When She Founded

  When you fall short of having a strong agenda or lose control of the one you've set, the people you're leading will see you as disorganized, uncertain, insecure, and often defensive, it ain't a good look, y'all. - Somer Hamrick   Today on When She Founded: -We are always, always driving an agenda -The importance of agendas -The three keys to a clear agenda -The lesson from the 2020 Democratic National Convention  -The value of succinct talking points   Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!   Thanks for tuning into today's episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.   Don't forget to visit our website channelclinical.com/, connect with Somer on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/somer-hamrick-a053374/, and share your favorite episodes across social media. If you are a female founder who needs more support please visit and sign up on our Launch to Leads Lab https://launchtoleadslab.com website.

Devora Torrence is a highly experienced Clinical Research Professional who boasts 17 years of experience, most of which is at the site management organizational level. Devora began her clinical research career in 2003 at the CRO, PPD, in Austin, TX as a project manager for their phase 1 clinical trial division. From there, Devora founded Centex Studies in 2006 (acquired by Headlands Research in 2019) and throughout the years, expanded her business model across five sites from the ground up.  During her tenure at Centex Studies, she operated as the Clinical Operations President and CEO within the multisite organization. Most impressively, she was able to change the way that her organization conducted clinical research when they were faced with the pandemic. The sites utilized a 100% electronic source system that housed regulatory, source, recruitment, and finance, and they were always on the lookout for the latest innovation to improve their efficiency. During this time, more than 1000 patients were vaccinated or treated for COVID-19 between her sites. Devora has experience in all phases of Clinical Trials and across many therapeutic areas (COVID-19 Vaccine and Treatment, Type II Diabetes, Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis, Hypogonadism, Asthma, etc.). As the first site network acquired by the private equity, Headlands Research, Devora had the honor of establishing the multisite networks SOPs. She also had the responsibility of forecasting clinical trial revenue to increase the company's EBITDA and managing the organization's operational budget.  Devora's leadership skills, innovation, and dedication have been the keys to her successful career. Centex Studies was founded and started with two people and within 15 years, grew to 100+ people across two states. She has developed a rapport with physicians across North America and gained a referral network that was key to her site's recruitment efforts. Today, Devora is ready for the next step in her career and the opportunity to put her skills and assets to the test. Clinical research is her passion and she is an entrepreneur by trade. Her goal is to be a part of an organization that allows her to make her mark and advance the company.   “Risks are meant to be taken. And there's always tomorrow. So even if you make a mistake, that's a learning thing to do to learn and move on.” -Devora Torrence   Today on When She Founded:   -The significance of a site management organization -The benefits for physician's office to be the site of a clinical study -Which came first, the infrastructure of a corporation or the need for infrastructure -Maneuvering through the dark times  -The importance of expanding your business development network -When people question your quest for high tech solutions -The shift in clinical research post pandemic   Connect with Devora on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/devora-torrence-10a93039/,    Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!   Thanks for tuning into today's episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review. Don't forget to visit our website channelclinical.com/, connect with Somer on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/somer-hamrick-a053374/, and share your favorite episodes across social media. If you are a female founder who needs more support please visit and sign up on our Launch to Leads Lab https://launchtoleadslab.com website.

Today on When She Founded Somer welcomes us back after a brief summer break to share her insights on the benefits of having a sales coach as a female founder.    Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!   Thanks for tuning into today's episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.   Don't forget to visit our website channelclinical.com/, connect with Somer on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/somer-hamrick-a053374/, and share your favorite episodes across social media. If you are a female founder who needs more support please visit and sign up on our Launch to Leads Lab website launchtoleadslab.com.

JJ Ramberg is an award-winning journalist, entrepreneur, best-selling author and investor.   JJ is the co-founder of two companies. Goodpods, a social network for podcast listeners and creators where users can follow groups, friends, and influencers .  She was recently named as part of Inc Magazine's Female Founders 100 list and Goodpods was included in Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies. SearchKibble is a Bing-powered search engine which supports shelter animals with every search. For 12 years, JJ hosted MSNBC's then second longest-running program Your Business which focused on entrepreneurship and what it takes to run a successful venture. JJ is the author of two books, the best-selling  It's Your Business and the children's book The Startup Club.     Today on When She Founded:   Problem solving in the podcast space When to focus on monetization vs. user experience How to plan for growth How important podcasts are during COVID How to get the word out about a company How to succeed in the midst of what feels like failure     Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!   Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.   Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media. If you are a female founder who needs more support please visit and sign up on our Launch to Leads Lab website.

  WSF54 - Ask for More with Alexandra Carter   Alexandra Carter is a Clinical Professor of Law and the Director of the Mediation Clinic at Columbia Law School. In 2019, Professor Carter was awarded the Columbia University Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching, Columbia University’s highest teaching honor.     Professor Carter’s teaching and research interests lie in the field of alternative dispute resolution, primarily in mediation and negotiation. She is a leading trainer on negotiation and mediation for many from the private and public sectors, including the United Nations, where she designed a negotiation workshop as part of the first ever skills-building summit for female diplomats, entitled “Women Negotiating Peace;” U.S. courts and federal agencies; private corporations, such as Comcast NBCUniversal, Time Warner and Viacom; and law firms, including Cravath, Swaine & Moore, Morrison & Foerster and Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman.     Back at home, she serves on the New York State Alternative Dispute Resolution Advisory Committee commissioned by Chief Judge Janet DiFiore; she previously served on the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee for the New York City Bar Association as well as the Mediator Ethics Advisory Committee for the New York State Unified Court System.  She is an admitted mediator for the Southern District of New York.   Prior to joining the Columbia faculty, Professor Carter was associated with Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, where she worked as part of a team defending against a multibillion dollar securities class action lawsuit related to the Enron collapse, served as the senior antitrust associate on several multibillion dollar mergers, and handled cases involving copyright law.  She also worked as an analyst at Goldman Sachs. She is a former U.S. Fulbright Scholar to Taiwan.   Professor Carter received her Juris Doctor degree in 2003 from Columbia Law School, where she earned James Kent and Harlan Fiske Stone academic honors. She also won the Jane Marks Murphy Prize for clinical advocacy and the Lawrence S. Greenbaum Prize for the best oral argument in the 2002 Harlan Fiske Stone Moot Court Competition. After earning her degree, Professor Carter clerked for the Hon. Mark L. Wolf, U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts in Boston.   Professor Carter has been sought as a media commentator in the area of conflict resolution, with appearances on MSNBC Live, Hardball with Chris Matthews, the CBS Early Show and NPR Marketplace. Her first book, Ask for More: Ten Questions to Negotiate Anything, will be published by Simon & Schuster on May 5, 2020 and became an instant Wall Street Journal bestseller -- the first negotiation book solo-authored by a woman to make that list.   Professor Carter is the Executive Director of Stand Up Girls, a New Jersey organization dedicated to the empowerment of girls and women. She lives in Maplewood, New Jersey with her husband, Greg Lembrich and their daughter Caroline.      “The biggest negotiation you will have is within the four walls of your own brain.”  -Alexandra Carter     Today on When She Founded: Asking for what you are worth with clarity and confidence The importance of picking the right problem to solve Realizing that if you are talking to someone you are negotiating What makes you different is your market advantage How to lessen the gap of understanding your value The three things that your ask should contain How to reconcile your imposter syndrome  The importance of audacity The Elenor Beaton Episode The Brandi Bernoskie Episode   Connect with Alexandra on her website alexcarterasks.com and on LinkedIn, Instagram and Clubhouse. Below is a link to her Free 7 Day challenge.  The second link  is for digital course - which will do a second launch at the end of the 7 day challenge (May 11) https://alexcarterasks.com/7days/ https://alexcarterasks.com/courses/     Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review. Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media. If you are a female founder who needs more support please visit and sign up on our Launch to Leads Lab website.

As a formulating, cosmetic chemist in the multicultural beauty space for over a decade, Erica has been the “brains” behind a number of popular products on the market. Erica earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University. She then advanced to Northwestern University as a National Institute of Health Research Fellow where she conducted research in Biochemistry and Molecular and Cell Biology. However, her personal horror stories as a child who experienced hair and skin issues are what motivated her to dedicate her scientific career to developing innovative and quality products in beauty and personal grooming space. Ascending the ranks in a male dominated laboratory to the position of Director of Research & Development before the age of 30 for one of the category’s most successful brands, Organic Root Stimulator, Erica’s long-term impact and positive influence on natural hair and skin care is undeniable.  After becoming frustrated with hearing the perpetual inaccuracies regarding ingredients and product claims, Erica started engaging with consumers as Sister Scientist to debunk myths and set the story straight by educating the masses on the science behind beauty. Using her expertise, experience and outgoing personality, Sister Scientist has become a fun and creative platform for consumers seeking a trusted source for scientific/technical information about their beauty and grooming products. Erica also uses this medium to motivate and encourage young women to pursue careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) related fields by exposing them to the fun side of science.  Over time, Erica started to recognize that building successful brands only relied partially on developing quality products, and wanted to see more women and minority owned companies building long-term wealth in the space. Her desire to understand the full scope of building successful brands in consumer goods was the catalyst for her to return to academia, earning an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, with concentrations in Marketing Management, Business Strategy and Entrepreneurship & Innovation. In 2014, she founded mSEED group – a product development, manufacturing and brand development company focused on providing strategic growth solutions to aspiring entrepreneurs and established businesses in beauty and personal care. As Chief Executive Officer, Erica manages a 7- figure business and is spearheading mSEED’s corporate mission to grow a new generation of successful entrepreneurs, and drive innovation and creativity in the beauty space. Furthermore, proving that Science Never Looked This Good.   Today on When She Founded: The ecosystem that benefits from startups Science influences on young women Making the jump from corporate comfort to startup Understanding the customer pain point personally Dealing with the expense of expanding A larger vision and the smaller building blocks involved Connect with Erica on all the socials with the tag #SisterScientist, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube.   Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review. Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media. If you are a female founder who needs more support please visit and sign up on our Launch to Leads Lab website.

How prepared are you when you show up for a client call? Have you really done your homework and know all of their pain points? Today on When She Founded Somer invites you to attend an upcoming webinar that focuses on this topic. On April 8th, Channel Clinical is hosting this business development webinar to help you hone the work that you need to do well before the client call that will set you apart from the pack.    Today on When She Founded: How to use your internet sleuthing to position yourself when in front of the client How data can give you confidence How to recover from a bumbled pitch How to be respectful of your clients time   To sign up for the webinar, please register here   Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review. Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media. If you are a female founder who needs more support please visit and sign up on our Launch to Leads Lab website.

