “one day you are ok and then you realize you can’t function anymore.” 5:18👣 Steps Katy took to come back from burnout. 8:31👩‍💻 Navigating a path to entrepreneurship and […]

Have you ever dreamt of quitting your job and moving somewhere exotic? Maybe it's to the mountains, maybe a cabin by the lake. Today's guest on EIRL, Dorothee Upchurch, did just that! After joking about selling t-shirts on a beach, she now has three bus

🙋‍♀️ From Panama, Welcome Dorothee! 1:48 👕 Bill and Dorothee traveled to Central America on vacation and fell in love with Panama, and started creating t-shirts. 2:56 🚌 Due to the lack of tourist information, they created a website, then organized comedy shows and bus tours. 5:27 😲 Running 3 businesses in a foreign country […]

Are you thinking about quitting your day job to become an entrepreneur? In this episode, Ben Fanning -- Founder and CEO of The Fanning Group, Executive Coach, Speaker & Host of The CEO Sessions podcast shares his stories to help you navigate the road to e

Elizabeth’s guest today is Michelle Jones, entrepreneur, founder, and Chief Academic Officer of Wayfinding Academy. In this intimate and personal conversation, Michelle shares how an exercise she created for her students ultimately led her to develop a ne

Elizabeth’s guest today is Joe Jacobi - Performance Coach, Olympic Gold Medalist, and founder of 5 With Joe. Joe shares the lessons he learned in the dynamic and ever-changing pace of whitewater slalom canoe racing, and how his unique experience is correl

In this week’s episode, Elizabeth speaks with Naser Al Sughaiyer - a Thinker, Writer, Theatre Artist, and Founder of The Human Lab. Their discussion centers around the myriad of challenges we all face as human beings during times of disconnection, as we

In today’s conversation between Elizabeth and Tania Katan - author, creative expert, speaker, and CEO of Creative Trespassing - you’ll hear how studying theatre has helped Tania to prepare for all the roles she now plays in business and in life. Tania sha

Today Elizabeth talks with executive coach and motivational speaker Mike Goncalves about overcoming limiting beliefs, the importance of language, and enjoying the journey and what success means.

This week Elizabeth talks with Lauren Sapala, author and writing coach, about how one person’s words derailed her lifelong dream of becoming a writer. After deep inner work Lauren was ultimately able to become the successful writer she always wanted to be

Elizabeth's guest today is Carolyn Jones, CEO & Founder of Absolute Numbers, and she shares how she built her business around the life she wanted to live. She explains how she's been able to continue to grow her business staying within that framework.

In this episode, Elizabeth talks with Paul Kim and Leigh Ryan, co-founders of Good Girls Gone Great, about empowerment as a foundation of building a movement based business and helping create a world we want for us and for our children to live in.

Today Elizabeth talks with Sean Ogle, entrepreneur and founder of several very successful niche sites. They discuss options to get started as an entrepreneur, the concept of "bridge businesses" and how to navigate when things don't go as planned along the

Elizabeth's guest is Kuda Biza, co-founder of Nunbelievable, a cookie company with a mission to provide meals for those in need. He shares his story of becoming an entrepreneur and the impact of his childhood on the choices he makes in business.

Today Elizabeth talks with Jasraj Hothi founder of INF Club as he shares the stepping stones that brought him from the corporate world to becoming a solo entrepreneur, and how he navigates being an entrepreneur as an introvert.