The FoundHers Club

Meet the powerhouse cover girl behind the She Dares Collective - “a safe, inclusive space for women to show up authentically, confidently and get support to do big things.” Her entire life, Yanira (sounds like ya-need-a cup of coffee) Borges, has been surrounded by tribes of women, starting when she was a little girl growing up in the Bronx with a single mom and over a dozen aunties. As our local Wonder Woman, Yanira offers a holistic approach to supporting women. We talk neurodiversity diagnoses, catholic school gazebos, self-confidence, and how basketball is the best sport. 

Meet the innovative minds that are repurposing surplus materials to "fill a classroom, not a landfill." Vanessa and Taylor are life-long best friends that started a non-profit called The Welman Project. Through creativity, they find ways to take the waste output from corporations and adapt it for use in the classroom. The Welman Project were also past winners of the United Way's KERNEL competition for programs fostering ideas to solve community issues. 

Laura Pommer may have started her career out as a Geologist, but now she's the CEO of EnergyFunders - a cool company in Houston with unique oil and gas investment vehicles, including Bitcoin Mining. As a female leader in a male-dominated industry, she's passionate about recruiting and mentoring more women into the industry. Laura shares her COVID experience, deciding to get divorced on Valentine's day, buying a fixer-upper (previously owned by a serial killer), running two separate companies, and ultimately changing jobs. She filled a lifetime dream of founding an oil and gas company, and walked away from her dream to take on a CEO role.Tune in for a fun conversation about being career-driven, traveling abroad, how self care looks different for everyone, and last but not least - my favorite Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream. IYKYK

Jin-Ya Huang is no stranger to paying it forward; however she takes this concept well beyond a free cup of coffee at Starbucks. She's won countless awards, including the 2021 Maura Women Helping Women Award from the Texas Women's Foundation. Additionally, Jin-Ya is a Presidential Leadership Scholar. An immigrant from Taiwan, and the daughter of immigrants, Jin-Ya founded Break Bread Break Borders, to break down the walls that often separate newly arrived immigrants from the communities in which they settle. And she did just that in Dallas, her adopted hometown and a city at the epicenter of immigration today.As one of six daughters, Jin-Ya watched her parents struggle to overcome poverty in a farming village in Taiwan. Her mother, Mei-Ying, scraped together money by cooking and sewing, and saved up enough money for Jin-Ya to attend art lessons when she was just three years old. These classes changed her life, and she discovered an outlet she would use to express herself for the rest of her life.Moving to the United States at 13 years old, Jin-Ya started volunteering with her mother and working in their family restaurant, in which her mother hired refugees to cook and share their stories. In honor of her mother, Jin-Ya launched Break Bread, Break Borders, a community-based catering business that created financial and social opportunities for local refugees. Mei Ying Huang's superpowers were in cooking and storytelling - which inspired Jin-Ya to continue her mother's work, impact, and legacy to share kindness and compassion.A big thanks to everyone who helps make this podcast happen!Producer: Rob Upchurch, RobMakesPods ProductionsFounding Sponsors: First Financial Bank and M-PAKStudio: BLANC Cowork + Studio   Our Media Partners: Madeworthy Media & Tanglewood Moms

Jin-Ya Huang is no stranger to paying it forward; however she takes this concept well beyond a free cup of coffee at Starbucks. She's won countless awards, including the 2021 Maura Women Helping Women Award from the Texas Women's Foundation. Additionally, Jin-Ya is a Presidential Leadership Scholar. An immigrant from Taiwan, and the daughter of immigrants, Jin-Ya founded Break Bread Break Borders, to break down the walls that often separate newly arrived immigrants from the communities in which they settle. And she did just that in Dallas, her adopted hometown and a city at the epicenter of immigration today.As one of six daughters, Jin-Ya watched her parents struggle to overcome poverty in a farming village in Taiwan. Her mother, Mei-Ying, scraped together money by cooking and sewing, and saved up enough money for Jin-Ya to attend art lessons when she was just three years old. These classes changed her life, and she discovered an outlet she would use to express herself for the rest of her life.Moving to the United States at 13 years old, Jin-Ya started volunteering with her mother and working in their family restaurant, in which her mother hired refugees to cook and share their stories. In honor of her mother, Jin-Ya launched Break Bread, Break Borders, a community-based catering business that created financial and social opportunities for local refugees. Mei Ying Huang's superpowers were in cooking and storytelling - which inspired Jin-Ya to continue her mother's work, impact, and legacy to share kindness and compassion.A big thanks to everyone who helps make this podcast happen!Producer: Rob Upchurch, RobMakesPods ProductionsFounding Sponsors: First Financial Bank and M-PAKStudio: BLANC Cowork + Studio   Our Media Partners: Madeworthy Media & Tanglewood Moms 