Jenn Halweil is an electrical engineer turned story engineer on a mission to amplify inspiring stories of individuals breaking ground in science, technology, leadership and beyond, to inspire a new wave of innovation in the process. Jenn is the Founder and Chief Story Engineer of #GoBeyond, a full service production and educational media company dedicated to uncovering stories that challenge what we as humans know to be possible. When she is not documenting VR for the USGA, digital transformation for EXL, or machine learning algorithms for Ferrari, she is focused on championing diversity and inclusion in STEM through a number of initiatives, including documenting Chloe Capital's #InvestInWomen tour to deploy over $1.5M in capital to female led tech startups across the country and this Forbes piece on the developer of the Brooklyn Bridge: Emily Warren Roebling.  Most recently, she directed and executive produced, Financially Naked, which broke 1M+ views online. Financially Naked focuses on financial literacy, following the journeys of six individuals as they work with their trainers to overcome student loan, medical, and credit debt. Her work has been featured in more than 100 publications, and her content has received millions of views, including features in Forbes, Scientific American, The Economist, and most recently a Marvel comic as a real life superhero.   "And so I think if we're going to shift viewing and trusting women as authority figures and society at large, this (STEM) is the place to start to really crack that ceiling enough that we can go on to the next level” - Jenn Halweil   Today on When She Founded: The mission and background of Jenn’s company, #GoBeyond The services that #GoBeyond provides Her childhood influences on her STEM future How to increase STEM literacy on the masses On how to NOT wait for permission to go do a thing or make a thing The three pillars of her advocacy through her company’s mission Jenn’s dreams for the future  Connect with Jenn and #GoBeyond - You can also connect with Jenn on LinkedIn or Twitter   For information on Somer’s April Webinar you can connect with Somer through When She Founded LinkedIn, Chanel Clinical LinkedIn, or Somer’s own LinkedIn   Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review. Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media. If you are a female founder who needs more support please visit and sign up on our Launch to Leads Lab website.

Somer is fired up today and she wants to share it. Inspired by interviews of Lin-Manuel Miranda sharing his creative process Somer shares why now more than ever is the time to get in the game. If you have been waiting for a sign, this is it. Somer shares some trends that she is seeing in the industry and some that were talked about at the SCOPE Summit that she attended recently. She also tells us why it is important to be following her on LinkedIn especially on Wednesdays. This mini episode is packed with vital information that you need to hear.   “New markets are opening up, gaps in service solutions are happening, and new technology platforms are in demand.” - Somer Hamrick   Today on When She Founded: What it means to be a disciplined creative Trends in the clinical trial industry How creativity works with entrepreneurship  Why the timing of so many women leaving the workforce significant What the trends mean for those doing pharma research and development How the industry is shifting The opportunities that are available right now Time is of the essence    Connect with Somer on LinkedIN    Schedule a thirty minute consultation with Somer with this scheduler link   Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!   Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.   Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media. If you are a female founder who needs more support please visit and sign up on our Launch to Leads Lab website.

When you are working on your website development, are you looking at the intersection of your business strategy and user experience while leaving room for creativity? Today’s founder, Brandi Bernoskie, is a digital strategist, website developer, and founder of Alchemy+Aim and North Star Sites, companies that help entrepreneurs and business owners elevate their online presence, enhance their digital experience, and embrace their authentic online selves -- what she calls their fifth dimensionality,    or the extension of their selves into the digital world. She is an advocate for using technology in ways that humanize, connect and serve people as well as for asking deeper philosophical questions and teaching others to think more broadly about impact when they create, particularly in STEAM fields. Brandi’s academic background in theatre, philosophy and physics was the perfect foundation for launching her business, where her team has worked with thought leaders like Brené Brown, Laverne Cox, Judy Smith, Kate Northrup, and Alexandra Carter as well as other notable change makers since 2013. Brandi is a natural connector and business matchmaker, who is always working to help others step into their genius work and leverage the expertise of those around them to achieve new levels of success and community along the way.   Quote: “When a lot of people start out, their natural tendency is to have a little bit of that imposter syndrome no matter what degrees or experience they've had. And they want to firehose people with all the information that they have in their brains, and that is not actually digestible by your audience.” - Brandi Bernoskie   Today on When She Founded: The importance of creativity and curiosity in science When to know that you can go it alone How to focus on sales and business growth from your audience’s perspective How important is online presence and how to put your best foot forward The importance of knowing your voice and your target client How story plays a critical role on your website and social media How to scale out and scale up   Connect with Brandi through the contact us form on her website Alchemy & Aim or Instagram   Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a raDng and review. Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media. Also, if you are a female founder and want more support in business development please visit us on our Launch to Leads Lab website.

Margaret Atwood commented that her book, Who Cooked Adam Smith’s Dinner? a "Smart, funny, readable book on economics, money and women". It was named one of The Guardian's Books of the year in 2015 and Somer completely agrees. This one hooked Somer quickly and engaged her on so many levels. In this discussion with Katrine and Somer they discuss the book and the the many economic layers that go into our daily life even the simple task of making dinner and who is making that dinner. Katrine’s second book "Mother of Invention: How Good Ideas Get Ignored in An Economy Built For Men" became an instant bestseller in Sweden in 2020. It will be published in the UK, US, Canada, South Korea and Italy in 2021. Katrine works for Dagens Nyheter, the largest broadsheet newspaper in Sweden. As a financial journalist she has interviewed many of the world’s most influential economic thinkers like Nouriel Roubini and Nassim Taleb. Some of her broadcast interviews have been viewed more than a million times by international audiences on YouTube. She is also an international keynote speaker on the economic impact of women: with particular focus on how inclusion of women is the missing key to innovation for modern business.      “I mean, the reason why women earn less than men, is has primarily to do with the fact that women do more of this unpaid care work, whether that's, you know, in its unpaid form, or the fact that women tend to specialized in, in the care sector in many economies, which is paid less than many other comparable jobs, because care used to be something that women were just expected to do for free.” - Katrine Marçal   Today on When She Founded:   What drew her to the subject of Economics Why should we care about economics How jobs will shift with the advance of AI and machine learning especially for women What will the impact be on society with the mass exodus of women from the work force What is problematic with talking about trends regarding jobs and economy What policy makers need to be paying attention to The extra burden for black women thing to enter the work force Why the role of innovator is the most troublesome for women   Connect with Katrine on Twitter or LinkedIn. Here is the  link for Katrine's book is called Mother of Invention.    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mother-Invention-Ideas-Ignored-Economy/dp/0008430772/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=mother+of+invention+marcal&qid=1613628415&sr=8-1   She also has a newsletter called Wealth of Women, it’s a weekly feminist take on economics and business that you might be interested in. Click here to subscribe.   https://wealthofwomen.substack.com/       Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!   Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review. Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media. And don’t forget to go sign up for more support at Launch to Leads Lab

Dr. Kim Chilman-Blair’s career began with a Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacology, followed by a Postgraduate Diploma in Pharmacology and Psychological Medicine. Throughout her undergraduate studies, Dr. Chilman-Blair trained and worked as a freelance academic medical writer and editor, writing both for medical journals, and as an international medical journalist. She then undertook a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery degree at Otago Medical School to become a clinical doctor.  During her years as a junior doctor, Dr. Chilman-Blair also studied a Masters in Entrepreneurship through the Otago Business School.  After two years as a house surgeon, Dr. Chilman-Blair left her clinical job to create Medikidz—an initiative dedicated to explaining complex medical information to children through comic books.  After seven years as Founder and CEO of Medikidz, Dr. Chilman-Blair left to start up a new initiative to explain medical information to all patients regardless of age, condition, gender or ethnicity—Medicine X: (ie Medicine Xplained by doctors, for patients)—of which she is currently the Founder and President.  Dr. Chilman-Blair brought together the world’s best storytellers, world renowned artists and skilled doctors to create digital stories explaining complicated medical conditions in an animated and understandable format. All medicine ‘xplained’ stories are based on real patients, who describe their journey with a complicated condition—the normal anatomy and physiology, pathophysiology, symptoms, investigations, treatments and how to become involved in clinical trials.  In addition to the digital stories, Dr. Chilman-Blair created Facebook support groups for patients to ask Medicine X in house doctors medical questions about their specific medical affliction.    Dr. Chilman-Blair joins me today to discuss her background and how her daily efforts to help patients understand their diagnosis led her to creating Medicine X. She shares with us the metamorphosis from Medikids to Medicine X. She explains how she structures her trials and how she is scaling the company to different diagnoses and different regions.    “Now more than ever, patients are needing to be able to access information they can understand from in a digital way and not have to leave the house if they don't have to. So I think that we have been lucky enough to be able to keep continue to serve people in this way. So this year, it's it's tricky because it's hard for anybody to really be able to plan for anything. We know that life will probably not go back to anywhere normal as we know, until at least September, in terms of just you know, travel and things. So we're really just focusing on innovation and growing, what we can provide to patients.”  - Dr. Chilman-Blair   Today on When She Founded: How comic books play a role in her company’s story Her move from patient care to the business side  The approach to funding The evolution of her business model How the pandemic has impacted her business How serving the community translates into revenue   Connect with Dr. Chilman-Blair on LinkedIn or the website of Medicine X The link for the interview with vaccine legend Moncef Slaoui about the upcoming COVID vaccine/s at the White House. To view Interview. Click here Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review. Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media. Are you are female founder that would like some support with business development, visit us at Launch to Leads Lab?

Dr. Karen Wilson is a Clinical Neuropsychologist, the owner of West LA Neuropsychology, PC, and the founder of ChildNEXUS.com.  She specializes in the assessment of neurodevelopmental disorders in children and adolescents, and she has extensive experience evaluating children, adolescents and young adults who present with learning, processing or social-emotional challenges.  As a clinician, her goal is to use her in-depth understanding of brain-behavior relationships to help identify the causes of difficulties individuals are experiencing, and she utilizes comprehensive and evidence-based approaches to determine one’s unique neurocognitive profile, which includes the identification of strengths and weaknesses, in order to help her develop a treatment plan tailored to each child, adolescent or young adult.   She is the former Graduate Coordinator and Chair of the Department of Psychology at California State University, Dominguez Hills (retired), and she currently supervises interns and pre-doctoral neuropsychology trainees at UCLA. She is frequently invited to speak about brain development, assessment, learning differences, and social-emotional issues in children and adolescents.  She has given a number of presentations at national conferences, and she has published articles in national journals.  Dr. Wilson joins me today to discuss her background  as a pediatric neuropsychologist. She also tells us about her founders story and the her company, ChildNEXUS. Dr. Wilson’s passion for this arena and the children that are impacted is apparent in our discussion. She shares why she left academia to create this central location of information and resources for parents of children dealing with social-emotional challenges.  “It's also one of the reasons why I wanted to start child Nexus because what I was finding is that there was a disconnect between the science and all of this great information that was coming out about the neurobiology of dyslexia and ADHD, and what's happening in the brain and what we can do, what changes can be, can be can occur when you have specific interventions that target the neuroplasticity of the brain” - Dr. Karen Wilson   Today on When She Founded: What type of challenges are being observed by parents now that kids are quarentined Making the leap from academia to a tech entrepreneur  A membership based platform for practitioners Knowing when to go after funding Dealing with two sided marketing Her podcast - Diverse Thinking Different Learning Some of the growth challenges while fundraising Moving into a front facing CEO and sales from a research position Changing the language in the social-emotional ecosystem Neurodevelopmental disorders and their distinction  What the platform looks like for parents vs. practitioners   To connect with Dr. Wilson at ChildNEXUS  and Instagram or with Dr. Wilson on LinkedIn   Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review. Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.

