In this episode of 5 to 9, I had a chat with Kim Pham, a creative director, BDSM educator, nomad, and co-founder of Omsom, a proud and loud food brand reclaiming Asian flavors, that was recently acquired in 2024.

As a self-proclaimed “internet weirdo”, Kim was fascinated by the internet early in her life growing up in Boston. This led her to spend 12 years working in early-stage tech start-ups, building Europe’s premier community platform for operational leaders in VC and getting recognized in Forbes 30 under 30 Europe in 2017.

She then co-founded Omsom with her sister in 2019, a food brand of chef-crafted noodles and sauces that took the internet by storm!

And while building this “proud and loud” food brand, Kim also gave voice to her own self-expression as a BDSM educator on TikTok and Instagram, now with over 180k followers cross-platform.

We talked about everything from her early aspirations of hosting a Food Network show, to her years in venture capital, to co-founding OMSOM and its mission of reclaiming loud and proud not only in Asian flavors but also in herself. We also talked about her post-acquisition life, the courage to explore new identities and her next chapter—where creativity, authenticity, and curiosity take center stage.

Kim’s journey is a masterclass in following your intuition, embracing the unknown, and rewriting the rules for success.

This is Kim Pham for 5 to 9.

In this episode of 5to9, I had a chat with Brandy Cerne, a brand strategist, community builder, and now the owner of a connections-led pousada in Brazil.

Brandy started her career in New York, doing marketing for Shake Shack and SoFar Sounds, where she played an integral part in both brands' growth.

After years immersed in the hustle of city life, Brandy found herself drawn to a different pace, which eventually led her to live in Brazil. She is now a freelance brand strategist for community-led startups, and is embarking on a new venture of opening a pousada, a Brazilian-style boutique inn focused on community and connection.

We talked about her years at Shake Shack & Sofar, lessons in hospitality, self-employment, when you’re ready for your next thing, when you need small changes vs big ones, piecing together a unique career, celebrating small wins, and more!

This is Brandy Cerne for 5to9.

In this episode of 5to9, I had a chat with Farah Sheikh-Ogoe, a brand manager at META, co-founder of NOTES International, a community of Black and brown people who love natural wine, vibey tunes, global travel and the intersection of all 3, and a lover of all things food, fashion, community and connection.

Farrah’s had quite a non-linear career. She started off as a content manager in the agency world at Ogilvy, then went to the non-profit at Do Something for a few years then back to the agency world as a producer at Big Spaceship. She then spent a few years at Squarespace on their brand team and had a stint at JP Morgan, Peloton and Vivino, an online wine market place. Along the way, she freelanced and had multiple side projects such as Feed & Foster, a peer mentorship dinner for women of color and Notes International.

With each step, Farrah has deliberately chosen to pursue work that fuels her creativity and aligns with her values, always being intentional on what it is that she needs and wants next and building a career that is uniquely hers.

We talked about the power of taking a non-linear path, the lessons she’s learned from shifting industries, balancing a full-time role with passion projects, how they impact each other, and redefining what success looks like beyond a 9-to-5.

Here is Farah Sheikh-Ogoe for 5to9.