Fort Worth Native, Sarah Castillo, is a serial entrepreneur who has built an empire across North Texas. It all started with making breakfast tacos for golfers at Marine Creek Golf Course, which led into literally having a dream that she owned a food truck. How wild is that!?! After gaining restaurant experience working at Eddie V's(shout out) - she ventured out (with her mama) selling delicious tacos out of a trailer in the West 7th area of Fort Worth. Over the last decade, her trailer evolved into a food truck 'Taco Heads', and she gained enough notoriety to expand the brand through brick and mortar locations in both Fort Worth and in Dallas. There's nothing Sarah can't do - in fact, back in 2018, she underwent major renovations of a historical building in the Near Southside and opened an upscale Mexican restaurant and bar called Tinie's Mexican Cuisine, named after her mother, Christina. As if she didn't have enough on her plate, Sarah contracted with 87W to open Sidesaddle Saloon in 2021 - a renovated 108-year-old complex of course and mule stables in the Stockyards National Historic District. Tune in to hear how travel has inspired her menu, building relationships golfing gave her an advantage, and owning who she is. A big thanks to everyone who helps make this podcast happen!Producer: Rob Upchurch, RobMakesPods ProductionsFounding Sponsors: First Financial Bank and M-PAKStudio: BLANC Cowork + Studio   Our Media Partners: Madeworthy Media & Tanglewood Moms 

My friend, CHOKE (Creating Her Own Kinetic Energy), is hands down the most mysterious person I've ever met. In fact, I don't even know her real name. Few have seen her face, as she intentionally covers her mouth in photos posted online. CHOKE has a story I had to capture, and I'm thrilled to share our conversation with you. While most of my guests had an inkling what they wanted to be when they grew up, CHOKE swears she exited the womb holding a paintbrush. By the time she became a teenager, she took out a small loan from her father and started selling bulk candy and bus passes from her locker. She used the money to buy paints and began customizing shoes, jeans, and anything she could get her hands on. Mature for her age, CHOKE frequented jazz lounges and nightclubs (along with her camera), pretending to be an event photographer. Music inspired her art, as did travel, and the rest is history. Stay tuned to hear the inspirational journey of a woman and entrepreneur who is 100% authentically herself. A big thanks to everyone who helps make this podcast happen!Producer: Rob Upchurch, RobMakesPods ProductionsFounding Sponsors: First Financial Bank and M-PAKStudio: BLANC Cowork + Studio   Our Media Partners: Madeworthy Media & Tanglewood Moms 

Artist. Painter. Curator. Muralist. Teacher. Founder, Mother. Wife. Chief Creative Officer. These are just a few of the many hats Katie Murray wears as she contributes her many talents to the art and culture of Fort Worth. Dabbling in fashion design, graphic design, and even architecture, Katie discovered her true love – painting. Her unique path set her up for the opportunity of a lifetime, the offer to be the Chief Creative Officer for M2G Ventures, a new company her close college friends established years ago. Katie shares how her inner critic almost robbed her of the opportunity. “My greatest challenge was overcoming an insecure mind. It took a lot of self-encouraging, more than anything else,” admitted Katie. Join us for another awesome Female FoundHer story that's authentic and candid. A big thanks to everyone who helps make this podcast happen! Producer: Rob Upchurch, RobMakesPods Productions Studio: BLANC Cowork + Studio Founding Sponsors: First Financial Bank and M-PAK Our Media Partners: Madeworthy Media & Tanglewood Moms

Diagnosed with dyslexia in third grade, Elyse Dickerson's parents were told not to expect very much from her. This might have been the first time someone underestimated Elyse, but it certainly would not be the last. Elyse discovered confidence through sports, and this ultimately changed the trajectory of her life. After graduating from Notre Dame, Elyse shares insight on being a female in leadership inside of a large pharmaceutical company. She shares her story of being the only woman in the boardroom, advocating for the advancement of her women colleagues to literally receiving a FedEx letter informing her that she was fired. But this wasn't the end of her story…tune in to hear how Elyse rebounds to create a successful biotech company where they create amazing products that empower consumers, and put people before their products. A big thanks to everyone who helps make this podcast happen! Producer: RobMakesPods Productions, LLC Studio: BLANC Cowork + Studio The FoundHers Club Sponsors: First Financial Bank and M-PAK Our Media Partners: Madeworthy Media & Tanglewood Moms

After raising over $60,000 with her Kickstarter campaign, Meghan Forest Farmer, shares the story behind her vision for The Bright Factory, a new garment factory giving previously incarcerated women a second chance and a bright future. Hear about Meghan's experiences working in-house for a luxury fashion company and listen to her candid take on the seedy underbelly within the industry that inspired her new social enterprise. But it's not all business. We talk about Meghan's love for karaoke dance parties, her husband's motorcycle, and how she can't stand cats. Tune in for fun and laid-back convo between two female founders that you'd want to hear hustle into.