  Evie Smith - Evie is the founder of Rebellious PR & Consulting. After almost a decade working for traditional PR agencies, Evie was pretty sure she hated PR and was done making rich white CIS men, richer. After some soul searching she decided to give this whole PR thing one more shot, but on her terms. Rebellious was founded with the principles that the client-agency relationship would be a true partnership, the work would be thoughtful, the standards would be high and the overall approach to PR would be BS-free. Rachel Johnston - Rachel loves to tell remarkable stories. Her work experience has spanned a number of industries, with the common thread of storytelling through marketing, communication, production, and efficient operations. She owes her industry flexibility to a love of people, ideas, experiences, and a willingness to change lanes and learn often.  Early in her career, she was deep in the first big waves of social media lifestyle integration, producing social media content and user experiences at live events — well before content was king, when it was barely courting the social channels of the internet. From there, she went on to manage event partnerships for live events broadcasts on ESPN2, ESPN3and Twitch, and has transformed the companies she’s worked at as a Director of Marketing & Communications with direct measurable growth.  Evie and Rachel join me today to share the necessity for PR firms like Rebellious and the “accidental” beginning of the company.They share the relationship between messaging and communicating to the public. Evie and Rachel discuss their clients vast industries for example, sexual health and wellness, femme tech, cannabis, tech, food and apparel. They share a case study on how to handle what appears to be a PR nightmare into a gold brick. “If you think you can do it better, you probably can and you should” - Evie Smith Today on When She Founded: How Rebellious discovered their niche clients The difference between public relations and marketing What PR can do that your marketing can’t What point should a company bring in PR representatives The conditions for a good working relationship with a PR firm The future of PR and the industries that are trending   Connect with Evie and Rachael on Instagram and Rebellious on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review. Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.

Hillary Lin, MD is the CEO and Founder of Curio, a creativity-driven mental health ecosystem backed by science and rooted in community. Hillary is a board-certified physician trained at Stanford, where she obtained her BS, MD, internal medicine residency, and a GSB certificate in entrepreneurship. She has published and presented on peer-reviewed research on medical education, oncology, and neuroscience. She founded Curio as a creative, experiential training ecosystem to address the emotional skills gap left in our formal education which leads to burnout, depression, and other such obstacles for fulfilled living.  Hillary joins me today to discuss her background and game design and how that coupled with her extensive education at Stanford to become a doctor helped to found her new company, Curio. She shares with us her passion for oncology and making a big impact on how people receive care. We find out she has major love of escape rooms and puzzle solving. Hillary tells us how she became comfortable with sales and how she has tackled marketing and engaged with her customers thus far.    “If you take a risk then yes, very likely you may fail but at the very least you will know that you tried to do all you could to reach a certain dream. If you don’t take the risk then you actually face an even more sure outcome of failure because you didn’t even attempt to reach your dream.” - Hillary Lim   Today on When She Founded: We learn If her company set out to solve a problem or it evolved to what it is today A discussion on risk taking and how to get comfortable with it The connection between an immersive environment and the success of group therapy  Learning from improv on how to accept what people are telling you and adding to it instead of challenging them. We learn about the Curio experience and who the target client is She shares with us the monetization, insurance component and similar corporations   Connect with Hillary: Solve It Game: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/solve-it-a-visual-novel/id1461894305 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.solve.it.visual.novel.death.of.a.ceo.text.adventure&hl=en_US&gl=US   Curio: https://www.joincurio.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/joincurio https://www.instagram.com/joincurio/   Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review. Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.

On this B Side today Somer celebrates Female Entrepreneur Day with a discussion on women who break the rules and make more money. She challenges the norms and what female founders can do to “break the rules” to challenge those norms. Somer questions what will be the outcome of the loss of women in the workplace due to the pandemic. Somer shares advice on how to improve sales by breaking rules and how to advocate for others to break rules. She also discusses how female entrepreneurs can be supported by the Launch to Leads Lab and Channel Clinical Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!   Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review. Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on Instagram and  LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.

Dr. Isfahan Chambers-Harris earned her B.S. in Biology from the City University of New York- Medgar Evers College and Ph.D. in Bio-Medical Sciences from  Morehouse School of Medicine, Cardiovascular Research Institute. She officially began her medical career as a postdoctoral fellow at Vanderbilt School of Medicine. She conducted genetic research on an autoimmune disease, Sarcoidosis and Lupus. While at Vanderbilt, Dr. Isfahan also earned her Master’s in Public Health, which allowed her to focus on diseases that affect disadvantage populations. After earning her Masters, she went on to become a Presidential STEM Fellow at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda Maryland.    Alodia Hair Care was birthed out of Dr. Isfahan’s’ personal experiences with unnatural, toxic hair care products. Facing excessive hair damage, she turned to her expertise in biology and chemistry. Over a 3-year period filled with countless research and experimentation, she developed transformative products made with organic and natural ingredients.    In 2017, Dr. Isfahan officially launched Alodia.  Alodia  is a science  based organic hair care product company that's focused on personalizing product choices based on scalp health, unique hair type  and styling preferences. Alodia provides customizable kits, virtual consultations (with hair trichologists including our founder Dr. Isfahan) and use A.I technology to curate your product choices taking the guesswork out of having a healthy  hair and scalp.   All 3 areas connect to Alodia Hair Care’s mission to help women Learn Love and Grow their hair.   Dr. Isfahan resides in the DC metropolitan area with her husband, Dr. Rashad Dupree-Harris, MD and their beautiful 7-year old twin boys and 11month old son.     Dr. Chambers-Harris joins me today to discuss her background research at the National Institute for Health and how that helped to position her to use those same set of skills in understanding her customer base better. She discusses how she bootstrapped the company and how she manages supply lines and products. We discuss how important hair care is to people with textured hair and how some beauty regimens are handed down through the generations. Listen to this episode and be inspired by this extraordinary woman.   “Being a scientist, my skill set was transferrable because I was able to utilize and lean in on the skill sets as a researcher and apply it to creating an understanding to my consumer market:”      - Dr. Isfahan Chambers-Harris             Today on When She Founded:   Dr. Chambers-Harris beginnings and what brought her to create her scalp oil We learn about her time at the National Institute for Health She shares with us how she balanced her time at the NIH, a new company and motherhood Dr Chambers-Harris enlightens the audience about the stress she used to feel about “taming” her hair and the damaging results to her hair and her being Her early test subjects and how she utilized her early customers to get an unbiased customer representation feedback ( FIX) How her skill set of being a scientist and researcher helped her to understand the consumer She shares with us the challenges of getting the message of her product out and standing apart from the rest of the hair products available Her decision and strategy of being B to C or B to B The challenges of scaling, staffing, and COVID-19     Connect with Dr. Isfahan Chamber-Harris on her website: www.alodiahaircare.com Email her at: info@alodiahaircare.com To find Alodia on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube search for Alodia Hair Care   Coupon Code: shefounded20 for all of you When She Founded Listeners       Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!   Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.   Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.

Maxim Cramer is the technical coach and consultant who helps women entrepreneurs create world-class software. With her ability to erase the gap between the technology and business, she’s worked on apps that have seen a million downloads on the first day and been featured in Apple retail stores around the globe.  Maxim has worked as a technical consultant, UX designer and software engineer. She was integral to the team that developed Swiftkey, a keyboard app that saw over a million downloads on its first day and whose success was profiled in the New York Times (Microsoft has since acquired the app). She has also been a developer for fine arts collection app Artsy, and a technical consultant for IT firm Hewlett-Packard. Today she works as a principal design technologist at Autodesk on a software product revolutionizing the film and gaming industry. Maxim has also been invited to speak at multiple conferences, including events for Google and Facebook in places from London to Japan.  As founder of MENNENIA, Maxim empowers female founders to leverage technology and make their biggest impact yet. Repeatedly called out for her ability to turn technology into everyday English, flattening communications barriers between technical teams and visionaries, she’s taken on the audacious goal of securing a digital future for women by doubling the number of female founded tech businesses worldwide.  Maxim joins me today to discuss the pivotal moment in the industry that things changed for Maxim as well as in the industry. She talks about her start developing for the iPhone in 2009. Her desire for diversity in the type of products and services that were offered and wanted the developers behind them to represent the users. She tells us about her podcast, Cutting Through Tech, and all of the great tech tips that are available on it. We learn about how she helps evaluate the feasibility, desirability and the viability of a product idea. And which one is the most important and often overlooked. Listen and learn as Maxim makes tech strategies easier for beginning entrepreneurs. “Because it's your business. And it's such a big part of what you're trying to do, you can't leave that in its entirety in the hands of others, you have to steer the ship.” - Maxim Cramer Today on When She Founded: How getting a computer at the age of five helped Maxim spark her fascination and curiosity of technology and how it worked How female founders can think through and develop their tech solutions Why Mockups are so valuable to pitching your ideas to others The different types of pricing models and how to decide which option to pursue What one thing a business owner should consider when factoring customer acquisition costs and customer lifetime value  Trends in tech especially in augmented reality Good strategies for B2B and B2C business models The number one pitfall when beginning their business, the one thing NOT to outsource completely   If you would like to connect with Maxim: She is on Instagram @Mennenia and her website is: mennenia.com Maxim’s podcast is called Cutting Through Tech   In the introduction here is the link to the Forbes article that Somer referenced: https://www.forbes.com/sites/allysonkapin/2020/01/15/why-women-make-better-venture-capitalists/#7bebc9254faf   Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review. Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.

Brooke started her career in nonprofit management and then discovered a love of all things technology (she was fixing everyones computer issues and suggesting ways to upgrade their systems) and decided to get a Masters in Computer Information Systems from Boston University. She went on to work at Postmates in Operations until she left 5 years ago when she realized the lack of flexibility it provided for her as a new mother.  Brooke went on to do freelance Web Development and IT Project Management before helping to co-found a co-working space for moms in Tacoma, WA, The Pod Works.  There she saw that moms had created their own little economy buying and selling each other's goods and services.  In an effort to get moms paid more and on a bigger scale, Brooke took her tech skills and love for supporting mom-owned businesses and merged them into one idea, Allobee. Allobee is an agile, all encompassing business team solution. Brooke has a Bachelors in History & Education from Appalachian State University and a Masters of Computer Information Systems from Boston University.  She lives in Durham, NC with her two kids, Lily & Lukas, her husband and their two rescue dogs.   Brooke joins me today to discuss how her beginnings in tech coupled with her families example of service has brought her to today. Brooke pairs mostly small business owners with vetted professional women to support their business needs like development, digital marketing, consulting and support. Brooke talked about how she gave her first pitch in front of a large audience with many people from the press present. She inspires us by sharing how you need to trust your instincts on decision making like when to take on capital and when to adjust your company strategies.    “That is the thing, if you always go back to that movement and mission…that is one thing that female founders are so great at. We are very mission driven and very much focused on that and I think that helps to build a better company over time.” - Brooke Markevicius   Today on When She Founded we discussed what caused her to leave the corporate world and move to freelancing from home. She shares with us what it was like to pitch her idea in front of a room full of men about a business involving mothers as the workforce and largely clients  Brooke speaks to the product marketplace environment and how to fit into it Some of the challenges involved with a young business and she shares how keeping the balance of supply and demand is similar to labor contractions We learn the meaning behind the name of her company, Allobee, and how it represents her vision and the look of the company today. Brooke shares how she stays scrappy, innovative and where she derives her inspiration Some ways to be successful and how to push through some of your obstacles   Connect with Brooke Markevicius, Founder and CEO of Allobee Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hireallobee LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hireallobee/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hireallobee/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/hireAllobee Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review. Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.

How are you coping with the challenges today of entrepreneurship, parenting, educating your children, dealing with the two pandemics of COVID-19 and the heightened racial inequality and injustice? Parenting a toddler is hard y’all, especially when you can’t count on them sleeping when they should. Today I felt that we all needed a reminder and a respite from the grind.   In today’s episode I share with you some advice from some wise women about what we are all facing these days. I also share with you some small victories and why we need to celebrate them. I talked about that we are not alone and many women are also feeling these same pains and the toll it is taking on all of us is unique, yet we are all feeling it.        “Surge capacity is a collection of adaptive systems — mental and physical — that humans draw on for short-term survival in acutely stressful situations, such as natural disasters. But natural disasters occur over a short period, even if recovery is long. Pandemics are different — the disaster itself stretches out indefinitely” - Ann Masten       Today on When She Founded:   I am going off script and reminding us all of some things that we can all do to weather this storm I remind you that it is the last week to sign up for the launch to leads lab I share my experiences as the tiger handler of a three-year-old Some of the various ways that my business has been effected recently What surge capacity is and it’s effects on all of us during this stressful time Some advice for dealing with this ambiguous loss that we all have been experiencing Share some small victories of late The one question you should wake up every day and ask yourself   Resources mentioned:   Insight Timer with Sarah Blondin   Launch to lead website: https://launchtoleadslab.com   Somer’s Instagram handle: Somer_hamrick   Somer’s Mentor Elanor Beaton    Your surge capacity is depleted- it’s why you feel awful by Tara Haell from Medium.com  https://elemental.medium.com/your-surge-capacity-is-depleted-it-s-why-you-feel-awful-de285d542f4c Sandra Shpilberg’s article: New Startup Mindset: Ten Mindset Shifts to Build the Company of Your Dreams       Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!   Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.   Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.

Dr. Selin Kurnaz, CEO and cofounder of Massive Bio. After emigrating from Turkey and completing a PhD at the University of Michigan, receiving multiple engineering degrees, Selin spent more than a decade specializing in delivering revenue enhancement, margin optimization and capital efficiency improvements for Healthcare and Life Science companies. Selin has written and spoken extensively about life sciences in tech and how to deliver information in creative ways. Massive Bio is an alumni of eLab and Philips Healthworks Precision Cancer Care start-up acceleration programs.   Selin joins me today to share with me her mission. It is a big one to connect cancer patients with the treatment they need through her company Massive Bio. It is an AI-driven platform connecting cancer patients and their community oncologists to bio-pharmaceutical clinical trials yielding profound improvement in access and match rates leading to faster drug development timelines and creating novel oncology data ecosystem for improved protocol design and real-world insights. Massive Bio controls patient enrollment value chain starting direct and indirect patient acquisition/identification, following with AI based pre-screening (outside the site) and resolving last mile issues such as JIT site activation, patient referrals and resolution of insurance related matters.   “As long as you have the right team that believes in you as long as you have the customers that you can deliver to everything else is just a story….and don’t listen” - Selin Kurnaz     Today on When She Founded:   We learn about Selin’s company Massive Bio and how they help cancer patients Selin shares her background growing up in Turkey and her studies in engineering in the US How her talents in analysis shaped her career How a family member’s cancer changed the trajectory of her career The challenges of starting a new company and how to maneuver around them How she did her due diligence prior to leaving her career to pursue Massive Bio How the model for her company changed and evolved from the beginning She explains more about the Virtual Tumor Board and how it was scaled up She shares the importance of learning and adapting your product and model for the business Selin tells the story of the name of her company - Massive Bio We learn about Massive Bio’s stakeholders and their personal attachment to cancer She explains the capital investments in her business and her philosophy about when to accept that capital COVID-19 has impacted Selin’s company and the patient’s mobility and the forward looking of the FDA The adversity that Selin has faced and how she overcame it with passion and perseverance     Connect with Selin Kurnaz:  https://massivebio.com       Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!   Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.   Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.

    The pandemic has severely impacted our lives and sources of income. It has paused many entrepreneur’s dreams of establishing their presence in their respective industries. But just because your business is taking a beating or is on hold doesn’t mean you can’t get anything out of this year. We’re living in different times now, and we have more opportunities to find success - even in the deep economic recession we’re experiencing today. Now is the best time to get your name out there and build your presence in the industry.   Today, I share my thoughts on the current state of the pandemic and what my company has done to ride the waves of this recession. I discuss what we can look forward to once the pandemic is over and how I expect the market to shift. I describe some of the reasons why your sales and marketing are doing poorly and the services I offer to boost them. I explain why it’s not just the big fish that will come out successful in 2020 and why now is the best time to up your marketing game. I also share what brings me comfort in a time of great uncertainty.       “If you're not messaging your solution to the right people and the right way, you'll never move leads from the funnel to your pipeline. Full stop.”       Today on When She Founded:   Why the month of September is one of my favorites. What brings me comfort in these unprecedented times. What we can look forward to after the pandemic is over. How the new world will look for entrepreneurs. What my company did to adjust to the immediate effects of the pandemic. My advice for vendors and service providers. Why now is the time to ramp up your sales and marketing. Why the big companies aren't the only businesses that will survive this pandemic. How we can help your company find your market and close more deals.     Resources Mentioned:   Launch to Leads Lab         Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!   Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.   Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.    

    Julia Olayanju is an entrepreneur, scientist, and the Founder of Food Niche Inc., a company that facilitates collaboration between scientists, innovators, investors, and executive decision-makers through nationally recognized conferences. She is a thought leader that advocates for nutritional education and a healthy food supply. Julia is also the Founder and Executive Director at the Global Food and Health Institute, leading a team that leverages technology and scientific expertise to promote healthy food systems. Her work has appeared on Forbes, Thrive Global, Business Insider, and USA Today. She has a Doctorate degree from Rutgers University and lives in New Jersey with her husband and two boys.   Julia joins me today to discuss the key ingredients of good health through nourishing meals. She shares her journey from lab researcher to female entrepreneurs bringing food innovations and education to the younger generation. We discuss the eating patterns of adults and children in America and share how food compounds can affect our long-term health as well as help prevent chronic illnesses. Julia shares how the Global Food and Health Institute and YScooks inspire children to learn about nutrition through technology. We also discuss why we need to make nourishing meals available to all, regardless of where they live and their financial constraints.       “What we hope to do is create a generation of ambassadors - not only to take care of themselves by eating and nourishing their bodies, but also to help others see this is really important.” - Julia Olayanju       Today on When She Founded:   Julia's first motivations for looking at food and health How food compounds interact with cells on a molecular level and their effects on our health Julia's research into delaying and preventing illnesses such as cancer How Julia made the jump from working in the lab and research industry to building a business The high figures of adults with poor eating patterns and children with obesity in America How the Global Food and Health Institute is bringing nutritional education to schools How YScooks' program of food history, science, nutritional basics, gut health nutrition, and food safety is presented to children through e-learning, videos, and gamification Food innovations of the 21st century Why we need to make nourishing meals more affordable and accessible to everyone     Connect with Julia Olayanju:   Food Niche Inc Global Food and Health Institute Global Food and Health on LinkedIn Global Food and Health on Twitter YScooks YScooks on Facebook YScooks on Twitter         Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!   Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.   Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.    

  Jill Angelo is the CEO and Founder of Gennev, a company on a mission to give women more control over their health, especially for those in their second half of life. Gennev prides itself as the first-ever online clinic for women in menopause that also provides telemedicine access to OBGYNs, Primary Care Practitioners, and Registered Dietitians. Before starting Gennev, Jill spent 20 years in the tech industry, of which 15 of those years she spent working at Microsoft in executive roles such as Chief of Staff to the CMO, Director of Global Media, and Product Management for Emerging Markets. Jill is also a regular speaker on topics related to femtech, women’s health, and entrepreneurship and sits on the Board of Directors for Special Olympics of Washington.   Today, Jill joins me to share her passion for helping women and the services Gennev offers. She describes why menopause is a taboo topic and how she wants to change society’s perception of it. She explains why the second half of a woman’s life isn’t all bad and discusses some of the challenges she overcame when she became an entrepreneur. Jill also shares advice for female founders in any industry and why there’s a great need for a service that specifically caters to menopausal women.       "Our mission is to empower women to take control of their health in the second half of life, starting with menopause." - Jill Angelo       Today on When She Founded: How Gennev helps women in their menopause stage. The need for a service that specifically caters to menopausal women. Why being in menopause isn't completely negative. Jill's background and what led her to start Gennev. The effort they put into building Gennev and what it was like during the first few months. The biggest challenge Jill encountered when she was just starting out. When they started growing as a company, who they hired, and where they are now. Why telehealth is a difficult endeavor to take on. How their clients are finding their company. Why menopause is considered a taboo subject. How their pricing model is structured.   Connect with Jill Angelo:   Gennev LinkedIn Twitter Instagram         Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!   Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.   Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.                            

  Meg Casano, BSN, MA, is the president of Medi Teddy, Inc., a non-profit organization that creates specialized teddy bears to accompany children in the hospitals as they undergo infusions. Meg is also the co-founder of Baby Sleep Science, a sleep consultancy that works with children up to age five, as well as the co-author of the book Overcoming the Four Month Regression. Ella Casano is Meg’s daughter and the inventor behind Medi Teddy, Inc. Ella lives with a platelet disorder called Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia Purpura (ITP) and spends much of her time in treatment at an outpatient clinic. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, singing, and fishing.   Today, Meg and Ella join me to discuss the concept of Medi Teddy and the inspiration behind the product. They share how they have evolved their brand while fulfilling their original mission and the most significant challenges they have faced along the way. Meg and Ella also highlight the new product soon to be released from Medi Teddy and share their advice for young women like Ella with entrepreneurial ideas that they want to explore.       “It’s really taught me to expand on my ideas because if I do, I can really use them to help a lot of other kids.” - Ella Casano       Today on When She Founded: What Medi Teddy is and what led Ella to come up with this concept Ella’s early prototype for Medi Teddy and how the product has evolved over time The support and inspiration Ella along her entrepreneurial journey Meg’s perspective as a parent as Ella’s passion for building the brand began to grow Why Ella and Meg decided to launch Medi Teddy as a non-profit organization initially and how the brand structure has evolved over time Medi Teddy’s sales strategy and price point and the role of fundraising The age demographics of Medi Teddy’s customers How Medi Teddy helps children emotionally when they are in the hospital What Ella has learned through her journey and what she envisions for her future career What’s next for Medi Teddy in terms of expansion, future goals, and new products   Connect with Meg and Ella Casano:   Medi Teddy Medi Teddy on Facebook Medi Teddy on Instagram Meg Casano on LinkedIn         Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!   Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.   Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.                            

  Deepa Dahal and Karen Dindial are established biopharmaceutical industry consultants and the co-founders of DKI Health. DKI Health is a healthcare consultancy that offers a range of services, specializing in commercial strategy, policy, healthcare advocacy, and market access. In addition to founding DKI Health, Deepa’s fifteen-year career has included working at Quintiles, IMS Health (IQVIA), and Campbell Alliance (Inventiv). Karen’s work in the healthcare space spans two decades, and also includes time serving at Quintiles, along with Medidata and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.   Today, Deepa and Karen join me to discuss DKI Health and their shared vision and passion for their consulting work. They share their co-founder relationship and how they use their complementary skill sets to work together effectively and deliver on their brand’s core competencies. Deepa and Karen also highlight the value of relationship building, the importance of patient voices, and their experience as minority women in their industry.       “They don’t hire a company. They hire the people that come with it.” - Deepa Dahal       Today on When She Founded: How Deepa and Karen met and what led them to launch DKI Health The market needs DKI Health addresses and some therapeutic areas the consultancy focuses on The gap that Deepa and Karen saw in terms of women’s leadership in the industry The value that Deepa and Karen have found in having a co-founder The power of relationships and reputation in building a successful brand in a crowded market How DKI Health differentiates itself through patient-centricity and why this matters The different types of stakeholders that DKI Health works with and the types of projects Deepa and Karen enjoy working on The importance of being transparent and honest about what you can and cannot offer as a brand Their early advocates as they launched their consultancy DKI Health’s plans for scaling and expanding the business and insights into DKI Health’s hiring strategy     Connect with Deepa Dahal and Karen Dindial: DKI Health Deepa Dahal on LinkedIn Karen Dindial on LinkedIn DKI Health on LinkedIn DKI Health on Twitter White Paper: Serving Patients, Improving Healthcare: The Growing Role of Patient Advocates         Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!   Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.   Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.                        

  Cleidi Hearn is the founder and CEO of Sunny Numbers, a company dedicated to creating applications for students to conquer their math-related anxiety in a fun, gamified way. The organization aims to make mathematics more accessible and donates a portion of its profits to charities that teach math skills to underprivileged individuals. In addition to founding Sunny Numbers, Cleidi is a part of the Student Inc. accelerator program at University College Cork, Ireland, where she recently completed her final year in Applied Psychology. She is also a global ambassador with WomenTech Network, an organization that aims to increase gender diversity in the technology sector.   Today, Cleidi joins me to discuss the struggles and fears many people face when it comes to learning mathematics and the solution that Sunny Numbers offers through gamified apps. Cleidi shares her goals with Sunny Numbers as well her revenue model, target audience and launch strategy. Cleidi also discusses why she believes mathematics is a highly valuable life skill and what keeps her up at night as an entrepreneur.       “As an entrepreneur, you have to have that passion to do something that you know is going to add value to your customer.” - Cleidi Hearn       Today on When She Founded: What a gamified app is and how it helps enhance the learning experience The percentage of students who struggle with statistics anxiety Fears many people face when it comes to mathematics and learning in general How being in an incubator program has benefitted Cleidi’s work with Sunny Numbers Cleidi’s career journey before becoming an entrepreneur and her desire to help people Cleidi’s launch plan and revenue model for Sunny Numbers When the first Sunny Numbers prototype will be available and Cleidi’s target market Why Cleidi wants to donate a portion of the app’s profits to math education charities Which social media channels Cleidi will utilize to market the Sunny Numbers apps The challenges of being a sole founder and whether Cleidi plans to consider strategic partnerships The importance of passion and solving a problem that you truly believe in The mathematical origin of the name Sunny Numbers   Connect with Cleidi Hearn: Sunny Numbers on Twitter Sunny Numbers on YouTube Cleidi Hearn on LinkedIn         Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!   Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.   Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.                      

  Mary Ellen Beliveau is the founder and CEO of Knowledge to Practice (K2P), an education technology organization specializing in providing educational development to medical providers so they can combat skills gaps, provide high-quality care, and perform at “top-of-license.” Prior to founding K2P, Mary Ellen served as SVP and Chief Learning Officer at the American College of Cardiology, as well as a variety of leadership roles at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland. Before entering the medical space, Mary Ellen was an executive at firms including Arnold Worldwide and Hill Holiday.   Today, Mary Ellen joins me to discuss her firm, Knowledge to Practice (K2P), and the personal reason she decided to engage in this type of work. She shares some of the reasons medical professionals have a difficult time recognizing and addressing their blind spots and how her firm helps physicians identify gaps and stay up-to-date on best practices. Mary Ellen also highlights the importance of continuity of care and knowledge, and the importance of gaining provider trust.       “Individuals going out and seeking out their own solutions drives discontinuity of care, which is one of the things that drives costs in healthcare.” - Mary Ellen Beliveau       Today on When She Founded: Mary Ellen’s early career and what compelled her to pivot into the healthcare education space What gets in the way of physicians’ ability to continue learning Problems Mary Ellen saw with the existing continuing medical education model Why Mary Ellen decided to start her own company Why professional development needs to be more than just a box to check off What differentiates K2P from other firms in the industry The three business models within K2P and some of the challenges faced with these models How K2P’s business strategy has evolved over time How K2P has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and what COVID-19 has taught the world How continuous professional development relates to continuity of care     Resources Mentioned: MindShare     Connect with Mary Ellen Beliveau: Knowledge to Practice (K2P) Knowledge to Practice (K2P) on Twitter Mary Ellen Beliveau on Twitter Mary Ellen Beliveau on LinkedIn         Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!   Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.   Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.                    

  So you’ve read all the business books; you’ve listened to all the podcasts. You have found yourself inundated with everything you feel you “need” to do when it comes to sales: all of the tools, strategies, necessary mindset shifts, behaviors, plans, etc. But what if the key to effective selling isn’t that complicated? What if your sales success is a lot closer than you imagined possible? As someone who has engaged in the sales process as both a seller and a buyer, I have found some simple truths about sales that I believe apply across the board.   In today’s episode, I discuss some fundamental and consistent realities about sales that can help you reach your customer base more effectively, regardless of what type of business you run or what kind of product or service you offer. I share how you can predict whether your customers are going to buy from you and the negative impact of purchasing without trust. I also highlight how trust impacts the selling process and the relationships you build with your clients/customers as well as how a lack of trust can be one of your brand’s greatest downfalls.       “The question isn’t ‘How good are you at sales?’ The question is ‘Can you be trusted?’” - Somer Hamrick         Today on When She Founded:   The importance of finding moments of fun, and reinventing fun, in difficult times such as COVID-19 How my husband and I are reinventing fun for our three-year old A surprising activity my husband and I engaged in on a recent “date night” Insight into the technology platform Channel Clinical is working towards and how far along in the process we are The truths about sales that remain the same no matter what type of business you have What you need to consider before jumping to elaborate sales strategies and new tactics The importance of trust in the sales process How a lack of trust can impact your ability to sell and the sales relationship as a whole The real question you should ask yourself when it comes to your sales capabilities         Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!   Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.   Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.      

  Monica Roy is the co-founder and CEO of Seascape Clinical, a Northern California-based brand offering cloud-based clinical trial management software to help research teams handle clinical trial data more effectively. Monica has worked in the clinical operations space for over thirteen years and believes that by keeping track of clinical trial information, teams can spend more time developing the creative and strategic aspects of their work. In addition to her work at Seascape Clinical, Monica has worked with companies including Bioclinica (Synarc), Clovis Oncology, Gilead Sciences, Myovant Sciences, and AbbVie, in topic areas such as liver disease, women's health, and oncology.   Today, Monica joins me to discuss Seascape Clinical's niche in the clinical research industry and her journey to launching the brand. She shares her insights into clinical trial management systems, the gap she saw in the clinical research space regarding data management, and how Seascape Clinical meets this need. Monica also highlights the uncertainty that can arise along the entrepreneurial journey and the importance of embracing unforeseen challenges.       “The things that you take for granted... those are clear indicators of the direction that you should be going in.” - Monica Roy       Today on When She Founded: What a CTMS system is and why Seascape Clinical struggled to call their product a CTMS system Monica's views on entrepreneurship and her journey to leave the corporate world Insight into how clinical trials and operations work and a problem that Monica has encountered in virtually every company she has worked at How the clinical operations space typically handles data, and the role of Excel How Monica found her co-founder and the importance of finding the right fit Who Monica consulted when faced with the "blank slate" of entrepreneurship How the brain responds to complexity and uncertainty and the importance of willingness along the entrepreneurial journey Where Seascape Clinical is today, the impact of COVID-19, and the most significant challenge Seascape Clinical currently faces The importance of looking beyond your industry "silo" for insight Where the name Seascape Clinical came from     Resources Mentioned:   ●      New Startup Mindset: Ten Mindset Shifts to Build the Company of Your Dreams by Sandra Shpilberg Adnexi ●      Uncertainty: Turning Fear and Doubt into Fuel for Brilliance by Johnathan Fields     Connect with Monica Roy: Seascape Clinical Monica Roy on LinkedIn         Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!   Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.   Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.                  

    With over fifteen years of experience in the medical device field, Dr. Kate Stephenson is an engineer, researcher, and the founder of technical consulting firm Dyad Engineering, LLC, a company that emphasizes technological strategy and planning for new medical devices. Kate earned her doctorate in mechanical engineering from Stanford University, and her interests lie in developing products that can reach underserved markets, including the pediatric and women’s health spaces. Kate is also a public speaker and writer and teaches martial arts to children with special needs in her spare time.   Today, Kate joins me to discuss her firm Dyad Engineering, LLC, how she serves her clients, and how she felt transitioning to entrepreneurship from the corporate world. Kate explains how the design process can shift depending on your positioning and strategic goals and how she has navigated the male-dominated mechanical engineering industry. Kate also highlights the mechanical engineering landscape, including how she has positioned herself as a consultant, and how technology provides the opportunity for more people to connect and make an impact through innovation.       “One of the hardest things you do when you start a company is identifying where your most valuable contribution is.” - Kate Stephenson       Today on When She Founded:   Why Kate started her firm, Dyad Engineering and the meanings behind the name The medical industry sectors Kate has worked in and the products she has designed The career barriers, assumptions, and expectations Kate faced because of her age and gender, and why diversity in engineering is so critical Kate’s experience attending Stanford University, why she chose to become an engineer, and why she decided to get a PhD The role of professional consultants and how they can challenge existing beliefs and bring new ideas to light How being part of the “Sandwich Generation” has impacted Kate’s career decisions The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Kate, both personally and professionally How Kate sees the future of health tech from a product design perspective and the role of the emergency use authorization on development The three main areas Kate works in and the characteristics of her ideal client base     Resources Mentioned:   Xinova Xinova Blog: Dr. Kate Stephenson     Connect with Kate Stephenson: Dyad Engineering Katherine J. Stephenson, Ph.D. on LinkedIn Dyad Engineering on LinkedIn         Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!   Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.   Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.                

  COVID-19 has inevitably changed the entire world and continues to cause massive shifts as we try to keep track of where we are and where we are headed. The clinical research landscape is no exception when it comes to the impact of COVID-19. While navigating these uncertain waters, however, I have gained useful industry insights that have impacted my work at Channel Clinical and my understanding of the current state of clinical trials.   In today’s episode, I discuss what has been going on for me lately as well as updates on Channel Clinical and some of our recent deals. I share some of my industry observations related to COVID-19, my insight into the role of subject matter experts in clinical trials, and the things to consider when it comes to global health and development strategy. I also highlight a current survey Channel Clinical is launching and how you can participate.       “Really get out there if you have something that you think may be a game changer.” - Somer Hamrick         Today on When She Founded:   Interesting food facts that I learned over the weekend The shifting landscape of COVID-19 and its impact on the clinical trial space A brief survey that Channel Clinical is launching and the aim of this survey Positive outcomes of this COVID-19 era, specifically when it comes to outsourcing Recent Channel Clinical deals and the spaces these deals are in How COVID-19 has served as a learning opportunity and the insights I have gained Global health and development strategies you need to remember as we move forward beyond the pandemic What to consider when it comes to strategic partnerships and proposals The importance of identifying and strategically partnering with subject matter experts and opinion leaders in the space     Resources Mentioned:   Channel Clinical Survey Information Department of Defense USAID InTec, LLC.         Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!   Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.   Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.    

    Sabrina Thompson Mitchell is a highly regarded media professional whose career has included work in filmmaking, directing, and photography. Sabrina is the owner of KUU Productions, where she works with A-level clients, including HBO, Saks Fifth Ave, and RocNation Sports, among others. Sabrina served as the Women’s March’s official photographer and was selected by Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign team to document the campaign journey, highlighting moments related to women of color and the Mothers of the Movement. Sabrina is also the co-founder of the Women in Entertainment Empowerment Network (WEEN) and works to empower and uplift diverse young women in the industry. Sabrina’s work has been highlighted on NBC and Entertainment Tonight, as well as The New York Times, Vogue, People, and ESSENCE.   Today, Sabrina joins me to share the twists and turns of her career journey, including how she was impacted by being a finalist on SURVIVOR. She shares some of the inequities in the entertainment sector and how the Women in Entertainment Empowerment Network offers a community of sisterhood while protecting and defending women of color in entertainment, technology, and business. She also highlights what WEEN is currently doing to fight for social and racial justice and amplify the voices of young women in the WEEN Academy.       “We don’t lead from a deficit. We lead from a ‘this is why I’m unique’.” - Sabrina Thompson Mitchell       Today on When She Founded:   The many pivots of Sabrina’s career, including her success on the television show SURVIVOR How Sabrina’s production company got started and what the company specializes in Why Sabrina co-founded the Women in Entertainment Empowerment Network (WEEN) The WEEN Academy’s mission and why WEEN takes a “tough love” approach to empowerment How WEEN is shifting perspectives about entering the entertainment world The importance of leading with purpose and the game-changing gift of storytelling The power of leading from a surplus mindset rather than a deficit mindset How to bring about social change by channeling your emotions into action The concept of privilege and how people address it differently when it comes to race versus gender The power of social media and the importance of harnessing it positively How COVID-19 has impacted WEEN’s growth strategy and what’s next for WEEN         Connect with Sabrina Thompson Mitchell: KUU Productions Women in Entertainment Empowerment Network (WEEN) Sabrina Thompson Mitchell on Instagram WEEN on Instagram         Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!   Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.   Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.              

    Deemed a “Remarkable Woman” by Chapel Hill Magazine in 2016, Robin Whitsell has twenty years of experience in the life science and medical writing industries, including degrees in biophysics and physics. She is the founder and president of Whitsell Innovations (WI) and formerly worked at Inspire Pharmaceuticals, Glaxo Wellcome, and PAREXEL International CRO. Additionally, she was the winner of the Count Me In pitch competition for entrepreneurs. Robin is a public speaker and has contributed her insights to the American Medical Writers Association Medical Writing & Communication Conference as well as the DIA annual meeting and DIA Medical Affairs and Scientific Communications Forum. Robin is also on the board of the Diversity Alliance for Science. Today, Robin joins me to share the niche that she serves with Whitsell Innovations, her journey to growing the business, and the significant changes she faced along the way. She discusses the importance of creating a culture of safety, how this can drive growth, and the strategies she has used to maintain and uphold the company’s growth and mission-driven culture over time. Robin also highlights the benefits and drawbacks of being designated as a woman-owned small business.       “There are plenty of ways to grow a company.” - Robin Whitsell       Today on When She Founded:   The type of company Whitsell Innovations is and the type of clients WI serves The power of “the girlfriend network” when it comes to professional recommendations What “stack ranking is” and why Robin feels it is the antithesis to success Robin’s experience with transitioning her employees from hourly to salary workers and the role of un-billable time The competitive landscape WI entered into and the three “buckets” WI competitors fall into How the decision to be a remote company benefitted WI’s organizational culture The two types of stories medical writers tell and which kind of story is harder to tell How company size relates to infrastructure needs and the importance of recognizing inflection points The benefits and drawbacks of being designated as a “women-owned small business”     Resources Mentioned: Diversity Alliance for Science     Connect with Robin Whitsell:   Whitsell Innovations Robin Whitsell on LinkedIn Email: whitsell@whitsellinnovations.com         Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!   Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.   Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.            

    Jumoke Dada is a technologist, strategist, philanthropist, social entrepreneur, and public speaker with a passion for empowering women and girls who are interested in technology/STEM and social good. She is the Principal of Signature Red where she provides businesses with strategic consulting and resources to elevate women in the technology sector. She is also the creator of the online platform, Tech Women Network, and the founder of the non-profit organization Signature Red Cares. Jumoke writes for ForbesWomen on topics surrounding diversity in the technology industry. Her valuable insights have been highlighted in publications including the Philadelphia Inquirer, Black Enterprise, and EBONY Magazine.   Today, Jumoke joins me to discuss her career journey and her decision to start her own company. She shares the eye-opening experiences that led her to a focus on empowering women in tech, and some of the challenges women in the tech industry face. She discusses the marketplace gaps that currently exist for women in the technology industry and what inspired her to create the Tech Women Network. Jumoke also highlights the events and communities she leads and offers wisdom to women who may feel stuck in their careers.       “You want to become what you can see.” - Jumoke Dada       Today on When She Founded:   The pivotal moment in Jumoke’s career journey that led her to start her own company The entrepreneurial influencers she had in her life when she started her business The initial vision for Jumoke’s firm Signature RED, how she decided on the name for her brand, and how the company’s focus shifted over time What inspired Jumoke to create the Tech Women Network and her goals with the network How Jumoke grew the Tech Women Network and encouraged women to leverage the platform The biggest challenges currently faced by women of color in the technology space Who the HUE Tech Summit is for and how she hopes it will empower women of color and promote diversity in tech Marketplace gaps that exist for women in tech and the areas of the tech industry that women tend to move towards Who can join the Tech Women Network, the steps women can take to apply, and the type of women Jumoke aims to reach   Connect with Jumoke Dada:   Dadaverse Tech Women Network HUE Tech Summit Jumoke Dada on LinkedIn Jumoke Dada on Twitter Jumoke K. Dada on Facebook Tech Women Network on Instagram         Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!   Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.   Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.          

    Dr. Falgunee Parekh is an infectious disease expert. She is the Founder and Principal Scientist of EpiPointe, a small business focused on developing epidemiology solutions to combat global infectious diseases. Dr. Falgunee’s experience in the development and implementation of clinical research studies spans across 18 years and over several locations worldwide, including South Asia, South America, West Africa, and East Africa. In addition to her work as EpiPointe’s Principal Scientist, Dr. Falgunee has also been serving as Treasurer for the Global Health Security Agenda Consortium since March 2019.   Dr. Falgunee joins me today to discuss the impact of health research on communities and individuals. She shares her background and experiences of doing field research in Peru on malaria in pregnancies and shares the profound insights she realized while in the field. She compares the similarities of Zika and COVID-19 and discusses how testing, surveillance, and contact tracing can help scientists understand the global pandemic. She also shares her experiences as a woman of color in a S.T.E.M. career and underscores the power of raising awareness about diseases and public health in communities.       “When you have good solutions to health, it impacts socio-economic wellbeing, individuals, and communities.” - Dr. Falgunee Parekh       Today on When She Founded:   Falgunee’s background and what inspired her to go down the road of epidemiology and public health The meaning of epidemiology and why it matters Falgunee’s experience with researching the epidemiology of malaria in Peru The impact of raising awareness in the fight against infectious diseases What made Dr. Falgunee decide to create her own company The lack of women of color in global health and pharmaceutical industries What it’s like to work as a woman of color in epidemiology and R&D Falgunee’s work on a Zika vaccine trial and the similarities between the epidemiology of Zika and COVID-19 The importance of testing, surveillance, and contact tracing in the fight against COVID-19 and other infectious diseases EpiPointe’s global survey on non-hospitalized COVID-19 cases The power of science communication in managing a pandemic Falgunee’s vision for EpiPointe and why they’re choosing to stay as a small business     Connect with Dr. Falgunee Parekh   EpiPointe EpiPointe on Facebook EpiPointe on LinkedIn Falgunee Parekh on LinkedIn         Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!   Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.   Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.      

Deemed a Top 40 Healthcare Transformer by Medical Marketing & Media, Sandra Shpilberg is the CEO of the digital patient-finding platform SeekerHealth, which she founded in 2015. Sandra was no stranger to the medical field when she launched her successful brand, previously working in the biopharmaceutical space as Vice President of Commercial Development and Strategic Marketing for Nora Therapeutics as well as Executive Director at BioMarin Pharmaceutical. Additionally, Sandra is the best-selling author of New Startup Mindset: 10 Mindset Shifts to Build the Company of Your Dreams.   Today, Sandra joins me to highlight insights from her book New Startup Mindset, which discusses the lessons learned through her journey of founding and leading SeekerHealth. Sandra shares how she approached this entrepreneurial venture, the two types of difficulties we face as founders, and insights into the exit process. Sandra also discussed whether inspiration is necessary for creation, why it is crucial to address burnout as an entrepreneur, and the importance of prioritizing mindset and personal growth as a founder.   “There really is no way to create new things if you’re not pushing yourself to be a beginner.” - Sandra Shpilberg   Today on When She Founded: How the lessons in Sandra’s book New Startup Mindset helped her succeed with her book launch Sandra’s career journey and the myths she busted as she launched SeekerHealth The problem that Sandra set out to solve through her brand and how she found the conviction to pursue her vision Why clinical trials are so important in the eyes of patients and the current focus for most clinical trials The importance of inner mindset and how Sandra intervened with her inner critic The value of a professional network and how Sandra found her early customers Stumbling points along her entrepreneurial journey and what Sandra learned through these struggles The impact of burn out, how long it takes to recover from it, and the importance of honoring your body’s needs Why you shouldn’t wait to resolve your pain before you begin creating The difference between a vacation and a retreat, and why you should retreat rather than quit What mindfulness truly is and how it applies to business How Sandra’s personal experience with immigration has fueled her career journey Connect with Sandra Shpilberg: Sandra Shpilberg Sandra Shpilberg on LinkedIn Sandra Shpilberg on Facebook Sandra Shpilberg on Instagram Sandra Shpilberg on Twitter New Startup Mindset: 10 Mindset Shifts to Build the Company of Your Dreams by Sandra Shpilberg   Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review. Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.

How are you adapting to the changing business environment in the time of COVID-19? Managing and growing a business in these rapidly changing times is no easy feat, especially with all of the personal and professional elements you may be juggling right now as a female founder. To find peace and combat the overwhelm, it is crucial to be clear and intentional when it comes to your intended direction. In today’s episode, I share strategies for building your company in the COVID-19 era and finding clarity amidst the chaos. I discuss the benefits of nurturing relationships with your professional connections, including your peers, clients, and prospects, and how this has helped me in my professional life. I also highlight the importance of having a financial team you can trust and discuss the power of finding creative solutions during this unprecedented time. “What you do with your business to get through this and stay alive does not have to be your forever plan.” - Somer Hamrick   Today on When She Founded: The many aspects of life that female founders may find themselves juggling in the COVID-19 era and the added pressure within the clinical research field Why you should spend time picking up the phone and connecting with others during this time, and who you should call Questions to ask your clients and prospects when reaching out to them Why email isn’t enough when it comes to building professional connections The importance of having a strong financial team and some key people who have helped me with my brand’s financials Why interim solutions are okay in the COVID-19 era and the power of finding creative solutions How Channel Clinical is finding creative alternatives to adapt to these uncertain times Resources Mentioned: Realm Startup Advisory HeyMama Luminary NYC Heroux & Company, LLP   Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review. Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.    

    Bianca Padilla is the CEO and co-founder of Carewell, a family-run healthcare company dedicated to servicing caregivers. A graduate of New York University, Bianca served as a software engineer at LiveNinja and an analyst for a variety of firms before her role at Carewell. Michelle Cardinal is the CEO and co-founder of Rain the Growth Agency, a direct-to-consumer advertising company. She has over 25 years of experience in the media and advertising sector and formerly served as founder and CEO of Cmedia as well as the Executive Vice President of Media at Williams Worldwide Television.   Today, Bianca and Michelle join me to share their entrepreneurial journeys and how they both met marketplace needs in scalable and sustainable ways through their businesses. They share the marketplace trends they have noticed in their industries as well as insights for aspiring female founders. They discuss why it’s vital for female founders to take scalability and financial feasibility into consideration when launching a new business. Bianca and Michelle also highlight how COVID-19 is impacting both of their brands.       “Entrepreneurship is not something you major in; it’s something you are.” - Michelle Cardinal       Today on When She Founded:   How Michelle and Bianca met and their journies to founding their companies An initiative Michelle launched to help meet a need she saw among female founders How Bianca’s grandmother influenced her desire to start Carewell and the first steps she took to meet the marketplace need she saw How Michelle determined that Carewell was the right fit for the SheScales program When Bianca’s entrepreneurial “itch” first began and the one skill she felt would differentiate her as an entrepreneur Michelle’s advice for early-stage female founders who are looking to scale and how Bianca effectively laid the groundwork for her brand The importance of taking scalability and financial feasibility into consideration as an entrepreneur The impact of COVID-19 on Michelle and Bianca’s businesses, including how medical product shortages have impacted Carewell How Carewell is stepping up and serving as an advocate for caregivers in the face of COVID-19 Connect with Bianca Padilla and Michelle Cardinal:   Carewell Carewell on Facebook Carewell Phone: (855) 855-1666 Bianca Padilla on LinkedIn Bianca Padilla on Twitter Rain the Growth Agency Rain the Growth Agency on Instagram Rain the Growth Agency on Facebook Rain the Growth Agency on Twitter Michelle Cardinal on LinkedIn         Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!   Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.   Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.      

MedSnake Media: The Power of Teaming is a Force to Be Working With MedSnake Media is a firm that works with medical companies to help them gain influence in the marketplace through various creative strategy components, including marketing, advertising, content creation, and B2B growth strategy. MedSnake Media also offers services specific to the healthcare space, such as medical billing. At the head of MedSnake Media are Chief Executive Officer and co-founder Shaneé Moret, Chief Operations Officer and co-founder Courtney Harring, and Chief Relationship Officer Joy Mcadams. Today, MedSnake Media leadership team members join me to discuss their journey of launching MedSnake Media and the ideal clients that their brand serves. They discuss how the LinkedIn platform served as a connective tool in the early stages of their company and their views on the use of social media in business today. They also highlight how to address COVID-19 business challenges and resonate with your client base at this time.  “Where there’s competition, there’s great service, and the patients win.” - Joy McAdams Today on When She Founded: The humble beginnings of MedSnake Media and the unmet marketplace needs that the company filled The importance of communication and relationship-building in the healthcare space How Shanee utilized the LinkedIn platform to build her business How perspectives on social media have evolved in the age of COVID-19, and how to maintain relationships with your client base The operational structure of MedSnake Media and some aspects of the organizational culture How Shaneé, Courtney, and Joy are keeping in contact with clients during the coronavirus pandemic How the MedSnake Media team is finding personal strength in these trying times How preparation can counteract fear and anxiety and set you up for success Connect with MedSnake Media: MedSnake Media Email: hello@medsnakemedia.com MedSnake Media on Facebook MedSnake Media on LinkedIn Connect with Shaneé Moret: Shaneé Moret on LinkedIn Shaneé Moret on Instagram Connect with Courtney Harring: Courtney Harring on LinkedIn Courtney Harring on Instagram Connect with Joy Mcadams: Joy Mcadams on LinkedIn Joy Mcadams on Instagram   Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.   Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.      

Heidi Hertel is the founder of Fitz Frames, an organization that makes custom, 3D printed eyewear for children. Her company leverages technology to solve the country’s eyeglass problem for children. As a mother of three, Heidi knows the challenges parents and children face when searching for the perfect eyeglasses. She is passionate about making it fun and easy to shop for eyewear. Prior to forming Fitz, Heidi worked as the Director of Public Affairs and Philanthropic Strategy at Griffin Schake Consulting, as a Political Consultant at Capital Strategies, and as a Government Affairs Manager at two organizations in Washington, D.C. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Tufts University as well as a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center.   Heidi joins me today to share her career journey from Capitol Hill as a political consultant to jumping into the world of entrepreneurship. She shares what inspired her to pivot from her corporate career into entrepreneurship and what makes her company’s 3D printed glasses unique among her competitors. She explains how she raised startup capital to launch her business, how she built her team to scale, and how she developed a go-to-market strategy for success. She also shares how her company is planning a short-term pivot to apply their technology and manufacturing facility to help frontline healthcare professionals with Fitz Protect eyewear.   “Entrepreneurs are really a different breed of people who really do see the possible instead of the roadblocks.” - Heidi Hertel   Today on When She Founded:   Heidi’s journey from Capitol Hill to forming a pediatric eyeglass manufacturing company The importance of leaning on your entrepreneurial peers and network How she developed an app to make it fun and easy for parents and children to find the perfect eyewear How she raised startup capital early on and how she built her team to scale her company How she developed her go-to-market strategy What makes Fitz Frames glasses unique compared to other 3D printed eyewear How the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted her business Heidi’s future predictions and plans for Fitz Frames The company’s plans to pivot their product offerings to help frontline healthcare professionals during the coronavirus pandemic     Resources Mentioned:   Roaring Out of Recession - Harvard Business Review The Grow Group HeyMama   Connect with Heidi Hertel:   Fitz Frames Fitz Frames on Facebook Fitz Frames on Instagram Fitz Frames on Pinterest Heidi Hertel on LinkedIn   Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!   Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.   Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.

Lora Haddock DiCarlo is the Founder and CEO of Lora DiCarlo, a woman-run sexual wellness tech company. Lora is the inventor of Ose, a sex-tech device that holds nine pending patents in micro-robotics. She has won several accolades, including a Gold Stevie Award for Executive of the Year, and was a Consumer Electronics Show Honoree for the Robotics and Drones category in 2019. In addition to her career as an inventor and entrepreneur, Lora is also an internationally sought-after speaker and serves as a board member of the Technology Association of Oregon.   Lora joins me today to share her experiences as an entrepreneur. She explains what inspired her to create a sex-tech product. She illustrates how she pivoted from medical school to pursue her product idea and eventually build a health and wellness company around it. She describes how her company experienced gender bias in the tech industry and how the company won a Consumer Electronics Show Innovation Award. She also discusses the impacts of building strong company values as well as highlights the power of making value-driven decisions.       “Be a purpose-driven company, not just profit-focused. The profits will come as long as you’re making socially-conscientious decisions.” - Lora DiCarlo       Today on When She Founded:   Lora’s experiences with COVID-19 and undergoing quarantine The life-changing experience that inspired the Lora DiCarlo company Why Lora transitioned from medical school to entrepreneurship How Lora gathered data and created a concept for her sex-tech product Why Lora started working as an assistant to CEOs and why she sought the advice of entrepreneurs The number one hurdle that prevented Lora from launching her company The difference between a sex-tech product and a sex toy How the Lora DiCarlo company clashed against, and overcame, gender bias in the tech industry and reshaped the Consumer Electronics Show The power of being a mission and values-driven company How the Lora DiCarlo company is responding to the coronavirus pandemic     Connect with Lora Haddock DiCarlo:   Lora DiCarlo Lora DiCarlo on Instagram Lora DiCarlo on Twitter Lora DiCarlo on Facebook Lora Haddock DiCarlo Lora Haddock DiCarlo on Instagram Lora Haddock DiCarlo on Twitter Lora Haddock DiCarlo on LinkedIn         Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!   Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.   Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.

  COVID-19 has rattled our society on every level imaginable. We are living in strange times, and it is necessary to acknowledge the very valid fear, grief, and sadness our world is currently experiencing. In addition to inevitable health impacts, we are all facing unforeseen changes to both our personal and professional lives. This is especially true in a health-related industry, such as clinical research.   In today’s episode, I discuss the impact of global pandemics and share my reflections on this unprecedented time. I share my insight on how to position your clinical research company to respond to the coronavirus pandemic and why it is essential to reflect on your company’s capacity to prioritize this work while maintaining its current business portfolio.  I also highlight my work during the Ebola pandemic and the needs that currently exist within Channel Clinical and beyond when it comes to responding to today’s global health pandemic.       “We are all navigating new terrain and we need experts at the table. Everybody has their own perspective and we need unique perspectives right now.” - Somer Hamrick       Today on When She Founded:   How COVID-19 has impacted the landscape of the clinical research industry My takeaways from recent clinical research guidance provided by the FDA The increased importance of patient safety and documentation during a global pandemic Three ways that clinical research vendors can work to be ready for rapid response to health pandemics What “getting your house in order” looks like when it comes to positioning yourself for a pandemic response What you should do if you aren’t currently registered to do business with the US government Why you need to double-check your insurance coverage for implementing services during a pandemic How looking at past a pandemic can help provide insight for a response and the lessons I learned from my work during the Ebola outbreak How to approach the need for additional expert support Expertise that is currently needed and our immediate personnel needs at Channel Clinical     Resources Mentioned:   System for Award Management (SAM.gov)     Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!   Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.   Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.  

    Maya Zlatanova is a healthcare technology entrepreneur and the co-founder and CEO of FindMeCure, as well as a clinical research expert with over fifteen years of experience in areas including clinical research regulations and patient recruitment. Maya, who lives in Bulgaria, is also an industry speaker and has presented at several summits and forums, including Scope Summit, Logipharma, Clinical Trial Innovations, Patient Engagement Forum, and GIANT Health. Additionally, Maya is a board member for the Alliance for Clinical Research Excellence and Safety.   Today, Maya joins me to discuss her brand FindMeCure and how her sister’s health journey played a role in her desire to launch the platform. She shares the need she set out to solve and why she believes you should follow your passions and desires to make meaningful contributions. Maya also provides insights into clinical trials, the importance of perspective as you develop a product, and why you need to be disciplined with your work when juggling your entrepreneurial ventures with having a family.       “Focus on the journey, not the destination.” - Maya Zlatanova       Today on When She Founded:   How Bulgaria is handling the COVID-19 pandemic and the most significant concerns the country has FindMeCure’s role in combatting the coronavirus pandemic Where Maya’s inspiration for founding FindMeCure came from and how she met her co-founders What remote clinical trials are, their purpose, and what they can look like The process of developing and launching a product and why it is crucial to get others on board The fear of feedback and the power of pushing through vulnerability to gain insight FindMeCure’s fundamental principles and how the brand’s hiring decisions relate to these principles Maya’s definition of eligibility criteria and why these parameters matter in clinical trials Roadblocks Maya’s company has faced along the journey and how the brand has used insights from these challenges to move forward The importance of time management and how Maya manages the demands of her professional life with being a mother     Resources Mentioned: Alliance for Clinical Research Excellence and Safety The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own by Joshua Becker   Connect with Maya Zlatanova: FindMeCure Maya Zlatanova on LinkedIn Email: maya@findmecure.com         Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!   Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.   Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.        

Linda Greub is the Co-Founder and General Partner at Avestria Ventures, a venture capital firm dedicated to women’s health and empowering females in the field of life science. Linda comes to this role with over twenty years of experience in investment and operations. She has worn many professional hats, including institutional investor, corporate M&A executive, a hedge fund analyst, and a private venture investor. Before joining Avestria, Linda was a partner at LMN Ventures, and also served as the CEO of Muir Partners, VP of Corporate Development at RainDance Technologies, and VP of Strategy and Corporate Development at Singulex, among other roles. She earned her MBA from Harvard Business School and has invested over $3.2 billion of equity capital and has raised over $1.8 billion of capital for public companies, including work with Bank of America Securities, Pacific Growth Equities, Tudor Investments, and Essex Investment Management.   Linda joins me today to share insight on her venture capital firm Avestria and the company’s current portfolio. She shares overlooked aspects of the health care system when it comes to women, including health issues that women are more susceptible to than men. Linda discusses different factors that go into going out on your own in business and how she met her co-founder. Linda also highlights what types of companies Avestria does and doesn’t invest in and shares her words of wisdom for start-ups when pitching a product or service.   “There is absolutely no reason that women shouldn’t be doing as well or better than men as entrepreneurs in the healthcare and life science field.” - Linda Greub   Today on When She Founded:   Insight into Linda’s background, her venture capital firm Avestria, and the two “buckets” Avestria invests in A unique perspective that female venture capitalists can bring to the table, especially in the realm of women’s health issues The percentage of venture capital dollars that go to female-led companies How the healthcare system responds to men vs. women, who utilizes the healthcare system more, and who tends to make the healthcare decisions within a family What Avestria looks for when it comes to investing in early-stage companies Where many start-ups fail when it comes to pitching and key questions to ask yourself when crafting your pitch deck Why a venture capital firm may not invest in your start-up Avestria’s most recent investment and types of companies the firm wants to invest in moving forward Linda’s advice for start-up companies, and how to get a better sense of whether you are a fit for a venture capital firm   Connect with Linda Greub: Avestria Ventures Avestria Ventures on LinkedIn Linda Greub on LinkedIn Avestria Ventures on Twitter   Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!   Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.   Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.

When you think about courage, what do you picture? Perhaps you think of someone saving lives, putting their wellbeing in danger for others, or doing something unthinkably scary. While these are extreme examples of what it means to be brave, courage is also an asset that you can draw upon in your own personal and professional life as you pursue new opportunities and endeavors. In today’s episode, I share what I believe you need in your arsenal as an entrepreneur or when setting out upon any new venture in life. I highlight the importance of being brave and facing new challenges with courage and conviction and why I am not sold on the decision to ‘play it safe’ in business. I also highlight the work of Brené Brown and why you should step up to the plate and address the excuses that may be standing between you and your bravest decisions.   “As long as you’re playing it safe as a career strategy, it eventually comes back to haunt you.” - Somer Hamrick   Today on When She Founded: Common responses to “what you need the most of” What I believe you truly need the most of as a female founder What we are typically told and taught about courage and what my definition of courage used to be How my perspective of bravery has changed over time through my life experiences How I drew upon courage to make some of the hardest decisions in my professional career Brené Brown’s work on the topics of courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy My perspective on what happens when you choose to play it safe in business Common “problems” people cite as reasons for not going after their goals and whether or not this reasoning is valid   Resources Mentioned: Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium (MTEC) Brené Brown TEDTalk: The Power of Vulnerability     Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review. Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.

Dr. Angela Tran is the CEO and Founder of MedFit Medical Weight Loss, a weight loss clinic at Denver, CO. MedFit is a medical team carefully selected to help patients safely lose weight through education, fitness training, and medical expertise. Angela is Board-Certified in Internal Medicine and the best-selling author of Fat Girl Funeral: Burying the Thoughts That Keep You Overweight and Building Weight Loss Habits for Life. In 2004, Dr. Tran graduated from the University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Exempla St. Joseph Hospital in Denver, CO, in 2007. Angela joins me today to share her story of transitioning from being a primary care doctor to starting her own business, MedFit Medical Weightloss. She explains how she realized she was not being the kind of doctor she wanted to be and shares the events that led her to the world of weight loss. She discusses the metrics that define “medical fitness” and shares her thoughts on fad diets. She also underscores the importance of continuing education for business owners and highlights the value of finding the right people and business coaches.   “The doctor-patient relationship should be a partnership. Patients who are educated feel empowered to make the proper decisions to treat themselves.” - Dr. Angela Tran     Today on When She Founded:  How Angela pivoted from practicing primary care and internal medicine to being a business owner The steps Angela took to start her business How Medfit Medical Weightloss marries medical practice and fitness Angela’s thoughts on fad diets The importance of stepping out of your comfort zone The value of finding good people who share your vision and mission The role of a patient and why doctors should form a partnership with their patients How Angela uses Facebook for marketing her business The power of having a business coach     Connect with Dr. Angela Tran: MedFit Medical Weight Loss Fat Girl Funeral TRANSformer on Facebook Angela Tran on LinkedIn     Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!   Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.   Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.

Hitha Palepu is the CEO of Rhoshan Pharmaceuticals, an early-stage life sciences company focused on providing early treatment to the acute leading causes of death. She is the Founder of Hitha On The Go and the author of How To Pack: Travel Smart for Any Trip. Hitha is a sought-after speaker on topics related to lifestyle, philanthropy, and healthcare and is an active angel investor and advisor. Currently, Hitha also serves on the Board of Directors at Sundara, a non-profit organization focused on sustainable hygiene and empowering women in India. Hitha joins me today to share her humble beginnings of watching her father build a pharmaceutical development company and how it inspired her entrepreneurial spirit.  She shares the lessons she learned about business and product development while working as the VP of Business Development of her father’s organization and what it’s like to work with her father as a father-daughter co-founder team. We discuss how her father’s company pivoted from SciDose to Rhoshan Pharmaceuticals and the importance of conducting market research before developing products. Hitha also shares how she balances her time between working as the CEO of Rhoshan Pharmaceuticals while spending time with her husband and young children. “It’s about having the flexibility to adapt. It’s about having the grit to keep pitching with the same energy and enthusiasm the hundredth time as you did the first time.” - Hitha Palepu   Today on When She Founded: Hitha’s childhood upbringing and career background The difference between the R&D side vs the commercialization side of the pharmaceuticals industry The lessons Hitha has learned while working as the Vice President of Business Development at her father’s company, SciDose What it’s like to be a father-daughter co-founder team Feeling burnt out in her career in pharmaceuticals Challenges associated with working in pharmaceutical development Turning perceived failures into massive successes The inspiration behind her book: How To Pack: Travel Smart for Any Trip Shifting the company focus, conducting market research, and ensuring product value Overcoming fears and staying open and transparent with your team The importance of accepting feedback, constructive criticism, and learning to not take ‘no’s’ personally The importance of staying flexible, having grit, and maintaining your enthusiasm How Hitha developed her support system and the advice she would give to women thinking about leaving the corporate world to start their entrepreneurial journey How Hitha juggles her time between work and motherhood and the importance of developing a team of support in your personal and professional life   Resources Mentioned: HeyMama   Connect with Hitha Palepu: Rhoshan Pharmaceuticals Hitha On The Go How To Pack: Travel Smart for Any Trip Hitha Palepu on LinkedIn Hitha Palepu on Instagram Hitha Palepu on Facebook Hitha Palepu on Twitter   Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review. Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.

Seema Kumar is the Vice President of Johnson & Johnson Innovation, an organization on a mission to positively impact human health and support entrepreneurs and innovators to develop healthcare solutions that will improve the lives of people around the world. She is a member of the Communications Leadership Council at Johnson & Johnson and works closely with the company’s Chief Scientific Officer and Worldwide Chairman of Pharmaceuticals. Before taking on the role of VP of Innovation, Global Health, and Policy Communications, Seema served as the VP of Global R&D Communications at The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. She holds a Master’s degree in Science Journalism from the University of Maryland, a Bachelor’s degree in Communications, and a graduate diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication from Stella Maris College in Madras, India. Seema joins me today to share her passion for science, technology, and female empowerment. We discuss the continuous rise of women interested in S.T.E.M projects, initiatives, and careers and why Seema believes the current issue is retaining women in S.T.E.M. industries. We discuss the importance of seeing other women at the highest levels of leadership and how it can encourage more women to step out of their comfort zone to climb the corporate ladder. We also discuss the crux of innovation in the corporate world and how the idea for SEEMA Magazine came to fruition. “When men make space for women and champion them and allow them to lead - it makes a big difference.” - Seema Kumar   Today on When She Founded: Seema’s childhood upbringing and how it inspired her passion for science, technology, and female empowerment The rise of the representation of women in S.T.E.M and the current issues Seema believes S.T.E.M industries face Seema’s perspective on why we see a gap of women being represented at the highest levels of leadership The importance of role models and mentorship Why Seema believes it’s critical for men to encourage and champion women to lead The importance of drive, passion, purpose, diversity, and authenticity Understanding when insecurities and vulnerabilities are signs of strength The crux of innovation The motivation behind launching SEEMA Magazine The multiplier effect of increasing the visibility of women Connect with Seema Kumar: Johnson & Johnson Innovation SEEMA Magazine SEEMA Summit Email: info@seema.com Seema Kumar on Instagram Seema Kumar on Facebook Seema Kumar on Twitter   Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review. Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.

Lindsay McGraw is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, a wellness advocate, and the owner of Marka Health, a health and wellness company focused on helping individuals and companies improve their overall health, promote teamwork, and attract and retain top talent. Lindsay is a Board Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist, a Licensed Physical Therapist, a Certified Ergonomics Assessment Specialist, and a Credentialed Clinical Instructor as well as a registered yoga teacher. She has worked in the physical therapy clinics for over a decade before deciding to start her company. Lindsay joins me today to share her story of working as a physical therapist to taking the plunge and launching Marka Health. She shares what it was like to step away from her successful career to start her business and the importance of taking a break from your career before launching a business. She also shares how her company has grown and evolved over the last few years and how she finds a balance between growth, implementation, and raising a family.   “That’s the thing about entrepreneurship that is so beautiful and such a wonderful opportunity for women in general; it is the freedom and flexibility, and really the ability to shine where you’re able to show your strengths off.” - Lindsay McGraw   Today on When She Founded: Lindsay’s career journey from working in physical therapy clinics to launching her own business Challenges she experienced when starting Marka Health The support Lindsay received from her husband throughout her entrepreneurial journey and how he inspired her to pivot her career path Taking the time and space you need to launch your business How Marka Health has grown and evolved since 2017 Finding a balance between growth, implementation, scaling, and raising a family Getting comfortable with fear and being willing to pivot Connect with Lindsay McGraw: Marka Health website Email: hello@markahealth.com Marka Health on LinkedIn Marka Health on Instagram Marka Health on Facebook Marka Health on Twitter Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review. Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.